The _residenz_ of the Prince presented a complete contrast to the
trading town which I had left. In extent, it was much smaller, but was
more regularly and handsomely built. Several broad streets, planted with
double rows of flourishing trees, seemed more to belong to the laying
out of a park, or English garden, than to a town. There was here no
bustle of trade; all was, on the contrary, still and solemn--an
impression perhaps deepened by the kind of atmosphere peculiar to that
season of the year (the decline of autumn) when I arrived at the
capital. The quiet was only now and then interrupted by the rattling
course of some coroneted carriage. In the dress and demeanour even of
the lower ranks, there was an attempt at the polite and ornamental, yet
without vain ostentation; while, as I walked through the streets,
although a perfect stranger, yet my appearance probably being approved
of, I was saluted with a respectful bow, and wave of the hat, from every
passenger.
The palace of the Prince was by no means large, nor even built in a
grand style; yet, with regard to elegance and just proportions, it was
one of the finest buildings that I had ever seen. Around it was a very
beautiful park, which, by the possessor's liberality, was thrown open to
all the world, while, as usual in Germany, not a single flower was
plucked, nor an ornament displaced or disfigured, not even a blade of
grass injured by passengers quitting the gravel walks.
At the hotel where I had put up, I was told that the Prince frequently
enjoyed an evening promenade with his family through the park; and that
many inhabitants of the town watched that opportunity of paying their
respects to, or seeing, _en passant_, their respected sovereign.
Accordingly, at the proper hour, I hastened to the grounds, and observed
the Prince, with his consort and a small train of attendants, step out
from the _vestibule_ of the palace. Very soon, as they drew nearer, my
whole attention was directed to the Princess, whom I should have
instantly recognised, only by her resemblance to the Abbess, which was
striking and extraordinary. The same height and dignity; the same grace
in every gesture; the same intellectual gleam of the eyes, and the free,
unclouded forehead and fascinating smile. Only she appeared younger in
years, and in shape fuller and rounder than the Abbess. She came close
past me, so that I heard also the tone of her voice, as she spoke with
some ladies who happened to be in the _allee_, while the Prince walked
behind, seemingly absorbed in deep discussion with a grave,
formal-looking man.
The looks and behaviour of this noble family, and the simplicity of
dress, the total absence of display evinced both by them and their
immediate train, were all in harmony. One could easily perceive that the
good manners and spirit of respectful order which prevailed through the
town, had their origin in the example of the court. By chance I had my
station near a lively little man, who gave me answers readily to all the
questions that I was inclined to put to him, adding spontaneously many
remarks of his own, which to me were very opportune and interesting.
When the Prince and Princess had passed by, he proposed to me, as a
stranger, to take a walk through the park, and to point out to me the
various objects which, as works of art, were there most to be admired.
This was an offer precisely such as I had wished for, and I gladly
availed myself of his politeness. As we proceeded through the grounds,
beneath dark shadowy rows of beeches, elms, and poplars, I expressed
with great sincerity my admiration of the delightful soil and climate of
the _residenz_, and the luxuriant growth of the noble trees.
But as to the numberless buildings in imitation of ancient temples,
where pillars, that should have been of gigantic height, could be
measured at an arm-length from the ground;--Gothic chapels, for example,
where the attention of the builder had been concentrated on trifling
ornaments, instead of the construction of a grand and intellectual
_whole_;--of all _these_ I expressed freely my decided disapprobation;
consequently, he endeavoured to defend these erections by the usual
argument, that they were in a park _indispensable_, if it were no more
than to guard against the inconvenience of a sudden shower. To this I
replied, that simple buildings, such as romantic cottages, root-houses,
etc. would be equally useful, and free from that blame of bad taste which
I attached to the now existing temples, mosques, and chapels.
"To say the truth, I am quite of your opinion," said the stranger; "but,
meanwhile, you must know, that the design of all these buildings, and of
the whole park, proceeds from our Prince himself; and this circumstance,
of course, softens down, at least to us, who are under his dominion, all
tendency to severe criticism or censure.
"The Prince is, in truth, one of the best of men. He has acted always on
that admirable principle, that his subjects are not there to serve and
minister to him, but that he is appointed guardian over them, and is
responsible for their comfort and welfare. The liberty of speaking
freely and aloud whatever one thinks; the low rate of taxes and
consequent cheapness of provisions; the extreme lenity, nay,
invisibility, of the police, (who, though always watchful, never make
their appearance except on occasion of some flagrant misdemeanour,) the
removal of all troublesome and superfluous soldiery, the calm regularity
with which affairs of business and merchandize are carried on; all
these circumstances must make a residence in our capital very agreeable
to a stranger.
"I would lay any bet, that you have never yet been asked after your name
and rank; nor has the innkeeper at your hotel, as it happens in other
places, marched in with a great book under his arm, in which one is
obliged, _nolens volens_, with an abominable stump of a pen, and ink
made of soot and water, to enter his name and condition in the world.
