TWO GERMAN SAVANTS.
A Post-chaise, drawn by four horses, had just driven up to the hotel
of The German Emperor, the first and most renowned inn in the city
of Frankfort-on-the-Main. The porter rang the door-bell as loudly and
impetuously as he only used to do on the arrival of aristocratic and
wealthy guests. Hence the waiters rushed to the door in the greatest
haste, and even the portly and well-dressed landlord did not deem it
derogatory to his dignity to leave the dining-room, for the purpose of
welcoming the stranger in the post-chaise, drawn by the four horses.
In this post-chaise he perceived a gentleman of prepossessing and jovial
appearance, and with a handsome and tolerably youthful face. His large
blue eyes looked gayly and boldly into the world; a genial smile was
playing on his broad and rather sensual-looking lips; and his voice was
clear, strong, and sonorous.
“May I find here with you comfortable rooms, and, above all, a good
supper?” he asked the landlord, who, pushing aside his waiters and the
stranger’s footman, stepped up to the carriage, in order to open the
door.
“Sir,” replied the landlord, proudly, “The German Emperor is noted for
its good rooms and excellent table!”
The stranger laughed merrily. “Truly,” he said, gayly, “these are
splendid prospects for Germany. If The German Emperor furnishes good
rooms and an excellent table, I am sure Germany would be unreasonable
to ask for any thing else! Well, my dear landlord, give me, then, good
rooms and a supper.”
“Do you want rooms on the first or on the second floor?” asked the
landlord, respectfully walking behind the stranger, who had just entered
the hall.
“Of course, on the first floor; Heaven forbid that I should have to
climb two flights of stairs!” replied the stranger. “I like to live in
comfortable and elegant rooms. Give me, therefore, three fine rooms on
the first floor.”
“Three rooms!” said the landlord, hesitatingly. “I must observe to you,
sir, that all the rooms on the first floor have been reserved for the
Duke of Baden, who will arrive here to-morrow or day after to-morrow,
and stop at The German Emperor, like all princes coming to our city. I
do not know if I can spare three rooms.”
“Oh, you surely can, as the duke will only arrive to-morrow or day after
to-morrow, while I am here to-day,” said the stranger.
“Give me the rooms you had intended for the duke; then I shall be sure
to get good ones, and I shall take them at the same price you will
charge him.”
The landlord bowed respectfully, and snatched the silver candle-stick
from the hand of the head-waiter, in order to have the honor of
conducting the stranger up-stairs to his rooms. The waiters, who had
stood on both sides of the hall in respectful silence, now hastily
rushed toward the post-chaise, in order to assist the stranger’s footman
in unloading the trunks and packages belonging to his master.
“As far as the supper is concerned, pray imagine I were the expected
Duke of Baden, and make your arrangements accordingly,” said the
stranger, ascending the staircase. “I particularly enjoy a good supper.
If you have any pheasants to serve up to me, I shall be content with
them; only see to it that they be well larded with truffles.”
And his voice died away in the large corridor which he was now walking
down, preceded by the landlord, in order to take possession of the best
rooms in the hotel.
The waiters were engaged in unloading the trunks, and improved this
opportunity to inquire of the stranger’s footman, clad in a rich livery,
the rank, name, and title of his master.
He told them the gentleman had just arrived from Loudon, where he had
been living for a year; he was now on his way to Vienna, and would leave
Frankfort on the following day.
“This trunk is very heavy,” said one of the waiters, vainly trying to
lift from the carriage a small trunk, mounted with strips of brass, and
covered with yellow nails.
“I should think so,” said the footman, proudly. “This trunk contains my
master’s money and jewelry. There are at least twelve gold watches, set
with diamonds, and as many snuff-boxes. The Queen of England sent to my
master on the day of our departure a magnificent snuff-box, adorned
with the portrait of her majesty, and richly set with diamonds: and the
snuff-box, moreover, was entirely filled with gold pieces. Come, take
hold of the trunk on that side; I shall do so on this, and we will take
it directly up to my master’s rooms.”
Just as they entered the hall with their precious load, another carriage
drove up to the door. But this time it was only a miserable, rickety old
basket-chaise, drawn by two lean jades with lowered heads and heaving
bellies.
The porter, therefore, did not deem it worth while to ring the bell for
this forlorn-looking vehicle; but he contented himself with leisurely
putting his hands into his pockets, sauntering down to the chaise, and
casting a disdainful glance into its interior.
