The king of Prussia sometimes resides at Berlin, and sometimes at Potsdam. There are about as many people in Prussia as in the United States of America. A very singular fashion prevails in some parts of Prussia. The men shave the hair from their heads, leaving only a small circle on the top. I should like to tell you about a very extraordinary king, named Frederic, that lived in Prussia, being born in 1712, more than a hundred FREDERICK THE GREAT. years ago. Several of the nations around him made war upon him with their armies. Frederic led his troops against them, and many battles were fought. Sometimes Frederic and his army were beaten, but more frequently he overcame his enemies. Very few kings lead their own armies to battle; but Frederic loved to be at the head of his army, and to share with his poor soldiers the dangers and sufferings of war. He was called Frederic the Great; and he was rendered more truly great by his benevolence, than by his most renowned vic Which is the largest city in Prussia? tories. Frederic the Great one day rang his bell several times, and nobody came. He opened the door and found his page asleep in an arm-chair in the adjoining chamber, where he ought always to have been waiting, in readiness to obey his royal master's summons. Going forward to awake him, he perceived the corner of a note peeping out of his pocket. Curious to know what it was, he took it without waking the page, and read it. It was a letter from the mother of the youth, thanking him for sending her part of his wages to relieve her poverty. She concluded by telling him that God would bless him for his good conduct. The king, after having read it, went softly into his room, took a purse of ducats, and slipped it, with the letter, into the pocket of the page. He then returned, and rang his bell so loud that the page awoke and went in. "Thou hast slept well," said the king. The page wished put his hand, by to excuse himself, and in his confusion, chance, into his pocket, and felt the purse with astonishment. He drew it out, turned pale, and, looking at the king, burst into tears, without being able to utter a word. "What is the matter?" said the king. "What hast thou?" Where does the king of Prussia reside? "Ah! Sire," replied the youth, falling on his knees, "they wish to ruin me: I do not know how this money came into my pocket." "My friend," said Frederic, "God often sends us blessings while we are asleep. Send that to thy mother, salute her from me, and say that I will take care of her and thee." Such an action as this is more to the praise of Frederic, than the greatest victory he ever obtained. You may be sure the poor page was overjoyed at being not only pardoned for having slept at his post, but rewarded for the love he had shown to his absent mother. King Frederic was a man of great learning, and he wrote several very valuable books; but if he had loved the Bible more, and the works of atheists less, he might have been both wiser and happier than he was. He died about seventy years ago. CHAPTER XVIII. PARLEY GOES TO VIENNA. JENKINS and I, after staying about a week in Berlin, departed for Vienna, the capital of Austria. We travelled the whole distance on foot. We found the inns in Germany to be very singular. They are very much like large barns, in which the horses, cows, asses, pigs, and people, all have rooms. Sometimes, while I was sleeping in these taverns, I was What kind of books did King Frederic write? Describe the inns in Germany. waked from my sleep by the neighing of a horse, or the braying of an ass; then a pig would squeal, and a cow would bellow. Jenkins was sometimes a little impatient, and he would call out to these animals to be still, but the more he said to them, the more noise they made. In the forests of Germany, there are many wild boars, large fierce animals with long and dangerous tusks. It is a favourite sport with the gentlemen of Germany to hunt What sport are the gentlemen in Germany fond of? |