French
embassy here, to subscribe to this work, and I feel certain that his
Majesty would, at your recommendation, agree to do so. _Ma situation
critique demande que je ne fixe pas seulement, comme ordinnaire, mes voeux
au ciel; au contraire, il faut les fixer aussi_ ["_aussi_" in Beethoven's
hand] _en bas pour les necessites de la vie._ Whatever may be the fate of
my request to you, I shall forever continue to love and esteem you, _et
vous resterez toujours celui de mes contemporains que je l'estime le plus.
Si vous me voulez faire un extreme plaisir, c'etait si vous m'ecrivez
quelques lignes, ce que me soulagera bien. L'art unit tout le monde_, how
much more, then, true artists, _et peut-etre vous me dignez aussi_ to
include me in that number. _Avec le plus haut estime_,

_Votre ami et serviteur_,

BEETHOVEN.

[Footnote 1: Cherubini declared that he never received this letter.]

321.

TO SCHINDLER.[1]

DEAR SCHINDLER,--

I am not sure whether the other copy was corrected or not, so I send you
this one instead. As to N. in S----, I beg you not to say a word; Bl. is
already very uneasy on the subject. In haste, your friend,

BEETHOVEN.

[Footnote 1: We cannot understand what induced Beethoven, who lived in the
same house with Schindler, to write to him; but he often did so to persons
with whom he could easily have spoken, partly in order to get rid of the
matter while it was in his thoughts, and also because he was a great deal
from home; that is, going backwards and forwards from one lodging to
another, having often several at the same time.]

322.

TO HERR PETERS,--LEIPZIG.

Vienna, March 20, 1823.

The other three marches are only to be sent off to-day, as I missed the
post last week. Irregular as I have been on this occasion in our
transactions, you would not think me so culpable if you were here, and
aware of my position, a description of which would be too tedious both for
you and me.

I have now an observation to make with regard to what I have sent off to
you.

Several sets of wind instruments may combine in the performance of the
Grand March, and if this cannot be done, and a regimental band is not
strong enough for its present arrangement, any bandmaster can easily adapt
it by omitting some of the parts.

You can, no doubt, find some one in Leipzig to show you how this can be
managed with a smaller number, although I should regret if it were not to
appear engraved exactly as it is wr