The Crown-Prince's young Life being, by perverse chance, involved and
as it were absorbed in that foolish question of his English Marriage,
we have nothing for it but to continue our sad function; and go on
painfully fishing out, and reducing to an authentic form, what traces of
him there are, from that disastrous beggarly element,--till once he get
free of it, either dead or alive. The WINDS (partly by Art-Magic) rise
to the hurricane pitch, upon this Marriage Project and him; and as for
the sea, or general tide of European Politics--But let the reader look
with his own eyes.
In the spring of 1727, War, as anticipated, breaks out; Spaniards
actually begin battering at Gibraltar; Kaiser's Ambassador at London is
angrily ordered to begone. Causes of war were many:
1. Duke de Ripperda--tumbled out now, that illustrious diplomatic
bulldog, at Madrid--sought asylum in the English Ambassador's house; and
no respect was had to such asylum: that is one cause.
2. Then, you English, what is the meaning of these war-fleets in the
West Indies; in the Mediterranean, on the very coast of Spain? We demand
that you at once take them home again:--which cannot be complied with.
3. But above all things, we demand Gibraltar of you:--which can
still less be complied with. Termagant Elizabeth has set her heart on
Gibraltar: that, in such opportunity as this unexpected condition of the
Balances now gives her, is the real cause of the War.
Cession of Gibraltar: there had been vague promises, years ago, on the
Kaiser's part; nay George himself, raw to England at that date, is said
to have thought the thing might perhaps be done.--"Do it at once, then!"
said the Termagant Queen, and repeated, with ever more emphasis;--and
there being not the least compliance, she has opened parallels before
the place, and begun war and ardent firing there; [22d February, 1727
(Scholl, ii. 212). Salmon, _Chronological Historian_ (London, 1747; a
very incorrect dark Book, useful only in defect of better), ii. 173.
Coxe, _Memoirs of Walpole,_ i. 260, 261; ii. 498-515.] preceded by
protocols, debates in Parliament; and the usual phenomena. It is the
Fifth grand Crisis in the Kaiser's spectre-huntings; fifth change in
the color of the world-lobster getting boiled in that singular
manner;--Second Sputter of actual War.
Which proved futile altogether; and amounts now, in the human memory;
to flat zero,--unless the following infinitesimally small fraction be
countable again:--
"Sputtering of War; that is to say, Siege of Gibraltar. A siege utterly
unmemorable, and without the least interest, for existing mankind with
their ungrateful humor,--if it be not; once more, that the Father of
TRISTRAM SHANDY was in it: still a Lieutenant of foot, poor fellow;
brisk, small, hot-tempered, loving, 'liable to be cheated ten times a
day if nine will not suffice you.' He was in this Siege; shipped to the
Rock to make stand there; and would have done so with the boldest,--only
he got into duel (hot-tempered, though of lamb-like innocence), and was
run through the body; not entirely killed, but within a hair's breadth
of it; and unable for service while this sputtering went on. Little
Lorry is still living; gone to school in Yorkshire, after pranks
enough, and misventures,--half-drowning 'in the mill-race at Annamoe in
Ireland,' for one. [Laurence Sterne's _Autobiography_ (cited above).]
The poor Lieutenant Father died, soldiering in the West Indies; soon
after this; and we shall not mention him again. But History ought to
remember that he is 'Uncle Toby,' this poor Lieutenant, and take her
measures!--The Siege of Gibraltar, we still see with our eyes, was in
itself Nothing."
Truly it might well enough have grown to universal flame of War. But
this always needs two parties; and pacific George would not be second
party in it. George, guided by pacific Walpole, backed by pacific
Fleury, answers the ardent firing by phlegmatic patience and
protocolling; not by counter-firing, except quite at his convenience,
from privateers, from war-ships here and there, and in sulky defence
from Gibraltar itself. Probably the Termagant, with all the fire she
has, will not do much damage upon Gibraltar? Such was George's hope.
Whereby the flame of war, ardent only in certain Spanish batteries upon
the point of San Roque, does not spread hitherto,--though all mortals,
and Friedrich Wilhelm as much as any, can see the imminent likelihood
there is. In such circumstances, what a stroke of policy to have
disjoined Friedrich Wilhelm from the Hanover Alliance, and brought
him over to our own! Is not Grumkow worth his pension? "Grumkow serves
honorably." Let the invaluable Seckendorf persevere.
