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coarsely prosaic as those of the Bœotian, Sodomitic, and Abderite party. Or was it not very fanciful when people accused me of anti-liberal tendencies and of renegading from the cause of freedom? A printed expression of opinion as to this accusation of apostasy I found recently in a book entitled Briefe eines Narren an eine Narrin (Letters of a Fool to a Female Fool).^[1] On account of much which is good and witty in it, and especially for the noble mind of the author, I cheerfully forgive him for what he has said to my discredit. I know from what side the wind blew which inspired him. Videlicet there are among our Jacobinical enragés, who have been so noisy since the July Revolution, certain imitators of that style of controversy which I conducted during the Restoration with determined daring,^[2] and at the same time with discreet self-confidence. They managed the affair very badly, and instead of attributing the personal afflictions which resulted to their own clumsy inability, they let their rage fall on the writer of these pages, whom they saw safe and sound. It hap-

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1. A work by Karl Gutzkow. Hamburg, Hoffmann Campe, 1832. The passages referred to may be found on page 75.—German Publisher.
2. Rucksichtslosigkeit, regardlessness, recklessness, want of consideration. But Heine manifestly uses the word in its best sense, in compliment to himself.—Translator.