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 Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship 
 
 Volume 1
 
 Bos 
 
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 IVilhelni still held that lovely hand- 
 
 Photogravure after the painting by C. Schweninger

 
 
 BY 
 
 J. W. von Goethe 
 
 Translated by 
 Thomas Carlyle 
 
 In Two Volumes 
 Volume I. 
 
 Edited by Nathan Haskell Dole 
 
 Boston J> Francis A. Niccolls 
 cj"^ Company ^ Publishers
 
 1£tiition ®e (^ranti Huxe 
 
 This Edition is Limited to Two Hundred and Fifty 
 Copies, of which this is copy 
 
 No* 5.1 
 
 Copyright, igoi 
 By Francis A. Niccolls & Co. 
 
 Colonial Press 
 
 Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. 
 
 Boston, Mass., U S. A.
 
 pr 
 
 1901 
 
 Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Editor's Introduction vii 
 
 To THE Reader xv 
 
 Translator's Preface xix 
 
 Book 1 1 
 
 Book II 89 
 
 Book III 175 
 
 Book IV 249 
 
 Meister's Apprenticeship. — Vol. I.
 
 List of Illustrations 
 
 PAGE 
 " WiLHELM STILL HELD THAT LOVELY HAND " (see 
 
 page 3^6} ...... Frontispiece 
 
 "'I LOOK DOWN BETWEEN THE PIECES OF BOARD*". 22 
 
 « ' I SHALL LAUGH FOR EVER ' " 120 
 
 " DoST KNOW THE LAND WHERE CITRONS, LEMONS, 
 
 GROW?" 177 
 
 " He was wont to make them read " . . . 339 
 
 Meister's Apprenticeship. — Vol. L
 
 Introduction 
 
 Goethe, in one of his letters written in response to a com- 
 munication from a sentimental young countess, who wrote 
 him anonymously regarding his " Werther," gives a contrast- 
 ing pictxire of himself in two phases. The one is a carnival 
 Goethe, in a laced coat and other consistent finery, illuminated 
 by the unmeaning magnificence of sconces and chandelier, 
 amidst all kinds of people, kept at the card-table by a pair of 
 beautiful eyes, and in varying dissipation driven from party 
 to concert and from concert to ball, and with all the fascina- 
 tion of frivolity paying court to a pretty Blondine : a senti- 
 mental Goethe, with affectedly gloomy deep feelings. The 
 other is a wholesome German Goethe, in a gray beaver coat 
 and boots, with brown silk cravat, eagerly detecting the 
 breath of spring in the cool February air, and waiting for 
 his dear wide world to open out once more. This Goethe, 
 ever living, striving, and working in himself, seeks to express, 
 according to his powers, sometimes the innocent feelings of 
 youth in little poems, the strong spices of life in various 
 dramas, the forms of his friends and his neighbourhood and 
 his beloved household possessions with chalk on gray paper, 
 never asking if any of his work is destined to last, for the 
 reason that the very act of working makes him keep rising 
 higher and higher, and he will leap at no ideal, but fight and 
 play, leaving his feelings to develop of themselves. 
 
 On the one hand, he found pleasure in the gay coquetries 
 of fashionable life ; on the other, he declared that his greatest 
 happiness was to live with the best men of his time. Goethe, 
 when he wrote that, was in his twenty-sixth year. He had 
 drunk deeply of the cup of life and had recognised the danger 
 
 vii
 
 viii INTRODUCTION 
 
 of the enticements of Circean madness. He was ready for 
 the great career which his good genius whispered to his inner 
 consciousness was to open out before him. The pictures that 
 he drew of his double self were eminently characteristic, but 
 one can see at a glance which one he felt was the real portrait. 
 The carnival Goethe was to be put away with other discarded 
 trumperies of youth. It had served its pm-pose. 
 
 It may be supposed that all men's experiences and their 
 environment go to form them ; at all events, that would seem 
 to be the mission of the discipline of life. But the material 
 to be formed has to be possessed of some quality, else the fire 
 burns it out, the stress breaks its fibres, the mould fails to 
 leave any impress, the file spoils it. One cannot polish putty, 
 or mould molasses, or twist wood, or refine granite. 
 
 Goethe superbly illustrates the man made by his circum- 
 stances ; external conditions answering to the inherent quali- 
 ties. He had all the chances of being ruined ; they were 
 offered him freely. A pedantic martinet of a father in- 
 sisted that he should conform his talents to a preconceived 
 course; gay and dissipated friends helped him to waste his 
 energies ; beautiful girls were dazzled by his maiily beauty 
 and his brilliant powers of entertaining ; an easy-going code 
 of morals prevailed in the circles in which he mingled ; he 
 was fi-eed from the necessity of strenuous labour ; a tendency 
 to procrastination and the easy-going cm'rent of dilletantism 
 conspired to make him grow bright leaves instead of fruit ; a 
 petty court for his home and a pleasiu'e-loving duke for his 
 patron might easily have undermined his independence. 
 
 But the stuff of the man was too genuine to be disinte- 
 grated by such destructive forces. He was subjected to them, 
 but when he found them working against him he withdi'ew, 
 as the wise man can, as only the fool will not. Late houi's, 
 overindulgence in unwholesome food and intoxicants, the 
 more insidious vices of a university town, brought him face to 
 face with the possibility of an early death. He learned his 
 lesson in time, and became a model of abstemiousness and 
 regularity. That is proved by the colossal amount of work
 
 INTRODUCTION ix 
 
 which he produced. The collected writings of Goethe, volu- 
 minous as they are, fail of completeness. It is reckoned that 
 he penned no less than ten thousand letters, and most of them 
 were of the detailed length which a high postal rate always 
 imposed a century ago, and not a few in doggerel rhyme or 
 more serious verse. Multitudes of magazine articles and re- 
 views of every kind, hundreds and hundreds of poems and 
 songs, dozens of comedies and plays, proceeded from that 
 indefatigable worker. Moreover, he was deeply interested in 
 scientific researches, several of which resulted in discoveries 
 of permanent value ; he had general and autocratic disposi- 
 tion of the stage in Weimar ; his participation in the councils 
 of the duke was no less real and time-consuming because the 
 duchy was but small. He learned the value of time and 
 shared it wisely with those who also knew its value and his. 
 
 Napoleon's laconic comment, " Voila un homme ! " sums 
 up Goethe. The titles and the much-worshipped German par- 
 ticle "von" which beckoned to him like that morning star 
 which he early chose for his armorial designation now seem 
 insignificant and petty. It is Goethe, just as it is Shake- 
 speare and ^schylus and Homer. 
 
 Yet he was the product of his age and of his country. The 
 air he breathed and the food he ate no more made his brain 
 and brawn, than the ideas which were then in vogue made 
 his mind. He was fortunate in being the pioneer in an era. 
 All the pioneers of eras are fortunate, for they help to make 
 their native literature and art and science and politics. They 
 set the key for the symphony that is to come. Still more for- 
 tunate are the pioneers when they are also men of command- 
 ing genius : the Palestrinas, the Bachs, the Beethovens, the 
 Homers, the Shakespeares, the Marlowes, the Goethes. 
 
 At the same time, they have all the disadvantages of 
 pioneers, — the uncertainty of their direction, the perils of 
 the unknown, the likelihood of being misunderstood or not 
 believed. 
 
 There was Goethe, the many-sided, in peril of being made 
 the mere impresario of a puppet-show for a picayune Ger-
 
 X INTRODUCTION 
 
 man court. There is nothing in Goethe's life finer than his 
 awakening to the fact that he had a broader mission than 
 that of a mere purveyor of amusements. It was after his 
 two years' absence in Italy. He came back to Weimar in 
 1788, and his friends found him strangely altered, with his 
 head high above the petty interests of the cliquey town. He 
 was again fortunate in having a patron of generous instincts. 
 Duke Karl August, with whom, only a few years before, 
 Goethe had been ready to enter into the most extravagant 
 revelries, was quick to recognise the intellectual superiority 
 of his privy councillor, and granted him the freedom he 
 craved. 
 
 But Germany at that time was only a parcel of jealous and 
 insignificant principalities, loosely threaded together on the 
 string of a common language. Goethe often mourned that he 
 had not the broad-minded and unified public that he would have 
 had in England. It was to his glory that, by his greatness, 
 he was to help unify scattered Germany, for the sense of pos- 
 session of such a man is a powerful concentrating influence. 
 
 In one of Goethe's letters to Friederike Oeser, whose father 
 was director of the Academy of Design at Leipsic, there is a 
 passage which casts a suggestive light on Goethe's character 
 and development. It was written when he was twenty. He 
 says : 
 
 " My present existence is devoted to philosophy. Locked 
 in, solitary, paper and ink, pens, and a couple of books, form 
 all my apparatus. And by this simple road I arrive at a 
 knowledge of truth often as far as others, or even farther, 
 with their library knowledge. A great scholar is seldom 
 a great philosopher; and he who, with much labour, has 
 thumbed the pages of many books, despises the easy, simple 
 book of nature ; and yet nothing is true but what is simple, 
 certainly a poor recommendation for true wisdom. Let him 
 who follows the simple path go on his way in silence ; humil- 
 ity and prudence become oiu" footsteps on this path, aU of 
 which will eventually meet with due reward." 
 
 This shows that he had the true scientific spirit. It ac-
 
 INTRODUCTION xi 
 
 companied him through life, and enabled him by the aid of 
 his imagination to make his discoveries relating to the mor- 
 phology of plants and animals which, in a way, anticipated 
 the theories of Darwin. At the same time, the contempt 
 which he even here shows for " library knowledge " and 
 merely academic diplomas, grew into its corollary, a distrust 
 of other scientific men. Such stalwart independence, when 
 misdirected, leads often to error ; hence it was that Goethe's 
 famous theory of colour, supported as it was by very plausible 
 arguments, but based on false pi'emises, was the result of 
 his working by himself, satisfied with his notion that truth 
 is simple, and the road to it straight and narrow. Though 
 never accepted by the scientific men of his day, and now 
 known to be fallacious, the Farbenlehre and the lesson of his 
 advocacy of it are just as instructive as if it, like his new 
 theories in osteology and botany, had been sound. 
 
 His early bent toward scientific study took the same gen- 
 eral direction ; it was led along the same path of which he 
 makes mention in the letter to Friederike Oeser. Her father, 
 A. F. Oeser, of whom he took lessons in drawing and painting, 
 had taught him to find beauty in simplicity and directness. 
 
 Before he was fifteen, his acquaintance with a painter who 
 applied his art to the manufacture of oilcloth brought about 
 a practical familiarity with the process. When he was about 
 the same age he got interested in the manufacture of jewelry, 
 and acquired a considerable knowledge of precious stones. 
 He had the acquisitive faculty largely developed, and his pre- 
 cocity made him a welcome companion to his elders. 
 
 He would gladly have been an artist, but his genius for- 
 bade that. He failed in the ability to express himself in 
 terms of colour, but his art studies and his assiduous prac- 
 tice in Italy had their effect on his development. " Every 
 man is led and misled in a way peculiar to himself," said 
 Goethe, and his whole career is illustrative of that common- 
 place. Given the soil and the seeds, the garden is certain to 
 produce something. 
 
 Goethe had the dramatic gift, and very early began to
 
 xii INTRODUCTION 
 
 display it. He tells iu his autobiography how he used to 
 delight his old friend Von Olenschleger by graphically, and 
 often through mimicry, depicting the characters and circum- 
 stances of the Middle Ages which the historian has related 
 only as a matter of course. The French occupation of Frank- 
 fort, when Goethe was a boy of ten, had already turned his 
 attention to the stage. A French theatre was established, and 
 he, as the grandson of the mayor, had a free ticket, which he 
 seems to have used without restraint. He scraped acquaint- 
 ance with the actors, learned to speak excellent French, by 
 playing with theii- children, and became familiar with the 
 whole range of the French drama, classic and popular. It 
 was characteristic of him to fall to imitating the French 
 forms ; he wrote a little piece for the stage, of which he 
 afterward remembered only that the scene was rural, and 
 that there was no lack in it of kings' daughters, princes, or 
 gods. He took it to a youth connected with the theatre, and 
 had to learn his first lesson in the classic dramatic liturgy. 
 It was an instructive lesson, for it taught the boy to think 
 for himself. He listened to what his friend Derones told 
 him about the three unities of Aristotle, the regularity of the 
 French drama, the harmony of the verse, the probability of 
 the action, and then, after reinforcing it by reading Corneille's 
 " Treatise on the Three Unities," and devouring the whole of 
 Racine, Moliere, and a large part of Corneille, he came to 
 the conclusion that the dramatic freedom of the English 
 drama was far preferable to the artificial scheme of the 
 French. It was not strange that one who as a child had 
 begun by imitating Terence, who before he was eleven had 
 got such an understanding of the three greatest dramatists 
 of France, should become the manager of theatrical affairs 
 for his sovereign, and should produce mastei-pieces that have 
 held the stage for a century. 
 
 Goethe's simple apparatus and reliance on nature for his 
 philosophical researches find their counterpart in his literary 
 work. Only as a child he imitated; though, of course, his 
 acting dramas had to be constructed on familiar lines, he
 
 INTRODUCTION xiii 
 
 was quick to seize on the occurrences of real life. His ab- 
 surdly capricious relations with the young girl whom he 
 called Annchen became the basis of his earliest dramatic 
 writing, " The Lover's Caprice." His self -tormenting penance 
 at having caused sorrow and disappointment to Frederica, 
 the daughter of the pastor of Sesenheim, was worked into his 
 plays of " Gotz von Berlichingen " and " Clavigo ; " his " Sor- 
 rows of the Young Werther " were his own sorrows, because 
 Charlotte Buff loved J. C. Kestner. He portrayed his irregu- 
 lar life at Leipsic in one scene in <' Faust." He had the 
 power of coining experiences into literature. He himself 
 said to Eckermann, " I have never uttered anything which I 
 have not experienced, and which has not urged me to produc- 
 tion." 
 
 Though he so quickly seized upon the popular cm'rent of 
 sentimentalism to float his romantic productions, his really 
 sound and wholesome nature revolted against the overstrained 
 and artificial. As a reaction against " Werther " he com- 
 posed " Reinecke Fuchs." The permanent value of " Faust " 
 lies in its wonderful union of realism with mediaeval super- 
 naturalism. The pathetic and exquisite story of Gretchen 
 was suggested by his first love ; his friend Fraulein von Klet- 
 tenberg's alchemistic vagaries took him back into the Middle 
 Ages. His creative imagination embraced many epochs and 
 many countries, but this imagination required a basis of 
 practical knowledge. His acquaintance with other languages 
 was phenomenal, he wrote poems in French, English, Italian, 
 and Latin. As a boy he was not satisfied until he read 
 the Bible in Hebrew. As old man his interest in Oriental 
 poetry tempted him to study Persian, Arabic, and Sanscrit. 
 He had a good knowledge of modern Greek. He took pleas- 
 ure in etching, engraving, and painting, and this experimen- 
 tal facility stood him in good stead in his oflBcial capacity 
 when he was called upon to criticise and select works of art 
 for the ducal galleries. 
 
 And, with all this many-sided productiveness, with all the 
 reverence and worship which he inspired, Goethe preserved
 
 xiv INTRODUCTION 
 
 to a high degree, and to an advanced old age, a calm serenity 
 and imperturbability, a gracious consciousness of his dignity 
 as a man, and a noble humility and freedom from conceit. 
 This is shown in his autobiography, in his letters, and in the 
 reports of those that knew him. He was not free from faults, 
 but, taken aU in all, he was as admu'able a type of a man as 
 Germany or any other country ever produced. His works 
 have the universal quality that commends them to read- 
 ers of every nationality. Even when transferred to another 
 language with consequent loss, — as must be the case with 
 the lyi'ic productions especially, — they still preserve the 
 characteristic beauty of thought and flavour of originality 
 which still hold them as the classics of Germany. Even 
 though the sentimentality of " Werther " and the " Elective 
 Aflfinities " is of a flavour that does not appeal to our day, we 
 recognise it as an interesting phenomenon of an epoch past, 
 and under it we see the genuine heart of humanity beating. 
 In " Prometheus," in " Faust," in " Egmont," in " Tasso," in 
 " Iphigenia," no qualifications are needed. They are built on 
 the eternal rocks, and endowed with all the eternal elements 
 of beauty. This is true of a large part of Goethe's literary 
 remains. We should be much poorer were " Dichtuug und 
 Wahrheit " stricken out of existence . It is a unique auto- 
 biography ; the life history of a poet tinged with the sunny 
 gleams of a tempered imagination. The lyiic poems also are 
 wonderful gems of brilliancy, perfect in form and full of 
 undjdng grace. 
 
 Thus it is that there is no danger of Goethe's ever losing 
 his position of supremacy as one of the greatest writers of the 
 world, and each new edition of his works translated into 
 English presents some new phase of his wonderful activity, 
 since from the almost inexhaustible stores of the original the 
 selecting hand has only to take some work hitherto unknown. 
 
 Nathan Haskell Dole.
 
 To the Reader 
 
 These two translations, " Meister's Apprenticeship " 
 and " Meister's Travels," have long been out of print, 
 but never altogether out of demand ; nay, it would 
 seem, the originally somewhat moderate demand has 
 gone on increasing, and continues to increase. They 
 are, therefore, here republished ; and the one being in 
 some sort a sequel to the other, though in rather un- 
 expected sort, they are now printed together. The 
 English version of "Meister's Travels" has been ex- 
 tracted, or extricated, from a compilation of very 
 various quahty named " German Eomance," and placed 
 by the side of the " Apprenticeship," its forerunner, 
 which, in the translated as in the original state, ap- 
 peared hitherto as a separate work. 
 
 In the "Apprenticeship," the first of these transla- 
 tions, which was executed some fifteen years ago, 
 under questionable auspices, I have made many little 
 changes, but could not, unfortunately, change it into 
 a right translation : it hung, in many places, stiff and 
 laboured, too like some unfortunate buckram cloak 
 round the light, harmonious movement of the original, 
 — and, alas ! still hangs so, here and there, and may 
 now hang. In the second translation, " Meister's 
 Travels," two years later in date, I have changed Httle 
 or nothing. I might have added much ; for the original, 
 since that time, was, as it were, taken to pieces by the 
 author himself in his last years, and constructed anew, 
 and, in the final edition of his works, appears with 
 multifarious intercalations, giving a great expansion, 
 
 XV
 
 xvi TO THE READER 
 
 both of size and of scope. Not pedagogy only, and 
 husbandry and art and religion and human conduct in 
 the nineteenth century, but geology, astronomy, cotton- 
 spinning, metallurgy, anatomical lecturing, and much 
 else, are typically shadowed forth in this second form 
 of the " Travels," which, however, continues a fragment 
 like the first, significantly pointing on all hands toward 
 infinitude, — not more complete than the first was, or 
 indeed perhaps less so. It will well reward the trust- 
 ful student of Goethe to read this new form of the 
 " Travels," and see how in that great mind, beaming 
 in mildest mellow splendour, beaming if also tremb- 
 ling, hke a great sun on the verge of the horizon, near 
 now to its long farewell, all these things were illumi- 
 nated and illustrated : but, for the mere EngHsh reader, 
 there are probably in our prior edition of the " Travels " 
 already novelties enough ; for us, at all events, it seemed 
 unadvisable to meddle with it further at present. 
 
 Goethe's position toward the English public is greatly 
 altered since these translations first made their appear- 
 ance. Criticisms near the mark, or farther from the 
 mark, or even altogether far and away from any mark, 
 — of these there have been enough. These pass on 
 their road : the man and his works remain what they 
 are and were, — more and more recognisable for what 
 they are. Few English readers can requhe now to be 
 apprised that these two books, named novels, come not 
 under the Minerva-Press category, nor the Ballantyne- 
 Press category, nor any such category ; that the author 
 is one whose secret, by no means worn upon his sleeve, 
 will never, by any ingenuity, be got at in that way. 
 
 For a translator, in the present case, it is enough to 
 reflect, that he who imports into his own country any 
 true delineation, a rationally spoken word on any sub- 
 ject, has done well. Ours is a wide world, peaceably 
 admitting many different modes of speech. In our 
 wide world, there is but one altogether fatal person-
 
 TO THE READER xvii 
 
 age, — the dunce, — he that speaks tVrationally, that 
 sees not, and yet thinks he sees. A genuine seer and 
 speaker, under what conditions soever, shall be welcome 
 to us : has he not seen somewhat of great Nature our 
 common mother's bringing forth, — seen it, loved it, 
 laid his heart open to it and to the mother of it, so 
 that he can now rationally speak it for us ? He is 
 our brother, and a good, not a bad, man : his words 
 are like gold, precious, whether stamped in our mint, 
 or in what mint soever stamped. 
 
 T. Caklyle. 
 London, November, 1839.
 
 Translator's Preface 
 
 To the First Edition of Meister's Apprenticeship 
 
 Whether it be that the quantity of genius among 
 ourselves and the French, and the number of works 
 more lasting than brass produced by it, have of late 
 been so considerable as to make us independent of 
 additional supplies ; or that, in our ancient aristocracy 
 of intellect, we disdain to be assisted by the Germans, 
 whom, by a species of second sight, we have discov- 
 ered, before knowing anything about them, to be a 
 tumid, dreaming, extravagant, insane race of mortals, 
 — certain it is, that hitherto our literary intercourse 
 with that nation has been very shght and precarious. 
 After a brief period of not too judicious cordiality, the 
 acquaintance on our part was altogether dropped : nor, 
 in the few years since we partially resumed it, have 
 our feelings of affection or esteem been materially in- 
 creased. Our translators are unfortunate in their selec- 
 tion or execution, or the pubhc is tasteless and absurd 
 in its demands ; for, with scarcely more than one or 
 two exceptions, the best works of Germany have lain 
 neglected, or worse than neglected : and the Germans 
 are yet utterly unknown to us. Kotzebue still lives 
 in our minds as the representative of a nation that 
 despises him; Schiller is chiefly known to us by the 
 monstrous production of his boyhood ; and Klopstock 
 by a hacked and mangled image of his " Messiah," in 
 which a beautiful poem is distorted into a theosophic 
 rhapsody, and the brother of Virgil and Eacine ranks 
 
 xbc
 
 XX TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 
 
 little higher than the author of " Meditations among 
 the Tombs." 
 
 But of all these people there is none that has been 
 more unjustly dealt with than Johann Wolfgang von 
 Goethe. For half a century the admiration — we 
 might almost say the idol — of his countrymen, to us 
 he is still a stranger. His name, long echoed and re- 
 echoed through reviews and magazines, has become 
 familiar to our ears ; but it is a sound and nothing 
 more : it excites no definite idea in almost any mind. 
 To such as know him by the faint and garbled version 
 * of his "Werther," Goethe figures as a sort of poetic 
 Heraclitus; some woebegone hypochondriac, whose 
 eyes are overflowing with perpetual tears, whose long 
 life has been spent in melting into ecstasy at the sight 
 of waterfalls and clouds, and the moral subhme, or 
 dissolving into hysterical waihngs over hapless love- 
 stories, and the miseries of human Hfe. They are not 
 aware that Goethe smiles at this performance of his 
 youth, or that the German Werther, with all his faults, 
 is a very different person from his EngUsh namesake ; 
 that his Sorrows are in the original recorded in a tone 
 of strength and sarcastic emphasis, of which the other 
 offers no vestige, and intermingled with touches of 
 powerful thought, ghmpses of a philosophy deep as 
 it is bitter, which our sagacious translator has seen 
 proper wholly to omit. Others, again, who have fallen 
 in with Eetsch's " Outlines " and the extracts from 
 " Faust," consider Goethe as a wild mystic, a dealer 
 in demonology and osteology, who draws attention 
 by the aid of skeletons and evil spirits, whose excel- 
 lence it is to be extravagant, whose chief aim it is 
 to do what no one but himself has tried. The tyro in 
 German may tell us that the charm of " Faust " is 
 altogether unconnected with its preternatural import; 
 that the work delineates the fate of human enthusiasm 
 struggling against doubts and errors from within, against
 
 TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE xxi 
 
 skepticism, contempt, and selfishness from without ; and 
 that the witchcraft and magic, intended merely as a 
 shadowy frame for so complex and mysterious a picture 
 of the moral world and the human soul, are introduced 
 for the purpose, not so much of being trembled at as 
 laughed at. The voice of the tyro is not listened to ; 
 our indolence takes part with our ignorance ; " Faust " 
 continues to be called a monster; and Goethe is re- 
 garded as a man of " some genius," which he has 
 perverted to produce all manner of niisfashioned prodi- 
 gies, — things false, abortive, formless, Gorgons and 
 hydras, and chimeras dire. 
 
 Now, it must no doubt be granted, that, so long as 
 our invaluable constitution is preserved in its pristine 
 purity, the British nation may exist in a state of com- 
 parative prosperity with very inadequate ideas of 
 Goethe ; but, at the same time, the present arrange- 
 ment is an evil in its kind, — slight, it is true, and 
 easy to be borne, yet still more easy to be remedied, 
 and which, therefore, ought to have been remedied ere 
 now. Minds like Goethe's are the common property 
 of all nations ; and, for many reasons, all should have 
 correct impressions of them. 
 
 It is partly with the view of doing something to 
 supply this want, that " Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahre " 
 is now presented to the English public. Written in 
 its author's forty-fifth year, embracing hints or disqui- 
 sitions on almost every leading point in life and litera- 
 ture, it affords us a more distinct view of his matured 
 genius, his manner of thought, and favourite subjects, 
 than any of his other works. Nor is it Goethe alone 
 whom it portrays : the prevailing taste of Germany is 
 likewise indicated by it. Since the year 1795, when 
 it first appeared at Berlin, numerous editions of " Meis- 
 ter " have been printed ; critics of all ranks, and some 
 of them dissenting widely from its doctrines, have 
 loaded it with encomiums ; its songs and poems are
 
 xxii TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 
 
 familiar to every German ear ; the people read it, and 
 speak of it, with an admiration approaching in many 
 cases to enthusiasm. 
 
 That it will be equally successful in England, I am 
 far indeed from anticipating. Apart from the above 
 considerations, — from the curiosity, intelligent or idle, 
 which it may awaken, — the number of admuing, or 
 even approving, judges it will find can scarcely fail of 
 being very hmited. To the great mass of readers, who 
 read to drive away the tedium of mental vacancy, 
 employing the crude phantasmagoria of a modern 
 novel, as their grandfathers employed tobacco and 
 diluted brandy, "Wilhelm Meister" will appear be- 
 yond endurance weary, flat, stale, and unprofitable. 
 Those, in particular, who take delight in " King Cam- 
 byses' vein," and open " Meister " with the thought 
 of " Werther " in their minds, will soon pause in utter 
 dismay; and their paroxysm of dismay will pass by 
 degi'ees into unspeakable contempt. Of romance in- 
 terest there is next to none in " Meister ; " the charac- 
 ters are samples to judge of, rather than persons to 
 love or hate; the incidents are contrived for other 
 objects than moving or affrighting us; the hero is a 
 milksop, whom, with all his gifts, it takes an effort 
 to avoid despising. The author himself, far from 
 "doing it in a passion," wears a face of the most 
 still indifference throughout the whole affair : often 
 it is even wrinkled by a slight sardonic grin. For the 
 friends of the sublime, then, — for those who cannot 
 do without heroical sentiments, and " moving accidents 
 by flood and field," — there is nothing here that can 
 be of any service. 
 
 Nor among readers of a far higher character, can 
 it be expected that many will take the praiseworthy 
 pains of Germans, reverential of their favourite author, 
 and anxious to hunt out his most elusive charms. 
 Few among us will disturb themselves about the
 
 translator's preface xxiii 
 
 allegories and typical allusions of the work; will stop 
 to inquire whether it includes a remote emblem of 
 human culture, or includes no such matter; whether 
 this is a light, airy sketch of the development of man 
 in all his endowments and faculties, gTadually pro- 
 ceeding from the first rude exhibitions of puppets and 
 mountebanks, through the perfection of poetic and 
 dramatic art, up to the unfolding of the principle of 
 rehgion, and the gi'eatest of all arts, — the art of life, 
 — or is nothing more than a bungled piece of patch- 
 work, presenting in the shape of a novel much that 
 should have been suppressed entirely, or at least given 
 out by way of lecture. Whether the characters do or 
 do not represent distinct classes of men, including 
 various stages of human nature, from the gay, material 
 vivacity of Phihna to the severe moral gTandeur of the 
 uncle and the splendid accomphshment of Lothario, 
 will to most of us be of small importance ; and the 
 everlasting disquisitions about plays and players, and 
 pohteness and activity, and art and nature, will weary 
 many a mind that knows not and heeds not whether 
 they are true or false. Yet every man's judgment is, 
 in this free country, a lamp to himself: whoever is 
 displeased will censure ; and many, it is to be feared, 
 will insist on judging " Meister " by the common rule, 
 and, what is worse, condemning it, let Schlegel bawl 
 as loudly as he pleases. " To judge," says he, " of this 
 book, — new and peculiar as it is, and only to be 
 understood and learned from itself, by our common 
 notion of the novel, a notion pieced together and pro- 
 duced out of custom and belief, out of accidental and 
 arbitrary requisitions, — is as if a child should grasp 
 at the moon and stars, and insist on packing them 
 into its toy-box."^ Unhappily the most of us have 
 boxes, and some of them are very small. 
 
 ' Charakteristik des Meister.
 
 xxiv translator's PREFACE 
 
 Yet, independently of these its more recondite and 
 dubious qualities, there are beauties in "Meister" 
 which cannot but secure it some degree of favour at 
 the hands of many. The philosophical discussions it 
 contains ; its keen glances into hfe and art ; the minute 
 and skilful dehneation of men ; the Hvely, genuine 
 exhibition of the scenes they move in ; the occasional 
 touches of eloquence and tenderness, and even of 
 poetry, the very essence of poetry; the quantity of 
 thought and knowledge embodied in a style so rich 
 in general felicities, of which, at least, the new and 
 sometimes exquisitely happy metaphors have been pre- 
 served, — cannot wholly escape an observing reader, 
 even on the most cursory perusal. To those who have 
 formed for themselves a picture of the world, who 
 have drawn out, from the thousand variable circum- 
 stances of their being, a philosophy of life, it will be 
 interesting and instructive to see how man and his 
 concerns are represented in the first of European 
 minds : to those who have penetrated to the limits 
 of their own conceptions, and wrestled with thoughts 
 and feelings too high for them, it will be pleasing 
 and profitable to see the horizon of their certainties 
 widened, or at least separated with a firmer Hne from 
 the impalpable obscure which surrounds it on every 
 side. Such persons I can fearlessly invite to study 
 " Meister." Across the disfigurement of a translation, 
 they will not fail to discern indubitable traces of the 
 greatest genius in our times. And the longer they 
 study, they are likely to discern them the more dis- 
 tinctly. New charms will successively arise to view ; 
 and of the many apparent blemishes, while a few 
 superficial ones may be confirmed, the gi-eater and 
 more important part will vanish, or even change from 
 dark to bright. For, if I mistake not, it is with 
 "Meister" as with every work of real and abiding 
 excellence, — the first glance is the least favourable.
 
 TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE xxv 
 
 A picture of Eaphael, a Greek statue, a play of 
 Sophocles or Shakespeare, appears insignificant to 
 the unpractised eye; and not till after long and 
 patient and intense examination, do we begin to 
 descry the earnest features of that beauty, which has 
 its foundation in the deepest nature of man, and will 
 continue to be pleasing through all ages. 
 
 If this appear excessive praise, as applied in any 
 sense to "Meister," the curious skeptic is desu-ed to 
 read and weigh the whole performance, with all its 
 references, relations, purposes, and to pronounce his 
 verdict after he has clearly seized and appreciated 
 them all. Or, if a more faint conviction will suffice, 
 let him turn to the picture of Wilhelm's states of 
 mind in the end of the first book, and the beginning 
 of the second; the eulogies of commerce and poesy, 
 which follow ; the description of Hamlet ; the char- 
 acter of histrionic hfe in Serlo and Aurelia; that of 
 sedate and lofty manhood in the uncle and Lothario. 
 But, above all, let him turn to the history of Mignon. 
 This mysterious child, at first neglected by the reader, 
 gradually forced on his attention, at length overpowers 
 him with an emotion more deep and thrilling than any 
 poet since the days of Shakespeare has succeeded in 
 producing. The daughter of enthusiasm, rapture, pas- 
 sion, and despair, she is of the earth, but not earthly. 
 When she glides before us through the light mazes 
 of her fairy dance, or twangs her cithern to the notes 
 of her homesick verses, or whirls her tambourine and 
 hurries round us like an antique Meenad, we could 
 almost fancy her a spirit ; so pure is she, so full of 
 fervour, so disengaged from the clay of this world. 
 And when all the fearful particulars of her story are 
 at length laid together, and we behold in connected 
 order the image of her hapless existence, there is, in 
 those dim recollections, — those feelings so simple, so 
 impassioned and unspeakable, consuming the closely
 
 xxvi TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 
 
 shrouded, woe-struck, yet ethereal spirit of the poor 
 creature, — something which searches into the inmost 
 recesses of the soul. It is not tears which her fate 
 calls forth, but a feehug far too deep for tears. The 
 very fire of heaven seems miserably quenched among 
 the obstructions of this earth. Her little heart, so 
 noble and so helpless, perishes before the smallest of 
 its many beauties is unfolded ; and all its loves and 
 thoughts and longings do but add another pang to 
 death, and sink to silence utter and eternal. It is as 
 if the gloomy porch of Dis, and his pale kingdoms, 
 were realised and set before us, and we heard the 
 ineffectual wail of infants reverberating from within 
 their prison walls for ever. 
 
 " Continuo aiiditte voces, vagitus et ingens, 
 Inf antumque auimse flentes in limine primo : 
 Quos dulcis vitae exsortes, et ab ubere raptos, 
 Abstulit atra dies, et funere mersit acerbo." 
 
 The history of Mignon runs hke a thread of gold 
 through the tissue of the narrative, connecting "v\ith 
 the heart much that were else addressed only to the 
 head. Philosophy and eloquence might have done 
 the rest, but this is poetry in the highest meaning 
 of the word. It must be for the power of producing 
 such creations and emotions, that Goethe is by many 
 of his countrymen ranked at the side of Homer and 
 Shakespeare, as one of the only three men of genius 
 that have ever hved. 
 
 But my business here is not to judge of " Meister " 
 or its author, it is only to prepare others for judging 
 it ; and for this purpose the most that I had room to 
 say is said. All I ask in the name of this illustrious 
 foreigner is, that the court which tries him be pure, 
 and the jury instructed in the cause ; that the work be 
 not condemned for wanting what it was not meant to
 
 translator's preface xxvii 
 
 have, and by persons nowise called to pass sentence 
 on it. 
 
 Eespecting my own humble share in the adventure, 
 it is scarcely necessary to say anything. Fidelity is 
 all the merit I have aimed at : to convey the author's 
 sentiments, as he himself expressed them; to follow 
 the original, in all the variations of its style, — has 
 been my constant endeavour. In many points, both 
 literary and moral, I could have wished devoutly that 
 he had not wiitten as he has done ; but to alter any- 
 thing was not in my commission. The literary and 
 moral persuasions of a man like Goethe are objects of 
 a rational curiosity, and the duty of a translator is 
 simple and distinct. Accordingly, except a few phrases 
 and sentences, not in all amounting to a page, which I 
 have dropped as evidently unfit for the Enghsh taste, 
 I have studied to present the work exactly as it stands 
 in German. That my success has been indifferent, I 
 already know too well. In rendering the ideas of 
 Goethe, often so subtle, so capriciously expressive, the 
 meaning was not always easy to seize, or to convey 
 with adequate effect. There were thin tints of style, 
 shades of ridicule or tenderness or solemnity, resting 
 over large spaces, and so slight as almost to be eva- 
 nescent: some of these I may have failed to see; to 
 many of them I could do no justice. Nor, even in 
 plainer matters, can I pride myself in having always 
 imitated his colloquial familiarity without falhng 
 into sentences bald and rugged, into idioms harsh 
 or foreign ; or in having copied the flowing oratory 
 of other passages, without at times exaggerating or 
 defacing the swelling cadences and phrases of my 
 original. But what work, from the translating of a 
 German novel to the writing of an epic, was ever as 
 the workman wished and meant it ? This version of 
 " Meister," with whatever faults it may have, I honestly 
 present to my countrymen : if, while it makes any
 
 xxviii TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 
 
 portion of them more familiar with the richest, most 
 gifted of hving minds, it increase their knowledge, or 
 even aflbrd them a transient amusement, they will 
 excuse its errors, and I shall be far more than paid for 
 all my labour.
 
 Book I.
 
 Wilhelm Meister's 
 Apprenticeship 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 The play was late in breaking up ; old Barbara went 
 more than once to the window, and listened for the 
 sound of carriages. She was waiting for Mariana, her 
 pretty mistress, who had that night, in the afterpiece, 
 been acting the part of a young officer, to the no small 
 delight of the public. Barbara's impatience was 
 gi-eater than it used to be, when she had nothing 
 but a frugal supper to present : on this occasion 
 Mariana was to be surprised with a packet, which 
 Norberg, a young and wealthy merchant, had sent by 
 the post, to show that in absence he still thought of 
 his love. 
 
 As an old servant, as confidant, counsellor, manager, 
 and housekeeper, Barbara assumed the privilege of 
 opening seals ; and this evening she had the less been 
 able to restrain her curiosity, as the favour of the 
 open-handed gallant was more a matter of anxiety 
 with herself than with her mistress. On breaking up 
 the packet, she had found, with unfeigned satisfaction, 
 that it held a piece of fine muslin and some ribbons of 
 the newest fashion, for Mariana ; with a quantity of 
 calico, two or three neckerchiefs, and a moderate 
 rouleau of money, for herself. Her esteem for the 
 absent Norberg was of course unbounded : she medi- 
 tated only how she might best present him to the 
 
 3
 
 4 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 mind of Mariana, best bring to her recollection what 
 she owed him, and what he had a right to expect from 
 her fidelity and thankfulness. 
 
 The muslin, with the ribbons half unrolled, to set it 
 off by their colours, lay like a Christmas present on 
 the small table ; the position of the lights increased 
 the glitter of the gilt ; all was in order, when the old 
 woman heard Mariana's step on the stairs, and has- 
 tened to meet her. But what was her disappointment, 
 when the little female officer, without deigning to 
 regard her caresses, rushed past her with unusual 
 speed and agitation, threw her hat and sword upon 
 the table, and walked hastily up and down, bestow- 
 ing not a look on the lights, or any portion of the 
 apparatus. 
 
 " What ails thee, my darling ? " exclaimed the aston- 
 ished Barbara. " For Heaven's sake, what is the 
 matter ? Look here, my pretty child ! See what a 
 present ! And who could have sent it but thy kindest 
 of friends ? Norberg has given thee the musHn to 
 make a nightgown of ; he will soon be here himself ; 
 he seems to be fonder and more generous than ever." 
 
 Barbara went to the table, that she might exhibit 
 the memorials with which Norberg had likewise 
 honoured her, when Mariana, turning away from the 
 presents, exclaimed with vehemence, " Off ! off ! Not 
 a word of all this to-night. I have yielded to thee; 
 thou hast willed it ; be it so ! Wlien Norberg comes, 
 I am his, am thine, am any one's ; make of me what 
 thou pleasest ; but till then I will be my own : and, if 
 thou hadst a thousand tongues, thou shouldst never 
 talk me from my purpose. All, all that is my own 
 will I give up to him who loves me, whom I love. 
 No sour faces ! I will abandon myself to this affec- 
 tion, as if it were to last for ever." 
 
 The old damsel had abundance of objections and 
 serious considerations to allege : in the progress of the
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 5 
 
 dialogue, she was growing bitter and keen, when 
 Mariana sprang at her, and seized her by the breast. 
 The old damsel laughed aloud. " I must have a care," 
 she cried, " that you don't get into pantaloons again, if 
 I mean to be sure of my life. Come, doff you ! The 
 girl will beg my pardon for the foolish things the boy 
 is doing to me. Off with the frock. Off with them all. 
 The dress beseems you not ; it is dangerous for you, I 
 observe ; the epaulets make you too bold." 
 
 Thus speaking, she laid hands upon her mistress: 
 Mariana pushed her off, exclaiming, " Not so fast ! I 
 expect a visit to-night." 
 
 " Visit ! " rejoined Barbara : " You surely do not 
 look for Meister, the young, soft-hearted, callow mer- 
 chant's son ? " 
 
 " Just for him," replied Mariana. 
 
 " Generosity appears to be growing your ruling pas- 
 sion," said the old woman with a grin : " you connect 
 yourself with minors and moneyless people, as if they 
 were the chosen of the earth. Doubtless it is charming 
 to be worshipped as a benefactress." 
 
 " Jeer as thou pleasest. I love him ! I love him ! 
 With what rapture do I now, for the first time, speak 
 the word ! Tliis is the passion I have mimicked so 
 often, when I knew not what it meant. Yes ! I will 
 throw myself about his neck : I will clasp him as if I 
 could hold him for ever. I will show him all my love, 
 will enjoy all his in its whole extent." 
 
 " Moderate yourself," said the old dame, coolly, " mod- 
 erate yourself. A single word will interrupt your rap- 
 ture : Norberg is coming ! Coming in a fortnight ! 
 Here is the letter that arrived with the packet." 
 
 " And, though the morrow were to rob me of my 
 friend, I would conceal it from myself and him. A 
 fortnight ! An age ! Within a fortnight, what may 
 not happen, what may not alter ? " 
 
 Here Wilhelm entered. We need not say how fast
 
 6 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 she flew to meet him, with what rapture he clasped the 
 red uniform, and pressed the beautiful wearer of it to 
 his bosom. It is not for us to describe the blessedness 
 of two lovers. Old Barbara went gi'umbhng away : we 
 shall retii-e with her, and leave the happy two alone.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 When Wilhelm saluted his mother next morning, she 
 informed him that his father was very greatly discon- 
 tented with him, and meant to forbid him these daily 
 visits to the playhouse. " Though I myself often go 
 with pleasure to the theatre," she continued, " I could 
 almost detest it entirely, when I think that our fireside 
 peace is broken by your excessive passion for that 
 amusement. Your father is ever repeating, ' What is 
 the use of it ? How can any one waste his time 
 so { 
 
 " He has told me this already," said Wilhelm, " and 
 perhaps I answered him too hastily ; but, for Heaven's 
 sake, mother, is nothing, then, of use but what imme- 
 diately puts money in our purse ? but what procures 
 us some property that we can lay our hands on ? Had 
 we not, for instance, room enough in the old house ? 
 and was it indispensable to build a new one ? Does 
 not my father every year expend a large part of his 
 profit in ornamenting his chambers ? Are these silk 
 carpets, this English furniture, likewise of no use ? 
 Might we not content ourselves with worse ? For my 
 own part, I confess, these striped walls, these hundred 
 times repeated flowers and knots and baskets and fig- 
 ures, produce a really disagreeable effect upon me. At 
 best, they but remind me of the front curtain of our 
 theatre. But what a different thing it is to sit and 
 look at that ! There, if you must wait for awhile, you 
 are always sure that it will rise at last, and disclose to 
 you a thousand curious objects to entertain, to instruct, 
 and to exalt you." 
 
 7
 
 8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " But you go to excess with it," said the mother. 
 " Your father wishes to be entertained in the evenings 
 as well as you : besides, he thinks it diverts your 
 attention ; and, when he grows ill-humoured on the 
 subject, it is I that must bear the blame. How often 
 have I been upbraided with that miserable puppet- 
 show, which I was unlucky enough to provide for you 
 at Christmas, twelve years ago ! It was the first thing 
 that put these plays into your head." 
 
 " Oh, do not blame the poor puppets ! do not repent 
 of your love and motherly care ! It was the only 
 happy hour I had enjoyed in the new empty house. I 
 never can forget that hour ; I see it still before me ; 
 I recollect how surprised I w^as, when, after we had 
 got our customary presents, you made us seat ourselves 
 before the door that leads to the other room. The 
 door opened, but not, as formerly, to let us pass and 
 repass: the entrance was occupied by an unexpected 
 show. Within it rose a porch, concealed by a myste- 
 rious curtain. All of us were standing at a distance : 
 our eagerness to see what glittering or jingling article 
 lay hid behind the half-transparent veil was mounting 
 higher and higher, when you bade us each sit down 
 upon his stool, and wait with patience. 
 
 " At length all of us were seated and silent : a 
 whistle gave the signal ; the curtain rolled aloft, and 
 showed us the interior of the temple, painted in deep- 
 red colours. The high-priest Samuel appeared with 
 Jonathan, and their strange alternating voices seemed 
 to me the most striking thing on earth. Shortly after 
 entered Saul, overwhelmed with confusion at the im- 
 pertinence of that heavy-limbed warrior, who had defied 
 him and all his people. But how glad was I when the 
 little dapper son of Jesse, with his crook and shep- 
 herd's pouch and sling, came hopping forth, and said, 
 ' Dread king and sovereign lord, let no one's heart sink 
 down because of this : if your Majesty will grant me
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 9 
 
 leave, I will go out to battle with this blustering 
 giant ! ' Here ended the first act, leaving the specta- 
 tors more curious than ever to see what further would 
 happen ; each praying that the music might soon be 
 done. At last the curtain rose again. David devoted 
 the flesh of the monster to the fowls of the air and the 
 beasts of the field : the Philistine scorned and bullied 
 him, stamped mightily with both his feet, and at length 
 fell like a mass of clay, affording a splendid termination 
 to the piece. And then the virgins sang, ' Saul hath 
 slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands ! ' 
 The giant's head was borne before his little victor, who 
 received the king's beautiful daughter to wife. Yet 
 withal, I remember, I was vexed at the dwarfish stat- 
 ure of this lucky prince ; for the great Goliath and the 
 small David had both been formed, according to the 
 common notion, with a due regard to their figures and 
 proportions. I pray you, mother, tell me what has now 
 become of those puppets ? I promised to show them 
 to a friend, whom I was lately entertaining with a 
 history of all this child's work." 
 
 " I can easily conceive," said the mother, " how these 
 things should stick so firmly in your mind : I well 
 remember what an interest you took in them, — how 
 you stole the little book from me, and learned the 
 whole piece by heart. I first noticed it one evening 
 when you had made a Goliath and a David of wax : 
 you set them both to declaim against each other, and 
 at length gave a deadly stab to the giant, fixing his 
 shapeless head, stuck upon a large pin with a wax 
 handle, in little David's hand. I then felt such a 
 motherly contentment at your fine recitation and good 
 memory, that I resolved to give you up the whole 
 wooden troop to your own disposal. I did not then 
 foresee that it would cause me so many heavy hours." 
 
 " Do not repent of it," said Wilhelm : " this little 
 sport has often made us happy." So saying, he got the
 
 lo MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 keys, made haste to fiud the puppets, and, for a mo- 
 ment, was transported back into those times when they 
 almost seemed to him ahve, when he felt as if he him- 
 self could give them life by the cunning of his voice 
 and the movements of his hands. He took them to 
 his room, and locked them up with care.
 
 CHAPTEK III. 
 
 If the first love is indeed, as I hear it everywhere 
 maintained to be, the most dehcious feeHng which the 
 heart of man, before it or after, can experience, then 
 our hero must be reckoned doubly happy, as permitted 
 to enjoy the pleasure of this chosen period in all its 
 fulness. Few men are so peculiarly favoured : by far 
 the greater part are led by the feehngs of their youth 
 into nothing but a school of hardship, where, after a 
 stinted and checkered season of enjoyment, they are 
 at length constrained to renounce their dearest wishes, 
 and to learn for ever to dispense with what once hov- 
 ered before them as the highest happiness of existence. 
 
 Wilhelm's passion for that charming girl now soared 
 aloft on the wings of imagination. After a short 
 acquaintance, he had gained her affections : he found 
 himself in possession of a being, whom, with all his 
 heart, he not only loved, but honoured ; for she had 
 first appeared before him in the flattering hght of 
 theatric pomp, and his passion for the stage combined 
 itself with his earliest love for woman. His youth 
 allowed him to enjoy rich pleasures, which the activity 
 of his fancy exalted and maintained. The situation of 
 his mistress, too, gave a turn to her conduct which 
 greatly enlivened his emotions. The fear lest her lover 
 might, before the time, detect the real state in which 
 she stood, diffused over all her conduct an interesting 
 tinge of anxiety and bashfuluess; her attachment to 
 the youth was deep ; her very inquietude appeared but 
 to augment her tenderness ; she was the loveHest of 
 creatures while beside him. 
 
 II
 
 12 meister's apprenticeship 
 
 When the first tumult of joy had passed, and our 
 friend began to look back upon his life and its con- 
 cerns, everything appeared new to him : his duties 
 seemed holier, his inchnations keener, his knowledge 
 clearer, his talents stronger, his purposes more decided. 
 Accordingly, he soon fell upon a plan to avoid the 
 reproaches of his father, to still the cares of his mother, 
 and, at the same time, to enjoy Mariana's love without 
 disturbance. Through the day he punctually tran- 
 sacted his business, commonly forbore attending the 
 theatre, strove to be entertaining at table in the even- 
 ing ; and, when all were asleep, he glided softly out 
 into the garden, and hastened, wrapped up in his 
 mantle, with all the feelings of Leander in his bosom, 
 to meet his mistress without delay. 
 
 " What ig this you bring ? " inquired Mariana, as he 
 entered one evening, with a bundle, which Barbara, in 
 hopes it might turn out to be some valuable present, 
 fixed her eyes upon with great attention. " You will 
 never guess," said Wilhelm. 
 
 Great was the surprise of Mariana, gi'eat the scorn 
 of Barbara, when the napkin, being loosened, gave to 
 view a perplexed multitude of span-long puppets. 
 Mariana laughed aloud, as Wilhelm set himself to 
 disentangle the confusion of the wires, and show her 
 each figure by itself. Barbara glided sulkily out of 
 the room. 
 
 A very little thing will entertain two lovers; and 
 accordingly our friends, this evening, were as happy as 
 they wished to be. The little troop was mustered : 
 each figure was minutely examined, and laughed at, in 
 its turn. King Saul, with his golden crown and his 
 black velvet robe, Mariana did not like: he looked, 
 she said, too stiff and pedantic. She was far better 
 pleased with Jonathan, his sleek chin, his turban, his 
 cloak of red and yellow. She soon got the art of turn- 
 ing him deftly on his wire : she made him bow, and
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 13 
 
 repeat declarations of love. On the other hand, she 
 refused to give the least attention to the prophet Sam- 
 uel ; though Wilhelm commended the pontifical breast- 
 plate, and told her that the taffeta of the cassock had 
 been taken from a gown of his own grandmother's. 
 David she thought too small; Goliath was too big; 
 she held by Jonathan. She grew to manage him so 
 featly, and at last to extend her caresses from the 
 puppet to its owner, that, on this occasion, as on 
 others, a silly sport became the introduction to happy 
 hours. 
 
 Their soft, sweet dreams were broken in upon by a 
 noise which arose on the street. Mariana called for 
 the old dame, who, as usual, was occupied in furbish- 
 ing the changeful materials of the playhouse wardrobe 
 for the service of the play next to be acted. Barbara 
 said the disturbance arose from a set of jolly compan- 
 ions, who were just then sallying out of the Italian 
 tavern hard by, where they had been busy discussing 
 fresh oysters, a cargo of which had just arrived, and 
 by no means sparing their champagne. 
 
 " Pity," Mariana said, " that we did not think of it 
 in time : we might have had some entertainment to 
 ourselves." 
 
 " It is not yet too late," said Wilhelm, giving Bar- 
 bara a louis-d'or : " get us what we want, then come 
 and take a share with us." 
 
 The old dame made speedy work ; ere long a trimly 
 covered table, with a neat collation, stood before the 
 lovers. They made Barbara sit with them ; they ate 
 and drank, and enjoyed themselves. 
 
 On such occasions, there is never want of enough to 
 say. Mariana soon took up little Jonathan again, and 
 the old dame turned the conversation upon Wilhelm's 
 favourite topic. " You were once telling us," she said, 
 " about the first exhibition of a puppet-show on Christ- 
 mas Eve : I remember you were interrupted just as the
 
 14 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 ballet was going to begin. We have now the pleasure 
 of a personal acquaintance with the honourable com- 
 pany by whom those wonderful effects were brought 
 about." 
 
 " Oh, yes ! " cried Mariana : " do tell us how it all 
 went on, and how you felt then." 
 
 " It is a fine emotion, Mariana," said the youth, 
 " when we bethink ourselves of old times, and old, 
 harmless errors, especially if this is at a period when 
 we have happily gained some elevation, from which we 
 can look around us, and survey the path we have left 
 behind. It is so pleasant to think, with composure and 
 satisfaction, of many obstacles, which often with pain- 
 ful feehngs we may have regarded as invincible, — 
 pleasant to compare what we now are with what we 
 then were strugghng to become. But I am happy 
 above others in this matter, that I speak to you about 
 the past, at a moment when I can also look forth into 
 the blooming country, which we are yet to wander 
 through together, hand in hand." 
 
 " But how was it with the ballet ? " said Barbara. 
 " I fear it did not quite go off as it should have done." 
 
 " I assure you," said Wilhelm, " it went off quite well. 
 And certainly the strange caperings of these Moors and 
 Mooresses, these shepherds and shepherdesses, these 
 dwarfs and dwarfesses, will never altogether leave my 
 recollection while I live. When the curtain dropped, 
 and the door closed, our little party skipped away, 
 frolicking as if they had been tipsy, to their beds. For 
 myself, however, I remember that I could not go to 
 sleep : still wanting to have something told me on the 
 subject, I continued putting questions to every one, 
 and would hardly let the maid away who had brought 
 me up to bed. 
 
 " Next morning, alas ! the magic apparatus had alto- 
 gether vanished ; the mysterious veil was carried off ; 
 the door permitted us again to go and come through it
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 15 
 
 without obstruction ; the manifold adventures of the 
 evening had passed away, and left no trace behind. 
 My brothers and sisters were running up and down 
 with their playthings ; I alone kept ghding to and fro ; 
 it seemed to me impossible that • two bare door-posts 
 could be all that now remained, where the night before 
 so much enchantment had been displayed. Alas ! the 
 man that seeks a lost love can hardly be unhappier 
 than I then thought myself." 
 
 A rapturous look, which he cast on Mariana, con- 
 vinced her that he was not afraid of such ever being 
 his case.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " My sole wish now," continued Wilkelm, " was to 
 witness a second exhibition of the play. For this pur- 
 pose I had recourse, by constant entreaties, to my 
 mother ; and she attempted in a favourable hour to 
 persuade my father. Her labour, however, was in vain. 
 My father's principle was, that none but enjoyments 
 of rare occurrence were adequately prized ; that neither 
 young nor old could set a proper value on pleasures 
 which they tasted every day. 
 
 " We might have waited long, perhaps till Christmas 
 returned, had not the contriver and secret director of 
 the spectacle himself felt a pleasure in repeating the 
 display of it, partly incited, I suppose, by the wish to 
 produce a brand new harlequin expressly prepared for 
 the afterpiece. 
 
 " A young officer of the artillery, a person of great 
 gifts in all sorts of mechanical contrivance, had served 
 my father in many essential particulars during the 
 building of the house ; for which, having been hand- 
 somely rewarded, he felt desirous of expressing his 
 thankfulness to the family of his patron, and so made 
 us young ones a present of this complete theatre, which, 
 in hours of leisure, he had already carved and painted, 
 and strung together. It was this young man, who, 
 with the help of a servant, had himself managed the 
 puppets, disguising his voice to pronounce their various 
 speeches. He had no great difficulty in persuading my 
 father, who granted, out of complaisance to a friend, 
 what he had denied from conviction to his children. 
 In short, our theatre was again set up, some little ones 
 
 i6
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 17 
 
 of the neighbourhood were invited, and the play was 
 again represented. 
 
 " If I had formerly experienced the delights of sur- 
 prise and astonishment, I enjoyed on this second occa- 
 sion the pleasure of examining and scrutinising. How 
 all this happened was my present concern. That the 
 puppets themselves did not speak, I had already 
 decided ; that of themselves they did not move, I also 
 conjectured ; but, then, how came it all to be so pretty, 
 and to look just as if they both spoke and moved of 
 themselves ? and where were the lights, and the people 
 that managed the deception ? These enigmas perplexed 
 me the more, as I wished to be at the same time among 
 the enchanters and the enchanted, at the same time to 
 have a secret hand in the play, and to enjoy, as a 
 looker-on, the pleasure of illusion. 
 
 " The play being finished, preparations were making 
 for the farce : the spectators had risen, and were all 
 busy talking together, I squeezed myself closer to the 
 door, and heard, by the rattling within, that the people 
 were packing up some articles. I lifted the lowest 
 screen, and poked in my head between the posts. As 
 our mother noticed it, she drew me back : but I had 
 seen well enough that here friends and foes, Saul and 
 Goliath, and whatever else their names might be, were 
 lying quietly down together in a drawer ; and thus my 
 half-contented curiosity received a fresh excitement. 
 To my great surprise, moreover, I had noticed the lieu- 
 tenant very diligently occupied in the interior of the 
 shrine. Henceforth, Jack-pudding, however he might 
 clatter with his heels, could not any longer entertain 
 me. I sank into deep meditation : my discovery made 
 me both more satisfied, and less so, than before. After 
 a little, it first struck me that I yet comprehended 
 nothing : and here I was right ; for the connection of 
 the parts with each other was entirely unknown to me, 
 and everything depends on that."
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 " In well adjusted and regulated houses," continued 
 Wilhelm, " children have a feeling not unlike what I 
 conceive rats and mice to have : they keep a sharp eye 
 on all crevices and holes, where they may come at any 
 forbidden dainty ; they enjoy it also with a fearful, 
 stolen satisfaction, which forms no small part of the 
 happiness of childhood. 
 
 " More than any other of the young ones, I was in 
 the habit of looking out attentively, to see if I could 
 notice any cupboard left open, or key standing in its 
 lock. The more reverence I bore in my heart for those 
 closed doors, on the outside of which I had to pass by 
 for weeks and months, catching only a furtive glance 
 when our mother now and then opened the consecrated 
 place to take something from it, the quicker was I to 
 make use of any opportunities which the forgetfulness 
 of our housekeepers at times afforded me. 
 
 " Among all the doors, that of the storeroom was, of 
 course, the one I watched most narrowly. Few of the 
 joyful anticipations in life can equal the feeling which 
 I used to have when my mother happened to call me, 
 that I might help her to carry out something, where- 
 upon I might pick up a few dried plums, either with 
 her kind permission, or by help of my own dexterity. 
 The accumulated treasures of this chamber took hold 
 of my imagination by their magnitude: the very fra- 
 grance exhaled by so multifarious a collection of sweet- 
 smelling spices produced such a craving effect on me, 
 that I never failed, when passing near, to linger for a 
 little, and regale myself at least on the unbolted atmos- 
 
 18
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 19 
 
 phere. At length, one Sunday morning, my mother, 
 being hurried by the ringing of the church-bells, forgot 
 to take this precious key with her on shutting the 
 door, and went away, leaving all the house in a deep 
 Sabbath stillness. No sooner had I marked this over- 
 sight than, ghding softly once or twice to and from the 
 place, I at last approached very gingerly, opened the 
 door, and felt myself, after a single step, in immediate 
 contact with these manifold and loug-wished-for means 
 of happiness. I glanced over glasses, chests, and bags, 
 and drawers and boxes, with a quick and doubtful eye, 
 considering what I ought to choose and take ; turned 
 finally to my dear withered plums, provided myself 
 also with a few dried apples, and completed the forage 
 with an orange-chip. I was quietly retreating with 
 my plunder, when some little chests, lying piled over 
 one another, caught my attention, — the more so as I 
 noticed a wire, with hooks at the end of it, sticking 
 through the joint of the lid in one of them. Full of 
 eager hopes, I opened this singular package ; and judge 
 of my emotions, when I found my glad world of heroes 
 all sleeping safe within ! I meant to pick out the top- 
 most, and, having examined them, to pull up those 
 below ; but in this attempt the wires got very soon 
 entangled : and I fell into a fright and flutter, more 
 particularly as the cook just then began making some 
 stir in the kitchen, which was close by ; so that I had 
 nothing for it but to squeeze the whole together the 
 best way I could, and to shut the chest, having stolen 
 from it nothing but a little written book, which hap- 
 pened to be lying above, and contained the whole 
 drama of Goliath and David. With this booty I made 
 good my retreat into the garret. 
 
 " Henceforth all my stolen hours of solitude were 
 devoted to perusing the play, to learning it by heart, 
 and picturing in thought how glorious it would be, 
 could I but get the figures, to make them move along
 
 20 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 with it. In idea I myself became David and Goliath 
 by turns. In every corner of the courtyard, of the 
 stables, of the garden, under all kinds of circumstances, 
 I laboured to stamp the whole piece upon my mind ; 
 laid hold of all the characters, and learned their 
 speeches by heart, most commonly, however, taking 
 up the parts of the chief personages, and allowing 
 all the rest to move along with them, but as satel- 
 htes, across my memory. Thus day and night the 
 heroic words of David, wherewith he challenged the 
 braggart giant, Goliath of Gath, kept their place in 
 my thoughts. I often muttered them to myself ; 
 while no one gave heed to me, except my father, 
 who, frequently observing some such detached ex- 
 clamation, would in secret praise the excellent memory 
 of his boy, that had retained so much from only two 
 recitations. 
 
 " By this means growing bolder and bolder, I one 
 evening repeated almost the entire piece before my 
 mother, whilst I was busied in fashioning some bits of 
 wax into players. She observed it, questioned me hard ; 
 and I confessed. 
 
 " By good fortune, this detection happened at a time 
 when the lieutenant had himself been expressing a 
 wish to initiate me in the mysteries of the art. My 
 mother forthwith gave him notice of these unexpected 
 talents; and he now contrived to make my parents 
 offer him a couple of chambers in the top story, which 
 commonly stood empty, that he might accommodate the 
 spectators in the one, while the other held his actors, 
 the proscenium again filling up the opening of the 
 door : my father had allowed his friend to arrange all 
 this ; himself, in the meantime, seeming only to look 
 at the transaction, as it were, through his fingers ; for 
 his maxim was, that children should not be allowed to 
 see the kindness which is felt toward them, lest their 
 pretensions come to extend too far. He was of opinion,
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 21 
 
 that, in the enjoyments of the young, one should as- 
 sume a serious air ; often interrupting the course of 
 their festivities, to prevent their satisfaction from de- 
 generating into excess and presumption."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " The lieutenant now set up his theatre, and man- 
 aged all the rest. During the week I readily observed 
 that he often came into the house at unusual hours, 
 and I soon guessed the cause. My eagerness increased 
 immensely; for I well understood, that, till Sunday 
 evening, I could have no share in what was going on. 
 At last the wished-for day arrived. At five in the 
 evening my conductor came, and took me up with him. 
 Quivering with joy, I entered, and descried, on both 
 sides of the framework, the puppets all hanging in 
 order as they were to advance to view. I considered 
 them narrowly, and mounted on the steps, which 
 raised them above the scene, and allowed me to hover 
 aloft over all that little world. Not without reverence 
 did I look down between the pieces of board, and 
 recollect what a glorious effect the whole would pro- 
 duce, and feel into what mighty secrets I was now 
 admitted. We made a trial, which succeeded well. 
 
 " jSText day a party of children were invited : we 
 performed rarely ; except that once, in the fire of action, 
 I let poor Jonathan fall, and was obliged to reach down 
 with my hand, and pick him up, — an accident which 
 sadly marred the illusion, produced a peal of laughter, 
 and vexed me unspeakably. My father, however, 
 seemed to relish this misfortune not a little. Pru- 
 dently shrouding up the contentment he felt at the 
 expertness of his little boy, after the play was finished, 
 he dwelt on the mistakes we had committed, saying it 
 would all have been very pretty had not this or that 
 gone wrong with us.
 
 << f 

 
 ant h 
 
 " ' / look down between the pieces of board ' '* 
 
 Photogravure after the drawing by W. Friedrich
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 23 
 
 " I was vexed to the heart at these things, and sad 
 for all the evening. By next morning, however, I had 
 quite slept off my sorrow, and was blessed in the per- 
 suasion, that, but for this one fault, I had acted delight- 
 fully. The spectators also flattered me with their 
 unanimous approval : they all maintained, that though 
 the lieutenant, in regard to the coarse and the fine 
 voices, had done gi-eat things, yet his declamation was 
 in general too stiff and affected ; whereas the new as- 
 pirant spoke his Jonathan and David with exquisite 
 grace. My mother in particular commended the gal- 
 lant tone in which I had challenged Goliath, and acted 
 the modest victor before the king. 
 
 " From this time, to my extreme delight, the theatre 
 continued open ; and as the spring advanced, so that 
 fires could be dispensed with, I passed all my hours of 
 recreation lying in the garret, and making the puppets 
 caper and play together. Often I invited up my com- 
 rades, or my brothers and sisters ; but, when they 
 would not come, I stayed by myself not the less. My 
 imagination brooded over that tiny world, which soon 
 afterward acquired another form. 
 
 " Scarcely had I once or twice exhibited the first 
 play, for which my scenery and actors had been formed 
 and decorated, when it ceased to give me any pleasure. 
 On the other hand, among some of my grandfather's 
 books, I had happened to fall in with ' The German 
 Theatre,' and a few translations of Italian operas; in 
 which works I soon got very deeply immersed, on each 
 occasion first reckoning up the characters, and then, 
 without further ceremony, proceeding to exhibit the 
 play. King Saul, with his black velvet cloak, was 
 therefore now obliged to personate Darius or Cato, or 
 some other pagan hero ; in which cases, it may be ob- 
 served, the plays were never wholly represented, — 
 for most part, only the fifth acts, where the cutting 
 and stabbing lay.
 
 24 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " It was natural that the operas, with their manifold 
 adventures and vicissitudes, should attract me more 
 than anything beside. In these compositions I found 
 stormy seas, gods descending in chariots of cloud, and, 
 what most of all delighted me, abundance of thunder 
 and lightning. I did my best with pasteboard, paint, 
 and paper : I could make night very prettily ; my 
 Lightning was fearful to behold ; only my thunder did 
 not always prosper, which, however, was of less im- 
 portance. In operas, moreover, I found frequent op- 
 portunities of introducing my David and Goliath, — 
 persons w^hom the regular drama would hardly admit. 
 Daily I felt more attachment for the hampered spot 
 where I enjoyed so many pleasures ; and, I must con- 
 fess, the fragrance which the puppets had acquired 
 from the storeroom added not a little to my satisfac- 
 tion. 
 
 " The decorations of my theatre were now in a toler- 
 able state of completeness. I had alw^ays had the 
 knack of drawing with compasses, and clipping paste- 
 board, and colouring figures ; and here it served me in 
 good stead. But the more sorry was I, on the other 
 hand, when, as frequently happened, my stock of 
 actors would not suffice for representing great aff'au-s. 
 
 " My sisters, dressing and undressing their dolls, 
 awoke in me the project of furnishing my heroes by 
 and by with garments which might also be put off and 
 on. Accordingly, I slit the scraps of cloth from off 
 their bodies, tacked the fragments together as well as 
 possible, saved a particle of money to buy new ribbons 
 and lace, begged many a rag of taffeta, and so formed, 
 by degrees, a full theatrical wardrobe, in which hoop- 
 petticoats for the ladies were especially remembered. 
 
 " My troop was now fairly provided with dresses for 
 the most important play, and you might have expected 
 that, henceforth, one exhibition would follow close 
 upon the heels of another ; but it happened with me,
 
 meister's apprenticeship 25 
 
 as it often happens with children, — they embrace wide 
 plans, make mighty preparations, then a few trials, and 
 the whole undertaking is abandoned. I was guilty of 
 this fault. My greatest pleasure lay in the inventive 
 part, and the employment of my fancy. This or that 
 piece inspired me with interest for a few scenes of it, 
 and immediately I set about providing new apparel 
 suitable for the occasion. In such fluctuating opera- 
 tions, many parts of the primary dresses of my heroes 
 had fallen into disorder, or totally gone out of sight ; so 
 that now the first great play could no longer be exhibited. 
 I surrendered myself to my imagination ; I rehearsed 
 and prepared for ever; built a thousand castles in the 
 air, and failed to see that I was at the same time 
 undermining the foundations of these little edifices." 
 
 During this recital, Mariana had called up and put 
 in action all her courtesy for Wilhelm, that she might 
 conceal her sleepiness. Diverting as the matter seemed 
 on one side, it was too simple for her taste, and her 
 lover's view of it too serious. She softly pressed her 
 foot on his, however, and gave him all visible signs 
 of attention and approval. She drank out of his glass : 
 Wilhelm was convinced that no word of his history 
 had fallen to the ground. After a short pause, he said : 
 " It is now your turn, Mariana, to tell me what were 
 your first childish joys. Till now we have always 
 iDeen too busy with the present to trouble ourselves, on 
 either side, about our previous way of life. Let me 
 hear, Mariana, under what circumstances you were 
 reared : what are the first lively impressions which you 
 still remember ? " 
 
 These questions would have very much embarrassed 
 Mariana, had not Barbara made haste to help her. 
 " Think you," said the cunning old woman, " we have 
 been so mindful of what happened to us long ago, 
 that we have merry things like these to talk about,
 
 26 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and, though we had, that we could give them such 
 an air in talking of them ? " 
 
 " As if they needed it ! " cried Wilhelm. " I love 
 this soft, good, amiable creature so much, that I regret 
 every instant of my life which has not been spent 
 beside her. Allow me, at least in fancy, to have a 
 share in thy bygone Hfe ; tell me everything ; I will 
 tell everything to thee ! If possible, we will deceive 
 ourselves, and win back those days that have been lost 
 to love." 
 
