the Great, of Prussia, one of the greatest warriors the present age has produced, was the son of Frederick-William then hereditary prince of Brandenburg, and Maria Dorothea a princess of the house of Brunswick. He was born in 1712, the year before his father Frederick I. mounted the throne of Prussia. The latter was so far from being a patron of literature, that he regarded nothing but what related to the military art; and most of his generals, whatever their merits in their own line might be, scarcely knew how to sign their names. So great indeed was the ignorance of the monarch himself, that he banished from his dominions a philosopher of the name of Wolf, merely because he maintained the doctrine of pre-established harmony; upon which a theologian named Lange asserted, that on such principles his majesty's grenadiers were not culpable when they deserted, it being only the necessary consequence of the impulse their machine had received from their Creator. His son was of a disposition the very reverse of his father. Being put from his birth under the care of Val de Recoule a French lady of great merit and understanding, he acquired, in his early years, not only a taste for literature in general, but a predilection for the French language, which was not obliterated throughout his whole life. It is not to be supposed that a prince of the disposition above mentioned, would suffer his son to be long engaged in literary pursuits. At seven years of age, young Frederick was taken out of the hands of Madame de Recoule, and put under the care of military tutors. General Count de Finkensteen, an old warrior, was appointed his governor; his sub-governor was Colonel de Kalkstein, an officer renowned for his courage and experience; he was taught mathematics and fortification by Major Senning; Han de Jendun, a Frenchman, instructed him in other branches of knowledge; and a cadet of the name of Kenzel, taught him his exercise.

At eight years of age he was furnished with a small arsenal stored with all sorts of arms proportioned to his age and strength, of which his father left him absolute master. In a short time he was named captain and chief of the corps of cadets; and the young prince performed every day, in miniature, with his little soldiers, all the evolutions with which his father exercised his giants. At last he received the command of a company in his father's regiment famous throughout all Europe, and which was composed of men of whom scarce one was short of seven French feet.

Born, however, with a taste for the arts, he devoted to their cultivation every moment he could escape the vigilance of his guardians. He was more particularly fond of poetry and music, and when he could find a moment's leisure, he read French authors, or played on the flute; but his father, as often as he surprized him playing or reading, broke his flute and threw his books into the fire. The prince, chagrined at such injurious treatment, and having a great desire to visit Germany, England, France, and Italy, desired permission to travel. This, however, his father would not allow, but permitted him to accompany himself in the little journeys he made from time to time into Germany; and, in 1728, took him to Dresden to see the king of Poland. By these little expeditions the desire of the prince to visit other countries was only the more inflamed, so that at last he formed a design of setting out without his father's knowledge. The design was intrusted to two of the prince's young friends named Kat and Keit; money was borrowed for the occasion, and the day of their departure fixed, when unluckily the whole project was discovered. The old king, implacable in his resentment, and considering his son as a deserter, determined to put him to death. He was shut up in the fortress of Cultrin; and it was with the utmost difficulty that the count de Seckendorf, sent for the purpose by the emperor Charles VI., was able to alter the king's resolution. Certain vengeance, however, was determined on both the intended associates in Frederick's journey. Keit escaped the danger by flying into Holland; but Kat had not that good fortune. The king first directed that he should be tried by a court-martial; but as they, contrary to his expectation, only sentenced the criminal to perpetual imprisonment, the revengeful monarch by an unheard of exercise of the royal prerogative caused him to be beheaded. The execution was performed under the windows of the prince royal, whose head was held towards the scaffold by four grenadiers; but no sooner did he approach the window and see his friend in the hands of the executioner, than he stretched out his arms towards him, crying out "Kat!" and instantly fainted away. During the remainder of his life he considered capital punishments with a great degree of horror, and they were rare throughout the Prussian dominions while he continued to reign. When the emperor had succeeded in preventing the execution of Frederick, the king remarked, that "Austria would one day see what a serpent she had nourished in her bosom." The royal prisoner remained a year at Cultrin; during which time his father wished that he should learn the maxims of government and finance. For this purpose M. de Munchow, president of the chamber of domains and finances, was ordered to make him assist at all their assemblies, to consider him as a simple counsellor, to treat him as such, and make him work like others. The young counsellor, however, though he assisted at their meetings, did not trouble himself with reading acts or copying decrees. Instead of this, he amused himself sometimes with reading French pamphlets, and at others with drawing caricatures of the president or members of the assembly. M. Munchow himself was likewise very favourable to the prince at this time, by furnishing him books and other articles of amusement, notwithstanding the express prohibition of his father; though in this he certainly ran a great risk; for the old king, who set but a very light value on human life, would undoubtedly have put him to death had he received intelligence of his complaisance.

