. . . No
doubt you will have been surprise to hear about the Breuning affair.
Believe me, my dear fellow! When I tell you that my sudden rage
was merely an explosion resulting from several previous unpleasant
incidents with him. I have the gift of being able to conceal and
control my sensitivity about very many things. But if I happen
to be irritated at the time when I am more liable to fly into
a temper than usual, then I too erupt more violently than anyone
else. Breuning certainly has excellent qualities, but he imagines
that he has no faults; and yet his greatest and most serious faults
are those which he fancies he detects in other people. He is inclined
to be petty, a trait which since my childhood I have despised.
My judgment almost foretold this passage at arms with Breuning,
since our ways of thinking, acting and feeling are really too
different. Nevertheless I thought that even these difficulties
might be overcome - Experience has proved me wrong. And now our
friendship is at an end! I have found only two friends in the
world with whom, I may say, I have never had a misunderstanding.
But what fine men! One is dead [Anderson footnote: "Lorenz
von Breuning, who had died in 1798"], the other is still
alive [Anderson footnote: "Karl Amenda, who had left Vienna
in 1799. See Letter 52"]. Although for almost six years neither
of us has had news of the other, yet I know that I hold the first
place in his heart, just as he holds it in mine. The foundation
of friendship demands the greatest similarity in the souls and
hearts of men. All I want you to do is to read the letter which
I have written to Breuning and his letter to me. No, he will never
again fill in my heart the place which he used to fill. He who
can impute to his friend such low way of thinking and at the same
time stoop to act towards him so basely, is not worthy of my friendship
- Don't forget to see about rooms for me. All good wishes. Don't
do too much tailoring. [Anderson footnote: "According to
his own statement in WRBN. 141, Ries was then living in the house
of a tailor who had three very beautiful daughters…"]
My best regards to the most beautiful of the beauties. Send me
half a dozen sewing needles - For the life of me I should never
have thought that I could be so lazy as I am here. If an outbreak
of really hard work is going to follow, then indeed something
fine may be the result.
Vale.
Beethoven.