history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第14部分

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of　Ireland　by　and　by＇。

3。　〃NOVEMBER　20th；　1755；　Thrown　out：on　Pelham's　death；　and　the　general　hurly…burly　in　Official　regions；　and　change　of　partners　with　no　little　difficulty；　which　had　then　ensued！　Sir　Thomas　Robinson；〃　our　old　friend；　〃made　Secretary；not　found　to　answer。　Pitt　sulkily　looking　on　America；　on　Minorca；　on　things　German；　on　things　in　general；　warily　set　on　returning；　as　is　thought；　but　How？　FOX　to　Pitt：　'Will　you　join　ME？'PITT：　'No；'with　such　politeness；　but　in　an　unmistakable　way！　Ten　months　of　consummate　steering　on　the　part　of　Pitt；　Chancellor　Hardwicke　coming　as　messenger；　he　among　others；　Pitt's　answer　to　him　dexterous；　modestly　royal。　Pitt's　bearing；　in　this　grand　juncture　and　crisis；　is　royal；　his　speakings　and　also　his　silences　notably　fine。　OCTOBER　20th；　1756：　to　Newcastle　face　to　face；　'I　will　accept　no　situation　under　your　Grace！'and；　about　that　day　month；　comes　IN；　on　his　own　footing。　That　is　to　say；

〃NOVEMBER　19th；　1756；　to　England's　great　comfort；　Sees　himself　Secretary　of　State　（age　now　just　forty…eight）。　Has　pretty　much　all　England　at　his　back；　but　has；　in　face　of　him；　Fox；　Newcastle　and　Company；　offering　mere　impediment　and　discouragement；　Royal　Highness　of　Cumberland　looking　deadly　sour。　Till　finally；

〃APRIL　5th；　1757；　King　bids　him　resign；　Royal　Highness　setting　off　for　Germany　the　second　day　after。　Pitt　had　been　IN　rather　more　than　Four　months。　England；　at　that　time　a　silent　Country　in　comparison；　knew　not　well　what　to　do；　took　to　offering　him　Freedoms　of　Corporations　in　very　great　quantity。　Town　after　Town；　from　all　the　four　winds；　sympathetically　firing　off；　upon　a　misguided　Sacred　Majesty；　its　little　Box；　in　this　oblique　way；　with　extraordinary　diligence。　Whereby；　after　six　months　bombardment　by　Boxes；　and　also　by　Events；　JUNE　29th；　1757〃　We　will　expect　June　29th。　＇Thackeray；　i。　231；　264；　Almon；　　Anecdotes　of　Pitt　　（London；　1810）；　i。　151；　182；　218。＇

In　these　sad　circumstances；　Preparations　so　called　have　been　making　for　Hanover；　for　America；such　preparations　as　were　never　seen　before。　Take　only　one　instance；　let　one　be　enough：

〃By　the　London　Gazette；　well　on　in　February；　1756；　we　learn　that　Lord　Loudon；　a　military　gentleman　of　small　faculty；　but　of　good　connections；　has　been　nominated　to　command　the　Forces　in　America；　and　then；　more　obscurely；　some　days　after；　that　another　has　been　nominated：one　of　them　ought　certainly　to　make　haste　out；　if　he　could；　the　French；　by　account；　have　25；000　men　in　those　countries；　with　real　officers　to　lead　them！　Haste　out；　however；　is　not　what　this　Lord　Loudon　or　his　rival　can　make。　In　March；　we　learn　that　Lord　Loudon　has　been　again　nominated；　in　an　improved　manner；　this　time；and　still　does　not　look　like　going。　'Again　nominated；　why　again？'　Alas；　reader；　there　have　been　hysterical　fidgetings　in　a　high　quarter；　internal　shiftings　and　shufflings；　contradictions；　new　proposals；　one　knows　not　what。　＇　Gentleman's　Magazine　　for　1756；　pp。　92；　150；　359；　450。＇　One　asks　only：　How　is　the　business　ever　to　be　done；　if　you　cannot　even　settle　what　imbecile　is　to　go　and　try　it？

〃Seldom　had　Country　more　need　of　a　Commander　than　America　now。　America　itself　is　of　willing　mind；　and　surely　has　resources；　in　such　a　Cause；　but　is　full　of　anarchies　as　well：　the　different　States　and　sections　of　it；　with　their　discrepant　Legislatures；　their　half…drilled　Militias；　pulling　each　a　different　way；　there　is；　as　in　the　poor　Mother　Country；　little　result　except　of　the　St。…Vitus　kind。　In　some　Legislatures　are　anarchic　Quakers；　who　think　it　unpermissible　to　fight　with　those　hectoring　French；　and　their　tail　of　scalping　Indians；　and　that　the　'method　of　love'　ought　to　be　tried　with　them。　What　is　to　become　of　those　poor　people；　if　not　even　a　Lord　Loudon　can　get　out？〃

