favour the literary congress, which was indeed, chiefly kept in view.
Merck, active now in æsthetics, now in literature, now in commerce,
had stimulated the well-thinking, well-informed Schlosser, whose
knowledge extended to so many branches, to edit the Frankfort _Gelehrte
Anzeige_ (_Learned Advertiser_) for that year. They had associated to
themselves Höpfner, and other university-men in Giessen, a meritorious
schoolman, Rector Wenk in Darmstadt, and many other good men. Every
one of them possessed enough historical and theoretical knowledge in
his department, and the feeling of the times allowed these men to work
in one spirit. The human and cosmopolitan is encouraged; really good
men justly celebrated are protected against obtrusion of every kind;
their defence is undertaken against enemies, and especially against
scholars, who use what has been taught them to the detriment of their
instructors. Nearly the most interesting articles are the critiques on
other periodical publications, the _Berlin Library_ (_Bibliothek_),
the _German Mercury_, where the cleverness in so many departments, the
judgment as well the fairness of the papers, is rightly admired.
As for myself, they saw well enough that I was deficient in everything
that belongs to a critic, properly so called. My historical knowledge
was unconnected, the histories of the world, science, and literature
had only attracted me by epochs, the objects themselves only partially
and in masses. My capacity of giving life to things, and rendering them
present to me out of their real connexion, put me in the position that
I could be perfectly at home in a certain century or in a department
of science, without being in any degree instructed as to what preceded
or what followed. Thus a certain theoretico-practical sense had been
awakened in me, by which I could give account of things, rather as
they should be than as they were, without any proper philosophical
connection, but by way of leaps. To this was added a very easy power of
apprehension, and a friendly reception of the opinions of others, if
they did not stand in direct opposition to my own convictions.
[Side-note: Frankfort "Gelehrte Anzeige."]
That literary union was also favoured by an animated correspondence,
and by frequent personal communication, which was possible from the
vicinity of the places. He who had first read a book was to give an
account of it; often another reviewer of the same book was found; the
affair was talked over, connected with kindred subjects, and if at
last a certain result had been obtained, one of them took the office
of editing. Thus many reviews are as clever as they are spirited, as
pleasant as they are satisfactory. I often had the task of introducing
the matter; my friends also permitted me to jest in their works, and to
appear independently with objects to which I felt myself equal, and in
which I especially took interest. In vain should I endeavour, either
by description or reflection, to recall the proper spirit and sense of
those days, if the two years of the above-mentioned periodical did not
furnish me with the most decisive documents. Extracts from passages, in
which I again recognise myself, may appear in future in their proper
place, together with similar essays.
During this lively interchange of knowledge, opinions, and convictions,
I very soon became better acquainted with Höpfner, and became very
fond of him. As soon as we were alone I spoke with him about subjects
connected with his department, which was to be my department also; and
found a very naturally connected explanation and instruction. I was not
then as yet plainly conscious that I could learn something from books
and conversation, but not from continuous professional lectures. A
book allowed me to pause at a passage, and even to look back, which is
impossible with oral delivery and a teacher. Often at the beginning of
the lecture, some thought in which I indulged laid hold of me, and thus
I lost what followed, and altogether got out of the connexion. Thus
it had happened to me with respect to the lectures on jurisprudence;
and on this account I could take many opportunities of talking with
Höpfner, who entered very readily into my doubts and scruples, and
filled up many gaps, so that the wish arose in me to remain with him at
Giessen, and derive instruction from him, without removing myself too
far from Wetzlar inclinations. Against this wish of mine my two friends
had laboured, first unconsciously, but afterwards consciously; for both
were in a hurry, not only to leave the place themselves, but had also
an interest to remove me from the spot.
