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rheinsbergTwo Pietist pastors, Francke the younger and Freylinghausen, visited FW at his favourite palace of Wusterhausen in 1727, both kept diaries and notes of the visit which are quoted from in various biographies; this edition of Freylinghausen's diary was published in 1900.
Bogdan Krieger (editor and transcriber), Preface: Today, we associate "hypocrisy" with "pietism", but the start of the movement was so different, and the first two Kings of Prussia thought Francke & Co. were worthy men. F1 invited Francke to Berlin when he wanted to found an orphanage, but Francke on that occasion chatted with F1's third wife as well, and the Calvinists promptly made a big fuss because they were afraid Mrs. F1 No.3 as a strict Lutheran with a pastor at her side would get too influential, so he had to leave again.
Selena: You know, there might be another explanation. I mean, this is the time when according to F1's own letters his wife tells him he won't go to heaven because only Lutherans do, right? If I were F1, I would suspect Lutheran pastor Francke's visit of having something to do with it...
Bogdan Krieger: This was Francke the older. The one FW later met was Francke the younger, the son. FW really was into action!Christianity, supporting charity works and kicking out luxury and thus was a natural sympathzer for team Pietism. FW protected Franke the younger not just against his fellow Calvinists but against that representative of Enlightened Lutheran Christianity, Christian Wolff!
Selena: By protecting, you mean, kicking Wolff out of his country?
Bogdan Krieger: So much for the two Franckes. On to Freylinghausen. Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen was born in Wolffenbüttel, which is in Braunschweig/Brunswick in 1670 as the son of the local mayor and died in February 1739 in Halle. Studied theology in Halle where he also became a pietist, much to the horror of his parents who weren't into hardcore Lutheranism. Became Francke's sidekick. Married only at age 45, a girl whom he'd literally known as a baby since he was the pastor who'd babtized her infant self, to wit, Francke the older's daughter. Had several kids with her. When Francke the older kicked the bucket, Freylinghausen became the headmaster of the school and the orphenage in 1727, the year he visited dear old Wusterhausen. But just a year later, he had a stroke, which made him incapable of talking and repeated itself two years later. He remained sick till his death in 1739, but kept on working even with these physical handicaps. Other than the diary, he also wrote religious songs. FW called both him and his brother-in-law Francke the younger to talk with them about the continuation of the orphanage after Francke the older's death. Freylinghausen accepted the King's invitation first, and described his days with FW in this diary which I, Bodgan Krieger, found in FW3's library at Charlottenburg. Sadly, I could not find out how FW3 could get his hands on the diary. But I'm thrilled we now have a second one in addition to Francke Jr.! Especially since Freylinghausen's diary is the way better one of the two, both from a literary pov and from the content. Francke writes way whinier and ever so humble as if he was Uriah Heep. Readers, just as an example of how Francke whines, when Gundling, who sits next to him, gets "tormented" by the others, he "sighs" and writes "may God give that it gets quiet again". Whiner!
Now, FW was a Calvinist BUT in one important aspect liked Luther better, to wit, predestination (or lack of same). He was, like, really happy to chat with Lutheran pastors about why predestination wasn't a thing. But he couldn't completely shake it off, that's why he told Francke Jr. "I am a bad man". So while FW thought Lutheranism was cool, he despised Catholicism, and instructed Fritz' teachers to awaken disgust in Fritz for anything Catholic at every occasion, and I dare say this was a rare pedagic success for FW, for it worked! Okay, not completely: Fritz' teachers were supposed to make him hate Catholicism like Arianism and Atheism, and he only hated one of the three, but still.
Being the sincere and fervent Protestant he was, FW would have loved for the Pastors to unite the Calvinism and Lutheran Protestantism. To that noble purpose, he bullied some of the Lutheran pastors to accept the more simple Reformed rites, but no dice. And of course he championed persecuted Protestants in Poland and the Salzburg refugees. FW was also very concerned with pastors getting sermons right. Oh, and then there was the time he and Freylinghausen talk about the Jews, which shows he , personally, had no sympathy for them, but he has to be admired for not prosecuting them as a monarch.
Selena: I can never decide whether 18th century or 19th century antisemitism is more repulsive, but why choose?
BK: Freylinghausen tried to convert Jews really hard and explained to FW that it was the festivities on the Sabbath which kept Jews from converting to Protestant Christianity en masse, but I'm not sure he was right there. FW was first anti theatre and then okay with it. His argument was that even in the two foremost universities of the Netherlands where all the Protestant theologians studied, they allowed theatre!
Now, during his seven days visit, Freylinghausen also met Fritz, AW, Wilhelmne and Luise, the one who married the Margrave of Ansbach. We all know the totally exaggarated and unfair descriptions Wilhelmine provides in her memoirs. Also present at Wusterhausen: Grumbkow, Seckendorff, General von Pannewitz, Frau von Kamecke, Frau von Sonsfeld and Gundling. And some folk no one has ever heard of and which I won't name. All in all, 21 people were together at dinner. FW wasn't always, when he was hunting all day. Now, on to the diary entries! // end of BK preface
Freylinghausen, diary (Freylinghausaen uses "Rex" for FW, E(go) for himself, Regina for SD, "the other Prince" or "the younger Prince" for AW, "the Crown Prince" for Fritz, and Wilhelmine and Luise are "the older Princess" and "The younger princess"):
From the theological debate on his day of arrival, Sept 4th 1727:
R: He found it so hard to love his neighbour, especially the Jews. Whether I believed that a sincere Jew could be decent; he could not love them.
