say better,
it extinguished the friendship there had been between the two Courts.
Friedrich Wilhelm left Prag full of contempt [dimly, altogether
unconsciously, tending to have some contempt, and in the end to be full
of it] for the deceitfulness and pride of the Imperial Court: and the
Emperor's Ministers disdained a Sovereign who looked without interest on
frivolous ceremonials and precedences. Him they considered too ambitious
in aiming at the Berg-and-Julich succession: them he regarded [came to
regard] as a pack of knaves, who had broken their word, and were not
punished for it."

Very bitter, your Majesty; and, in all but the dates, true enough.
But what a drop of concentrated absinthe follows next, by way of
finish,--which might itself have corrected the dating!

"In spite of so many subjects of discontent, the King wedded his Eldest
Son [my not too fortunate self], out of complaisance to the
Vienna Court, with a Princess of Brunswick-Bevern, Niece to the
Empress:"--bitter fact; necessitating change of date in the paragraphs
just written. [_OEuvres de Frederic (Memoires de Brandenbourg),_ i. 162,
163.]

Friedrich Wilhelm, good soul, cherishes the Imperial gifts, Tobacco-box
included;--claps the Arms of East-Friesland on his escutcheon; will take
possession of Friesland, if the present Duke die heirless, let George of
England say what he will. And so he rolls homeward, by way of Baireuth.
He stayed but a short while in Karlsbad; has warned his Wilhelmina that
he will be at Baireuth on the 9th of the month. [Wilhelmina, ii. 55.]

Wilhelmina is very poorly; "near her time," as wives say; rusticating
in "the Hermitage," a Country-House in the vicinity of Baireuth; Husband
and Father-in-law gone away, towards the Bohemian frontier, to hunt
boars. Oh, the bustle and the bother that high Lady had; getting her
little Country House stretched out to the due pitch to accommodate
everybody,--especially her foolish Sister of Anspach and foolish
Brother-in-law and suite,--with whom, by negligence of servants and
otherwise, there had like to have risen incurable quarrel on the matter.
But the dexterous young Wife, gladdest; busiest and weakliest of hopeful
creatures, contrived to manage everything, like a Female Fieldmarshal,
as she was. Papa was delighted; bullied the foolish Anspach people,--or
would have done so, had not I intervened, that the matter might die.
Papa was gracious, happy; very anxious about me in my intere