key bribed by Seckendorf Junior, is a notice or two:--

"POTSDAM, SEPTEMBER 30th, 1734. Yesterday, for half an hour, the King
could get no breath: he keeps them continually rolling him about" in his
Bath-chair, "over the room, and cries 'LUFT, LUFT (Air, air)!'

"OCTOBER 2d. The King is not going to die just yet; but will scarcely
see Christmas. He gets on his clothes; argues with the Doctors, is
impatient; won't have people speak of his illness;--is quite black in
the face; drinks nothing but MOLL [which we suppose to be small bitter
beer], takes physic, writes in bed.

"OCTOBER 5th. The Nigger tells me things are better. The King begins to
bring up phlegm; drinks a great deal of oatmeal water [HAFERGRUTZWASSER,
comfortable to the sick]; says to the Nigger: 'Pray diligently, all of
you; perhaps I shall not die!'"

October 5th: this is the day the Crown-Prince arrives at Baireuth; to
be called away by express four days after. How valuable, at Vienna
or elsewhere, our dark friend the Lackey's medical opinion is, may
be gathered from this other Entry, three weeks farther on,--enough to
suffice us on that head:--

"The Nigger tells me he has a bad opinion of the King's health. If you
roll the King a little fast in his Bath-chair, you hear the water jumble
in his body,"--with astonishment! "King gets into passions; has beaten
the pages [may we hope, our dark friend among the rest?], so that it was
feared apoplexy would take him."

This will suffice for the physiological part; let us now hear our poor
friend on the Crown-Prince and his arrival:--

"OCTOBER 12th. Return of the Prince-Royal to Potsdam; tender
reception.--OCTOBER 21st. Things look ill in Potsdam. The other leg is
now also begun running; and above a quart (MAAS) of water has come from
it. Without a miracle, the King cannot live,"--thinks our dark friend.
"The Prince-Royal is truly affected (VERITABLEMENT ATTENDRI) at the
King's situation; has his eyes full of water, has wept the eyes out of
his head: has schemed in all ways to contrive a commodious bed for the
King; wouldn't go away from Potsdam. King forced him away; he is to
return Saturday afternoon. The Prince-Royal has been heard to say, 'If
the King will let me live in my own way, I would give an arm to lengthen
his life for twenty years.' King always calls him Fritzchen. But
Fritzchen," thinks Seckendorf Junior, "knows nothing about business. The
King is aware of it; and said in the face of him one