The Devil's Elixir, Vol. 1 (of 2)Hoffmann, E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)
Science
The Devil's Elixir, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Hoffmann, E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)
Devil -- Fiction; Fantasy fiction, German -- Translations into English; Gothic fiction; Monks -- Fiction
"Ewson, meanwhile, danced and yelled as if he were possessed by a
thousand devils, till at last the under-waiter came, with a great
lantern, notwithstanding the clear moonlight shone into the apartment,
and cried out, 'Here I am, gentlemen. Now you can march.'
"The Doctor arose, lighted his pipe, (which he had laid aside while the
enjoyments of the punch-bowl lasted,) and now placed himself right
opposite to the waiter, blowing great clouds into his face.
"'Welcome, friend,' cried he; 'Art thou Peter Quince, who bearest about
moonshine, and dog, and thorn-bush? 'Tis I that have trimmed your light
for you, you lubber, and therefore you shine so brightly!
"'Good night then! Much have I quaffed of the contemptible juice here
denominated ambrosial punch. Good night, mine honest host--Good night,
mine Pylades!'
"Ewson swore that he would instantly break the head of any one who
should offer to go home, but no one heeded him. On the contrary, the
waiter took the Doctor under one arm, and the _Amtmann_, still weeping
for Prince Eugene, under the other; and thus they reeled along through
the streets, towards the _Amthaus_.
"With considerable difficulty, we carried the delirious Ewson to his own
room, where he raged and blew for half the night on his flute, so that I
could not possibly obtain any rest; nor did I recover from the
influences of the mad evening, until I found myself once more in my
travelling carriage."
The physician's story was (more, perhaps, from the _naive_ quaintness of
his delivery, than the _materiel_ of his narrative,) interrupted
frequently by peals of laughter, louder and longer than are usually to
be heard in a court circle. The Prince himself appeared particularly
delighted.
"There is only one figure," said his highness, "which, in the punch-bowl
scene, you have kept too much in the back-ground, and that is your
own--for I am fully persuaded, that you must have been the means of
leading the Doctor and Ewson to a thousand extravagancies, and that you
were, in truth, the exciting principle of mischief, for which you would
have us take the poor devil of an _Amtmann_."
"I assure your highness," said the Doctor, "that the club was, on the
contrary, so rounded and complete in itself, that every addition would
have been both discordant and superfluous. The three originals were
tuned up, and adapted, one to the other, each on his proper key, so as
to produce a most perfect trio. The host added thereto what we musicians
call a _septime_."
In this manner the conversations and the readings were kept up till the
hour when the Prince's family retired to their private apartments,
after which the numerous assembly all separated in the greatest good
humour.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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