George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 10

‘ [243] prefer eternal war to peace.’¹ ‘Now is the mo-

Chap. XI.} 1778.

ment,’ he warned his minister, ‘to exert all your power: the deaf must hear; the blind see; the lethargic wake up.’² ‘Last year,’ he continued, ‘I saw that France could not avoid war with England; I offer my vows for the success of the French;’³ and he added in his own hand: ‘The Austrians wish openly to subjugate the empire, abolish the constitutions, tyrannize the liberty of voices, and establish their own absolute and unlimited power on the ruins of the ancient government. Let him who will, bear such violences: I shall oppose them till death closes my eyes.’⁴ Since France would not fulfil her guarantee of the peace of Westphalia, Frederic desired at least a formal and positive assurance of her neutrality. ‘As to the French ministers,’ said he, ‘I admire their apathy; but if I were to imitate it, I should surely be lost.’⁵ The queen of France besought her husband even with tears to favor the designs of the court of Vienna, and bitterly complained that neutrality had been promised by his cabinet; but the king turned aside her entreaties, remarking that these affairs ought never to become the subject of their conversation. The interference made the ministry more dissembling and more inflexible. For himself, Louis the Sixteenth had no partiality for Austria, and Maurepas retained the old traditions of the French monarchy. Moreover, he was willing to see Prussia and Austria enfeeble each other, and