the world.
Old Friedrich the Grandfather achieved this dignity, after long and
intricate negotiations, in the first year of the Century; 16th November,
1700, his ambassador returned triumphant from Vienna; the Kaiser had at
last consented: We are to wear a crown royal on the top of our periwig;
the old Electorate of Brandenburg is to become the Kingdom of Prussia;
and the Family of Hohenzollern, slowly mounting these many centuries,
has reached the uppermost round of the ladder.

Friedrich, the old Gentleman who now looks upon his little Grandson
(destined to be Third King of Prussia) with such interest,--is not a
very memorable man; but he has had his adventures too, his losses and
his gains: and surely among the latter, the gain of a crown royal into
his House gives him, if only as a chronological milestone, some place
in History. He was son of him they call the Great Elector, Friedrich
Wilhelm by name; of whom the Prussians speak much, in an eagerly
celebrating manner, and whose strenuous toilsome work in this world,
celebrated or not, is still deeply legible in the actual life and
affairs of Germany. A man of whom we must yet find some opportunity
to say a word. From him and a beautiful and excellent Princess Luise,
Princess of Orange,--Dutch William, OUR Dutch William's aunt,--this,
crooked royal Friedrich came.

He was not born crooked; straight enough once, and a fine little boy of
six months old or so; there being an elder Prince now in his third year,
also full of hope. But in a rough journey to Konigsberg and back (winter
of 1657, as is guessed), one of the many rough jolting journeys this
faithful Electress made with her Husband, a careless or unlucky
nurse, who had charge of pretty little Fritzchen, was not sufficiently
attentive to her duties on the worst of roads. The ever-jolting carriage
gave some bigger jolt, the child fell backwards in her arms; [Johann
Wegfuhrer, _ Leben der Kurfurstin Luise, gebornen Prinzessin von
Nassau-Oranien, Gemahlin Friedrich Wilhelm des Grossen_ (Leipzig, 1838),
p. 107.] did not quite break his back, but injured it for life:--and
with his back, one may perceive, injured his soul and history to an
almost corresponding degree. For the weak crooked boy, with keen and
fine perceptions, and an inadequate case to put them in, grew up
with too thin a skin:--that may be considered as the summary of his
misfortunes; and, on the whole, there is no other heavy sin to be
charged agains