ART. XV. Mes Souvenirs de Vingt Ans de Sejour à Berlin; ou, Frederic le Grand, fa Famille, fa Cour, fon Gouvernement, ses Academies, fes Ecoles, et fes Amis Litterateurs et Philofophes. Par Dieudonné Thiebault, de l'Academie Royale de Berlin, &c. &c. Seconde Edition. 5 tomes 8vo. pp. 1885. Paris. Buiffon. 1805.

M. THIEBAULT was one of the many French favans whom Frederic II. invited to fettle in his capital, to partake of the employments connected with science, and to enlarge or diverfify that literary fociety in which he delighted to relax his mind after the fatigues of ftate affairs. He was recommended to the King's notice by d'Alembert and d'Olivet, as a perfon fkilled in the French language, and well verfed in various departments of the belles lettres. He repaired to Berlin in 1765; and, during a period of twenty years, was occafionally employed in revifing the royal author's French, converfing with him, or rather listening to his familiar difcourfes, reading his differtations at the Academy, and performing the other little offices about his mind, which were required of his literary attendants. The inoffenfive talents and fupple manners of M. Thiebault, feem to have qualified him, in` a peculiar degree, for this menial employment. Few of his dependants approached the King more nearly or more frequently; and the refult of this long and close intercourfe has been, a very fatisfactory developement of his character in the volumes now before us. As the author was admitted into all the best circles of Berlin, he has been enabled to collect a variety of interesting particulars relative to the many eminent perfons, both natives and foreigners, who either figured in fociety during his refidence there, or had left behind them a lively impreffion of their diftinguishing qualities; fo that, befides the full and elaborate portrait of Frederic, which forms the chief figure on the canvafs, we are introduced to a various group of his contemporaries, fome of whom are scarcely lefs interesting than himself.

Our author has but one mode of treating all the fubjects that fall in his way. Upon each he pours out as many anecdotes as he has been able to preferve, either from his own recollection, or from the narratives of credible and well-informed perfons. He writes with great eafe, fome powers of language, little compreffion, and no method. He feldom leaves the matter in hand, to give us either displays of learning, or declamatory remarks. If he fhews no great turn for profound difcuffions, he at leaft has the wisdom, for the most part, to keep within his depth. We rarely find him quitting his fubject to indulge in details flattering to his vanity, although no failing lies more in the way of one

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who writes the history of his own times. Neither does he often narrate anecdotes of a description improper for publication. He has chiefly to do with men whofe confpicuous parts in life entitle the world to examine their most private hiftory; whofe necefiry publicity of ftation was fo well defcribed by Prince Henry, in his famous obfervation upon Mirabeau's' defamatory memoirs of him- Par bonheur ou par malheur j'appartiens tout entier à l'hiftoire.

As there is in this book no pretenfions to an arranged or systematic view of the celebrated character upon which its contents throw fo much light, we conceive it may be deemed an acceptable fervice, if we attempt to fupply this defect. It is not to Pruffians or to Germans alone, that the life of Frederic prefents an interesting retrofpect. All Europe feels to this day, and, we fear, is likely long to feel, the effects of his unprincipled policythe ftill more fatal confequences of the example held out by his fuccefs in feducing his neighbours from their duty, as well as by his impunity in fpoiling them of their dominions. In the history of letters, too, the conduct of this once admired monarch forms a fingular variety; and we are naturally curious to contemplate, how far the enthufiafm fo eafily excited by the living merit of princes, muft fuffer an abatement in the times of their fucceffors; how far the dazzling talents of the scholar diverted the attention of his contemporaries from the more folid qualifications of fenfe and virtue; and how far the government of this Philofophical King formed an exception to his own faying, that if a province were to be mismanaged for a wager, it should be placed under the rule of philofophers.

