Chapter II: Part 2

The man was now gone that raised me from nothing, and showered favours on me; that sun was set in whose lustre I shone with borrowed light. The veil fell off, and, seized with horror and remorse, I at once sunk again into my original insignificancy. I shook as if I had been touched by the chilling hand of death, and scarce had recollection enough to desire Mousons to order post-horses, to empty the King’s strong box, and to take possession of his large diamond and his pocket-book. At that instant an officer entered with twenty-four men, and informed me, that, by order of the new King, I was his prisoner. Mousons was immediately taken into custody, and within twenty-four hours transported to Magdeburg. Thunderstruck, I stared at the officer, collected all the effrontery I still could muster, and, with a haughty countenance and tone of voice, asked him, Who dared to arrest a Countess?--No one but the Emperor dared do so.

_The Officer._--It may be so; but at present I have the order of the King my master, which both you and I must obey. Should the King be mistaken, and wrong you, Madam, I am sure he will give you ample satisfaction.

I was a prisoner; my papers were sealed up; the cursed pocket-book and the King’s ring were taken from me, and a select committee were appointed to examine my treasonable practices against the King and his subjects. I am criminal before my own conscience; I am so in the eye of the law. To whom must I appeal? Who will protect the wretch who thus has outraged humanity? Who can save me? and what have I to expect? Mercy alone I must have recourse to, and what will not mercy do? What is mercy but to forgive the criminal? And is not forgiveness the most glorious prerogative of regal power? I own my crimes are boundless; they call to Heaven for vengeance,--but all may be well yet; the King is just--but he is merciful--and I am a frail woman!

ORIGINAL PAPERS

OF THE

COUNTESS LICHTENAU,

COMMONLY CALLED

_MINNA ENCKE_.

I am with child, mother, and big F---- is ready to die with joy about it. But he is fond of variety. About eight days since there came an Italian strumpet here from Leipsic; I think her name is Saporetti; that cursed pander, that Frenchman, Dufour, has introduced her to him. She has been repeatedly with the Prince at Potsdam, so Rietz has told me. But patience only; I’ll contrive to let the King know, and then all her fine plans will be defeated; out of the kingdom with her in a hurry! The King, I am informed, a few days ago, said, If my nephew cannot live without a w----e, I should prefer to see him keep a German to a foreigner; the latter are much more expensive, and may some time discover and reveal secrets of the State. Your powder, mother, does wonders; whenever F---- has taken a dose of it, he is quite amorous, and loads me with caresses and favours. Let him think what he pleases, say I to myself, provided I can retain my powers over him. Yesterday George brought me a fine watch, set with brilliants, bracelets, and ear-rings of the same, a stomacher, and a superb necklace, with a medallion containing the Prince’s portrait. Herewith I sent you thirty Frederics-d’ors for my brother; I have created him my equerry; he is to dispatch my letters to Potsdam, and must have a good poney, whose oats and furniture are my concern.

* * * * *

The King has been pleased to send Madam Saporetti, well attended, out of the land, and given orders to look after Monsieur Dufour. He keeps himself concealed at Berlin, and, to elude all inquiry, has taken the name Chofieu. The Prince has not the least notion of all this being my doings, and is as tender and as loving as ever. Rietz himself is very glad to see that French puppy in the dumps, for who knows but he might some time have got him out of his master’s favour, for he is full of intrigue, and then all would be over with every one of us. Rietz is a good kind of stupid fellow, all on my side, and seems to be pleased to see the Prince so constant in his love to me.

* * * * *

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.

I shall be obliged to swallow the bitter draught, and permit his Highness’s shoe-black to call me his wife. 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 comes and goes. My dear F----c can only visit me by night; he comes on horseback, changes his horses at Zehlendorf, and leaves me at three in the morning. At five he is back at Potsdam, and every morning appears on the parade to avoid suspicion. The King has sent Forçade for a soldier to a regiment at Brieg, because, as he pleases to term it, he assists his nephew in all his little frolics. The Prince is extremely chagrined at it, and has consoled poor Forçade with the prospect of better times. This may, probably, have induced him, in his fits of ill humour, to vent his rage on poor Rietz, whom, of late, he has several times treated to a royal caning. There are two Silesian Counts at Berlin, of the name of Wingersky; the Prince is very intimate with them. Who are those fellows? My brother must watch them, and let me know.

