' The
sorrowful
Painter looked penitentially at the
"real Critic, looked at his brush; and the instant this Geek was gone,
"struck out his God of War.
"real Critic, looked at his brush; and the instant this Geek was gone,
"struck out his God of War.
Thomas Carlyle
His Book on
"Letter-writing was of use to the rising generation, in its time.
"Clearly an amiable, ingenious, correct, altogether good
"man; of pious mind, -- and, what was more, of strictly or-
thodox, according to the then Saxon standard in the best
"circles. This was the figure of his Life for the last fifteen
"years of it; and he was now about the middle of that culmi-
"nating period. Amodest, despondent kind ofman, given
"to indigestions, dietetics, hypochondria: 'of neat figure
"and dress; nose hooked, but not too much; eyes mourn-
"fully blue and beautiful, fine open brow;' -- a fine coun-
tenance, and fine soul of its sort, poor Gellert: 'punctual
"like the church-clock at divine service, in all weathers. ' *
"A man of some real intellect and melody; some, by no
"means much; who was of amiable meek demeanour; studious
"to offend nobody, and to do whatever good he could by the
"established methods; -- and who, what was the great secret
"of his success, was of orthodoxy perfect and eminent. Whom,
"accordingly, the whole world, polite Saxon orthodox world,
"hailed as its Evangelist and Trismegistus. Essentially a
"commonplace man; but who employed himself in beautify -"ing and illuminating the commonplace of his day and gene-
"ration: -- infinitely to the satisfaction of said generation.
"' How charming that you should make thinkable to us, make
"vocal, musical, and comfortably certain, what we were all
"inclined to think; you creature plainly divine! ' And the
* Jordens, Lexikon Deutscher Dichler und Prosaislen (Leipzig, 1807), IX.
64-68 (6 Gellert).
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? 156 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
18th Dec. 1760.
"homages to Gellert were unlimited and continual, not plea-
"sant all of them to an idlish man in weak health.
"Mitchell and Quintus Icilius, who are often urging on
"the King that a new German Literature is springing up, of
"far more importance than the King thinks, have spoken
"much to him of Gellert the Trismegistus; -- and, at length,
"in the course of a ten days from Friedrich's arrival here,
"actual Interview ensues. 1 he Dialogue, though it is but dull
"and watery to a modern palate, shall be given entire, for
"the sake of one of the Interlocutors. The Report of it,
"gleaned gradually from Gellert himself, and printed, not
"long afterwards, from his manuscripts or those of others:, is
"to be taken as perfectly faithful. Gellert, writing to his in-
"quiring Friend Rabener (a then celebrated Berlin Wit),
"describes, fromLeipzig, '29th January 1760,' or about six
"weeks after the event: 'How, one day about the middle of
"December, Quintus Icilius suddenly came to my poor
"Lodging here, to carry me to the King. ' Am too ill to go.
"Quintus will excuse me today; but will return tomorrow,
"when no excuse shall avail. Did go accordingly next day,
"Thursday 18th December, 4 o'clock of the afternoon; and
"continued till a quarter to 6. 'Had nothing of fear in speak "ing to the King. Recited my Maler zu Athen. ' King said,
"at parting, he would send for me again. 'The English Am-
bassador (Mitchell), 'an excellent man, was probably the
"cause of the King's wish to see me. ' . . . . 'The King spoke
"sometimes German, sometimes French; I mostly German. ' *
"As follows:
King. "Are you (Er) the Professor Gellert? " Gellert.
"Yea, Ih. ro Majestat. "
King. "The English Ambassador has spoken highly of
"you to me. Where do you come from? " Gellert. "From
"Hainichen, near Freyberg. "
King. "Have not you a brother at Freyberg? "
Gellert. "Yea, Ihro Majestctt. "
King. "Tell me why we have no good German Authors. "
Major Quintus Icilius (puts in a word). "Your Majesty,
"you see here one before you; -- one whom the French them- * Gellert'i Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius; herausgegeben von F. A
Ebert (Leipzig, 1823), pp. 629, 631.
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-61. 157
18th Dec. 1760.
"selves have translated, calling him the German La Fon-
"taine! "
King. "That is much. Have you read La Fontaine? "
Gellert. "Yes, your Majesty; but have not imitated: I
"am original (ich bin ein Original). "
King. "Well, this is one good Author among the Ger-
"mans; but why have not we more? " Gellert. "Your "Majesty has a prejudice against the Germans. "
King. "No; I can't say that (Nein; doss kann ich nichl
"sagen). " '?
Gellert. "At least, against German writers. "
King. "Well, perhaps. Why have we no good Historians?
"Why does no one undertake a Translation of Tacitus? "
Gellert. "Tacitus is difficult to translate; and the French
"themselves have but bad Translations of him. "
King. "That is true (Da hat Er Recht). "
Gellert. "And, on the whole, various reasons may be
"given why the Germans have not yet distinguished them-
"selves in every kind of writing. While Arts and Sciences
"were in their flower among the Greeks, the Romans were
"still busy in War. Perhaps this is the Warlike Era of the
"Germans: -- perhaps also they have yet wanted Augustuses
''and Louis-Fourteenths! "
King. "How, would you wish one Augustus, then, for all
"Germany? " Gellert. "Not altogether that; I could
"wish only that every Sovereign encouraged men of genius in
"his own country. "
King (starting a new subject). "Have you never been
"out of Saxony? " Gellert. "I have been in Berlin. "
King. "You should travel. " Gellert. "Thro MajestUt,
"for that I need two things, -- health and means. "
King. "What is your complaint? Is it diegelehrte Krank-
aheit (Disease of the Learned," Dyspepsia so-called)? "I
"have myself suffered from that. I will prescribe for you.
