must necessarily be affected at its loss : but great
princesses are born to be sacrificed for the welfare of
the state. Grandeur, after all, does not constitute
solid happiness. Submit, therefore, to the decrees of
Providence, and give us an answer calculated to re-
establish harmony and peace in your family. I have
still two points to touch upon ; one of which, I hope,
will be unnecessary. The king engages to give you,
if you obey, advantages far exceeding those of the
rest of his children, and to grant you, immediately
after your nuptials, the entire liberty of the prince
royal. For your sake, he will forget the past, and
kindly use both the queen and the prince. But if,
contrary to his expectations and contrary to argu-
ments which I consider as insuperable, you persist in
your refusal, we have the order of the king, (which
he showed me at the same time) to take you instantly
to Memel, a fortified town in Lithuania, and to treat
madame de Sonsfeld and the rest of your domestics
with the utmost severity."

This long speech had given me time to reflect, and
to recover from my first terror. " What you have
been stating to me, Sir," I replied, " is so just and
so reasonable, that it would be difficult to refute your
arguments. Had the king known me, he would per-
haps have done me more justice. Ambition is not my
failing ; I easily renounce the grandeur to which you
alluded. The queen thought she was providing for
my happiness by establishing me in England : but
she never consulted my heart on the subject, and I
never dared to communicate to her my real senti-
ments. How I have lost the good graces of his ma-
jesty, I know not. He always applied to the queen



224 MEMOIRS OF THE

about my establishment, and never let me know his
own wishes on that head. Eversmann, it is true, has
frequently presumed to tell me of the king's com-
mands on that subject : but I had so little faith in
them, that I never condescended to give him any
answer. I did not think proper to commit myself
towards a menial servant, or to enter into any \liscus-
sion with him upon matters of such importance. You
promise me, in the name of the king, that he will
henceforth behave better to the queen, He grants
entire liberty to my brother, and flatters me with per-
manent harmony in the family. These three motives
are more than sufficient to induce me to submit to
the king, and would exact a greater sacrifice from
me, if such were his commands. I ask only one
single favour, that of being allowed to obtain the
consent of her majesty."

"Ah! madam!" said Grumkow, "you require
an impossibility. The king wants a positive and un-
conditional answer, and orders us not to leave you
without obtaining it." '* Can you still hesitate?"
added field-marshal Borck; " the tranquillity of her
majesty and of your whole house depends on your
resolution. The queen can but approve of it ; if she
does not, she will incur general disapprobation. All
is at stake," continued he with tears in his eyes ; " for
heaven's sake ! madam, do not reduce us to the sad
necessity of causing you uneasiness, by following the
instructions we have received."

I was in a dreadful agitation, running to and fro
through the room, searching for some expedient to
satisfy the king, without disobliging the queen. The
gentlemen wished to give me time to reflect. Grum-
kow, Borck, and Podewils, went to the window, and
conferred in a low voice. Thulmeyer availed himself
of this opportunity to approach me, and seeing that I
did not know him, he told me his name. " There is
no time left for resistance," he whispered to me,



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 225

" submit to anything that is required of you : your
marriage will not take place, I answer for it with my
head. You must appease the king, whatever it may
cost you ; and I engage to convince the queen that
it is the only means of obtaining a favourable decla-
ration from the king of England." These words
quickly brought me to a determination. I walked up
to the gentlemen, and said: "Well! my resolution
is taken ; I consent to your proposals : I sacrifice
myself for my family. I expect dreadful troubles ;
but the purity of my intentions will make me bear
them with firmness. As for you, gentlemen, I sum-
mon you before the tribunal of the Most High, if you
do not insist upon the performance of the promises
which you have given me in the name of his majesty,
in behalf of the queen and my brother." They most
solemnly swore they would see them executed in
every respect ; after which, they requested me to write
my resolution to the king. Grumkow, perceiving
that J was in a cruel agitation, dictated the letter ; he
also undertook to deliver that which I wrote to the
queen. They at length withdrew. Thulmeyer again
told me, that nothing was lost yet. " I care not for
England," I answered ; " it is the queen alone that
causes my uneasiness/' " We shall appease her, I
assure you," he replied.

