history of friedrich ii of prussia v 19-第2部分

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il　does　certainly　surpass　that　of　good：but　to　me　it　is　all　one；　I　have　almost　nothing　more　to　lose；　and　my　few　remaining　days；　what　matters　it　much　of　what　complexion　they　be？〃　＇〃Breslau；　1st　March；　1759；〃　To　D'Argens　（　OEuvres　de　Frederic；　　xix。　56）。＇

The　loss　of　his　Wilhelmina；　had　there　been　no　other　grief；　has　darkened　all　his　life　to　Friedrich。　Readers　are　not　prepared　for　the　details　of　grief　we　could　give；　and　the　settled　gloom　of　mind　they　indicate。　A　loss　irreparable　and　immeasurable；　the　light　of　life；　the　one　loved　heart　that　loved　him；　gone。　His　passionate　appeals　to　Voltaire　to　celebrate　for　him　in　verse　his　lost　treasure；　and　at　least　make　her　virtues　immortal；　are　perhaps　known　to　readers：　＇ODE　SUR　LA　MORT　DE　S。　A。　S。　MADAME　LA　PRINCESSE　DE　BAREITH　（in　　OEuvres　de　Voltaire；　　xviii。　79…86）：　see　Friedrich's　Letter　to　him　（6th　November；　1758）；　with　Voltaire's　VERSES　in　Answer　（next　month）；　Friedrich's　new　Letter　（Breslau；　23d　January　1759）；　demanding　something　more；　followed　by　the　ODE　just　cited　（Ib。　lxxii。　402；　lxxviii。　82；　92；　or　　OEuvres　de　Frederic；　　xxiii。　20…24：　&c。＇　alas；　this　is　a　very　feeble　kind　of　immortality；　and　Friedrich　too　well　feels　it　such。　All　Winter　he　dwells　internally　on　the　sad　matter；　though　soon　falling　silent　on　it　to　others。

The　War　is　ever　more　dark　and　dismal　to　him；　a　wearing；　harassing；　nearly　disgusting　task；　on　which；　however；　depends　life　or　death。　This　Year；　he　〃expects　to　have　300；000　enemies　upon　him；〃　and　〃is；　with　his　utmost　effort；　getting　up　150；000　to　set　against　them。〃　Of　business；　in　its　many　kinds；　there　can　be　no　lack！　In　the　intervals　he　also　wrote　considerably：　one　of　his　Pieces　is　a　SERMON　ON　THE　LAST　JUDGMENT；　handed　to　Reader　De　Catt；　one　evening：to　De　Catt's　surprise；　and　to　ours；　the　Voiceless　in　a　dark　Friedrich　trying　to　give　itself　some　voice　in　this　way！　＇　OEuvres　de　Frederic；　　xv。　1…10　（see　Preuss's　PREFACE　there；　Formey；　　SOUVENIRS；　　i。　37；　&c。　&c。＇　Another　Piece；　altogether　practical；　and　done　with　excellent　insight；　brevity；　modesty；　is　ON　TACTICS；　＇REFLEXIONS　SUR　LA　TACTIQUE：　in　　OEuvres　de　Frederic；　　xxviii。　153…166。＇　properly　it　might　be　called；　〃Serious　very　Private　Thoughts；〃　thrown　on　paper；　and　communicated　only　to　two　or　three；　〃On　the　new　kind　of　Tactics　necessary　with　those　Austrians　and　their　Allies；〃　who　are　in　such　overwhelming　strength。　〃To　whose　continual　sluggishness；　and　strange　want　of　concert；　to　whose　incoherency　of　movements；　languor　of　execution；　and　other　enormous　faults；　we　have　owed；　with　some　excuse　for　our　own　faults；　our　escaping　of　destruction　hitherto；〃but　had　better　NOT　trust　that　way　any　longer！　Fouquet　is　one　of　the　highly　select；　to　whom　he　communicates　this　Piece；　adding　along　with　it；　in　Fouquet's　case；　an　affectionate　little　Note；　and；　in　spite　of　poverty；　some　New…year's　Gift；　as　usual；the　〃Widow's　Mite　＇300　pounds；　we　find＇；　receive　it　with　the　same　heart　with　which　it　was　set　apart　for　you：　a　small　help；　which　you　may　well　have　need　of；　in　these　calamitous　times。〃　＇〃Breslau；　23d　December；　1758；〃　with　Fouquet's　Answer；　2d　January；　1759：　in　　OEuvres　de　Frederic；　　xx。　114…117。＇　Fouquet　much　admires　the　new　Tactical　Suggestions；seems　to　think；　however；　that　the　certainly　practicable　one　is；　in　particular；　the　last；　That　of　〃improving　our　Artillery　to　some　equality　with　theirs。〃　For　which；　as　may　appear；　the　King　has　already　been　taking　thought；　in　more　ways　than　one。

