voltaire and madame du chatelet.—letter from frederick to voltaire.—the reply.—visit to the prince of orange.—correspondence.—the crown prince becomes a mason.—interesting letter from the crown prince.—petulance and declining health of the king.—scenes in the death-chamber.—characteristic anecdotes.—the dying scene.
the crown prince had for some time been inspired with an ever-increasing ambition for high intellectual culture. gradually he was gathering around him, in his retreat at reinsberg, men of high literary reputation, and was opening correspondence with the most distinguished men of letters in all the adjacent countries.
voltaire was, at this time, about forty years of age. his renown as a man of genius already filled europe. he was residing,173 on terms of the closest intimacy, with madame du chatelet, who had separated from her husband. with congenial tastes and ample wealth they occupied the chateau of cirey, delightfully situated in a quiet valley in champagne, and which they had rendered, as madame testifies, a perfect eden on earth. it is not always, in the divine government, that sentence against an evil work is “executed speedily.” madame du chatelet, renowned in the writings of voltaire as the “divine emilie,” was graceful, beautiful, fascinating. her conversational powers were remarkable, and she had written several treatises upon subjects connected with the pure sciences, which had given her much deserved celebrity.
still it is evident that the serpent was in this eden. carlyle writes: “an ardent, aerial, gracefully predominant, and, in the end, somewhat termagant female, this divine emilie. her temper, radiant rather than bland, was none of the patientest on occasion. nor was m. de voltaire the least of a job if you came athwart him in a wrong way. i have heard that their domestic symphony was liable to furious flaws; that plates, in presence of the lackeys, actual crockery or metal, have been known to fly from end to end of the dinner-table; nay, they mention ‘knives,’ though only in the way of oratorical action; and voltaire has been heard to exclaim, ‘don’t fix those haggard, sidelong eyes on me in that way!’—mere shrillness of pale rage presiding over the scene.”
voltaire had already written the epic poem the henriade, the history of charles xii., and several tragedies.
the first letter from frederick to voltaire was dated august 8th, 1736. the following extracts will show the spirit of this flattering epistle:
“monsieur,—although i have not the satisfaction of knowing you personally, you are not the less known to me through your works. they are treasures of the mind, if i may so express myself; and they reveal to the reader new beauties at every perusal. i think i have recognized in them the character of their ingenious author, who does honor to our age and to human nature. if ever the dispute on the comparative merits of the moderns and the ancients should be revived, the modern great men174 will owe it to you, and to you only, that the scale is turned in their favor. with the excellent quality of poet you join innumerable others more or less related to it.
“monsieur, there is nothing i wish so much as to possess all your writings. pray do communicate them to me without reserve. if there be among your manuscripts any that you wish to conceal from the eyes of the public, i engage to keep them in profoundest secrecy.
“i should think myself richer in the possession of your works than in that of all the transient goods of fortune.
“you inspire the ambition to follow in your footsteps. but i, how often have i said to myself, unhappy man! throw down a burden which is above thy strength! one can not imitate voltaire without being voltaire.
“it is in such moments that i have felt how small are those advantages of birth, those vapors of grandeur, with which vanity would solace us. they amount to little, properly to nothing. ah! would glory but make use of me to crown your successes!
“if my destiny refuse me the happiness of being able to possess you, may i at least hope one day to see the man whom i have admired so long now from afar, and to assure you, by word of mouth, that i am, with all the esteem and consideration due those who, following the torch of truth for guide, consecrate their labors to the public, monsieur, your affectionate friend,
“frederick, prince royal of prussia.”
voltaire promptly replied to this letter in corresponding terms of flattery. his letter was dated cirey, august 26th, 1736:
“monseigneur,—a man must be void of all feeling who were not infinitely moved by the letter which your royal highness has deigned to honor me with. my self-love is only too much flattered by it. but my love of mankind, which i have always nourished in my heart, and which, i venture to say, forms the basis of my character, has given me a very much purer pleasure to see that there is now in the world a prince who thinks as a man—a philosopher prince, who will make men happy.
