HEINRICH HEINE - Repositories

Heinrich Heine
mately alhed with such respectable and ancient
English words as grumble, stumble, mumble, jumble,
fumble, rumble, crumble, tumble — all heads
of families of the very choicest middle-class blood
in the language. In Thomson's opinion, English
writers were, on the whole, subservient to Bumble
and few had the courage, that Heine had, to publish
their thoughts and feelings on subjects interdicted
by Bumble, namely, on the most important
and urgent problems in religion and sociology. Instead
of following in the footsteps of Heine, the
vast majority of Victorian men-of-letters preferred
to suppress their own most vigorous and honest
thoughts and to lubricate Bumbledom with oily
cant inexpressibly and revoltingly nauseous. It was
expected that in reviewing books, such as those
of Heine, "all the narrative pieces which specially
tickled and enthralled must be overwhelmed with
the fiercest of virtuous indignation; all the argumentative
passages which really throw light upon
vexed questions must be sternly denounced, the
illumination being clearly traced to the Nether Fire.
This condition faithfully observed, the poor and
uneducated scared from corruption. Society may
read without stint. Thou dear respectable Churchwarden-Bumble,
it is pleasant to think how thy
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