Part 18

[23] = practical life; ‘rather than’ seems here to be = ‘and not’.

[24] +Thätigkeit+, activity.

[25] The English word ‘character’ is so varied in its application that it requires always the greatest discrimination to decide upon its translation, and in this case more than ever. After careful consideration it is thought to be equivalent here to: ‘the personal dignity of a man’.

[26] +die Lebensbeschreibung desselben.+

[27] +welche dazu dienen, die Menschheit stets von neuem zu beleben.+

_Section 161._

OPINIONS AS TO ENGLISH EDUCATION.

II.

Goethe (S. 5, N. 2), in _one of his_ conversations with Eckermann at Weimar, once[1] observed: “It is very[2] strange, and I know not whether[3] it lies in race, in climate, in[4] soil, or in their healthy[5] education, but[6] certainly Englishmen seem to have a great advantage over most other men. We see here in Weimar only a[7] minimum of them, and[8] those, probably, by no means the best _specimens_, and yet what splendid fellows they are! And although they come here as seventeen-year-old[9] youths, yet they by no means feel strange in this strange land; on the contrary, their entrance[10] and bearing[11] in society is so confident[12] and quiet, that one would[13] think they were everywhere the masters, and the whole world belonged to them[14].”

“I should not like to affirm, for all that[15],” replied Eckermann[16], “that the English gentlemen in Weimar are cleverer, better educated, and better hearted than our young men.”

“That is not the point[17],” said Goethe; “their superiority does not lie in such things; neither[18] does it lie in their birth and fortune[19]; it lies precisely[20] in their having[21] the courage to be what nature made them. There[22] is no halfness about[23] them. They are complete[24] men. Sometimes complete fools also, that I heartily[25] admit, but even that is something, and has its weight.”

Thus (App. § 14), in[26] Goethe’s eyes, the Englishmen fulfilled, to a great extent, the injunction[27] given by Lessing[28] to those who would be men:

“Think wrongly, if you please, but think for yourselves!”—S. SMILES, “SELF-HELP.”

[1] = one day.

[2] ‘Very’ is often rendered by the superlative of the adv. +hoch+.

[3] ‘whether it lies’ may be elegantly translated by omitting the conjunction ‘whether’ and using the inversion.

[4] +im heimatlichen Boden.+

[5] +heilsam.+

[6] Say ‘but it seems to be certain that Englishmen possess a great superiority over most other men’.

[7] a minimum = very few.

[8] = and these (+dies+) are probably by no means the best, and yet (+dennoch aber+) they are (+sind es+) splendid fellows!

[9] a thirty-year-old man, +ein dreißigjähriger Mann+.

[10] +Auftreten+, n.

[11] +Benehmen+, n.

[12] +sicher.+

[13] Render ‘would’ by the Impf. Subj. of +mögen+, since the sentence is equivalent to ‘that one would be inclined to think’. The following verbs must be constructed according to App. §§ 29 and 30.

[14] Supply ‘alone’ after ‘them’.

[15] for all that, +aber doch+, to be placed before ‘not’.

[16] +~Johann Peter Eckermann~, geboren 1792 zu Winsen in der preußischen Provinz Hannover, gestorben den 3. Dez. 1854 zu Weimar, war viele Jahre als Göthes Privatsekretär thätig und ist der Welt am bekanntesten durch die von ihm nach Göthes Tode veröffentlichten ‘Gespräche mit Göthe’. Er war auch der Herausgeber+ (editor) +von Göthes ‘Nachgelassenen Werken’.+

[17] +Sache+, f.

[18] +auch+ besteht sie nicht in.

[19] = wealth; Comp. S. 10, N. 9.

[20] = simply.

[21] =The English Gerund preceded by a possessive adjective and a preposition, must be translated by a regular subordinate clause with a conjunction and a finite verb=; as—

His superiority lies _in his having_ the courage to be what nature made him.

+Seine Überlegenheit besteht ~darin~+ (S. 87, N. 6), +~daß er~ den Mut ~hat~, das zu sein, was er von Natur aus ist.+

[22] +Es.+

[23] +an.+

[24] = whole.

[25] = willingly; weight = value.

[26] = according to the judgment of Göthe.

