272c. Wilhelm Schlegel to Schleiermacher in Berlin: Braunschweig, 27 October 1800 [*]
Braunschweig, 27 October 1800
Five days ago I arrived here after a journey that was in various ways rather circumstantial, and received your letter of the 14th. [1]
I am pleased with your continued enthusiasm for our project, dearest friend, about which I cannot write anything further just now because I am still awaiting a response from Cotta, [2] which should be arriving any day now, since it has been over three weeks since I wrote him. Should he withdraw, however, I have had to endure so many annoyances and problems since the project’s inception that, frankly, I have almost had enough of it all; in the meantime, however, I will do anything I can. . . .
Many thanks for taking care of my request with Schadow. [3] Please tell him for now that I am quite pleased with the news. I myself will write him at greater length and am now merely waiting for sketches from Göttingen, which I really am hoping to receive on the next postal day. [4] Then I also anticipate being able to write you more about our own project, but for today please just make do with these few lines. . . .
Notes
[*] Source: KGA V/4 306–8. Back.
[1] The journey to and from Söder; Wilhelm had travelled there from Bamberg, Gotha, Göttingen and Hannover, then back to Braunschweig with Caroline. Concerning the visit in Söder, see Caroline’s letter to Schelling on 15–24 October 1800 (letter 272). Back.
[2] Johann Friedrich Cotta’s letter of 10 October 1800 had not reached Wilhelm yet in Braunschweig (cited in Wilhelm’s letter to Schleiermacher on 5 October 1800 [letter 269b], note 6). Back.
[3] Concerning a memorial for Auguste. See Wilhelm’s letters to Schleiermacher on 21 August 1800 (letter 265m) and on 5 October 1800 (letter 269b), note 9. Back.
[4] It is unclear who was doing sketches in Göttingen, though the Böhmer family might also have been involved. Back.
Translation © 2014 Doug Stott