Charlatanism

for Hegel, despotism's the ideal
one mind to tell the nation what to do
as if to show a system to be real
were tantamount to proving it were true
at liberty, once Kant was safely dead
to claim to bear the standard of pure thought
while turning what the man said on its head
and bringing all philosophy to naught
king Fred'rick bought a toady for his school
who'd swear his most outrageous whim was just
'cause only one of merit could dare rule
a polity so German and august
contemptuous of making himself clear
he served up what his patron chose to hear