Chapter VIII: Part 8

[1] +=Napoleon I.=, ~Kaiser der Franzosen~, geboren den 15. Aug. 1769 zu Ajaccio auf Korsika war der zweite Sohn des Patriziers Carlo Bonaparte und der Maria Lätitia Ramolini. Nachdem er seit 1779 die Kriegsschulen zu Brienne und Paris besucht hatte, trat er am 1. Sept. 1785 als Lieutenant der Artillerie in die Armee ein. Im Jahre 1793 wurde er als Artilleriehauptmann seitens der Republik gegen die Aufständischen in Korsika verwandt, welche ihn ächteten, da er als Landsmann gegen sie kämpfte. Seit dem 12. Sept. 1793 Oberbefehlshaber des Belagerungsgeschützes von Toulon, welches sich in den Händen der Engländer befand, zwang er den Platz am 19. Dez. zur Kapitulation, worauf er zum Brigadegeneral der Artillerie befördert ward und in der Armee von Italien im Kriege gegen Östreich diente. Nachdem er sich vielfach ausgezeichnet hatte, wurde er im Februar 1796 zum Oberbefehlshaber der Armee von Italien ernannt, reorganisierte dieselbe, eroberte in kurzem die Lombardei, schlug die Östreicher in mehreren großen Schlachten, zwang Mantua zur Kapitulation, drang in Istrien, Kärnthen und Steiermark ein und schloß am 18. April 1797 zu ~Campo Formio~ den für Frankreich höchst günstigen Frieden mit Östreich ab. Seit dem 9. März 1796 mit der verwitweten Generalin Josephine Beauharnais vermählt, ward er am 7. Febr. 1800 neben Cambacérès und Lebrun, welche ihm beratend zur Seite standen, auf zehn Jahre zum ersten Konsul ernannt. Nach mehreren siegreichen Kriegen mit Östreich, Preußen, Rußland, England u. a., ward er im Mai 1802 durch Senatsbeschluß auf weitere zehn Jahre und am 2. Aug. desselben Jahres auf Lebenszeit zum Konsul ernannt. Am 8. Mai 1804 wurde er jedoch schon als Napoleon I. zum erblichen Kaiser der Franzosen erklärt. Nun folgte eine fast ununterbrochene Reihe von Kriegen mit fast allen europäischen Mächten, und als er im Jahre 1809 den Höhepunkt seiner Macht erreicht hatte, ließ er sich, seiner kinderlosen Ehe wegen, von seiner ebenso klugen wie liebenswürdigen Gemahlin scheiden und vermählte sich am 2. April 1810 mit Marie Luise, der Tochter Franz I. von Östreich. Als er jedoch 1812 Rußland den Krieg erklärte, mit der großen Armee in Rußland einzog, alles hinter sich her verbrannte und zerstörte, dann aber durch die weltbekannte, stets denkwürdige Einäscherung der großen Hauptstadt Moskau seitens der heldenmütigen, verzweifelnden Einwohner gezwungen wurde, den Rückzug anzutreten, auf dem fast die ganze große Armee von der fürchterlichen Kälte und die durch die Verödung des Landes verursachte Hungersnot vernichtet wurde—schien das Glück ihn verlassen zu haben. Von dieser Zeit an folgte ~eine~ Niederlage nach der andern, von denen die große Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig (18. Okt. 1813), in welcher der unglückliche Kaiser den vereinigten Heeren der Preußen, Östreicher und Russen gegenüber stand, die entscheidende war. Napoleon wurde in derselben gänzlich geschlagen und die fliehende Armee von den Verbündeten unter Blüchers Führung verfolgt. Nach der Einnahme von Paris seitens der Alliirten am 31. März 1814 erfolgte dann die durch den Senat erzwungene Abdankung des Kaisers und dessen Verbannung nach der Insel Elba, von wo er jedoch schon anfangs März des Jahres 1815 zurückkehrte. Sein bloßes Erscheinen war genügend, das französische Volk aufs neue für ihn zu begeistern. Überall wurde er mit Jubel begrüßt, sein Vordringen war unwiderstehlich, die Armee ging freudig zu ihm über, und schon am 14. März war der König Ludwig+ XVIII. +gezwungen, den jüngst bestiegenen Thron zu verlassen und sich durch die Flucht ins Ausland zu retten.—Napoleons zweite Regierung war indessen nur von kurzer Dauer (100 Tage). Der langersehnte Friede konnte nur durch seinen Untergang herbeigeführt werden, weshalb die Großmächte Östreich, Rußland, Preußen und England am 25. März einen Allianzvertrag abschlossen, durch den sie sich verbanden, Napoleon gemeinschaftlich zu bekämpfen und der Herrschaft desselben auf immer ein Ende zu machen. Dies gelang ihnen auch bald, denn am 18. Juni 1815 wurden die noch übrigen, schnell von Napoleon zusammengerafften Streitkräfte Frankreichs in der großen Schlacht bei Waterloo unter Wellingtons und Blüchers Führung gänzlich vernichtet. Napoleon wollte am 21. Juni zu Blois zu gunsten seines noch unmündigen Sohnes abdanken, seine Abdankung wurde aber nicht angenommen, und als er sich am 3. Juli in Rochefort nach Amerika einschiffen wollte, fand er den dortigen Hafen durch englische Kriegsschiffe gesperrt, worauf er sich unter den Schutz Englands stellte und sich auf das Linienschiff ~Bellerophon~ begab. Auf Beschluß der verbündeten Mächte wurde er nun als ‘~General Bonaparte~’ nach der entlegenen Insel St. Helena transportiert, wo er am 16. Okt. 1815 anlangte und, in Longwood wohnend, am 5. Mai 1821 in den Armen einiger ihm noch treu verbliebenen Freunde eines natürlichen Todes starb.+

[2] = task.

[3] and emergency, +und in jedem Notfalle+.

[4] what — next = what he must (Impf.) do next (+zunächst+).

[5] This — spirits = This strengthens and refreshes the courage.

[6] Read S. 6, N. 10, and insert the adv. ‘+auch+’ here.

[7] Say ‘Only few men know what they must do next’.

[8] to be at the end of one’s line (_or_ to be at one’s wit’s end), +sich nie zu raten wissen+.

[9] +auf eine göttliche Eingebung.+

[10] Say ‘had his ends (= aims) been solely directed to (+auf+) the public welfare’. Carefully study App. §§ 36 and 37.

[11] This passage requires an altogether different setting; let us say: ‘But notwithstanding (+Trotzdem aber+) he inspires (+erfüllen+) us through the extraordinary unity (+Einheit+, f.) of (+in+) his actions with confidence in (+auf+) his strength’.

[12] firm = unshakable; sure, +unfehlbar+ = never failing.

[13] = purpose.

[14] +ir´releiten+, sep. comp. w. v.

[15] by — means, +durch die Größe seiner ihm zu Gebote stehenden Hülfsmittel+.

[16] ‘but’, here +wohl aber+.

[17] to be hurried away, +sich ... hin und her treiben lassen+.

[18] is = signifies (+heißen+); ‘to have’, here = to follow, +befolgen+.

[19] doors = gates (+Pforten+), through which he tried (+suchen+) to attain his aims (App. § 19). This addition seems to be necessary to complete the underlying idea.

