eld it well down. Johann Sigismund, an excellent man of
business, knew how essential a mild tone is: nevertheless he found, as
this colloquy went on, that human patience might at length get too much.
The scene, after some examination, is conceivable in this wise: Place
Dusseldorf, Elector's apartment in the Schloss there; time late in the
Year 1613, Day not discoverable by me. The two sat at dinner, after
much colloquy all morning: Johann Sigismund, a middle-aged, big-headed,
stern-faced, honest-looking man; hair cropped, I observe; and eyelids
slightly contracted, as if for sharper vision into matters: Wolfgang
Wilhelm, of features fallen dim to me; an airy gentleman, well out of
his teens, but, I doubt, not of wisdom sufficient; evidently very high
and stiff in his ways.

His proposal, by way of final settlement, and end to all these brabbles,
was this, and he insisted on it: "Give me your eldest Princess to wife;
let her dowry be your whole claim on Cleve-Julich; I will marry her on
that condition, and we shall be friends!" Here evidently is a gentleman
that does not want for conceit in himself:--consider too, in Johann
Sigismund's opinion, he had no right to a square inch of these
Territories, though for peace' sake a joint share had been allowed him
for the time! "On that condition, jackanapes?" thought Johann Sigismund:
"My girl is not a monster; nor at a loss for husbands fully better than
you, I should hope!" This he thought, and could not help thinking;
but endeavored to say nothing of it. The young jackanapes went on,
insisting. Nature at last prevailed; Johann Sigismund lifted his hand
(princely etiquettes melting all into smoke on the sudden), and gave the
young jackanapes a slap over the face. Veritable slap; which opened in
a dreadful manner the eyes of young Pfalz-Neuburg to his real situation;
and sent him off high-flaming, vowing never-imagined vengeance. A
remarkable slap; well testified to,--though the old Histories, struck
blank with terror, reverence and astonishment, can for most part only
symbol it in dumb-show; [Pufendorf _(Rer. Brandenb._ lib. iv.? 16, p.
213), and many others, are in this case. Tobias Pfanner _(Historia
Pacis Westphalicae,_ lib. i.? 9, p. 26) is explicit: _"Neque, ut infida
regnandi societas est, Brandenburgio et Neoburgio diu conveniebat;
eorumque jurgia, cum matrimonii faedere pacari posse propinqui ipsorum
credidissent, acrius ezarsere; inter epulas, quibus futurum generum
S