"You must ride daily, and take a dose of rhubarb every
"week. "
Gellert. "Ach, Thro Majeslat: if the horse were as weak as
"I am, he would be of no use to me; if he were stronger, I
"should be too weak to manage him. " (Mark this of the
Horse, however; a tale hangs by it. )
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? 158 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
18th Dec. 1760.
King. "Then you must drive out. " Gellert. "For that
"I am deficient in the means. "
King. "Yes, that is true; that is what Authors (Gelehrte)
"in Deutschland are always deficient in. I suppose these
"are bad times, are not they? " Gellert. "Jawohl; and
"if your Majesty would grant us Peace (den Frieden geben
"wollten)--"
King. "How can I? Have not you heard, then? There
"are three of them against me (Es sindja drei wider mich) I"
Gellert. "I have more to do with the Ancients and their
"History than with the Moderns. "
King (changing the topic). "What do you think, is Homer
"or Virgil the finer as an Epic Poet? " Gellert. "Homer,
"as the more original. "
King. "But Virgil is much more polished (vielpolirter). "
Gellert. "We are too far removed from Homer's times to
"judge of his language. I trust to Quinctilian in that respect,
"who prefers Homer.
King. "But one should not be a slave to the opinion of the
"Ancients. " Gellert. "Nor am I that. I follow them "only in cases where, owing to the distance, I cannot judge
"for myself. "
Major Icilius (again giving a slight fillip or suggestion).
"He," the Herr Professor here, "has also treated of German
"Letter-writing, and has published specimens. "
King. "So? But have you written against the Chancery
"Style, then" (the painfully solemn style, of ceremonial and
circumlocution; Letters written so as to be mainly wig and
buckram)?
Gellert. "Achja, that have I, Ihro Majestat! "
King. "But why doesn't it change? The Devil must be
"in it (Es ist etwas Verteufeltes). They bring me whole sheets
"of that stuff, and I can make nothing of it! Gellert. "If
"your Majesty cannot alter it, still less can I. I can only re-
commend, where you command. "
King. "Can you repeat any of your Fables? Gellert. "I
"doubt it; my memory is very treacherous. "
King. "Bethink you a little; I will walk about" (Gellert
bethinks him, brow puckered. King, seeing the brow un-
pucker itself). "Well, have you one? " Gellert. "Yes,
"your Majesty: The Painter. " Gellert recites ("voice plain-
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-61. 159
18th Dec. 1760.
tive and hollow;" somewhat preachy, I should doubt, but not
cracked or shrieky); -- we condense him into prose abridg-
ment for English readers; German can look at the bottom of
the page:*
"'A prudent Painter in Athens, more intent on excellence than on
"'money, had done a God of War; and sent for a real Critic to give him
"'his opinion of it. ' On survey, the Critic shook his head: 'Too much
"'Art visible; won't do, my friend! ' The Painter strove to think other-
"wise; and was still arguing, when a young Coxcomb" (Geek, Gawk),
"stept in: 'Gods, what a masterpiece! ' cried he at the first glance: 'Ah,
"'that foot, those exquisitely-wrought toe-nails; helm, shield, mail, what
"'opulence of Art!
' The sorrowful Painter looked penitentially at the
"real Critic, looked at his brush; and the instant this Geek was gone,
"struck out his God of War. "
King. "And the Moral? "
Geliert (stillreciting):
"' When the Critic does not like thy Bit of Writing, it is a bad sign for
"'thee; but when the Fool admires, it is time thou at once strike it out. '"
King. "That is excellent; very fine indeed. You have a
"something of soft and flowing in your verses; them I under-
* "Ein kluger Maler in Athen,
Der minder, weil man ihn bezahlte,
Als weil er Ehre suchte, malte,
fyiess einen Kenner einst den Mars
im Hilde sehn,
Und hat sich seine Meinung aus.
Der Kenner sagt ihm frei heraus,
Dass ihm das Bild nicht ganz gefal-
len wollte,
Und dass es,um recht scho? n zu sein,
Weit minder Kunst verrathen sollte.
Der Maler wandle vieles ein;
Der Kenner stritt mit ihm aus Gru? n-
den,
Undkonntihn doch nicht u? berwinden.
Gleich trat ein junger Geck herein,
Und nahm das Bild in Augenschein.
'0/ rief er, bei dem ersten Blicke,
'Ihr Go? tter, welch ein Meisterstu? cke!
Ach, welcher Fuss! 0, wie geschickt
Sind nicht die Na? gel ausgedru? ckt!
Mars lebt durchaus in diesem Bilde*
Wie viele Kunst, wie viele Pi'acht,
Ist in dem Helm und in dem Schilde,
Und in der Bu? slung angebracht! ''
Der Maler ward bescha? mt geru? hret,
Und sah den Kenner kla? glich an.
rNun/ sprach er, 'bin ich u? berfu? h-
ret!
