emperor, he saw the duke of Lorraine, afterwards em-
peror, gaping in a corner of the room. Not consi-
dering the impertinence of what he was doing, he ran
to thrust his finger into the duke's mouth. The
latter was a little surprised at the action : but as he
knew the disposition of Charles VI, to be extremely



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 211

severe on the point of etiquette, he made no noise
about it, and contented himself with observing that
probably Natzmar had made a mistake.

The two others were men of honour, but rather
dull. My brother's allowance was extremely scanty :
lie was not permitted to enjoy any recreation, nor
suffered to read, and, above all, ordered not to con-
verse or write in French. The nobility of the neigh-
bourhood took care to provide him with a plentiful
table, and the French Protestant refugees of Berlin
sent him linen and refreshments. Nothing for a long
time could dispel his melancholy ; he would not leave
off the brown coat, which had been given him in the
fortress, before it was worn to rags ; because it was
like that of Katt. But in spite of the rigorous com-
mands of the king, the prince passed his time rather
agreeably, and the persons about him affected to take
no notice of what was doing.

My brother's release from confinement moderated
my grief a little, and gave me sincere pleasure. My
joy was yet heightened by the arrival of the queen.
She gave me an account of all the troubles she had
undergone at Wusterhausen, and the painful anxieties
she had felt for my brother. I alternately wept and
smiled at the different situations in which he had been
placed. The queen continued her visits as long
as the king was absent. She alarmed me very
much about the future. " Next month I shall go to
Potsdam," said she. " I am informed that you will
have to undergo some dreadful trials : you are to be
deprived of madaine de Sonsfeld, who will leave you
very reluctantly ; and in her place you will be sur-
rounded by suspicious persons : perhaps, you will
even be sent to a fortress. Be prepared for it before-
hand, and arm yourself with fortitude. Persist in re-
fusing to be married, and leave me to manage the
rest. If you follow my counsels, I still hope to es-
tablish you in England." To quiet her majesty, I
promised anything ; but I was resolved to obey my



212 MEMOIRS OF THE

father. The latter interrupted our interviews. He
came to spend his Christmas at Berlin, where he
stayed a fortnight. Thus ended that mournful year,
so remarkable for fatal events.

The year 1731, upon which I am going to enter,
proved equally afflicting to me ; it was however in
the course of this year that the foundation was laid
for the happiness of my life.

The king retired to Potsdam on the llth of Ja-
nuary, whither the queen followed him on the 28th.
During her short residence at Berlin, M. de Sastot,
her chamberlain and a near relation of Grumkow, at.
tempted to reconcile this minister with her majesty.
Grumkow, who surpassed him in cunning, and was
resolved to make him his dupe, availed himself of this
opportunity to attain his ends. He commissioned
him to make all possible advances to the queen in his
name, and to assure her that, if she would confide in
him, he would yet engage to effect my marriage with
the prince of Wales. The queen, who loved to flatter
herself, fell headlong into the snare, and in two days
they were the best of friends. She acquainted me
with the circumstance. Grumkow was now the
most honest man in the world ; the blame of the past
was entirely thrown upon Sekendorff and upon the
the rash conduct of sir - Hotham. I was highly
surprised at this intelligence, which alarmed me very
much, because I foresaw its consequences. But as I
knew that the queen could not bear to be contradicted,
I dissembled my thoughts.

On the eve of her departure, the queen looking
fixedly at me, said, " I come to take my leave of you,
my dear Wilhelmina : I hope Grumkow will be as
good as his word, and prevent your being disturbed
during my stay at Potsdam : but as the future cannot
always be distinctly foreseen, and as Grumkow is
obliged from policy to treat Sekendorff with great
caution, the better to impose upon him, I require one
thing of you, which alone can quiet me during my



