e Frederic,_ xvii. 167.]

From Erfurt, on the night of his arrival, finding the Dauphiness in such
humor, Friedrich had ordered Ferdinand of Brunswick with his Division
and Prince Moritz with his, both of whom were still at Naumburg, to go
on different errands,--Ferdinand out Halberstadt-Magdeburg way, whither
Richelieu, vulture-like, if not eagle-like, is on wing; Moritz to
Torgau, to secure our magazine and be on the outlook there. Both of them
marched on the morrow (November 14th): and are sending him news,--seldom
comfortable news; mainly that, in spite of all one can do (and it is
not little on Ferdinand's part, the Richelieu vultures, 80,000 of them,
floating onward, leagues broad, are not to be kept out of Halberstadt,
well if out of Magdeburg itself;--and that, in short, the general
conflagration, in those parts too, is progressive. [In Orlich's _First
Moritz,_ pp. 71-89; and in _Westphalen,_ ii. 23-143 (about Ferdinand):
interesting Documentary details, Autographs of Friedrich, &c., in regard
to both these Expeditions.] Moritz, peaceable for some weeks in Torgau
Country, was to have an eye on Brandenburg withal, on Berlin itself; and
before long Moritz will see something noticeable there!

From Preussen, Friedrich hears of mere ravagings and horrid cruelties,
Cossack-Calmuck atrocities, which make human nature shudder: [In
_Helden-Geschichte,_ iv. 427-437, the hideous details.] "Fight
those monsters; go into them at all hazards!" he writes to Lehwald
peremptorily. Lehwald, 25,000 against 80,000, does so; draws up, in
front of Wehlau, not far east of Konigsberg, among woody swamps, AUGUST
30th, at a Hamlet called GROSS-JAGERSDORF, with his best skill; fights
well, though not without mistakes; and is beaten by cannon and numbers.
[Tempelhof, i. 299; Retzow, i. 212; &c. &c. ("Russians lost about
9,000," by their own tale 5,000; "the Prussians 3,000" and the Field).]
Preussen now lies at Apraxin's discretion. This bit of news too is on
the road for Erfurt Country. Such a six weeks for the swift man, obliged
to stand spell-bound,--idle posterity never will conceive it; and
description is useless.

Let us add here, that Apraxin did not advance on Konigsberg, or farther
into Preussen at all; but, after some loitering, turned, to everybody's
surprise, and wended slowly home. "Could get no provision," said Apraxin
for himself. "Thought the Czarina was dying," said the world; "and
that Peter her successor would take it