No More Learning

gates are hermetically shut; -- plenty of emotion
bottled in the 100,000 hearts within. The sentries on
the walls presented arms; nay, it is affirmed, some
could not help exclaiming, "Willkommen, Ihr Lieben
Herrn (Welcome, dear Sirs)! "*
Colonel Posadowsky (active Horse Colonel whom
we have seen before, who perhaps has been in Breslau
before) left orders "at the Scultet Garden-House," that
all must be ready and the rooms heated, his Majesty
intending to arrive here, early on the morrow. Which
happened accordingly; Majesty alighting duly at said
Garden-House, near by the Schweidnitz Gate, -- I
fancy almost before break of day.
* Ilelden-Geschichle, i. 53i.
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? CHAP. IV. ] BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE.
219
1st Jan. 1741.
CHAPTER IV.
BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE.
The issue of this Breslau transaction is known, or
could be stated in few words; nor is the manner of it
such as would, for Breslau's sake, deserve many. But
we are looking into Friedrich, wish to know his man-
ners and aspects; and here, ready to our hand, a Paper
turns up, compiled by an exact person with better
leisure than ours, minutely detailing every part of the
affair. This Paper, after the question, Burn or insert?
is to have the lot of appearing here, with what abridg-
ments are possible:
"Sunday, 1st January 1741. The King having established
"himself in Herrn Scultet's Garden-House, not far from the
"Schweidnitz Gate, there began a delicate and great opera-
"tion. The Prussians, in a soft cautious manner, in the gray
"of the morning, push out their sentries towards the Three
"Gates on this side of the Oder; seize any 'Excise House,' or
"the like, that may be fit for a post; and softly put 'twenty
"grenadiers' in it. All this before sunrise. Breslau is rigidly
"shut; Breslau thought always it could stand upon its guard,
"if attacked;--is now, in Official quarters, dismally uncertain
"if it can; general population becoming certain that it cannot,
"and waiting anxious on the development of this grand
"drama.
"About 7 a. m. a Prussian subaltern advancing within cry
"of the Schweidnitz Gate, requests of the Town-guard there,
"To send him out a Town-Officer. Town-Officer appears; is
"informed, 'That Colonels Posadowsky and Borck, Com-
"missioners or plenipotentiary Messengers from his Prussian
"Majesty* desire admittance to the Chief Magistrate of Bres-
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? 220
[book xn.
FIRST SILESIAN WAR.
2d Jan. 1741.
"lau, for the purpose of signifying what his Prussian Majesty's
"instructions are. ' Town Officer bows, and goes upon his
"errand. Town-Officer is some considerable time before he
"can return; City Authorities being, as we know, various,
"partly Imperial, partly Civic; elderly; and some of them
"gone to church, -- for matins, or to be out of the way.
"However, he does at last return; admits the two Colonels,
"and escorts them honourably, to the Chief Raths-Syndic
". (Lord-Mayor) old Herr von Gutzmar's; where the poor old
"'President of the Ober-Amt' (Von Schaffgotsch the name of
"this latter) is likewise in attendance.
"Prussian Majesty's proposals are of the mildest sort:
"'Nothing demanded of Breslau but the plainly indispensable
"and indisputable, That Prussia be in it what Austria has
"been. In all else, status quo. Strict neutrality to Breslau,
"respect for its privileges as a Free City of the Reich; pro-
"tection to all its rights and privileges whatsoever. Shall be
"guarded by its own Garrison; no Prussian soldier to enter
"except with side-arms; only 30 guards for the King's person,
"who will visit the City for a few days; -- intends to form a
"Magazine, with guard of 1,000 men, but only outside the
"City: no requisitions; ready money for everything. Chief
"Syndic Gutzmar and President Schaffgotsch shall consider
"these points. '* Syndic and President answef, Surely!
"Cannot, however, decide till they have assembled the Town-
"Rath; the two Herren Colonels will please to be guests of
"Breslau, and lodge in the City till then.
"And they lodged, accordingly, in the 'Grosse Ring'
"(called also Salz-Ring, big Central Square, where theRath-
"haus is); and they made and received visits, -- visited
"especially the Chief President's Office, the Ober-Amt, and
"signified there, that his Prussian Majesty's expectation was,
"They would give some account of that rather high Procla-
"mation or' Patent' they had published against him the other
"day, amid thunder and lightning here, and what they now
"thought would be expedient upon it? All in grave official
"terms, but of such a purport as was not exhilarating to every-
"body in those Ober-Amt localities.
