Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA By L. Muhlbach Translated from the German by Peter Langley BOOK I. OLD FRITZ. I. The Lonely King II. Wilhelmine Enke III. Frederick William IV. The Drive to Berlin V. The Oath of Fidelity VI. The Parade VII. The Miraculous Elixir VIII. The Golden Rain IX. German Literature and the King BOOK II. ROSICRUCIANS AND POWERFUL GENIUSES. X. Goethe in Berlin XI. The Inner and the Middle Temple XII. The Jesuit General XIII. A Pensioned General XIV. The King’s Letter XV. Hate and Love XVI. Charles Augustus and Goethe XVII. Goethe’s Visits XVIII. Farewell to Berlin BOOK III. STORM AND PRESSURE. XIX. The King and the Austrian Diplomat XX. The King and the Lover XXI. In Weimar XXII. The Reading XXIII. Witchcraft XXIV. The Purse-Proud Man XXV. The Elopement XXVI. Under the Starry Heavens XXVII. The Sacrifice BOOK IV. THE VISIBLES AND THE INVISIBLES. XXVIII. Old Fritz XXIX. Cagliostro’s Return XXX. The Triumvirate XXXI. Future Plans XXXII. Miracles and Spirits XXXIII. The Return Home XXXIV. Behind the Mask XXXV. The Curse XXXVI. The King and the Rosicrucians XXXVII. The Espousals XXXVIII. Revenge Fulfilled FOREWORD I would merely say a few words in justification of the Historical Romance, in its relation to history. Any one, with no preceding profound study of history, who takes a few well-known historical facts as a foundation for an airy castle of romantic invention and fantastic adventure, may easily write an Historical Romance; for him history is only the nude manikin which he clothes and adorns according to his own taste, and to which he gives the place and position most agreeable to himself. But only the writer who is in earnest with respect to historical truth, who is not impelled by levity or conceited presumption, is justified in attempting this species of composition; thoroughly impressed with the greatness of his undertaking, he will with modest humility constantly remember that he has proposed to himself a great and sublime work which, however, it will be difficult if not impossible for him wholly and completely to accomplish.