THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
THE INDICTMENT OF STRUENSEE--HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION--COARSE
JESTS--THE LIAISON WITH THE QUEEN--THE EVIDENCE--BRANDT'S ASSAULT
ON THE KING--TREATMENT OF THE PRINCE ROYAL--THE MINISTER OF
STATE--ABOLITION OF THE COUNCIL--DISBANDMENT OF THE GUARDS--ALLEGED
FORGERY--THE QUEEN'S BOUQUET--THE SENTENCE DEMANDED.
In the meanwhile, Fiscal-General Wiwet received the king's orders on
April 2 to indict Counts Struensee and Brandt before the appointed
tribunal. As defenders of the accused, Uldall was selected for
Struensee, and Bang for Brandt. The Fiscal-General appointed April
10 for the opening of the trial. As, however, some preliminary
investigations had to be made, the trial was deferred till April 21, on
which day the Fiscal produced his proofs, and the sentence he demanded
in writing.
WIWET'S INDICTMENT OF COUNT STRUENSEE.[84]
High and well born, highly noble and well born, gentlemen: most
graciously appointed commissioners in the charges against Counts
Struensee and Brandt.
I laid before this exalted commission on the 10th of the present
month his royal Majesty's most gracious commands to me, to proceed
against Counts Struensee and Brandt for their crimes. Hence it is
only necessary to deduce, prove, and hand in the indictment for
sentence; and as such deduction, proof, and demand of sentence, I most
submissively deliver this my memorial.
* * * * *
So certain and true as the proverb generally is, "that severe lords do
not reign long," it is equally certain that such severe lords, during
their brief authority, can produce as much harm as cannot be redressed
in double the length of time.
The Danish and Norwegian subjects have been for many hundred years
accustomed to be treated mercifully, as their fidelity and sincerity
deserves. The affection and veneration which they feel for their king
cannot be described, and they are in return beloved by their regent.
They generally feel a deep reverence for the Supreme Being and God's
word, are all sensible, and have a feeling of shame for sins committed:
they are quiet, and everybody lives securely in the country, so that
foreigners said: "It is pleasant to live here," and built themselves
all sorts of abodes among us, though without despising and offending
the nation. But, during the last few years, this has become quite
different, and has assumed a strange and confused aspect. Attempts
have been made to render the king--that dearest part of everything
temporal to his people--odious to his subjects, and the latter in turn
to him. No one could obtain access to his Majesty unless he belonged
to the party which did not mean well with him. Impudence and contempt
were emboldened to rise against so highly venerable a royal house.
The Almighty and His word were rendered ridiculous. People strove to
drive away virtue and honour, and to open a gate to immorality, seeing
no shame in it, but evidently seeking honour in it. The audacity
was carried so far that the authority which the nation voluntarily
committed to Frederick III. and his descendants, was solely exercised
by a subject, and was even about to be extended, so that the man who
exercised it might be absolute.
Like the nation, their language was despised. It was heart-torture for
every honest man and lover of honour to see and hear all that which can
be read in printed documents.
The ruin of families was like the deed of a fallen angel. But who was
this fallen angel? It was John Frederick Struensee, the most foolhardy
person who can be imagined, and who for this reason deserves the name
of more than _vir unius seculi_, formerly a doctor, up to the present
time a count, but of whom (as I hope), before I let him go, nothing
will be left but horror, condemnation, and punishment.
Count Struensee was born at Halle, in 1737. His father is the present
superintendent in Holstein. He studied medicine at Halle, passed his
examination there, and lived at Gundern with his uncle, who was the
private physician of Prince von Stolberg. A year later, 1758, he became
city physician of Altona, where he received, as is said, _veniam
occidendi per totam urbem_, which liberty he afterwards employed as
cabinet minister, _per utrumque regnum_. After he had been physician
for ten years at Altona, he became, in the year 1768, physician in
ordinary to his royal Majesty, when his Majesty travelled abroad, as
may be seen from his statement of February 25.
It required either a supernatural intellect or great daring and
foolhardiness to undertake, in his twenty-first year, to be city
physician and surgeon in Altona; but I believe the latter, because at
the expiration of a short period he also took on himself to be the
state physician; and we must consequently conclude from this, that he
was as good a doctor for the city as he was in the state, and that
the number of deaths in Altona, in his times, necessarily exceeded
the births, unless the number of the latter was augmented by him in
another way.[85] The reputation follows the man. I derive everything
from documentary evidence, and in this his most intimate friend, Count
Enevold Brandt, said, in his reply to question 122, "That seven or
eight years ago it was generally known of Struensee that he had no
religion, and that he had intercourse with women at an early age, which
was reproved by many respectable people."
This "medicus," of whom common report says that he was not particularly
well provided with his father's blessing, and hence could found no
hopes on the promises of the fifth commandment, formed the acquaintance
of Count Enevold Brandt, at the time he was attending the late Privy
Councillor Söhlenthal, Brandt's step-father. He revealed to Count
Brandt that he should like to be a physician in ordinary at the Danish
court, just as if Denmark had a want of clever doctors, and required
them as much as France did the Danish Winslöw.[86] Count Brandt
promised him his good offices. Count Struensee was therefore engaged
to travel with his Majesty abroad, not because his royal Majesty's
health required this, but in order that he might be at hand in any
unforeseen emergency, and because a physician fills up the number of
the suite of such exalted personages, without being exactly regarded as
superfluous. I have credible information that during the journey, when
he found time heavy on his hands, he mocked at religion and the word of
God (just as at a later date people mocked at his and his partisans'
regulations, projects, and ridiculous enterprises), and would celebrate
his pretended victory by a contemptuous laugh. I should be able to
prove this, and mention it here, partly because in a criminal case
nothing must be forgotten that throws light on the character or conduct
of the culprit, and partly to contradict Struensee's excuse, that it
was not his intention to inflict any injury on religion.
When he returned home he remained with his most gracious Majesty as
physician, and to read to his Majesty whatever his Majesty might order
him to read; and for this purpose waited on the king every morning,
mid-day, and evening, as will be seen from his answer to question 1.
