History of Friedrich II of Prussia, appendix | Page 9

small, very coarse, but very good: this
Quast (Anglice 'Tassel') was one of them" (MARGINALE OF 1862).]
"They had now yoked the horses. His Majesty took a very tender leave
of old General von Ziethen, waved an adieu to those about, and drove
on. Although his Majesty at Protzen would not take any fruit, yet when
once we were out of the village, his Majesty took a luncheon from the
carriage-pocket for himself and the Herr General Graf von Gortz, and,
all along, during the drive, ate apricots (IMMER PFIRSCHE).

At starting, his Majesty had fancied I was to stop here, and called out of
the carriage: 'Amtmann, come along with us!'
KING. "'Where is the Beamte of Alt-Ruppin?'
ICH. "'Apparently he must be unwell; otherwise he would have been in
Protzen at the change of horses there' ["at the VORSPANN:" Yes;
--and Manor-house, EDELHOF, where old Ziethen waited, was lower
down the street, and SOONER than the Post-house?]
KING. "'Na, tell me now, don't you really know why that Kleist at
Protzen took his discharge?' [VOILA!]
ICH. "'No, your Majesty, I really do not.'
KING. "'What village is this before us?'
ICH. "'Manker.'
KING. "'And whose?'
ICH. "'Yours, your Majesty, in the AMT Alt-Ruppin.'
KING (looking round on the harvest-fields). "'Here you, now: how are
you content with the harvest?'
ICH. "'Very well, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Very well? And to me they said, Very ill!'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, the winter-crop was somewhat frost-nipt; but the
summer-crop in return is so abundant it will richly make up for the
winter-crop.' His Majesty now looked round upon the fields, shock
standing upon shock.
KING. "'It is a good harvest, you are right; shock stands close by shock
here!'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty; and the people here make STEIGS (mounts)
of them too.'
KING. "'Steigs, what is that?'
ICH. "'That is 20 sheaves piled all together.'
KING. "'Oh, it is indisputably a good harvest. But tell me, though, why
did Kleist of Protzen take his discharge?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, I do not know. I suppose he was obliged to take
his father's estates in hand: no other cause do I know of.'
KING. "'What's the name of this village we are coming to?'
ICH. "'Garz.'
KING. "'To whom belongs it?'
ICH. "'To the Kriegsrath von Quast.'
KING. "'To WHOM belongs it?'

ICH. "'To Kriegsrath von Quast.'
KING. "'EY WAS [pooh, pooh]! I know nothing of Kriegsraths!--To
whom does the Estate belong?'
ICH. "'To Herr von Quast.' Friedrich had the greatest contempt for
Kriegsraths, and indeed for most other RATHS or titular shams,
labelled boxes with nothing in the inside: on a horrible winter- morning
(sleet, thunder, &c.), marching off hours before sunrise, he has been
heard to say, 'Would one were a Kriegsrath!
KING. "'Na, that is the right answer.'
"His Majesty now arrived at Garz. The changing of the horses was
managed by Herr von Luderitz of Nackeln, as first Deputy of the
Ruppin Circle. He had his hat on, and a white feather in it. When the
yoking was completed, our journey proceeded again.
KING. "'To whom belongs this estate on the left here?'
ICH. "'To Herr van Luderitz; it is called Nackeln.'
KING. "'What Luderitz is that?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, he that was in Garz while the horses were
changing.'
KING. "'Ha, ha, the Herr with the white feather!--Do you sow wheat
too?'
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'How much have you sown?'
ICH. "'Three WISPELS 12 SCHEFFELS,' unknown measures!
KING. "'How much did your predecessor use to sow?'
ICH. "'Four scheffels.'
KING. "'How has it come that you sow so much more than he?'
ICH. "'As I have already had the honor to tell your Majesty that I keep
seventy head of cows more than he, I have of course more manure for
my ground, and so put it in a better case for bearing wheat.'
KING. "'But why do you grow no hemp?'
ICH. "'It would not answer here. In a cold climate it would answer
better. Our sailors can buy Russian hemp in Lubeck cheaper, and of
better quality than I could grow here.'
KING. "'What do you sow, then, where you used to have hemp?'
ICH. "'Wheat!'
KING. "'Why do you sow no Farbekraut, ["DYE-HERB:" commonly
called "FARBERROTHE;" yields a coarse RED, on decoction of the

twigs and branches; from its roots the finer red called "KRAPP" (in
French GARANCE) is got.] no Krapp?'
ICH. "'It will not prosper; the ground is n't good enough.'
KING. "'That is people's talk: you should have made the trial.'
ICH. "'I did make the trial; but it failed; and as Beamte I cannot make
many trials; for, let them fail or not, the rent must be paid.'
KING. "'What do you sow, then, where you would have put
Farbekraut?'
ICH. "'Wheat.'