Toward the end of the year 1775 the king had an unusually severe attack of the gout. It was erroneously reported that it was a dangerous attack of the dropsy, and that he was manifestly drawing near to his end. The Crown Prince, who was to succeed him, was a man of very little character. The Emperor551 of Germany, Joseph II., thought the death of Frederick would present him an opportunity of regaining6 Silesia for Austria. The Austrian army was immediately put in motion and hurried to the frontiers of Silesia, to seize the province the moment the king should expire. This was openly done, and noised abroad. Much to the disappointment of the emperor, the king got well. Amidst much ridicule7, the troops returned to their old quarters.190
Frederick was probably not surprised at this act on the part of the emperor. He undoubtedly8 had sufficient candor9 to admit that it was exactly what he should have done under similar circumstances.
Catharine of Russia had a son, Paul, her heir to the throne. It so chanced that she died just at the time Prince Henry of Prussia was visiting St. Petersburg. Through his agency Paul was induced to take as a second wife a niece of Frederick’s, the eldest10 daughter of Eugene of Würtemberg. Thus the ties between Russia and Prussia were still more strengthened, so far as matrimonial alliances could strengthen them. The wedding took place in Berlin on the 18th of October, 1776.
Several years now passed away with nothing specially11 worthy12 of record. Frederick did not grow more amiable13 as he advanced in years. Though Frederick was often unreasonable14, petulant15, and unjust, and would seldom admit that he had been in the wrong, however clear the case, it can not be doubted that it was his general and earnest desire that justice should be exercised in all his courts.
In September, 1777, the King of Bavaria died. The emperor thought it a good opportunity to annex Bavaria to Austria. “Do but look on the map,” says Carlyle, in his peculiar16 style of thought and expression: “you would say, Austria without Bavaria is like a human figure with its belly17 belonging to somebody else. Bavaria is the trunk or belly of the Austrian dominions18, shutting off all the limbs of them each from the other; making for central part a huge chasm19.”
France would hardly object, since she was exhausted20 with long wars. England was busy in the struggle with her North American colonies. Russia was at war with the Turks. There was no power to be feared but Prussia.
552 “Frederick,” said Kaunitz, “is old and broken. He can not live long. Having suffered so much, he has an absolute horror of war. We need not fear that he will again put his armies in motion.”
But no sooner did Frederick get an intimation that Austria was contemplating21 this enlargement of her domains22 than he roused himself to prevent it with all the vigor23 of his earlier years. It was a very delicate matter; for Charles Theodore, the elector, and his nephew August Christian24, heir to the electorate25, a young gentleman of very illustrious pedigree, but of a very slender purse, had both been bribed26 by Austria secretly to co-operate in the movement. The reader will be interested in Carlyle’s account, slightly abbreviated27, of Frederick’s skill in diplomacy28:
“Heir is a gallant29 enough young gentleman. Frederick judges that he probably will have haggled30 to sign any Austrian convention for dismemberment of Baiern, and that he will start into life upon it so soon as he sees hope.
“‘A messenger to him,’ thinks Frederick; ‘a messenger instantly; and who?’ For that clearly is the first thing. And a delicate thing it is; requiring to be done in profoundest secrecy31, by hint and innuendo32 rather than speech—by somebody in a cloak of darkness, who is of adroit33 quality, and was never heard of in diplomatic circles before, not to be suspected of having business of mine on hand.
“Frederick bethinks him that in a late visit to Weimar he had noticed, for his fine qualities, a young gentleman named G?rtz, late tutor to the young Duke Karl August, a wise, firm, adroit-looking young gentleman, who was farther interesting as brother to Lieutenant34 General Von G?rtz, a respectable soldier of Frederick’s. Ex-tutor at Weimar, we say, and idle for the moment; hanging about court there, till he should find a new function.
“Of this ex-tutor Frederick bethinks him; and in the course of that same day—for there is no delay—Frederick, who is at Berlin, beckons35 General G?rtz to come over to him from Potsdam instantly.
“‘Hither this evening, and in all privacy meet me in the palace at such an hour’ (hour of midnight or thereby36); which of553 course G?rtz, duly invisible to mankind, does. Frederick explains: an errand to München; perfectly37 secret, for the moment, and requiring great delicacy38 and address; perhaps not without risk, a timorous39 man might say: will your brother go for me, think you? G?rtz thinks he will.
“‘Here is his instruction, if so,’ adds the king, handing him an autograph of the necessary outline of procedure—not signed, nor with any credential, or even specific address, lest accident happen. ‘Adieu, then, herr general lieutenant; rule is, shoes of swiftness, cloak of darkness: adieu!’
“And G?rtz senior is off on the instant, careering toward Weimar, where he finds G?rtz junior, and makes known his errand. G?rtz junior stares in the natural astonishment40; but, after some intense brief deliberation, becomes affirmative, and in a minimum of time is ready and on the road.
