Protestant thing. Austria cares little about the Netherlands, in
comparison. Austria, getting back its Lorraine and Alsace, will be
content, will be strong on its feet. What if it should even lose
Italy? France, Spain, Sardinia, the Italian Petty Principalities
and Anarchies: suppose they tug and tussle, and collapse there as
they can? But let France try to look across the Rhine again; and to
threaten Teutschland, England, and the Cause of Human Liberty
temporal or spiritual!"

This is authentically the purport of Herr Ranke's extraordinary
Document; [Ranke, iii. 359.] guessable as due to CARTERETUS or
DIABOLUS. Here is an outlook; here is a career as Conquering Hero,
if that were one's line! A very magnificent ground-plan; hung up to
kindle the fancy of a young King,--who is far too prudent to go
into it at all. More definite quasi-official offers, it seems, were
made him from the same quarter: Subsidies to begin with, such
subsidies as nobody ever had before; say 1,000,000 pounds sterling
by the Year. To which Friedrich answered, "Subsidies, your
Excellency?" (Are We a Hackney-Coachman, then?)--and, with much
contempt, turned his back on that offer. No fighting to be had, by
purchase or seduction, out of this young man. Will not play the
Conquering Hero at all, nor the Hackney-Coachman at all;
has decided "not to fight a cat" if let alone; but to do and
endeavor a quite other set of things, for the rest of his life.

Friedrich, readers can observe, is not uplifted with his greatness.
He has been too much beaten and bruised to be anything but modestly
thankful for getting out of such a deadly clash of chaotic swords.
Seems to have little pride even in his "Five Victories;" or hides
it well. Talks not overmuch about these things; talks of them, so