"Monday morning, 2d January. The Rath is assembled;
"and consults, -- consults at great length. . Raft-House and
* llelden-Geschichte, i. 537.
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? CHAP. IV. ] BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE.
221
2d Jan. 174L
Syndic Gutzmar,' in such crisis, would fain have advice
"from Ami-House or President Schaffgotsch; but can get
"none: considerable coming and going between them: at
"length, about3 in the afternoon, the Treaty is got drawn
"up; is signed by the due Breslau hands, and by the two
"Prussian Colonels, -- which latter ride out with it, about 4 of
"the clock; victorious after thirty hours. Straight towards
"the Scultet Garden ride they; Town-guard presenting Arms,
"at the Schweidnitz Gate; nay Town-band breaking out into
"music, which is never done but to Ambassadors and high
"people. By thirty hours of steady soft pressure, they have
"Friedrich had waited patiently all Sunday, keeping
"steady guard at the Gates; but on Monday, naturally, the
"thirty hours began to hang heavy: at all events, he perceived
"that it would be well to facilitate conclusions a little from
"without. Breslau stands on the West, more strictly speaking,
"on the South side of the Oder, which makes an elbow here,
"and thus bounds it, or mostly bounds it, on two sides. The
"big drab-coloured River spreads out into Islands, of a con-
"fused sort, as it passes; which are partly built upon, and con-
stitute suburbs of the Town, -- stretching over, here and
"there, into straggles of farther suburb beyond the River,
"where a road with its bridge happens to cross for the Eastern
"parts. The principal of these Islands is the Dom Insel,"
-- known to General Browne and us, -- "on which is the Ca-
thedral, and the Close with rich Canons and their edifices;
"Island filled with strong high architecture; and a superior
"military post.
"Friedrich has already as good as possessed himself of the
"Three landward Gates, which look to the south and to the
"west; the riverward Gates, or those on the north and the
"east, he perceives that it were good now also to have; these,
"and even perhaps something more? 'Gather all the river-
"boats, make a bridge of them across the Oder; push across
"the Oder; push across 400 men:' this is done on Monday
"morning, under the King's own eye. This done, 'March up
"to that riverward Gate, and also to that other, in a mild but
"dangerous-looking manner; hew the beams of said Gate in
"two; start the big locks; fling wide open said Gate and
"Gates:' this too is done; Town-guard looking mournfully
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? 222 FIRST SILESIASt WAR. [BOOKXn.
2d Jan. 1741.
"on. This done, 'March forward swiftly, in two halves,
"without beat of drum, -- whitherward you know! '
"Those three hundred Austrian Dragoons, we saw them
"leave the Dom Island, three days ago; there are at present
"only Six Men, of the Bishop's Guard, walking under arms
"there, -- at the end of the chief bridge, on the Townward
"side of their Dom Island. See, Prussian caps and muskets,
"ye six men under arms! The six men clutch at their draw-
"bridge, and hastily set about hoisting: -- alas, another
"Prussian corps, which has come privately by the eastern (or
"Country-ward) Bridge, King himself with it, taps them on
"the shoulder at this instant; mildly constrains the six into
"their guardhouse: the drawbridge falls; 400 Prussian
"grenadiers take quiet possession of the Dom Island: King
"may return to the Scultet Garden, having quickened the
"lazy hours in this manner. To such of the Canons as he came
"upon, his Majesty was most polite; they most submiss. The
"six soldiers of the drawbridge, having spoken a little loud,--
"still more a too zealous beef-eater of old Schaffgotsch's
"found here, who had been very loud,-- were put under
"arrest; but more for form's sake; and were let go, in a day or
"two. "
Nothing could be gentler on Friedrich's part, and
on that of his Two Colonels, than this delicate opera-
tion throughout: -- and at 4 p. m. , after thirty hours of
waiting, it is done, and nobody's skin scratched. Old
Syndic Gutzmar, and the Town-Rath, urged by perils
and a Town Population who are Protestant, have
signed the Surrender with goodwill, at least with
resignation, and a feeling of relief. The Ober-Amt
Officials have likewise had to sign; full of all the
silent spleen and despondency which is natural to the
situation: spleen which, in the case of old Schaffgotsch,
weak with age, becomes passionately audible here and
there. He will have to give account of that injurious
Proclamation, or Queen's "Patent," to this King that
has now come.
