" Good heavens ! I have the very same seal about me,
I found it a month ago in the garden of Mon-Bijou, I
have carried it with me ever since, with the view to
discover its owner." Having compared the impres-
sion with the seal, we found them exactly cor-
responding, and concluded that they were the arms
of Katt. Having now removed the cords of the pad-
lock, we proceeded to the examination of the letters.
These demand a more detailed account.
I have already, in the course of this work, spoken
of the rather disrespectful manner in which we had
frequently mentioned the king. The queen delighted
in our satirical remarks, and outdid us in that respect.
Her letters as well as mine were full of them ; hers
174 MEMOIRS OF THE
contained besides, the detail of the English intrigues,
the illness which she had affected the preceding
winter to gain time ; and, in short, secrets of the
highest importance. Mine contained something more;
for greater safety I used to write indifferent things
with common ink, and those of consequence with
lemon-juice ; by holding the paper over the fire, the
characters appeared and became legible. Mrs Ramen
was commonly the subject of this mysterious writing.
I railed against her and complained bitterly of her as-
cendancy over the mind of the queen. We also agreed
by that means about what was to be told to or kept
secret from her majesty.
My mind had been so agitated, that I had not
thought of the effect which those letters would have
upon the queen ; the idea struck me when I opened
the desk, and made me shudder ; a lucky incident
however extricated me; the chaplain Reinbeck was
announced. The queen could not help seeing him, as
she had sent for him the day before. She was so
agitated, that in leaving the room, she said ; " For
heaven's sake burn all those letters, let me not find
one on my return." I did not wait for the command
being repeated, and committed them instantly to the
flames. There were at least fifteen hundred, reck-
oning those of the queen and mine together. I had
scarcely got over this fine task, when her majesty
came back. We now examined the remainder of the
papers : there were letters of a great number of per-
sons, love-letters, moral reflections, and notes upon
history, written by my brother, a purse with a thou-
sand pistoles, several precious stones and jewels ; and,
finally a letter from my brother to Katt, written in
the month of May, and containing these words :
" I am off, my dear Katt. My precautions are so
well taken, that I have nothing to fear ; I shall go
through Leipzic, where T shall pass myself for the
marquis d'Ambreville. I have already sent word to
Keith, who is to go straight to England. Lose no
MARGRAVINE OF EAREITH. 175
time, for I expect to meet you at Leipzic. Adieu ! Be
of good cheer."
We cast all those writings into the fire, except the
small compositions of my brother, which I have pre-
served. In the evening I set about re-writing the
letters which were to be substituted. The queen did
the same the next day. We carefully used paper of
each year to prevent any discovery. It took us three
days to fabricate six or seven hundred letters ; these
were a mere trifle compared with those we had burnt.
We became fully aware of it, when we were about
shutting the desk ; it was so empty that this circum-
stance alone might have betrayed us. I proposed to
continue writing to fill it; but the anxiety of the
queen was so great that she preferred cramming all
sorts of things into it, rather than keep it open any
longer. I objected to it as much as I could, but in
vain. At length we restored the chest to its former
state, and the change could not possibly be perceived.
The king arrived on the 2/th of August, at five
o'clock in the afternoon ; his domestics had preceded
him ; the queen sent for them and enquired about my
brother | they protested their ignorance of his fate ;
they had left him at Wesel, and did not know what
had been done with him since. But it is proper to
relate here the circumstances of his flight, such as I
have learnt them of himself and of those who were
with him.
His first intention was to have made his escape from
Anspach. His imprudence in speaking of his discon-
tents to the margrave prevented it. This prince
seeing him extremely irritated against the king, sus-
pected his design and deranged his plan by refusing
him horses:, which he asked for under pretence of
taking a ride in the country. The king had over-
stepped all bounds, and publicly ill-treated him in the
presence of strangers. He had even repeated before
those strangers what I had often heard him say ;
"Had .my father treated me as I do you, I should
176 MEMOIRS OF THE
have ran away a thousand times for one ; but you are
a faint-hearted fellow, a mere coward." Unable to
obtain his end during his stay at Anspach, my bro-
ther was forced to wait for another opportunity which
might offer on the road. The express sent by Katt
reached the prince at the distance of a few German
miles from Anspach. He immediately returned him
an answer, informing him that he expected to effect
his escape in two days ; that Katt was to meet him at
the Hague, assuring him that his success was infal-
lible, because if he were even pursued he should find
an asylum in some of the numerous convents on that
road. His agitation made him forget to direct the
letter to Berlin. Unfortunately, there was a cousin of
Katt of the same name employed on the recruiting-
service ten or twelve German miles thence. The
express went to him, and delivered him my brother's
letter.
