" And at the end of the war he writes:
"See, your friend is victorious for the second time! Who would have
said a few years ago that your pupil in philosophy would play a
soldier's part in the world; that Providence would use a poet to
overthrow the political system of Europe?" This shows how fresh and
young Frederick felt when he returned to Berlin in triumph after his
first war.
For the second time he took the field to assert his claim to Silesia.
Again he was victorious. He had already the calm confidence of a tried
general. His joy at the excellence of his troops was great. "All that
flatters me in this victory," he wrote to Frau von Camas, "is that I
could contribute by a quick decision and a bold manoeuvre to the
preservation of so many good people. I would not have the least of my
soldiers wounded for vain glory, which no longer deceives me." But in
the midst of the contest came the death of two of his dearest friends,
Jordan and Kayserlingk. His grief was touching: "In less than three
months I have lost my two most faithful friends, people with whom I
had lived daily, pleasant companions, honorable men, and true friends.
It is hard for a heart that was made so sensitive as mine to restrain
my deep sorrow. When I come back to Berlin, I shall be almost a
stranger in my own fatherland, lonesome in my own house. You too have
had the misfortune to lose at one time several people who were dear to
you. I admire your courage, but I cannot imitate it.
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