I tried to scare him which I did happily succeed with, then he assured me he wouldn't think of it any longer, but that I should promise him that if matters didn't change, I would accomplish it during the journey to Ansbach; only to calm him down, I said that I believed it would be easier possible there, and that there was time enough until then, in the meantime one could think of means and ways to accomplish it. (...)
In this way, I sought to foil him in Saxony and to stop him again and again; his highness won't deny it has happened word by word as it has been written down here. After his highness the prince's arrival in Berlin, he asked me immediately whether I had already gotten leave in in order to depart, whereupon I replied in the negative, but added that I'd received hope that I could leave soon; if you get your vacation, said the Prince, you need to leave immediately and go to Nuremberg in advance, and there I'd learn where the relais stations were, there I should wait for him with horses, he would exit the carriage, relieve himself, then jump on a horse and gallop away. (...) Meanwhile, Mr. Guy Dickens from England had returned, and his highness the prince demanded to speak to him, so I went to him, and I'd pick him up at 10 pm in order to talk to his highness the crown prince. This was accomplished in the evening, and while we walked, I told him that his highness the prince was flattering himself to get a positive reply through him from England, whereupon he answered to me: He was sorry, but his highness the prince would find himself deceived in this opinion, for the reply was of a nature that wouldn't please him at all; in short, one didn't want him there now, and he should abandon any such thoughts.
When I heard this I begged him fervently to present the matter even harder than he was already planning to do, which he did in my company, beneath the great portal, opposite the rooms of his highness the prince, and it succeeded in that the prince had to promise him with word and hand not to think about any of this anymore. The next day, his highness demanded to talk to Guy Dickens again, but the later excused himself, whereupon his highness complained that people only sought to stop him, he was very sorry he didn't leave in Saxony and that this had been my fault. I couldn't stop myself from telling him that he was wrong to complain, he'd find that he'd be well advised, and I hoped he'd one day admit it. I wanted to return his things to him, but he didn't want to accept them, other than his music, which he took back. The other things, I was supposed to keep until he demanded them. The next day, which was the third or fourth before the departure from Berlin, his highness told me that his majesty had decided he wouldn't join the journey but would remain in Potsdam, and wanted to stick with the resolution not to leave. (...) Now I was certain that the entire matter was finished, and that I didn't have to do anything further, but he ordered me before his departure to remain silent and not to say a word to anyone about what he'd been planning, since he hadn't bared his soul about this to anyone else. The day after this, when his highness the prince had gone to Potsdam, I received a letter from Lt. von Ingersleben that his highness demanded I should come in the evening to Potsdam since he needed to talk to me again.
When I arrived, he talked to me in the garden between the hedges and said that his majesty had changed his mind, and that he was supposed to go on the journey after all, which meant that the coup of leaving could succeed. I urged him for all the world to abstain from this, which he had already promised he would, and that I hadn't been commanded to go recruiting yet and that it was uncertain whether I would be. (...) On the evening of his highness' departure from Potsdam his page came to me and brought a letter in addition to a saddle and music, and no other message than just that this highness had ordered him to give me both. IN the letter, he wrote to me that he hoped I would keep my word and would follow as promised: I should go to Canstadt and wait for him there. Shortly afterwards, I learned that the passports for recruiters had been edited by his majesty, and that none had been edited for me, and Colonel von Pannewitz told me that there was no hope of getting one before his majesty's return, which made me glad for this was a new opportunity for me to sabotage the prince's project. Thus, I wrote to him through an express messenger whom I sent to the Rittmeister Katte in Erlangen so that the later should forward the letter to the prince.
In this letter, I described in which way I had been prevented to undertake my journey, and said it was thus impossible for me to get to the place he'd demanded I should go to, that I had asked Colonel v. Pannewitz to give me leave to go to Magdeburg - though I had done no such thing - , but that it had been declined, and so I urgently begged him to have patience, perhaps I could make it to Cleve once he got there, and in order to reassure him further, I concluded the letter by saying that if nothing else worked, I would go without having gotten leave. I received the reply that this news was not agreeable to him and did displease him a lot but that he would be patient and would write to me again. (...)