Frederick, after passing the time above mentioned in confinement, was recalled to Berlin, on pretence of being present at the celebration of his eldest sister's marriage with the hereditary prince of Bareith; but the true reason was, that the king had now prepared a match for the prince himself. This was the princess Elizabeth Christina of Brunswick, niece to the empress. Frederick, who was not only totally indifferent to the fair sex in general, but particularly prejudiced against this princess, made some objections; his father, however, overcame all obstructions with "his usual arguments (says the author of the life of Frederick), viz. his cane, and a few kicks."

The coldness which Frederick at this time showed for the fair sex, appears not to have been natural; for as early as the year 1723, though then only in the 11th year of his age, he is said to have fallen in love with the princess Anne, daughter of George II. Even at this early period he entered into vows to refuse every other but her for his comfort; nor were these ever broken, as far as depended on himself. The marriage perhaps would have taken place, had it not been for some differences which arose between the courts of Prussia and Hanover about a few acres of meadow-land, and two or three Hanoverians enlisted by the Prussian recruiters. It is supposed also, that it was intended at one time to marry him to Maria Theresa of Austria; but, as in that case it would have been necessary to change his religion, Frederick derived from thence a plausible pretence for refusing the match. The princess whom he espoused had a large share of beauty; and, what was still better, an excellent heart: but Frederick is said to have suffered so much in his former amours, that certain natural and unfurmountable impediments remained to the completing of his marriage with any woman. Scarcely therefore was he in bed with his young spouse, when a cry of Fire! was raised by his friends. Frederick got up to see where the conflagration was; but finding it to be a false alarm, he sent messengers to compose the princess; but neither that night, nor any other, did he think proper to disturb her rest.

On occasion of this marriage, Frederick received from his father the county of Rupin. He resided in the capital of this county, named also Rupin, for some time; but afterwards chose Rheinsberg for his place of abode. This is a little town built in the sands, on the confines of Mecklenburg, and at that time containing only 1000 inhabitants; but it was soon greatly improved by Frederick. Having put over the great gate of the castle, however, the following inscription,

Fredericus Tranquillitatem Coleti, his father was displeased with it, and therefore hurried him from his peaceful retreat into the noise and tumult of war. At this time the succession to the crown of Poland had kindled a general war throughout Europe, and the king of Prussia was to send 10,000 auxiliaries to the imperial army, then commanded by prince Eugene. The king conducted his troops in person, and resolved to take this opportunity of giving his son an idea of war. At this time, however, he learnt but little; and only saw, as he himself expresses it, the shadow of the great Eugene. That consummate general, nevertheless, did not overlook his merit; but predicted that he would one day be a great captain. Frederick having gone to reconnoitre the lines at Philippsburg, in his return through a very open wood, was exposed to the cannon of the lines, which thundered incessantly. The balls broke a number of branches on every side of him; notwithstanding which, he never caused his horse move quicker; nor did his hand which held the bridle ever alter its motion even for a moment. He continued to converse quietly with the generals who attended him, and never showed the smallest sign of apprehension. Being one night at supper with field-marshal Grumkow, the conversation turned on the young prince Eugene who died on the Rhine; and he was asked whether that prince would ever have become a great man? Frederick decided in the negative, on account of young Eugene's not having known at any period of his life how to choose a friend who dared to tell him the truth.