Schlosser disclosed to me that he had formed, first a friendly then
a closer connexion with my sister, and that he was looking about for
an early appointment that he might be united to her. This explanation
surprised me to some degree, although I ought to have found it out
long ago in my sister's letters; but we easily pass over that which
may hurt the good opinion which we entertain of ourselves, and I now
remarked for the first time that I was really jealous about my sister;
a feeling which I concealed from myself the less, as, since my return
from Strasburg, our connexion had been much more intimate. How much
time had we not expended in communicating each little affair of the
heart, love-matters, and other matters, which had occurred in the
interval. In the field of imagination too, had there not been revealed
to me a new world, into which I sought to conduct her also? My own
little productions, and a far-extended world-poetry, was gradually to
be made known to her. Thus I made for her _impromptu_ translations of
those passages of Homer, in which she could take the greatest interest.
Clarke's literal translation I read into German, as well as I could; my
version generally found its way into metrical turns and terminations,
and the liveliness with which I had apprehended the images, the force
with which I expressed them, removed all the obstacles of a cramped
order of words; what I gave with mind, she followed with mind also. We
passed many hours of the day in this fashion; while, if her company
met, the Wolf Fenris and the Ape Hannemann were unanimously called
for, and how often have I not been obliged to repeat circumstantially
how Thor and his comrades were deluded by the magical giants! Hence
from these fictions such a pleasant impression has remained with me,
that they belong to the most valuable things which my imagination can
recall. Into the connexion with the Darmstadt people I had drawn my
sister also, and now my wanderings and occasional absence necessarily
bound us closer together, as I discoursed with her by letter respecting
every thing that occurred to me, communicated to her every little
poem, if even only a note of admiration, and let her first see all
the letters which I received, and all the answers which I wrote.
All these lively impulses had been stopped since my departure from
Frankfort, my residence at Wetzlar was not fertile enough for** such
a correspondence, and, moreover, my attachment to Charlotte may have
infringed upon my attentions to my sister; enough, she felt herself
alone, perhaps neglected, and therefore the more readily gave a hearing
to the honest wooing of an honourable man, who, serious and reserved,
estimable and worthy of confidence, had passionately bestowed on her
his affections, with which he was otherwise very niggardly. I was now
forced to resign myself and grant my friend his happiness, though I did
not fail in secret to say confidently to myself, that if the brother
had not been absent, it would not have gone so well with the friend.
My friend and probable brother-in-law was now very anxious that I
should return home, because, by my mediation, a freer intercourse was
possible, of which the feelings of this man, so unexpectedly attacked
by a tender passion, seemed to stand extremely in need. Therefore, on
his speedy departure, he elicited from me the promise that I would
immediately follow him.
[Side-note: Merck's Hatred of Students.]
Of Merck, whose time was free, I hoped that he would delay his
sojourn in Giessen, that I might be able to pass some hours of the
day with my good Höpfner, while my friend employed his time on the
Frankfort _Gelehrte Anzeige_; but he was not to be moved, and as my
brother-in-law was driven from the university by love, he was driven
by hate. For as there are innate antipathies--just as certain men
cannot endure cats, while this or that is repugnant to the soul of
others,--so was Merk a deadly enemy to all the academical citizens (the
students), who indeed at that time, at Giessen, took delight in the
greatest rudeness. For me they were well enough; I could have used them
as masks for one of my carnival plays, but with him the sight of them
by day, and their noise by night, destroyed every sort of good humour.
He had spent the best days of his youth in French Switzerland, and had
afterwards enjoyed the pleasant intercourse of people of the court,
world, and business, and of cultivated _littérateurs_; several military
persons, in whom a desire for mental culture had been awakened, sought
his society, and thus he had passed his life in a very cultivated
circle. That the rudeness of the students vexed him, was therefore
not to be wondered at, but his aversion from them was really more
passionate than became a sound man, although he often made me laugh by
his witty descriptions of their monstrous appearance and behaviour.
Höpfner's imitations and my persuasions were of no avail; I was obliged
to depart with him as soon as possible for Wetzlar.
