Poor Hofrath von Diehl! A more melancholy and affecting history than
his is not readily to be conceived; and amid the ravelled skein of his
ideas, the memory of his grievous wrongs stands clear and imperishable.
It would be difficult to refer to language more vividly descriptive of
the surprise and anguish, and despair, to which a human spirit may be
subjected by the base wantonness of others, than that which breaks
forth amid the strange wanderings of this document of his. The injured
eyesight and hearing--the hair burnt from his head as by lightning--the
shock of astonishment when he finds himself, instead of advanced to the
post of honour which had been delusively promised him, thrust "there
where inexpressible pains are inflicted; pains which make every thing
in man which is of the nature of man cry out;" a prey also to epilepsy,
and above all to madness. Poor fellow! yet amid the smarting sense of
his irreparable injuries he retains all his own humanity of feeling. He
cherishes no hatred against mankind. His heart is sound; that is not
injured, though his brain is; and he employs himself through the long
years of his mental eclipse, with the perpetual hope and endeavour to
benefit, not only his friends, his town, his countrymen, but all
mankind. It is well that the gallant student in the spring-days of
his career, while he runs on the green and gay path of Burschen-life,
is kind to him. That he makes daily amends to him, for the crimes
and follies of those in a day gone by. May the brave youths of
Ruperto-Carolo long cherish this kind feeling to the unfortunate
Hofrath! may they smoothen the few years of his earthly course to him!
While he lives in the dreams of literary fame and of boundless
philanthropy, may they blunt the tooth of that poverty of which he so
painfully complains; and, finally, may the brave hands of the sons of
the Muses, one day lay that weak but worthily-meaning head, on which
some of their precursors heaped wantonly such a fearful calamity,
peacefully and honourably at rest.
* * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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