During this campaign the health of the old king was so much impaired, that he was obliged to leave the army; and Frederick, on his return, was for some time intrusted with signing all the orders in his father's name. On the king's recovery the prince was sent to Stetten, under the care of the prince of Dessau, that he might see the fortifications of that town. He was afterwards permitted to go to Konigsberg to see the unfortunate Stanislaus, who had taken refuge in that place, and who was no less remarkable for his philosophy and constancy than for his misfortunes. With him Frederick remained for some weeks, and contracted a friendship which was not dissolved but by the death of Stanislaus. At last he was allowed to return to his peaceful mansion at Rheinsberg, where he remained till the death of his father. In this place his time was occupied alternately by the study of the sciences, the cultivation of the arts, and the pleasures of friendship. Philosophy, history, politics, the military art, poetry and music, agreeably succeeded each other, and had each its stated period. The prince passed the greatest part of the day in his library; and the remainder in the society of a select company of agreeable and learned men. The principal of these were Chaflot, a French officer; Kayferling, a gentleman of Courland, on whom the prince bestowed the name of Caesarion; Jordan, a French refugee; and Knobelfdorf, director of the buildings and gardens; but who could converse on all the arts of designing with as much taste as judgement.—In these meetings, gaiety generally presided; there were generals to speak of war, musicians to form concerts, and excellent painters to decorate the apartments. Whilst Knobelfdorf was executing landscapes and laying out the gardens, Pefne was immortalizing himself by his ceilings, and du Buillon by his pictures of flowers. The two Grauns composed excellent music, or directed the orchestra; and Benda, one of the first violins of Europe, accompanied the prince who played extremely well on the flute. The morning was usually dedicated to study; gaiety and agreeable conversation prevailed at every repast; and every evening there was a little concert.—In this retreat Frederick conceived that ardent passion for military glory and the aggrandisement of his kingdom for which he became at last so remarkable; and here he supposed to have formed the most sublime and daring projects. He was fired with a desire of imitating the celebrated heroes of antiquity, of whom he read in the ancient authors, and for which he let apart some hours every day. Amongst the works which he read almost every year, were Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Plutarch, Tacitus, Sallust, Livy, Quintus Curtius, Cornelius Nepos, Valerius Maximus, Polybius, Caesar, Vegetius, &c. He never spoke but with enthusiasm of the great warriors of Greece and Rome; and when seated on the throne, thought he could never distinguish an able soldier in a more honourable manner than by conferring on him a Roman surname. Hence he distinguished, by the name of Quintus Icilius, M. Guichard who had written some treatises on the military art of the ancients; giving him at the same time a free battalion. This name of Quintus Icilius was retained by M. Guichard as long as he lived.

In his pursuit of glory Frederick found that it was not improper to cultivate the friendship of celebrated poets, philosophers, and others of the literary class; for which purpose he flattered, commended, and complimented all the most celebrated literati of Europe at that time. "The philosophers (says the author of his life) answered him as a mad lover writes to his mistress. They wrote to him that he was a great poet, a great philosopher, the Solomon of the north. All these hyperboles were printed; and Solomon was not sorry for it, though he had too much understanding to believe in them. Wolf, Rollin, Gravelande, Maupertuis, Algarotti, Voltaire, were honoured with his correspondence. The last especially, accustomed to offer up incense to the idol of the day were it transported from the dunghill to the altar, did not fail to exalt as the first man of the universe, a prince who was in expectancy of the throne, and who assured him that he was the greatest philosopher of the age and the first poet in the world."

