The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 513 - 271: Politics and Science (4K4)

Arthur and his companions chatted idly as they entered the grand gates of Gresham College.

They had not gone far when Arthur spotted two familiar faces standing beneath the birch tree near the college chapel.

It was none other than the Great Dumas and his odorous companion, the great Deutsch poet Heine.

After finalizing the arrangement for the British to handle the English publication of "Travel Sketches," Heine had decided to return to Paris.

However, the Great Dumas, enthusiastic as ever, invited this newly acquainted friend to stay a few more days in London to extend his hospitality.

In the past week, Dumas, during the day, would take Heine around various London sites, and at night, they would bunker down in Arthur’s home to make some provocative statements.

As for the topics of these utterances, they largely revolved around the political differences between France and Germany. Although both literary giants spoke eloquently and incisively, their conversation boiled down to a few core points for Arthur, who listened while reading the newspaper on the sofa.

Dumas frequently affirmed Germany’s progress in philosophy and culture over recent years, occasionally reciting famous sayings by Kant and Goethe to demonstrate his admiration for the Germanic region. He even quoted the Deutsch historian Leopold von Ranke to further his point—that Germans were divinely ordained to develop a cultural and political system entirely distinct from that of the French.

Yet, when Dumas intended these words of courtesy, they fell on Heine’s ears with a heavy dose of irony.

In response, the normally mild-mannered Heine didn’t hesitate to tarnish his own image and burst out: "I don’t think God has prepared two paths for humanity, unless He considers the French and Germans to be completely different species. Ranke is a historian, I don’t know why he would venture into biology. In my opinion, if he isn’t mentally disturbed, then he must physically ail, otherwise, how could such an ass-kisser master the art of speaking through his behind so skillfully?"

Perhaps it was Ranke’s statement that infuriated Heine because almost every night for a week, he began his Ranke’s lurid history class on time, each day presenting an entirely new story.

He first attacked Ranke’s famed work "Latin and Teutonic Peoples’ History," stating that while Ranke claimed to be an honest scholar, he didn’t believe in the progression from a lower to a higher state in history, nor in the struggles of factions within society which he felt were all decreed by God’s will. This, according to Heine, was solely to defend the status quo of Prussia and Austria.

He also leaked how Ranke received funding from Metternich, the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire, in Vienna, and sponsorship from the Prussian Foreign Office in Berlin to start "Historical-Political Review" to combat the democratic ideologies in Germany following the French July Revolution.

Dumas, naturally, was greatly shocked by this, yet he still tried to convince Heine that the current French July Monarchy wasn’t all that admirable, attempting at every turn to make Heine see that France wasn’t so great. However, each time compared to the German states, Heine had an easy victory.

Thus, both of them claimed to be political prisoners persecuted by their governments; one bragged about being in constant surveillance by the Prussian secret police during his time in Germany. Meanwhile, as they heatedly argued, Britain’s secret police tasked with persecuting and surveilling political prisoners was so weary that they wanted to go upstairs to sleep.

Even though Dumas and Heine frequently quarreled over their views, it did not affect their friendship; most of the time, the two gentlemen still respected each other like heroes.

As Arthur approached, he heard them in lively conversation about none other than Mr. Leopold von Ranke, the court historian for Prussia and Austria.

Heine, animated and cursing vehemently, said: "Ranke is utterly despicable. He gained Prussian favor early on with ’Latin and Teutonic Peoples’ History,’ tasting the perks of ass-kissing as a young deputy professor of history at Berlin University. From then on, he was unstoppable, securing an invitation from Metternich to conduct scholarly visits to Austria with his work ’Ottoman and Spanish Monarchies Politics in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.’ His prominence came not because he knew the truth, but because those defining what ’truth’ was, held him in high regard."

Without making a sound, Arthur walked up to them, greeted them: "Criticizing Ranke again? Heinrich, there’s no need to be so upset, it’s not his fault your works are banned from publishing in Austria."

Turning to face Arthur, Heine replied with self-mockery, "Indeed! My works can’t be published in Austria, yet his assertions flow unimpeded throughout Germany and even receive official sponsorship. Indeed, there’s quite a disparity between us."

Upon seeing Arthur, Dumas raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hmm? What’s made you interested in joining our discussions today? Haven’t you been dozing off by the stove on the sofa for several nights in a row?"