[22] I would advise Dr. Granville not to revisit the “Brunnens,” as a very considerable prejudice exists against him there—especially at Schlangenbad, where I understood, they were training a band of serpents to hiss him out of the valley, should he ever re-enter it. Be this as it may, I think he stands little chance of receiving an “Order” from the Duke of Nassau—unless it be such a one as two of his brethren (Drs. Downey and Lee,) received in the Summer of 1839—an “Order” to quit the duchy in forty-eight hours.[23] This was neither a civil nor a military order, but through the police: it was one which my friend, Theodore Hook, would be very apt to call an “Order off the Bath.” I suspect, indeed, that this would be my own fate, as well as that of Dr. Granville—but for very different reasons—not for depreciating the virtues of the waters, but for stigmatizing the licenses of the hells.
[23] This was, upon the whole, a liberal “notice to quit;” since it would be difficult, I imagine, to point out any spot in the dukedom, whence an “exeat regno” might not be practicable in forty-eight minutes, on a good horse.
[24] One would suppose from the number, profundity, and duration of these salaams, that Germans, of all ages and both sexes, had studied in the “Imperial Academy of Ceremonies” at Pekin. Such outrageous bowing, cap-doffing, pipe-squaring, spine-wriggling, and bussel-rending, I never beheld in any other country, except the Celestial Empire. The German, indeed, is taught civility or politeness from infancy, and far am I from censuring this overplus of amenity.
[25] It must, at the same time, be confessed that, in Germany, all this quietude, order, and decorum, appear to be the result of a spontaneous disposition of the people. There is no visible governing or directing power—no policemen at the corner of every street, or gens-d’armes watching their movements! All is seemingly automatic. Yet there must be some strong arm behind the scene—much careful pre-arrangement and organization to effect this tranquillity and regularity. We see a steam-carriage fly along a rail-road, without any outward or visible impelling power; but what complicated machinery is stowed inside? What vast labour was expended before the automaton started on the road! So it may be with Germany.
[26] See a verification of these facts in the Morning Chronicle, of Saturday, December 14th, 1839.
[27] Effodiuntur opes irritamenta malorum.
“Vice is a monster of such horrid mein,
That to be hated, needs but to be seen—
But seen too oft—familiar with his face,