E: One cannot hate a Jew for being a Jew, for our dear Saviour was in his human nature also a Jew, as were all the prophets and apostles, and whatever spiritual treasure we were given, we received from the Jewish people.
(...) Rex then said he would try a Jewish child and let him be taught in the Christian religion.
(I hope that was just a passing idea, because poor kid. But no one mentions he went through with it, phew.)
And then Freylinghausen gets invited to join the family at lunch. Here I'm translatilng a longer passage, as it's useful for fanfiction, he describes even the seating arrangement in detail:
The table was long and slender and had been placed under a colourful tent established between the high and thick lime trees. The other prince who is five years old said the prayer: "Lord God, our father in heaven", etc. The valet immediately took my coat from me and told me that the King had ordered it thus.
At the table the following people were seated: 1. Rex and to his right hand the 2. Queen, 3. at his left hand the other prince. Next to him on the same side 4. Colonel Kalckstein. 5. Margrave Carl. 6. Count Schlieben. 7. Colonel Krocher. 8. Colonel Kleist. 9. Colonel Jeeze. 10. General von Seckendorff. 11. The Crown Prince. 12. Ego. On the other side, after the Queen there were 12. the oldest and 13. the other princess. 14 Oberhofmeisterin von Kamcke. 13th The governess of the oldest Princess, Fräulein von Sonsfeld 17. General Gersdorff. 18th The Dutch Envoy Herr Koeppen. 19. General Pannewitz. 20. Herr von Sonsfeld, a Dutch Ship Captain. 21. Secret Councillor Gundling, which meant that I was sitting between him and the Crown Prince and thus directly opposite the Queen.
We ate from porcellain table wear, and the meal consisted of pork and Sauerkraut. The Crown Prince served the entire table by cutting the meat for them, and otherwise was entirely silent and did not say a single word. (Frau von Kameke later told me that the Crown Prince had been ordered to this for two days now.) The King was so gracious that when the Crown Prince wanted to observe the order of seating and thus wanted to serve me last, (FW) gestured at him to serve me something immediately, which promptly happened; the King himself handed me some baked apples and toasted me with a glass of wine. He asked: Whether I always ate and drank so little? Whereupon I replied that I didn't think I did. The King started: that I had only drunk one glass of beer and all the wine stood in front of me untouched, so I did take something. The King and the Queen quizzed me through the entire meal, so that I didn't even have the time to eat much, about one thing or the other, but with strangely intent graciousness, and they both were of a truly serene temper and affectionate manner.
Among other things the King began: "Be quiet, gentlemen" - even though no one was talking - and elbowed the Queen, saying: "Well, Herr Freylinghausen, tell us whether it is righteous to visit comedies. Whereupon a great silence began.
E: Your Majesty, I haven't dared to do so in good conscience.
R: Yes, I well believe you wouldn't, and it's not fitting for a preacher to do so. But what do you think about other people, may not they go?
E: Our rule be that all that we do should root in the faith and be for the honor of God; and I cannot see how one could go to comedies for this purpose.
Count Seckendorff immediately agreed with me. Regina, though, differentiated between comedies and wanted to state that as long as there weren't any obscenities and scurrilous sayings in them, which she herself condemmed, one was allowed to visit them, because it was surely better for young people to visit them than to go into beer halls or worse places. Next, the conversation turned to hunting and dancing, and the King wanted to know whether hunting was a sin.
E: I believe that one could commit a sin by hunting, but not not in general, since God created the wild beasts to be felled by men.
Of dancing, Count Seckendorff said that it was an actual lack of teachings that one didn't have scholars instructed by a dancing master to keep their bodies straight and how to bow. Learning sarabandes and minuets, though, was superflous.
Rex respondebat pro me: "Do you know, General, that I cancelled four dancing masters from the cadets' schedule and replaced them by four teachers of languages; for why should I have my people being led to the devil by dancing masters?"
But the General said that without fencing and dancing, no noble young man could make his way in the world. Whereupon Rex nearly all, me excepto, asked by name whether they had learned how to dance, which everyone replied to with a Yes. Which did not seem to please the King, and he said: "I believe if Doctor Breithaupt knew that someone had danced in his youth, or had done another evil thing, he wouldn't hire them." And this was said in such a manner as if Rex was more stating it than putting it as a question.
Next, Rex wanted to see the castellan and asked whether I had ever seen a Pharisee.
E: The old pharisees which the Holy Book talks about have long since died, but there are some among today's Christians who are of their type.
FW, you danced ballet as a boy according to your grandmother. Anyway, translating this, I realised the phrasing doesn't make it clear whether FW just instructed Fritz to cut the meat and serve the guests for two days or whether he also instructed him to remain slent, or whether Fritz being silent was his own decision. But Fritz sitting on the opposite end of the table next to Gundling is pretty telling. (Also a big contrast to the famous tobacco colleague painting where AW, in some older works misidentified as Fritz, sits next to FW while Heinrich and Ferdinand make their bows.)