“permit me to say there is not a man on the earth but owes thanks for the care you take to cultivate, by sound philosophy,175 a soul that is born for command. good kings there never were except those who had begun by seeking to instruct themselves; by knowing good men from bad; by loving what was true; by detesting persecution and superstition. no prince, persisting in such thoughts, but might bring back the golden age into his countries.
“unless one day the tumult of business and the wickedness of men alter so divine a character, you will be worshiped by your people and loved by the whole world. philosophers, worthy of the name, will flock to your states. the illustrious queen christina quitted her kingdom to go in search of the arts. reign you, monseigneur, and the arts will come to seek you.
“i will obey your commands as to sending those unpublished pieces. your criticism will be my reward. it is a price few sovereigns can pay. i am sure of your secrecy. your virtue and your intellect must be in proportion. i should indeed consider it a precious happiness to come and pay my court to your royal highness. one travels to rome to see paintings and ruins. a prince such as you is a much more singular object, worthier of a long journey.
“in whatever corner of the world i may end my life, be assured, monseigneur, my wishes will be continually for you. my heart will rank itself among your subjects. your glory will be ever dear to me. i shall wish, may you always be like yourself, and may other kings be like you. i am, with profound respect, your royal highness’s most humble
voltaire.”
the correspondence thus commenced was prosecuted with great vigor. it seemed difficult to find language sufficiently expressive of their mutual admiration. frederick received many of voltaire’s unpublished manuscripts, and sent him many tokens of regard. some of frederick’s manuscripts voltaire also examined, and returned with slight corrections and profuse expressions of delight.
in the summer of 1738 the infirm old king undertook a journey to holland, on a visit of diplomacy to the prince of orange. the crown prince accompanied him. it does not, however, appear that they had much intercourse with each other on the journey. they spent several days at the beautiful palace of176 loo, in geldern, occupied by the prince of orange and his english bride, a niece to his prussian majesty. the palace was imposing in its architectural structure, containing many gorgeous saloons, and surrounded with beautiful gardens. in a letter which frederick wrote from loo to voltaire, dated august 6th, we find the following sentiments:
“i write from a place where there lived once a great man,27 which is now the prince of orange’s house. the demon of ambition sheds its unhappy poisons over his days. he might be the most fortunate of men, and he is devoured by chagrins in his beautiful palace here, in the middle of his gardens and of a brilliant court.”
in one of the letters of the crown prince, speaking of the mode of traveling with his father, he says: “we have now been traveling near three weeks. the heat is as great as if we were riding astride upon a ray of the sun. the dust is like a dense cloud, which renders us invisible to the eyes of the by-standers. in addition to this, we travel like the angels, without sleep, and almost without food. judge, then, what my condition must be.”
while on this journey to holland the crown prince was one day dining with a prince of lippe-bückeburg. freemasonry became one of the topics of conversation at the table. king frederick william denounced the institution in his usual style of coarse vituperation, as tomfoolery, atheism, and every thing else that was bad. but the prince of bückeburg, himself a mason and a very gentlemanly man, defended the craft with such persuasive eloquence as quite captivated the crown prince. after dinner the prince took him secretly aside, conversed with him more fully upon the subject, expressed his admiration of the system, and his wish to be admitted into the fraternity: but it was necessary carefully to conceal the step from the irate king. arrangements were immediately made to assemble at brunswick a sufficient number of masons from hamburg, where the crown prince, on his return, could be received in a secret meeting into the mystic brotherhood.
the crown prince met the masons by agreement at “korn’s hotel.” on the night of tuesday, august 14th, 1738, the king having that evening continued his journey, frederick, after adopting177 extreme precautions to prevent any publicity of the act, fearing probably only lest it should reach his father’s ears, passed through the mysterious rites of initiation. it does not, however, appear that subsequently he took any special interest in the society.28
the year 1739 was spent by the prince mostly at reinsberg. many distinguished visitors were received at the chateau. frederick continued busily engaged in his studies, writing both prose and verse, and keeping up a lively correspondence with voltaire and other literary friends. he engaged very earnestly in writing a book entitled anti-machiavel, which consisted of a refutation of machiavel’s prince. this book was published, praised, and read, but has long since been forgotten. the only memorable thing about the book now is that in those dark days of absolutism, when it was the almost universally recognized opinion that power did not ascend from the people to their sovereign, but descended from the monarch to his subjects, frederick should have spoken of the king as the “born servant of his people.”
