BERESFORD’S TRANSLATION OF THRE LIFE OF GENERAL DE ZIETEN.- 
eanre more gay and communicative ; and, at 
this time it was, that the grateful woman, 
whom he honoured with his friendship and 
hisconfidence, and who has since ventured 
to compile these memoirs ; attentive to these 
recitals, snatched from oblivion such parti- 
¢eulars as discretion permitted him to inpart 
to her, and has incorporated them in the 
monument she has raised to her hero.” 
_ General Zieten lived, as we have al- 
ready said, twenty-six years with his se- 
cond wife: by her he had two children. 
e family was a family of love; caress- 
ing and caressed, each seems to have 
_ anticipated the wishes of the other: as 
he advanced in years he became more 
ntle, communicative, sociable, and in- 
dulgent. Frederick, at the age of se- 
_venty, would often pay his general, at 
fourscore, an unexpected visit. The 
princes of the blood, and all the Prussian 
generals were proud to imitate the ex- 
ample. 
In December 1785, the king had re- 
_ turned to Berlin, in bad health. Zieten, 
who had not seen the king for some 
- months, at the age of eighty-six went to 
_ the palace to pay his respects. The 
- moment Frederick saw him, 
_*© What, my good old Zieten! are you 
there?” said his majesty. «* How sorry am I, 
_ that you have had the trouble of walking up 
_ the staircase. I should have called upon 
you myself. How have you been of late?” 
«« Sire,” answered Zieten, ‘‘my health is not 
amiss, my appetite is good ; but my strength! 
my strength!” <« This account,” replied the 
king, ‘‘ makes me happy by halves only; 
but you must be tired—I shall have a chair 
for you.” A chair was quickly brought. 
ieten, however, declared that he was not 
at all fatigued: the king maintained that he 
was. “Sit down, good father :” continued 
is majesty, ‘‘ I will have it so; for I cannot 
‘ low you to be inconvenienced under my 
_ own roof.” The old general obeyed, and 
Frederick the Great remained standing be- 
fore him, in the midst of a brilliant circle 
_ that had thronged around them. After ask- 
ing him many questions respecting his hear- 
ing, his memory, and the general state of his 
th, he at length took leave of him in 
_ these words; ‘* Adieu, my dear Zieten (it 
_ was his last adien!) take care not to catch 
_ cold: nurse yourself well, and live as long 
as you can, that I may often have the plea- 
: a “ee of seeing you.” After having said this, 
Se king, instead of speaking to the other 
generals and walking through the saloons as 
in his closet.” 
7 
€) 
usual, retired abruptly, and shut himself up _ 
493 
Zieten preserved his faculties to the 
last: his sight and hearing had been for 
some time impaired, but his general 
state of health was good; he 
“se Sunk to the grave with unperceiy’d decay, 
While resignation gently slop'd the way.” 
He died on the 26th of January, 1786, 
in his eighty-sixth year: 
«¢ How sleep the brave, who sink tg rest 
By all theit country’s wishes blest ! 
When Spring with dewy fingers cold 
Returns to deck their hallow’d mould, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
Than Fancy’s feet have ever trod ; 
By Fairy hands their knell is rung, 
By forms unseen thicir dirge is sung 3 
There Honour comes, a pugrim grey, 
Te bless the turf that wraps their clay; 
And Freedom shall awhile repair, 
To dwell, a weeping hermit, there.” * 
The finances of Zieten had been con 
siderably decayed by his liberalities; 
in short he died poor! Frederick, who 
survived him but a few months, made a 
present to his widow and children of ten 
thousand dollars. The successor of 
Frederick raised a noble statue to the ge- 
neral’s memory: it is considered as a 
fine piece of sculpture, and is the pro- 
duction of M. Schadow of Berlin. A: 
plate and description of it are given in 
these volumes. 
** Zieten was low of stature, meagre, but 
well-built; his face was oval, his hair dark- 
brown, his forehead flat, his eyes large and 
blue. His mouth was somewhat wide, 
his lips thick, andthe under one marked’ 
with a deep scar. His features were strong, 
his countenance masculine and somewhat 
harsh, though not deficient in harmony. 
His looks were steady, his eyes full of ex= 
pression and fire, and his face highly cha- 
racteristic of seriousness and dignity. 
<* His attitude was erect, his gait free and 
easy. He was brisk in his motions, could 
use his sword in either hand, a circumstance 
that proved advantageous to him on several 
occasions. He danced with singular grace, 
rode boldly and with great ease; and to the 
very end of his life, he preferred the lightest 
and most mettlesome steed to any other.* 
‘Whether on horseback or on foot, all his 
movements were alert: on all other occa- 
sions they were sedate and slow; and he who 
saw him in his chamber engaged in his do- 
mestic affairs, could hardly suppose him to 
be endowed with that degree of activity, re- 
solution, and boldness which always charac- 
terised him in public. 
** Averse to loquacity, he could say much. 
;* Mr. Beresford has with great taste selected these appropriate lines ag a motto to the 
