of sharp
sense in its laughing guise, and more of real Historical Discernment
than you will find in any other Book on that delirious subject.

Much a laughing-stock to this King hitherto, such a "War of the
Confederates,"--consisting of the noisiest, emptiest bedlam tumults,
seasoned by a proportion of homicide, and a great deal of battery and
arson. But now, with a Russian-Turk War springing from it, or already
sprung, there are quite serious aspects rising amid the laughable. By
Treaty, this War is to cost the King either a 12,000 of Auxiliaries to
the Czarina, or a 72,000 pounds (480,000 thalers) annually; [_OEuvres
de Frederic,_ vi. 13.]--which latter he prefers to pay her, as the
alternative: not an agreeable feature at all; but by no means the worst
feature. Suppose it lead to Russian conquests on the Turk, to Austrian
complicacies, to one knows not what, and kindle the world round one
again! In short, we can believe Friedrich was very willing to stand well
with next-door neighbors at present, and be civil to Austria and its
young Kaiser's civilities.

FIRST INTERVIEW BETWEEN FRIEDRICH AND KAISER JOSEPH (Neisse, 25th-28th
August, 1769).

In 1766, the young Kaiser, who has charge of the Military Department,
and of little else in the Government, and is already a great traveller,
and enthusiastic soldier, made a pilgrimage over the Bohemian and Saxon
Battle-fields of the Seven-Years War. On some of them, whether on all
I do not know, he set up memorial-stones; one of which you still see
on the field of Lobositz;--of another on Prag field, and of reverent
salutation by Artillery to the memory of Schwerin there, we heard long
ago. Coming to Torgau on this errand, the Kaiser, through his Berlin
Minister, had signified his "particular desire to make acquaintance
with the King in returning;" to which the King was ready with the
readiest;--only that Kaunitz and the Kaiserinn, in the interim, judged
it improper, and stopped it. "The reported Interview is not to take
place," Friedrich warns the Newspapers; "having been given up, though
only from courtesy, on some points of ceremonial." ["FRIEDRICH TO ONE OF
HIS FOREIGN AMBASSADORS" (the common way of announcing in Newspapers):
Preuss, iv. 22 n.]

The young Kaiser felt a little huffed; and signified to Friedrich that
he would find a time to make good this bit of uncivility, which his
pedagogues had forced upon him. And now, after three years, August,
1769, on occa