was for a time kept secret, but Frederic, being informed of it through the treachery of a clerk in the Saxon chancery, saw that it meant for him the loss of Silesia. Resolving to anticipate his enemies, he commenced operations by invading Saxony on the 24th of August, 1756, thus beginning the third Silesian, or, as it is usually called, "The Seven Years' War." This contest was the most extraordinary and important in modern times, previous to those of the French Revolution. Though Frederic II. is the hero, the history of the war is, in fact, the history of Continental Europe. The king, intending to invade Bohemia, required a passage through Saxony, anticipating which the Elector, the King of Poland, assembled his troops in an intrenched camp at Pirna. Frederic took possession of Dresden on the 10th of September, without any resistance on the part of the Saxons, and immediately secured and published the documents which proved the conspiracy against Prussia. He also blockaded Pirna, but, confiding this investment to the Margrave Charles of Brandenburg, he himself advanced with 24,000 troops across the frontier of Bohemia, to arrest the progress of 20,000 Austrians under Field-marshal Braun, whom he defeated at Lowositz. The loss of the two armies was very nearly equal, that of the Prussians being 3200 killed and wounded, and of the Austrians 3000, hardly any prisoners being taken on either side. By this contest Frederic secured the speedy capitulation of the Saxons at Pirna.

In 1757, he advanced into Bohemia. On the 6th of May, at Prague, he met the forces of the Empress-queen, amounting to about 75,000 men. His own army consisted of about 68,000. Prince Charles of Lorraine commenced the fight, which resulted in a great victory for the Prussians. It, however, cost Frederic above 2000 men killed, Sooo wounded, and 1500 taken prisoners; but a still greater loss is thus recorded by Frederic:-"On our side we had to mourn the death of Marshal Schwerin, whose loss was of more importance to us than that of 10,000 men would have been. His death withered the laurels of a victory bought with such precious blood." Schwerin had fought under Marlborough at Blenheim, and had been with Charles the Twelfth at Bender. At the age of

seventy-two he still preserved the activity and boldness of youth. He was Frederic's tutor in the art of war. In the battle of Prague the Austrians had 4000 killed, 4000 wounded, and nearly 9000 taken prisoners. Marshal Braun also was so severely wounded in the engagement that he shortly afterwards died at Prague.

One portion of the Austrian army fled towards Beneschau; and the other, amounting to 48,000 men, commanded by Prince Charles, hastened to shelter itself within the walls of Prague. Frederic at once invested that city, and in four days the whole town was surrounded with lines and intrenchments, and all external communication thus cut off. On the night of the 23d of May, Prince Charles made a sortie at the head of 12,000 men. He was, however, repulsed with the loss of 1000 men killed and wounded. The Prussians commenced the bombardment of Prague on the 29th of May, and continued it for several days; during which time the town was set on fire in various places with shells and red-hot balls. The population of 80,000 persons subsisted upon scanty supplies of horseflesh. Frederic, taking a force of 12,000 men from the blockading army, marched to join the forces under the Duke of Bevern. This junction was effected, and on the 17th of June the King of Prussia was at the head of his united army of 32,000 men.

The Austrian Count Daun, supported by above 60,000 men, was strongly posted near Kolin, on the heights, and had in his front a rugged ravine, and some large pieces of water. In spite, however, of the enormous superiority in numbers of the Austrians, and of their advantageous position, Frederic resolved upon attacking them, for he knew that the Russians, Swedes, French, and the other allies of the Empire were on the march against him. The battle was a fearful one, and at last Frederic, yielding to the entreaties of his own generals, gave the order to retreat. But the king was equally great in the moment of defeat as in that of victory, and he arranged his retreat so admirably that he carried off all his baggage and the greater part of his artillery. The Prussians lost in the battle of Kolin 11,000 men, killed and wounded. Frederic's magnificent regiment of guards was entirely destroyed. Of

the Austrians there were 9000 men killed and wounded. Count Daun was among the wounded. Frederic retired from the field of battle to Nimbourg, and sent orders to his troops engaged in the blockade of Prague to raise the siege of that city. In the meantime the French defeated the Duke of Cumberland, and compelled him to abandon Hanover, of which they took possession; and about the same time the Russians and Swedes invaded Prussia from the north.

Frederic's affairs were supposed by his enemies, and even by his friends, to be desperate; but he was not dismayed. He boldly attacked the united French and Austrian army, twice as numerous as his own, at Rosbach. The fight lasted only two hours, from 3 P. M. till 5; and never was rout more complete than that of the allies. Thirty thousand French, and twenty thousand imperial troops were seen making a disgraceful and precipitate flight before five battalions and a few squadrons. It is related that Frederic, riding across the battle-field, saw one Frenchman withstanding the attack of three Prussians. He stopped the combat, and addressing the Frenchman said, "Do you think you are invincible?" "I should, sire," replied the soldier, "if I fought under your orders."

