history of friedrich ii of prussia v 19-第1部分

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History　of　Friedrich　II　of　Prussia　V　19

by　Thomas　Carlyle






BOOK　XIX。

FRIEDRICH　LIKE　TO　BE　OVERWHELMED　IN
THE　SEVEN…YEARS　WAR。

1759…1760。


Chapter　I。

PRELIMINARIES　TO　A　FOURTH　CAMPAIGN。

The　posting　of　the　Five　Armies　this　WinterFive　of　them　in　Germany；　not　counting　the　Russians；　who　have　vanished　to　Cimmeria　over　the　horizon；　for　their　months　of　restis　something　wonderful；　and　strikes　the　picturesque　imagination。　Such　a　Chain　of　Posts；　for　length；　if　for　nothing　else！　From　the　centre　of　Bohemia　eastward；　Daun's　Austrians　are　spread　all　round　the　western　Silesian　Border　and　the　southeastern　Saxon；　waited　on　by　Prussians；　in　more　or　less　proximity。　Next　are　the　Reichsfolk；　scattered　over　Thuringen　and　the　Franconian　Countries；　fronting　partly　into　Hessen　and　Duke　Ferdinand's　outskirts：the　main　body　of　Duke　Ferdinand　is　far　to　westward；　in　Munster　Country；　vigilant　upon　Contades；　with　the　Rhine　between。　Contades　and　Soubise；adjoining　on　the　Reichsfolk　are　these　Two　French　Armies：　Soubise's；　some　25；000；　in　Frankfurt…　Ems　Country；　between　the　Mayn　and　the　Lahn；　with　its　back　to　the　Rhine；　then　Contades；　onward　to　Maes　River　and　the　Dutch　Borders；　with　his　face　to　the　Rhine；and　Duke　Ferdinand　observant　of　him　on　the　other　side。　That　is　the　〃CORDON　of　Posts〃　or　winter…quarters　this　Year。　〃From　the　Giant　Mountains　and　the　Metal　Mountains；　to　the　Ocean；to　the　mouth　of　Rhine；〃　may　we　not　say；　〃and　back　again　to　the　Swiss　Alps　or　springs　of　Rhine；　that　Upper…Rhine　Country　being　all　either　French　or　Austrian；　and　a　basis　for　Soubise？〃　＇Archenholtz；　i。　306。＇　Not　to　speak　of　Ocean　itself；　and　its　winged　War…Fleets；　lonesomely　hovering　and　patrolling；　or　of　the　Americas　and　Indies　beyond！

〃This　is　such　a　Chain　of　mutually　vigilant　Winter…quarters；〃　says　Archenholtz；　〃as　was　never　drawn　in　Germany；　or　in　Europe；　before。〃　Chain　of　about　300；000　fighting　men；　poured　out　in　that　lengthy　manner。　Taking　their　winter　siesta　there；　asleep　with　one　eye　open；　till　reinforced　for　new　business　of　death　and　destruction　against　Spring。　Pathetic　surely；　as　well　as　picturesque。　〃Three　Campaigns　there　have　already　been；〃　sighs　the　peaceable　observer：　〃Three　Campaigns；　surely　furious　enough；　Eleven　Battles　in　them；〃　＇Stenzel；　v。　185。　This；　I　suppose；　would　be　his　enumeration：　LOBOSITZ　（1756）；　PRAG；　KOLIN；　Hastenbeck；　Gross…Jagersdorf；　ROSSBACH；　Breslau；　LEUTHEN；　（1757）；　Crefeld；　ZORNDORF；　HOCHKIRCH　（1758）：　〃eleven　hitherto　in　all。〃＇　a　Prag；　a　Kolin；　Leuthen；　Rossbach；must　there　still　be　others；　then；　to　the　misery　of　poor　mankind？〃　thus　sigh　many　peaceful　persons。　Not　considering　what　are；　and　have　been；　the　rages；　the　iniquities；　the　loud　and　silent　deliriums；　the　mad　blindnesses　and　sins　of　mankind；　and　what　amount；　of　CALCINING　these　may　reasonably　take。　Not　calcinable　in　three　Campaigns　at　all；　it　would　appear！　Four　more　Campaigns　are　needed：　then　there　will　be　innocuous　ashes　in　quantity；　and　a　result　unexpected；　and　worth　marking　in　World…History。

