The
relation between himself and his son Frederick was never cordial,
to say the least. The boorish manners of the father offended
the finer spirit of the son. The son's love for French
manners, literature, philosophy and music was rejected by the
father as a manifestation of sissy-ness. There followed a terrible
outbreak between these two strange temperaments. Frederick
tried to escape to England. He was caught and court-
martialed and forced to witness the decapitation of his best
friend who had tried to help him. Thereupon as part of his
punishment, the young prince was sent to a little fortress
somewhere in the provinces to be taught the details of his future
business of being a king. It proved a blessing in disguise.
When Frederick came to the throne in 1740, he knew how his
country was managed from the birth certificate of a pauper's
son to the minutest detail of a complicated annual Budget.
As an author, especially in his book called the ``Anti-
Macchiavelli,'' Frederick had expressed his contempt for the
political creed of the ancient Florentine historian, who had
advised his princely pupils to lie and cheat whenever it was
necessary to do so for the benefit of their country. The ideal
ruler in Frederick's volume was the first servant of his people,
the enlightened despot after the example of Louis XIV. In
practice, however, Frederick, while working for his people
twenty hours a day, tolerated no one to be near him as a
counsellor.
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