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in his cups retorted, "he is a scoundrel who says so," and immediately withdrew. The king declared to those present that, as an officer and a man of honour, who neither could nor would suffer any stigma to attach to him, he was ready to settle the matter with sword or pistol. The company exclaimed against this intention, observing that he was not only an officer, but also a king, and that, as such, he ought not to fight unless for insults offered to the state. The king, however, insisted on having satisfaction as an officer, and it was determined that some other officer should challenge and fight Major Jurgas, instead of the king. Major Einsiedel, who was the king's representative with the battalion, undertook the office, fought the next day with Jurgas, in the wood behind. the Parade, with the sword, and received a slight wound in the arm. With his arm bound up, he made his report to the king, who expressed his thanks, and hung about him a musqueteer's catouch-box, asking him whether he would walk with it along the street, if it were filled with money. The major replied in the affirmative, and the king, having with his own hand filled the cartouch-box with hard dollars, gave the word of command, "March." The king considered the affair as settled with Jurgas, and never resented the affront.

In the palace of Charlottenburg there is a picture representing the smoking-party, by an unknown hand. At the head of a long table, on a wooden stool, is seated the king, in a coat of blue cloth, yellow breeches, and white linen gaiters, holding a reeking pipe in his hand. Next to him, on his right, sits the prince royal, in white uniform turned up with blue: he is the only one who is not holding a pipe. At the table are seated eleven other persons on long wooden benches, in white, blue, and grey clothes; the portraits of several officers and ministers are recognizable. At the lower end is the buffoon, having a tame hare by his side. The king's physician and surgeon sit aside near the wall. Two of the young princes, in blue uniform, like the king, are entering, with three-cornered hats in their hands, to wish their father good-night."

Our readers are not to infer from the foregoing account that Frederick William II. was not an able and patriotic sovereign. The services which he rendered to Prussia were highly important. His reign was faithfully devoted to the developement of those elements of national greatness and prosperity which had their origin with the Great Elector, and were perfected by Frederick the Great.

EARLY LIFE OF FREDERICK THE GREAT.

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HE following translation from the German, is a circumstantial account of the most important event in the early life of Frederick the Great; an event which undoubtedly developed and fixed his natural character. To prepare the reader, it is necessary to state briefly the leading circumstances and causes which produced it.

Frederick, in northern Germany styled, par excellence, the great king, was born on January 24, 1712. His father, as will be made sufficiently manifest, possessed no control whatever over his own passions and temper. Tyrannical, choleric, hypochondriacal, and suspicious, the slightest opposition to his will threw him into fits of uncontrollable fury. That peace and harmony should exist in the royal family, with such a head, was therefore impossible. An early coalition was formed between Frederick, his mother, and the eldest princess, whose concerted plans were diametrically opposed to those of the king. Frederick early displayed a power of selfthought; this, fostered by his mother and the natural determination common to all free and noble minds not to be coerced into measures against their own will and conviction, (although not impervious to conciliatory treatment,) had well nigh cost the prince his life. It will be sufficient to add the

following remarks made by Frederick to his sister, as recorded by herself, to show the immediate causes of his attempt at flight, and consequent imprisonment. "They preach patience to me every day, but no one knows what I must bear. Daily I receive blows, am treated like a slave, and have not the slightest recreation. Reading, music, the sciences are forbidden me: I hardly dare converse with any one-am constantly in danger of my life, and surrounded by none but spies. I am not even supplied with the requisite clothing-still less with all other necessaries; and what has at length wholly overpowered me, is the last scene I had with the king at Potsdam. He had me called in the morning. As soon as I entered, he caught me by the hair, threw me on the floor, and after he had tried his hard fists on my breast and whole body, dragged me to the window and drew a curtain cord around my neck. Fortunately, I had time to recover myself and seize both his hands; but when he drew the cord together, with all his strength, and I felt myself about to be strangled, I at last called for help. A valet de chambre hastened to the spot, and by main force freed me, at length, from the king's hands. Say yourself, now, whether any other means is left but flight? Katte and Keith are ready to follow me to the end of the world. I have passports and letters of credit, and every thing else so well arranged, that I do not run the slightest risk. I go to England; there I shall be received with open arms, and have nothing more to fear from the king's anger. To the queen nothing of all this shall be confided, that she may be able, in case it so happens, to give an oath that she knew nothing about the matter. As soon as the king makes another journey out of his dominions-for that will give much greater security-all is ready for execution." The princess did all she could to dissuade him from his hazardous undertaking, but renewed ill treatment only served to strengthen him in his purpose.