“G?rtz junior proved to have been an excellent choice on the king’s part, and came to good promotion41 afterward42 by his conduct in this affair. G?rtz junior started for München on the instant, masked utterly43, or his business masked, from profane44 eyes; saw this person, saw that, and glided45 swiftly about, swiftly and with sure aim; and speedily kindled46 the matter, and had smoke rising in various points. And before January was out, saw the Reisch-Diet, at Regensburg, much more the general gazetteerage every where, seized of this affair, and thrown into paroxysms at the size and complexion47 of it: saw, in fact, a world getting into flame—kindled by whom or what nobody could guess for a long time to come. G?rtz had great running about in his cloak of darkness, and showed abundant talent of the kind needed. A pushing, clear-eyed, stout-hearted man; much cleverness and sureness in what he did and forebore to do. His adventures were manifold; he had much traveling about: was at Regensburg, at Mannheim; saw many persons whom he had to judge of on the instant, and speak frankly48 to, or speak darkly, or speak nothing; and he made no mistake.
“We can not afford the least narrative49 of G?rtz and his courses: imagination, from a few traits, will sufficiently50 conceive them. He had gone first to Karl Theodor’s minister: ‘Dead to it, I fear; has already signed?’ Alas51! yes. Upon which to Zweibrück, the heir’s minister, whom his master had distinctly ordered to sign,554 but who, at his own peril52, gallant man, delayed, remonstrated53, had not yet done it; and was able to answer:
“‘Alive to it, he? Yes, with a witness, were there hope in the world!’ which threw G?rtz upon instant gallop54 toward Zweibrück Schloss in search of said heir, the young Duke August Christian; who, however, had left in the interim55 (summoned by his uncle, on Austrian urgency, to consent along with him), but whom G?rtz, by dexterity56 and intuition of symptoms, caught up by the road, with what a mutual57 joy! As had been expected, August Christian, on sight of G?rtz, with an armed Frederick looming58 in the distance, took at once into new courses and activities. From him no consent now; far other: treaty with Frederick; flat refusal ever to consent: application to the Reich, application even to France, and whatever a gallant young fellow could do.
“Frederick was in very weak health in these months; still considered by the gazetteers59 to be dying. But it appears he is not yet too weak for taking, on the instant necessary, a world-important resolution; and of being on the road with it, to this issue or to that, at full speed before the day closed. ‘Desist, good neighbor, I beseech60 you. You must desist, and even you shall:’ this resolution was entirely61 his own, as were the equally prompt arrangements he contrived62 for executing it, should hard come to hard, and Austria prefer war to doing justice.”191
While pushing these intrigues of diplomacy, Frederick was equally busy in marshaling his armies, that the sword might contribute its energies to the enforcement of his demands. One hundred thousand troops were assembled in Berlin, in the highest state of discipline and equipment, ready to march at a moment’s warning.
On Sunday, April 5, 1778, Frederick reviewed these troops, and addressed his officers in a speech, which was published in the newspapers to inform Austria what she had to expect. Eager as Frederick was to enlarge his own dominions, he was by no means disposed to grant the same privilege to other and rival nations. The address of Frederick to his officers was in reality a declaration to the Austrian court.
“Gentlemen,” said Frederick, “I have assembled you here for a555 public object. Most of you, like myself, have often been in arms with one another, and are grown gray in the service of our country. To all of us is well known in what dangers, toils64, and renown65 we have been fellow-sharers. I doubt not in the least that all of you, as myself, have a horror of bloodshed; but the danger which now threatens our countries not only renders it a duty, but puts us in the absolute necessity, to adopt the quickest and most effectual means for dissipating at the right time the storm which threatens to break out upon us.
“I depend with complete confidence on your soldierly and patriotic66 zeal67, which is already well and gloriously known to me, and which, while I live, I will acknowledge with the heartiest68 satisfaction. Before all things I recommend to you, and prescribe as your most sacred duty, that in every situation you exercise humanity on unarmed enemies. In this respect, let there be the strictest discipline kept among those under you.
“To travel with the pomp of a king is not among my wishes, and all of you are aware that I have no pleasure in rich field-furniture; but my increasing age, and the weakness it brings, render me incapable69 of riding as I did in my youth. I shall, therefore, be obliged to make use of a post-chaise in times of marching, and all of you have liberty to do the same. But on the day of battle you shall see me on horseback; and there, also, I hope my generals will follow that example.”
Kaunitz, the Austrian prime minister, was by no means prepared for this decisive action. In less than a week Frederick had one hundred thousand soldiers on the frontiers. Austria had not ten thousand there to meet them. Kaunitz, quite alarmed, assumed a supplicatory70 tone, and called for negotiation71.
“Must there be war?” he said. “I am your majesty72’s friend. Can we not, in mutual concession73, find agreement?”
The result was a congress of three persons, two Prussians and one Austrian, which congress met at Berlin on the 24th of May, 1778. For two months they deliberated. The Austrians improved the delay in making very vigorous preparations for war. Frederick really wished to avoid the war, for he had seen enough of the woes74 of battle. They could come to no agreement.
On the 3d of July Frederick issued his declaration of war. On that very day his solid battalions75, one hundred thousand556 strong, with menacing banners and defiant77 bugle-notes, crossed the border, and encamped on Bohemian ground. At the same moment, the king’s brother, Prince Henry, with another army of one hundred thousand men, commenced a march from the west to co-operate in an impetuous rush upon Vienna. These tidings caused the utmost consternation78 in the Austrian capital. An eye-witness writes:
“The terror in Vienna was dreadful. I will not attempt to describe the dismay the tidings excited among all ranks of people. Maria Theresa, trembling for her two sons who were in the army, immediately dispatched an autograph letter to Frederick with new proposals for a negotiation.”