[20] and — circumstances = and in (+bei+) the dazzle (+Verblendung+) and the confusion, which ruled (+beherrschen+) his time, he never lost sight of these aims. To lose sight of a thing, +etwas aus dem Auge verlieren+.

[21] Say ‘He would have liked (Impf. Subj. of +gern haben+ in connection with the Past Participle of the verb) to shorten (+abkürzen+) a straight line, in order to attain his purpose’.

[22] of — successes, +welche alle Zeugnis davon ablegen, wie teuer er seine Erfolge erkaufte+.

[23] to set a person down as cruel, +einen für grausam halten+.

[24] ‘one’, here = a man (S. 134, N. 9).

[25] Say ‘he was not’, etc.

[26] Say ‘to the man who’, etc.

[27] Say ‘He must carry (+erobern+) the battery’.

[28] ‘to be sacrificed’, here +dahin´gerafft werden+.

[29] +Was befehlen Ew.+ (abbreviation of +Eure+) +Majestät+?

_Section 157._

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.

II.

In the plenitude of his resources every obstacle seemed to vanish. “There[1] shall be no Alps,” he said; and he built his perfect roads[2], climbing[3] by graded galleries their steepest precipices, until Italy was[4] as open to Paris as any town[5] in France. Having (S. 55, N. 1) decided what was to be done, he did that with[6] might and main. He[7] put out all his strength. He risked everything, and spared[8] nothing; neither ammunition, nor money, nor[9] troops, nor generals, nor[10] himself. If fighting[11] be the best mode of adjusting national differences (as[12] large majorities of men seem to agree), certainly Bonaparte was right in making it thorough[13].

He fought[14] sixty battles. He had never enough. Each victory was a new weapon. “My power would fall[15], were I not to support it by new achievements. Conquest has[16] made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me.”

Before[17] he fought a battle, Bonaparte thought[18] little about what he should do in[18] case of success, but a great deal about what he should do in case of a reverse of fortune. The same prudence and good sense marked[19] all his behaviour[20]. His instructions[21] to his secretary at the palace are worth[22] remembering. He said: “During the night enter my chamber as seldom as possible. Do not awake me when you have any good news to communicate[23]; with[24] that there is no hurry; but when you have bad news, rouse me instantly, for then there is not a moment to be lost.” His[25] achievement of business was immense, and[26] enlarges the known power of man. There have been (S. 82, N. 7) many working kings, from Ulysses to[27] William of Orange[28], but[29] none who accomplished a tithe of this man’s performance.—EMERSON.

[1] +Es soll keine Alpen mehr geben.+

[2] perfect roads, +Kunststraßen+.

[3] Say ‘through which he by means of winding, (+sich schlängeln+) _and_ gradually rising passes climbed the steepest precipices (+Abhang+, m.) of the Alps’.

[4] was = stood; to Paris = to the Parisians. =The suffix +er+ is used to form names of male persons and of the inhabitants of countries and places; as=—+der Italiener+, the Italian, from +Italien+; +der Hamburger+, the inhabitants of Hamburgh.

[5] town in France = French (S. 101, N. 1) town.

[6] with — main, +aus Leibeskräften+.

[7] +Er setzte seine ganze Stärke daran.+

[8] +schonen.+

[9] nor = neither.

[10] +und auch sich selbst nicht.+

[11] = war; be = is; mode, +Art und Weise+.

[12] Say ‘as the majority of men seem (S. 107, N. 13) to think (S. 64, N. 11)’.

[13] to make (do) a thing thorough(ly), +etwas gründlich betreiben+.

[14] to fight battles, +Schlachten liefern+.

[15] = sink.

[16] = Conquests have; he has made me what I am, +er hat mich zu dem gemacht, was ich bin+.

[17] +Ehe+, adv.

[18] to think about a thing, +über etwas nach´denken+, read S. 87, N. 6; in — success, +im Glücksfalle+; in — fortune, +im Unglücksfalle+.

[19] +aus´zeichnen.+

[20] +Handlungsweise.+ _All his_ happiness, +sein ganzes Glück+; _all our_ family, +~unsere ganze~ Familie+.

[21] +Verhaltungsbefehl+, m., directions for conduct; to, +an+.

[22] This is not worth remembering, +dies ist nicht der Beachtung wert+.

[23] +melden+.

[24] Say literally ‘these have no haste’.

[25] His — business, +Seine Arbeitskraft+.

[26] +und erweitert unsere bisherigen Vorstellungen von den im Menschen wohnenden Kräften.+

[27] +bis auf.+

[28] +Oranien.+ Commence this period with: ‘From Ulysses’.

[29] +doch keinen, der auch nur ein zehntel von den Thaten dieses Mannes vollbracht hätte+ (App. § 33).

_Section 158._

THE WARLIKE CHARACTER OF THE GERMANS.

The Germans fight as _a_ nation. Whatever[1] their birth[2] or (S. 10, N. 9) profession, all are trained[3] soldiers. The nation is the army; the army is the nation. Hence[4] they cannot be moved save at the bidding of some grand principle, and the stirring[5] of some soul-penetrating[6] _and_ elevating sentiment; and yet they are as sensible[7] as any nation that they abandon comfort[8], domestic ease, monetary independence, everything[9] which (S. 3, N. 7) men (= man) love and live for, in[10] order to identify the nation and the army. But they are willing to pay the price. They count[11] hardihood of body and trained[12] courage of heart the noblest riches of a nation. They reckon[11] _that_ national independence and national greatness _are a_ thousand times more precious than gold and silver, and[13] that to die on the field of battle is better and happier than to rot[14] and crumble away in sybaritic ease. They[15] hold, too, that[16] the cause of liberty, and the free noble spirit engendered by the brotherhood of a nationality which affirms its oneness by noble acts[17], is blessed by God, and that He will give[18] victory to the armies who go forth to battle in (S. 3, N. 2) trust in[19] His name. No wonder[20] they fight and triumph[21].—ADMIRAL GARBETT.

[1] supply the verb ‘be’.

[2] = station, +Stand+, m.

[3] = practised.

[4] Say ‘Hence they can be moved (+erregen+) only at (+durch+) the bidding (+Gebot+, n.)’.

[5] +Erweckung+, f.

[6] +die Seele ergreifend.+

[7] ‘to be sensible’, here +sich bewußt sein+.

[8] here +die Annehmlichkeiten des Lebens+.

[9] Say ‘in short give up everything’, for the verb ‘abandon’ must be placed at the end of this clause.

[10] Say ‘in order to prove the identity of the nation and the army’.

[11] +halten (für).+

[12] here +gestählt+.

[13] Say ‘and feel that it is better and nobler to die’, etc.

[14] +vermodern+; to crumble away, +verfallen+; ‘ease’, here +Gemächlichkeit+.

[15] +Auch halten sie dafür.+

[16] Construe thus: ‘that God will bless the cause (+Sache+, f.) of liberty’, and use the attributive constr. for the transl. of ‘and the — nationality’. Any other constr. would be much too clumsy.

[17] = deeds.

[18] to give victory, +den Sieg verleihen+; to go forth to battle, +in die Schlacht ziehen+.

[19] +auf.+

[20] Supply ‘then, that’.

[21] = conquer.

_Section 159._

THE[1] WAY TO MASTER THE TEMPER.

