History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 13
- Pages
- about 216
- Category
- History
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h at 250 wpm
From the opening
BOOK XIII. -- FIRST SILESIAN WAR, LEAVING THE GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE
ABLAZE ALL ROUND, GETS ENDED. -- May, 1741-July, 1742.
Part First of his Britannic Majesty's Sorrows, the Britannic or Domestic
Part, is now perhaps conceivable to readers. But as to the Second,
the Germanic or Pragmatic Part,--articulate History, after much
consideration, is content to renounce attempting these; feels that these
will remain forever inconceivable to mankind in the now altered times.
So small a gentleman; and he feels, dismally though with heroism, that
he has got the axis of the world on his shoulder. Poor Majesty! His
eyes, proud as Jove's, are nothing like so perspicacious; a pair of the
poorest eyes: and he has to scan with them, and unriddle under pain of
death, such a waste of insoluble intricacies, troubles and world-perils
as seldom was,--even in Dreams. In fact, it is of the nature of a long
Nightmare Dream, all this of the Pragmatic, to his poor Majesty and
Nation; and wakeful History must not spend herself upon it, beyond the
essential.
May 12th, betimes this Year, his Majesty got across to Hanover,
Harrington with him; anxious to contemplate near at hand that Camp of
the Old Dessauer's at Gottin, and the other fearful phenomena, French,
Prussian and other, in that Country. His Majesty, as natural, was much
in Germany in those Years; scanning the phenomena; a long while not
knowing what in the world to make of them. Bully Belleisle having stept
into the ring, it is evident, clear as the sun, that one must act, and
act at once; but it is a perfect sphinx-enigma to say How. Seldom
was Sovereign or man so spurred, and goaded on, by the highest
considerations; and then so held down, and chained to his place, by an
imbroglio of counter-considerations and sphinx-riddles!
A short sample. Read the whole book
More to read
- A Belated Guest (from Literary Friends and Acquaintance)William Dean HowellsHistory19 pages
- A Bit of Old ChinaCharles Warren StoddardHistory17 pages
- A Book of Remarkable CriminalsH. B. IrvingHistory341 pages
- A Book of ScoundrelsCharles WhibleyHistory202 pages
- A Brief History of the Internet The Bright Side: The Dark SideMichael HartHistory59 pages
Public-domain text from Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks or a similar open source. Copyright differs between countries. Rights holder? See our takedown process.