Fritz plays but makes mistakes, promptly blames the flute, Quanz checks the flute again and says no, the flute is good, Fritz says it's not true and shouts, they don't talk for a week during which Quanz withholds applause and approval, after eight days, Fritz caves and says okay, yes, it was him, not the flute, Quanz is "okay, then let's practice".
Oh, man, that is SO Fritz. That is so very Fritz.
Also, Quanz - whom Nicolai knew, and who is his source for all these stories, once said ruefully about Fritz as a person and why despite their ups and downs he can't bring himself to leave him, that he'd miss him if he left: Ich hätte nicht gedacht,dass mir der Mensch so nötig wäre. ("I wouldn't have thought that I need this man so much.")
Woooow. That is the effect Fritz has on people, no doubt!
mildred_of_midgard, apparently until the early 1790s, the most common spread story about the escape attempt was that Fritz and Katte were both arrested at the same time, at Wesel.
Oooh, I did not know this. Interesting! Given how complicated the actual story is (Fritz in Sinsheim, Keith in Wesel, Katte in Berlin, I can see why it got simplified over time).
and then tells the "you're still here?" story that subsequently is told everywhere else.
Ooh, nice, good to know where that comes from.
Nicolai's version is also the one where Peter gets the "sauvez-vous" warning note from Fritz and therefore hightails it out of Wesel, which was we now doesn't work, date wise.
Not unless my speculation about backdating is true, and that's really extreeeemely speculative. It's possible the Mylius report to FW would also have to contain some falsehoods? Not sure, would have to reread. Ah, yes, Mylius also says Peter left on the 6th.
Unless there is a big successful coverup here, I have to assume Nicolai, Peter Keith's son, Wilhelmine, and Catt are all wrong, and that a story was going around to the effect that Peter was warned. After all, it's possible Fritz did send the letter; it's just that Peter was already gone when he did.
(we know it was with the Brits, but with Chesterfield's staff rather than Chesterfield himself)
We know a lot of oddly specific things in salon! I'm proud of us. :D
Nicolai says his source's dad knew Peter personally as well. This supposed former comrade of Katte's and friend of Peter's whose son is Nicolai's source is called von Hertefeld.
Huh. Cool, will keep an eye out for him. There's a Frau von Hertefeld mentioned in Lehndorff's diary in 1752 (a very sophisticated woman), but that's all my searches of our salon give me. I may do detective work at some point if felis doesn't beat me to it, but not tonight.
...Is it possible Peter told the story this way? To make it look like, "I only left because Fritz said to! To save my life!"
I just checked and Voltaire and Catt diverge in one respect, interestingly: Voltaire has Keith getting arrested and then escaping. I'm betting he's confusing the two brothers (another way in which, if you heard this story orally, you would simplify, because wow this story is so confusing I never understood it fully until we'd been in salon for a some time). It's still just possible Catt has his story from Fritz, who remembered writing the letter to Peter but not the exact date Peter left Wesel.
no subject
Oh, man, that is SO Fritz. That is so very Fritz.
Also, Quanz - whom Nicolai knew, and who is his source for all these stories, once said ruefully about Fritz as a person and why despite their ups and downs he can't bring himself to leave him, that he'd miss him if he left: Ich hätte nicht gedacht,dass mir der Mensch so nötig wäre. ("I wouldn't have thought that I need this man so much.")
Woooow. That is the effect Fritz has on people, no doubt!
mildred_of_midgard, apparently until the early 1790s, the most common spread story about the escape attempt was that Fritz and Katte were both arrested at the same time, at Wesel.
Oooh, I did not know this. Interesting! Given how complicated the actual story is (Fritz in Sinsheim, Keith in Wesel, Katte in Berlin, I can see why it got simplified over time).
and then tells the "you're still here?" story that subsequently is told everywhere else.
Ooh, nice, good to know where that comes from.
Nicolai's version is also the one where Peter gets the "sauvez-vous" warning note from Fritz and therefore hightails it out of Wesel, which was we now doesn't work, date wise.
Not unless my speculation about backdating is true, and that's really extreeeemely speculative. It's possible the Mylius report to FW would also have to contain some falsehoods? Not sure, would have to reread. Ah, yes, Mylius also says Peter left on the 6th.
Unless there is a big successful coverup here, I have to assume Nicolai, Peter Keith's son, Wilhelmine, and Catt are all wrong, and that a story was going around to the effect that Peter was warned. After all, it's possible Fritz did send the letter; it's just that Peter was already gone when he did.
(we know it was with the Brits, but with Chesterfield's staff rather than Chesterfield himself)
We know a lot of oddly specific things in salon! I'm proud of us. :D
Nicolai says his source's dad knew Peter personally as well. This supposed former comrade of Katte's and friend of Peter's whose son is Nicolai's source is called von Hertefeld.
Huh. Cool, will keep an eye out for him. There's a Frau von Hertefeld mentioned in Lehndorff's diary in 1752 (a very sophisticated woman), but that's all my searches of our salon give me. I may do detective work at some point if
...Is it possible Peter told the story this way? To make it look like, "I only left because Fritz said to! To save my life!"
I just checked and Voltaire and Catt diverge in one respect, interestingly: Voltaire has Keith getting arrested and then escaping. I'm betting he's confusing the two brothers (another way in which, if you heard this story orally, you would simplify, because wow this story is so confusing I never understood it fully until we'd been in salon for a some time). It's still just possible Catt has his story from Fritz, who remembered writing the letter to Peter but not the exact date Peter left Wesel.