(The day when peace or war will be decided.)
MY DEAR M.,—I cannot delay any longer to tell you that your first article
announced to us by George, has reached me, and excited the delight and
admiration of us all. It is pleasant, as Cicero says, “laudari a viro
laudato;” but still sweeter “laudari a viro amato.” And you have so
thoroughly adopted the English disguise, that it will not be easy for any
one to suspect you of having written this “curious article.” It especially
delights me to see how ingeniously you contrive to say what you announce
you do not wish to discuss, namely, the purport of the theology. In short,
we are all of opinion that your aunt or cousin was right when she said in
Paris, to Neukomm, of you, that you ought to be in the diplomatic service.
From former experience I have never really believed that the second
article would be printed; it would have appeared by last Saturday at the
latest, and would then have been already in my hands. But the article as
it is has given me great pleasure, and all the greater because it is
yours. I only wish you might soon give me the power of shaking your dear
old hand, which I so often feel the want of.
Meanwhile I will tell you that Brockhaus writes in a very friendly way, in
transmitting Ernst Schulze’s biography (the unfortunate poet’s journal,
with very pleasant affectionate descriptions of his friends, of me
especially), to ask if I would not make something out of the new
Hippolytus for Germany. This letter reached me just as I had blended my
past and future together for a large double work, the finished parts of
which are now standing before me in seven large portfolios, with completed
Contents, Preface, and Introduction.
“The Bible of the Faithful,” four volumes, large Bible-octavo; Volume I.
the Bible; Volumes II.-IV. (separated) Key.
“The Faithful of the Bible.” (A.) The _government_ and the _worship_ of
the faithful. Two books, one volume. (B.) The congregational and family
book (remodeling of the earlier devotional books for the faithful of the
Bible), two volumes.
At the same time “Egypt” was at last ready for press as two volumes; and
so I took courage to take up again that old idea, especially that which we
had so often discussed. But first I can and will make a pretty little
volume from the historical portraits in Hippolytus: “The first seven
generations of Christians.” A translation (by Pauli) of the exact text of
the first English volume, preceded by the restoration of the line and the
chronology of the Roman bishops down to Cornelius, since revised and much
approved of by Röstell (quite clearly written out; about ten printed
sheets with the documents).
This gives me hardly any trouble, and costs me very little thought. But
secondly, to use Ewald’s expression: “The Kosmos of Language” (in four
volumes). This is _your_ book, if it is to exist. It appears to me before
anything else to be necessary to draw proper limits, with a wisdom worthy
of Goethe.
I do not think that the time has come for publishing in the German way a
complete or uniformly treated book; I think it is much more important to
fortify our view of language from within, and launch it forth armed with
stings upon these inert and confused times. _Therefore_ method, and
satisfactory discussion of that on which everything depends; with a
general setting forth of _the_ points which it concerns us now to
investigate. I could most easily make you perceive what I mean, by an
abstract of the prospectus, which I have written off, in order to discuss
it thoroughly with you as soon as you can come here. As you would have to
undertake three fourths of the whole, you have only to consider all this
as a proposal open to correction, or rather a handle for discussion.