history of friedrich ii of prussia v 17-第25章
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n Officers。 They were scattered up and down; put in garrisons; not easy handling them: they deserted by whole companies at a time in the course of this War。〃 'Preuss; ii。 22; 135; in Stenzel (v。 16…20) more precise details。' Not a measure for imitation; as we said!How Friedrich defended such hard conduct to the Saxons? Reader; I know only that Destiny and Necessity; urged on by Saxons and others; was hard as adamant upon Friedrich at this time; and that Friedrich did not the least dream of making any defence;and will have to take your verdict; such as it may be。
Moritz of Dessau had a terrible Winter of it; organizing and breaking in these Saxon people;got by press…gang in this way。 Polish Majesty; 〃with 500 of suite;〃 had driven instantly for Warsaw; post…horses most politely furnished him; and all the Prussian posts and soldiers well kept out of his road;road chosen for him to that end。 Poor soul; he never came back。 For six years coming; he saw; from Warsaw in the distance (amid anarchy and NIE…POZWALAM; which he never lacked there); the wide War raging; in Saxony especially; and died soon after it was done。 Nor did Bruhl return; except broken by that event; and to die in few months after。 Let us pity the poor fat…goose of a Majesty (not ill…natured at all; only stupid and idle): some pity even to the doomed… phantasm Bruhl; if you can;and thank Heaven to have got done with such a pair!
Friedrich's treatment of the Saxon Troops; Saxon Majesty and Country: who shall say that it was wise in all points? It would be singular treatment; if it were! In all things; AFTER is so different from BEFORE and DURING。 The truth is; Friedrich hoped long to have made some agreement with the Saxons。 And readers now; in the universal silence; have no notion of Friedrich's complexities from fact; and of the loud howl of hostile rumor; which was piping through all journals; diplomacies and foreign human throats; against him at that time。
〃The essential passages of War and Peace;〃 says a certain Commentator; 〃during those Five weeks of Pirna; can be made intelligible in small compass。 But how the world argued of them then and afterwards; and rang with hot Gazetteer and Diplomatic logic from side to side; no reader will now ever know。 A world… tornado extinct; gone:think of the sounds uttered from human windpipes; shrill with rage some of them; hoarse others with ditto; of the vituperations; execrations; printed and vocal;grating harsh thunder upon Friedrich and this new course of his。 Huge melody of Discords; shrieking; droning; grinding on that topic; through the afflicted Universe in general; for certain years。 The very Pamphlets printed on it;cannot Dryasdust give me the number of tons weight; then? Dead now every Pamphlet of them; a thing fallen horrible to human nature; extinct forever; as is the wont in such cases。〃
I will give only this of Voltaire; a mild Epigram; done at The DELICES; in pleasant view of Ferney and good things coming。 A bolt shot into the storm…tost Sea and its wreckages; by a Mariner now cheerily drying his clothes on the shore there;in fact; an indifferent Epigram; on Kings Friedrich and George; which is now flying about in select circles:
〃Rivaux du Vainqueur de l'Euphrate; L'Oncle et le Neveu; L'un fait la guerre en pirate; L'autre en parti bleu。 〃
〃Rivals of Alexander the Great; this Uncle and Nephew make war; the one as a Pirate 'seizure of those French ships'; the other 'Saxony stolen' as Captain of an Accidental Thieving…squad;〃PARTI BLEU; as the French soldiers call it。 'Walpole's LETTERS; 〃To Sir Horace Mann; 8th December; 1756。〃'
MAP facing page 365; Chap VII; Book 17…