In the mean time, the king proceeded on his road
to Francfort, and he and his retinue passed the night
in the barns of a village. My brother, colonel Ro-
chow, and my brother's valet, slept in the same barn.
I have already stated, that Keith had obtained a
lieutenant's commission in the regiment of Mosel.
The king had taken Keith's brother as a page in his
place. This young man was as deficient in point of
talents, as his brother was clever. The prince royal
knowing this, had not entrusted him with his designs :
but he thought that on account of his dullness he
would be better calculated to facilitate his escape. He
made him believe, that, having heard of some pretty
girls in a neighbouring small town, he wanted to try
his fortune there, and recommended him to awaken
him for that purpose at four o'clock in the morning,
and to have horses ready for him ; which was ex-
tremely easy, since there was to be a horse-fair in the
place that very day. The page obeyed, but, instead
of awakening the prince, he called his valet. The
latter, who had long been a spy of the king, suspected
MARGRAVINE OF BAREITII. 177
some mystery, and to investigate the matter, he con-
tinued quiet, affecting to sleep. My brother, who
was not perfectly easy on the point of so serious an
undertaking, awoke a moment after. He rose, dressed
himself, and, instead of his uniform, put on a coat in
the French fashion, and left the barn. His valet,
who had witnessed all this, immediately informed M.
de Rochow. The latter, in his perplexity, ran to the
generals in the king's retinue. Their names were
Bodenbrok, Naldo, and Derschow (the latter was of
the imperial party, and a worthy friend of those who
were at its head). After having conferred together,
they went all over the village, in search of the prince
royal. They found him at length in the horse-fair,
leaning on a carriage. They were surprised to see
him. dressed in the French style, and very respectfully
asked, "What he was doing there?" The prince
answered very bluntly. He told me since, that he was
in such a rage at being discovered, that, had he been
armed, he should have driven those gentlemen back
by main force. " For heaven's sake, prince," said
Rochow to him, " change your dress : the king is
awake, and going to set off in half an hour's time.
What would be the consequence, were he to see you
thus?" " I promise you," answered the prince, " I
shall be back before the king sets out ; I only wish to
take a short walk." They were still disputing when
Keith came up with the horses. My brother seized
one by the bridle and was going to vault into the
saddle : the gentlemen however prevented him ; they
surrounded him, and obliged him nolens volens to
return to his barn, where they forced him to dress
himself in his uniform. He saw himself under the
necessity of repressing his rage. General Derschow
and his valet acquainted the king that very day with
what had happened. The king dissembled and con-
cealed his resentment, having no sufficient proofs yet
against my brother, and suspecting that he would not
be satisfied with this first attempt.
178 MEMOIRS OF THE
They all arrived in the evening at Francfort. The
next morning the king received an express from Katt's
cousin, who sent him the letters my brother had writ-
ten to the Berlin Katt. These the king immediately
communicated to general Valdo and colonel Rochow,
with orders to watch the conduct of his son for whom
he made them answerable with their heads, and to
take him instantly to the yacht which had been pre-
pared for the king, as he wished to go from Francfort
to Wesel by water. These orders were executed
without delay. All this took place on the llth of
August.
The king continued all the day at Francfort, and did
not embark till the following morning. As soon as
he saw my brother he flew upon him and would have
strangled him, had not general Valdo came to his
assistance. He dragged him by the hair and threw
him into such a pitiful plight, that these gentlemen
being afraid of the consequences, entreated permission
to take the prince to another vessel, which they at
last obtained. His sword was taken from him, and
from that instant he was treated as a state criminal.