Finance　is　naturally　a　heavy　part　of　Friedrich's　Problem；　the　part　which　looks　especially　impossible；　from　our　point　of　vision！　In　Friedrich's　Country；　the　War　Budget　does　not　differ　from　the　Peace　one。　Neither　is　any　borrowing　possible；　that　sublime　Art；　of　rolling　over　on　you　know　not　whom　the　expenditure；　needful　or　needless；　of　your　heavy…laden　self；　had　not　yetthough　England　is　busy　at　itbeen　invented　among　Nations。　Once；　or　perhaps　twice；　from　the　STANDE　of　some　willing　Province；　Friedrich　negotiated　some　small　Loan；　which　was　punctually　repaid　when　Peace　came；　and　was　always　gratefully　remembered。　But　these　are　as　nothing；　in　face　of　such　expenses；　and　the　thought　how　he　did　contrive　on　the　Finance　side；　is　and　was　not　a　little　wonderful。　An　ingenious　Predecessor；　whom　I　sometimes　quote；　has　expressed　himself　in　these　words：

〃Such　modicum　of　Subsidy　＇he　is　speaking　of　the　English　Subsidy　in　1758＇；　how　useful　will　it　prove　in　a　Country　bred　everywhere　to　Spartan　thrift；　accustomed　to　regard　waste　as　sin；　and　which　will　lay　out　no　penny　except　to　purpose！　I　guess　the　Prussian　Exchequer　is；　by　this　time；　much　on　the　ebb；　idle　precious　metals　tending　everywhere　towards　the　melting…pot。　At　what　precise　date　the　Friedrich…Wilhelm　balustrades；　and　enormous　silver　furnitures；　were　first　gone　into；　Dryasdust　has　not　informed　me：　but　we　know　they　all　went；　as　they　well　might。　To　me　nothing　is　so　wonderful　as　Friedrich's　Budget　during　this　War。　One　day　it　will　be　carefully　investigated；　elucidated　and　made　conceivable　and　certain　to　mankind：　but　that　as　yet　is　far　from　being　the　case。　We　walk　about　in　it　with　astonishment；　almost；　were　it　possible；　with　incredulity。　Expenditure　on　this　side；　work　done　on　that：　human　nature；　especially　British　human　nature；　refuses　to　conceive　it。　Never　in　this　world；　before　or　since；　was　the　like。　The　Friedrich　miracles　in　War　are　great；　but　those　in　Finance　are　almost　greater。　Let　Dryasdust　bethink　him；　and　gird　his　flabby　loins　to　this　Enterprise；　which　is　very　behooveful　in　these　Californian　times！〃

The　general　Secret　of　Prussian　Thrift；　I　do　fear；　is　lost　from　the　world。　And　how　an　Army　of　about　200；000；　in　field　and　garrison；　could　be　kept　on　foot；　and　in　some　ability　to　front　combined　Europe；　on　about　Three　Million　Sterling　annually　（〃25　million　THALERS〃=3；150；000　pounds；　that　is　the　steady　War…Budget　of　those　years）；　remains　to　us　inconceivable　enough；mournfully　miraculous；　as　it　were；　and　growing　ever　more　so　in　the　Nugget…generations　that　now　run。　Meanwhile；　here　are　what　hints　I　could　find；　on　the　Origins　of　that　modest　Sum；　which　also　are　a　wonder：　＇Preuss；　ii。　388…392；　Stenzel；　v。　137…141。＇

〃The　hoarded　Prussian　Moneys；　or　'TREASURES'　＇two　of　them；　KLEINE　SCHATZ；　GROSSE　SCHATZ；　which　are　rigidly　saved　in　Peace　years；　for　incidence　of　War＇；　being　nearly　run　out；　there　had　come　the　English　Subsidy：　this；　with　Saxony；　and　the　Home　revenues　and　remnants　of　SCHATZ　had　sufficed　for　1758；　but　will　no　longer　suffice。　Next　to　Saxony；　the　English　Subsidy　（670；000　pounds　due　the　second　time　this　year）　was　always　Friedrich's　principal　resource：　and　in　the　latter　years　of　the　War；　I　observe；　it　was　nearly　twice　the　amount　of　what　all　his　Prussian　Countries　together；　in　their　ravaged　and　worn…out　state；　could　yield　him。　In　and　after　1759；　besides　Home　Income；　which　is　gradually　diminishing；　and　English　Subsidy；　which　is　a　steady　quantity；　Friedrich's　sources　of　revenue　are　mainly　Two：