Werner, of Breslau, and Eckstein, of Schmieberg, have brought money. 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.

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. Then we command, do any thing I chuse, and I’ll turn him about till I find the right handle of him. Now we shall soon want a set of confidential persons to assist us with counsel and deed; for, alas! what do we know about government and politics? Werner and Bender are two men that will do for me; they know better than I what they are about.

* * * * *

These last three weeks have been monstrous long; every hour we expected to receive the news of his death. But he is gone at last; between two and three this morning the old grumbler breathed his last, and my F----c is King. Only think, mother, F----c is King! Minna now will govern, and from this very instant a new prospect begins to open to us. I am going to buy a house Unter den Linden[1]. I mean to fill it with entire new furniture, which shall not be a whit inferior to that of the Queen’s. Werner has been made minister, and Bender has obtained the commission of a major-general and adjutant. These are two of our creatures, do you see, who will work our good-natured K--g nicely.

* * * * *

The King has, a few days since, paid repeated visits to the Dowager-Queen; and my spies tell me, that he is extremely smitten with the beauty of Miss V----[2], who, in fact, has been the only cause of all these visits. All our engines are at play to extinguish this flame, and if I cannot bring that about, I am lost for ever! All this is a court-cabal to get me _out_, and one of the nobility _in_. Some people, by this means, hope to acquire greater influence in the affairs of the State. Miss V----, I am told, has a pretty face, and, what is still worse, she is said to be extremely virtuous; the King will, therefore, be at some trouble to subdue her. The Dowager-Queen, a very godly princess, keeps a sharp look out, and has, I am told, loudly expostulated about it with the King.

My spies watch every motion, and I am instantaneously apprized of the most minute occurrence. I don’t know how it is, but some time since the King was extremely reserved with me, and I would lay my head that all this is on account of Miss V----. But let me but once more lay hold of him, and your powder shall do wonders, mother; he then shall leave me no more, I warrant you. We have contrived matters so, that my F----c, in the newspapers, is called the dear beloved; he gives full credit to the appellation, and who knows but those that wrote this nonsense believed it to be true full as well as he does?

* * * * *

Woe! woe! and three times woe! the great mischief has begun. Miss V---- has yielded, and is the King’s favorite. Could you think of any thing so exquisitely foolish as this? She has given herself up to the King, on condition of having a left-handed marriage! The first Court Chaplain and Member of the Consistory, the Rev. H----, on Friday last, performed the ceremony at the palace of Charlottenburg, for which he received a hundred glittering Frederics-d’ors. She is now formally Queen, on the left hand, and, in the most extensive meaning of the word, the ruling queen, for she governs even the King. Would you believe it, mother, a formal law has, by order of the King, been made concerning marriages on the left hand, and this law has been inserted in the code of laws with all the publicity, to give a sanction to this archicomical mock-marriage! The public laugh at it, make remarks, and no one follows this Don Quixotism. But, dear mother, what is to become of me? I must have the K--g, should I tear him out of the arms of Proserpine herself, should I be forced to fetch him out of the midst of heaven or of hell. He shall be mine, mine alone! Think of means, dear sweet mother! No matter what means, no matter how dangerous! Necessity has no law; I must clear the road to the heart of my F----c; I will pull up by the root every thing that opposes me; V---- must vanish away from among the living. 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.

What do they call good? Is it, perhaps, that now he meddles with the concerns of the land, and reads every scrap himself? 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. A-propos, let me soon know the pleasing intelligence, of which you gave me a hint not long since. Aqua toffana won’t do, dear mother, for we are not yet intimate enough with V---- to approach her thus. It ought to be a subtile and expeditious remedy, such a one as will rid us of that fool without creating any suspicion.

