st certainly the chapter of
accidents is inexhaustible; and it is still certain there may happen
quantities of things which the limited mind of man cannot foresee: but,
judging by the ordinary course, and such degrees of probability as human
creatures found their hopes on, I believe, before the month of February
entirely end, our Peace will be completed. In a permanent Arrangement,
many things need settling, which are easier to settle now than they ever
will be again. Patience; haste without speed is a thriftless method."
[Ib. iii. 529.]

February 5th, the trio at Hubertsburg got their Preliminaries signed. On
the tenth day thereafter, the Treaty itself was signed and sealed.
All other Treaties on the same subject had been guided towards a
contemporary finis: England and France, ready since the 3d of November
last, signed and ended February 10th. February 11th, the Reich signed
and ended; February 15th, Prussia, Austria, Saxony; and the THIRD
SILESIAN or SEVEN-YEARS WAR was completely finished. [Copy of the treaty
in _Helden-Geschichte,_ vii. 624 et seq.; in Seyfarth, _Beylagen,_ iii.
479-495; in ROUSSET, in WENCK, in &c. &c.]

It had cost, in loss of human lives first of all, nobody can say what:
according to Friedrich's computation, there had perished of actual
fighters, on the various fields, of all the nations, 853,000; of which
above the fifth part, or 180,000, is his own share: and, by misery and
ravage, the general Population of Prussia finds itself 500,000 fewer;
nearly the ninth man missing. This is the expenditure of Life. Other
items are not worth enumerating, in comparison; if statistically given,
you can find the most approved guesses at them by the same Head, who
ought to be an authority. [_OEuvres de Frederic,_ v. 230-234; Preuss,
iii. 349-351.] It was a War distinguished by--Archenholtz will tell you,
with melodious emphasis, what a distinguished, great and thrice-greatest
War it was. There have since been other far bigger Wars,--if size were
a measure of greatness; which it by no means is! I believe there was
excellent Heroism shown in this War, by persons I could name; by one
person, Heroism really to be called superior, or, in its kind, almost
of the rank of supreme;--and that in regard to the Military Arts and
Virtues, it has as yet, for faculty and for performance, had no rival;
nor is likely soon to have. The Prussians, as we once mentioned, still
use it as their school-model in those respects. An