The king seized his effects and clothes ; my brother's
valet secured his papers. He made amends for his
former fault by throwing them into the fire in the
presence of his master ; whereby he rendered us all a
very great service. The king all this while was in
such a rage that he harboured the most fatal designs.
My brother, on his part, appeared tolerably calm,
hoping still to elude the vigilance of his guards.
With these dispositions they reached Gueldres.
The king went before and my brother followed him
with his two guards. He entreated them so much
that they allowed him to enter Wesel at night. On
coming to the floating bridge at the entrance of the
town, he besought those gentlemen to permit him to
walk in on foot, that he might not be known. They
granted him this trifling favour, supposing it of no
consequence ; but as soon as he was out of the chaise,
MARGRAVINE OF BAREITII. 179
he made a second effort to escape, and began running
with all his might. A strong guard commanded by
lieutenant-colonel Borck, sent by the king to meet
the prince, overtook him and conducted him to a
house in the town close to the residence of the king ;
who was carefully kept ignorant of this last attempt.
The king himself examined the prince the next day.
There was no one with his majesty but general Mosel,
an officer of fortune, whom his valour and merit had
raised to that rank. The king's first question, and
which he proposed in a furious tone, was this : " Why
have you attempted to desert ?" (These were his very
words.) " Because," answered the prince in a firm
tone, " you have not treated me as your son, but as
a worthless slave." " Then you are," replied the
king, " nothing but a base deserter, without honour."
" I have as much honour as you," said the prince :
" I have only attempted what you told me a hundred
times you would do, if you were in my place." Vexed
at this last answer, the king, in a transport of rage,
drew his sword, and was going to run him through.
General Mosel perceived his intentions and placed
himself between them, to parry the blow. " Run
me through, sire," exclaimed he ; " but spare your
son." These words arrested the king's fury: he or-
dered my brother to be reconducted to his house.
The general remonstrated strongly with the king, and
represented to him, " that he would always be master
of the person of his son ; that he ought not to con-
demn him without hearing him; and finally, that he
would commit an irremissible crime if he became his
executioner. He intreated his majesty at the same
time to have him examined by honourable and loyal
men, and not to see him any more, since he could not
sufficiently master his passion to bear his presence."
The king approved of these suggestions, and complied
with them.
He remained but a few days at Wesel, and then
prosecuted his journey to Berlin. Before he left Wesel
180 MEMOIRS OF THE
he added general Dossow to the two other guards of
my brother, and ordered them to follow him in four
days, leaving them sealed instructions, in which the
place was named whither they were to take him, and
which they were not to open before they had got to
the distance of some German miles from Wesel.
My brother was adored all over the country. The
cruel treatment which he had experienced from the
king, excused in some degree his attempts. Fears
were entertained for his life from the well-known vio-
lence of the king. Several officers, who had at their
head colonel Groebnitz, resolved to risk everything
to set the prince free. They had already procured
him the dress of a peasant girl, and some ropes to let
himself down from the window ; when general Dossow
deranged these plans, by getting iron bars fixed in the
window. This general was a favourite of the king,
to whom he reported everything. Unfortunately
the favourites of the monarch were all men of wicked
dispositions. This was a true imp of Satan, who in-
jured the virtuous and oppressed the poor. The four
days being elapsed, they set out with the prince, and
took him, according to the king's orders, to a small
market-town, named Mittenwalde, three German
miles distant from Berlin.
The reader is perhaps anxious to know what be-
came of Keith. A page of the prince of Anhalt, who
had been present when the prince royal was arrested
at Francfort, having reached Wesel four-and-twenty
hours before the king, went to see Keith, who had
been his comrade, and very ingenuously told him my
brother's misfortune. Keith fled the same evening,
under pretence of going in pursuit of a deserter, and
sheltered himself at the Hague in the house of lord
Chesterfield, the English envoy. Colonel du Moulin
was sent after Keith, and used so much diligence that
he arrived a quarter of an hour after him, and saw
him at a window in the hotel of the British minister.
Keith did not trust to the fine promises of Du Moulin,
MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 181
who had the mortification to see him the next day
crossing the town in lord Chesterfield's carriage, and
going on board an English vessel to pass over to
England.
