142; above all, Henri himself, in _OEuvres de Frederic,_ xxvi.

345, "Petersburg, 8th January, 1771."] This is supposed, in all Books, to be the PUNCTUM SALIENS, or first mention, of the astonishing Partition, which was settled, agreed upon, within about a year hence, and has made so much noise ever since.

And in effect it was so; the idea rising practically in that high head was the real beginning.

But this was not the first head it had been in; far from that.

Above a year ago, as Friedrich himself informed us, it had been in Friedrich's own head,--though at the time it went for absolutely nothing, nobody even bestowing a sneer on it (as Friedrich intimates), and disappeared through the Horn-Gate of Dreams.
Friedrich himself appears to have quite forgotten the Count-Lynar idea; and, on Henri's report from Russia, was totally incredulous; and even suspected that there might be trickery and danger in this Russian proposal.