history of friedrich ii of prussia v 18-第44节

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g　at　all；　but　mounted　there　on　the　Janus　Hill；　as　on　his　saddle…horse；　with　face　quite　the　other　way；and　for　holster…pistol；　has　plucked　out　twenty…two　cannon。　Clad　verily　in　fire；　Chimera…like；　RIDING　the　Janus　Hill；　in　that　manner；　left　leg　（or　wing）　of　him　spurning　us　into　the　abysses；　right　one　ready　to　help　at　discretion！

Hildburghausen；　I　will　hope；　does　his　utmost；　Soubise；　Broglio；　for　certain　do。　The　French　line　is　in　front；　next　the　Prussians：　poor　Generals　of　Dauphiness　are　panting　to　retrieve　themselves。　But　with　regiments　jammed　in　this　astonishing　way；　and　got　collectively　into　the　lion's　throat；　what　can　be　done？　Steady；　rigid　as　iron　clock…work；　the　Prussian　line　strides　forward；　at　forty　paces'　distance　delivers　its　first　shock　of　lightning；　bursts　into　platoon　fire；　and　so　continues；　steady　at　the　rate　of　five　shots　a　minute；hard　to　endure　by　poor　masses　all　in　a　coil。　〃The　artillery　tore　down　whole　ranks　of　us；〃　says　the　Wutenberg　Dragoon；　＇His　Letter　in　MULLER；　p。　83。＇　〃the　Prussian　musketry　did　terrible　execution。〃

Things　began　％o　waver　very　soon；　French　reeling　back　from　the　Prussian　fire；　Reichs　troops　rocking　very　uneasy；　torn　by　such　artillery；　when；　to　crown　the　matter；　Seidlitz；　seeing　all　things　rock　to　the　due　extent；　bursts　out　of　Tageswerben　Hollow；　terribly　compact　and　furious；　upon　the　rear　of　them。　Which　sets　all　things　into　inextricable　tumble；　and　the　Battle　is　become　a　rout　and　a　riding　into　ruin；　no　Battle　ever　more。　Lasted　twenty…five　minutes；　this　second　act　of　it；　or　till　half…past　four：　after　which；　the　curtains　rapidly　descending　（Night's　curtain；　were　there　no　other）　cover　the　remainder；　the　only　stage…direction；　EXEUNT　OMNES。　Which　for　a　50　or　60；000；　ridden　over　by　Seidlitz　Horse；　was　not　quite　an　easy　matter！　They　left；　of　killed　and　wounded；　near　3；000；　of　prisoners；　5；000　（Generals　among　them　8；　Officers　300）：　in　sum；　about　8；000；　not　to　mention　cannon；　67　or　72；　with　standards；　flags；　kettle…drums　and　meaner　baggages　AD　LIBITUM　in　a　manner。　The　Prussian　loss　was；　165　killed；　376　wounded；between　a　sixteenth　and　a　fifteenth　part　of　theirs：　in　number　the　Prussians　had　been　little　more　than　one　to　three；　22；000　of　all　arms；not　above　half　of　whom　ever　came　into　the　fire；　Seidlitz　and　seven　battalions　doing　all　the　fighting　that　was　needed；　St。　Germain　tried　to　cover　the　retreat；　but　〃got　broken；〃　he　says；Mayer　bursting　in　on　him；and　soon　went　to　slush　like　the　others。

