THE WORKS OF JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

TRANSLATORS

THOMAS CARLYLEHENRY W. LONGFELLOWSIR WALTER SCOTTBAYARD TAYLOR

EDWARD CHAWNERCHAS. J. SPRAGUELEOPOLD NOAHENRY DALE

JOHN OXENFORDTHEODORE MARTINW. E. AYTOUNE. A. BOWRING

A. J. W. MORRISONG. H. LEWESJ. S. DWIGHTANNA SWANWICK

THE GOTTINGEN EDITION OF JOHANN WOLFGANG VONGOETHE'S WORKS IS LIMITED TO ONE THOUSAND COPIES, OF WHICH THIS IS NUMBER 976

[Illustration: PICTURE OF GOETHE]

GOTTINGEN EDITION

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

TRUTH AND FICTION RELATING TO MY LIFE

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

TRANSLATED BYJOHN OXENFORD

VOLUME I. 

PHILADELPHIA AND CHICAGOJ. H. MOORE AND COMPANY

INTRODUCTION. 

BY THOMAS CARLYLE. 

It would appear that for inquirers into Foreign Literature, for all menanxious to see and understand the European world as it lies around them, a great problem is presented in this Goethe; a singular, highlysignificant phenomenon, and now also means more or less complete forascertaining its significance. A man of wonderful, nay, unexampledreputation and intellectual influence among forty millions ofreflective, serious and cultivated men, invites us to study him; and todetermine for ourselves, whether and how far such influence has beensalutary, such reputation merited. That this call will one day beanswered, that Goethe will be seen and judged of in his real characteramong us, appears certain enough. His name, long familiar everywhere, has now awakened the attention of critics in all European countries tohis works: he is studied wherever true study exists: eagerly studiedeven in France; nay, some considerable knowledge of his nature andspiritual importance seems already to prevail there. [Footnote: Witness/Le Tasse, Drame par Duval, / and the Criticisms on it. See also theEssays in the /Globe, / Nos. 55, 64 (1826). ]

For ourselves, meanwhile, in giving all due weight to so curious anexhibition of opinion, it is doubtless our part, at the same time, tobeware that we do not give it too much. This universal sentiment ofadmiration is wonderful, is interesting enough; but it must not lead usastray. We English stand as yet without the sphere of it; neither willwe plunge blindly in, but enter considerately, or, if we see good, keepaloof from it altogether. Fame, we may understand, is no sure test ofmerit, but only a probability of such; it is an accident, not aproperty, of a man; like light, it can give little or nothing, but atmost may show what is given; often it is but a false glare, dazzling theeyes of the vulgar, lending by casual extrinsic splendour the brightnessand manifold glance of the diamond to pebbles of no value. A man is inall cases simply the man, of the same intrinsic worth and weakness, whether his worth and weakness lie hidden in the depths of his ownconsciousness, or be betrumpeted and beshouted from end to end of thehabitable globe. These are plain truths, which no one should lose sightof; though, whether in love or in anger, for praise or for condemnation, most of us are too apt to forget them. But least of all can it becomethe critic to 'follow a multitude to do evil' even when that evil isexcess of admiration; on the contrary, it will behoove him to lift uphis voice, how feeble soever, how unheeded soever, against the commondelusion; from which, if he can save, or help to save any mortal, hisendeavours will have been repaid. 

With these things in some measure before us, we must remind our readersof another influence at work in this affair, and one acting, as wethink, in the contrary direction. That pitiful enough desire for'originality' which lurks and acts in all minds, will rather, weimagine, lead the critic of Foreign Literature to adopt the negativethan the affirmative with regard to Goethe. If a writer indeed feel thathe is writing for England alone, invisibly and inaudibly to the rest ofthe Earth, the temptations may be pretty equally balanced; if he writefor some small conclave, which he mistakenly thinks the representativeof England, they may sway this way or that, as it chances. But writingin such isolated spirit is no longer possible. Traffic, with its swiftships, is uniting all nations into one; Europe at large is becoming moreand more one public; and in this public, the voices for Goethe, comparedwith those against him, are in the proportion, as we reckon them, bothas to the number and value, of perhaps a hundred to one. We take in, notGermany alone, but France and Italy; not the Schlegels and Schellings, but the Manzonis and De Staels. The bias of originality, therefore, maylie to the side of censure; and whoever among us shall step forward, with such knowledge as our common critics have of Goethe, to enlightenthe European public, by contradiction in this matter, displays aheroism, which, in estimating his other merits, ought nowise to beforgotten. 

Our own view of the case coincides, we confess, in some degree with thatof the majority. We reckon that Goethe's fame has, to a considerableextent, been deserved; that his influence has been of high benefit tohis own country; nay more, that it promises to be of benefit to us, andto all other nations. The essential grounds of this opinion, which toexplain minutely were a long, indeed boundless task, we may statewithout many words. We find, then, in Goethe, an Artist, in the high andancient meaning of that term; in the meaning which it may have bornelong ago among the masters of Italian painting, and the fathers ofPoetry in England; we say that we trace in the creations of this man, belonging in every sense to our own time, some touches of that old, divine spirit, which had long passed away from among us, nay which, ashas often been laboriously demonstrated, was not to return to this worldany more. 

Or perhaps we come nearer our meaning, if we say that in Goethe wediscover by far the most striking instance, in our time, of a writer whois, in strict speech, what Philosophy can call a Man. He is neithernoble nor plebeian, neither liberal nor servile, nor infidel nordevotee; but the best excellence of all these, joined in pure union; 'aclear and universal Man. ' Goethe's poetry is no separate faculty, nomental handicraft; but the voice of the whole harmonious manhood: nay itis the very harmony, the living and life-giving harmony of that richmanhood which forms his poetry. All good men may be called poets in act, or in word; all good poets are so in both. But Goethe besides appears tous as a person of that deep endowment, and gifted vision, of thatexperience also and sympathy in the ways of all men, which qualify himto stand forth, not only as the literary ornament, but in many respectstoo as the Teacher and exemplar of his age. For, to say nothing of hisnatural gifts, he has cultivated himself and his art, he has studied howto live and to write, with a fidelity, an unwearied earnestness, ofwhich there is no other living instance; of which, among British poetsespecially, Wordsworth alone offers any resemblance. And this in ourview is the result. To our minds, in these soft, melodious imaginationsof his, there is embodied the Wisdom which is proper to this time; thebeautiful, the religious Wisdom, which may still, with something of itsold impressiveness, speak to the whole soul; still, in these hard, unbelieving utilitarian days, reveal to us glimpses of the Unseen butnot unreal World, that so the Actual and the Ideal may again meettogether, and clear Knowledge be again wedded to Religion, in the lifeand business of men. 

Such is our conviction or persuasion with regard to the poetry ofGoethe. Could we demonstrate this opinion to be true, could we evenexhibit it with that degree of clearness and consistency which it hasattained in our own thoughts, Goethe were, on our part, sufficientlyrecommended to the best attention of all thinking men. But, unhappily, it is not a subject susceptible of demonstration: the merits andcharacteristics of a Poet are not to be set forth by logic; but to begathered by personal, and as in this case it must be, by deep andcareful inspection of his works. Nay Goethe's world is everyway sodifferent from ours; it costs us such effort, we have so much toremember, and so much to forget, before we can transfer ourselves in anymeasure into his peculiar point of vision, that a right study of him, for an Englishman, even of ingenuous, open, inquisitive mind, becomesunusually difficult; for a fixed, decided, contemptuous Englishman, nextto impossible. To a reader of the first class, helps may be given, explanations will remove many a difficulty; beauties that lay hidden maybe made apparent; and directions, adapted to his actual position, willat length guide him into the proper tract for such an inquiry. All this, however, must be a work of progression and detail. To do our part in it, from time to time, must rank among the best duties of an English ForeignReview. Meanwhile, our present endeavour limits itself within farnarrower bounds. We cannot aim to make Goethe known, but only to provethat he is worthy of being known; at most, to point out, as it were afaroff, the path by which some knowledge of him may be obtained. A slightglance at his general literary character and procedure, and one or twoof his chief productions which throw light on these, must for thepresent suffice. A French diplomatic personage, contemplating Goethe'sphysiognomy, is said to have observed: /Voila un homme qui a eubeaucoup de chagrins. / A truer version of the matter, Goethe himselfseems to think, would have been: Here is a man who has struggledtoughly; who has /es sich recht sauer werden lassen. / Goethe'slife, whether as a writer and thinker, or as a living active man, hasindeed been a life of effort, of earnest toilsome endeavour after allexcellence. Accordingly, his intellectual progress, his spiritual andmoral history, as it may be gathered from his successive Works, furnishes, with us, no small portion of the pleasure and profit wederive from perusing them. Participating deeply in all the influences ofhis age, he has from the first, at every new epoch, stood forth toelucidate the new circumstances of the time; to offer the instruction, the solace, which that time required. His literary life divides itselfinto two portions widely different in character: the products of thefirst, once so new and original, have long either directly or throughthe thousand thousand imitations of them, been familiar to us; with theproducts of the second, equally original, and in our day far moreprecious, we are yet little acquainted. These two classes of works standcuriously related with each other; at first view, in strongcontradiction, yet, in truth, connected together by the strictestsequence. For Goethe has not only suffered and mourned in bitter agonyunder the spiritual perplexities of his time; but he has also masteredthese, he is above them, and has shown others how to rise above them. Atone time, we found him in darkness, and now he is in light; he was oncean Unbeliever, and now he is a Believer; and he believes, moreover, notby denying his unbelief, but by following it out; not by stopping short, still less turning back, in his inquiries, but by resolutely prosecutingthem. This, it appears to us, is a case of singular interest, and rarelyexemplified, if at all elsewhere, in these our days. How has this man, to whom the world once offered nothing but blackness, denial anddespair, attained to that better vision which now shows it to him, nottolerable only, but full of solemnity and loveliness? How has the beliefof a Saint been united in this high and true mind with the clearness ofa Sceptic; the devout spirit of a Fenelon made to blend in soft harmonywith the gaiety, the sarcasm, the shrewdness of a Voltaire?

Goethe's two earliest works are /Götz von Berlichingen/ and the/Sorrows of Werter/. The boundless influence and popularity theygained, both at home and abroad, is well known. It was they thatestablished almost at once his literary fame in his own country; andeven determined his subsequent private history, for they brought himinto contact with the Duke of Weimar; in connection with whom, the Poet, engaged in manifold duties, political as well as literary, has lived forfifty-four years. Their effects over Europe at large were not lessstriking than in Germany. 

'It would be difficult, ' observes a writer on this subject, 'to name twobooks which have exercised a deeper influence on the subsequentliterature of Europe, than these two performances of a young author; hisfirst-fruits, the produce of his twenty-fourth year. /Werter/appeared to seize the hearts of men in all quarters of the world, and toutter for them the word which they had long been waiting to hear. Asusually happens, too, this same word, once uttered, was soon abundantlyrepeated; spoken in all dialects, and chaunted through all notes of thegamut, till the sound of it had grown a weariness rather than apleasure. Sceptical sentimentality, view-hunting, love, friendship, suicide, and desperation, became the staple of literary ware; and thoughthe epidemic, after a long course of years, subsided in Germany, itreappeared with various modifications in other countries, and everywhereabundant traces of its good and bad effects are still to be discerned. The fortune of /Berlichingen with the Iron Hand, / though lesssudden, was by no means less exalted. In his own county, /Götz, /though he now stands solitary and childless, became the parent of aninnumerable progeny of chivalry plays, feudal delineations, and poetico-antiquarian performances; which, though long ago deceased, made noiseenough in their day and generation: and with ourselves, his influencehas been perhaps still more remarkable. Sir Walter Scott's firstliterary enterprise was a translation of /Götz von Berlichingen/;and, if genius could be communicated like instruction, we might callthis work of Goethe's the prime cause of /Marmion/ and the /Ladyof the Lake/, with all that has followed from the same creative hand. Truly, a grain of seed that has lighted on the right soil! For if notfirmer and fairer, it has grown to be taller and broader than any othertree; and all the nations of the earth are still yearly gathering of itsfruit. 

'But overlooking these spiritual genealogies, which bring littlecertainty and little profit, it may be sufficient to observe of/Berlichingen/ and /Werter/, that they stand prominent amongthe causes, or, at the very least, among the signals of a great changein modern literature. The former directed men's attention with a newforce to the picturesque effects of the Past; and the latter, for thefirst time, attempted the more accurate delineation of a class offeelings deeply important to modern minds, but for which our elderpoetry offered no exponent, and perhaps could offer none, because theyare feelings that arise from Passion incapable of being converted intoAction, and belong chiefly to an age as indolent, cultivated andunbelieving as our own. This, notwithstanding the dash of falsehoodwhich may exist in /Werter/ itself, and the boundless delirium ofextravagance which it called forth in others, is a high praise whichcannot justly be denied it. '

To the same dark wayward mood, which, in /Werter/, pours itselfforth in bitter wailings over human life; and, in /Berlichingen/, appears as a fond and sad looking back into the Past, belong variousother productions of Goethe's; for example, the /Mitschuldigen/, and the first idea of Faust, which, however, was not realized in actualcomposition till a calmer period of his history. Of this early harsh andcrude, yet fervid and genial period, /Werter/ may stand here as therepresentative; and, viewed in its external and internal relation, willhelp to illustrate both the writer and the public he was writing for. 

At the present day, it would be difficult for us, satisfied, nay satedto nausea, as we have been with the doctrines of Sentimentality, toestimate the boundless interest which /Werter/ must have excitedwhen first given to the world. It was then new in all senses; it waswonderful, yet wished for, both in its own country and in every other. The Literature of Germany had as yet but partially awakened from itslong torpor: deep learning, deep reflection, have at no time beenwanting there; but the creative spirit had for above a century beenalmost extinct. Of late, however, the Ramlers, Rabeners, Gellerts, hadattained to no inconsiderable polish of style; Klopstock's/Messias/ had called forth the admiration, and perhaps still morethe pride, of the country, as a piece of art; a high enthusiasm wasabroad; Lessing had roused the minds of men to a deeper and truerinterest in Literature, had even decidedly begun to introduce aheartier, warmer and more expressive style. The Germans were on thealert; in expectation, or at least in full readiness for some far bolderimpulse; waiting for the Poet that might speak to them from the heart tothe heart. It was in Goethe that such a Poet was to be given them. 

Nay, the Literature of other countries, placid, self-satisfied as theymight seem, was in an equally expectant condition. Everywhere, as inGermany, there was polish and languor, external glitter and internalvacuity; it was not fire, but a picture of fire, at which no soul couldbe warmed. Literature had sunk from its former vocation: it no longerheld the mirror up to Nature; no longer reflected, in many-colouredexpressive symbols, the actual passions, the hopes, sorrows, joys ofliving men; but dwelt in a remote conventional world in /Castles ofOtranto/, in /Epigoniads/ and /Leonidases/, among clear, metallic heroes, and white, high, stainless beauties, in whom thedrapery and elocution were nowise the least important qualities. Menthought it right that the heart should swell into magnanimity withCaractacus and Cato, and melt into sorrow with many an Eliza andAdelaide; but the heart was in no haste either to swell or to melt. Somepulses of heroical sentiment, a few /un/natural tears might, withconscientious readers, be actually squeezed forth on such occasions: butthey came only from the surface of the mind; nay, had the conscientiousman considered the matter, he would have found that they ought not tohave come at all. Our only English poet of the period was Goldsmith; apure, clear, genuine spirit, had he been of depth or strengthsufficient; his /Vicar of Wakefield/ remains the best of all modernIdyls; but it is and was nothing more. And consider our leading writers;consider the poetry of Gray, and the prose of Johnson. The first alaborious mosaic, through the hard stiff lineaments of which little lifeor true grace could be expected to look: real feeling, and all freedomof expressing it, are sacrificed to pomp, to cold splendour; for vigourwe have a certain mouthing vehemence, too elegant indeed to be tumid, yet essentially foreign to the heart, and seen to extend no deeper thanthe mere voice and gestures. Were it not for his /Letters/, whichare full of warm exuberant power, we might almost doubt whether Gray wasa man of genius; nay, was a living man at all, and not rather somethousand-times more cunningly devised poetical turning-loom, than thatof Swift's Philosophers in Laputa. Johnson's prose is true, indeed, andsound, and full of practical sense: few men have seen more clearly intothe motives, the interests, the whole walk and conversation of theliving busy world as it lay before him; but farther than this busy, andto most of us, rather prosaic world, he seldom looked: his instructionis for men of business, and in regard to matters of business alone. Prudence is the highest Virtue he can inculcate; and for that finerportion of our nature, that portion of it which belongs essentially toLiterature strictly so called, where our highest feelings, our best joysand keenest sorrows, our Doubt, our Love, our Religion reside, he has noword to utter; no remedy, no counsel to give us in our straits; or atmost, if, like poor Boswell, the patient is importunate, will answer:"My dear Sir, endeavour to clear your mind of Cant. "

The turn which Philosophical speculation had taken in the preceding agecorresponded with this tendency, and enhanced its narcotic influences;or was, indeed, properly speaking, the loot they had sprung from. Locke, himself a clear, humble-minded, patient, reverent, nay religious man, had paved the way for banishing religion from the world. Mind, by beingmodelled in men's imaginations into a Shape, a Visibility; and reasonedof as if it had been some composite, divisible and reunitable substance, some finer chemical salt, or curious piece of logical joinery, --began tolose its immaterial, mysterious, divine though invisible character: itwas tacitly figured as something that might, were our organs fineenough, be /seen/. Yet who had ever seen it? Who could ever see it?Thus by degrees it passed into a Doubt, a Relation, some faintPossibility; and at last into a highly-probable Nonentity. FollowingLocke's footsteps, the French had discovered that 'as the stomachsecretes Chyle, so does the brain secrete Thought. ' And what then wasReligion, what was Poetry, what was all high and heroic feeling? Chieflya delusion; often a false and pernicious one. Poetry, indeed, was stillto be preserved; because Poetry was a useful thing: men neededamusement, and loved to amuse themselves with Poetry: the playhouse wasa pretty lounge of an evening; then there were so many precepts, satirical, didactic, so much more impressive for the rhyme; to saynothing of your occasional verses, birthday odes, epithalamiums, epicediums, by which 'the dream of existence may be so highly sweetenedand embellished. ' Nay, does not Poetry, acting on the imaginations ofmen, excite them to daring purposes; sometimes, as in the case ofTyrtaeus, to fight better; in which wise may it not rank as a usefulstimulant to man, along with Opium and Scotch Whisky, the manufacture ofwhich is allowed by law? In Heaven's name, then, let Poetry bepreserved. 

With Religion, however, it fared somewhat worse. In the eyes of Voltaireand his disciples, Religion was a superfluity, indeed a nuisance. Here, it is true, his followers have since found that he went too far; thatReligion, being a great sanction to civil morality, is of use forkeeping society in order, at least the lower classes, who have not thefeeling of Honour in due force; and therefore, as a considerable help tothe Constable and Hangman, /ought/ decidedly to be kept up. Butsuch toleration is the fruit only of later days. In those times, therewas no question but how to get rid of it, root and branch, the soonerthe better. A gleam of zeal, nay we will call it, however baselyalloyed, a glow of real enthusiasm and love of truth, may have animatedthe minds of these men, as they looked abroad on the pestilent jungle ofSuperstition, and hoped to clear the earth of it forever. This littleglow, so alloyed, so contaminated with pride and other poor or badadmixtures, was the last which thinking men were to experience in Europefor a time. So it is always in regard to Religious Belief, how degradedand defaced soever: the delight of the Destroyer and Denier is no puredelight, and must soon pass away. With bold, with skilful hand, Voltaireset his torch to the jungle: it blazed aloft to heaven; and the flameexhilarated and comforted the incendiaries; but, unhappily, such comfortcould not continue. Ere long this flame, with its cheerful light andheat, was gone: the jungle, it is true, had been consumed; but, with itsentanglements, its shelter and its spots of verdure also; and the black, chill, ashy swamp, left in its stead, seemed for a time a greater evilthan the other. 

In such a state of painful obstruction, extending itself everywhere overEurope, and already master of Germany, lay the general mind, when Goethefirst appeared in Literature. Whatever belonged to the finer nature ofman had withered under the Harmattan breath of Doubt, or passed away inthe conflagration of open Infidelity; and now, where the Tree of Lifeonce bloomed and brought fruit of goodliest savour there was onlybarrenness and desolation. To such as could find sufficient interest inthe day-labour and day-wages of earthly existence; in the resources ofthe five bodily Senses, and of Vanity, the only mental sense which yetflourished, which flourished indeed with gigantic vigour, matters werestill not so bad. Such men helped themselves forward, as they willgenerally do; and found the world, if not an altogether proper sphere(for every man, disguise it as he may, has a /soul/ in him), atleast a tolerable enough place; where, by one item or another, somecomfort, or show of comfort, might from time to time be got up, andthese few years, especially since they were so few, be spent withoutmuch murdering. But to men afflicted with the 'malady of Thought, ' somedevoutness of temper was an inevitable heritage; to such the noisy forumof the world could appear but an empty, altogether insufficient concern;and the whole scene of life had become hopeless enough. Unhappily, suchfeelings are yet by no means so infrequent with ourselves, that we needstop here to depict them. That state of Unbelief from which the Germansdo seem to be in some measure delivered, still presses with incubusforce on the greater part of Europe; and nation after nation, each inits own way, feels that the first of all moral problems is how to castit off, or how to rise above it. Governments naturally attempt the firstexpedient; Philosophers, in general, the second. 

The Poet, says Schiller, is a citizen not only of his country, but ofhis time. Whatever occupies and interests men in general, will interesthim still more. That nameless Unrest, the blind struggle of a soul inbondage, that high, sad, longing Discontent, which was agitating everybosom, had driven Goethe almost to despair. All felt it; he alone couldgive it voice. And here lies the secret of his popularity; in his deep, susceptive heart, he felt a thousand times more keenly what every onewas feeling; with the creative gift which belonged to him as a poet, hebodied it forth into visible shape, gave it a local habitation and aname; and so made himself the spokesman of his generation. /Werter/is but the cry of that dim, rooted pain, under which all thoughtful menof a certain age were languishing: it paints the misery, it passionatelyutters the complaint; and heart and voice, all over Europe, loudly andat once respond to it. True, it prescribes no remedy; for that was a fardifferent, far harder enterprise, to which other years and a higherculture were required; but even this utterance of the pain, even thislittle, for the present, is ardently grasped at, and with eager sympathyappropriated in every bosom. If Byron's life-weariness, his moodymelancholy, and mad stormful indignation, borne on the tones of a wildand quite artless melody, could pierce so deep into many a Britishheart, now that the whole matter is no longer new, --is indeed old andtrite, --we may judge with what vehement acceptance this /Werter/must have been welcomed, coming as it did like a voice from unknownregions; the first thrilling peal of that impassioned dirge, which, incountry after country, men's ears have listened to, till they were deafto all else. For /Werter/ infusing itself into the core and wholespirit of Literature, gave birth to a race of Sentimentalists, who haveraged and wailed in every part of the world, till better light dawned onthem, or at worst, exhausted Nature laid herself to sleep, and it wasdiscovered that lamenting was an unproductive labour. These funerealchoristers, in Germany a loud, haggard, tumultuous, as well as tearfulclass, were named the /Kraftmänner/ or Power-men; but have all longsince, like sick children, cried themselves to rest. Byron was ourEnglish Sentimentalist and Power-man; the strongest of his kind inEurope; the wildest, the gloomiest, and it may be hoped the last. Forwhat good is it to 'whine, put finger i' the eye, and sob, ' in such acase? Still more, to snarl and snap in malignant wise, 'like dogdistract, or monkey sick?' Why should we quarrel with our existence, here as it lies before us, our field and inheritance, to make or mar, for better or for worse; in which, too, so many noblest men have, evenfrom the beginning, warring with the very evils we war with, both madeand been what will be venerated to all time?

A wide and everyway most important interval divides /Werter/, withits sceptical philosophy and 'hypochondriacal crotchets, ' from Goethe'snext Novel, /Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship/, published sometwenty years afterwards. This work belongs, in all senses, to the secondand sounder period of Goethe's life, and may indeed serve as thefullest, if perhaps not the purest, impress of it; being written withdue forethought, at various times, during a period of no less than tenyears. Considered as a piece of Art, there were much to be said on/Meister/; all which, however, lies beyond our present purpose. Weare here looking at the work chiefly as a document for the writer'shistory; and in this point of view, it certainly seems, as contrastedwith its more popular precursor, to deserve our best attention: for theproblem which had been stated in /Werter/, with despair of itssolution, is here solved. The lofty enthusiasm, which, wandering wildlyover the universe, found no resting-place, has here reached itsappointed home; and lives in harmony with what long appeared to threatenit with annihilation. Anarchy has now become Peace; the once gloomy andperturbed spirit is now serene, cheerfully vigorous, and rich in goodfruits. Neither, which is most important of all, has this Peace beenattained by a surrender to Necessity, or any compact with Delusion; aseeming blessing, such as years and dispiritment will of themselvesbring to most men, and which is indeed no blessing, since even continuedbattle is better than destruction or captivity; and peace of this sortis like that of Galgacus's Romans, who 'called it peace when they hadmade a desert. ' Here the ardent high-aspiring youth has grown into thecalmest man, yet with increase and not loss of ardour, and withaspirations higher as well as clearer. For he has conquered hisunbelief; the Ideal has been built on the Actual; no longer floatsvaguely in darkness and regions of dreams, but rests in light, on thefirm ground of human interest and business, as in its true scene, on itstrue basis. 

It is wonderful to see with, what softness the scepticism of Jarno, thecommercial spirit of Werner, the reposing polished manhood of Lotharioand the Uncle, the unearthly enthusiasm of the Harper, the gay animalvivacity of Philina, the mystic, ethereal, almost spiritual nature ofMignon, are blended together in this work; how justice is done to each, how each lives freely in his proper element, in his proper form; andhow, as Wilhelm himself, the mild-hearted, all-hoping, all-believingWilhelm, struggles forward towards his world of Art through thesecuriously complected influences, all this unites itself into amultifarious, yet so harmonious Whole; as into a clear poetic mirror, where man's life and business in this age, his passions and purposes, the highest equally with the lowest, are imaged back to us in beautifulsignificance. Poetry and Prose are no longer at variance; for the poet'seyes are opened; he sees the changes of many-colored existence, and seesthe loveliness and deep purport which lies hidden under the very meanestof them; hidden to the vulgar sight, but clear to the poet's; becausethe 'open secret' is no longer a secret to him, and he knows that theUniverse is /full/ of goodness; that whatever has being has beauty. 

Apart from its literary merits or demerits, such is the temper of mindwe trace in Goethe's /Meister/, and, more or less expresslyexhibited, in all his later works. We reckon it a rare phenomenon, thistemper; and worthy, in our times, if it do exist, of best study from allinquiring men. How has such a temper been attained in this so lofty andimpetuous mind, once too, dark, desolate and full of doubt, more thanany other? How may we, each of us in his several sphere, attain it, orstrengthen it, for ourselves? These are questions, this last is aquestion, in which no one is unconcerned. 

To answer these questions, to begin the answer of them, would lead usvery far beyond our present limits. It is not, as we believe, withoutlong, sedulous study, without learning much and unlearning much, that, for any man, the answer of such questions is even to be hoped. Meanwhile, as regards Goethe, there is one feature of the business, which, to us, throws considerable light on his moral persuasions, andwill not, in investigating the secret of them, be overlooked. We alludeto the spirit in which he cultivates his Art; the noble, disinterested, almost religious love with which he looks on Art in general, and strivestowards it as towards the sure, highest, nay only good. 

For a man of Goethe's talent to write many such pieces of rhetoric, setting forth the dignity of poets, and their innate independence onexternal circumstances, could be no very hard task; accordingly, we findsuch sentiments again and again expressed, sometimes with still moregracefulness, still clearer emphasis, in his various writings. But toadopt these sentiments into his sober practical persuasion; in anymeasure to feel and believe that such was still, and must always be, thehigh vocation of the poet; on this ground of universal humanity, ofancient and now almost forgotten nobleness, to take his stand, even inthese trivial, jeering, withered, unbelieving days; and through alltheir complex, dispiriting, mean, yet tumultuous influences, to 'makehis light shine before them, ' that it might beautify even our 'rag-gathering age' with some beams of that mild, divine splendour, which hadlong left us, the very possibility of which was denied; heartily and inearnest to meditate all this, was no common proceeding; to bring it intopractice, especially in such a life as his has been, was among thehighest and hardest enterprises which any man whatever could engage in. We reckon this a greater novelty, than all the novelties which as a merewriter he ever put forth, whether for praise or censure. We have takenit upon us to say that if such is, in any sense, the state of the casewith regard to Goethe, he deserves not mere approval as a pleasing poetand sweet singer; but deep, grateful study, observance, imitation, as aMoralist and Philosopher. If there be any /probability/ that suchis the state of the case, we cannot but reckon it a matter well worthyof being inquired into. And it is for this only that we are herepleading and arguing. Meister is the mature product of the first geniusof our times; and must, one would think, be different, in variousrespects, from the immature products of geniuses who are far from thefirst, and whose works spring from the brain in as many weeks asGoethe's cost him years. 

It may deserve to be mentioned here that Meister, at its firstappearance in Germany, was received very much as it has been in England. Goethe's known character, indeed, precluded indifference there; butotherwise it was much the same. The whole guild of criticism was throwninto perplexity, into sorrow; everywhere was dissatisfaction open orconcealed. Official duty impelling them to speak, some said one thing, some another; all felt in secret that they knew not what to say. Tillthe appearance of Schlegel's /Character/, no word, that we haveseen, of the smallest chance to be decisive, or indeed to last beyondthe day, had been uttered regarding it. Some regretted that the fire of/Werter/ was so wonderfully abated; whisperings there might beabout 'lowness, ' 'heaviness;' some spake forth boldly in behalf ofsuffering 'virtue. ' Novalis was not among the speakers, but he censuredthe work in secret, and this for a reason which to us will seem thestrangest; for its being, as we should say, a Benthamite work! Many arethe bitter aphorisms we find, among his Fragments, directed against/Meister/ for its prosaic, mechanical, economical, coldhearted, altogether Utilitarian character. We English again call Goethe a mystic;so difficult is it to please all parties! But the good, deep, nobleNovalis made the fairest amends; for notwithstanding all this, Tiecktells us, if we remember rightly, he continually returned to/Meister/, and could not but peruse and reperuse it. 

Goethe's /Wanderjahre/ was published in his seventy-second year;/Werter/ in his twenty-fifth; thus in passing between these twoworks, and over /Meister's Lehrjahre/ which stands nearly midway, we have glanced over a space of almost fifty years, including withinthem, of course, whatever was most important in his public or privatehistory. By means of these quotations, so diverse in their tone, wemeant to make it visible that a great change had taken place in themoral disposition of the man; a change from inward imprisonment, doubtand discontent, into freedom, belief and clear activity; such a changeas, in our opinion, must take place, more or less consciously, in everycharacter that, especially in these times, attains to spiritual manhood, and in characters possessing any thoughtfulness and sensibility, willseldom take place without a too painful consciousness, without bitterconflicts, in which the character itself is too often maimed andimpoverished, and which end too often not in victory, but in defeat, orfatal compromise with the enemy. Too often, we may well say; for thoughmany gird on the harness, few bear it warrior-like; still fewer put itoff with triumph. Among our own poets, Byron was almost the only man wesaw faithfully and manfully struggling, to the end, in this cause; andhe died while the victory was still doubtful, or at best, only beginningto be gained. We have already stated our opinion, that Goethe's successin this matter has been more complete than that of any other man in hisage; nay, that, in the strictest sense, he may almost be called the onlyone that has so succeeded. On this ground, were it on no other, we haveventured to say that his spiritual history and procedure must deserveattention; that his opinions, his creations, his mode of thought, hiswhole picture of the world as it dwells within him, must to hiscontemporaries be an inquiry of no common interest; of an interestaltogether peculiar, and not in this degree exampled in existingliterature. These things can be but imperfectly stated here, and must beleft, not in a state of demonstration, but at the utmost, of loosefluctuating probability; nevertheless, if inquired into, they will befound to have a precise enough meaning, and, as we believe, a highlyimportant one. 

For the rest, what sort of mind it is that has passed through thischange, that has gained this victory; how rich and high a mind; howlearned by study in all that is wisest, by experience in all that ismost complex, the brightest as well as the blackest, in man's existence;gifted with what insight, with what grace and power of utterance, weshall not for the present attempt discussing. All these the reader willlearn, who studies his writings with such attention as they merit; andby no other means. Of Goethe's dramatic, lyrical, didactic poems, intheir thousandfold expressiveness, for they are full of expressiveness, we can here say nothing. But in every department of Literature, of Artancient and modern, in many provinces of Science, we shall often meethim; and hope to have other occasions of estimating what, in theserespects, we and all men owe him. 

Two circumstances, meanwhile, we have remarked, which to us throw lighton the nature of his original faculty for Poetry, and go far to convinceus of the Mastery he has attained in that art: these we may here statebriefly, for the judgment of such as already know his writings, or thehelp of such as are beginning to know them. The first is his singularlyemblematic intellect; his perpetual never-failing tendency to transforminto /shape/, into /life/, the opinion, the feeling that may dwellin him; which, in its widest sense, we reckon to be essentially the grandproblem of the Poet. We do not mean mere metaphor and rhetorical trope:these are but the exterior concern, often but the scaffolding of theedifice, which is to be built up (within our thoughts) by means of them. In allusions, in similitudes, though no one known to us is happier, manyare more copious than Goethe. But we find this faculty of his in thevery essence of his intellect; and trace it alike in the quiet cunningepigram, the allegory, the quaint device, reminding us of some Quarlesor Bunyan; and in the /Fausts/, the /Tassos/, the/Mignons/, which in their pure and genuine personality, may almostremind us of the /Ariels/ and /Hamlets/ of Shakespeare. Everything has form, everything has visual existence; the poet'simagination /bodies forth/ the forms of things unseen, his penturns them to /shape/. This, as a natural endowment, exists inGoethe, we conceive, to a very high degree. 

The other characteristic of his mind, which proves to us his acquiredmastery in art, as this shows us the extent of his original capacity forit, is his wonderful variety, nay universality; his entire freedom fromthe Mannerism. We read Goethe for years, before we come to see whereinthe distinguishing peculiarity of his understanding, of his disposition, even of his way of writing, consists. It seems quite a simple style thatof his; remarkable chiefly for its calmness, its perspicuity, in shortits commonness; and yet it is the most uncommon of all styles: we feelas if every one might imitate it, and yet it is inimitable. As hard isit to discover in his writings, --though there also, as in every man'swritings, the character of the writer must lie recorded, --what sort ofspiritual construction he has, what are his temper, his affections, hisindividual specialties. For all lives freely within him: Philina andClanchen, Mephistopheles and Mignon, are alike indifferent, or alikedear to him; he is of no sect or caste: he seems not this man or thatman, but a man. We reckon this to be the characteristic of a Master inArt of any sort; and true especially of all great Poets. How true is itof Shakespeare and Homer! Who knows, or can figure what the ManShakespeare was, by the first, by the twentieth perusal of his works? Heis a Voice coming to us from the Land of Melody: his old brick dwelling-place, in the mere earthly burgh of Stratford-on-Avon, offers us themost inexplicable enigma. And what is Homer in the /Ilias/? He isTHE WITNESS; he has seen, and he reveals it; we hear and believe, but donot behold him. Now compare, with these two Poets, any other two; not ofequal genius, for there are none such, but of equal sincerity, who wroteas earnestly and from the heart, like them. Take, for instance, JeanPaul and Lord Byron. The good Eichter begins to show himself, in hisbroad, massive, kindly, quaint significance, before we have read manypages of even his slightest work; and to the last he paints himself muchbetter than his subject. Byron may also be said to have painted nothingelse than himself, be his subject what it might. Yet as a test for theculture of a Poet, in his poetical capacity, for his pretensions tomastery and completeness in his art, we cannot but reckon this among thesurest. Tried by this, there is no writer that approaches within manydegrees of Goethe. 

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfort on August 28, 1749. Hisparents were citizens of that imperial town, and Wolfgang was their onlyson. His father was born on July 31, 1710. He married, on August 20, 1748, at the age of thirty-eight, Catherine Elizabeth Textor. InDecember, 1750, was born a daughter, Cornelia, who remained until herdeath, at the age of twenty-seven, her brother's most intimate friend. She was married in 1773 to John George Schlosser. Goethe's education wasirregular. French culture gave at this time the prevailing tone toEurope. Goethe could not have escaped its influence, and he was destinedto fall under it in a special manner. In the Seven Years' War, which wasnow raging, France took the side of the empire against Frederick theGreat. Frankfort was full of French soldiers, and a certain ComteThorane, who was quartered in Goethe's house, had an important influenceon the boy. 

Goethe, if we may believe his autobiography, experienced his first loveabout the age of fifteen in the person of Gretchen, whom some havesupposed to be the daughter of an innkeeper at Offenbach. He worshippedher as Dante worshipped Beatrice. 

In the autumn of 1765 Goethe traveled to Leipsic. On the 19th of Octoberhe was admitted as a student. He was sent to Leipsic to study law, inorder that he might return to Frankfort fitted for the regular course ofmunicipal distinction. He intended to devote himself not to law, but tobelles lettres. He attended Gellert's lectures on literature, and evenjoined his private class. His real university education was derived fromintercourse with his friends. First among these was J. G. Schlosser, whoafterwards married his sister. He had a great influence upon him, chiefly in introducing him to a wider circle of German, French, Englishand Italian poetry. 

But the person who had the strongest effect on Goethe's mentaldevelopment was Adam Frederick Oeser, at this time director of theacademy of arts in Leipsic. 

Goethe, from his earliest years, was never without a passion, and atLeipsic his passion was Kitty Schönkopf, the Aennchen of theautobiography, the daughter of the host at whose house he dined. Sheoften teased him with her inconstant ways, and to this experience is duehis first drama, "Die Laune des Verliebten, " "Lovers' Quarrels, " as itmay be styled. A deeper chord is struck in "Die Mitschuldigen" (TheFellow Sinners), which forms a dismal and forbidding picture both of thetime and of the experiences of the youth who wrote it. He had anopportunity of establishing his principles of taste during a short visitat Dresden, in which he devoted himself to the pictures and theantiques. The end of Goethe's stay at Leipsic was saddened by illness. One morning at the beginning of the summer he was awakened by a violenthemorrhage. For several days he hung between life and death, and afterthat his recovery was slow. He left Leipsic far from well on August 28, 1768. 

Goethe made an enforced stay of a year and a half. It was perhaps theleast happy part of his life. His cure proceeded slowly, and he hadseveral relapses. His family relations were not pleasant. His fathershowed but little sympathy with his aspirations for universal culture, and could imagine no career for him but that of a successful jurist. Hissister had grown somewhat harsh and cold during his absence. Goethe'smother was always the same to him--a bright, genial, sympathetic friend. Goethe, during his illness, received great attention from Fräulein vonKlettenberg, a friend of his mother's, a pietist of the Moravian school. She initiated him into the mystical writings of those abstracted saints, and she engaged him in the study of alchemy, which served at once toprepare him for the conception of Faust and for the scientificresearches of his later days. 

He arrived at Strasburg April 2, 1770. Goethe stayed in Strasburg tillAugust 28, 1771, his twenty-second birthday, and these sixteen monthsare perhaps the most important of his life. During them he came intoactive contact with most of those impulses of which his after life was adevelopment. If we would understand his mental growth, we must ask whowere his friends. He took his meals at the house of the Fräulein Lauthin the Kramergasse. The table was mainly filled with medical students. At the head of it sat Salzmann, a grave man of fifty years of age. Hisexperience and his refined taste were very attractive to Goethe, whomade him his intimate friend. The table of the Fräulein Lauth receivedsome new guests. Among these was Jung-Stilling, the self-educatedcharcoal-burner, who in his memoir has left a graphic account ofGoethe's striking appearance, in his broad brow, his flashing eye, hismastery of the company, and his generosity. Another was Lerse, a frank, open character, who became Goethe's favorite, and whose name isimmortalized in Götz von Berlichingen. 

Goethe's stay at Strasburg is generally connected still more closelywith another circumstance--his passion for Frederike Brion of Sesenheim. The village lies about twenty miles from Strasburg, and her father waspastor there. Goethe was introduced by his friend Weyland, as a poortheological student. The father was a simple, worthy man, the eldest ofthe three daughters was married, the two younger remained--Maria Salome, and Frederike, to whom the poet principally devoted himself. She wastall and slight, with fair hair and blue eyes, and just sixteen years ofage. Goethe gave himself up to the passion of the moment. During thewinter of 1770, Goethe often rode over to Sesenheim. Neither storm, norcold, nor darkness kept him back. As his time for leaving Strasburg camenearer he felt that his love was merely a dream and could have noserious termination. Frederike felt the same on her side. On August 6thGoethe took his degree as a doctor of law. Shortly afterwards he badeadieu to Sesenheim. Frederike lived till 1813 and died single. 

Goethe's return to Frankfort is marked by a number of songs, of whichthe "Wanderer's Sturmlied" is the most remarkable. He had outgrown manyof the friends of his youth. Those with whom he felt most sympathy werethe two Schlossers and his sister Cornelia. He found in her one whosympathized with all his aspirations. The work into which he threw allhis genius was the dramatization of the history of the imperial knightof the Middle Ages, Gottfried or Götz von Berlichingen. The immediatecause of this enterprise was his enthusiasm for Shakespeare. Afterreading him he felt, he said, like a blind man who suddenly receives hissight. The study of a dry and dull biography of Götz, published in 1731, supplied the subject for his awakened powers. From this miserable sketchhe conceived within his mind a complete picture of Germany in thesixteenth century. The chief characters of his play are creatures of hisimagination, representing the principal types which made up the historyof the time. Every personage is made to live; they speak in short, sharpsentences like the powerful lines of a great master's drawing. The firstsketch of Götz was finished in six weeks, in the autumn of 1771. It ranlike wild-fire through the whole of Germany. 

Goethe left Frankfort in the spring of 1772 for Wetzlar, a quiet countrytown on the Lahn, one of the seats of government of the Holy RomanEmpire. The emperors lived at Vienna; they were crowned at Frankfort;they held their parliaments at Ratisbon, and at Wetzlar their courts ofjustice. It was the custom for young lawyers to attend the sittings ofthese courts for a certain time before they could be admitted topractice on their own account. The company of these students, of theembassies from the component parts of the empire, and of variousimperial officials, made the society a pleasant and lively one. Goethesoon found friends. His favorite house was occupied by one of theofficials of the order, by name Buff, an honest man with a large familyof children. The second daughter, Lotte, blue-eyed, fair and just twentyyears of age, was first met by Goethe, shortly after his arrival, at aball at Wolpertshausen. She strongly attracted him; he became a constantvisitor at the house. He found that Lotte was a second mother to herbrothers and sisters. Lotte, was really, though not formally, engaged toKestner, a man of two-and-thirty, secretary to the Hanoverian legation. The discovery of this relation made no difference to Goethe; he remainedthe devoted friend to both. But the position was too critical to last. On September 10 they met in the German house for the last time. Goetheand Schlosser went together to Wetzlar in November. Here he heard of thedeath of Jerusalem, a young man attached to the Brunswick legation. Hehad been with Goethe at the University of Leipsic. Of a moodytemperament, disheartened by failure in his profession, and soured by ahopeless passion for the wife of another, he had borrowed a pair ofpistols under pretense of a journey, and had shot himself on the nightof October 29. 

Goethe immediately afterwards began his Werther. Goethe tells us that itwas written in four weeks. In October it spread over the whole ofGermany. It was enthusiastically beloved or sternly condemned. It wasprinted, imitated, translated into every language of Europe. Götz andWerther formed the solid foundation of Goethe's fame. It is difficult toimagine that the same man can have produced both works, so different arethey in matter and style. Götz was the first manly appeal to thechivalry of German spirit, which, caught up by other voices, soundedthroughout the Fatherland like the call of a warder's trumpet, till itproduced a national courage, founded on the recollection of anillustrious past, which overthrew the might of the conqueror at themoment when he seemed about to dominate the world. Werther, as soft andmelodious as Plato, was the first revelation to the world of thatmarvelous style which, in the hands of a master, compels a languagewhich is as rich as Greek to be also as musical. 

The spring of 1773, which witnessed the publication of Götz, saw himactively employed as an advocate. In November, Goethe's sister Corneliawas married to Schlosser and left Strasburg. Goethe felt the lossdeeply. She lived but a short time. Her married life was tortured withsuffering, and she died in 1777. 

The summer of 1774 was spent in a journey to the Rhine. Goethe returnedto Frankfort at the beginning of August. On December 11, Goethe wassurprised by the visit of a stranger. It was Karl Ludwig von Knebel, whowas traveling with the two princes of Saxe-Weimar, the reigning duke, Karl August, then just seventeen, and his younger brother, Constantine. This meeting decided the future course of Goethe's life. 

He now came under the influence of Lili Schönemann, the daughter of arich banker. This passion seemed to be of a more lasting nature than theothers. 

Neither family approved of the engagement between the youthful couple. Goethe tore himself away, and went for a tour in Switzerland. 

He returned to Frankfort on July 20. August was spent delightfully withLili at Offenbach; his letters speak of nothing but her. He wrote somescenes in Faust--the walk in the garden, the first conversation withMephistopheles, the interview with the scholar, the scene in Auerbach'scellar. Egmont was also begun under the stimulus of the AmericanRebellion. A way of escaping from his embarrassments was unexpectedlyopened to him. The duke of Weimar passed through Frankfort both beforeand after his marriage, which took place on October 3. He invited Goetheto stay at Weimar. It was not for his happiness or for Lili's that theyshould have married. She afterwards thanked him deeply for the firmnesswith which he overcame a temptation to which she would have yielded. 

At this time the smaller German courts were beginning to take aninterest in German literature. Before the Seven Years' War the whole ofGerman culture had been French. Even now German writers found but scantacceptance at Berlin or Vienna. The princes of the smaller statessurrounded themselves with literature and art. The duke of Brunswick hadmade Lessing his librarian. The duke of Würtemberg paid specialattention to education; he promoted the views of Schubart, and foundedthe school in which Schiller was educated. Hanover offered a home toZimmermann, and encouraged the development of Schlegel. Darmstadt wasespecially fortunate. Caroline, the wife of the landgrave, hadsurrounded herself with a literary circle, of which Merck was the movingspirit. She had collected and privately printed the odes of Klopstock, and her death in 1774 seemed to leave Darmstadt a desert. Her daughter, Louisa, seemed to have inherited something of her mother's qualities. She married, on October 3, 1775, the young duke of Weimar, who was justof age. She was of the house of Brunswick, and after two years ofmarriage had been left a widow at nineteen, with two sons. She committedtheir education to Count Görz, a prominent character in the history ofthe time. She afterwards summoned Wieland to instruct the elder, andKnebel to instruct the younger. 

Upon this society Goethe rose like a star. From the moment of hisarrival he became the inseparable companion of the grand-duke. The firstmonths at Weimar were spent in a wild round of pleasure. Goethe wastreated as a guest. In the autumn, journeys, rides, shooting parties; inthe winter, balls, masquerades, skating parties by torch-light, dancingat peasants' feasts, filled up their time. Evil reports flew aboutGermany. We may believe that no decencies were disregarded except theartificial restrictions of courtly etiquette. In the spring he had todecide whether he would go or stay. In April the duke gave him thelittle garden by the side of the Ilm. In June he invested him with thetitle, so important to Germans, of /Geheimlegationsrath/, with aseat and voice in the privy council and an income. 

Goethe's life was at no time complete without the influence of a noble-hearted woman. This he found in Charlotte von Stein, a lady of thecourt, wife of the master of the horse. 

The close of 1779 was occupied by a winter journey to Switzerland. Twodays were spent at Frankfort with Goethe's parents. Sesenheim wasvisited, and left with satisfaction and contentment. At Strasburg theyfound as to Lessing. The repertoire of the Weimar theater was stockedwith pieces of solid merit, which long held their place. In August, 1792, he accompanied the duke to the campaign in the Ardennes. In 1793he went with his master to the siege of Mainz. Goethe took the oldGerman epic of Reynard the Fox, with which he had long been familiar, and which, under the guise of animals, represents the conflictingpassions of men, and rewrote it. 

Thus far he had produced but little since his return from Italy. Hisfriendship with Schiller was now to begin, an alliance which, in thecloseness of its intimacy and its deep effect on the character of bothfriends, has scarcely a parallel in literary history. If Schiller wasnot at this time at the height of his reputation, he had written many ofthe works which have made his name famous. He was ten years younger thanGoethe. The Räuber plays the same part in his literary history as Götzplays in that of Goethe. This had been followed by Fiesco and Kabale undLiebe. In 1787 he settled at Weimar. The first effect of Schiller'sinfluence on Goethe was the completion of Wilhelm Meister'sApprenticeship. It stands in the first rank of Goethe's writings. A moresolid result of the friendship between the poets was the production ofHermann und Dorothea. 

The latter half of 1798 was occupied with a tour in Switzerland. Beforeits commencement he visited his mother at Frankfort for the last time, and presented to her his wife and his son. In the beginning of 1805Goethe was convinced that either he or Schiller would die in that year. In January they were both seized with illness. Schiller was the first torecover, and, visiting Goethe in his sick room, fell on his neck andkissed him with intense emotion. On April 29 they saw each other for thelast time. Schiller was on his way to the theater, whither Goethe wastoo ill to accompany him. They parted at the door of Schiller's house. Schiller died on the evening of the 9th of May. No one dared to tellGoethe the sad news, but he saw on the faces of those who surrounded himthat Schiller must be very ill. On the morrow of Schiller's death, whenhis wife entered his room, he said, "Is it not true that Schiller wasvery ill yesterday?" She began to sob. He then cried, "He is dead!""Thou hast spoken it thyself, " she answered. Goethe turned aside andcovered his weeping eyes with his hands. Since that time Schiller andGoethe have been inseparable in the minds of their countrymen. 

On October 14, 1806, the battle of Jena was fought. The court had fledfrom Weimar. On the 15th Napoleon and Goethe met. It was at the congressof Erfurt, where the sovereigns and princes of Europe were assembled. Goethe's presence was commanded by the duke. He was invited to anaudience on October 2. The emperor sat at a large round table eating hisbreakfast. He beckoned Goethe to approach him. He asked how old he was, expressed his wonder at the freshness of his appearance, said that hehad read Werther through seven times, and made some acute remarks on themanagement of the plot. Then, after an interruption, he said thattragedy ought to be the school of kings and peoples; that there was nosubject worthier of treatment than the death of Caesar, which Voltairehad treated insufficiently. A great poet would have given prominence toCaesar's plans for the regeneration of the world, and shown what a lossmankind had suffered by his murder. 

The idea of writing Faust seems to have come to Goethe in his earliestmanhood. He was brooding over it at the same time with Götz vonBerlichingen. Faust justly stands at the head of all Goethe's works. Founded on a well-known popular tale, indebted for its interest andpathos to incidents of universal experience, it deals with the deepestproblems which can engage the mind of man. 

In 1809 he finished The Elective Affinities. 

It was natural at the beginning of a new course of life that Goetheshould write an account of his past existence. The study of hiscollected poems made it apparent to him how necessary it was to furnisha key by which they might be understood. These various causes led to thecomposition of /Dichtung und Wahrheit/ (Poetry and Truth), anautobiographical history of the poet's life from his birth till hissettlement at Weimar. This work is the cause of much embarrassment tothe poet's biographers. Where it ought to be the most trustworthy sourceof information, it is most misleading. 

Once more in his old age Goethe came under the sovereignty of a woman. She was Marianne von Willemer, the newly married wife of a Frankfortbanker. Goethe made her acquaintance in a journey which he took in theRhine country. The correspondence between Goethe and Marianne waspublished in 1877. It extends almost to the day of his death, andincludes letters from Eckermann giving an account of his last moments. 

The last twelve years of Goethe's life, when he had passed hisseventieth birthday, were occupied by his criticisms on the literatureof foreign countries, by the Wanderjahre, and the second part of Faust. He was the literary dictator of Germany and of Europe. The Wanderjahrecontains some of Goethe's most beautiful conceptions, The Flight IntoEgypt, The Description of the Pedagogic Province, The Parable of theThree Reverences. 

The second part of Faust has been a battlefield of controversy since itspublication, and demands fuller attention. Its fate may be compared withthat of the latest works of Beethoven. For a long time it was regardedas impossible to understand, and as not worth understanding, theproduction of a great artist whose faculties had been impaired by age. By degrees it has, by careful labor, become intelligible to us, and theconviction is growing that it is the deepest and most important work ofthe author's life. 

He had much to darken his latter days. His wife had died in 1816. Hefelt her loss bitterly. The Duchess Amalia had died eight years before. He had now to undergo bitterer experiences when he was less able to bearthem. Frau von Stein, with whom he had renewed his friendship, if nothis love, died in January, 1827; and in June, 1828, he lost thecompanion of his youth, the Grand Duke Karl August, who died suddenly, away from Weimar. 

We must pass to the closing scenes. On Thursday, March 15, 1832, hespent his last cheerful and happy day. He awoke the next morning with achill. From this he gradually recovered, and on Monday was so muchbetter that he designed to begin his regular work on the next day. Butin the middle of the night he woke with a deathly coldness, whichextended from his hands over his body, and which took many hours tosubdue. It then appeared that the lungs were attacked, and that therewas no hope of his recovery. Goethe did not anticipate death. He satfully clothed in his arm chair, made attempts to reach his study, spokeconfidently of his recovery, and of the walks he would take in the fineApril days. His daughter-in-law Ottilie tended him faithfully. On themorning of the 22d his strength gradually left him. He sat slumbering inhis arm chair, holding Ottilie's hand. Her name was constantly on hislips. His mind occasionally wandered, at one time to his belovedSchiller, at another to a fair female head with black curls, somepassion of his youth. His last words were an order to his servant toopen the second shutter to let in more light. After this he traced withhis forefinger letters in the air. At half-past eleven in the day hedrew himself, without any sign of pain, into the left corner of his armchair, and went so peacefully to sleep that it was long before thewatchers knew that his spirit was really gone. He is buried in thegrand-ducal vault, where the bones of Schiller are also laid. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY TRUTH AND FICTION RELATING TO MY LIFE

AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 

 As a preface to the present work, which, perhaps, more than another, requires one, I adduce the letter of a friend, by which so serious anundertaking was occasioned. 

"We have now, my dear friend, collected the twelve parts of yourpoetical works, and, on reading them through, find much that is known, much that is unknown; while much that had been forgotten is revived bythis collection. These twelve volumes standing before us in uniformappearance, we cannot refrain from regarding as a whole; and one wouldlike to sketch therefrom some image of the author and his talents. Butit cannot be denied, considering the vigor with which he began hisliterary career, and the length of time which has since elapsed, that adozen small volumes must appear incommensurate. Nor can one forget, that, with respect to the detached pieces, they have mostly been calledforth by special occasions, and reflect particular external objects, aswell as distinct grades of inward culture; while it is equally clear, that temporary moral and æsthetic maxims and convictions prevail inthem. As a whole, however, these productions remain without connection;nay, it is often difficult to believe that they emanate from one and thesame writer. 

"Your friends, in the mean time, have not relinquished the inquiry, andtry, as they become more closely acquainted with your mode of life andthought, to guess many a riddle, to solve many a problem; indeed, withthe assistance of an old liking, and a connection of many years'standing, they find a charm even in the difficulties which presentthemselves. Yet a little assistance here and there would not beunacceptable, and you cannot well refuse this to our friendlyentreaties. 

"The first thing, then, we require, is that your poetical works, arranged in the late edition according to some internal relations, maybe presented by you in chronological order, and that the states of lifeand feeling which afforded the examples that influenced you, and thetheoretical principles by which you were governed, may be imparted insome kind of connection. Bestow this labor for the gratification of alimited circle, and perhaps it may give rise to something that will beentertaining and useful to an extensive one. The author, to the mostadvanced period of his life, should not relinquish the advantage ofcommunicating, even at a distance, with those whom affection binds tohim; and if it is not granted to every one to step forth anew, at acertain age, with surprising and powerful productions, yet just at thatperiod of life, when knowledge is most perfect, and consciousness mostdistinct, it must be a very agreeable and re-animating task to treatformer creations as new matter, and work them up into a kind of LastPart, which may serve once more for the edification of those who havebeen previously edified with and by the artist. "

This desire, so kindly expressed, immediately awakened within me aninclination to comply with it: for if, in the early years of life, ourpassions lead us to follow our own course, and, in order not to swervefrom it, we impatiently repel the demands of others; so, in our laterdays, it becomes highly advantageous to us, should any sympathy exciteand determine us, cordially, to new activity. I therefore instantlyundertook the preparatory labor of separating the poems, both great andsmall, of my twelve volumes, and of arranging them according to years. Istrove to recall the times and circumstances under which each had beenproduced. But the task soon grew more difficult, as full explanatorynotes and illustrations were necessary to fill up the chasms betweenthose which had already been given to the world. For, in the firstplace, all on which I had originally exercised myself were wanting, manythat had been begun and not finished were also wanting, and of many thatwere finished even the external form had completely disappeared, havingsince been entirely reworked and cast into a different shape. Besides, Ihad also to call to mind how I had labored in the sciences and otherarts, and what, in such apparently foreign departments, bothindividually and in conjunction with friends, I had practised insilence, or had laid before the public. 

