72 



LVIL 



HUMBOLDT TO VARNHAGEN. 



Tuesday, May 4th, 1841. 



Even if I deduct, my dear friend, the delicate and 

 gentle words which, your desire to tranquillise me has 

 added to your sentence, there still remains much, 

 very much in your welcome letter of to-day which 

 makes me very happy. 



I shall to-morrow morning, about 11, impose upon 

 you the penance* of receiving me for a few moments, 

 and of accepting my thanks. 



The " schmeichle mich " must be a mistake of the 

 copyist ; at least, it is not so according to the best of my 

 judgment. A wrong accusative, p. 44, you had better 

 show me. It cannot be " Einsicht in den Zusammen- 

 hang-" one does look into it. Spikerf shall disappear. 

 I had a foreboding of the evil, and prefer omitting the 

 whole passage, even in English, which rather contains 

 a panegyric on ignorance, than indicates that knowledge 

 can increase enjoyment. 



With reference to the " Saturnalia," I see you leave 

 me perfect liberty. You say, in mentioning the Dane, \ 

 "I only make the remark, I do not protest." 



I did not wish to mention Steffens, however much he 

 may deserve some rebuke for his great ignorance of 

 all experimental science, and his culpable vain laziness. 



* 5th. May fast day. 



t See Letter LV. with Varnhagen's note. TR. 



Henrich Steffens, a native of Stavanger, in Norway, born 1773, a pupil 

 of Schelling, probably his greatest disciple in the so-called " Natur Philo- 

 sophie." Pietist. Also known as a novelist. From 1831 to 1845 he was 

 Professor in the University of Berlin, and died early in the last-named 

 year. TR. 