This moment Rietz comes to inform me, that the King has raised Miss V---- to a Countess I----heim. He has sent her to-day, by Rietz, the Imperial diploma, together with a brilliant hair pin, of great value. For God’s sake, speak with S---- about the matter, lest you will have me lose my senses.

Minna! Minna! only don’t be so violent. S---- has been busy for us all. In the afternoon he will send you the box with the powder, you know, and which has arrived from Venice only last night. F---- went thither post, day and night, and stopt but one day at Vienna to take a little rest. It costs 2000 zechins, but its effect is worth more than 2000 millions. But hush and be close! and, for God’s sake, no more confidents!

* * * * *

She is safely gone to eternal rest, mother, and we may again be tranquil. During the first fortnight the King has been inconsolable, and would suffer nobody in his presence, for he was actually in love with the silly creature. But he will come round again, I hope. To-morrow I give a _fête_ at Charlottenburg, and there I will muster up what charms I have to rivet the rambler for ever. Your powder, dear mother, must again do the business. I have now good hopes all goes on to my wishes.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] A street in Berlin, so called from the plantation of lime-trees laid out there.

[2] Mademoiselle Voss has a kind of natural wit, some information, is rather more wilful than firm, and is very obviously aukward, which she endeavours to disguise by assuming an air of simplicity. She is ugly, and that even to a degree; and her only excellence is the goodness of her complexion, which I think rather wan than white, and a fine neck; over which she threw a double handkerchief the other day, as she was leaving Prince Henry’s comedy, to cross the apartments, saying to the Princess Frederica, “I must take good care of them, for it is after these they run.” It is this mixture of eccentric licentiousness (which she accompanies with airs of ignorant innocence) and vestal severity, which the world says has seduced the King. 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. Thus, for instance, the other day I could not keep silence when I heard an exclamation, “Oh, heavens! when shall I see, when shall we have an English play! I really should expire with rapture!” For my part, Madam, said I drily, “I rather wish you may not, sooner than you imagine, stand in need of French plays.” All those who began to be offended by her high airs, smiled; and Prince Henry, who pretended not to hear her, laughed aloud. Her face was suffused with blushes, and she did not answer a word, but it is easy to punish, difficult to correct.

She has hitherto declared open war against the mystics, and detests the daughters of the chief favourite, who are maids of honour to the Queen. But as amidst her weaknesses she is transported by devotion even to superstition, nothing may be depended on for futurity.--_Mirabeau’s Secret History of the Court of Berlin._

[3] Literally true. Had this good and liberal soul lived longer, the sweat of the brows of the subjects would not have been squandered away in so wanton a manner.

LETTERS

FROM

_VIENNA, ITALY, FRANCE, and PYRMONT_[4].

One cannot know, my dear A----, what turn this may take with us, at the event of some future change. I therefore, first of all, intend to take a trip to Pisa, as it is called, and there I’ll contrive to place my property, which chiefly consists in good paper and jewels, as advantageously as I can. Let a change take place then, I don’t care, for I know whither to direct my course. Pray let the pamphlet in question be as biting as possible, for it is intended to produce effects. The people shall know that I am the favorite of the King, their Sovereign, and that I was born to command. Rietz will purposely destroy every paper, and every proposal, that comes from that quarter. Werner and Bender have, likewise, disposed the King in a manner, that he will accede to nothing that has not our sanction. He must be amused with all imaginable kinds of entertainments, that may tend to divert his mind so that he may lose all recollection of this business. He is busy with projects concerning the Countess of the Mark; he is looking out for a good match for the sweet creature. Many have already applied to me, wishing to obtain my consent, but none of them would suit. The magnificent monument of marble of Carrara, for my son, is to be ready next week.

* * * * *

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 amusement. At Vienna they are busy with the Imperial diploma for me. Keep a good watch, and let me know.

* * * * *

Dear little Rietz, I must be separated from you, for within six weeks I shall be a Countess. Be assured, at the same time, that all this will produce no alteration in our connexion. 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. Till then farewell, my good Rietz, and clear the King’s lobbies of all those that can injure me in his affections.