Frederick had not grown old gracefully80. He was domineering, soured, and irritable82, finding fault with every body and every thing. As his troops were getting into camp at Jaromirtz on the 8th of July, the king, weary with riding, threw himself upon the ground for a little rest, his adjutants being near him. A young officer was riding by. Frederick beckoned83 to him, and wrote, with his pencil, an order of not the slightest importance, and said to the officer, aloud, in the hearing of all, purposely to wound their feelings,
“Here, take that order to General Lossow, and tell him that he is not to take it ill that I trouble him, as I have none in my suite84 that can do any thing.” It often seemed to give Frederick pleasure, and never pain, to wound the feelings of others.
“On arriving with his column,” writes General Schmettau, “where the officer—a perfectly skillful man—had marked out the camp, the king would lift his spy-glass, gaze to right and left, riding round the place at perhaps a hundred yards distance, and begin, ‘Look here, sir, what a botching you have made of it again!’
“And then, grumbling85 and blaming, would alter the camp till it was all out of rule, and then say,
“‘See there; that is the way to mark out camps.’”192
Through the efforts of Maria Theresa there was another brief conference, but it amounted to nothing. Neither party wished for war. But Austria craved86 the annexation87 of Bavaria, and Frederick was determined88 that Austria should not thus be enlarged.557 Thus the summer passed away in unavailing diplomacy and in equally unavailing military man?uvrings. While engaged in these adventures, Frederick received the tidings of the death of Voltaire, who breathed his last on the 20th of May, 1778. The soul of Frederick was too much seared by life’s stern conflicts to allow him to manifest, or probably to feel, any emotion on the occasion. He, however, wrote a eulogy90 upon the renowned91 littérateur, which, though written by a royal pen, attracted but little attention.
During the winter Russia and France interposed in behalf of peace. The belligerents92 agreed to submit the question to their decision. Austria was permitted to take a small slice of Bavaria, and for a time the horrors of war were averted93.
Soon after this an event occurred very characteristic of the king—an event which conspicuously94 displayed both his good and bad qualities. A miller95 was engaged in a lawsuit96 against a nobleman. The decree of the court, after a very careful examination, was unanimously in favor of the nobleman; the king, who had impulsively97 formed a different opinion of the case, was greatly exasperated98. He summoned the four judges before him, denounced them in the severest terms of vituperation, would listen to no defense99, and dismissed them angrily from office.
“May a miller,” he exclaimed, fiercely, “who has no water, and consequently can not grind, have his mill taken from him? Is that just? Here is a nobleman wishing to make a fish-pond. To get more water for his pond, he has a ditch dug to draw into it a small stream which drives a water-mill. Thereby the miller loses his water, and can not grind. Yet, in spite of this, it is pretended that the miller shall pay his rent, quite the same as at the time when he had full water for his mill. Of course he can not pay his rent. His incomings are gone.
“And what does the court of Cüstrin do? It orders the mill to be sold, that the nobleman may have his rent! Go you, sir,” addressing the grand chancellor100, “about your business, this instant. Your successor is appointed; with you I have nothing more to do.” The other three were assailed101 in the same way, but still more vehemently102, as the king’s wrath103 flamed higher and higher. “Out of my sight,” he exclaimed at last; “I will make an example of you which shall be remembered.”
558
CONDEMNATION OF THE JUDGES.
The next day, December 11, 1779, the king issued the following protocol104 in the newspapers:
“The king’s desire always was and is that every body, be he high or low, rich or poor, get prompt justice. Wherefore, in respect to this most unjust sentence against the miller Arnold, pronounced in the Neumark, and confirmed here in Berlin, his majesty will establish an emphatic105 example, to the end that all559 the courts of justice in the king’s provinces may take warning thereby, and not commit the like glaring unjust acts. For let them bear in mind that the least peasant, yea, what is still more, that even a beggar, is, no less than his majesty, a human being, and one to whom due justice must be meted106 out. All men being equal before the law, if it is a prince complaining against a peasant, or vice63 versa, the prince is the same as the peasant before the law.
“Let the courts take this for their rule; and whenever they do not carry out justice in a straightforward107 manner, without any regard of person and rank, they shall have to answer to his majesty for it.”
The discarded judges were arrested, imprisoned108 for a year, and fined a sum of money equal to the supposed loss of the miller. In this case the judges had heard both sides of the question, and the king but one side. The question had been justly decided109. The case was so clear that the new judges appointed by the king, being conscientious110 men, could not refrain from sustaining the verdict. Still the king, who would never admit that he was in the wrong, ordered no redress111 for those who had thus suffered for righteousness sake. After Frederick’s death the court compelled the miller to refund112 the money which had been so unjustly extorted113 for damages.
On the 29th of November, 1780, Maria Theresa died. The extraordinary character which she had developed through life was equally manifested in the hour of death. She died of congestion114 of the lungs, which created a painful and suffocating115 difficulty of breathing. Her struggles for breath rendered it impossible for her to lie upon the bed. Bolstered116 in her chair, she leaned her head back as if inclined to sleep.
“Will your majesty sleep, then?” inquired an attendant.
“No,” the empress replied; “I could sleep, but I must not. Death is too near. He must not steal upon me. These fifteen years I have been making ready for him; I will meet him awake.”
