Such was my state of mind during the war, up to the Peace of Dresden. I have made Bartenstein draw up a careful account of the whole development of affairs during this time, both political and internal, and have gone through it carefully, both for my own future justification, and for the instruction of my successor, that he may know the real history of events, about which there has been and still is so much discussion and search, and scrutiny of the records of the time will show why such and such was done, often necessarily. For every government is criticized by its successor.
Up to the Peace of Dresden I acted boldly, shrank from no risk, and spared no effort, for besides my motives of principle, as set out above, I had another spur, to wit, the conviction that no more unhappy fate could befall my poor dominions than to fall into Prussian hands; indeed, had I not been nearly always enceinte, no one could have stopped me from taking the field personally against my perjured enemy. But God willed it otherwise and it is easy to imagine, seeing with what love and tenderness I cared for my dominions, even placing them above myself and my children, how intolerably painful it must be to me to bear their – I will not say hatred, but – ingratitude.
And when I saw that I must put my hand to the Peace of Dresden, my state of mind suddenly changed, and I directed my whole attention to internal problems and to devising how the German Hereditary Lands could still be preserved and protected against two so mighty enemies, Prussia and the Turk, lacking fortresses and ready money, and with weakened armies.
The high policy of this House changed completely; formerly it was directed toward holding the balance of power against France. Now there was no more thought of that, only of internal consolidation, so that the Netherlands and Italy were no longer a reason to prolong the war; the objective had to be get well out of it, at any cost.
This was the reason why I concluded the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle so quickly. And after the Peace of Dresden my one endeavor was to inform myself of the situation and resources of each Province, and then to acquire a thorough understanding and picture of the abuses which had crept into them and their administrative services, resulting in the utmost confusion and distressfulness. Those who ought to have enlightened me on this were either unable or unwilling to do so.
Here, too, I am all-indebted to Bartenstein, who helped me greatly and lighted the true candle, following which I found certain individuals who brought me much material through the channel of my private secretary, Koch, who entered my service at the same time; he also took all pains to procure me privily secret information here and in the Provinces. Koch’s equal for discretion would be hard to find, and he is also uncommonly honest, Christian, and free from intrigue. He stood on the same footing with me as Tarouca, who succeeded Herberstein when he died as my special confidant and adviser; furthermore, since he knew German, I made him summarize and report to me on military and Chancellery agenda and also on Provincial affairs, and also draft the decisions for me to see and approve.
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