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? CHAP. IV. ] , BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE. 223
2d Jan. 1741.
King enters Breslau; stays there, gracious and vigilant,
Four Days (Jan. 2d-6th, 1741).
In the Royal Entrance which took place next day,
note these points. Syndic Gutzmar and the Authorities
came out, in grand coaches, at 8 in the morning; had
to wait a while; the King, having ridden away to look
after his manifold affairs, did not get back till 10.
Town Guard and Garrison are all drawn out; Gates
all flung open, Prussian sentries withdrawn from them,
and from the Excise-houses they had seized: King's
Kitchen-and-Proviant Carriages (four mules to each,
with bells, with uncommonly rich housings): King's
Body-Coach very grand indeed, and grandly escorted,
the Thirty Bodyguards riding ahead; but nothing in
it, only a most superfine cloak "lined wholly with
ermine" flung upon the seat. Other Coaches, more or
less grandly escorted; Head Cupbearers, Seneschals,
Princes, Margraves: -- but where is the King? King
had ridden away, a second time, with chief Generals,
taking survey of the Town Walls, round as far as the
Ziegel- Thor (Tile-Gate, extreme south-east, by the river-
edge): he has thus made the whole circuit of Breslau;
-- unwearied in picking up useful knowledge, "though
it was very cold," while that Procession of Coaches
went on.
At noon, his Majesty, thrifty of time, did enter: on
horseback, Schwerin riding with him; behind him mis-
cellaneous chief Officers; Borck and Posadowsky among
others; some miscellany of Page-people following. With
this natural escort, he rode in; Town-Major (comman-
dant of Town-guard), with drawn sword, going ahead;
-- King wore his usual Cocked Hat, and practical
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? 224
FIRST SILESIAN WAR. [bookXe
2d-6th Jan. 1741.
Blue Cloak, both a little dimmed by service: but his
gray horse was admirable; and Four scarlet Footmen,
grand as galoon and silver fringe could make them,
did the due magnificence in dress. He was very gra-
cious; saluting to this side and to that, where he noticed
people of condition in the windows. "Along Schweid-
nitz Street, across the Great Ring, down Albreclit
Street. " He alighted, to lodge, at the Count-Schlegen-
berg House; which used to be the Austrian Cardinal
von Sinzendorf, Primate of Silesia's hired lodging, --
Sinzendorfs furniture is put gently. aside, on this new
occasion. King came on the balcony; and stood there
for some minutes, that everybody might see him. The
"immense shoutings," Dryasdust assures me, have been
exaggerated; and I am warned not to believe the
Kriegs-Fama such and such a Number, except after
comparing it with him. -- That day there was dinner
of more than thirty covers, Chief Syndic Gutzmar
and other such guests; but as to the viands, says my
friend, these, owing to the haste, were nothing to
speak of. *
Dinner, better and better ordered, King more and
more gracious, so it continued all the four days of his
Majesty's stay: -- on the second day he had to rise
suddenly from table, and leave his guests with an
apology; something having gone awry, at one of the
Gates. Awry there, between the Town Authorities and
a General Jeetz of his, -- who is on march across the
River at this moment (on what errand we shall hear),
and a little mistakes the terms. His Majesty puts
Jeetz right; and even waits, till he see his Brigade
and him clear across. A junior Schaffgotsch, ** not the
* Helden-Geschichle, i. 545-548. ** lb. ii. 159.
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? CHAP. IV. ] BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE. 225
2d-6th Jan. 1741.
inconsolable Schaffgotsch senior, but his Nephew, was
one of the guests this second day; an ecclesiastic, but
of witty fashionable type, and I think a very worthless
fellow, though of a family important in the Province.
Dinner falls about noon; does not last above two hours
or three, so that there is space for a ride ("to the
Dom," the first afternoon, "four runners" always), and
for much in-door work, before the supper-hour.
