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r　himself　victual；　for　the　world　an　additional　horse's　power　in　the　grand　corn…mill　or　hemp…mill　of　Economic　Society。　　For　me　too　had　such　a　leading…string　been　provided；　only　that　it　proved　a　neck…halter；　and　had　nigh　throttled　me；　till　I　broke　it　off。　　Then；　in　the　words　of　Ancient　Pistol；　did　the　world　generally　become　mine　oyster；　which　I；　by　strength　or　cunning；　was　to　open；　as　I　would　and　could。　　Almost　had　I　deceased　（_fast　war　ich　umgekommen_）；　so　obstinately　did　it　continue　shut。〃

We　see　here；　significantly　foreshadowed；　the　spirit　of　much　that　was　to　befall　our　Autobiographer；　the　historical　embodiment　of　which；　as　it　painfully　takes　shape　in　his　Life；　lies　scattered；　in　dim　disastrous　details；　through　this　Bag　_Pisces_；　and　those　that　follow。　　A　young　man　of　high　talent；　and　high　though　still　temper；　like　a　young　mettled　colt；　〃breaks　off　his　neck…halter；〃　and　bounds　forth；　from　his　peculiar　manger；　into　the　wide　world；　which；　alas；　he　finds　all　rigorously　fenced　in。　Richest　clover…fields　tempt　his　eye；　but　to　him　they　are　forbidden　pasture：　either　pining　in　progressive　starvation；　he　must　stand；　or；　in　mad　exasperation；　must　rush　to　and　fro；　leaping　against　sheer　stone…walls；　which　he　cannot　leap　over；　which　only　lacerate　and　lame　him；　till　at　last；　after　thousand　attempts　and　endurances；　he；　as　if　by　miracle；　clears　his　way；　not　indeed　into　luxuriant　and　luxurious　clover；　yet　into　a　certain　bosky　wilderness　where　existence　is　still　possible；　and　Freedom；　though　waited　on　by　Scarcity；　is　not　without　sweetness。　　In　a　word；　Teufelsdrockh　having　thrown　up　his　legal　Profession；　finds　himself　without　landmark　of　outward　guidance；　whereby　his　previous　want　of　decided　Belief；　or　inward　guidance；　is　frightfully　aggravated。　　Necessity　urges　him　on；　Time　will　not　stop；　neither　can　he；　a　Son　of　Time；　wild　passions　without　solacement；　wild　faculties　without　employment；　ever　vex　and　agitate　him。　　He　too　must　enact　that　stern　Monodrama；　_No　Object　and　no　Rest_；　must　front　its　successive　destinies；　work　through　to　its　catastrophe；　and　deduce　therefrom　what　moral　he　can。

Yet　let　us　be　just　to　him；　let　us　admit　that　his　〃neck…halter〃　sat　nowise　easy　on　him；　that　he　was　in　some　degree　forced　to　break　it　off。　　If　we　look　at　the　young　man's　civic　position；　in　this　Nameless　capital；　as　he　emerges　from　its　Nameless　University；　we　can　discern　well　that　it　was　far　from　enviable。　　His　first　Law…Examination　he　has　come　through　triumphantly；　and　can　even　boast　that　the　_Examen　Rigorosum_　need　not　have　frightened　him：　but　though　he　is　hereby　〃an　_Auscultator_　of　respectability；〃　what　avails　it？　　There　is　next　to　no　employment　to　be　had。　　Neither；　for　a　youth　without　connections；　is　the　process　of　Expectation　very　hopeful　in　itself；　nor　for　one　of　his　disposition　much　cheered　from　without。　　〃　My　fellow　Auscultators；〃　he　says；　〃were　Auscultators：　　they　dressed；　and　digested；　and　talked　articulate　words；　other　vitality　showed　they　almost　none。　　Small　speculation　in　those　eyes；　that　they　did　glare　withal！　　Sense　neither　for　the　high　nor　for　the　deep；　nor　for　aught　human　or　divine；　save　only　for　the　faintest　scent　of　coming　Preferment。〃　　In　which　words；　indicating　a　total　estrangement　on　the　part　of　Teufelsdrockh　may　there　not　also　lurk　traces　of　a　bitterness　as　from　wounded　vanity？　　Doubtless　these　prosaic　Auscultators　may　have　sniffed　at　him；　with　his　strange　ways；　and　tried　to　hate；　and　what　was　much　more　impossible；　to　despise　him。　　Friendly　communion；　in　any　case；　there　could　not　be：　　already　has　the　young　Teufelsdrockh　left　the　other　young　geese；　and　swims　apart；　though　as　yet　uncertain　whether　he　himself　is　cygnet　or　gosling。