 "If you require it so eagerly," replied the old dame, 
 " we can easily content you. Only, in the first place, 
 let us hear how your taste for the theatre gradually 
 reached a head ; how you practised, how you improved 
 so happily, that now you can pass for a superior actor. 
 No doubt you mu,st have met with droll adventures in 
 your progress. It is not worth while to go to bed 
 now : I have still one flask in reserve ; and who knows 
 whether we shall soon all sit together so quiet and 
 cheery again?" 
 
 Mariana cast upon her a mournful look, not noticed 
 by Wilhelm, who proceeded with his narrative.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " The recreations of youth, as my companions began 
 to increase in number, interfered with this solitary, still 
 enjoyment. I was by turns a hunter, a soldier, a 
 knight, as our games required ; and constantly I had 
 this small advantage above the rest, that I was quali- 
 fied to furnish them suitably with the necessary equip- 
 ments. The swords, for example, were generally of 
 my manufacture ; I gilded and decorated the scab- 
 bards ; and a secret instinct allowed me not to stop till 
 our militia was accoutred according to the antique 
 model. Helmets, with plumes of paper, were got 
 ready ; shields, even coats of mail, were provided ; 
 undertakings in which such of the servants as had 
 aught of the tailor in them, and the seamstresses of the 
 house, broke many a needle. 
 
 " A part of my comrades I had now got well 
 equipped ; by degrees, the rest w^ere likewise furbished 
 up, though on a thriftier plan ; and so a very seemly 
 corps at length was mustered. We marched about the 
 courtyards and gardens, smote fearfully upon each 
 other's shields and heads: many flaws of discord rose 
 among us, but none that lasted. 
 
 " This diversion greatly entertained my fellows ; but 
 scarcely had it been twice or thrice repeated, when 
 it ceased to content me. The aspect of so many 
 harnessed figures naturally stimulated in my mind 
 those ideas of chivalry, which for some time, since I 
 had commenced the reading of old romances, were fill- 
 ing my imagination. 
 
 " Koppen's translation of ' Jerusalem Delivered ' at 
 
 27
 
 28 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 length fell into my hands, and gave these wandering 
 thoughts a settled direction. The whole poem, it is 
 true, I could not read; but there were passages which 
 I learned by heart, and the images expressed in these 
 hovered round me. Particularly was I captivated with 
 Clorinda, and all her deeds and bearing. The mascu- 
 line womanhood, the peaceful completeness of her 
 being, had a greater influence upon my mind, just 
 beginning to unfold itself, than the factitious charms 
 of Armida ; though the garden of that enchantress was 
 by no means an object of my contempt. 
 
 " But a hundred and a hundred times, while walking 
 in the evenings on the balcony which stretches along 
 the front of the house, and looking over the neigh- 
 bourhood, as the quivering splendour streamed up 
 at the horizon from the departed sun, and the stars 
 came forth, and night pressed forward from every 
 cleft and hollow, and the small, shrill tone of the 
 cricket tinkled through the solemn stillness, — a 
 hundred and a hundred times have I repeated to my- 
 self the history of the mournful duel between Tancred 
 and Clorinda. 
 
 " However strongly I inchned by nature to the party 
 of the Christians, I could not help declaring for the 
 Paynim heroine with all my heart when she engaged 
 to set on fire the great tower of the besiegers. And 
 when Tancred, in the darkness, met the supposed 
 knight, and the strife began between them under that 
 veil of gloom, and the two battled fiercely, I could 
 never pronounce the words, — 
 
 " ' But now the sure and fated hour is nigh : 
 Cloi'inda's course is ended, — she must die ; ' — 
 
 without tears rushing into my eyes, which flowed plen- 
 tifully when the hapless lover, plunging his sword into 
 her breast, opened the departing warrior's helmet, rec-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 29 
 
 ognised the lady of his heart, and, shuddering, brought 
 water to baptise her. 
 
 "How my heart ran over when Tancred struck with 
 his sword that tree in the enchanted wood ; when 
 blood flowed from the gash, and a voice sounded in his 
 ears, that now again he was wounding Clorinda ; that 
 Destiny had marked him out ever unwittingly to 
 injure what he loved beyond all else. 
 
 " The recital took such hold of my imagination, that 
 what I had read of the poem began dimly, in my 
 mind, to conglomerate into a whole ; wherewith I was 
 so taken that I could not but propose to have it some 
 way represented. I meant to have Tancred and 
 Rinaldo acted ; and, for this purpose, two coats of mail, 
 which I had before manufactured, seemed expressly 
 suitable. The one, formed of dark gray paper with scales, 
 was to serve for the solemn Tancred ; the other, of 
 silver and gilt paper, for the magnificent Einaldo. In 
 the vivacity of my anticipations, I told the whole project 
 to my comrades, who felt quite charmed with it, except 
 that they could not well comprehend how so glorious 
 a thing could be exhibited, and, above all, exhibited by 
 them. 
 
 " Such scruples I easily set aside. Without hesita- 
 tion, I took upon me, in idea, the management of two 
 rooms in the house of a neighbouring playmate ; not 
 calculating that his venerable aunt would never give 
 them up, or considering how a theatre could be made of 
 them, whereof I had no settled notion, except that it 
 was to be fixed on beams, to have side-scenes made of 
 parted folding-screens, and on the floor a large piece 
 of cloth. From what quarter these materials and fur- 
 nishings were to come, I had not determined. 
 
 " So far as concerned the forest, we fell upon a good 
 expedient. We betook ourselves to an old servant of 
 one of our families, who had now become a woodman, 
 with many entreaties that he would get us a few young
 
 30 meister's apprenticeship 
 
 firs and birches ; which actually arrived more speedily 
 than we had reason to expect. But, in the next place, 
 great was our embarrassment as to how the piece should 
 be got up before the trees were withered. Now was 
 the time for prudent counsel. We had no house, no 
 scenery, no curtain : the folding-screens were all we 
 had. 
 
 " In this forlorn condition we again applied to the 
 lieutenant, giving him a copious description of all the 
 glorious things we meant to do. Little as he under- 
 stood us, he was very helpful : he piled all the tables 
 he could get in the house or neighbourhood, one above 
 the other, in a little room : to these he fixed our fold- 
 ing-screens, and made a back view with green curtains, 
 sticking up our trees along with it. 
 
 " At length the appointed evening came : the candles 
 were ht, the maids and children were sitting in their 
 places, the piece was to go forward, the whole corps of 
 heroes was equipped and dressed, — when each for the 
 first time discovered that he knew not what he was to 
 say. In the heat of invention, being quite immersed 
 in present difficulties, I had forgotten the necessity of 
 each understanding what and where he was to speak ; 
 nor, in the midst of our bustling preparations, had it 
 once occurred to the rest ; each beheving he could 
 easily enact a hero, easily so speak and bear himself, 
 as became the personage into whose w^orld I had trans- 
 planted him. They all stood wonder-struck, asking. 
 What was to come first ? I alone, having previously 
 got ready Tancred's part, entered sohis on the scene, 
 and began reciting some verses of the epic. But as the 
 passage soon changed into narrative, and I, while speak- 
 ing, was at once transformed into a third party, and 
 the bold Godfredo, when his turn came, would not 
 venture forth, I was at last obliged to take leave of my 
 spectators under peals of laughter, — a disaster which 
 cut me to the heart. Thus had our undertaking proved
 
 meister's apprenticeship 31 
 
 abortive ; but the company still kept their places, still 
 wishing to see something. All of us were dressed : I 
 screwed my courage up, and determined, foul or fair, 
 to give them David and Goliath. Some of my com- 
 panions had before this helped me to exhibit the 
 puppet-play ; all of them had often seen it ; we shared 
 the characters among us ; each promised to do his 
 best ; and one small, grinning urchin painted a black 
 beard upon his chin, and undertook, if any lacuna 
 should occur, to fill it with drollery as harlequin, — an 
 arrangement to which, as contradicting the solemnity 
 of the piece, I did not consent without extreme reluc- 
 tance ; and I vowed within myself, that, if once de- 
 livered out of this perplexity, I would think long and 
 well before risking the exhibition of another play."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Mariana, overpowered with sleep, leaned upon her 
 lover, who clasped her close to him, and proceeded in 
 his narrative ; while the old damsel prudently sipped 
 up the remainder of the wine. 
 
 " The embarrassment," he said, " into which, along 
 with my companions, I had fallen, by attempting 
 to act a play that did not anywhere exist, was soon 
 forgotten. My passion for representing each romance 
 I read, each story that w^as told me, would not yield 
 before the most unmanageable materials. I felt con- 
 vinced that whatever gave delight in narrative must 
 produce a far deeper impression when exhibited : I 
 wanted to have everything before my eyes, everything 
 brought forth upon the stage. At school, when the 
 elements of general history were related to us, I care- 
 fully marked the passages where any person had been 
 slain or poisoned in a singular way ; and my imagina- 
 tion, glancing rapidly along the exposition and intrigue, 
 hastened to the interesting fifth act. Indeed, I actually 
 began to write some plays from the end backwards, 
 without, however, in any of them reaching the be- 
 ginning. 
 
 " At the same time, partly by inclination, partly by 
 the counsel of my good friends, who had caught the 
 fancy of acting plays, I read a whole wilderness of 
 theatrical productions, as chance put them into my 
 hands. I was still in those happy years w^hen all 
 things please us, when number and variety yield us 
 abundant satisfaction. Unfortunately, too, my taste 
 was corrupted by another circumstance. Any piece 
 
 32
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP ^3 
 
 delighted me especially, in which I could hope to give 
 delight ; there were few which I did not peruse in this 
 agreeable delusion : and my lively conceptive power 
 enabhng me to transfer myself into all the characters, 
 seduced me to believe that I might likewise represent 
 them all. Hence, in the distribution of the parts, I 
 commonly selected such as did not fit me, and always 
 more than one part, if I could by any means accomplish 
 more. 
 
 " In their games, children can make all things out 
 of any : a staff becomes a musket, a splinter of wood a 
 sword, any bunch of cloth a puppet, any crevice a 
 chamber. Upon this principle was our private theatre 
 got up. Totally unacquainted with the measure of our 
 strength, we undertook all : we stuck at no quid i^'^o 
 quo, and felt convinced that every one would take us 
 for what we gave ourselves out to be. Now, however, 
 our affairs went on so soberly and smoothly, that I 
 have not even a curious insipidity to tell you of. We 
 first acted all the few plays in which only males are 
 requisite, next we travestied some of ourselves, and at 
 last took our sisters into the concern along with us. 
 In one or two houses, our amusement was looked upon 
 as profitable, and company was invited to see it. Nor 
 did our lieutenant of artillery now turn his back upon 
 us. He showed us how we ought to make our exits 
 and our entrances ; how we should declaim, and with 
 what attitudes and gestures. Yet generally he earned 
 small thanks for his toil, we conceiving ourselves to be 
 much deeper in the secrets of theatrical art than he 
 himself was. 
 
 " We very soon began to grow tired of tragedy ; for 
 all of us believed, as we had often heard, that it was 
 easier to write or represent a tragedy than to attain 
 proficiency in comedy. In our first attempts, accord- 
 ingly, we had felt as if exactly in our element : dignity 
 of ranJk, elevation of character, we studied to approach
 
 34 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 by stiffness and affectation, and imagined that we suc- 
 ceeded rarely; but our happiness was not complete, 
 except we might rave outright, might stamp with our 
 feet, and, full of fury and despair, cast ourselves upon 
 the ground. 
 
 " Boys and girls had not long carried on these 
 amusements in concert, till Nature began to take her 
 course ; and our society branched itself off into sundry 
 little love-associations, as generally more than one sort 
 of comedy is acted in the playhouse. Behind the 
 scenes, each happy pair pressed hands in the most 
 tender style ; they floated in blessedness, appearing to 
 one another quite ideal persons, when so transformed 
 and decorated ; whilst, on the other hand, unlucky 
 rivals consumed themselves with envy, and out of 
 malice and spite worked every species of mischief. 
 
 " Our amusements, though undertaken without judg- 
 ment, and carried on without instruction, were not 
 without their use to us. We trained our memories 
 and persons, and acquired more dexterity in speech 
 and gesture than is usually met with at so early an 
 age. But, for me in particular, this time was in truth 
 an epoch: my mind turned all its faculties exclusively 
 to the theatre ; and my highest happiness was in read- 
 ing, in wi'iting, or in acting, plays. 
 
 " Meanwhile the labours of my regular teachers con- 
 tinued : I had been set apart for the mercantile life, 
 and placed under the guidance of our neighbour in the 
 counting-house ; yet my spirit at this very time re- 
 coiled more forcibly than ever from all that was to bind 
 me to a low profession. It w^as to the stage that I 
 aimed at consecrating all my powers, — on the stage 
 that I meant to seek all my happiness and satisfaction. 
 
 " I recollect a poem, which must be among my 
 papers, where the Muse of tragic art and another 
 female form, by which I personified Commerce, were 
 made to strive very bravely for my most important
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 35 
 
 self. The idea is common, nor do I recollect that the 
 verses were of any worth ; but you shall see it, for the 
 sake of the fear, the abhorrence, the love and passion, 
 which are prominent in it. How repulsively did I 
 paint the old housewife, with the distaff in her girdle, 
 the bunch of keys by her side, the spectacles on her 
 nose, ever toiling, ever restless, quarrelsome, and penu- 
 rious, pitiful and dissatisfied ! How feelingly did I 
 describe the condition of that poor man who has to 
 cringe beneath her rod, and earn his slavish day's 
 wages by the sweat of his brow ! 
 
 " And how differently advanced the other ! What 
 an apparition for the overclouded mind ! Formed as a 
 queen, in her thoughts and looks she announced her- 
 self the child of freedom. The feeling of her own 
 worth gave her dignity without pride : her apparel 
 became her, it veiled her form without constraining it ; 
 and the rich folds repeated, like a thousand-voiced echo, 
 the graceful movements of the goddess. What a con- 
 trast ! How easy for me to decide ! Nor had I for- 
 gotten the more peculiar characteristics of my Muse. 
 Crowns and daggers, chains and masks, as my prede- 
 cessors had delivered them, were here produced once 
 more. The contention was keen : the speeches of both 
 were palpably enough contrasted, for at fourteen years 
 of age one usually paints the black lines and the white 
 pretty near each other. The old lady spoke as be- 
 seemed a person that would pick up a pin from her 
 path ; the other, like one that could give away king- 
 doms. The warning threats of the housewife were 
 disregarded ; I turned my back upon her promised 
 riches: disinherited and naked, I gave myself up to 
 the Muse ; she threw her golden veil over me, and 
 called me hers. 
 
 " Could I have thought, my dearest," he exclaimed, 
 pressing Mariana close to him, " that another, a more 
 lovely goddess, would come to encourage me in my
 
 36 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 purpose, to travel with me on my journey, the poem 
 might have had a finer turn, a far more interesting end. 
 Yet it is no poetry, it is truth and hfe that I feel in 
 thy arms: let us prize the sweet happiness, and con- 
 sciously enjoy it." 
 
 The pressure of his arms, the emotion of his elevated 
 voice, awoke Mariana, who hastened by caresses to 
 conceal her embarrassment : for no word of the last 
 part of his story had reached her. It is to be wished, 
 that in future, our hero, when recounting his favourite 
 histories, may find more attentive hearers.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Thus Wilhelm passed his nights in the enjoyment 
 of confiding love, his days in the expectation of new 
 happy hours. When desire and hope had first attracted 
 him to Mariana, he ah-eady felt as if inspired with 
 new life ; felt as if he were beginning to be another 
 man ; he was now united to her ; the contentment of 
 his wishes had become a dehcious habitude. His 
 heart strove to ennoble the object of his passion ; his 
 spirit, to exalt with it the young creature whom he 
 loved. In the shortest absence, thoughts of her arose 
 within him. If she had once been necessary to him, 
 she was now gi'own indispensable, now that he was 
 bound to her by all the ties of nature. His pure soul 
 felt that she was the half, more than the half, of him- 
 self. He was grateful and devoted without Umit. 
 
 Mariana, too, succeeded in deceiving herself for a 
 season : she shared with him the feeling of his liveliest 
 blessedness. Alas ! if but the cold hand of self-reproach 
 had not often come across her heart ! She was not 
 secure from it, even in Wilhelm's bosom, even under 
 the wings of his love. And when she was again left 
 alone, again left to sink from the clouds, to which 
 passion had exalted her, into the consciousness of her 
 real condition, then she was indeed to be pitied. So 
 long as she had hved among degrading perplexities, 
 disguising from herself her real situation, or rather 
 never thinking of it, frivolity had helped her through ; 
 the incidents she was exposed to had come upon her 
 each by itself ; satisfaction and vexation had cancelled 
 one another; humiliation had been compensated by 
 
 37
 
 38 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 vanity ; want by frequent, thougli momentary, super- 
 fluity ; she could plead necessity and custom as a law 
 or an excuse ; and hitherto all painful emotions from 
 hour to hour, and from day to day, had by these 
 means been shaken off. But now, for some instants, 
 the poor girl had felt herself transported to a better 
 world ; aloft, as it were, in the midst of light and joy, 
 she had looked down upon the abject desert of her life, 
 had felt what a miserable creature is the woman, who, 
 inspiring desire, does not also inspire reverence and 
 love : she regretted and repented, but found herself 
 outwardly or inwardly no better for regret. She had 
 nothing that she could accomplish or resolve upon. 
 When she looked into and searched herself, all was 
 waste and void within her soul : her heart had no place 
 of strength or refuge. But the more sorro^-ful her 
 state was, the more vehemently did her feelings cling 
 to the man she loved : her passion for him even waxed 
 stronger daily, as the danger of losing him came daily 
 nearer. 
 
 Willielm, on the other hand, soared serenely happy 
 in higher regions : to him also a new world had been 
 disclosed, but a world rich in the most glorious pros- 
 pects. Scarcely had the first excess of joy subsided, 
 when all that had long been gliding dimly through his 
 soul stood up in bright distinctness before it. She is 
 mine ! She has given herself up to me ! She, the 
 loved, the wished for, the adored, has given herself up 
 to me in trust and faith : she shall not find me ungrate- 
 ful for the gift. Standing or walking, he talked to 
 himself ; his heart constantly overflowed ; with a copi- 
 ousness of splendid words, he uttered to himself the 
 loftiest emotions. He imagined that he understood 
 the visible beckoning of Fate, reaching out its hand 
 by Mariana to save him from the stagnant, weary, 
 drudging life, out of which he had so often wished for 
 dehverance. To leave his father's house and people,
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 39 
 
 now appeared a light matter. He was young, and had 
 not tried the world : his eagerness to range over its 
 expanses, seeking fortune and contentment, was stimu- 
 lated by his love. His vocation for the theatre was 
 now clear to him : the high goal, which he saw raised 
 before him, seemed nearer whilst he was advancing to 
 it with Mariana's hand in his ; and, in his comfortable 
 prudence, he beheld in himself the embryo of a great 
 actor, — the future founder of that national theatre, 
 for which he heard so much and various sighing on 
 every side. All that till now had slumbered in the 
 innermost corners of his soul, at length awoke. He 
 painted for himself a picture of his manifold ideas, in 
 the colours of love, upon a canvas of cloud : the figures 
 of it, indeed, ran sadly into one another ; yet the whole 
 had an air but the more brilliant on that account.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 He was now in his chamber at home, ransacking 
 his papers, making ready for departure. Whatever 
 savoured of his previous employment he threw aside, 
 meaning at his entrance upon life to be free, even 
 from recollections that could pain him. Works of 
 taste alone, poets and critics, were, as acknowledged 
 friends, placed among the chosen few. Heretofore 
 he had given little heed to the critical authors: his 
 desire for instruction now revived, when, again look- 
 ing through his books, he found the theoretical part 
 of them lying generally still uncut. In the full 
 persuasion that such works were absolutely necessary, 
 he had bought a number of them : but, with the best 
 disposition in the world, he had not reached midway 
 in any. 
 
 The more steadfastly, on the other hand, he had 
 dwelt upon examples, and, in every kind that was 
 known to him, had made attempts himself. 
 
 Werner entered the room; and, seeing his friend 
 busied with the well-known sheets, he exclaimed, 
 " Again among your papers ? And without intending, 
 I dare swear, to finish any one of them I You look 
 them through and through once or twice, then throw 
 them by, and begin something new." 
 
 " To finish is not the scholar's care : it is enough if 
 he improves himself by practice." 
 
 " But also completes according to his best abihty." 
 
 " And still the question might be asked, • Is there 
 not good hope of a youth, who, on commencing some 
 unsuitable affair, soon discovers its unsuitableness, and 
 
 40
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 41 
 
 discontinues his exertions, not choosing to spend toil 
 and time on what never can be of any value ? ' " 
 
 " I know well enough it was never your concern to 
 bring aught to a conclusion : you have always sickened 
 on it before it came half-way. When you were the 
 director of our puppet-show, for instance, how many 
 times were fresh clothes got ready for the dwarfish 
 troop, fresh decorations furbished up ? Now this trag- 
 edy was to be acted, now that : and at the very best 
 you gave us some fifth act, where all was going topsy- 
 turvy, and people cutting one another's throats." 
 
 " If you talk of those times, whose blame really was 
 it that we ripped off from our puppets the clothes that 
 fitted them, and were fast stitched to their bodies, and 
 laid out money for a large and useless wardrobe ? 
 Was it not yours, my good friend, who had always 
 some fragment of ribbon to traffic with ; and skill, at 
 the same time, to stimulate my taste, and turn it to 
 your profit ? " 
 
 Werner laughed, and continued, " 1 still recollect, 
 with pleasure, how I used to extract gain from your 
 theatrical campaigns, as army contractors do from war. 
 When you mustered for the ' Deliverance of Jerusalem,' 
 I, for my part, made a pretty thing of profit, like the 
 Venetians in the corresponding case. I know of noth- 
 ing in the world more rational than to turn the folly 
 of others to our own advantage." 
 
 " Perhaps it were a nobler satisfaction to cure men 
 of their follies." 
 
 ■'' From the little I know of men, this might seem a 
 vain endeavour. But something toward it is always 
 done, when any individual man grows wise and rich ; 
 and generally this happens at the cost of others." 
 
 "Well, here is 'The Youth at the Parting of the 
 Ways : ' it has just come into my hand," said Wilhelm, 
 drawing out a bunch of papers from the rest ; " this at 
 least is finished, whatever else it may be."
 
 42 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " Away with it ! to the fire with it ! " cried Werner. 
 "The invention does not deserve the smallest praise: 
 that affair has plagued me enough already, and drawn 
 upon yourself your father's wrath. The verses may 
 be altogether beautiful, but the meaning of them is 
 fundamentally false. I still recollect your Commerce 
 personified : a shrivelled, WTetched-looking sibyl she 
 "was. I suppose you picked up the image of her from 
 some miserable huckster's shop. At that time you 
 had no true idea at all of trade ; w^hilst I could not 
 think of any man whose spirit was, or needed to be, 
 more enlarged than the spirit of a genuine merchant. 
 What a thing is it to see the order which prevails 
 throughout his business ! By means of this he can 
 at any time survey the general whole, without needing 
 to perplex himself in the details. What advantages 
 does he derive from the system of bookkeeping by 
 double entry ! It is among the finest inventions of the 
 human mind: every prudent master of a house should 
 introduce it into his economy." 
 
 " Pardon me," said Wilhelm, smihng ; " you begin by 
 the form, as if it were the matter : you traders com- 
 monly, in your additions and balancings, forget what 
 is the proper net result of life." 
 
 " My good friend, you do not see how form and 
 matter are in this case one, how neither can exist 
 without the other. Order and arrangement increase 
 the deshe to save and get. A man embarrassed in 
 his circumstances, and conducting them imprudently, 
 likes best to continue in the dark : he will not gladly 
 reckon up the debtor entries he is charged with. But, 
 on the other hand, there is nothing to a prudent 
 manager more pleasant than daily to set before himself 
 the sums of his growing fortune. Even a mischance, 
 if it surprise and vex, will not affright, him ; for he 
 knows at once what gains he has acquired to cast into 
 the other scale. I am convinced, my friend, that, if
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 43 
 
 you once had a proper taste for our employments, you 
 would grant that many faculties of the mind are called 
 into full and vigorous play by them." 
 
 " Possibly this journey I am thinking of may bring 
 me to other thoughts." 
 
 " Oh, certainly ! Believe me, you want but to look 
 upon some great scene of activity to make you ours 
 for ever ; and, when you come back, you will joyfully 
 enroll yourself among that class of men whose art it is 
 to draw toward themselves a portion of the money, 
 and materials of enjoyment, which circulate in their 
 appointed courses through the world. Cast a look on 
 the natural and artificial productions of all the regions 
 of the earth; consider how they have become, one 
 here, another there, articles of necessity for men. How 
 pleasant and how intellectual a task is it to calculate, 
 at any moment, what is most required, and yet is 
 wanting, or hard to find ; to procure for each easily and 
 soon what he demands ; to lay in your stock prudently 
 beforehand, and then to enjoy the profit of every pulse 
 in that mighty circulation. This, it appears to me, 
 is what no man that has a head can attend to without 
 pleasure." 
 
 Wilhelm seemed to acquiesce, and Werner continued. 
 
 "Do but visit one or two great trading-towns, one 
 or two seaports, and see if you can with.stand the im- 
 pression. When you observe how many men are 
 busied, whence so many things have come, and whither 
 they are going, you will feel as if you, too, could gladly 
 mingle in the business. You will then see the smallest 
 piece of ware in its connection with the whole mercan- 
 tile concern ; and for that very reason you will reckon 
 nothing paltry, because everything augments the circu- 
 lation by which you yourself are supported." 
 
 Werner had formed his solid understanding in 
 constant intercourse with Willielm : he was thus 
 accustomed to think also of his profession, of his
 
 44 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 employments, with elevation of soul ; and he firmly 
 believed that he did so with more justice than his 
 otherwise more gifted and valued friend, who, as it 
 seemed to him, had placed his dearest hopes, and 
 directed all the force of his mind, upon the most 
 imaginary objects in the world. Many a time he 
 thought his false enthusiasm would infallibly be got 
 the better of, and so excellent a soul be brought back 
 to the right path. So hoping in the present instance, 
 he continued, " The gi-eat ones of the world have taken 
 this earth of ours to themselves : they live in the midst 
 of splendour and superfluity. The smallest nook of 
 the land is already a possession which none may touch 
 or meddle with : offices and civil calhngs bring in Ht- 
 tle profit. Where, then, will you find more honest 
 acquisitions, juster conquests, than those of trade ? If 
 the princes of this world hold the rivers, the highways, 
 the havens, in their power, and take a heavy tribute 
 from everything that passes through them, may not 
 we embrace with joy the opportunity of levying tax 
 and toll, by our activity, on those commodities which 
 the real or imaginary wants of men have rendered 
 indispensable ? I can promise you, if jou would rightly 
 apply your poetic view, my goddess might be repre- 
 sented as an invincible, victorious queen, and boldly 
 opposed to yours. It is true, she bears the olive rather 
 than the sword : dagger or chain she knows not. But 
 she, too, gives crowns to her favourites ; which, without 
 offence to yours be it said, are of true gold from the 
 furnace and the mine, and glance with genuine pearls, 
 which she brings up from the depths of the ocean by 
 the hands of her unwearied servants." 
 
 This sally somewhat nettled Wilhelm ; but he con- 
 cealed his sentiments, remembering that Werner used 
 to listen with composure to Ms apostrophes. Besides, 
 he had fairness enough to be pleased at seeing each 
 man think the best of his own peculiar craft, provided
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 45 
 
 only his, of which he was so passionately fond^ were 
 likewise left in peace. 
 
 " And for you," exclaimed "Werner, " who take so 
 warm an interest in human concerns, what a sight will 
 it be to behold the fortune, which accompanies bold 
 undertakings, distributed to men before your eyes ! 
 What is more spirit-stirring than the aspect of a ship 
 arriving from a lucky voyage, or soon returning with 
 a rich capture ? Not only the relatives, the acquaint- 
 ances, and those that share with the adventurers, but 
 every unconcerned spectator also, is excited, when he 
 sees the joy with which the long-imprisoned shipman 
 springs on land before his keel has wholly reached it, 
 feehng that he is free once more, and now can trust 
 what he has rescued from the false sea to the firm and 
 faithful earth. It is not, my friend, in figures of 
 arithmetic alone that gain presents itself before us. 
 Fortune is the goddess of breathing men : to feel her 
 favours truly, we must live and be men who toil with 
 their living minds and bodies, and enjoy with them 
 also."
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 It is now time that we should know something more 
 of Wilhelm's father and of Werner's, — two men of 
 very different modes of thinking, but whose opinions 
 so far coincided, that both regarded commerce as the 
 noblest calhng ; and both were peculiarly attentive to 
 every advantage which any kind of speculation might 
 produce to them. Old Meister, when his father died, 
 had turned into money a valuable collection of pictures, 
 drawings, copper-plates, and antiquities : he had entirely 
 rebuilt and furnished his house in the newest style, 
 and turned his other property to profit in all possible 
 ways. A considerable portion of it he had embarked 
 in trade, under the direction of the elder Werner, — 
 a man noted as an active merchant, whose speculations 
 were commonly favoured by fortune. But nothing was 
 so much desired by Meister as to confer upon his son 
 those qualities of which himself was destitute, and to 
 leave his children advantages which he reckoned it of 
 the highest importance to possess. Withal, he felt a 
 peculiar inclination for magnificence, — for whatever 
 catches the eye, and possesses at the same time real 
 worth and durability. In his house he would have all 
 things solid and massive: his stores must be copious 
 and rich, all his plate must be heavy, the furniture of 
 his table must be costly. On the other hand, his guests 
 were seldom invited ; for every dinner was a festival, 
 which, both for its expense and for its inconvenience, 
 could not often be repeated. The economy of his 
 house went on at a settled, uniform rate ; and every- 
 
 46
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 47 
 
 thing that moved or had place in it was just what 
 yielded no one any real enjoyment. 
 
 The elder Werner, in his dark and hampered house, 
 led quite another sort of hfe. The business of the 
 day, in his narrow counting-house, at his ancient desk, 
 once done, Werner liked to eat well, and, if possible, 
 to drink better. Nor could he fully enjoy good things 
 in solitude : with his family he must always see at 
 table his friends, and any stranger that had the slightest 
 connection with his house. His chairs w^ere of un- 
 known age and antic fashion, but he daily invited some 
 to sit on them. The dainty victuals arrested the atten- 
 tion of his guests, and none remarked that they were 
 served up in common ware. His cellar held no great 
 stock of wine, but the emptied niches were usually 
 filled by more of a superior sort. 
 
 So lived these two fathers, often meeting to take 
 counsel about their common concerns. On the day 
 we are speaking of, it had been determined to send 
 Wilhelm out from home, for the despatch of some 
 commercial affairs. 
 
 "Let him look about him in the world," said old 
 Meister, " and at the same time carry on our business in 
 distant parts. One cannot do a young man any greater 
 kindness than initiate him early in the future business 
 of his life. Your son returned so happily from his first 
 expedition, and transacted his affairs so cleverly, that 
 I am very curious to see how mine will do : his ex- 
 perience, I fear, will cost him dearer." 
 
 Old Meister had a high notion of his son's faculties 
 and capabihties : he said this in the hope that his 
 friend would contradict him, and hold up to view the 
 admirable gifts of the youth. Here, however, he de- 
 ceived himself. Old Werner, who, in practical con- 
 cerns, would trust no man but such as he had proved, 
 answered placidly, " One must try all things. We can 
 send him on the same journey ; we shall give him
 
 48 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 a paper of directions to conduct him. There are 
 sundry debts to be gathered in, old connections are 
 to be renewed, new ones to be made. He may like- 
 wise help the speculation I was lately talking of ; for, 
 without punctual intelHgence gathered on the spot, 
 there is little to be done in it." 
 
 " He must prepare," said Meister, " and set forth as 
 soon as possible. Where shall we get a horse for him 
 to suit this business ? " 
 
 " We shall not seek far. The shopkeeper in H , 
 
 who owes us somewhat, but is withal a good man, has 
 offered me a horse instead of payment. My son 
 knows it, and tells me it is a serviceable beast." 
 
 " He may fetch it himself. Let him go with the 
 dihgence ; the day after to-morrow he is back again 
 betimes ; we have his saddle-bags and letters made 
 ready in the meantime ; he can set out on Monday 
 morning." 
 
 Wilhelm was sent for, and informed of their deter- 
 mination. Who so glad as he, now seeing the means 
 of executing his purpose put into his hands, the oppor- 
 tunity made ready for him, without cooperation of his 
 own ! So intense was his love, so full was his convic- 
 tion of the perfect rectitude of his intention to escape 
 from the pressure of his actual mode of hfe, and follow 
 a new and nobler career, that his conscience did not in 
 the least rebel ; no anxiety arose within him ; he even 
 reckoned the deception he was meditating holy. He 
 felt certain, that, in the long run, parents and relations 
 would praise and bless him for this resolution : he 
 acknowledged in these concurring circumstances the 
 signal of a guiding fate. 
 
 How slowly the time passed with him till night, till 
 the hour when he should again see his Mariana ! He 
 sat in his chamber, and revolved the plan of his jour- 
 ney ; as a conjurer, or a cunning thief in durance, 
 often draws out his feet from the fast-locked irons, to
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 49 
 
 cherish in himself the conviction that his deliverance 
 is possible, nay, nearer than short-sighted turnkeys 
 believe. 
 
 At last the appointed hour struck. He went out, 
 shook off all anxiety, and hastened through the silent 
 streets. In the middle of the great square he raised 
 his hands to the sky, feeling as if all was behind him 
 and below him : he had freed himself from all. One 
 moment he figured himself as in the arms of his 
 beloved, the next as glancing with her in the splen- 
 dours of the stage : he soared aloft in a world of hopes, 
 only now and then the call of some watchman brought 
 to his recollection that he was still wandering on the 
 vulgar earth. 
 
 Mariana came to the stairs to meet him, — and how 
 beautiful, how lovely! She received him in the new 
 white negligee : he thought he had never seen her 
 so charming. Thus did she handsel the gift of her 
 absent lover in the arms of a present one ; -svith true 
 passion she lavished on her darhng the whole treasure 
 of those caresses which nature suggested, or art had 
 taught : need we ask if he was happy, if he was 
 blessed ? 
 
 He disclosed to her what had passed, and showed 
 her, in general terms, his plan and his wishes. He 
 would try, he said, to find a residence, then come back 
 for her : he hoped she would not refuse him her hand. 
 The poor girl was silent : she concealed her tears, and 
 pressed her friend against her bosom. Wilhelm, 
 though interpreting her silence in the most favour- 
 able manner, could have wished for a distinct reply ; 
 and still more, when at last he inquired of her in the 
 tenderest and most delicate terms, if he might not 
 think himself a father. But to this she answered only 
 with a sigh, with a kiss.
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 Next morning Mariana awoke only to new despond- 
 ency ; she felt herself very solitary ; she wished not 
 to see the light of day, but stayed in bed, and wept. 
 Old Barbara sat down by her, and tried to persuade 
 and console her ; but it was not in her power so soon 
 to heal the wounded heart. The moment was now at 
 hand to which the poor girl had been looking forward 
 as to the last of her hfe. Who could be placed in 
 a more painful situation ? The man she loved was 
 departing ; a disagxeeable lover was threatening to 
 come ; and the most fearful mischiefs were to be 
 anticipated, if the two, as might easily happen, should 
 meet together. 
 
 " Calm yourself, my dear," said the old woman : " do 
 not spoil your pretty eyes with crying. Is it, then, so 
 terrible a thing to have two lovers ? And though you 
 can bestow your love but on the one, yet be thankful 
 to the other, who, caring for you as he does, certainly 
 deserves to be named your friend." 
 
 " My poor Wilhelm," said the other, all in tears, 
 "had warning that a separation was at hand. A 
 dream discovered to him what we strove so much to 
 hide. He was sleeping calmly at my side ; on a sud- 
 den I heard him mutter some unintelHgible sounds : 
 I grew frightened, and awoke him. Ah ! with what 
 love and tenderness and warmth did he clasp me! 
 * Mariana ! ' cried he, ' what a horrid fate have you 
 freed me from ! How shall I thank you for deliver- 
 ance "from such torment ? I dreamed that I was far 
 from you in an unknown country, but your iigure 
 
 so
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 51 
 
 "hovered before me ; I saw you on a beautiful hill, the 
 sunshine was glancing over it all ; how charming you 
 looked ! But it had not lasted long, before I observed 
 your image sinking down, sinking, sinking : I stretched 
 out my arms toward you ; they could not reach you 
 through the distance. Your image still kept gliding 
 down : it approached a great sea that lay far extended 
 at the foot of the hill, — a marsh rather than a sea. 
 All at once a man gave you his hand, and seemed 
 meaning to conduct you upwards ; but he led you 
 sidewards, and appeared to draw you after him. I 
 cried out : as I could not reach you, I hoped to warn 
 you. If I tried to walk, the ground seemed to hold 
 me fast; if I could walk, the water hindered me; 
 and even my cries were smothered in my breast.' So 
 said the poor youth, while recovering from his terror, 
 and reckoning himself happy to see a frightful dream 
 thrust aside by the most delicious reality." 
 
 Barbara made every effort to reduce, by her prose, 
 the poetry of her friend to the domain of common life ; 
 employing, in the present case, the ingenious craft 
 which so often succeeds with bird-catchers, when they 
 imitate with a whistle the tones of those luckless 
 creatures they soon hope to see by dozens safely 
 lodged in their nets. She praised Wilhelm : she 
 expatiated on his figure, his eyes, his love. The poor 
 girl heard her with a gratified heart, then arose, let 
 herself be dressed, and appeared calmer. " My child, 
 my darling," continued the old woman, in a cozening 
 tone, " I will not trouble you, or injure you : I cannot 
 think of tearing from you your dearest happiness. 
 Could you mistake my intention ? Have you forgot- 
 ten that on all occasions I have cared for you more 
 than for myself ? Tell me only what you wish : we 
 shall soon see how it may be brought about." 
 
 " What can I wish ? " said Mariana ; " I am misera- 
 ble, miserable for life : I love him, and he loves me ;
 
 $2 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 yet I see that I must part with hiin, and know not 
 how I shall survive it. Norberg is coming, to whom 
 we owe our whole subsistence, whom we cannot live 
 without. Wilhelm is straitened in his fortune : he 
 can do nothing for me." 
 
 " Yes, unfortunately, he is of those lovers who bring 
 nothing but their hearts ; and these people, too, have 
 the highest pretensions of any." 
 
 " No jesting ! The unhappy youth thinks of leaving 
 his home, of going upon the stage, of offering me his 
 hand." 
 
 " Of empty hands we have akeady four." 
 
 " I have no choice," continued Mariana : " do you 
 decide for me. Cast me away to this side or to that ; 
 mark only one thing, — I think I carry in my bosom 
 a pledge that ought to unite me with him still more 
 closely. Consider and determine : whom shall I for- 
 sake ? whom shall I follow ? " 
 
 After a short silence, Barbara exclaimed, " Strange 
 that youth should always be for extremes ! To my 
 view, nothing would be easier than for us to combine 
 both the profit and the enjoyment. Do you love the 
 one, let the other pay for it : all we have to mind, 
 is being sharp enough to keep the two from meeting." 
 
 " Do as you please : I can imagine nothing, but I 
 will obey." 
 
 " We have this advantage : we can humour the 
 manager's caprice and pride about the morals of his 
 troop. Both lovers are accustomed already to go 
 secretly and cautiously to work. For hours and op- 
 portunity I will take thought : only henceforth you 
 must act the part that I prescribe to you. Who 
 knows what circumstances may arise to help us ? If 
 Norberg would arrive even now, when Wilhelm is 
 away ! Who can hinder you from thinking of the one 
 in the arms of the other ? I wish you a son, and 
 good fortune with him : he will have a rich father."
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 53 
 
 These projects lightened Mariana's despondency 
 only for a very short time. She could not bring her 
 situation into harmony with her feelings, with her 
 convictions : she would fain have forgotten the painful 
 relations in which she stood, and a thousand little cir- 
 cumstances forced them back every moment to her 
 recollection.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 In the meantime, Wilhelm had completed the short 
 preliminary journey. His merchant being from home, 
 he deHvered the letter of introduction to the mistress 
 of the house. But neither did this lady give him much 
 furtherance in his purposes : she was in a violent pas- 
 sion, and her whole economy was in confusion. 
 
 He had not waited long when she disclosed to him, 
 what in truth could not be kept a secret, that her step- 
 daughter had run off with a player, — a person who had 
 parted lately from a small strolling company, and had 
 stayed in the place, and commenced teaching French. 
 The father, distracted with grief and vexation, had run 
 to the Amt to have the fugitives pursued. She blamed 
 her daughter bitterly, and \dlified the lover, till she left 
 no tolerable quahty with either : she deplored at great 
 length the shame thus brought upon the family ; em- 
 barrassing our hero not a little, who here felt his own 
 private scheme beforehand judged and punished, in the 
 spirit of prophecy as it were, by this frenzied sibyl. 
 Still stronger and deeper was the interest he took in 
 the sorrows of the father, who now returned from the 
 Amt, and with fixed sorrow, in broken sentences, gave 
 his wife an account of the errand, and strove to hide 
 the embarrassment and distraction of his mind ; while, 
 after looking at the letter, he directed that the horse 
 it spoke of should be given to Wilhelm. 
 
 Our friend thought it best to mount his steed imme- 
 diately, and quit a house where, in its present state, he 
 could not possibly be comfortable ; but the honest man 
 would not allow the son of one to whom he had so 
 
 54
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 55 
 
 many obligations to depart without tasting of his hos- 
 pitality, without remaining at least a night beneath his 
 rgof. 
 
 Wilhelm had partaken of a melancholy supper, 
 worn out a restless night, and hastened, early in the 
 morning, to get rid of these people, who, without know- 
 ing it, had, by their narratives and utterances, been 
 constantly wounding him to the quick. 
 
 In a musing mood, he was riding slowly along, when 
 all at once he observed a number of armed men com- 
 ing through the fields. By their long, loose coats, 
 with enormous cuffs ; by their shapeless hats, clumsy 
 muskets ; by their unpretending gait, and contented 
 bearing of the body, — he recognised in these people 
 a detachment of provincial militia. They halted be- 
 neath an old oak, set down their firearms, and placed 
 themselves at their ease upon the sward, to smoke a 
 pipe of tobacco. Wilhelm lingered near them, and 
 entered into conversation with a young man who came 
 up on horseback. The history of the two runaways, 
 which he knew but too well, was again detailed to him, 
 and that with comments not particularly flattering, 
 either to the young pair themselves, or to the parents.. 
 He also learned that the military had come hither to 
 take into custody the loving couple, who had already 
 been seized and detained in a neighbouring village. 
 After some time, accordingly, a cart was seen advanc- 
 ing to the place, encircled with a city guard more 
 ludicrous than appalling. An amorphous town clerk 
 rode forth, and made his compliments to the Actuarius 
 (for such was the young man Wilhelm had been speak- 
 ing to), on the border of their several districts, with 
 great conscientiousness and queer giimaces ; as perhaps 
 the ghost and the conjurer do, when they meet, the 
 one within the circle and the other out of it, in their 
 dismal midnight operations. 
 
 But the chief attention of the lookers-on was directed
 
 56 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 to the cart : they could not behold, without compassion, 
 the poor, misguided creatures, who were sitting upon 
 bundles of straw, looking tenderly at one another, and 
 scarcely seeming to observe the bystanders. Accident 
 had forced their conductors to bring them from the 
 last village in that unseemly style ; the old chaise, 
 which had previously transported the lady, having 
 there broken down. On that occurrence she had 
 begged for permission to sit beside her friend ; whom, 
 in the conviction that his crime was of a capital sort, 
 the rustic bailiffs had so far brought along in irons. 
 These irons certainly contributed to give the tender 
 group a more interesting appearance, particularly as 
 the young man moved and bore himself with great 
 dignity, while he kissed more than once the hands of 
 his fair companion. 
 
 " We are unfortunate," she cried to the bystanders, 
 " but not so guilty as we seem. It is thus that cruel 
 men reward true love ; and parents, who entirely 
 neglect the happiness of their children, tear them with 
 fury from the arms of joy, when it has found them 
 after many weary days." 
 
 The spectators were expressing their sympathy in 
 various ways, when, the officers of law having fin- 
 ished their ceremonial, the cart went on; and Wil- 
 helm, who took a deep interest in the fate of the lovers, 
 hastened forward by a foot-path to get some acquaint- 
 ance with the Amtmann before the procession should 
 arrive. But scarcely had he reached the Amthaus, 
 where all was in motion, and ready to receive the 
 fugitives, when his new friend, the Actuarius, laid hold 
 of him ; and giving him a circumstantial detail of the 
 whole proceedings, and then launching out into a com- 
 prehensive eulogy of his own horse, which he had got 
 by barter the night before, put a stop to every other 
 sort of conversation. 
 
 The luckless pair, in the meantime, had been set
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 57 
 
 down behind, at the garden, which communicated by a 
 little door with the Amthatis, and thus brought in 
 unobserved. The Actuarius, for this mild and hand- 
 some treatment, accepted of a just encomium from 
 Wilhelm ; though in truth his sole object had been 
 to mortify the crowd collected in front of the Amthaus, 
 by denying them the satisfaction of looking at a neigh- 
 bour in disgrace. 
 
 The Amtmann, who had no particular taste for such 
 extraordinary occurrences, being wont on these occa- 
 sions to commit frequent errors, and, with the best 
 intentions, to be often paid with sour admonitions from 
 the higher powers, went with heavy steps into his 
 office room ; the Achiarms with Wilhelm and a few 
 respectable citizens following him. 
 
 The lady was first produced : she advanced without 
 pertness, calm and self-possessed. The manner of her 
 dress, the way in which she bore herself, showed that 
 she was a person not without value in her own eyes. 
 She accordingly began, without any questions being 
 put, to speak, not unskilfully, about her situation. 
 
 The Actuarius bade her be silent, and held his pen 
 over the folded sheet. The Amtmann gathered up his 
 resolution, looked at his assistant, cleared his throat by 
 two or three hems, and asked the poor girl what was 
 her name, and how old she was. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir," said she, " but it seems 
 very strange to me that you ask my name and age, 
 seeing you know very well what my name is, and that 
 I am just of the age of your oldest son. Wliat you 
 do want to know of nie, and need to know, I will tell 
 freely without cu'cumlocution. 
 
 " Since my father's second marriage, my situation in 
 his house has not been of the most enviable sort. 
 Oftener than once I have had it in my power to make 
 a suitable marriage, had not my stepmother, dreading 
 the expense of my portion, taken care to thwart all
 
 58 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 such proposals. At length I grew acquainted with the 
 young Melina ; I felt constrained to love him ; and, as 
 we both foresaw the obstacles that stood in the way of 
 our regular union, we determined to go forth together, 
 and seek in the wide world the happiness denied us at 
 home. I took nothing with me that was not my own : 
 we did not run away hke thieves and robbers ; and my 
 lover does not merit to be hauled about in this way, 
 with chains and handcuffs. The prince is just, and 
 will not sanction such severity. If we are liable to 
 punishment, it is not punishment of this kind." 
 
 The old Amtmann hereupon fell into double and 
 treble confusion. Sounds of the most gracious eulo- 
 gies were already humming through his brain, and the 
 girl's voluble speech had entirely confounded the plan 
 of his protocol. The mischief increased, when to re- 
 peated official questions she refused giving any answer, 
 but constantly referred to what she had already said. 
 
 " I am no criminal," she said. " They have brought 
 me hither on bundles of straw to put me to shame, but 
 there is a higher court that will bring us back to 
 honour." 
 
 The Actuarius, in the meantime, had kept writing 
 down her words : he whispered the Amtmann, " just 
 to go on, — a formal protocol might be made out by 
 and by." 
 
 The senior then again took heart, and began, with 
 his heavy words, in dry prescribed formulas, to seek 
 information about the sweet secrets of love. 
 
 The red mounted into Wilhelm's cheeks, and those 
 of the pretty criminal likewise glowed with the charm- 
 ing tinge of modesty. She was silent, she stammered, 
 till at last her embarrassment itself seemed to exalt 
 her courage. 
 
 " Be assured," she cried, " that I should have strength 
 enough to confess the truth, though it made against 
 myself; and shall I now hesitate and stammer, when
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 59 
 
 it does me honour ? Yes : from the moment when I 
 first felt certain of his love and faith, I looked upon 
 him as my husband ; I freely gave him all that love 
 requires, — that a heart once convinced cannot long 
 refuse. Now do with me what you please. If I 
 hesitated for a moment to confess, it was solely owing 
 to fear lest the admission might prove hurtful to my 
 lover." 
 
 On hearing this confession, Wilhelm formed a high 
 opinion of the young woman's feehngs, while her judges 
 marked her as an impudent strumpet ; and the towns- 
 folk present thanked God that in their families no such 
 scandal had occurred, or at least been brought to light. 
 
 Wilhelm transported his Mariana into this conjec- 
 ture, answering at the bar : he put still finer words in 
 her mouth, making her uprightness yet more affecting, 
 her confession still nobler. The most violent desire 
 to help the two lovers took possession of him. Nor 
 did he conceal this feehng, but signified in private to 
 the wavering Anitmann, that it were better to end the 
 business ; all being clear as possible, and requiring no 
 further investigation. 
 
 This was so far of service that the young woman 
 was allowed to retire ; though, in her stead, the lover 
 was brought in, his fetters having previously been 
 taken off him at the door. This person seemed a 
 little more concerned about his fate. His answers 
 were more careful ; and, if he showed less heroic gen- 
 erosity, he recommended himself by the precision and 
 distinctness of his expressions. 
 
 When this audience also was finished, and found to 
 agree in all points with the former, except that, from 
 regard for his mistress, Melina stubbornly denied 
 what had already been confessed by herself, the young 
 woman was again brought forward ; and a scene took 
 place between the two, which made the heart of our 
 friend entirely their own.
 
 6o MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 What usually occurs nowhere but in romances and 
 plays, he saw here in a paltry courtroom before his 
 eyes, — the contest of reciprocal magnanimity, the 
 strength of love in misfortune. 
 
 " Is it, then, true," said he internally, " that timorous 
 affection, which conceals itself from the eye of the sun 
 and of men, not daring to taste of enjoyment save in 
 remote solitude and deep secrecy, yet, if torn rudely by 
 some cruel chance into light, will show itself more 
 courageous, strong, and resolute than any of our loud 
 and ostentatious passions ? " 
 
 To his comfort, the business now soon came to a 
 conclusion. The lovers were detained in tolerable 
 quarters : had it been possible, he would that very 
 evening have brought back the young lady to her 
 parents. For he firmly determined to act as interces- 
 sor in this case, and to forward a happy and lawful 
 union between the lovers. 
 
 He begged permission of the Amtmann to speak in 
 private with Melina, a request which was gi-anted 
 without difficulty.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The conversation of these new acquaintances very- 
 soon grew confidential and lively. When Wilhelm 
 told the downcast youth of his connection with the 
 lady's parents, and offered to mediate in the affair, 
 showing at the same time the strongest expectation of 
 success, a light was shed across the dreary and anxious 
 mind of the prisoner : he felt himself already free, 
 already reconciled with the parents of his bride, and 
 now began to speak about his future occupation and 
 support. 
 
 " On this point," said our friend, " you cannot long be 
 in difficulty ; for you seem to me directed, not more by 
 your circumstances than by nature, to make your for- 
 tune in the noble profession you have chosen. A pleas- 
 ing figure, a sonorous voice, a feeling heart ! Could an 
 actor be better furnished ? If I can serve you with a 
 few introductions, it will give me the greatest pleasure." 
 
 " I thank you with all my heart," replied the other, 
 " but I shall hardly be able to make use of them ; for 
 it is my purpose, if possible, not to return to the 
 stage." 
 
 " Here you are certainly to blame," said Wilhelm, 
 after a pause, during which he had partly recovered 
 out of his astonishment ; for it had never once entered 
 his head, but that the player, the moment his young 
 wife and he were out of durance, would repair to some 
 theatre. It seemed to him as natural and as necessary 
 as for the frog to seek pools of water. He had not 
 doubted of it for a moment, and he now heard the 
 contrary with boundless surprise. 
 
 6i
 
 62 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " Yes," replied Melina, " I have it in view not to re- 
 appear upon the stage, but rather to take up some civil 
 calling, be it what it will, so that I can but obtain one." 
 
 " This is a strange resolution, which I cannot give 
 my approbation to. Without especial reasons, it can 
 never be advisable to change the mode of life we have 
 begun with ; and, besides, I know of no condition that 
 presents so much allurement, so many charming pros- 
 pects, as the condition of an actor." 
 
 " It is easy to .see that you have never been one," 
 said the other. 
 
 " Alas, sir," answered Wilhelm, " how seldom is any 
 man contented with the station where he happens to 
 be placed ! He is ever coveting that of his neighbour, 
 from which the neighbour in his turn is longing to be 
 free." 
 
 " Yet still there is a difference," said Melina, " be- 
 tween bad and worse. Experience, not impatience, 
 makes me determine as you see. Is there in the world 
 any creature whose morsel of bread is attended with 
 such vexation, uncertainty, and toil ? It were almost 
 as good to take the staff and wallet, and beg from 
 door to door. What things to be endured from the 
 envy of rivals, from the partiality of managers, from 
 the ever altering caprices of the public ! In truth, 
 one would need to have a hide like a bear's, that is 
 led about in a chain along with apes, and dogs of 
 knowledge, and cudgelled into dancing at the sound 
 of a bagpipe before the populace and children." 
 
 Wilhelm thought a thousand things, which he would 
 not vex the worthy man by uttering. He merely, 
 therefore, led the conversation round them at a dis- 
 tance. His friend explained himself the more candidly 
 and circumstantially on that account. " Is not the 
 manager obliged," said he, " to fall down at the feet of 
 every little Stacltrath, that he may get permission, for 
 a month between the fairs, to cause another groschen
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 63 
 
 or two to circulate in the place ? Ours, on the whole, 
 a worthy man, I have often pitied ; though at other 
 times he gave me cause enough for discontentment. 
 A good actor drains him by extortion ; of the bad he 
 cannot rid himself; and, should he try to make his 
 income at all equal to his outlay, the public immedi- 
 ately takes umbrage, the house stands empty ; and, not 
 to go to wi-eck entirely, he must continue acting in the 
 midst of sorrow and vexation. No, no, sir ! Since 
 you are so good as to undertake to help me, have the 
 kindness, I entreat you, to plead with the parents of 
 my bride: let them get me a little post of clerk or 
 collector, and I shall think myself well dealt with." 
 
 After exchanging a few words more, Wilhelm went 
 away with the promise to visit the parents early in 
 the morning, and see what could be done. Scarcely 
 was he by himself, when he gave utterance to his 
 thoughts in these exclamations : " Unhappy Melina ! 
 not in thy condition, but in thyself, lies the mean im- 
 pediment over which thou canst not gain the mastery. 
 What mortal in the world, if without inward calling he 
 takes up a trade, an art, or any mode of life, will not feel 
 his situation miserable ? But he who is born with ca- 
 pacities for any undertaking, finds in executing this the 
 fairest portion of his being. Nothing upon earth with- 
 out its difficulties ! It is the secret impulse within, it is 
 the love and the delight we feel, that help us to con- 
 quer obstacles, to clear out new paths, and to overleap 
 the bounds of that narrow circle in which others 
 poorly toil. For thee the stage is but a few boards : 
 the parts assigned thee are but what a task is to a 
 schoolboy. The spectators thou regardest as on work- 
 days they regard each other. For thee, then, it may 
 be well to wish thyself behind a desk, over ruled 
 ledgers, collecting tolls, and picking out reversions. 
 Thou feelest not the cooperating, co-inspiring whole, 
 which the mind alone can invent, comprehend, and
 
 64 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 complete : thou feelest not that in man there lives a 
 spark of purer fire, which, when it is not fed, when it 
 is not fanned, gets covered by the ashes of indifference 
 and daily wants, yet not till late, perhaps never, can 
 be altogether quenched. Thou feelest in thy soul no 
 strength to fan this spark into a flame, no riches in 
 thy heart to feed it when aroused. Hunger drives 
 thee on, inconveniences withstand thee ; and it is hid- 
 den from thee, that, in every human condition, foes lie 
 in wait for us, invincible except by cheerfulness and 
 equanimity. Thou dost well to wish thyself within 
 the limits of a common station, for what station that 
 required soul and resolution couldst thou rightly fill ? 
 Give a soldier, a statesman, a divine, thy sentiments, 
 and as justly will he fret himself about the miseries of 
 his condition. Nay, have there not been men so 
 totally forsaken by all feehng of existence, that they 
 have held the life and nature of mortals as a nothing, 
 a painful, short, and tarnished gleam of being ? Did 
 the forms of active men rise up living in thy soul; 
 were thy breast warmed by a sympathetic fire ; did 
 the vocation which proceeds from within diffuse itself 
 over all thy frame ; were the tones of thy voice, the 
 words of thy mouth, delightful to hear ; didst thou feel 
 thy own being sufficient for thyself, — then wouldst 
 thou doubtless seek place and opportunity likewise to 
 feel it in others." 
 
 Amid such words and thoughts, our friend undressed 
 himself, and went to bed, with feelings of the deepest 
 satisfaction. A whole romance of what he now hoped 
 to do, instead of the worthless occupations which 
 should have filled the approaching day, arose within 
 his mind : pleasant fantasies softly conducted him 
 into the kingdom of sleep, and then gave him up to 
 their sisters, sweet dreams, who received him with 
 open arms, and encircled his reposing head vnth the 
 images of heaven.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 65 
 
 Early in the morning he was awake again, and 
 thinking of the business that lay before him. He 
 revisited the house of the forsaken family, where his 
 presence caused no small surprise. He introduced his 
 proposal in the most prudent manner, and soon found 
 both more and fewer difhculties than he had antici- 
 pated. For one thing, the evil was already done : and 
 though people of a singularly strict and harsh temper 
 are wont to set themselves forcibly against the past, 
 and thus to increase the evil that cannot now be 
 remedied ; yet, on the other hand, what is actually 
 done exerts an irresistible effect upon most minds : an 
 event which lately appeared impossible takes its place, 
 so soon as it has really occurred, with what occurs 
 daily. It was accordingly soon settled, that Herr 
 Melina was to wed the daughter; who, however, in 
 return, because of her misconduct, was to take no mar- 
 riage portion with her, and to promise that she would 
 leave her aunt's legacy, for a few years more, at an 
 easy interest, in her father's hands. But the second 
 point, touching a civil provision for Melina, was at- 
 tended with greater difficulties. They liked not to 
 have the luckless pah' continually living in their 
 sight : they would not have a present object ever call- 
 ing to their minds the connection of a mean vagabond 
 with so respectable a family, — a family which could 
 number even a superintendent among its relatives ; 
 nay, it was not to be looked for, that the government 
 would trust him with a charge. Both parents were 
 ahke inflexible in this matter ; and Wilhelm, who 
 pleaded very hard, unwilling that a man whom he con- 
 temned should return to the stage, and convinced that 
 he deserved not such a happiness, could not, with all 
 his rhetoric, produce the slenderest impression. Had 
 he known the secret springs of the business, he would 
 have spared himself the labour of attempting to per- 
 suade. The father would gladly have kept his daugh-
 
 66 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 ter near him ; but he hated the young man, because 
 his wife herself had cast an eye upon him : while the 
 latter could not bear to have, in her stepdaughter, a 
 rival constantly before her eyes. So Melina with his 
 young wife, who already manifested no disHke to go 
 and see the world, and be seen of it, was obliged, 
 against his will, to set forth in a few days, and seek 
 some place in any acting company where he could 
 find one.
 
 CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 Happy season of youth ! Happy times of the first 
 wish of love ! A man is then hke a child that can for 
 hours delight itself with an echo, can support alone the 
 charges of conversation, and be well contented with 
 its entertainment, if the unseen interlocutor wdll but 
 repeat the concluding syllables of the words addressed 
 to it. 
 
 So was it with Wilhelm in the earlier and still more 
 in the later period of his passion for Mariana ; he 
 transferred the whole wealth of his own emotions to 
 her, and looked upon himself as a beggar that lived 
 upon her alms : and as a landscape is more dehghtful, 
 nay, is delightful only, when it is enlightened by the 
 sun ; so hkewise in his eyes were all things beautified 
 and glorified which lay round her or related to her. 
 
 Often would he stand in the theatre behind the 
 scenes, to which he had obtained the freedom of access 
 from the manager. In such cases, it is true, the per- 
 spective magic was away ; but the far mightier sorcery 
 of love then first began to act. For hours he could 
 stand by the sooty light-frame, inhaling the vapour of 
 tallow lamps, looking out at his mistress ; and when 
 she returned, and cast a kindly glance upon him, he 
 could feel himself lost in ecstasy ; and, though close 
 upon laths and bare spars, he seemed transported into 
 paradise. The stuffed bunches of wool denominated 
 lambs, the waterfalls of tin, the paper roses, and the 
 one-sided huts of straw, awoke in him fair poetic 
 visions of an old pastoral world. Nay, the very danc- 
 ing-gMs, ugly as they were when seen at hand, did not 
 
 67
 
 68 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 always inspire him with disgust : they trod the same 
 floor with Mariana. So true is it, that love, which 
 alone can give their full charm to rose-bowers, myrtle- 
 groves, and moonshine, can also communicate, even to 
 shavings of wood, and paper-clippings, the aspect of 
 animated nature. It is so strong a spice, that tasteless 
 or even nauseous soups are by it rendered palatable. 
 
 So potent a spice was certainly required to render 
 tolerable, nay, at last agi-eeable, the state in which he 
 usually found her chamber, not to say herself. 
 
 Brought up in a substantial burgher's house, cleanli- 
 ness and order were the elements in which he breathed ; 
 and, inheriting as he did a portion of his father's taste 
 for finery, it had always been his care, in boyhood, to 
 furbish up his chamber, which he regarded as his little 
 kingdom, in the statehest fashion. His bed-curtains 
 were drawn together in large, massy folds, and fastened 
 with tassels, as they are usually seen in thrones ; he 
 had got himself a carpet for the middle of his chamber, 
 and a finer one for his table ; his books and apparatus 
 he had, almost instinctively, arranged in such a man- 
 ner, that a Dutch painter might have imitated them 
 for gi'oups in his still-life scenes. He had a white cap, 
 which he wore straight up like a turban ; and the 
 sleeves of his nightgown he had caused to be cut short, 
 in the mode of the Orientals. By way of reason for 
 this, he pretended that long, wide sleeves encumbered 
 him in writing. When, at night, the boy was quite 
 alone, and no longer dreaded any interruption, he 
 usually wore a silk sash tied round his body : and 
 often, it is said, he would fix in his girdle a sword, 
 which he had appropriated from an old armory, and 
 thus repeat and declaim his tragic parts ; nay, in the 
 same trim he would kneel down and say his evening 
 prayer. 
 
 In those times, how happy did he think the players, 
 whom he saw possessed of so many splendid garments.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 69 
 
 trappings, and arms ; and in the constant practice of a 
 lofty demeanour, the spirit of which seemed to hold up 
 a mirror of whatever, in the opinions, relations, and 
 passions of men, was stateliest and most magnificent. 
 Of a piece with this, thought Wilhelm, is also the 
 player's domestic life, — a series of dignified transac- 
 tions and employments, whereof their appearance on 
 the stage is but the outmost portion ; like as a mass of 
 silver, long simmering about in the purifying furnace, 
 at length gleams with a bright and beautiful tinge in 
 the eye of the refiner, and shows him, at the same time, 
 that the metal now is cleansed of all foreign mixture. 
 
 Great, accordingly, was his surprise at first, when he 
 found himself beside his mistress, and looked down, 
 through the cloud that environed him, on tables, stools, 
 and floor. The wrecks of a transient, light, and false 
 decoration lay, like the glittering coat of a skinned 
 fish, dispersed in wild disorder. The implements of 
 personal cleanliness, — combs, soap, towels, — with the 
 traces of their use, were not concealed. Music, por- 
 tions of plays and pairs of shoes, washes and Italian 
 flowers, pincushions, hair-skewers, rouge-pots, and rib- 
 bons, books and straw hats, — no article despised the 
 neighbourhood of another : all were united by a com- 
 mon element, — powder and dust. Yet as Wilhelm 
 scarcely noticed in her presence aught except herself ; 
 nay, as all that had belonged to her, that she had 
 touched, was dear to him, — he came at last to feel, 
 in this chaotic housekeeping, a charm which the proud 
 pomp of his own habitation never had communicated. 
 When, on this hand, he lifted aside her bodice, to get 
 at the harpsichord ; on that, threw her gown upon the 
 bed, that he might find a seat ; when she herself, with 
 careless freedom, did not seek to hide from him many 
 a natural office, which, out of respect for the presence 
 of a second person, is usually concealed, — he felt as 
 if by all this he was coming nearer to her every
 
 70 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 moment, as if the communion betwixt them was 
 fastening by invisible ties. 
 
 It was not so easy to reconcile with his previous 
 ideas the behaviour of the other players, whom, on his 
 first visits, he often met with in her house. Ever 
 busied in being idle, they seemed to think least of all 
 on their employment and object : the poetic worth of 
 a piece they were never heard to speak of, or to judge 
 of, right or wTong ; their continual question was simply. 
 How much will it bring ? Is it a stock-piece ? How 
 long will it run ? How often think you it may be 
 played ? and other inquiries and observations of the 
 same description. Then commonly they broke out 
 against the manager, that he was stinted ^vith his 
 salaries, and especially unjust to this one or to that ; 
 then against the public, how seldom it recompensed 
 the right man with its approval, how the German 
 theatre was daily improving, how the player was ever 
 growing more honoured, and never could be honoured 
 enough. Then they would descant largely about wine- 
 gardens and coffee-houses ; how much debt one of their 
 comrades had contracted, and must suffer a deduction 
 from his wages on account of ; about the disproportion 
 of their weekly salaries ; about the cabals of some 
 rival company : on which occasions, they would pass 
 again to the gi'eat and merited attention which the 
 public now bestowed upon them ; not forgetting 
 the importance of the theatre to the improvement 
 of the nation and the world. 
 
 All this, which had already given Wilhelm many a 
 restless hour, came again into his memory, as he 
 walked his horse slowly homewards, and contemplated 
 the various occurrences in which he had so lately been 
 engaged. The commotion produced by a girl's elope- 
 ment, not only in a decent family, but in a whole 
 town, he had seen with his own eyes : the scenes upon 
 the highway and in the Amthaus, the views enter-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 71 
 
 tained by Meliua, and whatever else he had witnessed, 
 again arose before him, and brought his keen, forecast- 
 ing mind into a sort of anxious disquietude ; which no 
 longer to endure, he struck the spurs into his horse, 
 and hastened toward home. 
 
 By this expedient, however, he but ran to meet new 
 vexations. Werner, his friend and future brother-in- 
 law, was waiting for him, to begin a serious, important, 
 unexpected conversation. 
 
 Werner was one of those tried, sedate persons, with 
 fixed principles and habits, whom we usually denom- 
 inate cold characters, because on emergencies they do 
 not burst forth quickly or very visibly. Accordingly, 
 his intercourse with Wilhelm was a perpetual contest ; 
 which, however, only served to knit their mutual aftec- 
 tion the more firmly ; for, notwithstanding their very 
 opposite modes of thinking, each found his account in 
 communicating with the other. Werner was very well 
 contented with himself, that he could now and then 
 lay a bridle on the exalted but commonly extravagant 
 spirit of his friend ; and Wilhelm often felt a glorious 
 triumph, when the staid and thinking Werner could 
 be hurried on with him in warm ebullience. Thus 
 each exercised himself upon the other ; they had been 
 accustomed to see each other daily ; and you would 
 have said, their eagerness to meet and talk together 
 had even been augmented by the inability of each to 
 understand the other. At bottom, however, being both 
 good-hearted men, they were both travelling together 
 toward one goal ; and they could never understand 
 how it was that neither of the two could bring the 
 other over to his own persuasion. 
 
 For some time Werner had observed that Wilhelm's 
 visits had been rarer ; that in his favourite discussions 
 he was brief and absent-minded ; that he no longer 
 abandoned himself to the vivid depicting of singular 
 conceptions, — tokens by which, in truth, a mind get-
 
 72 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 ting rest and contentment in the presence of a friend 
 is most clearly indicated. The considerate and punc- 
 tual Werner first sought for the root of the evil in his 
 own conduct ; till some rumours of the neighbourhood 
 set him on the proper trace, and some unguarded pro- 
 ceedings on the part of Wilhelm brought him nearer to 
 the certainty. He began his investigation, and erelong 
 discovered, that for some time Wilhelm had been openly 
 visiting an actress, had often spoken with her at the 
 theatre, and accompanied her home. On discovering 
 the nightly visits of his friend, Werner's anxiety 
 increased to a painful extent: for he heard that 
 Mariana was a most seductive girl, who probably was 
 draining the youth of his money ; while, at the same 
 time, she herself was supported by another and a very 
 worthless lover. 
 
 Having pushed his suspicions as near certainty as 
 possible, he had resolved to make a sharp attack on 
 Wilhelm : he was now in full readiness with all his 
 preparations, when his friend returned, discontented 
 and unsettled, from his journey. 
 
