122 ALEXANDEK VON HUMBOLDT. 



not be able to avoid,' remarks Humboldt, in writing to Bockh 

 in 1841, 'soon meeting in another world that esteemed indi- 

 vidual, who has been so much belied, I think it will be in 

 better taste for me to act as if I thought that he and Schelling, 

 the authors of the new philosophy, were both undeserving of 

 blame, and were irresponsible for the form in which their 

 system had developed. I therefore speak of them as " earnest 

 minds occupied simultaneously with philosophy and investiga- 

 tion," 1 after which I proceed in a somewhat malicious spirit 

 to quote the passage from Bruno in which it is asserted that 

 philosophy often appears like the transient apparition of a 

 meteor ; while from Hegel I intend to add something of a 

 deeper and more impressive character. I thus attain my end 

 without expressing any admiration for either, yet showing 

 most respect to Hegel, who has indeed succeeded in smuggling 

 historical Christianity into philosophy.' At the same time 

 that he so frankly characterised his line of conduct to Bockh 

 as ' forbearance towards the departed Hegel,' and ' artifice, 

 not goodwill,' towards Schelling, who was still living, he wrote 

 to Varnhagen, the friend of Schelling, as follows : 2 c The dis- 

 tinct assurance that my attack was not aimed at the founder of 

 the school of natural philosophy will render it more easy for 

 him to forgive my caustic severity;' he thus endeavours to 

 deceive Varnhagen with the same c artifice.' Yet a few lines 

 farther on he expresses himself with much earnestness : ' It 

 has been a lamentable epoch, in which Germany has sunk far 

 below both England and France.' What an inextricable en- 

 tanglement, will the reader exclaim, of intrepid boldness in 

 regard to the truth of facts, and paltry circumspection in the 

 matter of personal relationships, what a mixture of noble 

 veneration displayed in the exercise of lenient indulgence 

 towards the dead, and of unworthy malice, wounding where it 

 flattered, towards the living ! Such, however, was the character 

 of the man, and we shall endeavour, ere concluding this bio- 

 graphy, to portray in vivid outlines this strange contrariety of 

 disposition. For the present we must return to the lectures. 

 With regard to the class of uninterested auditors, we may 



1 < Kosmos/ vol. i. p. 69 : also pp. 39, 68, 70, and 71. 



2 April 28, 1841, ; Briefe an Varnhagen,' p. 90. 



