Heinrich Husen

“ To see myself the object of satire and abuse in all the newspapers, pamphlets, ballads, and other vile publications, in which my fame, my rank, and title, are traduced with unparallelled licentiousness? Could I have thought that my divine, my dearest-beloved Mousons, he, the prototype and mirror of the virtues of all the French emigrants, loaded with irons, should be dragged a prisoner to the fortress of Magdeburg? Alas! my journey to Pyrmont proved the tomb of my glory ”

“ All shall remain on the old footing; we only change names.
Believe me, good boy, you and I act too conspicuous a part not to be envied. To silence the invidious, and to awe those who, through their exalted birth, might injure us, I am to be made Countess Lichtenau. The Court of Vienna has great influence, and its protection may be of use to me. All the return they expect for this is a mere trifle; nothing but an alliance against France. I am to persuade the King to it. When at Vienna I shall mention more of this plan to A——, Werner, and Bender. ”

“ Vienna is an enchanting place, and it has more charms for me than Berlin itself; there are a thousand varieties here. I am much courted by the great, and the letters the I——l ambassador has furnished me with are all good. The Chancery of the Empire has orders to dispatch my diploma, without any further expence than the usual fees paid on those occasions. The Emperor to-morrow sets out upon a journey to Bohemia, and seems to have the execution of some grand plan in view. Only persuade Bender to an interview at Pilnitz; we must furnish the King with amusement. ”

“ Mademoiselle Voss, who holds it ridiculous to be German, and who is tolerably well acquainted with the English language, affects the Anglomania to excess, and thinks it a proof of politeness not to love the French. Her vanity, which has found itself under restraint, when in company with some amiable people of that nation, hates those it cannot imitate, more especially because her sarcasms are returned with interest. ”

“ The wealth which, through just and unjust means, had flowed into his coffers had inflated him with pride and vanity; he became presumptive, brutal, and rough; he therefore thought he might bear down every thing before him by main force. The tricks, which he played behind his master’s back, deprived the King of a share of the affections of his people; distress, fear, and smothered resentment, had got possession of every heart. Very often the blood of [Pg 17] the desperate wretch would flow from this sole consideration, that nothing was to be done with the K—g, let the cause be ever so just. ”

“ A general confusion in the government must, of course, increase the extent of my power, and, therefore, it was our grand object to excite distrust in the K—g against his subjects, in the ministers against their subalterns, and in the counsellors against their own colleagues. No power could save the man who shewed me the least shadow of neglect or contempt. ”

“ Mousons wrote to Hamburgh for a set of French players; every kind of amusement imaginable was thought of to entertain the monarch. He suffered, indeed, inexpressibly from a pectoral dropsy. Pyrmont was converted into paradise upon earth; we had balls, operas, fire-works, cassinos, suppers, dinners, breakfasts, horse-races. All turned round [Pg 28] the K—g in a perpetual circle of diversion, and the fair sex particularly strove to attract the eye of the illustrious guest. ”

“ The French excel in all kinds of intrigue; every man is a lover, and talks of sentiment, but be assured, my dear mother, that real passion never yet found its way into the heart of a Frenchman. I have seen the handsome Ferson twice; he passes for the richest man in Sweden; he lives in great splendour, but, at the same time, with the greatest œconomy. Pougent has promised to give me some lessons in music; he is natural son to the Prince of Conti. ”

“ Here are a few of the articles which Mousons had drawn up, and which every member was obliged to keep sacred on his oath.
The first law of all was the most inviolate secrecy, and rather to suffer to have the tongue cut out than betray a single secret of the society.
All the members that were chosen must promise to watch every one with whom they should happen to have any intercourse, and to listen attentively to all their discourses. To report faithfully, and in writing, to me and Mousons, all they had observed and heard. ”

“ The Prince absolutely insists upon my marriage with Rietz, because since the late discovery the King is angry with him. It is only intended to be a mere farce to outwit the old fox, who, as he is past all enjoyment, would have others insensible to every pleasure to keep him company. ”