Ihr habt mir nicht zu viel gethanS
Der junge Geck war kaum hinaus,
So strich er seinen Kriegsgott aus. "
t MORAL.
"Wenn deine Schrift dem Kenner Doch, wenn sie gar des Narren Lob
nicht gefa? llt, erha? lt,
So ist es schon ein bo? ses Zeichen; So ist es Zeit, sie auszustreichen" --
(Geliert's Werke: Leipzig, 1840: 1. 136. )
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? 160 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
18th Dec. 1760.
"stand altogether. But there was Gottsched, one day, read-
"ing me his Translation of Iphigenie; I had the French Copy
"in my hand, and could not understand a word of him" (a
Swan of Saxony, labouring in vain, that day)! "Theyre-
"commended me another Poet, one Peitsch (Herr Peitsch
ofKonisberg, Hofrath, Doctor and Professor there, Gott-
sched's Master in Art; edited by Gottsched thirty years ago:
now become a dumb idol, though at one time a god con-
fessed); "him I flung away. "
Gellert. "Ihro Majestat, him I also fling away. "
King. "Well, if I continue here, you must come again
"often; bring your Fables with you, and read me some-
"thing. "
Gellert. "I know not if I can read well; I have the singing
"kind of tone, native to the Hill Country. "
King. uJa, like the Silesians. No, you must read me the
"Fables yourself; they lose a great deal otherwise. Come
"back soon. "* (Exit Gellert. )
King (to Icilius, as we learn from a different Record).
"That is quite another man than Gottsched! " (Exeunt
omnes. )
The modest Gellert says he "remembered Jesus
Sirach's advice, Press not thyself on Kings,-- and never
came back;" nor was specially sent for, in the hurries
succeeding; though the King never quite forgot him.
Next day, at dinner, the King said, "He is the rea-
"sonablest man of all the German Literary People,
"(Test le plus raisonnable de tous les Savans Allemands. "
And to Garve, at Breslau, years afterwards: "Gellert
"is the only German that will reach posterity; his de-
partment is small, but he has worked in it with real
"felicity. " And indeed the King had, before that, as
practical result of the Gellert Dialogue, managed to set
* Gellert's Briefmechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius (already cited), pp. 632
et acq.
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? CHAP. vI. ] 'WIIsTER-QUAETEBS 1760-61. 161
18th Dec. 1760.
some Berlin Bookseller upon printing of these eligible
Fables, "for the use of our Prussian Schools;" in which
and other capacities the Fables still serve with accept-
ance, there and elsewhere. *
In regard to Gellert's Horse-exercise, I had still to
remember that Gellert, not long after, did get a Horse;
two successive Horses; both highly remarkable. The
first especially; which was Prince Henri's gift: "The
"Horse Prince Henri had ridden at the Battle of Frey-
"berg" (Battle to be mentioned hereafter); -- quadruped
that must have been astonished at itself! But a pretty
enough gift from the warlike admiring Prince to his
dyspeptic Great Man. This Horse having yielded to
Time, the very Kurfiirst (grandson of Polish Majesty
that now is) sent Gellert another, housing and furniture
complete; mounted on which, Gellert and it were
among the sights of Leipzig; -- well enough known
here to young Goethe, in his College days, who used
to meet the great man and princely horse, and do sa-
lutation, with perhaps some twinkle of scepticism in the
corner of his eye. ** Poor Gellert fell seriously ill in
December 1769; to the fear and grief of all the world:
"estafettes from the Kurfiirst himself galloped daily, or
"oftener, from Dresden for the sick bulletin;" but poor
Gellert died, all the same (13th of that month); and
we have (really with pathetic thoughts, even we) to bid
his amiable existence in this world, his bits of glories
and him, adieu forever.
* Preuss, n. 274.
** Dichtumj und Wuhrheit, Theil n. Buch 6 (in Goethe's Werke, xxv. 51
et seq. J.
Carlyle, Frederick the Great. XII. 11
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? 162 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
21st Jan. 1761.
Dialogue with General Saldern (in the Apel House,
Leipzig, 21st January 1761).
Four or five weeks after this of Gellert, Friedrich
had another Dialogue, which also is partly on record,
and is of more importance to us here: Dialogue with
Major-General Saldern; on a certain business, delicate,
yet profitable to the doer, -- nobody so fit for it as
Saldern, thinks the King. Saldern is he who did that
extraordinary feat of packing the wrecks of battle on
the Field of Liegnitz; a fine, clear-flowing, silent kind
of man, rapid and steady, with a great deal of methodic
and other good faculty in him, -- more, perhaps, than
he himself yet knows of. Him the King has sent for,
this morning; and it is on the business of Polish Ma-
jesty's Royal Hunting-Schloss at Hubertsburg,-- which
is a thing otherwise worth some notice from us.
For three months long, the King had been repre-
senting, in the proper quarters, what plunderings, and
riotous and even disgusting savageries, the Saxons had
perpetrated at Charlottenburg, Schonhausen, Friedrichs-
feld, in October last, while masters there for a few days:
but neither in Reichs Diet, where Plotho was eloquent,
nor elsewhere by the Diplomatic method, could he get
the least redress, or one civil word of regret. From
Polish Majesty himself, to whom Friedrich remonstrated
the matter, through the English Resident at Warsaw,
Friedrich had expected regret; but he got none. Some
think he had hoped that Polish Majesty, touched by
these horrors of war, and by the reciprocities evidently
liable to follow, might be induced to try something to-
wards mediating a General Peace: but Polish Majesty
did not; Polish Majesty answered simply nothing at
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-61. 163
21st Jan. 1761. '
all, nor would get into any correspondence: upon which
Friedrich, possibly a little piqued withal, had at length
determined on retaliation.