in july of this year the crown prince took another journey with his father through extensive portions of the prussian territory. the following extract from one of his letters to voltaire reflects pleasing light upon the heart of frederick, and upon the administrative ability of his father:
“prussian lithuania is a hundred and twenty miles long, by from forty to sixty broad. it was ravaged by pestilence at the beginning of this century, and they say three hundred thousand people died of disease and famine. the disorder carried off the people, and the lands remained uncultivated and full of weeds. the most flourishing of our provinces was changed into the most miserable of solitudes.
178 “meanwhile frederick the first died, and with him was buried all his false grandeur, which consisted only in a vain magnificence, and in the pompous display of frivolous ceremonies. my father, who succeeded him, compassionated the general misery. he visited the spot, and saw, with his own eyes, this vast country laid waste, and all the dreadful traces which a contagious malady, a famine, and the sordid avarice of a venal administration leave behind them. twelve or fifteen towns depopulated, and four or five hundred villages uninhabited, presented themselves to his view. far from being discouraged by such a sad spectacle, his compassion only became the more lively from it; and he resolved to restore population, plenty, and commerce to this land, which had even lost the appearance of an inhabited country.
“since this time he has spared no expense for the furtherance of his salutary intentions. he first established wise regulations and laws. he rebuilt whatever had been allowed to go to ruin in consequence of the plague. he brought and established there thousands of families from the different countries of europe. the lands became again productive, and the country populous. commerce reflourished; and at the present time abundance reigns in this country more than ever before. there are now half a million of inhabitants in lithuania. there are more towns than formerly; more flocks, and more riches and fertility than in any other part of germany.
“and all that i have been relating to you is due to the king alone, who not only gave the orders, but himself saw that they were faithfully obeyed. he both conceived the designs and executed them. he spared neither care, nor trouble, nor vast treasures, nor promises, nor recompenses, in order to assure the existence and the comfort of half a million of rational beings, who owe to him alone their happiness. there is something in my mind so heroic in the generous and laborious manner in which the king has devoted himself to the restoring to this deserted country its population, fertility, and happiness, that i think you will see his conduct in the same light as i do when you are made acquainted with the circumstances.”
it would be unjust alike to the father and the son to withhold a letter which reflects so much credit upon them both—upon179 the father for his humane measures, and upon the son for his appreciation of their moral beauty.
the king was so pleased with the conduct of his son during this journey that, in a moment of unusual good-nature, he made him a present of a very extensive horse-breeding establishment near tilsit, consisting of seven farms, all in the most perfect order, as every thing was sure to be which was under the control of frederick william. the profits of this establishment added about ten thousand dollars to the annual income of the crown prince. he was quite overjoyed at the unexpected gift, and wrote to his sister wilhelmina a letter glowing with satisfaction.
during the first part of his journey the king had been remarkably cheerful and genial, but toward its close he was attacked by a new fit of very serious illness. to the discomfort of all, his chronic moodiness returned. a few extracts from p?llnitz’s account of this journey throws interesting light upon those scenes:
“till now his majesty has been in especial good-humor. but in dantzig his cheerfulness forsook him, and it never came back. he arrived about ten o’clock at night in that city, slept there, and was off again next morning at five. he drove only fifty miles this day; stopped in luppow. from luppow he went to a poor village near belgard, and staid there overnight.
“at belgard next morning he reviewed the dragoon regiment, and was very ill content with it. and nobody, with the least understanding of that business, but must own that never did prussian regiment man?uvre worse. conscious themselves how bad it was, they lost head and got into confusion. the king did every thing that was possible to help them into order again, but it was all in vain. the king, contrary to wont, restrained himself amazingly, and would not show his displeasure in public. he got into his carriage and drove away, not staying to dine with general von platen, as was always his custom with commandants whom he had reviewed.
