And no King so little wastes himself in noises; a King who has good command of himself, first of all; not to be thrown off his balance by any terror, any provocation even, though his temper is very sharp.
Friedrich in person is mainly at Dresden, lodged in the Bruhl Palace;--endless wardrobes and magnificences there; three hundred and sixty-FOUR Pairs of Breeches hanging melancholy, in a widowed manner: C'EST ASSEZ DE CULOTTES; MONTREZ-MOI DES VERTUS! Bruhl is far away, in Poland; Madam Bruhl has still her Apartments in this Palace,--a frugal King needs only the necessary spaces.

Madam Bruhl is very busy here; and not to good purpose, being well seen into.

"She had a cask of wine sent her from Warsaw," says Friedrich; "orders were given to decant for her every drop of the wine, but to be sure and bring us the cask." Cask was found to have two bottoms, intermediate space filled with spy-correspondence.

Madam Bruhl protests and pleads, Friedrich not unpolite in reply; his last Letter to her says, "Madam, it is better that you go and join your Husband." Another high Dame gets sausages from Bohemia;--some of Friedrich's light troops have an appetite, beyond strict law for sausages; break in, find Letters along with the other stuffing.

[_OEuvres de Frederic,_ iv.