SD later has Freylinghausen called to her and is pretty gracious to him, asking him where he's coming from, and when he says from Wolffenbüttel she replies "oh, then you're my countryman". (Wolffenbüttel was ruled by the Hannover Welfs, though another line.) While SD is graciously chatting with Freylnghausen, little AW shows up just when Freylinghausen presents his map of the orphanage and the planned extensions (garden, a house for cows to milk, for all of which he needs money from FW):
The little Prince came with his governor, War Councillor Lindner, who teaches him geography. As the sketch looked like a map, the governor asked the Prince where Portugal was, when he pointed with his finger to the dairy, and where America, pointing to a garden, and where Africa, etc., whereupon the Prince believed he could find all this on the drawing. But when I told the Prince that I wanted to explain all to him with the right names, he followed suit and asked again: "What is this?" Ille: The orphanage. What is this, then? The grammar school. And what is this? The Paedagogium. About these correct answers, the Queen was much pleased. Afterwards, the Prince was supposed to go fishing at the pond in the garden to relax. The Queen said to Governor Lindner: "Such a small child you surely haven't taught yet." He smartly replied: "Your Majesty, never so small and at the same time so great."
The next few days happen without incidents, but on Sept. 6th, the news a deserter has been captured arrives. On the same day, lunch gets creepy because FW after starting a debate about Calvinism vs Lutheran Protestantism gets it into his head to demonstrate how well he has his children instructed in religion by making Freylinghausen examine Fritz:
R. then said: "I have all my children taught about Christ's grace and effort no differently from the Lutherans", and exclaimed: "Let the Crown Prince come here."
When the later presented himself, the King said: "Now I ask you, Herr Freylinghausen, to examine the Crown Prince whether this is not so."
The Crown Prince had to step closer towards me and became a bit paler, for all the officers who were standing around beneath the lime trees came closer and formed a circle. I tried to take the wind out of the examination by making a submissive gesture and said: "I don't doubt it."
"No," Rex said, "I ask you, examine him."
So I rose in order to do what the King wanted me to do, sed Rex: "You remain seated." Whereupon I presented the question of grace and effort of Christ to the Crown Prince, and asked whether Christ died for all. To the last question, Princeps replied: "For all who accept it."
E: Didn't Christ also die for those who didn't accept it and therefore were truly damned?
Princeps silebat. General Grumbkow replied loco principis, that this was hard to understand. E. referenced the quotes from Romans 17 and 2 Petrus 2. (I didn't have the time to look up the exact quotes) and thus demonstrated that in this the truth was grounded. Rex started to curse the damage particularismi were doing, and how it dragged either despair or great confidence after it, and addressed the teachings about the communion which he could not agree with.
(Theological footnote from me: this addresses the question of transubstitution, i.e. does wine and bread actually become the body and blood of Christ or only symbolically. A key difference between various Christian factions.
E. We have clear words for us and thus were plugging the safest course. The possibility was not one which reason could understand.
R: It is a high meal, but not consumed with one's mouth.
And Seckendorff joins the debate about what happens with the bread and wine during mass. Thankfully, that means Fritz is no longer under examination and can go while the religious debate continues. This, FW, is how you raise a bunch of kids who all say goodbye to religion as adults.
Gundling during the meal:
Secret Councillor Gundling said that a wonderful thing about the theologians of Halle was that despite having only meagre salaries, they were not demanding college fees from their students. Moreover, the bible in Hebrew as edited by Dr. Michaelis was an incomparable work. He also praised Dr. Semmler, and I said that we have received a mechanical chamber from him, that he also created a sphäram for us with a diameter of ten feet., etc. I promised to Mr. Gundling to provide him with a detailed written description, which I subsequently did, and he wanted to present it to the Academy (...)
Alas, Gundling's chance to have a scholarly conversation with someone ends when FW interferes because he wants to knew whether the students in Halle are made to learn Hebrew and Greek, and why they can't stick to reading the bible in German, who needs Hebrew and Greek anyway.
On September 7th, FW asks Freylinghausen to provide a sermon, which Freylinghausen does, and this leads to the following debate and scene at lunch:
The King again expressed his delight at the sermon h eheard and especially its application, and since among other things I had listed as one of the signs of the love for God that one should be able to say with David "this is my loyalty, that I stand with God", and how many make a slavery out of prayer instead and were glad when it was over; this the King repeated and said this was so true, and that we humans were evil. Whereupon he asked the second Prince (who surely was his firm favourite): "Wilhelm, what did stay with you from the sermon?" Whereupon the later asked back: "Papa, what did stay with you?" At this, the King laughed heartily, and with him all who were sitting at the table.
Again, the King addressed the point that he could not love the Jews, and yet he had heard now in the sermon that they, too, were his neighbour. Which gave me the opportunity to add some more explanations to the discourse. Especially I said that one of the things preventing the Jews to convert to our faith was the blaspheming on the Sabbath by the Christians, because it was allowed to them to spend the Sundays and holidays in taverns, beer halls and dancing halls. Rx said: "Well, they don't have to drink and dance, do they, but was a hard working peasant really committing a sin if he allowed himself some recreation on a Sunday."
Ego: Yes, because then they were spending all they had earned during the week and were inflicting suffering on their wives and children, so it was doubly a sin. The spiritual damage was even greater.
