The Government organs, the libellous press, began a systematic attack upon him. There was nothing to lay hold of in his blameless personality, but he was of Jewish descent. In a little pamphlet published by the local magnates of a small town in the neighbourhood of Königsberg under the title of _Stimme treuer Unterthanen seiner Majestät des Königs von Preussen_ ("Voice of a Few Faithful Subjects of his Majesty the King of Prussia"), we read: "Not from German, not from Christian lips did these words proceed.... East-Prussia would be disgraced if her sons had expressed such sentiments.... The seed of Jacob did not hearken to the voice of God, did not acknowledge his only begotten son, but put him to death; therefore they were cast off for ever, and scattered abroad among the nations of the earth." Presently, however, in all the booksellers' windows the portrait of Jacoby was to be seen; his face, with its clear-cut features, was surrounded by four marks of interrogation; he held his pen like a lance poised for attack. The significance of the man who thus made his appearance was felt by the poets, even by those with least strength of character, even by Dingelstedt, who was then preparing to barter his oppositionist principles for the title of _Hofrath_ (Privy Councillor). In Dingelstedt's fine collection of poems, _Nachtwächters Weltgang_, we find one with the heading: ????, evidently addressed to the King of Prussia: "Du weisst, was das bedeuten will? Du wirst sie mir nicht streichen? Es sind ja nur unschuldige--vier kleine Fragezeichen. Die wurzeln tief, die ragen hoch; wie die gerühmten Eichen Des freien deutschen Volkes stehn vier kleine Fragezeichen. Du wolltest sie zwar nimmer sehn in deinen weiten Reichen, Doch drängen sie sich immer auf, vier kleine Fragezeichen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Und einst, wenn du gestorben bist, als Stempel dann und Aichen Stehn gross an deinem Monument--vier kleine Fragezeichen."[10] [10] You know the meaning of these marks? You would never dream of erasing them--four innocent little marks of interrogation? Yet they strike deep root, they mount towards heaven, like the oak, the emblem of the great, free German nation. You have done your best to annihilate them throughout your wide realms, but they persistently appear again, these four little marks of interrogation.... In years to come, when you are dead, there will stand as sign and symbol on your monument--four little marks of interrogation.