For fifteen years she had been a mourning widow. Her husband had died on the 18th of August. The 18th day of every month had since then been a day of solitary117 prayer. On the 18th of every August she descended118 into the tomb, and sat for560 a season engaged in prayer by the side of the mouldering119 remains120 of her spouse121.
MARIA THERESA AT THE TOMB OF HER HUSBAND.
The Emperor Joseph had been embarrassed in his ambitious plans by the conscientious scruples122 of his mother. He now entered into a secret alliance with the Czarina Catharine, by which he engaged to assist her in her advance to Constantinople, while she, in her turn, was to aid him in his encroachments and annexations123 to establish an empire in the West as magnificent as the czarina hoped to establish in the East.
Delighted with this plan, and sanguine124 in the hope of its successful accomplishment125, the czarina named her next grandson Constantine. Austria and Russia thus became allied126, with all their sympathies hostile to Frederick. Old age and infirmities were stealing upon the king apace. Among the well-authenticated561 anecdotes127 related of him, the following is given by Carlyle:
“Loss of time was one of the losses Frederick could least stand. In visits, even from his brothers and sisters, which were always by his own express invitation, he would say some morning (call it Tuesday morning), ‘You are going on Wednesday, I am sorry to hear’ (what you never heard before). ‘Alas! your majesty, we must.’ ‘Well, I am sorry; but I will lay no constraint128 on you. Pleasant moments can not last forever.’ This trait is in the anecdote-books; but its authenticity129 does not rest on that uncertain basis. Singularly enough, it comes to me individually, by two clear stages, from Frederick’s sister, the Duchess of Brunswick, who, if any body, would know it well.”
We have often spoken of the entire neglect with which the king treated his virtuous131 and amiable queen. Preuss relates the following incident:
“When the king, after the Seven Years’ War, now and then in carnival132 season dined with the queen in her apartments, he usually said not a word to her. He merely, on entering, on sitting down at table, and leaving it, made the customary bows, and sat opposite to her. Once the queen was ill of gout. The table was in her apartments, but she was not there. She sat in an easy-chair in the drawing-room. On this occasion the king stepped up to the queen and inquired about her health. The circumstance occasioned among the company present, and all over the town, as the news spread, great wonder and sympathy. This is probably the last time he ever spoke130 to her.”193
“The king was fond of children; he liked to have his grand-nephews about him. One day, while the king sat at work in his cabinet, the younger of the two, a boy of eight or nine, was playing ball about the room, and knocked it once and again into the king’s writing operation, who twice or oftener flung it back to him, but next time put it in his pocket, and went on. ‘Please your majesty, give it me back,’ begged the boy, and again begged: majesty took no notice; continued writing. Till at length came, in the tone of indignation, ‘Will your majesty give me my ball, then?’ The king looked up; found the little Hohenzollern planted firm, hands on haunches, and wearing quite a peremptory562 air. ‘Thou art a brave little fellow. They won’t get Silesia out of thee?’ cried he, laughing, and flinging him his ball.”194
The fault-finding character of the king, and his intense devotion to perfecting his army, both increased with his advancing years. After one of his reviews of the troops in Silesia, in the year 1784, he wrote in the following severe strain to the commanding general:
“Potsdam, September 7, 1784.
“My dear General,—While in Silesia I mentioned to you, and will now repeat in writing, that my army in Silesia was at no time so bad as at present. Were I to make shoemakers or tailors into generals, the regiments134 could not be worse. Regiment133 Thadden is not fit to be the most insignificant135 militia136 battalion76 of a Prussian army. Of the regiment Erlach, the men are so spoiled by smuggling137 they have no resemblance to soldiers; Keller is like a heap of undrilled boors138; Hager has a miserable139 commander; and your own regiment is very mediocre140. Only with Graf Von Anhalt, with Wendessen, and Markgraf Heinrich could I be content. See you, that is the state I found the regiments in, one after one. I will now speak of their man?uvring.
“Schwartz, at Neisse, made the unpardonable mistake of not sufficiently besetting141 the height on the left wing; had it been serious, the battle had been lost. At Breslau, Erlach, instead of covering the army by seizing the heights, marched off with his division straight as a row of cabbages into that defile142; whereby, had it been earnest, the enemy’s cavalry143 would have cut down our infantry144, and the fight was gone.
“It is not my purpose to lose battles by the base conduct of my generals; wherefore I hereby appoint that you, next year, if I be alive, assemble the army between Breslau and Ohlau; for four days before I arrive in your camp, carefully man?uvre with the ignorant generals, and teach them what their duty is. Regiment Von Arnim and regiment Von Kanitz are to act the enemy; and whoever does not then fulfill145 his duty shall go to court-martial; for I should think it a shame of any country to keep such people, who trouble themselves so little about their business.”
563 The king seemed to think it effeminate and a disgrace to him as a soldier ever to appear in a carriage. He never drove, but constantly rode from Berlin to Potsdam. In the winter of 1785, when he was quite feeble, he wished to go from Sans Souci, which was exposed to bleak146 winds, and where they had only hearth147 fires, to more comfortable winter quarters in the new palace. The weather was stormy. After waiting a few days for such a change as would enable him to go on horseback, and the cold and wind increasing, he was taken over in a sedan-chair in the night, when no one could see him.
