His criticisms of other judges, his
references to the manner in which justice is administered in Austria,
illustrate his temerity and independence. His scorn of the King of
Saxony, on account of being dilatory in paying the subscription for the
Grand Mass, was pronounced. He alludes to him as "the poor Dresdener" in
his letters, and he even went so far as to talk about suing him when the
payment was still longer withheld.[F] All this from a man who at times
did not have a decent coat to wear, or a second pair of shoes; who
sometimes accepted advances from his housekeeper for the necessaries of
life. His life was so simple and circumscribed that he never saw the
ocean, or a snow-covered mountain, although living within sight of the
foothills of the Alps. He never returned to his native city though
living not a great distance from it.
[F] Kalischer. _Neue Beethovenbriefe_. Berlin, 1902.
The immediate cause of death, as demonstrated by the post-mortem held
the day after his decease, was cirrhosis of the liver, the dropsy, of
which Schindler makes such frequent mention, being an outcome of, and
connected with, the liver trouble.
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