Perhaps；　too；　what　little　employment　he　had　was　performed　ill；　at　best　unpleasantly。　　〃Great　practical　method　and　expertness〃　he　may　brag　of；　but　is　there　not　also　great　practical　pride；　though　deep…hidden；　only　the　deeper…seated？　　So　shy　a　man　can　never　have　been　popular。　　We　figure　to　ourselves；　how　in　those　days　he　may　have　played　strange　freaks　with　his　independence；　and　so　forth：　　do　not　his　own　words　betoken　as　much？　　〃Like　a　very　young　person；　I　imagined　it　was　with　Work　alone；　and　not　also　with　Folly　and　Sin；　in　myself　and　others；　that　I　had　been　appointed　to　struggle。〃　　Be　this　as　it　may；　his　progress　from　the　passive　Auscultatorship；　towards　any　active　Assessorship；　is　evidently　of　the　slowest。　By　degrees；　those　same　established　men；　once　partially　inclined　to　patronize　him；　seem　to　withdraw　their　countenance；　and　give　him　up　as　〃a　man　of　genius〃　against　which　procedure　he；　in　these　Papers；　loudly　protests。　　〃As　if；〃　says　he；　〃the　higher　did　not　presuppose　the　lower；　as　if　he　who　can　fly　into　heaven；　could　not　also　walk　post　if　he　resolved　on　it！　　But　the　world　is　an　old　woman；　and　mistakes　any　gilt　farthing　for　a　gold　coin；　whereby　being　often　cheated；　she　will　thenceforth　trust　nothing　but　the　common　copper。〃

How　our　winged　sky…messenger；　unaccepted　as　a　terrestrial　runner；　contrived；　in　the　mean　while；　to　keep　himself　from　flying　skyward　without　return；　is　not　too　clear　from　these　Documents。　　Good　old　Gretchen　seems　to　have　vanished　from　the　scene；　perhaps　from　the　Earth；　other　Horn　of　Plenty；　or　even　of　Parsimony；　nowhere　flows　for　him；　so　that　〃the　prompt　nature　of　Hunger　being　well　known；〃　we　are　not　without　our　anxiety。　　From　private　Tuition；　in　never　so　many　languages　and　sciences；　the　aid　derivable　is　small；　neither；　to　use　his　own　words；　〃does　the　young　Adventurer　hitherto　suspect　in　himself　any　literary　gift；　but　at　best　earns　bread…and…water　wages；　by　his　wide　faculty　of　Translation。　　Nevertheless；〃　continues　he；　〃that　I　subsisted　is　clear；　for　you　find　me　even　now　alive。〃　　Which　fact；　however；　except　upon　the　principle　of　our　true…hearted；　kind　old　Proverb；　that　〃there　is　always　life　for　a　living　one；〃　we　must　profess　ourselves　unable　to　explain。