* * * * *

Friend A----, tell Bender that an express from me will communicate a plan to him, by which the King is to be persuaded to undertake a journey to Pilnitz. The Court of Vienna then will send an invitation to the King, and the Ch----r de S---- accepts the interview. Could not it be contrived at the same time that the King goes to the review at Breslau? All must be done within a fortnight. 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.

* * * * *

The courier of the camp has brought me the King’s invitation to Pilnitz. He has been presented with 200 ducats by the Emperor, and I have given him a gold repeater. Some of these days I go by Prague to Dresden, where elegant lodgings are prepared for me at the Hotel de Saxe. The intelligence that the Countess D--hoff has incurred the King’s displeasure, and that G--set has been ordered out of the country, has filled me with extacy; it is music to my ears. Bender and Werner are actually great men; indeed I did not take them to be masters of so much art and address. An excellent idea, to make the King believe that they intended to poison him! Now he can escape us no more, should he even wish it.

* * * * *

FROM DRESDEN.

Here we have a continual round of pleasures and entertainments. However short the meeting at Pilnitz might be, yet there was a variety of the most brilliant _fêtes_. 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. As an equivalent the King is to have Dantzic, Thorn, and a great part of Poland. All this, do you see, dear A----lang, has been but a stroke of the pen.

In eight days, at farthest, we are at Paris, and attend at the King’s grand opera. Verdun has not cost us a single man, and I am here these eight days. _Voilà la maitresse declarée du Roi de P--e_, say the French, as they survey me with a glance from top to toe. But let me reach Paris, dear A----lang, and you shall hear of me. Have you heard the news, that by my management the K--g has ordered lodgings for Dufour in the fortress of Magdeburg? That infamous rascal wrote from this place to his friends at Berlin. That vulgar gang would beset the K--g without intermission, and follow him even to France. Fine encomiums on the Prussian arms, indeed! It luckily happened, that the letter fell into my hands; I communicated it to the K--g at a favorable moment, and he sent him to Magdeburg. There he may continue his remarks on my journey to France as long as he shall think proper. I am glad to be rid, at last, of that cursed sneaking rascal.

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, 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.

* * * * *

I am extremely concerned at what you tell me about the disturbances which have taken place at Breslau on account of the Privy Counseller Werner, for you know how much we stand indebted to him. The deputies from Breslau have been introduced to the K--g here at Franckfort. His M----y has very graciously received them, and personally attended at the report which they made of the whole transaction. 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; they may, perhaps, produce some good effect, for he is in a good humour.

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. The Prince of Nassau has already waited on me several times, and yesterday made me a present of a magnificent cloke, of the most exquisite Russian fur.

* * * * *

A series of letters follow, very little interesting; such as thoughts on the journey to Pisa, of the usual cast; a project for marrying the Countess of the Mark, her daughter; letters to du Bosk, Bauman, Wollner, Amelang, Schmidts, Rietz, Guldling, Granfort, &c.; forged cabinet-papers, cypher-writing, and chemical receipts; some Italian directions to use the aqua toffana, and other poisonous preparations; love-letters from several fools, among which there is even a _déclaration d’amour_ of the Prince of W----k, from Pyrmont; intercepted letters, directed partly to the K--g and his ministers, partly to other Sovereigns and great men; a project of a loan for the K--g, to which, likewise, belong the shares in the administration of the tobacco, that unfortunately miscarried; twelve blanks, with the signature of the K--g and the cabinet-seal.

* * * * *

Pray, dear A----, enquire who has had the audacity to destroy my fine furniture at Charlottenburg, and to throw all my plate into the Spree, whilst I attended at the marriage of the hereditary Prince L----is. You may well be surprised to hear of my being at Court; but who could refuse the Countess of Lichtenau? I have a notion that the outrage has been committed by officers, who were countenanced by the h----y P----, for otherwise, how could the guard at the palace have permitted it, without giving the alarm? The K--g has promised me satisfaction, and the scoundrels shall run the gauntlet. May those female fools burst with spite! I don’t care; the K--g is mine for ever!

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 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; she is to represent a Venus. There is a _fête_ for you! The K--g, not long ago, said to me, “What a charming woman you are, Minna! You sacrifice your own health to promote mine.”

