and Theologians, that the household-life she led beside
her old Husband and them became intolerable to her; and she withdrew
to another residence,--a little Hunting-seat at Neuhausen, half a dozen
miles from Konigsberg;--and there, or at Labiau still farther off, lived
mostly, in a separate condition, for the rest of her life. Separate for
life:--nevertheless they happened to die on the same day; 20th March,
1568, they were simultaneously delivered from their troubles in this
world. [Hubner, t. 181; Stenzel, i. 342.]

Albert left one Son; the second child of this last Wife: his one child
by the former Wife, a daughter now of good years, was married to the
Duke of Mecklenburg. Son's name was Albert Friedrich; age, at his
Father's death, fifteen. A promising young Prince, but of sensitive
abstruse temper;--held under heavy tutelage by his Raths and
Theologians; and spurting up against them, in explosive rebellion, from
time to time. He now (1568) was to be sovereign Duke of Preussen, and
the one representative of the Culmbach Line in that fine Territory;
Margraf George Friedrich of Anspach, the only other Culmbacher, being
childless, though wedded.

We need not doubt, the Brandenburg House--old Kurfurst Joachim II. still
alive, and thrifty Johann George the Heir-Apparent--kept a watchful eye
on those emergencies. But it was difficult to interfere directly;
the native Prussian Raths were very jealous, and Poland itself was a
ticklish Sovereignty to deal with. Albert Friedrich being still a Minor,
the Polish King, Sigismund, proposed to undertake the guardianship of
him, as became a superior lord to a subject vassal on such an occasion.
But the Prussian Raths assured his Majesty, "Their young Prince was of
such a lively intellect, he was perfectly fit to conduct the affairs of
the Government," especially with such a Body of expert Councillors to
help him, "and might be at once declared of age." Which was accordingly
the course followed; Poland caring little for it; Brandenburg digesting
the arrangement as it could. And thus it continued for some years, even
under new difficulties that arose; the official Clique of Raths being
the real Government of the Country; and poor young Albert Friedrich
bursting out occasionally into tears against them, occasionally into
futile humors of a fiery nature. Osiander-Theology, and the battle of
the 'DOXIES, ran very high; nor was Prussian Officiality a beautiful
thing.

These Prussian