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 213

absence ; that is, you must swear to me by your
eternal salvation, you never will marry any other but
the Prince of Wales. You see I demand nothing but
what is just and reasonable ; hence I doubt not but
you will yield me that satisfaction." Her demand
staggered me. I thought I might elude it by remind-
ing the queen that, as Grumkow was of her party,
there was nothing more to be apprehended for me,
and that I was persuaded he would effect my mar-
riage, since he had promised to do so. The queen
would not suffer herself to be caught by this evasion ;
she insisted upon my taking the oath. Fortunately,
a thought struck me, which freed me from my embar-
rassment. " I am a Calvinist," I replied, " and your
majesty knows that predestination is one of the prin-
cipal tenets of my religion. My fate is written in
heaven. If providence has decreed that I am to be
established in England, neither the king, nor any
human power, will be able to prevent it : if, on the
contrary, it has ordained otherwise, all the pains and
efforts of your majesty will be useless to bring it
about. I therefore cannot take a rash oath, which
perhaps I should not be able to perform ; neither can
I offend the Deity by acting contrary to the principles
of my conscience and my faith. All I can promise is,
not to submit to the will of the king but at the last
extremity." The queen had nothing to reply. I ob-
served, that she was vexed at my answer : but I pre-
tended not to notice it. We were both much affected
on taking leave; my heart was ready to break. I
could not part with her ; I loved her to adoration ;
and indeed she had some amiable qualities. We
agreed to address indifferent letters to Mrs Ramen,
and to avail ourselves of the wife of her valet to trans-
mit those which might be of consequence.

I forgot one interesting circumstance. Madame
de Bulow, before she set out for Lithuania, had had
a long conversation with Boshart, a chaplain of the
queen, in which she had unveiled the character of



214 MEMOIRS OF THE

Mrs Ramen, and all her intrigues. This clergyman,
who had many friends, had already heard something
about it : he therefore resolved to inform the queen ;
and had the good fortune so fully to convince her
majesty of the infamous underhand dealings of this
woman, that she promised she would not trust her
with anything but what she wished to reach the ears
of his majesty. She communicated to us what Boshart
had told her, and owned that she had perfectly well
noticed the distrust which we had for that woman ;
that she never could have thought her capable of so
much perfidy. We advised her to be as subtle as Mrs
Ramen, to continue to treat her kindly, and to impose
as much upon her as she could.

I found myself very disconsolate after the queen's
departure. Shut up in my bed-room, where I saw
no one, I continued a spare diet, or rather J was
actually starving. I read all the day long, and made
remarks upon what I read. My health was much
impaired. I grew as thin as a skeleton for want of
proper food and exercise.

One day when madame de Sonsfeld and myself were
at table, looking wistfully at each other, having no-
thing to eat but a vile sort of soup made of water and
salt, and a hash of stale bones, full of hair and filth,
we heard a pretty loud knocking against the window.
Surprised, we rose in haste to see what it was. We
found it was a crow, with a crust of bread in her bill :
as soon as she saw us, she dropped it on the outside
of the window, and flew away. Tears, at this sight,
started into our eyes. " Our fate is lamentable in-
deed," said I to my governess, " since it moves even
dumb creatures ; they take more pity on us than those
human beings who treat us with so much cruelty !
Let us consider it as a good omen, indicating an alte-
ration in the aspect of our affairs. I am now reading
the Roman history, and I find in it," continued I,
jokingly, " that the approach of crows is a lucky pre-
sage." However, there was nothing supernatural in



MARGRAVINE OF BARE1TH. 215

this incident. The crow was a tame one belonging
to margrave Albert. She had perhaps lost her way,
and was endeavouring to find her home again. My
servants, however, thought the circumstance so mira-
culous, that in a short time it was divulged all over
the town : and it inspired so much commiseration for
my sufferings among the French Protestant refugees;
that, at the risk of incurring the king's resentment,
they sent me choice victuals in baskets placed before
my door, and which Mrs Mermann took care to
empty. This action, and the concern which they ex-
pressed for my brother, have given me a high esteem
for the members of the French Protestant colonies ;
and I have made it a rule to relieve and protect them
whenever I found an opportunity.

The whole month of February passed in this way.
The queen pressed Grumkow so much, that he at
length obtained permission for me to see again my
sisters and the ladies of the queen's household. I
was then enjoying a perfect tranquillity, relieved from
all fears for my brother, and hearing nothing more
about my odious suitors. My little society was agree-
able and complaisant. I insensibly accustomed myself
to solitude, and grew a perfect philosopher.

