History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 4 | Page 6

presume; but he did not, now or afterwards, ever learn to spell.
He spells indeed dreadfully ILL, at his first appearance on the writing
stage, as we shall see by and by; and he continued, to the last, one of
the bad spellers of his day. A circumstance which I never can fully
account for, and will leave to the reader's study.
From all manner of sources,--from inferior valetaille, Prussian Officials,
Royal Majesty itself when not in gala,--he learned, not less rootedly,
the corrupt Prussian dialect of German; and used the same, all his days,
among his soldiers, native officials, common subjects and wherever it
was most convenient; speaking it, and writing and misspelling it, with
great freedom, though always with a certain aversion and undisguised
contempt, which has since brought him blame in some quarters. It is
true, the Prussian form of German is but rude; and probably Friedrich,
except sometimes in Luther's Bible, never read any German Book.
What, if we will think of it, could he know of his first mother-tongue!
German, to this day, is a frightful dialect for the stupid, the pedant and
dullard sort! Only in the hands of the gifted does it become supremely
good. It had not yet been the language of any Goethe, any Lessing;

though it stood on the eve of becoming such. It had already been the
language of Luther, of Ulrich Hutten, Friedrich Barbarossa,
Charlemagne and others. And several extremely important things had
been said in it, and some pleasant ones even sung in it, from an old date,
in a very appropriate manner,--had Crown-Prince Friedrich known all
that. But he could not reasonably be expected to know:--and the wiser
Germans now forgive him for not knowing, and are even thankful that
he did not.

Chapter II.
THE GERMAN ELEMENT.
So that, as we said, there are two elements for young Fritz, and highly
diverse ones, from both of which he is to draw nourishment, and
assimilate what he can. Besides that Edict-of-Nantes French element,
and in continual contact and contrast with it, which prevails chiefly in
the Female Quarters of the Palace,--there is the native German element
for young Fritz, of which the centre is Papa, now come to be King, and
powerfully manifesting himself as such. An abrupt peremptory young
King; and German to the bone. Along with whom, companions to him
in his social hours, and fellow-workers in his business, are a set of very
rugged German sons of Nature; differing much from the French sons of
Art. Baron Grumkow, Leopold Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (not yet called
the "OLD Dessauer," being under forty yet), General Glasenap,
Colonel Derschau, General Flans; these, and the other nameless
Generals and Officials, are a curious counterpart to the Camases, the
Hautcharmoys and Forcades, with their nimble tongues and rapiers;
still more to the Beausobres, Achards, full of ecclesiastical logic, made
of Bayle and Calvin kneaded together; and to the high-frizzled ladies
rustling in stiff silk, with the shadow of Versailles and of the
Dragonnades alike present to them.
Born Hyperboreans these others; rough as hemp, and stout of fibre as
hemp; native products of the rigorous North. Of whom, after all our
reading, we know little.--O Heaven, they have had long lines of rugged

ancestors, cast in the same rude stalwart mould, and leading their rough
life there, of whom we know absolutely nothing! Dumb all those
preceding busy generations; and this of Friedrich Wilhelm is grown
almost dumb. Grim semi-articulate Prussian men; gone all to pipe-clay
and mustache for us. Strange blond-complexioned, not unbeautiful
Prussian honorable women, in hoops, brocades, and unintelligible
head-gear and hair-towers,--ACH GOTT, they too are gone; and their
musical talk, in the French or German language, that also is gone; and
the hollow Eternities have swallowed it, as their wont is, in a very
surprising manner!--
Grumkow, a cunning, greedy-hearted, long-headed fellow, of the old
Pomeranian Nobility by birth, has a kind of superficial polish put upon
his Hyperboreanisms; he has been in foreign countries, doing legations,
diplomacies, for which, at least for the vulpine parts of which, he has a
turn. He writes and speaks articulate grammatical French; but neither in
that, nor in native Pommerish Platt-Deutsch, does he show us much,
except the depths of his own greed, of his own astucities and stealthy
audacities. Of which we shall hear more than enough by and by.
OF THE DESSAUER, NOT YET "OLD."
As to the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, rugged man, whose very face is the
color of gunpowder, he also knows French, and can even write in it, if
he like,--having duly had a Tutor of that nation, and strange adventures
with him on the grand tour and elsewhere;--but does not much practise
writing, when it can be helped. His children, I have