I could scarcely wait any time, till I had introduced him to Charlotte,
but his presence in this circle did me no good; for as Mephistopheles,
let him go when he will, hardly brings a blessing with him, so did
he, by his indifference towards that beloved person, cause me no joy,
even if he did not make me waver. This I might have foreseen, if I
had recollected that it was exactly those slender, delicate persons,
who diffuse a lively cheerfulness around them, without making further
pretensions, who did not remarkably please him. He very quickly
preferred the Juno-form of one of her friends, and since he lacked
time to form a close connexion, he bitterly blamed me for not exerting
myself to gain this magnificent figure, especially as she was free and
without any tie. He thought that I did not understand my own advantage,
and that he here--very unwillingly--perceived my especial taste for
wasting my time.
If it is dangerous to make a friend acquainted with the perfections of
one's beloved, because he also may find her charming and desirable;
no less is the reverse danger, that he may perplex us by his dissent.
This, indeed, was not the case here, for I had too deeply impressed
upon myself the picture of her amiability for it to be so easily
obliterated; but his presence and his persuasions nevertheless hastened
my resolution to leave the place. He represented to me a journey on
the Rhine, which he was going to take with his wife and son, in the
most glowing colours, and excited in me the desire to see, at last,
with my eyes those objects of which I had often heard with envy. Now,
when he had departed, I separated myself from Charlotte with a purer
conscience indeed than from Frederica, but still not without pain. This
connexion also had by habit and indulgence grown more passionate than
was right on my side, while, on the other hand, she and her bridegroom
kept themselves with cheerfulness in a measure which could not be more
beautiful and amiable, and the security which resulted just from this
caused me to forget every danger. I could not, however, conceal from
myself that this adventure must come to a speedy end; for the union
of the young man with the amiable girl depended on a promotion which
was immediately to be expected, and as man, if he is in any degree
resolute, even dares to make a virtue of necessity, so did I embrace
the determination voluntarily to depart before I was driven away by
anything insupportable.
[1] Annual publications devoted to poetry only.--_Trans._
[2] The fight of Hermann, the "Arminius" of Tacitus, against the
Romans.--_Trans._
[3] Persons betrothed are in German called "bride" and
"bridegroom."--_Trans._
[4] A "stammbuch" is a sort of album for autographs and short
contributions.--_Trans._
THIRTEENTH BOOK.
It was agreed with Merck, that in the fine season we should meet at
Coblentz at Frau von Laroche's. I sent to Frankfort my baggage and
whatever I might want on my way down the Lahn by an opportunity which
offered, and now wandered down that beautiful river, so lovely in its
windings, so various in its shores, free as to my resolution, but
oppressed as to my feelings--in a condition, when the presence of
silently-living nature is so beneficial to us. My eye, accustomed to
discern those beauties of a landscape that suited the painter, and were
above him, rioted in the contemplation of near and distant objects, of
bushy rocks, of sunny heights, of damp valleys, of enthroned castles,
and of the blue range of mountains inviting us from the distance.
I wandered on the right bank of the river, which at some depth and
distance below me, and partly concealed by a rich bush of willows,
glided along in the sunlight. Then again arose in me the old wish,
worthily to imitate such objects. By chance I had a handsome
pocket-knife in my left hand, and at the moment, from the depth of
my soul, arose, as it were, an absolute command, according to which,
without delay, I was to fling this knife into the river. If I saw
it fall, my wish to become an artist would be fulfilled, but if
the sinking of the knife was concealed by the overhanging bush of
willows, I was to abandon the wish and the endeavour. This whim had no
sooner arisen in me than it was executed. For, without regarding the
usefulness of the knife, which comprised many instruments in itself, I
cast it with the left hand, as I held it, violently towards the river.
