four--separated from their nurses and put under a tutor, in whose charge they
remained until they went to the University. They were brought up in a simple

and unostentatious manner, for the Duke was poor and the duchy very small and
very insignificant. Before long it became evident that Albert was a model lad.

Intelligent and painstaking, he had been touched by the moral earnestness" target="_blank" title="n.认真，急切；坚定">earnestness of
his generation; at the age of eleven he surprised his father by telling him

that he hoped to make himself "a good and useful man." And yet he was not
over-serious; though, perhaps, he had little humour, he was full of fun--of

practical jokes and mimicry. He was no milksop; he rode, and shot, and fenced;
above all did he delight in being out of doors, and never was he happier than

in his long rambles with his brother through the wild country round his
beloved Rosenau--stalking the deer, admiring the scenery, and returning laden

with specimens for his natural history collection. He was, besides,
passionately fond of music. In one particular it was observed that he did not

take after his father: owing either to his peculiar upbringing or to a more
fundamental idiosyncrasy he had a marked distaste for the opposite sex. At the

age of five, at a children's dance, he screamed with disgust and anger when a
little girl was led up to him for a partner; and though, later on, he grew

more successful in disguising such feelings, the feelings remained.
The brothers were very popular in Coburg, and, when the time came for them to

be confirmed, the preliminaryexamination which, according to ancient custom,
was held in public in the "Giants' Hall" of the Castle, was attended by an

enthusiastic crowd of functionaries, clergy, delegates from the villages of
the duchy, and miscellaneous onlookers. There were also present, besides the

Duke and the Dowager Duchess, their Serene Highnesses the Princes Alexander
and Ernest of Wurtemberg, Prince Leiningen, Princess Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and

Princess Hohenlohe-Schillingsfurst. Dr. Jacobi, the Court chaplain, presided
at an altar, simply but appropriately decorated, which had been placed at the

end of the hall; and the proceedings began by the choir singing the first
verse of the hymn, "Come, Holy Ghost." After some introductory remarks, Dr.

Jacobi began the examination. "The dignified and decorous bearing of the
Princes," we are told in a contemporaryaccount, "their strict attention to

the questions, the frankness, decision, and correctness of their answers,
produced a deep impression on the numerous assembly. Nothing was more striking

in their answers than the evidence they gave of deep feeling and of inward
strength of conviction. The questions put by the examiner were not such as to

be met by a simple "yes" or "no." They were carefully considered in order to
give the audience a clear insight into the views and feelings of,the young

princes. One of the most touching moments was when the examiner asked the
hereditary prince whether he intended steadfastly to hold to the Evangelical

Church, and the Prince answered not only "Yes!" but added in a clear and
decided tone: "I and my brother are firmlyresolved ever to remain faithful to

the acknowledged truth." The examination having lasted an hour, Dr. Jacobi
made some concluding observations, followed by a short prayer; the second and

third verses of the opening hymn were sung; and the ceremony was over. The
Princes, stepping down from the altar, were embraced by the Duke and the

Dowager Duchess; after which the loyal inhabitants of Coburg dispersed, well
satisfied with their entertainment.

Albert's mental development now proceeded apace. In his seventeenth year he
began a careful study of German literature and German philosophy. He set

about, he told his tutor, "to follow the thoughts of the great Klopstock into
their depths--though in this, for the most part," he modestly added, "I do not

succeed." He wrote an essay on the "Mode of Thought of the Germans, and a
Sketch of the History of German Civilisation," "making use," he said, "in its

general outlines, of the divisions which the treatment of the subject itself
demands," and concluding with "a retrospect of the shortcomings of our time,

with an appeal to every one to correct those shortcomings in his own case, and
thus set a good example to others." Placed for some months under the care of

King Leopold at Brussels, he came under the influence of Adolphe Quetelet, a
mathematical professor, who was particularly interested in the application of

the laws of ability" target="_blank" title="n.或有；可能性">probability to political and moral phenomena; this line of inquiry
attracted the Prince, and the friendship thus begun continued till the end of

his life. From Brussels he went to the University of Bonn, where he was
speedily distinguished both by his intellectual and his social activities; his

energies were absorbed in metaphysics, law, political economy, music, fencing,
and amateur theatricals. Thirty years later his fellow--students recalled with

delight the fits of laughter into which they had been sent by Prince Albert's
mimicry. The verve with which his Serene Highness reproduced the tones and

gestures of one of the professors who used to point to a picture of a row of
houses in Venice with the remark, "That is the Ponte-Realte," and of another

who fell down in a race and was obliged to look for his spectacles, was
especially appreciated.

After a year at Bonn, the time had come for a foreign tour, and Baron Stockmar
arrived from England to accompany the Prince on an expedition to Italy. The

Baron had been already, two years previously, consulted by King Leopold as to
his views upon the proposed marriage of Albert and Victoria. His reply had

been remarkable. With a characteristicforesight, a characteristicabsence of
optimism, a characteristic sense of the moral elements in the situation,

Stockmar had pointed out what were, in his opinion, the conditions essential
to make the marriage a success. Albert, he wrote, was a fine young fellow,

well grown for his age, with agreeable and valuable qualities; and it was
probable that in a few years he would turn out a strong handsome man, of a

kindly, simple, yet dignified demeanour." Thus, externally, he possesses all
that pleases the sex, and at all times and in all countries must please."

Supposing, therefore, that Victoria herself was in favour of the marriage, the
further question arose as to whether Albert's mental qualities were such as to

fit him for the position of husband of the Queen of England. On this point,
continued the Baron, one heard much to his credit; the Prince was said to be

discreet and intelligent; but all such judgments were necessarilypartial, and
the Baron preferred to reserve his opinion until he could come to a

trustworthy conclusion from personal observation. And then he added: "But all
this is not enough. The young man ought to have not merely great ability, but

a right ambition, and great force of will as well. To pursue for a lifetime a
political career so arduous demands more than energy and inclination--it

demands also that earnest frame of mind which is ready of its own accord to
sacrifice mere pleasure to real usefulness. If he is not satisfied hereafter

with the consciousness of having achieved one of the most influential
positions in Europe, how often will he feel tempted to repent his adventure!

If he does not from the very outset accept it as a vocation of grave
responsibility, on the efficientperformance of which his honour and happiness

depend, there is small likelihood of his succeeding."
Such were the views of Stockmar on the qualifications necessary for the due