All this I wished to introduce by degrees for the satisfaction of mywell-wishers, but my efforts and reflections always led me farther on;since while I was anxious to comply with that very considerate request, and labored to set forth in succession my internal emotions, externalinfluences, and the steps which, theoretically and practically, I hadtrod, I was carried out of my narrow private sphere into the wide world. The images of a hundred important men, who either directly or indirectlyhad influenced me, presented themselves to my view; and even theprodigious movements of the great political world, which had operatedmost extensively upon me, as well as upon the whole mass of mycontemporaries, had to be particularly considered. For this seems to bethe main object of biography, --to exhibit the man in relation to thefeatures of his time, and to show to what extent they have opposed orfavored his progress; what view of mankind and the world he has formedfrom them, and how far he himself, if an artist, poet, or author, mayexternally reflect them. But for this is required what is scarcelyattainable; namely, that the individual should know himself and hisage, --himself, so far as he has remained the same under allcircumstances; his age, as that which carries along with it, determinesand fashions, both the willing and the unwilling: so that one mayventure to pronounce, that any person born ten years earlier or laterwould have been quite a different being, both as regards his own cultureand his influence on others. 

In this manner, from such reflections and endeavors, from suchrecollections and considerations, arose the present delineation; andfrom this point of view, as to its origin, will it be the best enjoyedand used, and most impartially estimated. For any thing further it maybe needful to say, particularly with respect to the half-poetical, half-historic, mode of treatment, an opportunity will, no doubt, frequentlyoccur in the course of the narrative. 

CONTENTS. 

PART THE FIRST. 

FIBST BOOK

SECOND BOOK

THIRD BOOK

FOURTH BOOK

FIFTH BOOK

PART THE SECOND. 

SIXTH BOOK

SEVENTH BOOK

EIGHTH BOOK

NINTH BOOK

PART THE FIRST

FIRST BOOK. 

On the 28th of August, 1749, at mid-day, as the clock struck twelve, Icame into the world, at Frankfort-on-the-Main. My horoscope waspropitious: the sun stood in the sign of the Virgin, and had culminatedfor the day; Jupiter and Venus looked on him with a friendly eye, andMercury not adversely; while Saturn and Mars kept themselvesindifferent; the moon alone, just full, exerted the power of herreflection all the more, as she had then reached her planetary hour. Sheopposed herself, therefore, to my birth, which could not be accomplisheduntil this hour was passed. 

These good aspects, which the astrologers managed subsequently to reckonvery auspicious for me, may have been the causes of my preservation;for, through the unskilfulness of the midwife, I came into the world asdead; and only after various efforts was I enabled to see the light. This event, which had put our household into sore straits, turned to theadvantage of my fellow-citizens, inasmuch as my grandfather, the/Schultheiss/ [Footnote: A chief judge or magistrate of the town. ], John Wolfgang Textor, took occasion from it to have an /accoucheur/appointed, and to introduce, or revive, the tuition of midwives, whichmay have done some good to those who were born after me. 

When we desire to recall what happened to us in the earliest period ofyouth, it often happens that we confound what we have heard from otherswith that which we really possess from our own direct experience. Without, therefore, instituting a very close investigation into thepoint, which, after all, could lead to nothing, I am conscious that welived in an old house, which, in fact, consisted of two adjoininghouses, that had been opened into each other. A winding staircase led torooms on different levels, and the unevenness of the stories wasremedied by steps. For us children, --a younger sister and myself, --thefavorite resort was a spacious floor below, near the door of which was alarge wooden lattice that allowed us direct communication with thestreet and open air. A bird-cage of this sort, with which many houseswere provided, was called a frame (/Geräms/). The women sat in itto sew and knit; the cook picked her salad there; female neighborschatted with each other; and the streets consequently, in the fineseason, wore a southern aspect. One felt at ease while in communicationwith the public. We children, too, by means of these frames, werebrought into contact with our neighbors, of whom three brothers VonOchsenstein, the surviving sons of the deceased /Schultheiss/, living on the other side of the way, won my love, and occupied anddiverted themselves with me in many ways. 

Our family liked to tell of all sorts of waggeries to which I wasenticed by these otherwise grave and solitary men. Let one of thesepranks suffice for all. A crockery-fair had just been held, from whichnot only our kitchen had been supplied for a while with articles for along time to come, but a great deal of small gear of the same ware hadbeen purchased as playthings for us children. One fine afternoon, whenevery thing was quiet in the house, I whiled away the time with my potsand dishes in the frame, and, finding that nothing more was to be gotout of them, hurled one of them into the street. The Von Ochsensteins, who saw me so delighted at the fine smash it made, that I clapped myhands for joy, cried out, "Another. " I was not long in flinging out apot; and, as they made no end to their calls for more, by degrees thewhole collection, platters, pipkins, mugs and all, were dashed upon thepavement. My neighbors continued to express their approbation, and I washighly delighted to give them pleasure. But my stock was exhausted; andstill they shouted, "More. " I ran, therefore, straight to the kitchen, and brought the earthenware, which produced a still livelier spectaclein breaking; and thus I kept running backwards and forwards, fetchingone plate after another, as I could reach it from where they stood inrows on the shelf. But, as that did not satisfy my audience, I devotedall the ware that I could drag out to similar destruction. It was nottill afterwards that any one appeared to hinder and forbid. The mischiefwas done; and, in place of so much broken crockery, there was at least aludicrous story, in which the roguish authors took special delight tothe end of their days. 

My father's mother, for it was her house in which we dwelt, lived in alarge back-room directly on the ground-floor; and we were accustomed tocarry on our sports even up to her chair, and, when she was ill, up toher bedside. I remember her, as it were, a spirit, --a handsome, thinwoman, always neatly dressed in white. Mild, gentle, and kind, she hasever remained in my memory. 

The street in which our house was situated passed by the name of theStag-Ditch; but, as neither stags nor ditches were to be seen, we wishedto have the term explained. They told us that our house stood on a spotthat was once outside the city, and that, where the street now was, there had formerly been a ditch, in which a number of stags were kept. These stags were preserved and fed here because the senate, every year, according to an ancient custom, feasted publicly on a stag, which wastherefore always at hand in the ditch for such a festival, in caseprinces or knights interfered with the city's right of chase outside, orthe walls were encompassed or besieged by an enemy. This pleased usmuch, and we wished that such a lair for tame animals could have beenseen in our times. 

The back of the house, from the second story particularly, commanded avery pleasant prospect over an almost immeasurable extent of neighboringgardens, stretching to the very walls of the city. But, alas! intransforming what were once public grounds into private gardens, ourhouse, and some others lying towards the corner of the street, had beenmuch stinted; since the houses towards the horse-market had appropriatedspacious out-houses and large gardens to themselves, while a tolerablyhigh wall shut us out from these adjacent paradises. 

On the second floor was a room which was called the garden-room, becausethey had there endeavored to supply the want of a garden by means of afew plants placed before the window. As I grew older, it was there thatI made my favorite, not melancholy, but somewhat sentimental, retreat. Over these gardens, beyond the city's walls and ramparts, might be seena beautiful and fertile plain, the same which stretches towards Höchst. In the summer season I commonly learned my lessons there, and watchedthe thunderstorms, but could never look my fill at the setting sun, which went down directly opposite my windows. And when, at the sametime, I saw the neighbors wandering through their gardens, taking careof their flowers, the children playing, parties of friends enjoyingthemselves, and could hear the bowls rolling and the ninepins dropping, it early excited within me a feeling of solitude, and a sense of vaguelonging resulting from it, which, conspiring with the seriousness andawe implanted in me by nature, exerted its influence at an early age, and showed itself more distinctly in after-years. 

The old, many-cornered, and gloomy arrangement of the house was, moreover, adapted to awaken dread and terror in childish minds. Unfortunately, too, the principle of discipline, that young personsshould be early deprived of all fear for the awful and invisible, andaccustomed to the terrible, still prevailed. We children, therefore, were compelled to sleep alone; and when we found this impossible, andsoftly slipped from our beds, to seek the society of the servants andmaids, our father, with his dressing-gown turned inside out, whichdisguised him sufficiently for the purpose, placed himself in the way, and frightened us back to our resting-places. The evil effect of thisany one may imagine. How is he who is encompassed with a double terrorto be emancipated from fear? My mother, always cheerful and gay, andwilling to render others so, discovered a much better pedagogicalexpedient. She managed to gain her end by rewards. It was the season forpeaches, the plentiful enjoyment of which she promised us every morningif we overcame our fears during the night. In this way she succeeded, and both parties were satisfied. 

In the interior of the house my eyes were chiefly attracted by a seriesof Roman views, with which my father had ornamented an ante-room. Theywere engravings by some of the accomplished predecessors of Piranesi, who well understood perspective and architecture, and whose touches wereclear and excellent. There I saw every day the Piazza del Popolo, theColosseum, the Piazza of St. Peter's, and St. Peter's Church, within andwithout, the castle of St. Angelo, and many other places. These imagesimpressed themselves deeply upon me, and my otherwise very laconicfather was often so kind as to furnish descriptions of the objects. Hispartiality for the Italian language, and for every thing pertaining toItaly, was very decided. A small collection of marbles and naturalcuriosities, which he had brought with him thence, he often showed tous; and he devoted a great part of his time to a description of histravels, written in Italian, the copying and correction of which heslowly and accurately completed, in several parcels, with his own hand. A lively old teacher of Italian, called Giovinazzi, was of service tohim in this work. The old man, moreover, did not sing badly, and mymother every day must needs accompany him and herself upon theclavichord; and thus I speedily learned the "Solitario bosco ombroso, "so as to know it by heart before I understood it. 

My father was altogether of a didactic turn, and in his retirement frombusiness liked to communicate to others what he knew or was able to do. Thus, during the first years of their marriage, he had kept my motherbusily engaged in writing, playing the clavichord, and singing, by whichmeans she had been laid under the necessity of acquiring some knowledgeand a slight readiness in the Italian tongue. 

Generally we passed all our leisure hours with my grandmother, in whosespacious apartment we found plenty of room for our sports. She contrivedto engage us with various trifles, and to regale us with all sorts ofnice morsels. But, one Christmas evening, she crowned all her kind deedsby having a puppet-show exhibited before us, and thus unfolding a newworld in the old house. This unexpected drama attracted our young mindswith great force; upon the boy particularly it made a very strongimpression, which continued to vibrate with a great and lasting effect. 

The little stage, with its speechless personages, which at the outsethad only been exhibited to us, but was afterwards given over for our ownuse and dramatic vivification, was prized more highly by us children, asit was the last bequest of our good grandmother, whom encroachingdisease first withdrew from our sight, and death next tore away from ourhearts forever. Her departure was of still more importance to ourfamily, as it drew after it a complete change in our condition. 

As long as my grandmother lived, my father had refrained from changingor renovating the house, even in the slightest particular; though it wasknown that he had pretty large plans of building, which were nowimmediately begun. In Frankfort, as in many other old towns, whenanybody put up a wooden structure, he ventured, for the sake of space, to make, not only the first, but each successive, story project over thelower one, by which means narrow streets especially were renderedsomewhat dark and confined. At last a law was passed, that every oneputting up a new house from the ground, should confine his projectionsto the first upper story, and carry the others up perpendicularly. Myfather, that he might not lose the projecting space in the second story, caring little for outward architectural appearance, and anxious only forthe good and convenient arrangement of the interior, resorted to theexpedient which others had employed before him, of propping the upperpart of the house, until one part after another had been removed fromthe bottom upwards, and a new house, as it were, inserted in its place. Thus, while comparatively none of the old structure remained, the newone merely passed for a repair. Now, as the tearing down and building upwas done gradually, my father determined not to quit the house, that hemight better direct and give his orders; as he possessed a goodknowledge of the technicalities of building. At the same time, he wouldnot suffer his family to leave him. This new epoch was very surprisingand strange for the children. To see the rooms in which they had sooften been confined and pestered with wearisome tasks and studies, thepassages they had played in, the walls which had always been kept socarefully clean, all falling before the mason's hatchet and thecarpenter's axe, --and that from the bottom upwards; to float as it werein the air, propped up by beams, being, at the same time, constantlyconfined to a certain lesson or definite task, --all this produced acommotion in our young heads that was not easily settled. But the youngpeople felt the inconvenience less, because they had somewhat more spacefor play than before, and had many opportunities of swinging on beams, and playing at see-saw with the boards. 

At first my father obstinately persisted in carrying out his plan; butwhen at last even the roof was partly removed, and the rain reached ourbeds, in spite of the carpets that had been taken up, converted intotarpaulin, and stretched over as a defense, he determined, thoughreluctantly, that the children should be intrusted for a time to somekind friends, who had already offered their services, and sent to apublic school. 

This transition was rather unpleasant; for, when the children, who hadall along been kept at home in a secluded, pure, refined, yet strictmanner, were thrown among a rude mass of young creatures, they werecompelled unexpectedly to suffer every thing from the vulgar, bad, andeven base, since they lacked both weapons and skill to protectthemselves. 

It was properly about this period that I first became acquainted with mynative city, which I strolled over with more and more freedom, in everydirection, sometimes alone, and sometimes in the company of livelycompanions. To convey to others in any degree the impression made uponme by these grave and revered spots, I must here introduce a descriptionof my birthplace, as in its different parts it was gradually unfolded tome. What I liked more than any thing was, to promenade on the greatbridge spanning the Main. Its length, its firmness, and its fineappearance, rendered it a notable structure; and it was, besides, almostthe only memorial left from ancient times of the precautions due fromthe civil government to its citizens. The beautiful stream above andbelow bridge attracted my eye; and, when the gilt weathercock on thebridge-cross glittered in the sunshine, I always had a pleasant feeling. Generally I extended my walk through Sachsenhausen, and for a/Kreutzer/ was ferried comfortably across the river. I was nowagain on this side of the stream, stole along to the wine-market, andadmired the mechanism of the cranes when goods were unloaded. 

But it was particularly entertaining to watch the arrival of the market-boats, from which so many and such extraordinary figures were seen todisembark. On entering the city, the Saalhof, which at least stood onthe spot where the castle of Emperor Charlemagne and his successors wasreported to have been, was greeted every time with profound reverence. One liked to lose one's self in the old trading-town, particularly onmarket-days, among the crowd collected about the church of St. Bartholomew. From the earliest times, throngs of buyers and sellers hadgathered there; and the place being thus occupied, it was not easy inlater days to bring about a more roomy and cheerful arrangement. Thebooths of the so-called /Pfarreisen/ were very important places forus children, and we carried many a /Batzen to them in order topurchase sheets of colored paper stamped with gold animals; though onecould but seldom make his way through the narrow, crowded, and dirtymarket-place. I call to mind, also, that I always flew past theadjoining meat-stalls, narrow and disgusting as they were, in perfecthorror. On the other hand, the Roman Hill (/Romerberg/) was a mostdelightful place for walking. The way to the New-Town, along by the newshops, was always cheering and pleasant; yet we regretted that a streetdid not lead into the Zeil by the Church of Our Lady, and that we alwayshad to go a roundabout way by the /Hasengasse/ or the CatherineGate. But what chiefly attracted the child's attention, were the manylittle towns within the town, the fortresses within the fortress; viz. , the walled monastic enclosures, and several other precincts, remainingfrom earlier times, and more or less like castles, --as the NurembergCourt, the Compostella, the Braunfels, the ancestral house of the familyof Stallburg, and several strongholds, in later days transformed intodwellings and warehouses. No architecture of an elevating kind was thento be seen in Frankfort; and every thing pointed to a period long pastand unquiet, both for town and district. Gates and towers, which definedthe bounds of the old city, --then, farther on again, gates, towers, walls, bridges, ramparts, moats, with which the new city wasencompassed, --all showed, but too plainly, that a necessity for guardingthe common weal in disastrous times had induced these arrangements, thatall the squares and streets, even the newest, broadest, and best laidout, owed their origin to chance and caprice, and not to any regulatingmind. A certain liking for the antique was thus implanted in the boy, and was specially nourished and promoted by old chronicles and woodcuts, as, for instance, those of Grave relating to the siege of Frankfort. Atthe same time a different taste was developed in him for observing theconditions of mankind in their manifold variety and naturalness, withoutregard to their importance or beauty. It was, therefore, one of ourfavorite walks, which we endeavored to take now and then in the courseof a year, to follow the circuit of the path inside the city-walls. Gardens, courts, and back buildings extend to the /Zwinger/; and wesaw many thousand people amid their little domestic and secludedcircumstances. From the ornamental and show gardens of the rich, to theorchards of the citizen, anxious about his necessities; from thence tothe factories, bleaching-grounds, and similar establishments, even tothe burying-grounds, --for a little world lay within the limits of thecity, --we passed a varied, strange spectacle, which changed at everystep, and with the enjoyment of which our childish curiosity was neversatisfied. In fact, the celebrated Devil-upon-two-sticks, when he liftedthe roofs of Madrid at night, scarcely did more for his friend than washere done for us in the bright sunshine and open air. The keys that wereto be made use of in this journey, to gain us a passage through many atower, stair, and postern, were in the hands of the authorities, whosesubordinates we never failed to coax into good humor. 

But a more important, and in one sense more fruitful, place for us, wasthe city-hall, named from the Romans. In its lower vault-like rooms weliked but too well to lose ourselves. We obtained an entrance, too, intothe large and very simple session-room of the council. The walls as wellas the arched ceiling were white, though wainscoted to a certain height;and the whole was without a trace of painting, or any kind of carvedwork; only, high up on the middle wall, might be read this briefinscription:--

 "One man's word is no man's word: Justice needs that both be heard. "

After the most ancient fashion, benches were ranged around thewainscoting, and raised one step above the floor for the accommodationof the members of the assembly. This readily suggested to us why theorder of rank in our senate was distributed by benches. To the left ofthe door, on the opposite corner, sat the /Schöffen/; in the corneritself the /Schultheiss/, who alone had a small table before him;those of the second bench sat in the space to his left as far as thewall to where the windows were; while along the windows ran the thirdbench, occupied by the craftsmen. In the midst of the hall stood a tablefor the registrar (/Protoculführer/). 

Once within the /Römer/, we even mingled with the crowd at theaudiences of the burgomasters. But whatever related to the election andcoronation of the emperors possessed a greater charm. We managed to gainthe favor of the keepers, so as to be allowed to mount the new gayimperial staircase, which was painted in fresco, and on other occasionsclosed with a grating. The election-chamber, with its purple hangingsand admirably fringed gold borders, filled us with awe. Therepresentations of animals, on which little children or genii, clothedin the imperial ornaments and laden with the insignia of the empire, made a curious figure, were observed by us with great attention; and weeven hoped that we might live to see, some time or other, a coronationwith our own eyes. They had great difficulty to get us out of the greatimperial hall, when we had been once fortunate enough to steal in; andwe reckoned him our truest friend, who, while we looked at the half-lengths of all the emperors painted around at a certain height, wouldtell us something of their deeds. 

We listened to many a legend of Charlemagne. But that which washistorically interesting for us began with Rudolph of Hapsburg, who byhis courage put an end to such violent commotions. Charles the Fourthalso attracted our notice. We had already heard of the Golden Bull, andof the statutes for the administration of criminal justice. We knew, too, that he had not made the Frankforters suffer for their adhesion tohis noble rival, Emperor Gunther of Schwarzburg. We heard Maximilianpraised, both as a friend to mankind, and to the townsmen, his subjects, and were also told that it had been prophesied of him he would be thelast emperor of a German house, which unhappily came to pass, as afterhis death the choice wavered only between the king of Spain(/afterwards/), Charles V. , and the king of France, Francis I. Withsome anxiety it was added, that a similar prophecy, or ratherintimation, was once more in circulation; for it was obvious that therewas room left for the portrait of only one more emperor, --a circumstancewhich, though seemingly accidental, filled the patriotic with concern. 

Having once entered upon this circuit, we did not fail to repair to thecathedral, and there visit the grave of that brave Gunther, so muchprized both by friend and foe. The famous stone which formerly coveredit is set up in the choir. The door close by, leading into the conclave, remained long shut against us, until we at last managed, through thehigher authorities, to gain access to this celebrated place. But weshould have done better had we continued as before to picture it merelyin our imagination; for we found this room, which is so remarkable inGerman history, where the most powerful princes were accustomed to meetfor an act so momentous, in no respect worthily adorned, and evendisfigured with beams, poles, scaffolding, and similar lumber, whichpeople had wanted to put out of the way. The imagination, for that veryreason, was the more excited and the heart elevated, when we soon afterreceived permission to be present in the city-hall, at the exhibition ofthe Golden Bull to some distinguished strangers. 

The boy then heard, with much curiosity, what his own family, as well asother older relations and acquaintances, liked to tell and repeat; viz. , the histories of the two last coronations, which had followed close uponeach other; for there was no Frankforter of a certain age who would nothave regarded these two events, and their attendant circumstances, asthe crowning glory of his whole life. Splendid as had been thecoronation of Charles Seventh, during which particularly the Frenchambassador had given magnificent feasts at great cost and withdistinguished taste, the results were all the more afflicting to thegood emperor, who could not preserve his capital Munich, and wascompelled in some degree to implore the hospitality of his imperialtowns. 

Although the coronation of Francis First was not so strikingly splendidas the former one, it was dignified by the presence of the Empress MariaTheresa, whose beauty appears to have created as much impression on themen as the earnest and noble form and the blue eyes of Charles Seventhon the women. At any rate, both sexes vied with each other in giving tothe attentive boy a highly favorable opinion of both these personages. All these descriptions and narratives were given in a serene and quietstate of mind; for the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle had, for the moment, putan end to all feuds: and they spoke at their ease of past contests, aswell as of their former festivities, --the battle of Dettingen forinstance, and other remarkable events of by-gone years; and all that wasimportant or dangerous seemed, as generally happens when a peace hasbeen concluded, to have occurred only to afford entertainment toprosperous and unconcerned people. 

Half a year had scarcely passed away in this narrow patriotism beforethe fairs began, which always produced an incredible ferment in theheads of all children. The erection, in so short a time, of so manybooths, creating a new town within the old one; the roll and crush, theunloading and unpacking of wares, --excited from the very first dawn ofconsciousness an insatiable active curiosity, and a boundless desire forchildish property, which the boy with increasing years endeavored togratify, in one way or another, as far as his little purse permitted. Atthe same time, he obtained a notion of what the world produces, what itwants, and what the inhabitants of its different parts exchange witheach other. 

These great epochs, which came round regularly in spring and autumn, were announced by curious solemnities, which seemed the more dignifiedbecause they vividly brought before us the old time, and what had comedown from it to ourselves. On Escort Day, the whole population were ontheir legs, thronging to the /Fahrgasse/, to the bridge, and beyond/Sachsenhausen/; all the windows were occupied, though nothingunusual took place on that day; the crowd seeming to be there only forthe sake of jostling each other, and the spectators merely to look atone another; for the real occasion of their coming did not begin tillnightfall, and was then rather taken upon trust than seen with the eyes. 

The affair was thus: in those old, unquiet times, when every one didwrong according to his pleasure, or helped the right as his liking ledhim, traders on their way to the fairs were so wilfully beset andharassed by waylayers, both of noble and ignoble birth, the princes andother persons of power caused their people to be accompanied toFrankfort by an armed escort. Now, the burghers of the imperial citywould yield no rights pertaining to themselves or their district: theywent out to meet the advancing party; and thus contests often arose asto how far the escort should advance, or whether it had a right to enterthe city at all. But as this took place, not only in regard to mattersof trade and fairs, but also when high personages came, in times ofpeace or war, and especially on the days of election; and as the affairoften came to blows when a train which was not to be endured in the citystrove to make its way in along with its lord, --many negotiations hadfrom time to time been resorted to, and many temporary arrangementsconcluded, though always with reservations of rights on both sides. Thehope had not been relinquished of composing once for all a quarrel thathad already lasted for centuries, inasmuch as the whole institution, onaccount of which it had been so long and often so hotly contested, mightbe looked upon as nearly useless, or at least as superfluous. 

Meanwhile, on those days, the city cavalry in several divisions, eachhaving a commander in front, rode forth from different gates, and foundon a certain spot some troopers or hussars of the persons entitled to anescort, who, with their leaders, were well received and entertained. They staid till towards evening, and then rode back to the city, scarcely visible to the expectant crowd, many a city knight not being ina condition to manage his horse, or keep himself in the saddle. The mostimportant bands returned by the bridge-gate, where the pressure wasconsequently the strongest. Last of all, just as night fell, theNuremberg post-coach arrived, escorted in the same way, and alwayscontaining, as the people fancied, in pursuance of custom, an old woman. Its arrival, therefore, was a signal for all the urchins to break outinto an ear-splitting shout, though it was utterly impossible todistinguish any one of the passengers within. The throng that pressedafter the coach through the bridge-gate was quite incredible, andperfectly bewildering to the senses. The houses nearest the bridge werethose, therefore, most in demand among spectators. 

Another more singular ceremony, by which the people were excited inbroad daylight, was the Piper's Court (/Pfeifergericht/). Itcommemorated those early times when important larger trading-townsendeavored, if not to abolish tolls altogether, at least to bring abouta reduction of them, as they increased in proportion with trade andindustry. They were allowed this privilege by the emperor, who neededtheir aid, when it was in his power to grant it, but commonly only forone year; so that it had to be annually renewed. This was effected bymeans of symbolical gifts, which were presented before the opening ofSt. Bartholomew's Fair to the imperial magistrate (/Schultheiss/), who might have sometimes been the chief toll-gatherer; and, for the sakeof a more imposing show, the gifts were offered when he was sitting infull court with the /Schöffen/. But when the chief magistrateafterwards came to be no longer appointed by the emperor, and waselected by the city itself, he still retained these privileges; and thusboth the immunities of the cities from toll, and the ceremonies by whichthe representatives from Worms, Nuremberg, and old Bamberg, onceacknowledged the ancient favor, had come down to our times. The daybefore Lady Day, an open court was proclaimed. In an enclosed space inthe great Imperial Hall, the Schöffen took their elevated seats; a stephigher, sat the /Schultheiss/ in the midst of them; while below, onthe right hand, were the procurators of both parties invested withplenipotentiary powers. The /Actuarius/ begins to read aloud theweighty judgments reserved for this day: the lawyers demand copies, appeal, or do whatever else seems necessary. All at once a singular sortof music announces, if we may so speak, the advent of former centuries. It proceeds from three pipers, one of whom plays an old /shawm/, another a /sackbut/, and the third a /pommer/, or oboe. Theywear blue mantles trimmed with gold, having the notes made fast to theirsleeves, and their heads covered. Having thus left their inn at teno'clock, followed by the deputies and their attendants, and stared at byall, natives and strangers, they enter the hall. The law proceedings arestayed, the pipers and their train halt before the railing, the deputysteps in and stations himself in front of the /Schultheiss/. Theemblematic presents, which were required to be precisely the same as inthe old precedents, consisted commonly of the staple wares of the cityoffering them. Pepper passed, as it were, for every thing else; and, even on this occasion, the deputy brought a handsomely turned woodengoblet filled with pepper. Upon it lay a pair of gloves, curiouslyslashed, stitched, and tasselled with silk, --a token of a favor grantedand received, --such as the emperor himself made use of in certain cases. Along with this was a while staff, which in former times could noteasily be dispensed with in judicial proceedings. Some small pieces ofsilver money were added: and the city of Worms brought an old felt hat, which was always redeemed again; so that the same one had been a witnessof these ceremonies for many years. 

After the deputy had made his address, handed over his present, andreceived from the /Schultheiss/ assurance of continued favor, hequitted the enclosed circle, the pipers blew, the train departed as ithad come, the court pursued its business, until the second and at lastthe third deputy had been introduced. For each came some time after theother, partly that the pleasure of the public might thus be prolonged, and partly because they were always the same antiquated /virtuosi/whom Nuremburg, for itself and its co-cities, had undertaken tomaintain, and produce annually at the appointed place. 

We children were particularly interested in this festival, because wewere not a little flattered to see our grandfather in a place of so muchhonor; and because commonly, on the self-same day, we used to visit him, quite modestly, in order that we might, when my grandmother had emptiedthe pepper into her spice-box, lay hold of a cup or small rod, a pair ofgloves, or an old /Räder Albus/. [Footnote: An old silver coin. ]These symbolical ceremonies, restoring antiquity as if by magic, couldnot be explained to us without leading us back into past times, andinforming us of the manners, customs, and feelings of those earlyancestors who were so strangely made present to us by pipers anddeputies seemingly risen from the dead, and by tangible gifts whichmight be possessed by ourselves. 

These venerable solemnities were followed, in the fine season, by manyfestivals, delightful for us children, which took place in the open air, outside the city. On the right shore of the Main, going down, about halfan hour's walk from the gate, there rises a sulphur-spring, neatlyenclosed, and surrounded by aged lindens. Not far from it stands theGood-People's-Court, formerly a hospital erected for the sake of thewaters. On the commons around, the herds of cattle from the neighborhoodwere collected on a certain day of the year; and the herdsmen, togetherwith their sweethearts, celebrated a rural festival with dancing andsinging, with all sorts of pleasure and clownishness. On the other sideof the city lay a similar but larger common, likewise graced with aspring and still finer lindens. Thither, at Whitsuntide, the flocks ofsheep were driven: and, at the same time, the poor, pale orphan childrenwere allowed to come out of their walls into the open air; for thethought had not yet occurred that these destitute creatures, who mustsome time or other help themselves through the world, ought soon to bebrought in contact with it; that, instead of being kept in drearyconfinement, they should rather be accustomed to serve and to endure;and that there was every reason to strengthen them physically andmorally from their infancy. The nurses and maids, always ready to take awalk, never failed to carry or conduct us to such places, even in ourfirst years; so that these rural festivals belong to the earliestimpressions that I can recall. 

Meanwhile, our house had been finished, and that too in tolerably shorttime; because every thing had been judiciously planned and prepared, andthe needful money provided. We now found ourselves all together again, and felt comfortable; for, when a well-considered plan is once carriedout, we forget the various inconveniences of the means that werenecessary to its accomplishment. The building, for a private residence, was roomy enough, light and cheerful throughout, with broad staircases, agreeable parlors, and a prospect of the gardens that could be enjoyedeasily from several of the windows. The internal completion, and whatpertained to mere ornament and finish, was gradually accomplished, andserved at the same time for occupation and amusement. 

The first thing brought into order was my father's collection of books, the best of which, in calf and half-calf binding, were to ornament thewalls of his office and study. He possessed the beautiful Dutch editionsof the Latin classics, which, for the sake of outward uniformity, he hadendeavored to procure all in quarto; and also many other works relatingto Roman antiquities and the more elegant jurisprudence. The mosteminent Italian poets were not wanting, and for Tasso he showed a greatpredilection. There were also the best and most recent Travels, and hetook great delight in correcting and completing Keyssler and Nemeiz fromthem. Nor had he omitted to surround himself with all needful aids tolearning, such as dictionaries of various languages, and encyclopædiasof science and art, which, with much else adapted to profit andamusement, might be consulted at will. 

The other half of this collection, in neat parchment bindings, with verybeautifully written titles, was placed in a separate attic. Theacquisition of new books, as well as their binding and arrangement, hepursued with great composure and love of order; and he was muchinfluenced in his opinion by the critical notices that ascribedparticular merit to any work. His collection of juridical treatises wasannually increased by some volumes. 

Next, the pictures, which in the old house had hung about promiscuously, were now collected, and symmetrically hung on the walls of a cheerfulroom near the study, all in black frames set off with gilt mouldings. Itwas my father's principle, to which he gave frequent and even passionateutterance, that one ought to employ the living masters, and to spendless upon the departed, in the estimation of whom prejudice greatlyconcurred. He had the notion that it was precisely the same withpictures as with Rhenish wines, which, though age may impart to them ahigher value, can be produced in any coming year of just as excellentquality as in years past. After the lapse of some time, the new winealso becomes old, quite as valuable and perhaps more delicious. Thisopinion he chiefly confirmed by the observation that many old picturesseemed to derive their chief value for lovers of art from the fact thatthey had become darker and browner, and that the harmony of tone in suchpictures was often vaunted. My father, on the other hand, protested thathe had no fear that the new pictures would not also turn black in time;though whether they were likely to gain any thing by this he was not sopositive. 

In pursuance of these principles, he employed for many years the wholeof the Frankfort artists, --the painter Hirt, who excelled in animatingoak and beech woods, and other so-called rural scenes, with cattle;Trautmann, who had adopted Rembrandt as his model, and had attainedgreat perfection in enclosed lights and reflections, as well as ineffective conflagrations, so that he was once ordered to paint acompanion piece to a Rembrandt; Schutz, who diligently elaboratedlandscapes of the Rhine country, in the manner of Sachtlebens; andJunker, who executed with great purity flower and fruit pieces, stilllife, and figures quietly employed, after the models of the Dutch. Butnow, by the new arrangement, by more convenient room, and still more bythe acquaintance of a skilful artist, our love of art was againquickened and animated. This artist was Seekatz, a pupil of Brinkmann, court-painter at Darmstadt, whose talent and character will be moreminutely unfolded in the sequel. 

In this way the remaining rooms were finished, according to theirseveral purposes. Cleanliness and order prevailed throughout. Above all, the large panes of plate-glass contributed towards a perfect lightness, which had been wanting in the old house for many causes, but chiefly onaccount of the panes, which were for the most part round. My father wascheerful on account of the success of his undertaking; and if his goodhumor had not been often interrupted because the diligence and exactnessof the mechanics did not come up to his wishes, a happier life than ourscould not have been conceived, since much good partly arose in thefamily itself, and partly flowed from without. 

But an extraordinary event deeply disturbed the boy's peace of mind forthe first time. On the 1st of November, 1755, the earthquake at Lisbontook place, and spread a prodigious alarm over the world, longaccustomed to peace and quiet. A great and magnificent capital, whichwas at the same time a trading and mercantile city, is smitten withoutwarning by a most fearful calamity. The earth trembles and totters; thesea foams; ships dash together; houses fall in, and over them churchesand towers; the royal palace is in part swallowed by the waters; thebursting land seems to vomit flames, since smoke and fire are seeneverywhere amid the ruins. Sixty thousand persons, a moment before inease and comfort, fall together; and he is to be deemed most fortunatewho is no longer capable of a thought or feeling about the disaster. Theflames rage on; and with them rage a troop of desperadoes, beforeconcealed, or set at large by the event. The wretched survivors areexposed to pillage, massacre, and every outrage; and thus on all sidesNature asserts her boundless capriciousness. 

Intimations of this event had spread over wide regions more quickly thanthe authentic reports: slight shocks had been felt in many places; inmany springs, particularly those of a mineral nature, an unusualreceding of the waters had been remarked; and so much the greater wasthe effect of the accounts themselves, which were rapidly circulated, atfirst in general terms, but finally with dreadful particulars. Hereuponthe religious were neither wanting in reflections, nor the philosophicin grounds for consolation, nor the clergy in warnings. So complicatedan event arrested the attention of the world for a long time; and, asadditional and more detailed accounts of the extensive effects of thisexplosion came from every quarter, the minds already aroused by themisfortunes of strangers began to be more and more anxious aboutthemselves and their friends. Perhaps the demon of terror had never sospeedily and powerfully diffused his terrors over the earth. 

The boy, who was compelled to put up with frequent repetitions of thewhole matter, was not a little staggered. God, the Creator and Preserverof heaven and earth, whom the explanation of the first article of thecreed declared so wise and benignant, having given both the just and theunjust a prey to the same destruction, had not manifested himself by anymeans in a fatherly character. In vain the young mind strove to resistthese impressions. It was the more impossible, as the wise andscripture-learned could not themselves agree as to the light in whichsuch a phenomenon should be regarded. 

The next summer gave a closer opportunity of knowing directly that angryGod, of whom the Old Testament records so much. A sudden hail-storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, violently broke the new panes atthe back of our house, which looked towards the west, damaged the newfurniture, destroyed some valuable books and other things of worth, andwas the more terrible to the children, as the whole household, quitebeside themselves, dragged them into a dark passage, where, on theirknees, with frightful groans and cries, they thought to conciliate thewrathful Deity. Meanwhile, my father, who was the only one self-possessed, forced open and unhinged the window-frames, by which we savedmuch glass, but made a broader inlet for the rain that followed thehail; so that, after we were finally quieted, we found ourselves in therooms and on the stairs completely surrounded by floods and streams ofwater. 

These events, startling as they were on the whole, did not greatlyinterrupt the course of instruction which my father himself hadundertaken to give us children. He had passed his youth in the CoburgGymnasium, which stood as one of the first among German educationalinstitutions. He had there laid a good foundation in languages, andother matters reckoned part of a learned education, had subsequentlyapplied himself to jurisprudence at Leipzig, and had at last taken hisdegree at Giessen. His dissertation, "Electa de aditione Hereditatis, "which had been earnestly and carefully written, is still cited byjurists with approval. 

It is a pious wish of all fathers to see what they have themselvesfailed to attain realized in their sons, as if in this way they couldlive their lives over again, and at last make a proper use of theirearly experience. Conscious of his acquirements, with the certainty offaithful perseverance, and distrusting the teachers of the day, myfather undertook to instruct his own children, allowing them to takeparticular lessons from particular masters only so far as seemedabsolutely necessary. A pedagogical /dilettantism/ was alreadybeginning to show itself everywhere. The pedantry and heaviness of themasters appointed in the public schools had probably given rise to thisevil. Something better was sought for, but it was forgotten howdefective all instruction must be which is not given by persons who areteachers by profession. 

My father had prospered in his own career tolerably according to hiswishes: I was to follow the same course, only more easily, and muchfarther. He prized my natural endowments the more, because he washimself wanting in them; for he had acquired every thing only by meansof unspeakable diligence, pertinacity, and repetition. He often assuredme, early and late, both in jest and earnest, that with my talents hewould have deported himself very differently, and would not have turnedthem to such small account. 

By means of a ready apprehension, practice, and a good memory, I verysoon outgrew the instructions which my father and the other teacherswere able to give, without being thoroughly grounded in any thing. Grammar displeased me, because I regarded it as a mere arbitrary law:the rules seemed ridiculous, inasmuch as they were invalidated by somany exceptions, which had all to be learned by themselves. And if thefirst Latin work had not been in rhyme, I should have got on but badlyin that; but, as it was, I hummed and sang it to myself readily enough. In the same way we had a geography in memory-verses, in which the mostwretched doggerel best served to fix the recollection of that which wasto be retained; e. G. , --

"Upper-Yssel has many a fen, Which makes it hateful to all men. "

The forms and inflections of language I caught with ease; and I alsoquickly unravelled what lay in the conception of a thing. In rhetoric, composition, and such matters, no one excelled me; although I was oftenput back for faults of grammar. Yet these were the attempts that gave myfather particular pleasure, and for which he rewarded me with manypresents of money, considerable for such a lad. 

My father taught my sister Italian in the same room in which I had tocommit Cellarius to memory. As I was soon ready with my task, and wasyet obliged to sit quiet, I listened with my book before me, and veryreadily caught the Italian, which struck me as an agreeable softening ofLatin. 

Other precocities, with respect to memory and the power to combine, Ipossessed in common with those children who thus acquire an earlyreputation. For that reason, my father could scarcely wait for me to goto college. He very soon declared that I must study jurisprudence inLeipzig, for which he retained a strong predilection; and I wasafterwards to visit some other university and take my degree. As forthis second one he was indifferent as to which I might choose, exceptthat he had for some reason or other a disinclination to Göttingen, tomy disappointment, since it was precisely there that I had placed suchconfidence and high hopes. 

He told me further, that I was to go to Wetzlar and Ratisbon, as well asto Vienna, and thence towards Italy; although he repeatedly mentionedthat Paris should first be seen, because after coming out of Italynothing else could be pleasing. 

These tales of my future youthful travels, often as they were repeated, I listened to eagerly, the more so as they always led to accounts ofItaly, and at last to a description of Naples. His otherwise serious anddry manner seemed on these occasions to relax and quicken, and thus apassionate wish awoke in us children to participate in the paradise hedescribed. 

Private lessons, which now gradually multiplied, were shared with thechildren of the neighbors. This learning in common did not advance me:the teachers followed their routine; and the rudeness, sometimes the illnature, of my companions, interrupted the brief hours of study withtumult, vexation, and disturbance. Chrestomathies, by which learning ismade pleasant and varied, had not yet reached us. Cornelius Nepos, sodry to young people; the New Testament, which was much too easy, andwhich by preaching and religious instructions had been rendered evencommon-place; Cellarius and Pasor, --could impart no kind of interest: onthe other hand, a certain rage for rhyme and versification, aconsequence of reading the prevalent German poets, took completepossession of us. Me it had seized much earlier, as I had found itagreeable to pass from the rhetorical to the poetical treatment ofsubjects. 

We boys held a Sunday assembly where each of us was to produce originalverses. And here I was struck by something strange, which long caused meuneasiness. My poems, whatever they might be, always seemed to me thebest. But I soon remarked that my competitors, who brought forth verylame affairs, were in the same condition, and thought no less ofthemselves. Nay, what appeared yet more suspicious, a good lad (thoughin such matters altogether unskilful), whom I liked in other respects, but who had his rhymes made by his tutor, not only regarded these as thebest, but was thoroughly persuaded they were his own, as he alwaysmaintained in our confidential intercourse. Now, as this illusion anderror was obvious to me, the question one day forced itself upon me, whether I myself might not be in the same state, whether those poemswere not really better than mine, and whether I might not justly appearto those boys as mad as they to me? This disturbed me much and long, forit was altogether impossible for me to find any external criterion ofthe truth: I even ceased from producing, until at length I was quietedby my own light temperament, and the feeling of my own powers, andlastly by a trial of skill, --started on the spur of the moment by ourteachers and parents, who had noted our sport, --in which I came offwell, and won general praise. 

No libraries for children had at that time been established. The old hadthemselves still childish notions, and found it convenient to imparttheir own education to their successors. Except the "Orbis Pictus" ofAmos Comenius, no book of the sort fell into our hands; but the largefolio Bible, with copperplates by Merian, was diligently gone over leafby leaf; Gottfried's "Chronicles, " with plates by the same master, taught us the most notable events of universal history; the "AcerraPhilologica" added thereto all sorts of fables, mythologies, andwonders; and, as I soon became familiar with Ovid's "Metamorphoses, " thefirst books of which in particular I studied carefully, my young brainwas rapidly furnished with a mass of images and events, of significantand wonderful shapes and occurrences; and I never felt time hang upon myhands, as I always occupied myself in working over, repeating, andreproducing these acquisitions. 

A more salutary moral effect than that of these rude and hazardousantiquities was produced by Fenelon's "Telemachus, " with which I firstbecame acquainted in Neukirch's translation, and which, imperfectly asit was executed, had a sweet and beneficent influence on my mind. That"Robinson Crusoe" was added in due time, follows in the nature ofthings; and it may be imagined that the "Island of Falsenberg" was notwanting. Lord Anson's "Voyage round the Globe" combined the dignity oftruth with the rich fancies of fable; and, while our thoughtsaccompanied this excellent seaman, we were conducted over all the world, and endeavored to follow him with our fingers on the globe. But a stillricher harvest was to spring up before me, when I lighted on a mass ofwritings, which, in their present state, it is true, cannot be calledexcellent, but the contents of which, in a harmless way, bring near tous many a meritorious action of former times. 

The publication, or rather the manufacture, of those books, which haveat a later day become so well known and celebrated under the nameVolkschriften, Volksbucher (popular works or books), was carried on inFrankfort. The enormous sales they met with led to their being almostillegibly printed from stereotypes on horrible blotting-paper. Wechildren were so fortunate as to find these precious remains of theMiddle Ages every day on a little table at the door of a dealer in cheapbooks, and to obtain them at the cost of a couple of Kreutzer. "TheEulenspiegel, " "The Four Sons of Haimon, " "The Emperor Octavian, " "TheFair Melusina, " "The Beautiful Magelone, " "Fortunatus, " with the wholerace down to "The Wandering Jew, " were all at our service, as often aswe preferred the relish of these works to the taste of sweet things. Thegreatest benefit of this was, that, when we had read through or damagedsuch a sheet, it could soon be reprocured, and swallowed a second time. 

As a family picnic in summer is vexatiously disturbed by a sudden storm, which transforms a pleasant state of things into the very reverse: sothe diseases of childhood fall unexpectedly on the most beautiful seasonof early life. And thus it happened with me. I had just purchased"Fortunatus with his Purse and Wishing-hat, " when I was attacked by arestlessness and fever which announced the small-pox. Inoculation wasstill with us considered very problematical; and, although it hadalready been intelligibly and urgently recommended by popular writers, the German physicians hesitated to perform an operation that seemed toforestall Nature. Speculative Englishmen, therefore, had come to theContinent, and inoculated, for a considerable fee, the children of suchpersons as were opulent, and free from prejudices. Still, the majoritywere exposed to the old disease: the infection raged through families, killed and disfigured many children; and few parents dared to availthemselves of a method, the probable efficacy of which had beenabundantly confirmed by the result. The evil now invaded our house, andattacked me with unusual severity. My whole body was sown over withspots, and my face covered; and for several days I lay blind and ingreat pain. They tried the only possible alleviation, and promised meheaps of gold if I would keep quiet, and not increase the mischief byrubbing and scratching. I controlled myself, while, according to theprevailing prejudice, they kept me as warm as possible, and thus onlyrendered my suffering more acute. At last, after a woeful time, therefell, as it were, a mask from my face. The blotches had left no visiblemark upon the skin, but the features were plainly altered. I myself wassatisfied merely with seeing the light of day again, and graduallyputting off my spotted skin; but others were pitiless enough to remindme often of my previous condition, especially a very lively aunt, whohad formerly regarded me with idolatry, but in after-years could seldomlook at me without exclaiming "The deuce, cousin, what a fright he'sgrown!" Then she would tell me circumstantially how I had once been herdelight, and what attention she had excited when she carried me about;and thus I early learned that people very often subject us to a severeatonement for the pleasure which we have afforded them. 

I escaped neither measles nor chicken-pox, nor any other of thetormenting demons of childhood; and I was assured each time that it wasa great piece of good luck that this malady was now past forever. Butalas! another again threatened in the background, and advanced. Allthese things increased my propensity to reflection; and as I had alreadypractised myself in fortitude, in order to remove the torture ofimpatience, the virtues which I had heard praised in the stoics appearedto me highly worthy of imitation, and the more so, as something similarwas commended by the Christian doctrine of patience. 

While on the subject of these family diseases, I will mention a brotherabout three years younger than myself, who was likewise attacked by thatinfection, and suffered not a little from it. He was of a tender nature, quiet and capricious; and we were never on the most friendly terms. Besides, he scarcely survived the years of childhood. Among severalother children born afterwards, who, like him, did not live long, I onlyremember a very pretty and agreeable girl, who also soon passed away; sothat, after the lapse of some years, my sister and I remained alone, andwere therefore the more deeply and affectionately attached to eachother. 

These maladies, and other unpleasant interruptions, were in theirconsequences doubly grievous; for my father, who seemed to have laiddown for himself a certain calendar of education and instruction, wasresolved immediately to repair every delay, and imposed double lessonsupon the young convalescent. These were not hard for me to accomplish, but were so far troublesome, that they hindered, and, to a certainextent, repressed, my inward development, which had taken a decideddirection. 

From these didactic and pedagogic oppressions, we commonly fled to mygrandfather and grandmother. Their house stood in the Friedberg Street, and appeared to have been formerly a fortress; for, on approaching it, nothing was seen but a large gate with battlements, which were joined oneither side to the two neighboring houses. On entering through a narrowpassage, we reached at last a tolerably wide court, surrounded byirregular buildings, which were now all united into one dwelling. Weusually hastened at once into the garden, which extended to aconsiderable length and breadth behind the buildings, and was very wellkept. The walks were mostly skirted by vine-trellises: one part of thespace was used for vegetables, and another devoted to flowers, whichfrom spring till autumn adorned in rich succession the borders as wellas the beds. The long wall, erected towards the south, was used for somewell-trained espalier peach-trees, the forbidden fruit of which ripenedtemptingly before us through the summer. Yet we rather avoided thisside, because we here could not satisfy our dainty appetites; and weturned to the side opposite, where an interminable row of currant andgooseberry bushes furnished our voracity with a succession of harveststill autumn. Not less important to us was an old, high, wide-spreadingmulberry-tree, both on account of its fruits, and because we were toldthat the silk-worms fed upon its leaves. In this peaceful region mygrandfather was found every evening, tending with genial care, and withhis own hand, the finer growths of fruits and flowers; while a gardenermanaged the drudgery. He was never vexed by the various toils which werenecessary to preserve and increase a fine show of pinks. The branches ofthe peach-trees were carefully tied to the espaliers with his own hands, in a fan-shape, in order to bring about a full and easy growth of thefruit. The sorting of the bulbs of tulips, hyacinths, and plants of asimilar nature, as well as the care of their preservation, he intrustedto none; and I still with pleasure recall to my mind how diligently heoccupied himself in inoculating the different varieties of roses. Thathe might protect himself from the thorns, he put on a pair of thoseancient leather gloves, of which three pair were given him annually atthe Piper's Court; so that there was no dearth of the article. He worealso a loose dressing-gown, and a folded black velvet cap upon his head;so that he might have passed for an intermediate person between Alcinousand Laertes. 

All this work in the garden he pursued as regularly and with as muchprecision as his official business; for, before he came down, he alwaysarranged the list of cases for the next day, and read the legal papers. In the morning he proceeded to the city-hall, dined after his return, then took a nap in his easy-chair, and so went through the same routineevery day. He conversed little, never exhibited any vehemence; and I donot remember ever to have seen him angry. All that surrounded him was inthe fashion of the olden time. I never perceived any alteration in hiswainscoted room. His library contained, besides law-works, only theearliest books of travels, sea-voyages, and discoveries of countries. Altogether I can call to mind no situation more adapted than his toawaken the feeling of uninterrupted peace and eternal duration. 

But the reverence we entertained for this venerable old man was raisedto the highest degree by a conviction that he possessed the gift ofprophecy, especially in matters that pertained to himself and hisdestiny. It is true he revealed himself to no one distinctly andminutely, except to my grandmother; yet we were all aware that he wasinformed of what was going to happen by significant dreams. He assuredhis wife, for instance, at a time when he was still a junior councillor, that, on the first vacancy, he would obtain the place left open on thebench of the /Schöffen/; and soon afterwards, when one of thoseofficers actually died of apoplexy, my grandfather gave orders that hishouse should be quietly got ready prepared on the day of electing andballoting, to receive his guests and congratulators. Sure enough, thedecisive gold ball was drawn in his favor. The simple dream by which hehad learned this, he confided to his wife as follows: He had seenhimself in the ordinary full assembly of councilmen, where all went onjust as usual. Suddenly the late /Schöff/ rose from his seat, descended the steps, pressed him in the most complimentary manner totake the vacant place, and then departed by the door. 

Something similar occurred on the death of the /Schultheiss/. Theymake no delay in supplying this place; as they always have to fear thatthe emperor will, at some time, resume his ancient right of nominatingthe officer. On this occasion, the messenger of the court came atmidnight to summon an extraordinary session for the next morning; and, as the light in his lantern was about to expire, he asked for a candle'send to help him on his way. "Give him a whole one, " said my grandfatherto the ladies: "he takes the trouble all on my account. " This expressionanticipated the result, --he was made /Schultheiss/. And whatrendered the circumstance particularly remarkable was, that, althoughhis representative was the third and last to draw at the ballot, the twosilver balls first came out, leaving the golden ball at the bottom ofthe bag for him. 

Perfectly prosaic, simple, and without a trace of the fantastic ormiraculous, were the other dreams, of which we were informed. Moreover, I remember that once, as a boy, I was turning over his books andmemoranda, and found, among some other remarks which related togardening, such sentences as these: "To-night N. N. Came to me, andsaid, "--the name and revelation being written in cipher; or, "This nightI saw, "--all the rest being again in cipher, except the conjunctions andsimilar words, from which nothing could be learned. 

It is worthy of note also, that persons who showed no signs of propheticinsight at other times, acquired, for the moment, while in his presence, and that by means of some sensible evidence, presentiments of diseasesor deaths which were then occurring in distant places. But no such gifthas been transmitted to any of his children or grandchildren, who, forthe most part, have been hearty people, enjoying life, and never goingbeyond the actual. 

While on this subject, I remember with gratitude many kindnesses Ireceived from them in my youth. Thus, for example, we were employed andentertained in many ways when we visited the second daughter, married tothe druggist Melber, whose house and shop stood near the market, in themidst of the liveliest and most crowded part of the town. There we couldlook down from the windows pleasantly enough upon the hurly-burly, inwhich we feared to lose ourselves; and though at first, of all the goodsin the shop, nothing had much interest for us but the licorice, and thelittle brown stamped cakes made from it, we became in time betteracquainted with the multitude of articles bought and sold in thatbusiness. This aunt was the most vivacious of all the family. Whilst mymother, in her early years, took pleasure in being neatly dressed, working at some domestic occupation, or reading a book, the other, onthe contrary, ran about the neighborhood to pick up neglected children, take care of them, comb them, and carry them about in the way she haddone with me for a good while. At a time of public festivities, such ascoronations, it was impossible to keep her at home. When a little child, she had already scrambled for the money scattered on such occasions; andit was related of her, that once when she had got a good many together, and was looking at them with great delight in the palm of her hand, itwas struck by somebody, and all her well-earned booty vanished at ablow. There was another incident of which she was very proud. Once, while standing on a post as the Emperor Charles VII. Was passing, at amoment when all the people were silent, she shouted a vigorous "Vivat!"into the coach, which made him take off his hat to her, and thank herquite graciously for her bold salutation. 

Every thing in her house was stirring, lively, and cheerful; and wechildren owed her many a gay hour. 

In a more quiet situation, which was, however, suited to her character, was a second aunt, married to the Pastor Stark, incumbent of St. Catharine's Church. He lived much alone, in accordance with histemperament and vocation, and possessed a fine library. Here I firstbecame acquainted with Homer, in a prose translation, which may be foundin the seventh part of Herr Von Loen's new collection of the mostremarkable travels, under the title, "Homer's Description of theConquest of the Kingdom of Troy, " ornamented with copperplates in thetheatrical French taste. These pictures perverted my imagination to sucha degree, that, for a long time, I could conceive the Homeric heroesonly under such forms. The incidents themselves gave me unspeakabledelight; though I found great fault with the work for affording us noaccount of the capture of Troy, and breaking off so abruptly with thedeath of Hector. My uncle, to whom I mentioned this defect, referred meto Virgil, who perfectly satisfied my demands. 

It will be taken for granted, that we children had among our otherlessons a continued and progressive instruction in religion. But theChurch-Protestantism imparted to us was, properly speaking, nothing buta kind of dry morality: ingenious exposition was not thought of, and thedoctrine appealed neither to the understanding nor to the heart. Forthat reason, there were various secessions from the Established Church. Separatists, Pietists, Herrnhuter (Moravians), Quiet-in-the-Land, andothers differently named and characterized, sprang up, all of whom areanimated by the same purpose of approaching the Deity, especiallythrough Christ, more closely than seemed to them possible under theforms of the established religion. 

The boy heard these opinions and sentiments constantly spoken of, forthe clergy as well as the laity divided themselves into /pro/ and/con/. The minority were composed of those who dissented more orless broadly; but their modes of thinking attracted by originality, heartiness, perseverance, and independence. All sorts of stories weretold of their virtues, and of the way in which they were manifested. Thereply of a pious master-tinman was especially noted, who, when one ofhis craft attempted to shame him by asking, "Who is really yourconfessor?" answered with great cheerfulness, and confidence in thegoodness of his cause, "I have a famous one, --no less than the confessorof King David. "

Things of this sort naturally made an impression on the boy, and led himinto similar states of mind. In fact, he came to the thought that hemight immediately approach the great God of nature, the Creator andPreserver of heaven and earth, whose earlier manifestations of wrath hadbeen long forgotten in the beauty of the world, and the manifoldblessings in which we participate while upon it. The way he took toaccomplish this was very curious. 

