H CENTURY.

One of the grand difficulties in a History of Friedrich is, all along,
this same, That he lived in a Century which has no History and can have
little or none. A Century so opulent in accumulated falsities,--sad
opulence descending on it by inheritance, always at compound interest,
and always largely increased by fresh acquirement on such immensity of
standing capital;--opulent in that bad way as never Century before was!
Which had no longer the consciousness of being false, so false had it
grown; and was so steeped in falsity, and impregnated with it to the
very bone, that--in fact the measure of the thing was full, and a French
Revolution had to end it. To maintain much veracity in such an element,
especially for a king, was no doubt doubly remarkable. But now, how
extricate the man from his Century? How show the man, who is a Reality
worthy of being seen, and yet keep his Century, as a Hypocrisy worthy of
being hidden and forgotten, in the due abeyance?

To resuscitate the Eighteenth Century, or call into men's view, beyond
what is necessary, the poor and sordid personages and transactions of an
epoch so related to us, can be no purpose of mine on this occasion. The
Eighteenth Century, it is well known, does not figure to me as a lovely
one; needing to be kept in mind, or spoken of unnecessarily. To me the
Eighteenth Century has nothing grand in it, except that grand universal
Suicide, named French Revolution, by which it terminated its otherwise
most worthless existence with at least one worthy act;--setting fire to
its old home and self; and going up in flames and volcanic explosions,
in a truly memorable and important manner. A very fit termination, as
I thankfully feel, for such a Century. Century spendthrift,
fraudulent-bankrupt; gone at length utterly insolvent, without real
MONEY of performance in its pocket, and the shops declining to take
hypocrisies and speciosities any farther:--what could the poor Century
do, but at length admit, "Well, it is so. I am a swindler-century,
and have long been,--having learned the trick of it from my father and
grandfather; knowing hardly any trade but that in false bills, which I
thought foolishly might last forever, and still bring at least beef
and pudding to the favored of mankind. And behold it ends; and I am a
detected swindler, and have nothing even to eat. What remains but that
I blow my brains out, and do at length one true action?" Which the poor
Century