I return to the interview between the king and the
queen. Her majesty was alone in the king's room
when he arrived. The moment he saw her, though
at a distance, he bawled out, " Your worthless son
is no more : he is dead." " What !" cried the queen,
" have you had the barbarity to kill him?" " Yes,
I tell you," continued the king ; " but I want his
writing-desk." The queen went to fetch it ; I availed
myself of that moment to see her : she was distracted
with anguish, and continually crying : " Heavens !
My son ! Just heavens ! my son !" I fell breathless
and fainting into the arms of madame de Sonsfeld.
When the queen delivered the desk to the king, he
broke it into pieces, seized the letters, and took them
with him. The queen then returned to the room
where I was just recovering. She told us what had
happened, and exhorted me to show some fortitude.
Our hopes were a little revived by Mrs Ramen, who
assured the queen that my brother was alive ; that
she had her information from a good quarter. The
king came back in the mean time. We all ran up to
him to kiss his hands ; but he had scarcely cast his
eyes upon me, when anger and fury overpowered him.
He grew black, his eyes sparkled with rage, and he
foamed at the mouth. " Infamous baggage ! " said
he to me, ' ' dare you show yourself before me ? Go
and keep company with your rascally brother." In
uttering these words, he seized me with one hand,
and struck me several times in the face with his fist ;
one of his blows fell upon my temples so violently,
that I fell backwards, and should have split my head
against a corner of the wainscot, had not madame de
Sonsfeld broke my fall by seizing me by my head-
dress. I remained senseless on the ground. The
king, no longer master of himself, strove to renew
VOL. I. R
182 MEMOIRS OF THE
the blows and trample upon me ; but the queen,
my brothers and sisters, and all who were present,
prevented him : they all surrounded me ; which
gave madame de Kamken and madame de Sonsfeld
time to lift me up. They placed me in a window-
seat which was close by ; but seeing that I continued
senseless, they sent "one of my sisters for a glass of
water and some salts, with which they insensibly re-
called me to life. As soon as I was able to speak, I
reproached them for the pains which they took with
me, death being a thousand times more agreeable
than life in the situation in which we were. To de-
scribe its horror is impossible.
The queen was uttering mournful screams : her
fortitude had forsaken her ; she was wringing her
hands in despair and running disconsolate through
the room. The face of the king was so greatly dis-
figured by his rage that one could not look upon
him but with terror. My brothers and sisters, the
youngest of whom was four years old, were embracing
his knees and endeavouring to move him by their
tears. Madame de Sonsfeld was supporting my head,
which was bruised and swollen by the blows I had
received. Can a more affecting picture be conceived ?
The king, it is true, had changed his tone ; he
confessed that my brother was still alive : but his hor-
rible menaces of having him sentenced to death and
myself confined between four walls for the remainder
of my life, caused our dismay. He accused me of
being the accomplice in the attempt of the prince
royal, which he called high treason ; and of having
had a love intrigue with Katt, by whom, he said, I
had had several children. My governess, being un-
able to restrain herself on hearing such foul calum-
nies, had the courage to answer : " That is not true ;
and whoever reported anything like it to you has im-
posed upon your majesty." The king made her no
reply, and recommenced his invectives. The fear of
losing my brother wrought upon me, and I called out
MARGRAVINE OF BAREITII. 183
as loudly as my weakness would allow, that " I con-
sented to marry the duke of Weissenfeld, if the king
would grant life to my brother." The violent noise
which the king was making prevented his hearing me.
I was going to repeat the same declaration ; but ma-
dame de Sonsfeld kept my mouth close with a hand-
kerchief. I was struggling to remove the handker-
chief, and turning my head round, when I beheld poor
Katt crossing the palace-yard, attended by four^horse-
guards, who were conducting him to the king. Though
pale and depressed, yet he took off his hat to bow to
me. His and my brother's trunks, which had been
seized and sealed, were carried after him. A moment
after, the king was informed that Katt was brought.