There was also a single gentleman in it, but his appearance was less
prepossessing and indicative of liberality than that of the former
stranger. The new-comer was a little gentleman, with a pale face and a
sickly form. His mien was grave and care-worn; his dark eyes were gloomy
and stern; his expansive forehead was thoughtful and clouded.
“May I have a room in your hotel?” he asked, in a clear, ringing voice.
“Certainly, sir, as nice and elegant as you may desire,” said the
porter, condescendingly.
“I do not require it to be nice and elegant,” replied the stranger.
“Only a small room with a comfortable bed; that is all I care for.”
“It is at your disposal, sir,” said the porter; and beckoning the
youngest waiter to assist the stranger in alighting, he added: “Take the
gentleman to one of the smaller rooms on the first floor.”
“Oh, no,” said the stranger, “I do not ask for a room on the first
floor; I shall be satisfied with one on the second floor. Be kind enough
to pay my fare to the coachman; he gets ten florins. You may put it down
on my bill.”
“And will you give me no drink-money?” asked the coachman, angrily. “The
gentleman will assuredly not refuse me drink-money after a three days’
journey?”
“My friend, I did not agree to pay you any thing but those ten florins,”
said the stranger. “I will comply with your demand, however, for you
have been an excellent driver.”
He handed half a florin to the coachman, and entered the hotel with
measured steps.
“Do you want supper?” asked the waiter, conducting him upstairs.
“Yes, if you please,” said the stranger; “but no expensive supper,
merely a cup of tea and some bread and meat.”
“A poor devil!” muttered the porter, shrugging his shoulders
disdainfully, and following the stranger with his eyes. “A very poor
devil! only a room on the second floor; tea and bread and meat for
supper! He must be a savant, a professor, or something of that sort.”
Meantime the footman and the waiter had carried the heavy trunk, with
the gold and other valuables, up-stairs to the rooms of the stranger on
the first floor. These rooms were really furnished in the most sumptuous
manner, and worthy to be inhabited by guests of princely rank. Heavy
silk and gold hangings covered the walls; blinds of costly velvet,
fringed with gold, veiled the high arched windows; precious Turkish
carpets adorned the floor; gilt furniture, carved in the most artistic
manner and covered with velvet cushions, added to the splendor and
beauty of the rooms.
The stranger lay on one of the magnificent sofas when the trunk with his
valuables was brought in. He ordered the footman with a wave of his
hand to place the trunk before him on the marble table, wrought by some
Florentine artisan, and then he leisurely stretched out his legs again
on the velvet sofa.
Scarcely had the door closed again behind the footman and the waiter,
however, when he hastily rose, and drawing the trunk toward him, opened
it with a small key fastened to his watch-chain.
“I believe I will now at length add up my riches,” he said to himself.
“The time of the golden rain, I am afraid is over, at least for the
present; for, in Germany, an author and savant is never taken for a
Danae, and no one wants to be a Jove and lavish a golden rain upon him.
The practical English, who are more sagacious in every respect, know,
too, how to appreciate a writer of merit, and pay him better for his
works. Thank God I was in England! Let us see now how much we have got.”
He plunged his hands into the small trunk and drew them forth filled
with gold pieces.
“How well that sounds!” he said, throwing the gold pieces on the table,
and constantly adding new ones to them. “There is no music of the
spheres to be compared with this sound, and no view is more charming
than the aspect of this pile of gold. How many tender love-glances,
how many sumptuous dinners, how many protestations of friendship and
love-pledges, how many festivals and pleasures do not flash forth from
those gold pieces, as though they were an enchanted mine! As a good
general, I will count my troops, and thus enable myself to draw up the
plans of my battles.”
A long pause ensued. Nothing was heard but the music of the gold pieces,
which the traveller arranged in long rows on the marble table, and the
figures which he muttered, while his countenance grew every moment more
radiant.
“Five hundred guineas!” he exclaimed joyfully; “that sum is equivalent
to three thousand three hundred and thirty-three dollars in Prussian
money; there are, besides, two thousand-pound notes in my wallet,
amounting to over thirteen thousand dollars, which, together with my
guineas, will amount to over sixteen thousand dollars cash. Oh, now I am
a rich man! I no longer need deny to myself any wish, any enjoyment.
