For instead of looking for those who would tell him and his entourage the truth in a jest at the right time, when no one else would
So I've always seen this as the stereotypical description of what a court fool is supposed to do (and the Roman generals during their triumphs were supposed to have something similar), but do you know to what extent that reflected reality? I have no idea what the actual historical evidence for fools looks like.
Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?)
cahn beat me to the explanation. Although, hilariously, I apparently read so much historical stuff that I was going to say, "In modern English, we have this word 'poltroon'." :P Although upon reflection, it's true that it's archaic enough that I would never use the word in speech, and would expect to be laughed out of the room if I did. (I already got laughed at once for using 'ruffian'!)
confirms FW liked oboists from the military. (Fredersdorf, watch out!)
Fredersdorf dodged a bullet there!
mostly he didn't think they existed, but he wasn't sure about the White Lady ( the appearance of whom supposedly spelled Hohenzollern doom)
Huuh. So Fritz and Wilhelmine come by their skepticism honestly! Remember the episode where Wilhelmine (whose memoirs are full of not believing in the supernatural) reports the alleged appearance of the White Lady in Bayreuth in a letter to Fritz, and Fritz responds with the story of the rats in Küstrin. I've always been intrigued by the concluding line, "As you see, ghosts are mainly imagination." Which implies that like FW, he entertained the possibility of some kind of ghosts! (I bet he wasn't expecting the posthumous MT kind, though. ;) )
Mom and Grandmom and Dad all took him along on journeys to the Netherlands when he grew up, and he was very positively impressed, not least by the hygiene.
Reminder for cahn that hygiene in the Netherlands was striking for all travelers, especially the "Hygiene? What's that?" French, who were more into conspicuous consumption.
look, says Mr. Morgenstern, Peter may get praise now, but in his day he was hated and called a tyrant by a great many of his subjects, too. Also he gave them more cause than FW. I'm sure FW's reputation will go the way of Peter's and rise through subsequent generations, though!
Ahahaha, now that you've read us Leineweber, I have to assume this is another instance of praeteritio: the rhetorical device of calling attention to something negative by seeming to deny it.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
So I've always seen this as the stereotypical description of what a court fool is supposed to do (and the Roman generals during their triumphs were supposed to have something similar), but do you know to what extent that reflected reality? I have no idea what the actual historical evidence for fools looks like.
Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?)
confirms FW liked oboists from the military. (Fredersdorf, watch out!)
Fredersdorf dodged a bullet there!
mostly he didn't think they existed, but he wasn't sure about the White Lady ( the appearance of whom supposedly spelled Hohenzollern doom)
Huuh. So Fritz and Wilhelmine come by their skepticism honestly! Remember the episode where Wilhelmine (whose memoirs are full of not believing in the supernatural) reports the alleged appearance of the White Lady in Bayreuth in a letter to Fritz, and Fritz responds with the story of the rats in Küstrin. I've always been intrigued by the concluding line, "As you see, ghosts are mainly imagination." Which implies that like FW, he entertained the possibility of some kind of ghosts! (I bet he wasn't expecting the posthumous MT kind, though. ;) )
Mom and Grandmom and Dad all took him along on journeys to the Netherlands when he grew up, and he was very positively impressed, not least by the hygiene.
Reminder for
look, says Mr. Morgenstern, Peter may get praise now, but in his day he was hated and called a tyrant by a great many of his subjects, too. Also he gave them more cause than FW. I'm sure FW's reputation will go the way of Peter's and rise through subsequent generations, though!
Ahahaha, now that you've read us Leineweber, I have to assume this is another instance of praeteritio: the rhetorical device of calling attention to something negative by seeming to deny it.