“ Pray what has a King ministers for, and why does he pay them? Let those work, and let him be merry and amuse himself! State-affairs are much too tedious to interfere with them. As soon as I have him again, I will soon make him sensible that my philosophy is the best of all, and alone suits a monarch. He shall be no secretary; not he, indeed; he shall not daily stain his fingers with ink, and sign nonsense. Rietz and M—— may do that. ”

“ I should like to pay a visit to England, because I am told the nobility in that country are not so proud as ours; notwithstanding this, Heaven knows what money they spend in Paris; they are fine looking men, but speak very bad French. The French admire nothing of the English but their constitution, but I admire their openness. ”

“ Fireworks, illuminations, balls, an Italian opera buffa, in rapid succession, and I enjoyed it indeed. Leopold is gone to Prague to be crowned King of Bohemia; the King will stay one day longer. I have not been able to converse above twice with him; he was continually beset by the French emigrants, and the brother of the King of France. The campaign is resolved on, and we are allied with Austria. If the French do not chuse to let us have our way, our plan is to march strait to Paris, and to assist the Emperor to conquer Alsace and Lorrain. ”

“ At my little domestic theatre I’ll give to-morrow a most extraordinary fête, to which none but ladies of my acquaintance are invited. Every one is to appear in a light airy dress. The performance is [Pg 56] to open with an Italian piece, called Hymen’s Wake. Some male and female dancers are to perform, on this occasion, in the usual mode. After the theatrical representation there is to be a grand ball, in such a stile as cannot fail to captivate the senses; after which I have prepared an enchanting grotto for the K—g. I have instructed little Schult, the dancer, how to behave ”

“ I must learn some Italian before I set out for Italy. Did Krebs tell you what happened in Champagne? A stupid carman drove against my carriage, and overturned it; I got into such a passion that I struck the fellow twice. It was some time before I could get the carriage repaired, for the French are mere bunglers at any thing of the kind; it will, however, be a good apology for me to get an English carriage. You [Pg 64] must find out what Baron Hertzberg says; every thing that comes from his lips has great weight; but he is too busy with his mulberry-trees to mind the trumpeter’s daughter. ”

“ The French players at Hamburg have been called to this place; they are to have 500 Frederics d’ors for their journey hither, and as many on their return to Hamburg. The K—g suffers a great deal from his pectoral dropsy, that makes us think of such a variety of amusements for him. Between you and me, I am alarmed for his health. Even the English Doctor often shrugs up his shoulders, and gives but very faint hopes. If I can but bring about one thing, he may then depart in peace. My emigrant, Coller, is exactly the man we want ”

“ I dread the very name of an Italian. I tell you a Frenchman or Italian has more art in his little finger than fifty Germans put together. My very looks are watched in this place, but I think I can cheat them even in that. When they talk of politics, I pretend that I know nothing of the matter; yet it is the most difficult thing in the world to deceive a Frenchman or a [Pg 66] French woman. The Marquis de la F——e is a stupid fellow ”

“ There never was a person, perhaps, whose fall has been less lamented by all parties. She was, as she states herself in her confessions, the daughter of a trumpeter; she lived, for some time, as a maid servant with her eldest sister, who was early initiated into all the mysteries of Venus ”

“ Whatever may have been the fatal consequence of her influence, she may serve as an example, that, however vice may flourish for a while, its reign is of short duration. “The demise of her protector put an end to all her consequence,” says one of her biographers, “her revenues, her flatterers, and her liberty, and in a moment, annihilated the Juno of anti-jacobinism.” ”

“ Pisa is an agreeable place, where you may amuse yourself like a Queen; notwithstanding which I shall not stay above four weeks. Pray tell Bender, M——, and Werner, to prepare the King against my return. And what is that story about the Countess D—hoff? I hope he is not in earnest with that creature; don’t let things go so far as they went with the Countess I—heim. Let that be your care, dear A——. I have no objection if the King means nothing but a little [Pg 49] amusement. At Vienna they are busy with the Imperial diploma for me. ”

