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history of friedrich ii of prussia v 17-第2章

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eiss;'his reflections manifold; but unknown。 'Retzow; i。 37。' What is much notabler; Cogniazzo; the Austrian Veteran; heard Weingarten's MASTER; Graf von Peubla; talk of the 'GRAND MYSTERE;' soon after; and how Friedrich had heard of it; not from Weingarten alone; but from Gross…Furst PETER; Russian Heir…Apparent! 'Cogniazzo; i。 225。'

〃As to Menzel; he did not get away。 Menzel; as we saw; lasted in free activity till 1757; and was then put under lock and key。 Was not hanged; sat prisoner for twenty…seven years after; overgrown with hair; legs and arms chained together; heavy iron bar uniting both ankles; diet bread…and…water;for the rest; healthy; and died; not very miserable it is said; in 1784。 Shocking traitors; Weingarten and he。〃

Yes; a diabolical pair; they; sure enough:and the thing they betrayed against their Masters; was that a celestial thing? Servants of the Devil do fall out; and Servants not of the Devil are fain; sometimes; to raise a quarrel of that kind!

The then world; as we said; was one loud uproar of logic on the right reading and the wrong of those Sibylline Documents: 〃Did your King of Prussia interpret them aright; or even try it? Did not he use them as a cloak for highway robbery; and swallowing of a peaceable Saxony; bad man that he surely is?〃 For Friedrich's demeanor; this time again; when it came to the acting point; was of eminent rapidity; almost a swifter lion…spring than ever; and it brought on him; in the aerial or vocal way; its usual result: huge clamor of rage and logic from uninformed mankind。 Clamorous rage and logic; which has now sunk irresuscitably dead; nothing of it much worth mentioning to modern readers; scarcely even its HIC JACET (in Footnotes; for the benefit of the curious!);and it is; at last; a thing not doubtful to anybody that Friedrich; in that matter did read aright。 So that now the loud uproar is reduced to one small question with us; What did he read in those Menzel Documents? What Fact lying in them was it that Friedrich had to read? Here; smelted down by repeated roastings; is succinct answer;for the ultimate fragment of incombustible here as elsewhere; will go into a nutshell; once the continents of Diplomatist…Gazetteer logic and disorderly stable…litter; threatening to heap themselves over the very stars; have been faithfully burnt away。

Readers heard of a 〃Union of Warsaw;〃 early in 1745; concluded by the Sea…Powers and the Saxon…Polish and Hungarian Majesties: very harmless UNION of Warsaw; public to all the world;but with a certain thrice…secret 〃TREATY of Warsaw〃 (between Polish and Hungarian Majesty themselves two; the Sea…Powers being horror… struck by mention of it) which had followed thereupon; in an eager and wonderful manner。 Thrice…secret Treaty; for Partitioning Friedrich; and settling the respective shares of his skin。 Treaty which; to denote its origin; we called of Warsaw; though it was not finished there (shares of skin so difficult to settle); and 〃Treaty of LEIPZIG; 18th May; 1745;〃 is its ALIAS in Books:of which Treaty; as the Sea…Powers had recoiled horror…struck; there was no whisper farther; to them or to the rest of exoteric mankind;though it has been one of the busiest Entities ever since。 From the Menzel Documents; I know not after what circuitous gropings and searchings; Friedrich first got notice of that Treaty: 'Now printed in  OEuvres de Frederic;  iv。 40…42。' figure his look on discovering it!

We said it was the remarkablest bit of sheepskin in its Century。 Readers have heard too; That it was proposed to Bruhl; by a grateful Austria; directly on signing the Peace of Dresden: 〃Our Partition…Treaty stands all the same; does it not?〃and in what humor Bruhl answered: 〃Hah? Get Russia to join!〃 Both these facts; That there is a Treaty of Warsaw and that this is the Austrian…Saxon temper and intention towards him and it; Friedrich learned from the Menzel Documents。 And if the reader will possess himself of these two facts; and understand that they are of a germinative; most vital quality; indestructible by the times and the chances; and have been growing and developing themselves; day and night ever since; in a truly wonderful manner;the reader knows in substance what Menzel had to reveal。

Russia was got to join;there are methods of operating on Russia; and kindling a poor fat Czarina into strange suspicions and indignations。 In May; 1746; within six months of the Peace of Dresden; a Treaty of Petersburg; new version of the Warsaw one; was brought to parchment; Czarina and Empress…Queen signing;Bruhl dying to sign; but not daring。 How Russia has been got to join; and more and more vigorously bear a hand; how Bruhl's rabidities of appetite; and terrors of heart; have continued ever since; how Austria and Russia;Bruhl aiding with hysterical alacrity; haunted by terror (and at last mercifully EXCUSED from signing); have; year after year; especially in this last year; 1755; brought the matter nearer and nearer perfection; and the Two Imperial Majesties; with Bruhl to rear; wait only till they are fully ready; and the world gives opportunity; to pick a quarrel with Friedrich; and overwhelm and partition him; according to covenant: This; wandering through endless mazes of detail; is in sum what the Menzel Documents disclose to Friedrich and us。 How; in a space of ten years; the small seed…grain of a Treaty of Warsaw; or Treaty of Petersburg; planted and nourished in that manner; in the Satan's Invisible World; has grown into a mighty Tree there;prophetic of Facts near at hand; which were extremely sanguinary to the Human Race for the next Seven Years。