Rex: I cancelled the shooting competitions at Pentecost in Berlin, and I'll stick with that.
General Grumbkow protested: (...) In England, they were very exact with the holiness of the sundays and holidays, and yet there was no sign of the Jews converting to Christianity; so this could not be the real cause.
Ego: It still would be good if the Christians removed the point of contention.
Otherwise, the King asked about all the preachers in Berlin, whether I knew them and whether they had studied in Halle.
When Secret Councillor Gundling read about the coronation and the brilliance of the royal crown in England from the papers, Rex returned: "I have as little curiosity to see something like that as I have about attending the Pope's coronation." (...)
The King asked again after my children, and how old each of them was. R. said that one could not feel complete joy over one's children because one couldn't know how they would turn out. "Even my Wilhelm", he said. "I don't know, whether he'll be a child of God or a child of the Devil."
E: One can pray for them, and never lack in providing them with good education and admonishment, and leave the rest to God.
After lunch, I talked for nearly an hour with Colonel Kalckstein in the palace courtyard, who claimed to be pretty confident and assured me that the King had expressed his approval of the sermon he'd heard to all the generals. I asked hm to tell me whether I shouldn't present myself to the Crown Prince who is now 16 years old.*
*Footnote from the editor pointing out Fritz was only 15 years old.
He returned that he was only supervising him for two hours a day, early in the morning. The other time (Fritz) had to be with the King, who wasn't at home except during the meals for the entire day, so (Kalckstein) couldn't see when there would be an occasion for this. (Vera cause is that the Crown Prince doesn't have a room of his own here in which to conduct audiences, since he was to share a room with Colonel Kalckstein, a room in which both their beds are standing as well.
Footnote from the editor grudingly admitting Wilhelmine may have been onto something when claiming the living situation at Wusterhausen was extremely cramped.
Next day, the big scene which Ziebura had in her AW biography happens. First, Fritz has to cut the meat again, then FW wants to talk again about whether or not hunting is a sin. Freylinghausen tries to be diplomatic but makes it pretty clear that he thinks while God is okay with killing animals for nourishment, hurting them for fun is not cool.
Rex turned quiet for a while and then he exploded: If I could prove to him from the holy bible that hunting was a sin, he would promise never to use a gun again to shoot deer with it. I couldn't do anything else but point to the difference I already had made, and someone pointed to the old habit of hunting as described in Psalm 22, where Christ gets compared to a hind hunted early. Another tried to excuse par force hunting by saying that a deer shot would sometimes suffer longer than one which the dogs killed with their biting.
E: I can't judge this since I've never attended par force hunting; but I am sure that it's not right to torment an animal without need. I recalled the ox huntings which sometimes take place in Halle, and Rex asked who was doing this and where it happened and similar questions.
The other Prince provided a charming interlude when he started to kiss the King's hands and to stroke his cheeks. As R. asked: "You surely want something from me, don't you?"
Ille: Yes, Papa."
R: And what?
P: Please don't hang the long fellow who has run away.
R. smiled at that, but didn't reply in the positive. Regina signalled that she approved of this intercession. Generals Seckendorff and Grumbkow supported the little Prince. Whereupon Rex started to kiss the Prince and hold him in his arms for a long time. As the Queen without Rex noticing this has gestured at me with her head and arms to say something, I then said to the little Prince: "Your Highness, your advocacy will undoubtedly weigh stronger with your father's majesty than that of ten other supplicants. For mercy is always more glorious than judgment." This seemed please the Queen. Whereupon the King said: "It is a difficult case."
Ego: Blood crimes may not be pardonable, but in cases like this on, your Majesty could surely put mercy before judgment. To which the two Generals at my right and left side agreed. N.B. The Prince had been supposed to make his plea days earlier instructus a matre Regina, but as he was afraid that Papa, as he said, might bet very angry, he had avoided it and only offered caresses, despite the fact Generals Seckendorff and Grumbkow tried to prepare the way for him with questions and speeches like these: "The Prince surely wants something if he caresses you like that." item: "The Prince surely weighs something in his heart which he wants to say." it. "Just say what it is. If it's something good, we all will help you and plead with you." But he couldn't push himself to do it. Whereupon Regina threatened him after dinner that if he wouldn't say something this time, he'd be whipped, as she told me the following day, and said she was relying on the fact I was present and could add a word or two.
Princeps then had asked Oberhofmeisterin Kameke: What was happening when they hanged someone? Whether they put something around the neck? Whether this was hurting people? Whether one died of it? And then he stayed the course. But one could guess from the entire behaviour of the King that the plea would not have been in vain. He mentioned the next day (so I can describe this here anticipando), for then the King said: That he had pardoned the villain, and asked the Prince: how the fellow should be punished if he wasn't hanged? Whereupon the Prince said: He should be whipped. The Prince was immediately reminded to thank his Majesty, which he did by kissing his hand.
That's pretty much it. The next day, Freylinghausen talks some more theology with FW who has been through a blood letting and is relatively calm, and presents religious books for the entire royal family as farewell presents. FW, SD, the girls and AW say thank you most graciously, but Fritz isn't there, so SD says she'll accept Freylinghausen's present (a collection of Francke's sermons about the apostle letters) for him and give it him. That's also the occasion where she tells Freylinghausen the backstory of AW's plea from the previous day.