 That very evening Werner laid the whole of what he 
 knew before him, first calmly, then with the emphatic 
 earnestness of a well-meaning friendship. He left no 
 point of the subject undiscussed, and made Wilhelm 
 taste abundance of those bitter things which men at 
 ease are accustomed, with virtuous spite, to dispense 
 so liberally to men in love. Yet, as might have 
 been expected, he accomplished little. Wilhelm an- 
 swered with interior commotion, though with great 
 confidence, " You know not the girl ! Appearances, 
 perhaps, are not to her advantage ; but I am certain 
 of her faithfulness and virtue, as of my love." 
 
 Werner maintained his accusations, and offered to 
 bring proofs and witnesses. Wilhelm waived these 
 offers, and parted with his friend out of humour and 
 unhinged, like a man in whose jaw some unskilful
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 73 
 
 dentist has been seizing a diseased, yet fast-rooted, 
 tooth, and tugging at it harshly to no purpose. 
 
 It exceedingly dissatisfied Wilhelm to see the fair 
 image of Mariana overclouded and almost deformed in 
 his soul, first by the capricious fancies of his journey, 
 and then by the unfriendliness of Werner. He adopted 
 the surest means of restoring it to complete brilhancy 
 and beauty, by setting out at night, and hastening to 
 his wonted destination. She received him with extreme 
 joy : on entering the town, he had ridden past her 
 window ; she had been expecting his company ; and it 
 is easy to conceive that all scruples were soon driven 
 from his heart. Nay, her tenderness again opened up 
 the whole stores of his confidence ; and he told her 
 how deeply the pubhc, how deeply his friend, had 
 sinned against her. 
 
 Much lively talking led them at length to speak 
 about the earhest period of their acquaintance, the 
 recollection of which forms always one of the most 
 delightful topics between two lovers. The first steps 
 that introduce us to the enchanted garden of love are 
 so full of pleasure, the first prospects so charming, that 
 every one is willing to recall them to his memory. 
 Each party seeks a preference above the other; each 
 has loved sooner, more devotedly ; and each, in this 
 contest, would rather be conquered than conquer. 
 
 Wilhelm repeated to his mistress, what he had so 
 often told her before, how she soon abstracted his 
 attention from the play, and fixed it on herself ; how 
 her form, her acting, her voice, inspired him ; how at 
 last he went only on the nights when she was to 
 appear ; how, in fine, having ventured behind the 
 scenes, he had often stood by her unheeded ; and he 
 spoke with rapture of the happy evening when he 
 found an opportunity to do her some civility, and lead 
 her into conversation. 
 
 Mariana, on the other hand, would not allow that
 
 74 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 she had failed so long to notice him : she declared 
 that she had seen him in the public walk, and for 
 proof she described the clothes which he wore on that 
 occasion ; she affirmed that even then he pleased 
 her before all others, and made her long for his 
 acquaintance. 
 
 How gladly did Wilhelm credit all this ! How 
 gladly did he catch at the persuasion, that, when he 
 used to approach her, she had felt herself drawn 
 toward him by some resistless influence ; that she had 
 gone with him between the side-scenes on purpose to 
 see him more closely, and get acquainted with him ; and 
 that, in fine, when his backwardness and modesty 
 were not to be conquered, she had herself afforded him 
 an opportunity, and, as it were, compelled him to 
 hand her a glass of lemonade. 
 
 In this affectionate contest, which they pursued 
 through all the little circumstances of then- brief 
 romance, the hours passed rapidly away ; and Wil- 
 helm left his mistress with his heart at peace, and 
 firmly determined on proceeding forthwith to the exe- 
 cution of his project.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The necessary preparations for his journey his father 
 and mother had attended to : some httle matters that 
 were yet wanting to his equipage, delayed his depar- 
 ture for a few days. Wilhelm took advantage of this 
 opportunity to write to Mariana, meaning thus to 
 bring to a decision the proposal, about which she had 
 hitherto avoided speaking with him. The letter was 
 as follows : 
 
 " Under the kind veil of night, which has often over- 
 shadowed us together, I sit and think, and write to 
 thee: all that I meditate and do is solely on thy 
 account. Mariana ! with me, the happiest of men, 
 it is as with a bridegroom who stands in the festive 
 chamber, dreaming of the new universe that is to be 
 unfolded to him, and by means of him, and, while the 
 holy ceremonies are proceeding, transports himself in 
 longing thought before the mysterious curtains, from 
 which the loveliness of love whispers out to him. 
 
 " I have constrained myself not to see thee for a 
 few days : the sacrifice was easy, when united with 
 the hope of such a recompense, of being always with 
 thee, of remaining ever thine ! Need I repeat what I 
 desire ? I must ! for it seems as if yet thou hadst 
 never understood me. 
 
 "How often, in the low tones of true love, which, 
 though wishing to gain all, dares speak but little, have 
 I sought in thy heart for the desire of a perpetual 
 union. Thou hast understood me, doubtless ; for in 
 thy own heart the same wish must have arisen : thou 
 didst comprehend me, in that kiss, in the intoxicating 
 
 75
 
 76 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 peace of that happy evening. Thy silence testified to 
 me thy modest honour ; and how did it increase my 
 love ! Another woman would have had recourse to 
 artifice, that she might ripen by superfluous sunshine 
 the purpose of her lover's heart, might ehcit a proposal, 
 and secure a firm promise. Mariana, on the contrary, 
 drew back : she repelled the half-opened confidence of 
 him she loved, and sought to conceal her approving 
 feelings by apparent indifference. But I have under- 
 stood thee ! What a miserable creature must I be, if 
 I did not by these tokens recognise the pure and gen- 
 erous love that cares not for itself, but for its object ! 
 Confide in me, and fear nothing. We belong to one 
 another ; and neither of us leaves aught or forsakes 
 aught, if we live for one another. 
 
 " Take it, then, this hand ! Solemnly I offer this 
 unnecessary pledge ! All the joys of love we have 
 already felt, but there is a new blessedness in the firm 
 thought of duration. Ask not how, — care not. Fate 
 takes care of love, and the more certainly as love is 
 easy to provide for. 
 
 " My heart has long ago forsaken my paternal home : 
 it is with thee, as my spirit hovers on the stage. O 
 my darling ! to what other man has it been given to 
 unite all his wishes, as it is to me ? No sleep falls 
 upon my eyes : Hke the redness of an everlasting dawn, 
 thy love and thy happiness still glow around me. 
 
 " Scarcely can I hold myself from springing up, 
 from rushing forth to thee, and forcing thy consent, 
 and, with the first light of to-morrow, pressing forward 
 into the world for the mark I aim at. But, no ! I will 
 restrain myself ; I will not act like a thoughtless fool, 
 will do nothing rashly : my plan is laid, and I will 
 execute it calmly. 
 
 " I am acquainted with the Manager Serlo : my 
 journey leads me directly to the place where he is. 
 For above a year he has frequently been wishing that
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 77 
 
 his people had a touch of my vivacity, and my delight 
 in theatrical affairs : I shall doubtless be very kindly 
 received. Into your company I cannot enter, for more 
 than one reason. Serlo's theatre, moreover, is at such 
 a distance fi-om this, that I may there begin my under- 
 taking without any apprehension of discovery. With 
 him I shall thus at once find a tolerable maintenance : 
 I shall look about me in the public, get acquainted 
 with the company, and then come back for thee. 
 
 " Mariana, thou seest what I can force myself to do, 
 that I may certainly obtain thee. I'or such a period 
 not to see thee ; for such a period to know thee in 
 the wide world ! I dare not view it closely. But yet 
 if I recall to memory thy love, which assures me of 
 all ; if thou shalt not disdain my prayer, and give 
 me, ere we part, thy hand, before the priest, — I 
 may then depart in peace. It is but a form between 
 us, yet a form so touching, — the blessing of Heaven 
 to the blessing of the earth. Close by thy house, in 
 the Ritterschaftliche Chapel, the ceremony will be 
 soon and secretly performed. 
 
 " For the beginning I have gold enough ; we will 
 share it between us ; it will suffice for both ; and, 
 before that is finished. Heaven will send us more. 
 
 " No, my darhng, I am not downcast about the 
 issue. What is begun with so much cheerfulness 
 must reach a happy end. I have never doubted that 
 a man may force his way through the world, if he 
 really is in earnest about it ; and I feel strength 
 enough within me to provide a liberal support for 
 two, and many more. The world, we are often told, 
 is unthankful : I have never yet discovered that it 
 was unthankful, if one knew how, in the proper way, 
 to do it service. My whole soul burns at the idea, 
 that I shall at length step forth, and speak to the 
 hearts of men something they have long been yearn- 
 ing to hear. How many thousand times has a feeling
 
 78 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 of disgust passed through me, ahve as I am to the 
 nobleness of the stage, when I have seen the poorest 
 creatures fancying they could speak a word of power 
 to the hearts of the people ! The tone of a man's 
 voice singing treble sounds far pleasanter and purer 
 to my ear; it is incredible how these blockheads, in 
 their coarse ineptitude, deform things beautiful and 
 venerable. 
 
 "The theatre has often been at variance with the 
 pulpit : they ought not, I think, to quarrel. How 
 much is it to be wished, that in both the celebration 
 of nature and of God were entrusted to none but men 
 of noble minds ! These are no dreams, my darling ! 
 As I have felt in thy heart that thou couldst love, 
 I seize the dazzhng thought, and say, — no, I will not 
 say, but I will hope and trust, — that we two shall 
 yet appear to men as a pair of chosen spirits, to unlock 
 their hearts, to touch the recesses of their nature, and 
 prepare for them celestial joys, as surely as the joys 
 I have tasted with thee deserved to be named celestial, 
 since they drew us from ourselves, and exalted us 
 above ourselves. 
 
 " I cannot end. I have already said too much, and 
 know not whether I have yet said all, all that con- 
 cerns thy interests ; for to express the agitations of the 
 vortex that w^hirls round within myself, is beyond 
 the power of words. 
 
 " Yet take this sheet, my love ! I have again read 
 it over: I observe it ought to have begun more cau- 
 tiously ; but it contains in it all that thou hast need 
 to know, — enough to prepare thee for the hour when 
 I shall return with the lightness of love to thy bosom. 
 I seem to myself like a prisoner that is secretly filing 
 his irons asunder. I bid good night to my soundly 
 sleeping parents. Farewell, my beloved, farewell ! 
 For this time I conclude ; my eyelids have more than 
 once dropped together ; it is now deep in the night."
 
 CHAPTEE XVII. 
 
 It seemed as if the day would never end, while 
 Wilhelm, with the letter beautifully folded in his 
 pocket, longed to meet with Mariana. The darkness 
 had scarcely come on, when, contrary to custom, he 
 glided forth to her house. His plan was, to announce 
 himself for the night ; then to quit his mistress for 
 a short time, leaving the letter with her ere he went 
 away ; and, returning at a late hour, to obtain her 
 reply, her consent, or to force it from her by the 
 power of his caresses. He flew into her arms, and 
 pressed her in rapture to his bosom. The vehemence 
 of his emotions prevented him at first from noticing, 
 that, on this occasion, she did not receive him with 
 her wonted heartiness ; yet she could not long conceal 
 her painful situation, but imputed it to slight indis- 
 position. She complained of a headache, and would 
 not by any means consent to his proposal of coming 
 back that night. Suspecting nothing wrong, he ceased 
 to urge her, but felt that this was not the moment for 
 deUvering his letter. He retained it, therefore ; and, 
 as several of her movements and observations courte- 
 ously compelled him to take his leave, in the tumult 
 of unsatiable love he snatched up one of her necker- 
 chiefs, squeezed it into his pocket, and forced himself 
 away from her lips and her door. He returned home, 
 but could not rest there : he again dressed himself, and 
 went out into the open air. 
 
 After walking up and down several streets, he was 
 accosted by a stranger inquiring for a certain inn. 
 Wilhelm offered to conduct him to the house. In 
 
 79
 
 8o MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 the way, his new acquaintance asked about the names 
 of the streets, the owners of various extensive edifices, 
 then about some poHce regulations of the town ; so 
 tliat, by the time they reached the door of the inn, 
 they had fallen into quite an interesting conversa- 
 tion. The stranger pohtely compelled his guide to 
 enter, and drink a glass of punch with him. Ere long 
 he had told his name and place of abode, as well as 
 the business that had brought him hither; and he 
 seemed to expect a like confidence from Wilhelm. 
 Our friend, without any hesitation, mentioned his 
 name, and the place where he lived. 
 
 "Are you not a grandson of the old Meister, who 
 possessed that beautiful collection of pictures and 
 statues ? " inquired the stranger. 
 
 " Yes, I am. I was ten years old when my grand- 
 father died, and it grieved me very much to see these 
 fine things sold." 
 
 " Your father got a fine sum of money for them." 
 
 " You know of it, then ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed : I saw that treasure ere it left your 
 house. Your gi-andfather was not merely a collector, 
 he had a thorough knowledge of art. In his younger 
 happy years he had been in Italy, and had brought 
 back with him such treasures as could not now be 
 got for any price. He possessed some exquisite pic- 
 tures by the best masters. When you looked through 
 his drawings, you would scarcely have beheved your 
 eyes. Among his marbles were some invaluable frag- 
 ments ; his series of bronzes was instructive and well 
 chosen ; he had also collected medals, in considerable 
 quantity, relating to history and art ; his few gems de- 
 served the greatest praise. In addition to all which, the 
 whole was tastefully arranged ; although the rooms and 
 hall of the old house had not been symmetrically built." 
 
 " You may conceive," said Wilhelm, " what we young 
 ones lost, when all these articles were taken down and
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 8i 
 
 sent away. It was the first mournful period of my life. 
 I cannot tell you how empty the chambers looked 
 when we saw those objects vanish one by one, which 
 had amused us from our earhest years, and which we 
 considered as unalterable as the house, or the town 
 itself." 
 
 " If I mistake not, your father put the capital pro- 
 duced by the sale into some neighbour's stock, with 
 whom he commenced a sort of partnership in trade." 
 
 " Quite right ; and their joint speculations have 
 prospered in their hands. Within the last twelve 
 years, they have greatly increased their fortunes, and 
 are now the more vehemently bent on gaining. Old 
 Werner also has a son, who suits that sort of occupa- 
 tion much better than I." 
 
 " I am sorry the place should have lost such an 
 ornament as your grandfather's cabinet was to it. 
 I saw it but a short time prior to the sale ; and I 
 may say, I was myself the cause of its being then 
 disposed of. A rich nobleman, a great amateur, but 
 one who, in such important transactions, does not 
 trust to his own solitary judgment, had sent me 
 hither, and requested my advice. For six days I 
 examined the collection ; on the seventh, I advised 
 my friend to pay down the required sum without 
 delay. You were then a lively boy, often running 
 about me : you explained to me the subjects of the 
 pictures, and in general, I recollect, could give a very 
 good account of the whole cabinet." 
 
 " I remember such a person, but I should not have 
 recognised him in you." 
 
 " It is a good while ago, and we all change more or 
 less. You had, if I mistake not, a favourite piece 
 among them, to which you were ever calling my 
 attention." 
 
 "Oh, yes! it represented the history of that king's 
 son dying of a secret love for his father's bride."
 
 82 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " It was not, certainly, the best picture, — badly 
 grouped, of no superiority in colouring, and executed 
 altogether with gxeat mannerism." 
 
 " This I did not understand, and do not yet : it is 
 the subject that charms me in a picture, not the art." 
 
 " Your grandfather seemed to have thought other- 
 wise. The greater part of his collection consisted of 
 excellent pieces ; in which, represent what they might, 
 one constantly admired the talent of the master. This 
 picture of yours had accordingly been hung in the 
 outermost room, — a proof that he valued it slightly." 
 
 " It was in that room where we young ones used to 
 play, and where the piece you mention made on me a 
 deep impression ; which not even your criticism, greatly 
 as I honour it, could obhterate, if we stood before the 
 picture at this moment. What a melancholy object is 
 a youth that must shut up within himself the sweet 
 impulse, the fairest inheritance which nature has given 
 us, and conceal in his own bosom the fire which should 
 warm and animate himself and others, so that his vitals 
 are wasted away by unutterable pains ! I feel a pity 
 for the ill-fated man that would consecrate himself to 
 another, when the heart of that other has already found 
 a worthy object of true and pure affection." 
 
 " Such feelings are, however, very foreign to the 
 principles by which a lover of art examines the works 
 of great painters ; and most probably you, too, had the 
 cabinet continued in your family, would have by and 
 by acquired a relish for the works themselves, and have 
 learned to see in the performances of art something 
 more than yourself and your individual inclinations." 
 
 " In truth, the sale of that cabinet grieved me very 
 much at the time ; and often since I have thought of 
 it with regret : but when I consider that it was a 
 necessary means of awakening a taste in me, of devel- 
 oping a talent, which will operate far more powerfully 
 on my history than ever those lifeless pictures could
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 83 
 
 have done, I easily content myself, and honour destiny, 
 which knows how to bring about what is best for me, 
 and what is best for every one." 
 
 " It gives me pain to hear this word destiny in the 
 mouth of a young" person, just at the age when men 
 are commonly accustomed to ascribe their own violent 
 inclinations to the will of higher natures." 
 
 " You, then, do not believe in destiny ? No power 
 that rules over us and directs all for our ultimate ad- 
 vantage ? " 
 
 " The question is not now of my belief, nor is this 
 the place to explain how I may have attempted to form 
 for myself some not impossible conception of things 
 which are incomprehensible to all of us : the question 
 here is. What mode of viewing them will profit us the 
 most? The fabric of our life is formed of necessity 
 and chance: the reason of man takes its station be- 
 tween them, and may rule them both ; it treats the 
 necessary as the groundwork of its being; the acci- 
 dental it can direct and guide, and employ for its own 
 purposes : and only while this principle of reason 
 stands firm and inexpugnable, does man deserve to be 
 named the god of this lower world. But woe to him 
 who, from his youth, has used himself to search in 
 necessity for something of arbitrary will; to ascribe 
 to chance a sort of reason, which it is a matter of relig- 
 ion to obey. Is conduct like this aught else than to 
 renounce one's understanding, and give unrestricted 
 scope to one's inclinations ? We think it is a kind of 
 piety to move along without consideration ; to let ac- 
 cidents that please us determine our conduct ; and, 
 finally, to bestow on the result of such a vacillating 
 life the name of providential guidance." 
 
 " Was it never your case that some little circum- 
 stance induced you to strike into a certain path, where 
 some accidental occurrence erelong met you, and a 
 series of unexpected incidents at length brought you to
 
 84 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 some point which you yourself had scarcely once con- 
 templated ? Should not lessons of this kind teach us 
 obedience to destiny, confidence in some such guide ? " 
 
 " With opinions like these, no woman could main- 
 tain her virtue, no man keep the money in his purse ; 
 for occasions enough are occurring to get rid of both. 
 He alone is worthy of respect, who knows what is of 
 use to himself and others, and who labours to con- 
 trol his self-will. Each man has his own fortune in 
 his hands ; as the artist has a piece of rude matter, 
 which he is to fashion to a certain shape. But the art 
 of living rightly is like all arts ; the capacity alone is 
 born with us ; it must be learned, and practised with 
 incessant care." 
 
 These discussions our two speculators carried on be- 
 tween them to considerable length : at last they parted 
 without seeming to have wrought any special convic- 
 tion in each other, but engaging to meet at an ap- 
 pointed place next day. 
 
 Wilhelm w^alked up and down the streets for a time : 
 he heard a sound of clarinets, hunting-horns, and bas- 
 soons ; it swelled his bosom with delightful feelings. 
 It was some travelling showmen that produced this 
 pleasant music. He spoke with them : for a piece of 
 coin they follow^ed him to Mariana's house. The space 
 in front of the door was adorned with lofty trees ; un- 
 der them he placed his artists ; and, himself resting on 
 a bench at some distance, he surrendered his mind 
 without restraint to the hovering tones which floated 
 round him in the cool mellow night. Stretched out 
 beneath the kind stars, he felt his existence like a 
 golden dream. " She, too, hears these flutes," said he 
 within his heart : " she feels whose remembrance, 
 whose love of her, it is that makes the night full of 
 music. In distance, even, we are united by these mel- 
 odies, as in every separation, by the ethereal accordance 
 of love. Ah ! two hearts that love each other are as
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 85 
 
 two magnetic needles : whatever moves the one must 
 move the other with it ; for it is one power that works 
 in both, one principle that pervades them. Can I in 
 her arms conceive the possibility of parting from her ? 
 And yet I am soon to be far from her, to seek out a 
 sanctuary for our love, and then to have her ever with 
 me. 
 
 " How often, when absent from her, and lost in 
 thoughts about her, happening to touch a book, a piece 
 of dress or aught else, have I thought I felt her hand, 
 so entirely was I invested with her presence ! And to 
 recollect those moments which shunned the light of 
 day and the eye of the cold spectator ; which, to enjoy, 
 the gods might determine to forsake the painless con- 
 dition of their pure blessedness ! To recollect them ! 
 As if by memory we could renew the tumultuous 
 thrilhng of that cup of joy, which encircles our senses 
 with celestial bonds, and Lifts them beyond all earthly 
 hindrances. And her form" — He lost himself in 
 thoughts of her ; his rest passed away into longing ; he 
 leaned against a tree, and cooled his warm cheek on its 
 bark; and the winds of the night wafted speedily 
 aside the breath, which proceeded in sighs from his 
 pure and impassioned bosom. He groped for the 
 neckerchief he had taken from her ; but it was forgot- 
 ten, it lay in his other clothes. His frame quivered 
 with emotion. 
 
 The music ceased, and he felt as if fallen from the 
 element in which his thoughts had hitherto been soar- 
 ing. His restlessness increased, as his feelings were 
 no longer nourished and assuaged by the melody. He 
 sat down upon her threshold, and felt more peace. 
 He kissed the brass knocker of her door : he kissed the 
 threshold over which her feet went out and in, and 
 warmed it by the fire of his breast. He again sat still 
 for a moment, and figured her behind her curtains in 
 the white nightgown, with the red ribbon round her
 
 86 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 head, in sweet repose : he almost fancied that he was 
 himself so near her, she must needs be dreaming of 
 him. His thoughts were beautiful, like the spirits 
 of the twihght ; rest and desire alternated within him ; 
 love ran with a quivering hand, in a thousand moods, 
 over all the chords of his soul ; it was as if the spheres 
 stood mute above him, suspending their eternal song 
 to watch the low melodies of his heart. 
 
 Had he then had about him the master-key with 
 which he used to open Mariana's door, he could not 
 have restrained himself from penetrating into the 
 sanctuary of love. Yet he went away slowly ; he 
 slanted, half-dreaming, in beneath the trees, set him- 
 self for home, and constantly turned round again ; at 
 last, mth an effort, he constrained himself, and actually 
 departed. At the corner of the street, looking back 
 yet once, he imagined that he saw Mariana's door open, 
 and a dark figure issue from it. He was too distant 
 for seeing clearly ; and, before he could exert himself 
 and look sharply, the appearance was already lost in 
 the night ; yet afar off he thought he saw it agaui 
 ghding past a white house. He stood, and strained 
 his eyes ; but, ere he could arouse himself and follow 
 the phantom, it had vanished. Whither should he 
 pursue it ? What street had the man taken, if it were 
 a man ? 
 
 A nightly traveller, when at some turn of his path 
 he has seen the country for an instant illuminated by 
 a flash of hghtning, will, with dazzled eyes, next 
 moment, seek in vain for the preceding forms and the 
 connection of his road ; so was it in the eyes and the 
 heart of Wilhelm. And as a spirit of midnight, which 
 awakens unutterable terror, is, in the succeeding mo- 
 ments of composure, regarded as a child of imagina- 
 tion, and the fearful vision leaves doubts without end 
 behind it in the soul ; so likewise was Wilhelm in ex- 
 treme disquietude, as, leaning on the corner-stone of
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 87 
 
 the street, he heeded not the clear gray of the morning, 
 and the crowing of the cocks; till the early trades 
 began to stir, and drove him home. 
 
 On his way, he had almost effaced the unexpected 
 delusion from his mind by the most sufficient reasons ; 
 yet the fine harmonious feelings of the night, on which 
 he now looked back as if they too had been a vision, 
 were also gone. To soothe his heart, and put the last 
 seal on his returning behef, he took the neckerchief 
 from the pocket of the dress he had been last wearing. 
 The rustling of a letter which fell out of it took the 
 kerchief away from his lips : he lifted and read : 
 
 " As I love thee, little fool, what ailed thee last 
 night ? , This evening I will come again. I can easily 
 suppose that thou art sick of staying here so long : but 
 have patience ; at the fair I will return for thee. And 
 observe, never more put me on that abominable black- 
 green-brown jacket : thou lookest in it like the witch 
 of Endor. Did I not send the white nightgown, that 
 I might have a snowy little lambkin in my arms? 
 Send thy letters always by the ancient sibyl: the 
 Devil himself has selected her as Iris."
 
 Book II.
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 Whoever strives in our sight with vehement force 
 to reach an object, be it one that we praise or that we 
 blame, may count on exciting an interest in our minds ; 
 but, when once the matter is decided, we turn our eyes 
 away from him : whatever once hes finished and done, 
 can no longer at all fix our attention, especially if we 
 at first prophesied an evil issue to the undertaking. 
 
 Therefore we shall not try to entertain our readers 
 with any circumstantial account of the giief and des- 
 peration into which our ill-fated friend was cast, when 
 he saw his hopes so unexpectedly and instantaneously 
 ruined. On the contrary, we shall even pass over sev- 
 eral years, and again take up our friend, where we hopa 
 to find him in some sort of activity and comfort. First, 
 however, we must shortly set forth a few matters neces- 
 sary for maintaining the connection of our narrative. 
 
 The pestilence, or a malignant fever, rages with more 
 fierceness, and speedier effect, if the frame which it 
 attacks was before healthy and full of vigour ; and in 
 like manner, when a luckless, unlooked-for fate over- 
 took the wretched Wilhelm, his whole being in a 
 moment was laid waste. As when by chance, in the 
 preparation of some artificial firework, any part of the 
 composition kindles before its time ; and the skilfully 
 bored and loaded barrels, which, arranged, and burning 
 after a settled plan, would have painted in the air a 
 magnificently varying series of flaming images, now 
 hissing and roaring, promiscuously explode with a con- 
 fused and dangerous crash, — so, in our hero's case, 
 did happiness and hope, pleasure and joys, realities 
 
 91
 
 92 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and dreams, clash together with destructive tumult, all 
 at once in his bosom. In such desolate moments, the 
 friend that has hastened to dehverance stands fixed in 
 astonishment; and for him who suffers, it is a benefit 
 that sense forsakes him. 
 
 Days of pain, unmixed, ever returning, and pur- 
 posely renewed, succeeded next : still, even these are 
 to be regarded as a grace from nature. In such hours 
 Wilhelm had not yet quite lost his mistress : his pains 
 were indefatigable struggles, still to hold fast the hap- 
 piness that was gliding from his soul ; again to lux- 
 uriate in thought on the possibility of it; to procure 
 a brief after-hfe for his joys that had departed for ever. 
 Thus one may look upon a body as not utterly dead 
 while the putrefaction lasts ; while the forces that in 
 vain seek to work by their old appointment, still labour 
 in dissevering the particles of that frame which they 
 once animated ; and not till all is disunited and inert, 
 till we see the whole mouldered down into indifferent 
 dust, — not till then does there rise in us the mourn- 
 ful, vacant sentiment of death, — death, not to be 
 recalled, save by the breath of him that lives for ever. 
 
 In a temper so new, so entire, so full of love, there 
 was much to tear asunder, to desolate, to kill; and 
 even the healing force of youth gave nourishment and 
 violence to the power of sorrow. The stroke had ex- 
 tended to the roots of his whole existence. "Werner, 
 by necessity his confidant, attacked the hated passion 
 itself with fire and sword, resolutely zealous to search 
 into the monster's inmost life. The opportunity was 
 lucky, the evidence at hand, and many were the his- 
 tories and narratives with which he backed it out. 
 With such unrelenting vehemence did he make his 
 advances, leaving his friend not even the respite of the 
 smallest momentary seK-deception, but treading down 
 every lurking-place in which he might have saved 
 himself from desperation, that Nature, not inclined to
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 93 
 
 let her darling perish utterly, visited him with sick- 
 ness, to make an outlet for him on the other side. 
 
 A violent fever, with its train of consequences, 
 medicines, overstraining, and exhaustion, besides the 
 unwearied attentions of his family, the love of his 
 brothers and sisters, which first becomes truly sensible 
 in times of distress and want, were so many fresh occu- 
 pations to his mind, and thus formed a kind of pain- 
 ful entertainment. It was not till he grew better, in 
 other words, till his strength was exhausted, that Wil- 
 helm first looked down with horror into the gloomy 
 abyss of a barren misery, as one looks down into the 
 hollow crater of an extinguished volcano. 
 
 He now bitterly reproached himself, that, after so 
 great a loss, he could yet enjoy one painless, restful, 
 indifferent moment. He despised his own heart, and 
 longed for the balm of tears and lamentation. 
 
 To awaken these again within him, he would recall 
 to memory the scenes of his bygone happiness. He 
 would paint them to his fancy in the Hveliest colours, 
 transport himself again into the days when they were 
 real ; and when standing on the highest elevation he 
 could reach, when the sunshine of past times again 
 seemed to animate his limbs and heave his bosom, he 
 would look back into the fearful chasm, would feast 
 his eye on its dismembering depth, then plunge down 
 into its horrors, and thus force from nature the bitter- 
 est pains. With such repeated cruelty did he tear 
 himself in pieces ; for youth, which is so rich in unde- 
 veloped force, knows not what it squanders when, to 
 the anguish which a loss occasions, it adds so many 
 sorrows of its own production, as if it meant then first 
 to give the right value to what is gone for ever. He 
 likewise felt so convinced that his present loss was the 
 sole, the first, the last, he ever could experience in life, 
 that he turned away from every consolation which aimed 
 at showing that his sorrows might be less than endless.
 
 CHAPTEK II. 
 
 Accustomed in this way to torment Mmself, he 
 now also attacked what still remained to him ; what 
 next to love, and along with it, had given him the 
 highest joys and hopes, — his talent as a poet and 
 actor, with spiteful criticisms on every side. In his 
 labours he could see nothing but a shallow imitation 
 of prescribed forms, without intrinsic worth : he looked 
 on them as stiff school-exercises, destitute of any 
 spark of nature, truth, or inspiration. His poems now 
 appeared nothing more than a monotonous arrange- 
 ment of syllables, in which the most trite emotions 
 and thoughts were dragged along and kept together by 
 a miserable rhyme. And thus did he also deprive 
 himself of every expectation, every pleasure, which on 
 this quarter at least might have aided the recovery of 
 his peace. 
 
 With the theatric talent it fared no better. He 
 blamed himself for not having sooner detected the 
 vanity on which alone this pretension had been founded. 
 His figure, his gait, his movements, his mode of decla- 
 mation, were severally taxed : he decisively renounced 
 every species of advantage or merit that might have 
 raised him above the common run of men, and so 
 doing he increased his mute despair to the highest 
 pitch. For, if it is hard to give up a woman's love, no 
 less painful is the task to part from the fellow.ship of 
 the Muses, to declare ourselves for ever undeserving 
 to be of their community, and to forego the fairest and 
 most immediate kind of approbation, what is openly 
 bestowed on our person, our voice, and our demeanour. 
 
 94
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 95 
 
 Thus, then, our friend had long ago entirely resigned 
 himself, and set about devoting his powers with the 
 greatest zeal to the business of trade. To the surprise 
 of friends, and to the gi-eat contentment of his father, 
 no one was now more diligent than Wilhelm, on the 
 exchange or in the counting-house, in the saleroom or 
 the warehouses: correspondence and calculations, all 
 that w^as entrusted to his charge, he attended to and 
 managed with the greatest diligence and zeal. Not, in 
 truth, with that warm dihgence which to the busy man 
 is its own reward, when he follows with constancy and 
 order the employment he was born for, but with the 
 silent dihgence of duty, which has the best principle 
 for its foundation ; which is nourished by conviction, 
 and rewarded by conscience ; yet which oft, even when 
 the clearest testimony of our minds is crowning it with 
 approbation, can scarcely repress a struggling sigh. 
 
 In this manner he hved for a time, assiduously busied, 
 and at last persuaded that his former hard trial had 
 been ordained by fate for the best. He felt glad at 
 having thus been timefully, though somewhat harshly, 
 warned about the proper path of life ; while many are 
 constrained to expiate more heavily, and at a later age, 
 the misconceptions into which their youthful inexperi- 
 ence has betrayed them. Tor each man commonly 
 defends himseK as long as possible from casting out 
 the idols which he worships in his soul, from acknow^l- 
 edging a master error, and admitting any truth which 
 brings him to despair. 
 
 Determined as he was to abandon his dearest proj- 
 ects, some time was still necessary to convince him 
 fully of his misfortune. At last, however, he had so 
 completely succeeded, by irrefragable reasons, in anni- 
 hilating every hope of love, or poetical performance, or 
 stage representation, that he took courage to obliterate 
 entirely all the traces of his folly, — all that could in 
 any way remind him of it. For this purpose he had
 
 96 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 lit a fire in his chamber, one cool evening, and brought 
 out a little chest of relics, among which were multi- 
 tudes of small articles, that, in memorable moments, 
 he had begged or stolen from Mariana. Each withered 
 flower brought to his mind the time when it bloomed 
 fresh among her hair ; each little note the happy hour 
 to which it had invited him ; each ribbon-knot the 
 lovely resting-place of his head, — her beautiful bosom. 
 So occupied, was it not to be expected that each emo- 
 tion which he thought long since quite dead, should 
 again begin to move ? Was it not to be expected that 
 the passion over which, when separated from his mis- 
 tress, he had gained the victory, should, in the presence 
 of these memorials, again gather strength ? We first 
 observe how dreary and disagreeable an overclouded 
 day is when a single sunbeam pierces through, and 
 offers to us the exhilarating splendour of a serene 
 hour. 
 
 Accordingly, it was not without disturbance that he 
 saw these relics, long preserved as sacred, fade away 
 from before him in smoke and flame. Sometimes he 
 shuddered and hesitated in his task: he had still a 
 pearl necklace and a flowered neckerchief in his hands, 
 when he resolved to quicken the decaying fire with the 
 poetical attempts of his youth. 
 
 Till now he had carefully laid up whatever had pro- 
 ceeded from his pen, since the earliest unfolding of his 
 mind. His papers yet lay tied up in a bundle at the 
 bottom of the chest, where he had packed them ; pur- 
 posing to take them with him in his elopement. How 
 altogether different were his feelings now in opening 
 them, and his feelings then in tying them together ! 
 
 If we happen, under certain circumstances, to have 
 written and sealed and despatched a letter to a friend, 
 which, however, does not find him, but is brought back 
 to us, and we open it at the distance of some consider- 
 able time, a singular emotion is produced in us, on
 
 meister's apprenticeship 97 
 
 breaking up our own seal, and conversing with our 
 altered self as with a third person. A similar and deep 
 feeling seized our friend, as he now opened this packet, 
 and threw the scattered leaves into the fire ; which was 
 flaming fiercely with its offerings, when Werner en- 
 tered, expressed his wonder at the blaze, and asked 
 what was the matter. 
 
 " I am now giving proof," said Wilhelm, " that I am 
 serious in abandoning a trade for which I was not 
 born." And, with these words, he cast the second 
 packet likewise into the fire. Werner made a motion 
 to prevent him, but the business was already done. 
 
 " I cannot see how thou shouldst bring thyself to 
 such extremities," said Werner. "Why must these 
 labours, because they are not excellent, be annihi- 
 lated ? " 
 
 " Because either a poem is excellent, or it should not 
 be allowed to exist. Because each man who has no 
 gift for producing first-rate works, should entirely ab- 
 stain from the pursuit of art, and seriously guard him- 
 self against every deception on that subject. For it 
 must be owned, that in all men there is a certain vague 
 desire to imitate whatever is presented to them; and 
 such desires do not prove at all that we possess within 
 us the force necessary for succeeding in these enter- 
 prises. Look at boys, how, whenever any rope-dancers 
 have been visiting the town, they go scrambling up 
 and down, and balancing on all the planks and beams 
 within their reach, till some other charm calls them 
 off to other sports, for which perhaps they are as little 
 suited. Hast thou never marked it in the circle of our 
 friends ? No sooner does a dilettante introduce himself 
 to notice, than numbers of them set themselves to learn 
 playing on his instrument. How many wander back 
 and forward on this bootless way ! Happy they who 
 soon detect the chasm that lies between their wishes 
 and their powers ! "
 
 98 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Werner contradicted this opinion : their discussion 
 became lively, and Wilhelm could not without emotion 
 employ against his friend the arguments with which 
 he had already so frequently tormented himself. Wer- 
 ner maintained that it was not reasonable wholly to 
 relinquish a pursuit, for which a man had some pro- 
 pensity and talent, merely because he never could suc- 
 ceed in it to full perfection. There were many vacant 
 hours, he said, which might be filled up by it ; and 
 then by and by some result might be produced which 
 would yield a certain satisfaction to himself and 
 others. 
 
 Wilhelm, who in this matter was of quite a different 
 opinion, here interrupted him, and said with great 
 vivacity : 
 
 " How immensely, dear friend, do you err in believ- 
 ing that a work, the first presentation of which is to 
 fill the whole soul, can be produced in broken hours 
 scraped together from other extraneous employment. 
 No : the poet must live wholly for himself, wholly in 
 the objects that delight him. Heaven has furnished 
 him internally with precious gifts ; he carries in his 
 bosom a treasure that is ever of itself increasing; he 
 must also live with this treasure, undisturbed from 
 without, in that still blessedness which the rich seek 
 in vain to purchase with their accumulated stores. 
 Look at men, how they struggle after happiness and 
 satisfaction ! Their wishes, their toil, their gold, are 
 ever hunting restlessly, — and after what ? After that 
 which the poet has received from nature, — the right 
 enjoyment of the world, the feeling of himself in 
 others, the harmonious conjunction of many things 
 that will seldom exist together. 
 
 " What is it that keeps men in continual discontent 
 and agitation ? It is, that they cannot make realities 
 correspond with their conceptions, that enjoyment 
 steals away from among their hands, that the wished-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 99 
 
 for comes too late, and notliing reached and acquired 
 produces on the heart the effect which their longing 
 for it at a distance led them to anticipate. Now, fate 
 has exalted the poet above all this, as if he were a god. 
 He views the conflicting tumult of the passions ; sees 
 families and kingdoms raging in aimless commotion ; 
 sees those inexplicable enigmas of misunderstanding, 
 which frequently a single monosyllable would suffice 
 to explain, occasioning convulsions unutterably baleful. 
 He has a fellow feeling of the mournful and the joyful 
 in the fate of all human beings. Wlien the man of the 
 world is devoting his days to wasting melancholy, for 
 some deep disappointment, or, in the ebullience of joy, 
 is going out to meet his happy destiny, the lightly 
 moved and all-conceiving spirit of the poet steps forth, 
 like the sun from night to day, and with soft transi- 
 tions tunes his harp to joy or woe. From his heart, 
 its native soil, springs up the lovely flower of wisdom ; 
 and if others, while waking, dream, and are pained with 
 fantastic delusions from their every sense, he passes 
 the dream of life like one awake ; and the strangest of 
 incidents is to him a part both of the past and of 
 the future. And thus the poet is at once a teacher, 
 a prophet, a friend of gods and men. What ! thou 
 wouldst have him descend from his height to some 
 paltry occupation ! He who is fashioned like the bird 
 to hover round the world, to nestle on the lofty sum- 
 mits, to feed on buds and fruits, exchanging gaily one 
 bough for another, he ought also to work at the plough 
 like an ox ; like a dog to train himself to the harness 
 and draught ; or perhaps, tied up in a chain, to guard a 
 farmyard by his barking ! " 
 
 Werner, it may well be supposed, had listened with 
 the greatest surprise. " All true," he rejoined, " if men 
 were but made like birds, and, though they neither 
 spun nor weaved, could yet spend peaceful days in 
 perpetual enjoyment; if, at the approach of winter
 
 loo MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 they could as easily betake themselves to distant 
 regions, could retire before scarcity, and fortify them- 
 selves against frost." 
 
 " Poets have lived so," exclaimed Wilhelm, " in times 
 when true nobleness was better reverenced ; and so 
 should they ever live ! Sufficiently provided for with- 
 in, they had need of little from without : the gift of 
 communicating lofty emotions and glorious images to 
 men, in melodies and words that charmed the ear, and 
 fixed themselves inseparably on whatever objects they 
 referred to, of old enraptured the world, and served 
 the gifted as a rich inheritance. At the courts of 
 kings, at the tables of the great, beneath the windows 
 of the fair, the sound of them was heard ; while the 
 ear and the soul were shut for all beside : and men felt 
 as we do when dehght comes over us, and we stop with 
 rapture if, among the dingles we are crossing, the voice 
 of the nightingale starts out touching and strong. They 
 found a home in every habitation of the world, and the 
 lowliness of their condition but exalted them the more. 
 The hero hstened to their songs, and the conqueror of 
 the earth did reverence to a poet ; for he felt, that, 
 without poets, his own wild and vast existence would 
 pass away like a whirlwind, and be forgotten for ever. 
 The lover wished that he could feel his longings and 
 his joys so variedly and so harmoniously as the poet's 
 inspired lips had skill to show them forth ; and even 
 the rich man could not of himself discern such costli- 
 ness in his idol grandeurs, as when they were pre- 
 sented to him shining in the splendour of the poet's 
 spirit, sensible to all worth, and exalting all. Nay, if 
 thou wilt have it, who but the poet was it that first 
 formed gods for us, that exalted us to them, and 
 brought them down to us ? " 
 
 " My friend," said Werner, after some reflection, " it 
 has often grieved me that thou shouldst strive by force 
 to banish from thy soul what thou feelest so vividly.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP loi 
 
 I am greatly mistaken, if it were not better for thee 
 in some degi-ee to yield to these propensities, than to 
 waste thyself by the contradictions of so hard a piece 
 of seK-denial, and with the enjoyment of this one 
 guiltless pleasure to renounce the enjoyment of all 
 others." 
 
 " Shall I confess it," said the other, " and wilt not 
 thou laugh at me if I acknowledge, that these ideas 
 pursue me constantly ; that, let me flee from them as 
 I will, when I explore my heart, I find all my early 
 wishes yet rooted there, firmly, — nay, more firmly 
 than ever ? Yet what now remains for me, wretched 
 as I am ? Ah ! whoever should have told me that the 
 arms of my spirit, with w^hich I was grasping at in- 
 finity, and hoping vdth certainty to clasp something 
 great and glorious, w^ould so soon be crushed and 
 smote in pieces, — whoever should have told me this, 
 would have brought me to despair. And yet now, 
 when judgment has been passed against me ; now, 
 when she, that was to be as my divinity to guide me 
 to my wishes, is gone for ever, — what remains but 
 that I yield up my soul to the bitterest woes ? my 
 brother ! I will not deceive you : in my secret purposes, 
 she was as the hook on which the ladder of my hopes 
 was fixed. See ! With daring aim the mountain 
 adventurer hovers in the air : the iron breaks, and he 
 lies broken and dismembered on the earth. No, there 
 is no hope, no comfort for me more ! I will not," he 
 cried out, springing to his feet, " leave a single frag- 
 ment of these wretched papers from the flames." He 
 then seized one or two packets of them, tore them up, 
 and thrcAv them into the fire. Werner endeavoured 
 to restrain him, but in vain. " Let me alone ! " cried 
 Wilhelm : " what should these miserable leaves do 
 here ? To me they give neither pleasant recollections 
 nor pleasant hopes. Shall they remain behind to vex 
 me to the end of my life ? Shall they perhaps one
 
 I02 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 day serve the world for a jest, instead of awakening 
 sympathy and horror ? Woe to me ! my doom is woe ! 
 Now I comprehend the wailings of the poets, of the 
 wretched whom necessity has rendered mse. How 
 long did I look upon myself as invulnerable and in- 
 vincible ; and, alas ! I am now made to see that a deep 
 and early sorrow can never heal, can never pass away : 
 I feel that I shall take it with me to my grave. No ! 
 not a day of my life shall escape this anguish, which 
 at last must crush me down ; and her image too shall 
 stay with me, shall hve and die with me, the image of 
 the worthless, — my friend ! if I must speak the 
 feeling of my heart, — the perhaps not altogether 
 worthless ! Her situation, the crookedness of her 
 destiny, have a thousand times excused her in my 
 mind. I have been too cruel ; you steeled me in your 
 own cold unrelenting harshness ; you held my waver- 
 ing senses captive, and hindered me from doing for 
 myself and her what I owed to both. Who knows to 
 what a state I may have brought her ! my conscience 
 by degrees presents to me, in all its heaviness, in what 
 helplessness, in w^hat despair, I may have left her. 
 Was it not possible that she might clear herself ? 
 Was it not possible ? How many misconceptions 
 throw the world into perplexity ! how many circum- 
 stances may extort forgiveness for the greatest fault ! 
 Often do I figure her as sitting by herself in silence, 
 leaning on her elbows. ' This,' she says, ' is the faith, 
 the love, he swore to me ! With this hard stroke to 
 end the delicious life which made us one ! ' " He 
 broke out into a stream of tears ; while he threw him- 
 self down with his face upon the table, and wetted the 
 remaining papers with his weeping. 
 
 Werner stood beside him in the deepest perplexity. 
 He had not anticipated this fierce ebullition of feeling. 
 More than once he had tried to interrupt his friend, 
 more than once to lead the conversation elsewhere,
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 103 
 
 but in vain : the current was too strong for him. It 
 remained that long-suffering friendship should again 
 take up her office. "Werner allowed the first shock of 
 sorrow to pass over, while by his silent presence he 
 testified a pure and honest sympathy. And thus they 
 both remained that evening, — Wilhelm sunk in the 
 dull feelings of old sorrows ; and the other terrified at 
 this new outbreaking of a passion which he thought 
 his prudent councils and keen persuasion had long 
 since mastered and destroyed.
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Aftek such relapses, Wilhelm usually applied him- 
 self to business and activity with augmented ardour ; 
 and he found it the best means to escape the labyrinth 
 into which he had again been tempted to enter. His 
 attractive way of treating strangers, the ease with 
 which he carried on a correspondence in any living 
 language, more and more increased the hopes of his 
 father and his trading friends, and comforted them in 
 their sorrow for his sickness, — the origin of which 
 had not been known, — and for the pause which had 
 thus interrupted theii plan. They determined a second 
 time on Wilhelm's setting out to travel ; and we now 
 find him on horseback, with his saddle-bags behind 
 him, exhilarated by the motion and the free air, ap- 
 proaching the mountains, where he had some affairs 
 to settle. 
 
 He winded slowly on his path, through dales and 
 over hills, with a feehng of the greatest satisfaction. 
 Overhanging cliffs, roaring brooks, moss-grown rocky 
 walls, deep precipices, he here saw for the first time ; 
 yet his earliest dreams of youth had wandered among 
 such regions. In these scenes he felt his age renew^ed ; 
 all the sorrows he had undergone were obliterated 
 from his soul ; with unbroken cheerfulness he repeated 
 to himself passages of various poems, particularly of 
 the "Pastor Fido," which, in these solitary places, 
 flocked in crowds into his mind. He also recollected 
 many pieces of his own songs, and recited them with 
 a peculiar contentment. He peopled the world w^hich 
 
 104
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 105 
 
 lay before him with all the forms of the past, and 
 each step into the future was to him fvill of augury 
 of important operations and remarkable events. 
 
 Several men, who came behind him in succession, 
 and saluted him as they passed by to continue their 
 hasty way into the mountains, by steep footpaths, 
 sometimes interrupted his thoughts without attracting 
 his attention to themselves. At last a communicative 
 traveller joined him, and explained the reason of this 
 general pilgrimage. 
 
 " At Hochdorf," he said, " there is a play to be acted 
 to-night ; and the whole neighbourhood is gathering to 
 see it." 
 
 " What ! " cried Wilhelm. " In these solitary hills, 
 among these impenetrable forests, has theatric art 
 sought out a place, and built herself a temple ? And 
 I am journeying to her festivities ! " 
 
 " You will wonder more," said the other, " when you 
 learn by whom the play is to be acted. There is in 
 the place a large manufactory, which employs many 
 people. The proprietor, who lives, so to speak, remote 
 from all human society, can find no better means of 
 entertaining his workmen during winter, than allow- 
 ing them to act plays. He suffers no cards among 
 them, and wishes also to withdraw them from all 
 coarse rustic practices. Thus they pass the long 
 evenings ; and to-day, being the old gentleman's birth- 
 day, they are giving a particular festival in honour of 
 him." 
 
 Wilhelm came to Hochdorf, where he was to pass 
 the night, and alighted at the manufactory, the pro- 
 prietor of which stood as a debtor in his list. 
 
 When he gave his name, the old man cried in a 
 glad surprise, " Ay, sir, are you the son of that worthy 
 man to whom I owe so many thanks, — so long have 
 owed money ? Your good father has had so much 
 patience with me, I should be a knave if I did not pay
 
 io6 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 you speedily and cheerfully. You come at the proper 
 time to see that I am fully in earnest about it." 
 
 He then called out his wife, who seemed no less 
 delighted than himself to see the youth : she declared 
 that he was very like his father, and lamented, that, 
 having such a multitude of guests already in the 
 house, she could not lodge him for the night. 
 
 The account was clear, and quickly settled : Wilhelm 
 put the roll of gold into his pocket, and wished that 
 all his other business might go on so smoothly. At 
 last the play-hour came : they now waited nothing 
 but the coming of the head forester, who at length 
 also arrived, entered with a few hunters, and was 
 received with the greatest reverence. 
 
 The company was then led into the playhouse, 
 formed out of a barn that lay close upon the garden. 
 Without any extraordinary taste, both seats and stage 
 were yet decked out in a cheerful and pretty way. 
 One of the painters employed in the manufactory 
 had formerly worked as an understrapper at the 
 prince's theatre: he had now represented woods and 
 streets and chambers, somewhat rudely, it is true, yet 
 so as to be recognised for such. The play itself they 
 had borrowed from a strolHng company, and shaped 
 it aright, according to their own ideas. As it was, 
 it did not fail to yield some entertainment. The 
 plot of two lovers wishing to carry off a girl from 
 her guardian, and mutually from one another, pro- 
 duced a great variety of interesting situations. Being 
 the first play our friend had witnessed for so long 
 a time, it suggested several reflections to him. It was 
 full of action, but without any true delineation of 
 character. It pleased and delighted. Such are always 
 the beginnings of the scenic art. The rude man is 
 contented if he see but something going on ; the man 
 of more refinement must be made to feel ; the man 
 entirely refined, desires to reflect.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 107 
 
 The players he would willingly have helped here 
 and there, for a very httle would have made them 
 greatly better. 
 
 His silent meditations were somewhat broken in 
 upon by the tobacco-smoke, which now began to rise 
 in great and greater copiousness. Soon after the com- 
 mencement of the play, the head forester had lit his 
 pipe : by and by others took the same liberty. The 
 large dogs, too, which followed these gentlemen, intro- 
 duced themselves in no pleasant style. At first they 
 had been bolted out; but, soon finding the back-door 
 passage, they entered on the stage, ran against the actors, 
 and at last, jvimping over the orchestra, joined their 
 masters, who had taken up the front seats in the pit. 
 
 For afterpiece an oblation was represented. A por- 
 trait of the old gentleman in his Imdegroom dress 
 stood upon an altar, hung with garlands. All the 
 players paid their reverence to it in the most submis- 
 sive postures. The youngest child came forward 
 dressed in white, and made a speech in verse; by 
 which the whole family, and even the head forester 
 himself, whom it brought in mind of his own children, 
 were melted into tears. Thus ended the play; and 
 Wilhelm could not help stepping on the stage, to have 
 a closer view of the actresses, to praise them for their 
 good performance, and give them a little counsel for 
 the future. 
 
 The remaining business, which our friend in the 
 following days had to transact in various quarters 
 of the hill-country, was not all so pleasant, or so easy 
 to conclude with satisfaction. Many of his debtors 
 entreated for delay, many were uncourteous, many 
 lied. In conformity with his instructions, he had to 
 sue some of them at law : he was thus obliged to seek 
 out advocates, and give instructions to them, to appear 
 before judges, and go through many other sorry duties 
 of the same sort.
 
 io8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 His case was hardly bettered when people chanced 
 to incline showing some attention to him. He found 
 very few that could any way instruct him, few with 
 whom he could hope to establish a useful commercial 
 correspondence. Unhappily, moreover, the weather 
 now grew rainy ; and travelling on horseback in this 
 district came to be attended with insufferable difficul- 
 ties. He therefore thanked his stars on again getting 
 near the level country ; and at the foot of the moun- 
 tains, looking out into a fertile and beautiful plain, 
 intersected by a smooth-flowing river, and seeing a 
 cheerful little town lying on its banks, all glittering 
 in the sunshine, he resolved, though without any 
 special business in the place, to pass a day or two 
 there, that he might refresh both himself and his 
 horse, which the bad roads had considerably injured.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 On alighting at an inn, upon the market-place, he 
 found matters going on very joyously, — at least very 
 stirringly. A large company of rope-dancers, leapers, 
 and jugglers, having a strong man along with them, 
 had just arrived with their wives and children, and, 
 while preparing for a grand exhibition, kept up a 
 perpetual racket. They first quarrelled with the laud- 
 lord, then with one another; and, if their contention 
 was intolerable, the expressions of their satisfaction 
 were infinitely more so. Undetermined whether he 
 should go or stay, he was standing in the door looking 
 at some workmen, who had just begun to erect a stage 
 in the middle of the square. 
 
 A girl with roses and other flowers for sale, coming 
 by, held out her basket to him, and he purchased 
 a beautiful nosegay ; which, like one that had a taste 
 for these things, he tied up in a differcDt fashion, 
 and was looking at it with a satisfied air, when the 
 window of another inn on the opposite side of the 
 square flew open, and a handsome woman looked 
 out from it. Notwithstanding the distance, he ob- 
 served that her face was animated by a pleasant 
 cheerfulness ; her fair hair fell carelessly streaming 
 about her neck ; she seemed to be looking at the 
 stranger. In a short time afterward, a boy with a 
 white jacket, and a barber's apron on, came out from 
 the door of her house toward Wilhelm, saluted him, 
 and said, " The lady at the window bids me ask if 
 you will not favour her with a share of your beautiful 
 flowers." " They are all at her service," answered 
 
 109
 
 no MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Wilhelm, giving the nosegay to this nimble messenger, 
 and making a bow to the fair one, who returned it 
 with a friendly courtesy, and then withdrew from 
 the window. 
 
 Amused with this small adventure, he was going 
 up-stairs to his chamber, when a young creature 
 sprang against him, and attracted his attention. A 
 short silk waistcoat with slashed Spanish sleeves, 
 tight trousers with puffs, looked very pretty on the 
 child. Its long black hair was curled, and wound 
 in locks and plaits about the head. He looked at 
 the figure with astonishment, and could not determine 
 whether to take it for a boy or a girl. However, he 
 decided for the latter; and, as the child ran by, 
 he took her up in his arms, bade her good day, and 
 asked her to whom she belonged ; though he easily 
 perceived that she must be a member of the vaulting 
 and dancing company lately aiTived. She viewed him 
 with a dark, sharp side-look, as she pushed herself 
 out of his arms, and ran into the kitchen without 
 making any answer. 
 
 On coming up-stairs, he found in the large parlour 
 two men practising the small sword, or seeming rather 
 to make trial which was the better fencer. One of 
 them plainly enough belonged to the vaulting com- 
 pany: the other had a somewhat less savage aspect. 
 Wilhelm looked at them, and had reason to admire 
 them both ; and as the black-bearded, sturdy contender 
 soon afterward forsook the place of action, the other 
 with extreme complaisance offered Wilhelm the rapier. 
 
 " If you want to take a scholar under your inspec- 
 tion," said our friend, " I am well content to risk a 
 few passes with you." 
 
 Accordingly they fought together ; and, although the 
 stranger greatly overmatched his new competitor, he 
 politely kept declaring that it all depended upon prac- 
 tice: in fact, Wilhelm, inferior as he was, had made
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP iii 
 
 it evident that he had got his first instructions from 
 a good, sohd, thorough-paced German fencing-master. 
 
 Their entertainment was disturbed by the uproar 
 with which the party-coloured brotherhood issued 
 from the inn, to make proclamation of the show, and 
 awaken a desire to see their art, throughout the town. 
 Preceded by a drum, the manager advanced on horse- 
 back : he was followed by a female dancer mounted 
 on a corresponding hack, and holding a child before 
 her, all bedizened with ribbons and spangles. Next 
 came the remainder of the troop on foot, some of them 
 carrying children on their shoulders in dangerous 
 postures, yet smoothly and lightly : among these 
 the young, dark, black-haired figure again attracted 
 Wilhelm's notice. 
 
 Pickleherring ran gaily up and down the crowded 
 multitude, distributing his handbills with much prac- 
 tical fun, — here smacking the hps of a girl, there 
 breeching a boy, and awakening generally among the 
 people an invincible desire to know more of him. 
 
 On the painted flags, the manifold science of the 
 company was visibly delineated, particularly of the 
 Monsieur Narciss and the Demoiselle Landrinette : both 
 of whom, being main characters, had prudently kept 
 back from the procession, thereby to acquire a more 
 dignified consideration, and excite a greater curiosity. 
 
 During the procession, Wilhelm's fair neighbour had 
 again appeared at the window ; and he did not fail to 
 inquire about her of his new companion. This person, 
 whom for the present we shall call Laertes, offered to 
 take Wilhelm over and introduce him. " I and the 
 lady," said he laugliing, " are two fragments of an 
 acting company that made shipwreck here a short 
 while ago. The pleasantness of the place has induced 
 us to stay in it, and consume our little stock of cash 
 in peace ; while one of our friends is out seeking some 
 situation for himself and us."
 
 112 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Laertes immediately accompanied his new acquaint- 
 ance to Philina's door ; where he left him for a 
 moment, and ran to a shop hard by for a few sweet- 
 meats. " I am sure you will thank me," said he, on 
 returning, " for procuring you so pleasant an acquaint- 
 ance." 
 
 The lady came out from her room, in a pair of tight 
 little slippers with high heels, to give them welcome. 
 She had thrown a black mantle over her, above a 
 white negligee, not indeed superstitiously clean ; which, 
 however, for that very reason, gave her a more frank 
 and domestic an-. Her short dress did not hide a pair 
 of the prettiest feet and ankles in the world. 
 
 " You are welcome," she cried to "Wilhelm, " and I 
 thank you for your charming flowers." She led him 
 into her chamber with the one hand, pressing the 
 nosegay to her breast with the other. Being all 
 seated, and got into a pleasant train of general talk, to 
 which she had the art of giving a dehghtful turn, 
 Laertes threw a handful of gingerbread-nuts into her 
 lap ; and she immediately began to eat them. 
 
 " Look what a child this young gallant is ! " she 
 said : " he wants to persuade you that I am fond of 
 such confectionery, and it is himseK that cannot live 
 without hcking his hps over something of the kind." 
 
 " Let us confess," rephed Laertes, " that in this 
 point, as in others, you and I go hand in hand. For 
 example," he continued, " the weather is delightful to- 
 day : what if we should take a drive into the country, 
 and eat our dinner at the Mill ? " 
 
 " With all my heart," said Phihna : " we must give 
 our new acquaintance some diversion." 
 
 Laertes sprang out, for he never walked : and 
 Wilhelm motioned to return for a minute to his lodg- 
 ings, to have his hair put in order ; for at present it 
 was all dishevelled with riding. " You can do it 
 here," she said, then called her little servant, and con-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 113 
 
 strained Wilhelm in the politest manner to lay off his 
 coat, to throw her powder-mantle over him, and to 
 have his head dressed in her presence. " We must 
 lose no time," said she : " who knows how short a 
 while we may all be together ? " 
 
 The boy, out of sulkiness and ill nature more than 
 want of skill, went on but indifferently with his task : 
 he pulled the hair with his implements, and seemed as 
 if he would not soon be done. Philina more than 
 once reproved him for his blunders, and at last sharply 
 packed him off", and chased him to the door. She 
 then undertook the business herself, and frizzled 
 Wilhelm's locks with great dexterity and grace; 
 though she, too, appeared to be in no exceeding haste, 
 but found always this and that to improve and put to 
 rights; while at the same time she could not help 
 touching his knees with hers, and holding her nosegay 
 and bosom so near his lips, that he was strongly 
 tempted more than once to imprint a kiss on it. 
 
 When Wilhelm had cleaned his brow with a little 
 powder-knife, she said to him, " Put it in your pocket, 
 and think of me when you see it." It was a pretty 
 knife : the haft, of inlaid steel, had these friendly 
 words wrought on it, " Think of me." Wilhelm put it 
 up, and thanked her, begging permission at the same 
 time to make her a little present in return. 
 
 At last they were in readiness. Laertes had brought 
 round the coach, and they commenced a very gay ex- 
 cursion. To every beggar, Philina threw out money 
 from the window ; giving along with it a merry and 
 friendly word. 
 
 Scarcely had they reached the Mill, and ordered 
 dinner, when a strain of music struck up before the 
 house. It was some miners singing various pretty 
 songs, and accompanying their clear and shrill voices 
 with a cithern and triangle. In a short while the 
 gathering crowd had formed a ring about them, and
 
 114 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 our company nodded approbation to them from the 
 windows. Observing this attention, they expanded 
 their .circle, and seemed making preparation for their 
 grandest piece. After some pause, a miner stepped 
 forward with a mattock in his hand ; and, while the 
 others played a serious tune, he set himself to repre- 
 sent the action of digging. 
 
 Ere long a peasant came from among the crowd, 
 and, by pantomimic threats, let the former know that 
 he must cease and remove. Our company were 
 greatly surprised at this : they did not discover that 
 the peasant was a miner in disguise, till he opened his 
 mouth, and, in a sort of recitative, rebuked the other 
 for daring to meddle with his field. The latter did 
 not lose his composure of mind, but began to inform 
 the husbandman about his right to break ground 
 there; giving him withal some primary conceptions 
 of mineralogy. The peasant, not being master of his 
 foreign terminology, asked all manner of silly ques- 
 tions : whereat the spectators, as themselves more 
 knowing, set up many a hearty laugh. The miner 
 endeavoured to instruct him, and showed him the 
 advantage, which, in the long run, would reach even 
 him, if the deep-lying treasures of the land were dug 
 out from their secret beds. The peasant, who at first 
 had threatened his instructor with blows, was gradu- 
 ally pacified; and they parted good friends at last, 
 though it was the miner chiefly that got out of this 
 contention with honour. 
 
 " In this little dialogue," said Wilhelm, when seated 
 at the table, " we have a lively proof how useful the 
 theatre might be to all ranks ; what advantage even 
 the state might procure from it, if the occupations, 
 trades, and undertakings of men were brought upon 
 the stage, and presented on their praiseworthy side, in 
 that point of view in which the state itself should hon- 
 our and protect them. As matters stand, we exhibit
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 115 
 
 only the ridiculous side of men : the comic poet is, as 
 it were, but a spiteful tax-gatherer, who keeps a watch- 
 ful eye over the errors of his fellow subjects, and 
 seems gratified when he can fix any charge upon them. 
 Might it not be a worthy and pleasing task for a 
 statesman to survey the natural and reciprocal influ- 
 ence of all classes on each other, and to guide some 
 poet, gifted with sufficient humour, in such labours as 
 these ? In this way, I am persuaded, many very en- 
 tertaining, both agreeable and useful, pieces, might be 
 executed." 
 
 " So far," said Laertes, " as I, in wandering about 
 the world, have been able to observe, statesmen are 
 accustomed merely to forbid, to hinder, to refuse, but 
 very rarely to invite, to further, to reward. They let 
 all things go along, till some mischief happens : then 
 they get into a rage, and lay about them." 
 
 " A truce with state and statesmen ! " said Philina : 
 " I cannot form a notion of statesmen except in peri- 
 wigs; and a periwig, wear it who will, always gives 
 my fingers a spasmodic motion : I could like to pluck 
 it off the venerable gentleman, to skip up and down 
 the room with it, and laugh at the bald head." 
 
 So, with a few lively songs, which she could sing 
 very beautifully, Philina cut short their conversation, 
 and urged them to a quick return homewards, that 
 they might arrive in time for seeing the performance 
 of the rope-dancers in the evening. On the road back 
 she continued her lavish generosity, in a style of 
 gaiety reaching to extravagance ; for at last, every 
 coin belonging to herself or her companions being 
 spent, she threw her straw hat from the window to a 
 girl, and her neckerchief to an old woman, who asked 
 her for alms. 
 
 Philina invited both of her attendants to her own 
 apartments, because, she said, the spectacle could be seen 
 more conveniently from her windows than from theirs.
 
 Ii6 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 On arriving, they found the stage set up, and the 
 backgi'ound decked with suspended carpets. The 
 swing-boards were already fastened, the slack-rope 
 fixed to posts, the tight-rope bound over trestles. The 
 square was moderately filled with people, and the 
 windows with spectators of some quality. 
 
 Pickleherring, with a few insipidities, at which the 
 lookers-on are generally kind enough to laugh, first 
 prepared the meeting to attention and good humour. 
 Some children, whose bodies were made to exhibit the 
 strangest contortions, awakened astonishment or hor- 
 ror ; and Wilhelm could not, without the deepest 
 sympathy, see the child he had at the first glance felt 
 an interest in, go through her fantastic positions with 
 considerable difficulty. But the merry tumblers soon 
 changed the feeling into that of Hvely satisfaction, 
 when they first singly, then in rows, and at last all 
 together, vaulted up into the air, making somersets 
 backwards and forwards. A loud clapping of hands 
 and a strong huzza echoed from the whole assembly. 
 
 The general attention was next directed to quite a 
 different object. The children in succession had to 
 mount the rope, — the learners first, that by practising 
 they might prolong the spectacle, and show the difii- 
 culties of the art more clearly. Some men and full- 
 grown women likewise exhibited their skill to moderate 
 advantage ; but still there was no Monsieur Narciss, no 
 Demoiselle Landrinette. 
 
 At last this worthy pair came forth : they issued 
 from a kind of tent with red spread curtains, and, by 
 their agreeable forms and glittering decorations, ful- 
 filled the hitherto increasing hopes of the spectators. 
 He, a hearty knave, of middle stature, with black 
 eyes and a strong head of hair ; she, formed with not 
 inferior symmetry, — exhibited themselves successively 
 upon the rope, with dehcate movements, leaping, and 
 singular postures. Her airy lightness, his audacity;
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 117 
 
 the exactitude with which they both performed their 
 feats of art, — raised the universal satisfaction higher 
 at every step and spring. The statehness with which 
 they bore themselves, the seeming attentions of the 
 rest to them, gave them the appearance of king and 
 queen of the whole troop ; and all held them worthy 
 of the rank. 
 
 The animation of the people spread to the spectators 
 at the windows : the ladies looked incessantly at Nar- 
 ciss, the gentlemen at Landrinette. The populace 
 hurrahed, the more cultivated public could not keep 
 from clapping of the hands : Pickleherring now could 
 scarcely raise a laugh. A few, however, slunk away 
 when some members of the troop began to press 
 through the crowd with their tin plates to collect 
 money. 
 
 " They have made their purpose good, I imagine," 
 said Wilhelm to Philina, who was leaning over the 
 window beside him. " I admire the ingenuity with 
 which they have turned to advantage even the mean- 
 est parts of their performance : out of the unskilfulness 
 of their children, and exquisiteness of their chief actors, 
 they have made up a whole which at first excited our 
 attention, and then gave us very fine entertainment." 
 
 The people by degrees dispersed ; and the square 
 was again become empty, while Philina and Laertes 
 were disputing about the forms and the skill of Narciss 
 and Landrinette, and rallying each other on the subject 
 at great length. Wilhelm noticed the wonderful child 
 standing on the street near some other children at 
 play : he showed her to Philina, who, in her lively 
 way, immediately called and beckoned to the little 
 one, and, this not succeeding, tripped singing down- 
 stairs, and led her up by the hand. 
 
 " Here is the enigma," said she, as she brought her 
 to the door. The child stood upon the threshold, as 
 if she meant again to run off; laid her right hand on
 
 ii8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 her breast, the left on her brow, and bowed deeply. 
 " Fear nothing, my httle dear," said Wilhelm, rising, 
 and going toward her. She viewed him with a doubt- 
 ing look, and came a few steps nearer. 
 
 " What is thy name ? " he asked. " They call me 
 Mignon." " How old art thou ? " " No one has counted." 
 " Who was thy father ? " " The Great Devil is dead." 
 
 " Well ! this is singular enough," said Philina. They 
 asked her a few more questions : she gave her answers 
 in a kind of broken German, and with a strangely 
 solemn manner ; every time laying her hands on her 
 breast and brow, and bowing deeply. 
 
 Wilhelm could not satisfy himself with looking at 
 her. His eyes and his heart were irresistibly attracted 
 by the mysterious condition of this being. He reck- 
 oned her about twelve or thirteen years of age : her 
 body was well formed, only her limbs gave promise of 
 a stronger growth, or else announced a stunted one. 
 Her countenance was not regular, but striking; her 
 brow full of mystery ; her nose extremely beautiful ; 
 her mouth, although it seemed too closely shut for one 
 of her age, and though she often threw it to a side, 
 had yet an air of frankness, and was very lovely. Her 
 brownish complexion could scarcely be discerned 
 through the paint. This form stamped itself deeply in 
 Wilhelm's soul : he kept looking at her earnestly, and 
 forgot the present scene in the multitude of his reflec- 
 tions. Philina waked him from his half-dream, by 
 holding out the remainder of her sweetmeats to the 
 child, and giving her a sign to go away. She made 
 her little bow as formerly, and darted like lightning 
 through the door. 
 
