at with his back to the
chimney, in which there was a fire burning. He had on a worn hat, of the
clerical shape [old-military in fact, not a shovel at all]; CASSAQUIN,"
short dressing-gown, "of red-brown (MORDORE) velvet; black breeches, and
boots which came quite up over the knee. His hair was not dressed. Three
little benchlets or stools, covered with green cloth, stood before him,
on which he had his feet lying [terribly ill of gout]. In his lap he had
a sort of muff, with one of his hands in it, which seemed to be giving
him great pain. In the other hand he held our Sentence on the Arnold
Case. He lay reclining (LAG) in an easy-chair; at his left stood a
table, with various papers on it,--and two gold snuffboxes, richly set
with brilliants, from which he kept taking snuff now and then.

"Besides us, there was present in the room the Cabinets-Rath Stellter
[of the short-hand], who stood at a desk, and was getting ready for
writing. The King looked at us, saying, 'Come nearer!' Whereupon we
advanced another step, and were now within less than two steps of him.
He addressed himself to us three Raths, taking no notice at all of the
Grand-Chancellor:--

KING. "'Is it you who drew up the judgment in the Arnold case?'

WE (especially I, with a bow). "'Yea.'

"The King then turned to the Rath Friedel [to Friedel, as the central
figure of the Three, perhaps as the portliest, though poor Friedel,
except signing, had little cognizance of the thing, in which not he but
Rannsleben was to have been spokesman], and addressed to Friedel those
questions, of which, with their answers, there is Protocol published,
under Royal authority, in the Berlin newspapers of December 14th, 1779;"
[VON SEINER KONIGLICHEN MAJESTAT HOCHSTSELBAT ANGEHALTENES PROTOCOLL:
"Protocol [Minute of Proceedings] held by Royal Majesty's Highest-self,
on the 11th December, 1779, concerning the three Kammergerichts-Raths,
Friedel, Graun and Rannsleben:" in PREUSS, iii. 495.] Shorthand Stellter
taking down what was said,--quite accurately, testifies Rannsleben. From
Stellter (that is to say from the "Protocol" just mentioned), or from
Stellter and Rannsleben together, we continue the Dialogue:--

KING to Friedel [in the tone of a Rhadamanthus suffering from gout].
"'To give sentence against a Peasant from whom you have taken wagon,
plough and everything that enables him to get his living, and to pay his
rent and taxes: is that a thing that can be done?'

FR