Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 45

[cahn]

Unfortunately, there was then at Berlin a King who pursued one policy only, who deceived his enemies, but not his servants, and who lied without scruple, but never without necessity.

(from The King's Secret - by Duke de Broglie, grand-nephew of the subject of the book, Comte de Broglie, and grandfather of the physicist) )

Comments

If you give a monarch a bear

[mildred_of_midgard]

If you give August III a bear, this happens:

"Numbers of wild beasts, taken in cages into the middle of the thickets in this charming spot, and forced to climb on little paths of planks between two walls, to the top of trees on the edge of the canal, were precipitated through a trapdoor into the water thirty feet below, and thus gave the King the chance, should he wish for it, of shooting wolves, boars and bears in the air. Hounds were waiting for them at the foot of the trees, to pursue them on land and water until the time came when the King thought fit to slay them. One of these bears, finding a boat, climbed on to the prow, in order to get away from the hounds. A young Rzewuski, brother of the Marshal, and Saul, chief clerk in the Saxon Foreign Office, in drawing back to the stern of the boat against the boatman who was steering, managed to make the craft heel over so far that she capsized. The bear for a second time described a circle in the air, and fell in the water close to these men, who got off with a fright, and gave the King much amusement by their adventure."

Courtesy of Poniatowski's memoirs, cited in the biography of Hanbury-Williams.

I *guess* it's better than locking Gundling up with bears and firecrackers, which the daily Frederician emails have just reminded us happened on October 10 (1716).

But from 2023, it's hilarious to read about! Flying bears catapulting through the air! What will 18th century monarchs with bears think of next?

Re: If you give a monarch a bear

[cahn]

The moral of the story (all the stories) is, Do Not Give Monarchs Bears :PP

(Gundling! :( )

Re: If you give a monarch a bear

[mildred_of_midgard]

That's the moral of the "If you give a mouse a cookie" story too!