* * * * *

PYRMONT, IN 1797.

The K--g actually means to purchase Pyrmont in right earnest, and negociations on the subject are carried on with great activity. That little tract of country is incumbered with heavy debts; its produce is about 200,000 dollars a-year. The P----e de ---- has made me a serious tender of his hand, and thinks, by that means, to clear his estate. The titles of Princess and your Royal Highness, I must confess, have great charms for me. But then I cannot move in so extensive a circle as formerly, on account of my great distance from Berlin. What would you have me do, A----lang? 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; next week I send him to Hamburg with the papers in question, and I hope he will do business properly, and prove useful to us. My brother and Kunassius are to accompany him.

* * * * *

_Here follows a Number of Letters addressed to her Mother, out of which the following are selected_:

I am quite impatient to write to my dearest mother; I have so much to say that I don’t know when I shall have done, but I must tell my dearest mother every thing, and then my mind will be at ease. I have had some dreadful dreams; pray Heaven that all be right. You must assist me with your advice; you must take care to discover every thing that is said of me; we must do every thing to retain our power and influence; I know the people hate me because I hate them. If there are any lampoons handed about in secret, you must procure them, and find out, if possible, the authors. You know I have every thing to dread from my own sex. Paris is an enchanting city; such a continued round of pleasures, balls, operas, and dances;--and, then, such gallantry. You cannot conceive how my toilet is frequented by persons of the first rank, and how my charms are admired! But, O my dear mother, you cannot conceive how my pride is humbled as often as I think of the lowness of my birth! Sometimes I am like to faint when I think of it, but I banish it from my thoughts as fast as I can. What do titles, and beauty, and splendour, and power, avail? After all, I am but the daughter of a trumpeter; but K----se has been of great service to me in this respect, for he has whispered, under the seal of secrecy, that I am the daughter of Baron de S----ts, by a left-handed marriage. This story must be kept alive, and you must nod assent to it; and if a letter or two could be forged, it would stamp it with credit. Consult L--e on this, but if it is not managed with the greatest address, it will make things worse than ever; let me be the daughter of any one rather than the daughter of a trumpeter. I have sent Krebs purposely with this letter; you may trust him. The French women dress to the highest advantage, and Gleim tells me, that some of the first judges of beauty say that I am ten times handsomer than the Countess du Barry was in her finest days. I send you a portrait of her, that you may judge, for I know my dear mother will not deceive me. 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; you cannot conceive how it mortified me. Then, as to my age, I think I may venture to strike off three years; how do I tremble at the idea of wrinkled cheeks! Give me youth, beauty, and birth; these are all I ask, and then I will hold my lover as long as I please, or, if I should lose him, I can soon replace him. O dear mother! I have one question to ask, and I tremble when I ask it. Are you sure I had the small-pox? Surely I hope I had. I have luckily got acquainted with a woman who excels in all kinds of cosmetics, and other secrets of great importance. I must purchase them all, cost what they will. You cannot conceive how I am putting your lessons in practice, and successfully too; sometimes I affect silence, lost in thought, and counterfeit indisposition, that I may read the effects in the eyes of certain persons. 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. Would that I could say I was natural daughter to some prince, or any person that could boast of noble blood! and yet I think there is some in my veins; it is impossible I can be the daughter of a trumpeter; you know I bear no resemblance to him. You see how this sits on my heart; I can say any thing to you. I do not know how long I shall remain in Paris. I have bought a number of pictures; one day they shall adorn my _Chateau_. They have been chosen by an Italian, who is said to be a great connoisseur in that line, but the Italians are great cheats. Do not detain Krebs long; send him to me with good news. I wish you could see me, I never looked so charming in my life. Pray tell me if poor Elmenbent is alive; if she is, you must give her some money; she knows my age, and she may blab it with other secrets. As to....

Krebs will tell you how I am adored. You must not let him be near my sister, for the Count might ask him some questions, and you know how aukward he is in his answers. I have not time to finish this letter; I must dress for the opera. Write, write all, and send Krebs back on the wings of impatience....