I can enjoy life, and I WILL enjoy it. As a stream of enjoyment and
delight my days shall roll along, and to enjoyment glory shall be added,
and throughout all Germany my voice shall resound; in all cabinets it
shall reecho, and to the destinies of nations it shall point out their
channel and direction. For great things I am called, and great things
will I accomplish. I will not allow myself to be used by these lords of
the earth as a journeyman, to whom the masters assign work for scanty
pay. Their equal and peer, I will stand by their side, and they shall
recognize it as a favor which they cannot weigh up with gold, if I take
the word for them and their interests, and win battles for them with my
pen.”
There was a gentle knock at the door, and quickly he threw his silken
handkerchief over the gold pieces and papers, and closed the cover of
his casket before he gave permission to enter.
It was only a few waiters, who carried a well-spread table, in the midst
of which a splendid pheasant stretched its brownish, shining limbs, and
filled the whole room with the odor of the truffles with which it was
stuffed. By its side shone, in crystal bottles, the most precious Rhine
wine, looking like liquid gold, and a silent, still undisclosed pie gave
a presentiment of a piquant enjoyment.
The traveller sipped the several odors with smiling comfort, and took
his place at the table with the full confidence that he would be able to
fill the next half hour of his life with enjoyment and to advantage.
In this confidence he was not disappointed, and when he finally rose
from the table, on which nothing but bones had remained of the pheasant,
and nothing but the bare crust of the pie, his countenance beamed with
satisfaction and delight.
The waiters made haste to remove the table, and the head waiter made
his appearance with the large hotel register, in which he asked the
traveller to enter his name.
He was ready for it, and already took the pen to write his name, when
suddenly he uttered a cry of surprise, and excitedly pointed with his
finger to the last written line of the book.
“Is this gentleman still in your hotel, or has he already left?” he
asked, hastily.
“No, your honor, this gentleman arrived only an hour ago, and he will
stay here to-night.” said the head waiter.
“Oh, what a surprise,” said the traveller, starting up. “Come, please to
conduct me at once to this gentleman.”
And, with impatient haste, he ran to the door, which the head waiter
opened to him. But upon the threshold he suddenly stopped and seemed to
pause.
“Pray wait for me here in this hall; I shall follow you immediately,” he
said, as he returned to his room, closed its door, and hastened to the
table in order to put his gold and his papers into the casket and to
lock it.
In the mean while, the traveller in the small room of the second floor
had finished his frugal meal, and was now occupied with making up his
account and entering the little travelling expenses of the last few days
into his diary.
“It is after all an expensive journey,” he muttered to himself; “I shall
hardly have a few hundred florins left on my arrival at Berlin. It is
true the first quarter of my salary will at once be paid to me, but
one-half of it I have already assigned to my creditors, and the other
half will scarcely suffice to furnish decently a few rooms. Oh, how much
are those to be envied, the freedom and cheerfulness of whose minds are
never disturbed by financial troubles!”
A loud knock at the door interrupted him; he hastened to put back his
money into his pocket-book, when the door was hastily opened and the
stranger of the first story appeared in it with a smiling countenance.
“Frederick Gentz!” exclaimed the owner of the room, in joyful surprise.
“Johannes Muller!” smilingly exclaimed the other, running up to him
with outstretched arms, and tenderly embracing the little man, the great
historian. “What good fortune for me, my friend, that I put up at this
hotel, where I was to have the pleasure of meeting you! Accidentally I
found in the hotel register your name, and at once I rushed to welcome
you.”
“And by coming you afford to my heart a true joy,” tenderly said
Johannes Muller, “for nothing can afford a greater joy than the
unexpected meeting with a beloved and esteemed friend, and you know you
are both to me.”
“I only know that you are both to me!” exclaimed Gentz. “I only know
that during my present journey I am indebted to you for the most
precious hours, for the most sublime enjoyments. I had taken along for
my reading your work on the ‘Furstenbund’ [‘Alliance of Princes’).
I wished to see whether this book which, on its first appearance, so
powerfully affected me, would still have the same effect upon me after
an interval of twenty years. The world since then has been transformed
and changed, I myself not less; and I was well aware how far my views
on many most important topics would differ from yours. This, indeed,
I found to be the case, and yet the whole reading was for me an
uninterrupted current of delight and admiration. For four weeks I
read in my leisure hours nothing but this book, and I felt my mind
consecrated, strengthened, and nerved again for every thing great and
good.”