Count Struensee, who had already determined to acquire honour and
wealth, no matter in what way, from the "respect and purse" of the
Danish and Norwegian nation, clearly saw that it would not do to serve
two masters in the way he intended, and that he, as a foreigner, who
had just come into a country where he had no connexions, would be
unable to sustain himself. He easily perceived that, while he secured
his fortunes on one side, his misfortune could be founded on the other.
To be constantly about his Majesty, would be so much as to neglect
those plans which must remain hidden from the king. Nor could the duty
of being constantly about the king's person be safely entrusted to any
one. It must be some one, in whose care he could trust as fully as in
Count Brandt, who, as he was compelled by command to keep away from
court, would be attached to him if he again procured him admission to
it. Thus it came about that Count Brandt received leave to return to
court, though he did not occupy any permanent post till the departure
of Chamberlain Warnstedt, when he was attached to his Majesty, and the
duty was imposed on him of so watching the king that no one reached
him, and if any one came, of reporting to Struensee who it was and what
was said, which Brandt faithfully carried out. All this is to be seen
in Brandt's statements before the commission on March 2, to question 8.
I will now submissively proceed to prove the nature of both Count
Struensee and Count Brandt's behaviour in their intercourse with his
most gracious Majesty.
After Count Struensee had, in this way, secured his position--for up
to then this had not been fully the case--he writes about it in his
reply to Count Brandt's warnings: "Après avoir gagné la confiance,
la faveur du roi et de la reine et le crédit dans le public, et cela
par mes propres forces, avec tout le risque et toutes les peines
attachées à une telle entreprise que vous n'auriez certainement pas
supporté: et laquelle, j'ose l'assurer, vous n'auriez pas fini, je vous
appelle et je partage avec vous l'effet, et tout les agréments qui
en pouvaient resulter." But what could have induced him, when Count
Brandt, in his aforesaid warning, gave him to understand his annoyance
in a rather harsh way, to urge the said Count Brandt to remain at his
post, when he writes in the following terms: "Examinez votre position
et les motifs qui vous y tiennent! Rangez d'un côté les agréments
et de l'autre les désagréments et comparez cela avec vos situations
passées et avec celles auxquelles vous pouvez attendre et faites alors
la conclusion." When he was certain of a friend who would watch the
king and pay attention to everything that happened or was said, who
was to take care that none should reach the king who might repeat the
general dissatisfaction at a report which wounded every honest heart,
and other things which it would lead me too far to mention, he began
very seriously to play the master and prove how it was his intention
to become the first man, if not nominally and in respect, still in
might and authority. He filched the greatest power in the most impudent
way, as I shall presently prove, and he also acquired adherents, not
substantial ones, but men who wished to make their fortune, and obtain
something through this omnipotent _maître des requêtes_.
There was one thing, however, that prevented him from acting as
he wished, namely, the High Royal Council, which was composed of
respectable men, most of whom were children of the country, and all,
from youth up, educated and instructed in state science, and knew the
constitution, the laws, and the nation. This college must consequently
be abolished; and it was done under the excuse that his Majesty was
impeded by it, and could not exercise his sovereign power with perfect
liberty. But the meaning of this and other things was speedily detected
when the _maître des requêtes_ presented himself as privy cabinet
minister, and the man whom all the king's subjects, high or low, or
whosoever they might be, must obey as the king's representative, and
whose orders, with his signature, must be as much respected as the
king's. Thus this ambitious man, through greed for gain and that he
might fully satisfy his pleasures, dared to undertake the affairs of
two kingdoms, and, though inexperienced in the language and laws of the
country, alone do that which so many worthy men had divided among them,
and had found plenty to do in managing the business of their respective
departments. Under the pretext that the council impeded the king, he
had the audacity to abolish it, but to assume greater authority than
the council ever possessed, as I shall more fully prove.
This daring measure taken by him was regarded as the second which
would, some day, break his neck, and, by his ruin, put an end to that
of the country. A privy cabinet minister was seen to choose people as
his advisers from whom not much good could be expected,--partly because
they had been educated like him, and understood nothing about what they
undertook as statesmen, or in other qualities; partly, because they
were selfish projectors and persons who wished to be fattened like him,
though not to so great a degree. He regarded himself as the person who
was summoned to promote the prosperity of Denmark and Norway and the
welfare of the king; but everything must be altered, no matter whether
the changes were useful or not, so long as they were made. He and his
adherents tried to turn everything topsy-turvy. The official, when he
rose in the morning, did not know whether he would not lose bread and
office before evening. A proof of his foolhardiness, but also of his
intention to strengthen his position, is, that he proposed his brother,
who was "Professor Matheseos" at Liegnitz, in Silesia, as a deputy
of finances in Denmark and Sweden, a man who may be good enough as a
mathematician, though there is no want of natives possessed of the
science, but must be as experienced in the management of the finances
as a blind man in astronomy. Hence his summons here could have had
no other object but, with united strength, to attack and conquer the
royal exchequer, in which Struensee made various large and important
grasps for himself and his adherents. He did not forget himself and
his companions. Many thousand rix-dollars, even whole sums of 60,000
dollars, were, with false cunning and impudence, stolen from the royal
exchequer against his Majesty's will and pleasure, solely to enrich
himself and his adherents, so that they might be in a good humour
with him. On the other hand, he never hesitated to rob other people
of their income; and, in order to make it the more painful, it was
generally done in a jeering manner. With the cabinet orders he behaved
dishonestly; he issued them without the king's permission; and he did
not bring them forward in the order that his duty commanded, as I shall
most submissively prove. As he showed by his acts, his resolution was
to treat the nation with harshness, with contempt, and as a people that
had no "sentiments." His own words, in the answer to Count Brandt's
warnings, are as follow: "Vous me reprochez que j'inspire la peur à
tout le monde, et vous m'en deviez faire compliment parce que c'est la
seule ressource pour un état énervé, affaibli, avec une cour et tout
un public intriguant et un maître faible par respect et qui a le même
penchant pour le changement que son peuple;" and in another passage:
"Le conte et la complaisance ont été la source du malheur de Danemarc."
But is it surprising that he should treat the people with contempt,
when he ventured to do the same to its head, as I shall prove?
