Since there are 18th century Prussian romances with attempted trips to England which don't end in bloodshed, I decided to give you Hotham Jr. Saga in quotes, only the relevent bits excerpted. Cameo appearance by Eichel, complete with mini portrait: 31st December 1755: At the King's court in the morning. I had a very long conversation with the Chevalier Hotham. Even among the English, he is an exceptional mind. But then, this nation is superior to all the others! Rich and free - the true medium through which one can make a mediocre head into someone with ésprit - they enjoy the additional advantage of being taught well in their youth and being allowed to see the world as soon as they leave school. Hotham, for example, is 21 and has alreaedy seen nearly all of Europe. He just comes from having travelled through the entire north. I am amazed how rightly he judges the charactes of the various princes he has encountered.
January 3rd 1756: A very interesting book about astronomy keeps me captivated until the evening. Then in order to practice English I join a society of ten equally minded men.
January 4th: Again at home until the evening. Then I visit the Chevalier Hotham, whom I like very much. Our conversation is very vivacious, and I skip the dinner at Puebla's in order to remain with him alone. I do love him, and he confirms the positive opinion I have formed of his nation.
January 9th. Our princes have a new friend every winter; now it is Herr Bastiani, a former footman, the son of a tailor from Venice. They believe him to be a genius. (...) They favour certain qualities whom they ascribe to whoever has caught their fancy and don't see in those out of favor, and it is not rare that those virtues end up being ascribed to those who show physical advantages at best. I take my dinner much more comfortably with my dear friend Hotham.
January 12th. My reconciliation with Prince Heinrich happens; good reasons cause it. I have been noticing for a while that he's suffering as much from the silence between us as I do.
January 16h. After having escorted the Queen to the opera, I visit Count Reuß. I am here because I find all the ministers from the King's cabinet here, especially Mr. Eichel, our country's Mazarin. Mr. Eichel is a man who connects an immense mind with an agreeable exterior. He works as much as ten m en do, and despite his great power he has kept his modesty. You can see his kindness and benevolence from his face. His way of life is very strange. He works from 4 am in the morning till 2 in the afternoon, then he sits with his friends until 8 pm at a table, and drinks one small glass without ever getting drunk. Afterwards, he works again until mightnight, and then sleeps. I'm spending the evening with my friend Hotham.
January 30th: At Prince Heinrich's, afterwards with my dear Chevalier Hotham. We talk about all manner of things; suddenly we get the idea to ask the King for permission so I can join the Chevalier upon his return to England. This plan keeps me up at night.
February 3rd: My letters go to the King. God may bless them! I am in a state which makes me unfit to go into society. My God, but freedom is a beauitiful thing!
February 4th: I live half in a dream. Chevalier Hotham visits me in the morning, and we inspect four seat carriages. My God, how happy I would be if I could go with him! I'm at Prince Ferdinand's for dinner. Prince Heinrich is very tender towards me. But this does not stop me from feeling a vivid desire to get out of here!
February 5th: I find my dear Hotham delighted by the treaty which the King has made with England. Thus, the peace in Europe is made secure, the King's fame grows even more, and the French get their mouths stuffed.
(This actually was not an minority opinion at the time, since no one not involved in the negotiations saw the Diplomatic Revolution - i.e. the France/Austria alliance MT and the Marquise de Pompadour were working on - coming.)
February 7th. I'm busy writing a second letter to the King. God may bless this enterprise! My state of heart is indiscribable.
February 9th: After I have walked for quite a while with my Englishman and laughed about his qualities that come from a brave heart, I go to dine with Prince Heinrich.
February 11th: I spend a restless night without comfort. But suffering and joy always change places in life, and likewise here I spend a very agreeable evening with my Englishman.
February 12th: I find the most distressful news of the world: Eichel writes to me thath he doesn't believe the King will permit my journey to England and advises me to give up my intention. In the deepest pain, I go to Prince Heinrich for dinner but then quickly return home and ask for my worthy Hotham's company to tell him the terrible news. I must admit that if my heart were receptive for the least joy, it would have felt it faced with the evident sincere pain which this news has caused him.
February 15th: I write a third letter to the King. I have no hope, but I want to do everything possible to me in order not to accuse myself later of not having done so. (...) I am convinced I will never have such an opportunity again to visit strange countries. Oh freedom, freedom, you will always remain the sole true happiness!
February 18th: My dear Chevalier decides to write to the King as well. He does it with the most touching expressions. This gives me some hope back, and puts me ina good mood for the evening.
February 19th. Still between fear and hope. I feel in my heart very special emotions for the King. If he gives me the permission, I will worship him, if not, I will only be able to call him harsh, because all impediments to such a journey could be easily removed.