As the Austrian Authorities sat silent in their place,
and gave no explanation of that "Patent," affixed
amid thunder and lightning, -- they got orders from
his Majesty to go their ways next day; and went. In
behalf of old President von Schaffgotsch, a chief of the
Silesian Nobility, and man much loved, the Breslau
people, and men from every guild and rank of society,
made petition. That he should be allowed to continue
in his Town House here. Which "first request of
yours" his Majesty, with much grace, is sorry to be
obliged to refuse. The suppressed, and insuppressible,
weak indignation of old Schaffgotsch is visible on the
occasion; nor, I think, does Friedrich take it ill; only
sends him out of the way with it, for the time. The
Austrian Ober-Amt vanished bodily from Breslau in
this manner; and never returned. Proper "War-Com-
mission [Feld-Kriegs-Commissariai)" with Munchow, one
of those skilful Cilstrin Miinchows, at the top of it,
organised itself instead; which, almost of necessity,
became Supreme Government in a City ungoverned
otherwise: -- and truly there was little regret of the
Ober-Amt, in Breslau; and ever less, to a marked ex-
tent, as the years went on.
On the 5th of January (fourth and last night here),
his Majesty gave a grand Ball. Had hired, or Colonel
Carlyle, Frederick the Great. VI. 15
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? 226
FIRST SILESIAN WAR. [book mi.
2d-6th Jan. 1741.
Posadowsky instead of him had hired, the Assembly
Rooms (Redouten Saat) for the purpose: "Invite all the
the Nobility high and low;" -- expense by estimate is
a ducat (half-guinea) each; do it well, and his Majesty
will pay. About 6 in the evening, his Majesty in per-
son did us the honour to drive over; opened the Ball
with Madam the Countess von Schlegenberg (I should
guess, a Dowager Lady), in whose house he lodges. I
am not aware that his Majesty danced much farther;
but he was very condescending, and spoke and smiled
up and down; -- till, about 10 p. m. , an Officer came
in with a Letter. Which Letter his Majesty having
read, and seemingly asked a question or two in regard
to, put silently in his pocket, as if it were a finished
thing. Nevertheless, after a few minutes, his Majesty
was found to have silently withdrawn; and did not
return, not even to supper.
Perceiving which, all the
Prussian official people gradually withdrew; though
the dancing and supping continued not the less, to a
late hour. *
"Open the Austrian Mail-bag (Felleisen)' see a little
what they are saying over there! " Such order had
evidently been given, this night. In consequence of
which people wrote by Dresden, and not the direct
way, in future; wishing to avoid that openable Fell-
eisen. Next morning, January 6th, his Majesty had
left for Ohlau, -- early I suppose; though there
proved to be nothing dangerous ahead there, after all
* Helden-Geschichte, i. 557.
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? CHAP, v. ] FORWARD ON BRIEG AND NEISSE.
227
7th-12th Jan. 1741.
CHAPTER V.
FE1EDRICH PUSHES FORWARD TOWARDS BRIEG AND NEISSE.
Ohlau is a pleasant little Town, two marches
south-east of Breslau; with the Ohlau River on one
side, and the Oder on the other; capable of some de-
fence, were there a garrison. Brieg the important
Fortress, still on the Oder, is some fifteen miles beyond
Ohlau; after which, bending straight south and quitting
Oder, Neisse the still more important may be thirty
miles: -- from Breslau to Neisse, by this route (which
is low, not string), sixty-five or seventy miles. One
of my Topographers yields this Note, if readers care
for it:
"Ohlau River, an insignificant drab-coloured stream, rises
"well south of Breslau, about Strehlen; makes, at first, direct
"westward towards the Oder; and then, when almost close
"upon it, breaks off to north, and saunters along, irregularly
"parallel to Oder, for twenty miles farther, before it can fall
"fairly in. To this circumstance both Breslau and a Town of
"Ohlau owe their existence; Towns, both of them, 'between
"the waters,' and otherwise well seated; Ohlau sheltering
"itself in the attempted outfall of its little river; Breslau
"clustering itself about the actual outfall: both very defensible
"places in the old rude time, and good for trade in all times.
"Both Oder and Ohlau Rivers have spilt and spread them
"selves into islands and deltas, a good deal, at their place of
"meeting; and even have changed their courses, and cut out
"new channels for themselves, in the sandy country; making
"a very intricate watery network of a site for Breslau: and
"indeed the Ohlau River here, for centuries back, has been
"compelled into wide meanderings, mere filling of rampart-
15*
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? 228 FIRST SILESIAN WAR. [bOOKXH.
