af。　Nothing　but　〃Defend　the　Weser；〃　and　ignorant　Fatuity　ready　for　the　Impossible；　is　to　be　made　out　there。　〃Cannot　help　it；　then；〃　thinks　Friedrich；　often　enough；　in　bad　moments；　〃Army　of　Observation　will　have　its　fate。　Happily　there　are　only　5；000　Prussians　in　it；　Wesel　and　the　other　garrisons　given　up！〃
  Only　5；000　Prussians：　by　original　Engagement；　there　should　have　been　25；000；　and　Friedrich's　intention　is　even　45；000　if　he　prosper　otherwise。　For　in　January；　1757　（Anniversary；　or　nearly　so；　of　that　NEUTRALITY　CONVENTION　last　year）；　there　had　beenencouraged　by　Pitt；　as　I　could　surmise；　who　always　likes　Friedricha　definite；　much　closer　TREATY　OF　ALLIANCE；　with　〃Subsidy　of　a　million　sterling；〃　Anti…Russian　〃Squadron　of　Observation　in　the　Baltic；〃　〃25；000　Prussians；〃　and　other　items；　which　I　forget。　Forget　the　more　readily；　as；　owing　to　the　strange　state　of　England　（near　suffocating　in　its　Constitutional　bedclothes）；　the　Treaty　could　not　be　kept　at　all；　or　serve　as　rule　to　poor　England's　exertions　for　Friedrich　this　Year；　exertions　which　were　of　the　willing…minded　but　futile　kind；　going　forward　pell…mell；　not　by　plan；　and　could　reach　Friedrich　only　in　the　lump；had　there　been　any　〃lump〃　of　them　to　sum　together。　But　Pitt　had　gone　out；we　shall　see　what；　in　Pitt's　absence；　there　was！　So　that　this　Treaty　1757　fell　quite　into　the　waste…basket　（not　to　say；　far　deeper；　by　way　of　〃pavement〃　we　know　where！）；and　is　not　mentioned　in　any　English　Book；　nor　was　known　to　exist；　till　some　Collector　of　such　things　printed　it；　in　comparatively　recent　times。　＇〃M。　Koch　in　1802；〃　not　very　perfectly　（Scholl；　iii。　30　n。；　who　copies　what　Koch　has　given）。＇　A　Treaty　1757；　which；　except　as　emblem　of　the　then　quasi…enchanted　condition　of　England；　and　as　Foreshadow　of　Pitt's　new　Treaty　in　January；　1758；　and　of　three　others　that　followed　and　were　kept　to　the　letter；　is　not　of　moment　farther。
  REICH'S　THUNDER；　SLIGHT　SURVEY　OF　IT；　WITH　QUESTION；　WHITHERWARD；　IF　ANY…WHITHER。
  The　thunderous　fulminations　in　the　Reich's…Dietan　injured　Saxony　complaining；　an　insulted　Kaiser；　after　vain　DEHORTATORIUMS；　reporting　and　denouncing　〃Horrors　such　as　these：　What　say　you；　O　Reich？〃have　been　going　on　since　September　last；　and　amount　to　boundless　masses　of　the　liveliest　Parliamentary　Eloquence；　now　fallen　extinct　to　all　creatures。　＇Given；　to　great　lengths；　in　　Helden…Geschichte；　　iii。　iv。　（and　other　easily　avoidable　Books）。＇　The　Kaiser；　otherwise　a　solid　pacific　gentleman；　intent　on　commercial　operations　（furnishes　a　good　deal　of　our　meal；　says　Friedrich）；　is　Officially　extremely　violent　in　behalf　of　injured　Saxony；that　is　to　say；　in　fact；　of　injured　Austria；　which　is　one's　own。　Kur…Mainz；　Chairman　of　the　Diet　（we　remember　how　he　was　got；　and　a　Battle　of　Dettingen　fought　in　consequence；　long　since）；　Kur…Mainz　is　admitted　to　have　the　most　decided　Austrian　leanings：　Britannic　George；　Austria　being　now　in　the　opposite　scale；　finds　him　an　unhandy　Kur…Mainz；　and　what　profit　it　was　to　introduce　false　weights　into　the　Reich's　balance　that　time！　