The boy had chiefly kept to the first article of belief. The God whostands in immediate connection with nature, and owns and loves it as hiswork, seemed to him the proper God, who might be brought into closerrelationship with man, as with every thing else, and who would take careof him, as of the motion of the stars, the days and seasons, the animalsand plants. There were texts of the Gospels which explicitly statedthis. The boy could ascribe no form to this Being: he therefore soughthim in his works, and would, in the good Old-Testament fashion, buildhim an altar. Natural productions were set forth as images of the world, over which a flame was to burn, signifying the aspirations of man'sheart towards his Maker. He brought out of the collection of naturalobjects which he possessed, and which had been increased as chancedirected, the best ores and other specimens. But the next difficultywas, as to how they should be arranged and raised into a pile. Hisfather possessed a beautiful red-lacquered music-stand, ornamented withgilt flowers, in the form of a four-sided pyramid, with differentelevations, which had been found convenient for quartets, but lately wasnot much in use. The boy laid hands on this, and built up hisrepresentatives of nature one above the other in steps; so that it alllooked quite pretty and at the same time sufficiently significant. On anearly sunrise his first worship of God was to be celebrated, but theyoung priest had not yet settled how to produce a flame which should atthe same time emit an agreeable odor. At last it occurred to him tocombine the two, as he possessed a few fumigating pastils, whichdiffused a pleasant fragrance with a glimmer, if not with a flame. Nay, this soft burning and exhalation seemed a better representation of whatpasses in the heart, than an open flame. The sun had already risen for along time, but the neighboring houses concealed the east. At last itglittered above the roofs: a burning-glass was at once taken up andapplied to the pastils, which were fixed on the summit in a fineporcelain saucer. Every thing succeeded according to the wish, and thedevotion was perfect. The altar remained as a peculiar ornament of theroom which had been assigned him in the new house. Every one regarded itonly as a well-arranged collection of natural curiosities. The boy knewbetter, but concealed his knowledge. He longed for a repetition of thesolemnity. But unfortunately, just as the most opportune sun arose, theporcelain cup was not at hand: he placed the pastils immediately on theupper surface of the stand; they were kindled; and so great was thedevotion of the priest, that he did not observe, until it was too late, the mischief his sacrifice was doing. The pastils had burned mercilesslyinto the red lacquer and beautiful gold flowers, and, as if some evilspirit had disappeared, had left their black, ineffaceable footprints. By this the young priest was thrown into the most extreme perplexity. The mischief could be covered up, it was true, with the larger pieces ofhis show materials; but the spirit for new offerings was gone, and theaccident might almost be considered a hint and warning of the dangerthere always is in wishing to approach the Deity in such a way. 

 SECOND BOOK. 

All that has been hitherto recorded indicates that happy and easycondition in which nations exist during a long peace. But nowhereprobably is such a beautiful time enjoyed in greater comfort than incities living under their own laws, and large enough to include aconsiderable number of citizens, and so situated as to enrich them bytrade and commerce. Strangers find it to their advantage to come and go, and are under a necessity of bringing profit in order to acquire profit. Even if such cities rule but a small territory, they are the betterqualified to advance their internal prosperity; as their externalrelations expose them to no costly undertakings or alliances. 

Thus the Frankforters passed a series of prosperous years during mychildhood; but scarcely, on the 28th of August, 1756, had I completed myseventh year, than that world-renowned war broke out which was also toexert great influence upon the next seven years of my life. Frederickthe Second, King of Prussia, had fallen upon Saxony with sixty thousandmen; and, instead of announcing his invasion by a declaration of war, hefollowed it up with a manifesto, composed by himself as it was said, which explained the causes that had moved and justified him in somonstrous a step. The world, which saw itself appealed to, not merely asspectator, but as judge, immediately split into two parties; and ourfamily was an image of the great whole. 

My grandfather, who, as /Schöff/ of Frankfort, had carried thecoronation canopy over Francis the First, and had received from theempress a heavy gold chain with her likeness, took the Austrian sidealong with some of his sons-in-law and daughters. My father having beennominated to the imperial council by Charles the Seventh, andsympathizing sincerely in the fate of that unhappy monarch, leanedtowards Prussia, with the other and smaller half of the family. Ourmeetings, which had been held on Sundays for many years uninterruptedly, were very soon disturbed. The misunderstandings so common among personsrelated by marriage, found only now a form in which they could beexpressed. Contention, discord, silence, and separation ensued. Mygrandfather, generally a cheerful, quiet man, and fond of ease, becameimpatient. The women vainly endeavored to smother the flames; and, aftersome unpleasant scenes, my father was the first to quit the society. Athome we now rejoiced undisturbed at the Prussian victories, which werecommonly announced with great glee by our vivacious aunt. Every otherinterest had to give way to this, and we passed the rest of the year inperpetual agitation. The occupation of Dresden, the moderation of theking at the outset, his slow but secure advances, the victory atLowositz, the capture of the Saxons, were so many triumphs for ourparty. Every thing that could be alleged for the advantage of ouropponents was denied or depreciated; and, as the members of the familyon the other side did the same, they could not meet in the streetswithout disputes arising, as in "Romeo and Juliet. "

Thus I also was then a Prussian in my views, or, to speak morecorrectly, a Fritzian; since what cared we for Prussia? It was thepersonal character of the great king that worked upon all hearts. Irejoiced with my father in our conquests, readily copied the songs oftriumph, and almost more willingly the lampoons directed against theother party, poor as the rhymes might be. 

Being their eldest grandson and godchild, I had dined every Sunday sincemy infancy with my grandfather and grandmother; and the hours so spenthad been the most delightful of the whole week. But now I relished not amorsel, because I was compelled to hear the most horrible slanders of myhero. Here blew another wind, here sounded another tone, than at home. My liking and even my respect for my grandfather and grandmother felloff. I could mention nothing of this to my parents, but avoided thematter, both on account of my own feelings, and because I had beenwarned by my mother. In this way I was thrown back upon myself; and asin my sixth year, after the earthquake at Lisbon, the goodness of Godhad become to me in some measure suspicious: so I began now, on accountof Frederick the Second, to doubt the justice of the public. My heartwas naturally inclined to reverence, and it required a great shock tostagger my faith in any thing that was venerable. But alas! they hadcommended good manners and a becoming deportment to us, not for theirown sake, but for the sake of the people. What will people say? wasalways the cry; and I thought that the people must be right good people, and would know how to judge of any thing and every thing. But myexperience went just to the contrary. The greatest and most signalservices were defamed and attacked; the noblest deeds, if not denied, were at least misrepresented and diminished; and this base injustice wasdone to the only man who was manifestly elevated above all hiscontemporaries, and who daily proved what he was able to do, --and that, not by the populace, but by distinguished men, as I took my grandfatherand uncles to be. That parties existed, and that he himself belonged toa party, had never entered into the conceptions of the boy. He, therefore, believed himself all the more right, and dared hold his ownopinion for the better one; since he and those of like mind appreciatedthe beauty and other good qualities of Maria Theresa, and even did notgrudge the Emperor Francis his love of jewellery and money. That CountDaun was often called an old dozer, they thought justifiable. 

But, now that I look more closely into the matter, I here trace the germof that disregard and even disdain of the public, which clung to me fora whole period of my life, and only in later days was brought withinbounds by insight and cultivation. Suffice it to say, that theperception of the injustice of parties had even then a very unpleasant, nay, an injurious, effect upon the boy; as it accustomed him to separatehimself from beloved and highly valued persons. The quick succession ofbattles and events left the parties neither quiet nor rest. We everfound a malicious delight in reviving and resharpening those imaginaryevils and capricious disputes; and thus we continued to tease eachother, until the occupation of Frankfort by the French some yearsafterwards brought real inconvenience into our homes. 

Although to most of us the important events occurring in distant partsserved only for topics of hot controversy, there were others whoperceived the seriousness of the times, and feared that the sympathy ofFrance might open a scene of war in our own vicinity. They kept uschildren at home more than before, and strove in many ways to occupy andamuse us. With this view, the puppet-show bequeathed by our grandmotherwas again brought forth, and arranged in such a way that the spectatorssat in my gable-room; while the persons managing and performing, as wellas the theatre itself as far as the proscenium, found a place in theroom adjoining. We were allowed, as a special favor, to invite first oneand then another of the neighbor's children as spectators; and thus atthe outset I gained many friends, but the restlessness inherent inchildren did not suffer them to remain long a patient audience. Theyinterrupted the play; and we were compelled to seek a younger public, which could at any rate be kept in order by the nurses and maids. Theoriginal drama, to which the puppets had been specially adapted, we hadlearned by heart; and in the beginning this was exclusively performed. Soon growing weary of it, however, we changed the dresses anddecorations, and attempted various other pieces, which were indeed ontoo grand a scale for so narrow a stage. Although this presumptionspoiled and finally quite destroyed what we performed, such childishpleasures and employments nevertheless exercised and advanced in manyways my power of invention and representation, my fancy, and a certaintechnical skill, to a degree which in any other way could not perhapshave been secured in so short a time, in so confined a space, and at solittle expense. 

I had early learned to use compasses and ruler, because all theinstructions they gave me in geometry were forthwith put into practice;and I occupied myself greatly with paste-board-work. I did not stop atgeometrical figures, little boxes, and such things, but invented prettypleasure-houses adorned with pilasters, steps, and flat roofs. However, but little of this was completed. 

Far more persevering was I, on the other hand, in arranging, with thehelp of our domestic (a tailor by trade), an armory for the service ofour plays and tragedies, which we ourselves performed with delight whenwe had outgrown the puppets. My playfellows, too, prepared forthemselves such armories, which they considered to be quite as fine andgood as mine; but I had made provision, not for the wants of one persononly, and could furnish several of the little band with every requisite, and thus made myself more and more indispensable to our little circle. That such games tended to factions, quarrels, and blows, and commonlycame to a sad end in tumult and vexation, may easily be supposed. Insuch cases certain of my companions generally took part with me, whileothers sided against me; though many changes of party occurred. Onesingle boy, whom I will call Pylades, urged by the others, once onlyleft my party, but could scarcely for a moment maintain his hostileposition. We were reconciled amid many tears, and for a long timeafterwards kept faithfully together. 

To him, as well as other well-wishers, I could render myself veryagreeable by telling tales, which they most delighted to hear when I wasthe hero of my own story. It greatly rejoiced them to know that suchwonderful things could befall one of their own playfellows; nor was itany harm that they did not understand how I could find time and spacefor such adventures, as they must have been pretty well aware of all mycomings and goings, and how I was occupied the entire day. Not the lessnecessary was it for me to select the localities of these occurrences, if not in another world, at least in another spot; and yet all was toldas having taken place only to-day or yesterday. They therefore had toform for themselves greater illusions than I could have palmed off uponthem. If I had not gradually learned, in accordance with the instinctsof my nature, to work up these visions and conceits into artistic forms, such vain-glorious beginnings could not have gone on without producingevil consequences for myself in the end. 

Considering this impulse more closely, we may see in it that presumptionwith which the poet authoritatively utters the greatest improbabilities, and requires every one to recognize as real whatever may in any way seemto him, the inventor, as true. 

But what is here told only in general terms, and by way of reflection, will perhaps become more apparent and interesting by means of anexample. I subjoin, therefore, one of these tales, which, as I often hadto repeat it to my comrades, still hovers entire in my imagination andmemory. 

 THE NEW PARIS. 

A BOY'S LEGEND. 

On the night before Whitsunday, not long since, I dreamed that I stoodbefore a mirror engaged with the new summer clothes which my dearparents had given me for the holiday. The dress consisted, as you know, of shoes of polished leather, with large silver buckles, fine cottonstockings, black nether garments of serge, and a coat of green baracanwith gold buttons. The waistcoat of gold cloth was cut out of myfather's bridal waistcoat. My hair had been frizzled and powdered, andmy curls stuck out from my head like little wings; but I could notfinish dressing myself, because I kept confusing the different articles, the first always falling off as soon as I was about to put on the next. In this dilemma, a young and handsome man came to me, and greeted me inthe friendliest manner. "Oh! you are welcome, " said I: "I am very gladto see you here. "--"Do you know me, then?" replied he, smiling. "Whynot?" was my no less smiling answer. "You are Mercury--I have oftenenough seen you represented in pictures. "--"I am, indeed, " replied he, "and am sent to you by the gods on an important errand. Do you see thesethree apples?" He stretched forth his hand and showed me three apples, which it could hardly hold, and which were as wonderfully beautiful asthey were large, the one of a red, the other of a yellow, the third of agreen, color. One could not help thinking they were precious stones madeinto the form of fruit. I would have snatched them; but he drew back, and said, "You must know, in the first place, that they are not for you. You must give them to the three handsomest youths of the city, who then, each according to his lot, will find wives to the utmost of theirwishes. Take them, and success to you!" said he, as he departed, leavingthe apples in my open hands. They appeared to me to have become stilllarger. I held them up at once against the light, and found them quitetransparent; but soon they expanded upward, and became three beautifullittle ladies about as large as middle-sized dolls, whose clothes wereof the colors of the apples. They glided gently up my fingers: and whenI was about to catch them, to make sure of one at least, they hadalready soared high and far; and I had to put up with thedisappointment. I stood there all amazed and petrified, holding up myhands, and staring at my fingers as if there were still something onthem to see. Suddenly I saw a most lovely girl dance upon the very tips. She was smaller, but pretty and lively; and as she did not fly away likethe others, but remained dancing, now on one finger-point, now onanother, I regarded her for a long while with admiration. And, as shepleased me so much, I thought in the end I could catch her, and made, asI fancied, a very adroit grasp. But at the moment I felt such a blow onmy head that I fell down stunned, and did not awake from my stupor tillit was time to dress myself and go to church. 

During the service I often called those images to mind, and also when Iwas eating dinner at my grandfather's table. In the afternoon I wishedto visit some friends, partly to show myself in my new dress, with myhat under my arm and my sword by my side, and partly to return theirvisits. I found no one at home; and, as I heard that they were gone tothe gardens, I resolved to follow them, and pass the evening pleasantly. My way led towards the intrenchments; and I came to the spot which isrightly called the Bad Wall, for it is never quite safe from ghoststhere. I walked slowly, and thought of my three goddesses, butespecially of the little nymph, and often held up my fingers in hopesshe might be kind enough to balance herself there again. With suchthoughts I was proceeding, when I saw in the wall on my left hand alittle gate which I did not remember to have ever noticed before. Itlooked low, but its pointed arch would have allowed the tallest man toenter. Arch and wall had been chiselled in the handsomest way, both bymason and sculptor; but it was the door itself which first properlyattracted my attention. The old brown wood, though slightly ornamented, was crossed with broad bands of brass wrought both in relief andintaglio. The foliage on these, with the most natural birds sitting init, I could not sufficiently admire. But, what seemed most remarkable, no keyhole could be seen, no latch, no knocker; and from this Iconjectured that the door could be opened only from within. I was not inerror; for, when I went nearer in order to touch the ornaments, itopened inwards; and there appeared a man whose dress was somewhat long, wide, and singular. A venerable beard enveloped his chin, so that I wasinclined to think him a Jew. But he, as if he had divined my thoughts, made the sign of the holy cross, by which he gave me to understand thathe was a good Catholic Christian. "Young gentleman, how came you here, and what are you doing?" he said to me, with a friendly voice andmanner. " I am admiring, " I replied, " the workmanship of this door; for Ihave never seen any thing like it, except in some small pieces in thecollections of amateurs. "--"I am glad, " he answered, "that you like suchworks. The door is much more beautiful inside. Come in, if you like. " Myheart, in some degree, failed me. The mysterious dress of the porter, the seclusion, and a something, I know not what, that seemed to be inthe air, oppressed me. I paused, therefore, under the pretext ofexamining the outside still longer; and at the same time I cast stolenglances into the garden, for a garden it was which had opened before me. Just inside the door I saw a space. Old linden-trees, standing atregular distances from each other, entirely covered it with theirthickly interwoven branches; so that the most numerous parties, duringthe hottest of the day, might have refreshed themselves in the shade. Already I had stepped upon the threshold, and the old man contrivedgradually to allure me on. Properly speaking, I did not resist; for Ihad always heard that a prince or sultan in such a case must never askwhether there be danger at hand. I had my sword by my side too; andcould I not soon have finished with the old man, in case of hostiledemonstrations? I therefore entered perfectly re-assured: the keeperclosed the door, which bolted so softly that I scarcely heard it. He nowshowed me the workmanship on the inside, which in truth was still moreartistic than the outside, explained it to me, and at the same timemanifested particular good will. Being thus entirely at my ease, I letmyself be guided in the shaded space by the wall, that formed a circle, where I found much to admire. Niches tastefully adorned with shells, corals, and pieces of ore, poured a profusion of water from the mouthsof tritons into marble basins. Between them were aviaries and otherlattice-work, in which squirrels frisked about, guinea-pigs ran hitherand thither, with as many other pretty little creatures as one couldwish to see. The birds called and sang to us as we advanced: thestarlings, particularly, chattered the silliest stuff. One always cried, "Paris, Paris!" and the other, "Narcissus, Narcissus!" as plainly as aschoolboy can say them. The old man seemed to continue looking at meearnestly while the birds called out thus; but I feigned not to noticeit, and had in truth no time to attend to him, for I could easilyperceive that we went round and round, and that this shaded space was infact a great circle, which enclosed another much more important. Indeed, we had actually reached the small door again, and it seemed as thoughthe old man would let me out. But my eyes remained directed towards agolden railing, which seemed to hedge round the middle of this wonderfulgarden, and which I had found means enough of observing in our walk;although the old man managed to keep me always close to the wall, andtherefore pretty far from the centre. And now, just as he was going tothe door, I said to him, with a bow, "You have been so extremely kind tome that I would fain venture to make one more request before I part fromyou. Might I not look more closely at that golden railing, which appearsto enclose in a very wide circle the interior of the garden?"--"Verywillingly, " replied he, "but in that case you must submit to someconditions. "--"In what do they consist?" I asked hastily. "You mustleave here your hat and sword, and must not let go my hand while Iaccompany you. "--"Most willingly, " I replied; and laid my hat and swordon the nearest stone bench. Immediately he grasped my left hand with hisright, held it fast, and led me with some force straight forwards. Whenwe reached the railing, my wonder changed into amazement. On a highsocle of marble stood innumerable spears and partisans, ranged beneatheach other, joined by their strangely ornamented points, and forming acomplete circle. I looked through the intervals, and saw just behind agently flowing piece of water, bounded on both sides by marble, anddisplaying in its clear depths a multitude of gold and silver fish, which moved about now slowly and now swiftly, now alone and now inshoals. I would also fain have looked beyond the canal, to see whatthere was in the heart of the garden. But I found, to my great sorrow, that the other side of the water was bordered by a similar railing, andwith so much art, that to each interval on this side exactly fitted aspear or partisan on the other. These, and the other ornaments, renderedit impossible for one to see through, stand as he would. Besides, theold man, who still held me fast, prevented me from moving freely. Mycuriosity, meanwhile, after all I had seen, increased more and more; andI took heart to ask the old man whether one could not pass over. "Whynot?" returned he, "but on new conditions. " When I asked him what thesewere, he gave me to understand that I must put on other clothes. I wassatisfied to do so: he led me back towards the wall into a small, neatroom, on the sides of which hung many kinds of garments, all of whichseemed to approach the Oriental costume. I soon changed my dress. Heconfined my powdered hair under a many-colored net, after having to myhorror violently dusted it out. Now, standing before a great mirror, Ifound myself quite handsome in my disguise, and pleased myself betterthan in my formal Sunday clothes. I made gestures, and leaped, as I hadseen the dancers do at the fair-theatre. In the midst of this I lookedin the glass, and saw by chance the image of a niche which was behindme. On its white ground hung three green cords, each of them twisted upin a way which from the distance I could not clearly discern. Itherefore turned round rather hastily, and asked the old man about theniche as well as the cords. He very courteously took a cord down, andshowed it to me. It was a band of green silk of moderate thickness, theends of which, joined by green leather with two holes in it, gave it theappearance of an instrument for no very desirable purpose. The thingstruck me as suspicious, and I asked the old man the meaning. Heanswered me very quietly and kindly, "This is for those who abuse theconfidence which is here readily shown them. " He hung the cord again inits place, and immediately desired me to follow him; for this time hedid not hold me, and so I walked freely beside him. 

My chief curiosity now was, to discover where the gate and bridge, forpassing through the railing and over the canal, might be; since as yet Ihad not been able to find any thing of the kind. I therefore watched thegolden fence very narrowly as we hastened towards it. But in a moment mysight failed: lances, spears, halberds, and partisans began unexpectedlyto rattle and quiver; and the strange movement ended in all the pointssinking towards each other just as if two ancient hosts, armed withpikes, were about to charge. The confusion to the eyes, the clatter tothe ears, was hardly to be borne; but infinitely surprising was thesight, when, falling perfectly level, they covered the circle of thecanal, and formed the most glorious bridge that one can imagine. For nowa most variegated garden parterre met my sight. It was laid out incurvilinear beds, which, looked at together, formed a labyrinth ofornaments; all with green borders of a low, woolly plant, which I hadnever seen before; all with flowers, each division of different colors, which, being likewise low and close to the ground, allowed the plan tobe easily traced. This delicious sight, which I enjoyed in the fullsunshine, quite riveted my eyes. But I hardly knew where I was to set myfoot; for the serpentine paths were most delicately laid with blue sand, which seemed to form upon the earth a darker sky, or a sky seen in thewater: and so I walked for a while beside my conductor, with my eyesfixed upon the ground, until at last I perceived, that, in the middle ofthis round of beds and flowers, there was a great circle of cypresses orpoplar-like trees, through which one could not see, because the lowestbranches seemed to spring out of the ground. My guide, without taking meexactly the shortest way, led me nevertheless immediately towards thatcentre; and how was I astonished, when, on entering the circle of hightrees, I saw before me the peristyle of a magnificent garden-house, which seemed to have similar prospects and entrances on the other sides!The heavenly music which streamed from the building transported me stillmore than this model of architecture. I fancied that I heard now a lute, now a harp, now a guitar, and now something tinkling which did notbelong to any of these instruments. The door for which we made openedsoon on being lightly touched by the old man. But how was I amazed whenthe porteress who came out perfectly resembled the delicate girl who haddanced upon my fingers in the dream! She greeted me as if we werealready acquainted, and invited me to walk in. The old man staid behind;and I went with her through a short passage, arched and finelyornamented, to the middle hall, the splendid, dome-like ceiling of whichattracted my gaze on my entrance, and filled me with astonishment. Yetmy eye could not dwell on this long, being allured down by a morecharming spectacle. On a carpet, directly under the middle of thecupola, sat three women in a triangle, clad in three different colors, --one red, the other yellow, the third green. The seats were gilt, and thecarpet was a perfect flower-bed. In their arms lay the three instrumentswhich I had been able to distinguish from without; for, being disturbedby my arrival, they had stopped their playing. "Welcome!" said themiddle one, who sat with her face to the door, in a red dress, and withthe harp. "Sit down by Alerte, and listen, if you are a lover of music. "

Now only I remarked that there was a rather long bench placed obliquelybefore them, on which lay a mandolin. The pretty girl took it up, satdown, and drew me to her side. Now also I looked at the second lady onmy right. She wore the yellow dress, and had the guitar in her hand; andif the harp-player was dignified in form, grand in features, andmajestic in her deportment, one might remark in the guitar-player aneasy grace and cheerfulness. She was a slender blonde, while the otherwas adorned by dark-brown hair. The variety and accordance of theirmusic could not prevent me from remarking the third beauty, in the greendress, whose lute-playing was for me at once touching and striking. Shewas the one who seemed to notice me the most, and to direct her music tome: only I could not make up my mind about her; for she appeared to menow tender, now whimsical, now frank, now self-willed, according as shechanged her mien and mode of playing. Sometimes she seemed to wish toexcite my emotions, sometimes to tease me; but, do what she would, shegot little out of me; for my little neighbor, by whom I sat elbow toelbow, had gained me entirely to herself: and while I clearly saw inthose three ladies the sylphides of my dream, and recognized the colorsof the apples, I conceived that I had no cause to detain them. I shouldhave liked better to lay hold of the pretty little maiden if I had notbut too well remembered the blow she had given me in my dream. Hithertoshe had remained quite quiet with her mandolin; but, when her mistresseshad ceased, they commanded her to perform some pleasant little piece. Scarcely had she jingled off some dance-tune, in a most exciting manner, than she sprang up: I did the same. She played and danced; I was hurriedon to accompany her steps; and we executed a kind of little ballet, withwhich the ladies seemed satisfied; for, as soon as we had done, theycommanded the little girl to refresh me with something nice till suppershould come in. I had indeed forgotten that there was any thing in theworld beyond this paradise. Alerte led me back immediately into thepassage by which I had entered. On one side of it she had two well-arranged rooms. In that in which she lived she set before me oranges, figs, peaches, and grapes; and I enjoyed with great gusto both thefruits of foreign lands and those of our own not yet in season. Confectionery there was in profusion: she filled, too, a goblet ofpolished crystal with foaming wine; but I had no need to drink, as I hadrefreshed myself with the fruits. "Now we will play, " said she, and ledme into the other room. Here all looked like a Christmas fair, but suchcostly and exquisite things were never seen in a Christmas booth. Therewere all kinds of dolls, dolls' clothes, and dolls' furniture; kitchens, parlors, and shops, and single toys innumerable. She led me round to allthe glass cases in which these ingenious works were preserved. 

But she soon closed again the first cases, and said, "That is nothingfor you, I know well enough. Here, " she said, "we could find building-materials, walls and towers, houses, palaces, churches, to put togethera great city. But this does not entertain me. We will take somethingelse, which will be amusing to both of us. " Then she brought out someboxes, in which I saw an army of little soldiers piled one upon theother, of which I must needs confess that I had never seen any thing sobeautiful. She did not leave me time to examine them in detail, but tookone box under her arm, while I seized the other. "We will go, " she said, "to the golden bridge. There one plays best with soldiers: the lancesgive at once the direction in which the armies are to be opposed to eachother. " We had now reached the golden, trembling floor; and below me Icould hear the waters gurgle and the fishes splash, while I knelt downto range my columns. All, as I now saw, were cavalry. She boasted thatshe had the queen of the Amazons as leader of her female host. I, on thecontrary, found Achilles and a very stately Grecian cavalry. The armiesstood facing each other, and nothing could have been seen morebeautiful. They were not flat, leaden horsemen like ours; but man andhorse were round and solid, and most finely wrought: nor could oneconceive how they kept their balance; for they stood of themselves, without a support for their feet. 

Both of us had inspected our hosts with much self-complacency, when sheannounced the onset. We had found ordnance in our chests; viz. , littleboxes full of well-polished agate balls. With these we were to fightagainst each other from a certain distance; while, however, it was anexpress condition that we should not throw with more force than wasnecessary to upset the figures, as none of them were to be injured. Nowthe cannonade began on both sides, and at first it succeeded to thesatisfaction of us both. But when my adversary observed that I aimedbetter than she, and might in the end win the victory, which depended onthe majority of pieces remaining upright, she came nearer, and hergirlish way of throwing had then the desired result. She prostrated amultitude of my best troops, and the more I protested the more eagerlydid she throw. This at last vexed me, and I declared that I would do thesame. In fact, I not only went nearer, but in my rage threw with muchmore violence; so that it was not long before a pair of her littlecentauresses flew in pieces. In her eagerness she did not instantlynotice it, but I stood petrified when the broken figures joined togetheragain of themselves: Amazon and horse became again one, and alsoperfectly close, set up a gallop from the golden bridge under the lime-trees, and, running swiftly backwards and forwards, were lost in theircareer, I know not how, in the direction of the wall. My fair opponenthad hardly perceived this, when she broke out into loud weeping andlamentation, and exclaimed that I had caused her an irreparable loss, which was far greater than could be expressed. But I, by this timeprovoked, was glad to annoy her, and blindly flung a couple of theremaining agate balls with force into the midst of her army. Unhappily Ihit the queen, who had hitherto, during our regular game, been excepted. She flew in pieces, and her nearest officers were also shivered. Butthey swiftly set themselves up again, and started off like the others, galloping very merrily about under the lime-trees, and disappearingagainst the wall. My opponent scolded and abused me; but, being now infull play, I stooped to pick up some agate balls which rolled about uponthe golden lances. It was my fierce desire to destroy her whole army. She, on the other hand, not idle, sprang at me, and gave me a box on theear, which made my head ring. Having always heard that a hearty kiss wasthe proper response to a girl's box of the ear, I took her by the ears, and kissed her repeatedly. But she uttered such a piercing scream asfrightened even me. I let her go; and it was fortunate that I did so, for in a moment I knew not what was happening to me. The ground beneathme began to shake and rattle. I soon remarked that the railings againset themselves in motion; but I had no time to consider, nor could I geta footing so as to fly. I feared every instant to be pierced; for thepartisans and lances, which had lifted themselves up, were alreadyslitting my clothes. It is sufficient to say, that, I know not how itwas, hearing and sight failed me; and I recovered from my swoon andterror at the foot of a lime-tree, against which the pikes in springingup had thrown me. As I awoke, my anger awakened also, and violentlyincreased when I heard from the other side the gibes and laughter of myopponent, who had probably reached the earth somewhat more softly thanI. Therefore I jumped up; and as I saw the little host with its leaderAchilles scattered around me, having been driven over with me by therising of the rails, I seized the hero first, and threw him against atree. His resuscitation and flight now pleased me doubly, a maliciouspleasure combining with the prettiest sight in the world; and I was onthe point of sending all the other Greeks after him, when suddenlyhissing waters spurted at me on all sides, from stones and wall, fromground and branches, and, wherever I turned, dashed against mecrossways. 

In a short time my light garment was wet through. It was already rent, and I did not hesitate to tear it entirely off my body. I cast away myslippers, and one covering after another. Nay, at last I found it veryagreeable to let such a shower-bath play over me in the warm day. Now, being quite naked, I walked gravely along between these welcome waters, where I thought to enjoy myself for some time. My anger cooled, and Iwished for nothing more than a reconciliation with my little adversary. But, in a twinkling, the water stopped; and I stood drenched upon thesaturated ground. The presence of the old man, who appeared before meunexpectedly, was by no means welcome. I could have wished, if not tohide, at least to clothe, myself. The shame, the shivering, the effortto cover myself in some degree, made me cut a most piteous figure. Theold man employed the moment in venting the severest reproaches againstme. "What hinders me, " he exclaimed, "from taking one of the greencords, and fitting it, if not to your neck, to your back?" This threat Itook in very ill part. "Refrain, " I cried, "from such words, even fromsuch thoughts; for otherwise you and your mistresses will be lost. "--"Who, then, are you, " he asked in defiance, "who dare speak thus?"--"Afavorite of the gods, " I said, "on whom it depends whether those ladiesshall find worthy husbands and pass a happy life, or be left to pine andwither in their magic cell. " The old man stepped some paces back. "Whohas revealed that to you?" he inquired, with astonishment and concern. "Three apples, " I said, "three jewels. "--"And what reward do yourequire?" he exclaimed. "Before all things, the little creature, " Ireplied, "who has brought me into this accursed state. " The old man casthimself down before me, without shrinking from the wet and miry soil:then he rose without being wetted, took me kindly by the hand, led meinto the hall, clad me again quickly; and I was soon once more deckedout and frizzled in my Sunday fashion as before. The porter did notspeak another word; but, before he let me pass the entrance, he stoppedme, and showed me some objects on the wall over the way, while, at thesame time, he pointed backwards to the door. I understood him: he wishedto imprint the objects on my mind, that I might the more certainly findthe door, which had unexpectedly closed behind me. I now took goodnotice of what was opposite me. Above a high wall rose the boughs ofextremely old nut-trees, and partly covered the cornice at the top. Thebranches reached down to a stone tablet, the ornamented border of whichI could perfectly recognize, though I could not read the inscription. Itrested on the top-stone of a niche, in which a finely wrought fountainpoured water from cup to cup into a great basin, that formed, as itwere, a little pond, and disappeared in the earth. Fountain, inscription, nut-trees, all stood perpendicularly, one above another: Iwould paint it as I saw it. 

Now, it may well be conceived how I passed this evening, and manyfollowing days, and how often I repeated to myself this story, whicheven I could hardly believe. As soon as it was in any degree possible, Iwent again to the Bad Wall, at least to refresh my remembrance of thesesigns, and to look at the precious door. But, to my great amazement, Ifound all changed. Nut-trees, indeed, overtopped the wall; but they didnot stand immediately in contact. A tablet also was inserted in thewall, but far to the right of the trees, without ornament, and with alegible inscription. A niche with a fountain was found far to the left, but with no resemblance whatever to that which I had seen; so that Ialmost believed that the second adventure was, like the first, a dream, for of the door there is not the slightest trace. The only thing thatconsoles me is the observation, that these three objects seem always tochange their places. For, in repeated visits to the spot, I think I havenoticed that the nut-trees have moved somewhat nearer together, and thatthe tablet and the fountain seem likewise to approach each other. Probably, when all is brought together again, the door, too, will oncemore be visible; and I will do my best to take up the thread of theadventure. Whether I shall be able to tell you what further happens, orwhether I shall be expressly forbidden to do so, I cannot say. 

 This tale, of the truth of which my playfellows vehemently strove toconvince themselves, received great applause. Each of them visited alonethe place described, without confiding it to me or the others, anddiscovered the nut-trees, the tablet, and the spring, though always at adistance from each other; as they at last confessed to me afterwards, because it is not easy to conceal a secret at that early age. But herethe contest first arose. One asserted that the objects did not stir fromthe spot, and always maintained the same distance; a second averred thatthey did move, and that, too, away from each other; a third agreed withthe latter as to the first point of their moving, though it seemed tohim that the nut-trees, tablet, and fountain rather drew near together;while a fourth had something still more wonderful to announce, whichwas, that the nut-trees were in the middle, but that the tablet and thefountain were on sides opposite to those which I had stated. Withrespect to the traces of the little door, they also varied. And thusthey furnished me an early instance of the contradictory views men canhold and maintain in regard to matters quite simple and easily clearedup. As I obstinately refused the continuation of my tale, a repetitionof the first part was often desired. I took good care not to change thecircumstances much; and, by the uniformity of the narrative, I convertedthe fable into truth in the minds of my hearers. 

Yet I was averse to falsehood and dissimulation, and altogether by nomeans frivolous. Rather, on the contrary, the inward earnestness, withwhich I had early begun to consider myself and the world, was seen, evenin my exterior; and I was frequently called to account, often in afriendly way, and often in raillery, for a certain dignity which I hadassumed. For, although good and chosen friends were certainly notwanting to me, we were always a minority against those who foundpleasure in assailing us with wanton rudeness, and who indeed oftenawoke us in no gentle fashion from that legendary and self-complacentdreaming in which we--I by inventing, and my companions by sympathizing--were too readily absorbed. Thus we learned once more, that, instead ofsinking into effeminacy and fantastic delights, there was reason ratherfor hardening ourselves, in order either to bear or to counteractinevitable evils. 

Among the stoical exercises which I cultivated, as earnestly as it waspossible for a lad, was even the endurance of bodily pain. Our teachersoften treated us very unkindly and unskilfully, with blows and cuffs, against which we hardened ourselves all the more as obstinacy wasforbidden under the severest penalties. A great many of the sports ofyouth depend on a rivalry in such endurances: as, for instance, whenthey strike each other alternately with two fingers or the whole fist, till the limbs are numbed; or when they bear the penalty of blowsincurred in certain games, with more or less firmness; when, inwrestling or scuffling, they do not let themselves be perplexed by thepinches of a half-conquered opponent; or, finally, when they suppressthe pain inflicted for the sake of teasing, and even treat withindifference the nips and ticklings with which young persons are soactive toward each other. Thus we gain a great advantage, of whichothers cannot speedily deprive us. 

But, as I made a sort of boast of this impassiveness, the importunity ofthe others was increased; and, since rude barbarity knows no limits, itmanaged to force me beyond my bounds. Let one case suffice for several. It happened once that the teacher did not come for the usual hour ofinstruction. As long as we children were all together, we entertainedourselves quite agreeably; but when my adherents, after waiting longenough, had left, and I remained alone with three of my enemies, thesetook it into their heads to torment me, to shame me, and to drive meaway. Having left me an instant in the room, they came back withswitches, which they had made by quickly cutting up a broom. I notedtheir design; and, as I supposed the end of the hour near, I at onceresolved not to resist them till the clock struck. They began, therefore, without remorse, to lash my legs and calves in the cruellestfashion. I did not stir, but soon felt that I had miscalculated, andthat such pain greatly lengthened the minutes. My wrath grew with myendurance; and, at the first stroke of the hour, I grasped the one wholeast expected it by the hair behind, hurled him to the earth in aninstant, pressing my knee upon his back; the second, a younger andweaker one, who attacked me from behind, I drew by the head under myarm, and almost throttled him with the pressure. The last, and not theweakest, still remained; and my left hand only was left for my defense. But I seized him by the clothes; and, with a dexterous twist on my partand an over-precipitate one on his, I brought him down and struck hisface on the ground. They were not wanting in bites, pinches, and kicks;but I had nothing but revenge in my limbs as well as in my heart. Withthe advantage which I had acquired, I repeatedly knocked their headstogether. At last they raised a dreadful shout of murder, and we weresoon surrounded by all the inmates of the house. The switches scatteredaround, and my legs, which I had bared of the stockings, soon borewitness for me. They put off the punishment, and let me leave the house;but I declared, that in future, on the slightest offence, I wouldscratch out the eyes, tear off the ears, of any one of them, if notthrottle him. 

Though, as usually happens in childish affairs, this event was soonforgotten, and even laughed at, it was the cause that these jointinstructions became fewer, and at last entirely ceased. I was thusagain, as formerly, kept more at home; where I found my sister Cornelia, who was only one year younger than myself, a companion always growingmore agreeable. 

Still, I will not leave this topic without telling some more stories ofthe many vexations caused me by my playfellows; for this is theinstructive part of such moral communications, that a man may learn howit has gone with others, and what he also has to expect from life; andthat, whatever comes to pass, he may consider that it happens to him asa man, and not as one specially fortunate or unfortunate. If suchknowledge is of little use for avoiding evils, it is very serviceable sofar as it qualifies us to understand our condition, and bear or even toovercome it. 

Another general remark will not be out of place here, which is, that, asthe children of the cultivated classes grow up, a great contradictionappears. I refer to the fact, that they are urged and trained by parentsand teachers to deport themselves moderately, intelligently, and evenwisely; to give pain to no one from petulance or arrogance; and tosuppress all the evil impulses which may be developed in them; but yet, on the other hand, while the young creatures are engaged in thisdiscipline, they have to suffer from others that which in them isreprimanded and punished. In this way the poor things are brought into asad strait between the natural and civilized states, and, afterrestraining themselves for a while, break out, according to theircharacters, into cunning or violence. 

Force may be warded off by force; but a well-disposed child, inclined tolove and sympathy, has little to oppose to scorn and ill-will. Though Imanaged pretty well to keep off the assaults of my companions, I was byno means equal to them in sarcasm and abuse; because he who merelydefends himself in such cases is always a loser. Attacks of this sortconsequently, when they went so far as to excite anger, were repelledwith physical force, or at least excited strange reflections in me whichcould not be without results. Among other advantages which my ill-wishers saw with envy, was the pleasure I took in the relations thataccrued to the family from my grandfather's position of/Schultheiss/; since, as he was the first of his class, this had nosmall effect on those belonging to him. Once when, after the holding ofthe Piper's Court, I appeared to pride myself on having seen mygrandfather in the midst of the council, one step higher than the rest, enthroned, as it were, under the portrait of the emperor, one of theboys said to me in derision, that, like the peacock contemplating hisfeet, I should cast my eyes back to my paternal grandfather, who hadbeen keeper of the Willow Inn, and would never have aspired to thronesand coronets. I replied, that I was in no wise ashamed of that, as itwas the glory and honor of our native city that all its citizens mightconsider each other equal, and every one derive profit and honor fromhis exertions in his own way. I was sorry only that the good man hadbeen so long dead; for I had often yearned to know him in person, hadmany times gazed upon his likeness, nay, had visited his tomb, and hadat least derived pleasure from the inscription on the simple monument ofthat past existence to which I was indebted for my own. Another ill-wisher, who was the most malicious of all, took the first aside, andwhispered something in his ear; while they still looked at mescornfully. My gall already began to rise, and I challenged them tospeak out. "What is more, then, if you will have it, " continued thefirst, "this one thinks you might go looking about a long time beforeyou could find your grandfather. " I now threatened them more vehementlyif they did not more clearly explain themselves. Thereupon they broughtforward an old story, which they pretended to have overheard from theirparents, that my father was the son of some eminent man, while that goodcitizen had shown himself willing to take outwardly the paternal office. They had the impudence to produce all sorts of arguments: as, forexample, that our property came exclusively from our grandmother; thatthe other collateral relations who lived in Friedburg and other placeswere alike destitute of property; and other reasons of the sort, whichcould merely derive their weight from malice. I listened to them morecomposedly than they expected, for they stood ready to fly the verymoment that I should make a gesture as if I would seize their hair. ButI replied quite calmly, and in substance, "that even this was no greatinjury to me. Life was such a boon, that one might be quite indifferentas to whom one had to thank for it; since at least it must be derivedfrom God, before whom we all were equals. " As they could make nothing ofit, they let the matter drop for this time: we went on playing togetheras before, which among children is an approved mode of reconciliation. 

Still, these spiteful words inoculated me with a sort of moral disease, which crept on in secret. It would not have displeased me at all to havebeen the grandson of any person of consideration, even if it had notbeen in the most lawful way. My acuteness followed up the scent, myimagination was excited, and my sagacity put in requisition. I began toinvestigate the allegation, and invented or found for it new grounds ofprobability. I had heard little said of my grandfather, except that hislikeness, together with my grandmother's, had hung in a parlor of theold house; both of which, after the building of the new one, had beenkept in an upper chamber. My grandmother must have been a very handsomewoman, and of the same age as her husband. I remembered also to haveseen in her room the miniature of a handsome gentleman in uniform, withstar and order, which after her death, and during the confusion ofhouse-building, had disappeared, with many other small pieces offurniture. These and many other things I put together in my childishhead, and exercised that modern poetical talent which contrives toobtain the sympathies of the whole cultivated world by a marvellouscombination of the important events of human life. 

But as I did not venture to trust such an affair to any one, or even toask the most remote questions concerning it, I was not wanting in asecret diligence, in order to get, if possible, somewhat nearer to thematter. I had heard it explicitly maintained, that sons often bore adecided resemblance to their fathers or grandfathers. Many of ourfriends, especially Councillor Schneider, a friend of the family, wereconnected by business with all the princes and noblemen of theneighborhood, of whom, including both the ruling and the youngerbranches, not a few had estates on the Rhine and Main, and in theintermediate country, and who at times honored their faithful agentswith their portraits. 

These, which I had often seen on the walls from my infancy, I nowregarded with redoubled attention; seeking whether I could not detectsome resemblance to my father or even to myself, which too oftenhappened to lead me to any degree of certainty. For now it was the eyesof this, now the nose of that, which seemed to indicate somerelationship. Thus these marks led me delusively backward and forward:and though in the end I was compelled to regard the reproach as acompletely empty tale, the impression remained; and I could not fromtime to time refrain from privately calling up and testing all thenoblemen whose images had remained very distinct in my imagination. Sotrue is it that whatever inwardly confirms man in his self-conceit, orflatters his secret vanity, is so highly desirable to him, that he doesnot ask further, whether in other respects it may turn to his honor ordisgrace. 

But, instead of mingling here serious and even reproachful reflections, I rather turn my look away from those beautiful times; for who is ableto speak worthily of the fulness of childhood? We cannot behold thelittle creatures which flit about before us otherwise than with delight, nay, with admiration; for they generally promise more than they perform:and it seems that Nature, among the other roguish tricks that she playsus, here also especially designs to make sport of us. The first organsshe bestows upon children coming into the world, are adapted to thenearest immediate condition of the creature, which, unassuming andartless, makes use of them in the readiest way for its present purposes. The child, considered in and for himself, with his equals, and inrelations suited to his powers, seems so intelligent and rational, andat the same time so easy, cheerful, and clever, that one can hardly wishit further cultivation. If children grew up according to earlyindications, we should have nothing but geniuses; but growth is notmerely development: the various organic systems which constitute one manspring one from another, follow each other, change into each other, supplant each other, and even consume each other; so that after a timescarcely a trace is to be found of many aptitudes and manifestations ofability. Even when the talents of the man have on the whole a decideddirection, it will be hard for the greatest and most experiencedconnoisseur to declare them beforehand with confidence; althoughafterwards it is easy to remark what has pointed to a future. 

By no means, therefore, is it my design wholly to comprise the storiesof my childhood in these first books; but I will rather afterwardsresume and continue many a thread which ran through the early yearsunnoticed. Here, however, I must remark what an increasing influence theincidents of the war gradually exercised upon our sentiments and mode oflife. 

The peaceful citizen stands in a wonderful relation to the great eventsof the world. They already excite and disquiet him from a distance; and, even if they do not touch him, he can scarcely refrain from an opinionand a sympathy. Soon he takes a side, as his character or externalcircumstances may determine. But when such grand fatalities, suchimportant changes, draw nearer to him, then with many outwardinconveniences remains that inward discomfort, which doubles andsharpens the evil, and destroys the good which is still possible. Thenhe has really to suffer from friends and foes, often more from theformer than from the latter; and he knows not how to secure and preserveeither his interests or his inclinations. 

The year 1757, which still passed in perfectly civic tranquillity, keptus, nevertheless, in great uneasiness of mind. Perhaps no other was morefruitful of events than this. Conquests, achievements, misfortunes, restorations, followed one upon another, swallowed up and seemed todestroy each other; yet the image of Frederick, his name and glory, soonhovered again above all. The enthusiasm of his worshippers grew alwaysstronger and more animated; the hatred of his enemies more bitter; andthe diversity of opinion, which separated even families, contributed nota little to isolate citizens, already sundered in many ways and on othergrounds. For in a city like Frankfort, where three religions divide theinhabitants into three unequal masses; where only a few men, even of theruling faith, can attain to political power, --there must be many wealthyand educated persons who are thrown back upon themselves, and, by meansof studies and tastes, form for themselves an individual and secludedexistence. It will be necessary for us to speak of such men, now andhereafter, if we are to bring before us the peculiarities of a Frankfortcitizen of that time. 

My father, immediately after his return from his travels, had in his ownway formed the design, that, to prepare himself for the service of thecity, he would undertake one of the subordinate offices, and dischargeits duties without emolument, if it wore conferred upon him withoutballoting. In the consciousness of his good intentions, and according tohis way of thinking and the conception he had of himself, he believedthat he deserved such a distinction, which, indeed, was not conformableto law or precedent. Consequently, when his suit was rejected, he fellinto ill humor and disgust, vowed that he would never accept of anyplace, and, in order to render it impossible, procured the title ofImperial Councillor, which the /Schultheiss/ and elder/Schöffen/ bear as a special honor. He had thus made himself anequal of the highest, and could not begin again at the bottom. The sameimpulse induced him also to woo the eldest daughter of the/Schultheiss/, so that he was excluded from the council on thisside also. He was now of that number of recluses who never formthemselves into a society. They are as much isolated in respect to eachother as they are in regard to the whole, and the more so as in thisseclusion the character becomes more and more uncouth. My father, in histravels and in the world which he had seen, might have formed someconception of a more elegant and liberal mode of life than was, perhaps, common among his fellow-citizens. In this respect, however, he was notentirely without predecessors and associates. 

The name of Uffenbach is well known. At that time, there was a Schöffvon Uffenbach, who was generally respected. He had been in Italy; hadapplied himself particularly to music; sang an agreeable tenor; and, having brought home a fine collection of pieces, concerts and oratorioswere performed at his house. Now, as he sang in these himself, and heldmusicians in great favor, it was not thought altogether suitable to hisdignity; and his invited guests, as well as the other people of thecountry, allowed themselves many a jocose remark on the matter. 

I remember, too, a Baron von Hakel, a rich nobleman, who, being married, but childless, occupied a charming house in the Antonius Street, fittedup with all the appurtenances of a dignified position in life. He alsopossessed good pictures, engravings, antiques, and much else whichgenerally accumulates with collectors and lovers of art. From time totime he asked the more noted personages to dinner, and was beneficent ina careful way of his own; since he clothed the poor in his own house, but kept back their old rags, and gave them a weekly charity, oncondition that they should present themselves every time clean and neatin the clothes bestowed on them. I can recall him but indistinctly, as agenial, well-made man; but more clearly his auction, which I attendedfrom beginning to end, and, partly by command of my father, partly frommy own impulse, purchased many things that are still to be found in mycollections. 

At an earlier date than this, --so early that I scarcely set eyes uponhim, --John Michael von Loen gained considerable repute in the literaryworld as well as at Frankfort. Not a native of Frankfort, he settledthere, and married a sister of my grandmother Textor, whose maiden namewas Lindheim. Familiar with the court and political world, and rejoicingin a renewed title of nobility, he had acquired reputation by daring totake part in the various excitements which arose in Church and State. Hewrote "The Count of Rivera, " a didactic romance, the subject of which ismade apparent by the second title, "or, The Honest Man at Court. " Thiswork was well received, because it insisted on morality, even in courts, where prudence only is generally at home; and thus his labor brought himapplause and respect. A second work, for that very reason, would beaccompanied by more danger. He wrote "The Only True Religion, " a bookdesigned to advance tolerance, especially between Lutherans andCalvinists. But here he got in a controversy with the theologians: oneDr. Benner of Giessen, in particular, wrote against him. Von Loenrejoined; the contest grew violent and personal, and the unpleasantnesswhich arose from it caused him to accept the office of president atLingen, which Frederick II. Offered him; supposing that he was anenlightened, unprejudiced man, and not averse to the new views that moreextensively obtained in France. His former countrymen, whom he had leftin some displeasure, averred that he was not contented there, nay, couldnot be so, as a place like Lingen was not to be compared with Frankfort. My father also doubted whether the president would be happy, andasserted that the good uncle would have done better not to connecthimself with the king, as it was generally hazardous to get too nearhim, extraordinary sovereign as he undoubtedly was; for it had been seenhow disgracefully the famous Voltaire had been arrested in Frankfort, atthe requisition of the Prussian Resident Freitag, though he had formerlystood so high in favor, and had been regarded as the king's teacher inFrench poetry. There was, on such occasions, no want of reflections andexamples to warn one against courts and princes' service, of which anative Frankforter could scarcely form a conception. 

An excellent man, Dr. Orth, I will only mention by name; because here Ihave not so much to erect a monument to the deserving citizens ofFrankfort, but rather refer to them only in as far as their renown orpersonal character had some influence upon me in my earliest years. Dr. Orth was a wealthy man, and was also of that number who never took partin the government, although perfectly qualified to do so by hisknowledge and penetration. The antiquities of Germany, and moreespecially of Frankfort, have been much indebted to him: he publishedremarks on the so-called "Reformation of Frankfort, " a work in which thestatutes of the state are collected. The historical portions of thisbook I diligently read in my youth. 

Von Ochsenstein, the eldest of the three brothers whom I have mentionedabove as our neighbors, had not been remarkable during his lifetime, inconsequence of his recluse habits, but became the more remarkable afterhis death, by leaving behind him a direction that common workingmenshould carry him to the grave, early in the morning, in perfect silence, and without an attendant or follower. This was done; and the affaircaused great excitement in the city, where they were accustomed to themost pompous funerals. All who discharged the customary offices on suchoccasions rose against the innovation. But the stout patrician foundimitators in all classes; and, though such ceremonies were derisivelycalled ox-burials, [Footnote: A pun upon the name of Ochsenstein. --Trans. ] they came into fashion, to the advantage of many of the morepoorly provided families; while funeral parades were less and less invogue. I bring forward this circumstance, because it presents one of theearlier symptoms of that tendency to humility and equality, which, inthe second half of the last century, was manifested in so many ways, from above downward, and broke out in such unlooked-for effects. 

Nor was there any lack of antiquarian amateurs. There were cabinets ofpictures, collections of engravings; while the curiosities of our owncountry especially were zealously sought and hoarded. The older decreesand mandates of the imperial city, of which no collection had beenprepared, were carefully searched for in print and manuscript, arrangedin the order of time, and preserved with reverence, as a treasure ofnative laws and customs. The portraits of Frankforters, which existed ingreat number, were also brought together, and formed a specialdepartment of the cabinets. 

Such men my father appears generally to have taken as his models. He waswanting in none of the qualities that pertain to an upright andrespectable citizen. Thus, after he had built his house, he put hisproperty of every sort into order. An excellent collection of maps bySchenck and other geographers at that time eminent, the aforesaiddecrees and mandates, the portraits, a chest of ancient weapons, a caseof remarkable Venetian glasses, cups and goblets, natural curiosities, works in ivory, bronzes, and a hundred other things, were separated anddisplayed; and I did not fail, whenever an auction occurred, to get somecommission for the increase of his possessions. 

I must still speak of one important family, of which I had heard strangethings since my earliest years, and of some of whose members I myselflived to see a great deal that was wonderful, --I mean the Senkenbergs. The father, of whom I have little to say, was an opulent man. He hadthree sons, who, even in their youth, uniformly distinguished themselvesas oddities. Such things are not well received in a limited city, whereno one is suffered to render himself conspicuous, either for good orevil. Nicknames and odd stories, long kept in memory, are generally thefruit of such singularity. The father lived at the corner of Hare Street(/Hasengasse/), which took its name from a sign on the house, thatrepresented one hare at least, if not three hares. They consequentlycalled these three brothers only the three Hares, which nickname theycould not shake off for a long while. But as great endowments oftenannounce themselves in youth in the form of singularity and awkwardness, so was it also in this case. The eldest of the brothers was the/Reichshofrath/ (Imperial Councillor) von Senkenberg, afterwards socelebrated. The second was admitted into the magistracy, and displayedeminent abilities, which, however, he subsequently abused in apettifogging and even infamous way, if not to the injury of his nativecity, certainty to that of his colleagues. The third brother, aphysician and man of great integrity, but who practised little, and thatonly in high families, preserved even in his old age a somewhatwhimsical exterior. He was always very neatly dressed, and was neverseen in the street otherwise than in shoes and stockings, with a well-powdered, curled wig, and his hat under his arm. He walked on rapidly, but with a singular sort of stagger; so that he was sometimes on one andsometimes on the other side of the way, and formed a complete zigzag ashe went. The wags said that he made this irregular step to get out ofthe way of the departed souls, who might follow him in a straight line, and that he imitated those who are afraid of a crocodile. But all thesejests and many merry sayings were transformed at last into respect forhim, when he devoted his handsome dwelling-house in Eschenheimer Street, with court, garden, and all other appurtenances, to a medicalestablishment, where, in addition to a hospital designed exclusively forthe citizens of Frankfort, a botanic garden, an anatomical theatre, achemical laboratory, a considerable library, and a house for thedirector, were instituted in a way of which no university need have beenashamed. 

Another eminent man, whose efficiency in the neighborhood and whosewritings, rather than his presence, had a very important influence uponme, was Charles Frederick von Moser, who was perpetually referred to inour district for his activity in business. He also had a characteressentially moral, which, as the vices of human nature frequently gavehim trouble, inclined him to the so-called pious. Thus, what Von Loenhad tried to do in respect to court-life, he would have done forbusiness-life; introducing into it a more conscientious mode ofproceeding. The great number of small German courts gave rise to amultitude of princes and servants, the former of whom desiredunconditional obedience; while the latter, for the most part, would workor serve only according to their own convictions. Thus arose an endlessconflict, and rapid changes and explosions; because the effects of anunrestricted course of proceeding become much sooner noticeable andinjurious on a small scale than on a large one. Many families were indebt, and Imperial Commissions of Debts were appointed; others foundthemselves sooner or later on the same road: while the officers eitherreaped an unconscionable profit, or conscientiously made themselvesdisagreeable and odious. Moser wished to act as a statesman and man ofbusiness; and here his hereditary talent, cultivated to a profession, gave him a decided advantage: but he at the same time wished to act as aman and a citizen, and surrender as little as possible of his moraldignity. His "Prince and Servant, " his "Daniel in the Lions' Den, " his"Relics, " paint throughout his own condition, in which he felt himself, not indeed tortured, but always cramped. They all indicate impatience ina condition, to the bearings of which one cannot reconcile one's self, yet from which one cannot get free. With this mode of thinking andfeeling, he was, indeed, often compelled to seek other employments, which, on account of his great cleverness, were never wanting. Iremember him as a pleasing, active, and, at the same time, gentle man. 

The name of Klopstock had already produced a great effect upon us, evenat a distance. In the outset, people wondered how so excellent a mancould be so strangely named; but they soon got accustomed to this, andthought no more of the meaning of the syllables. In my father's libraryI had hitherto found only the earlier poets, especially those who in hisday had gradually appeared and acquired fame. All these had written inrhyme, and my father held rhyme as indispensable in poetical works. Canitz, Hagedorn, Drollinger, Gellert Creuz, Haller, stood in a row, inhandsome calf bindings: to these were added Neukirch's "Telemachus, "Koppen's "Jerusalem Delivered, " and other translations. I had from mychildhood diligently perused the whole of these works, and committedportions of them to memory, whence I was often called upon to amuse thecompany. A vexatious era on the other hand opened upon my father, when, through Klopstock's "Messiah, " verses, which seemed to him no verses, became an object of public admiration. [Footnote: The Messiah is writtenin hexameter verse. --Trans. ] He had taken good care not to buy thisbook; but the friend of the family, Councillor Schneider, smuggled itin, and slipped it into the hands of my mother and her children. 