[27] = advice; by, +von+; to, an; those = all such; who, +die da+.

[28] +~Gotth. Ephraim Lessing~, geboren den 22. Jan. 1729 zu Kamenz (Oberlausitz), gestorben den 15. Febr. 1781 in Braunschweig, hat sich durch seine ästhetisch-kritischen Werke, wie auch durch seine Dramen, deren Form, Sprache, Methode und Inhalt fast unerreichte Muster sind, einen unsterblichen Namen in der deutschen Litteraturgeschichte erworben. Sein Wirken als genialer Kritiker, Forscher und Dichter war von unermeßlichem Einfluß auf die nächste Entwickelung unserer Litteratur, die mit ihm und durch ihn ihrer Glanzperiode entgegenschritt.+

_Section 162._

A ROYAL JUDGMENT.

A man and his wife named Lambrun had been many years in the service of the unfortunate Queen Mary Stuart, and were sincerely attached to her. The tragical death of that princess had such an effect on the husband that he did not long survive her, and the[1] widow, Margaret Lambrun, resolved to revenge, upon[2] Queen Elizabeth, the[3] death of two persons so dear to her. She (S. 5, N. 2) therefore disguised[4] herself in man’s clothes, bought (S. 58, N. 8) a brace[5] _of_ pistols, and went[6] to (S. 72, N. 4) London. Soon after, when the queen[7] appeared in[8] public, Margaret endeavoured to[9] make her way through the crowd in order to shoot her[10]; but one of the pistols fell[11], and she was immediately apprehended.

The[12] queen, being informed of the circumstance[13], ordered[14] the man to be brought before her, and said to him: “Well, Sir, who are you[15]? and why do you seek[16] to kill me?”—“Madam,” replied Margaret, “I am a woman; I was a long time in the service of Queen Mary Stuart, whom you put[17] to death unjustly; her execution caused[18] the death of my dear husband, who was sincerely attached to her; and my affection for both _of them has_ excited[19] me to revenge.”—“And how do you think I ought to deal[20] with you?” asked Elizabeth.—“Do you speak as _a_ queen or as _a_ judge?” returned Margaret.—“As _a_ queen.”—“Then you ought to pardon[21] me,” was the answer.—“And what security[22] can you give me that you will not attempt[16] my life again?”—“Madam, a[23] pardon granted upon conditions ceases to be a favour[24].”—“Well then,” said the queen, “I pardon you, and trust to your gratitude for[25] my safety.”—P. SADLER.

[1] = his.

[2] +an+, with the Dat. of the def. art. The words ‘upon — Elizabeth’ must be placed before the supine. Comp. App. § 1.

[3] We lament the death of the two boys so dear to us, +wir beweinen den Tod der beiden uns so teuren Knaben+.

[4] to disguise oneself in man’s clothes, +sich als Mann verkleiden+.

[5] = a pair.

[6] +sich begeben+, insep. comp. str. v. refl.

[7] Here place the adverbs ‘soon after’.

[8] +öffentlich.+

[9] to make one’s way, +sich einen Weg bahnen+.

[10] to shoot a person, +auf einen schießen+.

[11] +entfiel ihr.+

[12] Construe accord. to S. 55, N. 1, and S. 4, N. 4, (+man+).

[13] +Vorfall+, m.

[14] +ließ sie den Mann vor sich führen.+

[15] Use the 2nd pers. pl. (+Ihr+) here and in the following passages, since that was the pronoun generally used in addressing persons in olden times.

[16] to seek to kill a person (_or_ to attempt a person’s life), +einem nach dem Leben trachten+.

[17] to put a person to death unjustly, +einen ungerechterweise hinrichten lassen+.

[18] This caused the death of our child, +dies kostete unserem Kinde das Leben+. The insertion of the adv. +auch+ after the verb ‘caused’ would considerably improve the German rendering.

[19] to excite a person to revenge, +einen zur Rache antreiben+. Use the Impf.

[20] +verfahren.+

[21] +begnadigen+, v. tr.

[22] +Bürgschaft+, f.

[23] a — conditions, +eine bedingungsweise Begnadigung+.

[24] +Gnade+, f.

