Tuesday, January 16:
Prof. N. sends the copies of the de luxe edition. We consider how to prevent his books being killed by silence. R. works and is very agitated when he comes down to lunch. I ink in and give the children lessons.
In the afternoon R. goes into town, then he starts the preface to the fifth and sixth volumes of his collected writings. I read The Four Sons of Aymon to the little ones, but have to break off at the death of the horse Bayard; we talk about this aspect.
R. explains it as a noble killing off of the will; I say that it is only a step from there to Peter Arbués, who did not bother with laments and tears, and in my opinion Aymon’s sons should have perished along with the horse - what is the use of atonement and a holy life after such a deed?
R. agrees with me and says, “The sacrifice of Bayard is in fact a piece of infamy; a thing like that is alien to the Hindus and also to Christ, it is specifically Catholic.” In the evening we read a lot of Schopenhauer and philosophized till one o’clock in the morning.