37 



literary world, not altogether unimportant life. This 

 more complete portraiture is, however, now impossible ; 

 therefore, my desire will always be to care for his fame 

 by the circulation of his literary works. To omit to 

 alter anything in this beautiful essay would be to rob 

 it of charm and vigour. You have written the whole 

 in the noblest spirit, but there are passages (Eeineke 

 Fuchs, the relation to Madame de Humboldt) which 

 especially just now are not very pleasant to touch 

 upon. As you expect me frankly to state my indi- 

 vidual impressions, I will record them. They are 

 often merely doubts. 



P. 5. " A stranger to abstract thought " . . . The 

 term "middle philosophy" refers probably to that of 

 Kant, to which he was most strongly inclined. He 

 especially believed that metaphysics, but of the pre- 

 Hegelian order, was that study of his youth in which 

 he excelled. I merely wish for a closer definition. 



P. 6. "In the proper sense of the word unproduc- 

 tive "? The philosophy of language, on entirely new 

 principles, spirit of antiquity, treatment of history, 

 depth of feeling in poetry in all these departments 

 he has not produced any unimportant work. 



P. 8. " Style downright ice/' Soften this a little. 

 You do so p. 30, where you have the word ' warms.' 



P. 13. "A reputation is soon gained, and the name 

 Mephistopheles or Eeineke . ." One could wish the two 

 distinguishing names away, as everything in the pre- 

 ceding one is couched in the happiest and liveliest 

 of style. " Mephistopheles " reminds one of Duke 

 Charles. 



P. 14. This question about heart and the saying 

 of Talleyrand, which I was not acquainted with, and 



