history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第13章
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iness; waiting for something of the kind; and 〃the joy of the people was frantic。〃 ' Mitchell Papers and Memoirs (i。 e the PRINTED Selection; 2 vols。 London; 1850;which will be the oftenest cited by us; 〃Papers AND MEMOIRS〃); i。 249: 〃Holderness to Mitchell; 20th May; 1757。〃 Mitchell is now attending Friedrich; his Letter from Keith's Camp; during the thunder of 〃Friday; May 6th;〃 is given; ib。 i。 248。'
Very dominant; our 〃Protestant Champion〃 yonder; on his Ziscaberg; bidding the enormous Pompadour…Theresa combinations; the French; Austrian; Swedish; Russian populations and dread sovereigns; check their proud waves; and hold at mid…flood。 It is thought; had he in effect; 〃annihilated〃 the Austrian force at Prag; that day (Friday; 6th May; as he might have done by waiting till Saturday; 7th); he could then; with the due rapidity; rapidity being indispensable in the affair; have become master of Prag; which meant of Bohemia altogether; and have stormed forward; as his program bore; into the heart; of an Austria still terror…stricken; unrallied;in which case; it is calculated; the French; the Russians; Swedes; much more the Reich and such like; would all have drawn bridle; and Austria itself have condescended to make Peace with a Neighbor of such quality; and consent to his really modest desire of being let alone! Possible; all this;think Retzow and others。 'See RETZOW; i。 100…108; &c。 ' But the King had not waited till to…morrow; no persuasion could make him wait: and it is idle speculating on the small turns which here; as everywhere; can produce such deflections of course。
Beyond question; Prag is not captured; and may; as now garrisoned; require a great deal of capturing:and perhaps it is but a PEAK; this high dominancy of Friedrich's; not a solid table…land; till much more have been done! Friedrich has nothing of the Gascon: but there may well be conceivable at this time a certain glow of internal pride; like that of Phoebus amid the piled tempests;like that of the One Man prevailing; if but for a short season; against the Devil and All Men: 〃I have made good my bit; of resolution so far: here are the Austrians beaten at the set day; and Prag summoned to surrender; as per program!〃
Intrinsically; Prag is not a strong City: we have seen it; taken in few days; in one night;and again; as in Belleisle's time; we have seen it making tough defence for a series of weeks。 It depends on the garrison; what extent of garrison (the circuit of it being so immense); and what height of humor。 There are now 46;000 men caged in it; known to have considerable magazines; and Friedrich; aware that it will cost trouble; bends all his strength upon it; and from his two camps; Ziscaberg; Weissenberg; due Bridges uniting; Keith and he batter it; violently; aiming chiefly at the Magazines (which are not all bomb…proof); and hope they may succeed before it is too late。
The Vienna people are in the depths of amazement and discouragement; almost of terror; had it not been for a few; or especially for one high heart among them。 Feldmarschall Daun; on the news of May 6th; hastily fell back; joined by the wrecks of the right wing; which fled Sazawa way。 Brunswick…Bevern; with a 20;000; is detached to look after Daun; finds Daun still on the retreat; greedily collecting reinforcements from the homeward quarter; and hanging back; though now double or so of Bevern's strength。 Amazement and discouragement are the general feeling among Friedrich's enemies。 Notable to see how the whole hostile world marching in upon him;French; Russians; much more the Reich; poor faltering entity;pauses; as with its breath taken away; at news of Prag; and; arrested on the sudden; with lifted foot; ceases to stride forward; and merely tramp…tramps on the same place (nay in part; in the Reich part; visibly tramps backward); for above a month ensuing! Who knows whether; practically; any of them will come on; 'See CORRESPONDANCE DU COMTE DE SAINT…GERMAIN; an Eye…witness; i。 108 (cited in Preuss; ii。 50); &c。 &c。' and not leave Austria by itself to do the duel with Friedrich? If Prag were but got; and the 46;000 well locked away; it would be very salutary for Friedrich's affairs!Week after week; the City holds out; and there seems no hope of it; except by hunger; and burning their Magazines by red…hot balls。