On this man of business, who read but little, "The Messiah, " as soon asit appeared, made a powerful impression. Those pious feelings, sonaturally expressed, and yet so beautifully elevated; that pleasantdiction, even if considered merely as harmonious prose, --had so won theotherwise dry man of business, that he regarded the first ten cantos, ofwhich alone we are properly speaking, as the finest book of devotion, and once every year in Passion Week, when he managed to escape frombusiness, read it quietly through by himself, and thus refreshed himselffor the entire year. In the beginning he thought to communicate hisemotions to his old friend; but he was much shocked when forced toperceive an incurable dislike cherished against a book of such valuablesubstance, merely because of what appeared to him an indifferentexternal form. It may readily be supposed that their conversation oftenreverted to this topic; but both parties diverged more and more widelyfrom each other, there were violent scenes: and the compliant man was atlast pleased to be silent on his favorite work, that he might not lose, at the same time, a friend of his youth, and a good Sunday meal. 

It is the most natural wish of every man to make proselytes; and howmuch did our friend find himself rewarded in secret, when he discoveredin the rest of the family hearts so openly disposed for his saint. Thecopy which he used only one week during the year was given over to ouredification all the remaining time. My mother kept it secret; and wechildren took possession of it when we could, that in leisure hours, hidden in some nook, we might learn the most striking passages by heart, and particularly might impress the most tender as well as the mostviolent parts on our memory as quickly as possible. 

Porcia's dream we recited in a sort of rivalry, and divided between usthe wild dialogue of despair between Satan and Adramelech, who have beencast into the Red Sea. The first part, as the strongest, had beenassigned to me; and the second, as a little more pathetic, wasundertaken by my sister. The alternate and horrible but well-soundingcurses flowed only thus from our mouths, and we seized every opportunityto accost each other with these infernal phrases. 

One Saturday evening in winter, --my father always had himself shavedover night, that on Sunday morning he might dress for church at hisease, --we sat on a footstool behind the stove, and muttered ourcustomary imprecations in a tolerably low voice, while the barber wasputting on the lather. But now Adramelech had to lay his iron hands onSatan: my sister seized me with violence, and recited, softly enough, but with increasing passion, --

"Give me thine aid, I entreat thee: I'll worship thee if thou demandest, Thee, thou reprobate monster, yes, thee, of all criminals blackest! Aid me. I suffer the tortures of death, everlasting, avenging! Once, in the times gone by, I with furious hatred could hate thee: Now I can hate thee no more! E'en this is the sharpest of tortures. "

Thus far all went on tolerably; but loudly, with a dreadful voice, shecried the following words:--

"Oh, how utterly crushed I am now!"

The good surgeon was startled, and emptied the lather-basin into myfather's bosom. There was a great uproar; and a severe investigation washeld, especially with respect to the mischief which might have been doneif the shaving had been actually going forward. In order to relieveourselves of all suspicions of mischievousness, we pleaded guilty ofhaving acted these Satanic characters; and the misfortune occasioned bythe hexameters was so apparent, that they were again condemned andbanished. 

Thus children and common people are accustomed to transform the greatand sublime into a sport, and even a farce; and how indeed could theyotherwise abide and endure it?

THIRD BOOK. 

At that time the general interchange of personal good wishes made thecity very lively on New-Year's Day. Those who otherwise did not easilyleave home, donned their best clothes, that for a moment they might befriendly and courteous to their friends and patrons. The festivities atmy grandfather's house on this day were pleasures particularly desiredby us children. At early dawn the grandchildren had already assembledthere to hear the drums, oboes, clarinets, trumpets, and cornets playedupon by the military, the city musicians, and whoever else might furnishhis tones. The New-Year's gifts, sealed and superscribed, were dividedby us children among the humbler congratulators; and, as the dayadvanced, the number of those of higher rank increased. The relationsand intimate friends appeared first, then the subordinate officials;even the gentlemen of the council did not fail to pay their respects tothe /Schultheiss/, and a select number were entertained in theevening in rooms which were else scarcely opened throughout the year. The tarts, biscuits, marchpane, and sweet wine had the greatest charmfor the children; and, besides, the /Schultheiss/ and the twoburgomasters annually received from some institutions some article ofsilver, which was then bestowed upon the grandchildren and godchildrenin regular gradation. In fine, this small festival was not wanting inany of those things which usually glorify the greatest. 

The New-Year's Day of 1759 approached, as desirable and pleasant to uschildren as any preceding one, but full of import and foreboding toolder persons. To the passage of the French troops people certainly hadbecome accustomed; and they happened often, but they had been mostfrequent in the last days of the past year. According to the old usageof an imperial town, the warder of the chief tower sounded his trumpetwhenever troops approached; and on this New-Year's Day he would notleave off, which was a sign that large bodies were in motion on severalsides. They actually marched through the city in greater masses on thisday, and the people ran to see them pass by. We had generally been usedto see them go through in small parties; but these gradually swelled, and there was neither power nor inclination to stop them. In short, onthe 2d of January, after a column had come through Sachsenhausen overthe bridge, through the Fahrgasse, as far as the Police Guard-House, ithalted, overpowered the small company which escorted it, took possessionof the before-mentioned Guard-House, marched down the Zeil, and, after aslight resistance, the main guard were also obliged to yield. In amoment the peaceful streets were turned into a scene of war. The troopsremained and bivouacked there until lodgings were provided for them byregular billeting. 

This unexpected, and, for many years, unheard-of, burden weighed heavilyupon the comfortable citizens; and to none could it be more cumbersomethan to my father, who was obliged to take foreign military inhabitantsinto his scarcely finished house, to open for them his well-furnishedreception-rooms, which were generally closed, and to abandon to thecaprices of strangers all that he had been used to arrange and keep socarefully. Siding as he did with the Prussians, he was now to findhimself besieged in his own chambers by the French: it was, according tohis way of thinking, the greatest misfortune that could happen to him. Had it, however, been possible for him to have taken the matter moreeasily, he might have saved himself and us many sad hours; since hespoke French well, and could deport himself with dignity and grace inthe daily intercourse of life. For it was the king's lieutenant who wasquartered on us; and he, although a military person, had only to settlecivil occurrences, disputes between soldiers and citizens, and questionsof debt and quarrels. This was the Count Thorane, a native of Grasse inProvence, not far from Antibes: a tall, thin, stern figure, with a facemuch disfigured by the small-pox; black, fiery eyes; and a dignified, reserved demeanor. His first entrance was at once favorable for theinmates of the house. They spoke of the different apartments, some ofwhich were to be given up, and others retained by the family; and, whenthe count heard a picture-room mentioned, he immediately requestedpermission, although it was already night, at least to give a hasty lookat the pictures by candlelight. He took extreme pleasure in thesethings, behaved in the most obliging manner to my father, whoaccompanied him; and when he heard that the greater part of the artistswere still living, and resided in Frankfurt and its neighborhood, heassured us that he desired nothing more than to know them as soon aspossible, and to employ them. 

But even this sympathy in respect to art could not change my father'sfeelings nor bend his character. He permitted what he could not prevent, but kept at a distance in inactivity; and the uncommon state of thingsaround him was intolerable to him, even in the veriest trifle. 

Count Thorane behaved himself, meanwhile, in an exemplary manner. Hewould not even have his maps nailed on the walls, that he might notinjure the new hangings. His people were skilful, quiet, and orderly:but in truth, as, during the whole day and a part of the night there wasno quiet with him, one complainant quickly following another, arrestedpersons being brought in and led out, and all officers and adjutantsbeing admitted to his presence, --as, moreover, the count kept an opentable every day, it made, in the moderately sized house, arranged onlyfor a family, and with but one open staircase running from top tobottom, a movement and a buzzing like that in a beehive; although everything was managed with moderation, gravity, and severity. 

As mediator between the irritable master of the house--who became dailymore of a hypochondriac self-tormentor--and his well-intentioned, butstern and precise, military guest, there was a pleasant interpreter, ahandsome, corpulent, lively man, who was a citizen of Frankfort, spokeFrench well, knew how to adapt himself to every thing, and only made ajest of many little annoyances. Through him my mother had sent to thecount a representation of the situation in which she was placed, owingto her husband's state of mind. He had explained the matter soskilfully, --had laid before him the new and scarcely furnished house, the natural reserve of the owner, his occupation in the education of hisfamily, and all that could be said to the same effect, --that the count, who in his capacity took the greatest pride in the utmost justice, integrity, and honorable conduct, resolved here also to behave in anexemplary manner to those upon whom he was quartered, and, indeed, neverswerved from this resolution under varying circumstances, during theseveral years he staid with us. 

My mother possessed some knowledge of Italian, a language not altogetherunknown to any of the family: she therefore resolved to learn Frenchimmediately; for which purpose the interpreter, for whose child she hadstood godmother during these stormy times, and who now, therefore, as agossip, [Footnote: The obsolete word, "gossip, " has been revived as anequivalent for the German, "/gevatter/. " But it should be observedthat this word not only signifies godfather, but that the person whosechild has another person for godfather (or godmother) is that person's/gevatter/, or /gevatterin/ (feminine). ] felt a redoubledinterest in our house, devoted every spare moment to his child'sgodmother (for he lived directly opposite); and, above all, he taughther those phrases which she would be obliged to use in her personalintercourse with the count. This succeeded admirably. The count wasflattered by the pains taken by the mistress of the house at her age:and as he had a cheerful, witty vein in his character, and he liked toexhibit a certain dry gallantry, a most friendly relation arose betweenthem; and the allied godmother and father could obtain from him whateverthey wanted. 

If, as I said before, it had been possible to cheer up my father, thisaltered state of things would have caused little inconvenience. Thecount practised the severest disinterestedness; he even declinedreceiving gifts which pertained to his situation; the most triflingthing which could have borne the appearance of bribery, he rejectedangrily, and even punished. His people were most strictly forbidden toput the proprietor of the house to the least expense. We children, onthe contrary, were bountifully supplied from the dessert. To give anidea of the simplicity of those times, I must take this opportunity tomention that my mother grieved us excessively one day, by throwing awaythe ices which had been sent us from the table, because she would notbelieve it possible for the stomach to bear real ice, however it mightbe sweetened. 

Besides these dainties, which we gradually learned to enjoy and todigest with perfect ease, it was very agreeable for us children to be insome measure released from fixed hours of study and strict discipline. My father's ill humor increased: he could not resign himself to theunavoidable. How he tormented himself, my mother, the interpreter, thecouncillors, and all his friends, only to rid him of the count! In vainthey represented to him, that, under existing circumstances, thepresence of such a man in the house was an actual benefit, and that theremoval of the count would be followed by a constant succession ofofficers or of privates. None of these arguments had any effect. To himthe present seemed so intolerable, that his indignation prevented hisconceiving any thing worse that could follow. 

In this way his activity, which he had been used chiefly to devote tous, was crippled. The lessons he gave us were no longer required withthe former exactness; and we tried to gratify our curiosity for militaryand other public proceedings as much as possible, not only at home, butalso in the streets, which was the more easily done, as the front door, open day and night, was guarded by sentries who paid no attention to therunning to and fro of restless children. 

The many affairs which were settled before the tribunal of the royallieutenant had quite a peculiar charm, from his making it a point toaccompany his decisions with some witty, ingenious, or lively turn. Whathe decreed was strictly just, his manner of expressing it whimsical andpiquant. He seemed to have taken the Duke of Ossuna as his model. Scarcely a day passed in which the interpreter did not tell someanecdote or other of this kind to amuse us and my mother. This livelyman had made a little collection of such Solomonian decisions; but Ionly remember the general impression, and cannot recall to my mind anyparticular case. 

By degrees we became better acquainted with the strange character of thecount. This man clearly understood his own peculiarities; and as therewere times in which he was seized with a sort of dejection, hypochondria, or by whatever name we may call the evil demon, hewithdrew into his room at such hours, which were often lengthened intodays, saw no one but his /valet/, and in urgent cases could noteven be prevailed upon to receive any one. But, as soon as the evilspirit had left him, he appeared as before, active, mild, and cheerful. It might be inferred from the talk of his /valet/, Saint Jean, asmall, thin man of lively good nature, that in his earlier years he hadcaused a great misfortune when overcome by this temper; and that, therefore, in so important a position as his, exposed to the eyes of allthe world, he had earnestly resolved to avoid similar aberrations. 

During the very first days of the count's residence with us, all theFrankfort artists, as Hirt, Schütz, Trautmann, Nothnagel, and Junker, were called to him. They showed their finished pictures, and the countbought such as were for sale. My pretty, light room in the gable-end ofthe attic was given up to him, and immediately turned into a cabinet andstudio; for he designed to keep all the artists at work for a long time, especially Seekatz of Darmstadt, whose pencil, particularly in simpleand natural representations, highly pleased him. He therefore caused tobe sent from Grasse, where his elder brother possessed a handsome house, the dimensions of all the rooms and cabinets; then considered, with theartists, the divisions of the walls, and fixed accordingly upon the sizeof the large oil-pictures, which were not to be set in frames, but to befastened upon the walls like pieces of tapestry. And now the work wenton zealously. Seekatz undertook country scenes, and succeeded extremelywell in his old people and children, which were copied directly fromnature. His young men did not answer so well, --they were almost all toothin; and his women failed from the opposite cause. For as he had alittle, fat, good, but unpleasant-looking, wife, who would let him haveno model but herself, he could produce nothing agreeable. He was alsoobliged to exceed the usual size of his figures. His trees had truth, but the foliage was over minute. He was a pupil of Brinkmann, whosepencil in easel pictures is not contemptible. 

Schütz, the landscape painter, had perhaps the best of the matter. Hewas thoroughly master of the Rhine country, and of the sunny tone whichanimates it in the fine season. Nor was he entirely unaccustomed to workon a larger scale, and then he showed no want of execution or keeping. His paintings were of a cheerful cast. 

Trautmann /Rembrandtized/ some resurrection miracles out of the NewTestament, and alongside of them set fire to villages and mills. Onecabinet was entirely allotted to him, as I found from the designs of therooms. Hirt painted some good oak and beech forests. His cattle werepraiseworthy. 

Junker, accustomed to the imitation of the most elaborate Dutch, wasleast able to manage this tapestry-work; but he condescended to ornamentmany compartments with flowers and fruits for a handsome price. 

As I had known all these men from my earliest youth, and had oftenvisited them in their studios, and as the count also liked to have mewith him, I was present at the suggestions, consultations, and orders, as well as at the deliveries, of the pictures, and ventured to speak myopinion freely when sketches and designs were handed in. I had alreadygained among amateurs, particularly at auctions, which I attendeddiligently, the reputation of being able to tell at once what anyhistorical picture represented, whether taken from biblical or profanehistory, or from mythology; and, even if I did not always hit upon themeaning of allegorical pictures, there was seldom any one present whounderstood it better than I. Often had I persuaded the artists torepresent this or that subject, and I now joyfully made use of theseadvantages. I still remember writing a circumstantial essay, in which Idescribed twelve pictures which were to exhibit the history of Joseph:some of them were executed. 

After these achievements, which were certainly laudable in a boy, I willmention a little disgrace which happened to me within this circle ofartists. I was well acquainted with all the pictures which had from timeto time been brought into that room. My youthful curiosity left nothingunseen or unexplored. I once found a little black box behind the stove:I did not fail to investigate what might be concealed in it, and drewback the bolt without long deliberation. The picture contained wascertainly of a kind not usually exposed to view; and, although I triedto bolt it again immediately, I was not quick enough. The count entered, and caught me. "Who allowed you to open that box?" he asked, with allhis air of a royal lieutenant. I had not much to say for myself, and heimmediately pronounced my sentence in a very stern manner: "For eightdays, " said he, "you shall not enter this room. " I made a bow, andwalked out. Even this order I obeyed most punctually; so that the goodSeekatz, who was then at work in the room, was very much annoyed, for heliked to have me about him: and, out of a little spite, I carried myobedience so far, that I left Seekatz's coffee, which I generallybrought him, upon the threshold. He was then obliged to leave his workand fetch it, which he took so ill, that he well nigh began to dislikeme. 

It now seems necessary to state more circumstantially, and to makeintelligible, how, under the circumstances, I made my way with more orless ease through the French language, which, however, I had neverlearned. Here, too, my natural gift was of service to me; enabling meeasily to catch the sound of a language, its movement, accent, tone, andall other outward peculiarities. I knew many words from the Latin;Italian suggested still more; and by listening to servants and soldiers, sentries and visitors, I soon picked up so much, that, if I could notjoin in conversation, I could at any rate manage single questions andanswers. All this, however, was little compared to the profit I derivedfrom the theatre. My grandfather had given me a free ticket, which Iused daily, in spite of my father's reluctance, by dint of my mother'ssupport. There I sat in the pit, before a foreign stage, and watched themore narrowly the movement and the expression, both of gesture andspeech; as I understood little or nothing of what was said, andtherefore could only derive entertainment from the action and the toneof voice. I understood least of comedy; because it was spoken rapidly, and related to the affairs of common life, of the phrases of which Iknew nothing. Tragedy was not so often played; and the measured step, the rhythm of the Alexandrines, the generality of the expression, madeit more intelligible to me in every way. It was not long before I tookup Racine, which I found in my father's library, and declaimed the playsto myself, in the theatrical style and manner, as the organ of my ear, and the organ of speech, so nearly akin to that, had caught it, and thiswith considerable animation; although I could not yet understand a wholeconnected speech. I even learned entire passages by rote like a trainedtalking-bird, which was easier to me, from having previously committedto memory passages from the Bible which are generally unintelligible toa child, and accustomed myself to reciting them in the tone of theProtestant preachers. The versified French comedy was then much invogue: the pieces of Destouches, Marivaux, and La Chaussée were oftenproduced; and I still remember distinctly many characteristic figures. Of those of Molière I recollect less. What made the greatest impressionupon me was "The Hypermnestra" of Lemière, which, as a new piece, wasbrought out with care and often repeated. "The Devin du Village, " "Roseet Colas, " "Annette et Lubin, " made each a very pleasant impression uponme. I can even now recall the youths and maidens decorated with ribbons, and their gestures. It was not long before the wish arose in me to seethe interior of the theatre, for which many opportunities were offeredme. For as I had not always patience to stay and listen to the entireplays, and often carried on all sorts of games with other children of myage in the corridors, and in the milder season even before the door, ahandsome, lively boy joined us, who belonged to the theatre, and whom Ihad seen in many little parts, though only casually. He came to a betterunderstanding with me than with the rest, as I could turn my French toaccount with him; and he the more attached himself to me because therewas no boy of his age or his nation at the theatre, or anywhere in theneighborhood. We also went together at other times, as well as duringthe play; and, even while the representations went on, he seldom left mein peace. He was a most delightful little braggart, chattered awaycharmingly and incessantly, and could tell so much of his adventures, quarrels, and other strange incidents, that he amused me wonderfully;and I learned from him in four weeks more of the language, and of thepower of expressing myself in it, than can be imagined: so that no oneknew how I had attained the foreign tongue all at once, as if byinspiration. 

In the very earliest days of our acquaintance, he took me with him uponthe stage, and led me especially to the /foyers/, where the actorsand actresses remained during the intervals of the performance, anddressed and undressed. The place was neither convenient nor agreeable;for they had squeezed the theatre into a concert-room, so that therewere no separate chambers for the actors behind the stage. A tolerablylarge room adjoining, which had formerly served for card-parties, wasnow mostly used by both sexes in common, who appeared to feel as littleashamed before each other as before us children, if there was not alwaysthe strictest propriety in putting on or changing the articles of dress. I had never seen any thing of the kind before; and yet from habit, afterrepeated visits, I soon found it quite natural. 

It was not long before a very peculiar interest of my own arose. YoungDerones, for so I will call the boy whose acquaintance I still kept up, was, with the exception of his boasting, a youth of good manners andvery courteous demeanor. He made me acquainted with his sister, a girlwho was a few years older than we were, and a very pleasant, well-growngirl, of regular form, brown complexion, black hair and eyes: her wholedeportment had about it something quiet, even sad. I tried to makemyself agreeable to her in every way, but I could not attract hernotice. Young girls think themselves much more advanced than youngerboys; and, while aspiring to young men, they assume the manner of anaunt towards the boy whose first inclination is turned towards them. --With a younger brother of his, I had no acquaintance. 

Sometimes, when their mother had gone to rehearsals, or was outvisiting, we met at her house to play and amuse ourselves. I never wentthere without presenting the fair one with a flower, a fruit, orsomething else; which she always received very courteously, and thankedme for most politely: but I never saw her sad look brighten, and foundno trace of her having given me a further thought. At last I fancied Ihad discovered her secret. The boy showed me a crayon-drawing of ahandsome man, behind his mother's bed, which was hung with elegant silkcurtains; remarking at the same time, with a sly look, that this was notpapa, but just the same as papa: and as he glorified this man, and toldme many things in his circumstantial and ostentatious manner, I thoughtI had discovered that the daughter might belong to the father, but theother two children to the intimate friend. I thus explained to myselfher melancholy look, and loved her for it all the more. 

My liking for this girl assisted me in bearing the braggadocio of herbrother, who did not always keep within bounds. I had often to endureprolix accounts of his exploits, --how he had already often fought, without wishing to injure the other, all for the mere sake of honor. Hehad always contrived to disarm his adversary, and had then forgiven him;nay, he was such a good fencer, that he was once very much perplexed bystriking the sword of his opponent up into a high tree, so that it wasnot easy to be got again. 

What much facilitated my visits to the theatre was, that my free ticket, coming from the hands of the /Schultheiss/, gave me access to anyof the seats, and therefore also to those in the proscenium. This wasvery deep, after the French style, and was bordered on both sides withseats, which, surrounded by a low rail, ascended in several rows onebehind another, so that the first seats were but a little elevated abovethe stage. The whole was considered a place of special honor, and wasgenerally used only by officers; although the nearness of the actorsdestroyed, I will not say all illusion, but, in a measure, allenjoyment. I have thus experienced and seen with my own eyes the usageor abuse of which Voltaire so much complains. If, when the house wasvery full at such time as troops were passing through the town, officersof distinction strove for this place of honor, which was generallyoccupied already, some rows of benches and chairs were placed in theproscenium on the stage itself, and nothing remained for the heroes andheroines but to reveal their secrets in the very limited space betweenthe uniforms and orders. I have even seen the "Hypermnestra" performedunder such circumstances. 

The curtain did not fall between the acts: and I must yet mention astrange custom, which I thought quite extraordinary; as itsinconsistency with art was to me, as a good German boy, quiteunendurable. The theatre was considered the greatest sanctuary, and anydisturbance occurring there would have been instantly resented as thehighest crime against the majesty of the public. Therefore, in allcomedies, two grenadiers stood with their arms grounded, in full view, at the two sides of the back scene, and were witnesses of all thatoccurred in the bosom of the family. Since, as I said before, thecurtain did not fall between the acts, two others, while music struckup, relieved guard, by coming from the wings, directly in front of thefirst, who retired in the same measured manner. Now, if such a practicewas well fitted to destroy all that is called illusion on the stage, itis the more striking, because it was done at a time when, according toDiderot's principles and examples, the most /natural naturalness/was required upon the stage, and a perfect deception was proposed as theproper aim of theatrical art. Tragedy, however, was absolved from anysuch military-police regulations; and the heroes of antiquity had theright of guarding themselves: nevertheless, the same grenadiers stoodnear enough behind the side scenes. 

I will also mention that I saw Diderot's "Father of a Family, " and "ThePhilosophers" of Palissot, and still perfectly remember the figure ofthe philosopher in the latter piece going upon all fours, and bitinginto a raw head of lettuce. 

All this theatrical variety could not, however, keep us children alwaysin the theatre. In fine weather we played in front of it, and in theneighborhood, and committed all manner of absurdities, which, especiallyon Sundays and festivals, by no means corresponded to our personalappearance; for I and my comrades then appeared dressed as I describedmyself in the tale, with the hat under the arm, and a little sword, thehilt of which was ornamented with a large silk knot. One day when we hadlong gone in this way, and Derones had joined us, he took it into hishead to affirm that I had insulted him, and must give him satisfaction. I could not, in truth, conceive what was the cause of this; but Iaccepted his challenge, and was going to draw my sword. However, heassured me, that in such cases it was customary to go to secluded spots, in order to be able to settle the matter more conveniently. We thereforewent behind some barns, and placed ourselves in the proper position. Theduel took place in a somewhat theatrical style, --the blades clashed, andthe thrusts followed close upon each other; but in the heat of thecombat he remained with the point of his sword lodged in the knot of myhilt. This was pierced through; and he assured me that he had receivedthe most complete satisfaction, then embraced me, also theatrically: andwe went to the next coffee-house to refresh ourselves with a glass ofalmond-milk after our mental agitation, and to knit more closely the oldbond of friendship. 

On this occasion I will relate another adventure which also happened tome at the theatre, although at a later time. I was sitting very quietlyin the pit with one of my playmates; and we looked with pleasure at a/pas seul/, which was executed with much skill and grace by apretty boy about our own age, --the son of a French dancing-master, whowas passing through the city. After the fashion of dancers, he wasdressed in a close vest of red silk, which, ending in a short hoop-petticoat, like a runner's apron, floated above the knee. We had givenour meed of applause to this young artist with the whole public, when, Iknow not how, it occurred to me to make a moral reflection. I said to mycompanion, "How handsomely this boy was dressed, and how well he looked!who knows in how tattered a jacket he may sleep to-night!" All hadalready risen, but the crowd prevented our moving. A woman who had satby me, and who was now standing close beside me, chanced to be themother of the young artist, and felt much offended by my reflection. Unfortunately, she knew German enough to understand me, and spoke itjust as much as was necessary to scold. She abused me violently. Who wasI, she would like to know, that had a right to doubt the family andrespectability of this young man? At all events, she would be bound hewas as good as I; and his talents might probably procure him a fortune, of which I could not even venture to dream. This moral lecture she readme in the crowd, and made those about me wonder what rudeness I hadcommitted. As I could neither excuse myself, nor escape from her, I wasreally embarrassed, and, when she paused for a moment, said withoutthinking, "Well! why do you make such a noise about it?--to-day red, to-morrow dead. " [Footnote: A German proverb, "Heute roth, Morgen todt. "]These words seemed to strike the woman dumb. She stared at me, and movedaway from me as soon as it was in any degree possible. I thought no moreof my words; only, some time afterwards, they occurred to me, when theboy, instead of continuing to perform, became ill, and that verydangerously. Whether he died, or not, I cannot say. 

Such intimations, by an unseasonably or even improperly spoken word, were held in repute, even by the ancients; and it is very remarkablethat the forms of belief and of superstition have always remained thesame among all people and in all times. 

From the first day of the occupation of our city, there was no lack ofconstant diversion, especially for children and young people. Plays andballs, parades, and marches through the town, attracted our attention inall directions. The last particularly were always increasing, and thesoldiers' life seemed to us very merry and agreeable. 

The residence of the king's lieutenant at our house procured us theadvantage of seeing by degrees all the distinguished persons in theFrench army, and especially of beholding close at hand the leaders whosenames had already been made known to us by reputation. Thus we lookedfrom stairs and landing-places, as if from galleries, very convenientlyupon the generals who passed by. More than all the rest do I rememberthe Prince Soubise as a handsome, courteous gentleman; but mostdistinctly, the Maréchal de Broglio, who was a younger man, not tall, but well built, lively, nimble, and abounding in keen glances, betrayinga clever mind. 

He repeatedly came to see the king's lieutenant, and it was easilynoticed that they were conversing on weighty matters. We had scarcelybecome accustomed to having strangers quartered upon us in the firstthree months, when a rumor was obscurely circulated that the allies wereon the march, and that Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick was coming to drivethe French from the Main. Of these, who could not boast of any specialsuccess in war, no high opinion was held; and, after the battle ofRossbach, it was thought they might be dispersed. The greatestconfidence was placed in Duke Ferdinand, and all those favorable toPrussia awaited with eagerness their delivery from the yoke hithertoborne. My father was in somewhat better spirits: my mother wasapprehensive. She was wise enough to see that a small present evil mighteasily be exchanged for a great affliction; since it was but too plainthat the French would not advance to meet the duke, but would wait anattack in the neighborhood of the city. A defeat of the French, aflight, a defense of the city, if it were only to cover their rear andhold the bridge, a bombardment, a sack, --all these presented themselvesto the excited imagination, and gave anxiety to both parties. My mother, who could bear every thing but suspense, imparted her fears to the countthrough the interpreter. She received the answer usual in such cases:she might be quite easy, for there was nothing to fear; and should keepquiet, and mention the matter to no one. 

Many troops passed through the city: we learned that they halted atBergen. The coming and going, the riding and running, constantlyincreased; and our house was in an uproar day and night. At this time Ioften saw Marshal de Broglio, always cheerful, always the same in lookand manner; and I was afterwards pleased to find a man, whose form hadmade such a good and lasting impression upon me, so honorably mentionedin history. 

Thus, after an unquiet Passion Week, the Good Friday of 1759 arrived. Aprofound stillness announced the approaching storm. We children wereforbidden to quit the house: my father had no quiet, and went out. Thebattle began: I ascended to the garret, where indeed I was preventedseeing the country round, but could very well hear the thunder of cannonand the general discharge of musketry. After some hours we saw the firstsymptoms of the battle in a line of wagons, in which the wounded, withvarious sad mutilations and gestures, were slowly drawn by us, to betaken to the convent of St. Mary, now transformed into a hospital. Thecompassion of the citizens was instantly moved. Beer, wine, bread, andmoney were distributed to those who were yet able to take them. Butwhen, some time after, wounded and captive Germans were seen in thetrain, the pity knew no limits; and it seemed as if everybody wouldstrip himself of every movable that he possessed to assist his sufferingcountrymen. 

The prisoners, however, were an evidence of a battle unfavorable to theallies. My father, whose party feelings made him quite certain thatthese would come off victorious, had the violent temerity to go forth tomeet the expected victors, without thinking that the beaten party mustpass over him in their flight. He first repaired to his garden beforethe Friedberg gate, where he found every thing lonely and quiet; thenventured to the Bornheim heath, where he soon descried variousstragglers of the army, who were scattered, and amused themselves byshooting at the boundary-stones, so that the rebounding lead whizzedround the head of the inquisitive wanderer. He therefore considered itmore prudent to go back, and learned on inquiry what the report of thefiring might have before informed him, that all stood well for theFrench, and that there was no thought of retreating. Reaching home in anill humor, the sight of his wounded and captured countrymen brought himaltogether out of his usual self-command. He also caused variousdonations to be given to the passers-by; but only the Germans were tohave them, which was not always possible, as fate had packed togetherboth friend and foe. 

My mother and we children, who had already relied on the count's word, and had therefore passed a tolerably quiet day, were highly rejoiced;and my mother doubly consoled the next day, when, having consulted theoracle of her treasure-box, by the prick of a needle, she received avery comfortable answer, both for present and future. We wished ourfather similar faith and feelings; we flattered him as much as we could;we entreated him to take some food, from which he had abstained all day;but he repulsed our caresses and every enjoyment, and betook himself tohis chamber. Our joy, however, was not interrupted; the affair wasdecided: the king's lieutenant, who, against his habit, had been onhorseback that day, at last returned home, where his presence was morenecessary than ever. We sprang to meet him, kissed his hands, andtestified our delight. This seemed much to please him. "Well, " said hemore kindly than usual, "I am glad also for your sakes, my dearchildren. " He immediately ordered that sweetmeats, sweet wine, and thebest of every thing should be given us, and went to his room, alreadysurrounded by a crowd of the urging, demanding, supplicating. 

We had now a fine collation, pitied our poor father who would notpartake of it, and pressed our mother to call him in; but she, moreprudent than we, well knew how distasteful such gifts would be to him. In the mean time she had prepared some supper, and would readily havesent a portion up to his room; but he never tolerated such anirregularity, even in the most extreme cases: and, after the sweetthings were removed, we endeavored to persuade him to come down into theordinary dining-room. At last he allowed himself to be persuadedunwillingly, and we had no notion of the mischief which we werepreparing for him and ourselves. The stair-case ran through the wholehouse, along all the ante-rooms. My father, in coming down, had to godirectly past the count's apartment. This ante-room was so full ofpeople, that the count, to get through much at once, resolved to comeout; and this happened unfortunately at the moment when my fatherdescended. The count met him cheerfully, greeted him, and remarked, "Youwill congratulate yourselves and us that this dangerous affair is sohappily terminated. "--"By no means!" replied my father in a rage: "wouldthat it had driven you to the Devil, even if I had gone with you!" Thecount restrained himself for a moment, and then broke out with wrath, "You shall pay for this, " cried he: "you shall find that you have notthus insulted the good cause and myself for nothing!"

My father, meanwhile, came down very calmly, seated himself near us, seemed more cheerful than before, and began to eat. We were glad ofthis, unconscious of the dangerous method in which he had rolled thestone from his heart. Soon afterwards my mother was called out, and wehad great pleasure in chattering to our father about the sweet thingsthe count had given us. Our mother did not return. At last theinterpreter came in. At a hint from him we were sent to bed: it wasalready late, and we willingly obeyed. After a night quietly sleptthrough, we heard of the violent commotion which had shaken the housethe previous evening. The king's lieutenant had instantly ordered myfather to be led to the guard-house. The subalterns well knew that hewas never to be contradicted, yet they had often earned thanks bydelaying the execution of his orders. The interpreter, whose presence ofmind never forsook him, contrived to excite this disposition in themvery strongly. The tumult, moreover, was so great, that a delay broughtwith it its own concealment and excuse. He had called out my mother, andput the adjutant, as it were, into her hands, that, by prayers andrepresentations, she might gain a brief postponement of the matter. Hehimself hurried up to the count, who with great self-command hadimmediately retired into the inner room, and would rather allow the mosturgent affair to stand still, than wreak on an innocent person the illhumor once excited in him, and give a decision derogatory to hisdignity. 

The address of the interpreter to the count, the train of the wholeconversation, were often enough repeated to us by the fat interpreter, who prided himself not a little on the fortunate result, so that I canstill describe it from recollection. 

The interpreter had ventured to open the cabinet and enter, an act whichwas severely prohibited. "What do you want?" shouted the count angrily. "Out with you!--no one but St. Jean has a right to enter here. "

"Well, suppose I am St. Jean for a moment, " answered the interpreter. 

"It would need a powerful imagination for that! Two of him would notmake one such as you. Retire!"

"Count, you have received a great gift from heaven; and to that Iappeal. "

"You think to flatter me! Do not fancy you will succeed. "

"You have the great gift, count, of listening to the opinions of others, even in moments of passion--in moments of rage. "

"Well, well! the question now is just about opinions, to which I havelistened too long. I know but too well that we are not liked here, andthat these citizens look askance at us. "

"Not all!"

"Very many. What! These towns will be imperial towns, will they? Theysaw their emperor elected and crowned: and when, being unjustlyattacked, he is in danger of losing his dominions and surrendering to anusurper; when he fortunately finds faithful allies who pour out theirblood and treasure in his behalf, --they will not put up with the slightburden that falls to their share towards humbling the enemy. "

"But you have long known these sentiments, and have endured them like awise man: they are, besides, held only by a minority. A few, dazzled bythe splendid qualities of the enemy, whom you yourself prize as anextraordinary man, --a few only, as you are aware. "

"Yes, indeed! I have known and suffered it too long! otherwise this manwould not have presumed to utter such insults to my face, and at themost critical moment. Let them be as many as they please, they shall bepunished in the person of this their audacious representative, andperceive what they have to expect. "

"Only delay, count. "

"In certain things one cannot act too promptly. "

"Only a little delay, count. "

"Neighbor, you think to mislead me into a false step: you shall notsucceed. "

"I would neither lead you into a false step nor restrain you from one:your resolution is just, --it becomes the Frenchman and the king'slieutenant; but consider that you are also Count Thorane. "

"He has no right to interfere here. "

"But the gallant man has a right to be heard. "

"What would he say, then?"

"'King's lieutenant, ' he would begin, 'you have so long had patiencewith so many gloomy, untoward, bungling men, if they were not really toobad. This man has certainly been too bad: but control yourself, king'slieutenant; and every one will praise and extol you on that account. '"

"You know I can often endure your jests, but do not abuse my good will. These men--are they, then, completely blinded? Suppose we had lost thebattle: what would have been their fate at this moment? We fight up tothe gates, we shut up the city, we halt, we defend ourselves to coverour retreat over the bridge. Think you the enemy would have stood withhis hands before him? He throws grenades, and what he has at hand; andthey catch where they can. This house-holder--what would he have? Here, in these rooms, a bomb might now have burst, and another have followedit;--in these rooms, the cursed China-paper of which I have spared, incommoding myself by not nailing up my maps! They ought to have spentthe whole day on their knees. "

"How many would have done that!"

"They ought to have prayed for a blessing on us, and to have gone out tomeet the generals and officers with tokens of honor and joy, and thewearied soldiers with refreshments. Instead of this, the poison ofparty-spirit destroys the fairest and happiest moments of my life, wonby so many cares and efforts. "

"It is party-spirit, but you will only increase it by the punishment ofthis man. Those who think with him will proclaim you a tyrant and abarbarian; they will consider him a martyr, who has suffered for thegood cause; and even those of the other opinion, who are now hisopponents, will see in him only their fellow-citizen, will pity him, and, while they confess your justice, will yet feel that you haveproceeded too severely. "

"I have listened to you too much already, --now, away with you!"

"Hear only this. Remember, this is the most unheard-of thing that couldbefall this man, this family. You have had no reason to be edified bythe good will of the master of the house; but the mistress hasanticipated all your wishes, and the children have regarded you as theiruncle. With this single blow, you will forever destroy the peace andhappiness of this dwelling. Indeed, I may say, that a bomb falling intothe house would not have occasioned greater desolation. I have so oftenadmired your self-command, count: give me this time opportunity to adoreyou. A warrior is worthy of honor, who considers himself a guest in thehouse of an enemy; but here there is no enemy, only a mistaking man. Control yourself, and you will acquire an everlasting fame. "

"That would be odd, " replied the count, with a smile. 

"Merely natural, " continued the interpreter: "I have not sent the wifeand children to your feet, because I know you detest such scenes; but Iwill depict to you this wife and these children, how they will thankyou. I will depict them to you conversing all their lives of the battleof Bergen, and of your magnanimity on this day, relating it to theirchildren, and children's children, and inspiring even strangers withtheir own interest for you: an act of this kind can never perish. "

"But you do not hit my weak side yet, interpreter. About posthumous fameI am not in the habit of thinking; that is for others, not for me: butto do right at the moment, not to neglect my duty, not to prejudice myhonor, --that is my care. We have already had too many words; now go--andreceive the thanks of the thankless, whom I spare. "

The interpreter, surprised and moved by this unexpectedly favorableissue, could not restrain his tears, and would have kissed the count'shands. The count motioned him off, and said severely and seriously, "Youknow I cannot bear such things. " And with these words he went into theante-room to attend to his pressing affairs, and hear the claims of somany expectant persons. So the matter was disposed of; and the nextmorning we celebrated, with the remnants of the yesterday's sweetmeats, the passing over of an evil through the threatenings of which we hadhappily slept. 

Whether the interpreter really spoke so wisely, or merely so painted thescene to himself, as one is apt to do after a good and fortunate action, I will not decide; at least he never varied it in repeating it. Indeed, this day seemed to him both the most anxious and the most glorious inhis life. 

One little incident will show how the count in general rejected allfalse parade, never assumed a title which did not belong to him, and howwitty he was in his more cheerful moods. 

A man of the higher class, who was one of the abstruse, solitaryFrankforters, thought he must complain of the quartering of the soldiersupon him. He came in person; and the interpreter proffered him hisservices, but the other supposed that he did not need them. He camebefore the count with a most becoming bow, and said, "Your Excellency!"The count returned the bow, as well as the "excellency. " Struck by thismark of honor, and not supposing but that the title was too humble, hestooped lower, and said, "Monseigneur. "--"Sir, " said the count veryseriously, "we will not go farther, or else we may easily bring it toMajesty. " The other gentleman was extremely confused, and had not a wordto utter. The interpreter, standing at some distance, and apprised ofthe whole affair, was wicked enough not to move; but the count, withmuch cheerfulness, continued, "Well, now, for instance, sir, what isyour name?"--"Spangenberg, " replied the other. "And mine, " said thecount, "is Thorane. Spangenberg, what is your business with Thorane?Now, then, let us sit down: the affair shall at once be settled. "

And thus the affair was indeed settled at once, to the greatsatisfaction of the person I have here named Spangenberg; and the sameevening, in our family circle, the story was not only told by thewaggish interpreter, but was given with all the circumstances andgestures. 

After these confusions, disquietudes, and grievances, the formersecurity and thoughtlessness soon returned, in which the youngparticularly live from day to day, if it be in any degree possible. Mypassion for the French theatre grew with every performance. I did notmiss an evening; though on every occasion, when, after the play, I satdown with the family to supper, --often putting up with the remains, --Ihad to endure my father's constant reproaches, that theatres wereuseless, and would lead to nothing. In these cases I adduced all andevery argument which is at hand for the apologists of the stage whenthey fall into a difficulty like mine. Vice in prosperity, and virtue inmisfortune, are in the end set right by poetical justice. Thosebeautiful examples of misdeeds punished, "Miss Sarah Sampson, " and "TheMerchant of London, " were very energetically cited on my part: but, onthe other hand, I often came off worst when the "Fouberies de Scapin, "and others of the sort, were in the bill; and I was forced to bearreproaches for the delight felt by the public in the deceits ofintriguing servants, and the successful follies of prodigal young men. Neither party was convinced; but my father was very soon reconciled tothe theatre when he saw that I advanced with incredible rapidity in theFrench language. 

Men are so constituted that everybody would rather undertake himselfwhat he sees done by others, whether he has aptitude for it or not. Ihad soon exhausted the whole range of the French stage; several playswere performed for the third and fourth times; all had passed before myeyes and mind, from the stateliest tragedy to the most frivolousafterpiece; and, as when a child I had presumed to imitate Terence, Idid not fail now as a boy, on a much more inciting occasion, to copy theFrench forms to the best of my ability and want of ability. There werethen performed some half-mythological, half-allegorical pieces in thetaste of Piron: they partook somewhat of the nature of parody, and weremuch liked. These representations particularly attracted me: the littlegold wings of a lively Mercury, the thunderbolt of a disguised Jupiter, an amorous Danaë, or by whatever name a fair one visited by the godsmight be called, if indeed it were not a shepherdess or huntress to whomthey descended. And as elements of this kind, from "Ovid'sMetamorphoses, " or the "Pantheon Mythicum" of Pomey, were humming inswarms about my head, I had soon put together in my imagination a littlepiece of the kind, of which I can only say that the scene was rural, andthat there was no lack in it of king's daughters, princes, or gods. Mercury, especially, made so vivid an impression on me, that I couldalmost be sworn that I had seen him with my own eyes. 

I presented my friend Derones with a very neat copy, made by myself;which he accepted with quite a special grace, and with a trulypatronizing air, glanced hastily over the manuscript, pointed out a fewgrammatical blunders, found some speeches too long, and at last promisedto examine and judge the work more attentively when he had the requisiteleisure. To my modest question, whether the piece could by any chance beperformed, he assured me that it was not altogether impossible. In thetheatre, he said, a great deal went by favor; and he would support mewith all his heart: only the affair must be kept private; for he hadhimself once on a time surprised the directors with a piece of his own, and it would certainly have been acted if it had not been too soondetected that he was the author. I promised him all possible silence, and already saw in my mind's eye the name of my piece posted up in largeletters on the corners of the streets and squares. 

Light-minded as my friend generally was, the opportunity of playing themaster was but too desirable. He read the piece through with attention, and, while he sat down with me to make some trivial alterations, turnedthe whole thing, in the course of the conversation, completely topsy-turvy, so that not one stone remained on another. He struck out, added, took away one character, substituted another, --in short, went on withthe maddest wantonness in the world, so that my hair stood on end. Myprevious persuasion that he must surely understand the matter, allowedhim to have his way; for he had often laid before me so much about theThree Unities of Aristotle, the regularity of the French drama, theprobability, the harmony of the verse, and all that belongs to these, that I was forced to regard him, not merely as informed, but thoroughlygrounded. He abused the English and scorned the Germans; in short, helaid before me the whole dramaturgic litany which I have so often in mylife been compelled to hear. 

Like the boy in the fable, I carried my mangled offspring home, andstrove in vain to bring it to life. As, however, I would not quiteabandon it, I caused a fair copy of my first manuscript, after a fewalterations, to be made by our clerk, which I presented to my father, and thus gained so much, that, for a long time, he let me eat my supperin quiet after the play was over. 

This unsuccessful attempt had made me reflective; and I resolved now tolearn, at the very sources, these theories, these laws, to which everyone appealed, but which had become suspicious to me chiefly through theimpoliteness of my arrogant master. This was not indeed difficult, butlaborious. I immediately read Corneille's "Treatise on the ThreeUnities, " and learned from that how people would have it, but why theydesired it so was by no means clear to me; and, what was worst of all, Ifell at once into still greater confusion when I made myself acquaintedwith the disputes on the "Cid, " and read the prefaces in which Corneilleand Racine are obliged to defend themselves against the critics andpublic. Here at least I plainly saw that no man knew what he wanted;that a piece like the "Cid, " which had produced the noblest effect, wasto be condemned at the command of an all-powerful cardinal; that Racine, the idol of the French living in my day, who had now also become my idol(for I had got intimately acquainted with him when Schöff VonOlenschlager made us children act "Britannicus, " in which the part ofNero fell to me), --that Racine, I say, even in his own day, was not ableto get on with the amateurs nor critics. Through all this I became moreperplexed than ever; and after having pestered myself a long time withthis talking backwards and forwards, and theoretical quackery of theprevious century, threw them to the dogs, and was the more resolute incasting all the rubbish away, the more I thought I observed that theauthors themselves who had produced excellent things, when they began tospeak about them, when they set forth the grounds of their treatment, when they desired to defend, justify, or excuse themselves, were notalways able to hit the proper mark. I hastened back again, therefore, tothe living present, attended the theatre far more zealously, read morescrupulously and connectedly, so that I had perseverance enough thistime to work through the whole of Racine and Molière and a great part ofCorneille. 

The king's lieutenant still lived at our house. He in no respect hadchanged his deportment, especially towards us; but it was observable, and the interpreter made it still more evident to us, that he no longerdischarged his duties with the same cheerfulness and zeal as at theoutset, though always with the same rectitude and fidelity. Hischaracter and habits, which showed the Spaniard rather than theFrenchman; his caprices, which were not without their influence on hisbusiness; his unbending will under all circumstances; his susceptibilityas to whatever had reference to his person or reputation, --all thistogether might perhaps sometimes bring him into conflict with hissuperiors. Add to this, that he had been wounded in a duel, which hadarisen in the theatre, and it was deemed wrong that the king'slieutenant, himself chief of police, should have committed a punishableoffence. As I have said, all this may have contributed to make him livemore retired, and here and there perhaps to act with less energy. 

[Illustration: A woman spinning and another reading while a child playsnearby. ]

Meanwhile, a considerable part of the pictures he had ordered had beendelivered. Count Thorane passed his leisure hours in examining them;while in the aforesaid gable-room he had them nailed up, canvas aftercanvas, large and small, side by side, and, because there was want ofspace, even one over another, and then taken down and rolled up. Theworks were constantly inspected anew, the parts that were considered themost successful were repeatedly enjoyed, but there was no want of wishesthat this or that had been differently done. 

Hence arose a new and very singular operation. As one painter bestexecuted figures, another middle-grounds and distances, a third trees, afourth flowers, it struck the count that these talents might perhaps becombined in the paintings, and that in this way perfect works might beproduced. A beginning was made at once, by having, for instance, somebeautiful cattle painted into a finished landscape. But because therewas not always adequate room for all, and a few sheep more or less wasno great matter to the cattle-painter, the largest landscape proved inthe end too narrow. Now also the painter of figures had to introduce theshepherd and some travellers: these deprived each other of air, as wemay say; and we marvelled that they were not all stifled, even in themost open country. No one could anticipate what was to come of thematter, and when it was finished it gave no satisfaction. The painterswere annoyed. They had gained something by their first orders, but lostby these after-labors; though the count paid for them also veryliberally. And, as the parts worked into each other in one picture byseveral hands produced no good effect after all the trouble, every oneat last fancied that his own work had been spoiled and destroyed by thatof the others; hence the artists were within a hair's-breadth of fallingout, and becoming irreconcilably hostile to each other. Thesealterations, or rather additions, were made in the before-mentionedstudio, where I remained quite alone with the artists; and it amused meto hunt out from the studies, particularly of animals, this or thatindividual or group, and to propose it for the foreground or thedistance, in which respect they many times, either from conviction orkindness, complied with my wishes. 

The partners in this affair were therefore greatly discouraged, especially Seekatz, a very hypochondriacal, retired man, who, indeed, byhis incomparable humor, was the best of companions among friends, butwho, when he worked, desired to work alone, abstracted and perfectlyfree. This man, after solving difficult problems, and finishing themwith the greatest diligence and the warmest love, of which he was alwayscapable, was forced to travel repeatedly from Darmstadt to Frankfort, either to change something in his own pictures, or to touch up those ofothers, or even to allow, under his superintendence, a third person toconvert his pictures into a variegated mess. His peevishness augmented, his resistance became more decided, and a great deal of effort wasnecessary on our part to guide this "gossip;" for he was one also, according to the count's wishes. I still remember, that when the boxeswere standing ready to pack up all the pictures, in the order in whichthe upholsterer might hang them up at once, at their place ofdestination, a small but indispensable bit of afterwork was demanded;but Seekatz could not be moved to come over. He had, by way ofconclusion, done the best he could, having represented, in paintings tobe placed over the doors, the four elements as children and boys, afterlife, and having expended the greatest care, not only on the figures, but on the accessories. These were delivered and paid for, and hethought he was quit of the business forever; but now he was to come overagain, that he might enlarge, by a few touches of his pencil, somefigures, the size of which was too small. Another, he thought, could doit just as well; he had already set about some new work; in short, hewould not come. The time for sending off the pictures was at hand; theyhad, moreover, to get dry; every delay was untoward; and the count, indespair, was about to have him fetched in military fashion. We allwished to see the pictures finally gone, and found at last no expedientthan for the gossip interpreter to seat himself in a wagon, and fetchover the refractory subject, with his wife and child. He was kindlyreceived by the count, well treated, and at last dismissed with liberalpayment. 

After the pictures had been sent away, there was great peace in thehouse. The gable-room in the attic was cleaned, and given up to me; andmy father, when he saw the boxes go, could not refrain from wishing tosend off the count after them. For much as the tastes of the countcoincided with his own, much as he must have rejoiced to see hisprinciple of patronizing living artists so generously followed out by aman richer than himself, much as it may have flattered him that hiscollection had been the occasion of bringing so considerable a profit toa number of brave artists in a pressing time, he nevertheless felt sucha repugnance to the foreigner who had intruded into his house, that hecould not think well of any of his doings. One ought to employ painters, but not degrade them to paper-stainers; one ought to be satisfied withwhat they have done, according to their conviction and ability, even ifit does not thoroughly please one, and not be perpetually carping at it. In short, in spite of all the count's own generous endeavors, therecould, once for all, be no mutual understanding. My father only visitedthat room when the count was at table; and I can recall but oneinstance, when, Seekatz having excelled himself, and the wish to seethese pictures having brought the whole house together, my father andthe count met, and manifested a common pleasure in these works of art, which they could not take in each other. 

Scarcely, therefore, had the house been cleared of the chests and boxes, than the plan for removing the count, which had formerly been begun, butwas afterwards interrupted, was resumed. The endeavor was made to gainjustice by representations, equity by entreaties, favor by influence;and the quarter-masters were prevailed upon to decide thus: the countwas to change his lodgings; and our house, in consideration of theburden borne day and night for several years uninterruptedly, was to beexempt for the future from billetting. But, to furnish a plausiblepretext for this, we were to take in lodgers on the first floor, whichthe count had occupied, and thus render a new quartering, as it were, impossible. The count, who, after the separation from his dear pictures, felt no further peculiar interest in the house, and hoped, moreover, tobe soon recalled and placed elsewhere, was pleased to move withoutopposition to another good residence, and left us in peace and goodwill. Soon afterwards he quitted the city, and received differentappointments in gradation, but, it was rumored, not to his ownsatisfaction. Meantime, he had the pleasure of seeing the pictures whichhe had preserved with so much care felicitously arranged in hisbrother's chateau: he wrote sometimes, sent dimensions, and haddifferent pieces executed by the artists so often named. At last weheard nothing further about him, except after several years we wereassured that he had died as governor of one of the French colonies inthe West Indies. 

 FOURTH BOOK. 

However much inconvenience the quartering of the French had caused us, we had become so accustomed to it, that we could not fail to miss it;nor could we children fail to feel as if the house were deserted. Moreover, it was not decreed that we should again attain perfect familyunity. New lodgers were already bespoken; and after some sweeping andscouring, planing, and rubbing with beeswax, painting and varnishing, the house was completely restored again. The chancery-director Moritz, with his family, very worthy friends of my parents, moved in. He was nota native of Frankfort, but an able jurist and man of business, andmanaged the legal affairs of many small princes, counts, and lords. Inever saw him otherwise than cheerful and pleasant, and diligent withhis law-papers. His wife and children, gentle, quiet, and benevolent, did not indeed increase the sociableness of our house; for they kept tothemselves: but a stillness, a peace, returned, which we had not enjoyedfor a long time. I now again occupied my attic-room, in which the ghostsof the many pictures sometimes hovered before me; while I strove tofrighten them away by labor and study. 

The counsellor of legation, Moritz, a brother of the chancellor, camefrom this time often to our house. He was even more a man of the world, had a handsome figure, while his manners were easy and agreeable. Healso managed the affairs of different persons of rank, and on occasionsof meetings of creditors and imperial commissions frequently came intocontact with my father. They had a high opinion of each other, andcommonly stood on the side of the creditors; though they were generallyobliged to perceive, much to their vexation, that a majority of theagents on such occasions are usually gained over to the side of thedebtors. 

The counsellor of legation readily communicated his knowledge, was fondof mathematics; and, as these did not occur in his present course oflife, he made himself a pleasure by helping me on in this branch ofstudy. I was thus enabled to finish my architectural sketches moreaccurately than heretofore, and to profit more by the instruction of adrawing-master, who now also occupied us an hour every day. 

This good old man was indeed only half an artist. We were obliged todraw and combine strokes, from which eyes and noses, lips and ears, nay, at last, whole faces and heads, were to arise; but of natural orartistic forms there was no thought. We were tormented a long while withthis /quid pro quo/ of the human figure; and when the so-calledPassions of Le Brun were given us to copy, it was supposed at last thatwe had made great progress. But even these caricatures did not improveus. Then we went off to landscapes, foliage, and all the things which inordinary instruction are practised without consistency or method. Finally we dropped into close imitation and neatness of strokes, withouttroubling ourselves about the merit or taste of the original. 

In these endeavors our father led the way in an exemplary manner. He hadnever drawn; but he was unwilling to remain behind, now that hischildren pursued this art, and would give, even in his old age, anexample how they should proceed in their youth. He therefore copiedseveral heads of Piazetta, from his well-known sheets in small octavo, with an English lead-pencil upon the finest Dutch paper. In these he notonly observed the greatest clearness of outline, but most accuratelyimitated the hatching of the copperplate with a light hand--only tooslightly, as in his desire to avoid hardness he brought no keeping intohis sketches. Yet they were always soft and accurate. His unrelaxing anduntiring assiduity went so far, that he drew the whole considerablecollection number by number; while we children jumped from one head toanother, and chose only those that pleased us. 

About this time the long-debated project, long under consideration, forgiving us lessons in music, was carried into effect; and the lastimpulse to it certainly deserves mention. It was settled that we shouldlearn the harpsichord, but there was always a dispute about the choiceof a master. At last I went once accidentally into the room of one of mycompanions, who was just taking his lesson on the harpsichord, and foundthe teacher a most charming man: for each finger of the right and lefthand he had a nickname, by which he indicated in the merriest way whenit was to be used. The black and white keys were likewise symbolicallydesignated, and even the tones appeared under figurative names. Such amotley company worked most pleasantly together. Fingering and timeseemed to become perfectly easy and obvious; and, while the scholar wasput into the best humor, every thing else succeeded beautifully. 

