Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3): Tales by Musæus, Tieck, RichterCarlyle, Thomas
General
Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3): Tales by Musæus, Tieck, Richter
Carlyle, Thomas
German fiction -- Translations into English
[Note 13: _Omnibus una_ SALUS _Sanctis, sed_ GLORIA _dispar:_ that
is to say (as Divines once taught) according to Saint Paul, we have all
the same Beatitude in Heaven, but different degrees of Honour. Here, on
Earth, we find a shadow of this in the writing world; for the Beatitude
of authors once beatified by Criticism, whether they be genial, good,
mediocre, or poor, is the same throughout; they all obtain the same
pecuniary Felicity, the same slender profit. But, Heavens! in regard to
the degrees of Fame, again, how far (in spite of the same emolument and
sale) will a Dunce, even in his lifetime, be put below a Genius! Is not
a shallow writer frequently forgotten in a single Fair, while a deep
writer, or even a writer of genius, will blossom through fifty Fairs,
and so may celebrate his Twenty-five Years' Jubilee, before, late
forgotten, he is lowered into the German Temple of Fame; a Temple
imitating the peculiarity of the _Padri Luichesi_ churches in Naples,
which (according to Volkmann) permit _burials_ under their roofs, but no
_tombstone_.]
In a few minutes, the coverlid, the infernal Faust's-mantle, again began
flying and towing; also, by way of change, the invisible bed-maker again
lifted me up. Accursed hour!--I should beg to know whether, in the whole
of cultivated Europe, there is one cultivated or uncultivated man, who,
in a case of this kind, would not have lighted on ghost-devilry? I
lighted on it, under my piece of (self) movable property, my coverlid:
and thought Berga had died suddenly, and was now, in spirit, laying hold
of my bed. However, I could not speak to her, nor as little to the
Devil, who might well be supposed to have a hand in the game; but I
turned myself solely to Heaven, and prayed aloud: "To thee I commit
myself; thou alone heretofore hast cared for thy weak servant; and I
swear that I will turn a new leaf,"--a promise which shall be kept
nevertheless, though the whole was but stupid treachery and trick.
My prayer had no effect with the unchristian Dragoon, who now, once for
all, had got me prisoner in the dragnet of a coverlid; and heeded little
whether a guest's bed were, by his means, made a state-bed and death-bed
or not. He span out my nerves, like gold-wire through smaller and
smaller holes, to utter inanition and evanition; for the bed-clothes at
last literally marched off to the door of the room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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