144 CARLYLE. 



deeper political insight. This want of sympathy points 

 to the somewhat narrow limits of Friedrich's nature. 

 In spite of Mr. Carlyle's adroit statement of the case, 

 and the whole book has an . air of being the plea of 

 a masterly advocate in mitigation of sentence, we feel 

 that his hero was essentially hard, narrow, and selfish. 

 His popularity will go for little with any one who has 

 studied the trifling and often fabulous elements that 

 make up that singular compound. A bluntness of speech, 

 a shabby uniform, a frugal camp equipage, a timely 

 familiarity, may make a man the favorite of an army or 

 a nation, — above all, if he have the knack of success. 

 Moreover, popularity is much more easily won from 

 above downward, and is bought at a better bargain by 

 kings and generals than by other men. We doubt if 

 Friedrich would have been liked as a private person, or 

 even as an unsuccessful king. He apparently attached 

 very few people to himself, fewer even than his brutal 

 old Squire Western of a father. His sister Wilhelmina 

 is perhaps an exception. We say perhaps, for we do not 

 know how much the heroic part he was called on to 

 play had to do with the matter, and whether sisterly 

 pride did not pass even with herself for sisterly affection. 

 Moreover she was far from him ; and Mr. Carlyle waves 

 aside, in his generous fashion, some rather keen com- 

 ments of hers on her brother's character when she visited 

 Berlin after he had become king. Indeed, he is apt 

 to deal rather contemptuously with all adverse criticism 

 of his hero. We sympathize with his impulse in this re- 

 spect, agreeing heartily as we do in Chaucer's scorn of 

 those who " gladlie demen to the baser end" in such 

 matters. But we are not quite sure if this be a safe 

 method with the historian. He must doubtless be the 

 friend of his hero if he would understand him, but he 

 must be more the friend of truth if he would understand 



