Lord Melbourne felt quite sure that there had been a mistake about Ben
Stanley, which was the reason that he mentioned his name. He is sorry
that he has made a fool of himself by writing. Having had so much to
do with invitations during the two last years, he was not altogether
unnaturally mortified to find himself not invited there.[31] Stanley
is not a man to whom Lord Melbourne is very partial, but we must give
every one his due. Lord Melbourne always discourages to the utmost of
his power the notion of any one's having a right or claim to be asked,
which notion, however, has a strong possession of the minds of people
in general.

Lord Melbourne is come down here again, being determined to see this
spring thoroughly and completely. His feelings are like those, so
beautifully described by Schiller, of Max Piccolomini,[32] when, after
a youth passed entirely in war, he for the first time sees a country
which has enjoyed the blessings of peace. The Germans seem to Lord
Melbourne generally to prefer Goethe to Schiller, a decision which
surprises him, although he feels that he has no right to dictate to
a people, of whose language he does not understand a word, their
judgment upon their own authors. But the one, Schiller, seems to him
to be all truth, clearness, nature and beauty; the other, principally
mysticism, obscurity, and unintelligibility.

Lord Melbourne intends to return on Wednesday, and will have the
honour and pleasure of waiting upon your Majesty on Thursday.

[Footnote 30: The second Earl Cawdor, who married Miss Sarah
Mary Cavendish.]

[Footnote 31: Edward John, afterwards second Lord Stanley of
Alderley, was nicknamed Ben, after "Sir Benjamin Backbite."
He had mentioned to Lord Melbourne that he was disappointed at
not receiving an invitation to the Royal Ball.]

[Footnote 32: In the Wallenstein Trilogy.]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _20th May 1842._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--I found here yesterday a very long and dear
letter from your august hand, which made me very happy. Your _fete_
I believe to have been most probably one of the most splendid _ever_
given. There is hardly a country where so much magnificence exists;
Austria has some of the means, but the Court is not elegant from its
nature. We regret sincerely not to have been able to witness it, and
will admire the exhibition of your splendid costume.

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