History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 18 | Page 6

shall see),
though it was far from ending then, or for years to come.
Contemporary by-standers remark, on the Austrian part, extraordinary
rage and hatred against Prussia; which is now the one point memorable.
Austria is used to speak loud in the Diet, as we have ourselves seen:
and it is again (if you dive into those old AEolus'-Caves, at your peril)
unpleasantly notable to what pitch of fixed rage, and hot sullen hatred
Austria has now gone; and how the tone has in it a potency of
world-wide squealing and droning, such as you nowhere heard before.
Omnipotence of droning, edged with shrieky squealing, which fills the
Universe, not at all in a melodious way. From the depths of the gamut
to the shrieky top again,--a droning that has something of porcine or
wild-boar character. Figure assembled the wild boars of the world, all
or mostly all got together, and each with a knife just stuck into its side,
by a felonious individual too well known,--you will have some notion
of the sound of these things. Friedrich sometimes remonstrates:
"Cannot you spare such phraseology, unseemly to Kings? The quarrels
of Kings have to be decided by the sword; what profit in unseemly
language, Madam?"--but, for the first year and more, there was no

abatement on the Austrian part.
Friedrich's own Delegate at Regensburg, a Baron von Plotho, come of
old Brandenburg kindred, is a resolute, ready-tongued, very undaunted
gentleman; learned in Diplomacies and Reich's Law; carries his head
high, and always has his story at hand. Argument, grounded on Reich's
Law and the nature of the case, Plotho never lacks, on spur of the hour:
and is indeed a very commendable parliamentary mastiff; and
honorable and melodious in the bark of him, compared with those
infuriated porcine specimens. He has Kur-Hanover for ally on common
occasions, and generally from most Protestant members individually, or
from the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM in mass, some feeble
whimper of support. Finds difficulty in getting his Reich's Pleadings
printed;-- dangerous, everywhere in those Southern Parts, to print
anything whatever that is not Austrian: so that Plotho, at length, gets
printers to himself, and sets up a Printing-Press in his own house at
Regensburg. He did a great deal of sonorous pleading for Friedrich;
proud, deep-voiced, ruggedly logical; fairly beyond the Austrian
quality in many cases,--and always far briefer, which is another high
merit. October coming, we purpose to look in upon Plotho for one
minute; "October 14th, 1757;" which may be reckoned essentially the
acme or tuming-point of these unpleasant thunderings. [
Helden-Geschichte, iv. 745-749.]
What good he did to Friedrich, or could have done with the tongue of
angels in such an audience, we do not accurately know. Some good he
would do even in the Reich's-Diet there; and out of doors, over a
German public, still more; and is worth his frugal wages,--say 1,000
pounds a year, printing and all other expense included! This is a mere
guess of mine, Dryasdust having been incurious: but, to English readers
it is incredible for what sums Friedrich got his work done, no work ever
better. Which is itself an appreciable advantage, computable in pounds
sterling; and is the parent of innumerable others which no Arithmetic or
Book-keeping by Double Entry will take hold of, and which are indeed
priceless for Nations and for persons. But this poor old bedridden Reich,
starting in agonistic spasm at such rate: is it not touching, in a Corpus
moribund for so many Centuries past! The Reich is something; though
it is not much, nothing like so much as even Kaiser Franz supposes it.
Much or not so much, Kaiser Franz wishes to secure it for himself;

Friedrich to hinder him,--and it must be a poor something, if not worth
Plotho's wages on Friedrich's part.
It would insult the patience of every reader to go into these spasmodic
tossings of the poor paralytic Reich; or to mention the least item of
them beyond what had some result, or fraction of result, on the world's
real affairs. We shall say only, therefore, that after tempests not a few
of porcine squealing, answered always by counter-latration on the
vigilant Plotho's part;--squealing, chiefly, from the Reich's-Hofrath at
Vienna, the Head Tribunal of Imperial Majesty, which sits judging and
denouncing there, touched to the soul, as if by a knife driven into its
side, by those unheard-of treatments of Saxony and disregard to our
DEHORTATORIUMS, and which bursts out, peal after peal, filling the
Universe, Plotho not unvigilant;--the poor old Reich's-Diet did at last
get into an acting posture, and determine, by clear majority of 99
against 60, that there should be a "Reich's Execution Army" got on foot.
Reich's Execution Army to coerce, by force of arms, this nefarious
King of Prussia into