That Frederick might keep up his character with the literati, or perhaps from a real predilection for his principles, principles, he patronised the Apology of Wolf, and had his principal treatises translated into French. He even prevailed upon his father to relax a little in favour of that philosopher. A commission of reformed and Lutheran theologians was appointed in 1736, to examine into the tenets of that unfortunate philosopher. Wolf was declared innocent, and a letter was sent to him at Marbourg containing an invitation to return; but the philosopher did not think proper to make his appearance till the year 1740, when his protector was seated on the throne.

During his residence at Rheinberg, Frederick composed his refutation of the principles of Machiavel, under the title of Anti Machiavel; of which he sent the manuscript to Voltaire to correct, and to get printed.

The old king, now almost worn out with infirmity, saw with regret the predilection his son entertained for men of letters; and, in his peevish fits, often threatened the whole society with confinement in the fortress of Spandau. These threats frequently occasioned a violent alarm among the joyous company at Rheinberg, which it required all the eloquence of Frederick to quiet. Their apprehensions on this account, however, were soon removed. At the commencement of the year 1740, the king's disorder increased to a great degree, and in the month of May his case became desperate. He lived, however, till the 31st of that month, when he expired, and left the throne to his son Frederick II.

The acquisition of a kingdom did not abate Frederick's passion for literature, though to this he was now obliged to superadd the qualities and labours of a great king. A consideration of his transactions in this character falls under the article Prussia, to which we refer: these, indeed, so totally engrossed the remaining part of his life, that little more remains to be said under this article, than to relate some anecdotes by which we may be in some measure able to trace the character of this great and singular personage.

It has already been mentioned, that in the early part of his life, Frederick had conceived a great inclination to travel. This passion seems not to have been extinguished by the splendor of his new situation; for having, soon after his accession, gone into Prussia and Westphalia to receive the homage of the inhabitants, he formed a resolution of proceeding incognito as far as Paris. Being discovered at Straßburg, however, he laid aside the design of proceeding to Paris, and went to see his states in Lower Germany. Here he wrote the celebrated Voltaire, that he should come incognito to visit him at Bruxelles; but being seized with an indisposition in the little palace of Meuse, two leagues from Cleves, he wrote again to that philosopher, informing him that he expected he should make the first advances. The following curious account is given by him of his reception, &c. "The only guard I found at the gate was one soldier. The privy-counsellor, Bambonet, was cooling his heels in the court; he had large ruffles of dirty linen; a hat full of holes; and an old magisterial periuke, one end of which descended as low as his pockets, and the other scarcely reached his shoulder. I was conducted into his majesty's apartment, where there was nothing but bare walls. I perceived in a cabinet, by the glimmering of a taper, a truckle bed, two feet and an half wide, on which lay a little man muffled up in a night-gown of coarse blue cloth. Frederick. This was the king, in a strong perspiration, and even trembling under a wretched blanket in a violent fit of the ague. I bowed to him; and began by feeling his pulse, as if I had been his first physician. The fit over, he dressed himself and sat down to table. Algarotti, Kayserling, Maupertuis, the king's minister to the States General, and myself, were of the party; where we conversed profoundly on the immortality of the soul, on liberty, and the androgynes of Plato."