The　result　was；　Lord　Loudon　had　not　in　his　own　poor　person　come　to　hand　in　America　till　August；　1756；　Season　now　done；　and　could　only　write　home；　〃All　is　St。　Vitus　out　here！　Must　have　reinforcement　of　10；000　men！〃　〃Yes；〃　answers　Pitt；　who　is　now　in　Office：　〃you　shall　have　them；　and　we　will　take　Cape　Breton；　please　Heaven！〃but　was　thrown　out；　and　by　the　wrigglings　that　ensued；　nothing　of　the　10；000　reached　Lord　Loudon　till　Season　1757　too　was　done。　Nor　did　they　then　stead　his　Lordship　much；　then　or　afterwards；　who　never　took　Cape　Breton；　nor　was　like　doing　it；but　wriggled　to　and　fro　a　good　deal；　and　revolved　on　his　axis；　according　to　pattern　given。　And　set　（what　chiefly　induces　us　to　name　him　here）　his　not　reverent　enough　Subordinate；　Lord　Charles　Hay；　our　old　Fontenoy　friend；　into　angry　impatient　quizzing　of　him；and　by　and　by　into　Court…Martial　for　such　quizzing。　＇Peerage　Books；　？　Tweeddale。＇　Court…Martial；　which　was　much　puzzled　by　the　case；　and　could　decide　nothing；　but　only　adjourn　and　adjourn；as　we　will　now　do；　not　mentioning　Lord　Loudon　farther；　or　the　numerous　other　instances　at　all。　＇〃1st　May；　1760；　Major…General　Lord　Charles　Hay　died〃　（　Gentleman's　Magazine　　of　Year）；　and　his　particular　Court…Martial　could　adjourn　for　the　last　time。〃I　wrote　something　for　Lord　Charles；〃　said　the　great　Johnson　once；　many　years　afterwards；　〃and　I　thought　he　had　nothing　to　fear　from　a　Court…Martial。　I　suffered　a　great　loss　when　he　died：　he　was　a　mighty　pleasing　man　in　conversation；　and　a　reading　man〃　（Boswell's　　Life　of　Johnson：　　under　date；　〃3d　April；　1776〃）。＇

Pitt；　we　just　saw；　far　from　being　confirmed　and　furthered；　has　been　thrown　out　by　Royal　Highness　of　Cumberland；　the　last　thing　before　crossing　to　that　exquisite　Weser　Problem。　〃Nothing　now　left　at　home　to　hinder　us　and　our　Hanover　and　Weser　Problem！〃　thinks　Royal　Highness。　No；　indeed：　a　comfortable　pacific　No…government；　or　Battle　of　the　Four　Elements；　left　yonder；　the　Anarch　Old　waggling　his　addle　head　over　it；　ready　to　help　everybody；　and　bring　fire　and　water；　and　Yes　and　No；　into　holy　matrimony；　if　he　could！Let　us　return　to　Prag。　Only　one　remark　more；　upon　〃April　5th。〃　That　was　the　Day　of　Pitt's　Dismissal　at　St。　James's：　and　I　find；　at　Schonbrunn　it　is　likewise　the　day　when　REICHS…HOFRATH　（Kaiser　in　Privy　Council）　decides；　in　respect　to　Friedrich；　that　Ban　of　the　Reich　must　be　proceeded　with；　and　recommends　Reich's　Diet　to　get　through　with　the　same。　＇　Helden…Geschichte　　（Reichs…Procedures；　UBI　SUPRA）。＇　Official　England　ordering　its　Pitt　into　private　life；　and　Official　Teutschland　its　Friedrich　into　outlawry　（〃Be　quiet　henceforth；　both　of　YOU！〃）are；　by　chance；　synchronous　phenomena。