〃FIRST；　there　is　that　of　wringing　money　from　your　Enemies；　from　those　that　have　deserved　ill　of　you；such　of　them　as　you　can　come　at。　Enemies；　open　or　secret；　even　Ill…wishers；　we　are　not　particular；　provided　only　they　lie　within　arm's…length。　Under　this　head　fall　principally　three　Countries　（and　their　three　poor　Populations；　in　lieu　of　their　Governments）：　Saxony；　Mecklenburg　（or　the　main　part　of　it；　Mecklenburg…SCHWERIN）；　and　Anhalt；　from　these　three　there　is　a　continual　forced　supply　of　money　and　furnishings。　Their　demerits　to　Friedrich　differ　much　in　intensity；　nor　is　his　wringing　of　themwhich　in　the　cases　of　Mecklenburg　and　Saxony　increases　year　by　year　to　the　nearly　intolerable　pitchquite　in　the　simple　ratio　of　their　demerits；　but　in　a　compound　ratio　of　that　and　of　his　indignation　and　of　his　wants。

〃Saxony；　as　Prime　Author　of　this　War；　was　from　the　first　laid　hold　of；　collared　tightly：　'Pay　the　shot；　then；　what　you　can'　（in　the　end　it　was　almost　what　you　cannot）！　As　to　Mecklenburg…Schwerin；　the　grudge　against　Prussia　was　of　very　old　standing；　some　generations　now；　and　the　present　Duke；　not　a　very　wise　Sovereign　more　than　his　Ancestors；　had　always　been　ill　with　Friedrich；　willing　to　spite　and　hurt　him　when　possible：　in　Reichs　Diet　he；　of　all　German　Princes；　was　the　first　that　voted　for　Friedrich's　being　put　to　Ban　of　the　Reich；he；　and　his　poor　People　know　since　whether　that　was　a　wise　step！　The　little　Anhalt　Princes；　too；　all　the　Anhalts；　Dessau；　Bernburg；　Cothen；　Zerbst　＇perhaps　the　latter　partially　excepted；　for　a　certain　Russian　Lady's　sake＇；　had　voted；　or　at　least　had　ambiguously　half…voted；　in　favor　of　the　Ban；　and　done　other　unfriendly　things；　and　had　now　to　pay　dear　for　their　bits　of　enmities。　Poor　souls；　they　had　but　One　Vote　among　them　all　Four；　and　they　only　half　gave　it；　tremulously　pulling　it　back　again。　I　should　guess　it　was　their　terrors　mainly；　and　over…readiness　to　reckon　Friedrich　a　sinking　ship；　and　to　leap　from　the　deck　of　him；　with　a　spurn　which　he　took　for　insolent！　The　Anhalt…Dessauers　particularly；　who　were　once　of　his　very　Army；　half　Prussians　for　generations　back；　he　reckoned　to　have　used　him　scandalously　ill。

〃This　Year　the　requisition　on　the　Four　Anhaltswhich　they　submit　to　patiently；　as　people　who　have　leapt　into　the　wrong　shipis；　in　precise　tale：　of　money；　330；000　thalers　（about　50；000　pounds）；　recruits；　2；200；　horses；　1；800。　In　Saxony；　besides　the　fixed　Taxes；　strict　confiscation　of　Meissen　Potteries　and　every　Royalty；　there　were　exacted　heavy　'Contributions；'　more　and　more　heavy；　from　the　few　opulent　Towns；　chiefly　from　Leipzig；　which　were　wrung　out；　latterly；　under　great　severities；'chief　merchants　of　Leipzig　all　clapt　in　prison；　kept　on　bread…and…water　till　they　yielded；'AS　great　severities　as　would　suffice；　but　NOT　greater；　which　also　was　noted。　Unfortunate　chief　merchants　of　Leipzig；with　Bruhl　and　Polish　Majesty　little　likely　to　indemnify　them！　Unfortunate　Country　altogether。　An　intelligent　Saxon；　who　is　vouched　for　as　impartial；　bears　witness　as　follows：　'And　this　I　know；　that　the　oppressions　and　plunderings　of　the　Austrians　and　Reichsfolk；　in　Saxony；　turned　all　hearts　away　from　them；　and　it　was　publicly　said；　We　had　rather　bear　the　steady　burden　of　the　Prussian