But the particulars are not worth giving; the Performance, thanks to a zealous Pompadour, having quite outrun the Stipulation, and left it practically out of sight, when the push came.
Our Constitutional Historian may shadow the rest:-- "France and England going to War in these sad circumstances, and France and Austria being privately prepared [by Kaunitz and others] to swear everlasting friendship on the occasion, instead of everlasting enmity as heretofore; unexpected changes, miraculous to the Gazetteers, became inevitable;--nothing less, in short, than explosion or topsy-turvying of the old Diplomatic-Political Scheme of Europe.

Old dance of the Constellations flung heels-over-head on the sudden; and much pirouetting, jigging, setting, before they could change partners, and continue their august dance again, whether in War or Peace.

No end to the industrious wonder of the Gazetteer mind, to the dark difficulties of the Diplomatic.

What bafflings, agonistic shufflings, impotent gazings into the dark; what seductive fiddling, and being fiddled to! A most sad function of Humanity, if sometimes an inevitable one; which ought surely at all times to be got over as briefly as possible.

To be written of, especially, with a maximum of brevity; human nature being justly impatient of talk about it, beyond the strictly needful." Most true it is, and was most miraculous, though now quite forgotten again, Political Europe had to make a complete whirl-round on that occasion.