history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第1章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 16
By Thomas Carlyle
BOOK XVI。
THE TEN YEARS OF PEACE。
1746…1756。
Chapter I。
SANS…SOUCI。
Friedrich has now climbed the heights; and sees himself on the upper table…land of Victory and Success; his desperate life…and… death struggles triumphantly ended。 What may be ahead; nobody knows; but here is fair outlook that his enemies and Austria itself have had enough of him。 No wringing of his Silesia from this 〃bad Man。〃 Not to be overset; this one; by never such exertions; oversets US; on the contrary; plunges us heels…over…head into the ditch; so often as we like to apply to him; nothing but heavy beatings; disastrous breaking of crowns; to be had on trying there! 〃Five Victories!〃 as Voltaire keeps counting on his fingers; with upturned eyes;Mollwitz; Chotusitz; Striegau; Sohr; Kesselsdorf (the last done by Anhalt; but omitting Hennersdorf; and that sudden slitting of the big Saxon…Austrian Projects into a cloud of feathers; as fine a feat as any);〃Five Victories!〃 counts Voltaire; calling on everybody (or everybody but Friedrich himself; who is easily sated with that kind of thing) to admire。 In the world are many opinions about Friedrich。 In Austria; for instance; what an opinion; sinister; gloomy in the extreme: or in England; which derives from Austria;only with additional dimness; and with gloomy new provocations of its own before long! Many opinions about Friedrich; all dim enough: but this; that he is a very demon for fighting; and the stoutest King walking the Earth just now; may well be a universal one。 A man better not be meddled with; if he will be at peace; as he professes to wish being。
Friedrich accordingly is not meddled with; or not openly meddled with; and has; for the Ten or Eleven Years coming; a time of perfect external Peace。 He himself is decided 〃not to fight with a cat;〃 if he can get the peace kept; and for about eight years hopes confidently that this; by good management; will continue possible; till; in the last three years; electric symptoms did again disclose themselves; and such hope more and more died away。 It is well known there lay in the fates a Third Silesian War for him; worse than both the others; which is now the main segment of his History still lying ahead for us; were this Halcyon Period done。 Halcyon Period counts from Christmas…day; Dresden; 1745;〃from this day; Peace to the end of my life!〃 had been Friedrich's fond hope。 But on the 9th day of September; 1756; Friedrich was again entering Dresden (Saxony some twelve days before); and the Crowning Struggle of his Life was; beyond all expectation; found to be still lying ahead for him; awfully dubious for Seven Years thereafter!
Friedrich's History during this intervening Halcyon or Peace Period must; in some way; be made known to readers: but for a great many reasons; especially at present; it behooves to be given in compressed form; riddled down; to an immense extent; out of those sad Prussian Repositories; where the grain of perennial; of significant and still memorable; lies overwhelmed under rubbish… mountains of the fairly extinct; the poisonously dusty and forgettable;ACH HIMMEL! Which indispensable preliminary process; how can an English Editor; at this time; do it; no Prussian; at any time; having thought of trying it! From a painful Predecessor of mine; I collect; rummaging among his dismal Paper…masses; the following Three Fragments; worth reading here:
1。 〃Friedrich was as busy; in those Years; as in the generality of his life; and his actions; and salutary conquests over difficulties; were many; profitable to Prussia and to himself。 Very well worth keeping in mind。 But not fit for History; or at least only fit in the summary form; to be delineated in little; with large generic strokes;if we had the means;such details belonging to the Prussian Antiquary; rather than to the English Historian of Friedrich in our day。 A happy Ten Years of time。 Perhaps the time for Montesquieu's aphorism; 'Happy the People whose Annals are blank in History…Books!' The Prussian Antiquary; had he once got any image formed to himself of Friedrich; and of Friedrich's History in its human lineaments and organic sequences; will glean many memorabilia in those Years: which his readers then (and not till then) will be able to intercalate in their places; and get human good of。 But alas; while there is no intelligible human image; nothing of lineaments or organic sequences; or other than a jumbled mass of Historical Marine…Stores; presided over by Dryasdust and Human Stupor (unsorted; unlabelled; tied up in blind sacks); the very Antiquary will have uphill work of it; and his readers will often turn round on him with a gloomy expression of countenance!〃
2。 〃Friedrich's Lifelittle as he expected it; that day when he started up from his ague…fit at Reinsberg; and grasped the fiery Opportunity that was shooting pastis a Life of War。 The chief memory that will remain of him is that of a King and man who fought consummately well。 Not Peace and the Muses; no; that is denied him; though he was so unwilling; always; to think it denied! But his Life…Task turned out to be a Battle for Silesia。 It consists of Three grand Struggles of War。 And not for Silesia only; unconsciously; for what far greater things to his Nation and to him!
〃Deeply unconscious of it; they were passing their 'Trials;' his Nation and he; in the great Civil…Service…Examination Hall of this Universe: 'Are you able to defend yourselves; then; and to hang together coherent; against the whole world and its incoherencies and rages?' A question which has to be asked of Nations; before they can be recognized as such; and be baptized into the general commonwealth; they are mere Hordes or accidental Aggregates; till that Question come。 Question which this Nation had long been getting ready for; which now; under this King; it answered to the satisfaction of gods and men: 'Yes; Heaven assisting; we can stand on our defence; and in the long…run (as with air when you try to annihilate it; or crush it to NOTHING) there is even an infinite force in us; and the whole world does not succeed in annihilating us!' Upon which has followed what we term National Baptism;or rather this was the National Baptism; this furious one in torrent whirlwinds of fire; done three times over; till in gods or men there was no doubt left。 That was Friedrich's function in the world; and a great and memorable one;not to his own Prussian Nation only; but to Teutschland at large; forever memorable。
〃'Is Teutschland a Nation; is there in Teutschland still a Nation?' Austria; not dishonestly; but much sunk in superstitions and involuntary mendacities; and liable to sink much farther; answers always; in gloomy proud tone; 'Yes; I am the Nation of Teutschland!'but is mistaken; as turns out。 For it is not mendacities; conscious or other; but veracities; that the Divine Powers will patronize; or even in the end will put up with at all。 Which you ought to understand better than you do; my friend。 For; on the great scale and on the small; and in all seasons; circumstances; scenes and situations where a Son of Adam finds himself; that is true; and even a sovereign truth。 And whoever does not know it;human charity to him (were such always possible) would be; that HE were furnished with handcuffs as a part of his outfit in this world; and put under guidance of those who do。 Yes; to him; I should say; a private pair of handcuffs were much usefuler than a ballot…box;were the times once settled again; which they are far from being!〃 。。。
〃So that; if there be only Austria for Nation; Teutschland is in ominous case。 Truly so。 But there is in Teutschland withal; very irrecognizable to Teutschland; yet authentically present; a Man of the properly unconquerable type; there is also a select Population drilled for him: these two together will prove to you that there is a Nation。 Conquest of Silesia; Three Silesian Wars; labors and valors as of Alcides; in vindication of oneself and one's Silesia: secretly; how unconsciously; that other and higher Question of Te