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history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第40部分

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ichs Army; all was gone to staves; to utter chaotic wreck。 Hildburghausen went by Naumburg; crossed the Saale there; bent homewards through the Weimar Country; one wild flood of ruin; swift as it could go; at Erfurt 〃only one regiment was in rank; and marched through with drums beating。〃 His Army; which had been disgustingly unhappy from the first; and was now fallen fluid on these mad terms; flowed all away in different rills; each by the course straightest home; and Hildburghausen arriving at Bamberg; with hardly the ghost or mutilated skeleton of an Army; flung down his truncheon;〃A murrain on your Reichs Armies and regimental chaoses!〃and went indignantly home。 Reichs Army had to begin at the beginning again; and did not reappear on the scene till late next Year; under a new Commander; and with slightly improved conditions。

Dauphiness Proper was in no better case; and would have flowed home in like manner; had not home been so far; and the way unknown。 Twelve thousand of them rushed straggling through the Eichsfeld; plundering and harrying; like Cossacks or Calmucks: 〃Army blown asunder; over a circle of forty miles' radius;〃 writes St。 Germain: 〃had the Enemy pursued us; after I got broken 'burst in upon by Mayer and his Free…Corps people' we had been annihilated。 Never did Army behave worse; the first cannon…salvo decided our rout and our shame。〃 'St。 Germain to Verney: different Excerpts of Letters in the two weeks after Rossbach and before (given in Preuss; ii。 97)。'

In two days' time (November 7th); the French had got to Langensalza; fifty…five miles from the Battle…field of Rossbach; plundering; running; SACRE…DIEU…ing; a wild deluge of molten wreck; filling the Eichsfeld with its waste noises; making night hideous and day too;in the villages Placards were stuck up; appointing Nordhausen and Heiligenstadt for rallying place。 'Muller; p。 73。'

Soubise rode; with few attendants; all night towards Nordhausen; eighty miles off; foot of the Bracken Country; where the Richelieu resources are;Soubise with few attendants; face set towards the Brocken; himself; it is like; in a somewhat hag…ridden condition。

〃The joy of poor Teutschland at large;〃 says one of my Notes; 〃and how all Germans; Prussian and Anti…Prussian alike; flung up their caps; with unanimous LEBE…HOCH; at the news of Rossbach; has often been remarked; and indeed is still almost touching to see。 The perhaps bravest Nation in the world; though the least braggart; very certainly EIN TAPFERES VOLK (as their Goethe calls them); so long insulted; snubbed and trampled on; by a luckier; not a braver:has not your exultant Dauphiness got a beautiful little dose administered her; and is gone off in foul shrieks; and pangs of the interior;let no man ask whitherward! 'SI UN ALLEMAND PEUT AVOIR DE L'ESPRIT (Can a German possibly have sharpness of wits)?' Well; yes; it would seem: here is one German graduate who understands his medicine…chest; and the quality of patients! Dauphiness got no pity anywhere; plenty of epigrams; and mostly nothing but laughter even in Paris itself。 Napoleon long after; who much admires Friedrich; finds that this Victory of Rossbach was inevitable; 'but what fills me with astonishment and shame;' adds he; 'is that it was gained by six battalions and thirty squadrons 'seven properly; and thirty…eight' over such a multitude!' 'Montholon; MEMOIRES &C。 DE NAPOLEON (Napoleon's  Precis des Guerres de Frrederic II。;  vii。 210)。'It is well known; Napoleon; after Jena; as if Jena had not been enough for him; tore down the first Monument of Rossbach; some poor ashlar Pyramid or Pillar; raised by the neighborhood; with nothing more afflictive inscribed on it than a date; and sent it off in carts for Paris (where no stone of it ever arrived; the Thuringen carmen slinking off; and leaving it scattered in different places over the face of Thuringen in general); so that they had the trouble of a new one lately。〃 'Rodenbeck;  Beitrage;  i。 299; ib。 p。 385; Lithograph of the poor extinct Monument itself。'

From Friedrich the 〃Army of the Circles;〃 that is; Dauphiness and Company;called HOOPERS or 〃Coopers〃 (TONNELIERS); with a desperate attempt at wit by pun;get their Adieu in words withal。 This is the famed CONGE DE L'ARMEE DES CERCLES ET DES TONNELIERS; a short metrical Piece; called by Editors the most profane; most indecent; most &c。; and printed with asterisk veils thrown over the worst passages。 Who shall dare; searching and rummaging for insight into Friedrich; and complaining that there is none; to lift any portion of the veil; and say; 〃SeeFaugh!〃 The cynicism; truly; but also the irrepressible honest exultation; has a kind of epic completeness; and fulness of sincerity; and; at bottom; the thing is nothing like so wicked as careless commentators have given out。 Dare to look a little: …

〃ADIEU; GRANDS ERASEURS DE ROIS;〃 so it starts: 〃Adieu; grand crushers of Kings; arrogant wind…bags; Turpin; Broglio; Soubise; Hildburghausen with the gray beard; foolish still as when your beard was black in the Turk…War time:brisk journey to you all!〃 That is the first stanza; unexceptionable; had we room。 The second stanza is;with the veils partially lifted; with probably 〃MOISE〃 put into the first blank; and into the third something of or belonging to 〃CESAR;〃