When I was thus left to myself, I dropped into an
arm-chair, where I shed a flood of tears : madame de
Sonsfeld found me in that situation. I told her, in
broken accents, what had passed. She overwhelmed
me with the most bitter reproaches ; her grief was
inconceivable. Every one around me was terrified,
and wept. My poor heart was distracted with its
own feelings ; I remained motionless the whole day ;
and, excepting madame de Sonsfeld, all my friends
approved of my conduct, but all feared the resentment
of the queen against me. The next morning I wrote
to her majesty. I have preserved the copy of that
letter j I shall transcribe it here.



226 MEMOIRS OF THE

" MADAM,

" Your majesty is already acquainted with my mis-
fortune by the letter which I had the honour to ad-
dress to you yesterday under cover to the king. I
have scarcely strength to trace these lines : my situ-
ation is entitled to commiseration. It is not the
king's menaces, strong as they were, that have ob-
tained my submission to the will of his majesty ; an
interest more dear has determined me to the sacrifice.
Hitherto I have been the innocent cause of the pains
your majesty has endured. My too feeling heart was
violently affected at the moving picture your majesty
lately gave me of your troubles. My mother wished
to suffer for me ; is it not more natural that I should
sacrifice myself for her, and put a final stop to the
fatal disunion of the family ? Could I have hesi-
tated a moment between my brother's misfortune
and his pardon? What horrible projects have been
disclosed to me in his respect ! I shudder when I
think of them. Whatever I could have advanced
against the proposal of the king, has been reflected
on beforehand. You yourself have proposed the
prince of Bareith as a suitable match for me ; and
you seemed satisfied if I married him ; I therefore
cannot imagine that you will disapprove of my reso-
lution. Necessity is a hard law; all my intreaties
for leave to obtain first the consent of your majesty,
have been vain. I was forced to chuse, either to
obey with a good grace, and obtain real advantages
for my brother, or to expose myself to violences
which in the end would still have reduced me to the
measure which I have adopted. I shall have the
honour to enter into a more minute account when I
am allowed to embrace your majesty's feet. Full well
I feel how great must be your grief ; it is that which
affects me most. I humbly beseech your majesty not
to be disquieted on my behalf, and to rely on Provi-
dence, which does everything for our welfare ; parti-
cularly as I deem myself fortunate in becoming the



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 227



instrument of my dear mother's and my brother's
happiness. What would I not do to convince them
of my affection ! I once more intreat your majesty
to take care of your health, and not to impair it by
immoderate sorrow. The prospect of seeing my
brother soon, must alleviate your majesty's present
misfortune. I hope your majesty will generously
forgive the fault I have committed of entering into
any engagement unknown to your majesty, in consi-
deration of the tender regard and the dutiful respect
with which I shall remain for life, &c. &c. &c."

The same evening Eversmann brought me a letter
from the king, written with Ms own hand.

" I am very glad, my dear Wilhelmina, that you
submit to the will of your father. Heaven will bless
you, and never forsake you. I shall take care of you
all the days of my life, and convince you on every
occasion, that I am

" Your affectionate Father."

As Eversmann was going to Potsdam, I gave him
my answer. It would be difficult to describe the sen-
sations I felt. My vanity was flattered with what I
had done ; I inwardly applauded myself, and enjoyed
a secret satisfaction for having sheltered individuals
so dear to me from all persecutions. To these con-
siderations succeeded the idea of my own fate, which
filled me with serious apprehensions. I did not know
the prince whom I was to marry ; he was generally
well spoken of, but is it possible to judge of the dis-
position of a prince who is only seen in public, and
whose prepossessing manners may hide many vices
and failings ? I foresaw the rage and despair of the
queen ; and I confess that this consideration disturbed
me more than the former. I was absorbed in this
contemplation with a confused mixture of pleasure
and pain ; when Mrs Bock brought me the queen's
answer to the first letter I had written to her majesty.
Good heavens ! what a letter ! The expressions were



228 MEMOIRS OF THE

so harsh, that they almost killed me. I would not
for the world recall the whole epistle to my mind ; I
shall only give a slight sketch of it. My mother is
too dear to me, notwithstanding her cruelty, that I
should disgrace her by publishing a writing which
would do her no honour. I did not wish to keep it
on that account. Here are a few sentences :

" You break my heart by giving me the most vio-
lent pain I ever felt in my life. I had placed all my
hopes in you ; but 1 did not know you. You have
artfully disguised the malice of your soul and the
meanness of your sentiments. I repent, a thousaud
times over, the kindness I have had for you, the cares
I have taken of your education ; and the torments I
have endured for your sake. I no longer acknow-
ledge you for my daughter, and shall henceforth con-
sider you as my most cruel enemy, since it is you that
sacrifice me to my persecutors, who triumph over me.
Rely on me no longer. I vow you eternal hatred,
and never shall forgive you."