But here I had to experience that deceptive ambiguity of oracles, of
which, in antiquity, such bitter complaints were made. The sinking of
the knife into the water was concealed from me by the extreme twigs of
the willows, but the water, which rose from the fall, sprang up like a
strong fountain, and was perfectly visible. I did not interpret this
phenomenon in my favour, and the doubt which it excited in me was
afterwards the cause that I pursued these exercises more interruptedly
and more negligently, and gave occasion for the import of the oracle to
fulfil itself. For the moment at least the external world was spoiled
for me, I abandoned myself to my imaginations and feelings, and left
the well-situated castles and districts of Weilburg, Limburg, Diez, and
Nassau one by one behind me, generally walking alone, but often for a
short time associating myself with another.
[Side-note: The family Von Laroche.]
After thus pleasantly wandering for some days, I arrived at Ems, where
I several times enjoyed the soft bath, and then went down the river
in a boat. Then the old Rhine opened itself upon me, the beautiful
situation of Oberlahnstein delighted me, but noble and majestic above
all appeared to me the castle Ehrenbreitstein, which stood perfectly
armed in its power and strength. In most lovely contrast lay at its
feet the well-built little place called Thal, where I could easily find
my way to the residence of Privy Councillor von Laroche. Announced
by Merck, I was very kindly received by this noble family, and soon
considered as a member of it. My literary and sentimental tendencies
bound me to the mother, a cheerful feeling for the world bound me to
the father, and my youth bound me to the daughters.
The house, quite at the end of the valley, and little elevated above
the river, had a free prospect down the stream. The rooms were high
and spacious, and the walls, like a gallery, were hung with pictures,
placed close together. Every window on every side formed a frame to
a natural picture, which came out very-vividly by the light of a
mild sun. I thought I had never seen such cheerful mornings and such
splendid evenings.
I was not long the only guest in the house. As a member of the congress
which was held here, partly with an artistic view, partly as a matter
of feeling, Leuchselring, who came up from Düsseldorf, was likewise
appointed. This man, possessing a fine knowledge of modern literature,
had, on different travels, but especially during a residence in
Switzerland, made many acquaintances, and as he was pleasant and
insinuating, had gained much favour. He carried with him several boxes,
which contained the confidential correspondence with many friends; for
there was altogether such a general openness among people, that one
could not speak or write to a single individual, without considering it
directed to many. One explored one's own heart and that of others, and
with the indifference of the government towards such a communication,
the great rapidity of the Taxisch[1] post, the security of the seal,
and the reasonableness of the postage, this moral and literary
intercourse soon spread itself around.
Such correspondences, especially with important persons, were carefully
collected, and extracts from them were often read at friendly meetings.
Thus, as political discourses had little interest, one became pretty
well acquainted with the extent of the moral world.
Leuchselring's boxes contained many treasures in this sense. The
letters of one Julie Bondeli were very much esteemed; she was famed
as a lady of sense and merit, and a friend of Rousseau. Whoever had
stood in any relation to this extraordinary man, took part in the glory
which emanated from him, and in his name a silent community had been
disseminated far and wide.
I liked to be present at these readings, as I was thus transported
into an unknown world, and learned to know the real truth of many an
event that had just passed. All indeed was not valuable, and Herr von
Laroche, a cheerful man of the world and of business, who, although
a Catholic, had already in his writings made free with the monks
and priesthood, thought that he here saw a fraternity, where many a
worthless individual supported himself by a connexion with persons
of importance, by which, in the end, he, but not they, were admired.
Generally this excellent man withdrew from the company when the boxes
were opened. Even if he did listen to some letters now and then, a
waggish remark was to be expected. Among other things, he once said
that by this correspondence he was still more convinced of what he had
always believed, namely, that ladies might spare their sealing-wax, as
they need only fasten their letters with pins, and might be assured
that they would reach their address unopened. In the same way he
was accustomed to jest with everything that lay out of the sphere of
life and activity, and in this followed the disposition of his lord
and master, Count Stadion, minister to the Elector of Mayence, who
certainly was not fitted to counterbalance the worldliness and coldness
of the boy by a reverence for everything like mysterious foreboding.
