and was of good manners and style of conversation:
King Friedrich was charmed to see him; became his guest for the night;
conversed delightfully with him, about old Prussian matters and about
new; and in the colloquy never once alluded to that interesting passage
in his young life and Spaen's. [Nicolai, _Anekdoten,_ vi. 178.] Hard as
polished steel! thinks Spaen perhaps; but, if candid, must ask himself
withal, Are facts any softer, or the Laws of Kingship to a man that
holds it?--Keith silently did his Lieutenant-Colonelcy with the
appendages, while life lasted: of the Page Keith, his Brother, who
indeed had blabbed upon the Prince, as we remember, and was not entitled
to be clamorous, I never heard that there was any notice taken; and
figure him to myself as walking with shouldered firelock, a private
Fusileer, all his life afterwards, with many reflections on things
bygone. [These and the other Prussian Keiths are all of Scotch
extraction; the Prussians, in natural German fashion, pronounce their
name KAH-IT (English "KITE" with nothing of the Y in it), as may be
worth remembering in a more important instance.]

Old friendship, it would seem, is without weight in public appointments
here: old friends are somewhat astonished to find this friend of theirs
a King every inch! To old comrades, if they were useless, much more if
they were worse than useless, how disappointing! "One wretched Herr [name
suppressed, but known at the time, and talked of, and whispered of], who
had, like several others, hoping to rise that way, been industrious in
encouraging the Crown-Prince's vices as to women, was so shocked at
the return he now met, that in despair he hanged himself in LobeJun."
(Lobegun, Magdeburg Country): here is a case for the humane! [Kuster,
_Characterzuge des &c. von Saldern_ (Berlin, 1793), p. 63.]

Friend Keyserling himself, "Caesarion" that used to be, can get nothing,
though we love him much; being an idle topsy-turvy fellow with revenues
of his own. Jordan, with his fine-drawn wit, French logics, LITERARY
TRAVELS, thin exactitude; what can be done for Jordan? Him also his new
Majesty loves much; and knows that, without some official living, poor
Jordan has no resource. Jordan, after some waiting and survey, is
made "Inspector of the Poor;"--busy this Autumn looking out for vacant
houses, and arrangements for the thousand spinning women;--continues
to be employed in mixed literary services (hunting up of Formey,