CHAP. 1786. Continental affairs. Death and character of Pruffia. CHAP. XXXVI. Continental affairs.-Death and character of Frederic of Pruffia.-His provifions for the fecurity of his fucceffor.— Revolution in Denmark.-Queen dowager difgraced, and the reins of government assumed by the prince royal.—Phyfical calamities in various parts of the continent.-Commercial and political purfuits of France.-Amiable character of Louis XVI.-Britain;-Alarming attempts against our fovereign,-providentially prevented.-Magnanimous humanity of the king.-The perfon proves to be a lunatic named Margaret Nicholson.-General confternation on hearing of the attempt.—Anxious affection of all ranks for their revered fovereign.—Congratulatory addresses. ΟΝ N the continent of Europe, no event so much distinguished the year 1786, as the death of Frederic II. king of Pruffia; who, for half a century, had acted fuch a confpicuous part on the grand military and political theatre. Were we to Frederic of estimate his conduct on the fimple principle, that a long and constant series of fucceffes must arise from the poffeffion and steady exertion of adequate qualities, we should find grounds for concluding, that the talents of Frederic, as a foldier, a statesman, and a law-giver, were fingularly eminent. Concerning a man who has long enjoyed the uncontrolled direction of any species of affairs, we may fairly and candidly afk, in what ftate did he find the subject of his truft? did any material advantage affift, or difficulty retard, its improvement? has he left the profeffed objects of his care in a better or worse fituation? XXXVI. 1786. fituation? When the government of Pruffia de- CHAP volved upon Frederic, he found a small, inconfiderable, and disjointed kingdom, without arts, industry, or riches; and without either the difpofition or means of rendering the territory productive, the inhabitants profperous, or the state respectable. The treasury was fcanty, and the income inferior to the neceffary expenditure; his dominions were surrounded by powerful and jealous potentates, who commanded numerous, valiant, and well-disciplined armies: in fuch circumftances, Frederic raised his country to be a great, well-compacted, and flourishing empire. By teaching his subjects industry, agricultural skill, manufactures, and commerce, he bettered their condition, civilized their manners, enlightened their understandings, and enabled them to acquire the comforts and enjoyments of life. His kingdom, which before occupied a small space in the geography, and still lefs in the politics, of Europe, was by him rendered the terror of its most formidable. foes, and the admiration of mankind. Great as was the refult, there are more fpecial grounds for estimating the character of Frederic than bare effects: his progrefs exhibits the operations of the most efficacious qualities; an understanding that grasped every object of neceflary or useful confideration; an invention, rapidly fertile in refources, increased both in force and effort with the difficulties by which its exertion was required: felf-poffeffion never fuffered his powers to be fuspended by either peril or calamity; intrepid courage faced danger, and magnanimous fortitude, sustaining adverfity, rendered misfortunes temporary, which I 2 XXXVI. 1786. CHAP. which would have overwhelmed ethers in deftruction. Never had a leader with fo fmall a force to contend with fuch a powerful combination, not of mere multitude (as when Afiatic enervation by feeble crowds impotently tried to overwhelm European strength), but of hardy, difciplined, and veteran troops, equal to his own in prowess and military skill, and quadruple in number. Frederic experienced difmal reverses of fortune; having attained the highest pinnacle of fuccefs by dint of genius, he, from incidents and circumftances, against which no wifdom could provide, was driven to the lowest abyss of disaster; the very existence of his kingdom became doubtful; his inflexible conftancy, uninterrupted perseverance, and tranfcendent abilities, triumphed in calamities, and rofe through adverfity to victory and glory. His exertions during the feven years war demonstrated to his enemies, that all their attempts to crush Frederic were unavailing against him, and recoiled on themselves. Hoftilities being terminated, he had leifure to cultivate the arts of peace, and both in planning and executing meafures for that purpose, he proved that his mind was formed for excelling not only in war, but in but in every other great and difficult pursuit to which circumstances might require the direction of his efforts. Complete com prehenfion of objects fimplified plans for their attainment: the Pruffian king was a great inventor in the military fyftem, particularly in the mode of attack. His object was to render the affault irrefiftible in one or more points, fo that the confufion produced there might be communicated to the whole XXXVI. 1786. whole line; the means were not merely to advance CHA P. intrepidly and charge vigorously, but in the moment of onfet to form fuch unforeseen and skilful difpofitions, as would enable an army, greatly inferior in number, to furpass the enemy in exertion, and wherever the action was likely to prove most decifive, to bring a greater front to act against a smaller *. His internal improvements propofed at once to increase the refources and meliorate the character of his fubjects; to render them, both from external circumstances and perfonal qualities, fitter for fecuring and extending individual and national profperity, virtue, and happiness. Addicted himfelf to letters, he was extremely attentive to the education of his fubjects, according to their circumstances, condition, or probable and deftined purfuits. Tinctured with infidelity, he was far from encouraging its general diffufion. Totally free himself from bigotted prejudice or fuperftition, he knew the compatibility of fuch errors in others with most beneficial conduct, and granted every fect full and undisturbed toleration. That there were great alloys among Frederic's excellencies, he would be a partial panegyrift, not an impartial historian, who fhould deny. The juftice of feveral parts of his conduct in the early part of his reign was very questionable. One very important act in a later period admits of no difpute: the difmemberment of Poland will always remain a monument of exorbitant ambition and unjuftifiable ufurpation by Frederic and the other powers concerned. * See Gillies's Frederic. It XXXVI. 1786. CHAP. would not be difficult to evince, that both the fub jects thus forcibly acquired were bettered in their condition by this annexation; but fhallow would be the moralift who, from eventual and contingent good, would defend injuftice. It might be easily fhewn that the greater number of victorious commanders, in proportion to their power, have been guilty of as ambitious ufurpations as Frederic, and that not many of them have by their victories done fo much good. In appreciating conduct we muft confider the circumftances and opportunities of the agent, and the temptations which these produced; how very few men, it may be asked, having a very defirable object within their grasp, would abstain from poffeffing it, even though not conformable to strict justice. The perfpicacious and recollecting obferver of mankind must recognise fuch conduct to be natural, but the just estimator of moral fentiments and actions will reprobate it as unjuft. Frederic, with confiderable moral defects, poffeffed very high moral and the very highest intellectual excellencies; he raifed a fmall poor territory to be a great, opulent, and powerful kingdom; and rendered ignorant and uncivilized inhabitants an enlightened and civilized people. To a very great portion of mankind moft momentous benefits have accrued from the efforts of the renowned Frederic. His provi fions for the fecurity of his fucceffor. As the power of Pruffia had arifen from the counfels and exertions of Frederic, many apprehended, that, resting on his character, its stability would be endangered by his death; and fuppofed, that the ambitious confederation of the imperial |