Macmillan

178 BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
blue,empty German "
eyes and other coimtries immediately
confound him with his
"
dressing-gown! I meant to say
that,let "German depth"be what it will" among ourselves
alone we perhapstake the libertyto laughat it" we shalldo
well to continue henceforth to honour its appearance and
good name, and not barter away too cheaplyour old reputation
as a people of depth for Prussian "smartness,"and
and let
Berlin wit and sand. It is wise for a peopleto pose,
itselfbe regarded,as profound,clumsy,good-natured, honest,
and foolish:it might even be
"
profoundto do so! Finally,
we should do honour to our name
"
we are not called the
"tiusche Volk" (deceptivepeople)for nothing .
. .
245
The "good old" time ispast,it sang itselfout in Mozart "
how happy are we that his rococo stillspeaksto us, that his
"good company,"his tender enthusiasm,his childish delight
in the Chinese and itsflourishes, Ihiscourtesy of heart,his
longingfor the elegantțhe amorous, the tripping, the tearful,
and his beliefin the South,can stillappealto somethingleft
in us! Ah, some time or other it will be over with it!"
but who can doubt that it will be over still sooner with the
intelligence and taste for Beethoven! For he was only the
last echo of a break and transition in style,and not, like
Mozart,the last echo of a great European
"
taste which had
existed for centuries. Beethoven is the intermediate event
between an old mellow soul that isconstantlybreakingdown,
and a future over-young soul that is alwayscoming;there is
spreadover his music the twilightof eternal loss and eternal
extravagant hope," the same light in which Europe was
bathed when it dreamed with Rousseau, when it danced
round the Tree of Libertyof the Revolution,and finaOfll