a remarkable political writer of the
ultra-liberal party in Germany, who resided in Paris at the same time
with Heine: a man of stern, uncompromising partisanship and bitter humor.
Without justifying Heine's production of this book, we see excuses for
him which should temper the condemnation passed on it. There was a
radical opposition of nature between him and Borne; to use his own
distinction, Heine is a Hellene--sensuous, realistic, exquisitely alive
to the beautiful; while Borne was a Nazarene--ascetic, spiritualistic,
despising the pure artist as destitute of earnestness. Heine has too
keen a perception of practical absurdities and damaging exaggerations
ever to become a thoroughgoing partisan; and with a love of freedom, a
faith in the ultimate triumph of democratic principles, of which we see
no just reason to doubt the genuineness and consistency, he has been
unable to satisfy more zealous and one-sided liberals by giving his
adhesion to their views and measures, or by adopting a denunciatory tone
against those in the opposite ranks. Borne could not forgive what he
regarded as Heine's epicurean indifference and artistic dalliance, and he
at length gave vent to his antipathy in savage attacks on him through the
press, accusing him of utterly lacking character and principle, and even
of writing under the influence of venal motives. To these attacks Heine
remained absolutely mute--from contempt according to his own account; but
the retort, which he resolutely refrained from making during Borne's
life, comes in this volume published after his death with the
concentrated force of long-gathering thunder. The utterly inexcusable
part of the book is the caricature of Borne's friend, Madame Wohl, and
the scurrilous insinuations concerning Borne's domestic life. It is
said, we know not with how much truth, that Heine had to answer for these
in a duel with Madame Wohl's husband, and that, after receiving a serious
wound, he promised to withdraw the offensive matter from a future
edition. That edition, however, has not been called for. Whatever else
we may think of the book, it is impossible to deny its transcendent
talent--the dramatic vigor with which Borne is made present to us, the
critical acumen with which he is characterized, and the wonderful play of
wit, pathos, and thought which runs through the whole. But we will let
Heine speak for himself, and first we will give part of his graphic
description of the wa