Newly transcribed and labelled; double collated
August Wilhelm von Schlegel to Juliet Smith
[1] Madam
You will excuse, I hope, my troubling you so soon with another letter after my last. The occasion for it is yours Sons last letter to Mr. Smith, which accidentally fell into my hands, he having left the first copy of it open lying open in his room.
I scarce should think it was to m necessary to mention any thing about what he writes concerning me, because I may be sure You will not judge against me by his misrepresentation of matters without having made further enquiries. But as You and Mr. Smith live so distant from this place, and as his letter might give you the idea, that he is living here without your any inspection, I hope I need not fear your mis ber a mis interpepretation, being misunderstood by you, when I lay befor candidly before you what I have to answer [2] to his opinion, about a matter which he is not able to judge of.
He thinks I am of no use to him. I forgive easily a young man, who likes more to live without a governor than with one. The reason why he thinks so is because I take and from the beginning have taken care to let him feel his dependance as little as possible. What can be obtained by gentle means, I would not use harsh ones to obtain it – friendly advices and admonitions I gave him continually, reproofs only, when it was not to be avoided.
I need not be afraid of talking to you about You spare not Your sons failings, Madam – You called him extremely indolent and he is so indeed and therefore wants somebody to exact excite him to constant occupation. Let him answer for himself if he has not been much more diligent since I live again with him, than during [3] the time I was at Hannover.
As to his acquaintances, I know very well the with what people he converses he converses with, though I am find it not necessary to accompany him always in his leisure hours when he goes to see them. Till now I have not had any occasion to confront him on in this respect, but if he form should happen to form bad connexions, I quickly should put an end to them. If When he is nor not more in my company, it is his own fault – he knows I am almost constantly at home in his leisure hours before supper It would be a very easy thing to chain him to my side – but then it cannot be thought fit, that I should run after him where he pleases; he must stay at home as long I do, and only walk and see people when I chose to do so.
[4] If you think the liberty I have allowed him to great for his pleasure age, I shall restrain it immediately according to your pleasure.
Let mye add one remark more on this point, Madam, and pardon me when I fatigue Your impatience – It is of no importance to me to give up when to remain in the my charge whenever You have honourd me with, but it is not by no means indifferent to me if You thi and Mr. Smith think I have fullfilled it like an honest man or not.
It is quite another thing, when a Young man is left allowed to go out alone in his leisure hours, living without a governor, or having a governor who regulates his expences. The principal tyes of connexion friendship between young studen students of the wilder class, are expensive diversions – riding, gaming, dr, extravagance [5] in dress etc. Where the liberty of partaking in such diversions is wanting, no close connexion can be formed. I all [g]ive your son as much for pocket money as I think sufficient for little occasional wants. For the rest you know, I keep his accounts myself and deliver them at the end of every month to Mr. Heyne.
Your son mentions something about my repeating lectures with him – I must say I engaged myself not properly to be his instructor but his governor, else it would have been unnecessary to send him to a place where plenty of instruction of all kinds is to be had – yet I have give given him lessons from the beginning and continue so still. Mr Gatterers Geographical lecture I repeated with him in the first part of the semester, especially because he then had some difficulty of to understanding it on account of the lan[6]guage; for besides the matters were so easy that they wanted no further explanation. At the end I left off the lecture entirely because Mr. Gatterer then went so quick in his descriptions of the countries that it was impossible to set down a regular extract for repetition.
My absence of some days from Your son is scarce worth mentioning – Yet I pass it not over in silence, that You may see I can fairly answer every thing he says. There There had been a tumult of some journeymen in the town at Goett. – but it was entirely appeased the a day before I went away away, by some cavalry posted in the town; there remained only a discontentment fro of the students who thought themselves insulted.. Mr Smith had nothing to act for myhimself, he being in none of those connexions, by which [7] many students been were obliged to take part in the complaint to the magistrates
Let me conclude my letter, Madam by with the highest expressions of the highest esteem fo tow for You and Mr Smith. I deserved not from Your son this essay of robbing depriving me of yours for my endeavours to make his life as pleasant to him and at the same time as answerable to your wishes as possible. Let me add, that in my engagements with You there is no mention made of a fixed period of time You will make me leave Young Mr Smith by the least hint that you wish me to do so. I claim the same liberty for me so far, that I shall give whenever I chuse not to stay longer with him, I shall give you warning soon enough to make other regulations. I am
[8] [leer]
You will excuse, I hope, my troubling you so soon with another letter after my last. The occasion for it is yours Sons last letter to Mr. Smith, which accidentally fell into my hands, he having left the first copy of it open lying open in his room.