[25] +hinsichtlich+, followed by the Gen. The words ‘to (+auf+) your gratitude’ are best placed at the end.

_Section 163._

TACITUS.

I am glad to find[1], by your (= thy) letter just received, that you are reading Tacitus[2] with _some_ relish. His style is rather quaint[3] and enigmatical, which (S. 3, N. 7) makes[4] it difficult to the student; but then[5] his pages[6] are filled with such admirable apothegms and maxims of political wisdom, as[7] infer the deepest knowledge of human nature; and it is particularly necessary that any one intending to become a public speaker should[8] be master of his works, as[9] there is neither an ancient nor a modern author who affords such a selection of admirable quotations. You should exercise yourself frequently in[10] trying to make translations of the[11] passages which most strike[12] you, trying[13] to invest[14] the sense of (S. 25, N. 5) Tacitus in as good English as you can. This will answer[15] the double purpose of making yourself familiar with the Latin author, and giving you the command of[16] your own language, which no person will ever have[17] who[18] does not study composition in early life.—SIR WALTER SCOTT, “LETTERS TO HIS SON.”

[1] here +ersehen+; by, +aus+.

[2] Use the def. art. accord. to S. 25, N. 5.

[3] = unusual and unclear (+dunkel+).

[4] to make difficult, +erschweren+; student = pupil.

[5] = on the other hand, +andererseits+.

[6] = writings, +Schriften+; filled with such, +so voll von+.

[7] as infer = that they prove.

[8] Say ‘should thoroughly (+gründlich+) know his works’.

[9] Say ‘as there is (S. 82, N. 7) no classical nor (+noch+) modern author (+Schriftsteller+)’.

[10] in trying = in the attempt, +in dem Versuche+.

[11] = such.

[12] This passage struck me most, +diese Stelle machte am meisten Eindruck auf mich+.

[13] trying = and try.

[14] +wie´dergeben+, sep. comp. str. v. tr.

[15] This does not answer my purpose, +dies entspricht meinem Zwecke nicht+.

[16] +über+.

[17] = obtain.

[18] +welcher sich nicht schon in der Jugend in schriftlichen Aufsätzen übt.+

_Section 164._

HUMILITY.

I believe the first[1] test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by[2] humility, doubt of[3] his own power, or hesitation[4] in speaking[5] his opinions, but a right understanding of the relation between[6] what he can do and say, and[7] the rest of the world’s sayings and doings. All great men not only know[8] their business[9], but usually know[10] that[11] they know it; they are not only right in their main opinions[12], but they usually know that they are right in them (S. 4, N. 5, _B_); only they do not think much of themselves on[13] that account. Arnolfo[14] knows he can build a good[15] dome at Florence; Albert[16] Dürer writes calmly[17] to one who had found fault with his work: “It cannot be better done;” Sir Isaac Newton knows that he has worked[18] out a problem or two that would have puzzled anybody[19] else:—only they do not expect their[20] fellow-men therefore to fall down and worship them; they[21] have a curious under-sense of powerlessness, feeling (S. 30, N. 4) that the greatness is[22] not in them, but through them; that they could (App. § 33) not do or be anything else than[23] what God made them. They see something divine and God-made[24] in every other man, and are endlessly, nay[25] incredibly merciful[26].—ANONYMOUS.

[1] = best; test, +Prüfstein+, m.

[2] +unter+, which place at the head of the period; mean = understand.

[3] +an+, with the Dat.

[4] here +Unentschlossenheit+.

[5] +aus´sprechen.+

[6] +von.+

[7] = and of that which the remaining world can say and do.

[8] = understand.

[9] +Sache+, f.

[10] +wissen+, after which insert the adv. +auch+.

[11] that they understand the same (to agree with +Sache+).

[12] +Hauptansichten.+

[13] on that account, +deswegen+, which place after the Subj.; to think much of oneself, +eine große Meinung von sich haben+.

[14] +~Arnolfo di Cambio~, berühmter Baumeister und Bildhauer zu Florenz (1232-1300), baute den Dom+ St. Maria del fiore +zu Florenz und das Tabernakel zu St. Paolo in Rom.+

[15] = stately.

