dinner, running to his Aunt at Cassel, coming back on
treaty, and the like. These are two facts which the reader knows: and
out of these two grew a third, which it is fit he should know.

In his last years, the Great Elector, worn out with labor, and harassed
with such domestic troubles over and above, had evidently fallen much
under his Wife's management; cutting out large apanages (clear against
the GERA BOND) for her children;--longing probably for quiet in his
family at any price. As to the poor young Prince, negotiated back from
Cassel, he lived remote, and had fallen into open disfavor,--with a very
ill effect upon his funds, for one thing. His father kept him somewhat
tight on the money-side, it is alleged; and he had rather a turn for
spending money handsomely. He was also in some alarm about the proposed
apanages to his Half-brothers, the Margraves above mentioned, of which
there were rumors going.

HOW AUSTRIA SETTLED THE SILESIAN CLAIMS.

Now in these circumstances the Austrian Court, who at this time (1685)
greatly needed the Elector's help against Turks and others, and found
him very urgent about these Silesian Duchies of his, fell upon what I
must call a very extraordinary shift for getting rid of the Silesian
question. "Serene Highness," said they, by their Ambassador at Berlin,
"to end these troublesome talks, and to liquidate all claims, admissible
and inadmissible, about Silesia, the Imperial Majesty will give you an
actual bit of Territory, valuable, though not so large as you expected!"
The Elector listens with both ears: What Territory, then? The "Circle of
Schwiebus," hanging on the northwestern edge of Silesia, contiguous to
the Elector's own Dominions in these Frankfurt-on-Oder regions: this the
generous Imperial Majesty proposes to give in fee-simple to Friedrich
Wilhelm, and so to end the matter. Truly a most small patch of Territory
in comparison; not bigger than an English Rutlandshire, to say nothing
of soil and climate! But then again it was an actual patch of territory;
not a mere parchment shadow of one: this last was a tempting point to
the old harassed Elector. Such friendly offer they made him, I think, in
1685, at the time they were getting 8,000 of his troops to march against
the Turks for them; a very needful service at the moment. "By the bye,
do not march through Silesia, you!--Or march faster!" said the cautious
Austrians on this occasion: "Other roads will answer better t