ions volunteering, follow
him; three are plenty. At Saara, on the Great Road, things are fallen
utterly dark. "Landlord, bring a lantern, and escort." Landlord of the
poor Tavern at Saara escorts obediently; lantern in his right hand,
left hand holding by the King's stirrup-leather,--King (Excellency or
General, as the Landlord thinks him) wishing to speak with the man. Will
the reader consent to their Dialogue, which is dullish, but singular to
have in an authentic form, with Nicolai as voucher? [_Anekdoten_, iii.
231-235.] Like some poor old horse-shoe, ploughed up on the field. Two
farthings worth of rusty old iron; now little other than a curve
of brown rust: but it galloped at the Battle of Leuthen; that is
something!--

KING. "Come near; catch me by the stirrup-leather [Landlord with lantern
does so]. We are on the Breslau Great Road, that goes through Lissa, are
n't we?"

LANDLORD. "Yea, Excellenz."

KING. "Who are you?"

LANDLORD. "Your Excellenz, I am the KRATSCHMER [Silesian for Landlord]
at Saara."

KING. "You have had a great deal to suffer, I suppose."

LANDLORD. "ACH, your Excellenz, had not I! For the last eight-and-forty
hours, since the Austrians came across Schweidnitz Water, my poor house
has been crammed to the door with them, so many servants they have; and
such a bullying and tumbling:--they have driven me half mad; and I am
clean plundered out."

KING. "I am sorry indeed to hear that!--Were there Generals too in your
house? What said they? Tell me, then."

LANDLORD. "With pleasure, your Excellenz. Well; yesterday noon, I had
Prince Karl in my parlor, and his Adjutants and people all crowding
about. Such a questioning and bothering! Hundreds came dashing in, and
other hundreds were sent out: in and out they went all night; no sooner
was one gone, than ten came. I had to keep a roaring fire in the kitchen
all night; so many Officers crowding to it to warm themselves. And
they talked and babbled this and that. One would say, That our King
was coming on, then, 'with his Potsdam Guard-Parade.' Another answers,
'OACH, he dare n't come! He will run for it; we will let him run.' But
now my delight is, our King has paid them their fooleries so prettily
this afternoon!"

KING. "When got you rid of your high guests?"

LANDLORD. "About nine this morning the Prince got to horse; and not long
after three, he came past again, with a swarm of Officers; all going
full speed for Lissa. So full of brag