[16] +~Albrecht Dürer~, geboren den 20. Mai 1471 zu Nürnberg, gestorben den 6. April 1528 ebendaselbst, muß zu den hervorragendsten und vielseitigsten Künstlern gezählt werden, die je gelebt. Er war nicht allein ausgezeichneter Maler, sondern auch zugleich Kupferstecher+ (engraver on copper), +Formschneider+ (moulder), +Bildhauer+ (sculptor), +Architekt und Schriftsteller+ (author) +über die Kunst. Er war der Erfinder der Ätzkunst, erfand das Mittel, die Holzschnitte mit ~zwei~ Farben zu drucken, und vervollkommnete die Schriftgießerei+ (type-foundry), +~denn von ihm stammt die Form der deutschen Lettern~+.

[17] +gelassen+; one, +jemand+.

[18] to work out a problem or two, +Probleme lösen+.

[19] anybody else, +jeder andere+, as Nom.

[20] = that their fellow-men therefore (+deshalb+) must (+sollen+) fall down before them and worship (+an´beten+) them. The auxiliary +sollen+ must be placed last, accord. to App. § 18.

[21] they — powerlessness. This clause cannot be rendered in a literal way, but may be expressed thus: ‘they recognise that they are, after all, only powerless’; after all, only, +doch nur+, which place after the Subj.

[22] is not = manifests itself not (+sich offenbaren+).

[23] +als wozu Gott sie erschaffen.+

[24] +Gotterschaffenes.+

[25] +ja sogar.+

[26] = forbearing, +nachsichtig+.

_Section 165._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

I.

In the cheerless regions of[1] Arkangel, of which the aborigines say: “God made Russia, but the devil made Arkangel,” there are (S. 82, N. 7) more than two hundred of those banished ones—men and women, all young, all (= and) poor, most[2] of them sent without trial, few[3] amongst them knowing even of what they are accused. Victor Ivanovitch[4] dines with his friend B., for instance, and[5] after a stroll along[6] the boulevards they separate. B. is arrested that[7] very evening, and when Victor, astonished and horror-stricken[8], hastens[9] to inquire the cause, he finds everybody[10], even B.’s _own_ father, as[11] much in the dark as he _is himself_; all questions and petitions on[12] the subject receive[13] vague administrative answers; all friends and relatives are systematically discouraged and silenced; eagerly they wait for[14] the numerous political trials that[15] come on without intermission, hoping[16] to see the missing one’s (S. 67, N. 3) name on[17] the list of criminals, or to see[18] his face once more, let[19] it be even in[20] the prisoner’s dock; but as[21] they wait and[22] watch, the prisoner[23] is, without any trial, en route for Arkangel.

Arrived[24] there, the routine (App. § 15) is the same for all; whatever[25] the crime alleged, the age or sex, the[26] prisoner is taken to the police-ward,—a[27] dreary log-building, containing two sections, one for men, the other for women. The solitary table and chair in the room, the four walls, and even the ceiling, are covered[28] with the names of[29] youthful predecessors, whose pencilled[30] jests and clever caricatures bear[31] witness to the strength of confidence in themselves with which they began[32] their life in exile.

[1] +des Gouvernements Archangel.+

[2] most of them, +meistens+; sent = sent there; without trial = without any trial, +ohne jegliches Verhör+.

[3] Say liter. ‘of whom even but (+nur+) few know’.

[4] Here follows ‘for instance’; with = in company of.

[5] Say ‘+und trennt sich von ihm nach+’, etc.

[6] +auf.+

[7] +noch an demselben Abend.+

[8] +aufs höchste erschrocken.+

[9] to hasten to inquire the cause, +sich eiligst nach der Ursache erkundigen+.

[10] everybody = that all.

[11] Supply ‘are’ (+sich befinden+) before ‘as’.

[12] +über die Sache.+

[13] receive — answers = are vaguely (+in unbestimmter Weise+, which place after government) answered by (S. 106, N. 23) the government.

[14] +auf.+

[15] = that follow one another (+auf einander folgen+).

[16] = in the hope.

[17] +in.+

[18] +zu schauen+ (App. § 1); face, +Angesicht+, n.

[19] let it be = be it even.