Bogdan Krieger (editor and transcriber), Preface: Today, we associate "hypocrisy" with "pietism", but the start of the movement was so different, and the first two Kings of Prussia thought Francke & Co. were worthy men. F1 invited Francke to Berlin when he wanted to found an orphanage, but Francke on that occasion chatted with F1's third wife as well, and the Calvinists promptly made a big fuss because they were afraid Mrs. F1 No.3 as a strict Lutheran with a pastor at her side would get too influential, so he had to leave again.
Selena: You know, there might be another explanation. I mean, this is the time when according to F1's own letters his wife tells him he won't go to heaven because only Lutherans do, right? If I were F1, I would suspect Lutheran pastor Francke's visit of having something to do with it...
Bogdan Krieger: This was Francke the older. The one FW later met was Francke the younger, the son. FW really was into action!Christianity, supporting charity works and kicking out luxury and thus was a natural sympathzer for team Pietism. FW protected Franke the younger not just against his fellow Calvinists but against that representative of Enlightened Lutheran Christianity, Christian Wolff!
Selena: By protecting, you mean, kicking Wolff out of his country?
Bogdan Krieger: So much for the two Franckes. On to Freylinghausen. Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen was born in Wolffenbüttel, which is in Braunschweig/Brunswick in 1670 as the son of the local mayor and died in February 1739 in Halle. Studied theology in Halle where he also became a pietist, much to the horror of his parents who weren't into hardcore Lutheranism. Became Francke's sidekick. Married only at age 45, a girl whom he'd literally known as a baby since he was the pastor who'd babtized her infant self, to wit, Francke the older's daughter. Had several kids with her. When Francke the older kicked the bucket, Freylinghausen became the headmaster of the school and the orphenage in 1727, the year he visited dear old Wusterhausen. But just a year later, he had a stroke, which made him incapable of talking and repeated itself two years later. He remained sick till his death in 1739, but kept on working even with these physical handicaps. Other than the diary, he also wrote religious songs. FW called both him and his brother-in-law Francke the younger to talk with them about the continuation of the orphanage after Francke the older's death. Freylinghausen accepted the King's invitation first, and described his days with FW in this diary which I, Bodgan Krieger, found in FW3's library at Charlottenburg. Sadly, I could not find out how FW3 could get his hands on the diary. But I'm thrilled we now have a second one in addition to Francke Jr.! Especially since Freylinghausen's diary is the way better one of the two, both from a literary pov and from the content. Francke writes way whinier and ever so humble as if he was Uriah Heep. Readers, just as an example of how Francke whines, when Gundling, who sits next to him, gets "tormented" by the others, he "sighs" and writes "may God give that it gets quiet again". Whiner!
Now, FW was a Calvinist BUT in one important aspect liked Luther better, to wit, predestination (or lack of same). He was, like, really happy to chat with Lutheran pastors about why predestination wasn't a thing. But he couldn't completely shake it off, that's why he told Francke Jr. "I am a bad man". So while FW thought Lutheranism was cool, he despised Catholicism, and instructed Fritz' teachers to awaken disgust in Fritz for anything Catholic at every occasion, and I dare say this was a rare pedagic success for FW, for it worked! Okay, not completely: Fritz' teachers were supposed to make him hate Catholicism like Arianism and Atheism, and he only hated one of the three, but still.
Being the sincere and fervent Protestant he was, FW would have loved for the Pastors to unite the Calvinism and Lutheran Protestantism. To that noble purpose, he bullied some of the Lutheran pastors to accept the more simple Reformed rites, but no dice. And of course he championed persecuted Protestants in Poland and the Salzburg refugees. FW was also very concerned with pastors getting sermons right. Oh, and then there was the time he and Freylinghausen talk about the Jews, which shows he , personally, had no sympathy for them, but he has to be admired for not prosecuting them as a monarch.
Selena: I can never decide whether 18th century or 19th century antisemitism is more repulsive, but why choose?
BK: Freylinghausen tried to convert Jews really hard and explained to FW that it was the festivities on the Sabbath which kept Jews from converting to Protestant Christianity en masse, but I'm not sure he was right there. FW was first anti theatre and then okay with it. His argument was that even in the two foremost universities of the Netherlands where all the Protestant theologians studied, they allowed theatre!
Now, during his seven days visit, Freylinghausen also met Fritz, AW, Wilhelmne and Luise, the one who married the Margrave of Ansbach. We all know the totally exaggarated and unfair descriptions Wilhelmine provides in her memoirs. Also present at Wusterhausen: Grumbkow, Seckendorff, General von Pannewitz, Frau von Kamecke, Frau von Sonsfeld and Gundling. And some folk no one has ever heard of and which I won't name. All in all, 21 people were together at dinner. FW wasn't always, when he was hunting all day. Now, on to the diary entries! // end of BK preface
Freylinghausen, diary (Freylinghausaen uses "Rex" for FW, E(go) for himself, Regina for SD, "the other Prince" or "the younger Prince" for AW, "the Crown Prince" for Fritz, and Wilhelmine and Luise are "the older Princess" and "The younger princess"):
From the theological debate on his day of arrival, Sept 4th 1727:
R: He found it so hard to love his neighbour, especially the Jews. Whether I believed that a sincere Jew could be decent; he could not love them.