In August, 1785, the king again visited Silesia to review his troops. A private letter, quoted by Carlyle, gives an interesting view of his appearance at the time:
“He passed through Hirschberg on the 18th of August. A concourse of many thousands had been waiting for him several hours. Outriders came at last; then he himself, the unique; and, with the liveliest expression of reverence148 and love, all eyes were directed on one point. I can not describe to you my feelings, which, of course, were those of every body, to see him, the aged89 king; in his weak hand the hat; in those grand eyes such a fatherly benignity149 of look over the vast crowd that encircled his carriage, and rolled tide-like, accompanying it. Looking round, I saw in various eyes a tear trembling.
“His affability, his kindliness150, to whoever had the honor of speech with this great king, who shall describe it! After talking a good while with the merchants’ deputation from the hill country, he said, ‘Is there any thing more, then, from any body?’ Upon which the president stepped forward and said, ‘The burned-out inhabitants of Greiffenberg have charged me to express once more their most submissive gratitude151 for the gracious help in rebuilding; their word of thanks is indeed of no importance; but they daily pray God to reward such royal beneficence.’ The king was visibly affected152, and said, ‘You don’t need to thank me; when my subjects fall into misfortune, it is my duty to help them up again; for that reason am I here.’”
On Monday, the 22d of August, the great review commenced near Strehlen. It lasted four days. All the country mansions153 around were filled with strangers who had come to witness the spectacle.
564 “The sure fact, and the forever memorable154, is that on Wednesday, the third day of it, from four in the morning, when the man?uvres began, till well after ten o’clock, when they ended, there was rain like Noah’s; rain falling as from buckets and water-spouts; and that Frederick, so intent upon his business, paid not the slightest regard to it, but rode about, intensely inspecting, in lynx-eyed watchfulness155 of every thing, as if no rain had been there. Was not at the pains even to put on his cloak. Six hours of such down-pour; and a weakly old man of seventy-three past! Of course he was wetted to the bone. On returning to head-quarters, his boots were found full of water; ‘when pulled off, it came pouring from them like a pair of pails.’”195
THE LAST REVIEW.
Lafayette, Lord Cornwallis, and the Duke of York were his565 guests at the dinner-table that day. The king suffered from his exposure, was very feverish156, and at an early hour went to bed. The next day he completed his review; and the next day “went—round by Neisse, inspection157 not to be omitted there, though it doubles the distance—to Brieg, a drive of eighty miles, inspection work included.”196
From this exhausting journey for so old a man the king returned to Potsdam through a series of state dinners, balls, and illuminations. On the night of the 18th of September he was awoke by a very severe fit of suffocation158. It was some time before he could get any relief, and it was thought that he was dying. The next day gout set in severely159. This was followed by dropsy. The king suffered severely through the winter. There is no royal road through the sick-chamber160 to the tomb. The weary months of pain and languor161 came and went. The renowned Mirabeau visited the king in his sick-chamber on the 17th of April, 1786. He writes:
“My dialogue with the king was very lively; but the king was in such suffering, and so straitened for breath, I was myself anxious to shorten it. That same evening I traveled on.”
That same evening Marie Antoinette wrote from Versailles to her sister Christine at Brussels:
“The King of Prussia is thought to be dying. I am weary of the political discussions on this subject as to what effects his death must produce. He is better at this moment, but so weak he can not resist long. Physique is gone. But his force and energy of soul, they say, have often supported him, and in desperate crises have even seemed to increase. Liking162 to him I never had. His ostentatious immorality163 has much hurt public virtue164, and there have been related to me barbarities which excite horror.
“He has done us all a great deal of ill. He has been king for his own country, but a trouble-feast for those about him—setting up to be the arbiter165 of Europe, always assailing166 his neighbors, and making them pay the expense. As daughters of Maria Theresa, it is impossible we can regret him; nor is it the court of France that will make his funeral oration167.”197
The Prince of Ligne, a very accomplished168 courtier, about this566 time visited the sick and dying king. During his brief stay he dined daily with the king, and spent his evenings with him. In an interesting account which he gives of these interviews, he writes:
“Daily for five hours the universality of his conversation completed my enchantment169 at his powers. The arts, war, medicine, literature, religion, philosophy, morality, history, and legislation passed in review by turns. The great times of Augustus and Louis XIV.; the good society among the Romans, the Greeks, and the French; the chivalry170 of Francis I.; the valor171 of Henry IV.; the revival172 of letters, and their changes since Leo X.; anecdotes of men of talent of former days, and their errors; the eccentricities173 of Voltaire; the sensitive vanity of Maupertuis; the agreeableness of Algarotti; the wit of Jordan; the hypochondriacism of the Marquis D’Argens, whom the king used to induce to keep his bed for four-and-twenty hours by merely telling him he looked ill—and what not besides? All that could be said of the most varied174 and agreeable kind was what came from him, in a gentle tone of voice, rather low, and very agreeable from his manner of moving his lips, which possessed175 an inexpressible grace.”198
Dr. Moore gives the following account of a surprising scene, considering that the king was an infirm and suffering man seventy-three years of age:
“A few days ago I happened to take a very early walk about a mile from Potsdam, and seeing some soldiers under arms in a field at a small distance from the road, I went toward them. An officer on horseback, whom I took to be the major, for he gave the word of command, was uncommonly176 active, and often rode among the ranks to reprimand or instruct the common men. When I came nearer I was much surprised to find that this was the king himself.