Scarcely had I reached home, than I importuned my parents to set aboutthe matter in good earnest at last, and give us this incomparable manfor our master on the harpsichord. They hesitated, and made inquiries:they indeed heard nothing bad of the teacher, but, at the same time, nothing particularly good. Meanwhile, I had informed my sister of allthe droll names: we could hardly wait for the lesson, and succeeded inhaving the man engaged. 

The reading of the notes began first; but, as no jokes occurred here, wecomforted ourselves with the hope, that when we went to the harpsichord, and the fingers were needed, the jocular method would commence. Butneither keys nor fingering seemed to afford opportunity for anycomparisons. Dry as the notes were, with their strokes on and betweenthe five lines, the black and white keys were no less so: and not asyllable was heard, either of "thumbling, " "pointerling, " or "goldfinger;" while the countenance of the man remained as imperturbableduring his dry teaching as it had been before during his dry jests. Mysister reproached me most bitterly for having deceived her, and actuallybelieved that it was all an invention of mine. But I was myselfconfounded and learned little, though the man at once went regularlyenough to work; for I kept always expecting that the former jokes wouldmake their appearance, and so consoled my sister from one day toanother. They did not re-appear, however; and I should never have beenable to explain the riddle if another accident had not solved it for me. 

One of my companions came in during a lesson, and at once all the pipesof the humorous /jet d'eau/ were opened: the "thumblings" and"pointerlings, " the "pickers" and "stealers, " as he used to call thefingers; the "falings" and "galings, " meaning "f" and "g;" the"fielings" and "gielings, " meaning "f" and "g" sharp, [Footnote: Thenames of the sharp notes in German terminate in "is, " and hence "f" and"g" sharp are called "fis" and "gis. "]--became once more extant, andmade the most wonderful manikins. My young friend could not leave offlaughing, and was rejoiced that one could learn in such a merry manner. He vowed that he would give his parents no peace until they had givenhim such an excellent man for a teacher. 

And thus the way to two arts was early enough opened to me, according tothe principles of a modern theory of education, merely by good luck, andwithout any conviction that I should be furthered therein by a nativetalent. My father maintained that everybody ought to learn drawing; forwhich reason he especially venerated the Emperor Maximilian, by whomthis had been expressly commanded. He therefore held me to it moresteadily than to music; which, on the other hand, he especiallyrecommended to my sister, and even out of the hours for lessons kept herfast, during a good part of the day, at her harpsichord. 

But the more I was in this way made to press on, the more I wished topress forward of myself; and my hours of leisure were employed in allsorts of curious occupations. From my earliest years I felt a love forthe investigation of natural things. It is often regarded as an instinctof cruelty that children like at last to break, tear, and devour objectswith which for a long time they have played, and which they have handledin various manners. Yet even in this way is manifested the curiosity, the desire of learning how such things hang together, how they lookwithin. I remember, that, when a child, I pulled flowers to pieces tosee how the leaves were inserted into the calyx, or even plucked birdsto observe how the feathers were inserted into the wings. Children arenot to be blamed for this, when even our naturalists believe they gettheir knowledge oftener by separation and division than by union andcombination, --more by killing than by making alive. 

An armed loadstone, very neatly sewed up in scarlet cloth, was one daydestined to experience the effects of this spirit of inquiry. For thesecret force of attraction which it exercised, not only on the littleiron bar attached to it, but which was of such a kind that it could gainstrength and could daily bear a heavier weight, --this mysterious virtuehad so excited my admiration, that for a long time I was pleased withmerely staring at its operation. But at last I thought I might arrive atsome nearer revelation by tearing away the external covering. This wasdone; but I became no wiser in consequence, as the naked iron taught menothing further. This also I took off; and I held in my hand the merestone, with which I never grew weary of making experiments of variouskinds on filings and needles, --experiments from which my youthful minddrew no further advantage beyond that of a varied experience. I couldnot manage to reconstruct the whole arrangement: the parts werescattered, and I lost the wondrous phenomenon at the same time with theapparatus. 

Nor was I more fortunate in putting together an electrical machine. Afriend of the family, whose youth had fallen in the time whenelectricity occupied all minds, often told us how, when a child, he haddesired to possess such a machine: he got together the principalrequisites, and, by the aid of an old spinning-wheel and some medicinebottles, had produced tolerable results. As he readily and frequentlyrepeated the story, and imparted to us some general information onelectricity, we children found the thing very plausible, and longtormented ourselves with an old spinning-wheel and some medicinebottles, without producing even the smallest result. We neverthelessadhered to our belief, and were much delighted, when at the time of thefair, among other rarities, magical and legerdemain tricks, anelectrical machine performed its marvels, which, like those ofmagnetism, were at that time already very numerous. 

The want of confidence in the public method of instruction was dailyincreasing. People looked about for private tutors; and, because singlefamilies could not afford the expense, several of them united to attaintheir object. Yet the children seldom agreed; the young man had notsufficient authority; and, after frequently repeated vexations, therewere only angry partings. It is not surprising, therefore, that otherarrangements were thought of which should be more permanent as well asmore advantageous. 

The thought of establishing boarding-schools (/Pensionen/) hadarisen from the necessity, which every one felt, of having the Frenchlanguage taught and communicated orally. My father had brought up ayoung person, who had been his footman, valet, secretary, and in shortsuccessively all in all. This man, whose name was Pfeil, spoke Frenchwell. After he had married, and his patrons had to think of a situationfor him, they hit upon the plan of making him establish a boarding-school, which extended gradually into a small academy, in which everything necessary, and at last even Greek and Latin, were taught. Theextensive connections of Frankfort caused young French and English mento be brought to this establishment, that they might learn German andacquire other accomplishments. Pfeil, who was a man in the prime oflife, and of the most wonderful energy and activity, superintended thewhole very laudably; and as he could never be employed enough, and wasobliged to keep music-teachers for his scholars, he set about music onthe occasion, and practised the harpsichord with such zeal, that, without having previously touched a note, he very soon played withperfect readiness and spirit. He seemed to have adopted my father'smaxim, that nothing can more cheer and excite young people, than when atmature years one declares one's self again a learner; and at an age whennew accomplishments are acquired with difficulty, one endeavors, nevertheless, by zeal and perseverance, to excel the younger, who aremore favored by nature. 

By this love of playing the harpsichord, Pfeil was led to theinstruments themselves, and, while he hoped to obtain the best, cameinto connection with Frederici of Gera, whose instruments werecelebrated far and wide. He took a number of them on sale, and had nowthe joy of seeing, not only one piano, but many, set up in hisresidence, and of practising and being heard upon them. 

The vivacity of this man brought a great rage for music into our house. My father remained on lasting good terms with him up to certain pointsof dispute. A large piano of Frederici was purchased also for us, whichI, adhering to my harpsichord, hardly touched; but which so muchincreased my sister's troubles, as, to duly honor the new instrument, she had to spend some time longer every day in practice; while myfather, as overseer, and Pfeil, as a model and encouraging friend, alternately took their positions at her side. 

A singular taste of my father's caused much inconvenience to uschildren. This was the cultivation of silk, of the advantages of which, if it were more widely extended, he had a high opinion. Someacquaintances at Hanau, where the breeding of the worms was carried onwith great care, gave him the immediate impulse. At the proper season, the eggs were sent to him from that place: and, as soon as the mulberry-trees showed sufficient leaves, they had to be stripped; and thescarcely visible creatures were most diligently tended. Tables andstands with boards were set up in a garret-chamber, to afford them moreroom and sustenance; for they grew rapidly, and, after their last changeof skin, were so voracious that it was scarcely possible to get leavesenough to feed them, --nay, they had to be fed day and night, as everything depends upon there being no deficiency of nourishment when thegreat and wondrous change is about to take place in them. When theweather was favorable, this business could indeed be regarded as apleasant amusement; but, if the cold set in so that the mulberry-treessuffered, it was exceedingly troublesome. Still more unpleasant was itwhen rain fell during the last epoch; for these creatures cannot at allendure moisture, and the wet leaves had to be carefully wiped and dried, which could not always be done quite perfectly: and for this, or perhapssome other reason also, various diseases came among the flock, by whichthe poor things were swept off in thousands. The state of corruptionwhich ensued produced a smell really pestilential; and, because the deadand diseased had to be taken away and separated from the healthy, thebusiness was indeed extremely wearisome and repulsive, and caused manyan unhappy hour to us children. 

After we had one year passed the finest weeks of the spring and summerin tending the silk-worms, we were obliged to assist our father inanother business, which, though simpler, was no less troublesome. TheRoman views, which, bound by black rods at the top and bottom, had hungfor many years on the walls of the old house, had become very yellowthrough the light, dust, and smoke, and not a little unsightly throughthe flies. If such uncleanliness was not to be tolerated in the newhouse, yet, on the other hand, these pictures had gained in value to myfather, in consequence of his longer absence from the placesrepresented. For at the outset such copies serve only to renew andrevive the impressions received shortly before. They seem trifling incomparison, and at the best only a melancholy substitute. But, as theremembrance of the original forms fades more and more, the copiesimperceptibly assume their place: they become as dear to us as thoseonce were, and what we at first contemned now gains esteem andaffection. Thus it is with all copies, and particularly with portraits. No one is easily satisfied with the counterfeit of an object stillpresent, but how we value every /silhouette/ of one who is absentor departed. 

In short, with this feeling of his former extravagance, my father wishedthat these engravings might be restored as much as possible. It was wellknown that this could be done by bleaching: and the operation, alwayscritical with large plates, was undertaken under rather unfavorablecircumstances; for the large boards, on which the smoked engravings weremoistened and exposed to the sun, stood in the gutters before the garretwindows, leaning against the roof, and were therefore liable to manyaccidents. The chief point was, that the paper should never thoroughlydry, but must be kept constantly moist. This was the duty of my sisterand myself; and the idleness, which would have been otherwise sodesirable, was excessively annoying on account of the tedium andimpatience, and the watchfulness which allowed of no distraction. Theend, however, was attained; and the bookbinder, who fixed each sheetupon thick paper, did his best to match and repair the margins, whichhad been here and there torn by our inadvertence. All the sheetstogether were bound in a volume, and for this time preserved. 

That we children might not be wanting in every variety of life andlearning, a teacher of the English language had to announce himself justat this time, who pledged himself to teach anybody not entirely raw inlanguages, English in four weeks, and to advance him to such a degree, that, with some diligence, he could help himself farther. His price wasmoderate, and he was indifferent as to the number of scholars at onelesson. My father instantly determined to make the attempt, and tooklessons, together with my sister and myself, of this expeditious master. The hours were faithfully kept; there was no want of repeating ourlessons; other exercises were neglected rather than this during the fourweeks; and the teacher parted from us, and we from him, withsatisfaction. As he remained longer in the town, and found manyemployers, he came from time to time to look after us and to help us, grateful that we had been among the first who placed confidence in him, and proud to be able to cite us as examples to the others. 

My father, in consequence of this, entertained a new anxiety, thatEnglish might neatly stand in the series of my other studies inlanguages. Now, I will confess that it became more and more burdensomefor me to take my occasions for study now from this grammar orcollection of examples, now from that; now from one author, now fromanother, --and thus to divert my interest in a subject every hour. Itoccurred to me, therefore, that I might despatch all at the same time;and I invented a romance of six or seven brothers and sisters, who, separated from each other and scattered over the world, shouldcommunicate with each other alternately as to their conditions andfeelings. The eldest brother gives an account, in good German, of allthe manifold objects and incidents of his journey. The sister, in aladylike style, with short sentences and nothing but stops, much as"Siegwart" was afterwards written, answers now him, now the otherbrothers, partly about domestic matters, and partly about affairs of theheart. One brother studies theology, and writes a very formal Latin, towhich he often adds a Greek postscript. To another brother, holding theplace of mercantile clerk at Hamburg, the English correspondencenaturally falls; while a still younger one at Marseilles has the French. For the Italian was found a musician, on his first trip into the world;while the youngest of all, a sort of pert nestling, had applied himselfto Jew-German, --the other languages having been cut off from him, --and, by means of his frightful ciphers, brought the rest of them intodespair, and my parents into a hearty laugh at the good notion. 

To obtain matter for filling up this singular form, I studied thegeography of the countries in which my creations resided, and byinventing for those dry localities all sorts of human incidents whichhad some affinity with the characters and employments of my heroes. Thusmy exercise-books became much more voluminous, my father was bettersatisfied, and I was much sooner made aware of my deficiency in bothwhat I had acquired and possessed of my own. 

Now, as such things, once begun, have no end nor limits, so it happenedin the present case; for while I strove to attain the odd Jew-German, and to write it as well as I could read it, I soon discovered that Iought to know Hebrew, from which alone the modern corrupted dialectcould be derived, and handled with any certainty. I consequentlyexplained the necessity of my learning Hebrew to my father, andearnestly besought his consent; for I had a still higher object. Everywhere I heard it said, that, to understand the Old as well as theNew Testament, the original languages were requisite. The latter I couldread quite easily; because, that there might be no want of exercise, even on Sundays, the so-called Epistles and Gospels had, after church, to be recited, translated, and in some measure explained. I now purposeddoing the same thing with the Old Testament, the peculiarities of whichhad always especially interested me. 

My father, who did not like to do any thing by halves, determined torequest the rector of our gymnasium, one Dr. Albrecht, to give meprivate lessons weekly, until I should have acquired what was mostessential in so simple a language; for he hoped, that, if it would notbe despatched as soon as English was learned, it could at least bemanaged in double the time. 

Rector Albrecht was one of the most original figures in the world, --short, broad, but not fat, ill-shaped without being deformed; in short, an Aesop in gown and wig. His more than seventy-years-old face wascompletely twisted into a sarcastic smile; while his eyes alwaysremained large, and, though red, were always brilliant and intelligent. He lived in the old cloister of the barefoot friars, the seat of thegymnasium. Even as a child, I had often visited him in company with myparents, and had, with a kind of trembling delight, glided through thelong, dark passages, the chapels transformed into reception-rooms, theplace broken up and full of stairs and corners. Without making meuncomfortable, he questioned me familiarly whenever we met, and praisedand encouraged me. One day, on the changing of the pupils' places aftera public examination, he saw me standing, as a mere spectator, not farfrom his chair, while he distributed the silver /proemia virtulis etdiligentioe/. I was probably gazing very eagerly upon the little bagout of which he drew the medals: he nodded to me, descended a step, andhanded me one of the silver pieces. My joy was great; although othersthought that this gift, bestowed upon a boy not belonging to the school, was out of all order. But for this the good old man cared but little, having always played the eccentric, and that in a striking manner. Hehad a very good reputation as a schoolmaster, and understood hisbusiness; although age no more allowed him to practise it thoroughly. But almost more than by his own infirmities was he hindered by greatercircumstances; and, as I already knew, he was satisfied neither with theconsistory, the inspectors, the clergy, nor the teachers. To his naturaltemperament, which inclined to satire, and the watching for faults anddefects, he allowed free play, both in his programmes and his publicspeeches; and, as Lucian was almost the only writer whom he read andesteemed, he spiced all that he said and wrote with biting ingredients. Fortunately for those with whom he was dissatisfied, he never wentdirectly to work, but only jeered at the defects which he wanted toreprove, with hints, allusions, classic passages, and scripture-texts. His delivery, moreover, --he always read his discourses, --was unpleasant, unintelligible, and, above all, was often interrupted by a cough, butmore frequently by a hollow, paunch-convulsing laugh, with which he waswont to announce and accompany the biting passages. This singular man Ifound to be mild and obliging when I began to take lessons of him. I nowwent to his house daily at six o'clock in the evening, and alwaysexperienced a secret pleasure when the outer door closed behind me, andI had to thread the long, dark cloister-passage. We sat in his library, at a table covered with oil-cloth, a much-read Lucian never quitting hisside. 

In spite of all my willingness, I did not get at the matter withoutdifficulty; for my teacher could not suppress certain sarcastic remarksas to the real truth about Hebrew. I concealed from him my designs uponJew-German, and spoke of a better understanding of the original text. Hesmiled at this, and said I should be satisfied if I only learned toread. This vexed me in secret, and I concentrated all my attention whenwe came to the letters. I found an alphabet something like the Greek, ofwhich the forms were easy, and the names, for the most part, not strangeto me. All this I had soon comprehended and retained, and supposed weshould now take up reading. That this was done from right to left I waswell aware. But now all at once appeared a new army of little charactersand signs, of points and strokes of all sorts, which were in fact torepresent vowels. At this I wondered the more, as there were manifestlyvowels in the larger alphabet; and the others only appeared to be hiddenunder strange appellations. I was also taught that the Jewish nation, aslong as it flourished, actually were satisfied with the former signs, and knew no other way of writing and reading. Most willingly, then, would I have gone on along this ancient and, as it seemed to me, easierpath; but my worthy declared rather sternly that we must go by thegrammar as it had been approved and composed. Reading without thesepoints and strokes, he said, was a very hard undertaking, and could beaccomplished only by the learned and those who were well practised. Imust, therefore, make up my mind to learn these little characters; butthe matter became to me more and more confused. Now, it seemed, some ofthe first and larger primitive letters had no value in their places, inorder that their little after-born kindred might not stand there invain. Now they indicated a gentle breathing, now a guttural more or lessrough, and now served as mere equivalents. But finally, when one fanciedthat he had well noted every thing, some of these personages, both greatand small, were rendered inoperative; so that the eyes always had verymuch, and the lips very little, to do. 

As that of which I already knew the contents had now to be stuttered ina strange gibberish, in which a certain snuffle and gargle were not alittle commended as something unattainable, I in a certain degreedeviated from the matter, and diverted myself, in a childish way, withthe singular names of these accumulated signs. There were "emperors, ""kings, " and "dukes, " [Footnote: These are the technical names forclasses of accents in the Hebrew grammar. --TRANS. ] which, as accentsgoverning here and there, gave me not a little entertainment. But eventhese shallow jests soon lost their charm. Nevertheless I wasindemnified, inasmuch as by reading, translating, repeating, andcommitting to memory, the substance of the book came out more vividly;and it was this, properly, about which I desired to be enlightened. Evenbefore this time, the contradiction between tradition, and the actualand possible, had appeared to me very striking; and I had often put myprivate tutors to a non-plus with the sun which stood still on Gibeon, and the moon in the vale of Ajalon, to say nothing of otherimprobabilities and incongruities. Every thing of this kind was nowawakened; while, in order to master the Hebrew, I occupied myselfexclusively with the Old Testament, and studied it, though no longer inLuther's translation, but in the literal version of Sebastian Schmid, printed under the text, which my father had procured for me. Here, I amsorry to say, our lessons began to be defective in regard to practice inthe language. Reading, interpreting, grammar, transcribing, and therepetition of words, seldom lasted a full half-hour; for I immediatelybegan to aim at the sense of the matter, and, though we were stillengaged in the first book of Moses, to utter several things suggested tome by the later books. At first the good old man tried to restrain mefrom such digressions, but at last they seemed to entertain him also. Itwas impossible for him to suppress his characteristic cough and chuckle:and, although he carefully avoided giving me any information that mighthave compromised himself, my importunity was not relaxed; nay, as Icared more to set forth my doubts than to learn their solution, I grewconstantly more vivacious and bold, seeming justified by his deportment. Yet I could get nothing out of him, except that ever and anon he wouldexclaim with his peculiar, shaking laugh, "Ah! mad fellow! ah! mad boy!"

Still, my childish vivacity, which scrutinized the Bible on all sides, may have seemed to him tolerably serious and worthy of some assistance. He therefore referred me, after a time, to the large English biblicalwork which stood in his library, and in which the interpretation ofdifficult and doubtful passages was attempted in an intelligent andjudicious manner. By the great labors of German divines the translationhad obtained advantages over the original. The different opinions werecited; and at last a kind of reconciliation was attempted, so that thedignity of the book, the ground of religion, and the humanunderstanding, might in some degree co-exist. Now, as often as towardsthe end of the lesson I came out with my usual questions and doubts, sooften did he point to the repository. I took the volume, he let me read, turned over his Lucian; and, when I made any remarks on the book, hisordinary laugh was the only answer to my sagacity. In the long summerdays he let me sit as long as I could read, many times alone; after atime he suffered me to take one volume after another home with me. 

Man may turn which way he please, and undertake any thing whatsoever, hewill always return to the path which nature has once prescribed for him. Thus it happened also with me in the present case. The trouble I tookwith the language, with the contents of the Sacred Scripturesthemselves, ended at last in producing in my imagination a livelierpicture of that beautiful and famous land, its environs and itsvicinities, as well as of the people and events by which that littlespot of earth was made glorious for thousands of years. 

This small space was to see the origin and growth of the human race;thence we were to derive our first and only accounts of primitivehistory; and such a locality was to lie before our imagination, no lesssimple and comprehensible than varied, and adapted to the most wonderfulmigrations and settlements. Here, between four designated rivers, asmall, delightful spot was separated from the whole habitable earth, foryouthful man. Here he was to unfold his first capacities, and here atthe same time was the lot to befall him, which was appointed for all hisposterity; namely, that of losing peace by striving after knowledge. Paradise was trifled away; men increased and grew worse; and the Elohim, not yet accustomed to the wickedness of the new race, became impatient, and utterly destroyed it. Only a few were saved from the universaldeluge; and scarcely had this dreadful flood ceased, than the well-knownancestral soil lay once more before the grateful eyes of the preserved. 

Two rivers out of four, the Euphrates and Tigris, still flowed in theirbeds. The name of the first remained: the other seemed to be pointed outby its course. Minuter traces of paradise were not to be looked forafter so great a revolution. The renewed race of man went forth hence asecond time: it found occasion to sustain and employ itself in all sortsof ways, but chiefly to gather around it large herds of tame animals, and to wander with them in every direction. 

This mode of life, as well as the increase of the families, sooncompelled the people to disperse. They could not at once resolve to lettheir relatives and friends go forever: they hit upon the thought ofbuilding a lofty tower, which should show them the way back from the fardistance. But this attempt, like their first endeavor, miscarried. Theycould not be at the same time happy and wise, numerous and united. TheElohim confounded their minds; the building remained unfinished; the menwere dispersed; the world was peopled, but sundered. 

But our regards, our interests, continue fixed on these regions. At lastthe founder of a race again goes forth from hence, and is so fortunateas to stamp a distinct character upon his descendants, and by that meansto unite them for all time to come into a great nation, inseparablethrough all changes of place or destiny. 

From the Euphrates, Abraham, not without divine guidance, wanderstowards the west. The desert opposes no invincible barrier to his march. He attains the Jordan, passes over its waters, and spreads himself overthe fair southern regions of Palestine. This land was already occupied, and tolerably well inhabited. Mountains, not extremely high, but rockyand barren, were severed by many watered vales favorable to cultivation. Towns, villages, and solitary settlements lay scattered over the plain, and on the slopes of the great valley, the waters of which are collectedin Jordan. Thus inhabited, thus tilled, was the land: but the world wasstill large enough; and the men were not so circumspect, necessitous, and active, as to usurp at once the whole adjacent country. Betweentheir possessions were extended large spaces, in which grazing herdscould freely move in every direction. In one of these spaces Abrahamresides; his brother Lot is near him: but they cannot long remain insuch places. The very condition of a land, the population of which isnow increasing, now decreasing, and the productions of which are neverkept in equilibrium with the wants, produces unexpectedly a famine; andthe stranger suffers alike with the native, whose own support he hasrendered difficult by his accidental presence. The two Chaldean brothersmove onward to Egypt; and thus is traced out for us the theatre onwhich, for some thousands of years, the most important events of theworld were to be enacted. From the Tigris to the Euphrates, from theEuphrates to the Nile, we see the earth peopled; and this space also istraversed by a well-known, heaven-beloved man, who has already becomeworthy to us, moving to and fro with his goods and cattle, and, in ashort time, abundantly increasing them. The brothers return; but, taughtby the distress they have endured, they determine to part. Both, indeed, tarry in Southern Canaan; but while Abraham remains at Hebron, near thewood of Mamre, Lot departs for the valley of Siddim, which, if ourimagination is bold enough to give Jordan a subterranean outlet, sothat, in place of the present Dead Sea, we should have dry ground, canand must appear like a second Paradise, --a conjecture all the moreprobable, because the residents about there, notorious for effeminacyand wickedness, lead us to infer that they led an easy and luxuriouslife. Lot lives among them, but apart. 

But Hebron and the wood of Mamre appear to us as the important placewhere the Lord speaks with Abraham, and promises him all the land as faras his eye can reach in four directions. From these quiet districts, from these shepherd-tribes, who can associate with celestials, entertainthem as guests, and hold many conversations with them, we are compelledto turn our glance once more towards the East, and to think of thecondition of the surrounding world, which, on the whole, perhaps, mayhave been like that of Canaan. 

Families hold together: they unite, and the mode of life of the tribesis determined by the locality which they have appropriated orappropriate. On the mountains which send down their waters to theTigris, we find warlike populations, who even thus early foreshadowthose world-conquerors and world-rulers, and in a campaign, prodigiousfor those times, give us a prelude of future achievements. ChedorLaomer, king of Elam, has already a mighty influence over his allies. Hereigns a long while; for twelve years before Abraham's arrival inCanaan, he had made all the people tributary to him as far as theJordan. They revolted at last, and the allies equipped for war. We findthem unawares upon a route by which, probably, Abraham also reachedCanaan. The people on the left and lower side of the Jordan weresubdued. Chedor Laomer directs his march southwards towards the peopleof the Desert; then, wending north, he smites the Amalekites; and, whenhe has also overcome the Amorites, he reaches Canaan, falls upon thekings of the valley of Siddim, smites and scatters them, and marcheswith great spoil up the Jordan, in order to extend his conquests as faras Lebanon. 

Among the captives, despoiled, and dragged along with their property, isLot, who shares the fate of the country in which he lives a guest. Abraham learns this, and here at once we behold the patriarch a warriorand hero. He hurriedly gathers his servants, divides them into troops, attacks and falls upon the luggage of booty, confuses the victors, whocould not suspect another enemy in the rear, and brings back his brotherand his goods, with a great deal more belonging to the conquered kings. Abraham, by means of this brief contest, acquires, as it were, the wholeland. To the inhabitants he appears as a protector, savior, and, by hisdisinterestedness, a king. Gratefully the kings of the valley receivehim; Melchisedek, the king and priest, with blessings. 

Now the prophecies of an endless posterity are renewed; nay, they take awider and wider scope. From the waters of the Euphrates to the river ofEgypt all the lands are promised him, but yet there seems a difficultywith respect to his next heirs. He is eighty years of age, and has noson. Sarai, less trusting in the heavenly powers than he, becomesimpatient: she desires, after the Oriental fashion, to have adescendant, by means of her maid. But no sooner is Hagar given up to themaster of the house, no sooner is there hope of a son, than dissensionsarise. The wife treats her own dependant ill enough, and Hagar flies toseek a happier position among other tribes. She returns, not without ahigher intimation, and Ishmael is born. 

Abraham is now ninety-nine years old, and the promises of a numerousposterity are constantly repeated: so that, in the end, the pair regardthem as ridiculous. And yet Sarai becomes at last pregnant, and bringsforth a son, to whom the name of Isaac is given. 

History, for the most part, rests upon the legitimate propagation of thehuman race. The most important events of the world require to be tracedto the secrets of families, and thus the marriages of the patriarchsgive occasion for peculiar considerations. It is as if the Divinity, wholoves to guide the destiny of mankind, wished to prefigure hereconnubial events of every kind. Abraham, so long united by childlessmarriage to a beautiful woman whom many coveted, finds himself, in hishundredth year, the husband of two women, the father of two sons; and atthis moment his domestic peace is broken. Two women, and two sons bydifferent mothers, cannot possibly agree. The party less favored by law, usage, and opinion must yield. Abraham must sacrifice his attachment toHagar and Ishmael. Both are dismissed; and Hagar is compelled now, against her will, to go upon a road which she once took in voluntaryflight, at first, it seems, to the destruction of herself and child; butthe angel of the Lord, who had before sent her back, now rescues heragain, that Ishmael also may become a great people, and that the mostimprobable of all promises may be fulfilled beyond its limits. 

Two parents in advanced years, and one son of their old age--here, atlast, one might expect domestic quiet and earthly happiness. By nomeans. Heaven is yet preparing the heaviest trial for the patriarch. Butof this we cannot speak without premising several considerations. 

If a natural universal religion was to arise, and a special revealed oneto be developed from it, the countries in which our imagination hashitherto lingered, the mode of life, the race of men, were the fittestfor the purpose. At least, we do not find in the whole world any thingequally favorable and encouraging. Even to natural religion, if weassume that it arose earlier in the human mind, there pertains much ofdelicacy of sentiment; for it rests upon the conviction of an universalprovidence, which conducts the order of the world as a whole. Aparticular religion, revealed by Heaven to this or that people, carrieswith it the belief in a special providence, which the Divine Beingvouchsafes to certain favored men, families, races, and people. Thisfaith seems to develop itself with difficulty from man's inward nature. It requires tradition, usage, and the warrant of a primitive time. 

Beautiful is it, therefore, that the Israelitish tradition representsthe very first men who confide in this particular providence as heroesof faith, following all the commands of that high Being on whom theyacknowledge themselves dependent, just as blindly as, undisturbed bydoubts, they are unwearied in awaiting the later fulfilments of hispromises. 

As a particular revealed religion rests upon the idea that one man maybe more favored by Heaven than another, so it also arises pre-eminentlyfrom the separation of classes. The first men appeared closely allied, but their employments soon divided them. The hunter was the freest ofall: from him was developed the warrior and the ruler. Those who tilledthe field bound themselves to the soil, erected dwellings and barns topreserve what they had gained, and could estimate themselves prettyhighly, because their condition promised durability and security. Theherdsman in his position seemed to have acquired the most unboundedcondition and unlimited property. The increase of herds proceededwithout end, and the space which was to support them widened itself onall sides. These three classes seemed from the very first to haveregarded each other with dislike and contempt; and as the herdsman wasan abomination to the townsman, so did he in turn separate from theother. The hunters vanish from our sight among the hills, and reappearonly as conquerors. 

The patriarchs belonged to the shepherd class. Their manner of life uponthe ocean of deserts and pastures gave breadth and freedom to theirminds; the vault of heaven, under which they dwelt, with all its nightlystars, elevated their feelings; and they, more than the active, skilfulhuntsman, or the secure, careful, householding husbandman, had need ofthe immovable faith that a God walked beside them, visited them, caredfor them, guided and saved them. 

We are compelled to make another reflection in passing to the rest ofthe history. Humane, beautiful, and cheering as the religion of thepatriarchs appears, yet traits of savageness and cruelty run through it, out of which man may emerge, or into which he may again be sunk. 

That hatred should seek to appease itself by the blood, by the death, ofthe conquered enemy, is natural; that men concluded a peace upon thebattle-field among the ranks of the slain may easily be conceived; thatthey should in like manner think to give validity to a contract by slainanimals, follows from the preceding. The notion also that slaincreatures could attract, propitiate, and gain over the gods, whom theyalways looked upon as partisans, either opponents or allies, is likewisenot at all surprising. But if we confine our attention to thesacrifices, and consider the way in which they were offered in thatprimitive time, we find a singular, and, to our notions, altogetherrepugnant, custom, probably derived from the usages of war; viz. , thatthe sacrificed animals of every kind, and whatever number was devoted, had to be hewn in two halves, and laid out on two sides: so that in thespace between them were those who wished to make a covenant with theDeity. 

Another dreadful feature wonderfully and portentously pervades that fairworld; namely, that whatever had been consecrated or vowed must die. This also was probably a usage of war transferred to peace. Theinhabitants of a city which forcibly defends itself are threatened withsuch a vow: it is taken by storm or otherwise. Nothing is left alive;men never: and often women, children, and even cattle, share a similarfate. Such sacrifices are rashly and superstitiously and with more orless distinctness promised to the gods; and those whom the votary wouldwillingly spare, even his nearest of kin, his own children, may thusbleed, the expiatory victims of such a delusion. 

In the mild and truly patriarchal character of Abraham, such a savagekind of worship could not arise; but the Godhead, [Footnote: It shouldbe observed, that in this biblical narrative, when we have used theexpressions, "Deity, " "Godhead, " or "Divinity, " Goethe generally has"die Götter, " or "the Gods. "--TRANS. ] which often, to tempt us, seems toput forth those qualities which man is inclined to assign to it, imposesa monstrous task upon him. He must offer up his son as a pledge of thenew covenant, and, if he follows the usage, not only kill and burn him, but cut him in two, and await between the smoking entrails a new promisefrom the benignant Deity. Abraham, blindly and without lingering, prepares to execute the command: to Heaven the will is sufficient. Abraham's trials are now at an end, for they could not be carriedfarther. But Sarai dies, and this gives Abraham an opportunity fortaking typical possession of the land of Canaan. He requires a grave, and this is the first time he looks out for a possession in this earth. He had before this probably sought out a twofold cave by the grove ofMamre. This he purchases, with the adjacent field; and the legal formwhich he observes on the occasion shows how important this possession isto him. Indeed, it was more so, perhaps, than he himself supposed: forthere he, his sons and his grandsons, were to rest; and by this meansthe proximate title to the whole land, as well as the everlasting desireof his posterity to gather themselves there, was most properly grounded. 

From this time forth the manifold incidents of the family life becomevaried. Abraham still keeps strictly apart from the inhabitants; andthough Ishmael, the son of an Egyptian woman, has married a daughter ofthat land, Isaac is obliged to wed a kinswoman of equal birth withhimself. 

Abraham despatches his servant to Mesopotamia, to the relatives whom hehad left behind there. The prudent Eleazer arrives unknown, and, inorder to take home the right bride, tries the readiness to serve of thegirls at the well. He asks to be permitted to drink; and Rebecca, unasked, waters his camels also. He gives her presents, he demands herin marriage, and his suit is not rejected. He conducts her to the homeof his lord, and she is wedded to Isaac. In this case, too, issue has tobe long expected. Rebecca is not blessed until after some years ofprobation; and the same discord, which, in Abraham's double marriage, arose through two mothers, here proceeds from one. Two boys of oppositecharacters wrestle already in their mother's womb. They come to light, the elder lively and vigorous, the younger gentle and prudent. Theformer becomes the father's, the latter the mother's, favorite. Thestrife for precedence, which begins even at birth, is ever going on. Esau is quiet and indifferent as to the birthright which fate has givenhim: Jacob never forgets that his brother forced him back. Watchingevery opportunity of gaining the desirable privilege, he buys thebirthright of his brother, and defrauds him of their father's blessing. Esau is indignant, and vows his brother's death: Jacob flees to seek hisfortune in the land of his forefathers. 

Now, for the first time, in so noble a family appears a member who hasno scruple in attaining by prudence and cunning the advantages whichnature and circumstances have denied him. It has often enough beenremarked and expressed, that the Sacred Scriptures by no means intend toset up any of the patriarchs and other divinely favored men as models ofvirtue. They, too, are persons of the most different characters, withmany defects and failings. But there is one leading trait, in which noneof these men after God's own heart can be wanting: that is, unshakenfaith that God has them and their families in his special keeping. 

General, natural religion, properly speaking, requires no faith; for thepersuasion that a great producing, regulating, and conducting Beingconceals himself, as it were, behind Nature, to make himselfcomprehensible to us--such a conviction forces itself upon every one. Nay, if we for a moment let drop this thread, which conducts us throughlife, it may be immediately and everywhere resumed. But it is differentwith a special religion, which announces to us that this Great Beingdistinctly and pre-eminently interests himself for one individual, onefamily, one people, one country. This religion is founded on faith, which must be immovable if it would not be instantly destroyed. Everydoubt of such a religion is fatal to it. One may return to conviction, but not to faith. Hence the endless probation, the delay in thefulfilment of so often repeated promises, by which the capacity forfaith in those ancestors is set in the clearest light. 

It is in this faith also that Jacob begins his expedition; and if, byhis craft and deceit, he has not gained our affections, he wins them byhis lasting and inviolable love for Rachel, whom he himself wooes on theinstant, as Eleazar had courted Rebecca for his father. In him thepromise of a countless people was first to be fully unfolded: he was tosee many sons around him, but through them and their mothers was toendure manifold sorrows of heart. 

Seven years he serves for his beloved, without impatience and withoutwavering. His father-in-law, crafty like himself, and disposed, likehim, to consider legitimate this means to an end, deceives him, and sorepays him for what he has done to his brother. Jacob finds in his armsa wife whom he does not love. Laban, indeed, endeavors to appease him, by giving him his beloved also after a short time, and this but on thecondition of seven years of further service. Vexation arises out ofvexation. The wife he does not love is fruitful: the beloved one bearsno children. The latter, like Sarai, desires to become a mother throughher handmaiden: the former grudges her even this advantage. She alsopresents her husband with a maid, but the good patriarch is now the mosttroubled man in the world. He has four women, children by three, andnone from her he loves. Finally she also is favored; and Joseph comesinto the world, the late fruit of the most passionate attachment. Jacob's fourteen years of service are over; but Laban is unwilling topart with him, his chief and most trusty servant. They enter into a newcompact, and portion the flocks between them. Laban retains the whiteones, as most numerous: Jacob has to put up with the spotted ones, asthe mere refuse. But he is able here, too, to secure his own advantage:and as by a paltry mess (/of pottage/) he had procured thebirthright, and, by a disguise, his father's blessing, he manages by artand sympathy to appropriate to himself the best and largest part of theherds; and on this side also he becomes the truly worthy progenitor ofthe people of Israel, and a model for his descendants. Laban and hishousehold remark the result, if not the stratagem. Vexation ensues:Jacob flees with his family and goods, and partly by fortune, partly bycunning, escapes the pursuit of Laban. Rachel is now about to presenthim another son, but dies in the travail; Benjamin, the child of sorrow, survives her; but the aged father is to experience a still greatersorrow from the apparent loss of his son Joseph. 

Perhaps some one may ask why I have so circumstantially narratedhistories so universally known, and so often repeated and explained. Letthe inquirer be satisfied with the answer, that I could in no other wayexhibit how, with my life full of diversion, and with my desultoryeducation, I concentrated my mind and feelings in quiet action on onepoint; that I was able in no other way to depict the peace thatprevailed about me, even when all without was so wild and strange. Whenan ever busy imagination, of which that tale may bear witness, led mehither and thither; when the medley of fable and history, mythology andreligion, threatened to bewilder me, --I liked to take refuge in thoseOriental regions, to plunge into the first books of Moses, and to findmyself there, amid the scattered shepherd-tribes, at the same time inthe greatest solitude and the greatest society. 

These family scenes, before they were to lose themselves in a history ofthe Jewish nation, show us now, in conclusion, a form by which the hopesand fancies of the young in particular are agreeably excited, --Joseph, the child of the most passionate wedded love. He seems to us tranquiland clear, and predicts to himself the advantages which are to elevatehim above his family. Cast into misfortune by his brothers, he remainssteadfast and upright in slavery, resists the most dangeroustemptations, rescues himself by prophecy, and is elevated according tohis deserts to high honors. He shows himself first serviceable anduseful to a great kingdom, then to his own kindred. He is like hisancestor Abraham in repose and greatness, his grandfather Isaac insilence and devotedness. The talent for traffic, inherited from hisfather, he exercises on a large scale. It is no longer flocks which aregained for himself from a father-in-law, but nations, with all theirpossessions, which he knows how to purchase for a king. Extremelygraceful is this natural story, only it appears too short; and one feelscalled upon to paint it in detail. 

Such a filling-up of biblical characters and events given only inoutline, was no longer strange to the Germans. The personages of boththe Old and New Testaments had received through Klopstock a tender andaffectionate nature, highly pleasing to the boy, as well as to many ofhis contemporaries. Of Bodmer's efforts in this line, little or nothingcame to him; but "Daniel in the Lion's Den, " by Moser, made a greatimpression on the young heart. In that work, a right-minded man ofbusiness, and courtier, arrives at high honors through manifoldtribulations; and the piety for which they threatened to destroy himbecame, early and late, his sword and buckler. It had long seemed to medesirable to work out the history of Joseph; but I could not get on withthe form, particularly as I was conversant with no kind of versificationwhich would have been adapted to such a work. But now I found atreatment of it in prose very suitable, and I applied all my strength toits execution. I now endeavored to discriminate and paint thecharacters, and, by the interpolation of incidents and episodes, to makethe old simple history a new and independent work. I did not consider, what, indeed, youth cannot consider, that subject-matter was necessaryto such a design, and that this could only arise by the perceptions ofexperience. Suffice it to say, that I represented to myself all theincidents down to the minutest details, and narrated them accurately tomyself in their succession. 

What greatly lightened this labor was a circumstance which threatened torender this work, and my authorship in general, exceedingly voluminous. A well-gifted young man, who, however, had become imbecile from over-exertion and conceit, resided as a ward in my father's house, livedquietly with the family, and, if allowed to go on in his usual way, wascontented and agreeable. He had, with great care, written out notes ofhis academical course, and acquired a rapid, legible hand. He liked toemploy himself in writing better than in any thing else, and was pleasedwhen something was given him to copy; but still more when he wasdictated to, because he then felt carried back to his happy academicalyears. To my father, who was not expeditious in writing, and whoseGerman letters were small and tremulous, nothing could be moredesirable; and he was consequently accustomed, in the conduct of his ownand other business, to dictate for some hours a day to this young man. Ifound it no less convenient, during the intervals, to see all thatpassed through my head fixed upon paper by the hand of another; and mynatural gift of feeling and imitation grew with the facility of catchingup and preserving. 

As yet, I had not undertaken any work so large as that biblical prose-epic. The times were tolerably quiet, and nothing recalled myimagination from Palestine and Egypt. Thus my manuscripts swelled moreand more every day, as the poem, which I recited to myself, as it were, in the air, stretched along the paper; and only a few pages from time totime needed to be re-written. 

When the work was done, --for, to my own astonishment, it really came toan end, --I reflected, that from former years many poems were extant, which did not even now appear to me utterly despicable, and which, ifwritten together in the same size with "Joseph, " would make a very neatquarto, to which the title "Miscellaneous Poems" might be given. I waspleased with this, as it gave me an opportunity of quietly imitatingwell-known and celebrated authors. I had composed a good number of so-called Anacreontic poems, which, on account of the convenience of themetre, and the lightness of the subject, flowed forth readily enough. But these I could not well take, as they were not in rhyme; and mydesire before all things was to show my father something that wouldplease him. So much the more, therefore, did the spiritual odes seemsuitable, which I had very zealously attempted in imitation of the "LastJudgment" of Elias Schlegel. One of these, written to celebrate thedescent of Christ into hell, received much applause from my parents andfriends, and had the good fortune to please myself for some yearsafterwards. The so-called texts of the Sunday church-music, which werealways to be had printed, I studied with diligence. They were, indeed, very weak; and I could well believe that my verses, of which I hadcomposed many in the prescribed manner, were equally worthy of being setto music, and performed for the edification of the congregation. These, and many like them, I had for more than a year before copied with my ownhand; because through this private exercise I was released from thecopies of the writing-master. Now all were corrected and put in order, and no great persuasion was needed to have them neatly copied by theyoung man who was so fond of writing. I hastened with them to the book-binder: and when, very soon after, I handed the nice-looking volume tomy father, he encouraged me with peculiar satisfaction to furnish asimilar quarto every year; which he did with the greater conviction, asI had produced the whole in my spare moments alone. 

Another circumstance increased my tendency to these theological, or, rather, biblical, studies. The senior of the ministry, John PhilipFresenius, a mild man, of handsome, agreeable appearance, who wasrespected by his congregation and the whole city as an exemplary pastorand good preacher, but who, because he stood forth against theHerrnhüters, was not in the best odor with the peculiarly pious; while, on the other hand, he had made himself famous, and almost sacred, withthe multitude, by the conversion of a free-thinking general who had beenmortally wounded, --this man died; and his successor, Plitt, a tall, handsome, dignified man, who brought from his /chair/ (he had beena professor in Marburg) the gift of teaching rather than of edifying, immediately announced a sort of religious course, to which his sermonswere to be devoted in a certain methodical connection. I had already, asI was compelled to go to church, remarked the distribution of thesubject, and could now and then show myself off by a pretty completerecitation of a sermon. But now, as much was said in the congregation, both for and against the new senior, and many placed no great confidencein his announced didactic sermons, I undertook to write them out morecarefully; and I succeeded the better from having made smaller attemptsin a seat very convenient for hearing, but concealed from sight. I wasextremely attentive and on the alert: the moment he said Amen, Ihastened from church, and spent a couple of hours in rapidly dictatingwhat I had fixed in my memory and on paper, so that I could hand in thewritten sermon before dinner. My father was very proud of this success;and the good friend of the family, who had just come in to dinner, alsoshared in the joy. Indeed, this friend was very well disposed towardsme, because I had made his "Messiah" so much my own, that in my repeatedvisits, paid to him with a view of getting impressions of seals for mycollection of coats-of-arms, I could recite long passages from it tillthe tears stood in his eyes. 

The next Sunday I prosecuted the work with equal zeal; and, as themechanical part of it mainly interested me, I did not reflect upon whatI wrote and preserved. During the first quarter these efforts may havecontinued pretty much the same; but as I fancied at last, in my self-conceit, that I found no particular enlightenment as to the Bible, norclearer insight into dogmas, the small vanity which was thus gratifiedseemed to me too dearly purchased for me to pursue the matter with thesame zeal. The sermons, once so many-leaved, grew more and more lean:and before long I should have relinquished this labor altogether, if myfather, who was a fast friend to completeness, had not, by words andpromises, induced me to persevere till the last Sunday in Trinity;though, at the conclusion, scarcely more than the text, the statement, and the divisions were scribbled on little pieces of paper. 

My father was particularly pertinacious on this point of completeness. What was once undertaken had to be finished, even if the inconvenience, tedium, vexation, nay, uselessness, of the thing begun were plainlymanifested in the mean time. It seemed as if he regarded completeness asthe only end, and perseverance as the only virtue. If in our familycircle, in the long winter evenings, we had begun to read a book aloud, we were compelled to finish, though we were all in despair about it, andmy father himself was the first to yawn. I still remember such a winter, when we had thus to work our way through Bower's "History of the Popes. "It was a terrible time, as little or nothing that occurs inecclesiastical affairs can interest children and young people. Still, with all my inattention and repugnance, so much of that reading remainedin my mind that I was able, in after times, to take up many threads ofthe narrative. 

Amid all these heterogeneous occupations and labors, which followed eachother so rapidly that one could hardly reflect whether they werepermissible and useful, my father did not lose sight of the main object. He endeavored to direct my memory and my talent for apprehending andcombining to objects of jurisprudence, and therefore gave me a smallbook by Hopp, in the shape of a catechism, and worked up according tothe form and substance of the institutions. I soon learned questions andanswers by heart, and could represent the catechist as well as thecatechumen; and, as in religious instruction at that time, one of thechief exercises was to find passages in the Bible as readily aspossible; so here a similar acquaintance with the "Corpus Juris" wasfound necessary, in which, also, I soon became completely versed. Myfather wished me to go on, and the little "Struve" was taken in hand;but here affairs did not proceed so rapidly. The form of the work wasnot so favorable for beginners, that they could help themselves on; norwas my father's method of illustration so liberal as greatly to interestme. 

Not only by the warlike state in which we lived for some years, but alsoby civil life itself, and the perusal of history and romances, was itmade clear to me that there were many cases in which the laws aresilent, and give no help to the individual, who must then see how to getout of the difficulty by himself. We had now reached the period when, according to the old routine, we were to learn, besides other things, fencing and riding, that we might guard our skins upon occasion, andpresent no pedantic appearance on horseback. As to the first, thepractice was very agreeable to us; for we had already, long ago, contrived to make broad-swords out of hazel-sticks, with basket-hiltsneatly woven of willow, to protect the hands. Now we might get realsteel blades, and the clash we made with them was very merry. 

There were two fencing-masters in the city: an old, earnest German, whowent to work in a severe and solid style; and a Frenchman, who sought togain his advantage by advancing and retreating, and by light, fugitivethrusts, which he always accompanied by cries. Opinions varied as towhose manner was the best. The little company with which I was to takelessons sided with the Frenchman; and we speedily accustomed ourselvesto move backwards and forwards, make passes and recover, always breakingout into the usual exclamations. But several of our acquaintance hadgone to the German teacher, and practised precisely the opposite. Thesedistinct modes of treating so important an exercise, the conviction ofeach that his master was the best, really caused a dissension among theyoung people, who were of about the same age: and the fencing-schoolsoccasioned serious battles, for there was almost as much fighting withwords as with swords; and, to decide the matter in the end, a trial ofskill between the two teachers was arranged, the consequences of which Ineed not circumstantially describe. The German stood in his positionlike a wall, watched his opportunity, and contrived to disarm hisopponent over and over again with his cut and thrust. The lattermaintained that this mattered not, and proceeded to exhaust the other'swind by his agility. He fetched the German several lunges too, which, however, if they had been in earnest, would have sent him into the nextworld. 

On the whole, nothing was decided or improved, except that some wentover to our countryman, of whom I was one. But I had already acquiredtoo much from the first master; and hence a considerable time elapsedbefore the new one could break me of it, who was altogether lesssatisfied with us renegades than with his original pupils. 

With riding I fared still worse. It happened that they sent me to thecourse in the autumn, so that I commenced in the cool and damp season. The pedantic treatment of this noble art was highly repugnant to me. From first to last, the whole talk was about sitting the horse: and yetno one could say in what a proper sitting consisted, though all dependedon that; for they went to and fro on the horse without stirrups. Moreover, the instruction seemed contrived only for cheating anddegrading the scholars. If one forgot to hook or loosen the curb-chain, or let his switch fall down, or even his hat, --every delay, everymisfortune, had to be atoned for by money; and one was laughed at intothe bargain. This put me in the worst of humors, particularly as I foundthe place of exercise itself quite intolerable. The wide, nasty space, either wet or dusty, the cold, the mouldy smell, all together was in thehighest degree repugnant to me; and since the stable-master always gavethe others the best and me the worst horses to ride, --perhaps becausethey bribed him by breakfasts and other gifts, or even by their owncleverness; since he kept me waiting, and, as it seemed, slighted me, --Ispent the most disagreeable hours in an employment that ought to havebeen the most pleasant in the world. Nay, the impression of that timeand of these circumstances has remained with me so vividly, thatalthough I afterwards became a passionate and daring rider, and for daysand weeks together scarcely got off my horse, I carefully shunnedcovered riding-courses, and at least passed only a few moments in them. The case often happens, that, when the elements of an exclusive art aretaught us, this is done in a painful and revolting manner. Theconviction that this is both wearisome and injurious has given rise, inlater times, to the educational maxim, that the young must be taughtevery thing in an easy, cheerful, and agreeable way: from which, however, other evils and disadvantages have proceeded. 

With the approach of spring, times became again more quiet with us; andif in earlier days I had endeavored to obtain a sight of the city, itsecclesiastical, civil, public, and private structures, and especiallyfound great delight in the still prevailing antiquities, I afterwardsendeavored, by means of "Lersner's Chronicle, " and other Frankfortianbooks and pamphlets belonging to my father, to revive the persons ofpast times. This seemed to me to be well attained by great attention tothe peculiarities of times and manners and of distinguished individuals. 

Among the ancient remains, that which, from my childhood, had beenremarkable to me, was the skull of a State criminal, fastened up on thetower of the bridge, who, out of three or four, as the naked iron spikesshowed, had, since 1616, been preserved in spite of the encroachments oftime and weather. Whenever one returned from Sachsenhausen to Frankfort, one had this tower before one; and the skull was directly in view. As aboy, I liked to hear related the history of these rebels, --Fettmilch andhis confederates, --how they had become dissatisfied with the governmentof the city, had risen up against it, plotted a mutiny, plundered theJews' quarter, and excited a fearful riot, but were at last captured, and condemned to death by a deputy of the emperor. Afterwards I feltanxious to know the most minute circumstance, and to hear what sort ofpeople they were. When from an old contemporary book, ornamented withwood-cuts, I learned, that, while these men had indeed been condemned todeath, many councillors had at the same time been deposed, becausevarious kinds of disorder and very much that was unwarrantable was thengoing on; when I heard the nearer particulars how all took place, --Ipitied the unfortunate persons who might be regarded as sacrifices madefor a future better constitution. For from that time was dated theregulation which allows the noble old house of Limpurg, the Frauenstein-house, sprung from a club, besides lawyers, trades-people, and artisans, to take part in a government, which, completed by a system of ballot, complicated in the Venetian fashion, and restricted by the civilcolleges, was called to do right, without acquiring any specialprivilege to do wrong. 

Among the things which excited the misgivings of the boy, and even ofthe youth, was especially the state of the Jewish quarter of the city(/Judenstadt/), properly called the Jew Street (/Judengasse/);as it consisted of little more than a single street, which in earlytimes may have been hemmed in between the walls and trenches of thetown, as in a prison (/Zwinger/). The closeness, the filth, thecrowd, the accent of an unpleasant language, altogether made a mostdisagreeable impression, even if one only looked in as one passed thegate. It was long before I ventured in alone; and I did not return therereadily, when I had once escaped the importunities of so many menunwearied in demanding and offering to traffic. At the same time, theold legends of the cruelty of the Jews towards Christian children, whichwe had seen hideously illustrated in "Gottfried's Chronicle, " hoveredgloomily before my young mind. And although they were thought better ofin modern times, the large caricature, still to be seen, to theirdisgrace, on an arched wall under the bridge-tower, bore extraordinarywitness against them; for it had been made, not through private ill-will, but by public order. 

However, they still remained the chosen people of God, and passed, nomatter how it came about, as a memorial of the most ancient times. Besides, they also were men, active and obliging; and, even to thetenacity with which they clung to their peculiar customs, one could notrefuse one's respect. The girls, moreover, were pretty, and were farfrom displeased when a Christian lad, meeting them on the sabbath in theFischerfeld, showed himself kindly and attentive. I was consequentlyextremely curious to become acquainted with their ceremonies. I did notdesist until I had frequently visited their school, had assisted at acircumcision and a wedding, and formed a notion of the Feast of theTabernacles. Everywhere I was well received, pleasantly entertained, andinvited to come again; for it was through persons of influence that Ihad been either introduced or recommended. 

Thus, as a young resident in a large city, I was thrown about from oneobject to another; and horrible scenes were not wanting in the midst ofthe municipal quiet and security. Sometimes a more or less remote firearoused us from our domestic peace: sometimes the discovery of a greatcrime, with its investigation and punishment, set the whole city in anuproar for many weeks. We were forced to be witnesses of differentexecutions; and it is worth remembering, that I was also once present atthe burning of a book. The publication was a French comic romance, whichindeed spared the State, but not religion and manners. There was reallysomething dreadful in seeing punishment inflicted on a lifeless thing. The packages burst asunder in the fire, and were raked apart by an oven-fork, to be brought in closer contact with the flames. It was not longbefore the kindled sheets were wafted about in the air, and the crowdcaught at them with eagerness. Nor could we rest until we had hunted upa copy, while not a few managed likewise to procure the forbiddenpleasure. Nay, if it had been done to give the author publicity, hecould not himself have made a more effectual provision. 

But there were also more peaceable inducements which took me about inevery part of the city. My father had early accustomed me to manage forhim his little affairs of business. He charged me particularly to stirup the laborers whom he set to work, as they commonly kept him waitinglonger than was proper; because he wished every thing done accurately, and was used in the end to lower the price for a prompt payment. In thisway, I gained access to all the workshops: and as it was natural to meto enter into the condition of others, to feel every species of humanexistence, and sympathize in it with pleasure, these commissions were tome the occasion of many most delightful hours; and I learned to knowevery one's method of proceeding, and what joy and sorrow, whatadvantages and hardships, were incident to the indispensable conditionsof this or that mode of life. I was thus brought nearer to that activeclass which connects the lower and upper classes. For if on the one sidestand those who are employed in the simple and rude products, and on theother those who desire to enjoy something that has been already workedup, the manufacturer, with his skill and hand, is the mediator throughwhom the other two receive something from each other: each is enabled togratify his wishes in his own way. The household economy of many crafts, which took its form and color from the occupation, was likewise anobject of my quiet attention; and thus was developed and strengthened inme the feeling of the equality, if not of all men, yet of all humanconditions, --the mere fact of existence seeming to me the main point, and all the rest indifferent and accidental. 

