"ADIEU, GRANDS ERASEURS DE ROIS," so it starts: "Adieu, grand crushers of Kings; arrogant wind-bags, Turpin, Broglio, Soubise,--Hildburghausen with the gray beard, foolish still as when your beard was black in the Turk-War time:--brisk journey to you all!"That is the first stanza; unexceptionable, had we room. The second stanza is,--with the veils partially lifted; with probably "MOISE"put into the first blank, and into the third something of or belonging to "CESAR,"--<italic> "Je vows ai vu comme ...
Dans des ronces en certain lieu Eut l'honneur de voir ...
Ou comme au gre de sa luxure Le bon Nicomede a l'ecart Aiguillonnait sa flamme impure Des ..." <end italic>
Enough to say, the Author, with a wild burst of spiritual enthusiasm, sings the charms of the rearward part of certain men;and what a royal ecstatic felicity there sometimes is in indisputable survey of the same. He rises to the heights of Anti-Biblical profanity, quoting Moses on the Hill of Vision; sinks to the bottomless of human or ultra-human depravity, quoting King Nicomedes's experiences on Caesar (happily known only to the learned); and, in brief, recognizes that there is, on occasion, considerable beauty in that quarter of the human figure, when it turns on you opportunely. A most cynical profane affair: yet, we must say by way of parenthesis, one which gives no countenance to Voltaire's atrocities of rumor about Friedrich himself in this matter; the reverse rather, if well read; being altogether theoretic, scientific; sings with gusto the glow of beauty you find in that unexpected quarter,--while KICKING it deservedly and with enthusiasm. "To see the"--what shall we call it: seat of honor, in fact, "of your enemy:" has it not an undeniable charm? "I own to you in confidence, O Soubise and Company, this fine laurel I have got, and was so in need of, is nothing more or other than the sight of your"--FOUR ASTERISKS. "Oblige me, whenever clandestine Fate brings us together, by showing me that"--always that, if you would give me pleasure when we meet. "And oh," next stanza says, "to think what our glory is founded on,"--on view of that unmentionable object, I declare to you!--And through other stanzas, getting smutty enough (though in theory only), which we need not prosecute farther. [<italic> OEuvres de Frederic, <end italic> xii. 70-73(WRITTEN at Freiburg, 6th November, when his Majesty got thither, and found the Bridge burnt).] A certain heartiness and epic greatness of cynicism, life's nakedness grown almost as if innocent again; an immense suppressed insuppressible Haha, on the part of this King. Strange TE-DEUM indeed. Coming from the very heart, truly, as few of them do; but not, in other points, recommendable at all!--Here, of the night before, is something better:--TO WILHELMINA.
"NEAR WEISSENFELS [OBSCHUTZ, in fact; does not know yet what the Battle will be CALLED], 5th November, 1757.
"At last, my dear Sister, I can announce you a bit of good news.
You were doubtless aware that the Coopers with their circles had a mind to take Leipzig. I ran up, and hove them beyond Saale. The Duc de Richelieu sent them a reinforcement of twenty battalions and fourteen squadrons [say 15,000 horse and foot]; they then called themselves 63,000 strong. Yesterday I went to reconnoitre them;could not attack them in the post they held. This had rendered them rash. Today they came out with the intention of attacking me; but Itook the start of them (LES AI PREVENU). It was a Battle EN DOUCEUR(soft to one's wish). Thanks to God I have not a hundred men killed; the only General ill wounded is Meinecke. My Brother Henri and General Seidlitz have slight hurts [gun-shots, not so slight, that of Seidlitz] in the arm. We have all the Enemy's cannon, all the ... I am in full march to drive them over the Unstrut [already driven, your Majesty; bridge burning].
"You, my dear Sister, my good, my divine and affectionate Sister [faithful to the bone, in good truth, poor Wilhelmina], who deign to interest yourself in the fate of a Brother who adores you, deign also to share in my joy. The instant I have time, I will tell you more. I embrace you with my whole heart; Adieu. F."[<italic> OEuvres de Frederic, <end italic> xxvii. i. 310.]
ULTERIOR FATE OF DAUPHINESS; FLIES OVER THE RHINE IN BAD FASHION:
DAUPHINESS'S WAYS WITH THE SAXON POPULATION IN HER DELIVERANCE-WORK.
