LETTERS PROM A TRAVELLER AT BERLIN. 145 



Introduced for keeping his feet warm. He never went 

 into a box ; and the princes obferved the fame rule 

 from motives of propriety and refpect. However, lince 

 he has entirely left off coming, the perfons of the court 

 take up the middle boxes of the firft rank, and the offi- 

 cers go into the parquet. 



The opera begins at five o'clock, and is over at eight, 

 or fomewhat earlier. In general, it rnufl be faid, to the 

 praife of Berlin, that the inhabitants do not turn night 

 into day fo much as is praclifed in other places'; as all 

 their diverlions begin and end early. It is only the 

 redout that continues till towards midnight. This 

 unqueftionably, of all fpecies of pleafure, is the moll 

 wretched. The parterre, on this occafion, is fcrewed 

 up to a level with the Irage ; which are only feparated 

 from each other by a wooden railing breaft-high. None 

 but perfons of the court, or fuch as have been prefent- 

 ed there, are permitted to dance on the parterre ; and 

 then, they muft. appear in red dominos : every other 

 drefs, as well as all mafquerade characters, are forbid- 

 den the fca2;e. Who would imagine, that fuch a reeu- 

 lation in a public amufement, the main purport of which 

 is, to bring together a mixture of perfons of all ranks, 

 fhould fubfift under a king, who plumes himfelf on 

 thinking fo philosophically on all fubjecls, and whofe 

 contempt for all merits arilihg from birth, is fo tho- 

 roughly known ? The natural confequence of this ar- 

 rangement is, that merely the court and the loweH clafs 

 of the Berliners frequent the redout, and that the 

 middle ranks, who are not permitted to mix with the 

 court, and will not mix with the perruquiers and foot- 

 men, remain entirely away . Indeed, one fees only a 



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