The Old Dessauer with part of his 20,000,--aided by Boy Dietrich
(KNABE, "Knave Dietrich," as one might fondly call him) and the Moravian
Meal-wagons,--accomplished his Troppau-Jablunka Problem perfectly well;
cleaning the Mountains, and keeping them clean, of that Pandour rabble,
as he was the man to do. Nor would his Expedition require mentioning
farther,--were it not for some slight passages of a purely Biographical
character; first of all, for certain rubs which befell between his
Majesty and him. For example, once, before that Interview at Chrudim,
just on entering Bohemia thitherward, Old Leopold had seen good to alter
his march-route; and--on better information, as he thought it, which
proved to be worse--had taken a road not prescribed to him. Hearing
of which, Friedrich reins him up into the right course, in this sharp
manner:--
"CHRUDIM, 21st APRIL. I am greatly surprised that your Serenity, as an
old Officer, does not more accurately follow my orders which I give
you. If you were skilfuler than Caesar, and did not with strict accuracy
observe my orders, all else were of no help to me. I hope this notice,
once for all, will be enough; and that in time coming you will give
no farther causes to complain." [King to Furst Leopold (Orlich, i.
219-221).]
Friedrich, on their meeting at Chrudim, was the same man as ever. But
the old Son of Gunpowder stood taciturn, rigorous, in military business
attitude, in the King's presence; had not forgotten the passage; and
indeed he kept it in mind for long months after. And during all this
Ober-Schlesien time, had the hidden grudge in his heart;--doing his
day's work with scrupulous punctuality; all the more scrupulous, they
say. Friedrich tried, privately through Leopold Junior, some slight
touches of assuagement; but without effect; and left the Senior to Time,
and to his own methods of cooling again.
Besides that of keeping down Hungarian Enterprises in the Mountains, Old
Leopold had, as would appear, to take some general superintendence in
Ober-Schlesien; and especially looks after the new Fortification-work
going on in those parts. Which latter function brought him often to
Neisse, and into contact with the ugly Walrave, Engineer-in-Chief
there. A much older and much worthier acquaintance of ours, Herr
Boundary-Commissioner Nussler, happens also to be in Neisse;--waiting
for those Saxon Gentlemen; who are unpunctual to a degree, and never
come (nor in fact ever will, if Nussler knew it). Luckily Nussler kept
a Notebook; and Busching ultimately got it, condensed it, printed
it;--whereby (what is rare, in these Dryasdust labyrinths, inane
spectralities and cinder-mountains) there is sudden eyesight vouchsafed;
and we discern veritably, far off, brought face to face for an
instant, this and that! I must translate some passages,--still farther
condensed:--
HOW NUSSLER HAPPENED TO BE IN NEISSE, MAY, 1742.
Nussler had been in this Country, off and on, almost since Christmas
last; ready here, if the Saxons had been ready. As the Saxons were not
ready, and always broke their appointment, Nussler had gone into the
Mountains, to pass time usefully, and take preliminary view of the
ground.
... "From Berlin, 20th December, 1741; by Breslau,"--where some pause
and correspondence;--"thence on, Neisse way, as far as Lowen [so well
known to Friedrich, that Mollwitz night!]. From Berlin to Lowen, Nussler
had come in a carriage: but as there was much snow falling, he here took
a couple of sledges; in which, along with his attendants, he proceeded
some fifty miles, to Jauernik, a stage beyond Neisse, to the southwest.
Jauernik is a little Town lying at the foot of a Hill, on the top of
which is the Schloss of Johannisberg. Here it began to rain; and the
getting up the Hill, on sledges, was a difficult matter. The DROST
[Steward] of this Castle was a Nobleman from Brunswick-Luneburg; who,
for the sake of a marriage and this Drostship for dowry, had changed
from Protestant to Roman Catholic,"--poor soul! "His wife and he were
very polite, and showed Nussler a great deal of kindness. Nussler
remarked on the left side of this Johannisberg," western side a good
few miles off, "the pass which leads from Glatz to Upper and Lower
Schlesien,"--where the reader too has been, in that BAUMGARTEN SKIRMISH,
if he could remember it,--"with a little Block-house in the bottom," and
no doubt Prussian soldiers in it at the moment. "Nussler, intent always
on the useful, did not institute picturesque reflections; but considered
that his King would wish to have this Pass and Block-house; and
determined privately, though it perhaps lay rather beyond the
boundary-mark, that his Master must have it when the bargaining should
come....
