History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 4 | Page 5

Once a week, if he were in Berlin, during his youthful time,
he was sure to appear at the Roucoulles Soiree, and say and look
various pleasant things to his "CHER MAMAN (dear Mamma)," as he
used to call her, and to the respectable small parts she had. Not to speak
of other more substantial services, which also were not wanting.
Roucoulles and the other female souls, mainly French, among whom
the incipient Fritz now was, appear to have done their part as well as
could be looked for. Respectable Edict-of-Nantes French ladies, with
high head-gear, wide hoops; a clear, correct, but somewhat barren and
meagre species, tight-laced and high-frizzled in mind and body. It is
not a very fertile element for a young soul: not very much of silent
piety in it; and perhaps of vocal piety more than enough in proportion.
An element founding on what they call "enlightened Protestantism,"
"freedom of thought," and the like, which is apt to become loquacious,
and too conscious of itself; terming, on the whole, rather to contempt of
the false, than to deep or very effective recognition of the true.

But it is, in some important senses, a clear and pure element withal. At
lowest, there are no conscious semi-falsities, or volunteer hypocrisies,
taught the poor Boy; honor, clearness, truth of word at least; a decorous
dignified bearing; various thin good things, are honestly inculcated and
exemplified; nor is any bad, ungraceful or suspicious thing permitted
there, if recognized for such. It might have been a worse element; and
we must be thankful for it. Friedrich, through life, carries deep traces of
this French-Protestant incipiency: a very big wide-branching royal tree,
in the end; but as small and flexible a seedling once as any one of us.
The good old Dame de Roucoulles just lived to witness his accession;
on which grand juncture and afterwards, as he had done before, he
continued to express, in graceful and useful ways, his gratitude and
honest affection to her and hers. Tea services, presents in cut-glass and
other kinds, with Letters that were still more precious to the old Lady,
had come always at due intervals:, and one of his earliest kingly gifts
was that of some suitable small pension for Montbail, the elderly
daughter of this poor old Roucoulles, [Preuss, Friedrich der
Grosse, eine Lebensgeschichte (5 vols. Berlin, 1832-1834),
v. (Urkundenbuch, p. 4). OEuvres de Frederic
(same Preuss's Edition, Berlin, 1846-1850, &c.), xvi. 184, 191.-- The
Herr Doctor J. D. E. Preuss, "Historiographer of Brandenburg,"
devoted wholly to the study of Friedrich for five-and-twenty years past,
and for above a dozen years busily engaged in editing the
OEuvres de Frederic, --has, besides that
Lebensgeschichte just cited, three or four smaller Books,
of indistinctly different titles, on the same subject. A meritoriously
exact man; acquainted with the outer details of Friedrich's Biography
(had he any way of arranging, organizing or setting them forth) as few
men ever were or will be. We shall mean always this
Lebensgeschichte here, when no other title is given: and
OEuvres de Frederic shall signify HIS Edition,
unless the contrary be stated.] who was just singing her DIMITTAES
as it were, still in a blithe and pious manner. For she saw now (in 1740)
her little nursling grown to be a brilliant man and King; King gone out
to the Wars, too, with all Europe inquiring and wondering what the
issue would be. As for her, she closed her poor old eyes, at this stage of

the business; piously, in foreign parts, far from her native Normandy;
and did not see farther what the issue was. Good old Dame, I have, as
was observed, read some seven times over what they call biographical
accounts of her; but have seven times (by Heaven's favor, I do partly
believe) mostly forgotten them again; and would not, without cause,
inflict on any reader the like sorrow. To remember one worthy thing,
how many thousand unworthy things must a man be able to forget!
From this Edict-of-Mantes enviroument, which taught our young Fritz
his first lessons of human behavior,--a polite sharp little Boy, we do
hope and understand,--he learned also to clothe his bits of notions,
emotions, and garrulous utterabilities, in the French dialect. Learned to
speak, and likewise, what is more important; to THINK, in French;
which was otherwise quite domesticated in the Palace, and became his
second mother-tongue. Not a bad dialect; yet also none of the best.
Very lean and shallow, if very clear and convenient; leaving much in
poor Fritz unuttered, unthought, unpractised, which might otherwise
have come into activity in the course of his life. He learned to read very
soon, I