417a. Adalbert Friedrich Marcus to Schelling in Munich: Bamberg, 28 July 1806 [*]
Bamberg, 28 July 1806
. . . What I was able to do on your behalf with energy, caution, and prudence, has been done. [1] I am extremely curious to learn what the government ultimately resolves with regard to you. Count von Thürheim himself seems to be quite uncertain concerning this point. Have you yourself heard nothing? [2] . . .
Professor Klein . . . will definitely be reassigned. [3] I am pursuing [uncertain reading] as much as possible on his behalf, and he is flattered at contributing something on behalf of the philosophy of nature. . . .
Heaven knows . . . what will happen with Köhler. [4] He can expect nothing from the old trustees. . . .
I can relate to you only in person what I myself plan to do in what follows. Until then, at least by all appearances, I and the government will likely not attain any sort of harmony again. And so [illegible] . . . my motto is: better separated than unloved. —
You and I both are in a situation in which it depends solely on us to what extent we want to live independently or not. [5] — This consciousness . . . elevates me above so many things that I have become an uncomfortable presence for certain people. [6] . . .
Notes
[*] Source: Fuhrmans 3:348. Back.
[1] Presumably with regard to Schelling’s future employment. Back.
[2] Schelling, although assured of membership in the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, had not yet been officially so designated. Back.
[3] Concerning Georg Michael Klein, see Caroline’s letter to Beate Gross in June 1806 (letter 417), note 3. Klein in any case later composed the preface to Marcus’s biography, Dr. Speyer and Dr. Marc, Dr. A. F. Marcus nach seinem Leben und Wirken: Nebst Krankheits-Geschichte, Leichenöffnung, neun Beilagen und dem vollkommen ähnlichen Bildnisse des Verstorbenen, foreword by G. M. Klein (Bamberg, Leipzig 1817). Back.
[4] Martin Köhler entered French and Bavarian military service when war broke out with Prussia during the autumn of 1806. Back.
[5] This statement did not really apply to Schelling, who was not to receive a professorial appointment and who was thus relying on the anticipated position and salary with the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Back.
[6] Göttinger Taschen Calender Für das Iahr 1795; Inhaltsverzeichnis deutscher Almanache, Theodor Springmann Stiftung:
Translation © 2018 Doug Stott