 As the time drew on when our new friends had to 
 part for the evening, they planned a fresh excursion 
 for the morrow. They purposed now to have their 
 dinner at a neighbouring Jdgerhcms. Before taking 
 leave of Laertes, Wilhelm said many things in Phihna's
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 119 
 
 praise, to which the other made only brief and careless 
 answers. 
 
 Next morning, having once more exercised them- 
 selves in fencing for an hour, they went over to 
 Phihna's lodging, toward which they had seen their 
 expected coach passing by. But how surprised was 
 Wilhelm, when the coach seemed altogether to have 
 vanished ; and how much more so, when Philina was 
 not to be found at home ! She had placed herself in 
 the carriage, they were told, with a couple of strangers 
 who had come that morning, and was gone with them. 
 Wilhelm had been promising himself some pleasant 
 entertainment from her company, and could not hide 
 his irritation. Laertes, on the other hand, but laughed 
 at it, and cried, " I love her for this : it looks so like 
 herself ! Let us, however, go directly to the Jdgerhaus : 
 be Philina where she pleases, we will not lose our 
 promenade on her account." 
 
 As Wilhelm, while they walked, continued censur- 
 ing the inconsistency of such conduct, Laertes said, 
 " I cannot reckon it inconsistent so long as one keeps 
 faithful to his character. If this Philina plans you 
 anything, or promises you anything, she does it under 
 the tacit condition that it shall be quite convenient for 
 her to fulfil her plan, to keep her promise. She gives 
 wilUngly, but you must ever hold yourself in readiness 
 to return her gifts." 
 
 " That seems a singular character," said Wilhelm. 
 
 " Anything but singular : only she is not a hypocrite. 
 I like her on that account. Yes : I am her friend, be- 
 cause she represents the sex so truly, which I have so 
 much cause to hate. To me she is another genuine 
 Eve, the great mother of womankind : so are they all, 
 only they will not all confess it." 
 
 With abundance of such talk, in which Laertes very 
 vehemently exhibited his spleen against the fair sex, 
 without, however, giving any cause for it, they arrived
 
 I20 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 at the forest ; into which Wilhelm entered in no joyful 
 mood, the speeches of Laertes having again revived in 
 him the memory of his relation to Mariana. ]N"ot far 
 from a shady well, among some old and noble trees, 
 they found Phihna sitting by herself at a stone table. 
 Seeing them, she struck up a merry song ; and, when 
 Laertes asked for her companions, she cried out, " I 
 have already cozened them : I have already had my 
 laugh at them, and sent them a-travelling, as they de- 
 served. By the way hither I had put to proof their 
 liberahty ; and, finding that they were a couple of your 
 close-fisted gentry, I immediately determined to have 
 amends of them. On arriving at the inn, they asked 
 the waiter what was to be had. He, with his custom- 
 ary glibness of tongue, reckoned over all that could be 
 found in the house, and more than could be found. I 
 noticed their perplexity : they looked at one another, 
 stammered, and inquired about the cost. 'What is 
 the use of all this studying ? ' said I. ' The table is 
 the lady's business : allow me to manage it.' I im- 
 mediately began ordering a most unconscionable din- 
 ner, for which many necessary articles would require 
 to be sent for from the neighbourhood. The waiter, of 
 whom, by a wry mouth or two, I had made a confidant, 
 at last helped me out ; and so, by the image of a 
 sumptuous feast, we tortured them to such a degree 
 that they fau-ly determined on ha\dng a walk in the 
 forest, from which I imagine we shall look with clear 
 eyes if we see them come again. I have laughed a 
 quarter of an hour for my own behoof ; I shall laugh 
 for ever when I think of the looks they had." At table, 
 Laertes told of similar adventures : they got into the 
 track of recounting ludicrous stories, mistakes, and 
 dexterous cheats. 
 
 A young man of their acquaintance, from the town, 
 came gliding through the wood with a book in his 
 hand : he sat down by them, and began praising the
 
 .-^r-i^i^v 't ^-'"ji . 
 
 ^-jsxf-^r.T'' 
 
 ^ 
 
 ' ' ' tsij^ toy A-«^vjtA Wj^Az \ • " 
 
 floiibani .W \d j^rthnrBq aril moi^ aif/vBisoJoril
 
 ) J. L>. I ■_-■'_ J. L <A C *.»- 
 
 ::jk Up a inPTTT song; i 
 for her compan le cried out, " 1 
 
 jzened them: I ha ady had ^ 
 
 it thp- . . 
 
 1 to iiave 
 aniving at the inn, they asked 
 
 ■1 his custom- 
 
 T 
 
 t the 
 
 look with clear 
 have 
 
 i; I shall ian ' 
 ' nd." A^ ' ' 
 
 : their acquaintance, fr 
 
 li< L I 'cuai ' 
 
 " ' / s^^// laugh for ever ' " 
 
 Photogravure from the painting by W. Friedrich
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 121 
 
 beauty of the place. He directed their attention to 
 the murmuring of the brook, to the waving of the 
 boughs, to the checkered lights and shadows, and the 
 music of the birds. Philina commenced a little song 
 of the cuckoo, which did not seem at all to exhilarate 
 the man of taste : he very soon made his compliments, 
 and went on. 
 
 " Oh that I might never hear more of nature, and 
 scenes of nature ! " cried Philina, so soon as he was 
 gone : " there is nothing in the world more intolerable 
 than to hear people reckon up the pleasures you enjoy. 
 When the day is bright you go to walk, as to dance 
 when you hear a tune played. But who would think 
 a moment on the music or the weather ? It is the 
 dancer that interests us, not the violin ; and to look 
 upon a pair of bright black eyes is the life of a pair of 
 blue ones. But what on earth have we to do with 
 wells and brooks, and old rotten lindens ? " She was 
 sitting opposite to Wilhelm ; and, while speaking so, 
 she looked into his eyes with a glance which he could 
 not hinder from piercing at least to the very door of 
 his heart. 
 
 " You are right," replied he, not without embar- 
 rassment : " man is ever the most interesting object 
 to man, and perhaps should be the only one that in- 
 terests. Whatever else surrounds us is but the ele- 
 ment in which we live, or else the instrument which 
 we employ. The more we devote ourselves to such 
 things, the more we attend to and feel concern in them, 
 the weaker will our sense of our own dignity become, 
 the weaker our feelings for society. Men who put a 
 ^great value on gardens, buildings, clothes, ornaments, 
 or any other sort of property, grow less social and 
 pleasant : they lose sight of their brethren, whom very 
 few can succeed in collecting about them and enter- 
 taining. Have you not observed it on the stage ? A 
 good actor makes us very soon forget the awkwardness
 
 122 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and meanness of paltry decorations, but a splendid 
 theatre is the very thing which first makes us truly 
 feel the want of proper actors. 
 
 After dinner Philina sat down among the long, over- 
 shaded grass, and commanded both her friends to fetch 
 her flowers in great quantities. She wreathed a com- 
 plete garland, and put it round her head : it made her 
 look extremely charming. The flowers were still suf- 
 ficient for another : this, too, she plaited, while both 
 the young men sat beside her. \\Tien, at last, amid 
 infinite mirth and sportfulness, it was completed, she 
 pressed it on Wilhelm's head with the greatest dignity, 
 and shifted the posture of it more than once, till it 
 seemed to her properly adjusted. " And I, it appears, 
 must go empty," said Laertes. 
 
 " Not by any means : you shall not have reason to 
 complain," replied Phihna, taking off the garland from 
 her own head, and putting it on his. 
 
 " If we were rivals," said Laertes, " we might now 
 dispute very warmly which of us stood higher in thy 
 favour." 
 
 " And the more fools you," said she, while she bent 
 herself toward him, and offered him her lips to kiss ; 
 and then immediately turned round, threw her arm 
 about Wilhelm, and bestowed a kind salute on him 
 also. " "\Miich of them tastes best ? " said she archly. 
 
 " Surprisingly ! " exclaimed Laertes : " it seems as if 
 nothing else had ever such a tang of wormwood in 
 it." 
 
 " As httle wormwood," she replied, " as any gift that 
 a man may enjoy "without envy and without conceit. 
 But now," she cried, " I should like to have an hour's 
 dancing ; and after that we must look to our vaulters." 
 
 Accordingly, they went into the house, and there 
 found music in readiness. Philina was a beautiful 
 dancer : she animated both her companions. Nor was 
 Wilhelm without skill; but he wanted careful prac-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 123 
 
 tice, a defect which his two friends voluntarily took 
 charge of remedying. 
 
 In these amusements the time passed on insensibly. 
 It was already late when they returned. The rope- 
 dancers had commenced their operations. A multi- 
 tude of people had again assembled in the square ; and 
 our friends, on alighting, were struck by the appear- 
 ance of a tumult in the crowd, occasioned by a throng 
 of men rushing toward the door of the inn, which 
 Wilhelm had now turned his face to. He sprang 
 forward to see what it was ; and, pressing through the 
 people, he was struck with horror to observe the 
 master of the rope-dancing company dragging poor 
 Mignon by the hair out of the house, and unmerci- 
 fully beating her little body with the handle of a 
 whip. 
 
 Wilhelm darted on the man like lightning, and 
 seized him by the collar. " Quit the child ! " he cried, 
 in a furious tone, " or one of us shall never leave this 
 spot ! " and, so speaking, he grasped the fellow by the 
 throat with a force which only rage could have lent 
 him. The showman, on the point of choking, let go 
 the child, and endeavoured to defend himself against 
 his new assailant. But some people, who had felt 
 compassion for Mignon, yet had not dared to begin a 
 quarrel for her, now laid hold of the rope-dancer, 
 wrenched his whip away, and threatened him with 
 great fierceness and abuse. Being now reduced to the 
 weapons of his mouth, he began bullying, and cursing 
 horribly. The lazy, worthless urchin, he said, would 
 not do her duty ; refused to perform the egg-dance, 
 which he had promised to the public ; he would beat 
 her to death, and no one should hinder him. He tried 
 to get loose, and seek the child, who had crept away 
 among the crowd. Wilhelm held him back, and said 
 sternly, " You shall neither see nor touch her, till you 
 have explained before a magistrate where you stole
 
 124 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 her. I will pursue you to every extremity. You shall 
 not escape me." These words, which Wilhelm uttered 
 in heat, without thought or purpose, out of some vague 
 feehng, or, if you will, out of inspiration, soon brought 
 the raging showman to composure. " What have I to 
 do with the useless brat ? " cried he. " Pay me what 
 her clothes cost, and make of her what you please. 
 We shall settle it to-night." And, being liberated, he 
 made haste to resume his interrupted operations, and 
 to calm the irritation of the pubhc by some striking 
 displays of his craft. 
 
 As soon as all was still again, Wilhelm commenced 
 a search for Mignon, whom, however, he could no- 
 where find. Some said they had seen her on the 
 street, others on the roofs of the adjoining houses ; 
 but, after seeking unsuccessfully in all quarters, he 
 was forced to content himself, and wait to see if she 
 would not again turn up of herself. 
 
 In the meantime, Narciss had come into the house ; 
 and Wilhelm set to question him about the birthplace 
 and history of the child. Monsieur ISTarciss knew 
 nothing about these things, for he had not long been 
 in the company ; but in return he recited, with much 
 volubility and levity, various particulars of his own 
 fortune. Upon Wilhelm's wishing him joy of the 
 great approbation he had gained, Narciss expressed 
 himself as if exceedingly indifferent on that point. 
 " People laugh at us," he said, " and admire our feats 
 of skill ; but their admiration does nothing for us. 
 The master has to pay us, and may raise the funds 
 where he pleases." He then took his leave, and was 
 setting off in great haste. 
 
 At the question, whither he was bent so fast, the 
 dog gave a smile, and admitted that his figure and 
 talents had acquired for him a more solid species of 
 favour than the huzzaing of the multitude. He had 
 been invited by some young ladies, who desired much
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 125 
 
 to become acquainted with him ; and he was afraid it 
 would be midnight before he could get all his visits 
 over. He proceeded with the greatest candour to detail 
 his adventures. He would have given the names of 
 his patronesses, their streets and houses, had not Wil- 
 helm waived such indiscretion, and pohtely dismissed 
 him. 
 
 Laertes had meanwhile been entertaining Landri- 
 nette: he declared that she was fully worthy to be 
 and to remain a woman. 
 
 Our friend next proceeded to his bargain with the 
 showman for Mignon. Thirty crowns was the price set 
 upon her; and for this sum the black-bearded, hot 
 Itahan entirely surrendered all his claims : but of her 
 history or parentage he would discover nothing, only 
 that she had fallen into his hands at the death of his 
 brother, who, by reason of his admirable skill, had 
 usually been named the " Great Devil." 
 
 Next morning was chiefly spent in searching for the 
 child. It was in vain that they rummaged every hole 
 and corner of the house and neighbourhood : the child 
 had vanished; and Wilhelm was afraid she might 
 have leaped into some pool of water, or destroyed her- 
 self in some other way. 
 
 Philina's charms could not divert his inquietude. 
 He passed a dreary, thoughtful day. Nor at evening 
 could the utmost efforts of the tumblers and dancers, 
 exerting all their powers to gratify the public, divert 
 the current of his thoughts, or clear away the clouds 
 from his mind. 
 
 By the concourse of people flocking from all places 
 round, the numbers had gi-eatly increased on this 
 occasion : the general approbation was like a snowball 
 rolHng itself into a monstrous size. The feat of leap- 
 ing over swords, and through the cask with paper 
 ends, made a great sensation. 
 
 The strong man, too, produced a universal feeling of
 
 126 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 mingled astonishment and horror, when he laid his 
 head and feet on a couple of separate stools and then 
 allowed some sturdy smiths to place a stithy on the 
 unsupported part of his body, and hammer a horseshoe 
 till it was completely made by means of it. 
 
 The Hercules' Strength, as they called it, was a no 
 less wonderful affair. A row of men stood up ; then 
 another row, upon their shoulders ; then women and 
 young lads, supported in like manner on the second 
 row ; so that finally a living pyramid was formed ; 
 the peak being ornamented by a child, placed on its 
 head, and dressed out in the shape of a ball and 
 weather-vane. Such a sight, never witnessed in those 
 parts before, gave a worthy termination to the whole 
 performance. Narciss and Landrinette were then 
 borne in litters, on the shoulders of the rest, along the 
 chief streets of the town, amid the triumphant shouts 
 of the people. Ribbons, nosegays, silks, were thrown 
 upon them : all pressed to get a sight of them. Each 
 thought himself happy if he could behold them, and 
 be honoured with a look of theirs. 
 
 " What actor, what author, nay, what man of any 
 class, would not regard himself as on the summit of 
 his wishes, could he, by a noble saying or a worthy 
 action, produce so universal an impression ? AMiat a 
 precious emotion would it give, if one could dissemi- 
 nate generous, exalted, manly feehngs with electric 
 force and speed, and rouse assembled thousands into 
 such rapture, as these people, by their bodily alertness, 
 have done ! If one could communicate to thronging 
 multitudes a fellow-feeling in all that belongs to man, 
 by the portraying of happiness and misery, of wisdom 
 and folly, nay, of absurdity and silliness ; could kindle 
 and thrill their inmost souls, and set their stagnant 
 nature into movement, free, vehement, and pure ' " So 
 said our friend ; and, as neither Laertes nor Phihna 
 showed any disposition to take part in such a strain, he
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 127 
 
 entertained himself with these daring speculations, 
 walking up and down the streets till late at night, and 
 again pursuing, with all the force and vivacity of a 
 liberated imagination, his old desire to have all that 
 was good and noble and great embodied and shown 
 forth by the theatric art.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Next morning the rope-dancers, not without much 
 parade and bustle, having gone away, Mignou immedi- 
 ately appeared, and came into the parlour as Wilhelm 
 and Laertes were busy fencing. " Where hast thou 
 been hid ? " said Wilhelm, in a friendly tone. " Thou 
 hast given us a great deal of anxiety." The child 
 looked at him, and answered nothing. " Thou art 
 ours now," cried Laertes : " we have bought thee." 
 " For how much ? " inquired the child quite coolly, 
 " For a hundred ducats," said the other : " pay them 
 again, and thou art free." " Is that very much ? " 
 she asked. " Oh, yes ! thou must now be a good 
 child." "I will try," she said. 
 
 From that moment she observed strictly what ser- 
 vices the waiter had to do for both her friends ; and 
 after next day, she would not any more let him enter 
 the room. She persisted in doing everything herself, 
 and accordingly went through her duties, slowly, in- 
 deed, and sometimes awkwardly, yet completely, and 
 with the greatest care. 
 
 She was frequently observed going to a basin of 
 water, and washing her face with such diligence and 
 violence, that she almost wore the skin from her 
 cheeks ; till Laertes, by dint of questions and reproofs, 
 learned that she was striving by all means to get the 
 paint from her skin, and that, in her zealous en- 
 deavours toward this object, she had mistaken the 
 redness produced by rubbing for the most obdurate 
 dye. They set her right on this point, and she ceased 
 her efforts; after which, having come again to her 
 
 128
 
 MEISTER'S apprenticeship 129 
 
 natural state, she exhibited a fine brown complexion, 
 beautiful, though sparingly intermingled with red. 
 
 The siren charms of Philina, the mysterious pres- 
 ence of the child, produced more impression on our 
 friend than he liked to confess : he passed several days 
 in that strange society, endeavouring to elude self- 
 reproaches by a diligent practice of fencing and danc- 
 ing, — accomplishments which he believed might not 
 again be put within his reach so conveniently. 
 
 It was with gi'eat surprise, and not without a certain 
 satisfaction, that he one day observed Herr Melina 
 and his wife alight at the inn. After the first glad 
 salutation, they inquired about " the lady-manager and 
 the other actors," and learned, with astonishment and 
 terror, that the lady-manager had long since gone 
 away, and her actors, to a very few, dispersed them- 
 selves about the country. 
 
 This couple, subsequently to their marriage, in 
 which, as we know, our friend did his best to serve 
 them, had been travelling about in various quarters, 
 seeking an engagement, without finding any, and had 
 at last been directed to this little town by some 
 persons who met them on their journey, and said 
 there was a good theatre in the place. 
 
 Melina by no means pleased the lively Laertes, 
 when introduced to him, any more than his wife did 
 PhiHna. Both heartily wished to be rid of these 
 newcomers; and Wilhelm could inspire them with 
 no favourable feelings on the subject, though he more 
 than once assured them that the Melinas were very 
 worthy people. 
 
 Indeed, the previous merry life of our three adven- 
 turers was interfered with by this extension of their 
 society, in more ways than one. Melina had taken 
 up his quarters in the inn where PhiHna stayed, and 
 he very soon began a system of cheapening and 
 higgling. He would have better lodging, more sump-
 
 I30 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 tiious diet, and readier attendance, for a smaller charge. 
 In a short while, the landlord and waiter showed very- 
 rueful looks ; for whereas the others, to get pleasantly 
 along, had expressed no discontent with anything, and 
 paid instantly, that they might avoid thinking longer 
 of payment, Melina now insisted on regulating every 
 meal, and investigating its contents beforehand, — a 
 species of service for which Phihna named him, with- 
 out scruple, a ruminating animal. 
 
 Yet more did the merry girl hate Melina's wife. 
 Frau Melina was a young woman not without culture, 
 but wofully defective in soul and spirit. She could 
 declaim not badly, and kept declaiming constantly ; 
 but it was easy to observe that her performances were 
 little more than recitations of words. She laboured 
 a few detached passages, but never could express the 
 feeling of the whole. Withal, however, she was seldom 
 disagi'eeable to any one, especially to men. On the 
 contrary, people who enjoyed her acquaintance com- 
 monly ascribed to her a fine understanding ; for she 
 was what might be called a kind of spiritual chame- 
 leon, or taker-on. Any friend whose favour she had 
 need of she could flatter with pecuhar adroitness, 
 could give in to his ideas so long as she could under- 
 stand them, and, when they went beyond her own 
 horizon, could hail with ecstasy such new and brilliant 
 visions. She understood well when to speak and 
 when to keep silence ; and, though her disposition 
 was not spiteful, she could spy out with great expert- 
 ness where another's weak side lay.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Melina, in the meantime, had been making strict 
 inquiry about the wrecks of the late theatrical estab- 
 lishment. The wardrobe, as well as decorations, had 
 been pawned with some traders; and a notary had 
 been empowered, under certain conditions, to dispose 
 of them by sale, should purchasers occur. Melina 
 wished to see this ware, and he took Wilhelm with 
 him. No sooner was the room opened, than our friend 
 felt toward its contents a kind of inchnation, which he 
 would not confess to himself. Sad as was the state 
 of the blotched and tarnished decorations ; httle showy 
 as the Turkish and pagan garments, the old farce-coats 
 for men and women, the cowls for enchanters, priests, 
 and Jews, might be, — he was not able to exclude the 
 feeling, that the happiest moments of his life had been 
 spent in a similar magazine of frippery. Could Melina 
 have seen into his heart, he would have urged him 
 more pressingly to lay out a sum of money in libera- 
 ting these scattered fragments, in furbishing them up, 
 and again combining them into a beautiful whole. 
 
 " What a happy man could I be," cried Melina, " had 
 I but two hundred crowns, to get into my hands, for 
 a beginning, these fundamental necessaries of a theatre ! 
 How soon should I get up a little playhouse, that 
 would draw contributions from the town and neigh- 
 bourhood, and maintain us all ! " Wilhelm was silent. 
 They left these treasures of the stage to be again 
 locked up, and both went away in a reflective mood. 
 
 Thenceforth Melina talked of nothing else but proj- 
 ects and plans for setting up a theatre, and gaining 
 profit by it. He tried to interest Philina and Laertes 
 
 131
 
 132 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 in his schemes ; and proposals were made to Wilhelm 
 about advancing money, and taking them as his se- 
 curity. On this occasion, Wilhelm first clearly per- 
 ceived that he was lingering too long here : he excused 
 himself, and set about making preparations for depar- 
 ture. 
 
 In the meantime, Mignon's form, and manner of 
 existence, were growing more attractive to him every 
 day. In her whole system of proceedings there was 
 something very singular. She never walked up or 
 down the stairs, but jumped. She would spring along 
 by the railing, and before you were aware would be 
 sitting quietly above upon the landing. Wilhelm had 
 observed, also, that she had a different sort of saluta- 
 tion for each individual. For himself, it had of late 
 been with her arms crossed upon her breast. Often 
 for the whole day she was mute. At times she an- 
 swered various questions more freely, yet always 
 strangely : so that you could not determine whether 
 it was caused by shrewd sense, or ignorance of the 
 language ; for she spoke in broken German interlaced 
 with French and Itahan. In Wilhelm's service she 
 was indefatigable, and up before the sun. On the 
 other hand, she vanished early in the evening, went to 
 sleep in a little room upon the bare floor, and could 
 not by any means be induced to take a bed or even a 
 paillasse. He often found her washing herself. Her 
 clothes, too, were kept scrupulously clean ; though 
 nearly all about her was quilted two or three phes 
 thick. Wilhelm was moreover told, that she went 
 every morning early to hear mass. He followed her 
 on one occasion, and saw her kneeling down with a 
 rosary in a corner of the church, and praying devoutly. 
 She did not observe him ; and he returned home, form- 
 ing many a conjecture about this appearance, yet 
 unable to arrive at any probable conclusion. 
 
 A new application from MeUna for a sum of money
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 133 
 
 to redeem the often-mentioned stage apparatus caused 
 Wilhelm to think more seriously than ever about set- 
 ting off. He proposed writing to his people, who for 
 a long time had heard no tidings of him, by the very 
 earhest post. He accordingly commenced a letter to 
 Werner, and had advanced a considerable way with 
 the history of his adventures, in recounting which he 
 had more than once unintentionally swerved a little 
 from the truth, when, to his vexation and surprise, he 
 observed, upon the back of his sheet, some verses 
 which he had been copying from his album for Madam 
 Mehna. Out of humour at this mistake, he tore the 
 paper in pieces, and put off repeating his confession 
 till the next post-day.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Our party was now again collected ; and Philina, 
 who always kept a sharp lookout on every horse or 
 carriage that passed by, exclaimed with great eager- 
 ness, " Our Pedant ! Here comes our dearest Pedant ! 
 Wlio the deuce is it he has with him ? " Speaking 
 thus, she beckoned at the window ; and the vehicle 
 drew up. 
 
 A woful-looking genius, whom by his shabby coat 
 of grayish brown, and his ill-conditioned lower gar- 
 ments, you must have taken for some unprosperous 
 preceptor, of the sort that moulder in our universities, 
 now descended from the carriage, and, taking off his 
 hat to salute Philina, discovered an ill-powdered, but 
 yet very stiff, periwig ; while Philina threw a hundred 
 kisses of the hand toward him. 
 
 As Philina's chief enjoyment lay in loving one class 
 of men, and being loved by them ; so there was a second 
 and hardly inferior satisfaction, wherewith she enter- 
 tained herself as frequently as possible ; and this con- 
 sisted in hoodwinking and passing jokes upon the 
 other class, whom at such moments she happened not 
 to love, — all which she could accomphsh in a very 
 sprightly style. 
 
 Amid the flourish which she made in receiving this 
 old friend, no attention was bestowed upon the rest 
 who followed him. Yet among the party were an 
 oldish man and two young girls, whom Wilhelm 
 thought he knew. Accordingly it turned out, that he 
 had often seen them all, some years ago, in a company 
 then playing in his native town. The daughters had 
 
 134
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 135 
 
 grown since that period : the old man was a little 
 altered. He commonly enacted those good-hearted, 
 boisterous old gentlemen, whom the German theatre 
 is never without, and whom, in common life, one also 
 frequently enough falls in with. For as it is the char- 
 acter of our countrymen to do good, and cause it, with- 
 out pomp or circumstance; so they seldom consider 
 that there is likewise a mode of doing what is right 
 with grace and dignity : more frequently, indeed, they 
 yield to the spirit of contradiction, and fall into the 
 error of deforming their dearest virtue by a surly mode 
 of putting it in practice. 
 
 Such parts our actor could play very well ; and he 
 played them so often and exclusively, that he had 
 himself taken up the same turn of proceeding in his 
 ordinary life. 
 
 On recognising him, Wilhelm was seized with a 
 strong commotion ; for he recollected how often he 
 had seen this man on the stage with his beloved 
 Mariana : he still heard him scolding, still heard the 
 small, soothing voice, with which in many characters 
 she had to meet his rugged temper. 
 
 The first anxious question put to the strangers, — 
 Whether they had heard of any situation in their 
 travels ? — was answered, alas, with No ! and, to com- 
 plete the information, it was further added, that all 
 the companies they had fallen in with were not only 
 supplied with actors, but many of them were afraid 
 lest, on account of the approaching war, they should 
 be forced to separate. Old Boisterous, with his daugh- 
 ters, moved by spleen and love of change, had given 
 up an advantageous engagement : then, meeting with 
 the Pedant by the way, they had hired a carriage to 
 come hither ; where, as they found, good counsel was 
 still dear, needful to have, and difficult to get. 
 
 The time while the rest were talking very keenly of 
 their circumstances, Wilhelm spent in thought. He
 
 136 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 longed to speak in private witli the old man : he 
 wished and feared to hear of Mariana, and felt the 
 greatest disquietude. 
 
 The pretty looks of the stranger damsels could not 
 call him from his dream ; but a war of words, which 
 now arose, awakened his attention. It was Friedrich, 
 the faii'-hau'ed boy who used to attend Philina, stub- 
 bornly refusing, on this occasion, to cover the table 
 and bring up dinner. " I engaged to serve you," 
 he cried, "but not to wait on everybody." They fell 
 into a hot contest. Philina insisted that he should do 
 his duty ; and, as he obstinately refused, she told him 
 plainly he might go about his business. 
 
 " You think, perhaps, I cannot leave you ! " cried he 
 sturdily, then went to pack up his bundle, and soon 
 hastily quitted the house. 
 
 " Go, Mignon," said Philina, " and get us what we 
 want : tell the waiter, and help him to attend us." 
 
 Mignon came before Wilhelm, and asked in her 
 laconic way, "Shall I? May I?" To which Wil- 
 helm answered, " Do all the lady bids thee, child." 
 
 She accordingly took charge of everything, and 
 waited on the guests the whole evening, mth the 
 utmost carefulness. After dinner, Wilhelm proposed 
 to have a walk with the old man alone. Succeeding 
 in this, after many questions about his late wanderings, 
 the conversation turned upon the former company; 
 and Wilhelm hazarded a question touching Mariana. 
 
 " Do not speak to me of that despicable creature ! " 
 cried the old man : " I have sworn to think of her no 
 more." Terrified at this speech, Wilhelm felt still 
 more embarrassed, as the old man proceeded to \dtu- 
 perate her fickleness and wantonness. Most gladly 
 would our friend have broken off the conversation, but 
 now it was impossible : he was obliged to undergo the 
 whole tumultuous effusions of this strange old gentle- 
 man.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 137 
 
 " I am ashamed," continued he, " that I felt such a 
 friendship for her. Yet, had you known the girl 
 better, you would excuse me. She was so pretty, so 
 natural and good, so pleasing, in every sense so toler- 
 able, I could never have supposed that ingratitude 
 and impudence were to prove the chief features of her 
 character." 
 
 Wilhelm had nerved himself to hear the worst of 
 her; when all at once he observed, with astonishment, 
 that the old man's tones gi-ew milder, his voice faltered, 
 and he took out his handerchief to dry the tears, which 
 at last began to trickle down his cheeks. 
 
 "What is the matter with you?" cried Wilhelm. 
 "What is it that suddenly so changes the current of 
 your feehngs ? Conceal it not from me. I take a 
 deeper interest in the fate of this girl than you suppose. 
 Only tell me all." 
 
 " I have not much to say," replied the old man, 
 again taking up his earnest, ang^iy tone. " I have suf- 
 fered more from her than I shall ever forgive. She 
 had always a kind of trust in me. I loved her as my 
 own daughter; indeed, while my wife lived, I had 
 formed a resolution to take the creature to my own 
 house, and save her from the hands of that old crone, 
 from whose guidance I boded no good. But my wife 
 died, and the project went to nothing. 
 
 " About the end of our stay in your native town, — 
 it is not quite three years ago, — I noticed a visible 
 sadness about her. I questioned her, but she evaded 
 me. At last we set out on our journey. She travelled 
 in the same coach with me ; and I soon observed, what 
 she herself did not long deny, that she was with child, 
 and .suffering the greatest terror lest our manager 
 might turn her off. In fact, in a short while he did 
 make the discovery ; immediately threw up her 
 contract, which at any rate was only for six weeks ; 
 paid off her arrears; and, in spite of all entreaties.
 
 138 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 left her behind, in the miserable inn of a httle 
 village. 
 
 " De\il take all wanton jilts ! " cried the old man, 
 with a splenetic tone, "and especially this one, that 
 has spoiled me so many hours of my life ! Why 
 should I keep talking how I myself took charge of 
 her, what I did for her, what I spent on her, how in 
 absence I provided for her ? I would rather throw 
 my purse into the ditch, and spend my time in nursing 
 mangy whelps, than ever more bestow the smallest 
 care on such a thing. Pshaw ! At first I got letters 
 of thanks, notice of places she was staying at ; and, 
 finally, no word at all, — not even an acknowledgment 
 for the money I had sent to pay the expenses of her 
 lying-in. Oh ! the treachery and the fickleness of 
 women are rightly matched, to get a comfortable living 
 for themselves, and to give an honest fellow many 
 heavy hours."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Wilhelm's feelings, on returning home after this 
 conversation, may be easily conceived. All his old 
 wounds had been torn up afresh, and the sentiment 
 that Mariana was not wholly unworthy of his love 
 had again been brought to Hfe. The interest the old 
 man had shown about her fate, the praises he gave her 
 against his will, displayed her again in all her attract- 
 iveness. Nay, even the bitter accusations brought 
 against her contained nothing that could lower her in 
 Wilhelm's estimation ; for he, as well as she, was guilty 
 in all her aberrations. Nor did even her final silence 
 seem greatly blamable: it rather inspired him with 
 mournful thoughts. He saw her as a frail, ill-succoured 
 mother, wandering helplessly about the world, — wan- 
 dering, perhaps, with his own child. What he knew, 
 and what he knew not, awoke in him the painfuUest 
 emotions. 
 
 Mignon had been waiting for him : she lighted him 
 up-stairs. On setting down the light, she begged he 
 would allow her, that evening, to compliment him 
 with a piece of her art. He would rather have de- 
 clined this, particularly as he knew not what it was ; 
 but he had not the heart to refuse anything this kind 
 creature wished. After a little while she again came 
 in. She carried below her arm a little carpet, which 
 she then spread out upon the floor. Wilhelm said she 
 might proceed. She thereupon brought four candles, 
 and placed one upon each corner of the carpet. A 
 httle basket of eggs, which she next carried in, made 
 her purpose clearer. Carefully measuring her steps, 
 
 139
 
 I40 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 she then walked to and fro on the carpet, spreading 
 out the eggs in certain figures and positions ; which 
 done, she called in a man that was waiting in the 
 house, and could play on the viohn. He retired with 
 his instrument into a corner ; she tied a band about 
 her eyes, gave a signal ; and, like a piece of wheel- 
 work set a-going, she began moving the same instant 
 as the music, accompanying her beats and the notes 
 of the tune with the strokes of a pair of castanets. 
 
 Lightly, nimbly, quickly, and with hair's-breadth 
 accuracy, she carried on the dance. She skipped so 
 sharply and surely along between the eggs, and trod 
 so closely down beside them, that you would have 
 thought every instant she must trample one of them 
 in pieces, or kick the rest away in her rapid turns. By 
 no means ! She touched no one of them, though wind- 
 ing herself through their mazes with all kinds of steps, 
 wide and narrow, nay, even with leaps, and at last half 
 kneeling. 
 
 Constant as the movement of a clock, she ran her 
 course ; and the strange music, at each repetition of 
 the tune, gave a new impulse to the dance, recommenc- 
 ing and again rushing off as at first. Wilhelm was 
 quite led away by this singular spectacle ; he forgot 
 his cares ; he followed every movement of the dear 
 little creature, and felt surprised to see how finely her 
 character unfolded itself as she proceeded in the 
 dance. 
 
 Eigid, sharp, cold, vehement, and in soft postures, 
 stately rather than attractive, — such was the light in 
 which it showed her. At this moment he experienced 
 at once all the emotions he had ever felt for Mignon. 
 He longed to incorporate this forsaken being with his 
 own heart, to take her in his arms, and with a father's 
 love to awaken in her the joy of existence. 
 
 The dance being ended, she rolled the eggs together 
 softly with her foot into a little heap, left none behind,
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 141 
 
 harmed none ; then placed herself beside it, taking the 
 bandage from her eyes, and concluding her performance 
 with a httle bow. 
 
 Wilhelm thanked her for having executed, so prettily 
 and unexpectedly, a dance he had long wished to see. 
 He patted her ; was sorry she had tired herself so 
 much. He promised her a new suit of clothes ; to 
 which she vehemently repHed, " Thy colour ! " This, 
 too, he promised her, though not well knowing what 
 she meant by it. She then Hfted up the eggs, took 
 the carpet under her arm, asked if he wanted anything 
 further, and skipped out of the room. 
 
 The musician, being questioned, said, that for some 
 time she had taken much trouble in often singing over 
 the tune of this dance, the well-known fandango, to 
 him, and training him till he could play it accurately. 
 For his labour she had likewise offered him some 
 money; which, however, he would not accept.
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 After a restless night, which our friend spent, 
 sometimes waking, sometimes oppressed with un- 
 pleasant dreams, seeing Mariana now in all her beauty, 
 now in woful case, at one time with a child on her 
 arm, then soon bereaved of it, the morning had scarcely 
 dawned, when Mignon entered with a tailor. She 
 brought some gray cloth and blue taffeta ; signifying 
 in her own way that she wished to have a new jacket 
 and sailor's trousers, such as she had seen the boys of 
 the town wear, with blue cuffs and tiers. 
 
 Since the loss of Mariana, Wilhelm had laid aside 
 all gay colours. He had used himself to gray, — the 
 garment of the shades ; and only perhaps a sky-blue 
 lining, or little collar of that dye, in some degree en- 
 livened his sober garb. Mignon, eager to wear his 
 colours, hurried on the tailor, who engaged to have 
 his work soon ready. 
 
 The exercise in dancing and fencing, which our 
 friend took this day with Laertes, did not prosper in 
 their hands. Indeed, it was soon interrupted by 
 Melina, who came to show them circumstantially how 
 a little company was now of itself collected, sufficient 
 to exhibit plays in abundance. He renewed the 
 proposal that Wilhelm should advance a little money 
 for setting them in motion ; which, however, Wilhelm 
 still declined. 
 
 Ere long Philina and the girls came in, racketing 
 and laughing as usual. They had now devised a fresh 
 excursion, for change of place and objects was a pleas- 
 ure after which they always longed. To eat daily in 
 
 142
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 143 
 
 a different spot was their highest wish. On this 
 occasion they proposed a sail. 
 
 The boat in which they were to fall down the pleas- 
 ant windings of the river had already been engaged 
 by the Pedant. Phihna urged them on ; the party did 
 not linger, and was soon on board. 
 
 " What shall we take to now ? " said Philina, when 
 all had placed themselves upon the benches. 
 
 " The readiest thing," replied Laertes, " were for us 
 to extemporise a play. Let each take a part that 
 suits his character, and we shall see how we get 
 along." 
 
 " Excellent ! " said Wilhelm. " In a society where 
 there is no dissimulation, but where each without 
 disguise pursues the bent of his own humour, elegance 
 and satisfaction cannot long continue ; and, where dis- 
 simulation always reigns, they do not enter at all. It 
 will not be amiss, then, that we take up dissimulation 
 to begin with, and then, behind our masks, be as candid 
 as we please." 
 
 " Yes," said Laertes : " it is on this account that one 
 goes on so pleasantly with women ; they never show 
 themselves in their natural form." 
 
 " That is to say," replied Madam Melina, " they are 
 not so vain as men, who conceive themselves to be 
 always amiable enough, just as nature has produced 
 them." 
 
 In the meantime the river led them between pleas- 
 ant groves and hills, between gardens and vineyards ; 
 and the young women, especially Madam Melina, ex- 
 pressed their rapture at the landscape. The latter even 
 began to recite, in solemn style, a pretty poem of the 
 descriptive sort, upon a similar scene of nature ; but 
 Philina interrupted her with the proposal of a law, 
 that no one should presume to speak of any inanimate 
 object. On the other hand, she zealously urged on 
 their project of an extempore play. Old Boisterous
 
 144 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 was to be a half-pay officer ; Laertes a fencing-master, 
 taking his vacation ; the Pedant, a Jew ; she herself 
 would act a Tyrolese ; leaving to the rest to choose 
 characters according to their several pleasures. They 
 would suppose themselves to be a party of total 
 strangers to each other, who had just met on board a 
 merchant-ship. 
 
 She immediately began to play her part with the 
 Jew, and a universal cheerfulness diffused itself among 
 them. 
 
 They had not sailed far, when the skipper stopped 
 in his course, asking permission of the company to take 
 in a person standing on the shore, who had made a 
 sign to him. 
 
 "That is just what we needed," cried Philina: "a 
 chance passenger was wanting to complete the travel- 
 ling-party." 
 
 A handsome man came on board ; whom, by his 
 dress and his dignified mien, you might have taken for 
 a clergyman. He saluted the party, who thanked him 
 in their own way, and soon made known to him the 
 nature of their game. The stranger immediately en- 
 gaged to act the part of a country parson; which, in 
 fact, he accomplished in the adroitest manner, to the 
 admiration of all, — now admonishing, now telling 
 stories, showing some weak points, yet never losing 
 their respect. 
 
 In the meantime, every one who had made a false 
 step in his part, or swerved from his character, had 
 been obliged to forfeit a pledge : Philina had gathered 
 them with the greatest care, and especially threatened 
 the reverend gentleman with many kisses ; though he 
 himself had never been at fault. Melina, on the other 
 hand, was completely fleeced : shirt-buttons, buckles, 
 every movable about his person, was in Philina's hands. 
 He was trying to enact an English traveller, and could 
 not by any means get into the spirit of his part.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 145 
 
 Meanwhile the time had passed away very pleas- 
 antly. Each had strained his fancy and his wit to the 
 utmost, and each had garnished his part with agreeable 
 and entertaining jests. Thus comfortably occupied, 
 they reached the place where they meant to pass the 
 day ; and Wilhelm, going out to walk with the clergy- 
 man, as both from his appearance and late character 
 he persisted in naming him, soon fell into an interest- 
 ing conversation. 
 
 " I think this practice," said the stranger, " very use- 
 ful among actors, and even in the company of friends 
 and acquaintances. It is the best mode of drawing 
 men out of themselves, and leading them, by a circuit- 
 ous path, back into themselves again. It should be a 
 custom with every troop of players to practise in this 
 manner: and the public would assuredly be no loser 
 if every month an unwritten piece were brought for- 
 ward ; in which, of course, the players had prepared 
 themselves by several rehearsals." 
 
 " One should not, then," rephed our friend, " consider 
 an extempore piece as, strictly speaking, composed on 
 the spur of the moment, but as a piece, of which the 
 plan, action, and division of the scenes were given ; the 
 filling up of all this being left to the player." 
 
 " Quite right," said the stranger ; " and, in regard to 
 this very filling up, such a piece, were the players once 
 trained to these performances, w^ould profit greatly. 
 Not in regard to the mere words, it is true ; for, by a 
 careful selection of these, the studious writer may cer- 
 tainly adorn his work ; but in regard to the gestures, 
 looks, exclamations, and everything of that nature : in 
 short, to the mute and half-mute play of the dialogue, 
 which seems by degrees fading away among us alto- 
 gether. There are indeed some players in Germany 
 whose bodies figure what they think and feel ; who by 
 their silence, their delays, their looks, their slight, 
 graceful movements, can prepare the audience for a
 
 146 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 speech, and by a pleasant sort of pantomime, combine 
 the pauses of the dialogue with the general whole ; but 
 such a practice as this, cooperating with a happy 
 natural turn, and training it to compete with the author, 
 is far from being so habitual as, for the comfort of 
 playgoing people, were to be desired." 
 
 " But will not a happy natural turn," said Wilhelm, 
 " as the first and last requisite, of itself conduct the 
 player, like every other artist, — nay, perhaps every 
 other man, — to the lofty mark he aims at ? " 
 
 " The first and the last, the beginning and the end, 
 it may well be ; but, in the middle, many things will 
 still be wanting to an artist, if instruction, and early in- 
 struction too, have not previously made that of him 
 which he was meant to be : and perhaps for the man 
 of genius it is worse in this respect than for the man 
 possessed of only common capabilities ; the one may 
 much more easily be misinstructed, and be driven far 
 more violently into false courses, than the other." 
 
 " But," said Wilhelm, " will not genius save itself, 
 not heal the wounds which itself has inflicted?" 
 
 " Only to a very small extent, and with great diffi- 
 culty," said the other, " or perhaps not at all. Let no 
 one think that he can conquer the first impressions of 
 his youth. If he has grown up in enviable freedom, 
 surrounded with beautiful and noble objects, in con- 
 stant intercourse with worthy men ; if his masters 
 have taught him what he needed first to know, for 
 comprehending more easily what followed ; if he has 
 never learned anything which he requires to unlearn ; 
 if his first operations have been so guided, that, with- 
 out altering any of his habits, he can more easily pro- 
 duce what is excellent in future, — then such a one 
 will lead a purer, more perfect and happier, life, than 
 another man who has wasted the force of his youth in 
 opposition and error. A great deal is said and written 
 about education ; yet I meet with very few who can
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 147 
 
 comprehend, and transfer to practice, this simple yet 
 vast idea, which includes within itself all others con- 
 nected with the subject." 
 
 " That may well be true," said Wilhelm ; " for the 
 generahty of men are limited enough in their concep- 
 tions to suppose that every other should be fashioned 
 by education, according to the pattern of themselves. 
 Happy, then, are those whom Fate takes charge of, and 
 educates according to their several natures ! " 
 
 " Fate," said the other, smiling, " is an excellent but 
 most expensive schoolmaster. In all cases, I would 
 rather trust to the reason of a human tutor. Fate, for 
 whose wisdom I entertain all imaginable reverence, 
 often finds in Chance, by which it works, an instru- 
 ment not overmanageable. At least the latter very 
 seldom seems to execute precisely and accurately what 
 the former had determined." 
 
 " You seem to express a very singular opinion," said 
 Wilhelm. 
 
 " Not at all," replied the other. " Most of what hap- 
 pens in the world confirms my opinion. Do not many 
 incidents at their commencement show some mighty 
 purport, and generally terminate in something paltry ? " 
 
 " You mean to jest." 
 
 " And as to what concerns the individual man," pur- 
 sued the other, " is it not so with this likewise ? Sup- 
 pose Fate had appointed one to be a good player ; and 
 why should it not provide us with good players as well 
 as other good things ? Chance would perhaps conduct 
 the youth into some puppet-show, where, at such an 
 early age, he could not help taking interest in what 
 was tasteless and despicable, reckoning insipidities en- 
 durable or even pleasing, and thus corrupting and mis- 
 directing his primary impressions, — impressions which 
 can never be effaced, and whose influence, in spite of 
 all our efforts, clings to us in some degree to the very 
 last."
 
 148 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " "What makes you think of puppet-shows ? " said 
 Wilhelm, not without some consternation. 
 
 " It was an accidental instance : if it does not please 
 you, we shall take another. Suppose Fate had ap- 
 pointed any one to be a great painter, and it pleased 
 Chance that he should pass his youth in sooty huts, in 
 barns and stables : do you think that such a man 
 would ever be enabled to exalt himself to purity, to 
 nobleness, to freedom of soul ? The more keenly he 
 may in his youth have seized on the impure, and tried 
 in his own manner to ennoble it, the more powerfully 
 in the remainder of his life will it be revenged on him ; 
 because, while he was endeavouring to conquer it, his 
 w^hole being has become inseparably combined with it. 
 Whoever spends his early years in mean and pitiful 
 society, though at an after period he may have the 
 choice of better, will yet constantly look back with 
 longing toward that which he enjoyed of old, and 
 which has left its impression blended with the mem- 
 ory of all his young and unreturning pleasures." 
 
 From conversation of this sort, it is easy to imagine, 
 the rest of the company had gradually withdrawn. 
 Philina, in particular, had stepped aside at the very 
 outset. Wilhelm and his comrade now rejoined them 
 by a cross-path. Phihna brought out her forfeits, and 
 they had to be redeemed in many different ways. 
 During which business, the stranger, by the most in- 
 genious devices, and by his frank participation in their 
 sports, recommended himself much to all the party, 
 and particularly to the ladies ; and thus, amid joking, 
 singing, kissing, and railleries of all sorts, the hours 
 passed away in the most pleasant manner.
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 When our friends began to think of going home, 
 they looked about them for their clergyman ; but he 
 had vanished, and was nowhere to be found. 
 
 " It is not polite in the man, who otherwise dis- 
 played good breeding," said Madam Melina, " to desert 
 a company that welcomed him so kindly, without 
 taking leave." 
 
 " I have all the time been thinking," said Laertes, 
 " where I can have seen this singular man before. I 
 fully intended to ask him about it at parting." 
 
 " I, too, had the same feeling," said Wilhelm ; " and 
 certainly I should not have let him go, till he had told 
 us something more about his circumstances. I am 
 much mistaken if I have not ere now spoken with 
 him somewhere." 
 
 " And you may in truth," said Philina, " be mistaken 
 there. This person seems to have the air of an ac- 
 quaintance, because he looks like a man, and not hke 
 Jack or Kit." 
 
 " What is this ? " said Laertes. "Do not we, too, 
 look Hke men ? " 
 
 " I know what I am saying," cried Philina ; " and, if 
 you cannot understand me, never mind. In the end 
 my words will be found to require no commentary." 
 
 Two coaches now drove up. All praised the atten- 
 tion of Laertes, who had ordered them. Philina, with 
 Madam Melina, took her place opposite to Wilhelm : 
 the rest bestowed themselves as they best could. 
 Laertes rode back on Wilhelm's horse, which had 
 likewise been brought out. 
 
 149
 
 150 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Philina was scarcely seated in the coach, when she 
 began to sing some pretty songs, and gradually led the 
 conversation to some stories, which she said might be 
 successfully treated in the form of dramas. By this 
 cunning turn, she very soon put her young friend into 
 his finest humour : from the wealth of his living im- 
 aginative store, he forthwith constructed a complete 
 play, with all its acts, scenes, characters, and plots. 
 It was thought proper to insert a few catches and 
 songs ; they composed them ; and Philina, wdio entered 
 into every part of it, immediately fitted them with 
 well-known tunes, and sang them on the spot. 
 
 It was one of her beautiful, most beautiful, days : 
 she had skill to enliven our friend with all manner of 
 diverting wiles ; he felt in spirits such as he had not 
 for many a month enjoyed. 
 
 Since that shocking discovery had torn him from 
 the side of Mariana, he had continued true to his 
 vow to be on his guard against the encircling arms of 
 woman ; to avoid the faithless sex ; to lock up his in- 
 clinations, his sweet wishes, in his own bosom. The 
 conscientiousness with which he had observed this 
 vow gave his whole nature a secret nourishment ; and, 
 as his heart could not remain without affection, some 
 loving sympathy had now become a want with him. 
 He went along once more, as if environed by the first 
 cloudy glories of youth ; his eye fixed joyfully on every 
 charming object, and never had his judgment of a 
 lovely form been more favourable. How dangerous, 
 in such a situation, this wild girl must have been to 
 him, is but too easy to conceive. 
 
 Arrived at home, they found Wilhelm's chamber all 
 ready to receive them ; the chairs set right for a pubHc 
 reading; in midst of them the table, on which the 
 punch-bowl was in due time to take its place. 
 
 The German chivalry-plays were new at this period, 
 and had just excited the attention and the inclination
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 151 
 
 of the public. Old Boisterous had brought one of this 
 sort with him: the reading of it had already been 
 determined on. They all sat down: Wilhelm took 
 possession of the pamphlet, and began to read. 
 
 The harnessed knights, the ancient keeps, the true- 
 heartedness, honesty, and downrightness, but especially 
 the independence of the acting characters, were re- 
 ceived with the greatest approbation. The reader did 
 his utmost, and the audience gradually mounted into 
 rapture. Between the third and fourth acts, the 
 punch arrived in an ample bowl; and, there being 
 much fighting and drinking in the piece itself, noth- 
 ing was more natural than that, on every such occur- 
 rence, the company should transport themselves into 
 the situation of the heroes, should flourish and strike 
 along with them, and drink long life to their favour- 
 ites among the dramatis jpersonm. 
 
 Each individual of the party was inflamed with the 
 noblest fire of national spirit. How it gratified this 
 German company to be poetically entertained, accord- 
 ing to their own character, on stuff of their own 
 manufacture! In particular, the vaults and caverns, 
 the ruined castles, the moss and hollow trees, but 
 above all the nocturnal gypsy scenes, and the Secret 
 Tribunal, produced a quite incredible effect. Every 
 actor now figured to himself how, erelong, in helm 
 and harness, he ; every actress how, with a monstrous 
 spreading ruff, she, — would present their Germanship 
 before the public. Each would appropriate to himself 
 without delay some name taken from the piece or from 
 German history ; and Madam Melina declared that the 
 son or daughter she was then expecting should not be 
 christened otherwise than by the name of Adelbert or 
 of Mathilde. 
 
 Toward the fifth act, the approbation became more 
 impetuous and louder; and at last, when the hero 
 actually trampled down his oppressor, and the tyrant
 
 152 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 met his doom, the ecstasy increased to such a height, 
 that all averred they had never passed such happy 
 moments. Mehna, whom the Hquor had inspired, 
 'was the noisiest: and when the second bowl was 
 emptied, and midnight near, Laertes swore through 
 thick and thin, that no living mortal was worthy ever 
 more to put these glasses to his hps ; and, so swearing, 
 he pitched his own right over his head, through a 
 window-pane, out into the street. The rest followed 
 his example ; and notwithstanding the protestations of 
 the landlord, who came running in at the noise, the 
 punch-bowl itself, never after this festivity to be 
 polluted by unholy drink, was dashed into a thousand 
 shreds. Phihna, whose exhilaration was the least 
 noticed, — the other two girls by that time having 
 laid themselves upon the sofa in no very elegant posi- 
 tions, — maliciously encouraged her companions in 
 their tumult. Madam Melina recited some spirit- 
 stirring poems ; and her husband, not too amiable in 
 the uproar, began to cavil at the insufficient prepara- 
 tion of the punch, declaring that he could arrange an 
 entertainment altogether in a different style, and at 
 last becoming sulkier and louder as Laertes com- 
 manded silence, till the latter, without much con- 
 sideration, threw the fragments of the punch-bowl 
 about his head, and thereby not a little deepened the 
 confusion. 
 
 Meanwhile the town guard had arrived, and were 
 demanding admission to the house. Wilhelm, much 
 heated by his reading, though he had drunk but httle, 
 had enough to do, vdth the landlord's help, to content 
 these people by money and good words, and afterward 
 to get the various members of his party sent home in 
 that unseemly case. On coming back, overpowered 
 with sleep and full of chagrin, he threw himself upon 
 his bed without undressing ; and nothing could exceed 
 his disgust, when, opening his eyes next morning, he
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 153 
 
 looked out with dull sight upon the devastations of 
 the bygone day, and saw the uncleanness, and the 
 many bad effects, of which that ingenious, lively, and 
 well-intentioned poetical performance had been the 
 cause.
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 After a short consideration, he called the landlord, 
 and bade him mark to his account both the damage 
 and the regular charge. At the same time he learned, 
 not without vexation, that his horse had been so hard 
 ridden by Laertes last night, that, in all probability, 
 it was foundered, as they term it ; the farrier having 
 little hope of its recovering. 
 
 A salute from Philina, which she threw him from 
 her window, restored him in some degree to a more 
 cheerful humour : he went forth^vith into the nearest 
 shop to buy her a little present, which, in return for 
 the powder-knife, he still owed her ; and it must be 
 owned, that, in selecting his gift, he did not keep him- 
 self within the Hmits of proportional value. He not 
 only purchased her a pair of earrings, but added like- 
 wise a hat and neckerchief, and some other little 
 articles, which he had seen her lavishly throw from 
 her on the first day of their acquaintance. 
 
 Madam Mehna, happening to observe him as he was 
 delivering his presents, took an opportunity before 
 breakfast to rate him very earnestly about his inchna- 
 tion for this girl ; at which he felt the more astonished, 
 the less he thought it merited. He swore solemnly, 
 that he had never once entertained the shghtest notion 
 of attaching himself to such a person, whose whole 
 manner of proceeding was well known to him. He 
 excused himself as well as possible for his friendly 
 and polite conduct toward her, yet did not by any 
 means content Madam Melina, whose spite grew ever 
 
 154
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 155 
 
 more determined, as she could not but observe that 
 the flatteries, by which she had acquired for herseh 
 a sort of partial regard from our friend, were not suffi- 
 cient to defend this conquest from the attacks of a 
 lively, younger, and more gifted rival. 
 
 As they sat down to table, her husband joined them, 
 likewise in a very fretful humour ; which he was be- 
 ginning to display on many little things, when the 
 landlord entered to announce a player on the harp. 
 " You will certainly," he said, " find pleasure in the 
 music and the songs of this man : no one who hears 
 him can forbear to admire him, and bestow something 
 on him." 
 
 " Let him go about his business," said Melina : " I 
 am anything but in a trim for hearing fiddlers, and we 
 have singers constantly among ourselves disposed to 
 gain a little by their talent." He accompanied these 
 w^ords with a sarcastic side-look at Philina : she under- 
 stood his meaning, and immediately prepared to punish 
 him, by taking up the cause of the harper. Turning 
 toward Wilhelm, " Shall we not hear the man ? " said 
 she : " shall we do nothing to save ourselves from this 
 miserable ennui ? " 
 
 Melina was going to reply, and the strife would 
 have gi'own keener, had not the person it related to 
 at that moment entered. Wilhelm saluted him, and 
 beckoned him to come near. 
 
 The figure of this singular guest set the whole party 
 in astonishment : he had found a chair before any one 
 took heart to ask him a question, or make any observa- 
 tion. His bald crown was encircled by a few gray 
 hairs, and a pair of large blue eyes looked out softly 
 from beneath his long white eyebrows. To a nose of 
 beautiful proportions was sul) joined a flowing, hoary 
 beard, which did not hide the fine shape and position 
 of his lips ; and a long dark-brown garment wrapped 
 his thin body from the neck to the feet. He began
 
 156 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 to prelude on the harp, which he had placed before 
 
 him. 
 
 The sweet tones which he drew from his instrument 
 very soon inspirited the company. 
 
 " You can sing, too, my good old man," said Phihna. 
 
 " Give us something that shall entertain the spirit 
 and the heart as well as the senses," said Wilhelm. 
 " The instrument should but accompany the voice ; for 
 tunes and melodies without words and meaning seem 
 to me like butterflies or finely variegated birds, which 
 hover round us in the air, which we could wish to 
 catch and make our own: whereas song is hke a 
 blessed genius that exalts us toward heaven, and allures 
 the better self in us to attend him." 
 
 The old man looked at Wilhelm, then aloft, then 
 gave some trills upon his harp, and began his song. 
 It contained a eulogy on minstrelsy, — described the 
 happiness of minstrels, and reminded men to honour 
 them. He produced his song wdth so much life and 
 truth, that it seemed as if he had composed it at the 
 moment, for this special occasion. Wilhelm could 
 scarcely refrain from clasping him in his arms; but 
 the fear of awakening a peal of laughter detained him 
 in his chair ; for the rest were already in half- whispers 
 making sundry very shallow observations, and debating 
 if the harper was a Papist or a Jew. 
 
 When asked about the author of the song, the man 
 gave no distinct reply ; declaring only that he was rich 
 in songs, and anxious that they should please. Most 
 of the party were now merry and joyful ; even Melina 
 was grown frank in his way ; and, whilst they talked 
 and joked together, the old man began to sing the 
 praise of social life in the most sprightly style. He 
 described the lovehness of unity and courtesy, in soft, 
 soothing tones. Suddenly his music became cold, harsh, 
 and jarring, as he turned to deplore repulsive selfish- 
 ness, short-sighted enmity, and baleful division; and
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 157 
 
 every heart willingly threw off those galling fetters, 
 while, borne on the wings of a piercing melody, he 
 launched forth in praise of peacemakers, and sang the 
 happiness of souls, that, having parted, meet again in 
 love. 
 
 Scarcely had he ended, when Wilhelm cried to him, 
 " Whoever thou art, that as a helping spirit comest to 
 us with a voice which blesses and revives, accept my 
 reverence and my thanks ! Feel that we all admire 
 thee, and confide in us if thou wantest anything." 
 
 The old man spoke not : he threw his fingers softly 
 across the strings, then struck more sharply, and 
 
 sang: 
 
 " ' What notes are those without the wall, 
 Across the portal sounding ? 
 Let's have the music in our hall, 
 
 Back from its roof rebounding.' 
 So spoke the king, the henchman flies : 
 His answer heard, the monarch cries, 
 ' Bring in that ancient minstrel.' 
 
 '& 
 
 ' ' Hail, gracious king ! each noble knight, 
 Each lovely dame, I greet you ! 
 "What glittering stars salute my sight ! 
 What heart unmoved may meet you ! 
 Such lordly pomp is not for me, 
 Far other scenes my eyes must see : 
 Yet deign to list my harping.' 
 
 " The singer turns him to his art, 
 A thrilling strain he raises ; 
 Each warrior hears with glowing heart, 
 
 And on his loved one gazes. 
 The king, who liked his playing well, 
 Commands, for such a kindly spell, 
 A golden chain be given him. 
 
 " * The golden chain give not to me ; 
 Thy boldest knight may wear it, 
 Who, 'cross the battle's purple sea, 
 On lion breast may bear it :
 
 158 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Or let it be thy chancellor's prize, 
 Amid his heaps to feast his eyes ; 
 Its yellow glance will please him. 
 
 " ' I sing but as the linnet sings, 
 
 That on the green bough dwelleth ; 
 A rich reward his music brings, 
 
 As from his throat it swelleth : 
 Yet might I ask, I'd ask of thine 
 One sparkling draught of purest wine, 
 To drink it here before you.' 
 
 " He viewed the wine ; he quaffed it up. 
 ' O di-aught of sweetest savour ! 
 O happy house, where such a cup 
 
 Is thought a little favour ! 
 If well you fare, remember me, 
 And thank kind Heaven, from envy free, 
 As now for this I thank you.' " 
 
 When the harper, on finishing his song, took up a 
 glass of wine that stood poured out for him, and, turn- 
 ing with a friendly mien to his entertainers, drank it 
 off, a buzz of joyful approbation rose from all the party. 
 They clapped hands, and wished him health from that 
 glass, and strength to his aged limbs. He sang a few 
 other ballads, exciting more and more hilarity among 
 the company. 
 
 " Old man," said PhiHna, " dost thou know the tune, 
 ' The shepherd decked him for the dance ? '" ^ 
 
 " Oh, yes ! " said he : " if you will sing the words, I 
 shall not fail for my part of it." 
 
 Phihna then stood up, and held herself in readiness. 
 The old man commenced the tune; and she sang a 
 song, which we cannot impart to our readers, lest they 
 might think it insipid, or perhaps undignified. 
 
 Meanwhile the company were growing merrier and 
 merrier: they had already emptied several flasks of 
 wine, and were now beginning to get very loud. But 
 
 1 "Der Schafer putzte sich zum Tanz,"— a song of Goethe's. — Ed.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 159 
 
 our friend, having fresh in his remembrance the bad 
 consequences of their late exhilaration, determined to 
 break up the sitting; he slipped into the old man's 
 hand a liberal remuneration for his trouble, the rest 
 did something likewise ; they gave him leave to go and 
 take repose, promising themselves another entertain- 
 ment from his skill in the evening. 
 
 When he had retired, our friend said to Phihna, 
 " In this favourite song of yours I certainly find no 
 merit, either moral or poetical; yet if you were to 
 bring forward any proper composition on the stage, 
 with the same arch simplicity, the same propriety and 
 gracefulness, I should engage that strong and universal 
 approbation would be the result." 
 
 " Yes," said Philina : " it would be a charming thing 
 indeed to warm one's self at ice." 
 
 " After all," said Wilhelm, " this old man might put 
 many a player to the blush. Did you notice how 
 correctly the dramatic part of his ballads was ex- 
 pressed ? I maintain there was more Hving true rep- 
 resentation in his singing than in many of our starched 
 characters upon the stage. You would take the acting 
 of many plays for a narrative, and you might ascribe 
 to these musical narratives a sensible presence." 
 
 " You are hardly just," rephed Laertes. " I pretend 
 to no great skill, either as a player or as a singer ; yet 
 I know well enough, that when music guides the 
 movements of the body, at once affording to them 
 animation and a scale to measure it ; when declamation 
 and expression are furnished me by the composer, — 
 I feel a quite different man from what I do when, in 
 prose dramas, I have all this to create for myself, — 
 have both gesture and declamation to invent, and am, 
 perhaps, disturbed in it, too, by the awkwardness of 
 some partner in the dialogue." 
 
 "Thus much I know," said Melina: "the man cer- 
 tainly puts us to the blush in one point, and that a
 
 i6o MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 main point. The strength of his talent is shown by 
 the profit he derives from it. Even us, who perhaps 
 erelong shall be embarrassed where to get a meal, he 
 persuades to share our pittance with him. He has 
 skill enough to wile the money from our pockets with 
 an old song, — the money that we should have used 
 to find ourselves employment. So pleasant an affair 
 is it to squander the means which might procure sub- 
 sistence to one's self and others." 
 
 This remark gave the conversation not the most 
 delightful turn. Wilhelm, for whom the reproach 
 was peculiarly intended, rephed with some heat; 
 and Mehna, at no time overstudious of delicacy and 
 politeness, explained his grievances at last in words 
 more plain than courteous. "It is now a fortnight," 
 said he, " since we looked at the theatrical machinery 
 and wardrobe which is lying pawned here : the whole 
 might be redeemed for a very tolerable sum. You 
 then gave me hopes that you would lend me so much ; 
 and hitherto I do not see that you have thought more 
 of the matter, or come any nearer a determination. 
 Had you then consented, we should ere now have been 
 under way. Nor has your intention to leave the place 
 been executed, nor has your money in the meantime 
 been spared ; at least there are people who have always 
 skill to create opportunities for scattering it faster and 
 faster away." 
 
 Such upbraidings, not altogether undeserved, touched 
 Wilhelm to the quick. He replied with keenness, nay, 
 with anger ; and, as the company rose to part, he took 
 hold of the door, and gave them not obscurely to under- 
 stand that he would no longer continue with such un- 
 friendly and ungrateful people. He hastened down, in 
 no kindly humour, and seated himself upon the stone 
 bench without the door of his inn ; not observing, that, 
 first out of mirth, tlieu out of spleen, he had drunk 
 more wine than usual.
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 Aftee a short time, which he passed sitting looking 
 out before him, disquieted by many thoughts, Phihua 
 came singing and skipping along through the front 
 door. She sat down by him, nay, we might almost 
 say, on him, so close did she press herself toward him : 
 she leaned upon his shoulders, began playing wdtli his 
 hair, patted him, and gave him the best words in the 
 world. She begged of him to stay with them, and not 
 leave her alone in that company, or she must die of 
 tedium: she could not live any longer in the same 
 house with Mehna, and had come over to lodge in the 
 other inn for that reason. 
 
 He tried in vain to satisfy her with denials, — to 
 make her understand that he neither could nor would 
 remain any longer. She did not cease with her en- 
 treaties ; nay, suddenly she threw her arm round his 
 neck, and kissed him with the livehest expression of 
 fondness. 
 
 " Are you mad, PhiUna ? " cried Willielm, endeavour- 
 ing to disengage himself ; " to make the open street the 
 scene of such caresses, which I nowise merit ! Let me 
 go ! I cannot and I -svill not stay." 
 
 " And I will hold thee fast," said she, " and kiss thee 
 here on the open street, and kiss thee till thou promise 
 what I want. I shall die of laughing," she continued : 
 "by this familiarity the good people here must take 
 me for thy wife of four weeks' standing; and hus- 
 bands, who witness this touching scene, will commend 
 
 i6i
 
 1 62 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 me to their wives as a pattern of childlike, simple 
 tenderness." 
 
 Some persons were just then going by : she caressed 
 him in the most graceful way ; and he, to avoid giving 
 scandal, was constrained to play the part of the patient 
 husband. Then she made faces at the people, when 
 their backs were turned, and, in the wildest humour, 
 continued to commit all sorts of improprieties, till at 
 last he was obliged to promise that he would not go 
 that day, or the morrow, or the next day. 
 
 " You are a true clod ! " said she, quitting him ; " and 
 I am but a fool to spend so much kindness on you." 
 She arose with some vexation, and walked a few steps, 
 then turned round laughing, and cried, " I beheve it is 
 just that, after all, that makes me so crazy about thee. 
 I will but go and seek my knitting-needles and my 
 stocking, that I may have something to do. Stay 
 there, and let me find the stone man still upon the 
 stone bench when I come back." 
 
 She cast a sparkhng glance on him, and went into 
 the house. He had no call to follow her ; on the con- 
 trary, her conduct had excited fresh aversion in him ; 
 yet he rose from the bench to go after her, not well 
 knowing why. 
 
 He was just entering the door, when Melina passed 
 by, and spoke to him in a respectful tone, asking his 
 pardon for the somewhat too harsh expressions he had 
 used in their late discussion. " You will not take it ill 
 of me," continued he, " if I appear perhaps too fretful 
 in my present circumstances. The charge of providing 
 for a wife, perhaps soon for a child, forbids me from 
 day to day to live at peace, or spend my time as you 
 may do, in the enjoyment of pleasant feelings. Con- 
 sider, I pray you, and, if possible, do put me in posses- 
 sion of that stage machinery that is lying here. I shall 
 not be your debtor long, and I shall be obhged to you 
 while I live."
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 163 
 
 Our friend, unwilling to be kept upon the threshold, 
 over which an irresistible impulse was drawing him at 
 that moment to Philina, answered, with an absent mind, 
 eager to be gone, and surprised into a transient feeling 
 of good-will, " If I can make you happy and contented 
 by doing this, I will hesitate no longer. Go you and 
 put everything to rights. I shall be prepared this even- 
 ing, or to-morrow morning, to pay the money." He 
 then gave his hand to Melina in confirmation of his 
 promise, and was very glad to see him hastily proceed 
 along the street ; but, alas ! his entrance, which he now 
 thought sure, was a second time prohibited, and more 
 disagreeably than at first. 
 
 A young man, with a bundle on his back, came 
 walking fast along the street, and advanced to Wil- 
 helm, who at once recognised him for Friedrich. 
 
 " Here am I again ! " cried he, looking with his large 
 blue eyes joyfully up and down, over all the windows 
 of the house. " Where is Mamsell ? Devil take me, 
 if I can stroll about the world any longer without 
 seeing her ! " 
 
 The landlord, joining them at this instant, replied 
 that she was above ; Friedrich, with a few bounds, was 
 up-stairs ; and Wilhelm continued standing, as if rooted 
 to the threshold. At the first instant he was tempted 
 to pluck the younker back, and drag him down by the 
 hair; then all at once the spasm of a sharp jealousy 
 stopped the current of his spirits and ideas ; and, as he 
 gradually recovered from this stupefaction, there came 
 over him a splenetic fit of restlessness, a general dis- 
 comfort, such as he had never felt in his life before. 
 