It　is　notably　one　of　Friedrich's　fond　hopes；of　which　he　keeps　up　several；　as　bright　cloud…hangings　in　the　haggard　inner　world　he　now　has；that　Peace　is　just　at　hand；　one　right　struggle　more；　and　Peace　must　come！　And　on　the　part　of　Britannic　George　and　him；　repeated　attempts　were　made；one　in　the　end　of　this　Year　1759；but　one　and　all　of　them　proved　futile；　and；　unless　for　accidental　reasons；　need　not　be　mentioned　here。　Many　men；　in　all　nations；　long　for　Peace；　but　there　are　Three　Women　at　the　top　of　the　world　who　do　not；　their　wrath；　various　in　quality；　is　great　in　quantity；　and　disasters　do　the　reverse　of　appeasing　it。

The　French　people；　as　is　natural；　are　weary　of　a　War　which　yields　them　mere　losses　and　disgraces；　〃War　carried　on　for　Austrian　whims；　which　likewise　seem　to　be　impracticable！〃　think　they。　And　their　Bernis　himself；　Minister　of　Foreign　Affairs；　who　began　this　sad　French…Austrian　Adventure；　has　already　been　remonstrating　with　Kaunitz；　and　grumbling　anxiously；　〃Could　not　the　Swedes；　or　somebody；　be　got　to　mediate？　Such　a　War　is　too　ruinous！〃　Hearing　which；　the　Pompadour　is　shocked　at　the　favorite　creature　of　her　hands；　hastens　to　dismiss　him　（〃Be　Cardinal　then；　you　ingrate　of　a　Bernis；　disappear　under　that　Red　Hat！〃）and　appoints；　in　his　stead；　one　Choiseul　（known　hitherto　as　STAINVILLE；　Comte　de　Stainville；　French　Excellency　at　Vienna；　but　now　made　Duke　on　this　promotion）；　Duc　de　Choiseul；　＇Minister　of　Foreign　Affairs；　〃11th　November；　1758〃　（Barbier；　iv。　294）。＇　who　is　a　Lorrainer；　or　Semi…　Austrian；　by　very　birth；　and　probably　much　fitter　for　the　place。　A　swift；　impetuous　kind　of　man；　this　Choiseul；　who　is　still　rather　young　than　otherwise；　plenty　of　proud　spirit　in　him；　of　shifts；　talent　of　the　reckless　sort；　who　proved　very　notable　in　France　for　the　next　twenty　years。

French　trade　being　ruined　withal；　money　is　running　dreadfully　low：　but　they　appoint　a　new　Controller…General；　a　M。　de　Silhouette；　who　is　thought　to　have　an　extraordinary　creative　genius　in　Finance。　Had　he　but　a　Fortunatus…Purse；　how　lucky　were　it！　With　Fortunatus　Silhouette　as　purse…holder；　with　a　fiery　young　Choiseul　on　this　hand；　and　a　fiery　old　Belleisle　on　that；　Pompadour　meditates　great　things　this　Year；Invasions　of　England；　stronger　German　Armies；　better　German　Plans；　and　slashings　home　upon　Hanover　itself；　or　the　vital　point；and　flatters　herself；　and　her　poor　Louis；　that　there　is　on　the　anvil；　for　1759；　such　a　French　Campaign　as　will　perhaps　astonish　Pitt　and　another　insolent　King。　Very　fixed；　fell　and　feminine　is　the　Pompadour's　humor　in　this　matter。　Nor　is　the　Czarina's　less　so；　but　more；　if　possible；　unappeasable　except　by　death。　Imperial　Maria　Theresa　has　masculine　reasons　withal；　great　hopes；　too；　of　late。　Of　the　War's　ending　till　flat　impossibility　stop　it；　there　is　no　likelihood。　

To　Pitt　this　Campaign　1759；　in　spite　of　bad　omens　at　the　outset；　proved　altogether　splendid：　but　greatly　the　reverse　on　Friedrich's　side；　to　whom　it　was　the　most　disastrous　and　unfortunate　he　had　yet　made；　or　did　ever　make。　Pitt　at　his　zenith　in　public　reputation；　Friedrich　never　so　low　before；　nothing　seemingly　but　extinction　near　ahead；　when　this　Year　ended。　The　truth　is；　apart　from　his　specific　pieces　of　ill…luck；　there　had　now　begun　for　Friedrich　a　new　rule　of　procedure；　which　much　altered　his　appearance　in　the　world。　Thrice　over　had　he　tried　by　the　aggressive　or　invasive　method；　thrice　over　made　a　plunge　at　the　enemy's　heart；　hoping　so　to　disarm　or　lame　him：　but　that；　with　resources　spent　to　such　a　degree；　is　what　he　cannot　do　a　fourth　time：　he　is　too　weak　henceforth　to　think　of　that。

