;
which, however, Grumkow, not regarded as a BARESARK in the fighting way,
regrets that his Christian principles do not, forsooth, allow him to
accept. The King is appealed to; the King, being himself, though an
orthodox Christian, yet a still more orthodox Soldier, decides That,
on the whole, General Grumkow cannot but accept this challenge from the
Field-marshal Prince of Dessau.

Dessau is on the field, at the Copenick Gate, accordingly,--late-autumn
afternoon (I calculate) of the year 1725;--waits patiently till Grumkow
make his appearance. Grumkow, with a chosen second, does at last appear;
advances pensively with slow steps. Gunpowder Dessau, black as a silent
thunder-cloud, draws his sword: and Grumkow--does not draw his; presents
it undrawn, with unconditional submission and apology: "Slay me, if
you like, old Friend, whom I have injured!" Whereat Dessau, uttering
no word, uttering only some contemptuous snort, turns his back on the
phenomenon; mounts his horse and rides home. [Pollnitz, ii. 212, 214.]
A divided man from this Grumkow henceforth. The Prince waited on her
Majesty; signified his sorrow for past estrangements; his great wish now
to help her, but his total inability, being ousted by Grumkow: We are
for Halle, Madam, where our Regiment is; there let us serve his Majesty,
since we cannot here! [Wilhelmina, i. 90, 93.]--And in fact the Old
Dessauer lives mostly there in time coming; sunk inarticulate in tactics
of a truly deep nature, not stranding on politics of a shallow;--a man
still memorable in the mythic traditions of that place. Better to drill
men to perfection, and invent iron ramrods, against the day they shall
be needed, than go jostling, on such terms, with cattle of the Grumkow
kind! And thus, we perceive, Grumkow is in, and the Old Dessauer
out; and there has been "a change of Ministry," change of
"Majesty's-Advisers," brought about;--may the Advice going be wiser now!

What the young Crown-Prince did, said, thought, in such environment,
of backstairs diplomacies, female sighs and aspirations, Grumkow duels,
drillings in the Giant Regiment, is not specified for us in the smallest
particular, in the extensive rubbish-books that have been written about
him. Ours is, to indicate that such environment was: how a lively soul,
acted on by it, did not fail to react, chameleon-like taking color
from it, and contrariwise taking color against it, must be left to the
reader's imagination--One thing