de Stael was endeavouring to prove The Natural Daughter a failure, one of the company (himself, I believe) ventured to throw out a doubt whether she was able to comprehend Goethe; "her eyes flashed with offended pride, and projecting before her, to its utmost length, her arm (that arm on the beauty of which she was so fond of expatiating,) she said, Monsieur! je comprends tout ce qui merite d'étre compris ; que je ne comprends n'est rien." I heard another good story of her in Germany myself. It is said that her first address to Fichte was: 66 Monsieur, voudriez-vous bien m'expliquer votre systême en peu de mots?" p. 26. When people are fighting far away in Turkey.]— When I translated hinten, weit, in der Turkey (literally, "behind, far away, in Turkey") thus, I was not aware that there was any peculiar meaning in the phrase, but I am told that the common people in Germany are wont to consider themselves as placed forwards in the world, and speak of all distant countries as behind. p. 27. Saint Andrew's eve, &c.]— "There is a belief that on St. Andrew's eve, St. Thomas's eve, Christmas eve, and New Year's eve, a maiden may invite and see her future lover. A table must be covered for two, but without forks. Whatever the lover leaves behind him, on going away, must be carefully picked up; he then attaches himself to her who it, and loves her ardently. But he should never be allowed to come to the sight of it again, or he will think of the pain he endured on that night by supernatural means, and becomes aware of the charm, possesses it whereby great unhappiness is occasioned. A beautiful maiden in Austria once sought to see her lover according to the necessary forms, whereupon a shoemaker entered with a dagger, threw it to her, and immediately disappeared again. She took up the dagger and locked away in a chest. Soon afterwards came the shoemaker and sought her in marriage. Some years after their marriage, she went one Sunday after vespers to her chest to look out something which she wanted for her next day's work. As she opened the chest, her husband came to her and insisted on looking in; she held him back, but he pushed her aside, looked into the chest, and saw his lost dagger. He instantly seizes it and requires to know, in a word, how she got it, as he had lost it at a peculiar time. In her confusion she is unable to think of an excuse, and freely owns that it is the same dagger which he had left behind on that night when she required to see him. Upon this he grew furious, and exclaimed, with a fearful oath, 'Whore! then thou art the girl, who tortured me so inhumanly that night!' And with that he struck the dagger right through her heart." "The like is related in various places of others. Orally, of a huntsman, who left his hanger. During her first. confinement the wife sent him to her chest to fetch clean linen, forgetting that the charmed instrument was there, which he finds and kills her with it."-Deutsche Sagen. Herausgegeben von den Brüdern Grimm. Berlin. 1816. No. 114. The same work (No. 118) contains a story founded on the superstition of the magic mirror, in which absent friends or lovers may be seen. This superstition, however, is not peculiar to Germany. p. 42. The spell of the four.]— This means the spell that will drive out the spirit in case it be either of the four. In 1. 9 of the conjuration, insert properties instead of force, and in 1. 20, insert make an end of it instead of finish the spell. p. 46. The Pentagram.]— Those who wish for more information on this subject are referred to Lucian's Dialogue-De lapsu inter salutandum—in the Amsterdam quarto edition of 1743, vol. i. p. 729-730, in notis. A part of the quotation (ante, 231,) will be found in this Dialogue. The Pentalpha is also mentioned in Hobhouse's Historical Illustrations of the Fourth Canto of Childe Harold, P. 344. p. 69. The spirit of medicine, &c.]— "Un cours professé à la même faculté (Medicine, at Würtzburg,) par M. Hensler porte un titre trop piquant pour que nous ne croyions pas devoir le reproduire. Il se propose de traiter de la science et de la vie Universitaire en général, et plus particulièrement de la médécine et de la methode la plus favorable à suivre pour l'étudier, d'apres le Faust de Goethe."-(From an article in a late Number of the Révue Encyclopédique, by Mr. Lagarmitte.) p. 78. I dare say you are lately from Rippach? Did you sup with Mr. Hans before you left?] Rippach is a village near Leipzig, and a gentleman who studied at that university informs me, that to ask for Hans von Rippach, an entirely fictitious personage, was an old joke amongst the students. The ready reply of Mephistopheles, indicating no surprise, shows Siebel and Altmayer that he is up to it. Hans is the German Jack, as Hans der Riesentödter, Jack the Giant-killer. p. 95. The northern phantom is no more to be seen. Where do you now see horns, tails, and claws?]— The old German catechisms, from Luther's time downwards, were generally adorned with a frontispiece, representing the Devil with all the above-mentioned appendages. This laudable mode of inoculating youth with correct theological notions has been gradually laid aside in most countries. p. 148. Full of her faith, which is all sufficient for her · happiness. I rather think it should be for her salvation; the words Der ganz allein Ihr selig machend ist, I having the same meaning as in the title of Dr. Carové's celebrated work-Ueber Alleinseligmachende Kirche. hardly know how I missed this, for I had enjoyed the distinguished author's acquaintance, and the book was presented to me a year and a half ago by himself. p. 152. Mater Dolorosa.]-The following lines of Manzoni (a favourite poet of Goethe's by the way), in his hymn to the Virgin, have been mentioned to me as apparently suggested by this scene: La femminetta nel tuo sen regale A te, che i prieghi ascolti e le querele E de' grandi il dolor col suo crudele p. 156. Thou cursed ratcatcher.]— The common people I find I was rather hasty in supposing that this term was borrowed from Shakspeare. in Germany believe (or believed) that ratcatchers, by whistling or piping a peculiar note, could compel the rats to follow them wherever they chose.-(Deutsche Sagen, No. 245.) This accounts for the general application of the term to a serenading seducer. p. 161. And under thy heart stirs it not quickening now?]— The following quotation, in which the same allusion occurs, ought to have formed part of the note on the passage (p. 250): Methought I was about to be a mother; Month after month went by, and still I dream'd I saw that lovely shape, which near my heart had lain. p. 164. The Harz mountains.]— In my note on this subject (p. 250) I forgot to mention one main cause of the superstitious feelings. |