“as the prince was anxious to come up with his majesty again, and knew not where he would meet him, we had to be very swift in the business. we found the king, with anhalt and winterfeld, by-and-by, sitting in a village in front of a barn, eating a cold pie there which the marquis of anhalt chanced to180 have with him. his majesty, owing to what he had seen on the parade-ground, was in the utmost ill-humor. next day, saturday, he went a hundred and fifty or two hundred miles, and arrived in berlin at ten o’clock at night, not expected there till the morrow, so that his rooms were locked, her majesty being over in monbijou giving her children a ball.”
late in the fall of 1739 the health of frederick william was so rapidly failing that it became manifest to all that his days on earth would soon be ended. he sat joylessly in his palace, listening to the moaning of the wind, the rustle of the falling leaves, and the pattering of the rain. his gloomy spirit was in accord with the melancholy days. more dreary storms darkened his turbid soul than those which wrecked the autumnal sky.
early in november he came to berlin, languid, crippled, and wretched. the death-chamber in the palace is attended with all the humiliations and sufferings which are encountered in the poor man’s hut. the king, through all his life, had indulged his irritable disposition, and now, imprisoned by infirmities and tortured with pain, his petulance and abuse became almost unendurable. miserable himself, he made every one wretched around him. he was ever restless—now in his bed, now out of it, now in his wheel-chair, continually finding fault, and often dealing cruel blows to those who came within his reach. he was unwilling to be left for a moment alone. the old generals were gathered in his room, and sat around his bed talking and smoking. he could not sleep at night, and allowed his attendants no repose. restlessly he tried to divert his mind by whittling, painting, and small carpentry. the crown prince dared not visit him too often, lest his solicitude should be interpreted into impatience for the king to die, that he might grasp the crown. in the grossest terms the king insulted his physicians, attributing all his sufferings to their wickedness or their ignorance. fortunately the miserable old man was too weak to attempt to cane them. a celebrated physician, by the name of hoffman, was sent for to prescribe for the king. he was a man of much intellectual distinction, and occupied an important position in the university. as his prescriptions failed to give relief to his majesty, he was assailed, like the rest, in the vilest language of vituperation. with great dignity professor hoffman replied:
181 “sire, i can not bear these reproaches, which i do not deserve. i have tried, for the relief of your majesty, all the remedies which art can supply, or which nature can admit. if my ability or my integrity is doubted, i am willing to leave not only the university, but the kingdom. but i can not be driven into any place where the name of hoffman will not be respected.”
the king was so impressed by this firm attitude of his physician that he even made an apology for his rudeness. as frederick william was now convinced that ere long he must appear before the tribunal of god, he gradually became a little more calm and resigned.29 it is, however, evident that the crown prince still had his share of earthly annoyances, and certainly his full share of earthly frailties. in a letter to his friend suhm, written this summer, he says:
“tantalus never suffered so much while standing in the river, the waters of which he could not drink, as i when, having received your package of the translation of wolff, i was unable to read it. all the accidents and all the bores in the world were, i think, agreed to prevent me. a journey to potsdam, daily reviews, and the arrival of my brother in company with messrs. de hacke and de rittberg, have been my impediments. imagine my horror, my dear diaphanes,30 at seeing the arrival of this caravan without my having in the least expected them. they weigh upon my shoulders like a tremendous burden, and never quit my side, in order, i believe, to make me wish myself at the devil.”
as the king’s infirmities and sufferings increased, the sympathies of his son were more and more excited. he seemed to forget all his father’s cruel treatment, and to remember only his kingly energies. the thought of his death became very painful to him, and at times he recoiled from the oppressive cares he must of necessity assume with the crown.
