history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第17章
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t be possible?'; who is in great favor with the King of Prussia:〃very well; Excellency Hanbury; but who; in the name of wonder; can this HAT; or Chapeau; have been? After study; one perceives that Hanbury wrote Chazeau; meaning CHASOT; an old acquaintance of our own! Brilliant; sabring; melodying Chasot; Lieutenant…Colonel of the Baireuth Dragoons; who lies at Treptow; close on Mecklenburg; and is a declared favorite of the Duchess; often running over to the RESIDENZ there。 Often enough; but HONI SOIT; O reader; the clever Lady is towards sixty; childless; musical; and her Husbanddo readers recollect him at all?is that collapsed TAILORING Duke whom Friedrich once visited;and whose Niece; Half…Niece; is Charlotte; wise little hard…favored creature now of six; in clean bib and tucker; Ancestress of England that is to be; whose Papa will succeed; if the Serene Tailor die first; which he did not quite。 To this Duchess; musical gallant Chasot may well be a resource; and she to him。 Naturally the Austrian Captain; having come to Mecklenburg; dined with Serene Highness; he and Chasot together; with concert following; and what not; at the Schloss of Neu…Strelitz:And now we will drop the 'Chapeau;' and say Chasot; with comfort; and a shade of new interest。
〃'The grand May Review at Berlin just ahead; won't you look in; it is straight on your road home?' suggests Chasot to his travelling friend。 'One would like it; of all things;' answered the other: 'but the King?' 'Tush;' said Chasot; 'I will make that all straight!' And applies to the King accordingly: 'Permission to an Austrian Officer; a good acquaintance of mine。' 'Austrian Officer?' Friedrich's eyes lighten; and he readily gives the permission。 This was at Berlin; on the very eve of the Review; and Chasot and his Austrian are made happy in that small matter。 And on the morrow 'end of May; 1750'; the Austrian attends accordingly; but; to his astonishment; has hardly begun to taste the manoeuvres; whenone of Friedrich's Aides…de…Camp gallops up: 'By the King's command; Mein Herr; you retire on the instant!'
〃Next day; the Austrian is for challenging Chasot。 'As you like; that way;' answers Chasot; 'but learn first; that on your affront I rode up to the King; and asked; publicly; Did not your Majesty grant me permission? Unquestionably; Monsieur Chasot;and if he had not come; how could I have paid back the Moravian business of last year!'〃 'Walpole; George the Second; i。 457; 459。'This is much in Friedrich's way; not the unwelcomer that it includes a satirical twitch on Chasot; whom he truly likes withal; or did like; though now a little dissatisfied with those too frequent Mecklenburg excursions and extra…military cares。 Of this; merely squeezing the Hanbury venom out of it; I can believe every particular。
〃Did you ever hear of anything so shocking?〃 is Hanbury's meaning here and elsewhere。 〃I must tell you a story of the King of Prussia's regard for the Law of Nations;〃 continues he to Walpole? 'Ib。 i。 458。' Which proves to be a story; turned topsy…turvy; of one Hofmann; Brunswick Envoy; who (quite BEYOND commission; and a thing that must not be thought of at all!) had been detected in dangerous intriguings with the ever…busy Russian Excellency; or another; and got flung into Spandau; 'Adelung; v。 534; vii。 132…144。'seemingly pretty much his due in the matter。 And so of other Hanbury things。 〃What a Prussia; for rigor of command; one huge prison; in a manner!〃 King intent on punctuality; and all his business upon the square。 Society; official and unofficial; kept rather strictly to their tackle; their mode of movement not that of loose oxen at all! 〃Such a detestable Tyrant;〃who has ordered ME; Hanbury; else…whither with my exquisite talents and admired wit!