7th-12th Jan. 1741.
"ditches, so that it issues quite obscurely, and in an artificial
"engineered condition, at Breslau. "
Ohlau had been expected to make some defence;
General Browne having thrown 300 men into it, and
done what he could for the works. And Ohlau did at
first threaten to make some; but thought better of it
over night, and in effect made none; but was got
(morning of January 9th) on the common terms, by
merely marching up to it in minatory posture. "Pri-
soners of War, if you make resistance; Free With-
drawal" (Liberty to march away, arms shouldered,
and not serve against us for a year), "if you have
made none;" this is the common course, where there
are Austrian Soldiers at all; the course where none are,
and only a few Syndics sit, with their Town-Key laid
on the table, a prey to the stronger hand, we have
already seen.
From Ohlau, proper Detachment, under General
Kleist is pushed forward to summon Brieg; Jeetz from
the other side of the river (whom we saw crossing at
Breslau the other day, interrupting his Majesty's din-
ner) is to cooperate with Kleist in that enterprise, --
were the Country once cleared on his, Jeetz's, east side
of Oder; especially were Namslau once had, a small
Town and Castle over there, which commands the
Polish and Hungarian road. Friedrich's hopes are
buoyant; Schwerin is swiftly trolling forward to right-
ward, nothing resisting him; Detachment is gone from
Schwerin, over the Hills, to Glatz (the Grafschafi, or
County Glatz, an Appendage to Schlesien), under ex-
cellent guidance; under guidance, namely, of Colonel
Camas, who has just come home from his Parisian
Embassy, and got launched among the wintry Moon-
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? CHAP, v. ] FORWARD ON BRIEG AND NEISSE. 229
7th-12th Jan. 1741.
tains, on a new operation, -- which, however, proves
of non-effect for the present. *
Indeed, it is observable that southward of Breslau
the dispute, what dispute there can be, properly be-
gins; and that General Browne is there, and shows
himself a shining man in this difficult position. It
must be owned, no General could have made his small
means go farther. Effective garrisons, 1,600 each, put
into Brieg and Neisse; works repaired, magazines col-
lected, there and elsewhere; the rest of his poor 7,000
thriftily sprinkled about, in what good posts there are,
and "capable of being got together in six hours;" a
superior soldier, this Browne, though with a very bad
task; and seems to have inspired everybody with some-
thing of his own temper. So that there is marching,
detaching, miscellaneous difficulty for Friedrich in this
quarter, more than had been expected. If the fate of
Brieg and Neisse be inevitable, Browne does wonders
to delay it.
Of the Prussian marches in these parts, recorded
by intricate Dryasdust, there was no point so notable
to me as this unrecorded one: the Stone Pillar which,
I see, the Kleist Detachment was sure to find, just now,
on the march from Ohlau to Brieg; last portion of that
march, between the village of Briesen and Brieg. The
Oder, flowing on your left hand, is hereabouts agree-
ably clothed with woods: the country, originally a
swamp, has been drained, and given to the plough, in
an agreeable manner; and* there is an excellent road
paved with solid whinstone, -- quarried in Strehlen,
* Helden-Geschichle, i. 678; Orlich, Geschichte der bciden Schlesischen
Kriege, 1. 49.
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? 230
FIRST SILESIAN WAR. [boOKTIT.
7th-12th Jan. 1741.
twenty miles away, among the Hills to the right
yonder, as you may guess, -- road very visible to the
Prussian soldier, though he does not ask where quar-
ried. These beautiful improvements, beautiful hu-
manities, -- were done by whom? "Done in 1584,"
say the records, by "George the Pious;" Duke of
Liegnitz, Brieg, and Wohlau; 156 years ago. "Pious"
his contemporaries called this George; -- he was son
of the Erbverhritderung Duke, who is so important to
us; he was grandfather's grandfather of the last Duke
of all; after whom it was we that should have got
these fine Territories; they should all have fallen to
the Great Elector, had not the Austrian strong hand
provided otherwise. George did these plantations,
recoveries to the plough; made this perennial whin-
stone road across the swamps; upon which, inotable to
the roughest Prussian (being "twelve feet high by
eight feet square"), rises a Hewn Mass with this In-
scription on it, -- not of the name or date of George;
but of a thought of his, which is not without a pious
beauty to me:
Slraverunt alii nobis, nos Postcritati;
Omnibus at Chrisms struvit ad astra viam.
