188 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



unfortunate speech of William von Humboldt in regard to the 

 three things which passed his comprehension ; namely, orthodox 

 piety, romantic love, and music. 1 We should not have alluded 

 to the subject had it not been asserted by an authority other- 

 wise trustworthy that Alexander had confessed to similar heresy. 2 

 These hasty words remind one of the expression imputed to 

 the Emperor Frederick II., ' de tribus impostoribus ; ' they 

 are to be regarded as a bold paradox uttered in a moment of 

 irritation either of the brothers might have made use of such 

 an expression when annoyed by the wearisome musical enter- 

 tainments which they could not always escape a paradox 

 which, from its startling nature, was repeated from mouth to 

 mouth, separated from its connection, and so far rendered un- 

 true. In reply to the article in question, Alexander distinctly 

 denied having ever heard his brother . make use of any such 

 expression ; he might with equal reason have formally pleaded 

 guilty himself to an organisation similarly defective. In any 

 case, the expression, taken seriously and in the strictest sense 

 of the words, is more fully applicable to himself than to his 

 brother, who, as we may gather from his letters, was not in his 

 youth wholly a stranger to romantic affection. In Alexander, 

 however, we notice that the bent of his inclination was always 

 subordinate to his intellectual powers, so that if the vague ex- 

 pression ' romantic love ' be taken to mean the subjugation of 

 the mind to a passionate attachment, such was never ex- 

 perienced by Alexander von Humboldt. That both the brothers 

 were devoid of any taste for music, we learn from Zelter's 

 statement. With regard to the meaning of the expression 

 6 orthodox piety,' it is necessary to, draw a distinction between 

 submission to any particular dogmatic system of religion, and 

 a general religious sentiment resulting from a feeling of de- 

 pendence upon a higher power, who claims our adoration, and 



1 ' Brief e an Varnhagen,' No. 21. In this letter reference is really made 

 only to two things ; but traditionally the famous saying is still retained as 

 a triplet. See also Holtei's * Vierzig Jahre/ vol. iv. p. 33, and t Die Esels- 

 fresser,' by the same author, vol. ii. p. 197. 



2 Holtei, see above. During the lifetime of Alexander the author only 

 hinted at some such expression made use of by him in Paris in 1825 ; the 

 passage that appeared in the ' Eselsfresser ' in 1861 furnishes some expla- 

 nation. 