This is the sum…total: but for Friedrich's sake; and to illustrate the situation; let us take a few glances more; into the then Satan's Invisible World; which had become so ominously busy round Friedrich and others。 The Czarina; we say; was got to engage; 22d May; 1746; there came a Treaty of Petersburg duly valid; which is that of Warsaw under a new name: and still Bruhl durst not; for above a year coming;not till August 15th; 1747; 'MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in  Gesammelte Nachrichten ); i。 459。' and then; only in a hypothetic half…and…half way; with fear and trembling; though with hunger unspeakable; in sight of the viands。  A very wretched Bruhl; as seen in these Menzel Documents。 On poor Polish Majesty Bruhl has played the sorcerer; this long while; and ridden him as he would an enchanted quadruped; in a shameful manner: but how; in turn (as we study Menzel); is Bruhl himself hagridden; hunted by his own devils; and leads such a ghastly phantasmal existence yonder; in the Valley of the Shadow of CLOTHES;mere Clothes; metaphorical and literal! '〃MONTREZ…MOI DES VERTUS; PAS DES CULOTTES (Have you no virtues then to show me; nothing but pain of breeches)!〃 exclaimed an impatient French Traveller; led about in Bruhl's Palace one day: Archenholtz;  Geschichte des Siebenjahrigen Krieges;  i。 63。' Wretched Bruhl; agitated with hatreds of a rather infernal nature; and with terrors of a not celestial; comes out on our sympathies; as a dog almost pitiable;were that possible; with twelve tailors sewing for him; and a Saxony getting shoved over the precipices by him。

A famishing dog in the most singular situation。 What he dare do; he does; and with such a will。 But there is almost only one thing safe to him: that of egging on the Czarina against Friedrich; of coining lies to kindle Czarish Majesty; of wafting on every wind rumors to that end; and continually besieging with them the empty Czarish mind。 Bruhl has many Conduits; 〃the Sieur de Funck;〃 〃the Sieur Gross〃 plenty of Legationary Sieurs and Conduits;which issue from all quarters on Petersburg; and which find there a Reservoir; and due Russian SERVICE…PIPES; prepared for them;and Bruhl is busy。 〃Commerce of Dantzig to be ruined;〃 suggests he; 〃that is plain: look at his Asiatic Companies; his Port of Embden。 Poland is to be stirred up;has not your Czarish Majesty heard of his intrigues there? Courland; which is almost become your Majesty'scunningly snatched by your Majesty's address; like a valuable moribund whale adrift among the shallows;this bad man will have it out to sea again; with the harpoons in it; fairly afloat amid the Polish Anarchies again!〃 These are but specimens of Bruhl。 Or we can give such in Bruhl's own words; if the reader had rather。 Here are Two; which have the advantage of brevity:

1。 。。。 The Sieur de Funck; Saxon Minister at Petersburg; wrote to Count Bruhl; 9th July; 1755 (says an inexorable Record);   〃That the Sieur Gross 'now Minister of Russia at Dresden; who vanished out of Berlin like an angry sky…rocket some years ago' would do a good service to the Common Cause; if he wrote to his Court; 'That the King of Prussia had found a channel in Courland; by which he learned all the secrets of the Russian Court;'〃 and Sieur Funck added; 〃that it was expected good use could be made of such a story with her Czarish Majesty。〃To which Count Bruhl replies; 23d July; 〃That he has instructed the Sieur Gross; who will not fail to act in consequence。〃

2。 Sieur Prasse; same Funck's Secretary of Legation; at Petersburg; writes to Count Bruhl; 12th April; 1756:   〃I am bidden signify to your Excellency that it is greatly wished; in order to favor certain views; you would have the goodness to cause arrive in Petersburg; by different channels; the following intelligence: 'That the King of Prussia; on pretext of Commerce; is sending officers and engineers into the Ukraine; to reconnoitre the Country and excite a rebellion there。' And this advice; be pleased to observe; is not to come direct from the Saxon Court; nor by the Envoy Gross; but by some third party;to the end there may be no concert noticed;as they 'L'ON; the 〃service… pipes;〃 and managing Excellencies; Russian and Austrian' have given the same commission to other Ministers; so that the news shall come from more places than one。

〃They 'the said managing Excellencies' have also required me to write to the Baron de Sack;〃 our Saxon Minister in Sweden; 〃upon it; which I will not fail to do; and they assured me that our Court's advantage was not less concerned in it than that of their own; adding these words 'comfortable to one's soul'; 'The King of Prussia 'in 1745' gave Saxony a blow which it will feel for fifty years; but we will give him one which he will feel for a hundred。'〃

To which beautiful suggestion Excellency Bruhl answers; 2d June; 1756: 〃As to the Secret Commission of conveying to Petersburg; by concealed channels; Intelligence of Prussian machinations in the Ukraine; we are still busy finding out a right channel; and they 'L'ON; the managing Excellencies' shall very soon; one way or the other; see the effect of my personal inclination to second what is so good an intention; though a little artful (UN PEU ARTIFICIEUSE;〃 UN PEU; nothing to speak of)! 'MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in  Gesammelte Nachrichten ); i。 424…425; and ib。 472。'

Fancy a poor fat Czarina; of many appetites; of little judgment; continually beaten upon in this manner by these Saxon…Austrian artists and their Russian service…pipes。 Bombarded with cunningly devised fabrications; every wind freighted for her with phantasmal rumor

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