Within our cantonments, reflects Friedrich, here is
Hubertsburg Schloss, with such a hunting apparatus in
and around it; Polish Majesty's Hertzblatt ("lid of the
heart" as they call it; breastbone, at least, and pit of
his stomach, which inclines to nothing but hunting):
let his Hubertsburg become as our Charlottenburg is;
perhaps that will touch his feelings! Friedrich had
formed this resolution; and, Wednesday January 21st,
sends for Saldern, one of the most exact, deft-going,
and punctiliously honourable of all his Generals, to
execute it. Enter Saldern accordingly, -- royal
Audience-room "in the Apel'sche Haul, New Neumarkt,
No. 16," as above; -- to whom (one Kiister, a reliable
creature, reporting for us on Saldern's behalf) the
King says, in the distinct slowish tone of a King giving
orders:
King. "' Saldern, tomorrow morning you go'" (Er, He goes)
"'with a detachment of Infantry and Cavalry, in all silence,
"to Hubertsburg; beset the Schloss, get all the furnitures
"carefully packed up and invoiced. I want nothing with
"them; the money they bring I mean to bestow on our Field
"Hospitals, and will not forget you in disposing of it. '"
"Saldern, usually so prompt with his lJa' on any Order
"from the King, looks embarrassed, stands silent, -- to the
"King's great surprise; -- and after a moment or two says:
Saldern. "' Forgive me, your Majesty: but this is contrary
"to my honour and my oath. '"
King (still in a calm tone). "'You would be right to think
"so, if I did not intend this desperate method for a good ob-
"ject. Listen to me: great Lords don't feel it in their scalp
"when their subjects are torn bythehair; one has to griptheir
"own locks, as the only way to give them pain. '" ("These
11*
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? 164 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
21st Jan. 1761.
"last words the King said in a sharper tone: he again made
"his apology for the resolution he had formed; and renewed
"his Order. With the modesty usual to him, but also with
"manliness, Saldern replied:)
Saldern. '"Order me, your Majesty, to attack the enemy
"and his batteries, I will on the instant cheerfully obey: but
"against honour, oath, and duty, I cannot, 1 dare not!
"The King," with voice gradually rising, I suppose, "re-
"peated his demonstration that the thing was proper, neces-
"sary in the circumstances; but Saldern, true to the inward
"voice, answered steadily:
Saldern. "'For this commission your Majesty will easily
"find another person in my stead. '"
King ("whirling hastily round, with an angry counten-
"ance," but, I should say, an admirable preservation of his
dignity in such extreme case). "Saldern, Er will nichtreich
"werden,-- Saldern, you refuse to become rich. " And exit,
leaving Saldern to his own stiff courses. *
Nothing remained for Saldern but to fall ill, and retire
from the Service; which he did: a man honourably ruined,
thought everybody; -- which did not prove to be the case, by
and by.
This surely is a remarkable Dialogue; far beyond
any of the Gellert kind. An absolute King and Com-
mander-in-Chief, and of such a type in both characters,
getting flat refusal once in his life (this once only, so
far as I know), and how he takes it: -- one wishes
Kiister, or somebody, had been able to go into more
details! -- Details on the Quintus-Icilius procedure,
which followed next day, would also have been rather
welcome, had Kiister seen good. It is well known,
Quintus Icilius and his Battalion, on order now given,
went cheerfully, next day, in Saldern's stead. And
sacked Hubertsburg Castle, to the due extent or far-
ther: 100,000 thalers (15,000/. ) were to be raised from
* Kiister, Charakterzuge des General-Lieutenant v. Saldern (Berlin,
1793), p. 39-44.
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-01. 165
21st Jan. 1761.
it for' the Field-Hospital behoof; the rest was to be
Quintus's own; who, it was thought, made an excellent
thing of it for himself. And in hauling out the furni-
tures, especially in selling them, Quintus having an
enterprising sharp head in trade affairs, "it is certain,"
says Kiister, as says everybody, "various Schdndlich-
"keiten (scandals) occurred, which were contrary to the
"King's intention, and would not have happened under
"Saldern. " What the scandals particularly were, is
not specified to me anywhere, though I have searched
up and down; much less the net amount of money
realised by Quintus. I know only, poor Quintus was
bantered about it, all his life after, by this merci-
less King; and at Potsdam, in years coming, had
ample time and admonition for what penitence was
needful.
"The case was much canvassed in the Army," says
poor Kiister; "it was the topic in every tent among
"Officers and common Men. And among us Army-
"Chaplains too," poor honest souls, "the question of
"conflicting duties arose: Your King ordering one thing,
"and your own Conscience another, what ought a man
"to do? What ought an Army-Chaplain to preach or
"advise? And considerable mutual light in regard to
"it we struck out from one another, and saw how a
"prudent Army-Chaplain might steer his way. Our
"general conclusion was, That neither the King nor
"Saldern could well be called wrong. Saldern listening
"to the inner voice; right he, for certain. But withal
"the King, in his place, might judge such a thing ex-
pedient and fit; perhaps Saldern himself would,
"had Saldern been King of Prussia there in January
"1761. "
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?