E: One cannot hate a Jew for being a Jew, for our dear Saviour was in his human nature also a Jew, as were all the prophets and apostles, and whatever spiritual treasure we were given, we received from the Jewish people.
(...) Rex then said he would try a Jewish child and let him be taught in the Christian religion.
(I hope that was just a passing idea, because poor kid. But no one mentions he went through with it, phew.)
And then Freylinghausen gets invited to join the family at lunch. Here I'm translatilng a longer passage, as it's useful for fanfiction, he describes even the seating arrangement in detail:
The table was long and slender and had been placed under a colourful tent established between the high and thick lime trees. The other prince who is five years old said the prayer: "Lord God, our father in heaven", etc. The valet immediately took my coat from me and told me that the King had ordered it thus.
At the table the following people were seated: 1. Rex and to his right hand the 2. Queen, 3. at his left hand the other prince. Next to him on the same side 4. Colonel Kalckstein. 5. Margrave Carl. 6. Count Schlieben. 7. Colonel Krocher. 8. Colonel Kleist. 9. Colonel Jeeze. 10. General von Seckendorff. 11. The Crown Prince. 12. Ego. On the other side, after the Queen there were 12. the oldest and 13. the other princess. 14 Oberhofmeisterin von Kamcke. 13th The governess of the oldest Princess, Fräulein von Sonsfeld 17. General Gersdorff. 18th The Dutch Envoy Herr Koeppen. 19. General Pannewitz. 20. Herr von Sonsfeld, a Dutch Ship Captain. 21. Secret Councillor Gundling, which meant that I was sitting between him and the Crown Prince and thus directly opposite the Queen.
We ate from porcellain table wear, and the meal consisted of pork and Sauerkraut. The Crown Prince served the entire table by cutting the meat for them, and otherwise was entirely silent and did not say a single word. (Frau von Kameke later told me that the Crown Prince had been ordered to this for two days now.) The King was so gracious that when the Crown Prince wanted to observe the order of seating and thus wanted to serve me last, (FW) gestured at him to serve me something immediately, which promptly happened; the King himself handed me some baked apples and toasted me with a glass of wine. He asked: Whether I always ate and drank so little? Whereupon I replied that I didn't think I did. The King started: that I had only drunk one glass of beer and all the wine stood in front of me untouched, so I did take something. The King and the Queen quizzed me through the entire meal, so that I didn't even have the time to eat much, about one thing or the other, but with strangely intent graciousness, and they both were of a truly serene temper and affectionate manner.
Among other things the King began: "Be quiet, gentlemen" - even though no one was talking - and elbowed the Queen, saying: "Well, Herr Freylinghausen, tell us whether it is righteous to visit comedies. Whereupon a great silence began.
E: Your Majesty, I haven't dared to do so in good conscience.
R: Yes, I well believe you wouldn't, and it's not fitting for a preacher to do so. But what do you think about other people, may not they go?
E: Our rule be that all that we do should root in the faith and be for the honor of God; and I cannot see how one could go to comedies for this purpose.
Count Seckendorff immediately agreed with me. Regina, though, differentiated between comedies and wanted to state that as long as there weren't any obscenities and scurrilous sayings in them, which she herself condemmed, one was allowed to visit them, because it was surely better for young people to visit them than to go into beer halls or worse places. Next, the conversation turned to hunting and dancing, and the King wanted to know whether hunting was a sin.
E: I believe that one could commit a sin by hunting, but not not in general, since God created the wild beasts to be felled by men.
Of dancing, Count Seckendorff said that it was an actual lack of teachings that one didn't have scholars instructed by a dancing master to keep their bodies straight and how to bow. Learning sarabandes and minuets, though, was superflous.
Rex respondebat pro me: "Do you know, General, that I cancelled four dancing masters from the cadets' schedule and replaced them by four teachers of languages; for why should I have my people being led to the devil by dancing masters?"
But the General said that without fencing and dancing, no noble young man could make his way in the world. Whereupon Rex nearly all, me excepto, asked by name whether they had learned how to dance, which everyone replied to with a Yes. Which did not seem to please the King, and he said: "I believe if Doctor Breithaupt knew that someone had danced in his youth, or had done another evil thing, he wouldn't hire them." And this was said in such a manner as if Rex was more stating it than putting it as a question.
Next, Rex wanted to see the castellan and asked whether I had ever seen a Pharisee.
E: The old pharisees which the Holy Book talks about have long since died, but there are some among today's Christians who are of their type.
FW, you danced ballet as a boy according to your grandmother. Anyway, translating this, I realised the phrasing doesn't make it clear whether FW just instructed Fritz to cut the meat and serve the guests for two days or whether he also instructed him to remain slent, or whether Fritz being silent was his own decision. But Fritz sitting on the opposite end of the table next to Gundling is pretty telling. (Also a big contrast to the famous tobacco colleague painting where AW, in some older works misidentified as Fritz, sits next to FW while Heinrich and Ferdinand make their bows.)
