FROM* ACCESSION OF FREDERICK WILLIAM IV. TO 1848. 271 



boldt had been led to anticipate. But both the king and the 

 government were shortly to receive a more earnest warning, and 

 witness a more tragic fate. The revolution in France brought 

 no lesson to the presumptuous king, and was powerless to sub- 

 due the careless gaiety of his humour. ' Laissons passer en 

 silence la justice de Dieu' were the only words in which, at the 

 close of a note to Humboldt towards the end of February 1848, 

 he deigned to allude to the fall of Louis-Philippe. 1 While 

 strongly disapproving of Gruizot's ministry, Humboldt keenly 

 sympathised with the feelings of the French nation, 2 and waited 

 in silence as neither words nor endeavours on his part were of 

 the slightest avail for another 'justice de Dieu,' soon to over- 

 whelm Prussia and her king, by whom all warnings had been 

 systematically disregarded. Of this we shall speak more fully 

 in the following chapter. 



Having thus passed in review the principal features of the 

 personal and political relationships maintained by Humboldt 

 with Frederick William IV., it now remains for us to consider 

 the influence he exerted in the cause of literature and science, 

 and the patronage he exercised in procuring for men of talent 

 appointments, pecuniary assistance, or the honour of a decora- 

 tion. Political influences not unfrequently mingled even with 

 these affairs, especially after the occurrences of 1848, and for a 

 special record of the incidents of that period we refer our 

 readers to the following chapter. The intellectual tastes of 

 the king led him naturally to take a more active part in scien- 

 tific matters than his predecessor ; it is well known that in 

 everything relating to art he always took the initiative. In 

 the nominations and appointments which led the public to 

 recognise in the new sovereign a man of superior intelligence 

 and high mental culture, there was, however, to be traced the 

 influence of Humboldt ; for though it was often difficult to 

 determine with whom the idea originated, the persistent prose- 

 cution of a scheme was undoubtedly to be ascribed to Humboldt. 

 To him was usually assigned the conduct of the transaction, 

 and in all important details he was invariably consulted. The 

 recall of the seven professors of Gottingen and their public 



1 Varnhagen's * Tagebiicher,' vol. iv. p. 215. 



2 Ibid. vol. iv. p. 255. 