It may be proper to remark, in the outfet, that the circumftantial manner in which M. Thiebault's narratives are purfued, together with his unquestionable opportunities of correct information, afford ftrong prefumptions in favour of his accuracy. He is, befides, pretty full, for the most part, on those particulars which tend to authenticate his ftatements-either giving the facts explicitly upon his own authority, frequently fupported by appeals to living witneffes, or specifying the perfons from whom his information was derived. There is, too, a general confiftency in his details, and a degree of impartiality in producing many of them, which tends ftrongly to impress us in his favour. His own opinions feem to be formed with no great violence or extent of fpeculation; fo that one seldom fufpects him of either making the story yield to a theory, or of feeing and recollecting through a medium of prejudice. Indeed, the judgement which we are led to form of his hero, is diametrically oppofite to his own view of the fubject. The chief facts which we shall borrow from

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the work, may the more fafely be trufted and reafoned upon, that they lead to a very low eftimate of Frederic's character, while the author is a profeffed, though not a blind, eulogift of it.

It is well known, that the earlier years of Frederic's life were fpent in the school of adverfity. Whether the influence of this difcipline, fo commonly propitious to the character of great men, was exerted in chaftening his principles, and in calling forth and regulating those feelings which the education of a court tends either to stifle or pervert, may be learnt not only from the private hiftory of his reign, but from fome anecdotes preferved in these. volumes, of his conduct immediately after he came to the crown; while, as yet, his heart could not have become callous from the habits of uncontrouled dominion, nor his principles unfettled by the cares of his turbulent career. When William difcovered his fon's plan for escaping from Pruffia, he caufed him to be arrested, together with his confidential friend De Catt, and instantly brought to trial before a military commission. The interpofition of Auftria alone faved the prince's life; but he was thrown into prifon at the fort of Cuftrin, where his friend was beheaded on a fcaffold raised before his apartment to the level of the window, from which he was forced to view this afflicting fpectacle. He was fo much overpowered, that he funk fenfelefs into the chair which had been placed to keep him at the window, and only recovered to bewail, with every appearance of the most poignant feeling, the fate of this unhappy young man, who had fallen a facrifice to his faithful attachment. The favage conduct of William, indeed, left him scarce any other occupation;-his confinement was as ftrict, and his treatment as harsh as that of the meaneft felon. By degrees, however, his guards watched him lefs clofely, and he was even permitted to steal out under cover of night, by circuitous paths, to a chateau in the neighbourhood, the refidence of a very amiable nobleman's family, who received him with the greatest kindness, and expofed themselves to constant risk on his account. Among them he spent as much of his time, for above a year, as he could gain from the humanity or treachery of his jailor. It was chiefly with mufic and reading that he confoled himself in the gloom of his prifon; and they not only furnished him with books and candles, but made little concerts for him in the evenings, when he could efcape to enjoy their fociety. The young Wrechs (for that was the name of this family) were fufficiently accomplished and fprightly to gain Frederic's efteem. He delighted much in their company, and though they were fo numerous, that the Baron was kept in narrow circumftances by the neceffary expences of their maintenance and education, he contrived, by ftraitening himfelf ftill more,

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to fcrape together fupplies of money to the amount of above fix thousand rixdollars, with which he affifted, from time to time, his royal guest.