Not　for　long　generations　before；　had　the　poor　old　semi…imaginary　Reich's…　Diet　risen　into　such　paroxysms；　nor　did　it　ever　again　after。　Never　again；　in　its　terrestrial　History；　was　there　such　agonistic　parliamentary　struggle；　and　terrific　noise　of　parliamentary　palaver；　witnessed　in　the　poor　Reich's…Diet。　Noise　and　struggle　rising　ever　higher；　peal　after　peal；　from　September；　1756；　when　it　started；　till　August；　1757；　when　it　had　reached　its　acme　（as　perhaps　we　shall　see）；　though　it　was　far　from　ending　then；　or　for　years　to　come。
  Contemporary　by…standers　remark；　on　the　Austrian　part；　extraordinary　rage　and　hatred　against　Prussia；　which　is　now　the　one　point　memorable。　Austria　is　used　to　speak　loud　in　the　Diet；　as　we　have　ourselves　seen：　and　it　is　again　（if　you　dive　into　those　old　AEolus'…Caves；　at　your　peril）　unpleasantly　notable　to　what　pitch　of　fixed　rage；　and　hot　sullen　hatred　Austria　has　now　gone；　and　how　the　tone　has　in　it　a　potency　of　world…wide　squealing　and　droning；　such　as　you　nowhere　heard　before。　Omnipotence　of　droning；　edged　with　shrieky　squealing；　which　fills　the　Universe；　not　at　all　in　a　melodious　way。　From　the　depths　of　the　gamut　to　the　shrieky　top　again；a　droning　that　has　something　of　porcine　or　wild…boar　character。　Figure　assembled　the　wild　boars　of　the　world；　all　or　mostly　all　got　together；　and　each　with　a　knife　just　stuck　into　its　side；　by　a　felonious　individual　too　well　known；you　will　have　some　notion　of　the　sound　of　these　things。　Friedrich　sometimes　remonstrates：　〃Cannot　you　spare　such　phraseology；　unseemly　to　Kings？　The　quarrels　of　Kings　have　to　be　decided　by　the　sword；　what　profit　in　unseemly　language；　Madam？〃but；　for　the　first　year　and　more；　there　was　no　abatement　on　the　Austrian　part。
  Friedrich's　own　Delegate　at　Regensburg；　a　Baron　von　Plotho；　come　of　old　Brandenburg　kindred；　is　a　resolute；　ready…tongued；　very　undaunted　gentleman；　learned　in　Diplomacies　and　Reich's　Law；　carries　his　head　high；　and　always　has　his　story　at　hand。　Argument；　grounded　on　Reich's　Law　and　the　nature　of　the　case；　Plotho　never　lacks；　on　spur　of　the　hour：　and　is　indeed　a　very　commendable　parliamentary　mastiff；　and　honorable　and　melodious　in　the　bark　of　him；　compared　with　those　infuriated　porcine　specimens。　He　has　Kur…Hanover　for　ally　on　common　occasions；　and　generally　from　most　Protestant　members　individually；　or　from　the　CORPUS　EVANGELICORUM　in　mass；　some　feeble　whimper　of　support。　Finds　difficulty　in　getting　his　Reich's　Pleadings　printed；　dangerous；　everywhere　in　those　Southern　Parts；　to　print　anything　whatever　that　is　not　Austrian：　so　that　Plotho；　at　length；　gets　printers　to　himself；　and　sets　up　a　Printing…Press　in　his　own　house　at　Regensburg。　He　did　a　great　deal　of　sonorous　pleading　for　Friedrich；　proud；　deep…voiced；　ruggedly　logical；　fairly　beyond　the　Austrian　quality　in　many　cases；and　always　far　briefer；　which　is　another　high　merit。　October　coming；　we　purpose　to　look　in　upon　Plotho　for　one　minute；　〃October　14th；　1757；〃　which　may　be　reckoned　essentially　the　acme　or　tuming…point　of　these　unpleasant　thunderings。　＇　Helden…Geschichte；　　iv。　745…749。＇
