Ludwig Tieck

“ They shocked all Heaven with their exquisite virtue and claimed to be completely innocent, while finding nothing innocent; everything aggrieved them and was liable to lead them astray; some of them even sought to cover their souls with their hands, so extraordinarily embarrassed were they. The devils greatly pestered them with coarse expressions, and as soon as they turned red or pale with shame, lightning flashed all round them, as it is wont to do in the clouds before a thunderstorm. ”

“ Some angels broke out into heavenly music and turned the whole wide atmosphere melodious; the inflamed tones embraced fervently and a powerful spirit of love pervaded the awakened eternity, playing in a childlike manner, so that the hearts of the pious were transfigured and opened up before the divine rays, whereby the melodies became inherent in them and they kissed one another with their thirsting souls. ”

“ While I was still wonderstruck, it felt exactly as though something were burrowing beneath my feet and striking the Earth’s core with a thousand pulses; the subterranean waters were striving with the internal fire; ores and rocks strove to contain the imminent outburst and prevent it from being born. The sun was high in the sky and beat down relentlessly, drying up with its rays the mountains and the streams, and the spirits of the world felt a primal yearning for the sun. ”

“ And when everything remained as it was, he turned to some of the most respected angels and said: Hey children, do me a favour and wipe those grimaces from your faces, especially you devils over there, whom I cannot stand at all; what is a child’s sensitive imagination supposed to make of such fantastic monstrosities? — When the devils all began to laugh at these remarks, he turned away indignantly, and pointed out to his children that they couldn’t believe anything at all that they saw there, particularly as it was all just a fantasy and relic of the dark ages. ”

“ As there were not enough souls to be found, there was much wheeling and dealing, and competition amongst the bodies and running after the immortal spirits – so much so that a councillor of commerce, who by chance had been the first to come back to life, clapped his hands in delight and wished for no greater bliss, provided that he should attain it. ”

“ The boundless mercy was moved, and he was sentenced to take himself off to Nothingness, a valley that lies between life and death, that is neither Heaven nor Hell, that, strictly speaking, does not exist. ”

“ The only reason they have they torn off one of our ears, the former said, is to stay in character. No, on the contrary, all you highly esteemed immortals, here we meet with a most delightful eternity, inasmuch as I hope to dispatch many more volumes to the printing press, and as a new century is almost upon us, we too need to devise an entirely new plan and move with the times, for one must not of course remain standing still. ”

“ Now, really, an old scholar cried, who is not reminded by this of Horace’s Parturiunt montes? [11] Scarcely had the devils seen the spectacle than some arrived posthaste and gathered up all the paper, while one of them in a frightful temper cried: No, really, things are becoming absolutely intolerable when something that has never shown a trace of life now wants to take part in the universal resurrection! ”

“ The devils, however, blocked their way, so that they were forced to remain standing, whereupon the theologians began an entertaining discussion; some of them also related well-known stories in order to while away the aeons a little. They talked a lot about tolerance and humanity; others had lists with them, for the benefit of the almshouses, and tried to present a pen to the horned ones in order to enroll them too among the ranks of the philanthropists. The devils, however, who were incapable of taking a joke, dragged them with coarse phrases before the judgment seat to be sentenced. ”

“ As the place became fuller and fuller, teeming more and more with new characters, who were continually coming back to life out of the earth, it soon began to give way, and some statisticians rejoiced loudly over the large population in Heaven, while attributing the causes of the population now to the climate, now to the constitution, which they undertook to study in order to unravel the mystery. ”

“ I just gathered from the facial expressions of the satyrs that things would not be turning out for the best for them; I also heard one of them grumble as they passed by again: This is meant to be Enlightenment? [7] These are the fruits of all our culture and pure science, that we who have never even mentioned Hell — just then there arose a great outcry when some devils re-emerged and pleaded to take the cultured Nicolai up to Heaven or somewhere else, because he was so excessively tiresome and absolutely could not keep quiet, so that none of the devils could put up with him ”

“ You must not marvel at that, the devil continued, all kinds of people always slip in amongst us who wish to be numbered amongst the devils rather than amongst the damned; but I hope the Last Judgment will put an end to these shenanigans, along with many others. ”

“ His rifle association has collapsed and been forgotten; also, he has never learned how to shoot; throughout his life he has contented himself with taking aim, firing and presenting arms; and on top of everything else, there are no bullets in his rifle, so he has exhausted his ammunition without ever having shot anyone. ”

“ Some who had been the kings went back and forth with delight among the bodies to set up conscription, whereby they had the advantage that every deceased soldier could come back to life and be useful for military service again. ”

“ And just as it often happens that the almost impossible ideals and aspirations of young people come to pass, so too it turned out well for me one time without my needing to do anything about it myself – something that in fact occurs only rarely. ”

“ They were all condemned without exception, but their only complaint was that the devils were, strictly speaking, men, and that one might therefore think ill of them in Heaven. Others said that, at the very least, they would prefer to be covered with the flames of Hell, as in Heaven their chastity would be put to too severe a trial. ”

“ Well, well, he then began, turning towards the almighty judge, but I would have thought that one who has existed since the beginning of time, and so has reached quite an advanced age, would have more consideration for children and their delicate minds! ”

“ Now many fathers and mothers appeared with many children, and each child was carrying several children’s books under his arm, which they consulted from time to time in order to regulate their conduct, and they were often exhorted by their sensible parents to behave themselves. ”

“ As it is not uncommon for many thoughtful men to have communicated their thoughts on various matters to the public, I too will not neglect to write down my dreams in the future on divers subjects for those of an inquisitive frame of mind. ”

“ In 1791 he experienced visions and apparitions of dead people, which he cured by applying leeches to his buttocks. Tieck worked for Nicolai from 1794 until 1797, by which time Nicolai was growing increasingly critical of the younger man’s ironic tone.↑ In 1796 the English physician Edward Jenner developed the West’s first successful vaccination against a disease (smallpox) using the cowpox virus. Smallpox disfigures the skin with lesions ”