carefully preserved, on the chance of somebody's arising to whom they
may have uses!--

The worst feature of these years is Friedrich Wilhelm's discontent with
them. A Crown-Prince sadly out of favor with Papa. This has long been
on the growing hand; and these Double-Marriage troubles, not to mention
again the new-fangled French tendencies (BLITZ FRANZOSEN!), much
aggravate the matter, and accelerate its rate of growth. Already
the paternal countenance does not shine upon him; flames often; and
thunders, to a shocking degree;--and worse days are coming.

Chapter II. -- DEATH OF GEORGE I.

Gibraltar still keeps sputtering; ardent ineffectual bombardment from
the one side, sulky, heavy blast of response now and then from the
other: but the fire does not spread; nor will, we may hope. It is true,
Sweden and Denmark have joined the Treaty of Hanover, this spring;
and have troops on foot, and money paid them; But George is pacific;
Gibraltar is impregnable; let the Spaniards spend their powder there.

As for the Kaiser, he is dreadfully poor; inapt for battle himself. And
in the end of this same May, 1727, we hear, his principal ally, Czarina
Catherine, has died;--poor brown little woman, Lithuanian housemaid,
Russian Autocrat, it is now all one;--dead she, and can do nothing.
Probably the Kaiser will sit still? The Kaiser sits still; with eyes
bent on Gibraltar, or rolling in grand Imperial inquiry and anxiety
round the world; war-outlooks much dimmed for him since the end of May.

Alas, in the end of June, what far other Job's-post is this that reaches
Berlin and Queen Sophie? That George I., her royal Father, has suddenly
sunk dead! With the Solstice, or Summer pause of the Sun, 21st or 22d
June, almost uncertain which, the Majesty of George I. did likewise
pause,--in his carriage, on the road to Osnabruck,--never to move
more. Whereupon, among the simple People, arose rumors of omens,
preternaturalisms, for and against: How his desperate Megaera of a Wife,
in the act of dying, had summoned him (as was presumable), to appear
along with her at the Great Judgment-Bar within year and day; and how he
has here done it. On the other hand, some would have it noted, How "the
nightingales in Herrenhausen Gardens had all ceased singing for the
year, that night he died,"--out of loyalty on the part of these little
birds, it seemed presumable. [See Kohler, _Munzbelustigungen,_ x. 88.]

What we know is, he was journeying to