CROWN-PRINCE SEEN IN DRYASDUST'S GLASS, DARKLY.
To know the special figure of the Crown-Prince's way of life in
those years, who his friends, companions were, what his pursuits and
experiences, would be agreeable to us; but beyond the outline already
given, there is little definite on record. He now resides habitually at
Potsdam, be the Court there or not; attending strictly to his military
duties in the Giant Regiment; it is only on occasion, chiefly perhaps in
"Carnival time," that he gets to Berlin, to partake in the gayeties of
society. Who his associates there or at Potsdam were? Suhm, the Saxon
Resident, a cultivated man of literary turn, famed as his friend in time
coming, is already at his diplomatic post in Berlin, post of difficulty
just now; but I know not whether they have yet any intimacy. [Preuss,
_Friedrich mit seinen Verwandten und Freunden_, p. 24.] This we do know,
the Crown-Prince begins to be noted for his sprightly sense, his love
of literature, his ingenuous ways; in the Court or other circles,
whatsoever has intelligence attracts him, and is attracted by him. The
Roucoulles Soirees,--gone all to dim backram for us, though once so
lively in their high periwigs and speculations,--fall on Wednesday. When
the Finkenstein or the others fall,--no doubt his Royal Highness knows
it. In the TABAKS-COLLEGIUM, there also, driven by duty, he sometimes
appears; but, like Seckendorf and some others, he only affects to smoke,
and his pipe is mere white clay. Nor is the social element, any more
than the narcotic vapor which prevails there, attractive to the young
Prince,--though he had better hide his feelings on the subject.
Out at Potsdam, again, life goes very heavy; the winged Psyche much
imprisoned in that pipe-clay element, a prey to vacancy and many tediums
and longings. Daily return the giant drill-duties; and daily, to the
uttermost of rigorous perfection, they must be done:--"This, then, is
the sum of one's existence, this?" Patience, young "man of genius,"
as the Newspapers would now call you; it is indispensably beneficial
nevertheless! To swallow one's disgusts, and do faithfully the ugly
commanded work, taking no council with flesh and blood: know that
"genius," everywhere in Nature, means this first of all; that without
this, it means nothing, generally even less. And be thankful for your
Potsdam grenadiers and their pipe-clay!--
Happily he has his Books about him; his flute: Duhan, too, is here,
still more or less didactic in some branches; always instructive and
companionable, to him. The Crown-Prince reads a great deal; very many
French Books, new and old, he reads; among the new, we need not doubt,
the _Henriade_ of M. Arouet Junior (who now calls himself VOLTAIRE),
which has risen like a star of the first magnitude in these years.
[London, 1723, in surreptitious incomplete state, _La Ligue_ the title;
then at length, London, 1726, as _Henriade,_ in splendid 4to,--by
subscription (King, Prince and Princess of Wales at the top of it),
which yielded 8,000 pounds: see Voltaire, _OEuvres Completes,_ xiii.
408.] An incomparable piece, patronized by Royalty in England; the
delight of all kindred Courts. The light dancing march of this new
"Epic," and the brisk clash of cymbal music audible in it, had, as we
find afterwards, greatly captivated the young man. All is not pipe-clay,
then, and torpid formalism; aloft from the murk of commonplace rise
glancings of a starry splendor, betokening--oh, how much!
Out of Books, rumors and experiences, young imagination is forming to
itself some Picture of the World as it is, as it has been. The curtains
of this strange life-theatre are mounting, mounting,--wondrously as
in the case of all young souls; but with what specialties, moods or
phenomena of light and shadow, to this young soul, is not in any point
recorded for us. The "early Letters to Wilhelmina, which exist in great
numbers," from these we had hoped elucidation: but these the learned
Editor has "wholly withheld as useless," for the present. Let them be
carefully preserved, on the chance of somebody's arising to whom they
may have uses!--
The worst feature of these years is Friedrich Wilhelm's discontent with
them. A Crown-Prince sadly out of favor with Papa. This has long been
on the growing hand; and these Double-Marriage troubles, not to mention
again the new-fangled French tendencies (BLITZ FRANZOSEN!), much
aggravate the matter, and accelerate its rate of growth. Already
the paternal countenance does not shine upon him; flames often; and
thunders, to a shocking degree;--and worse days are coming.