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The Political Testament of Frederick William I ("the Soldier King") (February 17, 1722)

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My dear successor must therefore not split up his fine army and give no troops for money and subsidies to Emperor, England, Holland, but must return the Powers the answer that I have given them: if you want to have troops, I will march myself with my whole army but not for subsidies, but give me land and men, which is what I want, then I will march, but not before. No country, no Prussian [Paing de Pais Poing de Prussien] is what best serves the interest, welfare, and glory of you and the land. You must draw the bow tight; if they need you they will have to give you what you ask, if they don’t need you you sit quiet with your army, and wait for a good opportunity, for your affairs are in order. What does it profit you to sacrifice your army for a bagatelle for the benefit of Englishmen, Emperor, or Dutchmen, this would be the greatest folly in the world, but you have too much sense to cut such a caper. Your Imperial contingent consists of 14,000 men. These you must provide, but not from your army. You must recruit foreign troops – ten squadrons and ten battalions – against annual subsidies from small German principalities, Gotha, Darmstadt, Breitensbach, Eisenach, they must do for the 14,000 men. You must send one of your Generals with them as commander. The Ministers will do everything to split your army up, but take my advice, it is good, and I have learned all this by experience, and what do you get from it if you let your army be sacrificed, you always get money again, but if your country is depopulated, that is difficult to make good. The welfare of a ruler is if his land is well populated, that is the true riches of a land. If your army marches outside the country the excise will not bring in a third as much as if the army is in the country. The prices of commodities will fall, then the Crown agents will not be able to pay their rents in full, it is total ruin.

I beseech my dear successor in God’s name not to start any unjust wars and not to be an aggressor, for God has forbidden unjust wars and one day you will have to give account for every man who has fallen in an unjust war. Consider that God’s judgment is sharp, read history, there you will find that unjust wars have come to no good end, you have for examples King Louis XIV in France, King Augustus of Poland, the Elector of Bavaria, and many others. The two last were expelled from their lands and dethroned into the bargain because they started an unjust war. Be assured that God gives an army its heart, and also takes it away from the soldiers, for when King Augustus began a very unjust war, his Saxon army was so frightened of the Swedes that in many battles and encounters the Saxons were beaten by the enemy even when they were twice as strong as the Swedes, for the Saxons were always in fear in this unjust war, so that they refused to stand and fight. There my dear successor can see the hand of God, the Saxons are otherwise brave people and have always served bravely in Brabant and the Reich, but as soon as their King engaged in an unjust war the heart was gone out of them. I therefore beseech my dear successor not to begin an unjust war, then dear God will always bless you and your army and will give courage. You are, indeed, a great lord on earth, but you will have to render account before God for all unjust wars and blood that you have caused to be spilled, that is a hard thing, so I beseech you, keep a clear conscience before God, then you will enjoy a happy rule.

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