"Letter-writing was of use to the rising generation, in its time.
"Clearly an amiable, ingenious, correct, altogether good
"man; of pious mind, -- and, what was more, of strictly or-
thodox, according to the then Saxon standard in the best
"circles. This was the figure of his Life for the last fifteen
"years of it; and he was now about the middle of that culmi-
"nating period. Amodest, despondent kind ofman, given
"to indigestions, dietetics, hypochondria: 'of neat figure
"and dress; nose hooked, but not too much; eyes mourn-
"fully blue and beautiful, fine open brow;' -- a fine coun-
tenance, and fine soul of its sort, poor Gellert: 'punctual
"like the church-clock at divine service, in all weathers. ' *
"A man of some real intellect and melody; some, by no
"means much; who was of amiable meek demeanour; studious
"to offend nobody, and to do whatever good he could by the
"established methods; -- and who, what was the great secret
"of his success, was of orthodoxy perfect and eminent. Whom,
"accordingly, the whole world, polite Saxon orthodox world,
"hailed as its Evangelist and Trismegistus. Essentially a
"commonplace man; but who employed himself in beautify -"ing and illuminating the commonplace of his day and gene-
"ration: -- infinitely to the satisfaction of said generation.
"' How charming that you should make thinkable to us, make
"vocal, musical, and comfortably certain, what we were all
"inclined to think; you creature plainly divine! ' And the
* Jordens, Lexikon Deutscher Dichler und Prosaislen (Leipzig, 1807), IX.
64-68 (6 Gellert).
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? 156 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
18th Dec. 1760.
"homages to Gellert were unlimited and continual, not plea-
"sant all of them to an idlish man in weak health.
"Mitchell and Quintus Icilius, who are often urging on
"the King that a new German Literature is springing up, of
"far more importance than the King thinks, have spoken
"much to him of Gellert the Trismegistus; -- and, at length,
"in the course of a ten days from Friedrich's arrival here,
"actual Interview ensues. 1 he Dialogue, though it is but dull
"and watery to a modern palate, shall be given entire, for
"the sake of one of the Interlocutors. The Report of it,
"gleaned gradually from Gellert himself, and printed, not
"long afterwards, from his manuscripts or those of others:, is
"to be taken as perfectly faithful. Gellert, writing to his in-
"quiring Friend Rabener (a then celebrated Berlin Wit),
"describes, fromLeipzig, '29th January 1760,' or about six
"weeks after the event: 'How, one day about the middle of
"December, Quintus Icilius suddenly came to my poor
"Lodging here, to carry me to the King. ' Am too ill to go.
"Quintus will excuse me today; but will return tomorrow,
"when no excuse shall avail. Did go accordingly next day,
"Thursday 18th December, 4 o'clock of the afternoon; and
"continued till a quarter to 6. 'Had nothing of fear in speak "ing to the King. Recited my Maler zu Athen. ' King said,
"at parting, he would send for me again. 'The English Am-
bassador (Mitchell), 'an excellent man, was probably the
"cause of the King's wish to see me. ' . . . . 'The King spoke
"sometimes German, sometimes French; I mostly German. ' *
"As follows:
King. "Are you (Er) the Professor Gellert? " Gellert.
"Yea, Ih. ro Majestat. "
King. "The English Ambassador has spoken highly of
"you to me. Where do you come from? " Gellert. "From
"Hainichen, near Freyberg. "
King. "Have not you a brother at Freyberg? "
Gellert. "Yea, Ihro Majestctt. "
King. "Tell me why we have no good German Authors. "
Major Quintus Icilius (puts in a word). "Your Majesty,
"you see here one before you; -- one whom the French them- * Gellert'i Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius; herausgegeben von F. A
Ebert (Leipzig, 1823), pp. 629, 631.
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-61. 157
18th Dec. 1760.
"selves have translated, calling him the German La Fon-
"taine! "
King. "That is much. Have you read La Fontaine? "
Gellert. "Yes, your Majesty; but have not imitated: I
"am original (ich bin ein Original). "
King. "Well, this is one good Author among the Ger-
"mans; but why have not we more? " Gellert. "Your "Majesty has a prejudice against the Germans. "
King. "No; I can't say that (Nein; doss kann ich nichl
"sagen). " '?
Gellert. "At least, against German writers. "
King. "Well, perhaps. Why have we no good Historians?
"Why does no one undertake a Translation of Tacitus? "
Gellert. "Tacitus is difficult to translate; and the French
"themselves have but bad Translations of him. "
King. "That is true (Da hat Er Recht). "
Gellert. "And, on the whole, various reasons may be
"given why the Germans have not yet distinguished them-
"selves in every kind of writing. While Arts and Sciences
"were in their flower among the Greeks, the Romans were
"still busy in War. Perhaps this is the Warlike Era of the
"Germans: -- perhaps also they have yet wanted Augustuses
''and Louis-Fourteenths! "
King. "How, would you wish one Augustus, then, for all
"Germany? " Gellert. "Not altogether that; I could
"wish only that every Sovereign encouraged men of genius in
"his own country. "
King (starting a new subject). "Have you never been
"out of Saxony? " Gellert. "I have been in Berlin. "
King. "You should travel. " Gellert. "Thro MajestUt,
"for that I need two things, -- health and means. "
King. "What is your complaint? Is it diegelehrte Krank-
aheit (Disease of the Learned," Dyspepsia so-called)? "I
"have myself suffered from that. I will prescribe for you.
