History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 9 | Page 5

convenience there,--Year 880, say the uncertain old Books.
Hubner, t. 149; Michaelis, &c.] all but certain Apanages, and does not
concern us farther. To that supreme dignity the younger has now come,
and his Apanage of Blankenburg and children with him;--so that there
is now only one outstanding Apanage (Bevern, not known to us yet);
which also will perhaps get reunited, if we cared for it. Ludwig Rudolf
is the name of this new sovereign Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, or
Duke in chief; age now sixty; has a shining, bustling, somewhat
irregular Duchess, says Wilhelmina; and a nose--or rather almost no
nose, for sad reasons! [Wilhelmina, ii. 121.] Other qualities or
accidents I know not of him,--except that he is Father of the Vienna
Kaiserinn; Grandfather of the Princess whom Seckendorf suggests for
our Friedrich of Prussia.

In Ludwig Rudolf's insipid offspring our readers are unexpectedly
somewhat interested; let readers patiently attend, therefore. He had
three Daughters, never any son. Two of his Daughters, eldest and
youngest, are alive still; the middle one had a sad fate long ago. She
married, in 1711, Alexius the Czarowitz of Peter the Great: foolish
Czarowitz, miserable and making others miserable, broke her heart by
ill conduct, ill usage, in four years; so that she died; leaving him only a
poor small Peter II., who is now dead too, and that matter ended all but
the memory of it. Some accounts bear, that she did not die; that she
only pretended it, and ran and left her intolerable Czarowitz. That she
wedded, at Paris, in deep obscurity, an Officer just setting out for
Louisiana; lived many years there as a thrifty soldier's wife; returned to
Paris with her Officer reduced to half-pay; and told him--or told some
select Official person after him, under seven-fold oath, being then a
widow and necessitous--her sublime secret. Sublime secret, which
came thus to be known to a supremely select circle at Paris; and was
published in Books, where one still reads it. No vestige of truth in
it,--except that perhaps a necessitous soldier's widow at Paris,
considering of ways and means, found that she had some trace of
likeness to the Pictures of this Princess, and had heard her tragic story.
Ludwig Rudolf's second Daughter is dead long years ago; nor has this
fable as yet risen from her dust. Of Ludwig Rudolf's other two
Daughters, we have said that one, the eldest, was the Kaiserinn;
Empress Elizabeth Christina, age now precisely forty; with two
beautiful Daughters, sublime Maria Theresa the elder of them, and no
son that would live. Which last little circumstance has caused the
Pragmatic Sanction, and tormented universal Nature for so many years
back! Ludwig Rudolf has a youngest Daughter, also married, and a
Mother in Germany,--to this day conspicuously so;--of whom next, or
rather of her Husband and Family-circle, we must say a word.
Her Husband is no other than the esteemed Friend of Friedrich
Wilhelm; Duke of Brunswick-Bevern, by title; who, as a junior branch,
lives on the Apanage of Bevern, as his Father did; but is sure now to
inherit the sovereignty and be Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel at large,
he or his Sons, were the present incumbent, Ludwig Rudolf, once out.

Present incumbent, we have just intimated, is his Father-in-law; but it is
not on that ground that he looks to inherit. He is Nephew of old Anton
Ulrich, Son of a younger Brother (who was also "Bevern" in Anton's
time); and is the evident Heir-male; old Anton being already fallen into
the distaff, with nothing but three Grand-daughters. Anton's heir will
now be this Nephew; Nephew has wedded one of the Grand-daughters,
youngest of the Three, youngest Daughter of Ludwig Rudolf,
Sovereign Duke that now is; which Lady, by the family she brought
him, if no otherwise, is memorable or mentionable here, and may be
called, a Mother in Germany. [ANTON ULRICH (1833-1714). Duke in
Chief; that is, Duke of Brunswick-WOLFENBUTTEL. AUGUST
WILHELM, elder Son and Heir (1662, 1714, 1731); had no children.
LUDWIG RUDOLF, the younger Son (1671, 1731, 1735), apanagad in
Blankenburg: Duke of Brunswick-BLANKENBURG; became
WOLFENBUTTEL. 1731, died , 1st March, 1735. No Son; so that now
the Bevern succeeded. Three Daughters: Elizabeth Christina, the
Kaiserinn (1691, 1708, 1750). Charlotte Christina (1694, 1711, 1715),
Alexius of Russia's, had a FABULOUS end. Antoinette Amelia (1695,
1712, 1762); Bevern's Wife,--a "Mother in Germany." FERDINAND
ALBERT (1636-1687), his younger Brother apanaged in Bevern; that is,
Duke of Brunswick-BEVERN. FERDINAND ALBERT, eldest Son (an
elder had perished, 1704, on the Schellenberg under Marlborough),
followed in Bevern (1680, 1687-1704, 1735); Kaiser's soldier,
Friedrich Wilhelm's friend; married his Cousin, Antoinette Amelia
("Mother in Germany," as we call her). Duke in Chief, 1st March, 1785,
on Ludwig Rudolf's decease; died himself, 3d September same year.
BORN 1713,