 〃Je vows ai vu comme 。。。           Dans des ronces en certain lieu           Eut l'honneur de voir 。。。           Ou comme au gre de sa luxure           Le bon Nicomede a l'ecart           Aiguillonnait sa flamme impure           Des 。。。〃  

Enough to say; the Author; with a wild burst of spiritual enthusiasm; sings the charms of the rearward part of certain men; and what a royal ecstatic felicity there sometimes is in indisputable survey of the same。 He rises to the heights of Anti… Biblical profanity; quoting Moses on the Hill of Vision; sinks to the bottomless of human or ultra…human depravity; quoting King Nicomedes's experiences on Caesar (happily known only to the learned); and; in brief; recognizes that there is; on occasion; considerable beauty in that quarter of the human figure; when it turns on you opportunely。 A most cynical profane affair: yet; we must say by way of parenthesis; one which gives no countenance to Voltaire's atrocities of rumor about Friedrich himself in this matter; the reverse rather; if well read; being altogether theoretic; scientific; sings with gusto the glow of beauty you find in that unexpected quarter;while KICKING it deservedly and with enthusiasm。 〃To see the〃what shall we call it: seat of honor; in fact; 〃of your enemy:〃 has it not an undeniable charm? 〃I own to you in confidence; O Soubise and Company; this fine laurel I have got; and was so in need of; is nothing more or other than the sight of your〃FOUR ASTERISKS。 〃Oblige me; whenever clandestine Fate brings us together; by showing me that〃always that; if you would give me pleasure when we meet。 〃And oh;〃 next stanza says; 〃to think what our glory is founded on;〃on view of that unmentionable object; I declare to you!And through other stanzas; getting smutty enough (though in theory only); which we need not prosecute farther。 ' OEuvres de Frederic;  xii。 70…73 (WRITTEN at Freiburg; 6th November; when his Majesty got thither; and found the Bridge burnt)。' A certain heartiness and epic greatness of cynicism; life's nakedness grown almost as if innocent again; an immense suppressed insuppressible Haha; on the part of this King。 Strange TE…DEUM indeed。 Coming from the very heart; truly; as few of them do; but not; in other points; recommendable at all!Here; of the night before; is something better:


TO WILHELMINA。

〃NEAR WEISSENFELS 'OBSCHUTZ; in fact; does not know yet what the Battle will be CALLED'; 5th November; 1757。

〃At last; my dear Sister; I can announce you a bit of good news。 You were doubtless aware that the Coopers with their circles had a mind to take Leipzig。 I ran up; and hove them beyond Saale。 The Duc de Richelieu sent them a reinforcement of twenty battalions and fourteen squadrons 'say 15;000 horse and foot'; they then called themselves 63;000 strong。 Yesterday I went to reconnoitre them; could not attack them in the post they held。 This had rendered them rash。 Today they came out with the intention of attacking me; but I took the start of them (LES AI PREVENU)。 It was a Battle EN DOUCEUR (soft to one's wish)。 Thanks to God I have not a hundred men killed; the only General ill wounded is Meinecke。 My Brother Henri and General Seidlitz have slight hurts 'gun…shots; not so slight; that of Seidlitz' in the arm。 We have all the Enemy's cannon; all the 。。。 I am in full march to drive them over the Unstrut 'already driven; your Majesty; bridge burning'。

〃You; my dear Sister; my good; my divine and affectionate Sister 'faithful to the bone; in good truth; poor Wilhelmina'; who deign to interest yourself in the fate of a Brother who adores you; deign also to share in my joy。 The instant I have time; I will tell you more。 I embrace you with my whole heart; Adieu。 F。〃 ' OEuvres de Frederic;  xxvii。 i。 310。'


ULTERIOR FATE OF DAUPHINESS; FLIES OVER THE RHINE IN BAD FASHION: DAUPHINESS'S WAYS WITH THE SAXON POPULATION IN HER DELIVERANCE…WORK。

Friedrich had no more fighting with the French。 November 9th; at Merseburg; in all stillness; Duke Ferdinand got his Britannic Commission; his full Powers; from Friedrich and the parties interested; in all stillness made his arrangements; as if for Magdeburg and his Governorship there;Friedrich hastening off for Silesia the while。 Duke Ferdinand did stay six days in Magdeburg; inspecting or pretending to inspect; very pleasant with his Sister and the Royalties that; are now there; but; at midnight of day sixth shot off silently on wider errand。 And; in sum; on Thursday; 24th November; 1757; appeared in Stade; on horseback at morning parade there; intimating; to what joy of the poor Brunswick Grenadiers and others; That he was come to take command; that Kloster…Zeven is abolished; that we are not an 〃Observation Army;〃 rotting here in the parish pound; any longer; but an 〃Allied Army〃 (such now our title); intending to strike for ourselves; and get out of po
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