“The idea is fine and does you honor, but the picture is not good; here is a better one!” and handed him his own richly-jeweled snuff-box.
The Bishop’s Cloak
One of the characteristics of Frederick the Great was that he loved a tilt with the clergy. So he said to the Bishop of Ermenland:
“I hope to slip into paradise under your cloak.”
“Hardly,” returned the Bishop, whose income had been reduced to one-third, “your Majesty has cut down my cloak too much.”
Deserved His Rest
General Ziethen once fell into a doze at the king’s table. As some one made a motion to rouse him, the king said:
“Let him sleep. He has watched long enough that we might rest.”
Thoughtfulness for Others
During the many wars he was engaged in, Frederick the Great shared not only all the dangers but also all the hardships of the common soldier.