eil; and
say, "See--Faugh!" The cynicism, truly, but also the irrepressible
honest exultation, has a kind of epic completeness, and fulness of
sincerity; and, at bottom, the thing is nothing like so wicked as
careless commentators have given out. Dare to look a little:--

"ADIEU, GRANDS ERASEURS DE ROIS," so it starts: "Adieu, grand crushers
of Kings; arrogant wind-bags, Turpin, Broglio, Soubise,--Hildburghausen
with the gray beard, foolish still as when your beard was black in the
Turk-War time:--brisk journey to you all!" That is the first stanza;
unexceptionable, had we room. The second stanza is,--with the veils
partially lifted; with probably "MOISE" put into the first blank, and
into the third something of or belonging to "CESAR,"--

"Je vows ai vu comme...
Dans des ronces en certain lieu
Eut l'honneur de voir...
Ou comme au gre de sa luxure
Le bon Nicomede a l'ecart
Aiguillonnait sa flamme impure
Des..."

Enough to say, the Author, with a wild burst of spiritual enthusiasm,
sings the charms of the rearward part of certain men; and what a royal
ecstatic felicity there sometimes is in indisputable survey of the same.
He rises to the heights of Anti-Biblical profanity, quoting Moses on
the Hill of Vision; sinks to the bottomless of human or ultra-human
depravity, quoting King Nicomedes's experiences on Caesar (happily
known only to the learned); and, in brief, recognizes that there is, on
occasion, considerable beauty in that quarter of the human figure, when
it turns on you opportunely. A most cynical profane affair: yet, we must
say by way of parenthesis, one which gives no countenance to Voltaire's
atrocities of rumor about Friedrich himself in this matter; the reverse
rather, if well read; being altogether theoretic, scientific; sings with
gusto the glow of beauty you find in that unexpected quarter,--while
KICKING it deservedly and with enthusiasm. "To see the"--what shall
we call it: seat of honor, in fact, "of your enemy:" has it not an
undeniable charm? "I own to you in confidence, O Soubise and Company,
this fine laurel I have got, and was so in need of, is nothing more
or other than the sight of your"--FOUR ASTERISKS. "Oblige me, whenever
clandestine Fate brings us together, by showing me that"--always that,
if you would give me pleasure when we meet. "And oh," next stanza says,
"to think what our glory is founded on,"--on view of t