,
Und troesten sich stets Ihrer Huld._

_Gehorsam, Fleiss und zarte Liebe
Verspreche ich auf dieses Jahr.
Der Herr schenk' mir nur gute Treibe,
Und mache all' mein Wunschen wahr. Amen._

JOHANN CHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH SCHILLER.

_Den 1 Januarii Anno 1769._]

'According to the pious wish of their Son, this year, 1769, did bring
somewhat which "comforted" them. Captain Schiller, from of old a lover
of rural occupations, and skilful in gardening and nursery affairs,
had, at Ludwigsburg, laid-out for himself a little Nursery. It was
managed on the same principles which he afterwards made public in his
Book, _Die Baumzucht im Grossen_ (Neustrelitz, 1795, and second
edition, Giessen, 1806); and was prospering beautifully. The Duke, who
had noticed this, signified satisfaction in the thing; and he
appointed him, in 1770, to shift to his beautiful Forest-Castle, Die
Solituede, near Stuttgart, as overseer of all his Forest operations
there. Hereby to the active man was one of his dearest wishes
fulfilled; and a sphere of activity opened, corresponding to his
acquirements and his inclination. At Solituede, by the Duke's order, he
laid-out a Model Nursery for all Wuertemberg, which he managed with
perfect care and fidelity; and in this post he so completely satisfied
the expectations entertained of him, that his Prince by and by raised
him to the rank of Major.' He is reckoned to have raised from seeds,
and successfully planted, 60,000 trees, in discharge of this
function, which continued for the rest of his life.

'His Family, which already at Lorch, in 1766, had been increased by
the birth of a Daughter, Luise, waited but a short time in Ludwigsburg
till the Father brought them over to the new dwelling at Solituede.
Fritz, on the removal of his Parents, was given over as boarder to his
actual Teacher, the rigorous pedant Jahn; and remained yet two years
at the Latin school in Ludwigsburg. During this time, the lively, and
perhaps also sometimes mischievous Boy, was kept in the strictest
fetters; and, by the continual admonitions, exhortations, and manually
practical corrections of Father and of Teacher, not a little held down
and kept in fear. The fact, for instance, that he liked more the
potent Bible-words and pious songs of a Luther, a Paul Gerhard, and
Gellert, than he did the frozen lifeless catechism-drill of the
Ludwigsburg Institute, gave surly strait-laced Jahn occasion to lament
from tim