ubt, atoned to him
for anything which seemed lacking in his reception.

A splendid yacht sailed toward Petersburg as the gift of Frederick, who
was anxious to conciliate the uncouth ruler of the East. In return,
men of gigantic stature were sent annually from Russia to enter the
splendid Potsdam Guards, so dear to the monarch, who was a stern
soldier and loved the martial life. Prussia was a new kingdom obtained
for his descendants by the Elector of Brandenburg. It was necessary
that the rulers should devote themselves to recruiting a goodly force,
since their land might be easily attacked by foreign foes and divided
among the greater powers, if they did not protect it well.

Frederick William sent recruiting sergeants far and wide, and suffered
these even to enter churches during service and to carry off by force
the stalwart young men {146} of the congregation. Yet he was a pious
man, an enemy to vice, and a ruler of enormous diligence. He rid
himself of useless attendants as soon as his father died, and exercised
the strictest economy in his private life. He kept the purse-strings
and was also his own general. He was ever about the streets, accosting
idlers roughly, and bidding the very apple-women knit at their stalls
while they were awaiting custom. He preached industry everywhere, and
drilled his regiments with zealous assiduity.

Of tall stature and florid complexion, the King struck terror into the
hearts of the coward and miscreant. He despised extravagance in dress.
French foppery was so hateful to him that he clothed the prison gaolers
in Parisian style, trusting that this would bring contempt on foreign
fashions.

The Potsdam Guards were under the strictest discipline, and the
Prussian soldiers won battles by sheer mechanical obedience to orders
when they took the field. Death punished any resistance to a superior
officer, and merciless flogging was inflicted on the rank and file.
Boys were often reluctant to enter on such a course of training, and
parents were compelled to give up their sons by means of
_Dragonnades_--soldiers quartered upon subjects who were not
sufficiently patriotic to furnish recruits for the State. Every man of
noble birth had to be an officer, and must serve until his strength was
broken. The King fraternized only with soldiers because these were
above other classes and belonged more or less to his own order. The
army had been raised to 80,000 men when Frederick Willi