“He had his sword drawn178, and continued to exercise the corps179 for an hour after. He made them wheel, march, form the square, and fire by divisions and in platoons, observing all their motions with infinite attention; and, on account of some blunder, put two officers of the Prince of Prussia’s regiment in arrest. In short, he seemed to exert himself with all the spirit of a young officer567 eager to attract the notice of his general by uncommon177 alertness.”199
FREDERICK AND HIS DOGS.
Frederick was very fond of dogs. This was one of his earliest passions, and it continued until the end of his life. He almost invariably had five or six Italian greyhounds about him, leaping upon the chairs, and sleeping upon the sofas in his room. Dr. Zimmermann describes them as placed on blue satin chairs and couches near the king’s arm-chair, and says that when Frederick, during his last illness, used to sit on his terrace at Sans Souci in order to enjoy the sun, a chair was always placed by his side, which was occupied by one of his dogs. He fed them himself, took the greatest possible care of them when they were sick, and when they died buried them in the gardens of Sans Souci. The568 traveler may still see their tombs—flat stones with the names of the dogs beneath engraved180 upon them—at each end of the terrace of Sans Souci, in front of the palace.
“The king was accustomed to pass his leisure moments in playing with them, and the room where he sat was strewed181 with leather balls with which they amused themselves. As they were all much indulged, though there was always one especial favorite, they used to tear the damask covers of the chairs in the king’s apartment, and gnaw182 and otherwise injure the furniture. This he permitted without rebuke183, and used only to say,
“‘My dogs destroy my chairs; but how can I help it? And if I were to have them mended to-day, they would be torn again to-morrow. So I suppose I must bear with the inconvenience. After all, a Marquise De Pompadour would cost me a great deal more, and would neither be as attached nor as faithful.’”
One of Frederick’s dogs, Biche, has attained184 almost historic celebrity185. We can not vouch186 for the authenticity of the anecdote, but it is stated that the king took Biche with him on the campaign of 1745. One day the king, advancing on a reconnoissance, was surprised and pursued by a large number of Austrians. He took refuge under a bridge, and, wrapping Biche in his cloak, held him close to his breast. The sagacious animal seemed fully81 conscious of the peril of his master. Though of a very nervous temperament187, and generally noisy and disposed to bark at the slightest disturbance188, he remained perfectly quiet until the Austrians had passed.
At the battle of Sohr, Biche was taken captive with the king’s baggage. The animal manifested so much joy upon being restored to its master that the king’s eyes were flooded with tears.
On the 4th of July the king rode out for the last time. Not long after, the horse was again brought to the door, but the king found himself too weak to mount. Still, while in this state of extreme debility and pain, he conducted the affairs of state with the most extraordinary energy and precision. The minutest questions received his attention, and every branch of business was prosecuted189 with as much care and perfection as in his best days.
“He saw his ministers, saw all who had business with him, many who had little; and in the sore coil of bodily miseries190, as569 Hertzberg observed with wonder, never was the king’s intellect clearer, or his judgment191 more just and decisive. Of his disease, except to the doctors, he spoke no word to any body.
“The body of Frederick is a ruin, but his soul is still here, and receives his friends and his tasks as formerly192. Asthma193, dropsy, erysipelas, continual want of sleep; for many months past he has not been in bed, but sits day and night in an easy-chair, unable to get breath except in that posture194. He said one morning to somebody entering, ‘If you happened to want a night-watcher, I could suit you well.’”200
There is something truly sublime195 in the devotion with which he, in disregard of sleeplessness196, exhaustion197, and pain, gave himself to work. His three clerks were summoned to his room each morning at four o’clock.
“My situation forces me,” he said, “to give them this trouble, which they will not have to suffer long. My life is on the decline. The time which I still have belongs not to me, but to the state.”
He conversed198 cheerfully upon literature, history, and the common topics of the day. But he seemed studiously to avoid any allusion199 to God, to the subject of religion, or to death. He had from his early days very emphatically expressed his disbelief in any God who took an interest in the affairs of men. Throughout his whole life he had abstained200 from any recognition of such a God by any known acts of prayer or worship. Still Mr. Carlyle writes:
“From of old, life has been infinitely201 contemptible202 to him. In death, I think, he has neither fear nor hope. Atheism203, truly, he never could abide204: to him, as to all of us, it was flatly inconceivable that intellect, moral emotion, could have been put into him by an Entity205 that had none of its own. But there, pretty much, his Theism seems to have stopped. Instinctively206; too, he believed, no man more firmly, that Right alone has ultimately any strength in this world: ultimately, yes; but for him and his poor brief interests, what good was it? Hope for himself in divine Justice, in divine Providence207, I think he had not practically any: that the unfathomable Demiurgus should concern himself with such a set of paltry208, ill-given animalcules as one’s self and mankind570 are, this also, as we have often noticed, is in the main incredible to him.
“Inarticulate notions, fancies, transient aspirations209, he might have, in the background of his mind. One day, sitting for a while out of doors, gazing into the sun, he was heard to murmur210, ‘Perhaps I shall be nearer thee soon;’ and, indeed, nobody knows what his thoughts were in these final months. There is traceable only a complete superiority to fear and hope; in parts, too, are half glimpses of a great motionless interior lake of sorrow, sadder than any tears or complainings, which are altogether wanting to it.”