Certain　Landlords'　Bills；　and　other　economic　Documents；　bearing　the　mark　of　Settlement；　indicate　that　he　was　not　without　money；　but；　like　an　independent　Hearth…holder；　if　not　House…holder；　paid　his　way。　　Here　also　occur；　among　many　others；　two　little　mutilated　Notes；　which　perhaps　throw　light　on　his　condition。　　The　first　has　now　no　date；　or　writer's　name；　but　a　huge　Blot；　and　runs　to　this　effect：　　〃The　（_Inkblot_）；　tied　down　by　previous　promise；　cannot；　except　by　best　wishes；　forward　the　Herr　Teufelsdrockh's　views　on　the　Assessorship　in　question；　and　sees　himself　under　the　cruel　necessity　of　forbearing；　for　the　present；　what　were　otherwise　his　duty　and　joy；　to　assist　in　opening　the　career　for　a　man　of　genius；　on　whom　far　higher　triumphs　are　yet　waiting。〃　　The　other　is　on　gilt　paper；　and　interests　us　like　a　sort　of　epistolary　mummy　now　dead；　yet　which　once　lived　and　beneficently　worked。　　We　give　it　in　the　original：　　〃_Herr　Teufelsdrockh　wird　von　der　Frau　Grafinn；　auf　Donnerstag；　zum　AESTHETISCHEN　THEE　schonstens　eingeladen_。〃

Thus；　in　answer　to　a　cry　for　solid　pudding；　whereof　there　is　the　most　urgent　need；　comes；　epigrammatically　enough；　the　invitation　to　a　wash　of　quite　fluid　_AEsthetic　Tea_！　　How　Teufelsdrockh；　now　at　actual　hand…grips　with　Destiny　herself；　may　have　comported　himself　among　these　Musical　and　Literary　dilettanti　of　both　sexes；　like　a　hungry　lion　invited　to　a　feast　of　chickenweed；　we　can　only　conjecture。　　Perhaps　in　expressive　silence；　and　abstinence：　　otherwise　if　the　lion；　in　such　case；　is　to　feast　at　all；　it　cannot　be　on　the　chickenweed；　but　only　on　the　chickens。　　For　the　rest；　as　this　Frau　Grafinn　dates　from　the　_Zahdarm　House_；　she　can　be　no　other　than　the　Countess　and　mistress　of　the　same；　whose　intellectual　tendencies；　and　good…will　to　Teufelsdrockh；　whether　on　the　footing　of　Herr　Towgood；　or　on　his　own　footing；　are　hereby　manifest。　　That　some　sort　of　relation；　indeed；　continued；　for　a　time；　to　connect　our　Autobiographer；　though　perhaps　feebly　enough；　with　this　noble　House；　we　have　elsewhere　express　evidence。　Doubtless；　if　he　expected　patronage；　it　was　in　vain；　enough　for　him　if　he　here　obtained　occasional　glimpses　of　the　great　world；　from　which　we　at　one　time　fancied　him　to　have　been　always　excluded。　　〃The　Zahdarms；〃　says　he；　〃lived　in　the　soft；　sumptuous　garniture　of　Aristocracy；　whereto　Literature　and　Art；　attracted　and　attached　from　without；　were　to　serve　as　the　handsomest　fringing。　　It　was　to　the　_Gnadigen　Frau_　（her　Ladyship）　that　this　latter　improvement　was　due：　　assiduously　she　gathered；　dexterously　she　fitted　on；　what　fringing　was　to　be　had；　lace　or　cobweb；　as　the　place　yielded。〃　　Was　Teufelsdrockh　also　a　fringe；　of　lace　or　cobweb；　or　promising　to　be　such？　　〃With　his　_Excellenz_　（the　Count）；〃　continues　he；　〃I　have　more　than　once　had　the　honor　to　converse；　chiefly　on　general　affairs；　and　the　aspect　of　the　world；　which　he；　though　now　past　middle　life；　viewed　in　no　unfavorable　light；　finding　indeed；　except　the　Outrooting　of　Journalism　（_die　auszurottende　Journalistik_）；　little　to　desiderate　therein。　　On　some　points；　as　his　_Excellenz_　was　not　uncholeric；　I　found　it　more　pleasant　to　keep　silence。　　Besides；　his　occupation　being　that　of　Owning　Land；　there　might　be　faculties　enough；　which；　as　superfluous　for　such　use；　were　little　developed　in　him。〃

That　to　Teufelsdrockh　the　aspect　of　the　world　was　nowise　so　faultless；　an