He went into the army at an early period, and soon obtained the notice and favor of the king. When arrived at manhood, he was remarkable7 for personal beauty and mingled8 grace and dignity of bearing. Being stationed at Berlin, he became acquainted with the Princess Amelia, sister of Frederick the Great, and a mutual9 attachment10 followed. This became a subject of conversation, and soon reached the ears of Frederick. He warned Trenck to break off his intercourse11 with the princess; but this being unheeded, the king sent him to Glatz, under some pretext12, and caused him to be imprisoned13.
His confinement14 soon became insupportable to his impatient temper, and he resolved to avail himself of the first opportunity of escape. The window of his apartment looked toward the city, and was ninety feet from the ground, in the tower of the citadel15. With a notched16 penknife, he sawed through three iron bars, and with a file, procured17 from one of the officers, he effected a passage through five more, which barricaded18 the windows. This done, he cut his leathern portmanteau into thongs19, sewed them end to end, added the sheets of his bed, and safely descended20 from the astonishing height.
The night was dark, and everything seemed to promise success; but a circumstance he had never[Pg 232] considered was, that he had to wade21 through moats full of mud, before he could enter the city. He sunk up to the knees, and, after long struggling and incredible efforts to extricate22 himself, he was obliged to call the sentinel, and desire him to go and tell the governor that Trenck was stuck fast in the ditch!
After the failure of several other attempts, he finally succeeded in effecting his escape, and fled to Vienna. From thence, he went to St. Petersburg, where he was received with the highest distinction, and the road to honors and emoluments23 was laid open before him. But at this period, the death of a wealthy cousin in Austria, induced him to return thither24. Here, an immense property slipped through his hands, in consequence of some legal flaws.
In 1754, his mother died, from whose estate he received a considerable sum. With a view to the settlement of her affairs, he went to Dantzic, not permitting his name to be known. He was, however, betrayed into the hands of Frederick's officers, and being conveyed to the castle of Magdeburg, was immured25 in a dungeon26, and loaded with irons.
Round his neck was a broad band of iron, to the ring of which his chains were suspended. These were of such weight, that, when he stood up, he was obliged to sustain them with his hands, to prevent being strangled. Various other massive irons were riveted27 to his body, and the whole were fastened to a thick staple28, which was set in the stone wall. Under this staple was a seat of bricks, and on the opposite side a water jug29. Beneath his feet was a tombstone,[Pg 233] with the name of Trenck carved over a death's head.
His confinement in this dreadful cell continued for nine years and five months. In vain did he attempt to bribe30 the sentinels, and by other ingenious means, to effect his escape. His furniture consisted of a bedstead, a mattress31, and a small stove. His food was a pound and a half of mouldy bread and a jug of water a day. He was permitted to hold no intercourse with any one except his keepers, and even these returned no answer to his thousand questions.
Such, however, were the vigor32 of his constitution and the elasticity33 of his spirits, that, amid the gloomy horrors of his prison, he seemed still to seek amusement by the exertion34 of his talents. He composed verses, and, having no ink, wrote them with his blood. He also carved curious emblems35 upon tin cups with his knife. His great ingenuity36 excited the attention of many persons of rank, particularly the Empress Maria Theresa, who ordered her minister to employ all his influence at the court of Berlin to obtain his enlargement.
The Baron, in his Life, relates the following curious anecdote:—"I tamed a mouse so perfectly37 that the little animal was continually playing with me, and used to eat out of my mouth. One night it skipped about so much, that the sentinels heard a noise, and made their report to the officer of the guard. As the garrison38 had been changed at the peace, and as I had not been able to form, at once, so close a connection with the officers of the regular troops, as I had done with those of the militia39, an officer of the former,[Pg 234] after ascertaining40 the truth of the report with his own ears, sent to inform the commanding officer that something extraordinary was going on in my prison.
"The town major arrived, in consequence, early in the morning, accompanied by locksmiths and masons. The floor, the walls, my chains, my body, everything, in short, was strictly41 examined. Finding all in order, they asked me the cause of last evening's bustle42. I had heard the mouse myself, and told them frankly43 by what the noise had been occasioned. They desired me to call my little favorite; I whistled, and the mouse immediately leaped on my shoulder. I solicited44 its pardon, but the officer of the guard took it into his possession, promising45, however, on his word of honor, to give it to a lady who would take great care of it. Turning it afterwards loose in his chamber46, the mouse, who knew nobody but me, soon disappeared and hid itself in a hole.
"At the usual hour of visiting my prison, when the officers were just going away, the poor little animal darted47 in, climbed up my legs, seated itself on my shoulder, and played a thousand tricks to express the joy it felt at seeing me again. Every one was astonished and wished to have it. The major, to terminate the dispute, carried it away and gave it to his wife, who had a light cage made for it; but the mouse refused to eat, and a few days afterwards was found dead."
Trenck was at length released, and soon after married an amiable48 lady, by whom he had eleven children. On the death of Frederick the Great, his successor granted him a passport to Berlin, and restored[Pg 235] his confiscated49 estates, which he had not enjoyed for forty-two years. He soon set off for Konigsburg, where he found his brother, who was very sick, waiting for him with impatience50, and who adopted his children as his heirs. He was also received by all his friends with testimonies51 of joy. Here, it would appear, that Trenck might have spent the remainder of his days, in peace and quiet, but his restless disposition again made him the football of fortune. After many vicissitudes52, he terminated his career in obscurity, and died in 1797.
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1
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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duels
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| n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 )；竞争，斗争 | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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7
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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notched
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| a.有凹口的，有缺口的 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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barricaded
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| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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thongs
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| 的东西 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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extricate
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| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
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emoluments
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| n.报酬，薪水( emolument的名词复数 ) | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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immured
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| v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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32
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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35
emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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40
ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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41
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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42
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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44
solicited
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| v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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45
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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46
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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47
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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48
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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49
confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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51
testimonies
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| （法庭上证人的）证词( testimony的名词复数 )； 证明，证据 | |
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52
vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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