As my father did not readily permit himself an expense which would beconsumed at once in some momentary enjoyment, --as I can scarcely call tomind that we ever took a walk together, and spent any thing in a placeof amusement, --he was, on the other hand, not niggardly in procuringsuch things as had a good external appearance in addition to inwardvalue. No one could desire peace more than he, although he had not feltthe smallest inconvenience during the last days of the war. With thisfeeling, he had promised my mother a gold snuff-box, set with diamonds, which she was to receive as soon as peace should be publicly declared. In the expectation of the happy event, they had labored now for someyears on this present. The box, which was tolerably large, had beenexecuted in Hanau; for my father was on good terms with the gold-workersthere, as well as with the heads of the silk establishments. Manydesigns were made for it: the cover was adorned by a basket of flowers, over which hovered a dove with the olive-branch. A vacant space was leftfor the jewels, which were to be set partly in the dove and partly onthe spot where the box is usually opened. The jeweller, to whom theexecution and the requisite stones were intrusted, was named Lautensak, and was a brisk, skilful man, who, like many artists, seldom did whatwas necessary, but usually works of caprice, which gave him pleasure. The jewels were very soon set, in the shape in which they were to be putupon the box, on some black wax, and looked very well; but they wouldnot come off to be transferred to the gold. In the outset, my father letthe matter rest: but as the hope of peace became livelier, and finallywhen the stipulations, --particularly the elevation of the ArchdukeJoseph to the Roman throne, --seemed more precisely known, he grew moreand more impatient; and I had to go several times a week, nay, at last, almost daily, to visit the tardy artist. Owing to my unremitted teazingand exhortation, the work went on, though slowly enough; for, as it wasof that kind which can be taken in hand or laid aside at will, there wasalways something by which it was thrust out of the way, and put aside. 

The chief cause of this conduct, however, was a task which the artisthad undertaken on his own account. Everybody knew that the EmperorFrancis cherished a strong liking for jewels, and especially for coloredstones. Lautensak had expended a considerable sum, and, as it afterwardsturned out, larger than his means, on such gems, out of which he hadbegun to shape a nosegay, in which every stone was to be tastefullydisposed, according to its shape and color, and the whole form a work ofart worthy to stand in the treasure-vaults of an emperor. He had, in hisdesultory way, labored at it for many years, and now hastened--becauseafter the hoped-for peace the arrival of the emperor, for the coronationof his son, was expected in Frankfort--to complete it and finally to putit together. My desire to become acquainted with such things he usedvery dexterously to divert my attention by sending me forth as his dun, and to turn me away from my intention. He strove to impart a knowledgeof these stones to me, and made me attentive to their properties andvalue; so that in the end I knew his whole bouquet by heart, and quiteas well as he could have demonstrated its virtues to a customer. It iseven now present to my mind; and I have since seen more costly, but notmore graceful, specimens of show and magnificence in this sort. Hepossessed, moreover, a pretty collection of engravings, and other worksof art, with which he liked to amuse himself; and I passed many hourswith him, not without profit. Finally, when the Congress of Hubertsburgwas finally fixed, he did for my sake more than was due; and the doveand flowers actually reached my mother's hands on the festival incelebration of the peace. 

I then received also many similar commissions to urge on painters withrespect to pictures which had been ordered. My father had confirmedhimself in the notion--and few men were free from it--that a picturepainted on wood was greatly to be preferred to one that was merely puton canvas. It was therefore his great care to possess good oak boards, of every shape; because he well knew that just on this important pointthe more careless artists trusted to the joiners. The oldest planks werehunted up, the joiners were obliged to go accurately to work withgluing, painting, and arranging; and they were then kept for years in anupper room, where they could be sufficiently dried. A precious board ofthis kind was intrusted to the painter Junker, who was to represent onit an ornamental flower-pot, with the most important flowers drawn afternature in his artistic and elegant manner. It was just about the spring-time; and I did not fail to take him several times a week the mostbeautiful flowers that fell in my way, which he immediately put in, andby degrees composed the whole out of these elements with the utmost careand fidelity. On one occasion I had caught a mouse, which I took to him, and which he desired to copy as a very pretty animal; nay, reallyrepresented it, as accurately as possible, gnawing an ear of corn at thefoot of the flower-pot. Many such inoffensive natural objects, such asbutterflies and chafers, were brought in and represented; so thatfinally, as far as imitation and execution were concerned, a highlyvaluable picture was put together. 

Hence I was not a little astonished when the good man formally declaredone day, when the work was just about to be delivered, that the pictureno longer pleased him, --since, while it had turned out quite well in itsdetails, it was not well composed as a whole, because it had beenproduced in this gradual manner; and he had committed a blunder at theoutset, in not at least devising a general plan for light and shade, aswell as for color, according to which the single flowers might have beenarranged. He scrutinized, in my presence, the minutest parts of thepicture, which had arisen before my eyes during six months, and hadpleased me in many respects, and, much to my regret, managed tothoroughly convince me. Even the copy of the mouse he regarded as amistake; for many persons, he said, have a sort of horror of suchanimals: and they should not be introduced where the object is to excitepleasure. As it commonly happens with those who are cured of aprejudice, and think themselves much more knowing than they were before, I now had a real contempt for this work of art, and agreed perfectlywith the artist when he caused to be prepared another tablet of the samesize, on which, according to his taste, he painted a better-formedvessel and a more artistically arranged nosegay, and also managed toselect and distribute the little living accessories in an ornamental andagreeable way. This tablet also he painted with the greatest care, though altogether after the former copied one, or from memory, which, through a very long and assiduous practice, came to his aid. Bothpaintings were now ready; and we were thoroughly delighted with thelast, which was certainly the more artistic and striking of the two. Myfather was surprised with two pictures instead of one, and to him thechoice was left. He approved of our opinion, and of the reasons for it, and especially of our good will and activity; but, after consideringboth pictures some days, decided in favor of the first, without sayingmuch about the motives of his choice. The artist, in an ill humor, tookback his second well-meant picture, and could not refrain from theremark that the good oaken tablet on which the first was painted hadcertainly had its effect on my father's decision. 

Now that I am again speaking of painting, I am reminded of a largeestablishment, where I passed much time, because both it and itsmanagers especially attracted me. It was the great oil-cloth factorywhich the painter Nothnagel had erected, --an expert artist, but one whoby his mode of thought inclined more to manufacture than to art. In avery large space of courts and gardens, all sorts of oil-cloths weremade, from the coarsest, that are spread with a trowel, and used forbaggage-wagons and similar purposes, and the carpets impressed withfigures, to the finer and the finest, on which sometimes Chinese andgrotesque, sometimes natural flowers, sometimes figures, sometimeslandscapes, were represented by the pencils of accomplished workmen. This multiplicity, to which there was no end, amused me vastly. Theoccupation of so many men, from the commonest labor to that in which acertain artistic worth could not be denied, was to me extremelyattractive. I made the acquaintance of this multitude of younger andolder men, working in several rooms one behind the other, andoccasionally lent a hand myself. The sale of these commodities wasextraordinarily brisk. Whoever at that time was building or furnishing ahouse, wished to provide for his lifetime; and this oil-cloth carpetingwas certainly quite indestructible. Nothnagel had enough to do inmanaging the whole, and sat in his office surrounded by factors andclerks. The remainder of his time he employed in his collection of worksof art, consisting chiefly of engravings, in which, as well as in thepictures he possessed, he traded occasionally. At the same time he hadacquired a taste for etching: he etched a variety of plates, andprosecuted this branch of art even into his latest years. 

As his dwelling lay near the Eschenheim gate, my way when I had visitedhim led me out of the city to some pieces of ground which my fatherowned beyond the gates. One was a large orchard, the soil of which wasused as a meadow, and in which my father carefully attended thetransplanting of trees, and whatever else pertained to theirpreservation; though the ground itself was leased. Still more occupationwas furnished by a very well-preserved vineyard beyond the Friedberggate, where, between the rows of vines, rows of asparagus were plantedand tended with great care. Scarcely a day passed in the fine season inwhich my father did not go there; and as on these occasions we mightgenerally accompany him, we were provided with joy and delight from theearliest productions of spring to the last of autumn. We now alsoacquired a knowledge of gardening matters, which, as they were repeatedevery year, became in the end perfectly known and familiar to us. But, after the manifold fruits of summer and autumn, the vintage at last wasthe most lively and the most desirable; nay, there is no question, thatas wine gives a freer character to the very places and districts whereit is grown and drunk, so also do these vintage-days, while they closesummer and at the same time open the winter, diffuse an incrediblecheerfulness. Joy and jubilation pervade a whole district. In thedaytime, huzzas and shoutings are heard from every end and corner; andat night rockets and fire-balls, now here, now there, announce that thepeople, everywhere awake and lively, would willingly make this festivallast as long as possible. The subsequent labor at the wine-press, andduring the fermentation in the cellar, gave us also a cheerfulemployment at home; and thus we ordinarily reached winter without beingproperly aware of it. 

These rural possessions delighted us so much the more in the spring of1763, as the 15th of February in that year was celebrated as a festivalday, on account of the conclusion of the Hubertsberg peace, under thehappy results of which the greater part of my life was to flow away. But, before I go farther, I think I am bound to mention some men whoexerted an important influence on my youth. 

Von Olenschlager, a member of the Frauenstein family, a Schöff, and son-in-law of the above-mentioned Dr. Orth, a handsome, comfortable, sanguine man. In his official holiday costume he could well havepersonated the most important French prelate. After his academicalcourse, he had employed himself in political and state affairs, anddirected even his travels to that end. He greatly esteemed me, and oftenconversed with me on matters which chiefly interested him. I was withhim when he wrote his "Illustration of the Golden Bull, " when he managedto explain to me very clearly the worth and dignity of that document. Myimagination was led back by it to those wild and unquiet times; so thatI could not forbear representing what he related historically, as if itwere present, by pictures of characters and circumstances, and often bymimicry. In this he took great delight, and by his applause excited meto repetition. 

I had from childhood the singular habit of always learning by heart thebeginnings of books, and the divisions of a work, first of the fivebooks of Moses, and then of the "Aeneid" and Ovid's "Metamorphoses. " Inow did the same thing with the "Golden Bull, " and often provoked mypatron to a smile, when I quite seriously and unexpectedly exclaimed, "/Omne regnum in se divisum desolabitur; nam principes ejus facti suntsocii furum. /" [Footnote: Every kingdom divided against itself shallbe brought to desolation, for the princes thereof have become theassociates of robbers. --TRANS. ] The knowing man shook his head, smiling, and said doubtingly, "What times those must have been, when, at a granddiet, the emperor had such words published in the face of his princes!"

There was a great charm in Von Olenschlager's society. He receivedlittle company, but was strongly inclined to intellectual amusement, andinduced us young people from time to time to perform a play; for suchexercises were deemed particularly useful to the young. We acted"Canute" by Schlegel, in which the part of the king was assigned to me, Elfrida to my sister, and Ulfo to the younger son of the family. We thenventured on the "Britannicus;" [Footnote: Racine's tragedy. --TRANS. ]for, besides our dramatic talents, we were to bring the language intopractice. I took Nero, my sister Agrippina, and the younger sonBritannicus. We were more praised than we deserved, and fancied we haddone it even beyond the amount of praise. Thus I stood on the best termswith this family, and have been indebted to them for many pleasures anda speedier development. 

Von Reineck, of an old patrician family, able, honest, but stubborn, ameagre, swarthy man, whom I never saw smile. The misfortune befell himthat his only daughter was carried off by a friend of the family. Hepursued his son-in-law with the most vehement prosecution: and becausethe tribunals, with their formality, were neither speedy nor sharpenough to gratify his desire of vengeance, he fell out with them; andthere arose quarrel after quarrel, suit after suit. He retiredcompletely into his own house and its adjacent garden, lived in aspacious but melancholy lower room, into which for many years no brushof a whitewasher, and perhaps scarcely the broom of a maid-servant, hadfound its way. He was very fond of me, and had especially commended tome his younger son. He many times asked his oldest friends, who knew howto humor him, his men of business and agents, to dine with him, and onthese occasions never omitted inviting me. There was good eating andbetter drinking at his house. But a large stove, that let out the smokefrom many cracks, caused his guests the greatest pain. One of the mostintimate of these once ventured to remark upon this, by asking the hostwhether he could put up with such an inconvenience all the winter. Heanswered, like a second Timon or Heautontimoroumenos, "Would to God thiswas the greatest evil of those which torment me!" It was long before heallowed himself to be persuaded to see his daughter and grandson. Theson-in-law never again dared to come into his presence. 

On this excellent but unfortunate man my visits had a very favorableeffect; for while he liked to converse with me, and particularlyinstructed me on world and state affairs, he seemed to feel himselfrelieved and cheered. The few old friends who still gathered round him, often, therefore, made use of me when they wished to soften his peevishhumor, and persuade him to any diversion. He now really rode out with usmany times, and again contemplated the country, on which he had not castan eye for so many years. He called to mind the old landowners, and toldstories of their characters and actions, in which he showed himselfalways severe, but often cheerful and witty. We now tried also to bringhim again among other men, which, however, nearly turned out badly. 

About the same age, if indeed not older, was one Herr Von Malapert, arich man, who possessed a very handsome house by the horse-market, andderived a good income from salt-pits. He also lived quite secluded; butin summer he was a great deal in his garden, near the Bockenheim gate, where he watched and tended a very fine plot of pinks. 

Von Reineck was likewise an amateur of pinks: the season of floweringhad come, and suggestions were made as to whether these two could notvisit each other. We introduced the matter, and persisted in it; till atlast Von Reineck resolved to go out with us one Sunday afternoon. Thegreeting of the two old gentlemen was very laconic, indeed almostpantomimic; and they walked up and down by the long pink frames withtrue diplomatic strides. The display was really extraordinarilybeautiful: and the particular forms and colors of the different flowers, the advantages of one over the other, and their rarity, gave at lastoccasion to a sort of conversation which appeared to get quite friendly;at which we others rejoiced the more because we saw the most preciousold Rhine wine in cut decanters, fine fruits, and other good thingsspread upon a table in a neighboring bower. But these, alas! we were notto enjoy. For Von Reineck unfortunately saw a very fine pink with itshead somewhat hanging down: he therefore took the stalk near the calyxvery cautiously between his fore and middle fingers, and lifted theflower so that he could well inspect it. But even this gentle handlingvexed the owner. Von Malapert courteously, indeed, but stiffly enough, and somewhat self-complacently, reminded him of the /Oculis, nonmanibus/. [Footnote: Eyes, not hands. --TRANS. ] Von Reineck had alreadylet go the flower, but at once took fire at the words, and said in hisusual dry, serious manner, that it was quite consistent with an amateurto touch and examine them in such a manner. Whereupon he repeated theact, and took the flower again between his fingers. The friends of bothparties--for Von Malapert also had one present--were now in the greatestperplexity. They set one hare to catch another (that was our proverbialexpression, when a conversation was to be interrupted, and turned toanother subject), but it would not do; the old gentleman had becomequite silent: and we feared every moment that Von Reineck would repeatthe act, when it would be all over with us. The two friends kept theirprincipals apart by occupying them, now here, now there, and at last wefound it most expedient to make preparation for departure. Thus, alas!we were forced to turn our backs on the inviting side-board, yetunenjoyed. 

Hofrath Huesgen, not born in Frankfort, of the Reformed [Footnote: Thatis to say, he was a Calvinist, as distinguished from a Lutheran. --TRANS. ] religion, and therefore incapable of public office, includingthe profession of advocate, which, however, because much confidence wasplaced in him as an excellent jurist, he managed to exercise quietly, both in the Frankfort and the imperial courts, under assumed signatures, was already sixty years old when I took writing-lessons with his son, and so came into his house. His figure was tall without being thin, andbroad without corpulency. You could not look, for the first time, on hisface, which was not only disfigured by small-pox, but deprived of aneye, without apprehension. He always wore on his bald head a perfectlywhite bell-shaped cap, tied at the top with a ribbon. His morning-gowns, of calamanco or damask, were always very clean. He dwelt in a verycheerful suite of rooms on the ground-floor by the /Allée/, and theneatness of every thing about him corresponded with this cheerfulness. The perfect arrangement of his papers, books, and maps produced afavorable impression. His son, Heinrich Sebastian, afterwards known byvarious writings on art, gave little promise in his youth. Good-naturedbut dull, not rude but blunt, and without any special liking forinstruction, he rather sought to avoid the presence of his father, as hecould get all he wanted from his mother. I, on the other hand, grew moreand more intimate with the old man, the more I knew of him. As heattended only to important cases, he had time enough to occupy and amusehimself in another manner. I had not long frequented his house, andheard his doctrines, before I could well perceive that he stood inopposition to God and the world. One of his favorite books was "Agrippade Vanitate Scientiarum, " which he especially commended to me, and soset my young brains in a considerable whirl for a long time. In thehappiness of youth I was inclined to a sort of optimism, and had againpretty well reconciled myself with God or the gods; for the experienceof a series of years had taught me that there was much to counterbalanceevil, that one can well recover from misfortune, and that one may besaved from dangers and need not always break one's neck. I looked withtolerance, too, on what men did and pursued, and found many thingsworthy of praise which my old gentleman could not by any means abide. Indeed, once when he had sketched the world to me, rather from thedistorted side, I observed from his appearance that he meant to closethe game with an important trump-card. He shut tight his blind left eye, as he was wont to do in such cases, looked sharp out of the other, andsaid in a nasal voice, "Even in God I discover defects. "

My Timonic mentor was also a mathematician; but his practical turn drovehim to mechanics, though he did not work himself. A clock, wonderfulindeed in those days, which indicated, not only the days and hours, butthe motions of the sun and moon, he caused to be made according to hisown plan. On Sunday, about ten o'clock in the morning, he always woundit up himself; which he could do the more regularly, as he never went tochurch. I never saw company nor guests at his house; and only twice inten years do I remember to have seen him dressed, and walking out ofdoors. 

My various conversations with these men were not insignificant, and eachof them influenced me in his own way. From every one I had as muchattention as his own children, if not more; and each strove to increasehis delight in me as in a beloved son, while he aspired to mould me intohis moral counterpart. Olenschlager would have made me a courtier, VonReineck a diplomatic man of business: both, the latter particularly, sought to disgust me with poetry and authorship. Huisgen wished me to bea Timon after his fashion, but, at the same time, an able jurisconsult, --a necessary profession, as he thought, with which one could, in aregular manner, defend one's self and friends against the rabble ofmankind, succor the oppressed, and, above all, pay off a rogue; thoughthe last is neither especially practicable nor advisable. 

But if I liked to be at the side of these men to profit by theircounsels and directions, younger persons, only a little older thanmyself, roused me to immediate emulation. I name here, before allothers, the brothers Schlosser and Griesbach. But as, subsequently, there arose between us greater intimacy, which lasted for many yearsuninterruptedly, I will only say, for the present, that they were thenpraised as being distinguished in languages, and other studies whichopened the academical course, and held up as models, and that everybodycherished the certain expectation that they would once do somethinguncommon in church and state. 

With respect to myself, I also had it in my mind to produce somethingextraordinary; but in what it was to consist was not clear. But as weare apt to look rather to the reward which may be received than to themerit which is to be acquired; so, I do not deny, that if I thought of adesirable piece of good fortune, it appeared to me most fascinating inthe shape of that laurel garland which is woven to adorn the poet. 

 FIFTH BOOK. 

Every bird has its decoy, and every man is led and misled in a waypeculiar to himself. Nature, education, circumstances, and habit kept meapart from all that was rude; and though I often came into contact withthe lower classes of people, particularly mechanics, no close connectiongrew out of it. I had indeed boldness enough to undertake somethinguncommon and perhaps dangerous, and many times felt disposed to do so;but I was without the handle by which to grasp and hold it. 

Meanwhile I was quite unexpectedly involved in an affair which broughtme near to a great hazard, and at least for a long time into perplexityand distress. The good terms on which I before stood with the boy whom Ihave already named Pylades was maintained up to the time of my youth. Weindeed saw each other less often, because our parents did not stand onthe best footing with each other; but, when we did meet, the oldraptures of friendship broke out immediately. Once we met in the alleyswhich offer a very agreeable walk between the outer and inner gate ofSaint Gallus. We had scarcely returned greetings when he said to me, "Ihold to the same opinion as ever about your verses. Those which yourecently communicated to me, I read aloud to some pleasant companions;and not one of them will believe that you have made them. "--"Let itpass, " I answered: "we will make and enjoy them, and the others maythink and say of them what they please. "

"There comes the unbeliever now, " added my friend. "We will not speak ofit, " I replied: "what is the use of it? one cannot convert them. "--"Byno means, " said my friend: "I cannot let the affair pass off in thisway. "

After a short, insignificant conversation, my young comrade, who was buttoo well disposed towards me, could not suffer the matter to drop, without saying to the other, with some resentment, "Here is my friendwho made those pretty verses, for which you will not give him credit!"--"He will certainly not take it amiss, " answered the other; "for we dohim an honor when we suppose that more learning is required to make suchverses than one of his years can possess. " I replied with somethingindifferent; but my friend continued, "It will not cost much labor toconvince you. Give him any theme, and he will make you a poem on thespot. " I assented; we were agreed; and the other asked me whether Iwould venture to compose a pretty love-letter in rhyme, which a modestyoung woman might be supposed to write to a young man, to declare herinclination. "Nothing is easier than that, " I answered, "if I only hadwriting materials. " He pulled out his pocket almanac, in which therewere a great many blank leaves; and I sat down upon a bench to write. They walked about in the mean while, but always kept me in sight. Iimmediately brought the required situation before my mind, and thoughthow agreeable it must be if some pretty girl were really attached to me, and would reveal her sentiments to me, either in prose or verse. Itherefore began my declaration with delight, and in a little whileexecuted it in a flowing measure, between doggerel and madrigal, withthe greatest possible /naiveté/, and in such a way that the scepticwas overcome with admiration, and my friend with delight. The request ofthe former to possess the poem I could the less refuse, as it waswritten in his almanac; and I liked to see the documentary evidence ofmy capabilities in his hands. He departed with many assurances ofadmiration and respect, and wished for nothing more than that we shouldoften meet; so we settled soon to go together into the country. 

Our excursion actually took place, and was joined by several more youngpeople of the same rank. They were men of the middle, or, if you please, of the lower, class, who were not wanting in brains, and who, moreover, as they had gone through school, were possessed of various knowledge anda certain degree of culture. In a large, rich city, there are many modesof gaining a livelihood. These eked out a living by copying for thelawyers, and by advancing the children of the lower order more than isusual in common schools. With grown-up children, who were about to beconfirmed, they went through the religious courses; then, again, theyassisted factors and merchants in some way, and were thus enabled toenjoy themselves frugally in the evenings, and particularly on Sundaysand festivals. 

On the way there, while they highly extolled my love-letter, theyconfessed to me that they had made a very merry use of it; viz. , that ithad been copied in a feigned hand, and, with a few pertinent allusions, had been sent to a conceited young man, who was now firmly persuadedthat a lady to whom he had paid distant court was excessively enamoredof him, and sought an opportunity for closer acquaintance. They at thesame time told me in confidence, that he desired nothing more now thanto be able to answer her in verse; but that neither he nor they wereskilful enough, so that they earnestly solicited me to compose the much-desired reply. 

Mystifications are and will continue to be an amusement for idle people, whether more or less ingenious. A venial wickedness, a self-complacentmalice, is an enjoyment for those who have neither resources inthemselves nor a wholesome external activity. No age is quite exemptfrom such pruriences. We had often tricked each other in our childishyears: many sports turn upon mystification and trick. The present jestdid not seem to me to go farther: I gave my consent. They imparted to memany particulars which the letter ought to contain, and we brought ithome already finished. 

A little while afterwards I was urgently invited, through my friend, totake part in one of the evening-feasts of that society. The lover, hesaid, was willing to bear the expense on this occasion, and desiredexpressly to thank the friend who had shown himself so excellent apoetical secretary. 

We came together late enough, the meal was most frugal, the winedrinkable; while, as for the conversation, it turned almost entirely onjokes upon the young man, who was present, and certainly not verybright, and who, after repeated readings of the letter, almost believedthat he had written it himself. 

My natural good nature would not allow me to take much pleasure in sucha malicious deception, and the repetition of the same subject soondisgusted me. I should certainly have passed a tedious evening, if anunexpected apparition had not revived me. On our arrival we found thetable already neatly and orderly set, and sufficient wine served on it:we sat down and remained alone, without requiring further service. Asthere was, however, a scarcity of wine at last, one of them called forthe maid; but, instead of the maid, there came in a girl of uncommon, and, when one saw her with all around her, of incredible, beauty. "Whatdo you desire?" she asked, after having cordially wished us a good-evening: "the maid is ill in bed. Can I serve you?"--"The wine is out, "said one: "if you would fetch us a few bottles, it would be very kind. "--"Do it, Gretchen, " [Footnote: The diminutive of Margaret. --TRANS. ] saidanother: "it is but a cat's leap from here. "--"Why not?" she answered;and, taking a few empty bottles from the table, she hastened out. Herform, as seen from behind, was almost more elegant. The little cap satso neatly upon her little head, which a slender throat united verygracefully to her neck and shoulders. Every thing about her seemedchoice; and one could survey her whole form the more at ease, as one'sattention was no more exclusively attracted and fettered by the quiet, honest eyes and lovely mouth. I reproved my comrades for sending thegirl out alone at night, but they only laughed at me; and I was soonconsoled by her return, as the publican lived only just across the way. "Sit down with us, in return, " said one. She did so; but, alas! she didnot come near me. She drank a glass to our health, and speedilydeparted, advising us not to stay very long together, and not to be sonoisy, as her mother was just going to bed. It was not, however, her ownmother, but the mother of our hosts. 

The form of that girl followed me from that moment on every path; it wasthe first durable impression which a female being had made upon me: andas I could find no pretext to see her at home, and would not seek one, Iwent to church for love of her, and had soon traced out where she sat. Thus, during the long Protestant service, I gazed my fill at her. Whenthe congregation left the church, I did not venture to accost her, muchless to accompany her, and was perfectly delighted if she seemed to haveremarked me and to have returned my greeting with a nod. Yet I was notlong denied the happiness of approaching her. They had persuaded thelover, whose poetical secretary I had been, that the letter written inhis name had been actually despatched to the lady, and had strained tothe utmost his expectations that an answer must come soon. This, also, Iwas to write; and the waggish company entreated me earnestly, throughPylades, to exert all my wit and employ all my art, in order that thispiece might be quite elegant and perfect. 

In the hope of again seeing my beauty, I immediately set to work, andthought of every thing that would be in the highest degree pleasing ifGretchen were writing it to me. I thought I had composed every thing socompletely according to her form, her nature, her manner, and her mind, that I could not refrain from wishing that it were so in reality, andlost myself in rapture at the mere thought that something similar couldbe sent from her to me. Thus I mystified myself, while I intended toimpose upon another; and much joy and much trouble was yet to arise outof the affair. When I was once more summoned, I had finished, promisedto come, and did not fail at the appointed hour. There was only one ofthe young people at home; Gretchen sat at the window spinning; themother was going to and fro. The young man desired that I should read itover to him: I did so, and read, not without emotion, as I glanced overthe paper at the beautiful girl; and when I fancied that I remarked acertain uneasiness in her deportment, and a gentle flush on her cheeks, I uttered better and with more animation that which I wished to hearfrom herself. The lover, who had often interrupted me withcommendations, at last entreated me to make some alterations. Theseaffected some passages which indeed were rather suited to the conditionof Gretchen than to that of the lady, who was of a good family, wealthy, and known and respected in the city. After the young man had designatedthe desired changes, and had brought me an inkstand, but had taken leavefor a short time on account of some business, I remained sitting on thebench against the wall, behind the large table, and essayed thealterations that were to be made, on the large slate, which almostcovered the whole table, with a pencil that always lay in the window;because upon this slate reckonings were often made, and variousmemoranda noted down, and those coming in or going out even communicatedwith each other. 

I had for a while written different things and rubbed them out again, when I exclaimed impatiently, "It will not do!"--"So much the better, "said the dear girl in a grave tone: "I wished that it might not do! Youshould not meddle in such matters. " She arose from the distaff, and, stepping towards the table, gave me a severe lecture, with a great dealof good sense and kindliness. "The thing seems an innocent jest: it is ajest, but it is not innocent. I have already lived to see several cases, in which our young people, for the sake of such mere mischief, havebrought themselves into great difficulty. "--"But what shall I do?" Iasked: "the letter is written, and they rely upon me to alter it. "--"Trust me, " she replied, "and do not alter it; nay, take it back, put itin your pocket, go away, and try to make the matter straight throughyour friend. I will also put in a word; for look you, though I am a poorgirl, and dependent upon these relations, --who indeed do nothing bad, though they often, for the sake of sport or profit, undertake a gooddeal that is rash, --I have resisted them, and would not copy the firstletter, as they requested. They transcribed it in a feigned hand; and, if it is not otherwise, so may they also do with this. And you, a youngman of good family, rich, independent, why will you allow yourself to beused as a tool in a business which can certainly bring no good to you, and may possibly bring much that is unpleasant? "It made me very happyto hear her speak thus continuously, for generally she introduced butfew words into conversation. My liking for her grew incredibly. I wasnot master of myself, and replied, "I am not so independent as yousuppose; and of what use is wealth to me, when the most precious thing Ican desire is wanting?"

She had drawn my sketch of the poetic epistle towards her, and read ithalf aloud in a sweet and graceful manner. 

"That is very pretty, " said she, stopping at a sort of /naïve/point; "but it is a pity that it is not destined for a real purpose. "--"That were indeed very desirable, " I cried; "and, oh! how happy must hebe, who receives from a girl he infinitely loves, such an assurance ofher affection. "--"There is much required for that, " she answered, "andyet many things are possible. "--"For example, " I continued, "if any onewho knew, prized, honored, and adored you, laid such a paper before you, what would you do?" I pushed the paper nearer to her, which she hadpreviously pushed back to me. She smiled, reflected for a moment, tookthe pen, and subscribed her name. I was beside myself with rapture, jumped up, and was going to embrace her. "No kissing!" said she, "thatis so vulgar; but let us love if we can. " I had taken up the paper, andthrust it into my pocket. "No one shall ever get it, " said I: "theaffair is closed. You have saved me. "--"Now complete the salvation, " sheexclaimed, "and hurry off, before the others arrive, and you fall intotrouble and embarrassment!" I could not tear myself away from her; butshe asked me in so kindly a manner, while she took my right hand in bothof hers, and lovingly pressed it! The tears stood in my eyes: I thoughthers looked moist. I pressed my face upon her hands, and hastened away. Never in my life had I found myself in such perplexity. 

The first propensities to love in an uncorrupted youth take altogether aspiritual direction. Nature seems to desire that one sex may by thesenses perceive goodness and beauty in the other. And thus to me, by thesight of this girl, --by my strong inclination for her, --a new world ofthe beautiful and the excellent had arisen. I perused my poeticalepistle a hundred times, gazed at the signature, kissed it, pressed itto my heart, and rejoiced in this amiable confession. But the more mytransports increased, the more did it pain me not to be able to visither immediately, and to see and converse with her again; for I dreadedthe reproofs and importunities of her cousins. The good Pylades, whomight have arranged the affair, I could not contrive to meet. The nextSunday, therefore, I set out for Niederrad, where these associatesgenerally used to go, and actually found them there. I was, however, greatly surprised, when, instead of behaving in a cross, distant manner, they came up to me with joyful countenances. The youngest particularlywas very kind, took me by the hand, and said, "You have lately played usa sorry trick, and we were very angry with you; but your absconding andtaking away the poetical epistle has suggested a good thought to us, which otherwise might never have occurred. By way of atonement, you maytreat us to-day; and you shall learn at the same time the notion wehave, which will certainly give you pleasure. " This harangue caused meno small embarrassment, for I had about me only money enough to regalemyself and a friend: but to treat a whole company, and especially onewhich did not always stop at the right time, I was by no means prepared;nay, the proposal astonished me the more, as they had always insisted, in the most honorable manner, that each one should pay only his ownshare. They smiled at my distress; and the youngest proceeded, "Let usfirst take a seat in the bower, and then you shall learn more. " We satdown; and he said, "When you had taken the love-letter with you, wetalked the whole affair over again, and came to a conclusion that we hadgratuitously misused your talent to the vexation of others and our owndanger, for the sake of a mere paltry love of mischief, when we couldhave employed it to the advantage of all of us. See, I have here anorder for a wedding-poem, as well as for a dirge. The second must beready immediately, the other can wait a week. Now, if you make these, which is easy for you, you will treat us twice; and we shall long remainyour debtors. " This proposal pleased me in every respect; for I hadalready in my childhood looked with a certain envy on the occasionalpoems, [Footnote: That is to say, a poem written for a certain occasion, as a wedding, funeral, etc. The German word is/Gelegenheitsgedicht/. "--TRANS. ]--of which then several circulatedevery week, and at respectable marriages especially came to light by thedozen, --because I thought I could make such things as well, nay, betterthan others. Now an opportunity was offered me to show myself, andespecially to see myself in print. I did not appear disinclined. Theyacquainted me with the personal particulars and the position of thefamily: I went somewhat aside, made my plan, and produced some stanzas. However, when I returned to the company, and the wine was not spared, the poem began to halt; and I could not deliver it that evening. "Thereis still time till to-morrow evening, " they said; "and we will confessto you that the fee which we receive for the dirge is enough to get usanother pleasant evening to-morrow. Come to us; for it is but fair thatGretchen, too, should sup with us, as it was she properly who gave usthe notion. " My joy was unspeakable. On my way home I had only theremaining stanzas in my head, wrote down the whole before I went tosleep, and the next morning made a very neat, fair copy. The day seemedinfinitely long to me; and scarcely was it dusk, than I found myselfagain in the narrow little dwelling beside the dearest of girls. 

The young people, with whom in this way I formed a closer and closerconnection, were not exactly of a low, but of an ordinary, type. Theiractivity was commendable, and I listened to them with pleasure when theyspoke of the manifold ways and means by which one could gain a living:above all, they loved to tell of people, now very rich, who had begunwith nothing. Others to whom they referred had, as poor clerks, renderedthemselves indispensable to their employers, and had finally risen to betheir sons-in-law; while others had so enlarged and improved a littletrade in matches and the like, that they were now prosperous merchantsand tradesmen. But above all, to young men who were active on theirfeet, the trade of agent and factor, and the undertaking of all sorts ofcommissions and charges for helpless rich men was, they said, a mostprofitable means of gaining a livelihood. We all liked to hear this; andeach one fancied himself somebody, when he imagined, at the moment, thatthere was enough in him, not only to get on in the world, but to acquirean extraordinary fortune. But no one seemed to carry on thisconversation more earnestly than Pylades, who at last confessed that hehad an extraordinary passion for a girl, and was actually engaged toher. The circumstances of his parents would not allow him to go touniversities; but he had endeavored to acquire a fine handwriting, aknowledge of accounts and the modern languages, and would now do hisbest in hopes of attaining that domestic felicity. His fellows praisedhim for this, although they did not approve of a premature engagement;and they added, that while forced to acknowledge him to be a fine, goodfellow, they did not consider him active or enterprising enough to doany thing extraordinary. While he, in vindication of himself, circumstantially set forth what he thought himself fit for, and how hewas going to begin, the others were also incited; and each one began totell what he was now able to do, doing, or carrying on, what he hadalready accomplished, and what he saw immediately before him. The turnat last came to me. I was to set forth my course of life and prospects;and, while I was considering, Pylades said, "I make this one proviso, lest we be at too great a disadvantage, that he does not bring into theaccount the external advantages of his position. He should rather tellus a tale how he would proceed if at this moment he were thrown entirelyupon his own resources, as we are. "

Gretchen, who till this moment had kept on spinning, rose, and seatedherself as usual at the end of the table. We had already emptied somebottles, and I began to relate the hypothetical history of my life inthe best humor. "First of all, then, I commend myself to you, " said I, "that you may continue the custom you have begun to bestow on me. If yougradually procure me the profit of all the occasional poems, and we donot consume them in mere feasting, I shall soon come to something. Butthen, you must not take it ill if I dabble also in your handicraft. "Upon this, I told them what I had observed in their occupations, and forwhich I held myself fit at any rate. Each one had previously rated hisservices in money, and I asked them to assist me also in completing myestablishment. Gretchen had listened to all hitherto very attentively, and that in a position which well suited her, whether she chose to hearor to speak. With both hands she clasped her folded arms, and restedthem on the edge of the table. Thus she could sit a long while withoutmoving any thing but her head, which was never done without someoccasion or meaning. She had several times put in a word, and helped uson over this and that, when we halted in our projects, and then wasagain still and quiet as usual. I kept her in my eye, and it may readilybe supposed that I had not devised and uttered my plan without referenceto her. My passion for her gave to what I said such an air of truth andprobability, that, for a moment, I deceived myself, imagined myself aslonely and helpless as my story supposed, and felt extremely happy inthe prospect of possessing her. Pylades had closed his confession withmarriage; and the question arose among the rest of us, whether our planswent as far as that. "I have not the least doubt on that score, " said I;"for properly a wife is necessary to every one of us, in order topreserve at home, and enable us to enjoy as a whole, what we raketogether abroad in such an odd way. " I then made a sketch of a wife, such as I wished; and it must have turned out strangely if she had notbeen a perfect counterpart of Gretchen. 

The dirge was consumed; the epithalamium now stood beneficially at hand:I overcame all fear and care, and contrived, as I had manyacquaintances, to conceal my actual evening entertainments from myfamily. To see and to be near the dear girl was soon an indispensablecondition of my being. The friends had grown just as accustomed to me, and we were almost daily together, as if it could not be otherwise. Pylades had, in the mean time, introduced his fair one into the house;and this pair passed many an evening with us. They, as bride andbridegroom, though still very much in the bud, did not conceal theirtenderness: Gretchen's deportment towards me was only suited to keep meat a distance. She gave her hand to no one, not even to me; she allowedno touch: yet she many times seated herself near me, particularly when Iwrote, or read aloud, and then, laying her arm familiarly upon myshoulder, she looked over the book or paper. If, however, I ventured totake on a similar liberty with her, she withdrew, and did not returnvery soon. This position she often repeated; and, indeed, all herattitudes and motions were very uniform, but always equally becoming, beautiful, and charming. But such a familiarity I never saw her practisetowards anybody else. 

One of the most innocent, and, at the same time, amusing, parties ofpleasure in which I engaged with different companies of young people, was this, --that we seated ourselves in the Höchst market-ship, observedthe strange passengers packed away in it, and bantered and teased, nowthis one, now that, as pleasure or caprice prompted. At Höchst we gotout at the time when the market-boat from Mentz arrived. At a hotelthere was a well-spread table, where the better sort of travellers, coming and going, ate with each other, and then proceeded, each on hisway, as both ships returned. Every time, after dining, we sailed up toFrankfort, having, with a very large company, made the cheapest water-excursion that was possible. Once I had undertaken this journey withGretchen's cousins, when a young man joined us at table in Hochst, whomight be a little older than we were. They knew him, and he got himselfintroduced to me. He had something very pleasing in his manner, thoughhe was not otherwise distinguished. Coming from Mentz, he now went backwith us to Frankfort, and conversed with me of every thing that relatedto the internal arrangements of the city, and the public offices andplaces, on which he seemed to me to be very well informed. When weseparated, he bade me farewell, and added, that he wished I might thinkwell of him, as he hoped on occasion to avail himself of myrecommendation. I did not know what he meant by this, but the cousinsenlightened me some days after. They spoke well of him, and asked me tointercede with my grandfather, as a moderate appointment was just nowvacant, which this friend would like to obtain. I at first wished to beexcused, as I had never meddled in such affairs; but they went on urgingme until I resolved to do it. I had already many times remarked, that inthese grants of offices, which unfortunately were regarded as matters offavor, the mediation of my grandmother or an aunt had not been withouteffect. I was now so advanced as to arrogate some influence to myself. For that reason, to gratify my friends, who declared themselves underevery sort of obligation for such a kindness, I overcame the timidity ofa grandchild, and undertook to deliver a written application that washanded in to me. 

One Sunday, after dinner, while my grandfather was busy in his garden, all the more because autumn was approaching, and I tried to assist himon every side, I came forward with my request and the petition, aftersome hesitation. He looked at it, and asked me whether I knew the youngman. I told him in general terms what was to be said, and he let thematter rest there. "If he has merit, and, moreover, good testimonials, Iwill favor him for your sake and his own. " He said no more, and for along while I heard nothing of the matter. 

For some time I had observed that Gretchen was no longer spinning, butinstead was employed in sewing, and that, too, on very fine work, whichsurprised me the more, as the days were already shortening, and winterwas coming on. I thought no further about it; only it troubled me thatseveral times I had not found her at home in the morning as formerly, and could not learn, without importunity, whither she had gone. Yet Iwas destined one day to be surprised in a very odd manner. My sister, who was getting herself ready for a ball, asked me to fetch her some so-called Italian flowers, at a fashionable milliner's. They were made inconvents, and were small and pretty: myrtles especially, dwarf-roses, and the like, came out quite beautifully and naturally. I did her thefavor, and went to the shop where I had been with her often already. Hardly had I entered, and greeted the proprietress, than I saw sittingin the window a lady, who, in a lace cap, looked very young and pretty, and in a silk mantilla seemed very well shaped. I could easily recognizethat she was an assistant, for she was occupied in fastening a ribbonand feathers upon a hat. The milliner showed me the long box with singleflowers of various sorts. I looked them over, and, as I made my choice, glanced again towards the lady in the window; but how great was myastonishment when I perceived an incredible similarity to Gretchen, nay, was forced to be convinced at last that it was Gretchen herself. Norcould I doubt any longer, when she winked with her eyes, and gave me asign that I must not betray our acquaintance. I now, with my choosingand rejecting, drove the milliner into despair more than even a ladycould have done. I had, in fact, no choice; for I was excessivelyconfused, and at the same time liked to linger, because it kept me nearthe girl, whose disguise annoyed me, though in that disguise sheappeared to me more enchanting than ever. Finally the milliner seemed tolose all patience, and with her own hands selected for me a wholebandbox full of flowers, which I was to place before my sister, and lether choose for herself. Thus I was, as it were, driven out of the shop, she sending the box in advance by one of her girls. 

Scarcely had I reached home than my father caused me to be called, andcommunicated to me that it was now quite certain that the ArchdukeJoseph would be elected and crowned king of Rome. An event so highlyimportant was not to be expected without preparation, nor allowed topass with mere gaping and staring. He wished, therefore, he said, to gothrough with me the election and coronation diaries of the two lastcoronations, as well as through the last capitulations of election, inorder to remark what new conditions might be added in the presentinstance. The diaries were opened, and we occupied ourselves with themthe whole day till far into the night; while the pretty girl, sometimesin her old house-dress, sometimes in her new costume, ever hoveredbefore me, backwards and forwards among the most august objects of theHoly Roman Empire. This evening it was impossible to see her, and I layawake through a very restless night. The study of yesterday was the nextday zealously resumed; and it was not till towards evening that I foundit possible to visit my fair one, whom I met again in her usual house-dress. She smiled when she saw me, but I did not venture to mention anything before the others. When the whole company sat quietly togetheragain, she began, and said, "It is unfair that you do not confide to ourfriend what we have lately resolved upon. " She then continued to relate, that after our late conversation, in which the discussion was how anyone could get on in the world, something was also said of the way inwhich a woman could enhance the value of her talent and labor, andadvantageously employ her time. The cousin had consequently proposedthat she should make an experiment at a milliner's, who was just then inwant of an assistant. They had, she said, arranged with the woman: shewent there so many hours a day, and was well paid; but she would therebe obliged, for propriety's sake, to conform to a certain dress, which, however, she left behind her every time, as it did not at all suit herother modes of life and employment. I was indeed set at rest by thisdeclaration; but it did not quite please me to know that the pretty girlwas in a public shop, and at a place where the fashionable world found aconvenient resort. But I betrayed nothing, and strove to work off myjealous care in silence. For this the younger cousin did not allow me along time, as he once more came forward with a proposal for anoccasional poem, told me all the personalities, and at once desired meto prepare myself for the invention and disposition of the work. He hadspoken with me several times already concerning the proper treatment ofsuch a theme; and, as I was voluble in these cases, he readily asked meto explain to him, circumstantially, what is rhetorical in these things, to give him a notion of the matter, and to make use of my own andothers' labors in this kind for examples. The young man had some brains, but not a trace of a poetical vein; and now he went so much intoparticulars, and wished to have such an account of every thing, that Igave utterance to the remark, "It seems as if you wanted to encroachupon my trade, and take away my customers!"--"I will not deny it, " saidhe, smiling, "as I shall do you no harm by it. This will only continueto the time when you go to the university, and till then you must allowme still to profit something by your society. "--"Most cordially, " Ireplied; and I encouraged him to draw out a plan, to choose a metreaccording to the character of his subject, and to do whatever else mightseem necessary. He went to work in earnest, but did not succeed. I wasin the end compelled to re-write so much of it, that I could more easilyand better have written it all from the beginning myself. Yet thisteaching and learning, this mutual labor, afforded us goodentertainment. Gretchen took part in it, and had many a pretty notion;so that we were all pleased, we may, indeed, say happy. During the dayshe worked at the milliner's: in the evenings we generally met together, and our contentment was not even disturbed when at last the commissionsfor occasional poems began to leave off. Still we felt hurt once, whenone of them came back under protest, because it did not suit the partywho ordered it. We consoled ourselves, however, as we considered it ourvery best work, and could, therefore, declare the other a bad judge. Thecousin, who was determined to learn something at any rate, resorted tothe expedient of inventing problems, in the solution of which we alwaysfound amusement enough; but, as they brought in nothing, our littlebanquets had to be much more frugally managed. 

That great political object, the election and coronation of a king ofRome, was pursued with more and more earnestness. The assembling of theelectoral college, originally appointed to take place at Augsburg in theOctober of 1763, was now transferred to Frankfort; and both at the endof this year and in the beginning of the next, preparations went forwardwhich should usher in this important business. The beginning was made bya parade never yet seen by us. One of our chancery officials onhorseback, escorted by four trumpeters likewise mounted, and surroundedby a guard of infantry, read in a loud, clear voice at all the cornersof the city, a prolix edict, which announced the forthcomingproceedings, and exhorted the citizens to a becoming deportment suitableto the circumstances. The council was occupied with weightyconsiderations; and it was not long before the Imperial quartermaster, despatched by the hereditary grand marshal, made his appearance, inorder to arrange and designate the residences of the ambassadors andtheir suites, according to the old custom. Our house lay in the Palatinedistrict, and we had to provide for a new but agreeable billetting. Themiddle story, which Count Thorane had formerly occupied, was given up toa cavalier of the Palatinate; and as Baron von Königsthal, the Nuremburg/chargé-d'affaires/, occupied the upper floor, we were still morecrowded than in the time of the French. This served me as a new pretextfor being out of doors, and to pass the greater part of the day in thestreets, that I might see all that was open to public view. 

After the preliminary alteration and arrangement of the rooms in thetown-house had seemed to us worth seeing; after the arrival of theambassadors one after another, and their first solemn ascent in a body, on the 6th of February, had taken place, --we admired the coming in ofthe imperial commissioners, and their ascent also to the /Romer/, which was made with great pomp. The dignified person of the Prince ofLichtenstein made a good impression; yet connoisseurs maintained thatthe showy liveries had already been used on another occasion, and thatthis election and coronation would hardly equal in brilliancy that ofCharles the Seventh. We younger folks were content with what was beforeour eyes: all seemed to us very fine, and much of it perfectlyastonishing. 

The electoral congress was fixed at last for the 3d of March. Newformalities again set the city in motion, and the alternate visits ofceremony on the part of the ambassadors kept us always on our legs. Wewere, moreover, compelled to watch closely; as we were not only to gapeabout, but to note every thing well, in order to give a proper report athome, and even to make out many little memoirs, on which my father andHerr von Königsthal had deliberated, partly for our exercise and partlyfor their own information. And certainly this was of peculiar advantageto me; as I was enabled very tolerably to keep a living election andcoronation diary, as far as regarded externals. 

The person who first of all made a durable impression upon me was thechief ambassador from the electorate of Mentz, Baron von Erthal, afterwards elector. Without having any thing striking in his figure, hewas always highly pleasing to me in his black gown trimmed with lace. The second ambassador, Baron von Groschlag, was a well-formed man of theworld, easy in his exterior, but conducting himself with great decorum. He everywhere produced a very agreeable impression. Prince Esterhazy, the Bohemian envoy, was not tall, though well formed, lively, and at thesame time eminently decorous, without pride or coldness. I had a specialliking for him, because he reminded me of Marshal de Broglio. Yet theform and dignity of these excellent persons vanished, in a certaindegree, before the prejudice that was entertained in favor of Baron vonPlotho, the Brandenburg ambassador. This man, who was distinguished by acertain parsimony, both in his own clothes and in his liveries andequipages, had been greatly renowned, from the time of the Seven Years'War, as a diplomatic hero. At Ratisbon, when the Notary April thought, in the presence of witnesses, to serve him with the declaration ofoutlawry which had been issued against his king, he had, with the laconicexclamation, "What! you serve?" thrown him, or caused him to be thrown, down stairs. We believed the first, because it pleased us best; and wecould readily believe it of the little compact man, with his black, fiery eyes glancing here and there. All eyes were directed towards him, particularly when he alighted. There arose every time a sort of joyouswhispering; and but little was wanting to a regular explosion, or ashout of /Vivat! Bravo!/ So high did the king, and all who weredevoted to him, body and soul, stand in favor with the crowd, amongwhom, besides the Frankforters, were Germans from all parts. 

On the one hand these things gave me much pleasure; as all that tookplace, no matter of what nature it might be, concealed a certainmeaning, indicated some internal relation: and such symbolic ceremoniesagain, for a moment, represented as living the old Empire of Germany, almost choked to death by so many parchments, papers, and books. But, onthe other hand, I could not suppress a secret displeasure, when at home, I had, on behalf of my father, to transcribe the internal transactions, and at the same time to remark that here several powers, which balancedeach other, stood in opposition, and only so far agreed, as theydesigned to limit the new ruler even more than the old one; that everyone valued his influence only so far as he hoped to retain or enlargehis privileges, and better to secure his independence. Nay, on thisoccasion they were more attentive than usual, because they began to fearJoseph the Second, his vehemence, and probable plans. 

With my grandfather and other members of the council, whose families Iused to visit, this was no pleasant time, they had so much to do withmeeting distinguished guests, complimenting, and the delivery ofpresents. No less had the magistrate, both in general and in particular, to defend himself, to resist, and to protest, as every one on suchoccasions desires to extort something from him, or burden him withsomething; and few of those to whom he appeals support him, or lend himtheir aid. In short, all that I had read in "Lersner's Chronicle" ofsimilar incidents on similar occasions, with admiration of the patienceand perseverance of those good old councilmen, came once more vividlybefore my eyes. 

Many vexations arise also from this, that the city is gradually overrunwith people, both useful and needless. In vain are the courts reminded, on the part of the city, of prescriptions of the Golden Bull, now, indeed, obsolete. Not only the deputies with their attendants, but manypersons of rank, and others who come from curiosity or for privateobjects, stand under protection; and the question as to who is to bebilletted out, and who is to hire his own lodging, is not always decidedat once. The tumult constantly increases; and even those who havenothing to give, or to answer for, begin to feel uncomfortable. 

Even we young people, who could quietly contemplate it all, ever foundsomething which did not quite satisfy our eyes or our imagination. TheSpanish mantles, the huge plumed hats of the ambassadors, and otherobjects here and there, had indeed a truly antique look; but there was agreat deal, on the other hand, so half-new or entirely modern, that theaffair assumed throughout a motley, unsatisfactory, often tasteless, appearance. We were, therefore, very happy to learn that greatpreparations were made on account of the journey to Frankfort of theemperor and future king; that the proceedings of the college ofelectors, which were based on the last electoral capitulation, were nowgoing forward rapidly; and that the day of election had been appointedfor the 27th of March. Now there was a thought of fetching the insigniaof the empire from Nuremburg and Aix-la-Chation; while Gretchen, by herunbroken attention, had highly encouraged me. At last she thanked me, and envied, as she said, all who were informed of the affairs of thisworld, and knew how this and that came about and what it signified. Shewished she were a boy, and managed to acknowledge, with much kindness, that she was indebted to me for a great deal of instruction. "If I werea boy, " said she, "we would learn something good together at theuniversity. " The conversation continued in this strain: she definitivelyresolved to take instruction in French, of the absolute necessity ofwhich she had become well aware in the milliner's shop. I asked her whyshe no longer went there; for during the latter times, not being able togo out much in the evening, I had often passed the shop during the dayfor her sake, merely to see her for a moment. She explained that she hadnot liked to expose herself there in these unsettled times. As soon asthe city returned to its former condition, she intended to go thereagain. 

Then the impending day of election was the topic of conversation. Icontrived to tell, at length, what was going to happen, and how, and tosupport my demonstrations in detail by drawings on the tablet; for I hadthe place of conclave, with its altars, thrones, seats, and chairs, perfectly before my mind. We separated at the proper time, and in aparticularly comfortable frame of mind. 

For, with a young couple who are in any degree harmoniously formed bynature, nothing can conduce to a more beautiful union than when themaiden is anxious to learn, and the youth inclined to teach. Therearises from it a well-grounded and agreeable relation. She sees in himthe creator of her spiritual existence; and he sees in her a creaturethat ascribes her perfection, not to nature, not to chance, nor to anyone-sided inclination, but to a mutual will: and this reciprocation isso sweet, that we cannot wonder, if, from the days of the old and thenew [Footnote: The "/new/ Abelard" is St. Preux, in the NouvelleHéloise of Rousseau. --TRANS. ] Abelard, the most violent passions, and asmuch happiness as unhappiness, have arisen from such an intercourse oftwo beings. 

With the next day began great commotion in the city, on account of thevisits paid and returned, which now took place with the greatestceremony. But what particularly interested me, as a citizen ofFrankfort, and gave rise to a great many reflections, was the taking ofthe oath of security (/Sicherheitseides/) by the council, themilitary, and the body of citizens, not through representatives, butpersonally and in mass: first, in the great hall of the Römer, by themagistracy and staff-officers; then in the great square (/Platz/), the Römerberg, by all the citizens, according to their respective ranks, gradations, or quarterings; and, lastly, by the rest of the military. Here one could survey at a single glance the entire commonwealth, assembled for the honorable purpose of swearing security to the head andmembers of the empire, and unbroken peace during the great work nowimpending. The Electors of Treves and of Cologne had now also arrived. On the evening before the day of election, all strangers are sent out ofthe city, the gates are closed, the Jews are confined to their quarter, and the citizen of Frankfort prides himself not a little that he alonemay witness so great a solemnity. 

All that had hitherto taken place was tolerably modern: the highest andhigh personages moved about only in coaches, but now we were going tosee them in the primitive manner on horseback. The concourse and rushwere extraordinary. I managed to squeeze myself into the Römer, which Iknew as familiarly as a mouse does the private corn-loft, till I reachedthe main entrance, before which the electors and ambassadors, who hadfirst arrived in their state-coaches, and had assembled above, were nowto mount their horses. The stately, well-trained steeds were coveredwith richly laced housings, and ornamented in every way. The ElectorEmeric Joseph, a handsome, portly man, looked well on horseback. Of theother two I remember less, excepting that the red princes' mantles, trimmed with ermine, which we had been accustomed to see only inpictures before, seemed to us very romantic in the open air. Theambassadors of the absent temporal electors, with their Spanish dressesof gold brocade, embroidered over with gold, and trimmed with gold lace, likewise did our eyes good; and the large feathers particularly, thatwaved most splendidly from the hats, which were cocked in the antiquestyle. But what did not please me were the short modern breeches, thewhite silk stockings, and the fashionable shoes. We should have likedhalf-boots, --gilded as much as they pleased, --sandals, or something ofthe kind, that we might have seen a more consistent costume. 

In deportment the Ambassador Von Plotho again distinguished himself fromall the rest. He appeared lively and cheerful, and seemed to have nogreat respect for the whole ceremony. For when his front-man, an elderlygentleman, could not leap immediately on his horse, and he was thereforeforced to wait some time in the grand entrance, he did not refrain fromlaughing, till his own horse was brought forward, upon which he swunghimself very dexterously, and was again admired by us as a most worthyrepresentative of Frederick the Second. 

Now the curtain was for us once more let down. I had, indeed, tried toforce my way into the church; but that place was more inconvenient thanagreeable. The voters had withdrawn into the /sanctum/, whereprolix ceremonies usurped the place of a deliberate consideration as tothe election. After long delay, pressure, and bustle, the people at lastheard the name of Joseph the Second, who was proclaimed King of Rome. 

The thronging of strangers into the city became greater and greater. Everybody went about in his holiday clothes, so that at last none butdresses entirely of gold were found worthy of note. The emperor and kinghad already arrived at /Heusenstamm/, a castle of the counts ofSchönborn, and were there in the customary manner greeted and welcomed;but the city celebrated this important epoch by spiritual festivals ofall the religions, by high masses and sermons; and, on the temporalside, by incessant firing of cannon as an accompaniment to the "TeDeums. "

If all these public solemnities, from the beginning up to this point, had been regarded as a deliberate work of art, not much to find faultwith would have been found. All was well prepared. The public scenesopened gradually, and went on increasing in importance; the men grew innumber, the personages in dignity, their appurtenances, as well asthemselves, in splendor, --and thus it advanced with every day, till atlast even a well-prepared and firm eye became bewildered. 

