e yet deeply unknown to Friedrich Wilhelm; but
he surmises the general drift of things in that quarter; and how a
disobedient Son, crossing his Father's will in every point, abets his
Mother's disobedience, itself audacious enough, in regard to this one.
It is a fearful aggravation of Friedrich Wilhelm's ill-humor with such
a Son, which has long been upon the growing hand. His dislikes, we
know, were otherwise neither few nor small. Mere "disLIKES" properly so
called, or dissimilarities to Friedrich Wilhelm, a good many of them;
dissimilarities also to a Higher Pattern, some! But these troubles of
the Double-Marriage will now hurry them, the just and the unjust of
them, towards the flaming pitch. The poor youth has a bad time; and the
poor Father too, whose humor we know! Surly gusts of indignation, not
unfrequently cuffs and strokes; or still worse, a settled aversion, and
rage of the chronic kind; studied neglect and contempt,--so as not
even to help him at table, but leave him fasting while the others eat;
[Dubourgay, SCAPIUS.] this the young man has to bear. The innumerable
maltreatments, authentically chronicled in Wilhelmina's and the other
Books, though in a dateless, unintelligible manner, would make a tragic
sum!--Here are two Billets, copied from the Prussian State-Archives,
which will show us to what height matters had gone, in this the young
man's seventeenth year.

TO HIS MAJESTY (from the Crown-Prince).

"WUSTERHAUSEN, 11th September, 1728.

MY DEAR PAPA,--I have not, for a long while, presumed to come to my dear
Papa; partly because he forbade me; but chiefly because I had reason to
expect a still worse reception than usual: and, for fear of angering my
dear Papa by my present request, I have preferred making it in writing
to him.

I therefore beg my dear Papa to be gracious to me; and can here say
that, after long reflection, my conscience has not accused me of any the
least thing with which I could reproach myself. But if I have, against
my will and knowledge, done anything that has angered my dear Papa, I
herewith most submissively beg forgiveness; and hope my dear Papa
will lay aside that cruel hatred which I cannot but notice in all his
treatment of me. I could not otherwise suit myself to it; as I always
thought I had a gracious Papa, and now have to see the contrary. I take
confidence, then, and hope that my dear Papa will consider all this,
and again be gracious to me. And, in the mean while,