s attacked by a grave nervous disorder, but
successfully nursed through it by the one or two friends who still
remained in the city. On recovering, he wished to go to Vienna, with
the view of beginning an artistic career, and was only prevented from
carrying out his design by want of money to defray the expenses of the
journey. He was in great distress, and even began to despond, until
finally in the summer he contrived to get to Posen, and thence to
Berlin, where he arrived some time in July.

In Berlin, however, his prospects did not improve. He failed to find
employment for his talents: nobody could be got to purchase his
sketches or sit to him for a portrait; an attempt to interest Iffland,
the actor and dramatist, in him failed; and no publisher could be found
for his musical productions. Everything he was willing to do came to
nothing. Then came other misfortunes. His ready-money, consisting of
six _Louis d'or_, was stolen from him; news reached him of the death of
his dearly-loved daughter Cecily when two years old, and of the illness
of his wife. He was on the point of despair, when it suddenly occurred
to him to advertise for the post of musical director in a theatre. This
had the desired effect of eventually securing him the post he wished,
in the theatre at Bamberg which was conducted under the auspices of
Count von Soden; but the engagement was not to commence until October,
1808. The intervening months were months of hard struggle for Hoffmann;
he says he was almost in the extremities of want, and should have
lacked the bare necessaries of life had he not succeeded in disposing
of some minor productions in music and painting for a couple of _Louis
d'or_ received in advance. In the summer of 1808, he at last fetched
his wife from Posen, and then repaired to Bamberg (1st September).

To these years in Warsaw and Berlin belong three operas and other minor
musical pieces (including music for Werner's tragedy _Das Kreuz an der
Ostsee_), several productions of his pencil and brush, but no literary
works. Here at the end of what may be termed the first act in E. T. W.
Hoffmann's chequered life we may pause a moment And the pause we may
turn to account by quoting a description of his personal appearance and
some peculiarities of habit.

"Hoffmann was very short of stature, of yellowish complexion; and he
had dark, almost black hair, growing down low upon his forehead, gray
eyes which had nothing remarkable abou