Frederic now marched into Silesia, where Breslau had been taken by the Austrians. He encamped on the side of this town, facing Lissa, on the 4th of December, 1757. The next day he found himself in the presence of the Austrian army, consisting of 90,000 men, which had advanced to meet him. Although the army of the King of Prussia did not amount to above 30,000, he determined not to refuse the combat. After a sanguinary encounter, the battle of the plains of Lissa ended in the complete defeat of the Austrians. The Prussians lost upon this occasion 5,000 men killed and wounded, while the enormous losses of the Austrians amounted to 28,703. On the 6th of December, Frederic invested Breslau, and as soon as the heavy artillery arrived from Neisse and Brieg, began to batter the town, regardless of the severity of the season. In the course of the attack, a shell set fire to a magazine of powder under the rampart; a bastion was blown up and filled the ditch; and the commandant, General Sprecher, fearing a general assault, surrendered the town, and himself

and his numerous garrison prisoners of war. This event delivered into the hands of the Prussians thirteen generals, 700 officers, and 17,536 soldiers as prisoners. The Russians and Swedes had retreated from the Prussian territories, and the Hanoverians had assembled a large force under Prince Frederic of Brunswick, to co-operate with the Prussians.

At the close of 1757, Frederic's affairs were so far restored that he might have hoped for success in the next campaign, if he could have kept back the Russians. He remained during the winter at Breslau, which he considered to be the best place for making preparations for the coming contest. The admiration which Frederic's conduct had excited in England, and confidence in his ability, induced the English government to grant him a subsidy of £670,000, which became an annual grant. But the Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia, was his most inveterate enemy. In the depth of winter, Count Fermor, with an army of 110,000 Russians, invaded Prussia, and obliged the inhabitants to take the oath of allegiance to his Empress. Frederic's great object was to stop the progress of the Russians. On the 24th of August, 1758, the two armies sighted each other. Next day a sanguinary and desperate battle was fought at Zorndorf, ending in the defeat of the Russians. The victory, however, cost the Prussians 10,000 men killed and wounded, and the Russians 18,600. Several minor engagements were fought during this campaign, so that during its continuance the King of Prussia's total losses were about 30,000 men, whilst those of his enemies exceeded 100,000.

In 1759, the Russians advanced to Frankfort-on-the-Oder. On the 12th of August, Frederic commenced to attack them. For six hours did the Prussians, with an incredible bravery, opposed to an enemy greatly superior in numbers, and mowed down in whole ranks by the fire of artillery, keep their ground. Frederic, who was obstinately bent upon wresting the victory from the Russians, led his troops several times in person to the charge. Two horses were killed under him, and his clothes were pierced with balls. At last, the Prussians were forced to retreat, and the king himself had great difficulty in

making his escape from the field. Finally, they rallied about a league from the battle-field, at Goritz, from whence, the next day, they retired to Reitwent. This battle of Frankfort (or Kunersdorf) was by far the most destructive to the Prussians of any they had yet endured. They lost 7,584 killed, besides 11,119 wounded, among whom were almost all the generals and officers of distinction. The loss of the Russians and Austrians, who aided them, amounted to 3,511 killed and 12,260 wounded. Soltikof, the Russian general, wrote to the Empress, when sending the details of the battle: "Your Majesty must not be surprised at the greatness of our loss. It is the custom of the King of Prussia to sell his defeats very dear." At the beginning of the day, the King of Prussia thought himself so sure of the victory that he wrote to the Queen: "Madame, we have driven the Russians from their intrenchments; in two hours expect to hear of a glorious victory." But when obliged to quit the field, he wrote a second letter, desiring her to send away the royal family from Berlin, and to have the archives removed, adding that the city might make terms with the enemy.

Yet Berlin was saved for a time. Frederic's skillful conduct after his defeat induced the Russian general, instead of entering Brandenburg, to join the Austrians in Lusatia; but soon afterwards, General Finck, one of Frederic's best. leaders, with 15,000 men, was taken prisoner by the Austrians, and a smaller corps shared the same fate. Frederic, however, received reinforcements, and Marshal Daun was content to occupy the camp at Pirna and cover Dresden. оссиру In the follow

ing spring,, some fruitless negotiations for peace took place. In the campaign the city of Dresden suffered very severely from a bombardment, by which Frederic destroyed the finest part of the city. On the other hand, the Russians and Austrians entered Berlin, which was saved from plunder, but had to pay heavy contributions.

Berlin was soon evacuated, and Frederic, who was hastening to its relief, turned into Saxony, where he was induced, by the desperate condition of his affairs, to venture to attack the Austrians, who were strongly posted at Torgau. On the 3d of November, 1760, he defeated them, after a most obsti