It might have been supposed that the affairs of the kingdom would have
given him enough to do: but he still thought proper to play the doctor,
by his own explanation, through affection for the royal family. His
Royal Highness the Prince Royal was to be educated in accordance with
his (here the right expression fails me) sentiments. I shall return
to this presently, for which reason I will mention it now as shortly
as possible, but no man of sense could understand how this could go
on well for any time, for it seemed as if the doctor first wished to
deprive the prince of his health, in order to show that he was capable
of restoring it,--an attempt by which the two kingdoms could not be
benefited. The other amiable royal personages, whom his craft and power
could not prevent from being an obstruction to him in his undertakings,
he was seen to treat with a certain degree of indifference. The exalted
commissioners know as well as I that I am speaking the language of
truth: for I could prove by many thousands of witnesses, the universal
sorrow which was felt at seeing the king's brother, who was certainly
the king's best friend, separated from him in a very marked way. The
king's servants trembled at Struensee; he was so harsh to his own
servants, that he threatened them with the "Blue Tower:" he reproved
them because they were not used to wait on great people, by which he
alluded to himself, which he could do the more safely, as these people
either were not aware of his former servitude, or did not dare remind
him of it, and which had been a service with honest men, it is true,
but not with great persons. From these facts, however, his audacity
and extraordinary foolhardiness can be seen, for he was not only harsh
to his servants, (who, according to his principles, could not expect
a government post, but must live on the means which they had saved up
after years of extraordinary roguery,) but was even so impudent as to
reprimand the servants in the presence of the exalted person whose
subject and fellow-servant of servants he was. He not only interfered
in things which he did not understand, but also appointed persons to
offices in colleges of whose duties they were ignorant, from which many
people concluded that he wished to convert everything into a chaos, or
perform some extraordinary feat as a physician--as, for instance, prove
that land animals were best fitted to the sea; as otherwise, this man's
enterprises cannot be comprehended, and as they are mad things, I can
only represent them in this ridiculous manner, in which I employ his
own expression which he used against his king: "that is ridiculous."
He despised the language and laws of the country. Everything must be
translated for him into German, by which the work was doubled for
others, and affairs could not be expedited so quickly, although it
seemed in other respects as if he wished everything to be done at the
double.
He overturned the laws which served to maintain honesty and
respectability, but after his fall they regained their old validity,
which is a sufficient proof for me in this respect.
In addition to the exalted ministers, other persons of noble birth and
rank were treated by him with contumely, whence they could not remain
at court, but retired to their estates and retrenched their expenses,
by which the city of Copenhagen lost considerably through the reduced
value of house property, and the inhabitants through the loss of the
custom of the nobles. He did not like Copenhagen: it seemed to him
too large for a city in Denmark. Consequently, he wished to weaken
its power and prestige, and he was so daring as to take away the
privileges accorded to its citizens, which they gained by risking their
life and blood for their king, the royal family, and the Fatherland.
On the other hand, he sought to amuse the mob by various displays of
fireworks, free night toping and other jollities and carnal pleasures,
which, however, he wished so contrived that they could be carried on
without infection.[87]
It would surely lead too far to reckon up all the follies which were
set in work by this foolhardy person. And in the midst of all this he
believed he had _de Daniâ bené meritus_, so it was no excessive honour
for him to become a Danish count.
Foolhardiness is seen in all his undertakings. He considers himself
worthy of so great an honour, because he has had for two years an
opportunity of leading a horrible life in Denmark. To be raised
to this height has always been reckoned a proof of worthiness, and
services rendered to the king and the kingdoms. In this instance,
however, it is quite the contrary. Count Struensee regarded all that
which is called rank or title as something which must not be sought
after, but be bestowed on specially distinguished men, who have
rendered themselves worthy of it through their services,--_Exempli
gratiâ_, his brother, who was made Councillor of Justice, on account of
his knowledge of finances. If he became a count, therefore, it must be
assumed how great his services had been. The only humility he displayed
in the receipt of this dignity was, that he procured his friend,
Chamberlain Brandt, the same honour, although the latter had not taken
such interest in the prosperity of the country as Count Struensee. But
as we may say of him and Struensee, _vivimus ex rapto_, they must be
equal in the honours as in the plunder. Though the Order (of Matilda)
was so innocent when received from the exalted hand which founded
it, Count Struensee entertained the daring design of being honoured
immediately after with the Order of the Elephant.
All this impudence, in the midst of his most brilliant and powerful
position, lowered him in the eyes of all people: his recipes for the
state were regarded as quacksalvery; his services as dead flies in
an apothecary's gallipot. Both himself and his adherents could not
hold their tongues; partly, because they wished to know beforehand
what people would say about this or the other design which was going
to be carried out; partly, because in case of need they wished to be
able to place themselves in a position of defence, or fly to Kronborg;
for in Copenhagen they had nothing good to expect. But the discontent
increased so greatly, that as many "one thousand million execrations"
were heaped upon him, as there were brilliants in the golden shield
which his running footman wears in his cap. This discontent with his
conduct could not remain hidden from him. Count Brandt, who is to some
extent to be pitied, on account of the friendship which he formed
with Count Struensee, but cannot be excused, warned him: the daily
pasquinades published about the count and his band, and of which he was
informed every morning, at length disquieted him. The Horse Guards were
abolished, and no longer stood in his way. The Foot Guards must also
be got rid of. This was effected; but in a way which proves that Count
Struensee in this affair also behaved like a villain to his king and
benefactor.
The _émeute_ which took place on the Christmas eve rendered him equally
attentive and timid. I shall revert to the proofs of this. When the
royal family, with whom he lived, came to town, such precautions
were taken that people must believe that the king was afraid of his
subjects; but Count Struensee, with his fellow-conspirators, intended
to make himself Protector, even if he did not at once take the king's
life.
The gates of Copenhagen were ordered always to stand open, so that if
necessary it might be a refuge for those outside the city.
When his royal Majesty came to the capital, he drove through the
streets as if flying before an enemy, so that no one might approach the
king, and impart to him his well-meant thoughts.
