History of Friedrich II of Prussia, appendix | Page 6

you?'
CAPTAIN. "'I am Captain von Rathenow from Karvesee.'
KING (clapping his hands together). "'Mein Gott, dear Rathenow, are
you still alive! ["LEBT ER NOCH, is HE still alive?"--way of speaking
to one palpably your inferior, scarcely now in use even to servants;
which Friedrich uses ALWAYS in speaking to the highest uncrowned
persons: it gives a strange dash of comic emphasis often in his German
talk:] I thought you were long since dead. How goes it with you 7 Are
you whole and well?"
CAPTAIN. "'O ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Mein Gott, how fat He has (you are) grown!'
CAPTAIN. "'Ja, your Majesty, I can still eat and drink; only the feet get
lazy' [won't go so well, WOLLEN NICHT FORT].
KING. "'Ja! that is so with me too. Are you married?'
CAPTAIN. "'Yea, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Is your wife among the ladies yonder?'
CAPTAIN. "'Yea, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Bring her to me, then!' [TO HER, TAKING OFF HIS HAT] 'I
find in your Herr Husband a good old friend.'
FRAU VON RATHENOW. "'Much grace and honor for my husband!'
KING. "'What were YOU by birth?' ["WAS SIND SIE," the respectful
word, "FUR EINE GEBORNE?"]
FRAU. "'A Fraulein von Krocher.'
KING. "'Haha! A daughter of General von Krocher's?'
FRAU. "'JA, IHRO MAJESTAT.'
KING. "'Oh, I knew him very well.'--[TO RATHENOW] 'Have you

children too, Rathenow?'
CAPTAIN. "'Yes, your Majesty. My sons are in the service,' soldiering;
'and these are my daughters.'
KING. "'Well, I am glad of that (NUN, DAS FREUT MICH). Fare HE
well. Fare He well.'
"The road now went upon Fehrbellin; and Forster," Forester, "Brand, as
woodkeeper for the King in these parts, rode along with us. When we
came upon the patch of Sand-knolls which lie near Fehrbellin, his
Majesty cried:--
"'Forester, why aren't these sand-knolls sown?'
FORESTER. "'Your Majesty, they don't belong to the Royal Forest;
they belong to the farm-ground. In part the people do sow them with all
manner of crops. Here, on the right hand, they have sown fir-cones
(KIENAPFEL)'.
KING. "'Who sowed them?'
FORESTER. "'The Oberamtmann [Fromme] here.'
THE KING (TO ME). "'Na! Tell my Geheimer-Rath Michaelis that the
sand-patches must be sown.'--[TO THE FORESTER] 'But do you
know how fir-cones (KIENAPFEL) should be sown?'
FORESTER. "'O ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Na! [a frequent interjection of Friedrich's and his Father's],
how are they sown, then? From east to west, or from north to south?'
["VAN MORGEN GEGEN ABEND, ODER VAN ABEND GEGEN
MORGEN?" so in ORIG. (p. 22);--but, surely, except as above, it has
no sense? From north to south, there is but one fir-seed sown against
the wind; from east to west, there is a whole row.]
FORESTER. "'From east to west.'
KING. "'That is right. But why?'
FORESTER. "'Because the most wind comes from the west.'
KING. "'That's right.'
"Now his Majesty arrived at Fehrbellin; spoke there with Lieutenant
Probst of the Ziethen Hussar regiment, [Probst is the leftmost figure in
that Chodowiecki Engraving of the famous Ziethen-and- Friedrich
CHAIR-scene, five years after this. (Supra. 374 n.)] and with the
Fehrbellin Postmeister, Captain von Mosch. So soon as the horses were
to, we continued our travel; and as his Majesty was driving close by my
Big Ditches," GRABEN, trenches, main-drains, "which have been

made in the Fehrbellin LUCH at the King's expense, I rode up to the
carriage, and said:--
ICH. "'Your Majesty, these now are the two new Drains, which by your
Majesty's favor we have got here; and which keep the Luch dry for us.'
KING. "'So, so; that I am glad of!--Who is He (are you)?'
FROMME. "'Your Majesty, I am the Beamte here of Fehrbellin.'
KING. "'What 's your name?'
ICH. "'Fromme.'
KING. "'Ha, ha! you are a son of the Landrath Fromme's.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty's pardon. My father was Amtsrath in the AMT
Luhnin.'
KING. "'Amtsrath? Amtsrath? That isn't true! Your father was
Landrath. I knew him very well.--But tell me now (SAGT MIR
EINMAL) has the draining of the Luch been of much use to you here?'
ICH. "'O ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Do you keep more cattle than your predecessor?'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty. On this farm I keep 40 more; on all the farms
together 70 more.'
KING. "'That is right. The murrain (VIEHSEUCHE) is not here in this
quarter?'
ICH. "'No, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Have you had it here?'
ICH. "'Ja.'
KING. "'Do but diligently use rock-salt, you won't have the murrain
again.'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty, I do use it too; but kitchen salt has very
nearly the same effect.'
KING. "'No, don't fancy that! You must n't pound the rock-salt small,
but give it to the cattle so that they can lick it.'
ICH. "'Yes, it shall be done.'
KING. "'Are there still improvements needed here?'
ICH. "'O ja,