return, having
suffered as little as possible. A frigate will be sent to wait
your orders at the Elbe, but I hope you will have no occasion to
use it, till after you have signed a provisional treaty, and
seen the Prussians on their march against the enemy.

Ever most sincerely yours,
W. P.

Three days before Pitt poured forth this sanguine forecast, Napoleon
struck the Coalition to the heart. As "the sun of Austerlitz" set, the
two Emperors were in flight eastwards, while their armies streamed after
them in hopeless rout, or struggled through the funnel of death between
the two lakes (2nd December). Marbot's story of thousands of Russians
sinking majestically under the ice is a piece of melodrama. But the
reality was such as to stun the survivors. In his dazed condition the
Emperor Francis forthwith sent proposals for a truce. It proved to be
the precursor of the armistice of 6th December, which involved the
departure of the Russian army and the exclusion of that of Prussia from
Austrian territories. In the calculating balance maintained at Berlin,
this diplomatic surrender proved to be a greater calamity than the
military disaster. True, the news of the battle caused consternation;
but for the present Frederick William held firm and on 8th December
ordered part of the Prussian army (now 192,000 strong) to enter Bohemia
for the succour of the Allies.[750] Not until after the 13th, after the
arrival of news of the armistice, did he seek to evade his obligations
to Russia; and, obviously, a new situation arose when Alexander gave up
the campaign, and Francis promised to bar out the Prussians. Hardenberg
sought to hide from Harrowby this change of front, hinting, however,
that Prussia might have to consult her own interests. In the light of
the events of 1795, that phrase was clear enough; and Harrowby forthwith
sent orders to General Don to countermand the advance of his troops
towards Hanover.[751]

To complete this chapter of misfortunes, Harrowby's health broke down.
On discovering the truth about Prussia's secret demand for Hanover, he
fell into the depths of despair and nervous prostration, as appears from
the postscript of his letter of 24th November to Pitt:

This horrible secret article has finished me. It stood with its
mouth open, and from mere cowardice I have run into it, and it
will