10.
HUMBOLDT TO VARNHAGEN.
BERLIN, _3d of Feby., 1833_.
I am eternally grateful and affected by your noble letter. Grace and
euphony of language should always be joined to purity of character and
gracefulness of manners.
My brother was here for two days, but almost always under the shock of
the waves, dashing from the Court. Princes have the right to pray
without ever being deprecated. He ordered me to tell you, dear friend,
how very sensible he is to the flattering nature of your offer; but he
is just now so much occupied with the publication of the quarto edition
on the affinity of Asiatic languages with the Sanscrit, that he cannot
accept what he considers, nevertheless, as highly important. He desires,
in honor of the celebrity of the great departed one,[8] that _you_
should undertake the task. I am painfully concerned to hear that you
enjoy, together with your ingenious friend, but a small bit of health,
which you kindly lend each other—something of a mutual self-instruction,
or Azais-compensation, which afflicts me very much. I have received a
long letter of Mrs. Cotta. It seems she will assume the editorship of
the _Allgemeine Zeitung_, an anti-salique enterprise altogether. Is it
not strange, how, at certain epochs, a certain principle seems to
penetrate all mankind? Resuscitation of reverence for the past,
not-to-be-disturbed love of peace, distrust in the possibility of
amelioration, hydrophobia against genius, religious compulsion for
unity, mania-diplomatica for protocols.... Cardines rerum.
NOTE BY VARNHAGEN.—I had replied in Rahel’s name, who was prevented by
sickness, to the note of the 1st inst., directed to her, and in a
postscript had expressed the desire Minister de Humboldt should
write the critique of _Faust_, just then to be published for the
_Jahrbücher der Kritik_.
11.
HUMBOLDT TO RAHEL.
BERLIN, _February 9th, 1853_.
I have seen Beuth once more, to remind him of his ancient friendship
with L. His opinion is, that it would be advantageous for the family to
separate the architectural subjects from what belongs to landscape
merely, and also to leave out the engravings. Only the architectural
drawings were of any use to his institute, and if the family wanted the
money, he would be enabled to purchase to the amount of some hundred
Thalers (perhaps four to five hundred?). However uninviting such an
offer may be, I thought it my duty, dear friend, to impart it to you. In
case of acceptance, Beuth wishes to deal forthwith with some agent, who
should come and see him in his house.
May the sun of gentle spring give you both warmth, cheerfulness, and
vigor! The “Byzantine empire” (ours I mean) is seriously divided into
two parties about “Bunsen’s Psalm Book,” and “Elsner’s Collection of
Hymns!” The military power and the adjutants are in favor of the
“Collection of Hymns.” As for myself, I have not yet made up my mind.
Saturday.