Now arid then the queen wrote to me what was
going on. She continued on the best terms with
Grumkow. She informed me, that he was going to
make a final attempt in England, to which the king
had consented, and from which she expected the hap-
piest consequences. I differed from her. I could not
conceive how she could trust a man who thought it
meritorious to deceive every one, and by whom till
then she had constantly been persecuted. I suspected
beforehand that this great friendship would end
fatally, and that the queen would be his dupe. My
conjectures proved true. Towards the latter end of
March, the king again tormented the queen concern-
ing my marriage. She immediately informed me of
it, complaining bitterly of the hardships she endured



216 MEMOIRS OF THE

from the king's ill-humour. He publicly treated her
ill at table, and appeared more exasperated than ever
against my brother and me, though she could not
dive into his motives. Grumkow cast the blame upon
Sekendorff, and made the queen believe that this
minister, having acquainted the king with the good
intelligence that subsisted between him and her ma-
jesty, had diminished her credit with the king.

For nine months I had not taken the sacrament,
having never been able to obtain the permission of
the king. The queen allowed me to write to his ma-
jesty to solicit that favour. In spite of her prohibi-
tion, I expressed my concern for the queen's disgrace.
My letter was one of the most moving, and calculated
to soften a heart of stone. Instead of a direct answer,
the king simply said to the queen, that " the baggage
her daughter might take the Lord's supper." He
accordingly gave his orders to Eversmann, and named
the clergyman who was to officiate. The service was
performed privately in my room, where Eversmann
assisted at the pious ceremony. Every one drew
hence a favourable presage of my reconciliation ; the
king having acted in the same way towards my bro-
ther before he was released from the fortress.

In the meantime Grumkow had written to England,
by order of the king. He had applied to Reich-
enbach, and commissioned him to demand a formal
declaration concerning my marriage with the prince
of Wales ; but he had taken care to give him secret
instructions to render the attempt abortive.

Eversmann, at the same time, renewed his visits.
He one day came with compliments from the queen,
and as I inquired after her health and that of the
king, he answered : " His majesty is in a very cross
humour, and the queen is melancholy, without my
knowing the reason. I am terribly busy myself. The
king has ordered me to put the large saloon in order,
and to remove thither all the new plate. There will
be much noise above your head, madam ; preparations



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITII. 217

are making for many entertainments. The marriage
of princess Sophia with the prince of Bareith is soon
to be solemnized. The king has invited several
strangers ; the duke of Wirtemberg ; the duke, the
duchess, and prince Charles of Bevern ; the prince of
Hohenzollern ; and many others. I pity you," con-
tinued he, " for not being allowed to partake of these
festivities ! The king has declared he will not have
you to appear in his presence." " I shall easily be
reconciled to that," said I, " but never to being in
disgrace with the king ; and I shall have no repose
until I am restored to his majesty's favour."

This conversation made no great impression upon
me, but madame de Sonsfeld seemed uneasy about it.
" There is a new storm gathering," she observed;
" Grumkow is certainly deceiving the queen, and I
am very much afraid, madam, these preparations are
intended for you. For heaven's sake, be firm ; do
not rush into misfortune. The prince of Bareith is
destined for you. Prepare your answer beforehand ;
for I fear the bomb will burst when you least think of
it." As I did not wish to tell her my intentions, I
merely returned an evasive answer.

As soon as the despatches from England arrived,
the queen acquainted me with their contents. Reich-
enbach had extremely well executed Grumkow's in-
structions. In the name of the Prussian monarch he
had spoken with so much haughtiness to the English
ministers, that, being already incensed at the affront

given to sir Hotham, they took this declaration

for a fresh insult. The king of England felt exaspe-
rated at it ; he thought proper, however, to keep his
answer secret from the prince of Wales and the nation.
He answered, that " he should never give up the
marriage of my brother with the princess his daugh-
ter ; and that if this condition did not suit the Prus-
'sian monarch, he would have the prince of Wales
married before the end of the year." My father
wrote by the return of post, " that he was determined

VOL. i. u



218 MEMOIRS OF THE

to have me married in less than .two months j and
that he was making the necessary preparations for
that purpose." The queen was disconsolate at this
rupture, as may easily be supposed; but I do not
know what hope she was yet indulging, since she
still exhorted me to persist in refusing any match that
might be proposed.

