Heinrich Heines Life Told in His Own Words

Much of it stood me in good stead later. For if I had not learned the kings of Rome by heart I should not have cared whether Niebuhr did or did not prove that they never had existed. And if I had not known those dates how could I ever have found my way about Berlin? where the houses are as much alike as one drop of water or one grenadier is to another, and where you can never find out a friend if you do not have the number of his house in your head ? So I say dates are very useful; and I know people who have nothing in their heads but a date or two by the help of which they have found out the right houses in Berlin, and become full professors. But all those dates gave me a deal of trouble at school. Reckoning was worse yet. I got on best with subtraction, in which there is one very practical rule : " 4 from 3 I can't, so I must borrow i "? though in such cases I rather advise borrowing several groschen, as you never can tell. As to Latin, madame, you have no idea how complicated it is. The Romans would never have had time to conquer the world if they had had to learn Latin first. Those lucky people knew from their cradles what nouns have the accusative in im. I had to commit them to memory by the sweat of my brow ; but it is lucky I know them. For example, on the 2oth of July, 1825, when I held a public disputation in Latin in the Aula at Gottingen?which was worth hearing, madame?if I had said sinapem instead of sinapim, some of the " Foxes " present might have ...