King his Brother, of his Brother's
apprehensions, of his military arrangements, of the little trust placed
in him by neighbors, of their hostile humor towards him, and of many
other things which this good Prince [little understanding them, as would
appear, or the dangerous secret that lay under them] did not approve
of. The Prince then said,"--listen to what the Prince of Prussia said to
Valori, one of the last days of July, 1756,--

"'There is an Anecdote which continually recurs to me, in the passes we
are got to at present. Putting the case we might be attacked by Russia,
and perhaps by Austria, the late Rothenburg was sent [as readers know],
on the King's part, to Milord Tyrconnel, to know of him what, in such
case, were the helps he might reckon on from France. Milord enumerated
the various helps; and then added [being a blusterous Irishman, sent
hither for his ill tongue]: "Helps enough, you observe, Monsieur; but,
MORBLEU, if you deceive us, you will be squelched (VOUS SEREZ ECRASES)!"
The King my 'Brother was angry enough at hearing such a speech: but,
my dear Marquis,' and the Prince turned full upon me with a face of
inquiry, 'Can the thing actually come true? And do you think it can be
the interest of your Master [and his Scarlet Woman] to abandon us to the
fury of our enemies? Ah, that cursed Convention [Neutrality-Convention
with England]! I would give a finger from my hand that it had never been
concluded. I never approved of it; ask the Duc de Nivernois, he knows
what we said of it together. But how return on our steps? Who would now
trust us?'" This Prince appeared "to be much affected by the King his
Brother's situation [of which he understood as good as nothing], and
agreed that he," the King his Brother, "had well deserved it." [Valori,
ii, 129-131.]

This is not the first example, nor the last, of August Wilhelm's
owning a heedless, good-natured tongue; considerably prone to take
the Opposition side, on light grounds. For which if he found a kind of
solacement and fame in some circles, it was surely at a dear rate!
To his Brother, that bad habit would, most likely, be known; and his
Brother, I suppose, did not speak of it at all; such his Brother's
custom in cases of the kind.--Judicious Valori, by way of answer,
dilated on the peculiar esteem of his Majesty Louis XV. for the Prussian
Majesty,--"so as my Instructions direct me to do;" and we hear no more
of the Prince of Prussia's talk, at this time