A London (S. 157, N. 4) merchant, having[2] a dispute with a Quaker concerning a business account, determined[3] to institute a law-suit against him. Desirous of amicably settling[4] the matter, the Quaker called at the house of the merchant, when[5] the latter became so enraged that he vehemently[6] declared to his servant _that_ he would (App. §§ 28 and 30) not see his opponent. “Well, friend,” said the Quaker quietly, “may[7] God put thee in a better mind.” The merchant was[8] subdued by the kindness of the reply, and, after careful consideration, became convinced that[9] he was wrong. He sent[10] for the Quaker, and[11] after making a humble apology, he asked: “How were you able to bear my abuse[11] with so much patience?” “Friend,” replied the Quaker, “I was naturally[12] as hot[13] and violent as thou _art_, but I knew that[14] to indulge my temper was sinful, and also very foolish. I observed that men in a passion always spoke very loud, and I thought that[15], if I could control my voice, I should keep down my passion. I therefore made[16] it a rule never to let it rise above a certain key; and by _a_ careful observance of this rule I have, with the blessing of God[17], entirely mastered my[18] natural temper.”—ALCOTT.

[1] +Wie man seinen Zorn beherrschen kann.+

[2] Change ‘having’ into ‘had’; the object is best placed after ‘account’.

[3] Supply ‘and’ before ‘determined’; to institute a law-suit against a person, +einen gerichtlich belangen+.

[4] to settle a matter amicably, +eine Sache auf gütliche Weise ordnen+. Comp. S. 30, N. 4, and note that the Present Participle ‘being’ is understood at the commencement of this period.

[5] = whereupon.

[6] = emphatically, +nachdrücklich+.

[7] Say ‘may God alter thy mind (+Gesinnung+, f.)’.

[8] to be subdued, +sich besiegt fühlen+; by, +durch+.

[9] ‘that — wrong’ may be briefly turned by ‘of his wrong’.

[10] to send for a person, +einen zu sich rufen lassen+.

[11] ‘and — asked’. This passage, literally translated, would be inelegant in German, say: ‘humbly begged his pardon, and asked then’. Abuse, +Beleidigung+, f.

[12] +von Natur.+

[13] = passionate.

[14] = that it was sinful, etc.; to indulge one’s temper, +seinem Zorn freien Lauf lassen+.

[15] = that I could (App. § 33) conquer my anger through mastering my voice (+durch Beherrschung meiner Stimme+).

[16] We make it a rule never to let our voices rise beyond a certain key, +wir machen es uns zur Regel, unsere Stimmen nie über eine gewisse Tonstärke hinaus zu erheben+.

[17] = with God’s help.

[18] = my natural inclination to (+zu+) anger (S. 3, N. 2).

_Section 160._

OPINIONS[1] AS TO ENGLISH EDUCATION.

I.

This[2] energy of individual life and example acting throughout society constitute[3] the best practical education of Englishmen. Schools, academies, and colleges[4] give but the[5] merest beginning of culture in comparison with it (S. 4, N. 5). Far higher[6] and more practical is[7] the life-education daily given in our homes, in[8] the streets, behind (S. 3, N. 2) counters[9], in workshops, at the loom and behind the plough, in counting-houses and manufactories, and[10] in all the busy haunts of men. This is the education that[11] fits Englishmen for doing the work and acting the part of free men. This[12] is that final instruction as members of society, which Schiller designated “the education of the human race,” consisting[13] in action, conduct[14], self-culture, self-control—all[15] that tends to discipline a man truly, and fit him for the proper performance of the duties of life—a _kind of_ education not to be learnt (S. 7, N. 3 _B_) from (+aus+) books. Lord Bacon observes that[16] “Studies teach not their own use, but that there is (S. 82, N. 7) a wisdom without them and above them, won (S. 7, N. 3 _B_, and S. 2, N. 1) by (+durch+) observation, a remark that holds[17] true of[18] actual life, as well as of[19] the cultivation of the intellect itself. For _all_ observation serves[20] to illustrate and enforce the lesson, that _a_ man perfects himself by work much more than by reading[21],—_that_[22] it is life[23] rather than literature[21], action[24] rather than study, _and_ character[25] rather than biography[26], which[27] tend perpetually to renovate mankind.”

[1] +Ansichten über.+

[2] This — society. A good German rendering of the thought underlying this line is so difficult, that the author thinks it best to give at once his own translation, which he hopes will find acceptance: +Diese im mehr selbständigen Leben sich entwickelnde Energie und das dadurch gegebene, auf die ganze Gesellschaft wirkende Beispiel.+

[3] +aus´machen.+

[4] = universities; ‘to give’, here +gewähren+.

[5] = a mere.

[6] = more important.

[7] is — homes, +ist die im täglichen Leben gewonnene Erziehung zu Hause+.

[8] +auf.+

[9] Use this noun in the Sing.

[10] +und in den vielen andern Geschäftsstätten der Menschen.+

[11] Say ‘that enables Englishmen as free men to do their work and their duty.

[12] This — designated = This education gives also to human society that instruction (+Unterweisung+, f.), which Schiller calls, etc. +~Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller~, geboren am 10. Nov. 1759 zu Marbach, gestorben am 9. Mai 1805 zu Weimar, ist nächst Göthe+ (+Siehe+ S. 110, N. 1) +unstreitig die bedeutendste Erscheinung in der deutschen Litteratur. Als ~Dichter~ zeichnete er sich sowohl durch seine ideale, subjektive Richtung, wie auch durch hinreißenden Schwung echt poetischer Begeisterung aus, welche im Drama ihren Höhepunkt erreichte. Aber auch als Geschichtschreiber und als philosophischer Schriftsteller hat er sich bei seiner Nation einen unsterblichen Namen erworben.+

[13] = and which consists in (S. 3, N. 2) action, etc.

[14] +in der sittlichen Aufführung.+

[15] = and in all that (here follows the verb ‘consists’, since this is the end of the relative clause introduced in Note 13), which (S. 3, N. 7) educates (+bilden+) man truly (+wahrhaft+) and fits (+befähigen+) him for (+zu+) the proper performance (= fulfilment) of his duties in life.

[16] = that ‘Studies do not teach us the application of the same, but’, etc.

[17] ‘to hold true’, here = to prove true.

[18] = in practical life.

[19] of — itself, +in Bezug auf die Geistesbildung selbst+.

[20] = interprets (+erklären+) and proves the doctrine.

[21] here +Lektüre+, f., with the art.

[22] This conj. ‘that’ is best omitted, since a repetition of subordinate clauses must, as far as possible, be avoided.

[23] = practical life; ‘rather than’ seems here to be = ‘and not’.

[24] +Thätigkeit+, activity.

[25] The English word ‘character’ is so varied in its application that it requires always the greatest discrimination to decide upon its translation, and in this case more than ever. After careful consideration it is thought to be equivalent here to: ‘the personal dignity of a man’.

[26] +die Lebensbeschreibung desselben.+

[27] +welche dazu dienen, die Menschheit stets von neuem zu beleben.+

_Section 161._

OPINIONS AS TO ENGLISH EDUCATION.

II.