"In short, the whole economy and arrangements of our small kingdom, in
which there prevail a real prudence and wisdom, proceed directly from
our excellent Prince; whereas, _formerly_, at this very town, people
were tormented by the pedantic formality of a court, whose only aim was
to represent the expenses and parade of a neighbouring government of far
greater power and wealth, in a _pocket-edition_.
"Our Prince is a sincere and unaffected lover of the arts and sciences.
Therefore, every good artist, and every man of real learning, is welcome
to him; for, as to rank in life, he lays on that no stress whatever. He
considers only the degree of intellectual acquirements which a stranger
actually does or does not possess; and accordingly shews or withdraws
his favourable countenance.
"But even in the accomplishments of our Prince, it is impossible to
deny, that something of an alloy of pedantry has crept in, which is
partly owing to errors in his early education, and which expresses
itself in his improvements, by an overstrained and slavish adherence to
this or that particular school or fashion. He himself drew out, with the
most laborious minuteness, the plans for every building in the park; and
even the slightest departure of the workmen from the given models, which
he had searched out and put together from an hundred antiquarian
repositories, vexed him in the highest degree. Every pillar, portico,
tower, and cupola, must have its representative, however ludicrous the
imitation in point of height and dimensions must of necessity be.
"By the same disposition to carry one or other favourite system to an
_extreme_, our theatre now suffers, where the principles that he has
once laid down, must on no account be departed from, although, in order
to retain them, sometimes the most heterogeneous incongruities are
forced together. In short, the Prince has a boundless variety of
_hobbies_, which (to keep up the metaphor) he rides alternately; yet not
one of them is of a description calculated to give offence, or do any
real injury to his subjects. When this park was laid out, then he was
architect and gardener _a la folie_. After that, some new fantasies
about music wholly absorbed his attention; to which inspiration,
however, we owe the fitting up of a most admirable and unrivalled choir
and opera. Then painting took the _pas_, and occupied him so entirely,
that, as an artist, he is no mean proficient.
"Even in the daily amusements of the Court, he shews the same
disposition to extremes, and the same variability. Formerly, dancing was
kept up almost every evening; _now_, there is on company-days a
Pharo-Bank, and the Prince, without being in the least what is properly
called a gamester, delights in watching and calculating all the
intricacies of chance. But the pharo-table has continued already long
enough; and there is wanting only some very trifling occurrence or
impulse to bring something altogether new again on the carpet.
"This versatility has sometimes drawn upon our good Prince the reproach
of a weak understanding. There are people who insist, that the mind of
a wise man should always be like a still and waveless lake, reflecting
the same images with calm and unchangeable fidelity. But, in my opinion,
injustice is done him; for it is merely from an extraordinary vivacity
of spirit, that he thus gives the reins at all times to some favourite
and passionate impulse. Hence no expense is spared on establishments
contributing to the amusement and intellectual improvement of his
subjects. These grounds, for example, whatever may be their defects, are
always kept in the nicest order; our opera, chapel choir, and theatre,
are munificently endowed; and our collection of pictures is at every
opportunity augmented. As to the court amusements of gaming, etc. these
are recreations, which, considering the Prince's sedulous application at
other times to business, surely cannot be refused to him."
During this conversation, we passed by many very beautiful and
picturesque masses and groups of trees, of which I renewed my
expressions of admiration, praising also the fine varieties, which, from
rising grounds, the eye commanded in the landscape.
"I ought not to forget," said my companion, "that although the Prince
designed every architectural ornament, and had generally the
superintendance of the park, yet he was indebted for the position of
every thicket, group, or _allee_ of trees, to the taste of our admirable
Princess. She is indeed a complete landscape painter, after which,
natural history, especially botany, is her favourite study. Hence you
will find the rarest and most curious foreign plants and flowers, not
arranged as if merely brought hither for show, but growing in artificial
parterres as if on their native soil. The Princess, however, expressed
an especial disgust to the awkwardly cut gods and goddesses in
freestone, naiads and dryads, with which the park, in former days, was
filled. These statues have therefore vanished; and you find only a few
copies after the antique, which the Prince, on account of certain
cherished remembrances, would not part with."
* * * * *
It was now late in the evening, and we left the park. My companion
readily accepted an invitation which I gave him to my hotel, where he
at last announced himself as the _Inspector_ of the Prince's
picture-gallery.
After supper, and a bottle of excellent wine, when we had become better
acquainted, I mentioned to him my earnest wish to obtain an introduction
at court; whereupon he assured me, that nothing could be more easy than
this, as every well-educated stranger was welcomed in the circle of his
sovereign. I had only to make a visit to the Court-Marshal, and beg of
him to present me to the Prince.
This diplomatic mode of introduction, however, by no means suited me, as
I could scarcely hope to escape certain troublesome questions of whence
I had come--what was my rank and profession, etc. I therefore resolved to
trust to chance, which would soon throw a favourable opportunity in my
way; and, accordingly, this soon after occurred.