“If you say this,” exclaimed Muller, “I have not labored in vain,
although a German author feels sometimes tempted to believe that all his
labors, all his writing and thinking were useless efforts, and nothing
but seed scattered upon barren and sterile soil, and unable to bear
fruit. Oh, my friend, what unfortunate days of humiliation and disgrace
are still in store for Germany! But let us not talk of this now, but of
you. Come, let us seat ourselves side by side upon this divan. And now
tell me of your successes and your glory. The report of it has reached
me, and I have learned with unenvying delight with what enthusiasm the
whole literary and political world of England has received you, and how
the court, the ministers, and the aristocracy of Loudon have celebrated
the great German writer and politician.”
“It is true I have met in Loudon with much kindness and a flattering
reception,” said Gentz, smilingly. “You know a German writer must go
abroad if he lays claim to recognition and reward, for, as the proverb
says, ‘The prophet is not without honor, save in his own country.’ I
had, therefore, to go to England in order to secure for my voice, which
until then was little heeded, some authority even in Germany.”
“And now, when you have so eminently succeeded in this, you return I
hope forever to Germany?”
“It almost seems so. I follow a call of the Austrian minister, Cobenzl,
and have been appointed in Vienna as Aulic councillor, with a salary of
four thousand florins.”
“And in which ministry will you work?”
“Not in any particular one. I have been engaged for extraordinary
services exclusively, with no other obligation than, as Minister von
Cobenzl expressly writes, to work by my writings for the maintenance of
the government, of morals, and order.”
A smile stole over the delicate features of Muller.
“Exactly the same words which the Minister von Thugut said to me two
years ago. And you have had the courage to accept the position?”
“Yes, I have accepted it, because I hope thus to render a service to
the fatherland, and to be of advantage to it. I have forever east off
my Prussianism, and shall henceforth become an Austrian with body and
soul.”
“How wonderful are the dispensations of fate! for I must reply to you
that I have cast off forever my Austrianism, and shall henceforth become
a Prussian with body and soul.”
“Ah, you go to Prussia! You leave the Austrian service?”
“Yes, forever. I follow a call to Berlin.”
“Oh,” exclaimed Gentz, “I have not the courage to complain that I have
to do without you in Vienna, for fate in its wisdom has disposed of both
of us, and it will make us available for the great, sublime cause of
Germany. Being both stationed at one place, our efforts could not be so
far reaching, so powerful, and therefore fate sets you up in the north
of Germany, and me in the south, in order that our voices may resound
hither and thither throughout Germany, and awaken all minds and kindle
all energies for the one grand aim, the delivery and the honor of
Germany.”
“You still believe, then, in the honor of Germany and the possibility of
its delivery,” Muller inquired, with a sigh.
“Yes. I still believe in it,” Gentz exclaimed, with enthusiasm; “but to
that end many things must yet be done, many things must be aimed at and
changed. Above all, two things are necessary. In the first place, the
old enmity between Austria and Prussia must disappear, and both must
firmly unite with each other and with England against France. It is this
which I in Vienna and you in Berlin must never lose sight of--which we
must aim at with all the power of our spirit and of our eloquence;
for it is one of the last measures which are left for maintaining the
independence of Europe and for averting the deluge of evils which break
forth more terribly every day. From the moment when Austria and Prussia
shall stand upon one line and move in one direction, there will be
nowhere in Germany particular interests. All the greater and lesser
princes would at once and without hesitation place themselves under the
wings of this powerful alliance--the well-disposed cheerfully and out
of conviction, and the unpatriotic ones through fear. So much of the
constitution as has been rescued from this last shipwreck, would be safe
for the duration of this alliance; and so much of it as must be altered,
would be altered according to the principles of justice and of the
common weal, and not according to the disgraceful demands of French and
Russian land agents.”
“You are right,” exclaimed Johannes Muller; “a close alliance of Austria
and Prussia is necessary, and only through it, and through it alone, the
maintenance of the European equilibrium is possible, but for the present
we must lean on the power of Russia and the resources of England.”
