von Ginkel
along with Excellency Hyndford, That such Advice can, by me, only be
considered as a blind complaisance to the Court of Vienna's improper
urgencies, improper in such a matter. That for certain I will not quit
Silesia till my claims be satisfied. And the longer I am forced to
continue warring for them here," wasting more resource and risk upon
them, "the higher they will rise!" [_Helden-Geschichte,_ i. 963.]
And this is what comes of that terribly courageous Dutch-English
"Joint-Resolution of a strong nature;" it has literally cut before the
point: the Exhortation is not yet presented, but the Treaty with France
is signed in virtue of it!--

Undoubtedly this of June 5th is the most important Treaty in the
Austrian-Succession War, and the cardinal element of Friedrich's
procedure in that Adventure. And it has never been published; nor, till
Herr Professor Ranke got access to the Prussian Archives, has even the
date of signing it been rightly known; but is given two or three ways
in different express Collections of Treaties. [Scholl, ii. 297 (copying
"Flassan, _Hist. de la Diplom. Franc._ v. 142"), gives "5th July" as
the date; Adelung (ii. 357, 390, 441) guesses that it was "in August;"
Valori (i. 108), who was himself in it, gives the correct date,--but
then his Editor (thought inquiring readers) was such a sloven and
ignoramus. See Stenzel, iv. 143; Ranke, ii. 274.] Herr Ranke knows this
Treaty, and the correspondences, especially Friedrich's correspondence
with Podewils preparatory to it; and speaks, as his wont is, several
exact things about it; thanks to him, in the circumstances. I wish it
could be made, even with his help, fully intelligible to the reader!
For, were the Treaty never so express, surely the mode of keeping it, on
both parts, was very strange; and that latter concerns us somewhat.

A very fast-and-loose Treaty, to all appearance! Outwardly it is a mere
Treaty of Alliance, each party guaranteeing the other for Fifteen Years;
without mention made of the joint Belleisle Adventure now in the wind.
But then, like the postscript to a lady's letter, there come "secret
articles" bearing upon that essential item: How France, in the course
of this current season 1741, is to bring an Army across the Rhine in
support of its friend Kur-Baiern VERSUS Austria; is, in the same term of
time, to make Sweden declare war on Russia (important for Friedrich, who
is never sure a moment that those Russians will