When Count Struensee's conscience (for that is always found in a man)
convinced him that his actions, judging from the value which the
inhabitants of the land, high and low, attached to them, would be but
badly rewarded, he resolved to venture on extremities. I must most
submissively and conscientiously assert, that I do not know what his
motto was; but judging from his conduct, it must be believed that it
agreed with the character which is given of the Greek robbers, in the
words:--
"Fidens animi atque in utrumque paratus,
Seu versare dolos seu certæ occumbere morti."
After the return to Copenhagen, after the body-guard had been
dismissed, and the guard of the palace confided to other troops, the
latter received rations in addition to their pay, and contrary to
all custom, which reminds me of the answer given to the thief in the
fable:--"Ita subita me jubet benignitas vigilare, facias ne meâ culpâ
lucrum."
When the report spread in the city that the count was meditating
dangerous designs, because the inhabitants were annoyed at being ruled
by a _doctor medicinæ_, and as, too, the doctor was afraid of being
dissected by the populace, though not _secundum artem_, and for the
benefit of his colleagues, he chose another town commandant, who could
terrify the whole city with his voice and gestures, and the cannon
were also to be loaded for the same purpose. It may be supposed what
was intended to take place at the palace. I do not believe there
was any intention to lay hands on the person of his royal Majesty
and take his life. But suppose an insurrection had broken out, not
against the king--for everybody knows that he is innocent--but against
this impudent count, this foolhardy person, it is only a necessary
consequence that he and his partisans must have audaciously attacked
the king in order to save themselves, and in such an event Count
Struensee knew himself to be secure, as may be seen from his answer to
Count Brandt.
It is certainly a proof of the peculiar consciousness which Count
Struensee possessed about his conduct in Denmark being that of the
most foolhardy and contemptible person conceivable, when he fears the
people, among whom he tried to insinuate himself. But, on the other
hand, it is also a proof that the Danish and Norwegian nation, although
they at times endure what cannot be offered to any other, still love
God, the king, the royal family, and good manners. Hence their wishes
and sighs were raised to Him, through whom kings reign, who did not
forget the prayers of Christian III. when the land was groaning in the
days of a former Count, and who with a mighty arm and in an instant,
put an end to the shame which the king, the royal house, and the
kingdoms, had been compelled to endure.[88]
How great the joy of the people was when the change took place, and
how great its dissatisfaction at the preceding state of things had
been, was seen on January 17, whence the count might have learned _quam
caduca sit ista felicitas_. And how excessively great the joy at this
change was in other circles also, was seen at the court held on the
birthday of his royal Majesty, where sincere anxiety for the country
and affection for the king met, and where the oppressed man greeted the
liberated man with a loving kiss, and forgot his own wretched position
in his love for the royal family.
For the sake of future ages, when my present indictment may perhaps
be seen by many, I must remark, that it is only a short narrative of
all that has happened, but, as I think, it will suffice to give a
perfect explanation of the misdeeds of this count, and show that the
sentence I demand is in conformity with the law, and adapted to his
crimes. I must not, therefore, be reproached with having attempted
to render him ridiculous, especially in an action which demands the
utmost earnestness, for a distinction must be drawn between a minister
who may have committed an error, and a mountebank who wishes to be a
minister, and, as such, was an enemy of the country, and must therefore
be treated with the same harshness as he displayed to others. But, in
order that Count Struensee and every one may thoroughly learn that
nothing is brought forward which might be regarded as a charge without
proof, I will now, in accordance with the most gracious command given
me, proceed to bring my charges against him, together with the evidence.
To reckon up all the crimes committed by him would be a most useless
task, the more so when we reflect that the count has only one head,
and that when that is lost by a crime, the other offences would be
superfluous. I will hence close my deduction with the words--
"----Longa est injuria, longæ
Ambages, sed summa sequar fastigia rerum."
_First._
"Count Struensee crept into the familiarity of the highest lady in
the land, to such a degree that it went beyond the limits that are
drawn between persons of different sexes, who cannot and must not be
connected."
As I am commanded to indict Count Struensee--and I regard the above
as one of the greatest crimes committed by him, and as the first
which hurled him into the others--I bring it forward first: for it is
certainly the most foolhardy one, which no one forgives him, and for
which he cannot be excused.
I here produce the testimony on oath of Fräulein von Eyben, not in
order to prove what is sufficiently explained, but only to request
it may be remarked how Struensee strove to be present at places when
there was an opportunity for him to acquire what he desired, and how
the indifference with which he was at first regarded by the person
whose confidence he afterwards gained, proves that it was not he who
was tempted, but that his "inhuman" impudence, his bold, crafty, and
villanous conduct, were powerful enough to attain that which virtue and
education never grant, and that he is the more criminal, because he
brought others into despair, in order to acquire honours himself.[89]
As proofs of this most audacious deed committed by Count Struensee,
I produce--(1) The examination of Counts Struensee and Brandt and
Professor Berger, made on February 20. The first two hundred and
eighteen questions, and the twenty asked him on the 21st, contain
Count Struensee's explanations of his intercourse with the exalted
lady, and her intimacy with him, but all of which he reckons among
the things she would have so. That he could be excused as a doctor,
and she also, as there is in this no confession of the crime, I need
not stay to disprove, as there is better evidence. (Here follow five
passages from the report of the examination.) In these passages, Count
Struensee, voluntarily and with great emotion, publicly confessed the
most audacious crime committed by him. The commissioners possess his
signature, as well as this most important document. (2) The said Count
Struensee's confession signed with his own hand. (3) Her royal Majesty
Caroline Matilda's declaration of the truth of Struensee's confession,
dated Kronborg, March 9, 1772. (4) Fräulein von Eyben's deposition. (5)
Count Brandt's statement of February 22. These statements are confirmed
by Professor Berger's deposition. From all these documents we perceive
Count Struensee's atrocious conduct; how, without shame he advanced
with the greatest security in his crimes, and especially in the one
which can only be thought of with horror, when we look at the person
hurled into shame by him, and notice how he behaved, as if he wished
the whole world to learn his deeds.
His frequent unannounced running in to the queen: his lengthened stay:
his riding and driving out with her: the giving and receiving of
presents--all this confirms the truth of the evidence, and shows that
he has not spoken falsely.
