accept the Offers I have made her." Botta sank silent, seemed to
reflect, but gathering himself again, added with an ironical air
and tone of voice, "They are fine Troops, those of yours, Sire.
Ours have not the same splendor of appearance; but they have
looked the wolf in the face. Think, I conjure you, what you are
getting into!" Friedrich answered with vivacity, a little nettled
at the ironical tone of Botta, and his mixed sympathy and menace:
"You find my troops are beautiful; perhaps I shall convince you
they are good too." Yes, Excellency Botta, goodish troops;
and very capable "to look the wolf in the face,"--or perhaps in
the tail too, before all end! "Botta urged and entreated that at
least there should be some delay in executing this project.
But the King gave him to understand that it was now too late, and
that the Rubicon was passed." [Friedrich's own Account (<italic>
OEuvres, <end italic> ii. 57).]

The secret is now out, therefore; Invasion of Silesia certain and
close at hand. "A day or two before marching," may have been this
very day when Botta got his audience, the King assembled his Chief
Generals, all things ready out in the Frankfurt-Crossen region
yonder; and spoke to them as follows; briefly and to the point:--

"Gentlemen, I am undertaking a War, in which I have no allies but
your valor and your good-will. My cause is just; my resources are
what we ourselves can do; and the issue lies in Fortune.
Remember continually the glory which your Ancestors acquired in
the plains of Warsaw, at Fehrbellin, and in the Expedition to
Preussen [across the Frische Haf on ice, that time]. Your lot is
in your own hands: distinctions and rewards wait upon your fine
actions which shall merit them.

"But what need have I to excite you to glory? It is the one thing
you keep before your eyes; the sole object worthy of your labors.
We are going to front troops who, under Prince Eugene, had the
highest reputation. Though Prince Eugene is gone, we shall have to
measure our strength against brave soldiers: the greater will be
the honor if we can conquer. Adieu, go forth. I will follow you
straightway to the rendezvous of glory which awaits us."
[<italic> OEuvres de Frederic, <end italic> ii.58.]


MASKED BALL, AT BERLIN, 12th-13th DECEMBER.

On the evening of Monday, 12th, there was, as usual, Masked (or
Half-Masked) Ball, at the Palace. As usual; but this time it has
become mentionable in World-History. Bielfeld, personally
interested, gives us a vivid glance into it;--which, though
pretending to be real and contemporaneous, is unfortunately
MYTHICAL only, and done at a great interval of years (dates, and
even slight circumstances of fact, refusing to conform);--which,
however, for the truth there is in it, we will give, as better
than nothing. Bielfeld's pretended date is, "Berlin, 15th
December;" should have been 14th,--wrong by a day, after one's
best effort!

"BERLIN, 15th DECEMBER, 1740. As for me, dear Sister, I am like a
shuttlecock whom the Kings of Prussia and of England hit with
their rackets, and knock to and fro. The night before last, I was
at the Palace Evening Party (ASSEMBLEE); which is a sort of Ball,
where you go in domino, but without mask on the face. The Queen
was there, and all the Court. About eight o'clock the King also
made his appearance. His Majesty, noticing M. de G---[that is DE
GUIDIKEN, or Guy Dickens], English Minister, addressed him;
led him into the embrasure of a window, and talked alone with him
for more than an hour [uncertain, probably apocryphal this].
I threw, from time to time, a stolen glance at this dialogue,
which appeared to me to be very lively. A moment after, being just
dancing with Madame the Countess de--THREE ASTERISKS,--I felt
myself twitched by the domino; and turning, was much surprised to
see that it was the King; who took me aside, and said, 'Are your
boots oiled (VOS BOTTES SONT-ELLES GRAISSIES, Are you ready for a
journey)? ' I replied, 'Sire, they will always be so for your
Majesty's service.'--'Well, then, Truchsess and you are for
England; the day after to-morrow you go. Speak to M. de
Podewils!'--This was said like a flash of lightning. His Majesty
passed into another apartment; and I, I went to finish my minuet
with the Lady; who had been not less astonished to see me
disappear from her eyes, in the middle of the dance, than I was at
what the King said to me." [Bielfeld, i. 167, 168.]
Next morning, I--

The fact is, next morning, Truchsess and I began preparation for
the Court of London,--and we did there, for many months
afterwards, strive our best to keep the Britannic Majesty in some
kind of tune, amid the prevailing discord of events;--fact
interesting to some. And the other fact, interesting to everybody,
though Bielfeld has not mentioned it, is, That King Friedrich, the
same next morning, punctually "at the stroke of 9," rolled away
Frankfurt-ward,--into the First Silesian War! Tuesday, "13th
December, this morning, the King, privately quitting the Ball, has
gone [after some little snatch of sleep, we will hope] for
Frankfurt, to put himself at the head of his Troops." [Dickens (in
State-Paper Office), 13th December, 1740; see also <italic>
Helden-Geschichte, <end italic> i. 452; &c. &c.] Bellona his
companion for long years henceforth, instead of Minerva and the
Muses, as he had been anticipating.

Hereby is like to be fulfilled (except that Friedrich himself is
perhaps this "little stone") what Friedrich prophesied to his
Voltaire, the day after hearing of the Kaiser's death: "I believe
there will, by June next, be more talk of cannon, soldiers,
trenches, than of actresses, and dancers for the ballet.
This small Event changes the entire system of Europe. It is the
little stone which Nebuchadnezzar saw, in his dream, loosening
itself, and rolling down on the Image made of Four Metals, which
it shivers to ruin." [Friedrich to Voltaire, busy gathering actors
at that time, 26th October, 1740 (<italic> OEuvres de Frederic,
<end italic> xxii. 49).]





End of Project Gutenberg's Etext History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 11

