227 



should, above all, be written by one experienced in 

 military matters ! 



The saintly Quaker-paper was already known to me ; 

 who would have thought such monstrous absurdities 

 possible in the English language ! But our age is 

 rich in them. Table-turning has been superseded by 

 the psychograph ; they want to press me into the 

 belief of this folly, but I plead in excuse, that at my 

 age people will no longer go fast ahead that I have 

 only arrived as yet at table-turning, of which people 

 are tired. 



This leads me to another matter, which I would not 

 willingly leave untold. It happens, of course, very 

 often, that sayings of your Excellency, especially words 

 uttered at the royal table, get into general circulation 

 are hawked about here with great avidity, and with 

 the most abnormal variations. Thus, only very lately, 

 a reply to Baron Senfft von Pilsach,* in which the 

 original version seems to me quite lost. It would 

 certainly be desirable that, in some way or other, the 

 true saying were recorded in an authentic form. 



Repeating my warmest thanks, I remain, with truest 

 esteem and devotedness, unalterably 



Your Excellency's most obedient 



VARNHAGEN VON ENSE. 



Some strong expressions as welcome to me as they 

 are unexpected in the letter from London, call to my 

 mind that General von Eadowitz has also indulged in 

 similar ones, and had even had them printed (" Collected 

 Writings," IV., 210, 256, 281) ; in the second of these 

 passages, he goes so far as to turn the adage, " Against 



* One of the political friends of Professor Stahl, at present (1860) the 

 Governor (President) of the province of Pomerania. Tn. 



Q 2 



