our
civilization to stand in need of a class like this, and to have those whom
we despise so constantly near us. Go with her to-morrow as formerly to the
Carolin Thor about the Seltzer water; if the small bottles are as genuine
as the larger ones, order some of them, but I think the larger size are
more likely to be the _safest_; _ce depend de votre esprit, votre
distinction_, &c. Now farewell, my dear son; take care to get me the
genuine, and _not_ the artificial Seltzer water, and go yourself to see
about it, or I might get Heaven knows what! Farewell again, my good fellow;
we are well affected towards you, and shall expect you the day after
to-morrow at eight o'clock. Breakfast shall be ready for you, if that early
meal does not become as usual a late meal. _Ah! au diable avec ces grands
coquins de neveux, allez-vous en, soyez mon fils, mon fils bien aime.
Adieu; je vous baise, votre pere sincere comme toujours._

430.

TO HIS NEPHEW.

The old goose is the bearer of this. She has given you the quills, and you
have again told an untruth. Alas! farewell. I await your report about the
book. She is going to-day to Katel, so she will have very little time for
her stupid blundering. May the Lord one day deliver me from her! _Libera me
Domine de illis_, &c.

431.[1]

DEAR SON, DEAR BOY,--

Do not omit the point about "the happiness." I know from my experience of
the late Lichnowsky, that those so-called great personages do not like to
see an artist, who is at all events their equal, prosperous. _Voila le meme
cas, votre Altesse_, sometimes in the context V.A. The address "a son
Altesse Monseigneur le Prince," &c., &c. We cannot tell whether he may have
that weakness or not. A blank sheet ought to follow with my signature. You
might add that he must not regard the newspaper trash, the writers of
which, if I chose, would loudly trumpet forth my merits. The Quartet did
indeed fail the first time that it was played by Schuppanzigh; for on
account of his corpulence he requires more time than formerly to decipher a
piece at a glance, and many other circumstances concurred in preventing its
success, which were indeed predicted by me; for although Schuppanzigh and
two others receive pensions from royal personages [Rasumowsky], their
quartet-playing is not what it was when all four were in the habit of
constantly playing together. On the other hand, it has been six times
performed in the most admirable manner by other ar