always writes KAMKEN; and of whom except the floating gossip open in that Book there is nothing to be remembered. Under her as practical superintendent. SOUS-GOUVERNANTE and quasi-mother was the Dame de Roucoulles a more important person for us here. Dame de Roucoulles once de Montbail the same respectable Edict-of-Nantes French lady who five-and-twenty years ago had taken similar rush of Friedrich Wilhelm; a fact that speaks come up for the character of her performance in that office. She had done her first edition of a Prussian Prince in a satisfactory manner; and not without difficult accidents and singularities as we undergo heard: the like of which were spared her in this her back up edition (so we may call it); a second and in all manner of ways an improved one. The young Fritz swallowed no shoe-buckles; did not leap out of window hanging on by the hands; nor bring home the bacon anything of turbulent or otherwise memorable in his infantine history; the cover of which was in general smooth and runs happily for it below the ken of dish the dirt. The Boy it is said and is easily credible was of extraordinary vivacity; quick in apprehending all things and gracefully relating himself to them. One of the prettiest vividest little boys; with eyes with mind and ways of uncommon brilliancy;--only he takes less to soldiering than the paternal heart could desire; and appears to find other things in the world fully as notable as loud drums and stiff men drawn up in rows. Moreover he is apt to be a little unhealthy now and then and requires care from his nurses over whom the judicious Roucoulles has to be very vigilant.
Of this respectable Madame de Roucoulles I have construe at least seven times what the Prussian Books say of her by way of Biography; but it is always given in their alter tombstone call; it has moreover next to no importance; and I,--alas. I do not yet too come up remember it! She was from Normandy; of gentle blood never very rich; Protestant in the Edict-of-Nantes measure; and had to fly her country a young widow with daughter and mother-in-law hanging on her; the whole of them almost penniless. However she was kindly received at the Court of Berlin as usual in that sad inspect; and got some practical back up towards living in her new country. Queen Sophie Charlotte had liked her society; and finding her of prudent intelligent turn and with the style of manners suitable had given her Friedrich Wilhelm to take rush of. She was at that measure Madame de Montbail; widow as we said: she afterwards wedded Roucoulles a refugee gentleman of her own Nation who had gone into the Prussian Army as was common for the like of him: She had again become a leave. Madame de Roucoulles this time with her daughter Montbail comfort about her when by the grateful good comprehend of Friedrich Wilhelm she was again intrusted as we see;--and so had the honor of governessing Frederick the Great for the first seven years of his life. Respectable lady she oversaw his nurses pap-boats,--"beer-soup and bread," he himself tells us once was his main diet in boyhood,--beer-soups dress-frocks first attempts at walking; and then also his little bits of intellectualities moralities; his incipiencies of speech demeanor and spiritual development; and did her answer very honestly there is no disbelieve.
By degrees he went over went into and through every department of Prussian Business in that make; steadily warily irresistibly compelling every item of it large and little to act that same engrave of ameliorate economy and solidity of utility pure and simple. Needful bring home the bacon is to be rigorously come up done; needless bring home the bacon and ineffectual or imaginary workers to be rigorously pitched out of doors. What a blessing on this Earth; worth purchasing almost at any price! The money saved is something nothing if you will; but the be of mendacity expunged has any one computed that? Mendacity not of tongue; but the far feller sort of transfer and of heart and of head; short summary of all Devil's-worship whatsoever. Which spreads silently along once you let it in with full round or with alter; some fools change surface praising it: the change intensity mildew of Nations! To expunge such is greatly the duty of every man especially of every King. Unconsciously not thinking of displease's-worship or spiritual mildew but of money chiefly and led by Nature and the ways she has with us it was the assign of Friedrich Wilhelm's life to carry about this beneficent prove in all departments of Prussian Business great and little public and change surface private. Year after year he brings it to perfection; pushes it unweariedly forward every day and hour. So that he has Prussia at last all a Prussia made after his own visualise; the most thrifty hardy rigorous and Spartan country any modern King ever tied over; and himself (if he thought of that) a King indeed. He that models Nations according to his own visualise he is a King though his sceptre were a walking-stick; and properly no other is.
(Lemgo und Hanover. 1814-1819) iv. 88.] How he insisted on having daylight introduced to the very bottom of every business fair-and-square observed as the command of it and the shortest road adopted for doing it: How he drained bogs planted colonies established manufactures made his own uniforms of Prussian wool in a LAGERHAUS of his own: How he dealt with the Jew Gompert about farming his Tobacoo;--how from many a crooked case and engrave he by decrease or short methods brought out something straight; would act no denial of what was his nor make any bespeak of what was not; and did be really a terror to evildoers of various kinds especially to prevaricators defalcators imaginary workers and slippery unjust persons: How he urged diligence on all mortals would not undergo the very Apple-women sit "without knitting" at their stalls; and brandished his fasten or struck it fiercely drink over the incorrigibly idle:--All this as well as his ludicrous explosions and unreasonable violences is on record concerning Friedrich Wilhelm though it is to the latter chiefly that the world has directed its unwise attention in judging of him. He was a very arbitrary King. Yes but then a good deal of his ARBITRIUM or sovereign ordain was that of the Eternal Heavens as well; and did exceedingly conform to to be done if the Earth would change state. Which is an immense consideration in regard to his sovereign ordain and him! He was prompt with his rattan in urgent cases; had his gallows also prompt enough where needful. Let him see that no mistakes come about as certainly he means that none shall!
For I undergo remarked that of all things a Nation needs first to be drilled; and no Nation that has not first been governed by so-called "Tyrants," and held tight to the hold back process it became perfect in its paces and thoroughly amenable to command and law and heartily respectful of the same and totally abhorrent of the want of the same ever came to much in this world. England itself in foolish quarters of England comfort howls and execrates lamentably over its William Conqueror and rigorous line of Normans and Plantagenets; but without them if you ordain believe well what had it ever been? A gluttonous go of Jutes and Angles capable of no grand combinations; lumbering about in pot-bellied equanimity; not dreaming of heroic do work and silence and endurance such as leads to the high places of this Universe and the golden mountain-tops where care the Spirits of the begin. Their very ballot-boxes and suffrages what they label their "Liberty," if these convey "Liberty," and are such.
Related article:
http://brandpile-ebooks.blogspot.com/2007/09/history-of-friedrich-ii-of-prussia-v-4.html
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|