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Varnhagen says, in his Diary of the 25th April, 1841 : " Hum- 

 boldt called, and remained with me upwards of an hour and a half. 

 I found him looking ill, but lively, cheerful, and more than ever 

 inclined to chat. He praises the King for his noble way of think- 

 ing, and his good intentions, but considers him no man of action, 

 and that when he acts he does so by fits and starts, without settled 

 purpose or moderation. Be it, however, good nature or timidity, it 

 is certain he often does not dare to do things which he is extremely 

 anxious to do, and which he could easily accomplish. Thus, for 

 instance, he is now waiting with impatience for Minister von "Wer- 

 ther to tender his resignation, and asks Humboldt if he (Yon Wer- 

 ther) had not expressed to him some intention of doing so." 



On April 30th, 1841, Yarnhagen remarks: " Humboldt has 

 many enemies among literary men, as he has at Court. Attempts 

 are incessantly made to abuse him, but if any one opens his lips 

 decidedly in his praise, blame is at once silenced, as few persons are 

 capable of maintaining it. A gentleman told me lately that he did not 

 know what to think of Humboldt, he could not arrive at any clear 

 opinion about him. I replied, ' Think always what is best of him. 

 Give him credit for invariably intending what is best, and then you will 

 be least likely to go wrong.' Another gentleman expressed himself 

 ironically on another occasion thus : ' Humboldt was a great man, 

 until he came to Berlin, then he became an ordinary one.' Moritz 

 Bobert* answered that Eahel had often said, ' In Berlin nothing 

 retains its place, everything declines and becomes shabby ; aye, if 

 the Pope himself were to come to*Berlin he would not long remain 

 the Pope ; he would become something ordinaire, perhaps a riding- 

 master !' This saying of Eahel is most true. I remember it well, 

 but it has never yet been put on paper. This peculiarity of Berlin 

 deserves, however, deeper investigation. It indicates a lively power 

 of undeveloped greatness, and may, if developed into something 

 Positive, carry Berlin on to its highest fame ; but if it stops short in 

 the mere Negative, it will of course become her shame ! ' Yonder,' 

 as Goethe somewhere observes, ' live an irreverent race of men.' 

 The idea is somewhat similar." 



* One of the brothers of Rahel Yarnhagen. TR. 