“ The rich convents of those places have granted a joint loan, which the Prince has promised to repay them on his accession to the throne. They are pretty good people. This Werner and this Eckstein have paid me a visit to-day, together with Rietz.
[Pg 40]
The old grumbler walks upon his last legs, and, by what Selle and Zimmermann have told the Prince, he cannot hold out above three weeks longer, and then who is to interrupt our career? O! the pretty casks full of gold which lie in the cellars underneath the old palace at Berlin! We will bring them to light. ”

“ Gleim is a charming fellow, but I must not trust him too far, though he thinks he is in full possession of all my secrets; he is a vain fellow, but he is a charming fellow for all that. I am often complimented on my accent, and the Abbé de Lille assured me the other morning, that I might be mistaken for a French woman. In that respect, this was a high compliment, for the French are the vainest creatures on earth. I had some verses sent me a few days ago, but the scribbler deceived me, for I find they were written some years ago by Voltaire, on Madame de Pompadour ”

“ It consists chiefly of the confessions of a woman, whose beauty first ushered her into notice, and whose intrigues enabled her to maintain the conquests which her personal charms had made, even when visibly on the decline. Had she confined herself to the private circles of her amours, we might have heard little more of her than other modern [Pg iv] Thaises, but her ambition extended to politics, and the fatal effect of her influence in that line has been felt, I am afraid, by more nations than one in the present unhappy contest with the demagogues of France. ”

“ As the letters, and other writings of the Countess of Lichtenau, reach down to the French revolution and the expedition against that nation, but, having scarce any thing interesting in them, except what concerns the amorous intrigues of an artful woman, the Editor has thought proper to omit all that common-place stuff, to present the Reader with papers of greater importance. ”

“ Krantz has inserted a most biting epigram against me in his weekly publication; it alludes to my former calling, when I used to sell lemons and oranges. Curse the fool! Send him four Frederics-d’ors, and he will hold his tongue, I warrant you; he is nothing but a hungry scribbler, that for money would convert angels into devils, and devils into angels of light.
Since the last review in Silesia, the King is extremely suspicious and ill-tempered with the Prince, and all our party. He has him watched as closely as possible, and knows every one that [Pg 39] comes and goes. ”

“ Ask A—lang, Werner, Bender, and all our people, how I must set about it. I will have no denial; a third person is most fit for the business.
V—— is pregnant, and does not suffer the King to go from her side one minute. He is most vulgarly smitten with that little figure; he sees nothing but through her eyes; he does nought but by her directions. They say, in town, that she makes him do many a good action [3] ; I know nothing of it.
[Pg 45]
What do they call good? Is it, perhaps, that now he meddles with the concerns of the land, and reads every scrap himself? ”

“ Get my palace ready, for I shall set off for Berlin before the K—g. He goes to South Prussia, and returns to Berlin by the way of Silesia; L—sini and B—werder are his only attendants. There must have arrived very important dispatches from Petersburg, for the cabinet is busy without interruption. The K—g has this day signified, both to the army and the different foreign ministers who are present at head-quarters, that he means to leave the army on the Rhine, and to repair to South Prussia. ”

“ We retreat as fast as we can; for our fine project of penetrating to Paris through Champagne has altogether miscarried. Dumourier has had an interview with the Prince and Count K—uth, after which our retreat was immediately resolved on. I travel through Limburg and Treves strait to Frankfort, and there wait for further news from you. I have again sent half a million of dollars, [Pg 53] in Frederic-d’ors, to my agent in London, and expect a fresh cargo from Berlin. I am, upon the whole, well pleased with the English; they are a charming nation. ”

“ He is extremely displeased with Werner, and mean while has suspended him from his office. Pray, dear A—lang, see what you can do in poor Werner’s behalf; he has an amazing number of enemies. As often as I take an opportunity to speak of him to the K—g, his answer always is, “Do not intercede for that fellow, he is a downright wretch.” I am told, that the accounts received from South Prussia will have great influence upon the speedy return of the K—g. Rietz has received letters from Werner and I——ger, besides two addresses to the K—g, which he will tender him this day ”