273d. Mother (Johanna Christiane Erdmuthe) Schlegel to Wilhelm Schlegel in Braunschweig: Hannover, 9 November 1800 [*]
[Hannover] 9 November 1800
Dearest, most dear Willhelm,
The time seems to be dragging on since I last heard anything from you and your dear wife. It makes me very sad to think I may have insulted you. [1] God knows that everything I say comes from true maternal love, and from excessive anxiety about your happiness, so please do make allowances for my age and physical frailty.
I have not been doing so well for some time now. The stupidest thing I said was that I wrote how Lottchen, who is a great admirer of you all, was thinking about things the same way as I, and others as well. Those others are no one but Madam Alberti, with whom I am very well acquainted. [2] — —
I do not really have any news that might interest you except that Doctor Stieglitz is having himself baptized along with his wife and 2 small sons, naturally very quietly, with no fuss, at Ronneberg by Suppertent Holscher. [3] Stieglitz is a well-liked physician here, which is why most people are taking this very well, and believe he is doing it out of true conviction. But now he will be losing a couple of 100 Thaler among the Ghuten community whom he had as the Ghuten physician. [4] — —
Notes
[*] Source: Waitz (1882), 88. Passages Waitz did not include are indicated by “—.” Back.
[1] In her letter to Wilhelm on 21 October 1800 (letter 272a). Back.
[2] Wife of an otherwise unidentified Hannoverian magistrate. She is also mentioned in Mother Schlegel’s undated letter to Wilhelm in 1796 (letter 163e). Back.
[3] Mother Schlegel’s spelling: “Ronneberg,” “suppertent” (superintendent). — The small village of Ronnenberg is located 8 km southwest of Hannover (Karte des deutschen Reichs, ed. C. Vogel [Gotha 1907], no. 13; photo: 1940 postcard):
[4] I.e., Jewish community; Mother Schlegel is spelling phonetically. Back.
Translation © 2014 Doug Stott