Eversmann came seven or eight days after. He
affected a hypocritical air, and snowed himself very
officious. " I have loved you," said he to me, " ever
since you were born. I have a thousand times car-
ried you in my arms ; you were the darling of every
one. In spite of all the harsh messages I have brought
you from the king, I am yet your friend ; I will give
you a proof of it to-day, and tell you what is going
on. Your marriage with the prince of Wales is
entirely broken off. The answer which has been
returned to the king has rendered him furious ; he
leads the queen a most terrible life, who is grown as
thin as a lath. He is exasperated anew against the
prince royal ; he says that neither he nor Katt have
been properly examined, and that there are many im-
portant circumstances of which he is yet uninformed,
and which he determines to investigate. Your mar-
riage with the duke of Weissenfeld is firmly resolved
upon. I foresee the most dreadful consequences, if
you persist in your obstinacy. The king will employ
the utmost violence towards the queen, the prince
royal, and you. In a short time you will know whe-
ther I speak truth or not. It behoves you to consider
what you will do." My answer was invariably the
same : it was the burden of a song which I had got
by heart by dint of repeating it. Eversmann with-
drew, rather dissatisfied.

I the same afternoon received a letter from the
queen, which confirmed all that Eversmann had told
me. Mrs Bock brought it me herself, and shewed
me one from her husband. "It is impossible," he
stated, " to describe the deplorable situation of the



MARGRAVINE OF BAllEITH. 219

queen ; the king yesterday was very near striking her
with his cane. He is more exasperated than ever
against the prince royal and the princess. Heaven
have pity on us in such dire adversities 1"

The next day, the 10th of May 1731, proved the
most memorable day of my life. Eversmann repeated
his visit. I was scarcely awake, when he appeared
before my bed. " I have but this instant returned
from Potsdam," said he, " whither I was obliged to
go yesterday, after I had left you. I could not con-
ceive what pressing affair it was that so hastily re-
quired my presence. I found the king and queen
together : her majesty was in tears, and the king
appeared in a violent passion. As soon as he saw me,
he ordered me quickly to return hither, to make the
necessary purchases for your wedding. The queen
made a last effort to avert the blow and appease the
king, but the more she intreated him the greater was
his irritation. He swore with the most bitter impre-
cations that he will drive madame de Sonsfield, with
ignominy, away ; and as an example of his severity,
he will have her publicly whipped in all the principal
places of the town, because she alone, he says,
causes your disobedience. And as for you, con-
tinued he, if you do not submit, you are to be sent
to a fortress ; and I think fit to inform you that the
horses are already ordered for that purpose." Then,
addressing his discourse to madame de Sonsfeld, he
added, " I pity you with all my heart, to be con-
demned to such an infamous chastisement; but it
rests with the princess to rescue you from this dis-
grace. It must however be confessed that it will be
a fine sight, and that the blood which will run down
your white back, will heighten its whiteness, and
be delightful to look at !" To hear such insolent
language with coolness required a heart of stone :
however I checked myself, and strove to break off
the conversation without entering into any discus-
sion.



220 MEMOIRS OF THE

I acquainted the ladies of the queen's household

with this fine intelligence. They asked me what I

had resolved upon doing in such a trying emergency ?

" That of obeying," answered I, " provided some

some other than Eversmann is sent to me ; for I am

resolved never to give my answer to him : I expect

all kinds of ill-usage after the horrible tragedy of

Katt, and so many acts of violence that have lately

taken place. Madame de Bulow and M. Duhan were

as innocent as madame de Sonsfeld, and yet they have

not been spared; besides, in consideration of the

queen and of my brother I am determined to put an

end to these domestic dissensions." Madame de

SonsTeld, who had been watching me all this while,

cast herself at my feet : tl For heaven's sake," cried

she, " do not suffer yourself to be intimidated ; I

know your good heart. You are apprehensive of

some misfortune befalling me, and you, madam, are

actually dragging me to the precipice by consenting

to be unhappy for the remainder of your life. I have

nothing to fear : my conscience is clear, and I shall

think myself the most fortunate creature on earth, if

I can procure your felicity at the expense of my

own." To soothe her, I feigned to have altered my

opinion.