  What　good　he　did　to　Friedrich；　or　could　have　done　with　the　tongue　of　angels　in　such　an　audience；　we　do　not　accurately　know。　Some　good　he　would　do　even　in　the　Reich's…Diet　there；　and　out　of　doors；　over　a　German　public；　still　more；　and　is　worth　his　frugal　wages；say　1；000　pounds　a　year；　printing　and　all　other　expense　included！　This　is　a　mere　guess　of　mine；　Dryasdust　having　been　incurious：　but；　to　English　readers　it　is　incredible　for　what　sums　Friedrich　got　his　work　done；　no　work　ever　better。　Which　is　itself　an　appreciable　advantage；　computable　in　pounds　sterling；　and　is　the　parent　of　innumerable　others　which　no　Arithmetic　or　Book…keeping　by　Double　Entry　will　take　hold　of；　and　which　are　indeed　priceless　for　Nations　and　for　persons。　But　this　poor　old　bedridden　Reich；　starting　in　agonistic　spasm　at　such　rate：　is　it　not　touching；　in　a　Corpus　moribund　for　so　many　Centuries　past！　The　Reich　is　something；　though　it　is　not　much；　nothing　like　so　much　as　even　Kaiser　Franz　supposes　it。　Much　or　not　so　much；　Kaiser　Franz　wishes　to　secure　it　for　himself；　Friedrich　to　hinder　him；and　it　must　be　a　poor　something；　if　not　worth　Plotho's　wages　on　Friedrich's　part。
  It　would　insult　the　patience　of　every　reader　to　go　into　these　　　spasmodic　tossings　of　the　poor　paralytic　Reich；　or　to　mention　the　least　item　of　them　beyond　what　had　some　result；　or　fraction　of　result；　on　the　world's　real　affairs。　We　shall　say　only；　therefore；　that　after　tempests　not　a　few　of　porcine　squealing；　answered　always　by　counter…latration　on　the　vigilant　Plotho's　part；squealing；　chiefly；　from　the　Reich's…Hofrath　at　Vienna；　the　Head　Tribunal　of　Imperial　Majesty；　which　sits　judging　and　denouncing　there；　touched　to　the　soul；　as　if　by　a　knife　driven　into　its　side；　by　those　unheard…of　treatments　of　Saxony　and　disregard　to　our　DEHORTATORIUMS；　and　which　bursts　out；　peal　after　peal；　filling　the　Universe；　Plotho　not　unvigilant；the　poor　old　Reich's…Diet　did　at　last　get　into　an　acting　posture；　and　determine；　by　clear　majority　of　99　against　60；　that　there　should　be　a　〃Reich's　Execution　Army〃　got　on　foot。　Reich's　Execution　Army　to　coerce；　by　force　of　arms；　this　nefarious　King　of　Prussia　into　making　instant　restitution　to　Saxony；　with　ample　damages　on　the　nail；　that　right　be　done　to　Kurfursts　of　this　Reich。　To　such　height　of　vigor　has　the　Reich's…　Diet　gone；and　was　voting　it　at　Regensburg　January　10th；　1757；　＇　Helden…Geschichte；　　iv。　252；　302；　330；　Stenzel；　v。　32。＇　that　very　day　when　nefarious　Friedrich　at　Berlin；　case…hardened　in　iniquity　to　such　a　pitch；　sat　writing　his　INSTRUCTION　TO　COUNT　FINCK；　which　we　read　not　long　since。　Simultaneous　movements；　unknown　to　one　another；　in　this　big　wrestle。
  Reich's…Diet　perfected　its　Vote；　had　it　quite　through；　and　sanctioned　by　the　Kaiser's　Majesty；　January　29th：　〃Arming　to　be　a　TRIPLUM〃　（triple　contingent　required　of　you　this　time）；　with　Romish…months　（ROMERMONATE）　of　cash　contributions　from　all　and　sundry　（rigorously　gathered；　I　should　hope；　where　Austria　has　power）；　so　many　as　will　cover　the　expense。　Army　to　be　got　on　actual　foot　hastily；　instantly　if　poss