History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 8 | Page 3

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Prepared by D.R. Thompson

Carlyle's "History of Friedrich II of Prussia"

BOOK VIII.
CROWN-PRINCE RETRIEVED: LIFE AT CUSTRIN.
November, 1730-February, 1732.

Chapter I.
CHAPLAIN MULLER WAITS ON THE CROWN-PRINCE.
Friedrich's feelings at this juncture are not made known to us by
himself in the least; or credibly by others in any considerable degree.
As indeed in these confused Prussian History-Books, copulent in
nugatory pedantisms and learned marine-stores, all that is human
remains distressingly obscure to us; so seldom, and then only as
through endless clouds of ever-whirling idle dust, can we catch the
smallest direct feature of the young man, and of his real demeanor or
meaning, on the present or other occasions! But it is evident this last
phenomenon fell upon him like an overwhelming cataract; crushed him
down under the immensity of sorrow, confusion and despair; his own
death not a theory now, but probably a near fact,--a welcome one in
wild moments, and then anon so unwelcome. Frustrate, bankrupt,
chargeable with a friend's lost life, sure enough he, for one, is: what is
to become of him? Whither is he to turn, thoroughly beaten, foiled in
all his enterprises? Proud young soul as he was: the ruling Powers, be
they just, be they unjust, have proved too hard for him! We hear of
tragic vestiges still traceable of Friedrich, belonging to this time: texts
of Scripture quoted by him, pencil-sketches of his drawing; expressive
of a mind dwelling in Golgothas, and pathetically, not defiantly,
contemplating the very worst.
Chaplain Muller of the Gens-d,Armes, being found a pious and

intelligent man, has his orders not to return at once from Custrin; but to
stay there, and deal with the Prince, on that horrible Predestination
topic and his other unexampled backslidings which have ended so.
Muller stayed accordingly, for a couple of weeks, intensely busy on the
Predestination topic, and generally in assuaging, and mutually
mollifying, paternal Majesty and afflicted Son. In all which he had
good success; and especially on the Predestination point was
triumphantly successful. Muller left a little Book in record of his
procedures there; which, had it not been bound over to the official tone,
might have told us something. His Correspondence with the King,
during those two weeks, has likewise been mostly printed; [Forster, i.
376-379.] and is of course still more official,-- teaching us next to
nothing, except poor Friedrich Wilhelm's profoundly devotional mood,
anxieties about "the claws of Satan" and the like, which we were glad
to hear of above. In Muller otherwise is small help for us.
But, fifty years afterwards, there was alive a Son of this Muller's; an
innocent Country Parson, not wanting in sense, and with much
simplicity and veracity; who was fished out by Nicolai, and set to
recalling what his Father used to say of