182
the crown prince entering the tobacco parliament.
one evening in april, the king, feeling a little better, decided to dress and hold a tobacco parliament, as formerly. quite a numerous party of his customary cabinet was assembled, and the circle was full. the pipes were lighted; the king was in good-humor; the beer-pots circulated merrily; and as every one made an effort to be agreeable, the scene was unusually animated. quite unexpectedly, in the midst of the lively talk, the door opened, and the crown prince entered. simultaneously, as by a183 common instinct, the whole company arose and bowed profoundly to the young prince. the king was exceedingly annoyed. trembling with rage, he exclaimed,
“this is the homage you render the rising sun, though you know that the rule in the tobacco parliament is to rise to no one. you think i am dead. but i will teach you that i am yet living.”
ringing violently for his servants, and deaf to all protestations and excuses, he had himself immediately rolled from the room. as the courtiers stood bewildered and gazing at each other in consternation, an officer came in with an order from the king that they should all leave the palace immediately, and come not back again. the next morning p?llnitz, who occupied a position somewhat similar to that of prime minister, applied for admission to his majesty’s apartment. but a gendarme seized him by the shoulder and turned him around, saying, “there is no admittance.” it was several days, and not till after repeated acts of humiliation, that the king would permit any member of the parliament again to enter his presence.
in the latter part of april, the weather being very fine, the king decided to leave berlin and retire to his rural palace at potsdam. it seems, however, that he was fully aware that his days were nearly ended, for upon leaving the city he said, “fare thee well, then, berlin; i am going to die in potsdam.” the winter had been one of almost unprecedented severity, and the month of may was cold and wet. as the days wore on the king’s health fluctuated, and he was continually struggling between life and death. the king, with all his great imperfections, was a thoughtful man. as he daily drew near the grave, the dread realities of the eternal world oppressed his mind. he sent for three clergymen of distinction, to converse with them respecting his preparation for the final judgment. it seems that they were very faithful with him, reminding him of his many acts of violence and tyranny, alluding particularly to his hanging baron schlubhut, at k?nigsberg, without even a trial. the king endeavored to defend himself, saying,
“it is true that schlubhut had no trial, but he certainly deserved his doom. he was a public thief, stealing the taxes he was sent to gather; insolently offering to repay, as if that were184 all the amends required; and saying that it was not good manners to hang a nobleman.”
still the clergymen pressed upon him his sins, his many acts of oppression, his unrelenting and unforgiving spirit. singularly enough, most of the members of the tobacco parliament were present at this strange interview; and some of them, courtier like, endeavored to defend the king against several of the charges brought against him. the king might emphatically be called a good hater; and he hated his brother-in-law, the king of england, perhaps with passion as implacable as ever took possession of a human heart. in allusion to this, one of the clergymen, m. roloff, said,
“there is the forgiveness of enemies. your majesty is bound to forgive all men. if you do not do this, how can you ask to be forgiven?”
the king had a logical mind. he could keenly feel where the argument pinched. he seemed quite troubled. after a moment’s pause, he said, “well, i will do it.” then, turning to the queen, he said, “you, phiekin, may write to your brother, after i am dead, and tell him that i forgave him, and died at peace with him.”
“it would be better,” m. roloff mildly suggested, “that your majesty should write at once.”
“no,” said the king, sternly and peremptorily. “write after i am dead. that will be safer.”
at parting, the king bore magnanimous testimony to the fidelity of his spiritual advisers. he said to m. roloff, who had been the principal speaker, “you do not spare me. it is right. you do your duty like an honest christian man.”
for such a mind and such a body there could be no possible peace or repose in the dying-chamber. feverish, restless, sleepless, impatient, he knew not what to do with himself. he was incessantly passing from his bed to his wheel-chair and back again, irascibly demanding this and that, complaining of every body and every thing. sometimes he would declare that he would no longer be sick, but would dress and be well; and scarcely would he get his clothes on ere he would sink in fainting weakness, as though he had not another hour to live. thus the sad days of sickness wore away as death drew near.
185 on the 26th of may the crown prince received an express informing him that his father was dying, and that he must hasten to potsdam with the utmost speed if he would ever again see him alive. reinsberg was about thirty miles north from potsdam. it took the courier some hours to reach the place. frederick, with emotions not easily imagined, started before the dawn of the morning, followed by a train of attendants, to hasten to the death-bed of his father, and to receive the kingly crown of prussia.
as he reached potsdam and turned the corner of the palace, he saw, at a little distance, a small crowd gathered around some object; and soon, to his inexpressible surprise, beheld his father, dressed, in his wheel-chair, out of doors, giving directions about laying the foundations of a house he had undertaken to build. the old king, at the sight of his son, threw open his arms, and frederick, kneeling before him, buried his face in his fathers lap, and they wept together. the affecting scene forced tears into the eyes of all the by-standers. frederick william, upon recovering from a fainting-fit, had insisted that he would not die, and had compelled his attendants to dress him and conduct him to the open air.