February 20th: The closer the hour in which the mail arrives, the greater my uneasiness grows. I no longer have the courage to remain with the Chevalier with whom I have been staying, and withdraw to my house. Then the decision about my fate arrives, which will be an eternal source of grief for me. The King lists only bad reasons for his refusal; I feel it, it only happens to hurt me. My God, how easily could the King make himself loved! When I arrived in this world, my heart was full of love for my sovereign, and since then, he has done nothing but cause me pain. He ruined a very good marriage for me, he made me part of the Queen's court against my will, in short, all my plans were spoiled by him. I always kept up a son's devotion to him, I have always hoped he would, in the end, become a father to me, since he's been solely the King for such a long time. But now all hopes leave me, and I fall into the abyss. I cannot describe my position, it is terrible. To give up the journey from which I could draw so many good uses, and, what is worse: to lose such a faithful, sincere, estimable friend as Hotham! No, one dies not out of heartbreak. I spend a terrible night.
February 21st: I hurry to the Chevalier. He is as distressed as I am and decides to leave Berlin immediately. My pain is so visceral when I hear this that I stand as stone next to him, unable to move. With despair in my heart, I watch him leave, lock myself in my room and cry and cry and cry. I feel so lonely in a town in which I have lived for ten years. All whom I once have called my friends appear to me now that I have experienced this English friendship so heartless that I will never trust them again. The sole comfort which remains to me are my books.
Lehndorff makes a short trip to Dresden (with EC's permission) to distract himself. When he returns, he visits AW to catch up with the news.
March 6th: I restart my disagreeable and useless duties. In the evening, I go to the Prince of Prussia where I learn what happened in my absence. Princess Heinrich - i.e. Mina - has gotten permission to visit her uncle in Kassel. It seems this lady is blessed with happiness, and she's won all the world through her behavior. Colonel v. Keith - i.e. Peter - escorts Princess Amalie to Quedlinburg at the orderes of the King. Prince Heinrich is at his country seat. I fear this prince will withdraw from the world altogether; his temper is a melancholic one.
July 8th. Prince Heinrich comes from Potsdam.
July 9th: I had firmly decided not to visit Prince Heinrich unless he explicitly asks me to. Only if one makes oneself into a rarity it's possible to live with princes, it seems. Then, he sends for me three times in a row, and I am mostly content with the way he receives me when I do arrive. My God, why is he so charming! And he would be much more so if only his temper were as constant as his actions are, which do testify to his kindness. These are strange times, we are currently arming up for war without truly knowing our enemies. According to public opinion, with the exception of England all of Europe has become our enemy.
My Englishmanm, or: Heinrich Who?
31st December 1755: At the King's court in the morning. I had a very long conversation with the Chevalier Hotham. Even among the English, he is an exceptional mind. But then, this nation is superior to all the others! Rich and free - the true medium through which one can make a mediocre head into someone with ésprit - they enjoy the additional advantage of being taught well in their youth and being allowed to see the world as soon as they leave school. Hotham, for example, is 21 and has alreaedy seen nearly all of Europe. He just comes from having travelled through the entire north. I am amazed how rightly he judges the charactes of the various princes he has encountered.
January 3rd 1756: A very interesting book about astronomy keeps me captivated until the evening. Then in order to practice English I join a society of ten equally minded men.
January 4th: Again at home until the evening. Then I visit the Chevalier Hotham, whom I like very much. Our conversation is very vivacious, and I skip the dinner at Puebla's in order to remain with him alone. I do love him, and he confirms the positive opinion I have formed of his nation.
January 9th. Our princes have a new friend every winter; now it is Herr Bastiani, a former footman, the son of a tailor from Venice. They believe him to be a genius. (...) They favour certain qualities whom they ascribe to whoever has caught their fancy and don't see in those out of favor, and it is not rare that those virtues end up being ascribed to those who show physical advantages at best. I take my dinner much more comfortably with my dear friend Hotham.
January 12th. My reconciliation with Prince Heinrich happens; good reasons cause it. I have been noticing for a while that he's suffering as much from the silence between us as I do.
January 16h. After having escorted the Queen to the opera, I visit Count Reuß. I am here because I find all the ministers from the King's cabinet here, especially Mr. Eichel, our country's Mazarin. Mr. Eichel is a man who connects an immense mind with an agreeable exterior. He works as much as ten m en do, and despite his great power he has kept his modesty. You can see his kindness and benevolence from his face. His way of life is very strange. He works from 4 am in the morning till 2 in the afternoon, then he sits with his friends until 8 pm at a table, and drinks one small glass without ever getting drunk. Afterwards, he works again until mightnight, and then sleeps. I'm spending the evening with my friend Hotham.
January 30th: At Prince Heinrich's, afterwards with my dear Chevalier Hotham. We talk about all manner of things; suddenly we get the idea to ask the King for permission so I can join the Chevalier upon his return to England. This plan keeps me up at night.
