now in the world, or perhaps that ever was in it. Other monarchs have attempted to carry discipline to the fame degree of perfection, and have begun this plan with aftonishing eagerness. But a little time and new objects have blunted their keennefs, and divided their attention. They have then delegated the execution to a commander in chief, he to another of inferior rank, and thus a certain degree of relaxation having once taken place, foon pervades the whole fyftem; but the perfe verance of the King of Pruffia is without example, and is perhaps the most remarkable part of his extraordinary character.

That degree of exertion which a man of a vigorous mind is capable of making on fome very important occafion, the King of Pruffia has made for thirty years at a ftretch, without permitting pleasure, indolence, difguft, or difappointment, to interrupt his plan for a fingle day.-And he has obliged every person through the va

rious departments of his government to make, as far as their characters and ftrength could go, the fame exertions.-I leave you to judge in what manner such a man must be served, and what he is capable of performing.

LETTER LXVI.

Berlin.

NO condition in life can be more active, N°

and at the fame time have less variety in it, than that of a Pruffian officer in the time of peace. He is continually employed in the fame occupation, and continually occupied in the fame place. There is no rotation of the troops as in the British fervice. The regiments which were placed in Berlin, Magdeburg, Schweidnitz, and the other garrifons at the conclufion of the war, remain there ftill. It is dreaded, that if they were occafionally moved from one garrison to another, the foreigners in the service, who are exceedingly prone to defertion, might then find opportunities, which according to the prefent plan they cannot for however defirous a Pruffian foldier

foldier
may be to defert, the thing is al-
moft impoffible. The moment a man is
miffing, a certain number of cannons are
fired, which announce the desertion to the
whole country. The peasants have a con-
fiderable reward for feizing a deferter, and
are liable to severe penalties if they har-
bour, or aid him in making his escape, and
parties from the garrifons are sent after
him in every direction.

As none of the foldiers are ever allowed to go without the walls of the town, it requires great addrefs to get over this first difficulty; and when they have been so far fortunate, many chances remain against their escaping through the Pruffian dominions; and even when they arrive safe in any of the neighbouring states,

Nunc eadem fortuna viros tot cafibus actos
Infequitur *.

* The fame fate awaits them there, after all the dane. gers they have escaped.

VOL. II.

L

For

1

For there they will probably be obliged to inlift again as foldiers; fo that on the whole, however unhappy they may be, it is abfurd to attempt desertion in any other way than by killing themfelves, which method, as I am told, begins to prevail.

In confequence of their remaining conftantly in the fame place, converfing always with the fame people, and being employed uniformly in the fame business, the Pruffian officers acquire a ftaid, ferious appearance, exceedingly different from the gay, diffipated, degagé air of British or French officers. Their only amusement, or relaxation from the duties of their profeffion, feems to be walking on the parade, and converfing with each other. The inferior officers, thus deprived of opportu-. nities of mixing in general fociety, and not having time for ftudy, can have no very extenfive range of ideas. Their knowledge, it must be confeffed, is pretty much confined to that branch of tactics in which

they