2 42 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



shall remain with you till the close of life ; and in so saying, I 

 cannot but express the hope that the day is far distant upon 

 which he will be able to enter upon the active duties of his 

 office.' In terms even more gracious the king writes from 

 Sanssouci, to set Humboldt's mind at rest concerning the fate 

 of a political prisoner, for whom he had interceded both ver- 

 bally and by letter : ' My plbt, my esteemed friend, has suc- 

 ceeded, and several hours before your valued letter reached me 

 my orders had already been transmitted to Spandau. May 

 your sleep be all the sweeter from the consciousness that you 

 have accomplished one more humane and generous action. 

 Frederick William.' 1 Touched by the letter, Humboldt has 

 added the remark : ' Evidence of a truly noble heart ! ' Even 

 during the gloomy days of the king's distressing illness, the 

 first intelligence of which moved Humboldt to tears, Frederick 

 William IV. still preserved an affectionate remembrance of his 

 friend. The Queen, in writing to Humboldt from Florence on 

 December 11, 1858, remarks: 'He often speaks of you with 

 the old affection in this love you may rest consoled and 

 would willingly help to remove the temporary embarrassment 

 that seems to oppress you.' 



The friendship of the king was fully reciprocated by Hum- 

 boldt. He was possessed of too much tact and prudence ever 

 to lose sight in his outward demeanour of the difference of 

 rank by which they were separated. Even in advanced life 

 he might be seen, before his house in Oranienburg-Strasse, con- 

 ducting the king to his carriage with uncovered head and with 

 the obeisance of profound reverence such as could only be 

 expected from the most courtly of royal chamberlains. In the 

 wish to gratify his royal master he was always anxious to be 

 the bearer of some interesting fact or pleasing intelligence. 

 Of this a characteristic instance is afforded in the history of 

 Ranke's election as Knight of the Order of Merit. Somewhat 

 biassed in his judgment by the influence of political feeling, 



1 This letter, as certified by an inscription in Humboldt's own hand, was 

 1 given to Seifert on his urgent request.' It bears the date of July 18, but 

 the year is wanting. Seifert states it to be connected with the history of 

 Kinkel ; but it can have no reference to his removal from prison, as that 

 event took place in November 1850. 



