ut him now and henceforth. Adventurers from all quarters, especially
of the literary type, in hopes of being employed, much hovered round
Friedrich through his whole reign. But they met a rather strict judge
on arriving; it cannot be said they found it such a Goshen as they
expected.

Favor, friendly intimacy, it is visible from the first, avails nothing
with this young King; beyond and before all things he will have his
work done, and looks out exclusively for the man ablest to do it. Hence
Bielfeld goes to Hanover, to grin out euphuisms, and make graceful
courtbows to our sublime little Uncle there. On the other hand,
Friedrich institutes a new Knighthood, ORDER OF MERIT so called; which
indeed is but a small feat, testifying mere hope and exuberance as yet;
and may even be made worse than nothing, according to the Knights he
shall manage to have. Happily it proved a successful new Order in this
last all-essential particular; and, to the end of Friedrich's life,
continued to be a great and coveted distinction among the Prussians.

Beyond doubt this is a radiant enough young Majesty; entitled to
hope, and to be the cause of hope. Handsome, to begin with; decidedly
well-looking, all say, and of graceful presence, though hardly five feet
seven, and perhaps stouter of limb than the strict Belvedere standard.
[Height, it appears, was five feet five inches (Rhenish), which in
English measure is five feet seven or a hair's-breadth less. Preuss,
twice over, by a mistake unusual with him, gives "five feet two inches
three lines" as the correct cipher (which it is of NAPOLEON'S measure in
FRENCH feet); then settles on the above dimensions from unexceptionable
authority (Preuss, _Buch fur Jedermann,_ i. 18; Preuss, _Fredrich der
Grosse,_ i. 39 and 419).] Has a fine free expressive face; nothing
of austerity in it; not a proud face, or not too proud, yet rapidly
flashing on you all manner of high meanings. [Wille's Engraving after
Pesne (excellent, both Picture and Engraving) is reckoned the best
Likeness in that form.] Such a man, in the bloom of his years; with such
a possibility ahead, and Voltaire and mankind waiting applausive!--Let
us try to select, and extricate into coherence and visibility out of
those Historical dust-heaps, a few of the symptomatic phenomena, or
physiognomic procedures of Friedrich in his first weeks of Kingship, by
way of contribution to some Portraiture of his then inner-man.

FRIEDRICH WILL M