One morning, as I was taking an early walk in the yet solitary park, the
Prince, dressed in a simple blue surtout, and quite alone, came along an
_allee_, directly meeting me. I saluted him _en passant_, as if he had
been some one of whom I had no previous knowledge. Hereupon he stood
still, and began a conversation with the question, "Whether I was a
stranger here?" I answered in the affirmative, adding, "that I had
arrived only a few days before, with the intention of passing directly
through; but that the charms of the situation, with the tranquillity,
good order, and spirit of calm enjoyment, which everywhere seemed to
prevail, had induced me to stay longer. Quite independent, and living
merely for literature and the arts, I had now resolved to make this
place my residence for some time, as everything by which I was
surrounded had become to me more and more delightful and attractive."
By these expressions the Prince seemed obviously flattered, and he even
offered himself as my _cicerone_, to explore the beauties of the park. I
took special care not to betray that I had already seen everything, but
availed myself of my previous knowledge, in order to throw in apt
remarks and exclamations. I allowed myself to be led through all the
temples, grottos, chapels, and pavilions, patiently listening to the
Prince's long lectures about every building. He regularly named the
ancient models after which every structure had been imitated; made me
attend particularly to their minutest details; then referred, ever and
anon, to the grand _morale_, the intellectual system which prevailed
through the whole plan of the park; that harmony in confusion, "where
all things differ, and yet all agree," which he thought should be
adopted as the leading principle in laying out grounds of this sort.
The Prince then desired my opinion. I approved very cordially the
natural charms of the place, and the luxuriant vegetation also of the
well-disposed masses and groups of wood, with the shadowy _berceaux_;
but as to the buildings, I expressed myself just as freely as I had
before done to the gallery inspector. He listened to me attentively;
seemed not altogether to reject my remarks, but at last cut all
discussion short, by saying, that my notions were very good in theory,
but that as to the actual practice, it was a different affair, of which
I seemed to have but very little notion.
The conversation then turned upon the arts. I soon proved that I was a
tolerable _connoisseur_ of painting; and, as a practical musician, I
ventured many observations, in opposition to his ideas, which, though
ingeniously and precisely delivered, only served to shew that he was far
more studied than persons of his rank generally are; but, at the same
time, that of the _real attributes_ of musical genius he had no
comprehension whatever. On the other hand, my objections only proved to
the Prince that I was a _dilletante_, one of a class who are generally
not much enlightened by the actual practice of their theories. He
instructed me, however, in the proper characteristics (or what,
according to him, ought to be the proper characteristics) of a sublime
picture, and a perfect opera.
I heard much about colouring, drapery, pyramidal groups; of serious and
of comic music; of scenes for the _prima donna_; of choruses; of effect,
_chiaro oscuro_, light and shade, etc. etc.; to all which medley I
listened quietly, for I perceived that the Prince took a pleasure in his
own discourse.
At last he abruptly cut short his own eloquence with the question, "Do
you play pharo?" to which I answered in the negative.--"Well, sir," said
he, "that is a most admirable game. In its lofty simplicity, it is the
true and proper pastime for a man of genius. One is thereby carried out
of himself; or, to speak better, if he is possessed of due powers of
mind, he is lifted up to a station from which he can contemplate all the
strange complications and entanglements which are (otherwise invisibly)
spun by the mysterious power which we call Chance. Loss and gain are the
two points on which, like pivots, the grand machine is moved; and by
this machine we are irresistibly carried onward, while it is impelled
ceaselessly by its own internal springs. This game, sir, you must
absolutely learn. I will myself be your teacher."
I assured him that I had hitherto felt no particular turn for gaming,
and that I had always understood the inclination for it to be highly
pernicious and destructive. The Prince smiled, and fixing on me his
bright, penetrating eyes, resumed; "Ay, there are indeed childish
superficial minds, who maintain that argument; and, consequently, you
will suppose that I am a gamester, who wishes to draw you into his nets;
know, then, that I am the Prince! If you are pleased with your residence
at my capital, then remain here, and visit at my palace, where you will
find that we sometimes play pharo. Yet I by no means allow that any one
under my roof shall subject himself to loss, though the stake must of
necessity be high in order to excite interest; for fortune herself is
lazy and stupid as long as nothing but what is insignificant is offered
to her arbitration."
Already on the point of leaving me, the Prince turned round, and asked,
"With whom have I been speaking?"--I answered that my name was Leonard;
that I lived as a literary man, _particulier_; for the rest, I was by no
means a _nobile_, nor a man of rank; and, therefore, perhaps did not
dare to make use of the advantages which his highness had thus offered
to me.
"What the devil," said he, "has nobility to do with it? You are, as I
have clearly convinced myself, a very ingenious and well-informed man.
Literature, science, and the arts, confer on you nobility, and render
you fully qualified to appear in our circles. Adieu, Mr Leonard!--_Au
revoir!_"