 He went up to his room, and found Mignon busy 
 writing. For some time the creature had been labour- 
 ing with great diligence in writing everything she knew 
 by heart, giving always to her master and friend the 
 papers to correct. She was indefatigable, and of good 
 comprehension; but still, her letters w^ere irregular,
 
 i64 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and her lines crooked. Here, too, the body seemed to 
 contradict the mind. In his usual moods, Wilhelm 
 took no small pleasure in the child's attention ; but, 
 at the present moment, he regarded little what she 
 showed him, — a piece of neglect which she felt the 
 more acutely, as on this occasion she conceived her 
 work had been accomplished with peculiar success. 
 
 Wilhelm's unrest drove him up and down the pas- 
 sages of the house, and finally again to the street door. 
 A rider was just prancing toward it, — a man of good 
 appearance, of middle age, and a brisk, contented look. 
 The landlord ran to meet him, holding out his hand as 
 to an old acquaintance. " Ay, Herr Stallmeister," cried 
 he, " have we the pleasure to see you again ? " 
 
 " I am only just going to bait with you," replied the 
 stranger, " and then along to the estate, to get matters 
 put in order as soon as possible. The count is coming 
 over to-morrow with his lady ; they mean to stay awhile 
 
 to entertain the Prince von in their best style : 
 
 he intends to fix his headquarters in this neighbourhood 
 for some time." 
 
 "It is pity," said the landlord, "that you cannot 
 stop with us: we have good company in the house." 
 The hostler came running out, and took the horse from 
 the Stallmeister, who continued talking in the door 
 with the landlord, and now and then giving a look at 
 Wilhelm. 
 
 Our friend, observing that he formed the topic of 
 their conversation, went away, and walked up and 
 down the streets.
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 In the restless vexation of his present humour, it 
 came into his head to go and see the old harper ; 
 hoping by his music to scare away the evil spirits 
 that tormented him. On asking for the man, he was 
 directed to a mean pubhc-house, in a remote corner of 
 the little town ; and, having mounted up-stairs there 
 to the very garret, his ear caught the fine twanging of 
 the harp coming from a little room before him. They 
 were heart-moving, mournful tones, accompanied by a 
 sad and dreary singing. Wilhelm ghded to the door ; 
 and as the good old man was performing a sort of vol- 
 untary, the few stanzas of which, sometimes chanted, 
 sometimes in recitative, were repeated more than once, 
 our friend succeeded, after hstening for aw^hile, in 
 gathering nearly this: 
 
 " Who never ate his bread with tears, 
 
 Through nights of grief who, weeping, never 
 Sat on his bed, midst pangs and fears, 
 Can, heavenly powers, not know you ever. 
 
 " Ye lead us forth into this life, 
 
 Where comfort soon by guilt is banished, 
 Abandon us to tortures, strife ; 
 
 For on this earth all guilt is punished." 
 
 — Editor's Version. 
 
 The heart-sick, plaintive sound of this lament pierced 
 deep into the soul of the hearer. It seemed to him as 
 
 165
 
 i66 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 if the old man were often stopped from proceeding by 
 Lis tears : his harp would alone be heard for a time, 
 till his voice again joined it in low, broken tones. 
 Wilhelm stood by the door ; he was much moved ; the 
 mourning of this stranger had again opened the avenues 
 of his heart ; he could not resist the claim of sympa- 
 thy, or restrain the tears which this woebegone com- 
 plaint at last called forth. All the pains that pressed 
 upon his soul seemed now at once to loosen from their 
 hold : he abandoned himseK without reserve to the 
 feehngs of the moment. Pushing up the door, he stood 
 before the harper. The old man was sitting on a mean 
 bed, the only seat, or article of furniture, which his 
 miserable room afforded. 
 
 " What feelings thou hast awakened in me, good old 
 man ! " exclaimed he. " All that was lying frozen at 
 my heart thou hast melted, and put in motion. Let 
 me not disturb thee, but continue, in solacing thy own 
 sorrows, to confer happiness upon a friend." The 
 harper was about to rise, and say something; but 
 Wilhelm hindered him, for he had noticed in the 
 morning that the old man did not like to speak. He 
 sat down by him on the straw bed. 
 
 The old man wiped his eyes, and asked, with a 
 friendly smile, " How came you hither ? I meant to 
 wait upon you in the evening again." 
 
 " We are more quiet here," said Wilhelm. " Sing 
 to me what thou pleasest, what accords with thy own 
 mood of mind, only proceed as if I were not by. It 
 seems to me, that to-day thou canst not fail to suit 
 me. I think thee very happy, that, in solitude, thou 
 canst employ and entertain thyself so pleasantly ; that, 
 being everywhere a stranger, thou findest in thy own 
 heart the most agreeable society." 
 
 The old man looked upon his strings; and after 
 touching them softly, by way of prelude, he commenced 
 and sang :
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 167 
 
 " Who longs in solitude to live, 
 
 Ah ! soon his wish will gain : 
 Men hope and love, men get and give, 
 
 And leave him to his pain. 
 Yes, leave me to my moan I 
 
 When from my bed 
 
 You all are fled, 
 I still am not alone. 
 
 " The lover glides with footstep light : 
 
 His love, is she not waiting there ? 
 So glides to meet me, day and night, 
 
 In solitude my care. 
 
 In solitude my woe : 
 True solitude I then shall know > 
 
 When lying in my grave, 
 
 When lying in my grave. 
 And grief has let me go." 
 
 We might describe with great prolixity, and yet fail 
 to express the charms of, the singular conversation 
 which Wilhelm carried on with this wayfaring stranger. 
 To every observation our friend addressed to him, the 
 old man, with the nicest accordance, answered in some 
 melody, which awakened all the cognate emotions, and 
 opened a wide field to the imagination. 
 
 Whoever has happened to be present at a meeting 
 of certain devout people, who conceive, that, in a state 
 of separation from the Church, they can edify each 
 other in a purer, more affecting, and more spiritual 
 manner, may form to himself some conception of the 
 present scene. He will recollect how the leader of 
 the meeting would append to his words some verse 
 of a song, that raised the soul till, as he wished, she 
 took wing; how another of the flock would erelong 
 subjoin, in a different tune, some verse of a different 
 song ; and to this again a third would link some verse 
 of a third song, — by which means the kindred ideas 
 of the songs to which the verses belonged were indeed 
 suggested, yet each passage by its new combination
 
 i68 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 became new and individualised, as if it had been first 
 composed that moment ; and thus from a well-known 
 circle of ideas, from well-known songs and sayings, 
 there ' was formed for that particular society, in that 
 particular time, an original whole, by means of which 
 their minds were animated, strengthened, and refreshed. 
 So, likewise, did the old man edify his guest : by known 
 and unknown songs and passages, he brought feehngs 
 near and distant, emotions sleeping and awake, pleas- 
 ant and painful, into a circulation, from which, in 
 Wilhelm's actual state, the best effects might be 
 anticipated.
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 AccOKDiNGLY, in walking back, he began to think 
 with gi-eater earnestness than ever on his present 
 situation : he had reached home with the firm purpose 
 of altering it, when the landlord disclosed to him, by 
 way of secret, that Mademoiselle Phihna had made 
 a conquest of the count's Stallmeister, who, after exe- 
 cuting his commission at his master's estate, had 
 returned in the greatest haste, and was even now 
 partaking of a good supper with her up in her 
 chamber. 
 
 At this very moment Melina came in with a notary : 
 they went into Wilhelm's chamber together, where the 
 latter, though with some hesitation, made his promise 
 good ; gave a draft of three hundred crowns to Melina, 
 who, handing it to the lawyer, received in return a 
 note acknowledging the sale of the whole theatrical 
 apparatus, and engaging to deliver it next morning. 
 
 Scarcely had they parted, when Wilhelm heard a 
 cry of horror rising from some quarter of the house. 
 He caught the sound of a young voice, uttering menac- 
 ing and furious tones, which were ever and anon 
 choked by immoderate weeping and howling. He 
 observed this frantic noise move hastily from above, 
 go past his door, and down to the lower part of the 
 house. 
 
 Curiosity enticing our friend to follow it, he found 
 Friedrich in a species of delirium. The boy was 
 weeping, grinding his teeth, stamping with his feet, 
 threatening with clenched fists: he appeared beside 
 himself from fury and vexation. Mignon was standing 
 
 169
 
 J JO MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 opposite him, looking on with astonishment. The 
 landlord, in some degree, explained this phenomenon. 
 
 The boy, he said, being well received at his return 
 by PhiHna, seemed quite merry and contented : he 
 had kept singing and jumping about, till the time 
 when Philina grew acquainted with the Stallmeister. 
 Then, however, this half-grown younker had begun to 
 show his indignation, to slam the doors, and run up 
 and down in the highest dudgeon. Philina had ordered 
 him to wait at table that evening, upon which he had 
 gi-own still sulkier and more indignant ; till at last, 
 carrying up a plate with a ragout, instead of setting it 
 upon the table, he had thrown the whole between 
 mademoiselle and her guest, who were sitting moder- 
 ately close together at the time: and the Stallmeister, 
 after two or three hearty cuffs, had then kicked him 
 out of the room. He, the landlord, had himself helped 
 to clean both of them ; and certainly their clothes had 
 suffered much. 
 
 On hearing of the good effect of his revenge, the 
 boy began to laugh aloud, whilst the tears were still 
 running down his cheeks. He heartily rejoiced for a 
 time, till the disgrace which he had suffered from the 
 stronger party once more came into his head, and he 
 began afresh to howl and threaten. 
 
 Wilhelm stood meditating, and ashamed at this 
 spectacle. It reflected back to him his own feelings, 
 in coarser and exaggerated features : he, too, was in- 
 flamed with a fierce jealousy ; and, had not decency 
 restrained him, he would %villingly have satisfied his 
 wild humour; with mahcious spleen would have 
 abused the object of his passion, and called out his 
 rival ; he could have crushed in pieces all the people 
 round him ; they seemed as if standing there but to 
 vex him. 
 
 Laertes also had come in, and heard the story : he 
 roguishly spurred on the irritated boy, who was now
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 171 
 
 asserting with oaths that he would make the Stall- 
 meister give him satisfaction ; that he had never yet 
 let any injury abide with him ; that, should the man 
 refuse, there were other ways of taking vengeance. 
 
 This was the very business for Laertes. He went 
 up-stairs, with a solemn countenance, to call out the 
 Stallmeister in the boy's name. 
 
 " This is a pleasant thing," said the Stallmeister : 
 " such a joke as this I had scarcely promised myself 
 to-night." They went down, and Philina followed 
 them. " My son," said the Stallmeister to Friedrich, 
 " thou art a brave lad, and I do not hesitate to fight 
 thee. Only as our years and strength are unequal, and 
 the attempt a little dangerous on that account, I pro- 
 pose a pair of foils in preference to other weapons. 
 We can rub the buttons of them with a piece of chalk, 
 and whoever marks upon the other's coat the first or 
 the most thrusts, shall be held the victor, and be 
 treated by the other with the best wine that can 
 be had in town." 
 
 Laertes decided that the proposition might be lis- 
 tened to : Friedrich obeyed him, as his tutor. The 
 foils were produced : Philina took a seat, went on with 
 her knitting, and looked at the contending parties 
 with the greatest peace of mind. 
 
 The Stallmeister, who could fence very prettily, was 
 complaisant enough to spare his adversary, and to let 
 a few chalk scores be marked upon his coat ; after 
 which the two embraced, and wine was ordered. The 
 Stallmeister took the hberty of asking Friedrich's 
 parentage and history ; and Friedrich told him a long 
 story, which had often been repeated already, and 
 which, at some other opportunity, we purpose com- 
 municating to our readers. 
 
 To Wilhelm, in the meantime, this contest completed 
 the representation of his own state of mind. He could 
 not but perceive that he would willingly have taken
 
 172 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 up a foil against the Stallw.eister, — a sword still more 
 willingly, though evidently much his inferior in the 
 science of defence. Yet he deigned not to cast one 
 look on Philina; he was on his guard against any 
 word or movement that could possibly betray his 
 feelings : and, after having once or twice done justice 
 to the health of the duellists, he hastened to his own 
 room, where a thousand painful thoughts came pressing 
 round him. 
 
 He called to memory the time when his spirit, rich 
 in hope, and full of boundless aims, was raised aloft, 
 and encircled with the liveliest enjoyments of every 
 kind as with its proper element. He now clearly saw, 
 that of late he had fallen into a broken, w^anderins 
 path, where, if he tasted, it was but in drops what he 
 once quaffed in unrestricted measure. But he could 
 not clearly see what insatiable want it was that nature 
 had made the law of his being, and how this want had 
 been only set on edge, half satisfied, and misdirected 
 by the circumstances of his life. 
 
 It will not surprise us, therefore, that, in considering 
 his situation, and labouring to extricate himself, he 
 fell into the greatest perplexity. It was not enough, 
 that by his friendship for Laertes, his attachment to 
 Philina, his concern for Mignon, he had been detained 
 longer than was proper in a place and a society where 
 he could cherish his darling inclination, content his 
 ■wishes as it were by stealth, and, without proposing 
 any object, again pursue his early dreams. These ties 
 he believed himself possessed of force enough to break 
 asunder : had there been nothing more to hold him, he 
 could have gone at once. But, only a few moments 
 ago, he had entered into money transactions w^ith 
 Melina: he had seen that mysterious old man, the 
 enigma of whose history he longed with unspeakable 
 desire to clear. Yet of this too, after much balancing 
 of reasons, he at length determined, or thought he had
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 173 
 
 determined, that it should not keep him back. " I 
 must go." He threw himself into a chair: he felt 
 greatly moved. Mignon came in, and asked whether 
 she might help to undress him. Her manner was 
 still and shy : it had grieved her to the quick to be so 
 abruptly dismissed by him before. 
 
 Nothing is more touching than the first disclosure 
 of a love which has been nursed in silence, of a faith 
 grown strong in secret, and which at last comes forth 
 in the hour of need, and reveals itself to him who 
 formerly has reckoned it of small account. The bud, 
 which had been closed so long and firmly, was now 
 ripe to burst its swathings ; and Wilhelm's heart could 
 never have been readier to welcome the impressions 
 of affection. 
 
 She stood before him, and noticed his disquietude. 
 " Master ! " she cried, " if thou art unhappy, what will 
 become of Mignon ? " " Dear little creature," said he, 
 taking her hands, " thou, too, art part of my anxieties. 
 I must go hence." She looked at his eyes, glistening 
 with restrained tears, and knelt down with vehemence 
 before him. He kept her hands : she laid her head 
 upon his knees, and remained quite still. He played 
 with her hair, patted her, and spoke kindly to her. 
 She continued motionless for a considerable time. At 
 last he felt a sort of palpitating movement in her, 
 which began very softly, and then by degrees, with 
 increasing violence, diffused itself over all her frame. 
 "What ails thee, Mignon?" cried he: "What ails 
 thee ? " She raised her little head, looked at him, and 
 all at once laid her hand upon her heart, with the 
 countenance of one repressing the utterance of pain. 
 He raised her up, and she fell upon his breast: he 
 pressed her toward him, and kissed her. She replied 
 not by any pressure of the hand, by any motion what- 
 ever. She held firmly against her heart, and all at 
 once gave a cry, which was accompanied by spasmodic
 
 174 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 movements of the body. She started up, and immedi- 
 ately fell down before him, as if broken in every joint. 
 It was an excruciating moment. " My child ! " cried 
 he, raising her up, and clasping her fast, " my child, 
 what ails thee ? " The palpitations continued, spread- 
 ing from the heart over all the lax and powerless 
 limbs : she was merely hanging in his arms. All at 
 once she again became quite stiff, Uke one enduring 
 the 'sharpest corporeal agony ; and soon with a new 
 vehemence all her frame once more became alive ; and 
 she threw herself about his neck, like a bent spring 
 that is closing ; while in her soul, as it were, a strong 
 rent took place, and at the same moment a stream of 
 tears flowed from her shut eyes into his bosom. He 
 held her fast. She wept, and no tongue can express 
 the force of these tears. Her long hair had loosened, 
 and was hanging down before her : it seemed as if her 
 whole being was melting incessantly into a brook of 
 tears. Her rigid Hmbs were again become relaxed ; 
 her inmost soul was pouring itself forth ; in the wild 
 confusion of the moment Wilhelm was afraid she would 
 dissolve in his arms, and leave nothing there for him 
 to grasp. He held her faster and faster. " My child ! " 
 cried he, " my child ! thou art indeed mine, if that word 
 can comfort thee. Thou art mine ! I will keep thee, I 
 will never forsake thee ! " Her tears continued flow- 
 ing. At last she raised herself : a faint gladness shone 
 upon her face. " My father ! " cried she, " thou wilt 
 not forsake me ? Wilt be my father ? I am thy 
 child!" 
 
 Softly, at this moment, the harp began to sound 
 before the door : the old man brought his most affect- 
 ing songs as an evening offering to our friend, who, 
 holding his child ever faster in his arms, enjoyed the 
 most pure and undescribable felicity.
 
 Book III.

 
 " Dosi Know the Land Where Citrons, Lemons, 
 
 Grow ' ' 
 
 Photogravure from the painting by Woldemar Friedrich
 
 WfX^'Ait :ijJ ,.<? *'^:i;/s-'^>.T A^ 

 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 « Dost know the land where citrons, lemons, grow. 
 Gold oranges 'neath dusky foliage glow, 
 From azure sky are blowing breezes soft, 
 The myrtles still, the laui-el stands aloft ? 
 
 'Tis there ! 'tis there ! 
 1 would with thee, O my beloved one, go ! 
 
 " Dost know the house, its roofs do columns bear, 
 The hall with splendour bright, the chambers glare ? 
 Therein stand marble forms, and look at me : 
 What is't, poor child, that they have done to thee ? 
 Dost know that house? 
 
 'Tis there! 'tis there ! 
 I would with thee, O my protector, go ! 
 
 " Dost know the mount, whose path with clouds is fraught, 
 Where by the mule through mist the way is sought, 
 Where dwell in caves the dragon's ancient brood. 
 Where falls the rock, and over it the flood, — 
 Dost know that mount ? 
 
 'Tis there! 'tis there! 
 Does lead our road : O father, let us go ! " 
 
 — Editor's Version. 
 
 Next morning, on looking for Mignon about the 
 house, Wilhelm did not find her, but was informed 
 that she had gone out early with Melina, who had 
 risen betimes to receive the wardrobe and other appa- 
 ratus of his theatre. 
 
 After the space of some hours, Wilhelm heard the 
 sound of music before his door. At first he thought 
 it was the harper come again to visit him ; but he soon 
 distinguished the tones of a cithern, and the voice 
 
 177
 
 178 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 which began to sing was Mignon's. Wilhelm opened 
 the door : the child came in, and sang him the song we 
 have just given above. 
 
 The music and general expression of it pleased our 
 friend extremely, though he could not understand all 
 the words. He made her once more repeat the stanzas, 
 and explain them : he wTote them down, and translated 
 them into his native language. But the originality of 
 its turns he could imitate only from afar : its childhke 
 innocence of expression vanished from it in the process 
 of reducing its broken phraseology to uniformity, and 
 combining its disjointed parts. The charm of the tune, 
 moreover, was entirely incomparable. 
 
 She began every verse in a stately and solemn man- 
 ner, as if she wished to draw attention toward some- 
 thing wonderful, as if she had something weighty to 
 communicate. In the third line, her tones became 
 deeper and gloomier ; the words, " Dost knovj ? " were 
 uttered with a show of mystery and eager circumspect- 
 ness ; in " 'Tis there ! 'tis there ! " lay an irresistible 
 longing ; and her " Let us go ! " she modified at each 
 repetition, so that now it appeared to entreat and 
 implore, now to impel and persuade. 
 
 On finishing her song for the second time, she stood 
 silent for a moment, looked keenly at Wilhelm, and 
 asked him, " Knowst thou the land ? " " It must 
 mean Italy," said Wilhelm : " where didst thou get the 
 little song ? " " Italy ! " said Mignon, with an earnest 
 air. " If thou go to Italy, take me along with thee ; 
 for I am too cold here." "Hast thou been there 
 already, httle dear?" said Wilhelm. But the child 
 was silent, and nothing more could be got out of her. 
 
 Melina entered now : he looked at the cithern, — 
 was glad that she had rigged it up again so prettily. 
 The instrument had been among Melina's stage-gear: 
 Mignon had begged it of him in the morning, and then 
 gone to the old harper. On this occasion she had
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 179 
 
 shown a talent she was not before suspected of 
 possessing. 
 
 Melina had already got possession of his wardrobe, 
 with all that pertained to it : some members of the 
 town magistracy had promised him permission to act, 
 for a time, in the place. He was now returning with 
 a merry heart and a cheerful look. His nature seemed 
 altogether changed : he was soft, courteous to every 
 one, — nay, fond of obliging, and almost attractive. 
 He was happy, he said, at now being able to afford 
 employment to his friends, who had hitherto lain idle 
 and embarrassed ; sorry, however, that at first he could 
 not have it in his power to remunerate the excellent 
 actors whom fortune had offered him, in a style corre- 
 sponding to their talents and capacities ; being under 
 the necessity, before all other things, of discharging 
 his debt to so generous a friend as Wilhelm had proved 
 himself to be. 
 
 " I cannot describe," said he to Wilhelm, " the friend- 
 liness which you have shown, in helping me forward 
 to the management of a theatre. When I found you 
 here, I was in a very curious predicament. You recol- 
 lect how strongly I displayed to you, on our first 
 acquaintance, my aversion to the stage ; and yet, on 
 being married, I w^as forced to look about for a place 
 in some theatre, out of love to my wife, who promised 
 to herself much joy and gi-eat applause if so engaged. 
 I could find none, at least no constant one ; but in 
 return I luckily fell in with some commercial men, 
 who, in extraordinary cases, were enabled to employ a 
 person that could handle his pen, that understood 
 French, and was not without a little skill in ciphering. 
 I managed pretty well in this way for a time ; I was 
 tolerably paid ; got about me many things which I had 
 need of, and did not feel ashamed of my work. But 
 these commissions of my patrons came to an end ; they 
 could afford me no permanent estabhshment : and, ever
 
 i8o MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 since, my wife has continued urging me still more to 
 go upon the stage again ; though, at present, alas ! her 
 own situation is none of the favourablest for exhibiting 
 herself with honour in the eyes of the public. But 
 now, I hope, the establishment which by your kind 
 help I have the means of setting up, will prove a good 
 beginning for me and mine : you I shall thank for all 
 my future happiness, let matters turn out as they 
 will." 
 
 Wilhelm listened to him with contentment : the whole 
 fraternity of players were likewise moderately satisfied 
 with the declarations of the new manager ; they secretly 
 rejoiced that an offer of employment had occurred 
 so soon, and were disposed to put up at first with a 
 smaller salary, the rather, that most of them regarded 
 the present one, so unexpectedly placed within their 
 reach, as a kind of supplement, on which a short while 
 ago they could not count. Melina made haste to profit 
 by this favourable temper : he endeavoured in a sly 
 way to get a little talk with each in private, and ere- 
 long had, by various methods, so cockered them all, 
 that they did not hesitate to strike a bargain with him 
 without loss of time ; scarcely thinking of this new 
 engagement, or reckoning themselves secure at worst 
 of getting free again after six weeks' warning. 
 
 The terms were now to be reduced to proper form ; 
 and Melina was considering with what pieces he would 
 first entice the public, when a courier riding up in- 
 formed the Stallmeisier that his lord and lady were at 
 hand ; on which the latter ordered out his horses. 
 
 In a short time after this, the coach with its masses 
 of luggage rolled in ; two servants sprang down from 
 the coach-box before the inn ; and Philina, according 
 to her custom, foremost in the way of novelties, placed 
 herself within the door. 
 
 " Who are you ? " said the countess, entering the 
 house.
 
 meister's apprenticeship i8i 
 
 " An actress, at your Excellency's service," was the 
 answer ; while the cheat, with a most innocent air, and 
 looks of great humility, curtsied, and kissed the lady's 
 gown. 
 
 The count, on seeing some other persons standing 
 round, who also signified that they were players, in- 
 quired about the strength of their company, their last 
 place of residence, their manager. "Had they but 
 been Frenchmen," said he to his lady, " we might have 
 treated the prince with an unexpected enjoyment, and 
 entertained him with his favourite pastime at our 
 house." 
 
 " And could we not," said the countess, " get these 
 people, though unluckily they are but Germans, to 
 exhibit with us at the castle while the prince stays 
 there ? Without doubt they have some degree of skill. 
 A large party can never be so well amused with any- 
 thing as with a theatre : besides, the baron would assist 
 them." 
 
 So speaking, they went up-stairs ; and Melina pre- 
 sented himself above, as manager. " Call your folk 
 together," said the count, " and place them before me, 
 that I may see what is in them. I must also have the 
 list of pieces you profess to act." 
 
 Melina, with a low bow, hastened from the room, 
 and soon returned with his actors. They advanced in 
 promiscuous succession : some, out of too great anxiety 
 to please, introduced themselves in a rather sorry style ; 
 the others, not much better, by assuming an air of 
 unconcern. Philina showed the deepest reverence to 
 the countess, who behaved with extreme graciousness 
 and condescension : the count, in the meantime, was 
 mustering the rest. He questioned each about his 
 special province of acting, and signified to Melina that 
 he must rigorously keep them to their several prov- 
 inces, — a precept which the manager received with 
 the greatest devotion.
 
 i82 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 The count then stated to each in particular what he 
 ought especially to study, what about his figure or his 
 postures ought to be amended ; showed them lumi- 
 nously in what points the Germans always fail; and 
 displayed such extraordinary knowledge, that all stood 
 in the deepest humility, scarcely daring to draw their 
 breath before so enlightened a critic and so right hon- 
 ourable a patron. 
 
 " Wliat fellow is that in the corner ? " said the count, 
 looking at a subject who had not yet been presented to 
 him, and who now approached, — a lean, shambling 
 figure, with a rusty coat, patched at the elbows, and a 
 woful periwig covering his submissive head. 
 
 This person, whom, from the last book, we know 
 already as Philina's darling, had been wont to enact 
 pedants, tutors, and poets, — generally undertaking 
 parts in which any cudgelling or ducking was to be 
 endured. He had trained himself to certain crouchins, 
 ludicrous, timid bows ; and his faltering, stammering 
 speech befitted the characters he played, and created 
 laughter in the audience ; so that he was always looked 
 on as a useful member of the company, being moreover 
 very serviceable and obliging. He approached the count 
 in his own peculiar way, bent himself before him, and 
 answered every question with the grimaces and ges- 
 tures he was used to on the stage. The count looked 
 at him for some time with an air of attentive satisfac- 
 tion and studious observation ; then, turning to the 
 countess, " Child," said he, " consider this man well : I 
 will engage for it he is a great actor, or may become 
 so." The creature here, in the fulness of his heart, 
 made an idiotic bow: the count burst into laughing, 
 and exclaimed, " He does it excellently well ! I bet 
 this fellow can act anything he likes : it is pity that 
 he has not been already used to something better." 
 
 So singular a prepossession was extremely galhng to 
 the rest : Meliua alone felt no vexation, but completely
 
 meister's apprenticeship 183 
 
 coincided with the count, and answered, with a pros- 
 trate look, " Alas ! it is too true : both he and others 
 of us have long stood in need of such encouragement, 
 and such a judge, as we now find in your Excellency." 
 
 " Is this the whole company ? " inquired the count. 
 
 " Some of them are absent," said the crafty Melina ; 
 " and at any rate, if we should meet with support, we 
 could soon collect abundant numbers from the neigh- 
 bourhood." 
 
 Philina in the meanwhile was saying to the countess, 
 " There is a very pretty young man above, who without 
 doubt would shortly become a first-rate amateur." 
 
 " Why does he not appear ? " said the countess. 
 
 " I will bring him," cried Philina, hastening to the 
 door. 
 
 She found our friend still occupied with Mignon: 
 she persuaded him to come down. He followed her 
 with some reluctance : yet curiosity impelled him ; 
 for, hearing that the family were people of rank, he 
 longed much to know more of them. On entering the 
 room, his eyes met those of the countess, which were 
 directed toward him. Philina led him to the lady, 
 while the count was busied with the rest. Wilhelm 
 made his bow, and replied to several questions from 
 the fair dame, not without confusion of mind. Her 
 beauty and youth, her gi'aceful dignity and refined 
 manner, made the most delightful impression on him ; 
 and the more so, as her words and looks were accom- 
 panied with a certain bashfulness, one might almost 
 say embarrassment. He was likewise introduced to 
 the count, who, however, took no special notice of him, 
 but went to the window with his lady, and seemed to 
 ask her about something. It was easy to observe that 
 her opinion accorded strongly with his own ; that she 
 even tried to persuade him, and strengthen him in his 
 intentions. 
 
 In a short while he turned round to the company,
 
 i84 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and said, " I must not stay at present, but I will send 
 a friend to you ; and if you make reasonable proposals, 
 and will take very gi-eat pains, I am not disinclined to 
 let you play at the castle." 
 
 AH testified their joy at this : Philina in particular 
 kissed the hands of the countess with the greatest 
 vivacity. 
 
 " Look you, little thing," said the lady, patting the 
 cheeks of the light-minded girl, "look you, child, you 
 shall come to me again : I will keep my promise ; only 
 you must dress better." Philina stated in excuse that 
 she had little to lay out upon her wardrobe ; and the 
 countess immediately ordered her waiting-maids to 
 bring from the carriage a silk neckerchief and an Eng- 
 lish hat, the articles easiest to come at, and give them to 
 her new favourite. The countess herself then decked 
 Philina, who continued very neatly to support, by her 
 looks and conduct, that saintlike, guiltless character 
 she had assumed at first. 
 
 The count took his lady's hand, and led her down. 
 She bowed to the whole company with a friendly air, 
 in passing by them : she turned round again toward 
 Wilhelm, and said to him, with the most gracious 
 mien, " We shall soon meet again." 
 
 These happy prospects enlivened the whole party : 
 every one of them gave free course to his hopes, his 
 wishes, his imaginations ; spoke of the parts he would 
 play, and the applause he would acquire. Melina was 
 considering how he might still, by a few speedy ex- 
 hibitions, gain a little money from the people of the 
 town before he left it; while others went into the 
 kitchen, to order a better dinner than of late they had 
 been used to.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 After a few days the baron came, and it was not 
 without fear that Melina received him. The count 
 had spoken of him as a critic ; and it might be dreaded, 
 he would speedily detect the weakness of the little 
 party, and see that it formed no efficient troop ; there 
 being scarcely a play which they could act in a suit- 
 able manner. But the manager, as well as all the 
 members, were soon delivered from their cares, on find- 
 ing that the baron was a man who viewed the German 
 stage with a most patriotic enthusiasm, to whom every 
 player, and every company of players, was welcome 
 and agreeable. He saluted them all with great solem- 
 nity ; was happy to come upon a German theatre so 
 unexpectedly, to get connected with it, and to intro- 
 duce their native Muses to the mansion of his relative. 
 He then pulled out from his pocket a bundle of stitched 
 papers, in which Melina hoped to find the terms of 
 their contract specified ; but it proved something very 
 different. It was a drama, which the baron himself 
 had composed, and wished to have played by them: 
 he requested their attention while he read it. Will- 
 ingly they formed a circle round him, charmed at be- 
 ing able with so little trouble to secure the favour of a 
 man so important ; though, judging by the thickness of 
 the manuscript, it was clear that a very long rehearsal 
 might be dreaded. Their apprehensions were not 
 groundless: the piece was written in five acts, and 
 that sort of acts which never have an end. 
 
 The hero was an excellent, virtuous, magnanimous, 
 
 185
 
 i86 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and at the same time misunderstood and persecuted, 
 man : this worthy person, after many trials, gained 
 the victory at last over all his enemies ; on whom, in 
 consequence, the most rigorous poetic justice would 
 have been exercised, had he not pardoned them on 
 the spot. 
 
 While this piece was rehearsing, each of the auditors 
 had leisure enough to think of himself, and to mount 
 up quite softly from the humble prostration of mind, 
 to which, a httle while ago, he had felt disposed, into a 
 comfortable state of contentment with his own gifts 
 and advantages, and, from this elevation, to discover 
 the most pleasing prospects in the future. Such of 
 them as found in the play no parts adapted for their 
 own acting, internally pronounced it bad, and viewed 
 the baron as a miserable author ; while the others, 
 every time they noticed any passage which they hoped 
 might procure them a little clapping of the hands, 
 exalted it with the greatest praise, to the immeasur- 
 able satisfaction of the author. 
 
 The commercial part of their affau' was soon com- 
 pleted. Melina made an advantageous bargain with 
 the baron, and contrived to keep it secret from the 
 rest. 
 
 Of our friend, Melina took occasion to declare in 
 passing, that he seemed to be successfully qualifying 
 himself for becoming a dramatic poet, and even to have 
 some capacities for being an actor. The baron intro- 
 duced himself to Wilhelm as a colleague ; and the latter 
 by and by produced some short pieces, which, with a 
 few other relics, had escaped by chance, on the day 
 when he threw the greater part of his works into the 
 flames. The baron lauded both his pieces and dehvery : 
 he spoke of it as a settled thing, that Wilhelm should 
 come over to the castle with the rest. For all, at his 
 departure, he engaged to find the best reception, com- 
 fortable quarters, a good table, applauses, and presents ;
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 187 
 
 and Melina further gave the promise of a certain modi- 
 cum of pocket-money to each. 
 
 It is easy to conceive how this visit raised the spirits 
 of the party : instead of a low and harassing situation, 
 they now at once saw honours and enjoyment before 
 them. On the score of these gi-eat hopes they abeady 
 made merry, and each thought it needless and stingy 
 to retain a single groschen of money in his purse. 
 
 Meanwhile our friend was taking counsel with him- 
 self about accompanying the troop to the castle ; and 
 he found it, in more than one sense, advisable to do so. 
 Melina was in hopes of paying off his debt, at least in 
 part, by this engagement ; and Wilhelm, who had come 
 from home to study men, was unwilling to let slip this 
 opportunity of examining the gi-eat world, where he ex- 
 pected to obtain much insight into life, into himself, 
 and the dramatic art. With all this, he durst not 
 confess how greatly he wished again to be near the 
 beautiful countess. He rather sought to persuade 
 himself in general of the mighty advantages which a 
 more intimate acquaintance with the world of rank 
 and wealth would procure for him. He pursued his 
 reflections on the count, the countess, the baron ; on 
 the security, the grace, and propriety of their de- 
 meanour he exclaimed with rapture when alone : 
 
 " Thrice happy are they to l^e esteemed, whom their 
 birth of itself exalts above the lower stages of man- 
 kind ; who do not need to traverse those perplexities, 
 not even to skirt them, in which many worthy men 
 so painfully consume the whole period of life. Far- 
 extending and unerring must their vision be, on that 
 higher station ; easy each step of their progi-ess in the 
 world. From their very birth, they are placed, as it 
 were, in a ship, which, in this voyage we have all to 
 make, enaldes them to profit by the favourable winds, 
 and to ride out the cross ones ; while others, bare of help, 
 must wear their strength away in swimming, can de-
 
 i88 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 rive little profit from the favourable breeze, and in the 
 storm must soon become exhausted, and sink to the 
 bottom. What convenience, what ease of movement, 
 does a fortune we are born to confer upon us ! How 
 securely does a traffic flourish, which is founded on a 
 solid capital, where the failure of one or of many en- 
 terprises does not of necessity reduce us to inaction ! 
 Who can better know the worth and worthlessness of 
 earthly things, than he that has had within his choice 
 the enjoyment of them from youth upwards ? and who 
 can earlier guide his mind to the useful, the necessary, 
 the true, than he that may convince himself of so 
 many errors in an age when his strength is yet fresh 
 to begin a new career ? " 
 
 Thus did our friend cry joy to all inhabitants of the 
 upper regions, and, not to them only, but to all that 
 were permitted to approach their circle, and draw 
 water from their wells. So he thanked his own happy 
 stars, that seemed preparing to grant this mighty 
 blessing to himself. 
 
 Melina, in the meantime, was torturing his brains 
 to get the company arranged according to their several 
 provinces, and each of them appointed to produce 
 his own peculiar effect. In compliance with the 
 count's injunctions and his own persuasions, he made 
 many efforts ; but at last, when it came to the point 
 of execution, he was forced to be content, if, in so 
 small a troop, he found his people willing to adjust 
 themselves to this or that part as they best were able. 
 When matters would admit of it, Laertes played the 
 lover ; Philina the lady's maid ; the two young girls 
 took up between them the characters of the artless and 
 tender loved ones ; the boisterous old gentleman of the 
 piece was sure to be the best acted. Melina himself 
 thought he might come forth as chevaher; Madam 
 Melina, to her no small sorrow, was obhged to satisfy 
 herself with personating young wives, or even affec-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 189 
 
 tionate mothers ; and as in the newer plays, a poet or 
 pedant is rarely introduced, and still more rarely for 
 the purpose of being laughed at, the well-known favour- 
 ite of the count was now usually transformed into 
 president or minister, — these being commonly set 
 forth as knaves, and severely handled in the fifth act. 
 Melina, too, in the part of chamberlain or the like, in- 
 troduced, with gi-eat satisfaction, the ineptitudes put 
 into his hands by various honest Germans, according 
 to use and wont, in many well-accepted plays : he de- 
 lighted in these characters, because he had an oppor- 
 tunity of decking himself out in a fashionable style, 
 and was called upon to assume the airs of a courtier, 
 which he conceived himself to possess in great perfec- 
 tion. 
 
 It was not long till they were joined by several 
 actors from different quarters ; who, being received 
 without very strict examination, were also retained 
 without very burdensome conditions. 
 
 Wilhelm had been more than once assailed with 
 persuasions from Mehna to undertake an amateur part. 
 This he declined ; yet he interested and occupied him- 
 self about the general cause with great alacrity, with- 
 out our new manager's acknowledging his labours in 
 the smallest. On the contrary, it seemed to be 
 Mehna's opinion, that with his oflfice he had at the 
 same time picked up all the necessary skill for carry- 
 ing it on. In particular, the task of curtailment 
 formed one of his most pleasing occupations : he would 
 succeed in reducing any given piece down to the regu- 
 lar measure of time, without the shghtest respect to 
 proprieties or proportions, or anything whatever, but 
 his watch. He met with great encouragement; the 
 public was very much deHghted ; the most knowing 
 inhabitants of the burgh maintained, that the prince's 
 theatre itseK was not so well conducted as theirs.
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 At last the time arrived when the company had to 
 prepare for travelhng, and to expect the coaches and 
 other vehicles that were to carry them to the count's 
 mansion. Much altercation now took place about the 
 mode of travelhng, and who should sit with whom. 
 The ordering and distribution of the whole was at 
 length settled and concluded, with great labour, and, 
 alas ! without effect. At the appointed hour, fewer 
 coaches came than were expected : they had to accom- 
 modate themselves as the case would admit. The 
 baron, who followed shortly afterward on horseback, 
 assigned, as the reason, that all was in motion at the 
 castle, not only because the prince was to arrive a few 
 days earlier than had been looked for, but also because 
 an unexpected party of visitors were already come : 
 the place, he said, was in great confusion ; on this ac- 
 count perhaps they would not lodge so comfortably as 
 had been intended, — a change which grieved him 
 very much. 
 
 Our travellers packed themselves into the carriages 
 the best way they could ; and the weather being toler- 
 able, and the castle but a few leagues distant, the 
 heartiest of the troop preferred setting out on foot to 
 waiting the return of the coaches. The caravan got 
 under way with great jubilee, for the first time with- 
 out caring how the landlord's bill was to be paid. The 
 count's mansion rose on their souls like a palace of the 
 fairies : they were the happiest and merriest mortals 
 in the world. Each throughout the journey, in his 
 own pecuhar mode, kept fastening a continued chain 
 
 190
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 191 
 
 of fortune, honour, and prosperity to that auspicious 
 day. 
 
 A heavy rain, which fell unexpectedly, did not ban- 
 ish these delightful contemplations ; though, as it in- 
 cessantly continued with more and more violence, 
 many of the party began to show traces of uneasiness. 
 The night came on ; and no sight could be more wel- 
 come than the palace of the count, which shone upon 
 them from a hill at some distance, glancing with hght 
 in all its stories, so that they could reckon every win- 
 dow. 
 
 On approaching nearer, they found all the windows 
 in the wings illuminated also. Each of the party 
 thought within himself what chamber would be his; 
 and most of them prudently determined to be satisfied 
 with a room in the attic, or some of the side buildings. 
 
 They were now proceeding through the village, past 
 the inn. Wilhelm stopped the coach, in the mind to 
 alight there; but the landlord protested that it was 
 not in his power to afford the least accommodation: 
 his lordship the count, he said, being visited by some 
 unexpected guests, had immediately engaged the whole 
 inn ; every chamber in the house had been marked 
 with chalk last night, specifying who was to lodge 
 there. Our friend was accordingly obhged, against his 
 will, to travel forward to the castle with the rest of 
 the company. 
 
 In one of the side buildings, round the kitchen fire, 
 they noticed several cooks running busily about, — a 
 sight which refreshed them not a little. Servants 
 came jumping hastily with lights to the staircase of 
 the main door, and the hearts of the worthy pilgiims 
 overflowed at the aspect of such honours. But how 
 great was their surprise, when this cordial reception 
 changed into a storm of curses. The servants scouted 
 the coachman for driving in hither ; they must wheel 
 out again, it was bawled, and take their loading round
 
 192 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 to the old castle ; there was no room here for such 
 guests ! To this uufriendly and unexpected dismissal, 
 they joined all manner of jeering, and laughed aloud 
 at each other for leaping out in the rain on so false an 
 errand. It was still pouring; no star was visible in 
 the sky; while our company were dragged along a 
 rough, jolting road, between two walls, into the old 
 mansion, which stood behind, inhabited by none since 
 the present count's father had built the new residence 
 in front of it. The carriages drew up, partly in the 
 courtyard, partly in a long, arched gateway ; and the 
 postilions, people hired from the village, unyoked their 
 horses, and rode off. 
 
 As nobody came forward to receive the travellers, 
 they alighted from their places, they shouted, and 
 searched. In vain ! All continued dark .and still. 
 The wind swept through the lofty gate : the court and 
 the old towers were lying gray and dreary, and so dim 
 that their forms could scarcely be distinguished in the 
 gloom. The people were all shuddering and freezing ; 
 the women were becoming frightened ; the children 
 began to cry ; the general impatience was increasing 
 every minute ; so quick a revolution of fortune, for 
 which no one of them had been at all prepared, entirely 
 destroyed their equanimity. 
 
 Expecting every minute that some person would ap- 
 pear and unbolt the doors, mistaking at one time the 
 pattering of rain, at another the rocking of the wind, 
 for the much-desired footstep of the castle bailiff, they 
 continued downcast and inactive : it occurred to none 
 of them to go into the new mansion, and there solicit 
 help from charitable souls. They could not under- 
 stand where their friend the baron was lingering : they 
 were in the most disconsolate condition. 
 
 At last some people actually arrived : by their voices, 
 they were recognised as the pedestrians who had fallen 
 behind the others on the journey. They intimated
 
 MEISTER'S apprenticeship 193 
 
 that the baron had tumbled with his horse, and hurt 
 his leg severely; and that, on calUng at the castle, 
 they, too, had been roughly directed hither. 
 
 The whole company were in extreme perplexity : 
 they guessed and speculated as to what should now be 
 done, but they could fix on nothing. At length they 
 noticed from afar a lantern advancing, and took fresh 
 breath at sight of it ; but their hopes of quick dehver- 
 ance again evaporated, when the object approached, 
 and came to be distinctly seen. A gToom was lighting 
 the well-known Stallmeister of the castle toward them : 
 this gentleman, on coming nearer, very anxiously in- 
 quired for Mademoiselle Phihna. No sooner had she 
 stepped forth from the crowd, than he very pressingly 
 offered to conduct her to the new mansion, where a 
 little place had been provided for her with the count- 
 ess's maids. She did not hesitate long about accepting 
 his proposal ; she caught his arm, and, recommending 
 her trunk to the care of the rest, was going to hasten 
 off with him directly : but the others intercepted them, 
 asking, entreating, conjuring the Stallmeister; till at 
 last, to get away Avith his fair one, he promised every- 
 thing, assuring them, that, in a little while, the castle 
 should be opened, and they lodged in the most com- 
 fortable manner. In a few moments they saw the 
 glimmer of his lantern vanish: they long looked in 
 vain for another gleam of hght. At last, after much 
 watching, scolding, and reviling, it actually appeared, 
 and revived them with a touch of hope and consola- 
 tion. 
 
 An ancient footman opened the door of the old edi- 
 fice, into which they rushed with violence. Each of 
 them now strove to have his trunk unfastened, and 
 brought in beside him. Most of this luggage, like the 
 persons of its owners, was thoroughly wetted. Having 
 but a single hght, the process of unpacking went on 
 very slowly. In the dark passages they pushed against
 
 194 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 each other, they stumbled, they fell. They begged to 
 have more Hghts, they begged to have some fuel. The 
 monosyllabic footman, with much ado, consented to 
 put down his own lantern ; then went his way, and 
 came not again. 
 
 They now began to investigate the edifice. The 
 doors of all the rooms were open : large stoves, tapestry 
 hangings, inlaid floors, yet bore witness to its former 
 pomp ; but of other house-gear there was none to be 
 seen, — no table, chair, or mirror, nothing but a few 
 monstrous, empty bedsteads, stripped of every orna- 
 ment and every necessary. The wet trunks and 
 knapsacks were adopted as seats : a part of the tired 
 wanderers placed themselves upon the floor. Wilhelm 
 had sat down upon some steps : Mignon lay upon his 
 knees. The child was restless ; and, when he asked 
 what ailed her, she answered, " I am hungry." He 
 himself had nothing that could still the craving of 
 the child : the rest of the party had consumed their 
 whole provision, so he was obliged to leave the httle 
 traveller wdthout refreshment. Through the whole 
 adventure he had been inactive, silently immersed 
 in thought. He was very sullen, and full of indignant 
 regret that he had not kept by his first determination, 
 and remained at the inn, though he should have slept 
 in the garret. 
 
 The rest demeaned themselves in various ways. 
 Some of them had got a heap of old wood collected 
 within a vast, gaping chimney in the hall : they set 
 fire to the pile with great huzzaing. Unhappily, how- 
 ever, their hopes of warming and drying themselves 
 by means of it were mocked in the most frightful 
 manner. The chimney, it appeared, was there for 
 ornament alone, and was walled up above ; so the 
 smoke rushed quickly back, and at once filled the 
 whole chamber. The dry wood rose crackling into 
 flames ; the flame was also driven back ; the draught
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 195 
 
 sweeping through the broken windows gave it a waver- 
 ing direction. Terrified lest the castle should catch 
 fire, the unhappy guests had to tear the burning sticks 
 asunder, to smother and trample them under their feet ; 
 the smoke increased ; their case was rendered more 
 intolerable than before ; they were driven to the brink 
 of desperation. 
 
 Wilhelm had retreated from the smoke into a 
 distant chamber, to which Mignon soon followed him, 
 leading in a well-dressed servant, with a high, clear, 
 double-lighted lantern in his hand. He turned to 
 Wilhelm, and, holding out to him some fruits and 
 confectionery on a beautiful porcelain plate, "The 
 young lady up-stairs," said he, " sends you this, with 
 the request that you would join her party: she bids 
 me tell you," added the lackey, with a sort of giin, 
 " that she is very well off yonder, and wishes to divide 
 her enjoyments with her friends." 
 
 Wilhelm had not at all expected such a message ; for, 
 ever since the adventure on the stone bench, he had 
 treated Philina with the most decided contempt. He 
 was still so resolute to have no more concern with 
 her that he thought of sending back her dainty gifts 
 untasted, when a supplicating look of Mignon's induced 
 him to accept them. He returned his thanks in the 
 name of the child. The invitation he entirely rejected. 
 He desired the servant to exert himself a little for 
 the stranger company, and made inquiry for the baron. 
 The latter, he was told, had gone to bed, but had 
 already, as the lackey understood, given orders to 
 some other person to take charge of these unfortunate 
 and ill-lodged gentlemen. 
 
 The servant went away, leaving one of his lights, 
 which Wilhelm, in the absence of a candlestick, con- 
 trived to fix upon the window-casement; and now, at 
 least in his meditations, he could see the four walls 
 of his chamber. Nor was it long till preparations
 
 196 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 were commenced for conducting our travellers to rest. 
 Candles arrived by degrees, though without snuffers; 
 then a few chairs ; an hour afterward came bedclothes ; 
 then pillows, all well steeped in rain. It was far 
 past midnight when straw beds and mattresses were 
 produced, which, if sent at first, would have been 
 extremely welcome. 
 
 In the interim, also, somewhat to eat and drink had 
 been brought in : it was enjoyed without much criti- 
 cism ; though it looked like a most disorderly collection 
 of remains, and offered no very singular proof of the 
 esteem in which our guests were held.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The disorders and mischievous tricks of some frolic- 
 some companions still further augmented the disqui- 
 etudes and distresses of the night: these gay people 
 woke each other ; each played a thousand giddy pranks 
 to plague his fellow. The next morning dawned amid 
 loud complaints against their friend the baron, for 
 having so deceived them, for having given so very 
 false a notion of the order and comfort that awaited 
 their arrival. However, to their great surprise and 
 consolation, at an early hour the count himself, at- 
 tended by a few servants, made his entrance, and in- 
 quired about their circumstances. He appeared much 
 vexed on discovering how badly they had fared ; and 
 the baron, who came limping along, supported on the 
 arm of a servant, bitterly accused the steward for 
 neglecting his commands on this occasion, — showing 
 gi-eat anxiety to have that person punished for his 
 disobedience. 
 
 The count gave immediate orders that everything 
 should be arranged, in his presence, to the utmost 
 possible convenience of the guests. Wliile this was 
 going on, some officers arrived, who forthwith scraped 
 acquaintance with the actresses. The count assembled 
 all tlie company before him, spoke to each by name, 
 introduced a few jokes among his observations ; so 
 that every one was charmed at the gracious condescen- 
 sion of his lordship. At last it came to Wilhelm's 
 turn. He appeared with Mignon holding by his hand. 
 Our friend excused himself, in the best terms he could, 
 
 197
 
 igS MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 for the freedom he had^ taken. The count, on the 
 other hand, spoke as if the visit had been looked for. 
 
 A gentleman, who stood beside the count, and who, 
 although he wore no uniform, appeared to be an officer, 
 conversed with Wilhelm : he was evidently not a com- 
 mon man. His large, keen blue eyes, looking out 
 from beneath a high brow ; his hght-coloured hair, 
 thrown carelessly back ; his middle stature ; every- 
 thing about him, — showed an active, firm, and deci- 
 sive mode of being. His questions were lively. He 
 seemed to be at home in all that he inquired about. 
 
 Wilhelm asked the baron what this person was, 
 but found that he had Httle good to say of him. " He 
 held the rank of major, was the special favourite of 
 the prince ; managed his most secret affairs ; was, in 
 short, regarded as his right arm, — nay, there was 
 reason to beUeve him the prince's natural son. He 
 had been on embassies in France, England, Italy. In 
 all those places he had gi-eatly distinguished himself, 
 by which means he was grown conceited ; imagining, 
 among other pretensions, that he thoroughly understood 
 the literature of Germany, and allowing himself to 
 vent all kinds of sorry jests upon it. He, the baron, 
 was in the habit of avoiding all intercourse "^dth him ; 
 and Wilhelm would do well to imitate that conduct, 
 for it somehow happened that no one could be near 
 him without being punished for it. He iwas called 
 Jarno, though nobody knew rightly what to make 
 of such a name." 
 
 Wilhelm had nothing to urge against all this : he 
 had felt a sort of inclination for the stranger, though 
 he noticed in him something cold and repulsive. 
 
 The company being arranged and distributed through- 
 out the castle, Melina issued the strictest orders that 
 they should behave themselves with decency, the 
 women live in a separate quarter, and each direct 
 his whole attention to the study of dramatic art,
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 199 
 
 and of the characters he had to play. He posted up 
 written ordinances, consisting of many articles, upon 
 all the doors. He settled the amount of fine which 
 should be levied upon each transgressor, and put into 
 a common box. 
 
 This edict was but little heeded. Young officers 
 went out and in ; they jested, not in the most modest 
 fashion, with the actresses ; made game of the actors, 
 and annihilated the whole system of police before it 
 had the smallest time to take root in the community. 
 The people ran chasing one another through the rooms ; 
 they changed clothes ; they disguised themselves. Me- 
 lina, attempting to be rigorous with a few at first, 
 was exasperated by every sort of insolence ; and, when 
 the count soon after sent for him to come and view 
 the place where his theatre was to be erected, matters 
 grew worse and worse. The young gentry devised a 
 thousand broad jokes : by the help of some actors, 
 they became yet coarser. It seemed as if the old castle 
 had been altogether given up to an infuriate host, 
 and the racket did not end till dinner. 
 
 Meanwhile, the count had led Melina over to a 
 large hall, which, though belonging to the old castle, 
 communicated by a gallery with the new one : it 
 seemed very well adapted for being changed into a 
 little theatre. Here the sagacious lord of the man- 
 sion pointed out in person how he wanted everything 
 to be. 
 
 The labour now commenced in the greatest haste; 
 the stage apparatus was erected and furbished up ; 
 what decorations they had brought along with them 
 and could employ were set in order, and what was 
 wanting was prepared by some skilful workmen of the 
 count's. Wilhelm likewise put his hand to the busi- 
 ness ; he assisted in settling the perspective, in laying 
 off the outlines of the scenery : he was very anxious 
 that nothing should be executed clumsily. The count.
 
 200 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 who frequently came in to inspect their progress, was 
 highly satisfied : he showed particularly how they 
 should proceed in every case, displaying an uncommon 
 knowledge of all the arts they were concerned with. 
 
 Next began the business of rehearsing, in good 
 earnest ; and there would have been enough of space 
 and leisure for this undertaking, had the actors not 
 continually been interrupted by the presence of vis- 
 itors. Some new guests were daily arriving, and each 
 insisted on viewing the operations of the company.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The baron had, for several days, been cheering Wil- 
 helm with the hope of being formally presented to the 
 countess. " I have told this excellent lady," said he, 
 " so much about the talent and fine sentiment dis- 
 played in your compositions, that she feels quite 
 impatient to see you, and hear one or two of them 
 read. Be prepared, therefore, to come over at a 
 moment's notice; for, the first morning she is at 
 leisure, you will certainly be called on." He then 
 pointed out to him the afterpiece it would be proper 
 to produce on that occasion ; adding, that doubtless 
 it would recommend him to no usual degree of favour. 
 The lady, he declared, was extremely sorry that a 
 guest like him had happened to arrive at a time of 
 such confusion, when they could not entertain him in 
 a style more suitable to his merits and their own 
 wishes. 
 
 In consequence of this information, Wilhelm, with 
 the most sedulous attention, set about preparing the 
 piece, which was to usher him into the great world, 
 " Hitherto," said he, " thou hast laboured in silence for 
 thyself, applauded only by a small circle of friends. 
 Thou hast for a time despaired of thy abilities, and are 
 yet full of anxious doubts whether even thy present 
 path is the right one, and whether thy talent for the 
 stage at all corresponds with thy inclination for it. 
 In the hearing of such practised judges, in the closet 
 where no illusion can take place, the attempt is far 
 more hazardous than elsewhere ; and yet I would not 
 willingly recoil from the experiment : I could wish to 
 
 201
 
 202 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 add this pleasure to my former enjoyments, and, if it 
 might be, to give extension and stability to my hopes 
 from the future." 
 
 He accordingly went through some pieces ; read 
 them with the keenest critical eye ; made corrections 
 here and there ; recited them aloud, that he might 
 be perfect in his tones and expression : and finally 
 selected the work which he was best acquainted with, 
 and hoped to gain most honour by. He put it in his 
 pocket, one morning, on being summoned to attend 
 the countess. 
 
 The baron had assured him that there would be no 
 one present but the lady herself and a worthy female 
 friend of hers. On entering the chamber, the Baroness 
 
 von C advanced with gi-eat friendliness to meet 
 
 him, expressed her happiness at gaining his acquaint- 
 ance, and introduced him to the countess, who was 
 then under the hands of her hair-dresser. The countess 
 received him with kind words and looks. But it 
 vexed him to see Philina kneeling at her chair, and 
 playing a thousand fooleries. " The poor child," said 
 the baroness, " has just been singing to us. Finish the 
 song you were in the midst of : we should not like to 
 lose it." 
 
 Wilhelm listened to her quavering with great 
 patience, being anxious for the friseur's departure 
 before he should begin to read. They offered him 
 a cup of chocolate, the baroness herself handing him 
 the biscuit. Yet, in spite of these civilities, he relished 
 not his breakfast : he was longing too eagerly to lay 
 before the lovely countess some performance that 
 might interest and gratify her. Philina, too, stood 
 somewhat in his way : on former occasions, while 
 listening to him, she had more than once been trouble- 
 some. He looked at the friseur with a painful feel- 
 ing, hoping every moment that the tower of curls 
 would be complete.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 203 
 
 Meanwhile the count came in, and began to talk of 
 the fresh visitors he was expecting, of the day's occu- 
 pations or amusements, and of various domestic mat- 
 ters that were started. On his retii'ing, some officers 
 sent to ask permission of the countess to pay their 
 respects to her, as they had to leave the castle before 
 dinner. The footman having come to his post at the 
 door, she permitted him to usher in the gentlemen. 
 
 The baroness, amid these interruptions, took pains 
 to entertain our friend, and showed him much consid- 
 eration ; all which he accepted with becoming rever- 
 ence, though not without a little absence of mind. 
 He often felt for the manuscript in his pocket, and 
 hoped for his deliverance every instant. He was 
 almost losing patience, when a man-milliner was intro- 
 duced, and immediately began without mercy to open 
 his papers, bags, and bandboxes ; pressing all his 
 various wares upon the ladies, with an importunity 
 peculiar to that species of creature. 
 
 The company increased. The baroness cast a look 
 at Wilhelm, and then whispered with the countess : 
 he noticed this, but did not understand the purpose 
 of it. The whole, however, became clear enough, 
 when, after an hour of painful and fruitless endur- 
 ance, he went away. He then found a beautiful 
 pocketbook, of English manufacture, in his pocket. 
 The baroness had dexterously put it there without 
 his notice ; and soon afterward the countess's little 
 black came out, and handed him an elegantly flowered 
 waistcoat, without very clearly saying whence it 
 came.
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 This mingled feeling of vexation and gratitude 
 spoiled the remainder of his day ; till, toward evening, 
 he once more found employment. Melina informed 
 him that the count had been speaking of a little pre- 
 lude, which he wished to have produced in honour of 
 the prince, on the day of his Highness's arrival. He 
 meant to have the great qualities of this noble hero 
 and philanthropist personified in the piece. These 
 Virtues were to advance together, to recite his praises, 
 and finally to encircle his bust with garlands of 
 flowers and laurels ; behind which a transparency 
 might be inserted, representing the princely hat, and 
 his name illuminated on it. The count, Melina said, 
 had ordered him to take charge of getting ready the 
 verses and other arrangements; and Wilhelm, he 
 hoped, to whom it must be an easy matter, would 
 stand by him on this occasion. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed our friend, in a splenetic tone, 
 " have we nothing but portraits, illuminated names, 
 and allegorical figures, to show in honour of a prince, 
 who, in my opinion, merits quite a different eulogy ? 
 How can it flatter any reasonable man to see himself 
 set up in effigy, and his name glimmering on oiled 
 paper ? I am very much afraid that your allegories, 
 particularly in the present state of the wardrobe, will 
 furnish occasion for many ambiguities and jestings. 
 If you mean, however, to compose the play, or have 
 it composed, I can have nothing to object; only I 
 desire to have no part or lot in the matter." 
 
 204
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 205 
 
 Melina excused himself ; alleging this to be only a 
 casual hint of his lordship the count, who for the rest 
 had left the arrangement of the piece entirely in their 
 own hands. " With all my heart," replied our friend, 
 " will I contribute something to the pleasure of this 
 noble family : my Muse has never had so pleasant an 
 employment as to sing, though in broken numbers, 
 the praises of a prince who merits so much veneration. 
 J will think of the matter : perhaps I may be able to 
 contrive some way of bringing out our httle troop, so 
 as at least to produce some effect." 
 
 From this moment Wilhelm eagerly reflected on his 
 undertaking. Before going to sleep he had got it all 
 reduced to some degree of order ; early next morning 
 his plan was ready, the scenes laid out ; a few of the 
 most striking passages and songs were even versified 
 and written down. 
 
 As soon as he was dressed, our friend made haste to 
 wait upon the baron, to submit the plan to his inspec- 
 tion, and take his advice upon certain points connected 
 with it. The baron testified his approbation of it, but 
 not without considerable surprise. For, on the pre- 
 vious evening, he had heard his lordship talk of having 
 ordered some quite different piece to be prepared and 
 versified. 
 
 " To me it seems improbable," replied our friend, 
 "that it could be his lordship's wish to have the piece 
 got ready, exactly as he gave it to Melina. If I am 
 not mistaken, he intended merely to point out to us 
 from a distance the path we were to follow. The 
 amateur and critic shows the artist what is wanted, 
 and then leaves to him the care of producing it by 
 his own means." 
 
 " Not at all," replied the baron : " his lordship under- 
 stands that the piece shall be composed according to 
 that and no other plan which he has himself pre- 
 scribed. Yours has, indeed, a remote similarity with
 
 2o6 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 his idea ; but if we mean to accomplish our purpose, 
 and get the count diverted from his first thought, we 
 shall need to employ the ladies in the matter. The 
 baroness especially contrives to execute such operations 
 in the most masterly manner: the question is now, 
 whether your plan shall so please her, that she will 
 undertake the business ; in that case it will certainly 
 succeed." 
 
 "We need the assistance of the ladies," said our 
 friend, " at any rate ; for neither our company nor our 
 wardrobe would suffice without them. I have counted 
 on some pretty children, that are running up and down 
 the house, and belong to certain of the servants." 
 
 He then desii'ed the baron to communicate his plan 
 to the ladies. The baron soon returned with intelli- 
 gence that they wished to speak with Wilhelm person- 
 ally. That same evening, when the gentlemen sat 
 down to play, which, owing to the arrival of a certain 
 general, was expected to be deeper and keener than 
 usual, the countess and her friend, under pretext of 
 some indisposition, would retire to their chamber, 
 where Wilhelm, being introduced by a secret staircase, 
 might submit his project without interruption. This 
 sort of mystery, the baron said, would give the adven- 
 ture a peculiar charm ; in particular the baroness was re- 
 joicing like a child in the prospect of their rendezvous, 
 and the more so, because it was to be accomplished 
 secretly, and against the inclination of the count. 
 
 Toward evening, at the appointed time, Wilhelm 
 was sent for, and led in with caution. As the baroness 
 advanced to meet him in a small cabinet, the 
 manner of their interview brought former happy 
 scenes for a moment to his mind. She conducted him 
 along to the countess's chamber, and they now pro- 
 ceeded earnestly to question and investigate. He ex- 
 hibited his plan with the utmost warmth and vivacity, 
 so that his fair audience were quite decided in its
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 207 
 
 favour. Our readers also will permit us to present a 
 brief sketch of it here. 
 
 The play was to open with a dance of children in 
 some rural scene, — their dance representing that 
 particular game wherein each has to wheel round, and 
 gain the other's place. This was to be followed by 
 several variations of their play ; till at last, in perform- 
 ing a dance of the repeating kind, they were all to sing 
 a merry song. 
 
 Here the old harper with Mignon was to enter, and, 
 by the curiosity which they excited, gather several 
 countrypeople round them ; the harper would sing 
 various songs in praise of peace, repose, and joy ; and 
 Mignon would then dance the egg-dance. 
 
 In these innocent delights, they are disturbed by the 
 sound of martial music ; and the party are surprised 
 by a troop of soldiers. The men stand on the defen- 
 sive, and are overcome : the girls flee, and are over- 
 taken. In the tumult all seems going to destruction, 
 when a person (about whose form and qualities the 
 poet was not yet determined) enters, and, by signifying 
 that the general is near, restores composure. Where- 
 upon the hero's character is painted in the finest 
 colours ; security is promised in the midst of arms ; 
 violence and lawless disorder are now to be restrained. 
 A universal festival is held in honour of the noble- 
 minded captain. 
 
 The countess and her friend expressed great satis- 
 faction with the plan ; only they maintained that 
 there must of necessity be something of allegory intro- 
 duced, to make it palatable to his lordship. The baron 
 proposed that the leader of the soldiers should be 
 represented as the Genius of Dissension and Violence ; 
 that Minerva should then advance to bind fetters on 
 him, to give notice of the hero's approach, and cele- 
 brate his praise. The baroness undertook the task of 
 persuading the count that this plan was the one pro-
 
 2o8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 posed by himself, with a few alterations ; at the same 
 time expressly stipulating, that without fail, at the 
 conclusion of the piece, the bust, the illuminated name, 
 and the princely hat should be exhibited in due order ; 
 since otherwise, her attempt was vain. 
 
 Wilhelm had already jBgured in his mind how deli- 
 cately and how nobly he would have the praises of his 
 hero celebrated in the mouth of Minerva, and it was not 
 without a long struggle that he yielded in this point. 
 Yet he felt himself delightfully constrained to yield. 
 The beautiful eyes of the countess, and her lovely de- 
 meanour, would easily have moved him to sin against 
 his conscience as a poet ; to abandon the finest and 
 most interesting invention, the keenly wished-for unity 
 of his composition, and all its most suitable details. His 
 conscience as a burgher had a trial no less hard to 
 undergo, when the ladies, in distributing the characters, 
 pointedly insisted that he must undertake one him- 
 self. 
 
 Laertes had received for his allotment the part of 
 that violent war-god ; Wilhelm was to represent the 
 leader of the peasants, who had some very pretty and 
 tender verses to recite. After long resistance he was 
 forced to comply : he could find no excuse, when the 
 baroness protested that their stage was in all respects 
 to be regarded as a private one, and that she herself 
 would very gladly play on it, if they could find her a 
 fit occasion. On receiving his consent, they parted 
 with our friend on the kindest terms. The baroness 
 assured him that he was an incomparable man: she 
 accompanied him to the little stairs, and wished him 
 good night with a squeeze of the hand.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The interest in his undertakings, which the countess 
 and her friend expressed and felt so warmly, quickened 
 Wilhelm's faculties and zeal : the plan of his piece, 
 which the process of describing it had rendered more 
 distinct, was now present in the most brilliant vivid- 
 ness before his mind. He spent the greater part of 
 that night, and the whole of next morning, in the 
 sedulous versification of the dialogue and songs. 
 
 He had proceeded a considerable way, when a mes- 
 sage came, requiring his attendance in the castle : the 
 noble company, who were then at breakfast, wished to 
 speak with him. As he entered the parlour, the baroness 
 advanced to meet him, and, under pretext of wishing 
 him good morning, whispered cunningly, " Say nothing 
 of your piece but what you shall be asked." 
 
 " I hear," cried the count to him, " that you are very 
 busy working at my prelude, which I mean to present 
 in honour of the prince. I consent that you introduce 
 a Minerva into it ; and we are just thinking before- 
 hand how the goddess shall be dressed, that we may 
 not blunder in costume. For this purpose I am caus- 
 ing them to fetch from the library all the books that 
 contain any figures of her." 
 
 At the same instant, one or two servants entered the 
 parlour, with a huge basket full of books of every shape 
 and appearance. 
 
 Montfaucon, the collections of antique statues, gems, 
 and coins, all sorts of mythological writings, were 
 turned up, and their plates compared. But this was 
 not enough. The count's faithful memory recalled to 
 
 2og
 
 2IO MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 him all tlie Minervas to be found in frontispieces, vign- 
 ettes, or anywhere else ; and book after book was, in 
 consequence, carried from the library, till finally the 
 count was sitting in a chaos of volumes. Unable at 
 last to recollect any other figure of Minerva, he ob- 
 served with a smile, " I durst bet, that now there is not 
 a single Minerva in all the hbrary ; and perhaps it is 
 the first time that a collection of books has been so 
 totally deprived of the presence of its patron goddess." 
 
 The whole company were merry at this thought: 
 Jarno particularly, who had all along been spurring on 
 the count to call for more and more books, laughed 
 quite immoderately. 
 
 " Now," said the count, turning to Wilhelm, " one 
 chief point is, — which goddess do you mean ? Minerva, 
 or Pallas ? The goddess of war, or of the arts ? " 
 
 " Would it not be best, your Excellency," said Wil- 
 helm, " if we were not clearly to express ourselves on 
 this head ; if, since the goddess plays a double part 
 in the ancient mythology, we also exhibited her here 
 in a double quality ? She announces a warrior, but 
 only to calm the tumults of the people ; she cele- 
 brates a hero by exalting his humanity ; she conquers 
 violence, and restores peace and security." 
 
 The baroness, afraid lest Wilhelm might betray him- 
 self, hastily pushed forward the countess's tailor, to 
 give his opinion how such an antique robe could best 
 be got ready. This man, being frequently employed 
 in making masquerade dresses, very easily contrived 
 the business : and as Madam Mehna, notwithstanding 
 her advanced state of pregnancy, had undertaken to 
 enact the celestial virgin, the tailor was directed to 
 take her measure ; and the countess, though with some 
 reluctance, selected from the wardrobe the clothes he 
 was to cut up for that purpose. 
 
