fers
substantially from the one under which I have governed you
for twenty-three years. Accordingly, I lay down my sceptre
in favour of my beloved son, Prince Maximilian. I have
always governed you with full regard for your welfare. Had I
been a mere clerk, I could not have worked more strenuously;
had I been a Minister of Finance, I could not have devoted
more attention to the requirements of my country. I thank
God that I can look the whole world fearlessly in the face
and there confront the most scrutinising eye. Although I now
relinquish my crown, I can assure you that my heart still
beats as warmly as ever for Bavaria.

"MUNICH,

_March 21, 1848_."

Ludwig's signature to this mixture of rigmarole and bombast was
followed by those of his sons, the Princes Maximilian Luitpold,
Adalbert, and Carl. As for Maximilian, the new sovereign, he, rather
than risk being thrown out of the saddle, was prepared to make a clean
sweep of a number of existing grievances. As an earnest of his
intentions, he promised, in the course of a frothy oration, to grant
an amnesty to political prisoners, liberty of the press, the abolition
of certain taxes, the institution of trial by jury, and a long delayed
reform of the franchise.

With the idea, no doubt, of filling the vacancy in his affections
caused by the abrupt departure of Lola Montez, Fraeulein Schroder, a
young actress at the Hof Theatre, endeavoured to comfort Ludwig in his
retirement. He, however, was beyond forming any fresh contacts.

"My happiness is gone from me," he murmured sadly. "I cannot stop in a
capital to which I have long given a father's loving care."

Firm in this resolve, he left Munich for the Riviera and took a villa
among the olives and oranges of Nice. There he turned over a fresh
leaf. But he did not stop writing poetry. Nor did he stop writing to
the woman who was still in his thoughts. One ardent epistle that
followed her into exile ran in this fashion:

Oh, my Lolita! A ray of sunshine at the break of day! A
stream of light in an obscured sky! Hope ever causes chords
long forgotten to resound, and existence becomes once again
pleasant as of yore. Such were the feelings which animated
me during that night of happiness when, thanks to you alone,
everything was sheer joy. Thy spirit lifted up mine out of
sadness; never did an intoxication equal the on