For this reason, he has in this matter committed the crime of high
treason in the highest degree. He has openly acted against the fidelity
which he owed the king his master, and the reverence he should have
displayed toward their Majesties. He has deprived the king of the
confidence, love, and personal security (_i.e._ the certainty of alone
possessing the queen's person) which his Majesty had a right to expect
after so sacred a promise, entered into in the sight of God; he has
tried to affix a stain on the royal family, in order thus to attain
dignities and power.
What honest man in the country, however mean he may be, would not feel
most highly insulted by such a thing! But how awful is the thought
of such an insult offered to the highest persons! a crime which the
legislator has not even supposed, and which it would be improper to
mention. But if a verbal insult of the king is bad, how much greater
is the crime of disgracing the king and queen by an action! I do not,
therefore, require to dwell longer on this head; for the facts and the
confession of the deed cannot be denied, and ere I end, Count Struensee
can peruse his crime and its well-merited punishment in 6--4--1 of the
law. I therefore refer him to this passage of the law.
_Secondly._
"Count Struensee was not only informed that his royal Majesty was
ill-treated by Count Brandt, and even assaulted, but he also advised
it; hence he neither prevented it, nor took measures to prevent it,
and he himself also treated his royal Majesty in a contemptuous way."
From my deduction, the evidence and the indictment of Count Brandt, the
court will learn how the affair happened: how his Majesty was attacked
by the aforesaid Count Brandt in his cabinet, abused, and treated in
an unexampled manner. As far as I am aware, there is no instance of
such a thing in history--there is, unfortunately, of royal murders; but
none of such treatment. That Count Struensee was not only aware of this
fact, but urged Count Brandt to commit it, and approved of the crime,
is proved by the following:--
Count Brandt declares that after his Majesty had threatened to beat
him with a stick, Count Struensee said to him, at six o'clock on the
same evening, "I have reproved the king, and he answered me, 'Brandt
is a coward; he has no courage, and I will fight with him.'" Struensee
then said further to Brandt, "What will you do? You must go to the king
one evening and say, 'You insist upon fighting with me: here I am; if
you want anything, come on;'" and he added, that this had repeatedly
occurred with Count Holck. When Brandt returned from the king, the
queen had begun her game of cards, and, when it was ended, Struensee
stood by the stove, where Brandt told him what had occurred; to which
Struensee answered, "That is right: now you will have peace; but not
a soul must know it." Count Struensee not only confesses that he had
spoken about it previously with Count Brandt, but also that he was
informed by him of what had happened, as will be seen from Struensee's
answer to quest. 402-412.
That the count himself also forgot the respect he owed the king,
is further proved by his addressing him harshly, as is seen by the
evidence of the witness Detlev Christopher Aabyn: "If he will not
bathe, he shall be beaten;" and the other statements of the same
witness.
In the same way, then, as Count Brandt, as I have shown, has rendered
himself guilty of the crime of high treason by his audacious deed and
harsh treatment of the king--for which Count Struensee even promises
him a reward, as we read in his reply to Count Brandt's warnings
concerning the harshness with which he is obliged to treat the king:
"la reconnaissance que la reine vous aura, si vous reussissiez,
et les marques incontestables que vous en avez dejà reçu, vous en
recompenseront"--Count Struensee, as adviser, seducer, and accomplice,
has been guilty of the same crime, and must be punished for it by the
same penalty.
_Thirdly._
"Count Struensee harshly treated the king's son, his Royal Highness
Crown Prince Frederick, so that it seems as if it had been his sole
intention to remove the crown prince from the world, or, at least, to
bring him up so that he would be incapable of reigning."
In addition to all that is known, and has been seen, by so many
persons, the exalted commission learns from Hans Heinrich Majoll's
declaration and Gündel Marie Schönberg's evidence, that this treatment
applied to a tender child was a fruit of the brain of this impudent
and foolhardy man. Had he not found it to his advantage to remain a
doctor, if he had not given orders in this affair, it might be said in
his excuse that the education of the crown prince in no way concerned
the _maître des requêtes_ or the cabinet minister. But everything was
done by his orders, although he, as a doctor, must have been aware that
it is utterly impossible to rear children in such a way. I am convinced
Count Struensee will be unable to mention any instance of such a way of
child-rearing as he recommended. He therefore ordered it thus through
special malice against the innocent prince, in order, as I have already
said, to get him out of the way, or try what results such a training
would have. But, in either case, he offends most grievously against the
royal personage, as the crown prince could not be allowed to be his
"testing rag."
I will not say any more about this matter, for which there is no
apology, even though Count Struensee were to appeal--as his remarks
seem to indicate--to the training or keep of irrational animals.
Count Struensee, who was not trained in this way, has as fat a paunch
as if he were Vitellius. There is a difference between pampering
children so that not a breath of air may reach them, and giving them
too little food, and making them endure hunger and cold. Animals have
more care for their young, and Count Struensee will not attain the
honour of being placed in the same class with them. As he asserts that
he possesses intelligence, all this was done by him through sheer
arrogance and malice against the king's son, whose life was endangered
by his advice given as doctor; and as God has hitherto held His hand
over him, it is no merit of Struensee that he is still alive. But I am
of opinion that any man who endangers the life of royal children, is
fully as worthy of punishment as one who tries to take their life; and
hence deserves to be sentenced in accordance with the law 6--4--1.
_Fourthly._
"Count Struensee has grievously offended, and committed the crime of
high treason, by usurping the royal authority, passing resolutions in
the place of his royal Majesty, and attaching his own signature to
these resolutions."
Count Struensee's evil intentions against the king and his subjects are
especially displayed in this matter, even though he and some of his
defenders (if he really have any) may regard it as perfectly innocent.
Count Struensee considers that, as he only intended to undertake
things which would prove advantageous, there was no harm in it. But
the contrary has been shown; and it would be something incredible if
a person who knew nothing previously of state affairs, should become
competent, in a period of two years, to govern two kingdoms. Who can
believe that a person who considers himself the most honourable man
in the country, entertaining the best intentions for the king and the
state, but who possesses no religion, and consequently can have no
other intentions but the satisfaction of his desires,--that such a man
should try to persuade a nation like the Danish and Norwegian that
he is the man who will promote everybody's fortunes in the kingdom?