 The baroness, in her dexterous way, again contrived 
 to lead Wilhelm aside, and let him know that she had
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 21 1 
 
 been providing all the other necessaries. Shortly after- 
 ward she sent him the musician, who had charge of 
 the count's private band ; and this professor set about 
 composing what airs were wanted, or choosing from his 
 actual stock such tunes as appeared suitable. From 
 this time all went on according to the wishes of our 
 friend ; the count made no more inquiries about the 
 piece ; being altogether occupied with the transparent 
 decoration, destined to surprise the spectators at the 
 conclusion of the play. His inventive genius, aided by 
 the skill of his confectioner, produced, in fact, a very 
 pretty article. In the course of his travels, the count 
 had witnessed the most splendid exhibitions of this 
 sort : he had also brought home with him a number of 
 copper-plates and drawings, and could sketch such 
 things with considerable taste. 
 
 Meanwhile Wilhelm finished the play, gave every 
 one his part, and began the study of his own. The 
 musician also, having gi-eat skill in dancing, prepared 
 the ballet ; so that everything proceeded as it ought. 
 
 Yet one unexpected obstacle occurred, which threat- 
 ened to occasion an unpleasant gap in the performance. 
 He had promised to himself a striking effect from 
 Mignon's egg-dance, and was much surprised when 
 the child, with her customary dryness of manner, 
 refused to dance ; saying she was now his, and would 
 no more go upon the stage. He sought to move 
 her by every sort of persuasion, and did not dis- 
 continue his attempt till she began weeping bitterly, 
 fell at his feet, and cried out, " Dearest father ! stay thou 
 from the boards thyself ! " Little heeding this caution, 
 he studied how to give the scene some other turn 
 that might be equally interesting. 
 
 Philina, whose appointment was to act one of the 
 peasant girls, and in the concluding dance to give the 
 single-voice part of the song, and lead the chorus, felt 
 exceedingly delighted that it had been so ordered. In
 
 212 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 other respects, too, her present life was altogether to 
 her mind : she had her separate chamber ; was con- 
 stantly beside the countess, entertaining her with 
 fooleries, and daily received some present for her pains. 
 Among other things, a dress had been expressly made 
 for her wearing in this prelude. And being of a light, 
 imitative nature, she quickly marked in the procedure 
 of the ladies whatever would befit herself : she had 
 of late grown all politeness and decorum. The atten- 
 tions of the Stallmeister augmented rather than dimin- 
 ished ; and as the officers also paid zealous court to 
 her, living in so genial an element, it came into her 
 head for once in her life to play the prude, and, in a 
 quiet, gradual way, to take upon herself a certain 
 dignity of manner to which she had not before aspired. 
 Cool and sharp-sighted as she was, eight days had not 
 elapsed till she knew the weak side of every person in 
 the house ; so that, had she possessed the power of 
 acting from any constant motive, she might very easily 
 have made her fortune. But on this occasion, as on 
 all others, she employed her advantages merely to 
 divert herself, — to procure a bright to-day, and be 
 impertinent, wherever she observed that impertinence 
 was not attended with danger. 
 
 The parts were now committed to memory : a re- 
 hearsal of the piece was ordered ; the count purposed 
 to be present at it, and his lady began to feel anxious 
 how he might receive it. The baroness called Wilhelm 
 to her privately. The nearer the hour approached, 
 they all displayed the more perplexity ; for the truth 
 was, that, of the count's original idea, nothing whatever 
 had been introduced. Jarno, who joined them while 
 consulting together, was admitted to the secret. He 
 felt amused at the contrivance, and was heartily 
 disposed to offer the ladies his good services in carry- 
 ing it through. " It will go hard," said he, " if you 
 cannot extricate yourselves without help from this
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 213 
 
 affair ; but, at all events, I will wait, as a body of 
 reserve." The baroness then told them how she had 
 on various occasions recited the whole piece to the 
 count, but only in fragments and without order ; that 
 consequently he was prepared for each individual pas- 
 sage, yet certainly possessed with the idea that the 
 whole would coincide with his original conception. " I 
 will sit by him," said she, " to-night at the rehearsal, 
 and study to divert his attention. The confectioner I 
 have engaged already to make the decoration as beau- 
 tiful as possible, but as yet he has not quite com- 
 pleted it." 
 
 -' I know of a court," said Jarno, " where I wish we 
 had a few such active and prudent friends as you. If 
 your skill to-night will not suffice, give me a signal : I 
 will take out the count, and not let him in again till 
 Minerva enter; and you have speedy aid to expect 
 from the illumination. For a day or two I have had 
 something to report to him about his cousin, which for 
 various reasons I have hitherto postponed. It will 
 give his thoughts another turn, and that none of the 
 pleasantest." 
 
 Business hindered the count from being present 
 when the play began ; the baroness amused him after 
 his arrival : Jarno's help was not required. For as the 
 count had abundance of employment in pointing out 
 improvements, rectifying and arranging the detached 
 parts, he entirely forgot the purport of the whole ; and, 
 as at last Madam Melina advanced, and spoke accord- 
 ing to his heart, and the transparency did well, he 
 seemed completely satisfied. It was not till the whole 
 was finished, and his guests were sitting down to cards, 
 that the difference appeared to strike him ; and he 
 began to think whether, after all, this piece was 
 actually of his invention. At a signal from the 
 baroness, Jarno then came forward into action ; the 
 evening passed away ; the intelligence of the prince's
 
 214 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 approach was confirmed ; the people rode out more 
 than once to see his vanguard encamping in the 
 neighbourhood ; the house was full of noise and 
 tumult ; and our actors, not always served in the hand- 
 somest manner by unwilhng servants, had to pass their 
 time in practisings and expectations at their quarters 
 in the old mansion, without any one particularly taking 
 thought about them.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 At length the prince arrived, with all his generals, 
 staff-officers, and suite accompanying him. These, and 
 the multitude of people coming to visit or do business 
 with him, made the castle like a beehive on the point 
 of swarming. All pressed forward to behold a man no 
 less distinguished by his rank than by his great quali- 
 ties, and all admired his urbanity and condescension : 
 all were astonished at finding the hero and the leader 
 of armies also the most accomplished and attractive 
 courtier. 
 
 By the count's orders, the inmates of the castle were 
 required to be all at their posts when the prince 
 arrived; not a player was allowed to show himself, 
 that his Highness might have no anticipation of the 
 spectacle prepared to welcome him. Accordingly, when 
 at evening he was led into the lofty hall, glowing with 
 light, and adorned with tapestries of the previous 
 century, he seemed not at all prepared to expect a 
 play, and still less a prelude in honour of himself. 
 Everything went off as it should have done : at the 
 conclusion of the show, the whole troop were called 
 and presented individually to the prince, who con- 
 trived, with the most pleasing and friendly air, to put 
 some question, or make some remark, to every one of 
 them. Wilhelm, as author of the piece, was partic- 
 ularly noticed, and had his tribute of applause liberally 
 paid him. 
 
 The prelude being fairly over, no one asked another 
 word about it : in a few days, it was as if it never had 
 existed ; except that occasionally Jarno spoke of it to 
 
 215
 
 2i6 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Wilhelm, judiciously praised it, adding, however, " It 
 is pity you should play with hollow nuts, for a stake 
 of hollow nuts." This expression stuck in Wilhelm's 
 mind for several days : he knew not how to explain it, 
 or what to infer from it. 
 
 Meanwhile the company kept acting every night, 
 as well as their capacities permitted ; each doing his 
 utmost to attract the attention of spectators. Unde- 
 served applauses cheered them on: in their old cas- 
 tle they fully believed, that the great assemblage was 
 crowding thither solely on their account ; that the mul- 
 titude of strangers was allured by their exhibitions ; 
 that tlicy were the centre round which, and by means 
 of which, the whole was moving and revolving. 
 
 Wilhelm alone discovered, to his sorrow, that di- 
 rectly the reverse was true. For although the prince 
 had waited out the first exhibitions, sitting on his 
 chair, with the greatest conscientiousness, yet by 
 degi-ees he grew remiss in his attendance, and seized 
 every plausible occasion of withdrawing. And those 
 very people whom Wilhelm, in conversation, had found 
 to be the best informed and most sensible, with Jarno 
 at their head, were wont to spend but a few transitory 
 moments in the hall of the theatre ; sitting for the rest 
 of their time in the antechamber, gaming, or seeming 
 to employ themselves in business. 
 
 Amid all his persevering efforts, to want the wished 
 and hoped for approbation grieved Wilhelm very 
 deeply. In the choice of plays, in transcribing the 
 parts, in numerous rehearsals, and whatever further 
 could be done, he zealously cooperated with Melina, 
 who, being in secret conscious of his own insufficiency, 
 at length acknowledged and pursued these counsels. 
 His own parts Wilhelm diligently studied, and 
 executed with vivacity and feehng, and with all the 
 propriety the little training he had yet received 
 would allow.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 217 
 
 At the same time, the unwearied interest the baron 
 took in their performances obliterated every doubt from 
 the minds of the rest of the company : he assured them 
 that their exhibitions were producing the deepest 
 effect, especially while one of his own pieces had been 
 representing; only he was grieved to say, the prince 
 showed an exclusive inchnation for the French theatre ; 
 while a part of his people, among whom Jar no was 
 especially distinguished, gave a passionate preference 
 to the monstrous productions of the English stage. 
 
 If in this way the art of our players was not 
 adequately noticed and admired, their persons on the 
 other hand grew not entirely indifferent to all the 
 gentlemen and all the ladies of the audience. We 
 observed above, that, from the very first, our actresses 
 had drawn upon them the attention of the young 
 officers: in the sequel they were luckier, and made 
 more important conquests. But, omitting these, we 
 shall merely observe, that Wilhelm every day appeared 
 more interesting to the countess ; while in him, too, a 
 silent inclination toward her was beginning to take 
 root. Whenever he was on the stage, she could not 
 turn her eyes from him ; and, erelong, he seemed to 
 play and to recite with his face toward her alone. To 
 look upon each other, was to them the sweetest satis- 
 faction ; to which their harmless souls yielded without 
 reserve, without cherishing a bolder wish, or thinking 
 about any consequence. 
 
 As two hostile outposts will sometimes peacefully 
 and pleasantly converse together across the river which 
 divides them, not thinking of the war in which both 
 their countries are engaged : so did the countess ex- 
 change looks full of meaning with our friend, across the 
 vast chasm of birth and rank ; both believing for them- 
 selves that they might safely cherish their several 
 emotions. 
 
 The baroness, in the meantime, had selected Laertes,
 
 2i8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 who, being a spirited and lively young man, pleased 
 her very much ; and who, woman-hater as he was, felt 
 unwilling to refuse a passing adventure. He would 
 actually on this occasion have been fettered, against his 
 will, by the courteous and attractive nature of the 
 baroness, had not the baron done him accidentally a 
 piece of good, or, if you will, of bad, service, by instruct- 
 ing him a Httle in the habits and temper of this lady. 
 
 Laertes, happening once to celebrate her praises, and 
 give her the preference to every other of her sex, the 
 baron, with a giin, replied, " I see how matters stand : 
 our fair friend has got a fresh inmate for her stalls." 
 This luckless comparison, which pointed too clearly to 
 the dangerous caresses of the Circe, grieved poor Laer- 
 tes to the heart: he could not hsten to the baron 
 without spite and anger, as the latter continued with- 
 out mercy : 
 
 "Every stranger thinks he is the first whom this 
 delightful manner of proceeding has concerned, but he 
 is grievously mistaken ; for we have all, at one time or 
 another, been trotted round this course. Man, youth, or 
 boy, be who he like, each must devote himself to her 
 service for a season, must hang about her, and toil and 
 long to gain her favour." 
 
 To the happy man just entering the garden of an 
 enchantress, and welcomed by all the pleasures of an 
 artificial spring, nothing can form a more unpleasant 
 surprise, than if, while his ear is watching and drinking 
 in the music of the nightingales, some transformed 
 predecessor on a sudden grunts at his feet. 
 
 After this discovery, Laertes felt heartily ashamed 
 that vanity should have again misled him to think 
 well, even in the smallest degree, of any woman what- 
 soever. He now entirely forsook the baroness ; kept by 
 the Stallmeister, with whom he diligently fenced and 
 hunted ; conducting himself at rehearsals and represen- 
 tations as if these were but secondary matters.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 219 
 
 The count and his lady would often in the mornings 
 send for some of the company to attend them, and all 
 had continual cause to envy the undeserved good for- 
 tune of Phihua. The count kept his favourite, the 
 Pedant, frequently for hours together, at his toilet. This 
 genius had been dressed out by degi'ees ; he was now 
 equipped and furnished, even to watch and snuff-box. 
 
 Many times, too, particularly after dinner, the whole 
 company were called out before the noble guests, — an 
 honour which the artists regarded as the most flattering 
 in the world ; not observing, that on these very occa- 
 sions the servants and huntsmen were ordered to bring 
 in a multitude of hounds, and to lead strings of horses 
 about the court of the castle. 
 
 Wilhelm had been counselled to praise Eacine, the 
 prince's favourite, and thereby to attract some portion of 
 his Highness's favour to himself. On one of these after- 
 noons, being summoned with the rest, he found an 
 opportunity to introduce this topic. The prince asked 
 him if he diligently read the gxeat French dramatic 
 writers, to which Wilhelm answered with a very eager 
 " Yes." He did not observe that his Highness, without 
 waiting for the answer, was already on the point of 
 turning round to some one else : he fixed upon him, on 
 the contrary, almost stepping in his way, and proceeded 
 to declare that he valued the French theatre very 
 highly, and read the works of their great masters with 
 delight ; particularly he had learned mth true joy that 
 his Highness did complete justice to the great talents 
 of Eacine. " I can easily conceive," continued he, " how 
 people of high breeding and exalted rank must value 
 a poet who has painted so excellently and so truly the 
 circumstances of their lofty station. Corneille, if I 
 may say so, has delineated great men ; Eacine, men of 
 eminent rank. In reading his plays, I can always 
 figure to myself the poet as living at a splendid court, 
 with a great king before his eyes, in constant inter-
 
 220 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 course with the most distinguished persons, and pene- 
 trating into the secrets of human nature, as it works 
 concealed behind the gorgeous tapestry of palaces. 
 When I study his ' Britannicus,' his ' Berenice,' it 
 seems as if I were transported in person to the court, 
 were initiated into the great and the little, in the 
 habitations of these earthly gods : through the fine and 
 delicate organs of my author, I see kings whom a 
 nation adores, courtiers whom thousands envy, in their 
 natural forms, with their failings and their pains. The 
 anecdote of Eacine's dying of a broken heart, because 
 Louis Fourteenth would no longer attend to him, and 
 had shown him his dissatisfaction, is to me the key to 
 all his works. It was impossible that a poet of his 
 talents, whose life and death depended on the looks of 
 a king, should not write such works as a king and a 
 prince might applaud." 
 
 Jarno had stepped near, and was listening with 
 astonishment. The prince, who had made no answer, 
 and had only shown his approbation by an assenting 
 look, now turned aside ; though Wilhelm, who did not 
 know that it was contrary to etiquette to continue a 
 discussion under such cu'cumstances, and exhaust a 
 subject, would gladly have spoken more, and convinced 
 the prince that he had not read his favourite poet with- 
 out sensibility and profit. 
 
 " Have you never," said Jarno, taking him aside, 
 " read one of Shakespeare's plays ? " 
 
 " No," replied Wilhelm : " since the time when they 
 became more known in Germany, I have myself grown 
 unacquainted with the theatre ; and I know not whether 
 I should now rejoice that an old taste, and occupation 
 of my youth, has been by chance renewed. In the 
 meantime, all I have heard of these plays has excited 
 no wish to become acquainted with such extraordinary 
 monsters, which appear to set probability and dignity 
 alike at defiance."
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 221 
 
 " I would advise you," said the other, " to make a 
 trial, notwithstanding : it can do one no harm to 
 look at what is extraordinary with one's own eyes. I 
 will lend you a volume or two ; and you cannot better 
 spend your time, than by casting everything aside, and 
 retiring to the solitude of your old habitation, to look 
 into the magic-lantern of that unknown world. It is 
 sinful of you to waste your hours in dressing out these 
 apes to look more human, and teaching dogs to dance. 
 One thing only I require, — you must not cavil at the 
 form : the rest I can leave to your own good sense and 
 feeling." 
 
 The horses were standing at the door ; and Jarno 
 mounted with some other cavaliers, to go and hunt. 
 Wilhelm looked after him with sadness. He would 
 fain have spoken much with this man, who, though in 
 a harsh, unfriendly way, gave him new ideas, — ideas 
 he had need of. 
 
 Oftentimes a man, when approaching some develop- 
 ment of his powers, capacities, and conceptions, gets 
 into a perplexity, from which a prudent friend might 
 easily deliver him. He resembles a traveller who, at 
 but a short distance from the inn he is to rest at, falls 
 into the water : were any one to catch him then, and 
 pull him to the bank, with one good wetting it were 
 over; whereas, though he struggles out himself, it is 
 often at the side where he tumbled in ; and he has to 
 make a wide and dreary circuit before reaching his 
 appointed object. 
 
 Wilhelm now began to have an inkling that things 
 went forward in the world differently from what he had 
 supposed. He now viewed close at hand the solemn 
 and imposing life of the great and distinguished, and 
 wondered at the easy dignity which they contrived to 
 give it. An army on its march, a princely hero at the 
 head of it, such a multitude of cooperating warriors, 
 such a multitude of crowding worshippers, exalted his
 
 222 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 imagination. In this mood lie received the promised 
 books ; and erelong, as may be easily supposed, the 
 stream of that mighty genius laid hold of him, and led 
 him down to a shoreless ocean, where he soon com- 
 pletely forgot and lost himself.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The connection between the baron and the actors 
 had suffered various changes since the arrival of the 
 latter. At the commencement it had been productive 
 of great satisfaction to both parties. As the baron for 
 the first time in his life now saw one of those plays, 
 with which he had already gi-aced a private theatre, 
 put into the hands of real actors, and in the fair way 
 for a decent exhibition, he showed the benignest humour 
 in the world. He was liberal in gifts : he bought little 
 presents for the actresses from every millinery hawker, 
 and contrived to send over many an odd bottle of 
 champagne to the actors. In return for all this, our 
 company took every sort of trouble with his play ; and 
 Wilhelm spared no diligence in learning, with extreme 
 correctness, the sublime speeches of that very eminent 
 hero, whose part had fallen to his share. 
 
 But, in spite of all these kind reciprocities, some 
 clouds by degrees arose between the players and their 
 patron. The baron's preferences for certain actors 
 became daily more observable: this of necessity cha- 
 grined the rest. He exalted his favourites quite exclu- 
 sively, and thus, of course, introduced disunion and 
 jealousy among the company. Melina, without skill to 
 help himself in dubious junctures, felt his situation 
 very vexing. The persons eulogised accepted of their 
 praise, without being singularly thankful for it ; while 
 the neglected gentlemen showed traces of their spleen 
 by a thousand methods, and constantly found means to 
 make it very disagreeable for their once much-honoured 
 patron to appear among them. Their spite received no 
 
 223
 
 224 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 little nourishment from a certain poem, by an unknown 
 author, which made a great sensation in the castle. 
 Previously to this the baron's intercourse with the 
 company had given rise to many little strokes of merri- 
 ment ; several stories had been raised about him ; certain 
 little incidents, adorned with suitable additions, and 
 presented in the proper hght, had been talked of, and 
 made the subject of much bantering and laughter. At 
 last it began to be said that a certain rivalry of trade 
 was arising between him and some of the actors, who 
 also looked upon themselves as writers. The poem we 
 spoke of was founded upon this report : it ran as 
 follows : 
 
 " Lord Baron, I, poor devil, own 
 
 With envy, you your rank and state ; 
 Your station, too, so near the throne ; 
 
 Of heirs your possessions great ; 
 Your father's seat, with walls and mounds, 
 His game-preserves, and hunting-grounds. 
 
 <' While me, poor devil, it appears. 
 
 Lord Baron, you with envy view, 
 Since Nature, from my early years, 
 
 Has held me like a mother true, 
 With heart and head both light, I poor, 
 But no poor wight grew, to be sure. 
 
 " My dear Lord Baron, now to me 
 
 It seems, we well alone should let, 
 That you your father's son still be, 
 And I remain my mother's pet : 
 Let's free from envy live, and hate ; 
 Nor let's desire each other's title : 
 No place you on Parnassus great, 
 No noble rank I in requital." 
 
 — Editor'' s Version. 
 
 Upon this poem, which various persons were pos- 
 sessed of, in copies scarcely legible, opinions were 
 exceedingly divided. But who the author was, no one
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 225 
 
 could guess ; and, as some began to draw a spiteful 
 mirth from it, our friend expressed himself against it 
 very keenly. 
 
 " We Germans," he exclaimed, " deserve to have our 
 Muses still continue in the low contempt wherein they 
 have languished so long ; since we cannot value men 
 of rank who take a share in our literature, no matter 
 how ! Birth, rank, and fortune are no wise incom- 
 patible with genius and taste ; as foreign nations, reck- 
 oning among their best minds a gi-eat number of 
 noblemen, can fully testify. Hitherto, indeed, it has 
 been rare in Germany for men of high station to devote 
 themselves to science ; hitherto few famous names 
 have become more famous by their love of art and 
 learning ; while many, on the other hand, have 
 mounted out of darkness to distinction, and risen 
 hke unknown stars on the horizon. Yet such will 
 not always be the case ; and I greatly err, if the first 
 classes oi the nation are not even now in the way of 
 also employing their advantages to earn the fairest 
 laurels of the Muses, at no distant date. Nothing, 
 therefore, grieves me more than to see the burgher 
 jeering at the noble who can value literature ; nay, 
 even men of rank themselves, with inconsiderate 
 caprice, maliciously scaring off their equal from a path 
 where honour and contentment wait on all." 
 
 Apparently this latter observation pointed at the 
 count, of whom Wilhelm had heard that he liked the 
 poem very much. In truth, this nobleman, accus- 
 tomed to rally the baron in his own peculiar way, was 
 extremely glad of such an opportunity to plague his 
 kinsman more effectually. As to who the writer of 
 the squib might be, each formed his own hypothesis ; 
 and the count, never willing that another should sur- 
 pass him in acuteness, fell upon a thought, which, in a 
 short time, he would have sworn to the truth of. The 
 verses could be written, he believed, by no one but his
 
 226 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Pedant, who was a very shrewd knave, and in whom 
 for a long while, he had noticed some touches of poetic 
 genius. By way of proper treat, he therefore caused 
 the Pedant one morning to be sent for, and made him 
 read the poem, in his own manner, in presence of the 
 countess, the baroness, and Jarno, — a service he was 
 paid for by applauses, praises, and a present ; and, on 
 the count's inquiring if he had not still some other 
 poems of an earlier time, he cunningly contrived to 
 evade the question. Thus did the Pedant get invested 
 with the reputation of a poet and a wit, and, in the 
 eyes of the baron's friends, of a pasquinader and a 
 bad-hearted man. Prom that period, play as he might, 
 the count applauded him w^th greater zeal than ever ; 
 so that the poor wight grew at last inflated till he 
 nearly lost his senses, and began to meditate having 
 a chamber in the castle, like Philina. 
 
 Had this project been fulfilled at once, a great 
 mishap might have been spared him. As he was 
 returning late one evening from the castle, groping 
 about in the dark, narrow way, he was suddenly laid 
 hold of, and kept on the spot by some persons, w^hile 
 some others rained a shower of blows upon him, and 
 battered him so stoutly, that in a few seconds he was 
 lying almost dead upon the place, and could not with- 
 out difficulty crawl in to his companions. These, 
 indignant as they seemed to be at such an outrage, 
 felt their secret joy in the adventure : they could 
 hardly keep from laughing, at seeing him so thoroughly 
 curried, and his new brown coat bedusted through and 
 through, and bedaubed with white, as if he had had to 
 do with millers. 
 
 The count, who soon got notice of the business, 
 broke into a boundless rage. He treated this act as 
 the most heinous crime, called it an infringement of 
 the hurgfried, or peace of the castle, and caused his 
 judge to make the strictest inquisition touching it.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 227 
 
 The whited coat, it was imagined, would afford a lead- 
 ing proof. Every creature that possibly could have 
 the smallest trade with flower or powder in the castle 
 was submitted to investigation, but in vain. 
 
 The baron solemnly protested on his honour, that 
 although this sort of jesting had considerably dis- 
 pleased him, and the conduct of his lordship the 
 count had not been the friendliest, yet he had got 
 over the affair ; and with respect to the misfortune 
 which had come upon the poet, or pasquinader, or 
 whatsoever his title might be, he knew absolutely 
 nothing, and had not the most remote concern in it. 
 
 The operations of the strangers, and the general 
 commotion of the house, soon effaced all recollection 
 of the matter ; and so, without redress, the unlucky 
 favourite had to pay dear for the satisfaction of plum- 
 ing himself, a short while, in feathers not his own. 
 
 Our troop, regularly acting every night, and on the 
 whole very decently treated, now began to make more 
 clamorous demands, the better they were dealt with. 
 Erelong their victuals, drink, attendance, lodging, grew 
 inadequate ; and they called upon the baron, their pro- 
 tector, to provide more liberally for them, and at last 
 make good those promises of comfortable entertain- 
 ment, which he had been giving them so long. Their 
 complaints grew louder, and the efforts of our friend 
 to still them more and more abortive. 
 
 Meanwhile, excepting in rehearsals and hours of 
 acting, Wilhelm scarcely ever came abroad. Shut up 
 in one of the remotest chambers, to which Mignon 
 and the harper alone had free access, he lived and 
 moved in the Shakespearian world, feeling or knowing 
 nothing but the movements of his own mind. 
 
 We have heard of some enchanter summoning, by 
 magic formulas, a vast multitude of spiritual shapes 
 into his cell. The conjurations are so powerful that 
 the whole space of the apartment is quickly full ; and
 
 228 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 the spirits, crowding on to the verge of the little circle 
 which they must not pass, around this, and above the 
 master's head, keep increasing in number, and ever 
 whirling in perpetual transformation. Every corner 
 is crammed, every crevice is possessed. Embryos 
 expand themselves, and giant forms contract into the 
 size of nuts. Unhappily the black-artist has forgot 
 the counterword, with which he might command this 
 flood of sprites again to ebb. 
 
 So sat Wilhelm in his privacy : with unknown 
 movements, a thousand feelings and capacities awoke 
 in him, of which he formerly had neither notion nor 
 anticipation. Nothing could allure him from this 
 state : he was vexed and restless if any one presumed 
 to come to him, and talk of news or what was passing 
 in the world. 
 
 Accordingly, he scarce took notice of the circum- 
 stance, when told that a judicial sentence was about 
 being executed in the castle-yard, — the flogging of a 
 boy, who had incurred suspicions of nocturnal house- 
 breaking, and who, as he wore a peruke-maker's coat, 
 had most probably been one of the assaulters of the 
 Pedant. The boy indeed, it seemed, denied most 
 obstinately; so that they could not inflict a formal 
 punishment, but meant to give him a slight memorial 
 as a vagabond, and send him about his business ; he 
 having prowled about the neighbourhood for several 
 days, lain at night in the mills, and at last clapped a 
 ladder to the garden wall, and mounted over by it. 
 
 Our friend saw nothing very strange in the trans- 
 action, and was dismissing it altogether, when Mignon 
 came running in, and assured him that the criminal 
 was Friedrich, who, since the rencounter with the 
 Stallmeister, had vanished from the company, and not 
 again been heard of. 
 
 Feeling an interest in the boy, Wilhelm hastily 
 arose : he found, in the courtyard of the castle, the
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 229 
 
 preparations almost finished. The count loved solem- 
 nity on these occasions. The boy being now led out, 
 our friend stepped forward, and entreated for delay, as 
 he knew the boy, and had various things to say which 
 might, perhaps, throw light on the affair. He had 
 difficulty in succeeding, notwithstanding all his state- 
 ments : at length, however, he did get permission to 
 speak with the culprit in private. Friedrich averred, 
 that, concerning the assault in which the Pedant had 
 been used so harshly, he knew nothing whatever. He 
 had merely been lurking about, and had come in at 
 night to see Phihna, whose room he had discovered, 
 and would certainly have reached, had he not been 
 taken by the way. 
 
 For the credit of the company, Wilhelm felt de- 
 sirous not to have the truth of his adventure pubhshed. 
 He hastened to the Stalhneister : he begged him to 
 show favour, and, with his intimate knowledge of men 
 and things about the castle, to find some means of 
 quashing the affair, and dismissing the boy. 
 
 This whimsical gentleman, by Wilhelm's help, in- 
 vented a little story, — how the boy had belonged to 
 the troop, had run away from it, but soon wished 
 to get back, and be received again into his place ; how 
 he had accordingly been trying in the night to come 
 at certain of his well-wishers, and solicit their assist- 
 ance. It was testified by others that his former be- 
 haviour had been good : the ladies put their hands 
 to the work, and Friedrich was let go. 
 
 Wilhelm took him in, — a third person in that 
 strange family, which for some time he had looked 
 on as his own. The old man and httle Mignon re- 
 ceived the returning wanderer kindly ; and all the 
 three combined to serve their friend and guardian 
 with attention, and procure him all the pleasure in 
 their power.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Philina now succeeded in insinuating further every- 
 day into the favour of the ladies. Wlienever they 
 were by themselves, she was wont to lead the con* 
 versation on the men whom they saw about the castle ; 
 and our friend was not the last or least important that 
 engaged them. The cunning girl was well aware that 
 he had made a deep impression on the countess : she 
 therefore talked about him often, telling much that 
 she knew or did not know, only taking care to speak 
 of nothing that might be interpreted against him; 
 eulogising, on the contrary, his nobleness of mind, his 
 generosity, and, more than all, his modest and respect- 
 ful conduct to the fair sex. To all inquiries made 
 about him she replied with equal prudence ; and the 
 baroness, when she observed the growing inclination 
 of her amiable friend, was likewise very glad at the 
 discovery. Her own intrigues with several men, espe- 
 cially of late with Jarno, had not remained hidden 
 from the countess, whose pure soul could not look 
 upon such levities without disapprobation, and meek, 
 though earnest, censures. 
 
 In this way both Philina and the baroness were 
 personally interested in establishing a closer inter- 
 course between the countess and our friend. Philina 
 hoped, moreover, that there would occur some oppor- 
 tunity when she might once more labour for herself, 
 and, if possible, get back the favour of the young man 
 she had lost. 
 
 One day his lordship, with his guests, had ridden 
 out to hunt ; and their return was not expected till the 
 
 230
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 231 
 
 morrow. On this the baroness devised a frolic, which 
 was altogether in her way, for she loved disguises, and, 
 in order to surprise her friends, would suddenly appear 
 among them as a peasant girl at one time, at another 
 as a page, at another as a hunter's boy. By which 
 means she almost gave herself the air of a little fairy, 
 that is present everywhere, and exactly in the place 
 where it is least expected. Nothing could exceed this 
 lady's joy, if, without being recognised, she could con- 
 trive to wait upon the company for some time as a 
 servant, or mix among them anyhow, and then. at last 
 in some sportful way disclose herself. 
 
 Toward night she sent for Wilhelm to her chamber, 
 and, happening to have something else to do just then, 
 left PhiHna to receive and prepare him. 
 
 He arrived, and found to his surprise, not the 
 honourable lady, but the giddy gu'l, in the room. 
 She received him with a certain dignified openness of 
 manner, which she had of late been practising, and 
 so constrained him likewise to be courteous. 
 
 At first she ralUed him in general on the good 
 fortune which pursued him everywhere, and which, 
 as she could not but see, had led him hither in the 
 present case. Then she delicately set before him the 
 treatment with which of late he had afflicted her ; 
 she blamed and upbraided herself ; confessed that she 
 had but too well deserved such punishment ; described 
 with the greatest candour what she called her former 
 situation ; adding, that she would despise herself, if she 
 were not capable of altering, and making herself 
 worthy of his friendship. 
 
 Wilhelm was struck with this oration. He had too 
 little knowledge of the world to understand that per- 
 sons quite unstable, and incapable of all improvement, 
 frequently accuse themselves in the bitterest manner, 
 confessing and deploring their faults with extreme 
 ingenuousness, though they possess not the smallest
 
 232 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 power within them to retire from that course, along 
 which the irresistible tendency of their nature is drag- 
 ging them forward. Accordingly, he could not find 
 in his heart to behave inexorably to the gi-aceful 
 sinner : he entered into conversation, and learned from 
 her the project of a singular disguisement, wherewith 
 it was intended to surprise the countess. 
 
 He found some room for hesitation here, nor did he 
 hide his scruples from Phihna : but the baroness, enter- 
 ing at this moment, left him not an instant for reflec- 
 tion ; she hurried him away with her, declaring it was 
 just the proper hour. 
 
 It was now grown darl:. She took him to the 
 count's wardrobe, made him change his own coat with 
 his lordship's silk nightgown, and put the cap with 
 red trimmings on his head. She then led him forward 
 to the cabinet ; and bidding him sit down upon the 
 large chair, and take a book, she lit the Argand lamp 
 which stood before him, and showed him what he was 
 to do, and what kind of part he had to play. 
 
 They would inform the countess, she said, of her 
 husband's unexpected arrival, and that he was in very 
 bad humour. The countess would come in, walk up 
 and down the room once or twice, then place herself 
 beside the back of his chair, lay her arm upon his 
 shoulder, and speak a few words. He was to play the 
 cross husband as long and as well as possible ; and, 
 when obliged to disclose himself, he must behave 
 politely, handsomely, and gallantly. 
 
 Wilhelm was left sitting, restlessly enough, in this 
 singular mask. The proposal had come upon him by 
 surprise : the execution of it got the start of the 
 deliberation. The baroness had vanished from the 
 room, before he saw how dangerous the post was 
 which he had engaged to fill. He could not deny 
 that the beauty, the youth, the gracefulness, of the 
 countess had made some impression on him : but his
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 233 
 
 nature was entirely averse to all empty gallantry, and 
 his principles forbade any thought of more serious 
 enterprises ; so that his perplexity at this moment was 
 in truth extreme. The fear of displeasing the count- 
 ess, and that of pleasing her too well, were equally 
 busy in his mind. 
 
 Every female charm that had ever acted on him, 
 now showed itself again to his imagination. Mariana 
 rose before him in her white morning-gown, and en- 
 treated his remembrance. Philina's lovehuess, her 
 beautiful hair, her insinuating blandishments, had 
 again become attractive by her late presence. Yet 
 all this retired as if behind the veil of distance, when 
 he figured to himself the noble, blooming countess, 
 whose arm in a few minutes he would feel upon his 
 neck, whose innocent caresses he was there to answer. 
 
 The strange mode in which he was to be delivered 
 out of this perplexity he certainly did not anticipate. 
 We may judge of his astonishment, nay, his terror, 
 when the door opened behind him ; and, at the first 
 stolen look in the mirror, he quite clearly discerned 
 the count coming in with a light in his hand. His 
 doubt what he should do, whether he -should sit still 
 or rise, should flee, confess, deny, or beg forgiveness, 
 lasted but a few instants. The count, who had re- 
 mained motionless standing in the door, retired, and 
 shut it softly. At the same moment, the baroness 
 sprang forward by the side door, extinguished the 
 lamp, tore Wilhelm from his chair, and hurried him 
 with her into the closet. Instantly he threw off the 
 nightgown, and put it in its former place. The 
 baroness took his coat under her arm, and hastened 
 with him through several rooms, passages, and parti- 
 tions into her chamber, where "Wilhelm, so soon as 
 she recovered breath, was informed, that on her going 
 to the countess, and dehvering the fictitious intelli- 
 gence about her husband's arrival, the countess had
 
 234 meister's apprenticeship 
 
 answered, " I know it already : what can have hap- 
 pened ? I saw him riding in, at the postern, even 
 now." On which the baroness, in an excessive panic, 
 had run to the count's chamber to give warning. 
 
 " Unhappily you came too late ! " said Wilhelm. 
 " The count was in the room before you, and saw 
 me sitting." 
 
 " And recognised you ? " 
 
 " That I know not. He was looking at me in the 
 glass, as I at him ; and, before I could well determine 
 whether it was he or a spirit, he drew back, and closed 
 the door behind him." 
 
 The anxiety of the baroness increased, when a 
 servant came to call her, signifying that the count 
 was with his lady. She w^ent with no light heart, 
 and found the count silent and thoughtful, indeed, 
 but milder and kinder in his words than usual. She 
 knew not what to think of it. They spoke about the 
 incidents of the chase, and the causes of his quick 
 return. The conversation soon ran out. The count 
 became taciturn ; and it struck the baroness particu- 
 larly, when he asked for AYilhelm, and expressed a 
 wish that he were sent for, to come and read 
 something. 
 
 Wilhelm, who had now dressed himseK in the 
 baroness's chamber, and in some degree recovered 
 his composure, obeyed the order, not without anxiety. 
 The count gave him a book, out of which he read 
 an adventurous tale, very little at his ease. His voice 
 had a certain inconstancy and quivering in it, which 
 fortunately corresponded with the import of the story. 
 The count more than once gave kindly tokens of 
 approval, and at last dismissed our friend, with praises 
 of his exquisite manner of reading.
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 WlLHELM had scarcely read one or two of Shake- 
 speare's plays, till their effect on him became so strong 
 that he could go no farther. His whole soul was 
 in commotion. He sought an opportunity to speak 
 with Jarno ; to whom, on meeting with him, he ex- 
 pressed his boundless gratitude for such delicious 
 entertainment. 
 
 " I clearly enough foresaw," said Jarno, " that you 
 would not remain insensible to the charms of the most 
 extraordinary and most admirable of all writers." 
 
 " Yes ! " exclaimed our friend : " I cannot recollect 
 that any book, any man, any incident of my Hfe, has 
 produced such important effects on me, as the precious 
 works to which by your kindness I have been directed. 
 They seem as if they were performances of some celes- 
 tial genius, descending among men, to make them, 
 by the mildest instructions, acquainted with them- 
 selves. They are no fictions ! You would think, while 
 reading them, you stood before the unclosed awful 
 Books of Fate, while the whirlwind of most impas- 
 sioned Hfe was howling through the leaves, and tossing 
 them fiercely to and fro. The strength and tenderness, 
 the power and peacefulness, of this man, have so aston- 
 ished and transported me, that I long vehemently for 
 the time when I shall have it in my power to read 
 farther." 
 
 " Bravo ! " said Jarno, holding out his hand, and 
 squeezing our friend's. " This is as it should be ! 
 And the consequences, which I hope for, will likewise 
 surely follow." 
 
 235
 
 236 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " I wish " said Wilhelm, " I could but disclose to 
 you all that is going on within me even now. All 
 the anticipations I have ever had regarding man and 
 his destiny, which have accompanied me from youth 
 upwards, often unobserved by myself, I find developed 
 and fulfilled in Shakespeare's writings. It seems as if 
 he cleared vip every one of our enigmas to us, though 
 we cannot say, Here or there is the word of solution. 
 His men appear like natural men, and yet they are 
 not. These, the most mysterious and complex produc- 
 tions of creation, here act before us as if they were 
 watches, whose dial-plates and cases were of crystal, 
 which pointed out, according to their use, the course 
 of the hours and minutes; while, at the same time, 
 you could discern the combination of wheels and 
 springs that turned them. The few glances I have 
 cast over Shakespeare's world incite me, more than 
 anything beside, to quicken my footsteps forward into 
 the actual world, to mingle in the flood of destinies 
 that is suspended over it, and at length, if I shall 
 prosper, to draw a few cups from the great ocean 
 of true nature, and to distribute them from off the 
 stage among the thirsting people of my native land." 
 
 " I feel delighted with the temper of mind in which 
 I now behold you," answered Jarno, laying his hand 
 upon the shoulder of the excited youth : " renounce not 
 the purpose of embarking in active life. Make haste 
 to employ with alacrity the years that are granted 
 you. If I can serve you, I will with all my heart. 
 As yet I have not asked you how you came into this 
 troop, for which you certainly were neither born nor 
 bred. So much I hope and see, — you long to be out 
 of it. I know nothing of your parentage, of your 
 domestic circumstances : consider what you shall con- 
 fide to me. Thus much only I can say : the times of 
 war we hve in may produce quick turns of fortune ; 
 did you incHne devoting your strength and talents
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 237 
 
 to our service, not fearing labour, and, if need ^Yere, 
 danger, I might even now have an opportunity to put 
 you in a situation, which you would not afterward 
 be sorry to have filled for a time." Wilhelm could 
 not sufficiently express his gratitude : he was ready 
 to impart to his friend and patron the whole history 
 of his life. 
 
 In the course of this conversation, they had wan- 
 dered far into the park, and at last came upon the 
 highway that crossed it. Jarno stood silent for a 
 moment, and then said, "Dehberate on my proposal, 
 determine, give me your answer in a few days, and 
 then let me have the narrative you mean to trust me 
 with. I assure you, it has all along to me seemed 
 quite incomprehensible how you ever could have any- 
 thing to do with such a class of people. I have often 
 thought with spleen and disgust, how, in order to gain 
 a paltry living, you must fix your heart on a wandering 
 ballad-monger, and a silly mongrel, neither male nor 
 female." 
 
 He had not yet concluded, when an officer on horse- 
 back came hastily along ; a gToom following him with 
 a led horse. Jarno shouted a warm salutation to 
 him. The officer sprang from his horse; Jarno and 
 he embraced and talked together ; while Wilhelm, 
 confounded at the last expressions of his warlike friend, 
 stood thoughtfully at a side. Jarno turned over some 
 papers which the stranger had delivered to him ; while 
 the latter came to Wilhelm, held out his hand, and 
 said with emphasis, " I find you in worthy company : 
 follow the counsel of your friend, and, by doing so, 
 accomplish likewise the desire of an unknown man, 
 who takes a genuine interest in you." So saying, he 
 embraced Wilhelm, and pressed him cordially to his 
 breast. At the same instant Jarno advanced, and 
 said to the stranger, " It is best that I ride on with 
 you : by this means you may get the necessary orders,
 
 238 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and set out again before night." Both then leaped 
 into their saddles, and left our astonished friend to 
 his own reflections. 
 
 Jarno's last words were still ringing in his ears. 
 It galled him to see the two human beings that had 
 most innocently won his affections so grievously dispar- 
 aged by a man whom he honoured so much. The 
 strange embracing of the officer, whom he knew not, made 
 but a shght impression on him; it occupied his curiosity 
 and his imagination for a moment : but Jarno's speech 
 had cut him to the heart ; he was deeply hurt by it : 
 and now, in his way homewards, he broke out into 
 reproaches against himself, that he should for a single 
 instant have mistaken or forgotten the unfeeling cold- 
 ness of Jarno, which looked out from his very eyes, 
 and spoke in all his gestures. " No ! " exclaimed he, 
 "thou conceivest, dead-hearted worldling, that thou 
 canst be a friend ! All that thou hast power to offer 
 me is not worth the sentiment which binds me to 
 these forlorn beings. How fortunate that I have 
 discovered in time what I had to expect from thee ! " 
 
 Mignon came to meet him as he entered : he clasped 
 her in his arms, exclaiming, " Nothing, nothing, shall 
 part us, thou good little creature ! The seeming pru- 
 dence of the world shall never cause me to forsake 
 thee, or forget what I owe thee ! " 
 
 The child, whose warm caresses he had been accus- 
 tomed to avoid, rejoiced with all her heart at this 
 unlooked-for show of tenderness, and clung so fast to 
 him that he had some difficulty to get loose from her. 
 
 From this period he kept a stricter eye on Jarno's 
 conduct : many parts of it he did not think quite 
 praiseworthy ; nay, several things came out which 
 totally displeased him. He had strong suspicions, for 
 example, that the verses on the baron, which the 
 poor Pedant had so dearly paid for, were composed by 
 Jarno. And as the latter, in Wilhelm's presence, had
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 239 
 
 made sport of the adventure, our friend thought here 
 was certainly a symptom of a most corrupted heart ; 
 for what could be more depraved than to treat a guilt- 
 less person, whose griefs oneself had occasioned, 
 with jeering and mockery, instead of trying to satisfy 
 or to indemnify him ? In this matter Wilhelm would 
 himself willingly have brought about reparation ; and 
 erelong a very curious accident led him to obtain some 
 traces of the persons concerned in that nocturnal out- 
 rage. 
 
 Hitherto his friends had contrived to keep him un- 
 acquainted with the fact, that some of the young 
 officers were in the habit of passing whole nights in 
 merriment and jollity, with certain actors and ac- 
 tresses, in the lower hall of the old castle. One 
 morning, having risen early, according to his custom, 
 he happened to visit this chamber, and found the 
 gallant gentlemen just in the act of performing rather 
 a singular operation. They had mixed a bowl of 
 water with a quantity of chalk, and were plastering 
 this gruel with a brush upon their waistcoats and 
 pantaloons, without stripping ; thus very expeditiously 
 restoring the spotlessness of theh apparel. On wit- 
 nessing this piece of ingenuity, our friend was at once 
 struck with the recollection of the poor Pedant's whited 
 and bedusted coat : his suspicions gathered strength 
 when he learned that some relations of the baron 
 were among the party. 
 
 To throw some light on his doubts, he engaged the 
 youths to breakfast with him. They were very lively, 
 and told a multitude of pleasant stories. One of them 
 especially, who for a time had been on the recruiting- 
 service, was loud in praising the craft and activity 
 of his captain ; who, it appeared, understood the art of 
 alluring men of all kinds toward him, and overreach- 
 ing every one by the deception proper for him. He 
 circumstantially described how several young people
 
 240 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 of good families and careful education had been coz- 
 ened, by playing off to them a thousand promises of 
 honour and preferment ; and he heartily laughed at the 
 simpletons, who felt so gratified, when first enlisted, 
 at the thought of being esteemed and introduced to 
 notice by so reputable, prudent, bold, and munificent 
 an officer. 
 
 Wilhelm blessed his better genius for having drawn 
 him back in time from the abyss to whose brink he 
 had approached so near. Jarno he now looked upon 
 as nothing better than a crimp : the embrace of the 
 stranger officer was easily explained. He viewed the 
 feelings and opinions of these men with contempt and 
 disgust ; from that moment he carefully avoided com- 
 ing into contact with any one that wore a uniform; 
 and, when he heard that the army was about to move 
 its quarters, the news would have been extremely wel- 
 come to him, if he had not feared, that, immediately 
 on its departure, he himself must be banished from the 
 neighbourhood of his lovely friend, perhaps for ever.
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 Meanwhile the baroness had spent several days 
 disquieted by anxious fears and unsatisfied curiosity. 
 Since the late adventure, the count's demeanour had 
 been altogether an enigma to her. His manner was 
 changed: none of his customary jokes were to be 
 heard. His demands on the company and the servants 
 had very much abated. Little pedantry or imperious- 
 ness was now to be discerned in him ; he was silent 
 and thoughtful, yet withal he seemed composed and 
 placid'; in short, he was quite another man. In choos- 
 ing the books, which now and then he caused to be 
 read to him, those of a serious, often a religious, cast, 
 were pitched upon ; and the baroness lived in perpetual 
 fright lest, beneath this apparent serenity, a secret 
 rancour might be lurking, — a silent purpose to revenge 
 the offence he had so accidentally discovered. She 
 determined, therefore, to make Jarno her confidant ; 
 and this the more freely, as that gentleman and she 
 already stood in a relation to each other where it is 
 not usual to be very cautious in keeping secrets. For 
 some time Jarno had been her dearest friend, yet they 
 had been dexterous enough to conceal their attachment 
 and joys from the noisy world in which they moved. 
 To the countess alone this new romance had not 
 remained unknown ; and very possibly the baroness 
 might wish to get her fair friend occupied with some 
 similar engagement, and thus to escape the silent 
 reproaches she had often to endure from that noble- 
 minded woman. 
 
 241
 
 242 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Scarcely had the baroness related the occurrence to 
 her lover, when he cried out laughing, " To a certainty 
 the old fool believes that he has seen his ghost ! He 
 dreads that the vision may betoken some misfortune, 
 perhaps death, to him ; and so he is become quite tame, 
 as all half-men do, in thinking of that consummation 
 which no one has escaped or will escape. Softly a 
 little ! As I hope he will live long enough, we may 
 now train him at least, so that he shall not again give 
 disturbance to his wife and household." 
 
 They accordingly, as soon as any opportunity 
 occurred, began talking, in the presence of the count, 
 about warnings, visions, apparitions, and the like. 
 Jarno played the skeptic, the baroness likewise; and 
 they carried it so far, that his lordship at last took 
 Jarno aside, reproved him for his fi-eethinking, and 
 produced his own experience to prove the possibility, 
 nay, actual occurrence, of such preternatural events. 
 Jarno affected to be struck, to be in doubt, and finally 
 to be convinced ; but, in private with his friend, he 
 made himself so much the merrier at the credulous 
 weakling, who had thus been cured of his evil habits 
 by a bugbear, but who, they admitted, still deserved 
 some praise for expecting dire calamity, or death itself, 
 with such composure. 
 
 "The natural result which the present apparition 
 might have had, would possibly have ruffled him ! " 
 exclaimed the baroness, with her wonted vivacity ; to 
 which, when anxiety was taken from her heart, she 
 had instantly returned. Jarno was richly rewarded ; 
 and the two contrived fresh projects for frightening the 
 count still further, and still further exciting and con- 
 firming the affection of the countess for Wilhelm. 
 
 With this intention, the whole story was related to 
 the countess. She, indeed, expressed her displeasure 
 at such conduct ; but from that time she became more 
 thoughtful, and in peaceful moments seemed to be con-
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 243 
 
 sidering, pursuing, and painting out that scene which 
 had been prepared for her. 
 
 The preparations now going forward on every side 
 left no room for doubt that the armies were soon to 
 move in advance, and the prince at the same time 
 to change his headquarters. It was even said that the 
 count intended leaving his castle, and returning to 
 the city. Our players could therefore, without diffi- 
 culty, calculate the aspect of their stars ; yet none of 
 them, except Melina, took any measures in conse- 
 quence : the rest strove only to catch as much enjoy- 
 ment as they could from the moment that was passing 
 over them. 
 
 Wilhelm, in the meantime, was engaged with a 
 pecuhar task. The countess had required from him 
 a copy of his writings, and he looked on this request 
 as the noblest recompense for his labours. 
 
 A young author, who has not yet seen himself in 
 print, will, in such a case, apply no ordinary care to 
 provide a clear and beautiful transcript of his works. 
 It is like the golden age of authorship : he feels trans- 
 ported into those centuries when the press had not 
 inundated the world with so many useless writings, 
 when none but excellent performances were copied, and 
 kept by the noblest men ; and he easily admits the 
 illusion, that his own accurately ruled and measured 
 manuscript may itself prove an excellent performance, 
 worthy to be kept and valued by some future critic. 
 
 The prince being shortly to depart, a great entertain- 
 ment had been appointed in honour of him. Many 
 ladies of the neighbourhood were invited, and the 
 countess had dressed betimes. On this occasion she 
 had taken a costlier suit than usual. Her head-dress, 
 and the decorations of her hair, were more exquisite and 
 studied: she wore all her jewels. The baroness, too, 
 had done her utmost to appear with becoming taste 
 and splendour.
 
 244 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Philina, observing that both ladies, in expectation of 
 their guests, felt the time rather tedious, proposed 
 to send for Wilhelm, who was wishing to present his 
 manuscript, now completed, and to read them some 
 other little pieces. He came, and on his entrance was 
 astonished at the form and the graces of the countess, 
 which her decorations had but made more visible and 
 striking. Being ordered by the ladies, he began to 
 read ; but with so much absence of mind, and so 
 badly, that, had not his audience been excessively 
 indulgent, they would very soon have dismissed him. 
 
 Every time he looked at the countess, it seemed to 
 him as if a spark of electric fire were glancing before 
 his eyes. In the end he knew not where to find the 
 breath he wanted for his reading. The countess had 
 always pleased him, but now it appeared as if he 
 never had beheld a being so perfect and so lovely. A 
 thousand thoughts flitted up and down his soul : what 
 follows might be nearly their substance. 
 
 "How foolish is it in so many poets, and men of 
 sentiment as they are called, to make war on pomp and 
 decoration; requiring that women of all ranks should 
 wear no dress but what is simple, and conformable to 
 nature ! They rail at decoration, without once con- 
 sidering, that, when we see a plain or positively ugly 
 person clothed in a costly and gorgeous fashion, it is 
 not the poor decoration that displeases us. I would 
 assemble all the judges in the world, and ask them 
 here if they wished to see one of these folds, of these 
 ribbons and laces, these braids, ringlets, and glancing 
 stones, removed ? Would they not dread disturbing 
 the delightful impression that so naturally and spon- 
 taneously meets us here ? Yes, naturally I will say ! 
 As Minerva sprang in complete armour from the head 
 of Jove ; so does this goddess seem to have stepped 
 forth with a light foot, in all her ornaments, from the 
 bosom of some flower."
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 245 
 
 While reading, he turned his eyes upon her fre- 
 quently, as if he wished to stamp this image on his 
 soul for ever : he more than once read wrong, yet with- 
 out falling into confusion of mind ; though, at other 
 times, he used to feel the mistaking of a word or a 
 letter as a painful deformity, which spoiled a whole 
 recitation. 
 
 A false alarm of the arrival of the guests put an 
 end to the reading; the baroness went out; and the 
 countess, while about to shut her writing-desk, which 
 was standing open, took up her casket, and put some 
 other rings upon her finger. " We are soon to part," 
 said she, keeping her eyes upon the casket : " accept a 
 memorial of a true friend, who wishes nothing more 
 earnestly than that you may always prosper." She 
 then took out a ring, which, underneath a crystal, bore 
 a little plait of woven hair beautifully set with dia- 
 monds. She held it out to Wilhelm, who, on taking 
 it, knew neither what to say nor do, but stood as if 
 rooted to the ground. The countess shut her desk, and 
 sat down upon the sofa. 
 
 " And I must go empty ? " said Philina, kneeling 
 down at the countess's right hand. " Do but look at 
 the man : he carries such a store of words in his 
 mouth, when no one wants to hear them ; and now he 
 cannot stammer out the poorest syllable of thanks. 
 Quick, sir ! Express your services by way of panto- 
 mime at least ; and if to-day you can invent nothing, 
 then, for Heaven's sake, be my imitator." 
 
 Philina seized the right hand of the countess, and 
 kissed it warmly. Wilhelm sank upon his knee, laid 
 hold of the left, and pressed it to his lips. The count- 
 ess seemed embarrassed, yet without displeasure. 
 
 " Ah ! " cried Philina, " so much splendour of attire, 
 I may have seen before, but never one so fit to wear 
 it. What bracelets, but also what a hand ! What a 
 neck-dress, but also what a bosom."
 
 246 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " Peace, little cozener ! " said the countess. 
 
 " Is this his lordship, then ? " said Philina, pointing 
 to a rich medalhon, which the countess wore on her 
 left side, by a particular chain. 
 
 " He is painted in his bridegroom-dress," repHed the 
 countess. 
 
 " Was he, then, so young ? " inquired Philina : " I 
 know it is but a year or two since you were married." 
 
 " His youth must be placed to the artist's account," 
 replied the lady. 
 
 " He is a handsome man," observed Philina. " But 
 was there never," she continued, placing her hand on 
 the countess's heart, " never any other image that 
 found its way in secret hither ? " 
 
 " Thou art very bold, Philina," cried she : " I have 
 spoiled thee. Let me never hear the like again." 
 
 " If you are angry, then am I unhappy," said Philina, 
 springing up, and hastening from the room. 
 
 Wilhelm still held that lovely hand in both of his. 
 His eyes were fixed on the bracelet-clasp : he noticed, 
 with extreme surprise, that his initials were traced on 
 it, in lines of brilliants. 
 
 " Have I, then," he modestly inquired, " your own 
 hair in this precious ring ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied she in a faint voice : then, suddenly 
 collecting herself, she said, and pressed his hand, 
 " Arise, and fare you well ! " 
 
 " Here is my name," cried he, " by the most curious 
 chance ! " He pointed to the bracelet-clasp. 
 
 " How ? " cried the countess : " it is the cipher of a 
 female friend ! " 
 
 " They are the initials of my name. Forget me not. 
 Your image is engraven on my heart, and will never 
 be effaced. Farewell ! I must be gone." 
 
 He kissed her hand, and meant to rise ; but, as in 
 dreams, some strange thing fades and changes into 
 something stranger, and the succeeding wonder takes
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 247 
 
 US by surprise ; so, without knowing how it happened, 
 he found the countess in his arms : her lips were rest- 
 ing upon liis, and their warm mutual kisses were 
 yielding them that blessedness which mortals sip from 
 the topmost sparkling foam on the freshly poured cup 
 of love. 
 
 Her head lay on his shoulder : the disordered ring- 
 lets and ruffles were forgotten. She had thrown her 
 arm round him : he clasped her with vivacity, and 
 pressed her again and again to his breast. Oh that 
 such a moment could but last for ever ! And woe to 
 envious Fate that shortened even this brief moment 
 to our friends ! 
 
 How terrified was Wilhelm, how astounded did he 
 start from his happy dream, when the countess, with a 
 shriek, on a sudden tore herself away, and hastily 
 pressed her hand against her heart. 
 
 He stood confounded before her : she held the other 
 hand upon her eyes, and, after a moment's pause, 
 exclaimed, " Away ! leave me ! delay not ! " 
 
 He continued standing. 
 
 " Leave me ! " she cried ; and, taking off her hand 
 from her eyes, she looked at him with an indescribable 
 expression of countenance, and added, in the most 
 tender and affecting voice, " Flee, if you love me." 
 
 Wilhelm was out of the chamber, and again in his 
 room, before he knew what he was doing. 
 
 Unhappy creatures ! What singular warning of 
 chance or of destiny tore them asunder?
 
 Book IV.
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Laertes was standing at the window in a thoughtful 
 mood, resting on his arm, and looking out into the 
 fields. Philina came gliding toward him, across the 
 large hall : she leaned upon him, and began to mock 
 him for his serious looks. 
 
 "Do not laugh," replied he : " it is frightful to think 
 how time goes on, how all things change and have an 
 end. See here ! A little while ago there was a stately- 
 camp : how pleasantly the tents looked ! what restless 
 life and motion was within them ! how carefully they 
 watched the whole enclosure ! And, behold, it is all 
 vanished in a day ! For a short while, that trampled 
 straw, those holes which the cooks have dug, will show 
 a trace of what was here ; and soon the whole will be 
 ploughed and reaped as formerly, and the presence of 
 so many thousand gallant fellows in this quarter will 
 but ghmmer in the memories of one or two old men." 
 
 Philina began to sing, and dragged forth her friend 
 to dance with her in the hall. " Since Time is not a 
 person we can overtake when he is past," cried she, 
 "let us honour him with mirth and cheerfulness of 
 heart while he is passing." 
 
 They had scarcely made a step or two, when Frau 
 Melina came walking through the hall. Philina was 
 wicked enough to invite her to join them in the dance, 
 and thus to bring her in mind of the shape to which 
 her pregnancy had reduced her. 
 
 " That I might never more see a woman in an inter- 
 esting situation ! " said Philina, when her back was 
 turned. 
 
 251
 
 252 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " Yet she feels an interest in it," said Laertes. 
 
 " But she manages so shockingly. Didst thou 
 notice that wabbling fold of her shortened petticoat, 
 which always travels out before her when she moves ? 
 She has not the smallest knack or skill to trim herself 
 a little, and conceal her state." 
 
 " Let her be," said Laertes. " Time will soon come 
 to her aid." 
 
 " It were prettier, however," cried Philina, " if we 
 could shake children from the trees." 
 
 The baron entered, and spoke some kind words to 
 them, adding a few presents, in the name of the count 
 and the countess, who had left the place very early 
 in the morning. He then went to Wilhelm, who was 
 busy in the side-chamber with Mignon. She had been 
 extremely affectionate and taking ; had asked minutely 
 about Wilhelm' s parents, brothers, sisters, and rela- 
 tions ; and so brought to his mind the duty he owed 
 his people, to send them some tidings of himself. 
 
 With the farewell compliments of the family, the 
 baron delivered him an assurance from the count, that 
 his lordship had been exceedingly obliged by his act- 
 ing, his poetical labours, and theatrical exertions. For 
 proof of this statement, the baron then drew forth a 
 purse, through whose beautiful texture the bright 
 glance of new gold coin was sparkhng out. Wilhelm 
 drew back, refusing to accept of it. 
 
 "Look upon this gift," said the baron, "as a com- 
 pensation for your time, as an acknowledgment of your 
 trouble, not as the reward of your talents. If genius 
 procures us a good name and good-will from men, it is 
 fair likewise, that, by our diligence and efforts, we 
 should earn the means to satisfy our wants ; since, 
 after all, we are not wholly spirit. Had we been in 
 town, where everything is to be got, we should have 
 changed this httle sum into a watch, a ring, or some- 
 thing of that sort ; but, as it is, I must place the magic
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 253 
 
 rod in your own hands ; procure a trinket with it, such 
 as may please you best and be of greatest use, and 
 keep it for our sakes. At the same time, you must 
 not forget to hold the purse in honour. It was knit 
 by the fingers of our ladies : they meant that the cover 
 should give to its contents the most pleasing form." 
 
 " Forgive my embarrassment," said Wilhelm, " and 
 my doubts about accepting this present. It, as it 
 were, annihilates the little I have done, and hinders 
 the free play of happy recollection. Money is a fine 
 thing, when any matter is to be completely settled and 
 abolished : I feel unwilling to be so entirely abolished 
 from the recollection of your house." 
 
 " That is not the case," replied the baron ; " but, feel- 
 ing so tenderly yourself, you could not wish that the 
 count should be obliged to consider himself wholly 
 your debtor, especially when I assure you that his 
 lordship's highcvst ambition has always consisted in 
 being punctual and just. He is not uninformed of the 
 labour you have undergone, or of the zeal with which 
 you have devoted all your time to execute his views ; 
 nay, he is aware, that, to quicken certain operations, 
 you have even expended money of your own. With 
 what face shall I appear before him, then, if I cannot 
 say that his acknowledgment has given you satisfac- 
 tion ? " 
 
 " If I thought only of myseU," said Wilhelm, " if I 
 might follow merely the dictates of my own feelings, 
 I should certainly, in spite of all these reasons, stead- 
 fastly refuse this gift, generous and honourable as it 
 is ; but I will not deny, that, at the very moment 
 when it brings me into one perplexity, it frees me from 
 another, into which I have lately fallen with regard to 
 my relations, and which has in secret caused me much 
 uneasiness. My management, not only of the time, 
 but also of the money, for which I have to give account, 
 has not been the best ; and now, by the kindness of
 
 254 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 his lordship, I shall be enabled, with confidence, to give 
 my people news of the good fortune to which this 
 curious by-path has led me. I therefore sacrifice those 
 feelings of dehcacy, which, hke a tender conscience, 
 admonish us on such occasions, to a higher duty ; and, 
 that I may appear courageously before my father, I 
 must consent to stand ashamed before you." 
 
 " It is singular," replied the baron, " to see what a 
 world of hesitation people feel about accepting money 
 from their friends and patrons, though ready to receive 
 any other gift with joy and thankfulness. Human 
 nature manifests some other such pecuharities, by 
 which many scruples of a similar kind are produced 
 and carefully cherished." 
 
 " Is it not the same with all points of honour ? " 
 said our friend. 
 
 " It is so," replied the baron, " and with several other 
 prejudices. We must not root them out, lest in doing 
 so we tear up noble plants along with them. Yet I 
 am always glad when I meet with men that feel supe- 
 rior to such objections, when the case requires it ; and 
 I recall with pleasure the story of that ingenious poet 
 who had written several plays for the court theatre, 
 which met the monarch's warmest approbation. ' I 
 must give him a distinguished recompense,' said the 
 generous prince : ' ask him whether he would choose 
 to have some jewel given him, or if he would disdain 
 to accept a sum of money.' In his humourous way, 
 the poet answered the inquiring courtier, ' I am thank- 
 ful, with all my heart, for these gracious purposes ; and, 
 as the emperor is daily taking money from us, I see not 
 wherefore I should feel ashamed of taking some from 
 him.' " 
 
 Scarcely had the baron left the room, when Wilhelm 
 eagerly began to count the cash, which had come to him 
 so unexpectedly, and, as he thought, so undeservedly. 
 It seemed as if the worth and dignity of gold, not
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 255 
 
 ■usually felt till later years, had now, by anticipation, 
 twinkled in his eyes for the first time, as the fine, 
 glancing coins rolled out from the beautiful purse. 
 He reckoned up, and found, that, particularly as Melina 
 had engaged immediately to pay the loan, he had now 
 as much or more on the right side of his account as on 
 that day when Phihna first asked him for the nosegay. 
 With a little secret satisfaction, he looked upon his 
 talents ; with a little pride, upon the fortune which had 
 led and attended him. He now seized the pen, with 
 an assured mind, to write a letter which might free his 
 family from their anxieties, and set his late proceed- 
 ings in the most favourable light. He abstained from 
 any special narrative, and only by significant and mys- 
 terious hints left them room for guessing at what had 
 befallen him. The good condition of his cash-book, 
 the advantage he had earned by his talents, the favour 
 of the great and of the fair, acquaintance with a wider 
 circle, the improvement of his bodily and mental gifts, 
 his hopes from the future, altogether formed such a 
 fair cloud-picture, that Fata Morgana itself could 
 scarcely have thrown together a stranger or a better. 
 
 In this happy exaltation, the letter being folded up, 
 he went on to maintain a conversation with himself, 
 recapitulating what he had been wiiting, and pointing 
 out for himself an active and glorious future. The ex- 
 ample of so many gallant warriors had fired him ; the 
 poetry of Shakespeare had opened a new world to him ; 
 from the lips of the beautiful countess he had inhaled 
 an inexpressible inspiration. All this could not and 
 would not be without effect. 
 
 The Stallmeister came to inquire whether they were 
 ready with their packing. Alas ! with the single ex- 
 ception of Melina, no one of them had thought of it. 
 Now, however, they were speedily to be in motion. The 
 count had engaged to have the whole party conveyed 
 forward a few days' journey on their way : the horses
 
 256 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 were now in readiness, and could not long be wanted. 
 Wilhelm asked for his trunk : Frau Melina had taken 
 it to put her own things in. He asked for money : 
 Herr Melina had stowed it all far down at the bottom of 
 his box. Philina said she had still some room in hers : 
 she took Wilhelm's clothes, and bade Mignon bring 
 the rest. Wilhelm, not without reluctance, was obliged 
 to let it be so. 
 
 While they were loading, and getting all things 
 ready, Melina said, " I am sorry we should travel like 
 mountebanks and rope-dancers. I could wish that 
 Mignon would put on gild's clothes, and that the 
 harper would let his beard be shorn." Mignon clung 
 firmly to Wilhelm, and cried, with great vivacity, " I 
 am a boy — I will be no girl ! " The old man held 
 his peace ; and Philina, on this suggestion, made some 
 merry observations on the singularity of their pro- 
 tector, the count. " If the harper should cut off his 
 beard," said she, " let 'him sew it carefully upon a 
 ribbon, and keep it by him, that he may put it on 
 again whenever his lordship the count falls in with 
 him in any quarter of the world. It was this 
 beard alone that procured him the favour of his lord- 
 ship." 
 
 On being pressed to give an explanation of this singu- 
 lar speech, Philina said to them, " The count thinks it 
 contributes very much to the completeness of theatrical 
 illusion if the actor continues to play his part, and to 
 sustain his character, even in common life. It was for 
 this reason that he showed such favour to the Pedant : 
 and he judged it, in like manner, very fitting that the 
 harper not only wore his false beard at nights on the 
 stage, but also constantly by day ; and he used to be 
 dehghted at the natural appearance of the mask." 
 
 While the rest were laughing at this error, and the 
 other strange opinions of the count, the harper led our 
 friend aside, took leave of him, and begged, with tears.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 257 
 
 that he would even now let him go. Wilhelm spoke 
 to him, declaring that he would protect him against all 
 the world ; that no one should touch a hair of his head, 
 much less send him off against his will. 
 
 The old man seemed affected deeply : an unwonted 
 fire was glowing in his eyes. " It is not that," cried he, 
 " which drives me away. I have long been reproach- 
 ing myself in secret for staying with you. I ought to 
 linger nowhere, for misfortune flies to overtake me, and 
 injures all that are connected with me. Dread every- 
 thing, unless you dismiss me ; but ask me no questions. 
 I belong not to myself. I cannot stay." 
 
 " To whom dost thou belong ? Who can exert such 
 a power on thee ? " 
 
 " Leave me my horrid secret, and let me go ! The 
 vengeance which pursues me is not of the earthly 
 judge. I belong to an inexorable destiny. I cannot 
 stay, and I dare not." 
 
 " In the situation I see thee in, I shall certainly not 
 let thee go." 
 
 " It were high treason against you, my benefactor, 
 if I should delay. I am secure while with you, but 
 you are in peril. You know not whom you keep be- 
 side you. I am guilty, but more wretched than guilty. 
 My presence scares happiness away, and good deeds 
 grow powerless when I become concerned in them. 
 Fugitive, unresting I should be, that my evil genius 
 might not seize me, which pursues but at a distance, 
 and only appears when I have found a place, and am 
 laying down my head to seek repose. More grateful I 
 cannot show myself than by forsaking you." 
 
 " Strange man ! Thou canst neither take away the 
 confidence I place in thee, nor the hope I feel to see 
 thee happy. I wish not to penetrate the secrets of thy 
 superstition ; but if thou livest in belief of wonderful 
 forebodings, and entanglements of fate, then, to cheer 
 and hearten thee, I say, unite thyself to my good for-
 
 258 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 tune, and let us see which genius is the stronger, thy 
 dark or my bright one." 
 
 Wilhelm seized this opportunity of suggesting to him 
 many other comfortable things ; for of late our friend 
 had begun to imagine that this singular attendant of 
 his must be a man, who, by chance or destiny, had been 
 led into some weighty crime, the remembrance of which 
 he was ever bearing on his conscience. 
 