"On the homeward survey of these Borders, Nussler arrived at Steinau
[little Village with Schloss, which we saw once, on the march to
Mollwitz, and how accident of fire devoured it that night], and at sight
of the burnt Schloss standing black there, he remembered with great
emotion the Story of Grafin von Callenberg [dead since, with her pistols
and brandy-bottle] and of the Grafin's Daughter, in which he had been
concerned as a much-interested witness, in old times.... For the rest,
the journey, amid ice and snow, was not only troublesome in the extreme,
but he got a life-long gout by it [and no profit to speak of]; having
sunk, once, on thin ice, sledge and he, into a half-frozen stream, and
got wetted to the loins, splashing about in such cold manner,--happily
not quite drowned." The indefatigable Nussler; working still, like a
very artist, wherever bidden, on wages miraculously low.
The Saxon Gentlemen never came;--privately the Saxons were quite off
from the Silesian bargain, and from Friedrich altogether;--so that this
border survey of Nussler's came to nothing, on the present occasion. But
it served him and Friedrich well, on a new boundary-settling, which
did take effect, and which holds to this day. Nussler, during
these operations, and vain waitings for the Saxons, had Neisse for
head-quarters; and, going and returning, was much about Neisse; Walrave,
Marwitz (Father of Wilhelmina's baggage Marwitz), Feldmarschall Schwerin
(in earlier stages), and other high figures, being prominent in his
circle there.
"The old Prince of Dessau came thither: for some days. [Busching,
_Beitrage,_ i. 347 (beginning of May as we guess, but there is no date
given).] He was very gracious to Nussler, who had been at his Court,
and known him before this. The Old Dessauer made use of Walrave's Plate;
usually had Walrave, Nussler, and other principal figures to dinner.
Walrave's Plate, every piece of it, was carefully marked with a RAVEN on
the rim,--that being his crest ["Wall-raven" his name]: Old Dessauer,
at sight of so many images of that bird, threw out the observation, loud
enough, from the top of the table, 'Hah, Walrave, I see you are making
yourself acquainted with the RAVENS in time, that they may not be
strange to you at last,'"--when they come to eat you on the gibbet! (not
a soft tongue, the Old Dessauer's). "Another day, seeing Walrave seated
between two Jesuit Guests, the Prince said: 'Ah, there you are right,
Walrave; there you sit safe; the Devil can't get you there!' As the
Prince kept continually bantering him in this strain, Walrave determined
not to come; sulkily absented himself one day: but the Prince sent the
ORDINANZ (Soldier in waiting) to fetch him; no refuge in sulks.
"They had Roman-Catholic victual for Walrave and others of that faith,
on the meagre-days; but Walrave eat right before him,--evidently nothing
but the name of Catholic. Indeed, he was a man hated by the Catholics,
for his special rapacity on them. 'He is of no religion at all,' said
the Catholic Prelate of Neisse, one day, to Nussler; (greedy to plunder
the Monasteries here; has wrung gold, silver aud jewels from them,--nay
from the Pope himself,--by threatening to turn Protestant, and use the
Monasteries still worse. And the Pope, hearing of this, had to send him
a valuable Gift, which you may see some day.' Nussler did, one day, see
this preciosity: a Crucifix, ebony bordered with gold, and the Body all
of that metal, on the smallest of altars,--in Walrave's bedroom. But it
was the bedroom itself which Nussler looked at with a shudder," Nussler
and we: "in the middle of it stood Walrave's own bed, on his right hand
that of his Wife, and on his left that of his Mistress:"--a brutish
polygamous Walrave! "This Mistress was a certain Quarter-Master's
Wife,"--Quarter-Master willing, it is probable, to get rid of such an
article gratis, much more on terms of profit. "Walrave had begged for
him the Title of Hofrath from King Friedrich,"--which, though it was
but a clipping of ribbon contemptible to Friedrich, and the brute of an
Engineer had excellent talents in his business, I rather wish Friedrich
had refused in this instance. But he did not; "he answered in gibing
tone, 'I grant you the Hofrath Title for your Quarter-Master; thinking
it but fit that a General's'--What shall we call her? (Friedrich uses
the direct word)--'should have some handle to her name.'" [Busching,
_Beitrage,_ i. 343-348.]
It was this Mistress, one is happy to know, that ultimately betrayed the
unbeautiful Walrave, and brought him to Magdeburg for the rest of his
life.--And now let us over the Mountains, to Chrudim again; a hundred
and fifty miles at one step.