Dr. Zimmermann, whose work on Solitude211 had given him some renown, had been sent for to administer to the illustrious patient. His prescriptions212 were of no avail. On the 10th of August, 1786, Frederick wrote to his sister, the Duchess Dowager of Brunswick:
“My adorable Sister,—The Hanover doctor has wished to make himself important with you, my good sister; but the truth is, he has been of no use to me. The old must give place to the young, that each generation may find room clear for it; and life, if we examine strictly213 what its course is, consists in seeing one’s fellow-creatures die and be born. In the mean while, I have felt myself a little easier for the last day or two. My heart remains inviolably attached to you, my good sister. With the highest consideration, my adorable sister, your faithful brother and servant,
Frederick.”
The last letter which it is supposed that he wrote was the following cold epistle to his excellent wife, whom, through a long life, he had treated with such cruel neglect:
“Madam,—I am much obliged by the wishes you deign214 to form; but a heavy fever I have taken hinders me from answering you.”
Scarcely any thing can be more sad than the record of the last days and hours of this extraordinary man. Few of the children of Adam have passed a more joyless life. Few have gone down to a grave shrouded215 with deeper gloom. None of those Christian hopes which so often alleviate216 pain, and take from death its571 sting, cheered his dying chamber. To him the grave was but the portal to the abyss of annihilation.
Days of pain and nights of sleeplessness were his portion. A hard cough racked his frame. His strength failed him. Ulcerous217 sores broke out upon various parts of his body. A constant oppression at his chest rendered it impossible for him to lie down. Gout tortured him. His passage to the grave led through eighteen months of constant suffering. Dr. Zimmermann, in his diary of the 2d of August, writes:
“The king is very chilly218, and is always enveloped219 in pelisses, and covered with feather-beds. He has not been in bed for six weeks, but sleeps in his chair for a considerable time together, and always turned to the right side. The dropsical swelling220 augments221. He sees it, but will not perceive what it is, or at least will not appear to do so, but talks as if it were a swelling accompanying convalescence222, and proceeding223 from previous weakness. He is determined not to die if violent remedies can save him, but to submit to punctures224 and incisions225 to draw off the water.”
Again, on the 8th, Dr. Zimmermann wrote: “The king is extraordinarily226 ill. On the 4th erysipelas appeared on the leg. This announces bursting and mortification227. He has much oppression, and the smell of the wound is very bad.”
On the 15th, after a restless night, he did not wake until eleven o’clock in the morning. For a short time he seemed confused. He then summoned his generals and secretaries, and gave his orders with all his wonted precision. He then called in his three clerks and dictated228 to them upon various subjects. His directions to an embassador, who was about leaving, filled four quarto pages.
As night came on he fell into what may be called the death-sleep. His breathing was painful and stertorous229; his mind was wandering in delirious230 dreams; his voice became inarticulate. At a moment of returning consciousness he tried several times in vain to give some utterance231 to his thoughts. Then, with a despairing expression of countenance232, he sank back upon his pillow. Fever flushed his cheeks, and his eyes assumed some of their wonted fire. Thus the dying hours were prolonged, as the friendless monarch233, surrounded by respectful attendants, slowly descended to the grave.
572 His feet and legs became cold. Death was stealing its way toward the vitals. About nine o’clock Wednesday evening a painful cough commenced, with difficulty of breathing, and an ominous234 rattle235 in the throat. One of his dogs sat by his bedside, and shivered with cold; the king made a sign for them to throw a quilt over it.
Another severe fit of coughing ensued, and the king, having with difficulty got rid of the phlegm, said, “The mountain is passed; we shall be better now.” These were his last words. The expiring monarch sat in his chair, but in a state of such extreme weakness that he was continually sinking down, with his chest and neck so bent236 forward that breathing was almost impossible. One of his faithful valets took the king upon his knee and placed his left arm around his waist, while the king threw his right arm around the valet’s neck.
It was midnight. “Within doors all is silence; around it the dark earth is silent, above it the silent stars.” Thus for two hours the attendant sat motionless, holding the dying king. Not a word was spoken; no sound could be heard but the painful breathing which precedes death.
At just twenty minutes past two o’clock the breathing ceased, the spirit took its flight, and the lifeless body alone remained. Life’s great battle was ended, and the soul of the monarch ascended237 to that dread79 tribunal where prince and peasant must alike answer for all the deeds done in the body. It was the 17th of August, 1786. The king had reigned239 forty-six years, and had lived seventy-six years, six months, and twenty-four days.
One clause in the king’s will was judiciously240 disregarded. As a last mark of his contempt for his own species, Frederick had directed that he should be buried at Sans Souci by the side of his dogs.
In the king’s will, the only reference to any future which might be before him was the following:
“After having restored peace to my kingdom; after having conquered countries, raised a victorious241 army, and filled my treasury242; after having established a good administration throughout my dominions; after having made my enemies tremble, I resign, without regret, this breath of life to Nature.”
573 He left a small sum for the support of his amiable, blameless, and neglected queen, saying, “She never gave me the least uneasiness during my whole reign238, and she merits every attention and respect for her many and unshaken virtues243.”
“All next day the body lay in state in the palace; thousands crowding, from Berlin and the other environs, to see that face for the last time. Wasted, worn, but beautiful in death, with the thin gray hair parted into locks, and slightly powdered.”201
At eight o’clock in the evening his body was borne, accompanied by a battalion of the Guards, to Potsdam; eight horses drew the hearse. An immense concourse, in silence and sadness, filled the streets. He was buried in a small chapel244 in the church of the garrison245 at Potsdam. There the remains of Frederick and his father repose246 side by side.
