and household lying in such waste condition. Poor Fred, who of us knows
what of sense might be in these demands? Few creatures more absurdly
situated are to be found in this world. To go where his equals were,
and learn soldiering a little, might really have been useful. Paternal
Majesty received Fred and his Three Demands with fulminating look;
answered, to the first two, nothing; to the third, about a Consort,
"Yes, you shall; but be respectful to the Queen;--and now off with you;
away!" [Coxe's _Walpole,_ i. 322.]

Poor Fred, he has a circle of hungry Parliamenteers about him; young
Pitt, a Cornet of Horse, young Lyttelton of Hagley, our old Soissons
friend, not to mention others of worse type; to whom this royal Young
Gentleman, with his vanities, ambitions, inexperiences, plentiful
inflammabilities, is important for exploding Walpole. He may have, and
with great justice I should think, the dim consciousness of talents for
doing something better than "write madrigals" in this world; infinitude
of wishes and appetites he clearly has;--he is full of inflammable
materials, poor youth. And he is the Fireship those older hands make use
of for blowing Walpole and Company out of their anchorage. What a school
of virtue for a young gentleman;--and for the elder ones concerned with
him! He did not get to the Rhine Campaign; nor indeed ever to anything,
except to writing madrigals, and being very futile, dissolute and
miserable with what of talent Nature had given him. Let us pity the poor
constitutional Prince. Our Fritz was only in danger of losing his life;
but what is that, to losing your sanity, personal identity almost, and
becoming Parliamentary Fireship to his Majesty's Opposition?

Friedrich Wilhelm stayed a month campaigning here; graciously declined
Prince Eugene's invitation to lodge in Headquarters, under a roof and
within built walls; preferred a tent among his own people, and took the
common hardships,--with great hurt to his weak health, as was afterwards
found.

In these weeks, the big Czarina, who has set a price (100,000 rubles,
say 15,000 pounds) upon the head of poor Stanislaus, hears that his
Prussian Majesty protects him; and thereupon signifies, in high terms,
That she, by her Feld-marschall Munnich, will come across the frontiers
and seize the said Stanislaus. To which his Prussian Majesty answers
positively, though in proper Diplomatic tone, "Madam, I will in no wise
permit it!" Perhaps his Majest