February 3rd: My letters go to the King. God may bless them! I am in a state which makes me unfit to go into society. My God, but freedom is a beauitiful thing!
February 4th: I live half in a dream. Chevalier Hotham visits me in the morning, and we inspect four seat carriages. My God, how happy I would be if I could go with him! I'm at Prince Ferdinand's for dinner. Prince Heinrich is very tender towards me. But this does not stop me from feeling a vivid desire to get out of here!
February 5th: I find my dear Hotham delighted by the treaty which the King has made with England. Thus, the peace in Europe is made secure, the King's fame grows even more, and the French get their mouths stuffed.
(This actually was not an minority opinion at the time, since no one not involved in the negotiations saw the Diplomatic Revolution - i.e. the France/Austria alliance MT and the Marquise de Pompadour were working on - coming.)
February 7th. I'm busy writing a second letter to the King. God may bless this enterprise! My state of heart is indiscribable.
February 9th: After I have walked for quite a while with my Englishman and laughed about his qualities that come from a brave heart, I go to dine with Prince Heinrich.
February 11th: I spend a restless night without comfort. But suffering and joy always change places in life, and likewise here I spend a very agreeable evening with my Englishman.
February 12th: I find the most distressful news of the world: Eichel writes to me thath he doesn't believe the King will permit my journey to England and advises me to give up my intention. In the deepest pain, I go to Prince Heinrich for dinner but then quickly return home and ask for my worthy Hotham's company to tell him the terrible news. I must admit that if my heart were receptive for the least joy, it would have felt it faced with the evident sincere pain which this news has caused him.
February 15th: I write a third letter to the King. I have no hope, but I want to do everything possible to me in order not to accuse myself later of not having done so. (...) I am convinced I will never have such an opportunity again to visit strange countries. Oh freedom, freedom, you will always remain the sole true happiness!
February 18th: My dear Chevalier decides to write to the King as well. He does it with the most touching expressions. This gives me some hope back, and puts me ina good mood for the evening.
February 19th. Still between fear and hope. I feel in my heart very special emotions for the King. If he gives me the permission, I will worship him, if not, I will only be able to call him harsh, because all impediments to such a journey could be easily removed.
February 20th: The closer the hour in which the mail arrives, the greater my uneasiness grows. I no longer have the courage to remain with the Chevalier with whom I have been staying, and withdraw to my house. Then the decision about my fate arrives, which will be an eternal source of grief for me. The King lists only bad reasons for his refusal; I feel it, it only happens to hurt me. My God, how easily could the King make himself loved! When I arrived in this world, my heart was full of love for my sovereign, and since then, he has done nothing but cause me pain. He ruined a very good marriage for me, he made me part of the Queen's court against my will, in short, all my plans were spoiled by him. I always kept up a son's devotion to him, I have always hoped he would, in the end, become a father to me, since he's been solely the King for such a long time. But now all hopes leave me, and I fall into the abyss. I cannot describe my position, it is terrible. To give up the journey from which I could draw so many good uses, and, what is worse: to lose such a faithful, sincere, estimable friend as Hotham! No, one dies not out of heartbreak. I spend a terrible night.
February 21st: I hurry to the Chevalier. He is as distressed as I am and decides to leave Berlin immediately. My pain is so visceral when I hear this that I stand as stone next to him, unable to move. With despair in my heart, I watch him leave, lock myself in my room and cry and cry and cry. I feel so lonely in a town in which I have lived for ten years. All whom I once have called my friends appear to me now that I have experienced this English friendship so heartless that I will never trust them again. The sole comfort which remains to me are my books.
Lehndorff makes a short trip to Dresden (with EC's permission) to distract himself. When he returns, he visits AW to catch up with the news.
March 6th: I restart my disagreeable and useless duties. In the evening, I go to the Prince of Prussia where I learn what happened in my absence. Princess Heinrich - i.e. Mina - has gotten permission to visit her uncle in Kassel. It seems this lady is blessed with happiness, and she's won all the world through her behavior. Colonel v. Keith - i.e. Peter - escorts Princess Amalie to Quedlinburg at the orderes of the King. Prince Heinrich is at his country seat. I fear this prince will withdraw from the world altogether; his temper is a melancholic one.
July 8th. Prince Heinrich comes from Potsdam.
July 9th: I had firmly decided not to visit Prince Heinrich unless he explicitly asks me to. Only if one makes oneself into a rarity it's possible to live with princes, it seems. Then, he sends for me three times in a row, and I am mostly content with the way he receives me when I do arrive. My God, why is he so charming! And he would be much more so if only his temper were as constant as his actions are, which do testify to his kindness. These are strange times, we are currently arming up for war without truly knowing our enemies. According to public opinion, with the exception of England all of Europe has become our enemy.