 A few days ago Wilhelm, listening to his singing, 
 had observed attentively the following lines : 
 
 " For him the light of ruddy mom 
 
 But paints the horizon red with flame ; 
 And voices, from the depths of nature borne, 
 Woe ! woe ! upon his guilty head proclaim." 
 
 But, let the old man urge what arguments he pleased, 
 our friend had constantly a stronger argument at hand. 
 He turned everything on its fairest side ; .spoke so 
 bravely, heartily, and cheerily, that even the old 
 man seemed again to gather spirits, and to throw aside 
 his whims.
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Melina was in hopes to get established, with his 
 company, in a small but thriving town at some dis- 
 tance. They had already reached the place where the 
 count's horses were to turn, and now they looked 
 about for other carriages and cattle to transport them 
 onward. Melina had engaged to provide them a con- 
 veyance : he showed himself but niggardly, according 
 to his custom. Wilhelm, on the contrary, had the 
 shining ducats of the countess in his pocket, and 
 thought he had the fullest right to spend them 
 merrily ; forgetting very soon how ostentatiously he 
 had produced them in the stately balance transmitted 
 to his father. 
 
 His friend Shakespeare, whom with the greatest joy 
 he acknowledged as his godfather, and rejoiced the 
 more that his name was Wilhelm, had introduced him 
 to a prince, who frolicked for a time among mean, 
 nay, vicious companions, and who, notwithstanding his 
 nobleness of nature, found pleasure in the rudeness, 
 indecency, and coarse intemperance of these altogether 
 sensual knaves. This ideal likeness, which he figured 
 as the type and the excuse of his own actual condition, 
 was most welcome to our friend ; and the process of 
 self-deception, to which already he displayed an almost 
 invincible tendency, was thereby very much facilitated. 
 
 He now began to think about his dress. It struck 
 him that a waistcoat, over which, in case of need, one 
 could throw a little short mantle, was a very fit thing 
 for a traveller. Long knit pantaloons, and a pair of 
 lacing-boots, seemed the true garb of a pedestrian. He 
 
 259
 
 26o MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 next procured a fine silk sash, which he tied about 
 him, under the pretence at first of securing warmth 
 for his person. On the other hand, he freed his neck 
 from the tyranny of stocks, and got a few stripes of 
 musHn sewed upon his shirt ; making the pieces of 
 considerable breadth, so that they presented the com- 
 plete appearance of an ancient ruff. The beautiful 
 silk neckerchief, the memorial of Mariana, which had 
 once been saved from burning, now lay slackly tied 
 beneath this mushn collar. A round hat, with a party- 
 coloured band, and a large feather, perfected the 
 mask. 
 
 The women all asserted that this garb became him 
 very well. Philina in particular appeared enchanted 
 with it. She solicited his hair for herself, — beautiful 
 locks, which, the closer to approach the natural ideal, 
 he had unmercifully clipped. By so doing she rec- 
 ommended herself not amiss to his favour ; and our 
 friend, who by his open-handedness had acquired the 
 right of treating his companions somewhat in Prince 
 Harry's manner, erelong fell into the humour of him- 
 self contriving a few wild tricks, and presiding in the 
 execution of them. The people fenced, they danced, 
 they devised all kinds of sports, and, in their gaiety of 
 heart, partook of what tolerable wine they could fall 
 in with in copious proportions ; while, amid the dis- 
 order of this tumultuous life, Philina lay in wait for 
 the coy hero, — over whom let his better genius keep 
 watch ! 
 
 One chief diversion, which yielded the company a 
 frequent and very pleasing entertainment, consisted in 
 producing an extempore play, in which their late bene- 
 factors and patrons were mimicked, and turned into 
 ridicule. Some of our actors had seized very neatly 
 whatever was peculiar in the outward manner of 
 several distinguished people in the count's establish- 
 ment ; their imitation of these was received by the rest
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 261 
 
 of the party with the greatest approbation : and when 
 PhiHna produced, from the secret archives of her ex- 
 perience, certain peculiar declarations of love that had 
 been made to her, the audience were like to die with 
 laughing and malicious joy. 
 
 Wilhelm censured their ingratitude; but they told 
 him in reply that these gentry well deserved what 
 they were getting, their general conduct toward such 
 deserving people, as our friends believed themselves, 
 not having been by any means the best imaginable. 
 The little consideration, the neglect they had experi- 
 enced, were now described with many aggravations. 
 The jesting, bantering, and mimicry proceeded as 
 before : our party were growing bitterer and more 
 unjust every minute. 
 
 " I wish," observed Wilhelm, " there were no envy 
 or selfishness lurking under what you say, but that 
 you would regard those persons and their station in 
 the proper point of view. It is a peculiar thing to be 
 placed, by one's very birth, in an elevated situation 
 in society. The man for whom inherited wealth has 
 secured a perfect freedom of existence ; who finds him- 
 self from his youth upwards abundantly encompassed 
 with all the secondary essentials, so to speak, of human 
 life, — will generally become accustomed to consider 
 these qualifications as the first and gi-eatest of all; 
 while the worth of that mode of human life, which 
 nature from her own stores equips and furnishes, will 
 strike him much more faintly. The behaviour of 
 noblemen to their inferiors, and likewise to each other, 
 is regulated by external preferences. They give each 
 credit for his title, his rank, his clothes, and equipage ; 
 but his individual merits come not into play." 
 
 This speech was honoured with the company's un- 
 bounded applause. They declared it to be shameful, 
 that men of merit should constantly be pushed into 
 the background; and that, in the great world, there
 
 262 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 should not be a trace of natural and hearty inter- 
 course. On this latter point particularly they overshot 
 all bounds. 
 
 " Blame them not for it," said Wilhelm, " rather pity 
 them ! They have seldom an exalted feeling of that 
 happiness which we admit to be the highest that can 
 flow from the inward abundance of nature. Only to 
 us poor creatures is it granted to enjoy the happiness 
 of friendship in its richest fulness. Those dear to us 
 we cannot elevate by our countenance, or advance by 
 our favour, or make happy by our presents. We have 
 nothing but ourselves. This whole self we must give 
 away ; and, if it is to be of any value, we must make 
 our friend secure of it for ever. What an enjoyment, 
 what a happiness, for giver and receiver ! With what 
 blessedness does truth of affection invest our situation ! 
 It gives to the transitory Kfe of man a heavenly 
 certainty : it forms the crown and capital of all that 
 we possess." 
 
 While he spoke thus, Mignon had come near him : 
 she threw her little arms round him, and stood with 
 her cheek resting on his breast. He laid his hand 
 on the child's head, and proceeded, " It is easy for 
 a great man to win our minds to him, easy to make 
 our hearts his own. A mild and pleasant manner, 
 a manner only not inhuman, will of itself do wonders, 
 — and how many means does he possess of holding 
 fast the affections he has once conquered ? To us, 
 all this occurs less frequently ; to us it is all more 
 difficult; and we naturally, therefore, put a gi'eater 
 value on whatever, in the way of mutual kindness, 
 we acquire and accomplish. What touching examples 
 of faithful servants giving themselves up to danger 
 and death for their masters ? How finely has Shake- 
 speare painted out such things to us ! Fidelity, in 
 this case, is the effort of a noble soul, struggling to 
 become equal with one exalted above it. By steadfast
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 263 
 
 attachment and love, the servant is made equal to his 
 lord, who, but for this, is justified in looking on him as 
 a hired slave. Yes, these virtues belong to the lower 
 class of men alone : that class cannot do without 
 them, and with them it has a beauty of its own. 
 Whoever is enabled to requite all favours easily will 
 likewise easily be tempted to raise himself above the 
 habit of acknowledgment. Nay, in this sense, I am 
 of opinion it might almost be maintained, that a great 
 man may possess friends, but cannot be one." 
 
 Mignon clung more and more closely to him. 
 
 '•' It may be so," replied one of the party : " we do 
 not need their friendship, and do not ask it. But it 
 were well if they understood a little more about the 
 arts, which they affect to patronise. When we played 
 in the best style, there was none to mind us : it was 
 all sheer partiality. Any one they chose to favour, 
 pleased ; and they did not choose to favour those that 
 merited to please. It was intolerable to observe how 
 often silliness and mere stupidity attracted notice and 
 applause." 
 
 "When I abate from this," said Wilhelm, "what 
 seemed to spring from irony and malice, I think we 
 may nearly say, that one fares in art as he does in 
 love. And, after all, how shall a fashionable man of 
 the world, with his dissipated habits, attain that inti- 
 mate presence with a special object, which an artist 
 must long continue in, if he would produce anything 
 approaching to perfection, — a state of feeling without 
 which it is impossible for any one to take such an 
 interest, as the artist hopes and wishes, in his work ? 
 
 " Believe me, my friends, it is with talents as with 
 virtue ; one must love them for their own sake, or 
 entirely renounce them. And neither of them is 
 acknowledged and rewarded, except when their pos- 
 sessor can practise them unseen, like a dangerous 
 secret."
 
 264 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " Meanwhile, until some proper judge discovers us, 
 we may all die of hunger," cried a fellow in the corner. 
 
 " Not quite inevitably," answered Wilhelm. " I 
 have observed, that, so long as one stirs and hves, one 
 always finds food and raiment, though they be not of 
 the richest sort. And why should we repine ? Were 
 we not, altogether unexpectedly, and when our pros- 
 pects were the very worst, taken kindly by the hand, 
 and substantially entertained ? And now, when we 
 are in want of nothing, does it once occur to us to 
 attempt anything for our improvement, or to strive, 
 though never so faintly, toward advancement in our 
 art ? We are busied about indifferent matters ; and, 
 like schoolboys, we are casting all aside that might 
 bring our lesson to our thoughts." 
 
 " In sad truth," said Philina, " it is even so ! Let us 
 choose a play : we will go through it on the spot. 
 Each of us must do his best, as if he stood before the 
 largest audience." 
 
 They did not long deliberate : a play was fixed on. 
 It was one of those which at that time were meeting 
 great applause in Germany, and have now passed 
 away. Some of the party whistled a symphony ; each 
 speedily bethought him of his part ; they commenced, 
 and acted the entire play with the greatest attention, 
 and really well beyond expectation. Mutual applauses 
 circulated : our friends had seldom been so pleasantly 
 diverted. 
 
 On finishing, they all felt exceedingly contented, 
 partly on account of their time being spent so well, 
 partly because each of them experienced some degree 
 of satisfaction with his own performance. Wilhelm 
 expressed himself copiously in their praise: the con- 
 versation grew cheerful and merry. 
 
 " You would see," cried our friend, " what advances 
 we should make, if we continued this sort of training, 
 and ceased to confine our attention to mere learning
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 265 
 
 by heart, rehearsing and playing mechanically, as if it 
 were a barren duty, or some handicraft employment. 
 How different a character do our musical professors 
 merit ! What interest they take in their art ! how 
 correct are they in the practicings they undertake in 
 common ! What pains they are at in tuning their 
 instruments ; how exactly they observe time ; how 
 dehcately they express the strength and the weakness 
 of their tones ! No one there thinks of gaining credit 
 to himself by a loud accompaniment of the solo of 
 another. Each tries to play in the spirit of the com- 
 poser, each to express well whatever is committed to 
 him, be it much or little. 
 
 " Should not we, too, go as strictly and as ingeniously 
 to work, seeing we practise an art far more delicate 
 than that of music, — seeing we are called on to ex- 
 press the commonest and the strangest emotions of 
 human nature, with elegance, and so as to delight ? 
 Can anything be more shocking than to slur over our 
 rehearsal, and in our acting to depend on good luck, or 
 the capricious choice of the moment ? We ought to 
 place our highest happiness and satisfaction in mu- 
 tually desiring to gain each other's approbation: we 
 should even value the applauses of the pubHc only in 
 so far as we have previously sanctioned them among 
 ourselves. Why is the master of the band more secure 
 about his music than the manager about his play ? 
 Because, in the orchestra, each individual would feel 
 ashamed of his mistakes, which offend the outward ear ; 
 but how seldom have I found an actor disposed to ac- 
 knowledge or feel ashamed of mistakes, pardonable or 
 the contrary, by which the inward ear is so outra- 
 geously offended ! I could wish, for my part, that our 
 theatre were as narrow as the wire of a rope-dancer, that 
 so no inept fellow might dare to venture on it, instead 
 of being, as it is, a place where every one discovers in 
 himself capacity enough to flourish and parade."
 
 266 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 The company gave this apostrophe a kind reception ; 
 each being convinced that the censure conveyed in it 
 could not apply to him, after acting a little while ago 
 so excellently with the rest. On the other hand, it was 
 agreed, that during this journey, and for the future if 
 they remained together, they would regularly proceed 
 with their training in the manner just adopted. Only 
 it was thought, that, as this was a thing of good humour 
 and free will, no formal manager must be allowed to 
 have a hand in it. Taking it for an established fact, 
 that, among good men, the republican form of govern- 
 ment is the best, they declared that the post of mana- 
 ger should go round among them : he must be chosen 
 by universal suffrage, and every time have a sort of 
 little senate joined in authority along with him. So 
 delighted did they feel with this idea, that they longed 
 to put it instantly in practice. 
 
 " I have no objection," said Melina, " if you incline 
 making such an experiment while we are travelling : 
 I shall willingly suspend my own directorship until we 
 reach some settled place." He was in hopes of saving 
 cash by this arrangement, and of casting many small 
 expenses on the shoulders of the little senate or of the 
 interim manager. This fixed, they went very earnestly 
 to counsel how the form of the new commonwealth 
 might best be adjusted. 
 
 " 'Tis an itinerating kingdom," said Laertes : " we 
 shall at least have no quarrels about frontiers." 
 
 They directly proceeded to the business, and elected 
 Wilhelm as their first manager. The senate also was 
 appointed, the women having seat and vote in it : laws 
 were propounded, were rejected, were agreed to. In 
 such playing, the time passed on unnoticed ; and, as our 
 friends had spent it pleasantly, they also conceived 
 that they had really been effecting something useful, 
 and, by their new constitution, had been opening a new 
 prospect for the stage of their native country.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Seeing the company so favourably disposed, Wilhelm 
 now hoped he might further have it in his power to 
 converse with them on the poetic merit of the plays 
 which might come before them. " It is not enough," 
 said he next day, when they were all again assembled, 
 " for the actor merely to glance over a dramatic work, 
 to judge of it by his first impression, and thus, without 
 investigation, to declare his satisfaction or dissatisfac- 
 tion with it. Such things may be allowed in a spec- 
 tator, whose purpose it is rather to be entertained and 
 moved than formally to criticise. But the actor, on the 
 other hand, should be prepared to give a reason for his 
 praise or censure ; and how shall he do this, if he have 
 not taught himself to penetrate the sense, the views, 
 and feelings of his author ? A common error is, to 
 form a judgment of a drama from a single part in it, 
 and to look upon this part itself in an isolated point of 
 view, not in its connection with the whole. I have 
 noticed this within a few days, so clearly in my own 
 conduct, that I will give you the account as an example, 
 if you please to hear me patiently. 
 
 " You all know Shakespeare's incomparable ' Ham- 
 let : ' our public reading of it at the castle yielded every 
 one of us the greatest satisfaction. On that occasion 
 we proposed to act the play ; and I, not knowing what 
 I undertook, engaged to play the prince's part. This I 
 conceived that I was studying, while I began to get by 
 heart the strongest passages, the soliloquies, and those 
 scenes in which force of soul, vehemence and elevation 
 of feeling, have the freest scope ; where the agitated 
 
 267
 
 268 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 heart is allowed to display itself with touching expres- 
 siveness. 
 
 " I further conceived that I was penetrating quite 
 into the spirit of the character, while I endeavoured, as 
 it were, to take upon myself the load of deep melan- 
 choly under which my prototype was labouring, and in 
 this humour to pursue him through the strange laby- 
 rinths of his caprices and his singularities. Thus 
 learning, thus practising, I doubted not but I should by 
 and by become one person with my hero. 
 
 " But, the farther I advanced, the more difficult did 
 it become for me to form any image of the whole, in 
 its general bearings ; till at last it seemed as if impos- 
 sible. I next went through the entire piece, without 
 interruption ; but here, too, I found much that I could 
 not away with. At one time the characters, at another 
 time the manner of displaying them, seemed inconsist- 
 ent ; and I almost despaired of finding any general 
 tint, in which I might present my whole part with all 
 its shadings and variations. In such devious paths I 
 toiled, and wandered long in vain ; till at length a hope 
 arose that I might reach my aim in quite a new way. 
 
 " I set about investigating every trace of Hamlet's 
 character, as it had shown itself before his father's 
 death : I endeavoured to distinguish what in it was 
 independent of this mournful event, independent of the 
 terrible events that followed ; and what most probably 
 the young man would have been, had no such thing 
 occurred. 
 
 " Soft, and from a noble stem, this royal flower had 
 sprung up under the immediate influences of majesty ; 
 the idea of moral rectitude with that of princely eleva- 
 tion, the feeling of the good and dignified with the 
 consciousness of high birth, had in him been unfolded 
 simultaneously. He was a prince, by birth a prince ; 
 and he wi.shed to reign, only that good men might be 
 good without obstruction. Pleasing in form, polished
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 269 
 
 by nature, courteous from the heart, he was meant to 
 be the pattern of youth and the joy of the world. 
 
 " Without any prominent passion, his love for 
 Ophelia was a still presentiment of sweet wants. His 
 zeal in knightly accomphshments was not entirely his 
 own : it needed to be quickened and inflamed by praise 
 bestowed on others for excelling in them. Pure in 
 sentiment, he knew the honourable-minded, and could 
 prize the rest which an upright spirit tastes on the 
 bosom of a friend. To a certain degree, he had learned 
 to discern and value the good and the beautiful in arts 
 and sciences ; the mean, the vulgar, was offensive to 
 him ; and, if hatred could take root in his tender soul, 
 it was only so far as to make him properly despise the 
 false and changeful insects of a court, and play with 
 them in easy scorn. He was calm in his temper, artless 
 in his conduct, neither pleased with idleness, nor too 
 violently eager for employment. The routine of a 
 university he seemed to continue when at court. He 
 possessed more mirth of humour than of heart : he was 
 a good companion, pHant, courteous, discreet, and able 
 to forget and forgive an injury, yet never able to unite 
 himself with those who overstepped the limits of the 
 right, the good, and the becoming. 
 
 "When we read the piece again, you shall judge 
 whether I am yet on the proper track. I hope at least 
 to bring forward passages that shall support my opinion 
 in its main points." 
 
 This delineation was received with warm approval ; 
 the company imagined they foresaw that Hamlet's 
 manner of proceeding might now be very satisfactorily 
 explained ; they applauded this method of penetrating 
 into the spirit of a writer. Each of them proposed to 
 himself to take up some piece, and study it on these 
 principles, and so unfold the author's meaning.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OUK friends had to continue in the place for a 
 day or two, and it was not long ere sundry of them 
 got engaged in adventures of a rather pleasant kind. 
 Laertes in particular was challenged by a lady of the 
 neighbourhood, a person of some property ; but he re- 
 ceived her blandishments with extreme, nay, unhand- 
 some, coldness, and had in consequence to undergo a mul- 
 titude of jibes from Phihna. She took this opportunity 
 of detailing to our friend the hapless love-story which 
 had made the youth so bitter a foe to womankind. 
 " Who can take it ill of him," she cried, " that he hates 
 a sex which has played him so foul, and given him to 
 swallow, in one stoutly concentrated potion, all the 
 miseries that man can fear from woman ? Do but con- 
 ceive it : within four and twenty hours, he was lover, 
 bridegroom, husband, cuckold, patient, and widower ! 
 I wot not how you could use a man worse." 
 
 Laertes hastened from the room half vexed, half 
 laughing; and Philina in her sprightHest style began 
 to relate the story : how Laertes, a young man of eight- 
 een, on joining a company of actors, found in it a girl 
 of fourteen on the point of departing with her father, 
 who had quarrelled with the manager. How, on the 
 instant, he had fallen mortally in love ; had conjured 
 the father by all possible considerations to remain, 
 promising at length to marry the young woman. How, 
 after a few pleasing hours of groomship, he had accord- 
 ingly been wedded, and been happy as he ought; 
 whereupon, next day, while he was occupied at the 
 rehearsal, his wife, according to professional rule, had 
 
 270
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 271 
 
 honoured him with a pair of horns ; and how as he, out 
 of excessive tenderness, hastening home far too soon, 
 had, alas ! found a former lover in his place, he had 
 struck into the affair with thoughtless indignation, had 
 called out both father and lover, and sustained a griev- 
 ous wound in the duel. How father and daughter 
 had thereupon set off by night, leaving him behind to 
 labour with a double hurt. How the leech he applied 
 to was unhappily the worst in nature, and the poor fel- 
 low had got out of the adventure with blackened teeth 
 and watering eyes. That he was greatly to be pitied, 
 being otherwise the bravest young man on the surface 
 of the earth. " Especially," said she, " it giieves me 
 that the poor soul now hates women; for, hating 
 women, how can one keep living ? " 
 
 Melina interrupted them with news, that, all things 
 being now ready for the journey, they would set out 
 to-morrow morning. He handed them a plan, arrang- 
 ing how they were to travel. 
 
 " If any good friend take me on his lap," said Philina, 
 " I shall be content, though we sit crammed together 
 never so close and sorrily : 'tis all one to me." 
 
 "It does not signify," observed Laertes, who now 
 entered. 
 
 " It is pitiful," said Wilhelm, hastening away. By 
 the aid of money, he secured another very comfortable 
 coach ; though Melina had pretended that there were 
 no more. A new distribution then took place ; and 
 our friends were rejoicing in the thought that they 
 should now travel pleasantly, when intelligence arrived 
 that a party of military volunteers had been seen upon 
 the road, from whom little good could be expected. 
 
 In the town these tidings were received with great 
 attention, though they were but variable and ambiguous. 
 As the contending armies were at that time placed, it 
 seemed impossible that any hostile corps could have 
 advanced, or any friendly one hung a-rear, so far. Yet
 
 272 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 every man was eager to exhibit to our travellers the 
 danger that awaited them as truly dangerous : every 
 man was eager to suggest that some other route might 
 be adopted. 
 
 By these means, most of our friends had been seized 
 with anxiety and fear ; and when, according to the new 
 republican constitution, the whole members of the 
 state had been called together to take counsel on this 
 extraordinary case, they were almost unanimously of 
 opinion that it would be proper either to keep back 
 the mischief by abiding where they were, or to evade 
 it by choosing another road. 
 
 Wilhelm alone, not participating in the panic, re- 
 garded it as mean to abandon, for the sake of mere 
 rumours, a plan they had not entered on without much 
 thought. He endeavoured to put heart into them : his 
 reasons were manly and convincing. 
 
 " It is but a rumour," he observed ; " and how many 
 such arise in time of war ! Well-informed people say 
 that the occurrence is exceedingly improbable, nay, 
 almost impossible. Shall we, in so important a matter, 
 allow a vague report to determine our proceedings ? 
 The route pointed out to us by the count, and to which 
 our passport was adapted, is the shortest and in the 
 best condition. It leads us to the town, where you see 
 acquaintances, friends, before you, and may hope for a 
 good reception. The other way will also bring us 
 thither ; but by what a circuit, and along what miser- 
 able roads ! Have we any right to hope, that, in this 
 late season of the year, we shall get on at all ? and 
 what time and money shall we squander in the mean- 
 while ! " He added many more considerations, present- 
 ing the matter on so many advantageous sides, that 
 their fear began to dissipate, and their courage to 
 increase. He talked to them so much about the disci- 
 pline of regular troops, he painted the marauders and 
 wandering rabble so contemptuously, and represented
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 273 
 
 the danger itself as so pleasant and inspiring, that the 
 spirits of the party were altogether cheered. 
 
 Laertes from the first had been of his opinion : he 
 now declared that he would not flinch or fail. Old Bois- 
 terous found a consenting phrase or two to utter, in 
 his own vein ; Philina laughed at them all ; and Madam 
 Melina, who, notwithstanding her advanced state of 
 pregnancy, had lost nothing of her natural stout-heart- 
 edness, regarded the proposal as heroic. Herr Melina, 
 moved by this harmonious feeling, hoping also to save 
 somewhat by travelling the short road which had been 
 first contemplated, did not withstand the general con- 
 sent ; and the project was agreed to with universal 
 alacrity. 
 
 They next began to make some preparations for de- 
 fence at all hazards. They bought large hangers, and 
 slung them in well-quilted straps over their shoulders. 
 Wilhelm further stuck a pair of pistols in his girdle. 
 Laertes, independently of this occurrence, had a good 
 gun. They all took the road in the highest glee. 
 
 On the second day of their journey, the drivers, who 
 knew the country well, proposed to take their noon's 
 rest in a certain woody spot of the hills ; since the 
 town was far off, and in good weather the hill-road 
 was generally preferred. 
 
 The day being beautiful, all easily agreed to the 
 proposal. Wilhelm, on foot, went on before them 
 through the hills ; making every one that met him stare 
 with astonishment at his singular figure. He hastened 
 with quick and contented steps across the forest ; 
 Laertes walked whistling after him ; none but the 
 women continued to be dragged along in the carriages. 
 Miguon, too, ran forward by his side, proud of the 
 hanger, which, when the party were all arming, she 
 would not go without. Around her hat she had bound 
 the pearl necklace, one of Mariana's relics, which Wil- 
 helm still possessed. Friedrich, the fair-haired boy,
 
 274 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 carried Laertes's gun. The harper had the most pacific 
 look ; his long cloak was tucked up within his girdle, 
 to let him walk more freely ; he leaned upon a knotty 
 staff; his harp had been left behind him in the car- 
 riage. 
 
 Immediately on reaching the summit of the height, 
 a task not without its difficulties, our party recognised 
 the appointed spot, by the fine beech-trees which encir- 
 cled and screened it. A spacious green, sloping softly 
 in the middle of the forest, invited one to tarry; a 
 trimly bordered well offered the most gi-ateful refresh- 
 ment ; and on the farther side, through chasms in the 
 mountains, and over the tops of the w^oods, appeared a 
 landscape distant, lovely, full of hope. Hamlets and 
 mills were lying in the bottoms, villages upon the 
 plain: and a new chain of mountains, visible in the 
 distance, made the prospect still more significant of 
 hope ; for they entered only like a soft limitation. 
 
 The first comers took possession of the place, rested 
 awhile in the shade, lighted a fire, and so awaited, 
 singing as they worked, the remainder of the party, 
 who by degrees arrived, and with one accord saluted 
 the place, the lovely weather, and still lovelier scene.
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 If our friends had frequently enjoyed a good and 
 merry hour together while within four walls, they were 
 naturally much gayer here, where the freedom of the 
 sky and the beauty of the place seemed, as it were, to 
 purify the feelings of every one. All felt nearer to each 
 other: all wished that they might pass their whole 
 lives in so pleasant an abode. They envied hunters, char- 
 coal-men, and wood-cutters, — people whom theh call- 
 ing constantly retains in such happy places, — but 
 prized, above all, the delicious economy of a band of 
 gypsies. They envied these wonderful companions, 
 entitled to enjoy in bhssful idleness all the adventur- 
 ous charms of nature : they rejoiced at being in some 
 degree hke them. 
 
 Meanwhile the women had begun to boil potatoes, 
 and to unwrap and get ready the 'victuals brought 
 along with them. Some pots were standing by the 
 fire. The party had placed themselves in groups, under 
 the trees and bushes. Their singular apparel, their 
 various weapons, gave them a foreign aspect. The 
 horses were eating their provender at a side. Could 
 one have concealed the coaches, the look of this little 
 horde would have been romantic, even to complete 
 illusion. 
 
 Wilhelm enjoyed a pleasure he had never felt before. 
 He could now imagine his present company to be a 
 wandering colony, and himself the leader of it. In 
 this character he talked with those around him, and 
 figured out the fantasy of the moment as poetically as 
 he could. The feelings of the party rose in cheerful- 
 
 275
 
 276 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 ness : they ate and drank and made merry, and re- 
 peatedly declared that they had never passed more 
 pleasant moments. 
 
 Their contentment had not long gone on increasing, 
 till activity awoke among the younger part of them. 
 Wilhelm and Laertes seized their rapiers, and began to 
 practise on this occasion with theatrical intentions. 
 They undertook to represent the duel in which Hamlet 
 and his adversary find so tragical an end. Both were 
 persuaded, that, in this powerful scene, it was not 
 enough merely to keep pushing awkwardly hither and 
 thither, as it is generally exhibited in theatres : they 
 were in hopes to show by example how, in presenting 
 it, a worthy spectacle might also be afforded to the critic 
 in the art of fencing. The rest made a circle round 
 them. Both fought with skill and ardour. The inter- 
 est of the spectators rose higher every pass. 
 
 But all at once, in the nearest bush, a .shot went off, 
 and immediately another ; and the party flew asunder 
 in terror. Next moment armed men were to be seen 
 pressing forward to the spot where the horses were eat- 
 ing their fodder, not far from the coaches that were 
 packed with luggage. 
 
 A universal scream proceeded from the women : our 
 heroes threw away their rapiers, seized their pistols, 
 and ran toward the robbers ; demanding, with \dolent 
 threats, the meaning of such conduct. 
 
 This question being answered laconically, with a 
 couple of musket-shots, Wilhelm fired his pistol at a 
 crisp-headed knave, who had got upon the top of the 
 coach, and was cutting the cords of the package. 
 Eightly hit, this artist instantly came tumbling down ; 
 nor had Laertes missed. Both, encouraged by success, 
 drew their side-arms ; when a number of the plunder- 
 ing party rushed out upon them, with curses and loud 
 bellowing, fired a few shots at them, and fronted their 
 impetuosity with glittering sabres. Our young heroes
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 277 
 
 made a bold resistance. They called upon theii- other 
 comrades, and endeavoured to excite them to a general 
 resistance. But, erelong, Wilhelm lost the sight of day, 
 and the consciousness of what was passing. Stupefied 
 by a shot that wounded him between the breast and 
 the left arm, by a stroke that split his hat in two, and 
 almost penetrated to his brain, he sank down, and only 
 by the narratives of others came afterward to under- 
 stand the luckless end of this adventure. 
 
 On again opening his eyes, he found himself in the 
 strangest posture. The first thing that pierced the 
 dimness, which yet swam before his vision, was Phi- 
 lina's face bent down over his. He felt w^eak, and, 
 making a movement to rise, discovered that he was in 
 Philina's lap ; into which, indeed, he again sank down. 
 She was sitting on the sward. She had softly pressed 
 toward her the head of the fallen young man, and 
 made for him an easy couch, as far as in her power. 
 Mignon was kneeling with dishevelled and bloody hair 
 at his feet, which she embraced with many tears. 
 
 On noticing his bloody clothes, Wilhelm asked, in 
 a broken voice, where he was, and what had happened 
 to him and the rest. Philina begged him to be quiet : 
 the others, she said, were all in safety, and none but 
 he and Laertes wounded. Further she would tell him 
 nothing, but earnestly entreated him to keep still, as 
 his wounds had been but slightly and hastily bound. 
 He stretched out his hand to Mignon, and inquired 
 about the bloody locks of the child, who he supposed 
 was also wounded. 
 
 For the sake of quietness, Philina let him know that 
 this true-hearted creature, seeing her friend wounded, 
 and in the hurry of the instant being able to think of 
 nothing which would staunch the blood, had taken her 
 own hair, that was flowing round her head, and tried 
 to stop the wounds with it, but had soon been obliged 
 to give up the vain attempt ; that afterward they had
 
 278 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 bound him with moss and dry mushrooms, Philina 
 giving up her neckerchief for that purpose. 
 
 Wilhelm noticed that Phihna was sitting with her 
 back against her own trunk, which still looked firmly 
 locked and quite uninjured. He inquired if the rest 
 also had been so lucky as to save their goods. She 
 answered with a shrug of the shoulders, and a look 
 over the green, where broken chests, and coffers beaten 
 into fragments, and knapsacks ripped up, and a multi- 
 tude of little wares, lay scattered all round. No per- 
 son was to be seen in the place, this strange group thus 
 being alone in the solitude. 
 
 Inquiring further, our friend learned more and more 
 particulars. The rest of the men, it appeared, who, at 
 all events, might still have made resistance, were struck 
 with terror, and soon overpowered. Some fled, some 
 looked with horror at the accident. The drivers, for 
 the sake of their cattle, had held out more obstinately; 
 but they, too, were at last thrown down and tied; 
 after which, in a few minutes, everything was thor- 
 oughly ransacked, and the booty carried off. The 
 hapless travellers, their fear of death being over, had 
 begun to mourn their loss ; had hastened with the 
 greatest speed to the neighbouring village, taking with 
 them Laertes, whose wounds were slight, and carrying 
 off but a very few fragments of their property. The 
 harper, having placed his damaged instrument against 
 a tree, had proceeded in their company to the place, to 
 seek a surgeon, and return with his utmost rapidity to 
 help his benefactor, whom he had left apparently upon 
 the brink of death.
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Meanwhile our three adventurers continued yet a 
 space in their strange position, no one returning to 
 their aid. Evening was advancing: the darkness 
 threatened to come on. Phihna's indifference was 
 changing to anxiety ; Mignon ran to and fro, her im- 
 patience increasing every moment ; and at last, when 
 their prayer was gi-anted, and human creatures did ap- 
 proach, a new alarm fell upon them. They distinctly 
 heard a troop of horses coming up the road they had 
 lately travelled : they dreaded lest a second time some 
 company of unbidden gTiests might be purposing to visit 
 this scene of battle, and gather up the gleanings. 
 
 The more agreeable was their surprise, when, after a 
 few moments, a lady issued from the thickets, riding 
 on a gray courser, and accompanied by an elderly 
 gentleman and some cavaliers, followed by grooms, 
 servants, and a troop of hussars. 
 
 Philina started at this phenomenon, and was about 
 to call, and entreat the fair Amazon for help, when the 
 latter turned her astonished eyes on the group, in- 
 stantly checked her horse, rode up to them, and halted. 
 She inquired eagerly about the wounded man, whose 
 posture in the lap of this light-minded Samaritan 
 seemed to strike her as peculiarly strange. 
 
 " Is he your husband ? " she inquired of Philina. 
 " Only a friend," replied the other, with a tone Wilhelm 
 liked not at all. He had fixed his eyes upon the soft, 
 elevated, calm, sympathising features of the stranger : 
 he thought he had never seen aught nobler or more 
 lovely. Her shape he could not see : it was hid by a 
 
 279
 
 28o MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 man's white greatcoat, which she seemed to have 
 borrowed from some of her attendants, to screen her 
 from the chill evening air. 
 
 By this the horsemen also had come near. Some of 
 them dismounted : the lady did so likewise. She asked, 
 with humane sympathy, concerning every circumstance 
 of the mishap which had befallen the travellers, but 
 especially concerning the wounds of the poor youth 
 who lay before her. Thereupon she turned quickly 
 round, and went aside with the. old gentleman to some 
 carriages, which were slowly coming up the hill, and 
 which at length stopped upon the scene of action. 
 
 The young lady having stood with her conductor 
 a short time at the door of one of the coaches, and 
 talked with the people in it, a man of a squat figure 
 stepped out, and came along with them to our wounded 
 hero. By the little box which he held in his hand, 
 and the leathern pouch with instruments in it, you 
 soon recognised him for a surgeon. His manners were 
 rude rather than attractive ; but his hand was light, 
 and his help welcome. 
 
 Having examined strictly, he declared that none of 
 the wounds were dangerous. He would dress them, 
 he said, on the spot ; after which the patient might be 
 carried to the nearest village. 
 
 The young lady's anxiety seemed to augment. " Do 
 but look," she said, after going to and fro once or twice, 
 and again bringing the old gentleman to the place : 
 " look how they have treated him ! And is it not on 
 our account that he is suffering ? " Wilhelm heard 
 these words, but did not understand them. She went 
 restlessly up and down : it seemed as if she could not 
 tear herself away from the presence of the wounded 
 man ; while at the same time she feared to violate 
 decorum by remaining, when they had begun, though 
 not without difficulty, to remove some part of his ap- 
 parel. The surgeon was just cutting off the left sleeve
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 281 
 
 of his patient's coat, when the old gentleman came 
 near, and represented to the lady, in a serious tone, the 
 necessity of proceeding on their journey. Wilhelm 
 kept his eyes bent on her, and was so enchanted with 
 her looks, that he scarcely felt what he was suffering 
 or doing. 
 
 Philina, in the meantime, had risen to kiss the lady's 
 hand. While they stood beside each other, Wilhelm 
 thought he had never seen such a contrast. Phihna 
 had never till now appeared in so unfavourable a 
 light. She had no right, as it seemed to him, to come 
 near that noble creature, still less to touch her. 
 
 The lady asked Philina various things, but in an 
 undertone. At length she turned to the old gentle- 
 man, and said, " Dear uncle, may I be generous at your 
 expense ? " She took off the gi-eatcoat, with the visi- 
 ble intention to give it to the stripped and wounded 
 youth. 
 
 Wilhelm, whom the healing look of her eyes had 
 hitherto held fixed, was now, as the surtout fell away, 
 astonished at her lovely figure. She came near, and 
 softly laid the coat above him. At this moment, as he 
 tried to open his mouth and stammer out some words 
 of gratitude, the lively impression of her presence 
 worked so strongly on his senses, already caught and 
 bewildered, that all at once it appeared to him as if 
 her head were encircled with rays ; and a glancing 
 light seemed by degrees to spread itself over all her 
 form. At this moment the surgeon, making prepara- 
 tions to extract the ball from his wound, gave him a 
 sharper twinge ; the angel faded away from the eyes 
 of the fainting patient ; he lost all consciousness ; and, 
 on returning to himself, the horsemen and coaches, 
 the fair one with her attendants, had vanished like a 
 dream.
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Wilhelm's wounds once dressed, and his clothes 
 put on, the surgeon hastened off, just as the harper 
 with a number of peasants arrived. Out of some cut 
 boughs, which they speedily wattled with twigs, a kind 
 of litter was constructed, upon which they placed the 
 wounded youth, and under the conduct of a mounted 
 huntsman, whom the noble company^ had left behind 
 them, carried him softly down the mountain. The 
 harper, silent, and shrouded in his own thoughts, bore 
 with him his broken instrument. Some men brought 
 on Philina's box, herself following with a bundle. 
 Mignon skipped along through copse and thicket, now 
 before the party, now beside them, and looked up with 
 longing eyes at her hurt protector. 
 
 He, meanwhile, wrapped in his warm surtout, was 
 lying peacefully upon the litter. An electric warmth 
 seemed to flow from the fine wool into his body : in 
 short, he felt in the most delightful frame of mind. 
 The lovely being, whom this garment lately covered, 
 had affected him to the very heart. He still saw the 
 coat falling down from her shoulders ; saw that noble 
 form, begirt with radiance, stand beside him ; and his 
 soul hied over rocks and forests on the footsteps of 
 his vanished benefactress. 
 
 It was nightfall when the party reached the village, 
 and halted at the door of the inn where the rest of the 
 company, in the gloom of despondency, were bewailing 
 their irreparable loss. The one little chamber of the 
 house was crammed with people. Some of them were 
 lying upon straw, some were occupying benches, some 
 
 282
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 283 
 
 had squeezed themselves behind the stove. Frau 
 Mehna, in a neighbouring room, was painfully ex- 
 pecting her delivery. Fright had accelerated this 
 event. With the sole assistance of the landlady, a 
 young, inexperienced woman, nothing good could be 
 expected. 
 
 As the party just arrived required admission, there 
 arose a universal murmur. All now maintained, that 
 by Wilhelm's advice alone, and under his especial 
 guidance, they had entered on this dangerous road, and 
 exposed themselves to such misfortunes. They threw 
 the blame of the disaster wholly on him : they stuck 
 themselves in the door, to oppose his entrance ; de- 
 claring that he must go elsewhere and seek quarters. 
 Philina they received with still greater indignation, 
 nor did Mignon and the harper escape their share. 
 
 The huntsman, to whom the care of the forsaken 
 party had been earnestly and strictly recommended by 
 his beautiful mistress, soon grew tired of this dis- 
 cussion : he rushed upon the company with oaths and 
 menaces ; commanding them to fall to the right and 
 left, and make way for this new arrival. They now 
 began to pacify themselves. He made a place for 
 Wilhelm on a table, which he shoved into a corner; 
 Philina had her box put there, and then sat down upon 
 it. All packed themselves as they best could, and the 
 huntsman went away to see if he could not find for 
 " the young couple " a more convenient lodging. 
 
 Scarcely was he gone, when spite again grew noisy, 
 and one reproach began to follow close upon another. 
 Each described and magnified his loss, censuring the 
 foolhardiness they had so keenly smarted for. They 
 did not even hide the malicious satisfaction they felt 
 at Wilhelm's wounds : they jeered Philina, and im- 
 puted to her as a crime the means by which she had 
 saved her trunk. From a multitude of gibes and bitter 
 innuendoes, you were required to conclude, that, during
 
 284 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 the plundering and discomfiture, she had endeavoured 
 to worlv herself into favour with the captain of the 
 band, and had persuaded him, Heaven knew by what 
 arts and complaisance, to give her back the chest un- 
 hurt. To all this she answered nothing, only clanked 
 with the large padlocks of her box, to impress her 
 censurers completely with its presence, and by her own 
 good fortune to augment their desperation.
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Though our friend was weak from loss of blood, 
 and though, ever since the appearance of that helpful 
 angel, his feelings had been soft and mild, yet at last 
 he could not help getting vexed at the harsh and un- 
 just speeches which, as he continued silent, the dis- 
 contented company went on uttering against him. 
 Feeling himself strong enough to sit up, and expostu- 
 late on the annoyance they were causing to their friend 
 and leader, he raised his bandaged head, and propping 
 himself with some difficulty, and leaning against the 
 wall, he began to speak as follows : 
 
 " Considering the pain your losses occasion, I forgive 
 you for assailing me with injuries at a moment when 
 you should condole with me ; for opposing and casting 
 me from you the first time I have needed to look to 
 you for help. The services I did you, the complais- 
 ance I showed you, I regarded as sufficiently repaid by 
 your thanks, by your friendly conduct : do not warp 
 my thoughts, do not force my heart to go back and 
 calculate what I have done for you; the calculation 
 would be painful to me. Chance brought me near 
 you, circumstances and a secret inclination kept me 
 with you. I participated in your labours and your 
 pleasures : my slender abilities were ever at your 
 service. If you now blame me with bitterness for the 
 mishap that has befallen us, you do not recollect that 
 the first project of taking this road came to us from 
 stranger people, was weighed by all of you, and sanc- 
 tioned by every one as well as by me. 
 
 " Had our journey ended happily, each would have 
 
 285
 
 286 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 taken credit to himself for the happy thought of sug- 
 gesting this plan, and preferring it to others; each 
 would joyfully have put us in mind of our delibera- 
 tions, and of the vote he gave : but now you make me 
 alone responsible ; you force a piece of blame upon me, 
 which I would willingly submit to, if my conscience, 
 with a clear voice, did not pronounce me innocent, nay, 
 if I might not appeal with safety even to yourselves. 
 If you have aught to say against me, bring it forward 
 in order, and I shall defend myself; if you have 
 nothing reasonable to allege, then be silent, and do not 
 torment me now, when I have such pressing need of 
 rest." 
 
 By way of answer, the girls once more began whim- 
 pering and whining, and describing their losses cir- 
 cumstantially. Melina was quite beside himself; for 
 he had suffered more in purse than any of them, — 
 more, indeed, than we can rightly estimate. He 
 stamped like a madman up and down the little room, 
 he knocked his head against the wall, he swore and 
 scolded in the most unseemly manner ; and the land- 
 lady entering at this very time with news that his 
 wife had been delivered of a dead child, he yielded to 
 the most furious ebulhtions ; while, in accordance with 
 him, all howded and shrieked, and bellowed and up- 
 roared, with double vigour. 
 
 Wilhelm, touched to the heart at the same time with 
 sympathy for their sorrows and with vexation at their 
 mean way of thinking, felt all the vigour of his soul 
 awakened, notwithstanding the weakness of his body. 
 " Deyjlorable as your case may be," exclaimed he, " I 
 shall almost be compelled to despise you! No mis- 
 fortune gives us right to load an innocent man with 
 reproaches. If I had share in this false step, am not I 
 suffering my share? I lie wounded here; and, if the 
 company has come to loss, I myself have come to most. 
 The wardrobe of which we have been robbed, the
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 287 
 
 decorations that are gone, were mine; for you, Herr 
 Melina, have not yet paid me ; and I here fully acquit 
 you of all obhgation in that matter." 
 
 " It is well to give what none of us will ever see 
 again," replied Melina. " Your money was lying in my 
 wife's coffer, and it is your own blame that you have 
 lost it. But, ah ! if that were all ! " And thereupon 
 he began anew to stamp and scold and squeal. Every 
 one recalled to memory the superb clothes from the 
 count's wardrobe; the buckles, watches, snuff-boxes, 
 hats, for which Mehna had so happily transacted with 
 the head valet. Each, then, thought also of his own, 
 though far inferior, treasures. They looked with 
 spleen at Philina's box, and gave Wilhelm to under- 
 stand that he had indeed done wisely to connect him- 
 self with that fair personage, and to save his own goods 
 also, under the shadow of her fortune. 
 
 " Do you think," he exclaimed at last, " that I shall 
 keep anything apart while you are starving ? And is 
 this the first time I have honestly shared with you in 
 a season of need ? Open the trunk : all that is mine 
 shall go to supply the common wants." 
 
 " It is my trunk," observed Philina, " and I will not 
 open it till I please. Your rag or two of clothes, which 
 I have saved for you, could amount to little, though 
 they were sold to the most conscientious of Jews. 
 Think of yourself, — what your cure will cost, what 
 may befall you in a strange country." 
 
 " You, Phihna," answered Wilhelm, " will keep back 
 from me nothing that is mine ; and that little will help 
 us out of the first perplexity. But a man possesses 
 many things besides coined money to assist his friends 
 with. All that is in me shall be devoted to these 
 hapless persons, who, doubtless, on returning to their 
 senses, will repent their present conduct. Yes," con- 
 tinued he, "I feel that you have need of help; and, 
 what is mine to do, I will perform. Give me your
 
 288 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 confidence again; compose yourselves for a moment, 
 and accept of what I promise. Who will receive the 
 engagement of me in the name of all ? " 
 
 Here he stretched out his hand, and cried, " I 
 promise not to flinch from you, never to forsake you 
 till each shall see his losses doubly and trebly repaired ; 
 till the situation you are fallen into, by whose blame 
 soever, shall be totally forgotten by all of you, and 
 changed with a better." 
 
 He kept his hand still stretched out, but no one 
 would take hold of it. " I promise it again," cried he, 
 sinking back upon his pillow. All continued silent: 
 they felt ashamed, but nothing comforted : and Philina, 
 sitting on her chest, kept cracking nuts, a stock of 
 which she had discovered in her pocket.
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 The huntsman now came back with several people, 
 and made preparations for carrying away the wounded 
 youth. He had persuaded the parson of the place to 
 receive the " young couple " into his house ; Philina's 
 trunk was taken out; she followed with a natural air 
 of dignity. Mignon ran before ; and, when the patient 
 reached the parsonage, a wide couch, which had long 
 been standing ready as guest's bed and bed of honour, 
 was assigned him. Here it was first discovered that 
 his wound had opened, and bled profusely. A new 
 bandage was required for it. He fell into a feverish 
 state : Philina waited on him faithfully ; and, when 
 fatigue overpowered her, she was relieved by the 
 harper. Mignon, with the firmest purpose to watch, 
 had fallen asleep in a corner. 
 
 Next morning Wilhelm, who felt himself in some 
 degree refreshed, learned, by inquiring of the hunts- 
 man, that the honourable persons who last night 
 assisted him so nobly, had shortly before left their 
 estates, in order to avoid the movements of the con- 
 tending armies, and remain, till the time of peace, in 
 some more quiet district. He named the elderly 
 nobleman, as well as his niece, mentioned the place 
 they were first going to, and told how the young lady 
 had charged him to take care of "Wilhelm. 
 
 The entrance of the surgeon interrupted the warm 
 expressions of gratitude our friend was giving vent to. 
 He made a circumstantial description of the wounds, 
 and certified that they would soon heal, if the patient 
 took care of them, and kept himself at peace. 
 
 289
 
 290 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 When the huntsman was gone, Philina signified that 
 he had left with her a purse of twenty louis-d'or; that 
 he had given the parson a remuneration for their lodg- 
 ing, and left with him money to defray the surgeon's 
 bill when the cure should be completed. She added, 
 that she herself passed everywhere for Wilhelm's wife ; 
 that she now begged leave to introduce herself once for 
 all to him in this capacity, and would not allow him to 
 look out for any other sick-nurse. 
 
 " Philina," said Wilhelm, " in this disaster that has 
 overtaken us, I am already deeply in your debt, for 
 kindness shown me ; and I should not wish to see my 
 obligations increased. I am uneasy so long as you are 
 about me, for I know of nothing by which I can repay 
 your labour. Give me what things of mine you have 
 saved in your trunk ; join the rest of the company ; 
 seek another lodging ; take my thanks, and the gold 
 watch as a small acknowledgment : only leave me ; 
 your presence disturbs me more than you can fancy." 
 
 She laughed in his face when he had ended. " Thou 
 art a fool," she said : " thou wilt not gather wisdom. I 
 know better what is good for thee : I will stay, I will 
 not budge from the spot. I have never counted on the 
 gratitude of men, and therefore not on thine ; and, if I 
 have a touch of kindness for thee, what hast thou to 
 do with it ? " 
 
 She stayed accordingly, and soon wormed herself into 
 favour with the parson and his household ; being 
 always cheerful, having the knack of giving little 
 presents, and of talking to each in his own vein ; at 
 the same time always contriving to do exactly what 
 she pleased. Wilhelm's state was not uncomfortable : 
 the surgeon, an ignorant but not unskilful man, let 
 nature have sway; and the patient was soon on the 
 road to recovery. For such a consummation he vehe- 
 mently longed, being eager to pursue his plans and 
 wishes.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 291 
 
 Incessantly he kept recalKng that event, which had 
 made an ineffaceable impression on his heart. He saw 
 the beautiful Amazon again come riding out of the 
 thickets : she approached him, dismounted, went to 
 and fro, and strove to serve him. He saw the garment 
 she was wrapped in fall down from her shoulders : he 
 saw her countenance, her figure, vanish in their radi- 
 ance. All the dreams of his youth now fastened on 
 this image. Here he conceived he had at length 
 beheld the noble, the heroic, Clorinda with his own 
 eyes ; and again he bethought him of that royal youth, 
 to whose sick-bed the lovely, sympathising princess 
 came in her modest meekness. 
 
 " May it not be," said he often to himself in secret, 
 " that, in youth as in sleep, the images of coming things 
 hover round us, and mysteriously become visible to 
 our unobstructed eyes ? May not the seeds of what 
 is to betide us be already scattered by the hand of 
 Fate ? may not a foretaste of the fruits we yet hope to 
 gather possibly be given us ? " 
 
 His sick-bed gave him leisure to repeat those scenes 
 in every mood. A thousand times he called back the 
 tone of that sweet voice : a thousand times he envied 
 Phihna, who had kissed that helpful hand. Often the 
 whole incident ! appeared before him as a dream; and 
 he would have reckoned it a fiction, if the white sur- 
 tout had not been left behind to convince him that the 
 vision had a real existence. 
 
 With the greatest care for this piece of apparel, he 
 combined the most ardent wish to wear it. The first 
 time he arose, he put it on, and was kept in fear all 
 day lest it might be hurt by some stain or other 
 injury.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Laeetes visited his friend. He had not been pres- 
 ent during that lively scene at the inn, being then 
 confined to bed in an upper chamber. For his loss he 
 was already in a great degree consoled : he helped 
 himself with his customary, " What does it signify ? " 
 He detailed various laughable particulars about the 
 company; particularly charging Frau Mehna with 
 lamenting the loss of her stillborn daughter, solely 
 because she herself could not on that account enjoy 
 the Old-German satisfaction of having a Mechthilde 
 christened. As for her husband, it now appeared that 
 he had been possessed of abundant cash, and even at 
 first had by no means needed the advances which he 
 had cajoled from Wilhelm. Mehna's present plan 
 was, to set off by the next post- wagon, and he meant 
 to require of Wilhelm an introductory letter to his 
 friend. Manager Serlo, in whose company, the present 
 undertaking having gone to wreck, he now wished to 
 estabhsh himself. 
 
 For some days Mignon had been singularly quiet : 
 when pressed with questions, she at length admitted 
 that her right arm was out of joint. " Thou hast thy 
 own folly to thank for that," observed Phihna, and 
 then told how the child had drawn her sword in the 
 battle, and, seeing her friend in peril, had struck 
 fiercely at the freebooters, one of whom had at length 
 seized her by the arm, and pitched her to a side. 
 They chid her for not sooner speaking of her ailment ; 
 but they easily saw that she was apprehensive of the 
 surgeon, who had hitherto looked on her as a boy. 
 
 292
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 293 
 
 With a view to remove the mischief, she was made to 
 keep her arm in a sling, which arrangement, too, dis- 
 pleased her ; for now she was obliged to surrender 
 most part of her share in the management and nurs- 
 ing of our friend to Phihna. That pleasing sinner but 
 showed herself the more active and attentive on this 
 account. 
 
 One morning, on awakening, Wilhelm found himself 
 strangely near to her. In the movements of sleep, he 
 had hitched himself quite to the back of the spacious 
 bed. Philina was lying across from the front part of 
 it : she seemed to have fallen asleep on the bed while 
 sitting there and reading. A book had dropped from 
 her hand : she had sunk back ; and her head was lying 
 near his breast, over which her fair and now loosened 
 hair was spread in streams. The disorder of sleep 
 enlivened her charms more than art or purpose could 
 have done : a childlike smiling rest hovered on her 
 countenance. He looked at her for a time, and seemed 
 to blame himself for the pleasure this gave him. He 
 had viewed her attentively for some moments, when 
 she began to awake. He softly closed his eyes, but 
 could not help glimmering at her through his eye- 
 lashes, as she trimmed herself again, and went aw^ay 
 to see about breakfast. 
 
 All the actors had at length successively announced 
 themselves to Wilhelm; asking introductory letters, 
 requiring money for their journey with more or less 
 impatience and ill-breeding, and constantly receiving 
 it, against Philina's will. It was in vain for her to tell 
 our friend that the huntsman had already left a hand- 
 some sum with these people, and that accordingly they 
 did but cozen him. To these remonstrances he gave no 
 heed: on the contrary, the two had a sharp quarrel 
 about it ; which ended by Wilhelm signifying, once for 
 all, that Phihna must now join the rest of the company, 
 and seek her fortune with Serlo.
 
 294 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 For an instant or two she lost temper ; but, speedily 
 recovering her composure, she cried, " If I had but my 
 fair-hau'ed boy again, I should not care a fig for any 
 of you." She meant Friedrich, who had vanished 
 from the scene of battle, and never since appeared. 
 
 Next morning Mignon brought news to the bedside, 
 that Philina had gone off by night; leaving all that 
 belonged to Wilhelm very neatly laid out in the next 
 room. He felt her absence ; he had lost in her a 
 faithful nurse, a cheerful companion ; he was no longer 
 used to be alone. But Mignon soon filled up the 
 blank. 
 
 Ever since that light-minded beauty had been near 
 the patient with her friendly cares, the little creature 
 had by degrees drawn back, and remained silent and 
 secluded in herself ; but, the field being clear once 
 more,^she again came forth with her attentions and her 
 love, again was eager in serving, and lively in enter- 
 taining, him.
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 WiLHELM was rapidly approaching complete re- 
 covery : lie now hoped to be upon his journey in a 
 few days. He proposed no more to lead an aimless 
 routine of existence : the steps of his career were 
 henceforth to be calculated for an end. In the first 
 place, he purposed to seek out that beneficent lady, 
 and express the gratitude he felt to her ; then to pro- 
 ceed without delay to his friend the manager, that he 
 might do his utmost to assist the luckless company ; 
 intending, at the same time, to visit the commercial 
 friends whom he had letters for, and to transact the 
 business which had been entrusted to him. He was 
 not without hope that fortune, as formerly, would 
 favour him, and give him opportunity, by some lucky 
 speculation, to repair his losses, and fill up the vacuity 
 of his coffer. 
 
 The desire of again beholding his beautiful deliverer 
 augmented every day. To settle his route, he took 
 counsel with the clergyman, — a person well skilled in 
 statistics and geography, and possessing a fine collection 
 of charts and books. They two searched for the place 
 which this noble family had chosen as their residence 
 while the war continued : they searched for information 
 respecting the family itself. But their place was to be 
 found in no geography or map, and the heraldic 
 manuals made no mention of their name. 
 
 Wilhelm grew uneasy ; and, having mentioned the 
 cause of his anxiety, the harper told him he had 
 reason to believe that the huntsman, from whatever 
 motive, had concealed the real designations. 
 
 295
 
 296 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Conceiving himself now to be in the immediate 
 neighbourhood of his lovely benefactress, Wilhelm hoped 
 he might obtain some tidings of her if he sent out the 
 harper ; but in this, too, he was deceived. Dihgently 
 as the old man kept inquiring, he could find no trace 
 of her. Of late days a number of quick movements 
 and unforeseen marches had taken place in that quar- 
 ter; no one had particularly noticed the travelling 
 party ; and the ancient messenger, to avoid being taken 
 for a Jewish spy, was obliged to return, and appear 
 without any olive-leaf before his master and friend. 
 He gave a strict account of his conduct in this com- 
 mission, striving to keep far from him all suspicions of 
 remissness. He endeavoured by every means to miti- 
 gate the trouble of our friend ; bethought him of every- 
 thing that he had learned from the huntsman, and 
 advanced a number of conjectures ; out of all which, one 
 circumstance at length came to light, whereby Wilhelm 
 could explain some enigmatic words of his vanished 
 benefactress. 
 
 The freebooters, it appeared, had lain in wait, not for 
 the wandering troop, but for that noble company, whom 
 they rightly guessed to be provided with store of gold 
 and valuables, and of whose movements they must have 
 had precise intelhgence. Whether the attack should 
 be imputed to some free corps, to marauders, or to rob- 
 bers, was uncertain. It was clear, however, that, by 
 good fortune for the high and rich company, the poor 
 and low had first arrived upon the place, and undergone 
 the fate which was provided for the others. It was to 
 this that the lady's words referred, which Wilhelm yet 
 well recollected. If he might now be happy and con- 
 tented, that a prescient Genius had selected him for the 
 sacrifice, which saved a perfect mortal, he was, on the 
 other hand, nigh desperate, when he thought that all 
 hope of finding her and seeing her again was, at least 
 for the present, completely gone.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 297 
 
 What increased this singular emotion still further, 
 was the likeness which he thought he had observed 
 between the countess and the beautiful unknown. 
 They resembled one another as two sisters may, of 
 whom neither can be called the younger or the elder, 
 for they seem to be twins. 
 
 The recollection of the amiable countess was to Wil- 
 helm infinitely sweet. He recalled her image but too 
 wilhugly into his memory. But anon the figure of 
 the noble Amazon would step between : one vision 
 melted and changed into the other, and the form of 
 neither would abide with him. 
 
 A new resemblance — the similarity of their hand- 
 writings — naturally struck him with still greater 
 wonder. He had a charming song in the countess's 
 band laid up in his portfolio ; and in the surtout he 
 had found a little note, inquiring with much tender 
 care about the health of an uncle. 
 
 Wilhelm was convinced that his benefactress must 
 have penned this billet ; that it must have been sent 
 from one chamber to another, at some inn during their 
 journey, and put into the coat pocket by the uncle. 
 He held both papers together ; and, if the regular and 
 graceful letters of the countess had already pleased 
 him much, he found in the similar but freer lines of 
 the stranger a flowing harmony which could not be 
 described. The note contained nothing ; yet the strokes 
 of it seemed to affect him, as the presence of their fan- 
 cied writer once had done. 
 
 He fell into a dreamy longing ; and well accordant 
 with his feelings was the song which at that instant 
 Mignon and the harper began to sing, with a touching 
 expression, in the form of an irregular duet. 
 
 " 'Tis biit who longing knows, 
 My grief can measure. 
 Alone, reft of repose, 
 All joy, all pleasure,
 
 298 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 I thither look to those 
 Soft lines of azure. 
 Ah ! far is he who knows 
 Me, and doth treasure. 
 I faint, my bosom glows 
 'Neath pain's sore pressure. 
 'Tis but who longing knows. 
 My grief can measure." 
 
 — Editor's Version.
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 The soft allurements of his dear presiding angel, far 
 from leading our friend to any one determined path, 
 did but nourish and increase the unrest he had pre- 
 viously experienced. A secret fire was gliding through 
 his veins : objects distinct and indistinct alternated 
 within his soul, and awoke unspeakable desire. At 
 one time he wished for a horse, at another for wings ; 
 and not till it seemed impossible that he could stay, 
 did he look round him to discover whither he was 
 wanting to go. 
 
 The threads of his destiny had become so strangely 
 entangled, he wished to see its curious knots un- 
 ravelled, or cut in two. Often when he heard the 
 tramp of a horse, or the rolling of a carriage, he would 
 run to the window, and look out, in hopes it might be 
 some one seeking him, — some one, even though it 
 were by chance, bringing him intelligence and cer- 
 tainty and joy. He told stories to himself, how his 
 friend Werner might visit these parts, and come upon 
 him; how, perhaps, Mariana might appear. The 
 sound of every post's horn threw him into agitation. 
 It would be Melina sending news to him of his adven- 
 tures: above all, it would be the huntsman coming 
 back to carry him to the beauty he worshipped. 
 
 Of all these possibilities, unhappily no one occurred : 
 he was forced at last to return to the company of him- 
 self ; and, in again looking through the past, there was 
 one circumstance which, the more he viewed and 
 weighed it, grew the more offensive and intolerable to 
 him. It was his unprosperous generalship, of which 
 
 299
 
 300 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 he never thought without vexation. For although, on 
 the evening of that luckless day, he had produced a 
 pretty fair defence of his conduct when accused by 
 the company, yet he could not hide from himself that 
 he was guilty. On the contrary, in hypochondriac 
 moments, he took the blame of the whole misfortune. 
 
 Self-love exaggerates our faults as well as our 
 virtues. Wilhelm thought he had awakened confi- 
 dence in himself, had guided the will of the rest ; that, 
 led by inexperience and rashness, they had ventured 
 on, till a danger seized them, for which they were no 
 match. Loud as well as silent reproaches had then 
 assailed him ; and if, in their sorrowful condition, he 
 had promised the company, misguided by him, never 
 to forsake them till their loss had been repaid with 
 usury, this was but another folly for which he had to 
 blame himself, — the folly of presuming to take upon 
 his single shoulders a misfortune that was spread over 
 many. One instant he accused himself of uttering 
 this promise, under the excitement and the pressure of 
 the moment ; the next, he again felt that this generous 
 presentation of his hand, which no one deigned to 
 accept, was but a light formality compared with the 
 vow his heart had taken. He meditated means of 
 being kind and useful to them : he found every cause 
 conspire to quicken his visit to Serlo. Accordingly he 
 packed his things together; and without waiting his 
 complete recovery, without listening to the counsel of 
 the parson or of the surgeon, he hastened, in the 
 strange society of Mignon and the harper, to escape 
 the inactivity in which his fate had once more too long 
 detained him.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Seklo received him with open arms, crying as he 
 met him, " Is it you ? Do I see you again ? You have 
 scarcely changed at all. Is your love for that noblest 
 of arts still as lively and strong? So glad am I at 
 your arrival, that I even feel no longer the mistrust 
 your last letters had excited in me." 
 
 Wilhelm asked with surprise for a clearer explana- 
 tion. 
 
 " You have treated me," said Serlo, " not like an old 
 friend, but as if I were a great lord, to whom with a 
 safe conscience you. might recommend useless people. 
 Our destiny depends on the opinion of the public ; and 
 I fear Herr Melina and his suite can hardly be 
 received among us." 
 
 Wilhelm tried to say something in their favour ; but 
 Serlo began to draw so merciless a picture of them, 
 that our friend was happy when a lady came into the 
 room, and put a stop to the discussion. She was in- 
 troduced to him as Aureha, the sister of his friend; 
 she received him with extreme kindness ; and her con- 
 versation was so pleasing, that he did not even remark 
 a shade of sorrow visible on her expressive counte- 
 nance, to which it lent pecuhar interest. 
 
 For the first time during many months, Wilhelm 
 felt once more in his proper element. Of late in talk- 
 ing, he had merely found submissive listeners, and even 
 these not always; but now he had the happiness to 
 speak with critics and artists, who not only fully 
 understood him, but repaid his observations by others 
 equally instructive. With wonderful vivacity they 
 
 301
 
 302 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 travelled through the latest plays, with wonderful cor- 
 rectness judged them. The decisions of the pubhc 
 they could try and estimate : they speedily threw hght 
 on each other's thoughts. 
 
 Loving Shakespeare as our friend did, he failed not 
 to lead round the conversation to the merits of that 
 dramatist. Expressing, as he entertained, the livehest 
 hopes of the new epoch which these exquisite produc- 
 tions must form in Germany, he erelong introduced his 
 " Hamlet," which play had busied him so much of late. 
 
 Serlo declared that he would long ago have repre- 
 sented the play, had it at all been possible, and that he 
 himself would wilhngly engage to act Polonius. He 
 added, with a smile, "An Ophelia, too, will certainly 
 turn up, if we had but a prince." 
 
 Wilhelm did not notice that Aurelia seemed a little 
 hurt at her brother s sarcasm. Our friend was in his 
 proper vein, becoming copious and didactic, expounding 
 how he would have " Hamlet " played. He circum- 
 stantially delivered to his hearers the opinions we 
 before saw him busied with ; taking all the trouble 
 possible to make his notion of the matter acceptable, 
 skeptical as Serlo showed himself regarding it. " Well, 
 then," said the latter finally, " suppose we gi-ant you all 
 this, what will you explain by it ? " 
 
 " Much, everything," said "Wilhelm. " Conceive a 
 prince such as I have painted him, and that his father 
 suddenly dies. Ambition and the love of rule are not 
 the passions that inspire him. As a king's son, he 
 would have been contented ; but now he is first con- 
 strained to consider the difference which separates a 
 sovereign from a subject. The crown was not heredi- 
 tary ; yet his father's longer possession of it would have 
 strengthened the pretensions of an only son, and 
 secured his hopes of succession. In place of this, he 
 now beholds himself excluded by his uncle, in spite 
 of specious promises, most probably for ever. He is
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 303 
 
 now poor in goods and favour, and a stranger in the 
 scene which from youth he had looked upon as his 
 inheritance. His temper here assumes its first mourn- 
 ful tinge. He feels that now he is not more, that he 
 is less, than a private nobleman ; he offers himself as 
 the servant of every one; he is not courteous and 
 condescending, he is needy and degraded. 
 
 " His past condition he remembers as a vanished 
 dream. It is in vain that his uncle strives to cheer 
 him, to present his situation in another point of view. 
 The feeling of his nothingness will not leave him. 
 
 "The second stroke that came upon him wounded 
 deeper, bowed still more. It was the marriage of his 
 mother. The faithful, tender son had yet a mother, 
 when his father passed away. He hoped, in the com- 
 pany of his surviving noble-minded parent, to reverence 
 the heroic form of the departed ; but his mother, too, 
 he loses ; and it is something worse than death that 
 robs him of her. The trustful image, which a good 
 child loves to form of its parents, is gone. With the 
 dead there is no help, on the living no hold. More- 
 over, she is a woman; and her name is Frailty, like 
 that of all her sex. 
 
 " Now only does he feel completely bowed down, 
 now only orphaned ; and no happiness of life can 
 repay what he has lost. Not reflective or sorrowful by 
 nature, reflection and sorrow have become for him a 
 heavy obligation. It is thus that we see him first 
 enter on the scene. I do not think that I have mixed 
 aught foreign with the play, or overcharged a single 
 feature of it." 
 
 Serlo looked at his sister, and said, " Did I give thee 
 a false picture of our friend ? He begins well : he has 
 still many things to tell us, many to persuade us of." 
 Wilhelm asseverated loudly, that he meant not to 
 persuade, but to convince : he begged for another 
 moment's patience.
 
 304 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " Figure to yourselves this youth," cried he, " this 
 son of princes; conceive him vividly, bring his state 
 before your eyes, and then observe him when he learns 
 that his father's spirit walks; stand by him in the 
 terrors of the night, when even the venerable ghost 
 appears before him. He is seized with boundless 
 horror ; he speaks to the mysterious form ; he sees 
 it beckon him ; he follows and hears. The fearful 
 accusation of his uncle rings in his ears, the sum- 
 mons to revenge, and the piercing, oft-repeated prayer, 
 Eemember me ! 
 
 " And, when the ghost has vanished, who is it that 
 stands before us? A young hero panting for ven- 
 geance ? A prince by birth, rejoicing to be called to 
 punish the usurper of his crown ? Xo ! trouble and 
 astonishment take hold of the sohcary young man ; he 
 grows bitter against smiling villains, swears that he 
 will not forget the spirit, and concludes with the 
 significant ejaculation, — 
 
 <' < The time is out of joint : O cursed spite, 
 That ever I was born to set it right ! ' 
 
 " In these words, I imagine, will be found the key to 
 Hamlet's whole procedure. To me it is clear that 
 Shakespeare meant, in the present case, to represent the 
 effects of a great action laid upon a soul unfit for the 
 performance of it. In this view the whole play seems 
 to me to be composed. There is an oak-tree planted 
 in a costly jar, which should have borne only- pleasant 
 flowers in its bosom: the roots expand, the jar is 
 shivered. 
 
