142. "I may say that because of Vogler, Winter was always my
greatest enemy. But because he is a beast in his mode of life,
and in all other matters a child, I would be ashamed to set down
a single word on his account; he deserves the contempt of all
honorable men. I will, therefore, not tell infamous truths rather
than infamous lies about him."

(Vienna, December 22, 1781, to his father, to whose ears Peter
Winter, a composer, had brought slanderous reports concerning
Mozart and his Constanze. Winter was a pupil of Abbe Vogler. See
No. 66.)

143. "He is a nice fellow and a good friend of mine; I might
often dine with him, but it is a custom with me never to take pay
for my favors; nor would a dish of soup pay them. Yet such people
have wonderful notions of what they accomplish with one....I am
fond of doing favors for people but they must not plague me. She
(the daughter) is not satisfied if I spend two hours every day
with her, but wants me to loll about the whole day; yet she tries
to play the well behaved one."

(Vienna, August 22, 1781, to his father. Mozart is writing about
a landlord and his daughter concerning whom favorable reports had
reached the ears of the father. Mozart explains matters and soon
thereafter announces a change of lodgings.)

144. "I beg of you that when you write to me about something in
my conduct which is displeasing to you, and I in turn give you my
views, let it always be a matter between father and son, and