The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-17
1HAcElRars LECTURES ON THE GEORGES.
GEORGE THE FIRST
Ooptinued from the lest issue Of THE EVENING
TELBGRAPH,1

TELBsRAPH.1
That beautiful Aurora Won Kouiasmarck and
her brother are wonderful as types of bygone
manners, and strange illustrations of the morals
of old days The KOnigsmarcks we're descended
from an ancient noble family OF Brandenburg
a branch OF which passed into Sweden, where
il enriched itself ana produced several mighty
The founder Of the race was Hans Christot.
famous warrior and plunderer OF the Thirty
Years War. One OF Hans sons Otto, appeared
"a ambassador at the Court of Louis XIV, and
had TO make a Swedish speech at his reception
before the Most Christian King. Otto was
famous dandy and warrior, but he forgot the
speeoh, and what do you think he dld2 Far
from beinp Disconnected he rected portion of
the swedish Catechism 70 his Most Christian
Majesty and his court, not one of whom under
stood his lingo, with the exception ot MS own own
suite, who had to Keep tnelr gravity as pest
'U 0ttos nephew, Aurora's elder brother, Carl
Johann of Konigsmarck, favorite of Charles
III a beauty q dandy, warrior, a rascal OF
more than ordinary mark, escaped, but deserved
heing hanged in England for the murder of
Tom Thyme OF Longleat. He had little
brother in London with him at the Hme-as
great beauty, as great q dandy, as great q
villain as his elder. This lad, Philip of Konigs-
marck also was implicated in the affair; and
perhaps 1t is pity he ever brought his pretty
neck out of IT. He went over to Hanover, and
was soon appointed colonel Of regiment of
H. e. Highness' DRAGONS In early life he had
been page in the Court of Celle; and il was said
that he and the pretty Princess Sophia Dorothea,
who by this time was married to her cousin
George, the electoral prince had been in love
with each other as children. Their loves were
now to be renewed, not innocently, and to come
to fearful end.
A biography of George |, by DR.. Doran, has
lately appeared, and confess l am astounded
at the verdict which that writer has delivered
and at his acquittal of this most unfortunate
lady. That she had cold, selfish libertine of a
husband no one can doubt; but that the bad
husband had a bad wife is equally clear She
was married to her cousin for money or conve-
nience, as all prlncesses we're married. She was
most beautiful, lively, witty accomplished; his
brutality outraged her; his silence and coldness
chilled her; his cruelty insulted her. No wonder
she did not love him. How could love be q
part of the compact in such marriage as that?
With this unlucky heart to dispose OF, the poor
creature bestowed it on Philip of Kontgsmarck,
than whom greater scamp does not walk the
history of the seventeenth century. A hundred
and eighty years after the fellow was thrust
into his unknown igraye, Swedish professor
lights upon a box of letters in the University
library at Upsaa, written by Philip and Doro-
thea to each other, and telling their miserable
story.
The bewitching Konigswarck had conquered
two female hearts in Hanover. Besides the
electoral princes lovely young wife, Sophia
Dorothea, Philip had inspired a passion in a
hideous old court lady, the Countess of Platen.
The princess seems to have pursued hun with
the fidelity of many years. Heaps of letters
followed him on his campaigns, and were an
swered by the daring adventurer The princess
wanted to fly with him; to quit her odious hus.
band at any rate. She besought her parents to
receive her back; had notion of taking refuge
in France and going over to the Catholic religion;
had absolutely packed her jewels for fight, and
very likely arranged Its details with her lover
in that last long nights interview, after which
Philip of Konigsmarck was seen no more.
Konigsmarck, inaamed with drink-there is
scarcely any vice of which, according to his
own showing, this gentleman was not a prac-
fitiOpar--ho6 bnastp0 q nraadan Of his intin1
with the two Hanoverian ladies-not only with
the princess, but with another lady powerful in
Hanover. The Countess Platen, the old favorite
of the Elector, hated the young electoral
princess. The young lady had lively wit, and
constantly made fun of the old one. The
princess Jokes we're conveyed to the old Pl6ten,
Just as our idle words are carried about at this
present day; and so they hated each other.
The characters in the tragedy, of which the
curtain was now about to fall, are about as dark
a set as ever eyes rested on. There IS the jolly
prince, shrewd, selfish, scheming, loving his
cups and his ease Il think his good humor
makes the tragedy but darker); his princess,
who speaks little, but observes all; his old
painted Jezebel of a mistress; his son, the
electoral prince, shrewd too, quiet, selfish, not
illhumored, and generally silent, except when
goaded into fury by the intolerable tongue of
his lovely wife; there is poor Sophia Dorothea,
with her coquetry and her wrongs, and her pas
sionate attachment to her scamp of lover, and
her wild imprudences, and her insane fidelity,
and her furious jealousy regarding her husband
(though she loathed and cheated hlm), and her
prodgious falsehoods; and the conddante, of
course, into whose hands the letters are slipped;
and there is Lotharlo, finally than whom, as [
have said one can't imagine a more handsome,
wicked, worthless reprobate
How that perverse fidelity of passion pursues
the villain How madly true the woman 49,
and how astoundngly she lies She has be-
Wltched two or three persons who have taken
her up, and they won't believe in her wrong.
Like Mary of Scotland, she finds adherents
ready to conspire for her even in history; and
people who have to deal with her are charmed,
and fascinated, and bedeviled. How devotedly
Miss Strickland has stood by Mary's innocence
who persist IN ii too? Innocentl / remember
as boy how great party persisted in declaring
Caroline of Brunswick was a martyred angel.
80 was Helen OF Greece innocent. She never
ran away with Paris the dangerous young Tro.
Jan. Menelaus, her husband, i'll used her; and
there never was any siege OF Troy at all. So
was Blueoeard's wife innocent. She never
peeped into the closet where the other wives
were with their heads off. She never dropped
the key, or stained it with blood; and her
brothers were quite right in finishing Bluebeard,
the cowardlY brutel Yes, Caroline of Bruns.
wick was innocent; and Madame Lafarpe never
poisoned her husband; and Mary of ScotIand
never blew up hers; and poor Sophia Dorothea
was never uhIalthIuli ana Eve never took the
applet was cowardly fabrication of the
serpents.
George Louis has been held up To evacrotior
as a murderous Bluebeard, whereas the eIactorai
prince had no share in the transaction IN which
Philip of Konigsmark was seufled ont og tbie
mortal scene. The prince was absent when tbe
catastrophe came. The princess had had !
hundred Warnings-mild hints from her bus
hands parents; grim remonstrances from him
self-but took no more heed of this advice thar
snch besotted poor wretches do. On the nigb.
Of sunday, the lst of July, 1894, Konipsmarcl
-,o;5 "a lon0 visit 10 the princess and LEFT bor =.