I here write what must be regarded as incredible, if we were not so
perfectly convinced of it. Count Struensee has committed crimes which
the meanest man in the kingdom, who has but the most general ideas
about morality and the reverence he owes his king, will regard as
the most detestable. It is true that an evident crime entails on the
culprit the extremest public contumely,--as, for instance, robbing
one's neighbour; seducing his wife, &c. But it is unanswerable, under
the appearance of friendship, fidelity, true love of the welfare of
the country, disinterestedness, and sparing the royal treasury, for
a man to strive to put his fingers into everything, and to rule with
unbounded authority instead of the regent,--in a word, to make a
brilliant display of his villany (I call things by their right names).
Count Struensee alleges that the cause of the abolition of the council
of state was partly that his royal Majesty was not satisfied with the
condition of the country and the indebtedness in which the kingdom was;
partly, that he was impeded by the council. If his Majesty himself
had the idea of abolishing the council, Count Struensee ought to have
opposed it in a different way from that which he employed in coercing
the king to bathe. But it was his duty to represent to the king his
master that his royal Majesty, having only recently ascended the
throne, required advice; and if among the councillors there were some
who did not possess his Majesty's confidence, others could be found
to fill their place; that a monarch, however wise he may be, still
remains a man; that, although the King of Denmark was not bound to
retain advisers, still it was to his honour and profit to have them;
and that he who was instructed in medical science was not fitted to
undertake the management of such affairs. Everybody knows that a king
should never love hypocrisy. But truth can be expressed in various
ways. A truth urged in a coarse manner is an insult; an attempt to
apply it sarcastically is a mockery; but when expressed with honourable
straightforwardness, it is useful, and the latter is the duty of an
honest subject. Count Struensee, however, was so daring as to take on
himself the functions of many men.
In my historical preface, I have called attention to the fact, how
strange it appeared to all who are aware that a knowledge of the
welfare of kingdoms cannot be acquired by whistling or dancing, when
he attained the most gracious royal order and instruction of July 14,
1771, to be privy cabinet minister. From this instruction, which was
communicated to the colleges, we learn that Count Struensee not only
exercised a power which not even the great chancellor of the kingdom
possessed in former times, but exercised it as fully as only his royal
Majesty could do himself. It is true there was an appearance as if
everything still depended on his Majesty's approbation; but if the
matter is looked into more closely, this is only delusion and juggling.
For if everything in the cabinet is decided by Count Struensee, and
his orders and regulations are to have the same value as the king's
commands, it is clear that if anything was issued from the cabinet
which opposed existing regulations and resolutions, and that this
should be returned to the cabinet for alteration, the eventual decision
depended on the count himself. And what assurance was given the king
and his subjects that nothing wrong would be done by the cabinet
minister when he possessed the power himself to examine, defend, and
approve everything he had resolved on?
When Count Struensee had the fortune, favour, and honour to come to
the Danish court and stand well there, he probably took the Danish and
Norwegian subjects for such cattle, that they might be called together
and led to the shambles by a cabinet resolution of his, without being
allowed to murmur, for in no other way can we explain his daring to
undertake such an enterprise. Any man who presumes to manage the
affairs of a kingdom, and direct them instead of the king, must be
acquainted with the duties of the king to his subjects, and the duties
of the subjects to the king. He must be a simple doctor who merely
knows that there is a heart in the human body, but not where it is
seated, and what parts are connected with it or have influence over it.
Any man who did not wish merely to play the harlequin, but maintain his
honour, ought to be acquainted with the duties of the regent and the
people. Struensee could have seen in the Danish and Norwegian code,
and in the _Lex Regia_ of Frederick III. of blessed memory, signed on
November 14, 1665, that sovereignty, but not despotism, is granted to
the king. There is not a subject of his Majesty who would feel offended
because the king rules with unlimited power, for that is his right.
Any one who asserts that the king can alter the _Lex Regia_ without
the assent of the nation, and against the will of all classes, is a
traitor, hypocrite, and scoundrel. The royal law, which the kings must
obey, and which is a _sine quâ non_ on their part and that of their
subjects, cannot be altered by the king, without at once overthrowing
and restricting his rule, for it is ordered (as Frederick III. could
order his descendants as _primus adquirens_), that the royal law
shall not be altered, and the right to the monarchy is solely derived
from this supreme royal law, as an immutable fundamental law for both
kingdoms.
(Wiwet here quotes the two passages of the _Lex Regia_, 3 and 26,
referring to this. As I have given them already literally, they may be
omitted here.)
If Count Struensee was so stupid that he knew nothing about the royal
law, although he undertook to be director of the kingdom, his audacity
might perhaps be expiated in prison, in a mad-house, or on the pillory.
But as he has declared that he was acquainted with the contents and
prescriptions of the royal law, but is at the same time of opinion that
there is no harm in appropriating the king's authority for the purpose
of pulling the skin of the subjects over their ears, he has on this
point been guilty of the crime of high treason in a high degree. Just
as little as an alteration can be effected in the king's hereditary
government, which insults the king, can this be done in another way,
even though it might appear as if it were done in favour of the king.
The royal law must so remain unchanged that Count Struensee can
introduce no other form of government but that prescribed by it. The
apology with which Count Struensee tries to excuse his enterprise
I need not contradict, for the king cannot forgive his audacity.
The honour, life, and property of the people, were entrusted to the
autocracy of the descendants of Frederick III., but to no one else. Any
one, therefore, who attempts to appropriate this power, offends against
the reverence which he owes the king.
_Fifthly._
Even if Count Struensee could be for a moment excused for acquiring, in
contradiction to the royal law, such authority as was granted him in
the cabinet decree of July 14, 1771, he still remains criminal, because
he did not behave honestly after the contents of this instruction, from
which it is plainly seen that he did not employ this power to relieve
his royal Majesty, but merely to play the part which he had invented
for himself and his colleagues. To mention all the intrigues of which
he was guilty in this respect, is superfluous, and would lead me too
far. I consider, therefore, that one example will be sufficient. Should
it appear to the count, however, that I have not sufficiently convicted
him of being a clumsy criminal, I have various further proofs at his
service.