Goethe (S. 5, N. 2), in _one of his_ conversations with Eckermann at Weimar, once[1] observed: “It is very[2] strange, and I know not whether[3] it lies in race, in climate, in[4] soil, or in their healthy[5] education, but[6] certainly Englishmen seem to have a great advantage over most other men. We see here in Weimar only a[7] minimum of them, and[8] those, probably, by no means the best _specimens_, and yet what splendid fellows they are! And although they come here as seventeen-year-old[9] youths, yet they by no means feel strange in this strange land; on the contrary, their entrance[10] and bearing[11] in society is so confident[12] and quiet, that one would[13] think they were everywhere the masters, and the whole world belonged to them[14].”

“I should not like to affirm, for all that[15],” replied Eckermann[16], “that the English gentlemen in Weimar are cleverer, better educated, and better hearted than our young men.”

“That is not the point[17],” said Goethe; “their superiority does not lie in such things; neither[18] does it lie in their birth and fortune[19]; it lies precisely[20] in their having[21] the courage to be what nature made them. There[22] is no halfness about[23] them. They are complete[24] men. Sometimes complete fools also, that I heartily[25] admit, but even that is something, and has its weight.”

Thus (App. § 14), in[26] Goethe’s eyes, the Englishmen fulfilled, to a great extent, the injunction[27] given by Lessing[28] to those who would be men:

“Think wrongly, if you please, but think for yourselves!”—S. SMILES, “SELF-HELP.”

[1] = one day.

[2] ‘Very’ is often rendered by the superlative of the adv. +hoch+.

[3] ‘whether it lies’ may be elegantly translated by omitting the conjunction ‘whether’ and using the inversion.

[4] +im heimatlichen Boden.+

[5] +heilsam.+

[6] Say ‘but it seems to be certain that Englishmen possess a great superiority over most other men’.

[7] a minimum = very few.

[8] = and these (+dies+) are probably by no means the best, and yet (+dennoch aber+) they are (+sind es+) splendid fellows!

[9] a thirty-year-old man, +ein dreißigjähriger Mann+.

[10] +Auftreten+, n.

[11] +Benehmen+, n.

[12] +sicher.+

[13] Render ‘would’ by the Impf. Subj. of +mögen+, since the sentence is equivalent to ‘that one would be inclined to think’. The following verbs must be constructed according to App. §§ 29 and 30.

[14] Supply ‘alone’ after ‘them’.

[15] for all that, +aber doch+, to be placed before ‘not’.

[16] +~Johann Peter Eckermann~, geboren 1792 zu Winsen in der preußischen Provinz Hannover, gestorben den 3. Dez. 1854 zu Weimar, war viele Jahre als Göthes Privatsekretär thätig und ist der Welt am bekanntesten durch die von ihm nach Göthes Tode veröffentlichten ‘Gespräche mit Göthe’. Er war auch der Herausgeber+ (editor) +von Göthes ‘Nachgelassenen Werken’.+

[17] +Sache+, f.

[18] +auch+ besteht sie nicht in.

[19] = wealth; Comp. S. 10, N. 9.

[20] = simply.

[21] =The English Gerund preceded by a possessive adjective and a preposition, must be translated by a regular subordinate clause with a conjunction and a finite verb=; as—

His superiority lies _in his having_ the courage to be what
nature made him.

+Seine Überlegenheit besteht ~darin~+ (S. 87, N. 6), +~daß er~
den Mut ~hat~, das zu sein, was er von Natur aus ist.+

[22] +Es.+

[23] +an.+

[24] = whole.

[25] = willingly; weight = value.

[26] = according to the judgment of Göthe.

[27] = advice; by, +von+; to, an; those = all such; who, +die da+.

[28] +~Gotth. Ephraim Lessing~, geboren den 22. Jan. 1729 zu Kamenz (Oberlausitz), gestorben den 15. Febr. 1781 in Braunschweig, hat sich durch seine ästhetisch-kritischen Werke, wie auch durch seine Dramen, deren Form, Sprache, Methode und Inhalt fast unerreichte Muster sind, einen unsterblichen Namen in der deutschen Litteraturgeschichte erworben. Sein Wirken als genialer Kritiker, Forscher und Dichter war von unermeßlichem Einfluß auf die nächste Entwickelung unserer Litteratur, die mit ihm und durch ihn ihrer Glanzperiode entgegenschritt.+

_Section 162._

A ROYAL JUDGMENT.

A man and his wife named Lambrun had been many years in the service of the unfortunate Queen Mary Stuart, and were sincerely attached to her. The tragical death of that princess had such an effect on the husband that he did not long survive her, and the[1] widow, Margaret Lambrun, resolved to revenge, upon[2] Queen Elizabeth, the[3] death of two persons so dear to her. She (S. 5, N. 2) therefore disguised[4] herself in man’s clothes, bought (S. 58, N. 8) a brace[5] _of_ pistols, and went[6] to (S. 72, N. 4) London. Soon after, when the queen[7] appeared in[8] public, Margaret endeavoured to[9] make her way through the crowd in order to shoot her[10]; but one of the pistols fell[11], and she was immediately apprehended.

The[12] queen, being informed of the circumstance[13], ordered[14] the man to be brought before her, and said to him: “Well, Sir, who are you[15]? and why do you seek[16] to kill me?”—“Madam,” replied Margaret, “I am a woman; I was a long time in the service of Queen Mary Stuart, whom you put[17] to death unjustly; her execution caused[18] the death of my dear husband, who was sincerely attached to her; and my affection for both _of them has_ excited[19] me to revenge.”—“And how do you think I ought to deal[20] with you?” asked Elizabeth.—“Do you speak as _a_ queen or as _a_ judge?” returned Margaret.—“As _a_ queen.”—“Then you ought to pardon[21] me,” was the answer.—“And what security[22] can you give me that you will not attempt[16] my life again?”—“Madam, a[23] pardon granted upon conditions ceases to be a favour[24].”—“Well then,” said the queen, “I pardon you, and trust to your gratitude for[25] my safety.”—P. SADLER.

[1] = his.

[2] +an+, with the Dat. of the def. art. The words ‘upon — Elizabeth’ must be placed before the supine. Comp. App. § 1.

[3] We lament the death of the two boys so dear to us, +wir beweinen den Tod der beiden uns so teuren Knaben+.

[4] to disguise oneself in man’s clothes, +sich als Mann verkleiden+.

[5] = a pair.

[6] +sich begeben+, insep. comp. str. v. refl.

[7] Here place the adverbs ‘soon after’.

[8] +öffentlich.+

[9] to make one’s way, +sich einen Weg bahnen+.

[10] to shoot a person, +auf einen schießen+.

[11] +entfiel ihr.+

[12] Construe accord. to S. 55, N. 1, and S. 4, N. 4, (+man+).

[13] +Vorfall+, m.

[14] +ließ sie den Mann vor sich führen.+

[15] Use the 2nd pers. pl. (+Ihr+) here and in the following passages, since that was the pronoun generally used in addressing persons in olden times.

[16] to seek to kill a person (_or_ to attempt a person’s life), +einem nach dem Leben trachten+.

[17] to put a person to death unjustly, +einen ungerechterweise hinrichten lassen+.

[18] This caused the death of our child, +dies kostete unserem Kinde das Leben+. The insertion of the adv. +auch+ after the verb ‘caused’ would considerably improve the German rendering.