This rigid economy, and contempt of every luxury with regard to his own person, was maintained by Frederick as long as he lived. The following account, taken likewise from Voltaire, will give an idea of his manner of living. "He rose at five in the morning in summer, and six in winter. A lacquey came to light his fire, and dress and shave him; and indeed he almost wholly dressed himself. His room was not inelegant. A rich balustrade of silver, ornamented with little cupids, seemed to enclose an alcove bed, the curtains of which were visible; but behind them, instead of a bed, there was a library: the king slept on a truckle bed with a slight mattress concealed behind a screen. Marcus Aurelius and Julian, those apostles of Stoicism, did not sleep in a more homely manner. At seven his prime minister arrived with a great bundle of papers under his arm. This prime minister was no other than a clerk who had formerly been a soldier and valet de chambre. To him the secretaries sent all their dispatches, and he brought extracts of them, to which the king wrote answers in two words on the margin: and thus the affairs of the whole kingdom were expedited in an hour. Towards eleven the king put on his boots, reviewed his regiment of guards in the garden, and at the same hour the colonels were following his example in their respective provinces. The princes his brothers, the general officers, and one or two chamberlains, dined at his table; which was as good as it could be in a country where there is neither game, tolerable butcher's meat, nor a pullet, and where the very wheat is brought from Magdebourg. After the repast he retired alone into his cabinet, where he made verses till five or six o'clock. Then came a young man named D'Arget, formerly secretary to Valory the French envoy, who read to him. A little concert began at seven, in which the king played on the flute with as much skill as the first performer; and pieces of his composition were frequently executed. Supper was served in a little hall, the singular and striking ornament of which was a picture the design of which he had given to Pefine, one of our best colourists. It was a fine picture of Priapus. These repasts were not in general the least philosophic on that account. Never did men converse in any part of the world with so much liberty respecting all the superstitions of mankind, and never were they treated with more pleasantry and contempt. God was respected; but none of those who had deceived men in his name were spared. Neither women nor priests ever entered the palace. In a word, Frederick lived without a court, without counsel, and without religious worship."

As Frederick had espoused his principles entirely contrary to his inclination, it was imagined that on his accession to the throne he would embrace the opportunity of setting himself free from engagements so disagreeable Frederick able to himself. The queen was not without suspicions of this kind, insomuch that she was on the point of fainting away when he made his first visit to her. To the surprise of all parties, however, he made her a very affectionate speech, apologizing for his indifference, and inviting her to participate with him the throne of which she was so worthy. In the first year of his reign he restored the academy of sciences at Berlin which had been founded in 1700; but he soon became disgusted with its members, whom he endeavoured at all times to ridicule rather than encourage. His war with the queen of Hungary, however, which took place almost immediately after his accession, for some time prevented him from taking such an active part in literary matters as he was naturally inclined to do. After the peace, being at liberty to follow his inclination, he gave full scope to his passion for literature; and in the interval betwixt the conclusion of the first war and beginning of that of 1756, he composed most of the works which are now ascribed to him. At this time he wrote his History of my own Time, afterwards announced among his posthumous works. In writing history he acquired a taste for historians; and justly gave the preference to the ancients, the most celebrated of whose works he perused every year. Voltaire was his principal literary correspondent, whom he invited to reside with him. Afraid of losing his liberty, however, that philosopher hesitated, excused himself, and entered into pecuniary treaties, first for himself, and afterwards for his niece Madam Dennis, whom he wished to accompany him. At last he was determined by seeing a poem from Frederick to M. D'Arnaud, in which the latter was compared to the rising, and Voltaire to the setting, sun. By this Voltaire was so much piqued, that he set out for Berlin without delay, and arrived there in June 1750. He was received in the most magnificent and affectionate manner, and for some time his situation was very agreeable; but the disputes and rivalry which took place betwixt him and Maupertuis soon threw everything into confusion. In these the king interfered in such a manner as was certainly below his dignity; and he often exercised himself in making a jest of the other men of letters in a way exceedingly disgusting, and which induced many of them to leave him. The squabbles with Voltaire were sometimes very diverting; an account of some of which is given under the article Voltaire. They ended at last in a final quarrel with that wit, and his departure from the kingdom. The restless disposition of Frederick showed itself after his departure, by his attempts to provoke the literati who remained at his court to quarrel with him as Voltaire had been accustomed to do. But they were too passive a disposition to gratify him in this respect, choosing rather to suffer the most mortifying strokes of railing, or to leave the kingdom altogether, than to contend with him. This proved to be uneasy to the king, that he one day exclaimed, "Shall we have no more quarrels then?" The breaking out of the war in 1756, however, put a stop to this diversion, and afforded him as many enemies as he could wish. The exploits he performed during the seven years which this unequal contest lasted, are almost incredible; and it is amazing how the fortitude and resolution of any person could enable him to sustain the difficulties which during this period he had to encounter. In one fatal moment, indeed, even the resolution of Frederick was on the point of giving way.

