and
scorn of this passion of the King, but he had inherited it to a certain
extent, and the Prussian army have not yet ceased to take pride in it.
It extended to other princes also, especially to such as were attached
to the Hohenzollerns, the Dessauers, and Brunswickers. In 1806, Duke
Ferdinand of Brunswick, who was mortally wounded at Auerstadt, carried
on a systematic dealing in men for his regiment at Halberstadt; in his
own company the first rank were six foot, and the smallest man was five
foot nine; all the companies were taller than the first regiment of
guards is now. But in other armies also there was somewhat of this
predilection. At the end of the last century, an able Saxon officer
lamented that the first and tallest regiment in the Saxon army could
not measure with the smallest of the Prussians.[6]

Not less remarkable was the relation in which King Frederic William
stood to his officers. He heartily feared and hated the wily sagacity
of the diplomats and higher officials, but he readily confided his
secret thoughts to the simple, sturdy, straightforward character of his
officers, which was sometimes a mask. It was a favourite fancy to
consider himself as their comrade. Many were the hours in which he
treated as his equals many who wore the sash. He used to greet with a
kiss all the superior officers down to the major, if he had not seen
them for a long time. Once he affronted the Major Von Juergass by using
the opprobrious word by which officers then denoted a studious man; the
drunken man replied, "That was the speech of a cowardly rascal," and
then got up and left the party. The King declared that he could not
allow that to pass, and was ready to take his revenge for the insult
with sword or pistol. When those present protested against this,
the King asked angrily how otherwise he could obtain satisfaction
for his injured honour? They contrived a means of doing it by
lieutenant-Colonel Von Einsiedel taking the King's place in the
battalion, and fighting the duel in his stead. The duel took place,
Einsiedel was wounded in the arm; for this the King filled his knapsack
full of thalers, and commanded him to carry the heavy burden home. The
King could not forget that as Crown Prince he had never risen in the
service beyond a Colonel, and that a Field-Marshal was higher than
himself. He therefore lamented in the "_Tabak's Collegium_,"[7] that he
had not been able to remain with King William of England: "He