Prussia　has　always　its　King；　and　his　unrivalled　talent；　but　that　is　pretty　much　the　only　fixed　item：　Prussia　VERSUS　France；　Austria；　Russia；　Sweden　and　the　German　Reich；　what　is　it　as　a　field　of　supplies　for　war！　Except　its　King；　these　are　failing；　year　by　year；　and　at　a　rate　fatally　SWIFT　in　comparison。　Friedrich　cannot　now　do　Leuthens；　Rossbachs；　far…shining　feats　of　victory；　which　astonish　all　the　world。　His　fine　Prussian　veterans　have　mostly　perished；　and　have　been　replaced　by　new　levies　and　recruits；　who　are　inferior　both　in　discipline　and　native　quality；though　they　have　still；　people　say；　a　noteworthy　taste　of　the　old　Prussian　sort　in　them；　and　do；　in　fact；　fight　well　to　the　last。　But　〃it　is　observable；〃　says　Retzow　somewhere；　and　indeed　it　follows　from　the　nature　of　the　case；　〃that　while　the　Prussian　Army　presents　always　its　best　kind　of　soldiers　at　the　beginning　of　a　war；　Austria；　such　are　its　resources　in　population；　always　improves　in　that　particular；　and　its　best　troops　appear　in　the　last　campaigns。〃　In　a　word；　Friedrich　stands　on　the　defensive　henceforth；　disputing　his　ground　inch　by　inch：　and　is　reduced；　more　and　more；　to　battle　obscurely　with　a　hydra…coil　of　enemies　and　impediments；　and　to　do　heroisms　which　make　no　noise　in　the　Gazettes。　And；　alas；　which　cannot　figure　in　History　either；what　is　more　a　sorrow　to　me　here！

Friedrich；　say　all　judges　of　soldiership　and　human　character　who　have　studied　Friedrich　sufficiently；　〃is　greater　than　ever；〃　in　these　four　Years　now　coming。　＇Berenhorst；　in　　Kriegskunst；　　Retzow；　&c。＇　And　this；　I　have　found　more　and　more　to　be　a　true　thing；　verifiable　and　demonstrable　in　time　and　place；　though；　unluckily　for　us；　hardly　in　this　time　or　this　place　at　all！　A　thing　which　cannot；　by　any　method；　be　made　manifest　to　the　general　reader；　who　delights　in　shining　summary　feats；　and　is　impatient　of　tedious　preliminaries　and　investigations；especially　of　MAPS；　which　are　the　indispensablest　requisite　of　all。　A　thing；　in　short；　that　belongs　peculiarly　to　soldier…students；　who　can　undergo　the　dull　preliminaries；　most　dull　but　most　inexorably　needed；　and　can　follow　out；　with　watchful　intelligence；　and　with　a　patience　not　to　be　wearied；　the　multifarious　topographies；　details　of　movements　and　manoeuvrings；　year　after　year；　on　such　a　Theatre　of　War。　What　is　to　be　done　with　it　here！　If　we　could；　by　significant　strokes；　indicate；　under　features　true　so　far　as　they　went；　the　great　wide　fire…flood　that　was　raging　round　the　world；　if　we　could；　carefully　omitting　very　many　things；　omit　of　the　things　intelligible　and　decipherable　that　concern　Friedrich　himself；　nothing　that　had　meaning：　IF　indeed！　But　it　is　idle　preluding。　Forward　again；　brave　reader；　under　such　conditions　as　there　are！

Friedrich's　Winter　in　Breslau　was　of　secluded；　silent；　sombre　character；　this　time；　nothing　of　stir　in　it　but　from　work　only：　in　marked　contrast　with　the　last；　and　its　kindly　visitors　and　gayeties。　A　Friedrich　given　up　to　his　manifold　businesses；　to　his　silent　sorrows。　〃I　have　passed　my　winter　like　a　Carthusian　monk；〃　he　writes　to　D'Argens：　〃I　dine　alone；　I　spend　my　life　in　reading　and　writing；　and　I　do　not　sup。　When　one　is　sad；　it　becomes　at　last　too　burdensome　to　hide　one's　grief　continually；　and　it　is　better　to　give　way　to　it　by　oneself；　than　to　carry　one's　gloom　into　society。　Nothing　solaces　me　but　the　vigorous　application　required　in　steady　and　continuous　labor。　This　distraction　does　force　one　to　put　away　painful　ideas；　while　it　lasts：　but；　alas；　no　sooner　is　the　work　done；　than　these　fatal　companions　present　themselves　again；　as　if　livelier　than　ever。　Maupertuis　was　right：　the　sum　of　evil