"IFS" THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 101, 27 April 1912, Page 13

"IFS" THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

A SPIDER THAT ALTERED THE ' MAP OF EUROPE.

(By A. P. TEHUNE-7

On the ceiling and oralis in a room-ot the Neves Palais —one of Kaiser Wilhelin's castles —is a huge golden, web with a spider painted in its centre. For more than 190 years this has borne mute testimony to one of history's strangest "ifs." Just as the spider once changed the future of Scotland, so a spider, in quite a, different way, altered the future of Germany and of all Europe. This German, spider, unlike Bruee's, did not set a tired king an example in perseverence. Its one" claim to immortality was the fact that it happened to tumble into a cup of chocolate. Not a heroic or spectacular feat; but one that saved a royal, life ana a nation's career. Tl»e life saved by t v e spider was thai of Frederick the Great. The nation was Prussia, which, under Frederick's geniui had suddenly become a world power. Frederick —a lean, undersized man —came to the tlirone in 1740. when he was 2£ years old. Prussia was then a respected "and wealthy state, but not strong 01 prominent enough, to suit Frederick's ambitions. He planned to carry it into the very foremost ranks of European powers. ' Building up national -welfare at home, he plunged into a series of foreign quarrels. In consequence he found himself in 1750 at war. with Austria. France. Russia. Sweden, and Saxony. It was an alliance that threatened to grind Prussia to the very dust. A seven-year conflict followed. ' Frederick was often beaten, but won some glorious victories againsfheavy odds, and by sheer wit saved hi» country from any worse fate than the loss of* many men and much money. Incidentally his prowess had won for himself the "nickname "The Great," and gave his country a" worldwide prestige. Throughout Frederick's reign it was Austria that ever menaced him. Austrian armies. Austrian plots, and Austrian influence were constantly launched against Prussia. - Only Frederick's personal wisdom and foresight kept Austriafrom dominating all Germany, and from annexing Bavaria and other German states.

With Frederick out of the way, Austria might have carried out her scheme and have placed upon Germany's neck a yoke that would have been well nigh impossible to remove, and. officially or otherwise, efforts were made to assassinate the Prussian King. The most dangerous of these conspiracies was averted by the smallest sort of an "if Here , is the story:— Frederick was in the lisbit of rising at 4 or j o'clock in the morning. He used to go directly to his study, where ; sipping a cup of chocolate, he would transact official business for several hours. looking over complaints, reading personally every letter addressed '"To the King." righting grievances and solving knotty political problems.

Early one morning the Kin", with hi. two pet greyhounds at his heels, walked into his Neves Palais study and began looking over a heap of documents piled on the table there. A servant placed tha usual cup of hot chocolate at his side. Having chanced to open some letter of more than usual interest. Frederick waited until he bad finished reading it before turning to his morning chocolate. Then, to his disgust, he found that a spider had fallen from a web on the ceiling and had landed in the middle of the cup. The poor insect wag sprawling helpless in the chocolate. It was not a sight to tempt the appetite, especially so early in the morning. Th« King pushed the cup aside and rang for another. Then he noticed the greyhounds that had come close to his chair in the hope of sharing their master's morning meal. Pouring the chocolate, spider and all, into a saucer, Frederick set the receptacle on the floor in front of the hounds. In a minute the hungry dogs had licked the saucer clean. In another minute both animals were writhing and howling in death agonies. The chocolate had contained enough poison to kill several men. But for the spider the King would have died as swiftly and as surely as did his dogs. Inquiries were made at once. The King's French cook had prepared the chocolate. Officers of the guard hurraed to seize him and drag him before Frederick. But they were not quick enough. I News of his crime's failure had already reached the cook, and, to avoid capture, he had cut his throat. .*<l^~ Little by little, the truth came out. j The cook had been secretly in the pay of - lan Austrian iutriguer. and had been ■■' ... I induced by large reward to; administer - - ; the poison. ' -U" 1 * i , "-' ! The King, in memory of , «***"*£ J^ that had saved his ~ We, V •*«»* *« ** " ! Xeiwe Palais study to be * d ° me *™ '» ) the big golden web, wiich may stOl be