Years or more (till August, 1744, Twenty-six Months in all),
Friedrich, busy on his own affairs, with carefully neutral aspect
towards this War, yet with sword ready for drawing in case of need,
looks on with intense vigilance; using his wisest interference, not
too often either, in that sense and in that only, "Be at Peace; oh,
come to Peace!"--and finds that the benevolent Public and he have
been mistaken in their hopes. For the next Two Years, we say:--for
the first Year (or till about August, 1743), with hope not much
abated, and little actual interference needed; for the latter
Twelvemonth, with hope ever more abating; interference, warning,
almost threatening ever more needed, and yet of no avail, as if
they had been idle talking and gesticulation on his part:--till, in
August, 1744, he had to--But the reader shall gradually see it, if
by any method we can show it him, in something of its real
sequence; and shall judge of it by his own light.

Friedrich's Domestic History was not of noisy nature, during this
interval:--and indeed in the bewildered Records given of it, there
is nothing visible, at first, but one wide vortex of simmering
inanities; leading to the desperate conclusion that Friedrich had
no domestic history at all. Which latter is by no means the fact!
Your poor Prussian Dryasdust (without even an Index to help you)
being at least authentic, if you look a long time intensely and on
many sides, features do at last dawn out of those sad vortexes;
and you find the old Reinsberg Program risen to activity again;
and all manner of peaceable projects going on. Friedrich visits the
Baths of Aachen (what we call Aix-la-Chapelle); has the usual
Inspections, business activities, recreations, visits of friends.
He opens his Opera-House, this first winter. He enters on Law-
reform, strikes decisively into that grand problem; hoping to