[The last page of this letter is an illegible fragment.]

428.

TO HIS NEPHEW.

Baden.

MY DEAR GOOD CARL,—­

I have just got your letter this evening, and could not help laughing at it.  It was not right in the people at Mayence to have acted thus, but since the thing has occurred, it does not signify.  Our epoch requires strong minds to scourge those frivolous, contemptible, malicious beings, repulsive as it is to my feelings to cause pain to any man.  Besides, I intended a mere jest, and it was far from my intention to let such a thing be printed.[1]

You must ascertain instantly from a magistrate the proper mode of converting the Bank obligations into Rothschild’s Austrian Loan, that you may get the authority from a magistrate (not from the Court of those pseudo-guardians!)

Be good and honest; you have here an instance how people rejoice when such men are properly estimated.  Be my own dear precious son, and imitate my virtues, but not my faults; still, though man is frail, do not at least have worse defects than those of

Your sincere and fondly attached

FATHER.

Write to me about the conversation on Sunday—­it is of the Court, courtly, so you must be on your guard.  Holz did not come to-day; whether he is trustworthy I cannot say.

[Footnote 1:  There is no doubt that he alludes to the severe castigation of Haslinger in No. 405 and the canonization of the two others.  See also No. 440, which shows that there was something amiss with Haslinger.]

429.

TO HIS NEPHEW.

To-day is Friday, to-morrow Saturday.

Here comes Satanas.  To-day her raging fury and madness have somewhat subsided, but if she applies to you, refer her to me the day after to-morrow.  During the whole week I was forced to submit and to suffer like a saint.  Avaunt! such dregs of the people!  What a reproach to our civilization to stand in need of a class like this, and to have those whom we despise so constantly near us.  Go with her to-morrow as formerly to the Carolin Thor about the Seltzer water; if the small bottles are as genuine as the larger ones, order some of them, but I think the larger size are more likely to be the safest; ce depend de votre esprit, votre distinction, &c.  Now farewell, my dear son; take care to get me the genuine, and not the artificial Seltzer water, and go yourself to see about it, or I might get Heaven knows what!  Farewell again, my good fellow; we are well affected towards you, and shall expect you the day after to-morrow at eight o’clock.  Breakfast shall be ready for you, if that early meal does not become as usual a late meal. Ah! au diable avec ces grands coquins de neveux, allez-vous en, soyez mon fils, mon fils bien aime.  Adieu; je vous baise, votre pere sincere comme toujours.

430.

TO HIS NEPHEW.