When Count Struensee had effected the dismissal of the Horse Guards,
the Foot Guards were also to be dismissed from their duty at the
palace. The matter was connected in this way: Count Struensee
apprehended that he might some day receive the reward of his crimes,
and therefore he must see to his precautions. The natives of the
country, as a wall of defence round the royal house, were a thorn
in his eye, and hence such obstacles must be removed for coming
events. Consequently, he drew up a cabinet decree of December 21,
1771, concerning the disbandment of the Foot Guards, of which his
royal Majesty was not informed. These men were to be placed in other
regiments, because, as the count alleges, equality ought to prevail
among all officers and soldiers, as they all served the same king;
while the true reason was, that the count, in the event of ill-success,
did not wish to have them against him, as they might assist in seizing
him by the ear. But when this order became known, and the Guards
refused to obey it, he procured a royal order of December 24, by which
his Majesty most graciously granted discharges to those Guards, who
would not perform duty at the palace with the grenadiers. This was an
extraordinarily foolhardy action, as will be seen from the following
facts:--
_First._ His Majesty never knew anything about such a dismissal of the
body-guard: for this reason it has been re-embodied, which proves that
the disbandment took place against the king's will. _Secondly._ His
Majesty did not sign the said order. _Thirdly._ Count Struensee, when
he extorted his royal Majesty's approbation for the disbandment of the
Guards, represented that they refused to do duty at the palace with the
grenadiers, which was an evident falsehood, as the Guards only refused
to enter other regiments. _Fourthly._ Although, from December 21 to 24,
there were various resolutions which ought to have been approved by
the king, Struensee did not lay them before his Majesty, solely from
the motive of having the former orders of December 21 confirmed by the
approbation of the last. He therefore acted falsely as regards the
commands and resolutions, the drawing-up of which, and laying before
the king for approbation, depended on him as privy cabinet minister,
and thus acted contrary to the law I--I--I.
_Sixthly._
After Count Struensee had acquired the mastery over his Majesty's
treasury, both the private and the special cabinet treasury, he
contrived to turn it to his own advantage. It would lead me too far if
I mentioned all the cunning tricks done by him, and the commission will
pardon me if I do not lay all the instances before it. Count Struensee
has, therefore, no reason to complain, for all his malversations
are not mentioned, and, indeed, they are countless. He takes 10,000
dollars, and 3,000 at the new year, procures Count Brandt 3,000, so
that he may not overthrow and betray him, and the Countess Holstein a
gratification of 3,000 dollars, because she has lost her money at play,
although her royal Majesty graciously and justly refuses it, for the
earnings of 3,000 poor women by spinning pay for her extravagance. One
gratification after the other is granted to Falckenskjold,[90] that
chosen instrument for all events, that sheet-anchor on which the whole
machine (so Count Struensee calls his arrangements) depended, and who
was well aware that, if the count's rule broke up, he (the colonel)
would also lose his regiment. For his brother he procures money from
the king's treasury, on the grounds that a financier must have money to
prevent him from stealing; for such is the right conclusion that should
be drawn from his defence.
That Count Struensee is as great a villain as was ever rung in and out
of a German fair, any one can see from the fact that he obtained money
and office for his brother. I will not refer to the circumstance that
the king was obliged to pay for the journey of a person to an office
of which the person summoned had no knowledge. My God, what a mockery
of so many worthy men, who meant sincerely by the king and country!
But to propose his brother as deputy of finances, and to give him
3,000 dollars so that he might not plunder the king in other ways of
an equal sum, is so extraordinarily audacious and foolhardy, that it
renders Count Struensee most excessively contemptible. Who could invent
such motives without prostituting himself, and revealing that in such
dealing no true honour was intended!
In the same way as Count Struensee managed to procure his brother
money, he also continued to obtain considerable sums for himself
and his confidants. When he acquired full authority over the king's
treasury, on learning that it was by no means a matter of indifference
to his Majesty whether there was money in the treasury or not, he
requested his Majesty, upon some money being paid in, most graciously
to give him and Brandt a trifle, probably under the same pretext as he
afterwards employed for his brother. His Majesty therefore gave--
To the Queen 10,000 dollars.
To Count Brandt 6,000 " and
To him, Count Struensee 6,000 "
------
Making a total of 22,000 dollars,
which is perfectly correct. But after his Majesty's approval of the
donations had been obtained, Count Struensee, who was able to take the
money out of the king's special treasury--for he cannot prove that he
took it from anywhere else--hit on the idea of adding a 0, so that the
document now reads
To the Queen 10,000 dollars.
To Count Brandt 60,000 " and
To him, Count Struensee 60,000 "
-------
Together 130,000 dollars.
As in reckoning up this did not agree with the 22,000 dollars, in order
to avoid an alteration of both the figures 2, the matter was thus
arranged:
To the Queen 10,000 dollars.
To Count Brandt 60,000 "
To Count Struensee 60,000 " and
To Falckenskjold 2,000 "
-------
Total 132,000 dollars.
Apart from the fact that any one can easily detect how the two ciphers
were added, and also that a figure 2 has been altered into a 3, it is
clear, as Counts Brandt and Struensee themselves, will be obliged to
confess, that there is the greatest reason for regarding the affair
with suspicion; and it will be proved an evident forgery, when we take
into consideration the following facts:--1. His royal Majesty has
himself declared that he did not give them 60,000 dollars. 2. It is
remarkable that in the same document by which the king gave his two
subjects and servants 60,000 dollars apiece, he granted his consort
only 10,000; and 3. All the proofs brought forward by the count in this
matter, hobble.
He has, therefore, in addition to the insult offered his Majesty by
robbing him of so large a capital, been guilty of peculation in this
instance also, and offended against the regulations of the law 6--4--10.