CANDIDATUS LINSENBARTH (QUASI 〃Lentil…beard〃) LIKEWISE VISITS BERLIN。
By far the notablest arrival in Berlin is M。 de Voltaire's July 10th; a few days before Hanbury got his First Audience; 〃five minutes long。〃 But that arrival will require a Chapter to itself; most important arrival; that; of all! The least important; again; is probably that of Candidatus Linsenbarth; in these same weeks; a rugged poverty…stricken old Licentiate of Theology; important to no mortal in Berlin or elsewhere:upon whom; however; and upon his procedures in that City; we propose; for our own objects; to bestow a few glances; rugged Narrative of the thing; in singular exotic dialect; but true every word; having fortunately come to us from Linsenbarth's own hand。 'Through Rodenbeck; Beitrage; i。 463 et seq。'
Berlin; it must be admitted; after all one's reading in poor Dryasdust; remains a dim empty object; Teutschland is dim and empty: and out of the forty blind sacks; or out of four hundred such; what picture can any human head form to itself of Friedrich as King or Man? A trifling Adventure of that poor individual; called Linsenbarth CANDIDATUS THEOLOGIAE; one of the poorest of mortals; but true and credible in every particular; comes gliding by chance athwart all that; and like the glimmer of a poor rushlight; or kindled straw; shows it us for moments; a thing visible; palpable; as it worked and lived。 In the great dearth; Linsenbarth; if I can faithfully interpret him for the modern reader; will be worth attending to。
Date of Linsenbarth's Adventure is June…August; 1750。 〃Schloss of Beichlingen〃 and 〃Village of Hemmleben〃 are in the Thuringen Hill Country (Weimar not far off to eastward): the Hero himself; a tall awkward raw…boned creature; is; for perhaps near forty years past; a CANDIDATUS; say Licentiate; or Curate without Cure。 Subsists; I should guess; by schoolmasteringcheapest schoolmaster conceivable; wages mere nothingin the Villages about; in the Village of Hemmleben latterly; age; as I discover; grown to be sixty…one; in those straitened but by no means forlorn circumstances。 And so; here is veteran Linsenbarth of Hemmleben; a kind of Thuringian Dominie Sampson; whose Interview with such a brother mortal as Friedrich King of Prussia may be worth looking at;if I can abridge it properly。
Well; it appears; in the year 1750; at this thrice…obscure Village of Hemmleben; the worthy old pastor Cannabich died;worthy old man; how he had lived there; modestly studious; frugal; chiefly on farm…produce; with tobacco and Dutch theology; a modest blessing to his fellow…creatures! And now he is dead; and the place vacant。 Twenty pounds a Year certain; let us guess it twenty; with glebe… land; piggeries; poultry…hutches: who is now to get all that? Linsenbarth starts with his Narrative; in earnest。
Linsenbarth; who I guess may have been Assistant to the deceased Cannabich; and was now out of work; says: 〃I had not the least thought of profiting by this vacancy; but what happened? The Herr Graf von Werthern; at Schloss Beichlingen; sent his Steward 'LEHNSDIRECTOR; FIEF…DIRECTOR is the title of this Steward; which gives rise to obsolete thought of mill…dues; road…labor; payments IN NATURA'; his Lehnsdirector; Herr Kettenbeil; over to my LOGIS 'cheap boarding quarters'; who brought a gracious salutation from his Lord; saying farther; That I knew too well 'excellent Cannabich gone from us; alas!' the Pastorate of Hemmleben was vacant; that there had various competitors announced themselves; SUPPLICANDO; for the place; the Herr Graf; however; had yet given none of them the FIAT; but waited always till I should apply。 As I had not done so; he (the Lord Graf) would now of his own motion give me the preference; and hereby confer the Pastorate upon me!〃
〃Without all controversy; here was a VOCATIO DIVINA; to be received with the most submissive thanks! But the lame second messenger came hitching in 'HALTING MESSENGER; German proverb' very soon。 Kettenbeil began again: 'He must mention to me SUB ROSA; Her Ladyship the Frau Grafin wanted to have her Lady's…maid provided for by this promotion; too; I must marry her; and take the living at the same time。'〃
Whew! And this is the noble Lady's way of thinking; up in her fine Schloss yonder? Linsenbarth will none of it。 〃For my notion fell at once;〃 says he; 〃when I heard it was DO UT FACIAS; FACIO UT FACIAS (I give that