[History of Friedrich II. of Prussia<br> Vol. XVIII. (of XXI.) by Thomas Carlyle]@TWC D-Link book
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia
Vol. XVIII. (of XXI.)

CHAPTER VII
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Colloquy which lasted three hours, with the greatest vivacity on both sides; King impugning, for one principal thing, the roughness of German speech; Gottsched, in swift torrents (far too copious in such company), ready to defend.

'Those consonants of ours,' said the King, 'they afflict one's ear: what Names we have; all in mere K's and P's: KNAP-, KNIP-, KLOP-, KROTZ-, KROK--;--your own Name, for example!'"-- Yes, his own Name, unmusical GottSCHED, and signifying God's-Damage (God's-SKAITH) withal.
"Husht, don't take a Holy Name in vain; call the man SCHED ('Damage' by itself), can't we!" said a wit once.

[Nicolai, _Anekdoten,_ iii.
287.]--"'Five consonants together, TTSCH, TTSCH, what a tone!' continued the King.

'Hear, in contrast, the music of this Stanza of Rousseau's [Repeats a stanza].

Who could express that in German with such melody ?' And so on; branching through a great many provinces; King's knowledge of all Literature, new and ancient, 'perfectly astonishing to me;' and I myself, the swift-speaking Gottsched, rather copious than otherwise.
Catastrophe, and summary of the whole, was: Gottsched undertook to translate the Rousseau Stanza into German of moderate softness; and by the aid of water did so, that very night; [Copied duly in _Helden-Geschichte,_ iv.


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