's prohibition than Count Bismarck. The sincerity and substance
of his reproach are tested by a revelation made by himself long after.
Though familiar, the story is worth telling over again in the biography of
a statesman who stood for a type alien to policies of fraud.

(M106) Bismarck had hurried from Varzin to Berlin on July 12, in profound
concern lest his royal master should subject his country and his minister
to what, after the menace of Gramont and Ollivier on July 6, would be
grave diplomatic defeat. He had resolved to retire if the incident should
end in this shape, and the chief actor has himself described the strange
sinister scene that averted his design. He invited Moltke and Roon to dine
with him alone on July 13. In the midst of their conversation, "I was
informed," he says, "that a telegram from Ems in cipher, if I recollect
rightly, of about 200 'groups' was being deciphered. When the copy was
handed me it showed that Abeken had drawn up and signed the telegram at
his Majesty's command, and I read it out to my guests, whose dejection was
so great that they turned away from food and drink. On a repeated
examination of the document I lingered upon the authorisation of his
Majesty, which included a command, immediately to communicate Benedetti's
fresh demand and its rejection to our ambassadors and to the press. I put
a few questions to Moltke as to the extent of his confidence in the state
of our preparations, especially as to the time they would still require in
order to meet this sudden risk of war. He answered that if there was to be
war he expected no advantage to us by deferring its outbreak.... Under the
conviction that war could be avoided only at the cost of the honour of
Prussia, I made use of the royal authorisation to publish the contents of
the telegram; and in the presence of my two guests I reduced the telegram
by striking out words, but without adding or altering, to the following
form: 'After the news of the renunciation of the hereditary Prince of
Hohenzollern had been officially communicated to the imperial government
of France by the royal government of Spain, the French ambassador at Ems
further demanded of his Majesty the King that he would authorise him to
telegraph to Paris that his Majesty the King bound himself for all future
time never again to give his consent if the Hohenzollerns should renew
their candidature. His Majesty the King thereupon decided not to receive
the French amb