SD later has Freylinghausen called to her and is pretty gracious to him, asking him where he's coming from, and when he says from Wolffenbüttel she replies "oh, then you're my countryman". (Wolffenbüttel was ruled by the Hannover Welfs, though another line.) While SD is graciously chatting with Freylnghausen, little AW shows up just when Freylinghausen presents his map of the orphanage and the planned extensions (garden, a house for cows to milk, for all of which he needs money from FW):
The little Prince came with his governor, War Councillor Lindner, who teaches him geography. As the sketch looked like a map, the governor asked the Prince where Portugal was, when he pointed with his finger to the dairy, and where America, pointing to a garden, and where Africa, etc., whereupon the Prince believed he could find all this on the drawing. But when I told the Prince that I wanted to explain all to him with the right names, he followed suit and asked again: "What is this?" Ille: The orphanage. What is this, then? The grammar school. And what is this? The Paedagogium. About these correct answers, the Queen was much pleased. Afterwards, the Prince was supposed to go fishing at the pond in the garden to relax. The Queen said to Governor Lindner: "Such a small child you surely haven't taught yet." He smartly replied: "Your Majesty, never so small and at the same time so great."
The next few days happen without incidents, but on Sept. 6th, the news a deserter has been captured arrives. On the same day, lunch gets creepy because FW after starting a debate about Calvinism vs Lutheran Protestantism gets it into his head to demonstrate how well he has his children instructed in religion by making Freylinghausen examine Fritz:
R. then said: "I have all my children taught about Christ's grace and effort no differently from the Lutherans", and exclaimed: "Let the Crown Prince come here."
When the later presented himself, the King said: "Now I ask you, Herr Freylinghausen, to examine the Crown Prince whether this is not so."
The Crown Prince had to step closer towards me and became a bit paler, for all the officers who were standing around beneath the lime trees came closer and formed a circle. I tried to take the wind out of the examination by making a submissive gesture and said: "I don't doubt it."
"No," Rex said, "I ask you, examine him."
So I rose in order to do what the King wanted me to do, sed Rex: "You remain seated." Whereupon I presented the question of grace and effort of Christ to the Crown Prince, and asked whether Christ died for all. To the last question, Princeps replied: "For all who accept it."
E: Didn't Christ also die for those who didn't accept it and therefore were truly damned?
Princeps silebat. General Grumbkow replied loco principis, that this was hard to understand. E. referenced the quotes from Romans 17 and 2 Petrus 2. (I didn't have the time to look up the exact quotes) and thus demonstrated that in this the truth was grounded. Rex started to curse the damage particularismi were doing, and how it dragged either despair or great confidence after it, and addressed the teachings about the communion which he could not agree with.
(Theological footnote from me: this addresses the question of transubstitution, i.e. does wine and bread actually become the body and blood of Christ or only symbolically. A key difference between various Christian factions.
E. We have clear words for us and thus were plugging the safest course. The possibility was not one which reason could understand.
R: It is a high meal, but not consumed with one's mouth.
And Seckendorff joins the debate about what happens with the bread and wine during mass. Thankfully, that means Fritz is no longer under examination and can go while the religious debate continues. This, FW, is how you raise a bunch of kids who all say goodbye to religion as adults.
Gundling during the meal:
Secret Councillor Gundling said that a wonderful thing about the theologians of Halle was that despite having only meagre salaries, they were not demanding college fees from their students. Moreover, the bible in Hebrew as edited by Dr. Michaelis was an incomparable work. He also praised Dr. Semmler, and I said that we have received a mechanical chamber from him, that he also created a sphäram for us with a diameter of ten feet., etc. I promised to Mr. Gundling to provide him with a detailed written description, which I subsequently did, and he wanted to present it to the Academy (...)
Alas, Gundling's chance to have a scholarly conversation with someone ends when FW interferes because he wants to knew whether the students in Halle are made to learn Hebrew and Greek, and why they can't stick to reading the bible in German, who needs Hebrew and Greek anyway.
On September 7th, FW asks Freylinghausen to provide a sermon, which Freylinghausen does, and this leads to the following debate and scene at lunch:
The King again expressed his delight at the sermon h eheard and especially its application, and since among other things I had listed as one of the signs of the love for God that one should be able to say with David "this is my loyalty, that I stand with God", and how many make a slavery out of prayer instead and were glad when it was over; this the King repeated and said this was so true, and that we humans were evil. Whereupon he asked the second Prince (who surely was his firm favourite): "Wilhelm, what did stay with you from the sermon?" Whereupon the later asked back: "Papa, what did stay with you?" At this, the King laughed heartily, and with him all who were sitting at the table.
Again, the King addressed the point that he could not love the Jews, and yet he had heard now in the sermon that they, too, were his neighbour. Which gave me the opportunity to add some more explanations to the discourse. Especially I said that one of the things preventing the Jews to convert to our faith was the blaspheming on the Sabbath by the Christians, because it was allowed to them to spend the Sundays and holidays in taverns, beer halls and dancing halls. Rx said: "Well, they don't have to drink and dance, do they, but was a hard working peasant really committing a sin if he allowed himself some recreation on a Sunday."
Ego: Yes, because then they were spending all they had earned during the week and were inflicting suffering on their wives and children, so it was doubly a sin. The spiritual damage was even greater.
Rex: I cancelled the shooting competitions at Pentecost in Berlin, and I'll stick with that.