The entrance of the Elector of Mentz, which we have refused to describemore completely, was magnificent and imposing enough to suggest to theimagination of an eminent man the advent of a great prophesied world-ruler: even we were not a little dazzled by it. But now our expectationwas stretched to the utmost, as it was said that the emperor and thefuture king were approaching the city. At a little distance fromSachsenhausen, a tent had been erected in which the entire magistracyremained, to show the appropriate honor, and to proffer the keys of thecity to the chief of the empire. Farther out, on a fair, spacious plain, stood another, a state pavilion, whither the whole body of electoralprinces and ambassadors repaired; while their retinues extended alongthe whole way, that gradually, as their turns came, they might againmove towards the city, and enter properly into the procession. By thistime the emperor reached the tent, entered it; and the princes andambassadors, after a most respectful reception, withdrew, to facilitatethe passage of the chief ruler. 

We who remained in the city, to admire this pomp within the walls andstreets still more than could have been done in the open fields, werevery well entertained for a while by the barricade set up by thecitizens in the lanes, by the throng of people, and by the various jestsand improprieties which arose, till the ringing of bells and the thunderof cannon announced to us the immediate approach of majesty. What musthave been particularly grateful to a Frankforter was, that on thisoccasion, in the presence of so many sovereigns and theirrepresentatives, the imperial city of Frankfort also appeared as alittle sovereign: for her equerry opened the procession; chargers witharmorial trappings, upon which the white eagle on a red field lookedvery fine, followed him; then came attendants and officials, drummersand trumpeters, and deputies of the council, accompanied by the clerksof the council, in the city livery, on foot. Immediately behind thesewere the three companies of citizen cavalry, very well mounted, --thesame that we had seen from our youth, at the reception of the escort, and on other public occasions. We rejoiced in our participation of thehonor, and in our one hundred-thousandth part of a sovereignty which nowappeared in its full brilliancy. The different trains of the hereditaryimperial marshal, and of the envoys deputed by the six temporalelectors, marched after these step by step. None of them consisted ofless than twenty attendants and two state-carriages, --some, even, of agreater number. The retinue of the spiritual electors was ever on theincrease, --their servants and domestic officers seemed innumerable: theElector of Cologne and the Elector of Treves had above twenty state-carriages, and the Elector of Mentz quite as many alone. The servants, both on horseback and on foot, were clothed most splendidly throughout:the lords in the equipages, spiritual and temporal, had not omitted toappear richly and venerably dressed, and adorned with all the badges oftheir orders. The train of his imperial majesty now, as was fit, surpassed all the rest. The riding-masters, the led horses, theequipages, the shabracks and caparisons, attracted every eye; and thesixteen six-horse gala-wagons of the imperial chamberlains, privycouncillors, high chamberlain, high stewards, and high equerry, closed, with great pomp, this division of the procession, which, in spite of itsmagnificence and extent, was still only to be the vanguard. 

But now the line became concentrated more and more, while the dignityand parade kept on increasing. For in the midst of a chosen escort oftheir own domestic attendants, the most of them on foot, and a few onhorseback, appeared the electoral ambassadors, as well as the electorsin person, in ascending order, each one in a magnificent state-carriage. Immediately behind the Elector of Mentz, ten imperial footmen, one andforty lackeys, and eight /heyducks/ [Footnote: A class ofattendants dress in Hungarian costume. --TRANS. ] announced theirmajesties. The most magnificent state-carriage, furnished even at theback part with an entire window of plate-glass, ornamented withpaintings, lacquer, carved work, and gilding, covered with redembroidered velvet on the top and inside, allowed us very convenientlyto behold the emperor and king, the long-desired heads, in all theirglory. The procession was led a long, circuitous route, partly fromnecessity, that it might be able to unfold itself, and partly to renderit visible to the great multitude of people. It had passed throughSachsenhausen, over the bridge, up the Fahrgasse, then down the Zeile, and turned towards the inner city through the Katharinenpforte, formerlya gate, and, since the enlargement of the city, an open thoroughfare. Here it had been happily considered, that, for a series of years, theexternal grandeur of the world had gone on expanding, both in height andbreadth. Measure had been taken; and it was found that the presentimperial state-carriage could not, without striking its carved work andother outward decorations, get through this gateway, through which somany princes and emperors had gone backwards and forwards. They debatedthe matter, and, to avoid an inconvenient circuit, resolved to take upthe pavements, and to contrive a gentle descent and ascent. With thesame view, they had also removed all the projecting eaves from the shopsand booths in the street, that neither crown nor eagle nor the geniishould receive any shock or injury. 

Eagerly as we directed our eyes to the high personages when thisprecious vessel with such precious contents approached us, we could notavoid turning our looks upon the noble horses, their harness, and itsembroidery; but the strange coachmen and outriders, both sitting on thehorses, particularly struck us. They looked as if they had come fromsome other nation, or even from another world, with their long black andyellow velvet coats, and their caps with large plumes of feathers, afterthe imperial-court fashion. Now the crowd became so dense that it wasimpossible to distinguish much more. The Swiss guard on both sides ofthe carriage; the hereditary marshal holding the Saxon sword upwards inhis right hand; the field-marshals, as leaders of the imperial guard, riding behind the carriage; the imperial pages in a body; and, finally, the imperial horse-guard (/Hatschiergarde/) itself, in black velvetfrocks (/Flügelröck/), with all the seams edged with gold, underwhich were red coats and leather-colored camisoles, likewise richlydecked with gold. One scarcely recovered one's self from sheer seeing, pointing, and showing, so that the scarcely less splendidly clad body-guards of the electors were barely looked at; and we should, perhaps, have withdrawn from the windows, if we had not wished to take a view ofour own magistracy, who closed the procession in their fifteen two-horsecoaches; and particularly the clerk of the council, with the city keyson red velvet cushions. That our company of city grenadiers should coverthe rear seemed to us honorable enough, and we felt doubly and highlyedified as Germans and as Fraukforters by this great day, We had taken our place in a house which the procession had to pass againwhen it returned from the cathedral. Of religious services, of music, ofrites and solemnities, of addresses and answers, of propositions andreadings aloud, there was so much in church, choir, and conclave, beforeit came to the swearing of the electoral capitulation, that we had timeenough to partake of an excellent collation, and to empty many bottlesto the health of our old and young ruler. The conversation, meanwhile, as is usual on such occasions, reverted to the time past; and there werenot wanting aged persons who preferred that to the present, --at least, with respect to a certain human interest and impassioned sympathy whichthen prevailed. At the coronation of Francis the First all had not beenso settled as now; peace had not yet been concluded; France and theElectors of Brandenburg and the Palatinate were opposed to the election;the troops of the future emperor were stationed at Heidelberg, where hehad his headquarters; and the insignia of the empire, coming from Aix, were almost carried off by the inhabitants of the Palatinate. Meanwhile, negotiations went on; and on neither side was the affair conducted inthe strictest manner. Maria Theresa, though then pregnant, comes inperson to see the coronation of her husband, which is at last earnedinto effect. She arrived at Aschaffenburg, and went on board a yacht inorder to repair to Frankfort. Francis, coming from Heidelberg, thinks tomeet his wife, but arrives too late: she has already departed. Unknown, he jumps into a little boat, hastens alter her, reaches her ship; andthe loving pair is delighted at this surprising meeting. The storyspreads immediately; and all the world sympathizes with this tenderpair, so richly blessed with children, who have been so inseparablesince their union, that once, on a journey from Vienna to Florence, theyare forced to keep quarantine together on the Venetian border. MariaTheresa is welcomed in the city with rejoicings: she enters the RomanEmperor Inn, while the great tent for the reception of her husband iserected on the Bornheim heath. There, of the spiritual electors, onlyMentz is found; and, of the ambassadors of the temporal electors, onlySaxony, Bohemia, and Hanover. The entrance begins, and what it may lackof completeness and splendor is richly compensated by the presence of abeautiful lady. She stands upon the balcony of the well-situated house, and greets her husband with cries of "Vivat!" and clapping of hands: thepeople joined, excited to the highest enthusiasm. As the great are, after all, men, the citizen deems them big equals when he wishes to lovethem; and that he can best do when he can picture them to himself asloving husbands, tender parents, devoted brothers, and true friends. Atthat time all happiness had been wished and prophesied; and to-day itwas seen fulfilled in the first-born son, to whom everybody was wellinclined on account of his handsome, youthful form, and upon whom theworld set the greatest hopes, on account of the great qualities that heshowed. 

We had become quite absorbed in the past and future, when some friendswho came in recalled us to the present. They were of that class ofpeople who know the value of novelty, and therefore hasten to announceit first. They were even able to tell of a fine humane trait in thoseexalted personages whom we had seen go by with the greatest pomp. It hadbeen concerted, that on the way, between Heusenstamm and the great tent, the emperor and king should find the Landgrave of Darmstadt in theforest. This old prince, now approaching the grave, wished to see oncemore the master to whom he had been devoted in former times. Both mightremember the day when the landgrave brought over to Heidelberg thedecree of the electors, choosing Francis as emperor, and replied to thevaluable presents he received with protestations of unalterabledevotion. These eminent persons stood in a grove of firs; and thelandgrave, weak with old age, supported himself against a pine, tocontinue the conversation, which was not without emotion on both sides. The place was afterwards marked in an innocent way, and we young peoplesometimes wandered to it. 

Thus several hours had passed in remembrance of the old andconsideration of the new, when the procession, though curtailed and morecompact, again passed before our eyes; and we were enabled to observeand mark the detail more closely, and imprint it on our minds for thefuture. 

From that moment the city was in uninterrupted motion; for until eachand every one whom it behooved, and of whom it was required, had paidtheir respects to the highest dignities, and exhibited themselves one byone, there was no end to the marching to and fro: and the court of eachone of the high persons present could be very conveniently repeated indetail. 

Now, too, the insignia of the empire arrived. But, that no ancient usagemight be omitted even in this respect, they had to remain half a daytill late at night in the open field, on account of a dispute aboutterritory and escort between the Elector of Mentz and the city. Thelatter yielded: the people of Mentz escorted the insignia as far as thebarricade, and so the affair terminated for this time. 

In these days I did not come to myself. At home I had to write and copy;every thing had to be seen: and so ended the month of March, the secondhalf of which had been so rich in festivals for us. I had promisedGretchen a faithful and complete account of what had lately happened, and of what was to be expected on the coronation-day. This great dayapproached; I thought more of how I should tell it to her than of whatproperly was to be told: all that came under my eyes and my pen I merelyworked up rapidly for this sole and immediate use. At last I reached herresidence somewhat late one evening, and was not a little proud to thinkhow my discourse on this occasion would be much more successful than thefirst unprepared one. But a momentary incitement often brings us, andothers through us, more joy than the most deliberate purpose can afford. I found, indeed, pretty nearly the same company; but there were someunknown persons among them. They sat down to play, all except Gretchenand her younger cousin, who remained with me at the slate. The dear girlexpressed most gracefully her delight that she, though a stranger, hadpassed for a citizen on the election-day, and had taken part in thatunique spectacle. She thanked me most warmly for having managed to takecare of her, and for having been so attentive as to procure her, throughPylades, all sorts of admissions by means of billets, directions, friends, and intercessions. 

She liked to hear about the jewels of the empire. I promised her that weshould, if possible, see these together. She made some jesting remarkswhen she learned that the garments and crown had been tried on the youngking. I knew where she would be, to see the solemnities of thecoronation-day, and directed her attention to every thing that wasimpending, and particularly to what might be minutely inspected from herplace of view. 

Thus we forgot to think about time: it was already past midnight, and Ifound that I unfortunately had not the house-key with me. I could notenter the house without making the greatest disturbance. I communicatedmy embarrassment to her. "After all, " said she, "it will be best for thecompany to remain together. " The cousins and the strangers had alreadyhad this in mind, because it was not known where they would be lodgedfor the night. The matter was soon decided: Gretchen went to make somecoffee, after bringing in and lighting a large brass lamp, furnishedwith oil and wick, because the candles threatened to burn out. 

The coffee served to enliven us for several hours, but the gamegradually slackened; conversation failed; the mother slept in the greatchair; the strangers, weary from travelling, nodded here and there; andPylades and his fair one sat in a corner. She had laid her head on hisshoulder, and had gone to sleep; and he did not keep long awake. Theyounger cousin, sitting opposite to us by the slate, had crossed hisarms before him, and slept with his face resting upon them. I sat in thewindow-corner, behind the table, and Gretchen by me. We talked in a lowvoice: but at last sleep overcame her also; she leaned her head on myshoulder, and sank at once into a slumber. Thus I now sat, the only oneawake, in a most singular position, in which the kind brother of deathsoon put me also to rest. I went to sleep; and, when I awoke, it wasalready bright day. Gretchen was standing before the mirror arrangingher little cap: she was more lovely than ever, and, when I departed, cordially pressed ray hands. I crept home by a roundabout way; for, onthe side towards the little /Stag-ditch/, my father had opened asort of little peep-hole in the wall, not without the opposition of hisneighbor. This side we avoided when we wanted not to be observed by himin coming home. My mother, whose mediation always came in well for us, had endeavored to palliate my absence in the morning at breakfast, bythe supposition that I had gone out early; and I experienced nodisagreeable effects from this innocent night. 

Taken as a whole, this infinitely various world which surrounded meproduced upon me but a very simple impression. I had no interest but tomark closely the outside of the objects, no business but that with whichI had been charged by my father and Herr von Königsthal, by which, indeed, I perceived the inner course of things. I had no liking but forGretchen, and no other view than to see and take in every thingproperly, that I might be able to repeat it with her, and explain it toher. Often when a train was going by, I described it half aloud tomyself, to assure myself of all the particulars, and to be praised by myfair one for this attention and accuracy: the applause andacknowledgments of the others I regarded as a mere appendix. 

I was indeed presented to many exalted and distinguished persons; butpartly, no one had time to trouble himself about others, and partly, older people do not know at once how they should converse with a youngman and try him. I, on my side, was likewise not particularly skilful inadapting myself to people. I generally won their favor, but not theirapprobation. Whatever occupied me was completely present to me, but Idid not ask whether it might be also suitable to others. I was mostlytoo lively or too quiet, and appeared either importunate or sullen, justas persons attracted or repelled me; and thus I was considered to beindeed full of promise, but at the same time was declared eccentric. 

The coronation-day dawned at last on the 3d of April, 1764: the weatherwas favorable, and everybody was in motion. I, with several of myrelations and friends, had been provided with a good place in one of theupper stories of the Römer itself, where we might completely survey thewhole. We betook ourselves to the spot very early in the morning, andfrom above, as in a bird's-eye view, contemplated the arrangements whichwe had inspected more closely the day before. There was the newlyerected fountain, with two large tubs on the left and right, into whichthe double-eagle on the post was to pour from its two beaks white wineon this side, and red wine on that. There, gathered into a heap, lay theoats: here stood the large wooden hut, in which we had several dayssince seen the whole fat ox roasted and basted on a huge spit before acharcoal fire. All the avenues leading out from the Römer, and fromother streets back to the Römer, were secured on both sides by barriersand guards. The great square was gradually filled; and the waving andpressure grew every moment stronger and more in motion, as the multitudealways, if possible, endeavored to reach the spot where some new scenearose, and something particular was announced. 

All this time there reigned a tolerable stillness; and, when the alarm-bells were sounded, all the people seemed struck with terror andamazement. What first attracted the attention of all who could overlookthe square from above, was the train in which the lords of Aix andNuremberg brought the crown-jewels to the cathedral. These, as palladia, had been assigned the first place in the carriage; and the deputies satbefore them on the back-seat with becoming reverence. Now the threeelectors betake themselves to the cathedral. After the presentation ofthe insignia to the Elector of Mentz, the crown and sword areimmediately carried to the imperial quarters. The further arrangementsand manifold ceremonies occupied, in the interim, the chief persons, aswell as the spectators, in the church, as we other well-informed personscould well imagine. 

In the mean time the ambassadors drove before our eyes up to the Römer, from which the canopy is carried by the under-officers into the imperialquarters. The hereditary marshal, Count von Pappenheim, instantly mountshis horse: he was a very handsome, slender gentleman, whom the Spanishcostume, the rich doublet, the gold mantle, the high, feathered hat, andthe loose, flying hair, became very well. He puts himself in motion;and, amid the sound of all the bells, the ambassadors follow him onhorseback to the quarters of the emperor in still greater magnificencethan on the day of election. One would have liked to be there too; asindeed, on this day, it would hare been altogether desirable to multiplyone's self. However, we told each other what was going on there. Now theemperor is putting on his domestic robes, we said, a new dress, madeafter the old Carolingian pattern. The hereditary officers receive theinsignia, and with them get on horseback. The emperor in his robes, theRoman king in the Spanish habit, immediately mount their steeds; and, while this is done, the endless procession which precedes them hasalready announced them. 

The eye was already wearied by the multitude of richly dressedattendants and magistrates, and by the nobility, who, in statelyfashion, were moving along; but when the electoral envoys, thehereditary officers, and at last, under the richly embroidered canopy, borne by twelve /schöffen/ and senators, the emperor, in romanticcostume, and to the left, a little behind him, in the Spanish dress, hisson, slowly floated along on magnificently adorned horses, the eye wasno more sufficient for the sight. One would have liked to fix the scene, but for a moment, by a magic charm; but the glory passed on withoutstopping: and the space that was scarcely quitted was immediately filledagain by the crowd, which poured in like billows. 

But now a new pressure ensued; for another approach from the market tothe Römer gate had to be opened, and a road of planks to be bridged overit, on which the train returning from the cathedral was to walk. 

What passed within the cathedral, the endless ceremonies which precedeand accompany the anointing, the crowning, the dubbing of knighthood, --all this we were glad to hear told afterwards by those who hadsacrificed much else to be present in the church. 

The rest of us, in the interim, partook of a frugal repast; for in thisfestal day we had to be contented with cold meat. But, on the otherhand, the best and oldest wine had been brought out of all the familycellars; so that, in this respect at least, we celebrated the ancientfestival in ancient style. 

In the square, the sight most worth seeing was now the bridge, which hadbeen finished, and covered with orange and white cloth; and we who hadstared at the emperor, first in his carriage and then on horseback, werenow to admire him walking on foot. Singularly enough, the last pleasedus the most; for we thought that in this way he exhibited himself bothin the most natural and in the most dignified manner. 

Older persons, who were present at the coronation of Francis the First, related that Maria Theresa, beautiful beyond measure, had looked on thissolemnity from a balcony window of the Frauenstein house, close to theRömer. As her consort returned from the cathedral in his strangecostume, and seemed to her, so to speak, like a ghost of Charlemagne, hehad, as if in jest, raised both his hands, and shown her the imperialglobe, the sceptre, and the curious gloves, at which she had broken outinto immoderate laughter, which served for the great delight andedification of the crowd, which was thus honored with a sight of thegood and natural matrimonial understanding between the most exaltedcouple of Christendom. But when the empress, to greet her consort, wavedher handkerchief, and even shouted a loud /vivat/ to him, theenthusiasm and exultation of the people was raised to the highest, sothat there was no end to the cheers of joy. 

Now the sound of bells, and the van of the long train which gently madeits way over the many-colored bridge, announced that all was done. Theattention was greater than ever, and the procession more distinct thanbefore, particularly for us, since it now came directly up to us. We sawboth, and the whole of the square, which was thronged with people, almost as if on a ground-plan. Only at the end the magnificence was toomuch crowded: for the envoys; the hereditary officers; the emperor andking, under the canopy (/Baldachin/); the three spiritual electors, who immediately followed; the /schöffen/ and senators, dressed inblack; the gold-embroidered canopy (/Himmel/), --all seemed only onemass, which, moved by a single will, splendidly harmonious, and thusstepping from the temple amid the sound of the bells, beamed towards usas something holy. 

A politico-religious ceremony possesses an infinite charm. We beholdearthly majesty before our eyes, surrounded by all the symbols of itspower; but, while it bends before that of heaven, it brings to our mindsthe communion of both. For even the individual can only prove hisrelationship with the Deity by subjecting himself and adoring. 

The rejoicings which resounded from the market-place now spread likewiseover the great square; and a boisterous /vivat/ burst forth fromthousands upon thousands of throats, and doubtless from as many hearts. For this grand festival was to be the pledge of a lasting peace, whichindeed for many a long year actually blessed Germany. 

Several days before, it had been made known by public proclamation, thatneither the bridge nor the eagle over the fountain was to be exposed tothe people, and they were therefore not, as at other times, to betouched. This was done to prevent the mischief inevitable with such arush of persons. But, in order to sacrifice in some degree to the geniusof the mob, persons expressly appointed went behind the procession, loosened the cloth from the bridge, wound it up like a flag, and threwit into the air. This gave rise to no disaster, but to a laughablemishap; for the cloth unrolled itself in the air, and, as it fell, covered a larger or smaller number of persons. Those now who took holdof the ends and drew them towards them, pulled all those in the middleto the ground, enveloped them and teased them till they tore or cutthemselves through; and everybody, in his own way, had borne off acorner of the stuff made sacred by the footsteps of majesty. 

I did not long contemplate this rough sport, but hastened from my highposition through all sorts of little steps and passages, down to thegreat Römer-stairs, where the distinguished and majestic mass, which hadbeen stared at from the distance, was to ascend in its undulatingcourse. The crowd was not great, because the entrances to the city-hallwere well garrisoned; and I fortunately reached at once the ironbalustrades above. Now the chief personages ascended past me, whiletheir followers remained behind in the lower arched passages; and Icould observe them on the thrice-broken stairs from all sides, and atlast quite close. 

Finally both their majesties came up. Father and son were altogetherdressed like Menaechmi. The emperor's domestic robes, of purple-coloredsilk, richly adorned with pearls and stones, as well as his crown, sceptre, and imperial orb, struck the eye with good effect. For all inthem was new, and the imitation of the antique was tasteful. He moved, too, quite easily in his attire; and his true-hearted, dignified face, indicated at once the emperor and the father. The young king, on thecontrary, in his monstrous articles of dress, with the crown-jewels ofCharlemagne, dragged himself along as if he had been in a disguise; sothat he himself, looking at his father from time to time, could notrefrain from laughing. The crown, which it had been necessary to line agreat deal, stood out from his head like an overhanging roof. Thedalmatica, the stole, well as they had been fitted and taken in bysewing, presented by no means an advantageous appearance. The sceptreand imperial orb excited some admiration; but one would, for the sake ofa more princely effect, rather have seen a strong form, suited to thedress, invested and adorned with it. 

Scarcely were the gates of the great hall closed behind these figures, than I hurried to my former place, which, being already occupied byothers, I only regained with some trouble. 

It was precisely at the right time that I again took possession of mywindow, for the most remarkable part of all that was to be seen inpublic was just about to take place. All the people had turned towardsthe Römer; and a reiterated shout of /vivat/ gave us to understandthat the emperor and king, in their vestments, were showing themselvesto the populace from the balcony of the great hall. But they were notalone to serve as a spectacle, since another strange spectacle occurredbefore their eyes. First of all, the handsome, slender hereditarymarshal flung himself upon his steed: he had laid aside his sword; inhis right hand he held a silver-handled vessel, and a tin spatula in hisleft. He rode within the barriers to the great heap of oats, sprang in, filled the vessel to overflow, smoothed it off, and carried it backagain with great dignity. The imperial stable was now provided for. Thehereditary chamberlain then rode likewise to the spot, and brought backa basin with ewer and towel. But more entertaining for the spectatorswas the hereditary carver, who came to fetch a piece of the roasted ox. He also rode, with a silver dish, through the barriers, to the largewooden kitchen, and came forth again with his portion covered, that hemight go back to the Römer. Now it was the turn of the hereditary cup-bearer, who rode to the fountain and fetched wine. Thus now was theimperial table furnished; and every eye waited upon the hereditarytreasurer, who was to throw about the money. He, too, mounted a finesteed, to the sides of whose saddle, instead of holsters, a couple ofsplendid bags, embroidered with the arms of the Palatinate, weresuspended. Scarcely had he put himself in motion than he plunged hishands into these pockets, and generously scattered, right and left, goldand silver coins, which, on every occasion, glittered merrily in the airlike metallic rain. A thousand hands waved instantly in the air to catchthe gifts; but hardly had the coins fallen when the crowd tumbled overeach other on the ground, and struggled violently for the pieces whichmight have reached the earth. As this agitation was constantly repeatedon both sides as the giver rode forwards, it afforded the spectators avery diverting sight. It was most lively at the close, when he threw outthe bags themselves, and everybody tried to catch this highest prize. 

Their majesties had retired from the balcony; and another offering wasto be made to the mob, who, on such occasions, would rather steal thegifts than receive them tranquilly and gratefully. The custom prevailed, in more rude and uncouth times, of giving up to the people on the spotthe oats, as soon as the hereditary marshal had taken away his share;the fountain and the kitchen, after the cup-bearer and the carver hadperformed their offices. But this time, to guard against all mischief, order and moderation were preserved as far as possible. But the oldmalicious jokes, that when one filled a sack with oats another cut ahole in it, with sallies of the kind, were revived. About the roastedox, a more serious battle was, as usual, waged on this occasion. Thiscould only be contested /en masse/. Two guilds, the butchers andthe wine-porters, had, according to ancient custom, again stationedthemselves so that the monstrous roast must fall to one of the two. Thebutchers believed that they had the best right to an ox which theyprovided entire for the kitchen: the wine-porters, on the other hand, laid claim because the kitchen was built near the abode of their guild, and because they had gained the victory the last time, the horns of thecaptured steer still projecting from the latticed gable-window of theirguild and meeting-house as a sign of victory. Both these companies hadvery strong and able members; but which of them conquered this time, Ino longer remember. 

But, as a festival of this kind must always close with somethingdangerous and frightful, it was really a terrible moment when the woodenkitchen itself was made a prize. The roof of it swarmed instantly withmen, no one knowing how they got there: the boards were torn loose, andpitched down; so that one could not help supposing, particularly at adistance, that each would kill a few of those pressing to the spot. In atrice the hut was unroofed; and single individuals hung to the beams andrafters, in order to pull them also out of their joinings: nay, manyfloated above upon the posts which had been already sawn off below; andthe whole skeleton, moving backwards and forwards, threatened to fallin. Sensitive persons turned their eyes away, and everybody expected agreat calamity; but we did not hear of any mischief: and the wholeaffair, though impetuous and violent, had passed off happily. 

Everybody knew now that the emperor and king would return from thecabinet, whither they had retired from the balcony, and feast in thegreat hall of the Romer. We had been able to admire the arrangementsmade for it, the day before; and my most anxious wish was, if possible, to look in to-day. I repaired, therefore, by the usual path, to thegreat staircase, which stands directly opposite the door of the hall. Here I gazed at the distinguished personages who this day acted as theservants of the head of the empire. Forty-four counts, all splendidlydressed, passed me, carrying the dishes from the kitchen; so that thecontrast between their dignity and their occupation might well bebewildering to a boy. The crowd was not great, but, considering thelittle space, sufficiently perceptible. The hall-door was guarded, whilethose who were authorized went frequently in and out. I saw one of thePalatine domestic officials, whom I asked whether he could not take mein with him. He did not deliberate long, but gave me one of the silvervessels he just then bore, which he could do so much the more, as I wasneatly clad; and thus I reached the sanctuary. The Palatine buffet stoodto the left, directly by the door; and with some steps I placed myselfon the elevation of it, behind the barriers. 

At the other end of the hall, immediately by the windows, raised on thesteps of the throne, and under canopies, sat the emperor and king intheir robes; but the crown and sceptre lay at some distance behind themon gold cushions. The three spiritual electors, their buffets behindthem, had taken their places on single elevations; the Elector of Mentzopposite their majesties, the Elector of Treves at the right, and theElector of Cologne at the left. This upper part of the hall was imposingand cheerful to behold, and excited the remark that the spiritual powerlikes to keep as long as possible with the ruler. On the contrary, thebuffets and tables of all the temporal electors, which were, indeed, magnificently ornamented, but without occupants, made one think of themisunderstanding which had gradually arisen for centuries between themand the head of the empire. Their ambassadors had already withdrawn toeat in a side-chamber; and if the greater part of the hall assumed asort of spectral appearance, by so many invisible guests being somagnificently attended, a large unfurnished table in the middle wasstill more sad to look upon; for there, also, many covers stood empty, because all those who had certainly a right to sit there had, forappearance' sake, kept away, that on the greatest day of honor theymight not renounce any of their honor, if, indeed, they were then to befound in the city. 

Neither my years nor the mass of present objects allowed me to make manyreflections. I strove to see all as much as possible; and when thedessert was brought in, and the ambassadors re-entered to pay theircourt, I sought the open air, and contrived to refresh myself with goodfriends in the neighborhood, after a day's half-fasting, and to preparefor the illumination in the evening. 

This brilliant night I purposed celebrating in a right hearty way; for Ihad agreed with Gretchen, and Pylades and his mistress, that we shouldmeet somewhere at nightfall. The city was already resplendent at everyend and corner when I met my beloved. I offered Gretchen my arm: we wentfrom one quarter to another, and found ourselves very happy in eachother's society. The cousins at first were also of our party, but wereafterwards lost in the multitude of people. Before the houses of some ofthe ambassadors, where magnificent illuminations were exhibited, --thoseof the Elector-Palatine were pre-eminently distinguished, --it was asclear as day. Lest I should be recognized, I had disguised myself to acertain extent; and Gretchen did not find it amiss. We admired thevarious brilliant representations and the fairy-like structures of flameby which each ambassador strove to outshine the others. But PrinceEsterhazy's arrangements surpassed all the rest. Our little company wereenraptured, both with the invention and the execution; and we were justabout to enjoy this in detail, when the cousins again met us, and spoketo us of the glorious illumination with which the Brandenburg ambassadorhad adorned his quarters. We were not displeased at taking the long wayfrom the Ross-markt (Horse-market) to the Saalhof, but found that we hadbeen vlllanously hoaxed. 

The Saalhof is, towards the Main, a regular and handsome structure; butthe part in the direction of the city is exceedingly old, irregular, andunsightly. Small windows, agreeing neither in form nor size, neither ina line nor placed at equal distances; gates and doors arranged withoutsymmetry; a ground-floor mostly turned into shops, --it forms a confusedoutside, which is never observed by any one. Now, here this accidental, irregular, unconnected architecture had been followed; and every window, every door, every opening, was surrounded by lamps, --as indeed can bedone with a well-built house; but here the most wretched and ill-formedof all facades was thus quite incredibly placed in the clearest light. Did one amuse one's self with this as with the jests of the/pagliasso/, [Footnote: A sort of buffoon. ] though not withoutscruple, since everybody must recognize something intentional in it, --just as people had before glossed on the previous external deportment ofVon Plotho, so much prized in other respects, and, when once inclinedtowards him, had admired him as a wag, who, like his king, would placehimself above all ceremonies, --one nevertheless gladly returned to thefairy kingdom of Esterhazy. 

This eminent envoy, to honor the day, had quite passed over his ownunfavorably situated quarters, and in their stead had caused the greatesplanade of linden-trees in the Horse-market to be decorated in thefront with a portal illuminated with colors, and at the back with astill more magnificent prospect. The entire enclosure was marked bylamps. Between the trees, stood pyramids and spheres of light upontransparent pedestals; from one tree to another were stretchedglittering garlands, on which floated suspended lights. In severalplaces bread and sausages were distributed among the people, and therewas no want of wine. 

Here now, four abreast, we walked very comfortably up and down; and I, by Gretchen's side, fancied that I really wandered in those happyElysian fields where they pluck from the trees crystal cups thatimmediately fill themselves with the wine desired, and shake down fruitsthat change into every dish at will. At last we also felt such anecessity; and, conducted by Pylades, we found a neat, well-arrangedeating-house. When we encountered no more guests, since everybody wasgoing about the streets, we were all the better pleased, and passed thegreatest part of the night most happily and cheerfully, in the feelingof friendship, love, and attachment. When I had accompanied Gretchen asfar as her door, she kissed me on the forehead. It was the first andlast time that she granted me this favor; for, alas! I was not to seeher again. 

The next morning, while I was yet in bed, my mother entered, in troubleand anxiety. It was easy to see when she was at all distressed. "Getup, " she said, "and prepare yourself for something unpleasant. It hascome out that you frequent very bad company, and have involved yourselfin very dangerous and bad affairs. Your father is beside himself; and wehave only been able to get thus much from him, that he will investigatethe affair by means of a third party. Remain in your chamber, and awaitwhat may happen. Councillor Schneider will come to you: he has thecommission both from your father and from the authorities; for thematter is already prosecuted, and may take a very bad turn. "

I saw that they took the affair for much worse than it was; yet I feltmyself not a little disquieted, even if only the actual state of thingsshould be detected. My old "Messiah"-loving friend finally entered, withthe tears standing in his eyes: he took me by the arm, and said, "I amheartily sorry to come to you on such an affair. I could not havesupposed that you could go astray so far. But what will not wickedcompanions and bad example do! Thus can a young, inexperienced man beled step by step into crime!"--"I am conscious of no crime, " I replied, "and as little of having frequented bad company. "--"The question now isnot one of defense, " said he, interrupting me, "but of investigation, and on your part of an upright confession. "--"What do you want to know?"retorted I. He seated himself, drew out a paper, and began to questionme: "Have you not recommended N. N. To your grandfather as a candidatefor the . .. Place?" I answered "Yes. "--"Where did you become acquaintedwith him?"--"In my walks. "--"In what company?" I hesitated, for I wouldnot willingly betray my friends. "Silence will not do now. " hecontinued, "for all is sufficiently known. "--"What is known, then?" saidI. "That this man has been introduced to you by others like him--infact, by. . .. " Here he named three persons whom I had never seen norknown, which I immediately explained to the questioner. "You pretend, "he resumed, "not to know these men, and have yet had frequent meetingswith them. "--"Not in the least, " I replied; "for, as I have said, exceptthe first, I do not know one of them, and even him I have never seen ina house. "--"Have you not often been in . .. Street?"--"Never, " I replied. This was not entirely conformable to the truth. I had once accompaniedPylades to his sweetheart, who lived in that street; but we had enteredby the back-door, and remained in the summer-house. I therefore supposedthat I might permit myself the subterfuge that I had not been in thestreet itself. 

The good man put more questions, all of which I could answer with adenial; for of all that he wished to learn I knew nothing. At last heseemed to become vexed, and said, "You repay my confidence and good willvery badly: I come to save you. You cannot deny that you have composedletters for these people themselves or for their accomplices, havefurnished them writings, and have thus been accessory to their evilacts; for the question is of nothing less than of forged papers, falsewills, counterfeit bonds, and things of the sort. I have come, not onlyas a friend of the family, I come in the name and by order of themagistrates, who, in consideration of your connections and youth, wouldspare you and some other young persons, who, like you, have been luredinto the net. " I had thought it strange, that, among the persons henamed, none of those with whom I had been intimate were found. Thecircumstances touched, without agreeing; and I could still hope to savemy young friends. But the good man grew more and more urgent. I couldnot deny that I had come home late many nights, that I had contrived tohave a house-key made, that I had been seen at public places more thanonce with persons of low rank and suspicious looks, that some girls weremixed up in the affair, --in short, every thing seemed to be discoveredbut the names. This gave me courage to persist steadfastly in mysilence. "Do not, " said my excellent friend, "let me go away from you;the affair admits of no delay; immediately after me another will come, who will not grant you so much scope. Do not make the matter, which isbad enough, worse by your obstinacy. "

I represented very vividly to myself the good cousins, and particularlyGretchen: I saw them arrested, tried, punished, disgraced; and then itwent through my soul like a flash of lightning, that the cousins, thoughthey always observed integrity towards me, might have engaged in suchbad affairs, at least the oldest, who never quite pleased me, who camehome later and later, and had little to tell of a cheerful sort. Still Ikept back my confession. "Personally, " said I, "I am conscious ofnothing evil, and can rest satisfied on that side; but it is notimpossible that those with whom I have associated may have been guiltyof some daring or illegal act. They may be sought, found, convicted, punished: I have hitherto nothing to reproach myself with, and will notdo any wrong to those who have behaved well and kindly to me. " He didnot let me finish, but exclaimed, with some agitation, "Yes, they willbe found out. These villains met in three houses. (He named the streets, he pointed out the houses, and, unfortunately, among them was the one Iused to frequent. ) The first nest is already broken up, and at thismoment so are the two others. In a few hours the whole will be clear. Avoid, by a frank confession, a judicial inquiry, a confrontation, andall other disagreeable matters. " The house was known and marked. Now Ideemed silence useless; nay, considering the innocence of our meetings, I could hope to be still more useful to them than to myself. "Sit down!"I exclaimed, fetching him back from the door: "I will tell all, and atonce lighten your heart and mine; only one thing I ask, --henceforth letthere be no doubt of my veracity. "

I soon told my friend the whole progress of the affair, and was at firstcalm and collected; but the more I brought to mind and pictured tomyself the persons, objects, and events, so many innocent pleasures andcharming enjoyments, and was forced to depose as before a criminalcourt, the more did the most painful feeling increase, so that at last Iburst forth in tears, and gave myself up to unrestrained passion. Thefamily friend, who hoped that now the real secret was coming to light(for he regarded my distress as a symptom that I was on the point ofconfessing with repugnance something monstrous), sought to pacify me; aswith him the discovery was the all-important matter. In this he onlypartly succeeded; but so far, however, that I could eke out my story tothe end. Though satisfied of the innocence of the proceedings, he wasstill doubtful to some extent, and put further questions to me, whichexcited me afresh, and transported me with pain and rage. I asserted, finally, that I had nothing more to say, and well knew that I need fearnothing, for I was innocent, of a good family, and well reputed; butthat they might be just as guiltless without having it recognized, orbeing otherwise favored. I declared at the same time, that if they werenot spared like myself, that if their follies were not regarded withindulgence, and their faults pardoned, that if any thing in the leastharsh or unjust happened to them, I would do some violence to myself, and no one should prevent me. In this, too, my friend tried to pacifyme; but I did not trust him, and was, when he quitted me at last, in amost terrible state. I now reproached myself for having told the affair, and brought all the positions to light. I foresaw that our childlikeactions, our youthful inclinations and confidences, would be quitedifferently interpreted, and that I might perhaps involve the excellentPylades in the matter, and render him very unhappy. All these imagespressed vividly one after the other before my soul, sharpened andspurred my distress, so that I did not know what to do for sorrow. Icast myself at full length upon the floor, and moistened it with mytears. 

I know not how long I may have lain, when my sister entered, wasfrightened at my gestures, and did all that she could to comfort me. Shetold me that a person connected with the magistracy had waited belowwith my father for the return of the family friend, and that, after theyhad been closeted together for some time, both the gentlemen haddeparted, had talked to each other with apparent satisfaction, and hadeven laughed. She believed that she had heard the words, "It is allright: the affair is of no consequence. "--"Indeed!" I broke out, "theaffair is of no consequence for me, --for us: for I have committed nocrime; and, if I had, they would contrive to help me through: but theothers, the others, " I cried, "who will stand by them?"

My sister tried to comfort me by circumstantially arguing that if thoseof higher rank were to be saved, a veil must also be cast over thefaults of the more lowly. All this was of no avail. She had scarcelyleft than I again abandoned myself to my grief, and ever recalledalternately the images, both of my affection and passion, and of thepresent and possible misfortune. I repeated to myself tale after tale, saw only unhappiness following unhappiness, and did not fail inparticular to make Gretchen and myself truly wretched. 

The family friend had ordered me to remain in my room, and have nothingto do with any one but the family. This was just what I wanted, for Ifound myself best alone. My mother and sister came to see me from timeto time, and did not fail to assist me vigorously with all sorts of goodconsolation; nay, even on the second day they came in the name of myfather, who was now better informed, to offer me a perfect amnesty, which indeed I gratefully accepted: but the proposal that I should goout with him and look at the insignia of the empire, which were nowexposed to the curious, I stubbornly rejected; and I asserted that Iwanted to know nothing, either of the world or of the Roman Empire, tillI was informed how that distressing affair, which for me could have nofurther consequences, had turned out for my poor acquaintance. They hadnothing to say on this head, and left me alone. Yet the next day somefurther attempts were made to get me out of the house, and excite in mea sympathy for the public ceremonies. In vain! neither the greatgaladay, nor what happened on the occasion of so many elevations ofrank, nor the public table of the emperor and king, --in short, nothingcould move me. The Elector of the Palatinate might come and wait on boththeir majesties; these might visit the electors; the last electoralsitting might be attended for the despatch of business in arrear, andthe renewal of the electoral union, --nothing could call me forth from mypassionate solitude. I let the bells ring for the rejoicings, theemperor repair to the Capuchin Church, the electors and emperor depart, without on that account moving one step from my chamber. The finalcannonading, immoderate as it might be, did not arouse me; and as thesmoke of the powder dispersed, and the sound died away, so had all thisglory vanished from my soul. 

I now experienced no satisfaction except in ruminating on my misery, andin a thousand-fold imaginary multiplication of it. My whole inventivefaculty, my poetry and rhetoric, had pitched on this diseased spot, andthreatened, precisely by means of this vitality, to involve body andsoul into an incurable disorder. In this melancholy condition nothingmore seemed to me worth a desire, nothing worth a wish. An infiniteyearning, indeed, seized me at times to know how it had gone with mypoor friends and my beloved, what had been the result of a stricterscrutiny, how far they were implicated in those crimes, or had beenfound guiltless. This also I circumstantially painted to myself in themost various ways, and did not fail to hold them as innocent and trulyunfortunate. Sometimes I longed to see myself freed from thisuncertainty, and wrote vehemently threatening letters to the familyfriend, insisting that he should not withhold from me the furtherprogress of the affair. Sometimes I tore them up again, from the fear oflearning my unhappiness quite distinctly, and of losing the principalconsolation with which hitherto I had alternately tormented andsupported myself. 

Thus I passed both day and night in great disquiet, in raving andlassitude; so that I felt happy at last when a bodily illness seized mewith considerable violence, when they had to call in the help of aphysician, and think of every way to quiet me. They supposed that theycould do it generally by the sacred assurance that all who were more orless involved in the guilt had been treated with the greatestforbearance; that my nearest friends, being as good as innocent, hadbeen dismissed with a slight reprimand; and that Gretchen had retiredfrom the city, and had returned to her own home. They lingered the mostover this last point, and I did not take it in the best part; for Icould discover in it, not a voluntary departure, but only a shamefulbanishment. My bodily and mental condition was not improved by this: mydistress now only augmented; and I had time enough to torment myself bypicturing the strangest romance of sad events, and an inevitablytragical catastrophe. 

PART THE SECOND. 

OF WHAT ONE WISHES IN YOUTH, WHEN OLD HE HAS IN ABUNDANCE. 

SIXTH BOOK. 

Thus I felt urged alternately to promote and to retard my recovery; anda certain secret chagrin was now added to my other sensations, for Iplainly perceived that I was watched, that they were loath to hand meany sealed paper without taking notice what effect it produced, whetherI kept it secret, whether I laid it down open and the like. I thereforeconjectured that Pylades, or one of the cousins, or even Gretchenherself, might have attempted to write to me, either to give or toobtain information. In addition to my sorrow, I was now more cross thanhitherto, and had again fresh opportunities to exercise my conjectures, and to mislead myself into the strangest combinations. 

It was not long before they gave me a special overseer. Fortunately itwas a man whom I loved and valued. He had held the place of tutor in thefamily of one of our friends, and his former pupil had gone alone to theuniversity. He often visited me in my sad condition; and they at lastfound nothing more natural than to give him a chamber next to mine, ashe was then to provide me with employment, pacify me, and, as I was wellaware, keep his eye on me. Still, as I esteemed him from my heart, andhad already confided many things to him, though not my affection forGretchen, I determined so much the more to be perfectly candid andstraightforward with him; as it was intolerable to me to live in dailyintercourse with any one, and at the same time to stand on an uncertain, constrained footing with him. It was not long, then, before I spoke tohim about the matter, refreshed myself by the relation and repetition ofthe minutest circumstances of my past happiness, and thus gained somuch, that he, like a sensible man, saw it would be better to make meacquainted with the issue of the story, and that, too, in its detailsand particulars, so that I might be clear as to the whole, and that, with earnestness and zeal, I might be persuaded of the necessity ofcomposing myself, throwing the past behind me, and beginning a new life. First he confided to me who the other young people of quality were whohad allowed themselves to be seduced, at the outset, into daring hoaxes, then into sportive breaches of police, afterwards into frolicsomeimpositions on others, and other such dangerous matters. Thus actuallyhad arisen a little conspiracy, which unprincipled men had joined, who, by forging papers and counterfeiting signatures, had perpetrated manycriminal acts, and had still more criminal matters in preparation. Thecousins, for whom I at last impatiently inquired, had been found to bequite innocent, only very generally acquainted with those others, andnot at all implicated with them. My client, owing to my recommendationof whom I had been tracked, was one of the worst, and had sued for thatoffice chiefly that he might undertake or conceal certain villanies. After all this, I could at last contain myself no longer, and asked whathad become of Gretchen, for whom I, once for all, confessed thestrongest attachment. My friend shook his head and smiled. "Makeyourself easy, " replied he: "this girl has passed her examination verywell, and has borne off honorable testimony to that effect. They coulddiscover nothing in her but what was good and amiable: she even won thefavor of those who questioned her, and could not refuse her desire ofremoving from the city. Even what she has confessed regarding you, myfriend, does her honor: I have read her deposition in the secret reportsmyself, and seen her signature. "--"The signature!" exclaimed I, "whichmakes me so happy and so miserable. What has she confessed, then? Whathas she signed?" My friend delayed answering, but the cheerfulness ofhis face showed me that he concealed nothing dangerous. " If you mustknow, then, " replied he at last, "when she was asked about you, and herintercourse with you, she said quite frankly, 'I cannot deny that I haveseen him often and with pleasure; but I have always treated him as achild, and my affection for him was truly that of a sister. In manycases I have given him good advice; and, instead of instigating him toany equivocal action, I have hindered him from taking part in wantontricks, which might have brought him into trouble. '"

My friend still went on making Gretchen speak like a governess; but Ihad already for some time ceased to listen to him, for I was terriblyaffronted that she had set me down in the reports as a child, andbelieved myself at once cured of all passion for her. I even hastilyassured my friend that all was now over. I also spoke no more of her, named her no more: but I could not leave off the bad habit of thinkingabout her, and of recalling her form, her air, her demeanor; though now, in fact, all appeared to me in quite another light. I felt itintolerable that a girl, at the most only a couple of years older thanme, should regard me as a child; while I conceived I passed with her fora very sensible and clever youth. Her cold and repelling manner, whichhad before so charmed me, now seemed to me quite repugnant: thefamiliarities which she had allowed herself to take with me, but had notpermitted me to return, were altogether odious. Yet all would have beenwell enough, if by signing that poetical love-letter, in which she hadconfessed a formal attachment to me, she had not given me a right toregard her as a sly and selfish coquette. Her masquerading it at themilliner's, too, no longer seemed to me so innocent; and I turned theseannoying reflections over and over within myself until I had entirelystripped her of all her amiable qualities. My judgment was convinced, and I thought I must cast her away; but her image!--her image gave methe lie as often as it again hovered before me, which indeed happenedoften enough. 

Nevertheless, this arrow with its barbed hooks was torn out of my heart;and the question then was, how the inward sanative power of youth couldbe brought to one's aid? I really put on the man; and the first thinginstantly laid aside was the weeping and raving, which I now regarded aschildish in the highest degree. A great stride for the better! For I hadoften, half the night through, given myself up to this grief with thegreatest violence; so that at last, from my tears and sobbing, I came tosuch a point that I could scarcely swallow any longer; eating anddrinking became painful to me; and my chest, which was so nearlyconcerned, seemed to suffer. The vexation I had constantly felt sincethe discovery made me banish every weakness. It seemed to me somethingfrightful that I had sacrificed sleep, repose, and health for the sakeof a girl who was pleased to consider me a babe, and to imagine herself, with respect to me, something very much like a nurse. 

These depressing reflections, as I was soon convinced, were only to bebanished by activity; but of what was I to take hold? I had, indeed, much to make up for in many things, and to prepare myself, in more thanone sense, for the university, which I was now to attend; but I relishedand accomplished nothing. Much appeared to me familiar and trivial: forgrounding myself, in several respects, I found neither strength withinnor opportunity without; and I therefore suffered myself to be moved bythe taste of my good room-neighbor, to a study which was altogether newand strange to me, and which for a long time offered me a wide field ofinformation and thought. For my friend began to make me acquainted withthe secrets of philosophy. He had studied in Jena, under Daries, and, possessing a well-regulated mind, had acutely seized the relations ofthat doctrine, which he now sought to impart to me. But, unfortunately, these things would not hang together in such a fashion in my brain. Iput questions, which he promised to answer afterwards: I made demands, which he promised to satisfy in future. But our most importantdifference was this: that I maintained a separate philosophy was notnecessary, as the whole of it was already contained in religion andpoetry. This he would by no means allow, but rather tried to prove to methat these must first be founded on philosophy; which I stubbornlydenied, and, at every step in the progress of our discussions, foundarguments for my opinion. For as in poetry a certain faith in theimpossible, and as in religion a like faith in the inscrutable, musthave a place, the philosophers appeared to me to be in a very falseposition who would demonstrate and explain both of them from their ownfield of vision. Besides, it was very quickly proved, from the historyof philosophy, that one always sought a ground different from that ofthe other, and that the sceptic, in the end, pronounced every thinggroundless and useless. 

However, this very history of philosophy, which my friend was compelledto go over with me, because I could learn nothing from dogmaticaldiscourse, amused me very much, but only on this account, that onedoctrine or opinion seemed to me as good as another, so far, at least, as I was capable of penetrating into it. With the most ancient men andschools I was best pleased, because poetry, religion, and philosophywere completely combined into one; and I only maintained that firstopinion of mine with the more animation, when the Book of Job and theSong and Proverbs of Solomon, as well as the lays of Orpheus and Hesiod, seemed to bear valid witness in its favor. My friend had taken thesmaller work of Brucker as the foundation of his discourse; and, thefarther we went on, the less I could make of it. I could not clearly seewhat the first Greek philosophers would have. Socrates I esteemed as anexcellent, wise man, who in his life and death might well be comparedwith Christ. His disciples, on the other hand, seemed to me to bear astrong resemblance to the apostles, who disagreed immediately aftertheir Master's death, when each manifestly recognized only a limitedview as the right one. Neither the keenness of Aristotle nor the fulnessof Plato produced the least fruit in me. For the Stoics, on thecontrary, I had already conceived some affection, and even procuredEpictetus, whom I studied with much interest. My friend unwillingly letme have my way in this one-sidedness, from which he could not draw me;for, in spite of his varied studies, he did not know how to bring theleading question into a narrow compass. He need only have said to methat in life action is every thing, and that joy and sorrow come ofthemselves. However, youth should be allowed its own course: it does notstick to false maxims very long; life soon tears or charms it awayagain. 

The season had become fine: we often went together into the open air, and visited the places of amusement which surrounded the city in greatnumbers. But it was precisely here that matters went worse with me; forI still saw the ghosts of the cousins everywhere, and feared, now here, now there, to see one of them step forward. Even the most indifferentglances of men annoyed me. I had lost that unconscious happiness ofwandering about unknown and unblamed, and of thinking of no observer, even in the greatest crowds. Now hypochondriacal fancies began totorment me, as if I attracted the attention of the people, as if theireyes were turned on my demeanor, to fix it on their memories, to scanand to find fault. 

I therefore drew my friend into the woods; and, while I shunned themonotonous firs, I sought those fine leafy groves, which do not indeedspread far in the district, but are yet of sufficient compass for a poorwounded heart to hide itself. In the remotest depth of the forest Isought out a solemn spot, where the oldest oaks and beeches formed alarge, noble, shaded space. The ground was somewhat sloping, and madethe worth of the old trunks only the more perceptible. Round this opencircle closed the densest thickets, from which the mossy rocks mightilyand venerably peered forth, and made a rapid fall for a copious brook. 

Scarcely had I dragged hither my friend, who would rather have been inthe open country by the stream, among men, when he playfully assured methat I showed myself a true German. He related to me circumstantially, out of Tacitus, how our ancestors found pleasure in the feelings whichNature so provides for us, in such solitudes, with her inartificialarchitecture. He had not been long discoursing of this, when Iexclaimed, "Oh! why did not this precious spot lie in a deeperwilderness! why may we not train a hedge around it, to hallow andseparate from the world both it and ourselves! Surely there is no morebeautiful adoration of the Deity than that which needs no image, butwhich springs up in our bosom merely from the intercourse with nature!"What I then felt is still present to my mind: what I said I know not howto recall. Thus much, however, is certain, that the undetermined, widelyexpanding feelings of youth and of uncultivated nations are aloneadapted to the sublime, which, if it is to be excited in us throughexternal objects, formless, or moulded into incomprehensible forms, mustsurround us with a greatness to which we are not equal. 

All men, more or less, have such a disposition, and seek to satisfy thisnoble want in various ways. But as the sublime is easily produced bytwilight and night, when objects are blended, it is, on the other hand, scared away by the day, which separates and sunders every thing; and somust it also be destroyed by every increase of cultivation, if it be notfortunate enough to take refuge with the beautiful, and unite itselfclosely with it, whereby both become equally undying and indestructible. 

The brief moments of such enjoyments were still more shortened by mymeditative friend: but, when I turned back into the world, it wasaltogether in vain that I sought, among the bright and barren objectsaround, again to arouse such feelings within me; nay, I could scarcelyretain even the remembrance of them. My heart, however, was too farspoiled to be able to compose itself: it had loved, and the object wassnatched away from it; it had lived, and life to it was embittered. Afriend who makes it too perceptible that he designs to improve you, excites no feeling of comfort; while a woman who is forming you, whileshe seems to spoil you, is adored as a heavenly, joy-bringing being. Butthat form in which the idea of beauty manifested itself to me hadvanished into distance; it often visited me under the shade of my oak-trees, but I could not hold it fast: and I felt a powerful impulse toseek something similar in the distance. 

I had imperceptibly accustomed, nay, compelled, my friend and overseerto leave me alone; for, even in my sacred grove, those undefined, gigantic feelings were not sufficient for me. The eye was, above allothers, the organ by which I seized the world. I had, from childhood, lived among painters, and had accustomed myself to look at objects, asthey did, with reference to art. Now I was left to myself and tosolitude, this gift, half natural, half acquired, made its appearance. Wherever I looked, I saw a picture; and whatever struck me, whatevergave me delight, I wished to fix, and began, in the most awkward manner, to draw after nature. To this end I lacked nothing less than everything; yet, though without any technical means, I obstinately persistedin trying to imitate the most magnificent things that offered themselvesto my sight. Thus, to be sure, I acquired the faculty of paying a greatattention to objects; but I only seized them as a whole, so far as theyproduced an effect: and, little as Nature had meant me for a descriptivepoet, just as little would she grant me the capacity of a draughtsmanfor details. This, however, being the only way left me of uttering mythoughts, I stuck to it with so much stubbornness, nay, even withmelancholy, that I always continued my labors the more zealously theless I saw they produced. 

But I will not deny that there was a certain mixture of roguery; for Ihad remarked, that if I chose for an irksome study a half-shaded oldtrunk, to the hugely curved roots of which clung well-lit fern, combinedwith twinkling maiden-hair, my friend, who knew from experience that Ishould not be disengaged in less than an hour, commonly resolved toseek, with his books, some other pleasant little spot. Now nothingdisturbed me in prosecuting my taste, which was so much the more active, as my paper was endeared to me by the circumstance that I had accustomedmyself to see in it, not so much what stood upon it, as what I had beenthinking of at any time and hour when I drew. Thus plants and flowers ofthe commonest kind may form a charming diary for us, because nothingthat calls back the remembrance of a happy moment can be insignificant;and even now it would be hard for me to destroy as worthless many thingsof the kind that have remained to me from different epochs, because theytransport me immediately to those times which I like to remember, although not without melancholy. 

But, if such drawings may have had any thing of interest in themselves, they were indebted for this advantage to the sympathy and attention ofmy father. He, informed by my overseer that I had become graduallyreconciled to my condition, and, in particular, had applied myselfpassionately to drawing from nature, was very well satisfied, --partlybecause he himself set a high value on drawing and painting, partlybecause gossip Seekatz had once said to him, that it was a pity I wasnot destined for a painter. But here again the peculiarities of fatherand son came into conflict: for it was almost impossible for me to makeuse of a good, white, perfectly clean sheet of paper; gray old leaves, even if scribbled over on one side already, charmed me most, just as ifmy awkwardness had feared the touchstone of a white ground. Nor were anyof my drawings quite finished; and how should I have executed a whole, which indeed I saw with my eyes, but did not comprehend, and how anindividual object, which I had neither skill nor patience to follow out?My father's mode of training me in this respect was really to beadmired. He kindly asked for my attempts, and drew lines round everyimperfect sketch. He wished, by this means, to compel me to completenessand fulness of detail. The irregular leaves he cut straight, and thusmade the beginning of a collection, in which he wished, at some futuretime, to rejoice at the progress of his son. It was, therefore, by nomeans disagreeable to him when my wild, restless disposition sent meroving about the country: he rather seemed pleased when I brought back aparcel of drawings on which he could exercise his patience, and in somemeasure strengthen his hopes. 