"You must ride daily, and take a dose of rhubarb every
"week. "
Gellert. "Ach, Thro Majeslat: if the horse were as weak as
"I am, he would be of no use to me; if he were stronger, I
"should be too weak to manage him. " (Mark this of the
Horse, however; a tale hangs by it. )
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? 158 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
18th Dec. 1760.
King. "Then you must drive out. " Gellert. "For that
"I am deficient in the means. "
King. "Yes, that is true; that is what Authors (Gelehrte)
"in Deutschland are always deficient in. I suppose these
"are bad times, are not they? " Gellert. "Jawohl; and
"if your Majesty would grant us Peace (den Frieden geben
"wollten)--"
King. "How can I? Have not you heard, then? There
"are three of them against me (Es sindja drei wider mich) I"
Gellert. "I have more to do with the Ancients and their
"History than with the Moderns. "
King (changing the topic). "What do you think, is Homer
"or Virgil the finer as an Epic Poet? " Gellert. "Homer,
"as the more original. "
King. "But Virgil is much more polished (vielpolirter). "
Gellert. "We are too far removed from Homer's times to
"judge of his language. I trust to Quinctilian in that respect,
"who prefers Homer.
King. "But one should not be a slave to the opinion of the
"Ancients. " Gellert. "Nor am I that. I follow them "only in cases where, owing to the distance, I cannot judge
"for myself. "
Major Icilius (again giving a slight fillip or suggestion).
"He," the Herr Professor here, "has also treated of German
"Letter-writing, and has published specimens. "
King. "So? But have you written against the Chancery
"Style, then" (the painfully solemn style, of ceremonial and
circumlocution; Letters written so as to be mainly wig and
buckram)?
Gellert. "Achja, that have I, Ihro Majestat! "
King. "But why doesn't it change? The Devil must be
"in it (Es ist etwas Verteufeltes). They bring me whole sheets
"of that stuff, and I can make nothing of it! Gellert. "If
"your Majesty cannot alter it, still less can I. I can only re-
commend, where you command. "
King. "Can you repeat any of your Fables? Gellert. "I
"doubt it; my memory is very treacherous. "
King. "Bethink you a little; I will walk about" (Gellert
bethinks him, brow puckered. King, seeing the brow un-
pucker itself). "Well, have you one? " Gellert. "Yes,
"your Majesty: The Painter. " Gellert recites ("voice plain-
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-61. 159
18th Dec. 1760.
tive and hollow;" somewhat preachy, I should doubt, but not
cracked or shrieky); -- we condense him into prose abridg-
ment for English readers; German can look at the bottom of
the page:*
"'A prudent Painter in Athens, more intent on excellence than on
"'money, had done a God of War; and sent for a real Critic to give him
"'his opinion of it. ' On survey, the Critic shook his head: 'Too much
"'Art visible; won't do, my friend! ' The Painter strove to think other-
"wise; and was still arguing, when a young Coxcomb" (Geek, Gawk),
"stept in: 'Gods, what a masterpiece! ' cried he at the first glance: 'Ah,
"'that foot, those exquisitely-wrought toe-nails; helm, shield, mail, what
"'opulence of Art!
' The sorrowful Painter looked penitentially at the
"real Critic, looked at his brush; and the instant this Geek was gone,
"struck out his God of War. "
King. "And the Moral? "
Geliert (stillreciting):
"' When the Critic does not like thy Bit of Writing, it is a bad sign for
"'thee; but when the Fool admires, it is time thou at once strike it out. '"
King. "That is excellent; very fine indeed. You have a
"something of soft and flowing in your verses; them I under-
* "Ein kluger Maler in Athen,
Der minder, weil man ihn bezahlte,
Als weil er Ehre suchte, malte,
fyiess einen Kenner einst den Mars
im Hilde sehn,
Und hat sich seine Meinung aus.
Der Kenner sagt ihm frei heraus,
Dass ihm das Bild nicht ganz gefal-
len wollte,
Und dass es,um recht scho? n zu sein,
Weit minder Kunst verrathen sollte.
Der Maler wandle vieles ein;
Der Kenner stritt mit ihm aus Gru? n-
den,
Undkonntihn doch nicht u? berwinden.
Gleich trat ein junger Geck herein,
Und nahm das Bild in Augenschein.
'0/ rief er, bei dem ersten Blicke,
'Ihr Go? tter, welch ein Meisterstu? cke!
Ach, welcher Fuss! 0, wie geschickt
Sind nicht die Na? gel ausgedru? ckt!
Mars lebt durchaus in diesem Bilde*
Wie viele Kunst, wie viele Pi'acht,
Ist in dem Helm und in dem Schilde,
Und in der Bu? slung angebracht! ''
Der Maler ward bescha? mt geru? hret,
Und sah den Kenner kla? glich an.
rNun/ sprach er, 'bin ich u? berfu? h-
ret!
Ihr habt mir nicht zu viel gethanS
Der junge Geck war kaum hinaus,
So strich er seinen Kriegsgott aus. "
t MORAL.