This happened after the battle of Colin, when his affairs seemed altogether desperate, before they were retrieved by the victory at Roßbach. At this time he wrote to his sister at Bareith, that he was on the point of putting an end to his own life; but as this resolution did not extinguish in him the love of glory, he wished to have it said that he made verses on the brink of the grave. With this view he wrote a long poetical epistle to the marquis d'Argens, in which he communicated to him his design, and bade him farewell.

Happily, at last, the king's affairs took a better turn, and such desperate thoughts were laid aside. His constitution, however, was irreparably injured by the excessive fatigues he had sustained. Soon after the conclusion of the peace, his body began to bend, and his head to incline to the right side; by degrees he became very infirm; he was tormented with the gout, and subject to frequent indispositions. All his distempers, however, were borne with invincible patience; and till a very short time before his death, he never ceased to attend his reviews, or visit the different provinces of his dominions. He has been known to review his troops, and gallop through all the ranks, as if he felt no pain, notwithstanding that an abscess which had broken out upon him, and approached to a suppuration, frequently, upon such occasions, touched the saddle. In August 1785 he impaired his health still farther by afflicting at a review, where he was exposed without even a cloak to a heavy rain for four or five hours. On his return to Potsdam he was seized with a fever; and, for the first time, became unable to afford at the military exercises of Potsdam, which take place in September. His malady, however, did not prevent him from dictating the disposition of these exercises during the three days they lasted, and he always gave the word in presence of his generals and the foreigners of distinction then at Potsdam. About the end of autumn the fever left him, but was succeeded by a violent cough; and he continued free from the gout which had usually attacked him at this season. He was greatly weakened by the cough, which prevented him from sleeping; but this did not in the least interrupt him in the execution of business. Every morning, at four or five o'clock, he ordered the three cabinet secretaries to enter his apartment, where he dictated answers to their papers. It was not till after the dispatch of all his affairs that he saw a surgeon, or sometimes a physician, though he had a bad opinion of the physicians in general, whom he consulted on his distemper. In the evening he amused himself from five to eight with some of his society; and after that hour he passed the remainder of the time before he went to rest, in hearing some ancient authors read to him; and thus he continued to employ himself till the very day before he died. On the 17th and 18th of May 1786, he was unable to afford at the ordinary reviews, but still he hoped to be present at those of Silesia. He several times attempted to mount his horse to go to the parade at Potsdam; but finding his powers insufficient, he was obliged to return, after having proceeded a few paces. He made other attempts, but with as little success; and at last his disorder terminated in a dropsey. Being now no longer able to remain in bed, he sat day and night in Frederick, an arm chair with springs which could be moved at pleasure. For near a month before his death the swelling of his feet gave him violent pain, so that he wished an incision to be made; but the surgeon refused to perform the operation, suspecting that it might hasten his death. Nature, however, accomplished his desires; his right leg opened, and discharged such a quantity of matter, that he was greatly relieved; and those unacquainted with the medical art began to entertain hopes of his recovery. The physicians, however, were of a very different opinion; and the event justified their apprehensions. On the 16th of August 1786 his throat began to rattle violently, and his attendants expected every moment that he would breathe his last. In this situation his three secretaries entered the room for the dispatch of business as usual. Even then Frederick made an effort to collect his force, giving them a sign to wait, as if he would speak with them in a short time. This, however, was the last he could make; for he soon after fell into a stupor; though from this he recovered so far as to be able to speak. In the evening he asked what o'clock it was? and on being answered that it was nine, he said, "Well then, I am going to rest." His respiration and voice became gradually more feeble; and he expired on Thursday at 19 minutes after two in the morning, without any convulsion or symptom of pain.

