Quickly, indeed, was Frederick's prophecy fulfilled. The
house of Austria was suddenly humbled, and the Prussian army was
quietly in possession of one of her capitals. Frederick had been
joyfully received, not only by the Protestants, who had so long
suffered from the bitterest religious persecution, and to whom the
king now promised absolute freedom of conscience and unconditional
exercise of their religious worship, but by the Catholics, even the
priests and Jesuits, who were completely fascinated by the intellect
and amiability of Frederick. No man mourned for the Austrian yoke,
and the Prussians became great favorites with the Silesians,
particularly with the women, who, heart in hand, advanced to meet
them; received the handsome and well-made soldiers as lovers, and
hastened to have these tender ties made irrevocable by the blessing
of the priest. Hundreds of marriages between the Prussians and the
maidens of the land were solemnized during the six weeks Frederick
remained in Silesia. These men, who, but a few weeks before, came as
enemies and conquerors, were now adopted citizens, thus giving their
king a double right to the possession of these provinces.
It soon became the mode for the Silesian girl to claim a Prussian
lover, and the taller and larger the lover, the prouder and more
happy was the lucky possessor.
Pages:
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519