General Grumbkow protested: (...) In England, they were very exact with the holiness of the sundays and holidays, and yet there was no sign of the Jews converting to Christianity; so this could not be the real cause.
Ego: It still would be good if the Christians removed the point of contention.
Otherwise, the King asked about all the preachers in Berlin, whether I knew them and whether they had studied in Halle.
When Secret Councillor Gundling read about the coronation and the brilliance of the royal crown in England from the papers, Rex returned: "I have as little curiosity to see something like that as I have about attending the Pope's coronation." (...)
The King asked again after my children, and how old each of them was. R. said that one could not feel complete joy over one's children because one couldn't know how they would turn out. "Even my Wilhelm", he said. "I don't know, whether he'll be a child of God or a child of the Devil."
E: One can pray for them, and never lack in providing them with good education and admonishment, and leave the rest to God.
After lunch, I talked for nearly an hour with Colonel Kalckstein in the palace courtyard, who claimed to be pretty confident and assured me that the King had expressed his approval of the sermon he'd heard to all the generals. I asked hm to tell me whether I shouldn't present myself to the Crown Prince who is now 16 years old.*
*Footnote from the editor pointing out Fritz was only 15 years old.
He returned that he was only supervising him for two hours a day, early in the morning. The other time (Fritz) had to be with the King, who wasn't at home except during the meals for the entire day, so (Kalckstein) couldn't see when there would be an occasion for this. (Vera cause is that the Crown Prince doesn't have a room of his own here in which to conduct audiences, since he was to share a room with Colonel Kalckstein, a room in which both their beds are standing as well.
Footnote from the editor grudingly admitting Wilhelmine may have been onto something when claiming the living situation at Wusterhausen was extremely cramped.
Next day, the big scene which Ziebura had in her AW biography happens. First, Fritz has to cut the meat again, then FW wants to talk again about whether or not hunting is a sin. Freylinghausen tries to be diplomatic but makes it pretty clear that he thinks while God is okay with killing animals for nourishment, hurting them for fun is not cool.
Rex turned quiet for a while and then he exploded: If I could prove to him from the holy bible that hunting was a sin, he would promise never to use a gun again to shoot deer with it. I couldn't do anything else but point to the difference I already had made, and someone pointed to the old habit of hunting as described in Psalm 22, where Christ gets compared to a hind hunted early. Another tried to excuse par force hunting by saying that a deer shot would sometimes suffer longer than one which the dogs killed with their biting.
E: I can't judge this since I've never attended par force hunting; but I am sure that it's not right to torment an animal without need. I recalled the ox huntings which sometimes take place in Halle, and Rex asked who was doing this and where it happened and similar questions.
The other Prince provided a charming interlude when he started to kiss the King's hands and to stroke his cheeks. As R. asked: "You surely want something from me, don't you?"
Ille: Yes, Papa."
R: And what?
P: Please don't hang the long fellow who has run away.
R. smiled at that, but didn't reply in the positive. Regina signalled that she approved of this intercession. Generals Seckendorff and Grumbkow supported the little Prince. Whereupon Rex started to kiss the Prince and hold him in his arms for a long time. As the Queen without Rex noticing this has gestured at me with her head and arms to say something, I then said to the little Prince: "Your Highness, your advocacy will undoubtedly weigh stronger with your father's majesty than that of ten other supplicants. For mercy is always more glorious than judgment." This seemed please the Queen. Whereupon the King said: "It is a difficult case."
Ego: Blood crimes may not be pardonable, but in cases like this on, your Majesty could surely put mercy before judgment. To which the two Generals at my right and left side agreed. N.B. The Prince had been supposed to make his plea days earlier instructus a matre Regina, but as he was afraid that Papa, as he said, might bet very angry, he had avoided it and only offered caresses, despite the fact Generals Seckendorff and Grumbkow tried to prepare the way for him with questions and speeches like these: "The Prince surely wants something if he caresses you like that." item: "The Prince surely weighs something in his heart which he wants to say." it. "Just say what it is. If it's something good, we all will help you and plead with you." But he couldn't push himself to do it. Whereupon Regina threatened him after dinner that if he wouldn't say something this time, he'd be whipped, as she told me the following day, and said she was relying on the fact I was present and could add a word or two.
Princeps then had asked Oberhofmeisterin Kameke: What was happening when they hanged someone? Whether they put something around the neck? Whether this was hurting people? Whether one died of it? And then he stayed the course. But one could guess from the entire behaviour of the King that the plea would not have been in vain. He mentioned the next day (so I can describe this here anticipando), for then the King said: That he had pardoned the villain, and asked the Prince: how the fellow should be punished if he wasn't hanged? Whereupon the Prince said: He should be whipped. The Prince was immediately reminded to thank his Majesty, which he did by kissing his hand.
That's pretty much it. The next day, Freylinghausen talks some more theology with FW who has been through a blood letting and is relatively calm, and presents religious books for the entire royal family as farewell presents. FW, SD, the girls and AW say thank you most graciously, but Fritz isn't there, so SD says she'll accept Freylinghausen's present (a collection of Francke's sermons about the apostle letters) for him and give it him. That's also the occasion where she tells Freylinghausen the backstory of AW's plea from the previous day.