The last sentence made me shudder. I perfectly
knew the queen and her vindictive disposition. It
was expected that my brain would be disordered, so
great was the violence of my first emotion. Mrs
Bock made a very sensible observation : she stated,
that the letter was written in the heat of the first
agitation. She read me a letter from her husband,
who sent me word that all who were about the queen
were jointly endeavouring to appease her wrath ; that
I was to continue to make her submissions, and that
he doubted not but she would be herself again. Five
or six days elapsed, during which I received none
but killing letters.

At the end of this time, Eversmann came back from
Potsdam. He brought me very gracious compli-
ments from the king, and told me, on his part, that
as he intended to be at Berlin on the 23d, he had not
thought proper to invite me to Potsdam ; particularly
as it was better to give the queen time to be appeased.



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 229

He added that she was in a terrible passion against
me, and that I ought to arm myself with fortitude
for the first interview, which would be attended with
great violence. Eversmann renewed his visit three
days after. " The king informs you, madam," said
he, " that his majesty will be here tomorrow early,
and orders you. to be with the princesses your sisters
in his apartment." The anxiety in which I was about
the coming of the queen, kept me all the day in a
profound melancholy.

The next day I went to the king, who arrived at
two o'clock in the afternoon. I expected a favoura-
ble reception : but how great was my surprise to see
him enter with looks as fierce as those he had given
me the last time I had seen him. He asked me in an
angry tone : " Will you obey ?" I cast myself at his
feet, assuring him that I submitted to his commands,
and intreated him to restore his paternal love to me.
My answer brightened his countenance. He lifted
me up, and holding me in his arms, he said : " I am
satisfied with you ; I will take care of you all the
days of my life, and will never forsake you." Then
turning to my sister Sophia, he added : " congratu-
late your sister ; she is betrothed to the hereditary
prince of Bareith ; let not this give you any pain j I
shall take care to find you another establishment."
He afterwards gave me a piece of brocade. " Here
is wherewith to adorn you for the entertainments I
intend to give. I have some business to transact,"
continued he ; "go and wait for your mother." She
arrived at seven o'clock in the evening. I went to
meet her in her first anti-room, and swooned in
stooping to kiss her hand. It was a long time before
I could be recalled to life. I have since been told,
that she did not appear affected at my situation
When I had recovered my senses, I cast myself at her
feet : my heart was so oppressed, and my articulation
so choaked with sobs, that I could not utter a word.
The queen all this time looked at me with severity



-230 MEMOIRS OF THE

and contempt, and repeated all she had written to me.
The scene would never have ended had not Mrs
Ramen taken the queen aside and remonstrated, that
if the king heard of her behaviour he would highly
disapprove of it, and avenge it upon my brother and
her ; that my grief was so excessive, that I should
not be able to restrain it before the king, which would
cause her fresh troubles. This officious sermon had
its effect. The queen at bottom feared the king as
much as Lucifer. She at last lifted me up, telling
me, in a harsh tone, " that she would forgive me, if
I restrained myself."

The duchess of Bevem entered at that moment.
She seemed moved with my situation ; the tears I
had wept had swollen my face and rubbed the skin
off. She expressed in a low voice the concern she
felt for my distress. A certain sympathy created
between us a friendship which subsists at this mo-
ment.

