he gods laughed inextinguishably, if so disposed. The
Scavenger-Executioners went back to their place; and Count Rothenburg
took a plain German costume, so long as he continued in those parts.

Friedrich Wilhelm has a dumb rough wit and mockery, of that kind, on
many occasions; not without geniality in its Brobdignag exaggeration and
simplicity. Like a wild bear of the woods taking his sport; with some
sense of humor in the rough skin of him. Very capable of seeing through
sumptuous costumes; and respectful of realities alone. Not in French
sumptuosity, but in native German thrift, does this King see his
salvation; so as Nature constructed him: and the world which has long
lost its Spartans, will see again an original North-German Spartan; and
shriek a good deal over him; Nature keeping her own counsel the while,
and as it were, laughing in her sleeve at the shrieks of the flunky
world. For Nature, when she makes a Spartan, means a good deal by it;
and does not expect instant applauses, but only gradual and lasting.

"For my own part," exclaims a certain Editor once, "I perceive well
there was never yet any great Empire founded, Roman, English, down to
Prussian or Dutch, nor in fact any great mass of work got achieved under
the Sun, but it was founded even upon this humble-looking quality of
Thrift, and became achievable in virtue of the same. Which will seem a
strange doctrine, in these days of gold-nuggets, railway-fortunes, and
miraculous, sumptuosities regardless of expense. Earnest readers are
invited to consider it, nevertheless. Though new; it is very old; and a
sad meaning lies in it to us of these times! That you have squandered in
idle fooleries, building where there was no basis, your Hundred Thousand
Sterling, your Eight Hundred Million Sterling, is to me a comparatively
small matter. You may still again become rich, if you have at last
become wise. But if you have wasted your capacity of strenuous, devoutly
valiant labor, of patience, perseverance, self-denial, faith in the
causes of effects; alas, if your once just judgment of what is worth
something and what is worth nothing, has been wasted, and your silent
steadfast reliance on the general veracities, of yourself and of things,
is no longer there,--then indeed you have had a loss! You are, in fact,
an entirely bankrupt individual; as you will find by and by. Yes;
and though you had California in fee-simple; and could buy all the
upholsteries, groceries,