Such were the obligations which Frederic owed, during this eventful period of his life, firft to the House of Austria, whose fpirited and decifive interference faved him from the fcaffold; next, to the unfortunate de Catt, who had facrificed his life in the attempt to aid his escape; and, laftly, to the amiable family of the Wrechs, who, at the imminent risk of their lives, and a certain expence little fuited to their circumftances, had tenderly alleviated the hardships of his confinement. As Frederic mounted the throne a short time after he was fet at liberty, we might naturally expect that the impreffion of favours like thefe would outlive the ordinary period of royal memory. The first act of his reign was to invade the hereditary dominions of Austria, and reduce to the utmost diftrefs the daughter and representative of the monarch whofe timely interpofition had faved his life, by heading a powerful combination against her, after stripping her of an invaluable province. The family relations of de Catt never received, during the whole of his reign, even a smile of royal favour. To the Wrechs he not only never repayed a creutzer of the money which they had pinched themselves to raise for his accommodation, but manifested a degree of coldness amounting to displeasure: fo that this worthy and accomplished family were in a kind of disgrace during his time,-never received well at court,-nor promoted to any of the employments which form in fome fort the patrimony of the ariftocracy. They were favoured by Prince Henry; and all that they could boaft of owing to the King, was, to ufe an expreffion of his panegyrift, that be did not perfecute them' on account of his brother's patronage. M. Thiebault obferves, in defence of this bafe conduct, that Frederic, from the moment he became king, devoted every feeling of his mind to his royal station, and reduced himself to a mechanical obfervance of its ftrict duties. He reminds us, too, of the Pruffian law, which prohibits the loan of money to princes of the blood, and declares all debts contracted by them null. But fince the King was to govern himself by the enactments of this law, it would have been well if the Prince had confidered them. We have heard of Lewis XII. proudly declaring that it was unworthy the King of France to revenge the wrongs of the Duke of Orleans. It was referved for the unfeeling meannefs of Frederic, to fhew us that the King was not bound by the higheft obligations of the Prince of Pruflia,-that he could shelter himself from the claims of honour and gratitude, by appealing to laws which had been generously violated in his behalf.

But it may be fair to mention the folitary inftance of a con

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trary defcription, which we can find in comparing his conduct on the throne with the favours received during his misfortunes. He had been affifted in his musical relaxations at Potsdam by the daughter of a citizen, who, without any perfonal charms, had the accomplishment most valuable to the Prince, fecluded as he was from all fociety, and depending for amusement almost entirely on his flute. His father no fooner heard of this intimacy, than he fuppofed there must be fome criminal intercourfe between the young amateurs, and proceeded to meet the tender paffion by the universal remedy which he was in the habit of adminiftering to his fubjects. The lady was feized, delivered over to the executioner, and publicly whipped through the streets of Potfdam. This cruel difgrace, of course put an end to the concerts, and to her estimation in fociety. When Frederic came to the throne, fhe was reduced to the humble ftation of a hackney coachman's wife; and, with a rare effort of gratitude and generofity, he was pleased to fettle upon her a pension, of very little lefs than thirty-five pounds a year.

In the courfe of his fubfequent life, we can difcover nothing at all inconfiftent with the traits of character which these beginnings disclosed. M. Thiebault has been at great pains to prove that he really poffeffed the common feelings of humanity. It is a point, indeed, which he formally propofes for discussion, in his own manner, by force of anecdote; and, accordingly, enters upon his bead-roll of ftories, after a profufion of epithets lavished upon fenfibility. Sentiment involontaire et toujours fi cher, qui nous livre tout entiers à l'éstime et à l'amitié—cette affection douce et fi touchante, qui nous lie à ceux qui nous paroiffent en être dignes,' &c.- germe heureux,' &c. qui fe nourrit de nos facrifices les plus genereux-fource delicieux et plus riche,' &c. Our author refifts the force of the first anecdote which he recounts, the well known ftory of Frederic keeping his friend Knobelsdorff's corpfe in his room till it was half rotten. This, he admits, is not an unequivocal proof of real fenfibility; but in the next M. Thiebault himself had fome share, and it quite decides his opinion. When one of Frederic's nephews, an amiable and accomplished prince, died fuddenly of the small-pox, he compofed a pompous eloge, which he intended for the Academy of Berlin. He accordingly fent for our author, and requested him to read it before that learned body, after correcting the French, and giving his further remarks, which meant, expreffing his admiration of it, in writing. But, first of all, he wished him to make a clean copy of it, and gave him particular directions to this effect. However,' added he, you don't know my hand, and may perhaps find it difficult to decypher, for I fcrawl rather

than