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CHAPTER II.

After  a  few  days  the  baron  came,  and  it  was  not  without  fear  that  Melina

received him. The count had spoken of him as a critic: and it might be dreaded,

he would speedily detect the weakness of the little party, and see that it formed

no efficient troop; there being scarcely a play which they could act in a suitable

manner. But the manager, as well as all the members, were soon delivered from

their cares, on finding that the baron was a man who viewed the German stage

with a most patriotic enthusiasm, to whom every player, and every company of

players, was welcome and agreeable. He saluted them all with great solemnity;

was  happy  to  come  upon  a  German  theatre  so  unexpectedly,  to  get  connected

with  it,  and  to  introduce  their  native  Muses  to  the  mansion  of  his  relative.  He

then  pulled  out  from  his  pocket  a  bundle  of  stitched  papers,  in  which  Melina

hoped to find the terms of their contract specified; but it proved something very

different. It was a drama, which the baron himself had composed, and wished to

have played by them: he requested their attention while he read it. Willingly they

formed a circle round him, charmed at being able with so little trouble to secure

the  favor  of  a  man  so  important;  though,  judging  by  the  thickness  of  the

manuscript,  it  was  clear  that  a  very  long  rehearsal  might  be  dreaded.  Their

apprehensions  were  not  groundless:  the  piece  was  written  in  five  acts,  and  that

sort of acts which never have an end.

The  hero  was  an  excellent,  virtuous,  magnanimous,  and  at  the  same  time

misunderstood  and  persecuted,  man:  this  worthy  person,  after  many  trials,

gained  the  victory  at  last  over  all  his  enemies;  on  whom,  in  consequence,  the

most  rigorous  poetic  justice  would  have  been  exercised,  had  he  not  pardoned

them on the spot.

While  this  piece  was  rehearsing,  each  of  the  auditors  had  leisure  enough  to

think  of  himself,  and  to  mount  up  quite  softly  from  the  humble  prostration  of

mind, to which, a little while ago, he had felt disposed, into a comfortable state

of  contentment  with  his  own  gifts  and  advantages,  and,  from  this  elevation,  to

discover the most pleasing prospects in the future. Such of them as found in the

play  no  parts  adapted  for  their  own  acting,  internally  pronounced  it  bad,  and

viewed the baron as a miserable author; while the others, every time they noticed

any passage which they hoped might procure them a little clapping of the hands,

exalted it with the greatest praise, to the immeasurable satisfaction of the author.

The  commercial  part  of  their  affair  was  soon  completed.  Melina  made  an

advantageous  bargain  with  the  baron,  and  contrived  to  keep  it  secret  from  the

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rest.

Of our friend, Melina took occasion to declare in passing, that he seemed to be

successfully qualifying himself for becoming a dramatic poet, and even to have

some capacities for being an actor. The baron introduced himself to Wilhelm as

a colleague; and the latter by and by produced some short pieces, which, with a

few  other  relics,  had  escaped  by  chance,  on  the  day  when  he  threw  the  greater

part of his works into the flames. The baron lauded both his pieces and delivery:

he  spoke  of  it  as  a  settled  thing,  that  Wilhelm  should  come  over  to  the  castle

with  the  rest.  For  all,  at  his  departure,  he  engaged  to  find  the  best  reception,

comfortable  quarters,  a  good  table,  applauses,  and  presents;  and  Melina  further

gave the promise of a certain modicum of pocket-money to each.

It is easy to conceive how this visit raised the spirits of the party: instead of a

low and harassing situation, they now at once saw honors and enjoyment before

them.  On  the  score  of  these  great  hopes  they  already  made  merry,  and  each

thought it needless and stingy to retain a single groschen of money in his purse.

Meanwhile  our  friend  was  taking  counsel  with  himself  about  accompanying

the troop to the castle; and he found it, in more than one sense, advisable to do

so.  Melina  was  in  hopes  of  paying  off  his  debt,  at  least  in  part,  by  this

engagement;  and  Wilhelm,  who  had  come  from  home  to  study  men,  was

unwilling  to  let  slip  this  opportunity  of  examining  the  great  world,  where  he

expected to obtain much insight into life, into himself, and the dramatic art. With

all this, he durst not confess how greatly he wished again to be near the beautiful

countess.  He  rather  sought  to  persuade  himself  in  general  of  the  mighty

advantages  which  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  world  of  rank  and

wealth  would  procure  for  him.  He  pursued  his  reflections  on  the  count,  the