FREDERICK'S ATTEMPT TO LEAVE GERMANY, AND HIS
CONSEQUENT IMPRISONMENT.

OT long after the conversation related above, an opportunity presented itself, which seemed favourable to the escape of the prince from

the kingdom. The king undertook a journey to southern Germany, upon which Frederick was obliged to accompany him. For a length of time, the king had wavered, through his suspicions against his son, whether it were better to take him along or leave him at home. He had decided on the former, as he could then be more closely watched: and, to be wholly secure, he had also given orders. to three of the higher officers who accompanied him, to divide this duty, so that one was always by the side of the prince in his carriage. In the mean time Frederick, in concert with Katte-although in the beginning repeatedly dissuaded by the latter—had taken his measures. He had already written to the king of England, requesting that he would grant him protection at his court. To this, however, a very serious dissuading answer had been returned. Nevertheless, he adhered to the plan to go by way of France to England. As soon as he had given information of his escape, Katte was to fly in advance to England, and negotiate towards the accomplishment of the prince's wishes. To this end, Katte was to obtain a furlough, under the pretext of going on the recruiting service; and to him the money, jewels, and the papers of the prince were also entrusted. Besides Katte, Keith, in Wesel, had also been informed of Frederick's intention, so as to favour it through his participation.

On the 15th of July, 1730, the royal party left Berlin, and proceeded through Leipsic to Anspach, where the king visited his second daughter, who had been married the year previous to the young margrave of Anspach. Here, already, Frederick sought opportunity to escape; repeatedly and press

ingly he begged of his brother-in-law to entrust him with one of his best horses, pretending to feel a desire of seeing the surrounding country. But his relative prudently evaded this request; for the rumour of Frederick's intention had already reached Anspach, as Katte, even in this critical moment, had not sufficient self-control to restrain his boasting loquacity. In Anspach, Frederick received a letter from Katte, in which he stated that he had not yet succeeded in obtaining the desired furlough: he therefore requested him to postpone his escape until his arrival at Wesel, whence he could, at any rate, escape most expeditiously through Holland to England. Frederick replied that he could not wait so long; that he was resolved (agreeably to the prescribed course) to leave the train of the king at Sinzheim, (on the road between Heilbronn and Heidelberg,) and that Katte would find him at the Hague, under the name of Count of Alberville. He also reassured him of the feasibility of the scheme, and that, in case of pursuit, the monasteries on the route could be considered as safe retreats. But in the haste with which Frederick wrote this letter, he forgot to address it to Berlin; he had only written, "by the way of Nuremberg;" and thus the unlucky epistle went to a cousin of Katte's, at Erlangen, who was stationed there on the recruiting service

From Anspach the king passed through Augsburg to Louisburg, where he visited the Duke of Wurtemberg. Thence he took the road to Mannheim. On this road they must pass through Sinzheim, to which Frederick alluded. As accident would have it, night quarters were not taken in this place, but several miles from it, in the village of Steinforth. The party were here quartered in several barns; for the king, not longing much after effeminate conveniences, preferred an airy lodging of this kind, to the oppressive sultriness of ta

verns.

The prince, occupying a barn in common with Colonel Rochow and his valet de chambre, rapidly laid his plan in accordance with the opportunity. He used the goodnatured credulity of a royal page, a brother of his friend Keith, by confiding to him that he had a love affair near the

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