Letter to August Bebel, November 29, 1892


ENGELS TO AUGUST BEBEL

IN BERLIN

London, 29 November 1892

Dear August,

Many thanks for your good wishes—I stood the whole thing very well and without any evil after-effects whatever, nor should I be in any way averse to celebrating yet another birthday tomorrow—but so strict a watch is kept on me that I should never be allowed to indulge in such excesses! Your Prussian police are as nothing by comparison with a medical Witch[1] like this. But I always keep wondering what good it will do and what are the sins that have earned me such conscientious surveillance. Being unable to rid myself of a silly superstitious belief in 'equalising justice', I am drinking mineral water and lemonade and doing penance for the aforesaid sins without knowing whether I have actually committed them. More about politics in my next—in a day or two[2] —but I must see to it that I finish Volume III.[3] In France things look remarkably tempestuous; c'est le commencement de la fin[4] ! The time will again come when the French will have an opportunity to show their good qualities.

Warm regards.

Your F. E.

Thank you so much for the fine gluepot; it will be pressed into service straight away for Volume III.

  1. Louise Kautsky
  2. See this volume, p. 48 end
  3. of Capital
  4. it is the beginning of the end