"Wenn deine Schrift dem Kenner Doch, wenn sie gar des Narren Lob
nicht gefa? llt, erha? lt,
So ist es schon ein bo? ses Zeichen; So ist es Zeit, sie auszustreichen" --
(Geliert's Werke: Leipzig, 1840: 1. 136. )
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? 160 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
18th Dec. 1760.
"stand altogether. But there was Gottsched, one day, read-
"ing me his Translation of Iphigenie; I had the French Copy
"in my hand, and could not understand a word of him" (a
Swan of Saxony, labouring in vain, that day)! "Theyre-
"commended me another Poet, one Peitsch (Herr Peitsch
ofKonisberg, Hofrath, Doctor and Professor there, Gott-
sched's Master in Art; edited by Gottsched thirty years ago:
now become a dumb idol, though at one time a god con-
fessed); "him I flung away. "
Gellert. "Ihro Majestat, him I also fling away. "
King. "Well, if I continue here, you must come again
"often; bring your Fables with you, and read me some-
"thing. "
Gellert. "I know not if I can read well; I have the singing
"kind of tone, native to the Hill Country. "
King. uJa, like the Silesians. No, you must read me the
"Fables yourself; they lose a great deal otherwise. Come
"back soon. "* (Exit Gellert. )
King (to Icilius, as we learn from a different Record).
"That is quite another man than Gottsched! " (Exeunt
omnes. )
The modest Gellert says he "remembered Jesus
Sirach's advice, Press not thyself on Kings,-- and never
came back;" nor was specially sent for, in the hurries
succeeding; though the King never quite forgot him.
Next day, at dinner, the King said, "He is the rea-
"sonablest man of all the German Literary People,
"(Test le plus raisonnable de tous les Savans Allemands. "
And to Garve, at Breslau, years afterwards: "Gellert
"is the only German that will reach posterity; his de-
partment is small, but he has worked in it with real
"felicity. " And indeed the King had, before that, as
practical result of the Gellert Dialogue, managed to set
* Gellert's Briefmechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius (already cited), pp. 632
et acq.
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? CHAP. vI. ] 'WIIsTER-QUAETEBS 1760-61. 161
18th Dec. 1760.
some Berlin Bookseller upon printing of these eligible
Fables, "for the use of our Prussian Schools;" in which
and other capacities the Fables still serve with accept-
ance, there and elsewhere. *
In regard to Gellert's Horse-exercise, I had still to
remember that Gellert, not long after, did get a Horse;
two successive Horses; both highly remarkable. The
first especially; which was Prince Henri's gift: "The
"Horse Prince Henri had ridden at the Battle of Frey-
"berg" (Battle to be mentioned hereafter); -- quadruped
that must have been astonished at itself! But a pretty
enough gift from the warlike admiring Prince to his
dyspeptic Great Man. This Horse having yielded to
Time, the very Kurfiirst (grandson of Polish Majesty
that now is) sent Gellert another, housing and furniture
complete; mounted on which, Gellert and it were
among the sights of Leipzig; -- well enough known
here to young Goethe, in his College days, who used
to meet the great man and princely horse, and do sa-
lutation, with perhaps some twinkle of scepticism in the
corner of his eye. ** Poor Gellert fell seriously ill in
December 1769; to the fear and grief of all the world:
"estafettes from the Kurfiirst himself galloped daily, or
"oftener, from Dresden for the sick bulletin;" but poor
Gellert died, all the same (13th of that month); and
we have (really with pathetic thoughts, even we) to bid
his amiable existence in this world, his bits of glories
and him, adieu forever.
* Preuss, n. 274.
** Dichtumj und Wuhrheit, Theil n. Buch 6 (in Goethe's Werke, xxv. 51
et seq. J.
Carlyle, Frederick the Great. XII. 11
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? 162 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
21st Jan. 1761.
Dialogue with General Saldern (in the Apel House,
Leipzig, 21st January 1761).
Four or five weeks after this of Gellert, Friedrich
had another Dialogue, which also is partly on record,
and is of more importance to us here: Dialogue with
Major-General Saldern; on a certain business, delicate,
yet profitable to the doer, -- nobody so fit for it as
Saldern, thinks the King. Saldern is he who did that
extraordinary feat of packing the wrecks of battle on
the Field of Liegnitz; a fine, clear-flowing, silent kind
of man, rapid and steady, with a great deal of methodic
and other good faculty in him, -- more, perhaps, than
he himself yet knows of. Him the King has sent for,
this morning; and it is on the business of Polish Ma-
jesty's Royal Hunting-Schloss at Hubertsburg,-- which
is a thing otherwise worth some notice from us.
For three months long, the King had been repre-
senting, in the proper quarters, what plunderings, and
riotous and even disgusting savageries, the Saxons had
perpetrated at Charlottenburg, Schonhausen, Friedrichs-
feld, in October last, while masters there for a few days:
but neither in Reichs Diet, where Plotho was eloquent,
nor elsewhere by the Diplomatic method, could he get
the least redress, or one civil word of regret. From
Polish Majesty himself, to whom Friedrich remonstrated
the matter, through the English Resident at Warsaw,
Friedrich had expected regret; but he got none. Some
think he had hoped that Polish Majesty, touched by
these horrors of war, and by the reciprocities evidently
liable to follow, might be induced to try something to-
wards mediating a General Peace: but Polish Majesty
did not; Polish Majesty answered simply nothing at
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-61. 163
21st Jan. 1761. '
all, nor would get into any correspondence: upon which
Friedrich, possibly a little piqued withal, had at length
determined on retaliation.