_Seventhly._
Furthermore, Count Struensee was an accomplice, adviser, and helper,
in selling her royal Majesty's costly bouquet, which was composed of
precious stones, and taxed at the value of 40,000 dollars, for 10,000
dollars in Hamburg, and entrusting the sale to Etats-rath Waitz,
although this concerned an article which served as an ornament to the
queen regnant of the country, and ought not to have been taken from
her. (Here come eight passages from the evidence.) In this he has not
only acted faithlessly, in allowing so valuable an ornament to be sold
for so ridiculous a price, but it was also quite unnecessary to dispose
of a valuable in such a way "to the prostitution of its owner."
_Eighthly._
In order that this intrigue and other disgraceful undertakings might
not come to the knowledge of the king, he gave orders that all letters
addressed to his Majesty should be delivered in the cabinet, so that he
might be the first to learn everything, and, if necessary, take those
measures which his safety demanded, and be the conductor and defender
of any proceedings that might be found requisite.
_Ninthly._
At length, when Struensee perceived that matters were not going on
right, and that he was about to be attacked, he tried to defend
himself. Those persons whom he feared were dismissed; the citizens only
remained, but these he fancied he could easily terrify. Hence, after
obtaining the nomination of another commandant, he gave orders to have
the cannon held in readiness. It is true that he denies this, and only
acknowledges that he gave Major-General Gude orders to hold everything
in readiness which would serve for the maintenance of good order.
But when we consider that this was not necessary, as such cases are
always provided for in Copenhagen, we presume this unusual regulation
was either the fruit of an apprehension that he was at length about
to receive the reward of his actions, or that it had reference to a
measure that was about to be taken and defended. That he intended to
fly and take some one with him, in the event of his not being able to
hold his ground, is seen from litt. F., pp. 33, 41, and 52.
I consider, therefore, that I have proved Count Struensee's enormous
crimes against his royal Majesty, the royal family, and the kingdoms;
and that he has been guilty of high treason in many ways. The
punishment I demand consequently is--
"That Count John Frederick Struensee, for the crimes committed by him,
be condemned to have lost his dignity of count, his honour, life, and
property; and that, after his coat of arms has been broken by the
executioner, his right hand be cut off while he is alive, his body
quartered and exposed on a wheel, his head and hand stuck on a pole,
and also that his fortune be confiscated to the king, and his heirs, if
he have any, forfeit their rank and birth."
F. W. WIWET.
_Copenhagen, April 21, 1772._
I am afraid that my translation of this unexampled document will be
regarded as extremely inelegant; but this could not be avoided, if the
literal meaning were to be adhered to. The original itself is written
in the most barbarous style; wherever the advocates Danish runs short
he helps himself out with a German word, which he generally misapplies,
and puts in scraps of Latin here and there, which have the most absurd
counter-sense. As my object, however, was to give an exact idea of
charges which would not have hung a dog in this country, I have thought
it advisable to sacrifice elegance to correctness.
Ere I conclude this chapter, I may be permitted to supply one example
of the way in which the judges tried to scrape up evidence against the
unfortunate ex-minister. On the same day when the Russian minister,
Filosofow, insulted Struensee so grossly, as has been already recorded,
a report was spread that the latter had quarrelled with one of the
first gentlemen in the land, and treacherously assailed him, sword in
hand; but this rumour died out as rapidly as it had been propagated.
After the arrest of Struensee, and the difficulty felt of proving the
already resolved death-sentence by credible testimony, the president
of the court, Justiciary Baron von Juel-Wind, went to this gentleman,
and asked him if he were disposed to bring a charge against Struensee
before the commission? The gentleman nobly rejected such a proposal,
and answered, that he was accustomed to pity the unfortunate, and not
increase their misery; besides, there was not the slightest truth in
the rumour.
This proves that even Wiwet's diatribes were not considered sufficient
evidence of Struensee's guilt, and that every opportunity was sought to
bolster up the case. It is very possible, however, that the judges were
more successful with other witnesses whom they tried to suborn, and
therefore the evidence, such as it is, ought to be regarded with extra
suspicion.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 84: In Höst's "Struensee og hans Ministerium" this document
is quoted, but with an omission of everything that proved the crime
of high treason, and must entail the penalty of death. As this work,
however, was published in 1824, or during the reign of the son of
Caroline Matilda, everything had to be omitted which might appear
offensive to the memory of the king's mother. But Höst did not inform
his readers of this fact. The notorious indictment is now published
for the first time, without any mutilations or suppressions, from the
Danish secret archives. All honour to Frederick VII., who allowed it to
be made known, although it casts such a slur on Danish justice.]
[Footnote 85: Well may Reverdil say about this indictment that it is
impossible to read anything more flat, more clumsy, or more disgusting.
It is the style of a lackey amusing himself in a tavern at the expense
of a man who is about to be hung. He adds: "Ought not an unhappy man
who is pining in fetters to be spared insults useless to the cause?
Ought not Wiwet to have reflected that he could not insult the prisoner
without failing in respect to the king, who so long honoured him with
his confidence, and who signed most of the orders alleged as a crime
against Struensee?"]
[Footnote 86: Winslöw, a celebrated anatomist, was born at Odense, in
Fühnen, appointed professor at the _Jardin des Plantes_, in Paris, in
1742, and wrote a work that run through four editions: "Exposition
Anatomique du Structure du Corps Humain." He died in 1760.]
[Footnote 87: I confess this sentence is quite beyond me, but it is a
literal translation.]
[Footnote 88: An allusion to what is called the "Grafenfehde" of
1533-36.]
[Footnote 89: As regards this argument, Falckenskjold remarks very
sensibly: "Even supposing, which I am far from admitting, that
there was an illicit _liaison_ between the queen and Struensee, the
supposition that he was the seducer is absurd. Any princess who would
deign thus to degrade herself with one of her subjects, is under the
necessity of taking the first steps: this is one of the inconveniences
of superior rank."]
[Footnote 90: The falsehood of this charge is best proved by
Falckenskjold's own examination: "I certainly made no profit out of
the 3,000 crowns given me for my journeys, made by order of the king."
When he was summoned from the Turkish frontier to enter the Danish
service he received 1,000 dollars, and when he was sent to Petersburg
on diplomatic business he was paid 2,000 crowns for his travelling and
other expenses. Little enough, when we remember that on two occasions
he was obliged to stay six weeks in Petersburg.]