Humboldt's Letters. 277 



before our era that the cross became invisible in North- 

 ern Germany. The constellation had ascended as far 

 as the tenth degree above the horizon. When it dis- 

 appeared from the Baltic skies, the pyramid of Cheops 

 had already stood five hundred years. The shepherd 

 nation of the Hyksos invaded Egypt seven hundred 

 years later. The past becomes apparently less remote 

 when we can measure it by reference to memorable 

 events." 



Persevere in your diligence upon Buelow von Denne- 

 witz, who became very dear t.o me in Paris. Fond of 

 music, he was very affable in the family of Lafayette, 

 in the little chateau of Lagrange, at Paris Lafayette's 

 country-seat, where Buelow was quartered. 



Yours, A. v. HUMBOLDT. 



I shall bring volume VI. myself. 



NOTE BY YARXHAGEX. As a comfort for his eighty years, I had 

 written to Humboldt that even these could be transformed into a 

 comparative youth, as appeared by Fontenelle's example, who, at the 

 age of a hundred years, attempted to pick up a fan dropped by a lady 

 and. unable to do it as quickly as he wished, exclaimed, " Que, n'ai je 

 plus mes quatre vingt ans /' J Of Friedrich Schlegel I had told him, 

 that shortly before his death, he prophesied to Tieck, at Dresden, that, 

 at no very remote period, though he could not exactly define it, a 

 mighty change would take place in the heavens, the great constel- 

 lations would leave their places, and combine to form an immense 

 cross. 



