ith both hands at my rejected offer,
experience before long," continues Linsenbarth. "For the loose thing of
court-tatters led him such a life that, within three years, age yet only
thirty, he had to bite the dust" (BITE AT THE GRASS, says Linsenbarth,
proverbially), which was an INCONVENIENTIA including all others. "And I
had LEGITIMAM CAUSAM to refuse the vocation CUM TALI CONDITIONE.

"However, it was very ill taken of me. All over that Thuringian region
I was cried out upon as a headstrong foolish person: The Herr Graf von
Werthern, so ran the story, had of his own kindness, without request of
mine, offered me a living; RARA AVIS, singular instance; and I, rash and
without head, flung away such gracious offer. In short, I was told to
my face [by good-natured friends], Nobody would ever think of me for
promotion again;"--universal suffrage giving it clear against poor
Linsenbarth, in this way.

"To get out of people's sight at least," continues he, "I decided to
leave my native place, and go to Berlin," 250 miles away or more. "And
so it was that, on June the 20th, 1750, I landed at Berlin for the
first time: and here straightway at the PACKHOF (or Custom-house), in
searching of my things, 400 THALERS (some 60 pounds), all in Nurnberg
BATZEN, were seized from me;"--BATZEN, quarter-groats we may say; 7
and a half batzen go to a shilling; what a sack there must have been
of them, 9,000 in all, about the size of herring-scales, in bad silver;
fruit of Linsenbarth's stern thrift from birth upwards:--all snatched
from him at one swoop. "And why?" says he, quite historically: Yes,
Why? The reader, to understand it wholly, would need to read
in Mylius's--Edicten-Sammlung,--in SEYFARTH and elsewhere;
[Mylius,--Edict--xli., January, 1744, &c. &c.] and to know the
scandalous condition of German coinage at this time and long after;
every needy little Potentate mixing his coin with copper at discretion,
and swindling mankind with it for a season; needing to be peremptorily
forbidden, confiscated or ordered home, by the like of Friedrich.
Linsenbarth answers his own "And why?" with historical calmness:--

"The king had, some (six) years ago, had the batzen utterly cried down
(GANZ UND GAR); they were not to circulate at all in his Countries;
and I was so bold, I had brought batzen hither into the King's Capital,
KONIGLICHE RESIDENZ itself! At the Packhof, there was but one answer,
'Contraband, Contraband!'"--Here was a welcome