I should guess it was their terrors mainly, and over-readiness to
reckon Friedrich a sinking ship; and to leap from the deck of him,
--with a spurn which he took for insolent! The Anhalt-Dessauers
particularly, who were once of his very Army, half Prussians for
generations back, he reckoned to have used him scandalously ill.

"This Year the requisition on the Four Anhalts--which they submit
to patiently, as people who have leapt into the wrong ship--is, in
precise tale: of money, 330,000 thalers (about 50,000 pounds);
recruits, 2,200; horses, 1,800. In Saxony, besides the fixed Taxes,
strict confiscation of Meissen Potteries and every Royalty, there
were exacted heavy 'Contributions,' more and more heavy, from the
few opulent Towns, chiefly from Leipzig; which were wrung out,
latterly, under great severities,--'chief merchants of Leipzig all
clapt in prison, kept on bread-and-water till they yielded,'--AS
great severities as would suffice, but NOT greater; which also was
noted. Unfortunate chief merchants of Leipzig,--with Bruhl and
Polish Majesty little likely to indemnify them! Unfortunate Country
altogether. An intelligent Saxon, who is vouched for as impartial,
bears witness as follows: 'And this I know, that the oppressions
and plunderings of the Austrians and Reichsfolk, in Saxony, turned
all hearts away from them; and it was publicly said, We had rather
bear the steady burden of the Prussians than such help as these our
pretended Deliverers bring.' [Stenzel (citing from KRIEGSKANZLEI,
which I have not), v. 137 n.] Whereby, on the whole, the poor
Country got its back broken, and could never look up in the world
since. Resource FIRST was abundantly severe.

"Resource SECOND is strangest of all;--and has given rise to
criticism enough! It is no other than that of issuing base money;