Meanwhile, General Löwenöhr sent me word that he'd leave in some days and that I should come to him since he wanted to talk to me; when I came to him the other omorning, he asked me whether I knew the cause as to why I hadn't been given leave nor been appointed a recruiter. I returned that if he asked me such a question, I had to assume he did intend to reveal the reason to me, that I believed the reason was a suspicion that I intended to help his highness the crown prince to go away, and I could assure him this had never been my intention, despite I had let (the prince) believe several times that I would. Following this, I told him about the entire affair as I have described it here, and said that God was my witness it had never been my serious intention. It was true, I had deceived the prince, but it had been done out of a good intention, I had even put myself in possession of his things simply to make it impossible for him to go on his own; that I had a good conscience about this was proven by the fact I was calmly remaining here. I was utterly certain now that he wouldn't and couldn't do anything further, partly because he had no money and was waiting for me, and partly because Rochow and his servants were suspecting him and had order to observe him closely and see whether he was trying to escape. From this, (the General) could see clearly whether I had any bad intentions. The only thing one could blame me for was that I hadn't immediately reported this, and this had been simply because I had been so certain due to all these circumstances that this coup would not happen, and I did not want to cause unneccessary distress or trouble. If I had even had the slightest reason to fear it would happen, I would have reported it; I claim God as my witness and will live and die on my word.
Four days later, I received a letter from his highness the prince from Ansbach, which said that he was imagining living through a terrible day at Wusterhausen, and if possible, he wanted to escape this, since his majesty was showing himself less merciful day by day, and thus he wanted to try and escape near Sinzheim. Since by the time I received this letter his majesty could be near Wesel already, and since I heard through all the news that came about his majesty to Berlin nothing but that everything was well and his majesty had arrived in all places with the Crown Prince at his side, I didn't worry about it any further, and that's why I replied to her highness the Crown Princess - yes, he says in German "Kronprinzessin" für Wilhelmine - when she asked me on my conscience whether I believed her brother would leave or return, that I could now reassure her with all certainty that she would see him again as safe and sound as he had left. May God grant it, she replied, I wish it with all my heart.
The letters, next to the things in them, I've given about 14 days before my arrest into the hands of my cousin, a Katte and member of the Kurmärkische Kammer so he could give them to someone who'd put them into the Queen's hands if I should have to go on a journey, or, if his highness the Prince returned, into his hands (...) I don't have to add anything further but to ask your royal majesty with the deepest humbleness and devotion to consider that my intention has been none other than to keep his highness the prince from his designs and to prevent them being put to work.
And as God puts mercy ahead of justice, I hope that your majesty will make my poor self an example of this as well, and will consider the intention I had in this entire matter. God is my witness that it had been nothing but to prevent what his highness the prince intended to do, and to prevent it in a way that wouldn't incense your majesty any further against him. (...)
Thus I beg again most humbly that your royal majesty will show mercy towards me.
Katte - Species Facti 2
In this way, I sought to foil him in Saxony and to stop him again and again; his highness won't deny it has happened word by word as it has been written down here.
After his highness the prince's arrival in Berlin, he asked me immediately whether I had already gotten leave in in order to depart, whereupon I replied in the negative, but added that I'd received hope that I could leave soon; if you get your vacation, said the Prince, you need to leave immediately and go to Nuremberg in advance, and there I'd learn where the relais stations were, there I should wait for him with horses, he would exit the carriage, relieve himself, then jump on a horse and gallop away. (...) Meanwhile, Mr. Guy Dickens from England had returned, and his highness the prince demanded to speak to him, so I went to him, and I'd pick him up at 10 pm in order to talk to his highness the crown prince. This was accomplished in the evening, and while we walked, I told him that his highness the prince was flattering himself to get a positive reply through him from England, whereupon he answered to me: He was sorry, but his highness the prince would find himself deceived in this opinion, for the reply was of a nature that wouldn't please him at all; in short, one didn't want him there now, and he should abandon any such thoughts.
When I heard this I begged him fervently to present the matter even harder than he was already planning to do, which he did in my company, beneath the great portal, opposite the rooms of his highness the prince, and it succeeded in that the prince had to promise him with word and hand not to think about any of this anymore.
The next day, his highness demanded to talk to Guy Dickens again, but the later excused himself, whereupon his highness complained that people only sought to stop him, he was very sorry he didn't leave in Saxony and that this had been my fault.
I couldn't stop myself from telling him that he was wrong to complain, he'd find that he'd be well advised, and I hoped he'd one day admit it. I wanted to return his things to him, but he didn't want to accept them, other than his music, which he took back. The other things, I was supposed to keep until he demanded them. The next day, which was the third or fourth before the departure from Berlin, his highness told me that his majesty had decided he wouldn't join the journey but would remain in Potsdam, and wanted to stick with the resolution not to leave. (...) Now I was certain that the entire matter was finished, and that I didn't have to do anything further, but he ordered me before his departure to remain silent and not to say a word to anyone about what he'd been planning, since he hadn't bared his soul about this to anyone else. The day after this, when his highness the prince had gone to Potsdam, I received a letter from Lt. von Ingersleben that his highness demanded I should come in the evening to Potsdam since he needed to talk to me again.
