Wenn er aus Hass mir flucht.[90]
Never will I try to harm
Him who does me wrong, etc.
She was regular in her attendance at public worship; every Sunday found her in the chapel, attended by her household. The service, which was after the Lutheran ritual, was conducted by her chaplain, Pastor Lehzen. On rare occasions she attended the church in the town. Every now and then she gave little parties at the castle—on the occasion of her own birthday, or that of members of her suite. In a letter (July 24, 1773) to her chief lady, Baroness d’Ompteda, who was then absent for a few weeks, taking the waters of Prymont, the Queen wrote: “Madame de Plessen, having wished to celebrate my birthday, gave an illumination in the garden; but the wind was so strong that the bonfire would not burn, so she gave it yesterday evening, when the weather was more favourable. I was there, and went to see the illuminations, which were everywhere good. The whole of the town was illuminated.”[91] One or two more letters, of no particular importance, addressed by the Queen to the Baroness d’Ompteda, have been found. Some slight signs of weariness are evident. She laments that she is unable to send any news; “but you know Celle,” she writes, “and therefore will understand”.[92] Her life was undoubtedly monotonous, but it seems to have been fairly happy, and she enjoyed the visits of her sister, the Princess of Brunswick, who frequently posted over to Celle for a few days. These visits were the pleasantest distractions of Matilda’s life.
[91] N. Falck, Neues Staatsbürgerliche’s Magazin, Band i., Schleswig, 1883, S. 623.
[92] Ibid., S. 624.
One John Moore, who was a travelling companion of the Duke of Hamilton, came with the Duke to Celle in the summer of 1773 on the way from Hanover, and afterwards published a volume of his travels, in which appears the following account:—[93]
[93] A View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland and Germany, by John Moore, London, 1779.