* * * * *

O my dear angelic mother! I read your letter over with such joy, that I thought I should faint at every line. You know, you may say, you got acquainted with the Baron at Eldagsen; he passed a couple of years there, and, if the story is well managed, who is to contradict it. I am more afraid of Pastor Besler than any, but he must be bribed or flattered with the hopes of preferment. I think we will contrive to manage this matter to our satisfaction. I am forming a little party here, but it is hard to trust the French, for, notwithstanding all the appearance of levity which they assume, they are full of design, and, though they are always speaking, yet they are always thinking. For all that, I have purchased the secret of the cosmetic; its divine! I cannot tell you the enchanting effect of it; but this is the only secret I must keep from my dear mother and sister. By the bye, you must not let her see one of my letters; you know she could never keep a secret since she was born. Above all, how does my heart rejoice when you tell me I had the frightful small-pox! You are quite sure of it, you must not deceive; but you did not tell me when, because I would strive to recollect. You must get Candidate Bang to write some verses on me; the Prince reads every thing that he writes; tell him that I never looked so lovely in my life; do not let him forget my teeth, and eyes, and fine hair, and, above all, my smile; but, if he should speak of my mind, let that be artless and innocent; but, above all, let him praise my constancy in love; let him draw me in the midst of a circle of dying lovers, with my eyes fixed on one only. Do not let him know that I desired this, for he is one of those that cannot keep a secret either, but we must make use of such persons at times; he is a fool with all his learning, but we will keep that to ourselves. Only three lampoons, dear mother; I think I know their author, and, instead of being paid, he shall pay for them. They seem to be at a loss what to say of me here; but I am afraid, though they bow in my presence, that they sneer behind my back. I have got acquainted with Count Beincourt; he has got an immense estate in Normandy, and one of the oldest families in that country. Oh! what it is to be descended of an old family! There are some that affect to despise it, but I know that they wish for it in secret. I have met with two or three Rosicrusians, but not one Swedenborgian. Do you know that I go by the name of the handsome Swedenborgian? I had a frightful dream this morning; I dreamed that....

* * * * *

I can tell any thing to you. Pray, my dear mother, tell it under a feigned name. 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. Goss has taught me to speak a little English, but it is a horrid language to pronounce. 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 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. Oh! how does that horrid word chill my veins! Krebs is a faithful fellow, but I am afraid he has mentioned something about the bathing scene; it runs in my mind he has. I am afraid to mention it to him, lest I should get into a passion, and then I might say something that would ruin us all. I do not know what they think of me at Dessau; there I know I am hated and envied; Bekker can tell you, but I know it already; I am hated and envied in that vile place, but they do not know all, and that is a consolation. Let us make out our own story, and when it is properly done, we will set them all at defiance. Send the interpretation of my dream. Be kind to Krebs, he is a faithful fellow, and that is all he is good for.

* * * * *

My dearest mother! the very first line of your letter revived my spirits. The interpretation of my dream is delightful, but the very thoughts of the black dog freezes the blood in my veins; yet a dream is but a dream, but then they come to pass,--“My power is but in its infancy!” Oh! that is too flattering! If that is the case, I will yet be revenged of all my enemies. As to the people, a little money will make friends of them at any time, and money shall not be spared when I have an object in view. Baron S----ts will not do; he is still alive, and at present on a tour in Lapland. I wish they could change him into a rein deer; but we must think of somebody else. What do you think of Count L----d; his family is ancient; he is old and vain of his amours. Secrecy is all; if I am able to retain ----, I will laugh at every thing. I affect a total indifference to politics, but they little know that it engrosses all my attention. O heavens! what a figure I shall cut when I return! How my dress will be imitated, and all my airs and motions sought after and copied! Vestris gives me some lessons. I neglect nothing that may render me charming in the eyes of ----; that is my grand object. O dear mother, let me know every thing that you hear! do not spare money; there is nothing can be done without. Lu----ini, I am afraid, is gaining ground every day in a certain ----; 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 French woman. The Marquis de la F----e is a stupid fellow; I do not know how the deuce he has acquired so much popularity. Mirabeau is an artful man; I must be civil to him, as he is writing something, and, perhaps, may say something bitter. Indeed, every one is afraid of him; I tremble at the sight of him. I am afraid he knows the cursed secret of the mill; the only thing, however, in my favor, is, that no one believes what he writes or says, because it is known that he will do any thing to gratify his malignity, or to put money in his pocket, as he is poor. I detest him, and I am afraid he reads it in my eyes. Burn all the papers in the little black box; we do not know what may happen; let us put as little in the power of fortune as possible. I cannot tell you the half of what I want to say. You see the troubles of my mind. O dear ambition! what do we suffer on your account! My hand can’t hold the pen. Send me good news, for if my health should fail, my charms will fail along with it, and then what will become of your dear daughter.

