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I call " Saturnalia " that merry but short farce of 

 which I lately gave you some specimens, which were 

 not however from Steffens, but a few steps lower in 

 the scale, from his worshippers. If Steffens were a 

 poor scholar, oppressed by the mighty, I should be 

 more timid ; but, since you love autographa, I will 

 present you with one from which you shall learn how 

 northern Kings believe that there is in Berlin a school 

 of philosophy headed by Steffens, which is salutary to 

 theologians, et gui nest pas celle de Hegel! ! Steffens 

 will imagine that he was comprehended in the number 

 of the " deep and mighty thinkers against whose 

 advice we acted." Besides, the perilous phrase is im- 

 mediately followed by another : " Abuse of youthful 

 energies for serious minds which have in an equal 

 degree turned themselves to philosophy and observation, 

 have remained strangers to these Saturnalia." Such 

 a phrase is a defense, a fort detache, and Steffens 

 certainly imagined that he too had turned himself 

 to experimental Philosophy, because he once went 

 down a pit in Freiberg. By softening the matter 

 I should spoil all, and we should, in writing, have the 

 same courage we exhibit in speaking; but both in 

 the same easy and cheerful manner. Have you dis- 

 covered in Steffens's tedious autobiography (which has 

 been dinned into me at Sans Souci) how saintliness and 

 an aristocratic bias may be traced in him to a twofold 

 indoctrination of some of his ancestors by an Arch- 

 bishop and a King ? Ce sont des heritages ! 



A. V. HUMBOLDT. 



