Page:Works of Heinrich Heine 07.djvu/23

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PREFACE TO THE PREFACE.
3

Reason be to you! Yes, quite as much so as to its hereditary enemies, the priests, to whose rule it brings an end, and who, in common danger, make with you a common cause.

The expression "French party in Germany" is to-day predominant in my mind, because it specially struck me this morning in the last number of the Edinburgh Review. It was, by the way, a characteristic of the poems of Uhland, the good boy, and of mine, the bad one, that the French party in Germany was represented as a leader. I observe that this is only an echo of German journals, which I unfortunately never see here; but if I cannot now especially exalt them, it may be done another time to general advantage. As I have been for ten years a constant subject of daily criticism, which treats my writings either pro or contra, but always passionately, one may confidently attribute to me sufficient indifference as regards printed opinions; and if I—what I have as yet never done—should often cite such remarks, people will see, I trust, that it was not the personal susceptibilities of the writer, but the general interest of the citizen, which called forth the word. But as I have remarked—more's the pity—beyond the political newspapers, very few German daily publications find their way to Paris. For every reason I miss them sadly. Truly in this great city, where a piece of the