* * * * *

Thus far the original papers of the Countess of Lichtenau, which were found in an escrutore in the yellow room of the palace at Charlottenberg, after her arrestation. The Author then proceeds to a narrative of the events which took place after the demise of the K--g.

Two days previous to the K--g’s death, the Countess asked the Physician, if the case was really dangerous, and how long the K--g might yet hold out. Four and twenty hours, at farthest, was the reply. The Countess immediately collected her papers, and had actually resolved to set off the next morning. But the K--g’s illness gained fast upon him; towards morning he expired, after a hard struggle, and the Countess was arrested by order of his successor, in the Marble-palace at Potsdam. The red Morocco pocket-book, a diamond of immense value, both of which belonged to the K--g, together with a royal signet, forged, were found in her possession. She had about her, in hard cash, 800,000 dollars, and the K--g’s private strong box was found exhausted. A favourite of the Countess, a French emigrant, who was constantly in her company, and then resident at the Marble-Palace, was seized at the same time. Some papers, of a serious nature, were found, likewise, in his possession, and he was immediately conducted to the fortress of Magdeburg.

This artful woman is now in prison. Several attempts have been made, by her associates, to rescue her from her confinement, but they have all been frustrated by the vigilance of the officers under whose custody she is lodged. The enormity of her guilt is beyond all conception. She rose from the meanest extraction and poverty to rank and fortune; in the days of her success her pride knew no bounds, so that she seemed to forget what she had been; many an honest man, through her arts, was precipitated into ruin; and the ties of friendship, and the harmony of an illustrious family, were loosened, and almost dissolved. The new K--g, in taking this step, was not actuated by private hatred, nor personal interest, nor yet mean revenge. To that Prince humanity, truth, honesty, and frankness, will ever be dear. He has consigned her to the law. The Countess of Lichtenau, in the most extensive meaning of the word, is a state-criminal. As such, confinement for life probably will be her lot. There she may do penance for every act of injustice and infamy, and the wrongs of the industrious peasant, who worked hard to support her extravagance; there she may do penance for the millions of groans and curses that have brought down vengeance from Heaven on her guilty head; for the tears of every helpless orphan, whom she thrust from her door, but whose sighs ascended to Him who punishes and rewards according to the scale of immutable justice.

FOOTNOTES:

[4] 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.

THE END.

Transcriber’s Notes

Title page: “FORTRESS OF GLOGLAU” changed to “FORTRESS OF GLOGAU”

Page iv: “has ben felt” changed to “has been felt”

Page 18: “but a charletan,” changed to “but a charlatan,”

Page 19: “transmitting his to Majesty” changed to “transmitting to his Majesty” “deigned to addressed them.” changed to “deigned to address them.”

Page 25: “Monsons, I, and B----” changed to “Mousons, I, and B----”

Page 32: “whole groupes were seen” changed to “whole groups were seen”

Page 33: “baldachim” changed to “baldachin” and “their amourous attitudes” changed to “their amorous attitudes”

Page 51: “A----lany” changed to “A----lang”

Page 53: “the Privy Counseller” changed to “the Privy Counsellor”

Page 67: “of the events whcih” changed to “of the events which”

Some sections of the original text that were indicated by rows of asterisks, seemingly to indicate removed text, have been replaced with ellipses.