He left the room, exclaiming : " Now I shall have a
plea for condemning the rascally Frederic and the
baggage Wilhelmina : I shall find motives sufficiently
weighty to have them beheaded." Madame de Kam-
ken and Mrs Ramen followed the king. The latter
stopped him by the arm, saying, " If you wish to
have the prince royal put to death, you ought at least
to spare the queen ; she is innocent of all this, you
may believe me upon my word ; treat her gently,^ and
she will do whatever you wish." Madame de Kam-
ken addressed him in a different manner : " You have
hitherto," said she, " valued yourself on being a just,
equitable monarch, and fearing God. The Lord has
rewarded you for it, and loaded you with his blessings :
but tremble to deviate from his holy commands, and
dread the effects of Divine justice. It punished two
sovereigns who shed, as you intend to do, the blood
of their sons ; Philip II. and Peter the Great died
without male heirs ; their dominions have been a
prey to foreign and intestine wars ; and those two
monarchs, from having been the admiration of the
world as great men, have become the execration of
mankind. Recollect yourself, sire ; the first impulse
of your anger may still be pardoned, but it will be
criminal if you do not endeavour to overcome it."
184 MEMOIRS OF THE
The king let her go on without interruption : he
looked at her for a while, and when she had ceased
speaking, he at length broke silence in these terms :
" You are very bold to address me in such language :
however, I am not angry at it ; your intentions are
good ; I admire your frankness ; it increases my
esteem for you : go and pacify the queen."
This trait is so admirable on both sides, that to
recount it is to bestow upon it the praises which it
deserves. Indeed, the moderation of the king in the
midst of his rage, and the courage of madame de
Kamken to expose herself to his wrath, do them both
infinite honour. We were all astonished at the impu-
dence of Mrs Ramen, and her effrontery, to dare to
speak of the queen as she had done, before madame de
Kamken.
When the king was gone, I was removed to an ad
joining room, which he never entered. I trembled so
much that I could not stand on my legs, and my agi-
tation affected my nerves in such a manner, that I
shall carry the sad remembrance of it about me all
the days of my life. The king had sent for Grumkow,
the judge-advocate-general Milius, and the attorney-
general Gerber, who filled this post ever since the
death of Katch, which had taken place a few years
before. Katt immediately cast himself at the feet of
the king, but the wrath of the monarch was rekindled
at the sight of him : he kicked him, struck him with
his cane, and gave him several blows in the face,
which covered him with blood. Grumkow intreated
the king to moderate his passions, and to suffer Katt
to be examined. He immediately confessed all he
knew about the flight of my brother, and avowed
himself his accomplice; protesting, however, that
they had never formed any design against the person
of the king, or against the state ; that their plan had
merely been to withdraw themselves from his anger,
to go over to England, and to place themselves under
the protection of that crown. When he was ques-
MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 185
tioned concerning the queen's letters and mine, he
answered that he had sent them to her majesty,
agreeably to the orders of the prince royal. He was
also asked, whether I had been informed of their pro-
ject ? This he positively denied. Whether he had
ever given me letters from my brother ; and whether
1 had entrusted him with mine ? He answered, that
he recollected having given me a letter from my bro-
ther one Sunday when I was returning from the
cathedral ; that he was not acquainted with the con-
tents ; and that my letters had never passed through
his hands. He confessed that he had several times
been secretly at Potsdam to see the prince, and that
lieutenant Span, of the king's regiment, had intro-
duced him into the town disguised j that Keith was to
accompany them in their flight ; and that they had
corresponded with him.
The examination being over, my brother's and
Katt's effects were searched, but nothing of conse-
quence was found. Grumkow perused the queen's
letters and mine, and was disappointed at not rinding
what he was seeking. He angrily turned to the king,
and said : " Sire, these confounded women have
duped us ; I find nothing in these letters that can
implicate them ; and those which might give us some
information, most certainly are no longer in existence."
The king went back to the queen. " I was not
mistaken," said he to her majesty; " your worthless
daughter is implicated in the plot. Katt has confessed
that he has given her letters from her brother. Inform
her that I confine her as a prisoner to her room : I
am going to give orders to double the guards. 1 shall
have her severely examined, and send her to a place
where she may do penance for her crimes. She may
prepare to set out as soon as she has been examined."
This was again spoken with rage and violence. The