Funeral Oration for the Obsequies of Karl von Hund

My tears flow in vain, as if they were mere drops, when the echo of those we have lost—the enemy of mankind, the father, the friend, and brother—affects us so deeply and leaves us in such need.

We must hold these memories in our store of remembrance. Every noble action should ignite us toward imitation. His Menschenliebe philanthropy/love of humanity and his innermost? pious charity, without regard for status or religion, should be the touchstone by which we judge our own good deeds. His sacrifice before the E? likely an abbreviation for a title or the Order and all his efforts must constantly remind us of our duty. A pious hope until the twentieth, our tears, should warm us; our pride should guide our steps; and our gentleness should take pride in considering our efforts as such, for he gave us the best example of this even here below. O, if I only loved my brothers half as much as he did, if each of us could inspire in others the best that he possessed, how quickly would the world be able to forget the times when malice and superstition strove to destroy it completely.

Had not self-interest, base interference, exaggerated ambition, and incompetence in business hindered us in our succession, and had we favored a portion of that effort, how much more beloved we would be already. What a form would that sacrifice have taken? And what steadfastness is required when even our friends work against us with raw intentions—born of misconduct—and stand against us with ugly, defiant efforts, tearing the thread that should reconnect us so innocently.

Let us go back to the beginning, when he managed the efforts that returned him to us, helping to maintain the status of the Order. Here, we did not just save him in business; his entire fortune, which was unfairly protected by the hand, found its purpose. Those whose fortunes were restricted by circumstances found his help

to be as their own. What did they not cost him as places of refuge for the brothers? Not many days or years passed without a night where he gave of himself, and he entertained everyone who came to him with tireless hospitality. How often were 20 or more persons his guests, and how helpful he remained when he had to part with them again.

If one were to reproach him for anything, it would be that he invested too little interest in our system. A righteous heart becomes cold too easily if it is not kept fiery and cheerful. Even those who are bold and active become capable of deep thought when they hope to make their pious brothers and their descendants happier. How reluctantly I think back to the times when he entertained his guests with immense hospitality just to make a figure and provide proof. Even if the Order had not had the apparent advantage from it, and even if some of the money had been redeemed, his sacrifice, the surrendering and sharing of his wealth, would have deserved recognition for everything that was kept from us. But as it was, when money—which was worth its weight in gold—could be obtained for half the sum, and yet this small sum could be paid above the usual rates. O, my brothers, it is an act of violence against myself to think of those times with cold blood, to praise those efforts with the warmth that our connection demands of us.

Is it not a mark of superior friendship if I assure you that our The 'E' likely refers to 'Ehrwürdigen' (Reverend/Honorable brothers) or a similar term for the Order's members cost us more than 100,000 rth Reichsthaler? And how he demanded no replacement, how he could not bring himself to take even a single local Groschen small silver coin as a sacrifice. Even toward me—yet I, with his reservation, of all his financial circumstances immediately