PHENOMENA　OF　PRAG　SIEGE：PRAG　SIEGE　IS　INTERRUPTED。

Friedrich's　Siege　of　Prag　proved　tedious　beyond　expectation。　In　four　days　he　had　done　that　exploit　in　1744；　but　now；　to　the　world's　disappointment；　in　as　many　weeks　he　cannot。　Nothing　was　omitted　on　his　part：　he　seized　all　egresses　from　Prag；　rapidly　enough；　had　beset　them　with　batteries；　on　the　very　night　or　morrow　of　the　Battle；　every　egress　beset；　cannon　and　ruin　forbidding　any　issue　there。　On　the　9th　of　May；　cannonading　began；　proper　siege…　cannon　and　ammunition；　coming　up　from　Dresden；　were　completely　come　May　19th；　after　which　the　place　is　industriously　battered；　bombarded　with　red…hot　balls；　but　except　by　hunger；　it　will　not　do。　Prag　as　a　fortress　is　weak；　but　as　a　breastwork　for　50；000　men　it　is　strong。　The　Austrians　tried　sallies；　but　these　availed　nothing；　very　ill…conducted；　say　some。　The　Prussians；　more　than　once；　had　nearly　got　into　the　place　by　surprisal；　but；　owing　to　mere　luck　of　the　Austrians；　never　could；say　the　same　parties。　＇Archenholtz；　i。　85；　87。＇

A　DIARIUM　of　Prag　Siege　is　still　extant；　Two　DIARIUMS；　punctual　diurnal　account；　both　Austrian　and　Prussian：　＇In　　Helden…Geschichte；　　iv。　42…56；　Prussian　DIARIUM；　ib。　73…86；　Austrian。＇　which　it　is　far　from　our　intention　to　inflict　on　readers；　in　this　haste。　Siege　lasted　six　weeks；　four　weeks　extremely　hot；from　May　19th；　when　the　proper　artilleries；　in　complete　state；　got　up　from　Dresden。　Line　of　siege…works；　or　intermittent　series　of　batteries；　is　some　twelve　miles　long；　from　Branik　southward　to　beyond　the　Belvedere　northward；　on　both　sides　of　the　Moldau。　King's　Camp　is　on　the　Ziscaberg；　Keith's　on　the　Lorenz　Berg；　embracing　and　commanding　the　Weissenberg；　there　are　two　Bridges　of　communication；　Branik　and　Podoli：　King　lodges　in　the　Parsonage　of　Michel；the　busiest　of　all　the　sons　of　Adam；　what　a　set　of　meditations　in　that　Parsonage！　The　Besieged；　46；000　by　count；　offer　to　surrender　Prag　on　condition　of　〃Free　withdrawal：〃　〃No；　you　shall　engage；　such　of　you　as　won't　enlist　with　us；　not　to　serve　against　me　for　six　years。〃　Here　are　some　select　Specimens；　Prussian　chiefly；　in　an　abridged　state：

〃MAY　19th；　No　sooner　was　our　artillery　come　（all　the　grounds　and　beds　for　it　had　been　ready　beforehand）；　than　as　evening　fell；　it　began　to　play　in　terrific　fashion。〃

〃NIGHT　OF　THE　23d…24th　MAY；　There　broke　out　a　furious　sally；　their　first；　and　much　their　hottest；　say　the　Prussians：　a　very　serious　affair；which　fell　upon　Keith's　quarter；　west　side　of　the　Moldau。　Sally；　say　something　like　10；000　strong；　picked　men　all；　and　strengthened　with　half　a　pound　of　horse…flesh　each〃　（unluckily　without　salt）：　judge　what　the　common　diet　must　have　been；　when　that　was　generous！　〃No　salt　to　it；　but　a　fair　supplement　of　brandy。　Browne；　from　his　bed　of　pain　（died　26th　June）；　had　been　strongly　urgent。　Aim　is；　To　force　the　Prussian　lines；　by　determination　and　the　help　of　darkness；　in　some　weak　point：　the　whole　Army；　standing　ranked　on　the　walls；　shall　follow；　if　things　go　well；　and　storm　itself　through；away　Daun…wards；　across　the　River　by　Podoli　Bridge。

〃Sally　broke　out　between　1　and　2　A。M。；　but　we　had　wind　of　it；　and　were　on　the　alert。　Sally　tried　on　this　place　and　on　that；　very　furious　in　places；　but　could　not　anywhere　prevail。　The　tussling　lasted　for　near　six　hours　（Prince　Ferdinand〃　of　Preussen；　King's　youngest　Brother；　〃and　others　of　us；　getting　hurts　and　doing　exploits）；till；　about　7　A。M。；　it　was　wholly　swept　in；　with　loss　of　1；000　dead。　Upon　which；　their　whole　Army　retired　to　its　quarters；　in　a　hopeless　condition。　Escape　impossible。　Near　50；000　of　them；　but　in　such　a　posture。　Provision　of　bread；　the　spies　say；　is　not　scarce；　unless　the　Prussians　can　burn　it；　which　they　are　industr