welters overwhelmed by wildernesses of the dead and nugatory, one
at length disengages this fact; and readers may take it along with
them, for it proves illuminative of Friedrich's procedures now and
afterwards. A fixed notion of Friedrich's, this of German Princes
"uniting," when the common dangers become flagrant; a very lively
notion with him at present. He will himself cheerfully take the
lead in such Union, but he must not venture alone. [See Adelung,
iii. A and B, passim; Valori, i. 178; &c. &c.]

The Reich, when appealed to, with such degree of emphasis, in this
matter,--we see how the Reich has responded! Later on, Friedrich
tried "the Swabian Circle" (chief scene of these Austrian-Bavarian
tusslings); which has, like the other Circles, a kind of
parliament, and pretends to be a political unity of some sort.
"Cannot the Swabian Circle, or Swabian and Frankish joined (to
which one might declare oneself PROTECTOR, in such case), order
their own Captains, with military force of their own, say 20,000
men, to rank on the Frontier; and to inform peremptorily all
belligerents and tumultuous persons, French, Bavarian, English,
Austrian: 'No thoroughfare; we tell you, No admittance here!'"
Friedrich, disappointed of the Reich, had taken up that smaller
notion: and he spent a good deal of endeavor on that too,--of which
we may see some glimpse, as we proceed. But it proves all futile.
The Swabian Circle too is a moribund horse; all these horses dead
or moribund.

Friedrich, of course, has thought much what kind of Peace could be
offered by a mediating party. The Kaiser has lost his Bavaria:
yet he is the Kaiser, and must have a living granted him as such.
Compensations, aspirations, claims of territory; these will be