ht have fallen. 'Hang it lower,' said
the King, beckoning his groom with a wave of the finger: 'Lower, that
they may not have to hurt their necks about it!' No sooner were the
words spoken, which spread instantly, than there rose from the whole
crowd one universal huzza of joy. They tore the Caricature into a
thousand pieces, and rolled after the King with loud (LEBE HOCH, Our
Friedrich forever!' as he rode slowly away." [Preuss, iii. 275 ("from
BERLIN CONVERSUTIONSBLATT &c. of 1827, No. 253").) That is their
Friedrich's method with the Caricature Department. Heffner,
Kapellmeister in Upsala, reports this bit of memorability; he was then
of the King's Music-Chapel in Berlin, and saw this with his eyes.

The King's tendency at all times, and his practice generally, when
we hear of it, was to take the people's side; so that gradually these
French procedures were a great deal mitigated; and DIE REGIE--so they
called this hateful new-fangled system of Excise machinery--became much
more supportable, "the sorrows of it nothing but a tradition to the
younger sort," reports Dohm, who is extremely ample on this subject.
[Christian Wilhelm von Dohm, _Denkwurdigkeiten meiner Zeit_ (Lemgo und
Hanover, 1819), iv. 500 et seq.] De Launay was honorably dismissed, and
the whole Regie abolished, a month or two after Friedrich's death.

With a splenetic satisfaction authentic Dohm, who sufficiently condemns
the REGIE, adds that it was not even successful; and shows by evidence,
and computation to the uttermost farthing, that instead of two million
thalers annually, it yielded on the average rather less than one. The
desired overplus of two millions, and a good deal more did indeed come
in, says he: but it was owing to the great prosperity of Prussia at
large, after the Seven-Years War; to the manifold industries awakening,
which have gone on progressive ever since. Dohm declares farther, that
the very object was in a sort fanciful, nugatory; arguing that nobody
did attack Friedrich;--but omitting to prove that nobody would have done
so, had Friedrich NOT stood ready to receive him. We will remark only,
what is very indisputable, that Friedrich, owing to the Regie, or to
other causes, did get the humble overplus necessary for him; and did
stand ready for any war which might have come (and which did in a
sort come); that he more and more relaxed the Regie, as it became less
indispensable to him; and was willing, if he found the Caricatures