In the mean time, M. de Thulmeyer performed the
promise he had given me of appeasing the queen.
He secretly wrote to her the next day, that there was
yet no occasion to despair ; that my marriage was a
mere feint of the king to induce his Britannic majesty
to come to a different resolution ; that he had en-
quired everywhere for the prince of Bareith, and had
been assured he was still at Paris. This letter com-
pletely quieted her majesty. I have already observed,
that the queen was apt to indulge flattering hopes.
She really continued in a charming humour all the
day. I was obliged to tell her all that had passed
during her absence. She contented herself with
making me a few more reproaches on my want of
firmness, but they were delivered in a more gentle
tone. But all her wrath fell upon madame de Sons-
feld. She had used her very ill the day before, and,
in spite of my solicitations, she persisted in giving
her proofs of her hatred. Three days glided away in
a perfect calm. The king said nothing more about



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH. 231

my marriage : it seemed as though my consent had
made him give up the idea of it.

Monday the 28th of May 1731, was fixed for a
grand review of the troops. It was to be very splen-
did. The king had collected all the regiments of
infantry and cavalry of the neighbourhood, which,
together with the garrison of Berlin, formed a corps
of twenty thousand men. The duke Eherhard Louis
of Wirtemberg arrived in time to be present at the
review. The king had passed through the dominions
of that prince a short time before the unfortunate affair
of my brother. Having been delighted with the eager-
ness which the duke had manifested to render his stay
at Stutgard agreeable to him, the king, in his turn,
had invited him to Berlin. As my father knew of no
pleasure superior to that which he took in his troops,
he judged of others by himself, and thought he gave
great satisfaction to the foreign princes who came to
his court by showing them his army. It must, how-
ever, be owned, that on this occasion he surpassed
even himself by the costliness of his table, which had
fourteen different dishes served up all the time that
the strangers stayed at Berlin ; and this was no small
effort for my father.

On Sunday the 2/th, the king requested the queen
to be present at the review, and to take my sister, the
duchess, and myself, in her phaeton. As he was to
rise very early, he went to bed at seven, and ordered
the queen to entertain the strangers, and detain them
to supper ; and we played at pharo till it was served
up. When we crossed the room to sit down to table,
we saw a chaise with post-horses driving into the
palace-yard, and stopping at the grand entrance. The
queen appeared surprised, as princes alone had that
prerogative. She immediately enquired who it was ?
and heard, a moment after, that it was die hereditary
prince of Bareith. Medusa's head never caused a
terror like that with which the queen was struck.
She was quite stupified, and her complexion under*



232 MEMOIRS OF THE

went such various and rapid changes, that we thought
she would faint away. Her situation pierced my
heart; I was motionless as well as she; and every
one appeared seized with consternation. The re-
flection, in the mean time, rushed upon my mind,
that there was some disagreeable scene preparing for
the next day ; and I besought the queen to excuse
my accompanying her to the review, as I expected all
kinds of rude jokes from the king, which would give
her as much pain as myself, particularly if we were
exposed to them in public. She approved of what I
suggested; but after having weighed the matter on
both sides, her slavish fear of the king preponderated,
and it was decided that I should go to the review. I
could not sleep all the night. Madame de Sonsfeld
sat up by my bed-side, endeavouring to comfort me,
and to remove my apprehensions of the future. I
rose at four o'clock in the morning, and hid my face
under a triple veil to conceal my trouble. Thus
equipped, I went to meet the queen, and we set out
immediately.

The troops were already drawn up in battle array
when we arrived. The king made us ride down the
line. It was, it must be owned, the finest sight that
could be seen. But I shall not dwell on this subject;
these troops have shown that they are as good as bril-
liant ; and the king my father has acquired everlasting
fame for the wonderful subordination he has intro-
duced into his army, with which he has laid the foun-
dation of the greatness of his house. The margrave
of Schwedtwas at the head of his regiment; he seemed
swollen with anger, and gave us his military salute
with averted eyes. Colonel Wachholtz, whom the
king had appointed guide to the queen, placed us near
a battery of guns at a great distance from this small
army. He approached the queen, and told her in a
whisper, that the king had ordered him to present the
prince of Bareith to her majesty; and he brought
him a moment after. The queen received him with



MARGRAVINE OF BAREITH; 233

a haughty air, and asked him some insignificant ques-
tions, which ended by a signal to withdraw. The
weather was excessively hot ; I had had no sleep ;
a thousand anxieties preyed upon my mind, and I had
not broken my fast ; all this made me ill. The queen
permitted me to be removed to the carriage of her
ladies, where I soon found myself better. The king
and the prince dined together, and we passed the day
in our usual retirement.