“No, no,” Gentz exclaimed, vehemently; “no communion with Russia! Russia
is a friend who can never be trusted, for whenever it shall be her
advantage she will at any moment be ready to become the most bitter
enemy of her friends. But really we have had a striking and terrible
example, of this when the Emperor Paul suddenly separated from Germany
and England in order to ally himself with France. But the union of
France and Russia is the most threatening and terrible combination for
the whole remainder of Europe. Of all the wounds which during the last
ten years have been inflicted upon the old political system, and in
particular upon the independence of Germany, those which were caused by
the temporary agreement between France and Russia were the deepest and
most incurable. If this comet should rise a second time over our heads,
the world will go up in flames. What is to resist the combined power
of these two colossuses unless the united weight and the united bulk
of Germany hinders their embrace? The western colossus has long since
broken through its old barriers; all the outposts are in its power, all
the fortresses which do not belong to it are dismantled, all the points
of military defence are outflanked. From Switzerland and Italy, from the
peaks of the conquered Alps, it may irresistibly pounce upon the
centime of the Austrian monarchy and invade the exposed provinces of the
undefended Prussian kingdom. And now let it please Providence to
elevate upon the Russian throne a prince full of ambition and thirst
of conquest, and the subjugation of Germany, the dissolution of all the
empires still existing, a double universal monarchy would, under the
present circumstances, be the next consequence; and if the present
system, or rather the present hopeless languor should continue for
several more years, this must sooner or later be the inevitable destiny
of Germany.”
“There is now for Germany only one enemy,” Johannes Muller said,
vehemently, “and this enemy is France--is Bonaparte! A new crisis
approaches; of this I am convinced. Bonaparte will not be satisfied with
the title and the office of a First Consul for life; he will place a
crown upon his head, and threateningly oppose himself with his sceptre
to all monarchies, and they will either have to humble themselves before
him or to unite against him. Therefore, no other, no possible future
enemy, should be thought of at this time, but only the universal foe and
his government, so incompatible with general tranquillity. Let all
the hatred of the nation be poured down on him, and on him alone, by
everywhere spreading the conviction that nothing interferes with
the preservation of peace throughout the world but his existence.”
[Footnote: Muller’s own words.--Vide “Memoires d’un Homme d’Etat,” vol.
vii., p. 58.] “There is something else I would wish for Germany,” said
Gentz, musingly. “I will now reveal to you my innermost thoughts, my
friend, for I am satisfied that our meeting here was a dispensation
of fate. Providence has decreed that we, the intellectual champions
of Germany, should agree here on the plans of our campaign and concert
measures for our joint action. Therefore, you shall descend with me into
the depths of my heart and see the result to which I have been led by
many years’ reflection concerning the causes and progress of the great
convulsions of our day, and by my own grief at the political decay of
Germany. The result is the firm belief that it would be by far better
for Germany to be united into one state. Oh, do not look at me in so
surprised and angry a manner! I know very well, and I have reflected a
great deal about it, how salutary an influence has been exerted by
the dismemberment of Germany on the free development of the individual
faculties; I acknowledge that, considered individually, we might very
probably not have reached, in a great and centralized monarchy, the
proud and glorious eminence we are occupying at the present time, and so
far, as a nation, after all, only consists of individuals, I am unable
to perceive exactly how ours, without anarchy, could have acquired the
distinction which it might boast of if it were a nation! But whenever
I think that it is no nation--whenever I think that France and England,
with greatly inferior faculties and means, have grown up to that true
totality of human life--to that true nationality which nothing is able
to destroy--whenever I think and feel that foreigners, on whom we may
look down from our exalted stand-point, in matters of politics, trample
on our necks, and are allowed to treat us as though we were their
servants, all consolations derived from our grand and magnificent
individuality vanish and leave me alone with my grief. [Footnote:
Gentz’s own words.--Vide “Memoires d’un Homme d’Etat,” vol. vii., p.
20.] I am free to confess to you that I have already gone so far on
the road of those mournful reflections as to consider it very doubtful
whether the whole history of Germany was ever treated from a correct
point of view. I know but too well that the princes of the house of
Austria seldom, if ever, deserved to be the rulers of Germany; but I
do not believe that there are any reasons why we should exalt at the
discomfiture of their plans. It is a matter of great indifference to me
whether a Hapsburg, Bavarian, Hohenzollern, or Hohenstaufen succeed in
bringing the empire under one hat; I only place myself on an Austrian
stand-point because that house has the best prospects and is under the
highest obligations to accomplish the unity of Germany. Now you know my
innermost thoughts; criticise and correct them, my friend!”
“I will neither criticise nor correct them,” said Muller, offering his
hand to Gentz with a tender glance; “I will only exchange views with
you. I imagine, therefore, at this moment, we were pacing, as we did a
year ago, previous to your journey to England, the splendid hall of the
imperial library, where the sixteen statues of the Hapsburg emperors
reminded us of their era. Before which of them will we place ourselves
and say: ‘What a pity that you, wise and noble prince, are not the sole
ruler of Germany; you were worthy, indeed, that the moral and political
welfare of the whole nation should be left to the decision of your will,
and that every thing should be submitted to your power!’”