[Side-note: Herr von Laroche and His Preceptor.]
An anecdote respecting the great practical sense of the count may here
find a place. When he took a liking to the orphan Laroche, and chose
him for a pupil, he at once required from the boy the services of a
secretary. He gave him letters to answer, despatches to prepare, which
he was then obliged to copy fair, oftener to write in cipher, to seal,
and to direct. This lasted for many years. When the boy had grown up
into a youth, and really did that which he had hitherto only supposed
he was doing, the count took him to a large writing-table, in which
all his letters and packets lay unbroken, having been preserved as
exercises of the former time.
Another exercise which the count required of his pupil, will not find
such universal applause. Laroche had been obliged to practise himself
in imitating, as accurately as possible, the handwriting of his lord
and master, that he might thus relieve him from the trouble of writing
himself. Not only in business, but also in love affairs, the young man
had to take the place of his preceptor. The count was passionately
attached to a lady of rank and talent. If he stopped in her society
till late at night, his secretary was, in the meanwhile, sitting at
home, and hammering out the most ardent love-letters; the count chose
one of these, and sent it that very night to his beloved, who was thus
necessarily convinced of the inextinguishable fire of her passionate
adorer. Such early experiences were scarcely fitted to give the youth
the most exalted notion of written communications about love.
An irreconcilable hatred of the priesthood had established itself in
this man, who served two spiritual electors, and had probably sprung
from the contemplation of the rude, tasteless, mind-destroying foolery
which the monks in Germany were accustomed to carry on in many parts,
and thus hindered and destroyed every sort of cultivation. His letters
on Monasticism caused great attention; they were received with great
applause by all Protestants and many Catholics.
If Herr von Laroche opposed everything that can be called sensibility,
and even decidedly avoided the very appearance of it, he nevertheless
did not conceal a tender paternal affection for his eldest daughter,
who, indeed, was nothing else but amiable. She was rather short
than tall of stature, and delicately built, her figure was free and
graceful, her eyes very black, while nothing could be conceived purer
and more blooming than her complexion. She also loved her father, and
inclined to his sentiments. Being an active man of business, most of
his time was consumed in works belonging to his calling; and as the
guests who stopped at his house were really attracted by his wife and
not by him, society afforded him but little pleasure. At table he was
cheerful and entertaining, and at least endeavoured to keep his board
free from the spice of sensibility.
"Whoever knows the views and mode of thought of Frau von Laroche--and
by a long life and many writings, she has become honourably known to
every German,--may perhaps suspect that a domestic incongruity must
have arisen here. Nothing of the kind. She was the most wonderful
woman; and I know no other to compare to her. Slenderly and delicately
built, rather tall than short, she had, even to her more advanced
years, managed to preserve a certain elegance both of form and of
conduct, which pleasantly fluctuated between the conduct of a noble
lady and that of one of the citizen class. Her dress had been the
same for several years. A neat little cap with wings very well became
her small head and delicate face, and her brown or grey clothing gave
repose and dignity to her presence. She spoke well, and always knew
how to give importance to what she said by an expression of feeling.
Her conduct was perfectly the same towards every body. But with all
this the greatest peculiarity of her character is not yet expressed;
it is difficult to designate it. She seemed to take interest in
everything, but really nothing acted upon her. She was gentle towards
every one, and could endure everything without suffering; the jests
of her husband, the tenderness of her friends, the sweetness of her
children--to all this she replied in the same manner, and thus she
always remained herself, without being affected in the world by
good and evil, or in literature by excellence and weakness. To this
disposition she owes that independence which she maintains even to an
advanced age, through many sad, nay, sorrowful events. But not to be
unjust, I must state that her sons, then children of dazzling beauty,
often elicited from her an expression different from that which served
her for daily use.
[Side-note: Merk's influence.]