Seldom；　almost　never；　not　even　at　Crecy　or　Poictiers；　was　any　Army　better　beaten。　And　truly；　we　must　say；　seldom　did　any　better　deserve　it；　so　far　as　the　Chief　Parties　went。　Yes；　Messieurs；　this　is　the　PETIT　MARQUIS　DE　BRANDEBOURG；　you　will　know　this　one；　when　you　meet　him　again！　The　flight；　the　French　part　of　it；　was　towards　Freiburg　Bridge；　in　full　gallop；　long　after　the　chase　had　ceased；　crossing　of　the　Unstrut　there；　hoarse；　many…voiced；　all　night；　burning　of　the　Bridge；　found　burnt；　when　Friedrich　arrived　next　morning。　He　had　encamped　at　Obschutz；　short　way　from　the　field　itself。　French　Army；　Reichs　Army；　all　was　gone　to　staves；　to　utter　chaotic　wreck。　Hildburghausen　went　by　Naumburg；　crossed　the　Saale　there；　bent　homewards　through　the　Weimar　Country；　one　wild　flood　of　ruin；　swift　as　it　could　go；　at　Erfurt　〃only　one　regiment　was　in　rank；　and　marched　through　with　drums　beating。〃　His　Army；　which　had　been　disgustingly　unhappy　from　the　first；　and　was　now　fallen　fluid　on　these　mad　terms；　flowed　all　away　in　different　rills；　each　by　the　course　straightest　home；　and　Hildburghausen　arriving　at　Bamberg；　with　hardly　the　ghost　or　mutilated　skeleton　of　an　Army；　flung　down　his　truncheon；〃A　murrain　on　your　Reichs　Armies　and　regimental　chaoses！〃and　went　indignantly　home。　Reichs　Army　had　to　begin　at　the　beginning　again；　and　did　not　reappear　on　the　scene　till　late　next　Year；　under　a　new　Commander；　and　with　slightly　improved　conditions。

Dauphiness　Proper　was　in　no　better　case；　and　would　have　flowed　home　in　like　manner；　had　not　home　been　so　far；　and　the　way　unknown。　Twelve　thousand　of　them　rushed　straggling　through　the　Eichsfeld；　plundering　and　harrying；　like　Cossacks　or　Calmucks：　〃Army　blown　asunder；　over　a　circle　of　forty　miles'　radius；〃　writes　St。　Germain：　〃had　the　Enemy　pursued　us；　after　I　got　broken　＇burst　in　upon　by　Mayer　and　his　Free…Corps　people＇　we　had　been　annihilated。　Never　did　Army　behave　worse；　the　first　cannon…salvo　decided　our　rout　and　our　shame。〃　＇St。　Germain　to　Verney：　different　Excerpts　of　Letters　in　the　two　weeks　after　Rossbach　and　before　（given　in　Preuss；　ii。　97）。＇

In　two　days'　time　（November　7th）；　the　French　had　got　to　Langensalza；　fifty…five　miles　from　the　Battle…field　of　Rossbach；　plundering；　running；　SACRE…DIEU…ing；　a　wild　deluge　of　molten　wreck；　filling　the　Eichsfeld　with　its　waste　noises；　making　night　hideous　and　day　too；in　the　villages　Placards　were　stuck　up；　appointing　Nordhausen　and　Heiligenstadt　for　rallying　place。　＇Muller；　p。　73。＇

Soubise　rode；　with　few　attendants；　all　night　towards　Nordhausen；　eighty　miles　off；　foot　of　the　Bracken　Country；　where　the　Richelieu　resources　are；Soubise　with　few　attendants；　face　set　towards　the　Brocken；　himself；　it　is　like；　in　a　somewhat　hag…ridden　condition。

〃The　joy　of　poor　Teutschland　at　large；〃　says　one　of　my　Notes；　〃and　how　all　Germans；　Prussian　and　Anti…Prussian　alike；　flung　up　their　caps；　with　unanimous　LEBE…HOCH；　at　the　news　of　Rossbach；　has　often　been　remarked；　and　indeed　is　still　almost　touching　to　see。　The　perhaps　bravest　Nation　in　the　world；　though　the　least　braggart；　very　certainly　EIN　TAPFERES　VOLK　（as　their　Goethe　calls　them）；　so　long　insulted；　snubbed　and　trampled　on；　by　a　luckier；　not　a　braver：has　not　your　exultant　Dauphiness　got　a　beautiful　little　dose　administered　her；　and　is　gone　off　in　foul　shrieks；　and　pangs　of　the　interior；let　no　man　ask　whitherward！　'SI　UN　ALLEMAND　PEUT　AVOIR　DE　L'ESPRIT　（Can　a　German　possibly　have　sharpness　of　wits）？'　Well；　yes；　it　would　seem：　here　is　one　German　graduate　who　understands　his　medicine…chest；　and　the　quality　of　patients！　Dauphiness　got　no　pity　anywhere；　plenty　of　epigrams；　and　mostly　nothing　but　laughter　even　in　Paris　itself。　Napoleon　long　after；　who　much　admires　Friedrich；　finds　that　this　Victory　of　Rossbach　was　inevitable；　'but　what　fills　me　with　astonishment　and　shame；'　adds　he；　'is　that　it　was　gained　by　six　battalions　and　thirty　squadrons　＇seven　properly；　and　thirty…eight＇　over　such　a　multitude！'　＇Montholon；　MEMOIRES　&C。　DE　NAPOLEON　（Napoleon's　　Precis　des　Guerres　de　Frrederic　II。；　　vii。　210）。＇It　is　well　known；　Napoleon；　after　Jena；　as　if　Jena　had　not　been　enough　for　him；　tore　down　the　first　Monument　of　Rossbach；　some　poor　ashlar　Pyramid　or　Pillar；　raised　by　the　neighborhood；　with　nothing　more　afflictive　inscribed　on　it　than　a　date；　and　sent　it　off　in　carts　for　Paris　（where　no　stone　of　it　ever　arrived；　the　Thuringen　carmen　slinking　off；　and　leaving　it　scattered　in　different　places　over　the　face　of　Thuringen　in　general）；　so　that　they　had　the　trouble　of　a　new　one　lately。〃　＇Rodenbeck；　　Beitrage；　　i。　299；　ib。　p。　385；　Lithograph　of　the　poor　extinct　Monument　itself。＇