[19] to excite a person to revenge, +einen zur Rache antreiben+. Use the Impf.

[20] +verfahren.+

[21] +begnadigen+, v. tr.

[22] +Bürgschaft+, f.

[23] a — conditions, +eine bedingungsweise Begnadigung+.

[24] +Gnade+, f.

[25] +hinsichtlich+, followed by the Gen. The words ‘to (+auf+) your gratitude’ are best placed at the end.

_Section 163._

TACITUS.

I am glad to find[1], by your (= thy) letter just received, that you are reading Tacitus[2] with _some_ relish. His style is rather quaint[3] and enigmatical, which (S. 3, N. 7) makes[4] it difficult to the student; but then[5] his pages[6] are filled with such admirable apothegms and maxims of political wisdom, as[7] infer the deepest knowledge of human nature; and it is particularly necessary that any one intending to become a public speaker should[8] be master of his works, as[9] there is neither an ancient nor a modern author who affords such a selection of admirable quotations. You should exercise yourself frequently in[10] trying to make translations of the[11] passages which most strike[12] you, trying[13] to invest[14] the sense of (S. 25, N. 5) Tacitus in as good English as you can. This will answer[15] the double purpose of making yourself familiar with the Latin author, and giving you the command of[16] your own language, which no person will ever have[17] who[18] does not study composition in early life.—SIR WALTER SCOTT, “LETTERS TO HIS SON.”

[1] here +ersehen+; by, +aus+.

[2] Use the def. art. accord. to S. 25, N. 5.

[3] = unusual and unclear (+dunkel+).

[4] to make difficult, +erschweren+; student = pupil.

[5] = on the other hand, +andererseits+.

[6] = writings, +Schriften+; filled with such, +so voll von+.

[7] as infer = that they prove.

[8] Say ‘should thoroughly (+gründlich+) know his works’.

[9] Say ‘as there is (S. 82, N. 7) no classical nor (+noch+) modern author (+Schriftsteller+)’.

[10] in trying = in the attempt, +in dem Versuche+.

[11] = such.

[12] This passage struck me most, +diese Stelle machte am meisten Eindruck auf mich+.

[13] trying = and try.

[14] +wie´dergeben+, sep. comp. str. v. tr.

[15] This does not answer my purpose, +dies entspricht meinem Zwecke nicht+.

[16] +über+.

[17] = obtain.

[18] +welcher sich nicht schon in der Jugend in schriftlichen Aufsätzen übt.+

_Section 164._

HUMILITY.

I believe the first[1] test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by[2] humility, doubt of[3] his own power, or hesitation[4] in speaking[5] his opinions, but a right understanding of the relation between[6] what he can do and say, and[7] the rest of the world’s sayings and doings. All great men not only know[8] their business[9], but usually know[10] that[11] they know it; they are not only right in their main opinions[12], but they usually know that they are right in them (S. 4, N. 5, _B_); only they do not think much of themselves on[13] that account. Arnolfo[14] knows he can build a good[15] dome at Florence; Albert[16] Dürer writes calmly[17] to one who had found fault with his work: “It cannot be better done;” Sir Isaac Newton knows that he has worked[18] out a problem or two that would have puzzled anybody[19] else:—only they do not expect their[20] fellow-men therefore to fall down and worship them; they[21] have a curious under-sense of powerlessness, feeling (S. 30, N. 4) that the greatness is[22] not in them, but through them; that they could (App. § 33) not do or be anything else than[23] what God made them. They see something divine and God-made[24] in every other man, and are endlessly, nay[25] incredibly merciful[26].—ANONYMOUS.

[1] = best; test, +Prüfstein+, m.

[2] +unter+, which place at the head of the period; mean = understand.

[3] +an+, with the Dat.

[4] here +Unentschlossenheit+.

[5] +aus´sprechen.+

[6] +von.+

[7] = and of that which the remaining world can say and do.

[8] = understand.

[9] +Sache+, f.

[10] +wissen+, after which insert the adv. +auch+.

[11] that they understand the same (to agree with +Sache+).

[12] +Hauptansichten.+

[13] on that account, +deswegen+, which place after the Subj.; to think much of oneself, +eine große Meinung von sich haben+.

[14] +~Arnolfo di Cambio~, berühmter Baumeister und Bildhauer zu Florenz (1232-1300), baute den Dom+ St. Maria del fiore +zu Florenz und das Tabernakel zu St. Paolo in Rom.+

[15] = stately.

[16] +~Albrecht Dürer~, geboren den 20. Mai 1471 zu Nürnberg, gestorben den 6. April 1528 ebendaselbst, muß zu den hervorragendsten und vielseitigsten Künstlern gezählt werden, die je gelebt. Er war nicht allein ausgezeichneter Maler, sondern auch zugleich Kupferstecher+ (engraver on copper), +Formschneider+ (moulder), +Bildhauer+ (sculptor), +Architekt und Schriftsteller+ (author) +über die Kunst. Er war der Erfinder der Ätzkunst, erfand das Mittel, die Holzschnitte mit ~zwei~ Farben zu drucken, und vervollkommnete die Schriftgießerei+ (type-foundry), +~denn von ihm stammt die Form der deutschen Lettern~+.

[17] +gelassen+; one, +jemand+.

[18] to work out a problem or two, +Probleme lösen+.

[19] anybody else, +jeder andere+, as Nom.

[20] = that their fellow-men therefore (+deshalb+) must (+sollen+) fall down before them and worship (+an´beten+) them. The auxiliary +sollen+ must be placed last, accord. to App. § 18.

[21] they — powerlessness. This clause cannot be rendered in a literal way, but may be expressed thus: ‘they recognise that they are, after all, only powerless’; after all, only, +doch nur+, which place after the Subj.

[22] is not = manifests itself not (+sich offenbaren+).

[23] +als wozu Gott sie erschaffen.+

[24] +Gotterschaffenes.+

[25] +ja sogar.+

[26] = forbearing, +nachsichtig+.

_Section 165._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

I.

In the cheerless regions of[1] Arkangel, of which the aborigines say: “God made Russia, but the devil made Arkangel,” there are (S. 82, N. 7) more than two hundred of those banished ones—men and women, all young, all (= and) poor, most[2] of them sent without trial, few[3] amongst them knowing even of what they are accused. Victor Ivanovitch[4] dines with his friend B., for instance, and[5] after a stroll along[6] the boulevards they separate. B. is arrested that[7] very evening, and when Victor, astonished and horror-stricken[8], hastens[9] to inquire the cause, he finds everybody[10], even B.’s _own_ father, as[11] much in the dark as he _is himself_; all questions and petitions on[12] the subject receive[13] vague administrative answers; all friends and relatives are systematically discouraged and silenced; eagerly they wait for[14] the numerous political trials that[15] come on without intermission, hoping[16] to see the missing one’s (S. 67, N. 3) name on[17] the list of criminals, or to see[18] his face once more, let[19] it be even in[20] the prisoner’s dock; but as[21] they wait and[22] watch, the prisoner[23] is, without any trial, en route for Arkangel.

Arrived[24] there, the routine (App. § 15) is the same for all; whatever[25] the crime alleged, the age or sex, the[26] prisoner is taken to the police-ward,—a[27] dreary log-building, containing two sections, one for men, the other for women. The solitary table and chair in the room, the four walls, and even the ceiling, are covered[28] with the names of[29] youthful predecessors, whose pencilled[30] jests and clever caricatures bear[31] witness to the strength of confidence in themselves with which they began[32] their life in exile.