Others have made roads for us; we make them for still others:
Christ made a road to the stars for us all. *
I know not how many Brandenburgers of General
Kleist's Detachment, or whether any, read this Stone:
but they do all rustle past it there, claiming the
Heritage of this Pious George; and their mute dim
interview with him, in this manner, is a thing slightly
more memorable than orders of the day, at this date.
It was on the 11th, two days after Ohlau, that
* Zollner, Briefe fiber Schktien, i. 175; Httbner, i. t. 101.
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? CHAP, v. ] FORWARD ON BRIEG AND NEISSE. 231
12th-15th Jan. 1741.
General Kleist summoned Brieg; and Brieg answered
resolutely, No. There is a garrison of 1,600 here, and
a proper magazine: nothing for it but to "mask"
Brieg too; Kleist on this side the River, Jeetz on that,
-- had Jeetz once done with Namslau, which he has
not by any means. Namslau's answer was likewise
stiffly in the negative; and Jeetz cannot do Namslau,
at least not the Castle, all at once; having no siege-
cannon. Seeing such stiffness everywhere, Friedrich
writes to Glogau, to the Young Dessauer, "Siege-artillery
hither! Swift, by the Oder; you don't need it where
you are! " -- and wishes it were arrived, for behoof of
Neisse and these stiff humours.
Friedrich comes across to Ottmachau; sits there, in survey
of Neisse, till his Cannon come.
The Prussians met with serious resistance, for the
first time (9th January, same day when Ohlau yielded),
at a place called Ottmachau; a considerable little Town
and Castle on the Neisse River, not far west of Neisse
Town, almost at the very south of Silesia. It lay on
the route of Schwerin's Column; long distances ahead
of Liegnitz, -- say, by straight highway a hundred
miles; -- during which, to right and to left, there had
been nothing but submission hitherto. No resistance
was expected here either, for there was not hope in
any; only that Browne had been here; industrious to
create delay till Neisse were got fully ready. He is,
by every means, girding up the loins of Neisse for a
tight defence; has put 1,600 men into it, with proper
stores for them, with a resolute skilful Captain at the
top of them: assiduous Browne had been at Ottmachau,
as the outpost of Neisse, a day or two before; and,
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? 232 FIRST SILESIAN WAR. [bookIII.
12th-15th Jan. 1741.
they say, had admonished them "Not to yield on any
terms, for he would certainly come to their relief. "
Which doubtless he would have done, had it been in
his power; but how, except by miracle, could it be?
On the 9th of January, when Schwerin comes up,
Browne is again waiting hereabouts. Again in defen-
sive posture, but without force to undertake anything;
stands on the Southern Uplands, with Bohmen and
Mahren and the Giant Mountains at his back; --
stands, so to speak, defensive at his own House-door,
in this manner; and will have, after seeing Ottmachau's
fate and Neisse's, to duck in with a slam! At any
rate, he had left these Towns in the above firm humour,
screwed to the sticking-place; and had then galloped
elsewhither to screw and prepare.
And so the Ottmachau Austrians, "260 picked
grenadiers" (400 dragoons there also at first were, who,
after flourishing about on the outskirts as if for fight-
ing, rode away), fire "desperat," says my intricate
friend;* entirely refusing terms from Schwerin; kill
twelve of his people (Major de Bege, distinguished
Engineer Major, one' of them): so that Schwerin has
to bring petards upon them, four cannon upon them;
and burst-in their Town Gate, almost their Castle
Gate, and pretty much their Castle itself; -- wasting
three days of his time upon this paltry matter. Upon
which they do signify a willingness for "Free With-
drawal. " "No, ihr Herren" answers Schwerin; "not
now; after such mad explosion. His Majesty will have
to settle it. " Majesty, who is by this time not far off,
comes over to Ottmachau (January 12th); gives words
of rebuke, rebuke not very inexorable; and admits
* Helden-Geschichte, i. 672-677; Orlich, 1. 50.