When I arrived, he talked to me in the garden between the hedges and said that his majesty had changed his mind, and that he was supposed to go on the journey after all, which meant that the coup of leaving could succeed. I urged him for all the world to abstain from this, which he had already promised he would, and that I hadn't been commanded to go recruiting yet and that it was uncertain whether I would be. (...) On the evening of his highness' departure from Potsdam his page came to me and brought a letter in addition to a saddle and music, and no other message than just that this highness had ordered him to give me both. IN the letter, he wrote to me that he hoped I would keep my word and would follow as promised: I should go to Canstadt and wait for him there. Shortly afterwards, I learned that the passports for recruiters had been edited by his majesty, and that none had been edited for me, and Colonel von Pannewitz told me that there was no hope of getting one before his majesty's return, which made me glad for this was a new opportunity for me to sabotage the prince's project. Thus, I wrote to him through an express messenger whom I sent to the Rittmeister Katte in Erlangen so that the later should forward the letter to the prince.
In this letter, I described in which way I had been prevented to undertake my journey, and said it was thus impossible for me to get to the place he'd demanded I should go to, that I had asked Colonel v. Pannewitz to give me leave to go to Magdeburg - though I had done no such thing - , but that it had been declined, and so I urgently begged him to have patience, perhaps I could make it to Cleve once he got there, and in order to reassure him further, I concluded the letter by saying that if nothing else worked, I would go without having gotten leave. I received the reply that this news was not agreeable to him and did displease him a lot but that he would be patient and would write to me again. (...)
Meanwhile, General Löwenöhr sent me word that he'd leave in some days and that I should come to him since he wanted to talk to me; when I came to him the other omorning, he asked me whether I knew the cause as to why I hadn't been given leave nor been appointed a recruiter. I returned that if he asked me such a question, I had to assume he did intend to reveal the reason to me, that I believed the reason was a suspicion that I intended to help his highness the crown prince to go away, and I could assure him this had never been my intention, despite I had let (the prince) believe several times that I would. Following this, I told him about the entire affair as I have described it here, and said that God was my witness it had never been my serious intention. It was true, I had deceived the prince, but it had been done out of a good intention, I had even put myself in possession of his things simply to make it impossible for him to go on his own; that I had a good conscience about this was proven by the fact I was calmly remaining here. I was utterly certain now that he wouldn't and couldn't do anything further, partly because he had no money and was waiting for me, and partly because Rochow and his servants were suspecting him and had order to observe him closely and see whether he was trying to escape. From this, (the General) could see clearly whether I had any bad intentions. The only thing one could blame me for was that I hadn't immediately reported this, and this had been simply because I had been so certain due to all these circumstances that this coup would not happen, and I did not want to cause unneccessary distress or trouble. If I had even had the slightest reason to fear it would happen, I would have reported it; I claim God as my witness and will live and die on my word.
Four days later, I received a letter from his highness the prince from Ansbach, which said that he was imagining living through a terrible day at Wusterhausen, and if possible, he wanted to escape this, since his majesty was showing himself less merciful day by day, and thus he wanted to try and escape near Sinzheim. Since by the time I received this letter his majesty could be near Wesel already, and since I heard through all the news that came about his majesty to Berlin nothing but that everything was well and his majesty had arrived in all places with the Crown Prince at his side, I didn't worry about it any further, and that's why I replied to her highness the Crown Princess - yes, he says in German "Kronprinzessin" für Wilhelmine - when she asked me on my conscience whether I believed her brother would leave or return, that I could now reassure her with all certainty that she would see him again as safe and sound as he had left. May God grant it, she replied, I wish it with all my heart.
The letters, next to the things in them, I've given about 14 days before my arrest into the hands of my cousin, a Katte and member of the Kurmärkische Kammer so he could give them to someone who'd put them into the Queen's hands if I should have to go on a journey, or, if his highness the Prince returned, into his hands (...)
I don't have to add anything further but to ask your royal majesty with the deepest humbleness and devotion to consider that my intention has been none other than to keep his highness the prince from his designs and to prevent them being put to work.
And as God puts mercy ahead of justice, I hope that your majesty will make my poor self an example of this as well, and will consider the intention I had in this entire matter. God is my witness that it had been nothing but to prevent what his highness the prince intended to do, and to prevent it in a way that wouldn't incense your majesty any further against him. (...)
Thus I beg again most humbly that your royal majesty will show mercy towards me.