274 Humboldt's Letters. 



you a warm disciple of Him who died upon Golgotha, 

 Without Him, Lord Chamberlain, with all our acquire- 

 ments, with all our boasted knowledge, we are singu- 

 larly unhappy." Further on, the letter reads : " Goethe 

 says, on a certain occasion, that during the whole course 

 of his long life he had not spent four happy weeks. 

 These are the words of a great man of science. If 

 Christ has not taken up his residence in our hearts, who 

 else can be there but Satan ? One of them, surely, 

 must be there one must wield the baton of command. 

 It is manifestly impossible at one and the same time to 

 serve two masters! Worthy sir, my gracious Lord 

 Chamberlain, I am penetrated with great esteem for 

 you and your lofty merits ; I love and revere you. I 

 am not worthy to unlace your shoes. This is the 

 unconstrained language of my heart ; although I have 

 occupied myself with acquiring the elements of seventeen 

 different languages, and can even at this day read the 

 writings of the New Testament in seven different 

 tongues. But I have not only been firmly convinced 

 of the truth of the Christian religion for thirty-one 

 years, but experience the influence of the Holy Ghost 

 from day to day, and almost from hour to hour." The 

 letter is subscribed, " Your Grace's most devoted 

 servant and brother in Christ, Augustus Grau." Hum- 

 boldt adds the remark : " An attempt at conversion, 

 from the State of Ohio." 