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? <<HAP. v. ] FORWARD ON BRIBG AND NEISSE. 233
12th-13th Jan. 1741.
them Prisoners of War. "The officers were sent to
Ciistrin, common men to Berlin;" the usual arrange-
ment in such case. Ottmachau Town belongs to the
Eight Reverend von Sinzendorf, Bishop of Breslau,
and Primate; whose especial Palace is in Neisse;
though he "commonly sends his refractory Priests to
"do their penance in the Schloss at Ottmachau here,"
-- and, I should say, had better himself make terms,
and come out hitherward, under present aspects.
Friedrich continues at Ottmachau; head-quarters
there thenceforth, till he see Neisse settled. On the
morrow, 13th, he learns that the Siege Artillery is at
Grotkau; well forward towards Neisse; half way be-
tween Brieg and it. Same day, Colonel Camas returns
to him out of Glatz; five of his men lost; and reports
That Browne has had the roads torn up, that Glatz is
mere ice and obstruction, and that nothing can be
made of it at this season. Good news alternating with
not so good.
The truth is, Friedrich has got no Strong Place in
Schlesien; all strengths make unexpected defence;
paltry little Namslau itself cannot be quite taken,
Castle cannot, till Jeetz get his siege artillery, -- which
does not come along so fast as that to Neisse does.
Here is an Excerpt from my Dryasdust, exact though
abridged, concerning Jeetz:
"January 24$, 1741. Prussians, masters of the Town for
"a couple of weeks back, have got into the Church at Nams-
"lau, into theCloister; arepreparingplankfloors forbatteries,
"cutting loop-holeB; diligent as possible, -- siege-guns now at
"last just coming. The Castle fires fiercely on them, makes
"furious sallies, steals six of our oxen, -- makes insolent
"gestures from the walls; at least one soldier does, this day.
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? 234 FIRST SILESIAN WAR. [book HT
12th-15th Jan. 1741-
"' Sir, may I give that fellow a shot? ' asks the Prussian sentry
"'Do, then,' answers his Major: 'too insolent that one! ' And
"the sentry explodes on him; brings him plunging down, head
"foremost (herunter piirzelte); the too insolent mortal, silent
"enough thenceforth. "* -- Jeetz did get his cannon, though
not till now, this very day I think; and then, in a couple of
days more, Jeetz finished-off Namslau ("officers to Custrin,
common men to Berlin"); and thereupon blockades the
Eastern side of Brieg, joining hands with Kleist on the
Western: whereby Brieg, like Grlogau, is completely masked,
-- till the season mend.
Friedrich, now that his artillery is come, expects
no difficulty with Neisse. A "paltry hamlet (bicoque)"
he playfully calls it; and, except this, Silesia is now
his. Neisse got (which would be the desirable thing),
or put under "mask" as Glogau is, and as Brieg is
being, Austria possesses not an inch of land within
these borders. Here are some Epistolary snatches; still
in the light style, not to say the flimsy and uplifted:
but worth giving, so transparent are they; off hand, like
words we had heard his Majesty speak, in his high
mood:
King to M. Jordan, at Berlin (Two successive Letters).
1? . "Ottmachau, TAth January 1741" (second day after our
arrival there). "My dear Monsieur Jordan, my sweetMonsiew
"Jordan, my quiet Monsieur Jordan, my good, my benign, my
"pacific, my humanest Monsieur Jordan,--I announce to Thy
"Serenity the conquest of Silesia; Iwarn thee of the bombard-
"ment of Neisse" (just getting ready), "and I prepare thee
"for still more important projects; and instruct thee of the
"happiest successes that the womb of Fortune ever bore.
"This ought to suffice thee. Be my Cicero as to the justice
"of my cause, and I will be thy Caesar as to the execution.
"Adieu: thou knowest whetherl am not, with the most cordial
"regard, thy faithful friend. F. "
* llelien-Geschichle, i. 703.
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? CHAP, v. ] FORWARD ON BRIEG AND NEISSB. 235
12ta-15th Jan. 1741.
2o. "Oltmachau, 17th 'January 1741. I have the honour to
"inform Your Humanity that we are christianly preparing to
"bombard Neisse; and that if the place will not surrender of
"good will, needs must that it be beaten to powder (necessite
"sera de Fabtmer). For the rest, our affairs go the best in the
"world; and soon thou wilt hear nothing more of us.