[20] in — dock, +vor den Schranken des Gerichts+.

[21] = whilst.

[22] and watch = and attentively watch (+bewachen+) everything.

[23] Insert the adv. +schon+ after the subject; en route for = on the way to.

[24] +Dort angekommen+; ‘routine’, here = treatment; the words ‘the same’ are to be placed at the end of the clause.

[25] whatever — sex, +welches Verbrechens der Gefangene auch eingeklagt und welches Alters und Geschlechts er auch sei+.

[26] the — ward = yet (+so ... doch+) he is always taken (= conducted) to (+in+) the police-ward (+Polizeiwache+, f.).

[27] a — women = that consists of (+aus+) a miserable block-house of (+aus+) two divisions, one of which is appointed for men and the other for women.

[28] +beschrieben+, p. p.

[29] of — predecessors = of the former (+früher+, adj.) youthful inhabitants of the same (to agree with room).

[30] pencilled, +mit Bleistift gezeichnet+, which use attributively.

[31] bear — themselves = prove the intensity (+Größe+, f.) of the confidence in themselves (+Selbstvertrauen+, n.).

[32] ‘to begin’, here +an´treten+, sep. comp. str. v. tr.; life in exile = banishment.

_Section 166._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

II.

In this dreary abode[1] a week or ten days is spent, when[2] the governor of Arkangel, after due reflection, marks out[3] for this dangerous personage some final place of exile (S. 76, N. 22, _B_), some[4] miserable little district town[5], such as Holmogor, Shenkoursk, Pinega, or Mexen. The[6] prisoner is then told his “documents” are ready, and a gendarme enters, saying[7] it is time to start[8]. The exile jumps into the jolting post-waggon, two gendarmes jump _in_ after him, the bell above[9] the horse’s neck begins to ring—and rings _on_ for[10] days and weeks—through wood[11], _and_ swamp, and plain, along[12] roads inconceivably drear and lonely, until the[13] weary convoy at length arrives at his destination. The little town is desolate and black[14], and consists of log-huts, two unpaved streets, and a wooden church painted green, and the[15] live-stock consists of ten or twelve raw-boned[16] horses, a small herd of sickly[17] cows, and thirty or forty reindeer. The population rarely (S. 102, N. 30) exceeds _one_ (S. 132, N. 10) thousand[18], and consists of the Ispravnik[19], ten subaltern[20] officers, the Arbiter[21] of the Peace, the[22] Crown Forester, a priest, a few shopkeepers, thirty or forty exiles, a[23] chain-gang of Russian felons, and a crowd[24] of Finnish beggars. On his arrival, the prisoner is driven straight to (S. 72, N. 4) the police-ward, where he is inspected[25] by (S. 106, N. 23) the Ispravnik, a (S. 53, N. 9) police officer, who is absolute lord and master of the district. This representative of the Government requires[26] of him to answer the following questions: His[27] name? How old? Married or single? Where from? The address of[28] parents, relations, or friends? Answers[29] to all of which are entered in the books.

[1] +Aufenthaltsort+, m.; a — spent = spends (+verbringen+) the prisoner eight or ten days.

[2] = whereupon.

[3] to mark out, +bezeichnen+; for this = to this (Dat.); personage = character; some final = his definite (+definitiv+). The Dat. should be placed immediately after ‘+Arkangel+’.

[4] = a.

[5] +Kreisstadt+, f.; such as = as for example.

[6] Construe this passage accord. to the following model: I am told the documents are destroyed, +Es+ (S. 104, N. 19) +wird mir mitgeteilt, daß die Papiere vernichtet sind+.

[7] +mit dem Bemerken, daß+, etc.

[8] ‘to start,’ of a conveyance, a train, etc., is generally rendered by +ab´fahren+.

[9] = at, +an+.

[10] for years, +jahrelang+.

[11] Use the pl. for this and the two following nouns.

[12] +auf+. Read S. 128, N. 11.

[13] the — convoy = the exhausted travellers.

[14] black = gloomy.

[15] +Viehstand+, m.

[16] +abgemagert.+

[17] +siech.+

[18] Supply ‘souls’.

[19] This term may be used in its unaltered form, but is perhaps better rendered by ‘+Polizeipräsident+’, m.

