But Daun is coming, in no haste—­Fabius Cunctator about to be named—­with 60,000 men; does come to Kolin.  Frederick attacks; but a blunder of too-impetuous Mannstein fatally overturns the plan of battle; to which the resulting disaster is imputed:  disaster seemingly overwhelming and irretrievable, but Daun does not follow up.  The siege of Prag is raised and the Prussian army—­much smaller—­retreats to Saxony.  And on the west Cumberland is in retreat seawards, after Hastenbeck, and French armies are advancing; Cumberland very soon mercifully to disappear, Convention of Kloster-Seven unratified.  But Pitt at last has hold of the reins in England, and Ferdinand of Brunswick gets nominated to succeed Cumberland—­Pitt’s selection?

In these months nothing comes but ill-fortune; clouds gathering; but all leading up to a sudden and startling turning of tables.  In October, Soubise is advancing; and then—­Rossbach.  Soubise thinks he has Frederick outflanked, finds himself unexpectedly taken on flank instead; rolled up and shattered by a force hardly one-third of his own; loses 8,000 men, the Prussians not 600; a tremendous rout, after which Frederick had no more fighting with the French.

Having settled Soubise and recovered repute, Frederick must make haste to Silesia, where Prince Karl, along with Fabius Daun, is already proclaiming Imperial Majesty again, not much hindered by Bevern.  Schweidnitz falls; Bevern, beaten at Breslau, gets taken prisoner; Prussian army marches away; Breslau follows Schweidnitz.  This is what Frederick finds, three weeks after Rossbach.  Well, we are one to three we will have at Prince Karl—­soldiers as ready and confident as the king, their hero.  Challenge accepted by Prince Karl; consummate manoeuvring, borrowed from Epaminondas, and perfect discipline wreck the Austrian army at Leuthen; conquest of Silesia brought to a sudden end.  The most complete of all Frederick’s victories.

Next year (1758) the first effective subsidy treaty with England takes shape, renewed annually; England to provide Frederick with two-thirds of a million sterling.  Ferdinand has got the French clear over Rhine already.  Frederick’s next adventure, a swoop on Olmuetz, is not successful; the siege not very well managed; Loudon, best of partisan commanders, is dispatched by Daun to intercept a very necessary convoy; which means end of siege.  Cautious Daun does not strike on the Prussian retreat, not liking pitched battles.

However, it is now time to face an enemy with whom we have not yet fought; of whose fighting capacity we incline to think little, in spite of warnings of Marshal Keith, who knows them.  The Russians have occupied East Prussia and are advancing.  On August 25, Frederick comes to hand-grips with Russia—­Theseus and the Minotaur at Zorndorf; with much ultimate slaughter of Russians, Seidlitz, with his calvary, twice saving the day; the bloodiest battle of the Seven Years’ War, giving Frederick new views of Russian obstinacy in the field.  The Russians finally retire; time for Frederick to be back in Saxony.