On the 29th, in the morning, all the foreign princes
paid their respects to the queen. She scarcely spoke
to the prince of Bareith. When he was presented to
me, I merely dropped a curtsey without replying to
bis compliment. He is tall and well made, and has a
noble air ; his features are neither handsome nor re-
gular, but his open, prepossessing, and agreeable
countenance, supplies the want of beauty. He ap-
peared very lively, prompt at a repartee, and was not
embarrassed in the least.

Two days elapsed in this manner. The silence of
the king, while it disconcerted us, revived the hopes
of the queen ; but the tables were turned on the 31st.
The king having sent for the queen and myself to his
closet ; " You know," said he, addressing her majesty,
" that I have promised my daughter to the prince of
Bareith ; I have fixed the betrothing for to-morrow.
I shall be infinitely obliged to you, and you will be
entitled to my tenderest affection, if you behave well
to the prince and Wilhelmina; if not, you may rely
on my indignation. By Lucifer! I will put an end to
your frivolous opposition, and take a bloody ven-
geance." Terrified at this address, the queen pro-
mised whatever he required; and the king, in return,
caressed her tenderly. He requested her to dress me
as sumptuously as possible, and to lend me her jewels.
She was in 'ja, terrible rage, and now and then cast the
most furious glances upon me. The king left us, and
came soon after to the apartment of the queen with
the prince, whom he introduced to her as his son-in-

x 2



234 MEMOIRS OF THE

law. She gave him a tolerable reception before the
king, but as soon as the latter was gone, she plied
him with nothing but sarcasms. After cards we sat
down to supper. When this was over, the queen
was going to withdraw, but the prince followed her ;
"I beseech you, madam," said he, " to grant me a
short audience. I am acquainted with every parti-
cular concerning your majesty and the princess. I
know she had been destined to wear a crown, and
that it was your majesty's fond wish to establish her
in England ; it is merely the dissension between the
two courts to which I am indebted for the honour the
king has done me to select me for his son-in-law. I
deem myself the happiest of mortals in being allowed
to make my suit to a princess, for whom I already
feel all the respect and esteem which she deserves.
But these very sentiments inspire me with too much
regard for her to plunge her into misfortunes by a
marriage which perhaps does not suit her royal high-
ness. 1 therefore entreat you, madam, to deal with
me sincerely on that point, and to be persuaded that
your answer will decide the happiness or misery of
my life ; for, if it be not favourable I shall break oft'
every engagement with the king, whatever may be
the unhappiness I shall thus entail upon myself.'*
The queen remained for a moment in suspense; but,
suspecting the candour of the prince, she answered,
that she had nothing to object to the king's choice,
and that she and I were obeying the king's com-
mands She could not help observing to madame de
Kamken, that the prince had taken a very artful step,
but that she had not been his dupe.

On Sunday the 3d of June, I went in the morning,
in an elegant undress, to the queen. The king was
with her ; he caressed me much on giving me the be-
trothing ring, which was a large diamond, and re-
peated his promise to take care of me all his life-time,
if I went through the ceremony with a good grace.
He even presented me with a set of gold dishes and



MARGRAVINE OF BARE1TH. 235

plates ; adding, that it was but a trifle, as he had still
greater presents in store for me.

In the evening, at seven, we went to the state apart-
ments. A room had been prepared for the queen,
her court, and the foreign princes, where we sat
down to wait for the king. The queen was in an
agitation which she vainly strove to conceal. She
had not said a word to me all the day, and expressed
her displeasure merely by her glances. The margra-
vine Philippa, whom the king compelled to attend at
the ceremony, could scarcely restrain her vexation.
Her son, the margrave of Schwedt, bluntly refused to
be present, and preferred leaving the town that he
might not hear the noise of the guns. At length the
king came with the prince. He was as much moved
as the queen ; which made him forget to betroth us in
public in the hall, where the company was assembled,
He came up to me, holding the prince by the hand,
and made us change rings. 1 trembled greatly while
doing this. I would have kissed the king's hand, but
he lifted me up and held me for a while closed in his