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Pirna was no sooner done than Friedrich returned to the 〃Camp at Lobositz;〃 where his victorious Keith…Army has been lying all this while。 The Camp of Lobositz; and all Camps Prussian and Austrian; are about to strike their tents; and proceed to Winter…quarters; to prepare against next Spring。 Friedrich set off thither October 18th (the very day after that of Waltersdorf); with intent to bring home Keith's Army; and see if Browne meant anything farther (which Browne did not; or does only in the small Tolpatch way); also to meet; Schwerin; whom he had summoned over from Silesia for a little conference there。 Schwerin; after eating Konigsgratz Country well; which was all he could do; as Piccolomini would not come out; and we know how strong the ground is;had retired to Silesia again; in due season (snapping up; in a sharply conclusive manner; any Tolpatcheries that attempted chase of him); taken Winter cantonments in Silesia; headquarter Schweidnitz; and is now getting his Instructions; here personally; in the Metal Mountains; for a day or two。 ' Helden…Geschichte; iii。 946; 948。'
Friedrich brought his Keith…Army home to Gross…Sedlitz; to join the other Force there; and distributed the whole into their Winter… quarters。 Cantoned far and wide; spreading out from Pirna on both hands: on the left or western hand; by Zwickau; Freyberg; Chemnitz; up to Leipzig; Torgau; and on the right or northeast hand; by Zittau; Gorlitz; Bautzen; to protect the Lausitz against Austrian inroads;while a remote Detachment; under Winterfeld; watches the Bober River with similar views。 'In Helden…Geschichte; iii。 948 et seq。; a minute List by Place and Regiment。' All which done; or settled to be done; Friedrich quits Gross…Sedlitz; November 14th; and takes up his abode at Dresden for this Winter。
Chapter VIII。
WINTER IN DRESDEN。
The Saxon Army is incorporated; then; its King gone under the horizon; the Saxon Country has a Prussian Board set over it; to administer all things of Government; especially to draw taxes and recruits from Saxony。 Torgau; seat of this new Board; has got fortified; 〃1;500 inhabitants were requisitioned as spademen for that end; at first with wages;〃latterly; I almost fear; without!
The Saxon Ministers are getting drilled; cashiered if necessary; and on all hands; rigorous methods going forward;till Saxony is completely under grasp; in which state it was held very tight indeed; for the six years coming。 There is no detailing of all that; details; were they even known to an Editor at such distance; would weary every reader。 Enough to understand that Friedrich has not on this occasion; as he did in 1744; omitted to disarm Saxony; to hobble it in every limb; and have it; at discretion; tied as with ropes to his interests and him。 ' Helden…Geschichte; iii。 945…956。' His management was never accounted cruel; and it was studiously the reverse of violent or irregular: but it had to be rigorous as the facts were;nor was it the worst; or reckoned the worst; of Saxony's miseries in this time。
Poor Country; suffering for its Bruhl! In the Country; except for its Bruhl; there was no sin against Prussia; the reverse rather。 The Saxon population; as Protestants; have no good…will to Austria and its aims of aggrandizement。 In Austrian spy…letters; now and afterwards; they are described to us as 〃GUT PREUSSISCH;〃 〃strong for Prussia; the most of them; even in Dresden itself。〃
Whether Friedrich could have had much real hope to end the War this Year; or scare it off from beginning; may be a question。 If he had; it is totally disappointed。 The Saxon Government has brought ruin on itself and Country; but it has been of great damage to Friedrich。 Would Polish Majesty have consented to disband his soldiers; and receive Friedrich with a BONA…FIDE 〃Neutrality;〃 Friedrich could have passed the Mountains still in time for a heavy stroke on Bohemia; which was totally unprepared for such a visit; And he mightfrom the Towers of Prag; for instancehave; far more persuasively; held out the olive…branch to an astonished Empress… Queen: 〃Leave me alone; Madam; will you; then! Security for that; I wanted and want nothing more!〃 But Polish Majesty; taking on him the character of Austrian martyr; and flinging himself into the gulf; has prevented all that; has turned all that the other way。
Austria; it appears; is quite ungrateful: 〃Was n't he bound?〃 thinks Austria;as its wont rather is。 Forgetful of the great deliverance wro