pride, stormed alternately through the solid honest
man's paternal breast, as he saw the frank picture of a Prodigal Son
rolled out before him; and had to gaze into the most revolting deeps
of the passions and vices. Yet he felt himself irresistibly dragged
along by the uncommon vivacity of action in this wild Drama; and at
the same time powerfully attracted by the depth, the tenderness and
fulness of true feeling manifested in it: so that, at last, out of
those contradictory emotions of his, a clear admiration and pride for
his Son's bold and rich spirit maintained the upper hand. By
Schiller's friends and closer connections, especially by his Mother
and Sisters, all pains were of course taken to keep up this favourable
humour in the Father, and carefully to hide from him all
disadvantageous or disquieting tidings about the Piece and its
consequences and practical effects. Thus he heard sufficiently of the
huge excitement and noise which the _Robbers_ was making all over
Germany, and of the seductive approval which came streaming-in on the
youthful Poet, even out of distant provinces; but heard nothing either
of the Duke's offended and angry feelings over the _Robbers_, a
production horrible to him; nor of the Son's secret journeys to
Mannheim, and the next consequences of these' (his brief arrest,
namely), 'nor of the rumour circulating in spiteful quarters, that
this young Doctor was neglecting his own province of medicine, and
meaning to become a play-actor. How could the old man, in these
circumstances, have a thought that the _Robbers_ would be the loss of
Family and Country to his poor Fritz! And yet so it proved.

'Excited by all kinds of messagings, informings and insinuations, the
imperious Prince, in spite of his secret pleasure in this sudden
renown of his Pupil, could in no wise be persuaded to revoke or soften
his harsh Order, which "forbade the Poet henceforth, under pain of
military imprisonment, either to write anything poetic or to
communicate the same to foreign persons"' (non-Wuertembergers). In vain
were all attempts of Schiller to obtain his discharge from Military
Service and his "_Entschwaebung_" (Un-_Swabian_-ing); such petitions
had only for result new sharper rebukes and hard threatening
expressions, to which the mournful fate of Schubart in the Castle of
Hohenasperg[53] formed a too questionable background.

[Footnote 53: See Appendix ii. _infra_.]

'Thus by degrees there ripened in t