7
We passed the winter in garrison at Berlin, where the officers of our regiment lived with the Court; and as my reputation had preceded me thither, nobody passed the time in a more agreeable manner than myself.
In 1743 I was six feet three inches high; till then I was a stranger to love. The shocking spectacle of the hospital of Potzdam, made me dread its illusions. In 1744, the King’s sister was married to the King of Sweden, whose widow she now is. On this occasion I mounted the guard of honour in quality of Officer of the Guards, and was ordered to escort her as far as Stettin. In the tumult inevitable in the crowd, I lost my watch; and a sharper was also dextrous enough to cut off part of the gold fringe from my waistcoat. My loss was the subject of much pleasantry among the other officers; and a great lady took occasion to say, that she would make it her business to console me. I felt all the meaning of this; and in a few days I was the happiest man in Berlin. It was on both sides the first tribute paid to Love. Her affection for me was without bounds; and while I exist I shall never forget her kindness; but the secret of our intimacy is one of those that I will carry with me to the grave. She is still alive, and an absence of forty-three years has not been capable of making any change in her sentiments. My children alone shall know the name of the person to whom they are indebted for their father’s preservation.
I lived happy and respected at Berlin. The King on every occasion gave me marks of favour; my fair mistress supplied me with more money than I could spend, and my appearance was soon