but the exertion, and the emotion occasioned by the interview with his son, prostrated him again. he was taken back into his palace and to his bed more dead than alive. reviving a little in the afternoon, he dictated to frederick all the arrangements he wished to have adopted in reference to his funeral. this curious document is characteristic, in every line, of the strange man. his coffin, which was of massive oak carpentry, had been made for some time, and was in the king’s chamber awaiting its occupant. he not unfrequently, with affected or real complacency, fixed his eyes upon it, saying, “i shall sleep right well there.” in the minute directions to his son as to his burial, he said,
“as soon as i am dead, my body must be washed, a white shirt must be placed upon it, and it must be stretched out upon a table. they must then shave and wash me, and cover me with a sheet. after four hours my body must be opened. the surgeons of the regiments in town will examine into the malady which has caused my death. they will then dress me in my best clothes, with all my decorations. then i am to be placed in my coffin, and thus left all night.
186 “the next day the battalions will be formed in complete order, each grenadier with three cartridges. crape will be placed about the colors, the drums, the fifes, and hautboys. every officer will have crape on his hat, around his arm, and on the hilt of his sword. the funeral car will be placed near the green staircase, with the heads of the horses toward the river. eight captains of my regiment will carry me toward the funeral car. these eight captains will also take me out of the car, and carry me into the church.
“as soon as the car shall begin to move, the drums shall beat the dead march, and the hautboys shall play the well-known anthem, ‘o blessed head, covered with blood and wounds!’ the car will stop at the iron gate. the regiment will defile before it. my two sons, augustus william and henry, will remain with the regiment. you, as my eldest son, with little ferdinand, my youngest son, will walk in uniform behind the car.
“when the body has been carried into the church, there shall be placed upon the coffin my handsomest sword, my best scarf, a pair of gilt spurs, and a gilt helmet. there shall be brought from berlin twenty-four six-pounders, which shall make twelve discharges singly. then the battalions will fire.
“i forbid any funeral sermon to be preached over me. in the evening a festival will be given in the great room in the garden. the cask of hock which i have in my cellar must be opened. at this repast good wine alone shall be drank.
“a fortnight after a funeral sermon shall be preached for me in all the churches. the text shall be, ‘i have fought a good fight; i have finished my course; i have kept the faith.’ they shall not speak any thing of my life, of my actions, nor any thing personal of me. but they shall tell the people that i confessed my sins, and that i died in full confidence of the goodness of god and of my savior.”
during the next three days the king suffered much from weakness and a violent cough. he was often heard murmuring prayers, and would say to those around him, “pray for me; pray for me.” several times he pathetically exclaimed, “lord, enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” a favorite hymn was often sung to him containing the words, “naked came i into the world, and naked187 shall i go out of it.” at this passage he repeatedly exclaimed, with much vivacity, as though it were an admirable joke, “no, not quite naked; i shall have my uniform on.”
at one o’clock in the morning of may 31 he sent for a clergyman, m. cochius, and seemed to be in great distress both of body and of mind. “i fear,” said he, “that i have a great deal of pain yet to suffer. i can remember nothing. i can not pray. i have forgotten all my prayers.” m. cochius endeavored to console him. at the close of the interview the king said, sadly, “fare thee well. we shall most probably never meet again in this world.” he was then rolled, in his wheel-chair, into the chamber of the queen.
