nd he became Elector, King;
and had to go with his spine distorted,--distortion not glaringly
conspicuous, though undeniable;--and to act the Hohenzollern SO. Nay
who knows but it was this very jerk, and the half-ruin of his nervous
system,--this doubled wish to be beautiful, and this crooked back
capable of being hid or decorated into straightness,--that first set
the poor man on thinking of expensive ornamentalities, and Kingships in
particular? History will forgive the Nurse in that case.

Perhaps History has dwelt too much on the blind side of this expensive
King. Toland, on entering his country, was struck rather with the
signs of good administration everywhere. No sooner have you crossed the
Prussian Border, out of Westphalia, says Toland, than smooth highways,
well-tilled fields, and a general air of industry and regularity, are
evident: solid milestones, brass-bound, and with brass inscription, tell
the traveller where he is; who finds due guidance of finger-posts, too,
and the blessing of habitable inns. The people seem all to be busy,
diligently occupied; villages reasonably swept and whitewashed;--never
was a better set of Parish Churches; whether new-built or old, they are
all in brand-new repair. The contrast with Westphalia is immediate
and great; but indeed that was a sad country, to anybody but a patient
Toland, who knows the causes of phenomena. No inns there, except of the
naturally savage sort. "A man is very happy if he finds clean straw
to sleep on, without expecting sheets or coverings; let him readily
dispense with plates, forks and napkins, if he can get anything to
eat.... He must be content to have the cows, swine and poultry for his
fellow-lodgers, and to go in at the same passage that the smoke comes
out at, for there's no other vent for it but the door; which makes
foreigners commonly say that the people of Westphalia enter their houses
by the chimney." And observe withal: "This is the reason why their beef
and hams are so finely prepared and ripened; for the fireplace being
backwards, the smoke must spread over all the house before it gets to
the door; which makes everything within of a russet or sable color, not
excepting the hands and faces of the meaner sort." [_An Account of the
Courts of Prussia and Hanover,_ by Mr. Toland (cited already), p. 4.]
If Prussia yield to Westphalia in ham, in all else she is strikingly
superior.

He founded Universities, this poor King; University of Halle