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.