31 8 Humboldt's Letters. 



speech is as full of sterling merit as of noble intention. 

 The brightest passage, to my mind, is the (I hesitate 

 whether to call it felicitous or masterly) allusion to the 

 King, in terms so dignified and delicate, so warm and 

 graceful ; and every pure heart must at once acknow- 

 ledge, that in this connexion the remark was singularly 

 appropriate and beautiful. In your Excellency's last 

 favor, the expression, " Madame de Quitzow," at first 

 puzzled me a good deal. But I may boast of having 

 solved the riddle by the power of the head as the 

 Jews say, where we speak of cudgelling our brains 

 and am constrained to acknowledge that the little sally 

 is not only a good joke, but proportionably a mild 

 measure of punishment. The Grand Duke of Saxe 

 Weimar desired to see me ; but I found myself chained 

 down to my rheumatic complaint. 



With faithful reverence and most grateful devotion, 

 unalterably your Excellency's most obedient, 



VARNHAGEIST VON ENSE. 



173. 



HUMBOLDT TO VA.RNHAGEN. 



BERLIN, January 28th, 1856. 



MY far from dormant ambition has been abundantly 

 gratified by the grateful praise bestowed by the great 