This great monarch was of the middle size, had large blue eyes and a piercing look. He spoke German incorrectly, and in a very rough manner; but talked French very fluently, and his voice was then mild and agreeable. His constitution was naturally feeble, but he had greatly improved it by his activity and laborious life. He had the art of relieving every one from that embarrassment which frequently occurred in accosting such a celebrated monarch; and it seems probable that he himself considered on what he should say to any illustrious person who happened to come to his court. His universal knowledge enabled him to converse on all subjects; and thus he talked of war with military men, of verses with the poet, of agriculture with the farmer, jurisprudence with the lawyer, commerce with the merchant, and politics with the Englishman. He had a very retentive memory; was fond of solitude and gardening; and likewise took great pleasure in dogs, of which animals he constantly kept a number about him, giving them little balls covered with leather to play with. In company, he was fond of asking questions and jesting; in which last he proceeded such lengths as undoubtedly were unbecoming in a superior towards his inferiors, who would not have failed to resent such jokes from persons more on an equality with them. In military affairs he was excessively severe, not to say cruel; of which the following anecdote may serve as an instance. In the first war of Silea, wishing to make some alterations in his camp during the night, he forbade every person, under pain of death, to keep, after a certain hour, a fire or other light in his tent. He himself went the rounds; and in passing the tent of a captain Zietern he perceived a light. Entering the tent, he found the captain sealing a letter to his wife, for whom he had a great affection. "What are you doing there?" (says the king:) Do you not know the order?" The captain fell on his knees and asked pardon, but did not attempt to make any excuse. "Sit down (says Frederick), and add a few words I am going to dictate to you." Zietern obeyed; and the king dictated, "Tomorrow I shall perish on a scaffold." The unfortunate man wrote them, and next day was executed. In matters of domestic legislation, he was more arbitrary than just; of which we have a notable example in the famous case of Arnold the miller. The man had refused to pay the rent of the mill he possessed, on pretence that the stream which turned it had been diverted into a fish-pond. This was evidently a frivolous excuse; because the water which ran into the pond also ran out of it into the same channel as before, so that nothing could be lost except what evaporated from the surface of the fish-pond. The judges therefore gave sentence against the miller; but the king not only reversed their sentence, but disgraced them. For this he was celebrated through all the newspapers in Europe; and yet he was in the wrong, and afterwards even acknowledged himself to have been so: but, notwithstanding he knew his error, he not only made no reparation to the parties he had injured, but allowed them to lie in prison at Spandau all his lifetime, so that they were not released till the commencement of the present reign. He entertained certain and almost unaccountable prejudices against certain places and persons, which neither conduct nor merit could eradicate. One of these unfortunate places was Westphalia, on which he never conferred any bounty; and one day a native of that country, a man of real merit, being proposed to him for a place, he refused, saying, "He is a Westphalian; he is good for nothing." Voltaire accuses him of ingratitude to the Count de Seckendorf; who, as we have already seen, saved his life, and against whom he afterwards conceived the most implacable hatred. His indifference towards those who afforded him the most essential service, was evident when a robust butcher prevented him from falling, horrid and all, over a precipice, where both would have undoubtedly been killed; the king, sensible of the affluence that had been afforded him, turned about, and saying, "Thank you, friend," rode off without ever inquiring farther about the person who had just preserved him from destruction.

With regard to the literary merits of this monarch, we certainly cannot pronounce them extraordinary. Voltaire boasts of having corrected his works, and others of having furnished him with materials for his history. He has been accused of borrowing whole hemithics of poetry from Voltaire, Boileau, Rousseau, and others; nor does the charge appear to be at all void of foundation. Such of his verses as appear to have undergone no correction, are very indifferent, nor indeed can we pronounce any of his poetic works to be of the first rate. In the former part of his life he entertained a great partiality for the French learning and language; but as he advanced in years, he entirely lost this predilection, and inclined much more to favour the English and Germans. Towards the end of his life, indeed, he affected a contempt for the French, without whom it is said he would scarce ever have made any figure except in the military line.