I scarce should think it was to m necessary to mention any thing about what he writes concerning me, because I may be sure You will not judge against me by his misrepresentation of matters without having made further enquiries. But as You and Mr. Smith live so distant from this place, and as his letter might give you the idea, that he is living here without your any inspection, I hope I need not fear your mis ber a mis interpepretation, being misunderstood by you, when I lay befor candidly before you what I have to answer [2] to his opinion, about a matter which he is not able to judge of.
He thinks I am of no use to him. I forgive easily a young man, who likes more to live without a governor than with one. The reason why he thinks so is because I take and from the beginning have taken care to let him feel his dependance as little as possible. What can be obtained by gentle means, I would not use harsh ones to obtain it – friendly advices and admonitions I gave him continually, reproofs only, when it was not to be avoided.
I need not be afraid of talking to you about You spare not Your sons failings, Madam – You called him extremely indolent and he is so indeed and therefore wants somebody to exact excite him to constant occupation. Let him answer for himself if he has not been much more diligent since I live again with him, than during [3] the time I was at Hannover.
As to his acquaintances, I know very well the with what people he converses he converses with, though I am find it not necessary to accompany him always in his leisure hours when he goes to see them. Till now I have not had any occasion to confront him on in this respect, but if he form should happen to form bad connexions, I quickly should put an end to them. If When he is nor not more in my company, it is his own fault – he knows I am almost constantly at home in his leisure hours before supper It would be a very easy thing to chain him to my side – but then it cannot be thought fit, that I should run after him where he pleases; he must stay at home as long I do, and only walk and see people when I chose to do so.
[4] If you think the liberty I have allowed him to great for his pleasure age, I shall restrain it immediately according to your pleasure.
Let mye add one remark more on this point, Madam, and pardon me when I fatigue Your impatience – It is of no importance to me to give up when to remain in the my charge whenever You have honourd me with, but it is not by no means indifferent to me if You thi and Mr. Smith think I have fullfilled it like an honest man or not.
It is quite another thing, when a Young man is left allowed to go out alone in his leisure hours, living without a governor, or having a governor who regulates his expences. The principal tyes of connexion friendship between young studen students of the wilder class, are expensive diversions – riding, gaming, dr, extravagance [5] in dress etc. Where the liberty of partaking in such diversions is wanting, no close connexion can be formed. I all [g]ive your son as much for pocket money as I think sufficient for little occasional wants. For the rest you know, I keep his accounts myself and deliver them at the end of every month to Mr. Heyne.
Your son mentions something about my repeating lectures with him – I must say I engaged myself not properly to be his instructor but his governor, else it would have been unnecessary to send him to a place where plenty of instruction of all kinds is to be had – yet I have give given him lessons from the beginning and continue so still. Mr Gatterers Geographical lecture I repeated with him in the first part of the semester, especially because he then had some difficulty of to understanding it on account of the lan[6]guage; for besides the matters were so easy that they wanted no further explanation. At the end I left off the lecture entirely because Mr. Gatterer then went so quick in his descriptions of the countries that it was impossible to set down a regular extract for repetition.
My absence of some days from Your son is scarce worth mentioning – Yet I pass it not over in silence, that You may see I can fairly answer every thing he says. There There had been a tumult of some journeymen in the town at Goett. – but it was entirely appeased the a day before I went away away, by some cavalry posted in the town; there remained only a discontentment fro of the students who thought themselves insulted.. Mr Smith had nothing to act for myhimself, he being in none of those connexions, by which [7] many students been were obliged to take part in the complaint to the magistrates
Let me conclude my letter, Madam by with the highest expressions of the highest esteem fo tow for You and Mr Smith. I deserved not from Your son this essay of robbing depriving me of yours for my endeavours to make his life as pleasant to him and at the same time as answerable to your wishes as possible. Let me add, that in my engagements with You there is no mention made of a fixed period of time You will make me leave Young Mr Smith by the least hint that you wish me to do so. I claim the same liberty for me so far, that I shall give whenever I chuse not to stay longer with him, I shall give you warning soon enough to make other regulations. I am
[8] [leer]