the philosophic mood. As he was one day passing Fos's, Mamsell and
the Medical Graduate are visible, standing together at the window
inside. Pleasantly looking out upon Nature,--of course quite
casually, say some Histories with a sneer. In fact, it seems
possible this Medical Graduate may have been set to act shoeing-
horn; but he had better not. Leopold storms into the House,
"Draw, scandalous canaille, and defend yourself!"--And in this, or
some such way, a confident tradition says, he killed the poor
Medical Graduate there and then. One tries always to hope not:
but Varnhagen is positive, though the other Histories say nothing
of it. God knows. The man was a Prince; no Reichshofrath,
Speyer-Wetzlar KAMMER, or other Supreme Court, would much trouble
itself, except with formal shakings of the wig, about such a
peccadillo. In fine, it was better for Leopold to marry the Miss
Fos; which he actually did (1698, in his twenty-second year),
"with the left-hand,"--and then with the right and both hands;
having got her properly ennobled before long, by his splendid
military services. She made, as we have hinted, an excellent Wife
to him, for the fifty or sixty ensuing years.

This is a strange rugged specimen, this inarticulate Leopold;
already getting mythic, as we can perceive, to the polished vocal
ages; which mix all manner of fables with the considerable history
he has. Readers will see him turn up again in notable forms. A man
hitherto unknown except in his own country; and yet of very
considerable significance to all European countries whatsoever;
the fruit of his activities, without his name attached, being now
manifest in all of them. He invented the iron ramrod; he invented
the equal step; in fact, he is the inventor of modern military
tactics. Even so, if we knew it: the Soldiery of every civilized