COLONEL MAYER WITH HIS 〃FREE…CORPS〃 PARTY MAKES A VISIT; OF DIDACTIC NATURE; TO THE REICH。
Friedrich; as we saw; on entering Bohmen; had shot off a Light Detachment under Colonel Mayer; southward; to seize any Austrian Magazines there were; especially one big Magazine at Pilsen:which Mayer has handsomely done; May 2d (Pilsen 〃a bigger Magazine than Jung…Bunzlau; even〃); after which Mayer is now off westward; into the Ober…Pfalz; into the Nurnberg Countries; to teach the Reich a small lesson; since they will not listen to Plotho。 Prag Battle; as happens; had already much chilled the ardor of the Reich! Mayer has two Free…Corps; his own and another; about 1;300 of foot; to which are added a 200 of hussars。 They have 5 cannon; carry otherwise a minimum of baggage; are swift wild fellows; sharp of stroke; and do; for the time; prove didactic to the Reich; bringing home to its very bosom the late great lesson of the Ziscaberg; in an applied form。 Mayer made a pretty course of it; into the Ober…Pfalz Countries; scattering the poor Execution Drill…Sergeants and incipiencies of preparation; the deliberative County Meetings; KREIS…Convents: ransoming Cities; Nurnberg for one city; whose cries went to Friedrich on the Ziscaberg; and wide over the world。 'In Helden…Geschichte; iv。 360…367; the Nurnberg Letter and Response (3lst May…5th June; 1757): in Pauli; Leben grosser Helden (iii。 159 et seq。); Account of the Mayer Expedition; also in Militair…Lexikon; iii。 29 (quoting from Pauli)。' Nurnberg would have been but too happy to 〃refuse its contingent to the Reich's Army;〃 as many others would have been (poor Kur…Baiern hurrying off a kind of Embassy to Friedrich; great terror reigning among the wigs of Regensburg; and everybody drawing back that could);had not Imperial menaces; and an Event that fell out by and by in Prag Country; forced compliance。
Mayer's Expedition made a loud noise in the Newspapers; and was truly of a shining nature in its kind; very perfectly managed on Mayer's part; and has traits in it which are amusing to read; had one time。 Take one small glance from Pauli:
〃At Furth in Anspach; 1st June 'after six days' screwing of Nurnberg from without; which we had no cannon to take'; a Gratuity for the Prussian troops 'amount not stated' was demanded and given: at Schwabach; farther up the Regnitz River; they took quarters; no exemption made; clergy and laity alike getting soldiers billeted。 Meat and drink had to be given them: as also 100 carolines 'guineas and better'; and twenty new uniforms。 Upon which; next day; they marched to Zirndorf; and the Reichsgraf Puckler's Mansion; the Schloss of Farrenbach there。 Mayer took quarter in the Schloss itself。 Here the noble owners got up a ball for Mayer's entertainment; and did all they could contrive to induce a light treatment from him。〃 Figure it; the neighboring nobility and gentry in gala; Mayer too in his best uniform; and smiling politely; with those 〃bright little black eyes〃 of his! For he was a brilliant airy kind of fellow; and had much of the chevalier; as well as of the partisan; when requisite!
〃Out of Farrenbach; the Mayer people circulated upon all the neighboring Lordships; at Wilhelmsdorf; the Reichs…Furst von Hohenlohe 'a too busy Anti…Prussian' had the worst brunt to bear。 The adjacent Baireuth lands 'dear Wilhelmina; fancy her too in such neighborhood!' were to the utmost spared all billeting; and even all transit;〃though wandering sergeants of the Reich's Force; 〃one sergeant with the Wurzburg Herr Commissarius and eight common men; did get picked up on Baireuth ground: and this or the other Anspach Official (Anspach being disaffected); too busy on the wrong side; found himself suddenly Prisoner of War; but was given up; at Wilhelmina?s gracious request。 On Bamberg he was sharp as flint; and had to be;