APHORISMS OF FREDERICK THE GREAT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 297, 25 May 1915, Page 2

APHORISMS OF FREDERICK THE GREAT.

All I can with any certainty say is that in general my subjects are hardy and brave, uncurious as to eating, but fond of drinking; tyrants, on their, estates, and slaves in my service; insipid lovers and surly husbands ; pf a womlrously cold, phlegmatic, turn, which I t;ike to be at bottom rank stupidity ; good civilians, little of philosophers, less of poets, and still less of orators ; ail'ecting a great plainness in their dress, but imagining themselves dressed in high taste, with a little bag and a great hat, boots up to their waut, a little cane, a very short coat, with a very long waistcoat. -\o T had just then rendered my power twice as great as it was before, which was natural for me not to be contented with only preserving what F had, so that I was quickly determined to avail myself of the first opportunity that should offer. In the meanwhile T exercised my troops, and used my best endeavours to draw the eyes of all Europe on my manoeuvres ; I renewed them every year, in order fo appear more and more master of the art of war ; and at last I obtained my wish of procuring a general attention.

I turned the head of all the Powers, and all the world gave themselves up for lost, if their military did not move head, legs and arniß a la mode of the Prussian exercise. All my soldiers and my officers took it into their heads that they wore twice the men they wsre before on seeing they were everywhere aped. When my troops bad thus acquired an advantage over all others 1 had nothing to do but examine what pretensions it was possible for me to form upon different provinces.

Confer an air of superiority always on (lie profession of arms. Hut always attribute to your generals the disaster of a battle or the disastrous result of a campaign. You have seen how 1 punished l.e Kiwi and Prick for the surrender of Maxin, T/irtroit for the surrender at Schweidnitz, and Boute for having advised the surrender of the citadel of (ilatz.

In point of fact, none of these were, their fault. They were mine.

I do not know how I sueceded ; n reducing to the greatest exactitude in the army those who were regular bandits, and who had an air of the greatest arrogance. T appeared to inspire them with a way of thinking to sivt the circumstances. They were Arabs who crushed the country* but won the battles.

When a stranger conies to your court overwhelm him with civilities, and especially try to have him always near you; this'will be the best wa'v to keep concealed from him the defects of your government. If he is a military man. let the exercise of your regiments be performed before him, and let it be yourself that commands them. If he is a wit who has composed a work, let him see it laying on your table, and talk to him of his talents. If he is in a mercantile life, listen to him with afl'abililry, caress him, and try to fix him (in your country.