“oh, phiekin, my phiekin!” said he, “thou must rise and help me what thou canst. this day i am going to die. thou must be with me this day.”
the dying king strangely decided, at that late hour, to abdicate. all the officials were hurriedly summoned to his chamber. the poor old man, bandaged, with his night-cap on, and a mantle thrown over him, was wheeled into the anteroom where the company was assembled. as he saw p?llnitz he exclaimed, sadly, “it is all over.” noticing one in tears, he said to him, kindly, “nay, my friend, this is a debt we all have to pay.” the king then solemnly abdicated in favor of his “good son frederick.” the deed was made out, signed, and sealed. but scarcely was it executed ere the king fainted, and was carried to his bed. still the expiring lamp of life flickered in its socket. about eleven o’clock the clergyman, m. cochius, was sent for. the king was in his bed, apparently speechless. he, however, revived a little, and was in great pain, often exclaiming, “pray for me; pray for me; my trust is in the savior.” he called for a mirror, and carefully examined his face for some moments, saying at intervals, “not so worn out as i thought.” “an ugly face.” “as good as dead already.”31
188 he then summoned his physician, m. pitsch, and said, “feel my pulse. tell me how long this will last.”
the physician replied, “alas! not long.”
“say not alas,” added the king. “but how do you know?”
“the pulse is gone,” the physician said, sadly.
the king seemed surprised, raised his hand, opening and shutting the fingers, and then said, “it is impossible. how could i move my fingers so if the pulse were gone?”
m. pitsch made no reply. the king, probably feeling at the moment some physical monition of approaching death, cried out, “lord jesus, to thee i live. lord jesus, to thee i die. in life and in death thou art my gain.”
these were his last words. he fainted, and, after a few gasps, died. it was about two o’clock in the afternoon of tuesday, the 31st of may, 1740. thus the soul of frederick william passed to the spirit land, in the fifty-first year of its sojourn here on earth.
the king having breathed his last, frederick, in tears, retired to a private room, there to reflect upon the sad receding past, and upon the opening future, with the vast responsibilities thus suddenly thrown upon him. he was now king of prussia; and not only absolute master of himself, but absolute monarch over a realm containing two millions two hundred and forty thousand souls. he was restrained by no parliament, no constitution, no customs or laws superior to his own resolves. he could take advice of others, and call energetic men to his aid, but his will alone was sovereign.
the prussian kingdom, which thus fell to frederick by “divine right,” consisted of an assemblage of duchies, marquisates, principalities, and lordships, comprising an area of nearly fifty-seven thousand square miles, being about the size of the state of michigan, and very similarly situated as to climate and soil. it was unfortunately not a compact country, as several of the states could only be reached by passing through the territories of other powers. the annual revenue amounted to a little over six million dollars. there was also in the treasury a sum, which frederick william had saved, of about seven million dollars. the army consisted of seventy-six thousand men, in the highest state of discipline, and abundantly furnished with all the materiel of war.
189 quite an entire change seemed immediately to take place in the character of the young king. m. bielfeld was the first who was introduced to his apartment after the death of frederick william. frederick was in tears, and seemed much affected.
“you do not know,” said he to m. bielfeld, “what i have lost in losing my father.”
“it is true, sire,” bielfeld replied, “but i know very well what you have gained in getting a kingdom. your loss is great, but your motives for consolation are very powerful.”
the king smiled, and immediately entered very vigorously upon business. it was not possible, under these circumstances, for him deeply to mourn over the death of so tyrannical a father. frederick was twenty-eight years of age. he is described as a handsome young man, five feet seven inches in stature, and of graceful presence. the funeral ceremonies of the deceased monarch were conducted essentially according to the programme already given. the body of the king mouldered to dust in the sepulchre of his fathers. his spirit returned to the god who gave it.
“the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
if these words are true, which milton places in the lips of the apostate fiend, it is appalling to think of the ungoverned and ungovernable spirit with which the king entered the unseen world. we know not that there is any power in the alembic of death to transform the character; and certain it is that if frederick william carried with him to the abode of spirits the same character which he cherished in this world, there are but few who could be rendered happy by his society. but we must leave him with his god, and return to the stormy scenes upon which his son now entered.
the young sovereign commenced his reign with the utterance of very noble sentiments. the day after his accession he assembled the chief officers of his father to administer to them the oath of allegiance. he urged them to be humane in the exercise of all authority which might be delegated to them.
“our grand care,” said he, “will be to further the country’s well-being, and to make every one of our subjects contented and happy. if it ever chance that my particular interest and the190 general good of my country should seem to conflict, it is my wish that the latter should always be preferred.”