t interest him. Moreover, he was
often weakly in health, as she herself adds; so that exertion was not
recommendable for him. Herr von Loen (a witty Prussian Official, and
famed man-of-letters once, though forgotten now) testifies expressly
that the Boy was of bright parts, and that he made rapid progress. "The
Crown-Prince manifests in this tender age [his seventh year] an uncommon
capacity; nay we may say, something quite extraordinary (_etwas ganz
Ausserordentliches_). He is a most alert and vivacious Prince; he has
fine and sprightly manners; and shows a certain kindly sociality, and
so affectionate a disposition that all things may be hoped of him.
The French Lady who [under Roucoulles] has had charge of his learning
hitherto, cannot speak of him without enthusiasm. _'C'est un esprit
ange'lique_ (a little angel),' she is wont to say. He takes up, and
learns, whatever is put before him, with the greatest facility." [Van
Loen, _Kleine Schriften,_ ii. 27 (as cited in Rodenbeck, No. iv. 479).]

For the rest, that Friedrich Wilhelm's intentions and Rhadamanthine
regulations, in regard to him, were fulfilled in every point, we will by
no means affirm. Rules of such exceeding preciseness, if grounded here
and there only on the SIC-VOLO, how could they be always kept, except on
the surface and to the eye merely? The good Duhan, diligent to open
his pupil's mind, and give Nature fair-play, had practically found
it inexpedient to tie him too rigorously to the arbitrary formal
departments where no natural curiosity, but only order from without,
urges the ingenious pupil. What maximum strictness in school-drill there
can have been, we may infer from one thing, were there no other: the
ingenious Pupil's mode of SPELLING. Fritz learned to write a fine,
free-flowing, rapid and legible business-hand; "Arithmetic" too,
"Geography," and many other Useful Knowledges that had some geniality of
character, or attractiveness in practice, were among his acquisitions;
much, very much he learned in the course of his life; but to SPELL,
much more to punctuate, and subdue the higher mysteries of Grammar to
himself, was always an unachievable perfection. He did improve somewhat
in after life; but here is the length to which he had carried that
necessary art in the course of nine years' exertion, under Duhan and
the subsidiary preceptors; it is in the following words and alphabetic
letters that he gratefully bids Duhan farewell,--who surely cann