In the evening, at five o'clock, Mrs Bock brought
me a letter from the queen ; it had been written on
the same day in the morning. It ran thus :

" All is lost, my dear Wilhelmiria. The king in-
sists upon your being married let what will be the
consequence. I have sustained several cruel conflicts
on the subject ; but neither my in treaties nor my
tears have had any effect. Eversmann is ordered to
make the necessary purchases for the wedding. You
must prepare yourself to lose madame de Sonsfeld ;
the king will overwhelm her with degrading and
infamous treatment if you do not obey. A deputation
will be sent to you to persuade you. For heaven's
sake ! in nowise consent ; I shall know how to sup-



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 221

port you A prison is better than an ill-fated mar-
riage. Adieu, my dear child; I expect everything
from your fortitude."

Madame de Sonsfeld likewise renewed her intrea-
ties, and used very impressive language to induce me
to follow the orders of the queen. To rid myself of
these torments, I returned to my room, where I sat
down before my pianoforte, as if I were setting an
air. I had not been there a moment, when a servant
entered, who said to me with affrighted looks :
" Heavens ! madam, there are four gentlemen who
would speak with you in the name of the king."
" Who are they?" I asked hastily. " I was so ter-
rified," answered he, " that I did not inquire." I
hastened to the room where my companions were.
As soon as I had told them what was going on, they
all ran away. My governess, who had gone to re-
ceive those unlucky visitors, returned, followed by
them. " For heaven's sake," said she in passing by
me, " do not suffer yourself to be intimidated." I
went into another room, into which they were imme-
diately ushered. They were MM. de Borck, Grum-
kow, Podewils, his son-in-law, and a fourth, who
was unknown to me ; but who I have since learned
was M. de Thulmeyer, secretary of state, till then, of
the queen's party. They caused my governess to
withdraw, and then they carefully shut the door. I
must own, that in spite of my fortitude, I felt a vio-
lent emotion at seeing myself so near to the decision
of my fate, and had it not been for a chair, which I
found in the middle of the room, and on which T
leaned, I should have fallen on the floor.

Grumkow spoke first. " We come, madam," said
he, " by order of the king. His majesty has hitherto
yielded to intreaties, hoping that he should still be
able to bring about your marriage with the prince of
Wales. I myself have been entrusted with the nego-
tiation, and I have done all I could to induce the court
of St James's to consent to that marriage simply,

u2



222 MEMOIRS OF THE

But instead of answering, as they ought, to the ad-
vantageous proposals of the king my master, the
English ministers have given him an insulting refu-
sal; and his Britannic majesty has declared, that his
son should be married before the end of the year. His
Prussian majesty being highly incensed at this pro-
ceeding, replied by assuring the king his brother-in-
law, that you should he married in less than three
months. You may easily suppose, madam, that he
will not suffer himself to be disappointed ; and
though as a father and a sovereign, he need not enter
upon any such discussion with you, he yet conde-
scends to represent to you what a disgrace it would
be for him and you, to continue to be trifled with by
England : you are aware, madam, that the obstinacy
of the British court has occasioned all the misfor-
tunes of your house. The intrigues of the queen, and
her perseverance in opposing the wishes of the king,
have so exasperated him against her, that nothing
less than a total separation is expected. Consider,
madam, the misfortunes of the prince royal, and of
many oilier individuals who have felt the weight of
his wrath. The poor prince royal drags on a misera-
ble life at Custrin. The king is still so irritated
against him, that he regrets having ordered the death
of Katt, because, he says, he might have obtained
some more important information. He still suspects
the prince to have been guilty of high- treason, and
will gladly avail himself of your refusal to bring him
to a fresh trial. But I come to the main point. To
obviate any difficulty you might throw in the way,
we are ordered to propose to you the hereditary prince
of Bareith only. You can have nothing to object
against him. This prince becomes the mediator be-
tween the king and queen. Her majesty has pro-
posed him to the king ; she therefore will approve of
the choice. The prince is of the house of Branden-
burgh, and will be sovereign of a very fine country at
the death of his father. As you are not acquainted



MARGRAVINE OF BARE1TH. 223

with him, madam, you cannot possibly have any
aversion for him. Moreover, he is everywhere ex-
tremely well spoken of. It is true, that, having been
brought up with ideas of grandeur, and having been
nattered with the hope of wearing a crown, you