From　Friedrich　the　〃Army　of　the　Circles；〃　that　is；　Dauphiness　and　Company；called　HOOPERS　or　〃Coopers〃　（TONNELIERS）；　with　a　desperate　attempt　at　wit　by　pun；get　their　Adieu　in　words　withal。　This　is　the　famed　CONGE　DE　L'ARMEE　DES　CERCLES　ET　DES　TONNELIERS；　a　short　metrical　Piece；　called　by　Editors　the　most　profane；　most　indecent；　most　&c。；　and　printed　with　asterisk　veils　thrown　over　the　worst　passages。　Who　shall　dare；　searching　and　rummaging　for　insight　into　Friedrich；　and　complaining　that　there　is　none；　to　lift　any　portion　of　the　veil；　and　say；　〃SeeFaugh！〃　The　cynicism；　truly；　but　also　the　irrepressible　honest　exultation；　has　a　kind　of　epic　completeness；　and　fulness　of　sincerity；　and；　at　bottom；　the　thing　is　nothing　like　so　wicked　as　careless　commentators　have　given　out。　Dare　to　look　a　little：　…

〃ADIEU；　GRANDS　ERASEURS　DE　ROIS；〃　so　it　starts：　〃Adieu；　grand　crushers　of　Kings；　arrogant　wind…bags；　Turpin；　Broglio；　Soubise；　Hildburghausen　with　the　gray　beard；　foolish　still　as　when　your　beard　was　black　in　the　Turk…War　time：brisk　journey　to　you　all！〃　That　is　the　first　stanza；　unexceptionable；　had　we　room。　The　second　stanza　is；with　the　veils　partially　lifted；　with　probably　〃MOISE〃　put　into　the　first　blank；　and　into　the　third　something　of　or　belonging　to　〃CESAR；〃

　〃Je　vows　ai　vu　comme　。。。　　　　　　　　　　　Dans　des　ronces　en　certain　lieu　　　　　　　　　　　Eut　l'honneur　de　voir　。。。　　　　　　　　　　　Ou　comme　au　gre　de　sa　luxure　　　　　　　　　　　Le　bon　Nicomede　a　l'ecart　　　　　　　　　　　Aiguillonnait　sa　flamme　impure　　　　　　　　　　　Des　。。。〃　　

Enough　to　say；　the　Author；　with　a　wild　burst　of　spiritual　enthusiasm；　sings　the　charms　of　the　rearward　part　of　certain　men；　and　what　a　royal　ecstatic　felicity　there　sometimes　is　in　indisputable　survey　of　the　same。　He　rises　to　the　heights　of　Anti…　Biblical　profanity；　quoting　Moses　on　the　Hill　of　Vision；　sinks　to　the　bottomless　of　human　or　ultra…human　depravity；　quoting　King　Nicomedes's　experiences　on　Caesar　（happily　known　only　to　the　learned）；　and；　in　brief；　recognizes　that　there　is；　on　occasion；　considerable　beauty　in　that　quarter　of　the　human　figure；　when　it　turns　on　you　opportunely。　A　most　cy