king of Prussia alone submitted; his court and his subjects were
exasperated; they reproached him with allowing himself to be vanquished
without attempting to fight; and elevating themselves on the remembrance
of their past glory, they fancied that for them alone was reserved the
honour of triumphing over the conqueror of Europe. In their impatience
they insulted the minister of Napoleon; they sharpened their swords on
the threshold of his gate. Napoleon himself they loaded with abuse. Even
the queen, so distinguished by her graces and attractions, put on a
warlike attitude. Their princes, one of them particularly (whose
carriage and features, spirit and intrepidity, seemed to promise them a
hero), offered to be their leaders. A chivalrous ardour and fury
animated the minds of all.

It is asserted, that at the same time there were persons, either
treacherous or deceived, who persuaded Frederick that Napoleon was
obliged to show himself pacific, that that warrior was averse to war;
they added, that he was perfidiously treating for peace with England, on
the terms of restoring Hanover, which he was to take back from Prussia.
Drawn in at last by the general feeling, the king allowed all these
passions to burst forth. His army advanced, and threatened Napoleon;
fifteen days afterwards he had neither army nor kingdom; he fled alone;
and Napoleon dated from Berlin his decrees against England.

Humbled and conquered as Prussia thus was, it was impossible for
Napoleon to abandon his hold of her; she would have immediately rallied,
under the cannon of the Russians. Finding it impossible to gain her to
his interests, like Saxony, by a great act of generosity, the next plan
was to divide her; and yet, either from compassion, or the effect of
Alexander's presence, he could not resolve to dismember her. This was a
mistaken policy, like most of those where we stop half-way; and Napoleon
was not long before he became sensible of it. When he exclaimed,
therefore, "Is it possible that I have left this man so large a
territory?" it is probable that he did not forgive Prussia the
protection of Alexander; he hated her, because he felt that she hated
him.

In fact, the sparks of a jealous and impatient hatred escaped from the
youth of Prussia, whose ideas were exalted by a system of education,
national, liberal, and mystical. It was among them that a formidable
power arose in opposition to that of Napoleon. It included all whom his
victo