Within our cantonments, reflects Friedrich, here is
Hubertsburg Schloss, with such a hunting apparatus in
and around it; Polish Majesty's Hertzblatt ("lid of the
heart" as they call it; breastbone, at least, and pit of
his stomach, which inclines to nothing but hunting):
let his Hubertsburg become as our Charlottenburg is;
perhaps that will touch his feelings! Friedrich had
formed this resolution; and, Wednesday January 21st,
sends for Saldern, one of the most exact, deft-going,
and punctiliously honourable of all his Generals, to
execute it. Enter Saldern accordingly, -- royal
Audience-room "in the Apel'sche Haul, New Neumarkt,
No. 16," as above; -- to whom (one Kiister, a reliable
creature, reporting for us on Saldern's behalf) the
King says, in the distinct slowish tone of a King giving
orders:
King. "' Saldern, tomorrow morning you go'" (Er, He goes)
"'with a detachment of Infantry and Cavalry, in all silence,
"to Hubertsburg; beset the Schloss, get all the furnitures
"carefully packed up and invoiced. I want nothing with
"them; the money they bring I mean to bestow on our Field
"Hospitals, and will not forget you in disposing of it. '"
"Saldern, usually so prompt with his lJa' on any Order
"from the King, looks embarrassed, stands silent, -- to the
"King's great surprise; -- and after a moment or two says:
Saldern. "' Forgive me, your Majesty: but this is contrary
"to my honour and my oath. '"
King (still in a calm tone). "'You would be right to think
"so, if I did not intend this desperate method for a good ob-
"ject. Listen to me: great Lords don't feel it in their scalp
"when their subjects are torn bythehair; one has to griptheir
"own locks, as the only way to give them pain. '" ("These
11*
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? 164 FRIEDRICH NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XX.
21st Jan. 1761.
"last words the King said in a sharper tone: he again made
"his apology for the resolution he had formed; and renewed
"his Order. With the modesty usual to him, but also with
"manliness, Saldern replied:)
Saldern. '"Order me, your Majesty, to attack the enemy
"and his batteries, I will on the instant cheerfully obey: but
"against honour, oath, and duty, I cannot, 1 dare not!
"The King," with voice gradually rising, I suppose, "re-
"peated his demonstration that the thing was proper, neces-
"sary in the circumstances; but Saldern, true to the inward
"voice, answered steadily:
Saldern. "'For this commission your Majesty will easily
"find another person in my stead. '"
King ("whirling hastily round, with an angry counten-
"ance," but, I should say, an admirable preservation of his
dignity in such extreme case). "Saldern, Er will nichtreich
"werden,-- Saldern, you refuse to become rich. " And exit,
leaving Saldern to his own stiff courses. *
Nothing remained for Saldern but to fall ill, and retire
from the Service; which he did: a man honourably ruined,
thought everybody; -- which did not prove to be the case, by
and by.
This surely is a remarkable Dialogue; far beyond
any of the Gellert kind. An absolute King and Com-
mander-in-Chief, and of such a type in both characters,
getting flat refusal once in his life (this once only, so
far as I know), and how he takes it: -- one wishes
Kiister, or somebody, had been able to go into more
details! -- Details on the Quintus-Icilius procedure,
which followed next day, would also have been rather
welcome, had Kiister seen good. It is well known,
Quintus Icilius and his Battalion, on order now given,
went cheerfully, next day, in Saldern's stead. And
sacked Hubertsburg Castle, to the due extent or far-
ther: 100,000 thalers (15,000/. ) were to be raised from
* Kiister, Charakterzuge des General-Lieutenant v. Saldern (Berlin,
1793), p. 39-44.
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? CHAP. vI. ] WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-01. 165
21st Jan. 1761.
it for' the Field-Hospital behoof; the rest was to be
Quintus's own; who, it was thought, made an excellent
thing of it for himself. And in hauling out the furni-
tures, especially in selling them, Quintus having an
enterprising sharp head in trade affairs, "it is certain,"
says Kiister, as says everybody, "various Schdndlich-
"keiten (scandals) occurred, which were contrary to the
"King's intention, and would not have happened under
"Saldern. " What the scandals particularly were, is
not specified to me anywhere, though I have searched
up and down; much less the net amount of money
realised by Quintus. I know only, poor Quintus was
bantered about it, all his life after, by this merci-
less King; and at Potsdam, in years coming, had
ample time and admonition for what penitence was
needful.
"The case was much canvassed in the Army," says
poor Kiister; "it was the topic in every tent among
"Officers and common Men. And among us Army-
"Chaplains too," poor honest souls, "the question of
"conflicting duties arose: Your King ordering one thing,
"and your own Conscience another, what ought a man
"to do? What ought an Army-Chaplain to preach or
"advise? And considerable mutual light in regard to
"it we struck out from one another, and saw how a
"prudent Army-Chaplain might steer his way. Our
"general conclusion was, That neither the King nor
"Saldern could well be called wrong. Saldern listening
"to the inner voice; right he, for certain. But withal
"the King, in his place, might judge such a thing ex-
pedient and fit; perhaps Saldern himself would,
"had Saldern been King of Prussia there in January
"1761. "
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?
