Part 110

yet, +doch+, to be placed after the subject.

who ever (+je+) has lived. How must the verbs be placed?

Begin a new period here, and say: ‘When a man (S. 134, N. 9) does his work for the sake of (+um ... willen+, which governs the Gen.) his duty, (S. 27, N. 8) he does it (to agree with ‘duty’) for God’s sake’.

Section 136.

DO NOT BE ASHAMED OF YOUR ORIGIN.

General Bau, a German (S. 101, N. 1) officer in the service of Russia, who had contributed much to the elevation of the great Catherine, had orders to march to Holstein with a body of troops of which he had the command. He was a soldier of fortune, and no one knew either his family or his native place. One day (S. 19, N. 2), as he was encamped near Husum, he invited the principal officers to dinner. As they were sitting down to the table, they saw a plain miller and his wife brought into the tent, whom the general had sent his aide-de-camp to seek. The poor miller and his wife approached, trembling (S. 53, N. 12) with apprehension. The general reconciled them to their situation, and made them sit down beside him to dinner, during which he asked them a number of questions about their family.

Origin, +Herkunft+, f.; in the service of Russia, +in russischen Diensten+.

+~Katharina~+ I., +~Kaiserin von Rußland~, wurde am 15. April 1684 geboren und war die Tochter eines lithauischen Bauers, namens Samuel Skawronski. Im Jahre 1701 wurde sie die Gattin eines schwedischen Dragoners, fiel dann bei der Einnahme Marienburgs durch die Russen (1702) in die Hände des russischen Generals Scheremetjew, durch den sie zum Fürsten Menschikow und endlich zum Kaiser Peter dem Großen kam, der sich in sie verliebte und sich im Jahre 1707 heimlich mit ihr vermählen ließ. Ihr eigentlicher Taufname war ~Martha~, beim Übertritt zur griechisch katholischen Kirche erhielt sie jedoch die Namen Katharina Alexiewna. Im Jahre 1711 gelang es ihr, indem sie sich die Gunst des Großveziers zu gewinnen wußte, am Pruth das russische Heer durch List aus gefährlicher Lage zu befreien, worauf sie im Jahre 1712 von Peter dem Großen öffentlich als seine rechtmäßige Gemahlin anerkannt wurde. Sie wurde endlich im Jahre 1724 als Kaiserin feierlich gekrönt, als sie jedoch nach Peters des Großen Tode im Jahre 1725 auf Betrieb des Fürsten Menschikow als regierende Kaiserin ausgerufen wurde, überließ sie sich einer zügellosen Lebensweise und starb am 17. Mai 1727. Sie ward Mutter dreier Töchter, Katharina, Anna (Mutter Peters III.) und Elisabeth, der nachmaligen Kaiserin.+

Say ‘had the order’; render ‘to march — command,’ liter. = with an under his command standing body of troops (+Truppencorps+, n.) to (S. 72, N. 4) Holstein to march.

near = not far from, +unweit+.

= first.

= they saw that a simple miller and his wife were brought into the tent.

+die der General durch seinen Adjutanten hatte holen lassen.+

+vor+.

+mit+.

made them sit down, +ließ+ (or +hieß+, bade) +sie ... platz´nehmen+; beside him = on his side; to dinner, +beim Essen+.

to ask a person numerous questions, +einem viele Fragen vor´legen+; about, +über+.

Section 137.

DO NOT BE ASHAMED OF YOUR ORIGIN.

II.

The good man told him that he was (App. § 28) the eldest son of a miller, and that he had two brothers in a mercantile line and a sister. “But,” said the general, “had you not another brother besides the two whom you have mentioned?” The miller told him he had another brother, but he went to the wars very young, and as they had never heard of him, they supposed he was dead. The general, reading (S. 16, N. 4) in the eyes of the officers that they were surprised at his entertaining himself so long with questioning the poor man, turned to them and said: “Gentlemen, you have always been curious to know from what family I sprung; I now tell you that I am not ashamed of my origin; that I am the brother of this honest miller; he has given you the history of my family.” The general, after spending (S. 55, N. 1) the day with his relations, in the festivity of which his officers heartily joined, took measures to better their fortune.—ANECDOTES.

in — line, +im Kaufmannsstande+.

Translate ‘you’ by +Ihr+ in this address, and use the verb in the 2nd pers. pl., which at that time was the common address for people of the lower rank of society. Say ‘had you (+Ihr+) besides (+außer+) the two already mentioned brothers not yet another’?

+noch einen.+

+aber er sei sehr jung in den Krieg gezogen.+

+da+; read S. 27, N. 8.

Say ‘The general who read in the eyes of the officers their surprise (insert +darüber+), that he occupied himself so long with the questioning (+Ausfragen+, n.) of the poor man’.

+stammen.+