“It is true,” muttered Gentz, mournfully; “in the history of Germany
there is no emperor, king, or prince to whom we might or should talk in
this manner.”
“Nor is that the cause of our misfortunes,” said Muller; “the want of
one ruler has not produced them, and it is not so bad that we have not
got but one neck, and cannot consequently be struck down at one blow.
The fault, on the contrary, is our own. If we had a single great man,
even though he were neither an emperor nor a king, if he were only a
Maurice of Saxony, a Stadtholder of Holland, he would attract the nation
in times of danger and distress; it would rally around him and he would
stand above it. That we have not such a man is owing to our deplorable
system of education, and to the wrong direction which our mode of
thinking has taken. Every thing with us has fallen asleep, and we are in
a condition of almost hopeless stagnation. The old poetry of fatherland,
honor, and heroism, seems to be almost extinct among us; we are asleep,
and do not even dream. In order to recover our senses, a conceited
tyrant, who will mock us while plundering our pockets, is an
indispensable necessity. Providence, perhaps, has destined Bonaparte to
become the tyrant who is to awaken Germany from its slumber by means of
cruelties; he is, perhaps, to revive among the Germans love of honor,
liberty, and country; he is, perhaps, to be the scourge that is to
torture us, so that we may overcome our indolence, and that our true
national spirit may be aroused. I hope the tyrant will accomplish this,
and deliver Germany. God knows I would not like to serve him, but to
the liberators of the world I should willingly devote my ideas and my
feelings, nay, my blood. [Footnote: “Memoires d’un Homme d’Etat,” vol.
vii., pp. 39, 40.] Then let us hope, wait, and prepare. Let us not
occupy ourselves with Germany as it might be, perhaps, in its unity, but
with Germany as it CAN be with its confederate system. The Germans are
not qualified, like the English or French, to live in a single great
state. The climate, their organization, that miserable beer, the
insignificant participation in the commerce of the world, prevent it;
the somewhat phlegmatic body of the state must have an independent life
in each of its parts; the circulation issuing from a single head would
be too imperceptible. We must be satisfied with the glory which a
Joseph, a Frederick the Great, and the enthusiasm of the whole people
gave to us, and if the next struggle should terminate successfully, will
give to us to the greatest extent. [Footnote: Ibid., vol. vii., p.
46.] We must struggle on for the welfare of the entire people, and the
individuals should unite into one great harmonious whole. Like myself,
you consider concord between Austria and Prussia at present the only
remedy for the ills of Germany; let us, therefore, strive for it, let us
direct our whole strength to this point, to this goal.”
“Yes, let us do so!” exclaimed Gentz, enthusiastically. “We are both
destined and able to be the champions of Germany; let us fulfil our
task. No matter how much greater, how much more exalted and brilliant
your name may be than mine, for my part I am proud enough to believe
that I have certain talents which ought to unite our political efforts.
Hence, you cannot and must not reject and neglect me; you must accept
the hand which I offer you for this great and holy compact, for
the welfare of Germany. We must keep up an active and uninterrupted
correspondence with each other, and freely and unreservedly communicate
to each other our views about the great questions of the day. It seems
to me wise, necessary, and truly patriotic that such men as we should
hold timely consultations with each other as to what should be done, and
how, where, and by whom it should be done. The wholesome influence we
may exert, stationed by fate as one of us is in Berlin, and the other in
Vienna, by faithfully uniting our efforts, will be truly incalculable.
Now say, my friend, will you conclude such a covenant with me? Shall
we unite in our active love for Germany in our active hatred against
France?”
“Yes, we will!” exclaimed Johannes Muller, solemnly. “I truly love and
venerate you; I will struggle with you incessantly until we have reached
our common noble goal. Here is my hand, my friend; its grasp shall
be the consecration of our covenant. Perhaps you do not know me very
intimately, but we must believe in each other. All our studies, all our
intellectual strength, our connections, our friendships, every thing
shall be devoted to that one great object, for the sake of which alone,
so long as it may yet be accomplished, life is not to be disdained.”
[Footnote: “Memoires d’un Homme d’Etat,” vol. vii., p. 40.]
“Yes, be it so,” said Gentz, joyfully. “The covenant is concluded, and
may God bless it for the welfare of Germany!”