STATE PAPERS, 
for his cause is just. Never has a 
sovereign made greater sacrifices to 
peace. He pushed his condescension 
to the last limit that honour would 
allow. Every thing which was di- 
rected against him personally, he 
passed over in silence. The opi- 
nions of the ignorant, and the re- 
flections of the slanderous, he de- 
Spised, animated with the constant 
hope, that he would be able to con- 
duct his people, without injury, to 
that period which must sooner or 
dater arrive, when unjust greatness 
Shall find its bounds ; and ambition, 
which obstinately refused to ac- 
knowledge any limits, shall at 
Tength overleap itself. 
The motives which induce his 
‘majesty to take up arms, are not to 
satisfy his resentments, to increase 
his power, or to render a nation 
uneasy which he shall always esteem, 
as long as it confines itself to its 
just and natural interests; but to 
avert from his kingdom the fate 
which was preparing for it; to pre- 
serve to the people of Frederick, 
their independence and their glory ; 
to rescue unfortunate Germany 
from the yoke by which it is op- 
pressed, and to bring about a safe 
and honourable peace. The day 
on which he shall effect this, will 
be the proudest of his life. 
The 
events of the war which is now be- 
‘ginning, are in the disposal of Su- 
preme Wisdom.—His majesty leaves 
it to others to indulge in premature 
-exultation and gratuitous insult, as 
he has for a long time allowed them 
from unjust invectives. 
the miserable satisfaction arising 
He leads to 
an honourable combat an army 
worthy of its former glory. He 
‘reigns over a people of whom he 
May be proud; and, while he is 
yeady to shed his blood for them, he 
$11 
knows what he may expect from 
their energy and affection. Princes, 
the hononr of the German name, 
who can confide in his gratitude 
and honour, and who, fighting by 
his side, are not dubious of victory, 
have joined their banners with his ; 
and a sovereign, who adorns with 
his virtues one of the first thrones 
in the world, is penetrated with the 
justice of his cause. Every where 
his arms are blessed by the voice of 
the people, and even where they are 
silent from fear, their impatience is 
the greater. Withso many motives 
to be conscious of her strength, 
Prussia may well be permitted con- 
tinually to confideinher high destiny. 
Head-quarters, Erfurt, Oct. 9, 1806. 
Letter from His Majesty the Em 
peror and King. 
Senators, 
We have quitted our capital to 
place ourselves in the midst of our 
army of Germany, at the moment 
we saw with certainty that its flanks 
were menaced with unexpecied 
movements. Scarcely arrived on 
the frontiers of our states, we had 
an opportunity of perceiving how 
much our presence was necessary 
there, and of congratulating ourself 
on the defensive measures that we 
had taken before we quitted the 
centre of our empire. Already the 
Prussian armies, ready for war, were 
in motion in all parts; they had 
passed their frontiers ; Saxony was 
invaded, and the wise prince who 
governs it was forced to act against 
his will, and against the interest of 
his people. The Prussian armies 
had arrived in face of the canton. 
ments of ourtroops. Provocations 
of every kind, and even acts of vio- 
, lence, 