 " A lovely, pure, noble, and most moral nature, with- 
 out the strength of nerve which forms a hero, sinks 
 beneath a burden it cannot bear and must not cast 
 away. All duties are holy for him : the present is too 
 hard. Impossibihties have been required of him, —
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 305 
 
 not in themselves impossibilities, but such for him. 
 He winds and turns, and torments himself; he ad- 
 vances and recoils ; is ever put in mind, ever puts him- 
 self in mind ; at last does all but lose his purpose from 
 his thoughts, yet still without recovering his peace of 
 mind."
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Several people entering interrupted the discussion. 
 They were musical dilettanti, who commonly assembled 
 at Serlo's once a week, and formed a little concert. 
 Serlo himseK loved music much : he used to maintain, 
 that a player without taste for it never could attain a 
 distinct conception and feeling of the scenic art. " As 
 a man performs," he would observe, "with far more 
 ease and dignity when his gestures are accompanied 
 and guided by a tune ; so the player ought, in idea as 
 it were, to set to music even his prose parts, that he 
 may not monotonously shght them over in his individ- 
 ual style, but treat them in suitable alternation by time 
 and measure." 
 
 Aurelia seemed to give but little heed to what was 
 passing: at last she conducted Wilhelm to another 
 room ; and going to the window, and looking out at 
 the starry sky, she said to him, " You have more to tell 
 us about Hamlet : I will not hurry you, — my brother 
 must hear it as well as I ; but let me beg to know your 
 thoughts about Ophelia." 
 
 " Of her there cannot much be said," he answered ; 
 " for a few master-strokes complete her character. The 
 whole being of Opheha floats in sweet and ripe sensa- 
 tion. Kindness for the prince, to whose hand she may 
 aspire, flows so spontaneously, her tender heart obeys its 
 impulses so unresistingly, that both father and brother 
 are afraid : both give her warning harshly and directly. 
 Decorum, like the thin lawn upon her bosom, cannot 
 hide the soft, still movements of her heart : it, on the 
 contrary, betrays them. Her fancy is smit ; her silent 
 
 306
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 307 
 
 modesty breathes amiable desire ; and, if the friendly 
 goddess Opportunity should shake the tree, its fruit 
 would fall." 
 
 " And then," said Aurelia, " when she beholds herself 
 forsaken, cast away, despised ; when all is inverted in 
 the soul of her crazed lover, and the highest changes to 
 the lowest, and, instead of the sweet cup of love, he 
 offers her the bitter cup of woe " — 
 
 " Her heart breaks," cried Wilhelm ; " the whole 
 structure of her being is loosened from its joinings; 
 her father's death strikes fiercely against it, and the fair 
 edifice altogether crumbles into fragments." 
 
 Our friend had not observed with what expressive- 
 ness Aurelia pronounced those words. Looking only 
 at this work of art, at its connection and completeness, 
 he dreamed not that his auditress was feeling quite a 
 different influence ; that a deep sorrow of her own was 
 vividly awakened in her breast by these dramatic 
 shadows. 
 
 Aurelia's head was still resting on her arms ; and her 
 eyes, now full of tears, were turned to the sky. At 
 last, no longer able to conceal her secret grief, she 
 seized both hands of her friend, and exclaimed, while 
 he stood surprised before her, " Forgive, forgive a heavy 
 heart ! I am girt and pressed together by these people ; 
 from my hard-hearted brother I must seek to hide my- 
 self ; your presence has untied these bonds. My friend ! " 
 continued she, " it is but a few minutes since we saw 
 each other first, and already you are going to become 
 my confidant." She could scarcely end the words, and 
 sank upon his shoulder. " Think not worse of me," 
 she said, with sobs, " that I disclose myself to you so 
 hastily, that I am so weak before you. Be my friend, 
 remain my friend : I shall deserve it." He spoke to 
 her in his kindest manner, but in vain : her tears still 
 flowed, and choked her words. 
 
 At this moment Serlo entered, most unwelcomely.
 
 3o8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and, most unexpectedly, Philina, with her hand in his. 
 " Here is your friend," said he to her : " he will be glad 
 to welcome you." 
 
 " What ! " cried Wilhelm in astonishment : " are you 
 here ? " With a modest, settled mien, ,she went up to 
 him ; bade him welcome ; praised Serlo's goodness, who, 
 she said, without merit on her part, but purely in the 
 hope of her improvement, had agreed to admit her into 
 his accomplished troop. She behaved, all the while, 
 in a friendly manner toward Wilhelm, yet with a dig- 
 nified distance. 
 
 But this dissimulation lasted only till the other two 
 were gone. Aureha having left them, that she might 
 conceal her trouble, and Serlo being called away, 
 Philina first looked very sharply at the doors, to see 
 that both were really out ; then began skipping to and 
 fro about the room, as if she had been mad ; at last 
 dropped down upon the floor, Hke to die of gigghng 
 and laughing. She then sprang up, patted and flattered 
 our friend ; rejoicing above measure that she had been 
 clever enough to go before, and spy the land, and get 
 herself nestled in. 
 
 " Pretty things are going on here," she said ; " just of 
 the sort I like. Aureha has had a hapless love-affair 
 with some nobleman, who seems to be a very stately 
 person, one whom I myself could like to see some day. 
 He has left her a memorial, or I much mistake. There 
 is a boy running about the house, of three years old or 
 so : the papa must be a very pretty fellow. Commonly 
 I cannot suffer children, but this brat quite delights 
 me. I have calculated Aurelia's business. The death 
 of her husband, the new acquaintance, the child's age, 
 — all things agree. 
 
 " But now her spark has gone his ways : for a year 
 she has not seen a glimpse of him. She is beside 
 herself and inconsolable on this account. The more 
 fool she ! Her brother has a dancing-girl in his troop.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 309 
 
 with whom he stands on pretty terms ; an actress with 
 whom he is intimate ; in the town, some other women 
 whom he courts ; I, too, am on his list. The more fool 
 he ! Of the rest thou shalt hear to-morrow. And now 
 one word about Philina, whom thou knowest : the arch- 
 fool is fallen in love with thee." She swore it was true 
 and prime sport. She earnestly requested Wilhelm to 
 fall in love with Aureha, for then the chase would be 
 worth beholding. " She pursues her faithless swain, 
 thou her, I thee, her brother me. If that will not 
 divert us for a quarter of a year, I engage to die at the 
 first episode which occurs in this four times compli- 
 cated tale." She begged of him not to spoil her trade, 
 and to show her such respect as her external conduct 
 should deserve.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Next morning Wilhelm went to visit Frau Melina, 
 but found her not at home. On inquiring here for the 
 other members of the wandering community, he learned 
 that Philina had invited them to breakfast. Out of 
 curiosity, he hastened thither, and found them all in 
 very good spirits and of good comfort. The cunning 
 creature had collected them, was treating them with 
 chocolate, and giving them to understand that some 
 prospects still remained for them ; that, by her influence, 
 she hoped to convince the manager how advantageous 
 it would be for him to introduce so many clever hands 
 among 'his company. They listened to her with atten- 
 tion ; swallowed cup after cup of her chocolate ; thought 
 the girl was not so bad, after all, and went away pro- 
 posing to themselves to speak whatever good of her 
 they could. 
 
 " Do you think, then," said our friend, who stayed 
 behind, " that Serlo will determine to retain our com- 
 rades ? " " Not at all," replied Phihna ; " nor do I care 
 a fig for it. The sooner they are gone, the better ! 
 Laertes alone I could wish to keep : the rest we shall 
 by and by pack off." 
 
 Next she signified to Wilhelm her firm persuasion 
 that he should no longer hide his talent, but, under the 
 direction of a Serlo, go upon the boards. She was 
 lavish in her praises of the order, the taste, the spirit, 
 which prevailed in this establishment: she spoke so 
 flatteringly to Wilhelm, with such admiration of his 
 gifts, that his heart and his imagination were advancing 
 toward this proposal as fast as his understanding and 
 
 310
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 311 
 
 his reason were retreating from it. He concealed his 
 inclination from himself and from Philina, and passed 
 a restless day, unable to resolve on visiting his trading 
 correspondents, to receive the letters which might there 
 be lying for him. The anxieties of his people during 
 all this time he easily conceived ; yet he shrank from 
 the precise account of them, particularly at the present 
 time, as he promised to himself a gi-eat and pure enjoy- 
 ment from the exhibition of a new play that evening. 
 
 Serlo had refused to let him witness the rehearsal. 
 " You must see us on the best side," he observed, " be- 
 fore we can allow you to look into our cards." 
 
 The performance, however, where our friend did not 
 fail to be present, yielded him a high satisfaction. It 
 was the first time he had ever seen a theatre in such 
 perfection. The actors were evidently all possessed of 
 excellent gifts, superior capacities, and a high, clear 
 notion of their art : they were not equal, but they 
 mutually restrained and supported one another ; each 
 breathed ardour into those around him ; throughout 
 all their acting, they showed themselves decided and 
 correct. You soon felt that Serlo was the soul of the 
 whole : as an individual, he appeared to much advan- 
 tage. A merry humour, a measured vivacity, a settled 
 feehng of propriety, combined with a great gift of imi- 
 tation, were to be observed in him the moment he ap- 
 peared upon the stage. The inward contentment of 
 his being seemed to spread itself over all that looked 
 on him ; and the intellectual style in which he could 
 so easily and gracefully express the finest shadings of 
 his part, excited more delight, as he could conceal the 
 art which, by long-continued practice, he had made 
 his own. 
 
 Aureha, his sister, was not inferior: she obtained 
 still greater approbation ; for she touched the souls of 
 the audience, which he had it in his power to exhila- 
 rate and amuse.
 
 312 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 After a few days had passed pleasantly enough, 
 Aurelia sent to inquire for our friend. He hastened 
 to her : she was lying on a sofa ; she seemed to be 
 suffering from headache ; her whole frame had visibly 
 a feverish movement. Her eye lighted up as she 
 noticed Wilhelm. " Pardon me ! " she cried, as he 
 entered : " the trust you have inspired me with has 
 made me weak. Till now I have contrived to bear up 
 against my woes in secret ; nay, they gave me strength 
 and consolation : but now, I know not how it is, you 
 have loosened the bands of silence. You will now, 
 even against your will, take part in the battle I am 
 fighting with myself!" 
 
 Wilhelm answered her in kind and obhging terms. 
 He declared that her image and her sorrows had not 
 ceased to hover in his thoughts ; that he longed for 
 her confidence, and devoted himself to be her friend. 
 
 While he spoke, his eyes were attracted to the boy, 
 who sat before her on the floor, and was busy rattling 
 a multitude of playthings. This child, as Philina had 
 observed, might be about three years of age ; and Wil- 
 helm now conceived how that giddy creature, seldom 
 elevated in her phraseology, had hkened it to the sun. 
 For its cheerful eyes and full countenance were shaded 
 by the finest golden locks, which flowed around in 
 copious curls ; dark, slender, softly bending eyebrows 
 showed themselves upon a brow of dazzling whiteness ; 
 and the living tinge of health was glancing on its 
 cheeks. " Sit by me," said Aurelia : " you are looking 
 at the happy child with admiration ; in truth, I took 
 it into my arms with joy ; I keep it carefully ; yet, by 
 it, too, I can measure the extent of my sufferings ; for 
 they seldom let me feel the worth of such a gift. 
 
 " Allow me," she continued, " to speak to you about 
 myself and my destiny ; for I have it much at heart 
 that you should not misunderstand me. I thought I 
 should have a few calm instants ; and, accordingly, I
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 3^3 
 
 sent for you. You are now here, and the thread of 
 my narrative is lost. 
 
 " ' One more forsaken woman in the world ! ' you 
 will say. You are a man. You are thinking, ' What 
 a noise she makes, the fool, about a necessary evil ; 
 which, certainly as death, awaits a woman, when such 
 is the fidelity of men ! ' my friend ! if my fate 
 were common, I would gladly undergo a common evil ; 
 but it is so singular ! why cannot I present it to you 
 in a mirror, — why not command some one to tell it 
 you ? Oh ! had I, had I been seduced, surprised, and 
 afterward forsaken, there would then still be comfort 
 in despau' ; but I am far more miserable. I have been 
 my own deceiver ; I have wittingly betrayed myself ; 
 and this, this, is what shall never be forgiven me." 
 
 " With noble feelings, such as yours," said Wilhelm, 
 " you cannot be entirely unhappy." 
 
 " And do you know to what I am indebted for my 
 feelings ? " asked Aurelia. " To the worst education 
 that ever threatened to contaminate a girl; to the 
 vilest examples for misleading the senses and inclina- 
 tions. 
 
 "My mother dying early, the fairest years of my 
 youth were spent with an aunt, whose principle it was 
 to despise the laws of decency. She resigned herself 
 headlong to every impulse, careless whether the object 
 of it proved her tyrant or her slave, so she might for- 
 get herself in wild enjoyment. 
 
 "By children, with the pure, clear vision of inno- 
 cence, what ideas of men were necessarily formed in 
 such a scene ! How stolid, brutally bold, importunate, 
 unmannerly, was every one she allured ! How sated, 
 empty, insolent, and insipid, as soon as he had had his 
 wishes gratified ! I have seen this woman live, for 
 years, humbled under the control of the meanest crea- 
 tures. What incidents she had to undergo ! With 
 what a front she contrived to accommodate herself to
 
 314 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 her destiny ; nay, with how much skill, to wear these 
 shameful fetters ! 
 
 " It was thus, my friend, that I became acquainted 
 with your sex ; and deeply did I hate it, when, as I 
 imagined, I observed that even tolerable men, in their 
 conduct to ours, appeared to renounce every honest 
 feeling, of which nature might otherwise have made 
 them capable. 
 
 " Unhappily, moreover, on such occasions, a multi- 
 tude of painful discoveries about my own sex were 
 forced upon me ; and, in truth, I was then wiser, as a 
 girl of sixteen, than I now am, now that I scarcely 
 understand myself. Why are we so wise when young, 
 — so wise, and ever growing less so ? " 
 
 The boy began to make a noise : Aurelia became 
 impatient, and rang. An old woman came to take him 
 out. " Hast thou toothache still ? " said Aurelia to the 
 crone, whose face was wrapped in cloth. " Unsuffer- 
 able," said the other, with a muffled voice, then lifted 
 the boy, who seemed to like going with her, and car- 
 ried him away. 
 
 Scarcely was he gone, when Aureha began bitterly 
 to weep. " I am good for nothing," cried she, " but 
 lamenting and complaining ; and I feel ashamed to lie 
 before you like a miserable worm. My recollection is 
 already fled : I can relate no more." She faltered, and 
 was silent. Her friend, unwilling to reply with a 
 commonplace, and unable to reply with anything par- 
 ticularly applicable, pressed her hand, and looked at 
 her for some time without speaking. Thus embar- 
 rassed, he at length took up a book, which he noticed 
 lying on the table before him : it was Shakespeare's 
 works, and open at " Hamlet." 
 
 Serlo, at this moment entering, inquired about his 
 sister, and, looking in the book which our friend had 
 hold of, cried, " So you are again at ' Hamlet ? ' Very 
 good ! Many doubts have arisen in me, which seem
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 315 
 
 not a little to impair the canonical aspect of the play 
 as you would have it viewed. The English themselves 
 have admitted that its chief interest concludes with 
 the third act ; the last two lagging sorrily on, and 
 scarcely uniting with the rest : and certainly about 
 the end it seems to stand stock-still." 
 
 " It is very possible," said Wilhelm, " that some 
 individuals of a nation, which has so many master- 
 pieces to feel proud of, may be led by prejudice and 
 narrowness of mind to form false judgments ; but this 
 cannot hinder us from looking with our own eyes, and 
 doing justice where we see it due. I am very far 
 from censuring the plan of ' Hamlet : ' on the other 
 hand, I believe there never was a grander one in- 
 vented ; nay, it is not invented, it is real." 
 
 " How do you demonstrate that ? " inquired Serlo. 
 
 "I will not demonstrate anything," said Wilhelm: 
 " I will merely show you what my own conceptions 
 of it are." 
 
 Aurelia raised herself from her cushion, leaned upon 
 her hand, and looked at Wilhelm, who, with the 
 firmest assurance that he was in the right, went on as 
 follows : " It pleases us, it flatters us, to see a hero 
 acting on his own strength, loving and hating at the 
 bidding of his heart, undertaking and completing, cast- 
 ing every obstacle aside, and attaining some great end. 
 Poets and historians would willingly persuade us that 
 so proud a lot may fall to man. In ' Hamlet ' we are 
 taught another lesson : the hero is without a plan, but 
 the play is full of plan. Here we have no villain pun- 
 ished on some self-conceived and rigidly accomplished 
 scheme of vengeance : a horrid deed is done ; it rolls 
 along with all its consequences, dragging with it even 
 the guiltless : the guilty perpetrator would, as it seems, 
 evade the abyss made ready for him ; yet he plunges 
 in, at the very point by which he thinks he shall 
 escape, and happily complete his course.
 
 3i6 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " For it is the property of crime to extend its mis- 
 chief over innocence, as it is of virtue to extend its 
 blessings over many that deserve them not ; while 
 frequently the author of the one or of the other is not 
 punished or rewarded at all. Here in this play of 
 ours, how strange ! The Pit of darkness sends its 
 spirit and demands revenge : in vain ! All circum- 
 stances tend one way, and hurry to revenge : in vain ! 
 Neither earthly nor infernal thing may bring about 
 what is reserved for fate alone. The hour of judgment 
 comes ; the wicked falls with the good ; one race is 
 mowed away, that another may spring up." 
 
 After a j)ause, in which they looked at one another, 
 Serlo said, " You pay no great compliment to Provi- 
 dence, in thus exalting Shakespeare; and besides, it 
 appears to me, that for the honour of your poet, as 
 others for the honour of Providence, you ascribe to 
 him an object and a plan such as he himself had 
 never thought of."
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 "Let me also put a question," said Aurelia. "I 
 have looked at Ophelia's part again : I am contented 
 with it, and confident, that, under certain circum- 
 stances, I could play it. But tell me, should not 
 the poet have furnished the insane maiden with 
 another sort of songs ? Could not some fragments out 
 of melancholy ballads be selected for this purpose! 
 Why put double meanings and lascivious insipidities 
 in the mouth of this noble-minded girl ? " 
 
 " Dear friend," said Wilhelm, " even here I cannot 
 yield you one iota. In these singularities, in this 
 apparent impropriety, a deep sense is hid. Do we not 
 understand from the very first what the mind of the 
 good, soft-hearted girl was busied with ? Silently she 
 lived within herself, yet she scarce concealed her 
 wishes, her longing : the tones of desire were in secret 
 ringing through her soul ; and how often may she have 
 attempted, like an unskilful nurse, to lull her senses 
 to repose with songs which only kept them more 
 awake ? But at last, when her self-command is 
 altogether gone, when the secrets of her heart are 
 hovering on her tongue, that tongue betrays her ; and 
 in the innocence of insanity she solaces herself, un- 
 mindful of king or queen, with the echo of her loose 
 and well-beloved songs, — ' To-morrow is Saint Valen- 
 tine's Day,' and ' By Gis and by Saint Charity.' " 
 
 He had not finished speaking, when all at once an 
 extraordinary scene took place before him, which he 
 could not in any way explain. 
 
 317
 
 3i8 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Serlo had walked once or twice up and down the 
 room, without evincing any special object. On a 
 sudden, he stepped forward to Aurelia's dressing-table, 
 caught hastily at something that was lying there, and 
 hastened to the door with his booty. No sooner did 
 Aurelia notice this, than, springing up, she threw her- 
 self in his way, laid hold of him with boundless vehe- 
 mence, and had dexterity enough to clutch an end of 
 the article he was carrying off. They struggled and 
 wrestled with great obstinacy, twisted and threw each 
 other sharply around ; he laughed ; she exerted all her 
 strength; and as Wilhelm hastened toward them, to 
 separate and soothe them, Aureha sprang aside with a 
 naked dagger in her hand ; while Serlo cast the scab- 
 bard, which had stayed with him, angiily upon the floor. 
 Wilhelm started back astonished ; and his dumb won- 
 der seemed to ask the cause why so violent a strife, 
 about so strange an implement, had taken place be- 
 tween them. 
 
 "You shall judge betwixt us," said the brother. 
 " What business she with sharp steel ? Do but look 
 at it. That dagger is unfit for any actress, — point 
 like a needle's, edge like a razor's ! What good's the 
 farce ? Passionate as she is, she will one day chance 
 to do herself a mischief. I have a heart's hatred at 
 such singularities : a serious thought of that sort is 
 insane, and so dangerous a plaything is not in taste." 
 
 " I have it back ! " exclaimed Aureha, and held the 
 pohshed blade aloft : " I will now keep my faithful 
 friend more carefully. Pardon me," she cried, and 
 kissed the steel, "that I have so neglected thee." 
 
 Serlo was like to grow seriously angry. " Take it as 
 thou wilt, brother," she continued : " how knowest thou 
 but, under this form, a precious tahsman may have 
 been given me, so that, in extreme need, I may find 
 help and counsel in it ? Must all be hurtful that 
 looks dangerous ? "
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 319 
 
 "Such talk without a meaning might drive one 
 mad," said Serlo, and left the room with suppressed 
 indignation. Aureha put the dagger carefully into its 
 sheath, and placed it in her bosom. " Let us now re- 
 sume the conversation which our foolish brother has 
 disturbed," said she, as Wilhelm was beginning to put 
 questions on the subject of this quarrel. 
 
 " I must admit your picture of Ophelia to be just," 
 continued she ; " I cannot now misunderstand the 
 object of the poet : I must pity ; though, as you paint 
 her, I shall rather pity her than sympathise with her. 
 But allow me here to offer a remark, which in these 
 few days you have frequently suggested to me. I ob- 
 serve with admiration the correct, keen, penetrating 
 glance with which you judge of poetry, especially 
 dramatic poetry : the deepest abysses of invention are 
 not hidden from you, the finest touches of representa- 
 tion cannot escape you. Without ever having viewed 
 the objects in nature, you recognise the truth of their 
 images : there seems, as it were, a presentiment of all 
 the universe to he in you, which by the harmonious 
 touch of poetry is awakened and unfolded. For in 
 truth," continued she, " from without, you receive not 
 much : I have scarcely seen a person that so little 
 knew, so totally misknew, the people he lived with, as 
 you do. Allow me to say it : in hearing you expound 
 the mysteries of Shakespeare, one would think you had 
 just descended from a synod of the gods, and had 
 listened there while they were taking counsel how to 
 form men ; in seeing you transact with your fellows, I 
 could imagine you to be the first large-born child of 
 the Creation, standing agape, and gazing with strange 
 wonderment and edifying good nature at lions and 
 apes and sheep and elephants, and true-heartedly ad- 
 dressing them as your equals, simply because they were 
 there, and in motion like yourself." 
 
 " The feehng of my ignorance in this respect," said
 
 320 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 Wilhelm, " often gives me pain ; and I should thank 
 you, worthy friend, if you would help me to get a 
 little better insight into life. From youth, I have 
 been accustomed to direct the eyes of my spirit inwards 
 rather than outwards; and hence it is very natural, 
 that, to a certain extent, I should be acquainted with 
 man, while of men I have not the smallest knowledge." 
 
 " In truth," said Aurelia, " I at first suspected, that, 
 in giving such accounts of the people whom you sent 
 to my brother, you meant to make sport of us : when 
 I compared your letters with the merits of these per- 
 sons, it seemed very strange." 
 
 Aureha's remarks, well founded as they might be, 
 and wilhng as our friend was to confess himself de- 
 ficient in this matter, carried mth them something 
 painful, nay, offensive, to him ; so that he grew silent, 
 and retired within himself, partly to avoid showing any 
 irritated feeling, partly to search his mind for the 
 truth or error of the charge. 
 
 " Let not this alarm you," said Aurelia : " the hght 
 of the understanding it is always in our power to 
 reach, but this fulness of the heart no one can give us. 
 If you are destined for an artist, you cannot long 
 enough retain the dim-sighteduess and innocence of 
 which I speak ; it is the beautiful hull upon the young 
 bud ; woe to us if we are forced too soon to burst it ! 
 Surely it were well, if we never knew what the people 
 are for whom we work and study. 
 
 " Oh ! I, too, was in that happy case, when I first 
 betrod the stage, with the loftiest opinion of myself 
 and of my nation. What a people, in my fancy, were 
 the Germans ! what a people might they yet become ! 
 I addressed this people, raised above them by a little 
 joinery, separated from them by a row of lamps, whose 
 glancing and vapour threw an indistinctness over 
 everything before me. How welcome was the tumult 
 of applause which sounded to me from the crowd ! how
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 321 
 
 gratefully did I accept the present offered me unani- 
 mously by so many hands ! For a time I rocked my- 
 self in these ideas : I affected the multitude, and was 
 again affected by them. With my public I was on the 
 fairest footing: I imagined that I felt a perfect har- 
 mony betwixt us, and that on each occasion I beheld 
 before me the best and noblest of the land. 
 
 " Unhappily it was not the actress alone that in- 
 spired these friends of the stage with interest: they 
 likewise made pretensions to the young and lively girL 
 They gave me to understand, in terms distinct enough, 
 that my duty was, not only to excite emotion in them, 
 but to share it with them personally. This, unluckily, 
 was not my business : I wished to elevate their minds ; 
 but, to what they called their hearts, I had not the 
 slightest claim. Yet now men of all ranks, ages, and 
 characters, by turns afflicted me with their addresses ; 
 and it did seem hard that I could not, like an honest 
 young woman, shut my door, and spare myself such a 
 quantity of labour. 
 
 "The men appeared, for most part, much the 
 same as I had been accustomed to about my aunt ; 
 and here again I should have felt disgusted with them, 
 had not their peculiarities and insipidities amused me. 
 As I was compelled to see them, in the theatre, in open 
 places, in my house, I formed the project of spying out 
 their follies ; and my brother helped me with alacrity 
 to execute it. And if you reflect, that up from the 
 whisking shopman and the conceited merchant's son, 
 to the polished, calculating man of the world, the bold 
 soldier, and the impetuous prince, all in succession 
 passed in review before me, each in his way endeavour- 
 ing to found his small romance, you will pardon me if 
 I conceived that I had gained some acquaintance with 
 my nation. 
 
 "The fantastically dizened student; the awkward, 
 humbly proud man of letters; the sleek-fed, gouty
 
 322 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 canon ; the solemn, heedful man of office ; the heavy- 
 country baron ; the smirking, vapid courtier ; the young, 
 erring parson ; the cool as well as the quick and 
 sharply speculating merchant, — all these I have seen 
 in motion ; and I swear to you, that there were fev/ 
 among them fitted to inspire me even with a sentiment 
 of toleration : on the contrary, I felt it altogether irk- 
 some to collect, with tedium and annoyance, the 
 suffrages of fools ; to pocket those applauses in detail, 
 which in their accumulated state had so dehghted me, 
 which in the gross I had appropriated with such 
 pleasure. 
 
 " If I expected a rational comphment upon my act- 
 ing, if I hoped that they would praise an author whom 
 I valued, they were sure to make one empty observa- 
 tion on the back of another, and to name some vapid 
 play in which they wished to see me act. If I Hstened 
 in their company, to hear if some noble, brilliant, witty 
 thought had met vnth a response among them, and 
 would reappear from some of them in proper season, 
 it was rare that I could catch an echo of it. An error 
 that had happened, a mispronunciation, a provincialism 
 of some actor, such were the weighty points by which 
 they held fast, beyond which they could not pass. I 
 knew not, in the end, to what hand I should turn : 
 themselves they thought too clever to be entertained ; 
 and me they imagined they were well entertaining, if 
 they romped and made noise enough about me. I be- 
 gan very cordially to despise them all : I felt as if the 
 whole nation had, on purpose, deputed these people to 
 debase it in my eyes. They appeared to me so clown- 
 ish, so ill-bred, so wretchedly instructed, so void of 
 pleasing quahties, so tasteless, I frequently exclaimed, 
 ' No German can buckle his shoes, till he has learned 
 to do it of some foreign nation ! ' 
 
 " You perceive how bhnd, how unjust and splenetic, 
 I was ; and, the longer it lasted, my spleen increased.
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 323 
 
 I might have killed myself with these things, but I fell 
 into the contrary extreme : I married, or, rather, let 
 myself be married. My brother, who had undertaken 
 to conduct the theatre, wished much to have a helper. 
 His choice lighted on a young man, who was not 
 offensive to me, who wanted all that my brother had, 
 
 — genius, vivacity, spirit, and impetuosity of mind ; 
 but who also in return had all that my brother wanted, 
 
 — love of order, diligence, and precious gifts in 
 housekeeping, and the management of money. 
 
 " He became my husband, I know not how : we 
 lived together, I do not well know why. Sufifice it to 
 say, our affairs went prosperously forward. We drew 
 a large income : of this my brother's activity was the 
 cause. We lived with a moderate expenditure, and 
 that was the merit of my husband. I thought no 
 more about world or nation. With the world I had 
 nothing to participate : my idea of the nation had 
 faded away. When I entered on the scene, I did so 
 that I might subsist : I opened my lips because I durst 
 not continue silent, because I had come out to speak. 
 
 " Yet let me do the matter justice. I had altogether 
 given myself up to the disposal of my brother. His 
 objects were, applause and money ; for, between our- 
 selves, he has no dislike to hear his own praises ; and 
 his outlay is always great. I no longer played accord- 
 ing to my own feeling, to my own conviction, but as 
 he directed me ; and, if I did it to his satisfaction, I 
 was content. He steered entirely by the caprices of 
 the public. Money flowed upon us : he could live 
 according to his humour, and so we had good times 
 with him. 
 
 " Thus had I fallen into a dull, handicraft routine. 
 I spun out my days without joy or sympathy. My 
 marriage was childless, and not of long continuance. 
 My husband grew sick ; his strength was visibly de- 
 caying; anxiety for him interrupted my general iudif-
 
 324 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 ference. It was at this time that I formed an 
 acquaintance which opened a new life for me, — a 
 new and quicker one, for it will soon be done." 
 
 She kept silence for a time, and then continued, " All 
 at once my prattling humour falters: I have not the 
 courage to go on. Let me rest a little. You shall not 
 go, till you have learned the whole extent of my mis- 
 fortune. Meanwhile, call in Mignon, and ask her 
 what she wants." 
 
 The child had more than once been in the room, 
 while Aurelia and our friend were talking. As they 
 spoke lower on her entrance, she had glided out again, 
 and was now sitting quietly in the hall, and waiting. 
 Being bid return, she brought a book with her, which 
 its form and binding showed to be a small geograph- 
 ical atlas. She had seen some maps, for the first time, 
 at the parson's house, with great astonishment ; had 
 asked him many questions, and informed herself so far 
 as possible about them. Her desire to learn seemed 
 much excited by this new branch of knowledge. She 
 now earnestly requested Wilhelm to purchase her the 
 book; saying she had pawned her large silver buckle 
 with the print-seller for it, and wished to have back 
 the pledge to-morrow morning, as this evening it was 
 late. Her request was granted; and she then began 
 repeating several things she had already learned; at 
 the same time, in her own way, making many very 
 strange inquiries. Here again one might observe, that, 
 with a mighty effort, she could comprehend but little 
 and laboriously. So likewise was it with her writing, 
 at which she still kept busied. She yet spoke very 
 broken German : it was only when she opened her 
 mouth to sing, when she touched her cithern, that she 
 seemed to be employing an organ by which, in some 
 degree, the workings of her mind could be disclosed 
 and communicated. 
 
 Since we are at present on the subject, we may also
 
 meister's apprenticeship 325 
 
 mention the perplexity which Wilhelm had of late ex- 
 perienced from certain parts of her procedure. When 
 she came or went, wished him good morning or good 
 night, she clasped him so firmly in her arms, and 
 kissed him with such ardour, that often the violence of 
 this expanding nature gave him serious fears. The 
 spasmodic vivacity of her demeanour seemed daily to 
 increase : her whole being moved in a restless stillness. 
 She would never be without some piece of packthread 
 to twist in her hands, some napkin to tie in knots, 
 some paper or wood to chew. All her sports seemed 
 but the channels which drained off some inward 
 violent commotion. The only thing that seemed to 
 cause her any cheerfulness was being near the boy 
 Fehx, with whom she could go on in a very dainty 
 manner. 
 
 Aurelia, after a little rest, being now ready to ex- 
 plain to her friend a matter which lay very near her 
 heart, grew impatient at the Httle girl's delay, and 
 signified that she must go, — a hint, however, which 
 the latter did not take ; and at last, when nothing else 
 would do, they sent her off expressly and against her 
 will. 
 
 " Now or never," said Aurelia, " must I tell you the 
 remainder of my story. Were my tenderly beloved 
 and unjust friend but a few miles distant, I would say 
 to you, ' Mount on horseback, seek by some means to 
 get acquainted with him : on returning, you will cer- 
 tainly forgive me, and pity me with all your heart.' 
 As it is, I can only tell you with words how amiable 
 he was, and how much I loved him. 
 
 " It was at the critical season, when care for the ill- 
 ness of my husband had depressed my spirits, that I 
 first became acquainted with this stranger. He had 
 just returned from America, where, in company with 
 some Frenchmen, he had served with much distinction 
 under the colours of the United States.
 
 326 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 " He addressed me with an easy dignity, a frank 
 kindliness : lie spoke about myself, my state, my act- 
 ing, like an old acquaintance, so affectionately and dis- 
 tinctly, that now for the first time I enjoyed the 
 pleasure of perceiving my existence reflected in the 
 being of another. His judgments were just, though 
 not severe ; penetrating, yet not void of love. He 
 showed no harshness : his pleasantry was courteous, 
 with all his humour. He seemed accustomed to suc- 
 cess with women ; this excited my attention : he was 
 never in the least importunate or flattering ; this put 
 me off my guard. 
 
 " In the town, he had intercourse with few : he was 
 often on horseback, visiting his many friends in the 
 neighbourhood, and managing the business of his 
 house. On returning, he would frequently alight at 
 my apartments ; he treated my ever ailing husband 
 with warm attention ; he procured him mitigation of 
 his sickness by a good physician. And, taking part 
 in all that interested me, he allowed me to take part in 
 all that interested him. He told me the history of his 
 campaigns : he spoke of his invincible attachment to 
 military life, of his family relations, of his present busi- 
 ness. He kept no secret from me ; he displayed to me 
 his inmost thoughts, allowed me to behold the most 
 secret corners of his soul: I became acquainted with 
 his passions and his capabilities. It was the first time 
 in my life that I enjoyed a cordial, intellectual inter- 
 course with any living creature. I was attracted by 
 him, borne along by him, before I thought about 
 inquiring how it stood with me. 
 
 " Meanwhile I lost my husband, nearly just as I had 
 taken him. The burden of theatrical affairs now fell 
 entirely on me. My brother, not to be surpassed upon 
 the stage, was never good for anything in economical 
 concerns : I took the charge of all, at the same time 
 studying my parts with greater diligence than ever. I
 
 meister's apprenticeship 327 
 
 again played as of old, — nay, with new life, with, 
 quite another force. It was by reason of my friend, it 
 was on his account, that I did so ; yet my success was 
 not always best when I knew him to be present. Once 
 or twice he listened to me unobserved, and how pleas- 
 antly his unexpected applauses surprised me you may 
 conceive. 
 
 " Certainly I am a strange creature. In every part 
 I played, it seemed as if I had been speaking it in 
 praise of him : for that was the temper of my heart, the 
 words might be anything they pleased. Did I under- 
 stand him to be present in the audience, I durst not 
 venture to speak out with all my force ; just as I 
 would not press my love or praise on him to his face : 
 was he absent, I had then free scope ; I did my best, 
 with a certain peacefulness, with a contentment not to 
 be described. Applause once more dehghted me ; and, 
 when I charmed the people, I longed to call down 
 among them, ' This you owe to him ! ' 
 
 " Yes : my relation to the public, to the nation, had 
 been altered by a wonder. On a sudden they again 
 appeared to me in the most favourable light : I felt . 
 astonished at my former blindness. 
 
 "'How foolish,' said I often to myself, 'was it to 
 revile a nation, — foolish, simply because it was a 
 nation. Is it necessary, is it possible, that individual 
 men should generally interest us much ? Not at all ! 
 The only question is, whether in the great mass there 
 exists a sufficient quantity of talent, force, and capa- 
 bihty, which lucky circumstances may develop, which 
 men of lofty minds may direct upon a common object.' 
 I now rejoiced in discovering so little prominent origi- 
 nality among my countrymen ; I rejoiced that they 
 disdained not to accept of guidance from without ; I 
 rejoiced that they had found a leader. 
 
 "Lothario, — allow me to designate my friend by 
 this, his first name, which I loved, — Lothario had
 
 328 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 always presented tlie Germans to my mind on the side 
 of valour, and shown me, that, w^hen well commanded, 
 there was no braver nation on the face of the earth ; 
 and I felt ashamed that I had never thought of this, 
 the first quality of a people. History was known to 
 him : he was in connection and correspondence with 
 the most distinguished persons of the age. Young as 
 he was, his eye was open to the budding youthhood of 
 his country, to the silent labours of active and busy 
 men in so many provinces of art. He afforded me a 
 glimpse of Germany, — what it was and what it might 
 be; and I blushed at having formed my judgment of 
 a nation from the motley crowd that squeeze into the 
 wardrobe of a theatre. He made me look upon it as a 
 duty that I too, in my own department, should be true, 
 spirited, enlivening. I now felt as if inspired every 
 time I stepped upon the boards. Mediocre passages 
 gi-ew golden in my mouth : had any poet been at hand 
 to support me adequately, I might have produced the 
 most astonishing effects. 
 
 " So lived the young vndow for a series of months. 
 He could not do without me, and I felt exceedingly 
 unhappy when he stayed away. He showed me the 
 letters he received from his relations, from his amiable 
 sister. He took an interest in the smallest circum- 
 stance that concerned me : more complete, more inti- 
 mate, no union ever was than ours. The name of love 
 was not mentioned. He went and came, came and 
 went. And now, my friend, it is high time that you, 
 too, should go."
 
 CHAPTEE XVII. 
 
 WiLHELM could put off DO longer the visiting of his 
 commercial friends. He proceeded to their place with 
 some anxiety, knowing he should there find letters 
 from his people. He dreaded the reproofs which these 
 would of course contain: it seemed hkely also that 
 notice had been given to his trading correspondents, 
 concerning the perplexities and fears which his late 
 silence had occasioned. After such a series of knightly 
 adventures, he recoiled from the schoolboy aspect in 
 which he must appear : he proposed within his mind to 
 act with an air of sternness and defiance, and thus 
 hide his embarrassment. 
 
 To his great wonder and contentment, however, all 
 went off very easily and well. In the vasst, stirring, 
 busy counting-room, the men had scarcely time to seek 
 him out his packet: his delay was but alluded to in 
 passing. And on opening the letters of his father, and 
 his friend Werner, he found them all of very innocent 
 contents. His father, in hopes of an extensive journal, 
 the keeping of which he had strongly recommended to 
 his son at parting, giving him also a tabulary scheme 
 for that purpose, seemed pretty well pacified about the 
 silence of the first period ; complaining only of a certain 
 enigmatical obscurity in the last and only letter des- 
 patched, as we have seen, from the castle of the count. 
 Werner joked in his way ; told merry anecdotes, face- 
 tious burgh-news ; and requested intelligence of friends 
 and acquaintances, whom Wilhelm, in the large trading- 
 city, would now meet with in great numbers. Our 
 friend, extremely pleased at getting off so well, an- 
 
 329
 
 33° MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 swered without loss of a moment, in some very cheerful 
 letters ; promising his father a copious journal of his 
 travels, with all the required geographical, statistical, 
 and mercantile remarks. He had seen much on his 
 journey, he said, and hoped to make a tolerably large 
 manuscript out of these materials. He did not observe 
 that he was almost in the same case as he had once 
 experienced before, when he assembled an audience 
 and lit his lamps to represent a play which was not 
 written, still less got by heart. Accordingly, so soon 
 as he commenced the actual work of composition, he 
 became aware that he had much to say about emotions 
 and thoughts, and many experiences of the heart and 
 spirit, but not a w^ord concerning outward objects, on 
 which, as he now discovered, he had not bestowed the 
 least attention. 
 
 In this embarrassment, the acquisitions of his friend 
 Laertes came very seasonably to his aid. Custom had 
 united these young people, unhke one another as they 
 were ; and Laertes, with all his faihngs and singularities, 
 was actually an interesting man. Endowed with warm 
 and pleasurable senses, he might have reached old age 
 without reflecting for a moment on his situation. But 
 his ill-fortune and his sickness had robbed him of the 
 pure feehngs of youth, and opened for him instead of it a 
 view into the transitoriness, the discontinuity, of man's 
 existence. Hence had arisen a humourous, flighty, 
 rhapsodical way of thinking about all things, or, rather, 
 of uttering the immediate impressions they produced 
 on him. He did not like to be alone ; he strolled about 
 all the coffee-houses and taUes-d'hote ; and, when he 
 did vStay at home, books of travels were his favourite, 
 nay, his only, kind of reading. Having lately found a 
 large circulating library, he had been enabled to con- 
 tent his taste in this respect to the full ; and erelong 
 half the world was figuring in his faithful memory. 
 
 It was easy for him, therefore, to speak comfort to
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 331 
 
 his friend, when the latter had disclosed his utter lack 
 of matter for the narrative so solemnly promised by 
 him. " Now is the time for a stroke of art," said Laer- 
 tes, " that shall have no fellow ! 
 
 " Has not Germany been travelled over, cruised over, 
 walked, crept, and flown over, repeatedly from end to 
 end ? And has not every German traveller the royal 
 privilege of drawing from the pubhc a repayment of 
 the gi-eat or small expenses he may have incurred 
 while travelling ? Give me your route previous to our 
 meeting: the rest I know already. I will find you 
 helps and sources of information : of miles that were 
 never measured, populations that were never counted, 
 w^e shall give them plenty. The revenues of provinces 
 we will take from almanacs and tables, which, as all 
 men know, are the most authentic documents. On 
 these we will ground our political discussions : we shall 
 not fail in side-glances at the ruling powers. One or 
 two princes we will paint as true fathers of their coun- 
 try, that we may gain more ready credence in our 
 allegations against others. If we do not travel through 
 the residence of any noted man, we shall take care to 
 meet such persons at the inn, and make them utter the 
 most foolish stuff to us. Particularly, let us not forget 
 to insert, with all its graces and sentiments, some love- 
 story with a pastoral barmaid. I tell you, it shall be 
 a composition which will not only fill father and 
 mother with delight, but which booksellers themselves 
 shall gladly pay you current money for." 
 
 They went accordingly to work, and both of them 
 found pleasure in their labour. Wilhelm, in the mean- 
 time, frequenting the play at night, and conversing 
 with Serlo and Aureha by day, experienced the greatest 
 satisfaction, and was daily more and more expanding 
 his ideas, which had been too long revolving in the 
 same narrow circle.
 
 CHAPTEK XVIII. 
 
 It was not without deep interest that he became 
 acquainted with the history of Serlo's career. Piece- 
 meal he learned it ; for it was not the fashion of that 
 extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of 
 anything connectively. He had been, one may say, 
 born and suckled in the theatre. While yet Hterally 
 an infant, he had been produced upon the stage to 
 move spectators, merely by his presence ; for authors 
 even then were acquainted with this natural and very 
 guiltless mode of doing so. Thus his first "Father!" 
 or " Mother ! " in favourite pieces, procured him appro- 
 bation, before he understood what was meant by that 
 clapping of the hands. In the character of Cupid, he 
 more than once descended, with terror, in his flying- 
 gear ; as harlequin, he used to issue from the egg ; and, 
 as a little chimney-sweep, to play the sharpest tricks. 
 
 Unhappily, the plaudits of these glancing nights 
 were too bitterly repaid by suflferings in the interven- 
 ing seasons. His father was persuaded that the minds 
 of children could be kept awake and steadfast by no 
 other means than blows : hence, in the studying of any 
 part, he used to thrash him at stated periods, not 
 because the boy was awkward, but that he might be- 
 come more certainly and constantly expert. It was 
 thus that in former times, while putting down a land- 
 mark, people were accustomed to bestow a hearty 
 drubbing on the children who had followed them ; and 
 these, it was supposed, would recollect the place ex- 
 actly to the latest day of their lives. Serlo waxed in 
 stature, and showed the finest capabihties of spirit and 
 
 332
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 333 
 
 of body, — in particular, an admirable pliancy at once 
 in his thoughts, looks, movements, and gestures. His 
 gift of imitation was beyond belief. When still a boy, 
 he could mimic persons, so that you would think you 
 saw them ; though in form, age, and disposition, they 
 might be entirely unlike him, and unlike each other. 
 Nor with all this, did he want the knack of suiting 
 himself to his circumstances, and picking out his way 
 in life. Accordingly, so soon as he had gTOwn in some 
 degree acquainted with his strength, he very naturally 
 eloped from his father, who, as the boy's understand- 
 ing and dexterity increased, still thought it needful to 
 forward their perfection by the harshest treatment. 
 
 Happy was the wild boy, now roaming free about 
 the world, where his feats of waggery never failed to 
 secure him a good reception. His lucky star first led 
 him in the Christmas season to a cloister, where the 
 friar, whose business it had been to arrange processions, 
 and to entertain the Christian community by spiritual 
 masquerades, having just died, Serlo was welcomed as 
 a helping angel. On the instant he took up the part 
 of Gabriel in the Annunciation, and did not by any 
 means displease the pretty girl, who, acting the Virgin, 
 very gTacefully received his most obliging kiss, with 
 external humility and inward pride. In their mys- 
 teries, he continued to perform the most important 
 parts, and thought himself no slender personage, when 
 at last, in the character of Martyr, he was mocked of 
 the world, and beaten, and fixed upon the cross. 
 
 Some pagan soldiers had, on this occasion, played 
 their parts a little too naturally. To be avenged on 
 these heathen in the proper style, he took care at the 
 Day of Judgment to have them decked out in gaudy 
 clothes as emperors and kings; and at that moment 
 when they, exceedingly contented with their situation, 
 were about to take precedence of the rest in heaven, as 
 they had done on earth, he, on a sudden, rushed upon
 
 334 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 them in the shape of the Devil ; and to the cordial edi- 
 fication of all the beggars and spectators, having 
 thoroughly curried them with his oven-fork, he pushed 
 them without mercy back into the chasm, where, in 
 the midst of waving flame, they met with the sorriest 
 welcome. 
 
 He was acute enough, however, to perceive that 
 these crowned heads might feel offended at such bold 
 procedure, and perhaps forget the reverence due to his 
 privileged office of accuser and turnkey. So in all 
 silence, before the millennium commenced, he with- 
 drew, and betook him to a neighbouring town. Here 
 a society of persons, denominated Children of Joy, re- 
 ceived him with open arms. They were a set of clever, 
 strong-headed, lively geniuses, w^ho saw well enough 
 that the sum of our existence, divided by reason, never 
 gives an integer number, but that a surprising fraction 
 is always left behind. At stated times, to get rid of 
 this fraction, which impedes, and, if it is diffused over 
 all the mass of our conduct, endangers us, was the 
 object of the Children of Joy. For one day a week 
 each of them in succession was a fool on purpose ; and, 
 during this, he in his turn exhibited to ridicule, in 
 allegorical representations, whatever folly he had 
 noticed in himself, or the rest, throughout the other 
 six. This practice might be somewhat ruder than 
 that constant training, in the course of which a man 
 of ordinary morals is accustomed to observe, to warn, 
 to punish, himself daily ; but it was also merrier and 
 surer. For as no Child of Joy concealed his bosom- 
 folly, so he and those about him held it for simply what 
 it was; whereas, on the other plan, by the help of 
 self-deception, this same bosom-folly often gains the 
 head authority within, and binds down reason to a 
 secret servitude, at the very time when reason fondly 
 hopes that she has long since chased it out-of-doors. 
 The mask of folly circulated around in this society;
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 335 
 
 and each member was allowed, in his particular day, 
 to decorate and characterise it with his own attri- 
 butes or those of others. At the time of carnival, 
 they assumed the greatest freedom, vying with the 
 clergy in attempts to instruct and entertain the 
 multitude. Their solemn figurative processions of 
 Virtues and Vices, Arts and Sciences, Quarters of the 
 World, and Seasons of the Year, bodied forth a num- 
 ber of conceptions, and gave images of many distant 
 objects to the people, and hence were not without their 
 use ; while, on the other hand, the mummeries of the 
 priesthood tended but to strengthen a tasteless super- 
 stition, already strong enough. 
 
 Here again young Serlo was altogether in his ele- 
 ment. Invention in its strictest sense, it is true, he 
 had not; but, on the other hand, he had the most 
 consummate skill in employing what he found before 
 him, in ordering it, and shadowing it forth. His 
 roguish turns, his gift of mimicry; his biting wit, 
 which at least one day weekly he might use with en- 
 tire freedom, even against his benefactors, — made 
 him precious, or rather indispensable, to the whole 
 society. 
 
 Yet his restless mind soon drove him from this 
 favourable scene to other quarters of his country, 
 where other means of instruction awaited him. He 
 came into the pohshed, but also barren, part of Ger- 
 many, where, in worshipping the good and the beauti- 
 ful, there is indeed no want of truth, but frequently a 
 grievous want of spirit. His masks would here do 
 nothing for him : he had now to aim at working on the 
 heart and mind. For short periods, he attached him- 
 self to small or to extensive companies of actors, and 
 marked, on these occasions, what were the distinctive 
 properties, both of the pieces and the players. The 
 monotony which then reigned on the German theatre, 
 the mawkish sound and cadence of their Alexandrines,
 
 33^ MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 the flat and yet distorted dialogue, the shallowness 
 and commonness of these undisguised preachers of 
 morahty, he was not long in comprehending, or in 
 seizing, at the same time, what little there was that 
 moved and pleased. 
 
 Not only single parts in the current pieces, but the 
 pieces themselves, remained easily and wholly in his 
 memory, and, along with them, the special tone of any 
 player who had represented them with approbation. 
 At length, in the course of his rambles, his money 
 being altogether done, the project struck him of acting 
 entire pieces by himself, especially in villages and no- 
 blemen's houses, and thus in all places making sure 
 at least of entertainment and lodging. In any tavern, 
 any room, or any garden, he would accordingly at once 
 set up his theatre: with a roguish seriousness and a 
 show of enthusiasm, he would contrive to gain the 
 imaginations of his audience, to deceive their senses, 
 and before their eyes to make an old press into a 
 tower, or a fan into a dagger. His youthful warmth 
 supplied the place of deep feehng : his vehemence 
 seemed strength, and his flattery tenderness. Such of 
 the spectators as already knew a theatre, he put in 
 mind of all that they had seen and heard : in the rest 
 he awakened a presentiment of something wonderful, 
 and a wish to be more acquainted with it. What pro- 
 duced an effect in one place he did not fail to repeat 
 in others ; and his mind overflowed with a wicked 
 pleasure when, by the same means, on the spur of the 
 moment, he could make gulls of all the world. 
 
 His spirit was lively, brisk, and unimpeded : by 
 frequently repeating parts and pieces, he improved 
 very fast. Erelong he could recite and play with 
 more conformity to the sense than the models whom 
 he had at first imitated. Proceeding thus, he arrived by 
 degrees at playing naturally ; though he did not cease 
 to feign. He seemed transported, yet he lay in wait
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 337 
 
 for the effect ; and his greatest pride was in moving, 
 by successive touches, the passions of men. The mad 
 trade he drove did itself soon force him to proceed 
 with a certain moderation ; and thus, partly by 
 constraint, partly by instinct, he learned the art of 
 which so few players seemed to have a notion, — the 
 art of being frugal in the use of voice and gestures. 
 
 Thus did he contrive to tame, and to inspire with 
 interest for him, even rude and unfriendly men. Be- 
 ing always contented with food and shelter ; thank- 
 fully accepting presents of any kind as readily as 
 money, which latter, when he reckoned that he had 
 enough of it, he frequently declined, — he became a 
 general favourite, was sent about from one to another 
 with recommendatory letters ; and thus he wandered 
 many a day from castle to castle, exciting much 
 festivity, enjoying much, and meeting in his travels 
 with the most agreeable and curious adventures. 
 
 With such inward coldness of temper, he could not 
 properly be said to love any one; with such clearness 
 of vision, he could respect no one; in fact, he never 
 looked beyond the external pecuHarities of men ; and 
 he merely carried their characters in his mimical 
 collection. Yet withal, his selfishness was keenly 
 wounded if he did not please every one and call forth 
 universal applause. • How this might be attained, he 
 had studied in the course of time so accurately, and 
 so sharpened his sense of the matter, that not only on 
 the stage, but also in common life, he no longer could 
 do otherwise than flatter and deceive. And thus did 
 his disposition, his talent, and his way of life, work 
 reciprocally on each other, till by this means he had 
 imperceptibly been formed into a perfect actor. Nay, 
 by a mode of action and reaction, which is quite 
 natural, though it seems paradoxical, his recitation, 
 declamation, and gesture improved, by critical discern- 
 ment and practice, to a high degree of truth, ease,
 
 33^ MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 and frankness ; while, in his life and intercourse with 
 men, he seemed to grow continually more secret, art- 
 ful, or even hypocritical and constrained. 
 
 Of his fortunes and adventures we perhaps shall 
 speak in another place : it is enough to remark at 
 present, that in later times, when he had become a 
 man of circumstance, in possession of a distinct repu- 
 tation, and of a very good, though not entirely secure, 
 employment and rank, he was wont, in conversation, 
 partly in the way of irony, partly of mockery, in a 
 dehcate style, to act the sophist, and thus to destroy 
 almost all serious discussion. This kind of speech he 
 seemed peculiarly fond of using toward Wilhelm, 
 particularly when the latter took a fancy, as often 
 happened, for introducing any of his general and 
 theoretical disquisitions. Yet still they liked well to 
 be together : with such different modes of thinking, 
 the conversation could not fail to be lively. "Wilhelm 
 always wished to deduce everything from abstract 
 ideas which he had arrived at : he wanted to have art 
 viewed in all its connections as a whole. He wanted 
 to promulgate and fix down ^niversal laws ; to settle 
 what was right, beautiful, and good : in short, he 
 treated all things in a serious manner. Serlo, on the 
 other hand, took up the matter very lightly : never 
 answering directly to any question, he would contrive, 
 by some anecdote or laughable turn, to give the 
 finest and most satisfactory illustrations, and thus to 
 instruct his audience while he made them merry.
 
 nuani .V/ 
 
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 ..... ... , . .. ., , (:ir'rTim 
 
 place : it is enough 
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 partly in the way of ii 
 
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 lend ot usiuig ^ 
 ^ '-^er took ;^ 
 
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 ai_ .- _, _. _-,_ 
 
 by some . e or 
 
 finest and most & 
 
 instruct his audience while iic ma 
 
 " He was wont to make them read " 
 
 Photogravure after the paintmg by W. p-fiedrich
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 While our friend was in this way living very hap- 
 pily, Melina and the rest were in quite a different case. 
 Wilhelm they haunted hke evil spirits ; and not only 
 by their presence, but frequently by rueful faces and 
 bitter words, they caused him many a sorry moment. 
 Serlo had not admitted them to the most trifling part, 
 far less held out to them any hope of a permanent en- 
 gagement ; and yet he had contrived, by degrees, to get 
 acquainted with the capabilities of every one of them. 
 Whenever any actors were assembled in leisure hours 
 about him, he was wont to make them read, and fre- 
 quently to read along with them. On such occasions 
 he took plays which were by and by to be acted, which 
 for a long time had remained unacted ; and generally 
 by portions. In like manner, after any first representa- 
 tion, he caused such passages to be repeated as he had 
 anything to say upon : by which means he sharpened 
 the discernment of his actors, and strengthened their 
 certainty of hitting the proper point. And as a person 
 of slender but correct understanding may produce more 
 agreeable effect on others than a perplexed and unpu- 
 rified genius, he would frequently exalt men of mediocre 
 talents, by the clear views which he imperceptibly 
 afforded them, to a wonderful extent of power. Nor 
 was it an unimportant item in his scheme, that he like- 
 wise had poems read before him in their meetings ; for 
 by these he nourished in his people the feeling of that 
 charm which a well-pronounced rhythm is calculated 
 to awaken in the soul : whereas, in other companies, 
 
 339
 
 340 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 those prose compositions were already getting intro- 
 duced for which any tyro was adequate. 
 
 On occasions such as these, he had contrived to 
 make himself acquainted mth the new-come players: 
 he had decided what they were, and what they might 
 be, and silently made up his mind to take advantage of 
 their talents, in a revolution which was now threatening 
 his own company. For awhile he let the matter rest ; 
 declined every one of Wilhelm's intercessions for his 
 comrades, with a shrug of the shoulders ; till at last 
 he saw his time, and altogether unexpectedly made the 
 proposal to our friend, " that he himself should come 
 upon the stage ; that, on this condition, the others, too, 
 might be admitted." 
 
 " These people must not be so useless as you formerly 
 described them," answered Wilhelm, " if they can now 
 be ail received at once ; and I suppose their talents 
 would remain the same without me as with me." 
 
 Under seal of secrecy, Serlo hereupon explained his 
 situation, — how his first actor was giving hints about 
 a rise of salary at the renewal of their contract ; how 
 he himself did not inchue conceding this, the rather as 
 the individual in question was no longer in such favour 
 with the public: how, if he dismissed him, a whole 
 train would follow ; whereby, it was true, his company 
 would lose some good, but Hkewise some indifferent, 
 actors. He then showed Wilhelm what he hoped to 
 gain in him, in Laertes, Old Boisterous, and even Frau 
 Melina. Nay, he promised to procure for the silly 
 Pedant himself, in the character of Jew, minister, but 
 chiefly of villain, a decided approbation. 
 
 Wilhelm faltered; the proposal fluttered him; he 
 knew not what to say. That he might say something, 
 he rejoined, with a deep-drawn breath,"" You speak very 
 graciously about the good you find and hope to find in 
 us ; but how is it with our weak points, which certainly 
 have not escaped your penetration ? "
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 341 
 
 " These," said Serlo, " by diligence, practice, and 
 reflection, we shall soon make strong points. Though 
 you are yet but . freshmen and bunglers, there is not 
 one among you that does not warrant expectation more 
 or less : for, so far as I can judge, no stick, properly so 
 called, is to be met with in the company ; and your 
 stick is the only person that can never be improved, 
 never bent or guided, whether it be self-conceit, stupid- 
 ity, or hypochondria, that renders him unpliant." 
 
 The manager next stated, in a few words, the terms 
 he meant to offer : requested Wilhelm to determine 
 soon, and left him in no small perplexity. 
 
 In the marvellous composition of those travels, 
 which he had at first engaged with, as it were, in jest, 
 and was now carrying on in conjunction with Laertes, 
 his mind had by degrees gi'own more attentive to the 
 circumstances and the every-day life of the actual 
 world than it was wont. He now first understood 
 the object of his father in so earnestly recommending 
 him to keep a journal. He now, for the first time, 
 felt how pleasant and how useful it might be to be- 
 come participator in so many trades and requisitions, 
 and to take a hand in diffusing activity and life into 
 the deepest nooks of the mountains and forests of 
 Europe. The busy trading town in which he was ; the 
 unrest of Laertes, who dragged him about to examine 
 everything, — afforded him the most impressive image 
 of a mighty centre, from which everything was flowing 
 out, to which everything was coming back ; and it was 
 the first time that his spirit, in contemplating this 
 species of activity, had really felt delight. At such a 
 juncture Serlo's offer had been made him ; had again 
 awakened his desires, his tendencies, his faith in a nat- 
 ural talent, and again brought into mind his solemn 
 obligation to his helpless comrades. 
 
 "Here standest thou once more," said he within 
 himself, " at the Parting of the Ways, between the two
 
 342 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 women who appeared before thee in thy youth. The 
 one no longer looks so pitiful as then, nor does the 
 other look so glorious. To obey the one, or to obey 
 the other, thou art not without a kind of inward calling : 
 outward reasons are on both sides strong enough, and 
 to decide appears to thee impossible. Thou wishest 
 some preponderancy from without would fix thy choice ; 
 and yet, if thou consider well, it is external circum- 
 stances only that inspire thee with a wish to trade, to 
 gather, to possess; whilst it is thy inmost want that 
 has created, that has nourished, the desire still further 
 to unfold and perfect what endowments soever for the 
 beautiful and good, be they mental or bodily, may lie 
 within thee. And ought I not to honour Fate, which, 
 without furtherance of mine, has led me hither to the 
 goal of all my wishes ? Has not all that I, in old times, 
 meditated and forecast, now happened accidentally, and 
 without my cooperation ? Singular enough ! We seem 
 to be so intimate with nothing as we are with our own 
 wishes and hopes, which have long been kept and 
 cherished in our hearts ; yet when they meet us, when 
 they, as it were, press forward to us, then we know 
 them not, then we recoil from them. All that, since 
 the hapless night which severed me from Mariana, I 
 have but allowed myself to dream, now stands before 
 me, entreating my acceptance. Hither I intended to 
 escape by flight ; hither I am softly guided ; with Serlo 
 I meant to seek a place ; he now seeks me, and offers 
 me conditions, which, as a beginner, I could not have 
 looked for. Was it, then, mere love to Mariana that 
 bound me to the stage ? Or love to art that bound me 
 to her ? Was that prospect, that outlet, which the 
 theatre presented me, nothing but the project of a rest- 
 less, disorderly, and disobedient boy, wishing to lead a 
 life which the customs of the civic world would not 
 admit of ? Or was all this different, worthier, purer ? 
 If so, what moved thee to alter the persuasions of that
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 343 
 
 period ? Hast thou not hitherto, even without know- 
 ing it, pursued thy plan ? Is not the concluding step 
 still further to be justified, now that no side-purposes 
 combine with it ; now that in making it thou mayest 
 fulfil a solemn promise, and nobly free thyself from a 
 heavy debt ? " 
 
 All that could affect his heart and his imagination 
 was now moving, and conflicting in the livehest strife 
 within him. The thought that he might retain Mignon, 
 that he should not need to put away the harper, was 
 not an inconsiderable item, in the balance, which, how- 
 ever, had not ceased to waver to the one and to the 
 other side, when he went, as he was wont, to see his 
 friend Aurelia.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 She was lying on the sofa : she seemed quiet. " Do 
 you think you will be fit to act to-morrow ? " he in- 
 quired. " Oh, yes ! " cried she with vivacity : " you 
 know there is nothing to prevent me. If I but knew 
 a way," continued she, " to rid myself of those applauses ! 
 The people mean it well, but they will kill me. Last 
 night I thought my very heart would break ! Once, 
 when I used to please myself, I could endure this 
 gladly : when I had studied long, and well prepared 
 myself, it gave me joy to hear the sound, ' It has suc- 
 ceeded ! ' pealing back to me from every corner. But 
 now I speak not what I like, nor as I like ; I am swept 
 along, I get confused, I scarce know what I do ; and the 
 impression I make is far deeper. The applause grows 
 louder ; and I think. Did you but know what charms 
 you ! these dark, vague, vehement tones of passion move 
 you, force you to admire ; and you feel not that they 
 are the cries of agony, wrung from the miserable being 
 whom you praise. 
 
 " I learned my part this morning : just now I have 
 been repeating it and trying it. I am tired, broken 
 down ; and to-morrow I must do the same. To-morrow 
 evening is the play. Thus do I drag myself to and 
 fro : it is wearisome to rise, it is wearisome to go to bed. 
 All moves within me in an everlasting circle. Then 
 come their dreary consolations, and present themselves 
 before me ; and I cast them out, and execrate them. I 
 will not surrender, not surrender to necessity : why 
 should that be necessary which crushes me to the 
 dust ? Might it not be otherwise ? I am paying the 
 
 344
 
 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 345 
 
 penalty of being born a German : it is the nature of 
 the Germans, that they bear heavily on everything, that 
 everything bears heavily on them." 
 
 " my friend ! " cried Wilhelm, " could you cease to 
 whet the dagger wherewith you are ever wounding me ! 
 Does nothing, then, remain for you ? Are your youth, 
 your form, your health, your talents, nothing ? Having 
 lost one blessing, without blame of yours, must you 
 throw all the others after it ? Is that also necessary ? " 
 
 She was silent for a few moments, and then burst 
 forth, " I know well, it is a waste of time, nothing but 
 a waste of time, this love ! What might not, should 
 not, I have done ? And now it is all vanished into air. 
 I am a poor, wretched, lovelorn creature, — lovelorn, 
 that is all ! Oh, have compassion on me ! God knows 
 I am poor and wretched ! " 
 
 She sank in thought : then, after a brief pause, she 
 exclaimed with violence, " You are accustomed to have 
 all things fly into your arms. No : you cannot feel, no 
 man is qualified to feel, the worth of a woman that can 
 reverence herself. By all the holy angels, by all the 
 images of blessedness, which a pure and kindly heart 
 creates, there is not anything more heavenly than the 
 soul of a woman giving herself to the man she loves ! 
 
 " We are cold, proud, high, clear-sighted, wise, while 
 we deserve the name of women ; and all these qualities 
 we lay down at your feet, the instant that we love, 
 that we hope to excite a return of love. Oh, how have 
 I cast away my whole existence wittingly and wilhngly ! 
 But now will I despair, purposely despair. There is 
 no drop of blood within me but shall suffer, no fibre 
 that I will not punish. Smile, I pray you ; laugh at 
 this theatrical display of passion." 
 
 Wilhelm was far enough from any tendency to laugh. 
 This horrible, half-natural, half-factitious condition of 
 his friend afflicted him but too deeply. He sympa- 
 thised in the tortures of that racking misery : his
 
 346 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 thoughts were wandering in painful perplexities, his 
 blood was in a feverish tumult. 
 
 She had risen, and was walking up and down the 
 room. " I see before me," she exclaimed, " all manner 
 of reasons why I should not love him. I know he is 
 not worthy of it ; I turn my mind aside, this way and 
 that : I seize upon whatever business I can find. At 
 one time I take up a part, though I have not to play 
 it ; at another, I begin to practise old ones, though I 
 know them through and through ; I practise them more 
 diligently, more minutely, — I toil and toil at them. 
 My friend, my confidant, what a horrid task is it to tear 
 away one's thoughts from oneself ! My reason suffers, 
 my brain is racked and strained : to save myself from 
 madness, I again admit the feeling that I love him. 
 Yes, I love him, I love him ! " cried she, with a shower 
 of tears : " I love him, I shall die loving him ! " 
 
 He took her by the hand, and entreated her in the 
 most earnest manner not to waste herself in such self- 
 torments. " Oh ! it seems hard," said he, " that not 
 only so much that is impossible should be denied us, 
 but so much also that is possible ! It was not your lot 
 to meet with a faithful heart that would have formed 
 your perfect happiness. It was mine to fix the welfare 
 of my life upon a hapless creature, whom, by the weight 
 of my fidelity, I drew to the bottom like a reed, per- 
 haps even broke in pieces ! " 
 
 He had told Aurelia of his intercourse with Mari- 
 ana, and could therefore now refer to it. She looked 
 him intently in the face, and asked, " Can you say that 
 you never yet betrayed a woman, that you never tried 
 with thoughtless gallantry, with false asseverations, 
 with cajoling oaths, to wheedle favour from her ? " 
 
 " I can ! " said Wilhelm, " and indeed without much 
 vanity : my life has been so simple and sequestered, I 
 have had but few enticements to attempt such things. 
 And what a warning, my beautiful, my noble, friend, is
 
 MEISTER'S apprenticeship 347 
 
 this melancholy state in which I see you ! Accept of 
 me a vow, which is suited to my heart ; which, under 
 the emotion you have caused me, has settled into words 
 and shape, and will be hallowed by the hour in which 
 I utter it. Each transitory inclination I will study 
 to withstand, and even the most earnest I will keep 
 within my bosom : no woman shall receive an acknowl- 
 edgment of love from my Ups to whom I cannot conse- 
 crate my life ! " 
 
 She looked at him with a wild indifference, and drew 
 back some steps as he offered her his hand. " 'Tis c>f 
 no moment ! " cried she : " so many women's tears, more 
 or fewer ; the ocean will not swell by reason of them. 
 And yet," continued she, " among thousands, one 
 woman saved ; that still is something ; among thou- 
 sands, one honest man discovered ; this is not to be 
 refused. Do you know, then, what you promise ? " 
 
 " I know it," answered Wilhelm, with a smile, and 
 holding out his hand. 
 
 " I accept it, then," said she, and made a movement 
 with her right hand, as if meaning to take hold of his ; 
 but instantly she darted it into her pocket, pulled out 
 her dagger quick as lightning, and scored with the edge 
 and point of it across his hand. He hastily drew it 
 back, but the blood was already running down. 
 
 " One must mark you men rather sharply, if one 
 would have you take heed," cried she, with a wild 
 mirth, which soon passed into a quick assiduity. She 
 took her handkerchief, and bound his hand with it to 
 staunch the fast-flowing blood. " Forgive a half-crazed 
 being," cried she, " and regret not these few drops of 
 blood. I am appeased. I am again myself. On my 
 knees will I crave your pardon : leave me the comfort 
 of heahng you." 
 
 She ran to her drawer, brought hnt, with other ap- 
 paratus, staunched the blood, and viewed the wound 
 attentively. It went across the palm, close under the
 
 348 MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP 
 
 thumb, dividing the life-line, and running toward the 
 little finger. She bound it up in silence, with a signifi- 
 cant, reflective look. He asked, once or twice, " Aure- 
 lia, how could you hurt your friend ? " 
 
 "Hush!" rephed she, laying her finger on her 
 mouth : " Hush ! " 
 
 END OF VOLUME I.