[1] +des Gouvernements Archangel.+

[2] most of them, +meistens+; sent = sent there; without trial = without any trial, +ohne jegliches Verhör+.

[3] Say liter. ‘of whom even but (+nur+) few know’.

[4] Here follows ‘for instance’; with = in company of.

[5] Say ‘+und trennt sich von ihm nach+’, etc.

[6] +auf.+

[7] +noch an demselben Abend.+

[8] +aufs höchste erschrocken.+

[9] to hasten to inquire the cause, +sich eiligst nach der Ursache erkundigen+.

[10] everybody = that all.

[11] Supply ‘are’ (+sich befinden+) before ‘as’.

[12] +über die Sache.+

[13] receive — answers = are vaguely (+in unbestimmter Weise+, which place after government) answered by (S. 106, N. 23) the government.

[14] +auf.+

[15] = that follow one another (+auf einander folgen+).

[16] = in the hope.

[17] +in.+

[18] +zu schauen+ (App. § 1); face, +Angesicht+, n.

[19] let it be = be it even.

[20] in — dock, +vor den Schranken des Gerichts+.

[21] = whilst.

[22] and watch = and attentively watch (+bewachen+) everything.

[23] Insert the adv. +schon+ after the subject; en route for = on the way to.

[24] +Dort angekommen+; ‘routine’, here = treatment; the words ‘the same’ are to be placed at the end of the clause.

[25] whatever — sex, +welches Verbrechens der Gefangene auch eingeklagt und welches Alters und Geschlechts er auch sei+.

[26] the — ward = yet (+so ... doch+) he is always taken (= conducted) to (+in+) the police-ward (+Polizeiwache+, f.).

[27] a — women = that consists of (+aus+) a miserable block-house of (+aus+) two divisions, one of which is appointed for men and the other for women.

[28] +beschrieben+, p. p.

[29] of — predecessors = of the former (+früher+, adj.) youthful inhabitants of the same (to agree with room).

[30] pencilled, +mit Bleistift gezeichnet+, which use attributively.

[31] bear — themselves = prove the intensity (+Größe+, f.) of the confidence in themselves (+Selbstvertrauen+, n.).

[32] ‘to begin’, here +an´treten+, sep. comp. str. v. tr.; life in exile = banishment.

_Section 166._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

II.

In this dreary abode[1] a week or ten days is spent, when[2] the governor of Arkangel, after due reflection, marks out[3] for this dangerous personage some final place of exile (S. 76, N. 22, _B_), some[4] miserable little district town[5], such as Holmogor, Shenkoursk, Pinega, or Mexen. The[6] prisoner is then told his “documents” are ready, and a gendarme enters, saying[7] it is time to start[8]. The exile jumps into the jolting post-waggon, two gendarmes jump _in_ after him, the bell above[9] the horse’s neck begins to ring—and rings _on_ for[10] days and weeks—through wood[11], _and_ swamp, and plain, along[12] roads inconceivably drear and lonely, until the[13] weary convoy at length arrives at his destination. The little town is desolate and black[14], and consists of log-huts, two unpaved streets, and a wooden church painted green, and the[15] live-stock consists of ten or twelve raw-boned[16] horses, a small herd of sickly[17] cows, and thirty or forty reindeer. The population rarely (S. 102, N. 30) exceeds _one_ (S. 132, N. 10) thousand[18], and consists of the Ispravnik[19], ten subaltern[20] officers, the Arbiter[21] of the Peace, the[22] Crown Forester, a priest, a few shopkeepers, thirty or forty exiles, a[23] chain-gang of Russian felons, and a crowd[24] of Finnish beggars. On his arrival, the prisoner is driven straight to (S. 72, N. 4) the police-ward, where he is inspected[25] by (S. 106, N. 23) the Ispravnik, a (S. 53, N. 9) police officer, who is absolute lord and master of the district. This representative of the Government requires[26] of him to answer the following questions: His[27] name? How old? Married or single? Where from? The address of[28] parents, relations, or friends? Answers[29] to all of which are entered in the books.

[1] +Aufenthaltsort+, m.; a — spent = spends (+verbringen+) the prisoner eight or ten days.

[2] = whereupon.

[3] to mark out, +bezeichnen+; for this = to this (Dat.); personage = character; some final = his definite (+definitiv+). The Dat. should be placed immediately after ‘+Arkangel+’.

[4] = a.

[5] +Kreisstadt+, f.; such as = as for example.

[6] Construe this passage accord. to the following model: I am told the documents are destroyed, +Es+ (S. 104, N. 19) +wird mir mitgeteilt, daß die Papiere vernichtet sind+.

[7] +mit dem Bemerken, daß+, etc.

[8] ‘to start,’ of a conveyance, a train, etc., is generally rendered by +ab´fahren+.

[9] = at, +an+.

[10] for years, +jahrelang+.

[11] Use the pl. for this and the two following nouns.

[12] +auf+. Read S. 128, N. 11.

[13] the — convoy = the exhausted travellers.

[14] black = gloomy.

[15] +Viehstand+, m.

[16] +abgemagert.+

[17] +siech.+

[18] Supply ‘souls’.

[19] This term may be used in its unaltered form, but is perhaps better rendered by ‘+Polizeipräsident+’, m.

[20] +Unterbeamte+, m.

[21] +Friedensrichter.+

[22] Nom. +der kaiserliche Forstbeamte+.

[23] +einem Haufen russischer Verbrecher in Ketten.+

[24] = number.

[25] = examined; who — district = with absolute (+unumschränkt+) power (+Vollmacht+, f.) over the whole district.

[26] +begehren+; to answer = the answer, +die Beantwortung+, followed by the Gen., but without art.

[27] = your.

[28] Say ‘of your parents’.

[29] Say ‘and the answers to (+auf+, with Acc.) these questions are all entered (+ein´tragen+) in the books’.

_Section 167._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

III.

A[1] solemn promise is then exacted of him that he will not give lessons of[2] any kind, or[3] try to teach[4] anyone; that every letter (S. 48, N. 6) he writes will go through the Ispravnik’s hands, and[5] that he will follow no occupation except shoemaking, carpentering, or field labour. He is then[6] told he (App. § 28) is free, but[7] at the same time is solemnly warned that[8] should he attempt to pass the limits of the town, he would be shot down like a dog rather than be allowed to escape; and[9], should he be taken alive, would be sent off to Eastern Siberia without further formality than that of the Ispravnik’s personal order.

The poor fellow takes up his little bundle, and[10], fully realising that he has now bidden[11] farewell to the culture and material[12] comfort of his past[13] life, he walks[14] out into the cheerless street. A group of exiles, all pale and emaciated, are (S. 107, N. 13) there[15] to (S. 19, N. 7) greet him, take[16] him to _some of_ their miserable lodgings, and feverishly demand[17] news from home. The new comer gazes on them as _one_ in a dream; some are melancholy, and almost mad, others nervously irritable, and the remainder have evidently tried to find solace in[18] drink. They live (S. 116, N. 17) in[19] communities of twos and threes, have food, a scanty provision of clothes, money[20], and books in common, and consider[21] it their sacred duty to help each other in every emergency, without[22] distinction of (S. 3, N. 2, and S. 10, N. 9) sex, rank, or age. The noble by[23] birth get sixteen shillings[24] a month from Government for their maintenance, and[25] commoners only ten, although many of them are married, and[26] sent into exile with young families[27].

