At the request of the King I took the opportunity of reading to him
Schelling’s discourse on nature and art. (Philosoph. Werke, tome 1st,
1809.) The passages concerning Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and about the
possibility of a resuscitation of the arts, are the most pleasing in our
language. This lecture produced on the King the effect of a beautiful
song. But the bird is now sixty-seven years old, and goes from one
golden cage to another.
Varnhagen says in his diary, under date of April 28, 1841: “Humboldt
came and remained more than an hour and a half; I found him looking ill,
but lively, cheerful, and more communicative than ever. He praises the
King for his disposition and his intentions, but thinks that he is no
man of action, and that whenever he acts, he does it by starts, without
system or method. Whether it be from kindness or timidity, at all
events, he often does not dare to do what he most wishes and could do
quite easily; thus he expects impatiently that the minister Von Werther
will resign, and asks of Humboldt, whether the minister has given no
intimation of it.”
On the 30th April, 1841, Varnhagen says: “Humboldt has a great many
enemies, as well amongst the savans as at court, who are constantly
seeking an opportunity to malign him, but the moment he is praised all
vituperation ceases—for it is all vituperation. It is seldom that
anybody is able to maintain it. Some time ago a gentleman said to me,
that he did not know what to think of Humboldt, and that he could not
come to a conclusion concerning him. I answered: ‘Think always the best
of him, believe him always capable of the best action, and you always
will be nearest the truth.’ Another said, same day, sneeringly:
‘Humboldt was a great man before he came to Berlin, where he became an
ordinary one.’ Moritz Robert remarked that Rahel had already said
several times: ‘Nothing holds its ground in Berlin, everything has a
downward tendency; indeed, if the Pope himself came to Berlin, he would
not continue long to be Pope, he would sink into the ‘commonplace,’ down
perhaps to the standard of a groom.’ What Rahel said is true, and I
remember that she said so, but had made no note of it. This peculiarity
of Berlin ought to be examined closer; it indicates a strong stratum of
undeveloped greatness, and may, when positively brought forth to a
point, bring the highest honor on Berlin; but if allowed to act
negatively, it will, of course, become a shame to this city. ‘The
Berliners are such a daring race of men,’ said Goethe, once. That is
much the same definition.”
53.
HUMBOLDT TO VARNHAGEN.
SATURDAY, _April 24th, 1841_.
A disappointment, dear friend, not to have found you. Correct this
title-page for me; I have to send it away. As it is necessary to state,
“that this is not the lecture of 1828,” I thought of having the long
sentence printed on the title-page, in small type, like an aphorism. It
may look strange _after_ the name, but I hope you will be able to
approve of it.