“Life’s labor247 done, securely laid In this, their last retreat: Unheeded o’er their silent dust The storms of life shall beat.”
The End
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1
annex
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| vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物 | |
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intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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obduracy
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| n.冷酷无情，顽固，执拗 | |
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regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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petulant
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| adj.性急的，暴躁的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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electorate
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| n.全体选民；选区 | |
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bribed
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| v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂 | |
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abbreviated
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| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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haggled
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| v.讨价还价( haggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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innuendo
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| n.暗指，讽刺 | |
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adroit
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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beckons
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的第三人称单数 ) | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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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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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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45
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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interim
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| adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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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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58
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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gazetteers
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| n.地名索引，地名词典( gazetteer的名词复数 ) | |
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beseech
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| v.祈求，恳求 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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toils
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| 网 | |
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renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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heartiest
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| 亲切的( hearty的最高级 )； 热诚的； 健壮的； 精神饱满的 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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supplicatory
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| adj.恳求的，祈愿的 | |
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negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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annexation
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| n.吞并，合并 | |
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88
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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89
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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90
eulogy
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| n.颂词；颂扬 | |
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91
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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92
belligerents
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| n.交战的一方（指国家、集团或个人）( belligerent的名词复数 ) | |
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93
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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94
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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95
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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96
lawsuit
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| n.诉讼，控诉 | |
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97
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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98
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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99
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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100
chancellor
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| n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长 | |
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101
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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102
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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103
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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104
protocol
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| n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节 | |
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105
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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106
meted
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|
| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
straightforward
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|
| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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108
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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109
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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110
conscientious
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|
| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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111
redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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112
refund
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| v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款 | |
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113
extorted
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| v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 )；曲解 | |
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114
congestion
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|
| n.阻塞，消化不良 | |
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115
suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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116
bolstered
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|
| v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助 | |
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117
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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118
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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119
mouldering
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| v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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120
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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121
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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122
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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123
annexations
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| n.并吞，附加，附加物( annexation的名词复数 ) | |
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124
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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125
accomplishment
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|
| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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126
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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127
anecdotes
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|
| n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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128
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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129
authenticity
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| n.真实性 | |
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130
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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131
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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132
carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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133
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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134
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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135
insignificant
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|
| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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136
militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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137
smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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138
boors
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| n.农民( boor的名词复数 )；乡下佬；没礼貌的人；粗野的人 | |
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139
miserable
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|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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140
mediocre
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|
| adj.平常的，普通的 | |
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141
besetting
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|
| adj.不断攻击的v.困扰( beset的现在分词 )；不断围攻；镶；嵌 | |
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142
defile
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|
| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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143
cavalry
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|
| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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144
infantry
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|
| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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145
fulfill
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|
| vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意 | |
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146
bleak
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|
| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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147
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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148
reverence
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|
| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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149
benignity
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|
| n.仁慈 | |
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150
kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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151
gratitude
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|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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152
affected
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|
| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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153
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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154
memorable
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|
| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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155
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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156
feverish
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|
| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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157
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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158
suffocation
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| n.窒息 | |
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159
severely
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|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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160
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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161
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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162
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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163
immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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164
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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165
arbiter
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| n.仲裁人，公断人 | |
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166
assailing
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| v.攻击( assail的现在分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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167
oration
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| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
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168
accomplished
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|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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169
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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170
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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171
valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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172
revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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173
eccentricities
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| n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 )；反常；怪癖 | |
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174
varied
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|
| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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175
possessed
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|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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176
uncommonly
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|
| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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177
uncommon
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|
| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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178
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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179
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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180
engraved
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|
| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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181
strewed
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|
| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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182
gnaw
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|
| v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨 | |
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183
rebuke
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|
| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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184
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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185
celebrity
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|
| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
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186
vouch
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| v.担保；断定；n.被担保者 | |
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187
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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188
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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189
prosecuted
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| a.被起诉的 | |
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190
miseries
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|
| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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191
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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192
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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193
asthma
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| n.气喘病，哮喘病 | |
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194
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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195
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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196
sleeplessness
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| n.失眠，警觉 | |
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197
exhaustion
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|
| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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198
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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199
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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200
abstained
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| v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票） | |
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201
infinitely
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|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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202
contemptible
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|
| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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203
atheism
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| n.无神论，不信神 | |
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204
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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205
entity
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|
| n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物 | |
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206
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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207
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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208
paltry
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|
| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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209
aspirations
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|
| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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210
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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211
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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212
prescriptions
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| 药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划 | |
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213
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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214
deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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215
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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216
alleviate
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|
| v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等) | |
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217
ulcerous
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| adj.溃疡性的，患溃疡的 | |
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218
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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219
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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augments
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| 增加，提高，扩大( augment的名词复数 ) | |
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convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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punctures
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| n.（尖物刺成的）小孔( puncture的名词复数 )；（尤指）轮胎穿孔；（尤指皮肤上被刺破的）扎孔；刺伤v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的第三人称单数 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
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incisions
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| n.切开，切口( incision的名词复数 ) | |
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extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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stertorous
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| adj.打鼾的 | |
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delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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judiciously
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| adv.明断地，明智而审慎地 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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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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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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