[1] Say ‘Hereupon one demands (+verlangen+) of him the solemn promise’.

[2] not of any kind, +keinerlei+, adj. (indeclinable).

[3] or try = and not try. The auxiliary verb of mood ‘_+will+_’ need be expressed but once, and stands, of course?

[4] +unterrichten+, insep. comp. w. v. tr.

[5] Say ‘and that he besides (+außer+) shoemaking (+Schuhmacherei+, f., with def. art.), carpentering and field-labour, will carry on (+treiben+) no (+keinerlei+) occupation’.

[6] ‘then’, here +Endlich+, with which begin the clause, and construe accord. to S. 4, N. 4 (+man+).

[7] but — warned, +aber zugleich kündigt man ihm an+.

[8] that — escape. This passage requires an altogether different construction in German; say ‘they (+man+) would upon (+bei+) an attempt, to go beyond (+überschreiten+, insep. comp. str. v. tr.) the limits of the town, not allow him to escape, but rather (+vielmehr+) shoot him down like a dog’ (liter.—but him rather like a dog shoot down, +nie´derschießen+)’.

[9] Say ‘should he however be caught (+ein´fangen+) alive, (+so+) they (+man+) would send him without further formality (+Formalität+, f.), upon the simple order of the Ispravnik to the East of Siberia’.

[10] and — realising = and well knowing (pres. p.).

[11] to bid farewell, +Lebewohl sagen+.

[12] +materielle Bequemlichkeiten+ (Nom. pl.), which use with the def. art. in the Dat. pl.

[13] = former.

[14] to walk out into the street, +in die Straße hinaus´schreiten+.

[15] = outside.

[16] Supply the pron. ‘these’ before the verb take (+führen+, i.e. lead); to = into.

[17] to demand news from home, +einen nach Nachrichten aus der Heimat fragen+.

[18] in drink, +im Trunke+.

[19] in — threes, +je zwei oder drei zusammen+.

[20] Supply ‘as also’ before ‘money’; in common, +gemeinschaftlich+.

[21] My parents consider it their duty to help their neighbours in every emergency, +meine Eltern halten es für ihre Pflicht, ihren Nachbarn in jeder Not und Gefahr beizustehen+.

[22] Insert ‘+und zwar+’ before ‘without’, which will improve the rendering very much.

[23] +von+.

[24] 1 sh. = 1 +Mark+; a month, +monatlich, jeden Monat+, or +alle Monate+.

[25] +doch die Bürgerlichen+; repeat ‘+Mark+’ after ‘+ten+’.

[26] and sent = and are being sent (see S. 2, N. 1).

[27] = children.

_Section 168._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

IV.

Daily a gendarme visits[1] their lodgings, inspects[2] the premises when and how he pleases[3], and now[4] and then makes some mysterious entry in his note book. Should[5] any of their number carry a warm dinner, a pair of newly-mended boots, or a change of linen to some passing exile lodged for the moment in the police-ward, it is just as likely as not marked against him as a crime. It is a crime to[6] come and see a friend off, or accompany[7] him a little on the way. In[8] fact, should the Ispravnik feel[9] out of sorts—the effect of cards[10] and drink—he[11] vents his bad temper on the exiles; and as[12] cards and drink are the only amusements in these dreary regions, crimes[13] are often marked down against the exiles in astonishing numbers, and[14] a report of them sent to the Governor of the province.

Winter lasts eight months, a[15] period during which the surrounding[16] country presents the appearance of a noiseless[17], lifeless, frozen marsh. No roads, no communication with the outer world, no means of[18] escape. In course of time almost every exile is attacked[19] by nervous convulsions, soon[20] followed by prolonged apathy and complete prostration. Some of them contrive[21] to forge passports, and by a miracle, as[22] it were, make their escape; but the great majority of these victims of the Third Section[23] either go mad, commit suicide, or die of[24] delirium tremens.—JAMES ALLEN.

[1] visits = comes into.

[2] = who inspects (+untersu´chen+) the house.

[3] Do as you please, +thun Sie, wie es Ihnen beliebt+.

[4] now and then, +dann und wann+, or +von Zeit zu Zeit+, after which insert the adverbs +auch wohl+; some = a; to make an entry in a book, +eine Bemerkung in ein Buch eintragen+.

[5] Arrange this period in the following manner: ‘Should one of them to a for the moment in the police-ward lodged (+untergebracht+) _and_ passing (+durchreisend+) exile ever (+je+) a warm dinner, a pair _of_ newly-soled boots, or some clean linen (+Wäsche+, f.) bring, then (+so+) is (Passive) to him this very (S. 161, N. 2) likely as a crime ascribed (+zur Last geschrieben+)’.

[6] He came and saw his friend off, +er sagte seinem abreisenden Freunde Lebewohl+.

[7] Will you accompany me a little on my way? +Wollen Sie mich auf meinem Wege eine kleine Strecke begleiten?+

[8] = In short, +Kurz+.

[9] to feel out of sorts, +übler Laune sein+. Insert the adv. +einmal+ after the subject.

[10] = card-playing; see S. 3, N. 2, and S. 10, N. 9.

[11] he — exiles, +so müssen ihm die Verbannten dafür büßen+.

[12] The adverbial circumstance of place ‘in — regions’ is best placed immediately after the conj.

[13] crimes — numbers = an astonishing number of crimes is often ascribed to the exiles. Read App. § 5.

[14] and — sent to = and reported (+melden+) to.

[15] a — which = during which time.

[16] = whole.

[17] See S. 71, N. 2, which rule applies likewise to adjectives; ‘frozen’, here +zu Eis erstarrt+.

[18] +zu+, contracted with the art.

[19] ‘to be attacked’, here +heimgesucht werden+.

[20] = upon which soon follows a state (+Zustand+, m.) of prolonged (+dauernd+) apathy (+Stumpfsinn+, m.) and complete (+gänzlich+) prostration (+Hinfälligkeit der Lebenskräfte+).

[21] He contrived to forge a passport, +es gelang ihm, einen falschen Paß herzustellen+.

[22] as it were, +gleichsam+, which place after ‘and’; by = through, +durch+; to make one’s escape, +entkommen+, insep. comp. str. v. intr.

[23] +‘Die dritte Abteilung’ nennt man in Rußland das gefürchtete Departement des Polizeiministeriums, welches mit der geheimen Polizei betraut ist.+

[24] +an+, contracted with the Dat. of the def. art.

_Section 169._

Tahiti[1].

I.

At[2] daylight Tahiti, an island which must for ever remain[3] classical to the voyager in the South Sea, was in view. At a distance the appearance[4] was not attractive. The[5] luxuriant vegetation of the lower[6] part could not yet be seen; and as the clouds rolled[7] past, only the wildest[8] and most precipitous peaks showed themselves[9] towards[10] the centre of the island. As soon as we anchored in[11] Matavai Bay we[12] were surrounded by canoes. After dinner we landed and enjoyed the delights[13] always[14] produced by the first impressions of a fine country. A crowd _of_ men, women, and children was collected on the shore, _ready_ to (S. 19, N. 7) receive us with laughing, merry faces. They[15] marshalled us towards the house of (S. 10, N. 2) Mr. Wilson, the[16] missionary of the district, who met[17] us on the road, and gave[18] us a very fine reception. After sitting[19] a short time in his house, we separated from our host to[20] walk about, and[21] returned in the evening.