[20] +Unterbeamte+, m.

[21] +Friedensrichter.+

[22] Nom. +der kaiserliche Forstbeamte+.

[23] +einem Haufen russischer Verbrecher in Ketten.+

[24] = number.

[25] = examined; who — district = with absolute (+unumschränkt+) power (+Vollmacht+, f.) over the whole district.

[26] +begehren+; to answer = the answer, +die Beantwortung+, followed by the Gen., but without art.

[27] = your.

[28] Say ‘of your parents’.

[29] Say ‘and the answers to (+auf+, with Acc.) these questions are all entered (+ein´tragen+) in the books’.

_Section 167._

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.

III.

A[1] solemn promise is then exacted of him that he will not give lessons of[2] any kind, or[3] try to teach[4] anyone; that every letter (S. 48, N. 6) he writes will go through the Ispravnik’s hands, and[5] that he will follow no occupation except shoemaking, carpentering, or field labour. He is then[6] told he (App. § 28) is free, but[7] at the same time is solemnly warned that[8] should he attempt to pass the limits of the town, he would be shot down like a dog rather than be allowed to escape; and[9], should he be taken alive, would be sent off to Eastern Siberia without further formality than that of the Ispravnik’s personal order.

The poor fellow takes up his little bundle, and[10], fully realising that he has now bidden[11] farewell to the culture and material[12] comfort of his past[13] life, he walks[14] out into the cheerless street. A group of exiles, all pale and emaciated, are (S. 107, N. 13) there[15] to (S. 19, N. 7) greet him, take[16] him to _some of_ their miserable lodgings, and feverishly demand[17] news from home. The new comer gazes on them as _one_ in a dream; some are melancholy, and almost mad, others nervously irritable, and the remainder have evidently tried to find solace in[18] drink. They live (S. 116, N. 17) in[19] communities of twos and threes, have food, a scanty provision of clothes, money[20], and books in common, and consider[21] it their sacred duty to help each other in every emergency, without[22] distinction of (S. 3, N. 2, and S. 10, N. 9) sex, rank, or age. The noble by[23] birth get sixteen shillings[24] a month from Government for their maintenance, and[25] commoners only ten, although many of them are married, and[26] sent into exile with young families[27].

[1] Say ‘Hereupon one demands (+verlangen+) of him the solemn promise’.

[2] not of any kind, +keinerlei+, adj. (indeclinable).

[3] or try = and not try. The auxiliary verb of mood ‘_+will+_’ need be expressed but once, and stands, of course?

[4] +unterrichten+, insep. comp. w. v. tr.

[5] Say ‘and that he besides (+außer+) shoemaking (+Schuhmacherei+, f., with def. art.), carpentering and field-labour, will carry on (+treiben+) no (+keinerlei+) occupation’.

[6] ‘then’, here +Endlich+, with which begin the clause, and construe accord. to S. 4, N. 4 (+man+).

[7] but — warned, +aber zugleich kündigt man ihm an+.

[8] that — escape. This passage requires an altogether different construction in German; say ‘they (+man+) would upon (+bei+) an attempt, to go beyond (+überschreiten+, insep. comp. str. v. tr.) the limits of the town, not allow him to escape, but rather (+vielmehr+) shoot him down like a dog’ (liter.—but him rather like a dog shoot down, +nie´derschießen+)’.

[9] Say ‘should he however be caught (+ein´fangen+) alive, (+so+) they (+man+) would send him without further formality (+Formalität+, f.), upon the simple order of the Ispravnik to the East of Siberia’.

[10] and — realising = and well knowing (pres. p.).

[11] to bid farewell, +Lebewohl sagen+.

[12] +materielle Bequemlichkeiten+ (Nom. pl.), which use with the def. art. in the Dat. pl.

[13] = former.

[14] to walk out into the street, +in die Straße hinaus´schreiten+.

[15] = outside.

[16] Supply the pron. ‘these’ before the verb take (+führen+, i.e. lead); to = into.

[17] to demand news from home, +einen nach Nachrichten aus der Heimat fragen+.

[18] in drink, +im Trunke+.

[19] in — threes, +je zwei oder drei zusammen+.