countess, the baron; on the security, the grace, and propriety of their demeanor:

he exclaimed with rapture when alone, —

“Thrice happy are they to be esteemed, whom their birth of itself exalts above

the lower stages of mankind; who do not need to traverse those perplexities, not

even to skirt them, in which many worthy men so painfully consume the whole

period  of  life.  Far-extending  and  unerring  must  their  vision  be,  on  that  higher

station; easy each step of their progress in the world. From their very birth, they

are  placed,  as  it  were,  in  a  ship,  which,  in  this  voyage  we  have  all  to  make,

enables  them  to  profit  by  the  favorable  winds,  and  to  ride  out  the  cross  ones;

while  others,  bare  of  help,  must  wear  their  strength  away  in  swimming,  can

derive little profit from the favorable breeze, and in the storm must soon become

exhausted, and sink to the bottom. What convenience, what ease of movement,

does  a  fortune  we  are  born  to  confer  upon  us!  How  securely  does  a  traffic

flourish, which is founded on a solid capital, where the failure of one or of many

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enterprises does not of necessity reduce us to inaction! Who can better know the

worth and worthlessness of earthly things, than he that has had within his choice

the enjoyment of them from youth upwards? and who can earlier guide his mind

to  the  useful,  the  necessary,  the  true,  than  he  that  may  convince  himself  of  so

many errors in an age when his strength is yet fresh to begin a new career?”

Thus did our friend cry joy to all inhabitants of the upper regions, and, not to

them only, but to all that were permitted to approach their circle, and draw water

from  their  wells.  So  he  thanked  his  own  happy  stars,  that  seemed  preparing  to

grant this mighty blessing to himself.

Melina,  in  the  mean  time,  was  torturing  his  brains  to  get  the  company

arranged  according  to  their  several  provinces,  and  each  of  them  appointed  to

produce his own peculiar effect. In compliance with the count’s injunctions and

his own persuasions, he made many efforts; but at last, when it came to the point

of  execution,  he  was  forced  to  be  content,  if,  in  so  small  a  troop,  he  found  his

people  willing  to  adjust  themselves  to  this  or  that  part  as  they  best  were  able.

When  matters  would  admit  of  it,  Laertes  played  the  lover;  Philina  the  lady’s

maid; the two young girls took up between them the characters of the artless and

tender loved ones; the boisterous old gentleman of the piece was sure to be the

best  acted.  Melina  himself  thought  he  might  come  forth  as  chevalier;  Madam

Melina, to her no small sorrow, was obliged to satisfy herself with personating

young wives, or even affectionate mothers; and as in the newer plays, a poet or

pedant  is  rarely  introduced,  and  still  more  rarely  for  the  purpose  of  being

laughed  at,  the  well-known  favorite  of  the  count  was  now  usually  transformed

into  president  or  minister,    —    these  being  commonly  set  forth  as  knaves,  and

severely  handled  in  the  fifth  act.  Melina,  too,  in  the  part  of  chamberlain  or  the

like,  introduced,  with  great  satisfaction,  the  ineptitudes  put  into  his  hands  by

various  honest  Germans,  according  to  use  and  wont,  in  many  well-accepted

plays: he delighted in these characters, because he had an opportunity of decking

himself  out  in  a  fashionable  style,  and  was  called  upon  to  assume  the  airs  of  a

courtier, which he conceived himself to possess in great perfection.

It was not long till they were joined by several actors from different quarters;

who, being received without very strict examination, were also retained without

very burdensome conditions.

Wilhelm  had  been  more  than  once  assailed  with  persuasions  from  Melina  to

undertake  an  amateur  part.  This  he  declined;  yet  he  interested  and  occupied

himself about the general cause with great alacrity, without our new manager’s

acknowledging  his  labors  in  the  smallest.  On  the  contrary,  it  seemed  to  be

Melina’s opinion, that with his office he had at the same time picked up all the

necessary  skill  for  carrying  it  on.  In  particular,  the  task  of  curtailment  formed

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one  of  his  most  pleasing  occupations:  he  would  succeed  in  reducing  any  given

piece  down  to  the  regular  measure  of  time,  without  the  slightest  respect  to

proprieties  or  proportions,  or  any  thing  whatever,  but  his  watch.  He  met  with

great  encouragement;  the  public  was  very  much  delighted;  the  most  knowing

inhabitants  of  the  burgh  maintained,  that  the  prince’s  theatre  itself  was  not  so

well conducted as theirs.

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