The[22] land capable of cultivation is[23] scarcely in any part more than a fringe of low alluvial soil, accumulated round[24] the base of the mountains, and[25] protected from the waves of the sea by a coral reef, which encircles the entire line of coast. Within the reef there[26] is an expanse of smooth water, like that of a lake, where[27] the canoes of the natives can ply with safety, and where[28] ships anchor. The low land, which[29] comes down to the beach of coral sand, is covered[30] by the most beautiful productions of[31] the intertropical regions. In the midst of bananas[32], orange, cocoa-nut, and bread-fruit trees, spots[33] are cleared where yams[34], potatoes, the sugar-cane, and pine-apples are cultivated[35].

[1] +~Tahiti~ ist die größte der Gesellschaftsinseln+ (Society Islands) +im stillen Meere oder der Südsee+ (Pacific Ocean) +und besitzt ungefähr 9200 Einwohner, welche seit 1813 durch englische Missionäre zum Christentum bekehrt sind. Die Bibel ist in die Sprache der Eingebornen übersetzt, und auch in den Kirchen und Schulen wird in der Landessprache gepredigt und gelehrt.+

[2] = At the break of day (+Beim Tagesanbruch+) we saw Tahiti.

[3] = appear, +erscheinen+. The words ‘to — Sea’ must be placed after the rel. pron., and are followed by ‘for ever’ (+stets+).

[4] = view.

[5] Use the active Voice of the verb with ‘+man+’, which should commence the clause.

[6] ‘lower’, here +niedriger belegen+.

[7] rolled past, +an uns vorüberzogen+.

[8] +wüst.+

[9] Supply ‘to us’ after ‘themselves’.

[10] = in the middle.

[11] +in der Bucht von Matavai.+

[12] = we found ourselves surrounded by (+von+) canoes (+Baumkahn+, m.).

[13] +Freuden.+

[14] Say ‘which the first sight of a fine country always produces (+hervor´rufen+) within us’.

[15] = These conducted us.

[16] +des Bezirksmissionärs.+

[17] He will meet me on the road, +er wird mir halbwegs entge´genkommen+.

[18] to give a person a very fine reception, +einen höchst freundlich bewillkommnen+.

[19] +verweilen+; construe this clause accord. to S. 55, N. 1.

[20] Inf. +einen Spaziergang machen+.

[21] = from which we returned in the evening (+abends+).

[22] +Der kulturfähige Teil der Insel.+

[23] is — soil = consists nearly everywhere only of (+aus+) a narrow strip of low (+niedrig belegen+) alluvial land (use the Gen. without the art.).

[24] round the base, +rings herum am Fuße+.

[25] Say ‘and is protected’; from, +vor+.

[26] there is = finds itself (+sich befinden+); an expanse of water, +eine ausgedehnte Wasserfläche+; ‘smooth’, here +fast spiegelglatt+.

[27] The literal rendering of this passage would not read well, say ‘which (to agree with +Wasserfläche+) affords (App. § 5) perfect (+völlig+) safety to the canoes of the natives’.

[28] = in which.

[29] = which reaches down (+hinun´terreichen+) to (+bis zu+) the beach consisting of coral-sand.—Use the attributive const., S. 48, N. 6.

[30] ‘covered’, here +bewachsen+; by, +mit+.

[31] +der zwischen den Tropen belegenen Gegenden.+

[32] See S. 71, N. 2.

[33] to clear a spot (of trees, etc.), +eine Stelle urbar machen+.

[34] +Yamswurzeln.+

[35] +bauen.+

_Section 170._

TAHITI.

II.

Even the brush-wood is[1] an imported fruit-tree, _namely_ the guava[2], which grows in abundance here. In Brazil I have often admired the varied[3] beauty of the bananas (S. 71, N. 2), palms, and orange-trees contrasted[4] together; and here we also have the bread-fruit[5], conspicuous[6] from its large, glossy, _and_ deeply digitated leaves. It is admirable[7] to behold groves of a tree, sending[8] forth its branches with the vigour of an English oak, loaded[9] with large _and_ most nutritious fruit[10].

However[11] seldom the usefulness of an object can account for the pleasure of beholding it, in the case of these beautiful woods, the knowledge of their high productiveness, no doubt, enters largely into the feeling of admiration. The[12] little winding paths, cool from the surrounding shade, led to the scattered[13] houses, the owners of which everywhere gave[14] us a cheerful[15] _and_ most hospitable reception.

I[16] was pleased with nothing so much as with the inhabitants. There[17] is a mildness in the expression of their countenances which at once banishes the idea of[18] a savage, and an intelligence[19] which shows that they are[20] advancing in civilisation. The common people, when working, keep[21] the upper part of their bodies quite naked; and[22] it is then that the Tahitians are seen to advantage. They are very tall, broad-shouldered, athletic, and well proportioned. It (S. 4, N. 4, +man+) has been remarked that[23] it requires little habit to make a dark skin more pleasing and natural to the eye of a European than his own colour.

[1] = consists of.

[2] +der Gujavabaum, dessen pomeranzenartige+ (orange-like) +Früchte in Zucker eingemacht oder auch in Gelee verwandelt versandt werden.+

[3] +mannigfaltig+.

[4] Say ‘which form such a great contrast’.

[5] +Brotbaum+, m.

[6] conspicuous, +welcher ... sogleich auffällt+, i.e. strikes the eye; from, +durch+; its deeply digitated leaves, +seine tief eingeschnittenen, fingerförmigen Blätter+.

[7] = splendid; groves of a tree = a forest of trees.

[8] = spreading out their, etc.

[9] = and are at the same time (+dabei+) loaded.

[10] Use this noun in the pl.

[11] Arrange this period thus: ‘Although the usefulness of an object perhaps only seldom explains to us the pleasure, which we experience at the sight of the same, yet (+so ... doch+) our admiration at the sight of these splendid groves (+Wälder+) is no doubt considerably influenced by (= through) our knowledge of (+von+) their great fertility.

[12] The — shade = The narrow, winding (+sich schlängelnd+), shady _and_ cool foot-paths.

[13] +zerstreut liegend.+

[14] +gewähren.+

[15] +freundlich+, but here +wohlwollend+, in order to avoid a repetition of the same term, since ‘hospitable’ must be turned by +gastfreundlich+; reception, +Aufnahme+, f.

[16] Say ‘Nothing gave (+machen+) me greater joy than just (+gerade+) the inhabitants’.

[17] Say ‘The expression of their faces (+Ihr Gesichtsausdruck+) bears a mildness (+Sanftmut+, f.), which’, etc.

[18] = of savages.

[19] +Intelligenz+, f.

[20] are advancing = make progress.

[21] = they have. It is a matter of course that the conj. ‘when’ must commence the period.

[22] = and just then one sees the Tahitians (+die Tahitianer+) to advantage (= in the best light).