They no longer said that I might relapse into my former attachments andconnections: they left me by degrees perfect liberty. By accidentalinducements and in accidental society I undertook many journeys to themountain-range, which, from my childhood, had stood so distant andsolemn before me. Thus we visited Homburg, Kroneburg, ascended theFeldberg, from which the prospect invited us still farther and fartherinto the distance. Königstein, too, was not left unvisited; Wiesbaden, Schwalbach, with its environs, occupied us many days; we reached theRhine, which, from the heights, we had seen winding along far off. Mentzastonished us, but could not chain a youthful mind which was runninginto the open country; we were delighted with the situation of Biberich;and, contented and happy, we resumed our journey home. 

This whole tour, from which my father had promised himself many adrawing, might have been almost without fruit; for what taste, whattalent, what experience, does it not require to seize an extensivelandscape as a picture! I was again imperceptibly drawn into a narrowcompass, from which I derived some profit; for I met no ruined castle, no piece of wall which pointed to antiquity, that I did not think anobject worthy of my pencil, and imitate as well as I could. Even thestone of Drusus, on the ramparts of Mentz, I copied at some risk, andwith inconveniences which every one must experience who wishes to carryhome with him some pictorial reminiscences of his travels. UnfortunatelyI had again brought with me nothing but the most miserable common paper, and had clumsily crowded several objects into one sheet. But my paternalteacher was not perplexed at this: he cut the sheets apart; had theparts which belonged to each other put together by the bookbinder;surrounded the single leaves with lines; and thus actually compelled meto draw the outline of different mountains up to the margin, and to fillup the foreground with some weeds and stones. 

If his faithful endeavors could not increase my talent, neverthelessthis mark of his love of order had upon me a secret influence, whichafterwards manifested itself vigorously in more ways than one. 

From such rambling excursions, undertaken partly for pleasure, partlyfor art, and which could be performed in a short time, and oftenrepeated, I was again drawn home, and that by a magnet which alwaysacted upon me strongly: this was my sister. She, only a year youngerthan I, had lived the whole conscious period of my life with me, and wasthus bound to me by the closest ties. To these natural causes was addeda forcible motive, which proceeded from our domestic position: a fathercertainly affectionate and well-meaning, but grave, who, because hecherished within a very tender heart, externally, with incredibleconsistency, maintained a brazen sternness, that he might attain the endof giving his children the best education, and of building up, regulating, and preserving his well-founded house; a mother, on theother hand, as yet almost a child, who first grew up to consciousnesswith and in her two eldest children; these three, as they looked at theworld with healthy eyes, capable of life, and desiring presentenjoyment. This contradiction floating in the family increased withyears. My father followed out his views unshaken and uninterrupted: themother and children could not give up their feelings, their claims, their wishes. 

Under these circumstances it was natural that brother and sister shouldattach themselves close to each other, and adhere to their mother, thatthey might singly snatch the pleasures forbidden as a whole. But sincethe hours of solitude and toil were very long compared with the momentsof recreation and enjoyment, especially for my sister, who could neverleave the house for so long a time as I could, the necessity she feltfor entertaining herself with me was still sharpened by the sense oflonging with which she accompanied me to a distance. 

And as, in our first years, playing and learning, growth and education, had been quite common to both of us, so that we might well have beentaken for twins, so did this community, this confidence, remain duringthe development of our physical and moral powers. That interest ofyouth; that amazement at the awakening of sensual impulses which clothethemselves in mental forms; of mental necessities which clothethemselves in sensual images; all the reflections upon these, whichobscure rather than enlighten us, as the fog covers over and does notillumine the vale from which it is about to rise; the many errors andaberrations springing therefrom, --all these the brother and sistershared and endured hand in hand, and were the less enlightened as totheir strange condition, as the nearer they wished to approach eachother, to clear up their minds, the more forcibly did the sacred awe oftheir close relationship keep them apart

Reluctantly do I mention, in a general way, what I undertook to setforth years ago, without being able to accomplish it. As I lost thisbeloved, incomprehensible being but too soon, I felt inducement enoughto make her worth present to me: and thus arose in me the conception ofa poetic whole, in which it might be possible to exhibit herindividuality; but for this no other form could be devised than that ofthe Richardsonian novels. Only by the minutest detail, by endlessparticularities which bear vividly all the character of the whole, and, as they spring up from a wonderful depth, give some feeling of thatdepth, --only in such a manner would it have been in some degree possibleto give a representation of this remarkable personality; for the springcan be apprehended only while it is flowing. But from this beautiful andpious design, as from so many others, the tumult of the world drew meaway; and nothing now remains for me but to call up for a moment thatblessed spirit, as if by the aid of a magic mirror. 

She was tall, well and delicately formed, and had something naturallydignified in her demeanor, which melted away into a pleasing mildness. The lineaments of her face, neither striking nor beautiful, indicated acharacter which was not nor ever could be in union with itself. Her eyeswere not the finest I have ever seen, but the deepest, behind which youexpected the most; and when they expressed any affection, any love, their brilliancy was unequalled. And yet, properly speaking, thisexpression was not tender, like that which comes from the heart, and atthe same time carries with it something of longing and desire: thisexpression came from the soul; it was full and rich; it seemed as if itwould only give, without needing to receive. 

But what in a manner quite peculiar disfigured her face, so that shewould often appear positively ugly, was the fashion of those times, which not only bared the forehead, but, either accidentally or onpurpose, did every thing apparently or really to enlarge it. Now, as shehad the most feminine, most perfect arched forehead, and, moreover, apair of strong black eyebrows, and prominent eyes, these circumstancesoccasioned a contrast, which, if it did not repel every stranger at thefirst glance, at least did not attract him. She early felt it; and thisfeeling became constantly the more painful to her, the farther sheadvanced into the years when both sexes find an innocent pleasure inbeing mutually agreeable. 

To nobody can his own form be repugnant; the ugliest, as well as themost beautiful, has a right to enjoy his own presence: and as favorbeautifies, and every one regards himself in the looking-glass withfavor, it may be asserted that every one must see himself withcomplacency, even if he would struggle against the feeling. Yet mysister had such a decided foundation of good sense, that she could notpossibly be blind and silly in this respect; on the contrary, sheperhaps knew more clearly than she ought, that she stood far behind herfemale playfellows in external beauty, without feeling consoled by thefact that she infinitely surpassed them in internal advantages. 

If a woman can find compensation for the want of beauty, she richlyfound it in the unbounded confidence, the regard and love, which all herfemale friends bore to her; whether they were older or younger, allcherished the same sentiments. A very pleasant society had collectedaround her: young men were not wanting who knew how to insinuatethemselves; nearly every girl found an admirer; she alone had remainedwithout a partner. While, indeed, her exterior was in some measurerepulsive, the mind that gleamed through it was also more repelling thanattractive; for the presence of any excellence throws others back uponthemselves. She felt this sensibly: she did not conceal it from me, andher love was directed to me with so much the greater force. The case wassingular enough. As confidants to whom one reveals a love-affairactually by genuine sympathy become lovers also, nay, grow into rivals, and at last, perchance, transfer the passion to themselves; so it waswith us two: for, when my connection with Gretchen was torn asunder, mysister consoled me the more earnestly, because she secretly felt thesatisfaction of having gotten rid of a rival; and I, too, could not butfeel a quiet, half-mischievous pleasure, when she did me the justice toassure me that I was the only one who truly loved, understood, andesteemed her. If now, from time to time, my grief for the loss ofGretchen revived, and I suddenly began to weep, to lament, and to act ina disorderly manner, my despair for my lost one awakened in her likewisea similar despairing impatience as to the never-possessings, thefailures, and miscarriages of such youthful attachments, that we boththought ourselves infinitely unhappy, and the more so, as, in thissingular case, the confidants could not change themselves into lovers. 

Fortunately, however, the capricious god of love, who needlessly does somuch mischief, here for once interfered beneficially, to extricate usout of all perplexity. I had much intercourse with a young Englishmanwho was educated in Pfeil's boarding-school. He could give a goodaccount of his own language: I practised it with him, and thus learnedmuch concerning his country and people. He went in and out of our houselong enough without my remarking in him a liking for my sister; yet hemay have been nourishing it in secret, even to passion, for at last itdeclared itself unexpectedly and at once. She knew him, she esteemedhim, and he deserved it. She had often made the third at our Englishconversations: we had both tried to catch from his mouth theirregularities of the English pronunciation, and thereby accustomedourselves, not only to the peculiarities of its accent and sound, buteven to what was most peculiar in the personal qualities of our teacher;so that at last it sounded strangely enough when we all seemed to speakas if out of one mouth. The pains he took to learn as much German fromus in the like manner were to no purpose; and I think I have remarkedthat even this little love-affair was also, both orally and in writing, carried on in the English language. Both the young persons were verywell suited to each other: he was tall and well built, as she was, onlystill more slender; his face, small and compact, might really have beenpretty, had it not been too much disfigured by the small-pox; his mannerwas calm, precise, --one might often have called it dry and cold; but hisheart was full of kindness and love, his soul full of generosity, andhis attachments as lasting as they were decided and controlled. Now, this serious pair, who had but lately formed an attachment, were quitepeculiarly distinguished among the others, who, being already betteracquainted with each other, of more frivolous character, and careless asto the future, roved about with levity in these connections, whichcommonly pass away as the mere fruitless prelude to subsequent and moreserious ties, and very seldom produce a lasting effect upon life. 

The fine weather and the beautiful country did not remain unenjoyed byso lively a company: water-excursions were frequently arranged, becausethese are the most sociable of all parties of pleasure. Yet, whether wewere going by water or by land, the individual attracting powersimmediately showed themselves; each couple kept together: and for somemen who were not engaged, of whom I was one, there remained either noconversation with the ladies at all, or only such as no one would havechosen for a day of pleasure. A friend who found himself in thissituation, and who might have been in want of a partner chiefly for thisreason, that, with, the best humor, he lacked tenderness, and, with muchintelligence, that delicate attention, without which connections of thiskind are not to be thought of, --this man, after often humorously andwittily lamenting his condition, promised at the next meeting to make aproposal which would benefit himself and the whole company. Nor did hefail to perform his promise; for when, after a brilliant trip by water, and a very pleasant walk, reclining on the grass between shady knolls, or sitting on mossy rocks and roots of trees, we had cheerfully andhappily consumed a rural meal, and our friend saw us all cheerful and ingood spirits, he, with a waggish dignity, commanded us to sit closeround him in a semicircle, before which he stepped, and began to make anemphatic peroration as follows:--

"Most worthy friends of both sexes, paired and unpaired!"--It wasalready evident from this address, how necessary it was that a preacherof repentance should arise, and sharpen the conscience of the company. "One part of my noble friends is paired, and they may find themselvesquite happy; another unpaired, and these find themselves in the highestdegree miserable, as I can assure you from my own experience: andalthough the loving couples are here in the majority, yet I would havethem consider whether it is not a social duty to take thought for thewhole. Why do we wish to assemble in such numbers, except to take amutual interest in each other? and how can that be done when so manylittle secessions are to be seen in our circle? Far be it from me toinsinuate any thing against such sweet connections, or even to wish todisturb them; but 'there is a time for all things, '--an excellent greatsaying, of which, indeed, nobody thinks when his own amusement issufficiently provided for. "

He then went on with constantly increasing liveliness and gayety tocompare the social virtues with the tender sentiments. "The latter, "said he, "can never fail us; we always carry them about with us, andevery one becomes a master in them without practice: but we must go inquest of the former, we must take some trouble about them; and, thoughwe progress in them as much as we will, we have never done learningthem. " Now he went into particulars. Many felt hit off, and they couldnot help casting glances at each other: yet our friend had thisprivilege, that nothing he did was taken ill; and so he could proceedwithout interruption. 

"It is not enough to discover deficiencies: indeed, it is unjust to doso, if at the same time one cannot contrive to give the means forbettering the state of affairs. I will not, therefore, my friends, something like a preacher in Passion Week, exhort you in general termsto repentance and amendment: I rather wish all amiable couples thelongest and most enduring happiness; and, to contribute to it myself inthe surest manner, I propose to sever and abolish these most charminglittle segregations during our social hours. I have, " he continued, "already provided for the execution of my project, if it should meetyour approbation. Here is a bag in which are the names of the gentlemen:now draw, my fair ones, and be pleased to favor as your servant, for aweek, him whom fate shall send you. This is binding only within ourcircle; as soon as that is broken up, these connections are alsoabolished, and the heart may decide who shall attend you home. "

A great part of the company had been delighted with this address, andthe manner in which he delivered it, and seemed to approve of thenotion; yet some couples looked at each other as if they thought that itwould not answer their purpose: he therefore cried with humorousvehemence, --

"Truly! it surprises me that some one does not spring up, and, thoughothers hesitate, extol my plan, explain its advantages, and spare me thepain of being my own encomiast. I am the oldest among you: may Godforgive me for that! Already have I a bald pate, which is owing to mygreat meditation. "--

Here he took off his hat--

"But I should expose it to view with joy and honor if my lucubrations, which dry up my skin, and rob me of my finest adornment, could only bein some measure beneficial to myself and others. We are young, myfriends, --that is good; we shall grow older, --that is bad; we takelittle offence at each other, --that is right, and in accordance with theseason. But soon, my friends, the days will come when we shall have muchto be displeased at in ourselves; then, let every one see that he makesall right with himself; but, at the same time, others will take thingsill of us, and on what account we shall not understand; for this we mustprepare ourselves; this shall now be done. "

He had delivered the whole speech, but especially the last part, withthe tone and gesture of a Capuchin; for, as he was a Catholic, he mighthave had abundant opportunity to study the oratory of these fathers. Henow appeared out of breath, wiped his youthful, bald head, which reallygave him the look of a priest, and by these drolleries put the light-hearted company in such good humor that every one was eager to hear himlonger. But, instead of proceeding, he drew open the bag, and turned tothe nearest lady. "Now for a trial of it!" exclaimed he: "the work willdo credit to the master. If in a week's time we do not like it, we willgive it up, and stick to the old plan. "

Half willingly, half on compulsion, the ladies drew their tickets; andit was easy to see that various passions were in play during this littleaffair. Fortunately it happened that the merry-minded were separated, while the more serious remained together, and so, too, my sister kepther Englishman; which, on both sides, they took very kindly of the godof Love and Luck. The new chance-couples were immediately united by the/Antistes/, their healths were drank, and to all the more joy waswished, as its duration was to be but short. This was certainly themerriest moment that our company had enjoyed for a long time. The youngmen to whose share no lady had fallen, held, for this week, the officeof providing for the mind, the soul, and the body, as our oratorexpressed himself, but especially, he hinted, for the soul, since boththe others already knew how to help themselves. 

These masters of ceremonies, who wished at once to do themselves credit, brought into play some very pretty new games, prepared at some distancea supper, which we had not reckoned on, and illuminated the yacht on ourreturn at night, although there was no necessity for it in the brightmoonlight; but they excused themselves by saying that it was quiteconformable to the new social regulation to outshine the tender glancesof the heavenly moon by earthly candles. The moment we touched theshore, our Solon cried, "/Ite, missa est!/" Each one now handed outof the vessel the lady who had fallen to him by lot, and thensurrendered her to her proper partner, on receiving his own in exchange. 

At our next meeting this weekly regulation was established for thesummer, and the lots were drawn once more. There was no question butthat this pleasantry gave a new and unexpected turn to the company; andevery one was stimulated to display whatever of wit and grace was inhim, and to pay court to his temporary fair one in the most obligingmanner, since he might depend on having a sufficient store ofcomplaisance for one week at least. 

We had scarcely settled down, when, instead of thanking our orator, wereproached him for having kept to himself the best part of his speech, --the conclusion. He thereupon protested that the best part of a speechwas persuasion, and that he who did not aim at persuasion should make nospeech; for, as to conviction, that was a ticklish business. As, however, they gave him no peace, he began a Capuchinade on the spot, more comical than ever, perhaps, for the very reason that he took itinto his head to speak on the most serious subjects. For with texts outof the Bible, which had nothing to do with the business; with simileswhich did not fit; with allusions which illustrated nothing, --he carriedout the proposition, that whosoever does not know how to conceal hispassions, inclinations, wishes, purposes, and plans, will come to nogood in the world, but will be disturbed and made a butt in every endand corner; and that especially if one would be happy in love, one musttake pains to keep it a most profound secret. 

This thought ran through the whole, without, properly speaking, a singleword of it being said. If you would form a conception of this singularman, let it be considered, that, being born with a good foundation, hehad cultivated his talents, and especially his acuteness, in Jesuitschools, and had amassed an extensive knowledge of the world and of men, but only on the bad side. He was some two and twenty years old, andwould gladly have made me a proselyte to his contempt for mankind; butthis would not take with me, as I always had a great desire to be goodmyself, and to find good in others. Meanwhile, I was by him madeattentive to many things. 

To complete the /dramatis personae/ of every merry company, anactor is necessary who feels pleasure when the others, to enliven manyan indifferent moment, point the arrows of their wit at him. If he isnot merely a stuffed Saracen, like those on whom the knights used topractise their lances in mock battles, but understands himself how toskirmish, to rally, and to challenge, how to wound lightly, and recoverhimself again, and, while he seems to expose himself, to give others athrust home, nothing more agreeable can be found. Such a man wepossessed in our friend Horn, whose name, to begin with, gave occasionfor all sorts of jokes, and who, on account of his small figure, wascalled nothing but Hörnchen (little Horn). He was, in fact, the smallestin the company, of a stout but pleasing form; a pug-nose, a mouthsomewhat pouting, little sparkling eyes, made up a swarthy countenancewhich always seemed to invite laughter. His little compact skull wasthickly covered with curly black hair: his beard was prematurely blue;and he would have liked to let it grow, that, as a comic mask, he mightalways keep the company laughing. For the rest, he was neat and nimble, but insisted that he had bandy legs, which everybody granted, since hewas bent on having it so, but about which many a joke arose; for, sincehe was in request as a very good dancer, he reckoned it among thepeculiarities of the fair sex, that they always liked to see bandy legson the floor. His cheerfulness was indestructible, and his presence atevery meeting indispensable. We two kept more together because he was tofollow me to the university; and he well deserves that I should mentionhim with all honor, as he adhered to me for many years with infinitelove, faithfulness, and patience. 

By my ease in rhyming, and in winning from common objects a poeticalside, he had allowed himself to be seduced into similar labors. Ourlittle social excursions, parties of pleasure, and the contingenciesthat occurred in them, we decked out poetically; and thus, by thedescription of an event, a new event always arose. But as such socialjests commonly degenerate into personal ridicule, and my friend Horn, with his burlesque representations, did not always keep within properbounds, many a misunderstanding arose, which, however, could soon besoftened down and effaced. 

Thus, also, he tried his skill in a species of poetry which was thenvery much the order of the day, --the comic heroical poem. Pope's "Rapeof the Lock" had called forth many imitations: Zachariä cultivated thisbranch of poetry on German soil; and it pleased every one, because theordinary subject of it was some awkward fellow, of whom the genii madegame, while they favored the better one. 

Although it is no wonder, yet it excites wonderment, when contemplatinga literature, especially the German, one observes how a whole nationcannot get free from a subject which has been once given, and happilytreated in a certain form, but will have it repeated in every manner, until, at last, the original itself is covered up, and stifled by theheaps of imitations. 

The heroic poem of my friend was a voucher for this remark. At a greatsledging-party, an awkward man has assigned to him a lady who does notlike him: comically enough, there befalls him, one after another, everyaccident that can happen on such an occasion, until at last, as he isentreating for the sledge-driver's right (a kiss), he falls from theback-seat; for just then, as was natural, the Fates tripped him up. Thefair one seizes the reins, and drives home alone, where a favored friendreceives her, and triumphs over his presumptuous rival. As to the rest, it was very prettily contrived that the four different kinds of spiritsshould worry him in turn, till at the end the gnomes hoist himcompletely out of the saddle. The poem, written in Alexandrines, andfounded on a true story, highly delighted our little public; and we wereconvinced that it could well be compared with the "Walpurgisnight" ofLöwen, or the "Renommist" of Zachariä. [Footnote: This word, whichsignifies something like our "bully, " is specially used to designate afighting student. --TRANS. ]

While, now, our social pleasures required but an evening, and thepreparations for them only a few hours, I had enough time to read, and, as I thought, to study. To please my father, I diligently repeated thesmaller work of Hopp, and could stand an examination in it forwards andbackwards, by which means I made myself complete master of the chiefcontents of the institutes. But a restless eagerness for knowledge urgedme farther: I lighted upon the history of ancient literature, and fromthat fell into an encyclopaedism, in which I hastily read Gessner's"Isagoge" and Morhov's "Polyhistor, " and thus gained a general notion ofhow many strange things might have happened in learning and life. Bythis persevering and rapid industry, continued day and night, I becamemore confused than instructed; but I lost myself in a still greaterlabyrinth when I found Bayle in my father's library, and plunged deeplyinto this work. 

But a leading conviction, which was continually revived within me, wasthat of the importance of the ancient tongues; since from amidst thisliterary hurly-burly, thus much continually forced itself upon me, thatin them were preserved all the models of oratory, and at the same timeevery thing else of worth that the world has ever possessed. Hebrew, together with biblical studies, had retired into the background, andGreek likewise, since my acquaintance with it did not extend beyond theNew Testament. I therefore the more zealously kept to Latin, themasterpieces in which lie nearer to us, and which, besides its splendidoriginal productions, offers us the other wealth of all ages intranslations, and the works of the greatest scholars. I consequentlyread much in this language, with great ease, and was bold enough tobelieve I understood the authors, because I missed nothing of theliteral sense. Indeed, I was very indignant when I heard that Grotiushad insolently declared, "he did not read Terence as boys do. " Happynarrow-mindedness of youth!--nay, of men in general, that they can, atevery moment of their existence, fancy themselves finished, and inquireafter neither the true nor the false, after neither the high nor thedeep, but merely after that which is suited to them. 

I had thus learned Latin, like German, French, and English, merely bypractice, without rules, and without comprehension. Whoever knows thethen condition of scholastic instruction will not think it strange thatI skipped grammar as well as rhetoric; all seemed to me to come togethernaturally: I retained the words, their forms and inflexions, in my earand mind, and used the language with ease in writing and in chattering. 

Michaelmas, the time fixed for my going to the university, wasapproaching; and my mind was excited quite as much about my life asabout my learning. I grew more and more clearly conscious of an aversionto my native city. By Gretchen's removal, the heart had been broken outof the boyish and youthful plant: it needed time to bud forth again fromits sides, and surmount the first injury by a new growth. My ramblingsthrough the streets had ceased: I now, like others, only went such waysas were necessary. I never went again into Gretchen's quarter of thecity, not even into its vicinity: and as my old walls and towers becamegradually disagreeable to me, so also was I displeased at theconstitution of the city; all that hitherto seemed so worthy of honornow appeared to me in distorted shapes. As grandson of the/Schultheiss/ I had not remained unacquainted with the secretdefects of such a republic; the less so, as children feel quite apeculiar surprise, and are excited to busy researches, as soon assomething which they have hitherto implicitly revered becomes in anydegree suspicious to them. The fruitless indignation of upright men, inopposition to those who are to be gained and even bribed by factions, had become but too plain to me: I hated every injustice beyond measure, for children are all moral rigorists. My father, who was concerned inthe affairs of the city only as a private citizen, expressed himselfwith very lively indignation about much that had failed. And did I notsee him, after so many studies, endeavors, pains, travels, and so muchvaried cultivation, between his four walls, leading a solitary life, such as I could never desire for myself? All this put together lay as ahorrible load on my mind, from which I could only free myself by tryingto contrive a plan of life altogether different from that which had beenmarked out for me. In thought I threw aside my legal studies, anddevoted myself solely to the languages, to antiquities, to history, andto all that flows from them. 

Indeed, at all times, the poetic imitation of what I had perceived inmyself, in others, and in nature, afforded me the greatest pleasure. Idid it with ever-increasing facility, because it came by instinct, andno criticism had led me astray; and, if I did not feel full confidencein my productions, I could certainly regard them as defective, but notsuch as to be utterly rejected. Although here and there they werecensured, I still retained my silent conviction that I could not butgradually improve, and that some time I might be honorably named alongwith Hagedorn, Gellert, and other such men. But such a distinction aloneseemed to me too empty and inadequate; I wished to devote myselfprofessionally and with zeal to those aforesaid fundamental studies, and, whilst I meant to advance more rapidly in my own works by a morethorough insight into antiquity, to qualify myself for a universityprofessorship, which seemed to me the most desirable thing for a youngman who strove for culture, and intended to contribute to that ofothers. 

With these intentions I always had my eye upon Göttingen. My wholeconfidence rested upon men like Heyne, Michaelis, and so many others: mymost ardent wish was to sit at their feet, and attend to theirinstructions. But my father remained inflexible. Howsoever some familyfriends, who were of my opinion, tried to influence him, he persistedthat I must go to Leipzig. I was now resolved, contrary to his views andwishes, to choose a line of studies and of life for myself, by way ofself-defense. The obstinacy of my father, who, without knowing it, opposed himself to my plans, strengthened me in my impiety; so that Imade no scruple to listen to him by the hour, while he described andrepeated to me the course of study and of life which I should pursue atthe universities and in the world. 

All hopes of Göttingen being cut off, I now turned my eyes towardsLeipzig. There Ernesti appeared to me as a brilliant light: Morus, too, already awakened much confidence. I planned for myself in secret anopposition-course, or rather I built a castle in the air, on a tolerablysolid foundation; and it seemed to me quite romantically honorable tomark out my own path of life, which appeared the less visionary, asGriesbach had already made great progress in a similar way, and wascommended for it by every one. The secret joy of a prisoner, when he hasunbound the fetters, and rapidly filed through the bars of his jail-window, cannot be greater than was mine as I saw day after daydisappear, and October draw nigh. The inclement season and the badroads, of which everybody had something to tell, did not frighten me. The thought of making good my footing in a strange place, and in winter, did not make me sad; suffice it to say, that I only saw my presentsituation was gloomy, and represented to myself the other unknown worldas light and cheerful. Thus I formed my dreams, to which I gave myselfup exclusively, and promised myself nothing but happiness and content inthe distance. 

Closely as I kept these projects a secret from every one else, I couldnot hide them from my sister, who, after being very much alarmed aboutthem at first, was finally consoled when I promised to send after her, so that she could enjoy with me the brilliant station I was to obtain, and share my comfort with me. 

Michaelmas, so longingly expected, came at last, when I set out withdelight, in company with the bookseller Fleischer and his wife (whosemaiden name was Triller, and who was going to visit her father inWittemberg); and I left behind me the worthy city in which I had beenborn and bred, with indifference, as if I wished never to set foot in itagain. 

Thus, at certain epochs, children part from parents, servants frommasters, /protégés/ from their patrons; and, whether it succeed ornot, such an attempt to stand on one's own feet, to make one's selfindependent, to live for one's self, is always in accordance with thewill of nature. 

We had driven out through the Allerheiligen (/All Saints/) gate, and had soon left Hanau behind us, after which we reached scenes whicharoused my attention by their novelty, if, at this season of the year, they offered little that was pleasing. A continual rain had completelyspoiled the roads, which, generally speaking, were not then in such goodorder as we find them now; and our journey was thus neither pleasant norhappy. Yet I was indebted to this damp weather for the sight of anatural phenomenon which must be exceedingly rare, for I have seennothing like it since, nor have I heard of its having been observed byothers. It was this; namely, we were driving at night up a rising groundbetween Hanau and Gelhausen, and, although it was dark, we preferredwalking to exposing ourselves to the danger and difficulty of that partof the road. All at once, in a ravine on the right-hand side of the way, I saw a sort of amphitheatre, wonderfully illuminated. In a funnel-shaped space there were innumerable little lights gleaming, ranged step-fashion over one another; and they shone so brilliantly that the eye wasdazzled. But what still more confused the sight was, that they did notkeep still, but jumped about here and there, as well downwards fromabove as /vice versa/, and in every direction. The greater part ofthem, however, remained stationary, and beamed on. It was only with thegreatest reluctance that I suffered myself to be called away from thisspectacle, which I could have wished to examine more closely. Thepostilion, when questioned, said that he knew nothing about such aphenomenon, but that there was in the neighborhood an old stone-quarry, the excavation of which was filled with water. Now, whether this was apandemonium of will-o'-the-wisps, or a company of luminous creatures, Iwill not decide. 

The roads through Thuringia were yet worse; and unfortunately, at night-fall, our coach stuck fast in the vicinity of Auerstädt. We were farremoved from all mankind, and did every thing possible to work ourselvesout. I failed not to exert myself zealously, and might thereby haveoverstrained the ligaments of my chest; for soon afterwards I felt apain, which went off and returned, and did not leave me entirely untilafter many years. 

Yet on that same night, as if it had been destined for alternate goodand bad luck, I was forced, after an unexpectedly fortunate incident, toexperience a teazing vexation. We met, in Auerstädt, a genteel marriedcouple, who had also just arrived, having been delayed by a similaraccident; a pleasing, dignified man, in his best years, with a veryhandsome wife. They politely persuaded us to sup in their company, and Ifelt very happy when the excellent lady addressed a friendly word to me. But when I was sent out to hasten the soup which had been ordered, nothaving been accustomed to the loss of rest and the fatigues oftravelling, such an unconquerable drowsiness overtook me, that actuallyI fell asleep while walking, returned into the room with my hat on myhead, and, without remarking that the others were saying grace, placedmyself with quiet unconsciousness behind the chair, and never dreamedthat by my conduct I had come to disturb their devotions in a very drollway. Madame Fleischer, who lacked neither spirit nor wit nor tongue, entreated the strangers, before they had seated themselves, not to besurprised at any thing they might see here; for that their young fellow-traveller had in his nature much of the peculiarity of the Quakers, whobelieve that they cannot honor God and the king better than with coveredheads. The handsome lady, who could not restrain her laughter, lookedprettier than ever in consequence; and I would have given every thing inthe world not to have been the cause of a merriment which was so highlybecoming to her countenance. I had, however, scarcely laid aside my hat, when these persons, in accordance with their polished manners, immediately dropped the joke, and, with the best wine from their bottle-case, completely extinguished sleep, chagrin, and the memory of all pasttroubles. 

I arrived in Leipzig just at the time of the fair, from which I derivedparticular pleasure; for here I saw before me the continuation of astate of things belonging to my native city, familiar wares andtraders, --only in other places, and in a different order. I rambledabout the market and the booths with much interest; but my attention wasparticularly attracted by the inhabitants of the Eastern countries intheir strange dresses, the Poles and Russians, and, above all, theGreeks, for the sake of whose handsome forms and dignified costume Ioften went to the spot. 

But this animating bustle was soon over; and now the city itselfappeared before me, with its handsome, high, and uniform houses. It madea very good impression upon me; and it cannot be denied, that ingeneral, but especially in the silent moments of Sundays and holidays, it has something imposing; and when in the moonlight the streets werehalf in shadow, half-illuminated, they often invited me to nocturnalpromenades. 

[Illustration: Woman with birds. ]

In the mean time, as compared with that to which I had hitherto beenaccustomed, this new state of affairs was by no means satisfactory. Leipzig calls up before the spectator no antique time: it is a new, recently elapsed epoch, testifying commercial activity, comfort andwealth, which announces itself to us in these monuments. Yet quite to mytaste were the houses, which to me seemed immense, and which, frontingtwo streets, and embracing a citizen-world within their large court-yards, built round with lofty walls, are like large castles, nay, evenhalf-cities. In one of these strange places I quartered myself; namely, in the Bombshell Tavern (/Feuerkugel/), between the Old and the NewNewmarket (/Neumarkt/). A couple of pleasant rooms looking out upona court-yard, which, on account of the thoroughfare, was not withoutanimation, were occupied by the bookseller Fleischer during the fair, and by me taken for the rest of the time at a moderate price. As afellow-lodger I found a theological student, who was deeply learned inhis professional studies, a sound thinker, but poor, and suffering muchfrom his eyes, which caused him great anxiety for the future. He hadbrought this affliction upon himself by his inordinate reading till thelatest dusk of the evening, and even by moonlight, to save a little oil. Our old hostess showed herself benevolent to him, always friendly to me, and careful for us both. 

I now hastened with my letters of introduction to Hofrath Böhme, who, once a pupil of Maskow, and now his successor, was professor of historyand public law. A little, thick-set, lively man received me kindlyenough, and introduced me to his wife. Both of them, as well as theother persons whom I waited on, gave me the pleasantest hopes as to myfuture residence; but at first I let no one know of the design Ientertained, although I could scarcely wait for the favorable momentwhen I should declare myself free from jurisprudence, and devoted to thestudy of the classics. I cautiously waited till the Fleischers hadreturned, that my purpose might not be too prematurely betrayed to myfamily. But I then went, without delay, to Hofrath Böhme, to whom, before all, I thought I must confide the matter, and with much self-importance and boldness of speech disclosed my views to him. However, Ifound by no means a good reception of my proposition. As professor ofhistory and public law, he had a declared hatred for every thing thatsavored of the /belles-lettres/. Unfortunately he did not stand onthe best footing with those who cultivated them; and Gellert inparticular, in whom I had, awkwardly enough, expressed much confidence, he could not even endure. To send a faithful student to those men, therefore, while he deprived himself of one, and especially under suchcircumstances, seemed to him altogether out of the question. Hetherefore gave me a severe lecture on the spot, in which he protestedthat he could not permit such a step without the permission of myparents, even if he approved of it himself, which was not the case inthis instance. He then passionately inveighed against philology and thestudy of languages, but still more against poetical exercises, which Ihad indeed allowed to peep out in the background. He finally concluded, that, if I wished to enter more closely into the study of the ancients, it could be done much better by the way of jurisprudence. He brought tomy recollection many elegant jurists, such as Eberhard, Otto, andHeineccius, promised me mountains of gold from Roman antiquities and thehistory of law, and showed me, clear as the sun, that I should here betaking no roundabout way, even if afterwards, on more maturedeliberation, and with the consent of my parents, I should determine tofollow out my own plan. He begged me, in a friendly manner, to think thematter over once more, and to open my mind to him soon; as it would benecessary to come to a determination at once, on account of theimpending commencement of the lectures. 

It was, however, very polite of him not to press me on the spot. Hisarguments, and the weight with which he advanced them, had alreadyconvinced my pliant youth; and I now first saw the difficulties anddoubtfulness of a matter which I had privately pictured to myself as sofeasible. Frau Hofrath Böhme invited me shortly afterwards. I found heralone. She was no longer young, and had very delicate health; was gentleand tender to an infinite degree; and formed a decided contrast to herhusband, whose good nature was even blustering. She spoke of theconversation her husband had lately had with me, and once more placedthe subject before me, in all its bearings, in so cordial a manner, soaffectionately and sensibly, that I could not help yielding: the fewreservations on which I insisted were also agreed upon by the otherside. 

Thereupon her husband regulated my hours; for I was to hear lectures onphilosophy, the history of law, the Institutes, and some other matters. I was content with this; but I carried my point so as to attendGellert's history of literature (with Stockhausen for a text-book), andhis "Practicum" besides. 

The reverence and love with which Gellert was regarded by all youngpeople was extraordinary. I had already called on him, and had beenkindly received by him. Not of tall stature; elegant without being lean;soft and rather pensive eyes; a very fine forehead; a nose aquiline, butnot too much so; a delicate mouth; a face of an agreeable oval, --allmade his presence pleasing and desirable. It cost some trouble to reachhim. His two /Famuli/ appeared like priests who guard a sanctuary, the access to which is not permitted to everybody, nor at every time:and such a precaution was very necessary; for he would have sacrificedhis whole time, had he been willing to receive and satisfy all those whowished to become intimate with him. 

At first I attended my lectures assiduously and faithfully, but thephilosophy would not enlighten me at all. In the logic it seemed strangeto me that I had so to tear asunder, isolate, and, as it were, destroy, those operations of the mind which I had performed with the greatestease from my youth upwards, and this in order to see into the right useof them. Of the thing itself, of the world, and of God, I thought I knewabout as much as the professor himself; and, in more places than one, the affair seemed to me to come into a tremendous strait. Yet all wenton in tolerable order till towards Shrovetide, when, in the neighborhoodof Professor Winkler's house on the Thomas Place, the most deliciousfritters came hot out of the pan just at the hour of lecture: and thesedelayed us so long, that our note-books became disordered; and theconclusion of them, towards spring, melted away, together with the snow, and was lost. 

The law-lectures very soon fared not any better, for I already knew justas much as the professor thought good to communicate to us. My stubbornindustry in writing down the lectures at first, was paralyzed bydegrees; for I found it excessively tedious to pen down once more thatwhich, partly by question, partly by answer, I had repeated with myfather often enough to retain it forever in my memory. The harm which isdone when young people at school are advanced too far in many things wasafterwards manifested still more when time and attention were divertedfrom exercises in the languages, and a foundation in what are, properlyspeaking, preparatory studies, in order to be applied to what are called"Realities, " which dissipate more than they cultivate, if they are notmethodically and thoroughly taught. 

I here mention, by the way, another evil by which students are muchembarrassed. Professors, as well as other men in office, cannot all beof the same age: but when the younger ones teach, in fact, only thatthey may learn, and moreover, if they have talent, anticipate their age, they acquire their own cultivation altogether at the cost of theirhearers; since these are not instructed in what they really need, but inthat which the professor finds it necessary to elaborate for himself. Among the oldest professors, on the contrary, many are for a long timestationary: they deliver on the whole only fixed views, and, in thedetails, much that time has already condemned as useless and false. Between the two arises a sad conflict, in which young minds are draggedhither and thither, and which can scarcely be set right by the middle-aged professors, who, though possessed of sufficient learning andculture, always feel within themselves an active desire for knowledgeand reflection. 

Now, as in this way I learned to know much more than I could digest, whereby a constantly increasing uncomfortableness was forced upon me; soalso from life I experienced many disagreeable trifles, --as, indeed, onemust always pay one's footing when one changes one's place and comesinto a new position. The first thing the ladies blamed me for was mydress, for I had come from home to the university rather oddly equipped. 

My father, who detested nothing so much as when something happened invain, when any one did not know how to make use of his time, or found noopportunity for turning it to account, carried his economy of time andabilities so far, that nothing gave him greater pleasure than to killtwo birds with one stone. [Footnote: Literally, "to strike two flieswith one flapper. "--TRANS. ] He had, therefore, never engaged a servantwho could not be useful to the house in something else. Now, as he hadalways written every thing with his own hand, and had, latterly, theconvenience of dictating to the young inmate of the house, he found itmost advantageous to have tailors for his domestics, who were obliged tomake good use of their time, as they not only had to make their ownliveries, but the clothes for my father and the children, besides doingall the mending. My father himself took pains to have the best materialsand the best kind of cloth, by getting fine wares of the foreignmerchants at the fair, and laying them up in store. I still rememberwell that he always visited the Herr von Löwenicht, of Aix-la-Chapelle, and from my earliest youth made me acquainted with these and othereminent merchants. 

Care was also taken for the fitness of the stuff: and there was aplentiful stock of different kinds of cloth, serge, and Götting stuff, besides the requisite lining; so that, as far as the materials wereconcerned, we might well venture to be seen. But the form spoiled almostevery thing. For, if one of our home-tailors was any thing of a cleverhand at sewing and making up a coat which had been cut out for him inmasterly fashion, he was now obliged also to cut out the dress forhimself, which did not always succeed to perfection. In addition tothis, my father kept whatever belonged to his clothing in very good andneat order, and preserved more than used it for many years. Thus he hada predilection for certain old cuts and trimmings, by which our dresssometimes acquired a strange appearance. 

In this same way had the wardrobe which I took with me to the universitybeen furnished: it was very complete and handsome, and there was even alaced suit amongst the rest. Already accustomed to this kind of attire, I thought myself sufficiently well dressed; but it was not long beforemy female friends, first by gentle raillery, then by sensibleremonstrances, convinced me that I looked as if I had dropped down outof another world. Much as I felt vexed at this, I did not see at firsthow I was to mend matters. But when Herr von Masuren, the favoritepoetical country squire, once entered the theatre in a similar costume, and was heartily laughed at, more by reason of his external than hisinternal absurdity, I took courage, and ventured at once to exchange mywhole wardrobe for a new-fashioned one, suited to the place, by which, however, it shrunk considerably. 

When this trial was surmounted, a new one was to come up, which provedto be far more unpleasant, because it concerned a matter which one doesnot so easily put off and exchange. 

I had been born and bred in the Upper-German dialect; and although myfather always labored to preserve a certain purity of language, and, from our youth upwards, had made us children attentive to what may bereally called the defects of that idiom, and so prepared us for a bettermanner of speaking, I retained nevertheless many deeper-seatedpeculiarities, which, because they pleased me by their /naïvete/, Iwas fond of making conspicuous, and thus every time I used them incurreda severe reproof from my new fellow-townsmen. The Upper-German, andperhaps chiefly he who lives by the Rhine and Main (for great rivers, like the seacoast, always have something animating about them), expresses himself much in similes and allusions, and makes use ofproverbial sayings with a native common-sense aptness. In both cases heis often blunt: but, when one sees the drift of the expression, it isalways appropriate; only something, to be sure, may often slip in, whichproves offensive to a more delicate ear. 

Every province loves its own dialect; for it is, properly speaking, theelement in which the soul draws its breath. But every one knows withwhat obstinacy the Misnian dialect has contrived to domineer over therest, and even, for a long time, to exclude them. We have suffered formany years under this pedantic tyranny, and only by reiterated struggleshave all the provinces again established themselves in their ancientrights. What a lively young man had to endure from this continualtutoring, may be easily inferred by any one who reflects that modes ofthought, imagination, feeling, native character, must be sacrificed withthe pronunciation which one at last consents to alter. And thisintolerable demand was made by men and women of education, whoseconvictions I could not adopt, whose injustice I thought I felt, thoughI was unable to make it plain to myself. Allusions to the pithy biblicaltexts were to be forbidden me, as well as the use of the honest-heartedexpressions from the Chronicles. I had to forget that I had read the"Kaiser von Geisersberg, " and eschew the use of proverbs, whichnevertheless, instead of much fiddle-faddle, just hit the nail upon thehead, --all this, which I had appropriated to myself with youthful ardor, I was now to do without: I felt paralyzed to the core, and scarcely knewany more how I had to express myself on the commonest things. I was, moreover, told that one should speak as one writes, and write as onespeaks; while to me, speaking and writing seemed once for all twodifferent things, each of which might well maintain its own rights. Andeven in the Misnian dialect had I to hear many things which would havemade no great figure on paper. 

Every one who perceives in this the influence which men and women ofeducation, the learned, and other persons who take pleasure in refinedsociety, so decidedly exercise over a young student, would beimmediately convinced that we were in Leipzig, even if it had not beenmentioned. Each one of the German universities has a particularcharacter; for, as no universal cultivation can pervade our fatherland, every place adheres to its own fashion, and carries out, even to thelast, its own characteristic peculiarities: exactly the same thing holdsgood of the universities. In Jena and Halle roughness had been carriedto the highest pitch: bodily strength, skill in fighting, the wildestself-help, was there the order of the day; and such a state of affairscan only be maintained and propagated by the most universal riot. Therelations of the students to the inhabitants of those cities, various asthey might be, nevertheless agreed in this, that the wild stranger hadno regard for the citizen, and looked upon himself as a peculiar being, privileged to all sorts of freedom and insolence. In Leipzig, on thecontrary, a student could scarcely be any thing else than polite, assoon as he wished to stand on any footing at all with the rich, well-bred, and punctilious inhabitants. 

All politeness, indeed, when it does not present itself as the floweringof a great and comprehensive mode of life, must appear restrained, stationary, and, from some points of view, perhaps, absurd; and so thosewild huntsmen from the Saale [Footnote: The river on which Halle isbuilt. --TRANS. ] thought they had a great superiority over the tameshepherds on the Pleisse. [Footnote: The river near Leipzig. --TRANS. ]Zachariä's "Renommist" will always be a valuable document, from whichthe manner of life and thought at that time rises visibly forth; as ingeneral his poems must be welcome to every one who wishes to form forhimself a conception of the then prevailing state of social life andmanners, which was indeed feeble, but amiable on account of itsinnocence and child-like simplicity. 

All manners which result from the given relations of a common existenceare indestructible; and, in my time, many things still reminded us ofZachariä's epic poem. Only one of our fellow-academicians thoughthimself rich and independent enough to snap his fingers at publicopinion. He drank acquaintance with all the hackney-coachmen, whom heallowed to sit inside the coach as if they were gentlemen, while hedrove them on the box; thought it a great joke to upset them now andthen, and contrived to satisfy them for their smashed vehicles as wellas for their occasional bruises; but otherwise he did no harm to anyone, seeming only to make a mock of the public /en masse/. Once, ona most beautiful promenade-day, he and a comrade of his seized upon thedonkeys of the miller in St. Thomas's square: well-dressed, and in theirshoes and stockings, they rode around the city with the greatestsolemnity, stared at by all the promenaders, with whom the glacis wasswarming. When some sensible persons remonstrated with him on thesubject, he assured them, quite unembarrassed, that he only wanted tosee how the Lord Christ might have looked in a like case. Yet he foundno imitators and few companions. 

For the student of any wealth and standing had every reason to showhimself attentive to the mercantile class, and to be the more solicitousabout the proper external forms, as the colony [Footnote: Leipzig was socalled, because a large and influential portion of its citizens weresprung from a colony of Huguenots, who settled there after therevocation of the edict of Nantes. --/American Note/. ] exhibited amodel of French manners. The professors, opulent both from their privateproperty and from their liberal salaries, were not dependent upon theirscholars; and many subjects of the state, educated at the governmentschools or other gymnasia, and hoping for preferment, did not venture tothrow off the traditional customs. The neighborhood of Dresden, theattention thence paid to us, and the true piety of the superintendent ofthe course of study, could not be without a moral, nay, a religious, influence. 

At first this kind of life was not repugnant to me: my letters ofintroduction had given me the /entrée/ into good families, whosecircle of relatives also received me well. But as I was soon forced tofeel that the company had much to find fault with in me, and that, afterdressing myself in their fashion, I must now talk according to theirtongue also; and as, moreover, I could plainly see that I was, on theother hand, but little benefited by the instruction and mentalimprovement I had promised myself from my academical residence, --I beganto be lazy, and to neglect the social duties of visiting, and otherattentions; and indeed I should have sooner withdrawn from all suchconnections, had not fear and esteem attached me firmly to HofrathBöhme, and confidence and affection to his wife. The husband, unfortunately, had not the happy gift of dealing with young people, ofwinning their confidence, and of guiding them, for the moment, asoccasion might require. When I visited him I never got any good by it:his wife, on the contrary, showed a genuine interest in me. Her illhealth kept her constantly at home. She often invited me to spend theevening with her, and knew how to direct and improve me in many littleexternal particulars: for my manners were good, indeed; but I was notyet master of what is properly termed /étiquette/. Only one friendspent the evenings with her; but she was much more dictatorial andpedantic, for which reason she displeased me excessively: and, out ofspite to her, I often resumed those unmannerly habits from which theother had already weaned me. Nevertheless she always had patience enoughwith me, taught me piquet, ombre, and similar games, the knowledge andpractice of which is held indispensable in society. 

But it was in the matter of taste that Madame Böhme had the greatestinfluence upon me, --in a negative way truly, yet one in which she agreedperfectly with the critics. The Gottsched waters [Footnote: That is tosay, the influence of Gottsched on German literature, of which more issaid in the next book. --TRANS. ] had inundated the German world with atrue deluge, which threatened to rise up, even over the highestmountains. It takes a long time for such a flood to subside again, forthe mire to dry away; and as in any epoch there are numberless apingpoets, so the imitation of the flat and watery produced a chaos, ofwhich now scarcely a notion remains. To find out that trash was trashwas hence the greatest sport, yea, the triumph, of the critics of thosedays. Whoever had only a little common sense, was superficiallyacquainted with the ancients, and was somewhat more familiar with themoderns, thought himself provided with a standard scale which he couldeverywhere apply. Madame Böhme was an educated woman, who opposed thetrivial, weak, and commonplace: she was, besides, the wife of a man wholived on bad terms with poetry in general, and would not even allow thatof which she perhaps might have somewhat approved. She listened, indeed, for some time with patience, when I ventured to recite to her the verseor prose of famous poets who already stood in good repute, --for then, asalways, I knew by heart every thing that chanced in any degree to pleaseme; but her complaisance was not of long duration. The first whom sheoutrageously abused were the poets of the Weisse school, who were justthen often quoted with great applause, and had delighted me veryparticularly. If I looked more closely into the matter, I could not sayshe was wrong. I had sometimes even ventured to recite to her, thoughanonymously, some of my own poems; but these fared no better than therest of the set. And thus, in a short time, the beautiful variegatedmeadows at the foot of the German Parnassus, where I was fond ofluxuriating, were mercilessly mowed down; and I was even compelled totoss about the drying hay myself, and to ridicule that as lifelesswhich, a short time before, had given me such lively joy. 

Without knowing it, Professor Morus came to strengthen her instructions. He was an uncommonly gentle and friendly man, with whom I becameacquainted at the table of Hofrath Ludwig, and who received me verypleasantly when I begged the privilege of visiting him. Now, whilemaking inquiries of him concerning antiquity, I did not conceal from himwhat delighted me among the moderns; when he spoke about such thingswith more calmness, but, what was still worse, with more profundity thanMadame Böhme; and he thus opened my eyes, at first to my greatestchagrin, but afterwards to my surprise, and at last to my edification. 

Besides this, there came the Jeremiads, with which Gellert, in hiscourse, was wont to warn us against poetry. He wished only for proseessays, and always criticised these first. Verses he treated as a sorryaddition: and, what was the worst of all, even my prose found littlefavor in his eyes; for, after my old fashion, I used always to lay, asthe foundation, a little romance, which I loved to work out in theepistolary form. The subjects were impassioned, the style went beyondordinary prose, and the contents probably did not display any very deepknowledge of mankind in the author; and so I stood in very little favorwith our professor, although he carefully looked over my labors as wellas those of the others, corrected them with red ink, and here and thereadded a moral remark. Many leaves of this kind, which I kept for a longtime with satisfaction, have unfortunately, in the course of years, atlast disappeared from among my papers. 

If elderly persons wish to play the pedagogue properly, they shouldneither prohibit nor render disagreeable to a young man any thing whichgives him pleasure, of whatever kind it may be, unless, at the sametime, they have something else to put in its place, or can contrive asubstitute. Everybody protested against my tastes and inclinations; and, on the other hand, what they commended to me lay either so far from methat I could not perceive its excellencies, or stood so near me that Ithought it not a whit better than what they inveighed against. I thusbecame thoroughly perplexed on the subject, and promised myself the bestresults from a lecture of Ernesti's on "Cicero de Oratore. " I learnedsomething, indeed, from this lecture, but was not enlightened on thesubject which particularly concerned me. What I demanded was a standardof opinion, and thought I perceived that nobody possessed it; for no oneagreed with another, even when they brought forward examples: and wherewere we to get a settled judgment, when they managed to reckon upagainst a man like Wieland so many faults in his amiable writings, whichso completely captivated us younger folks?

Amid this manifold distraction, this dismemberment of my existence andmy studies, it happened that I took my dinners at Hofrath Ludwig's. Hewas a medical man, a botanist; and his company, with the exception ofMorus, consisted of physicians just commencing or near the completion oftheir studies. Now, during these hours, I heard no other conversationthan about medicine or natural history, and my imagination was drawnover into quite a new field. I heard the names of Haller, Linnaeus, Buffon, mentioned with great respect; and, even if disputes often aroseabout mistakes into which it was said they had fallen, all agreed in theend to honor the acknowledged abundance of their merits. The subjectswere entertaining and important, and enchained my attention. By degreesI became familiar with many names and a copious terminology, which Igrasped more willingly as I was afraid to write down a rhyme, howeverspontaneously it presented itself, or to read a poem, for I was fearfulthat it might please me at the time, and that perhaps immediatelyafterwards, like so much else, I should be forced to pronounce it bad. 

This uncertainty of taste and judgment disquieted me more and more everyday, so that at last I fell into despair. I had brought with me those ofmy youthful labors which I thought the best, partly because I hoped toget some credit by them, partly that I might be able to test my progresswith greater certainty; but I found myself in the miserable situation inwhich one is placed when a complete change of mind is required, --arenunciation of all that one has hitherto loved and found good. However, after some time and many struggles, I conceived so great a contempt formy labors, begun and ended, that one day I burnt up poetry and prose, plans, sketches, and projects, all together on the kitchen hearth, andthrew our good old landlady into no small fright and anxiety by thesmoke which filled the whole house. 

SEVENTH BOOK. 

About the condition of German literature of those times so much has beenwritten, and so exhaustively, that every one who takes any interest init can be completely informed; in regard to it critics agree now prettywell; and what at present I intend to say piecemeal and disconnectedlyconcerning it, relates not so much to the way in which it wasconstituted in itself, as to its relation to me. I will therefore firstspeak of those things by which the public is particularly excited; ofthose two hereditary foes of all comfortable life, and of all cheerful, self-sufficient, living poetry, --I mean, satire and criticism. 

In quiet times every one wants to live after his own fashion: thecitizen will carry on his trade or his business, and enjoy the fruits ofit afterwards; thus will the author, too, willingly compose something, publish his labors, and, since he thinks he has done something good anduseful, hope for praise, if not reward. In this tranquillity the citizenis disturbed by the satirist, the author by the critic; and peacefulsociety is thus put into a disagreeable agitation. 

The literary epoch in which I was born was developed out of thepreceding one by opposition. Germany, so long inundated by foreigners, interpenetrated by other nations, directed to foreign languages inlearned and diplomatic transactions, could not possibly cultivate herown. Together with so many new ideas, innumerable foreign words wereobtruded necessarily and unnecessarily upon her; and, even for objectsalready known, people were induced to make use of foreign expressionsand turns of speech. The German, having run wild for nearly two hundredyears in an unhappy tumultuary state, went to school with the French tolearn manners, and with the Romans in order to express his thoughts withpropriety. But this was to be done in the mother-tongue, when theliteral application of those idioms, and their half-Germanization, madeboth the social and business style ridiculous. Besides this, theyadopted without moderation the similes of the southern languages, andemployed them most extravagantly. In the same way they transferred thestately deportment of the prince-like citizens of Rome to the learnedGerman small-town officers, and were at home nowhere, least of all withthemselves. 

But as in this epoch works of genius had already appeared, the Germansense of freedom and joy also began to stir itself. This, accompanied bya genuine earnestness, insisted that men should write purely andnaturally, without the intermixture of foreign words, and as commonintelligible sense dictated. By these praiseworthy endeavors, however, the doors and gates were thrown open to an extended national insipidity, nay, --the dike was dug through by which the great deluge was shortly torush in. Meanwhile, a stiff pedantry long stood its ground in all thefour faculties, until at last, much later, it fled for refuge from oneof them to another. 

Men of parts, children of nature looking freely about them, hadtherefore two objects on which they could exercise themselves, againstwhich they could labor, and, as the matter was of no great importance, give a vent to their petulance: these were, --a language disfigured byforeign words, forms, and turns of speech on the one hand, and theworthlessness of such writings as had been careful to keep themselvesfree from those faults on the other; though it occurred to nobody, that, while they were battling against one evil, the other was called on forassistance. 

Liskow, a daring young man, first ventured to attack by name a shallow, silly writer, whose awkward demeanor soon gave him an opportunity toproceed still more severely. He then went farther, and constantly aimedhis scorn at particular persons and objects, whom he despised and soughtto render despicable, --nay, even persecuted them with passionate hatred. But his career was short; for he soon died, and was gradually forgottenas a restless, irregular youth. The talent and character shown in whathe did, although he had accomplished little, may have seemed valuable tohis countrymen; for the Germans have always shown a peculiar piouskindliness to talents of good promise, when prematurely cut off. Sufficeit to say, that Liskow was very soon praised and recommended to us as anexcellent satirist, who could have attained a rank even above theuniversally beloved Rabener. Here, indeed, we saw ourselves no betteroff than before; for we could discover nothing in his writings, exceptthat he had found the silly, silly, which seemed to us quite a matter ofcourse. 

Rabener, well educated, grown up under good scholastic instruction, of acheerful, and by no means passionate or malicious, disposition, took upgeneral satire. His censure of the so-called vices and follies springsfrom the clear views of a quiet common sense, and from a fixed moralconception of what the world ought to be. His denunciation of faults andfailings is harmless and cheerful; and, in order to excuse even theslight boldness of his writings, it is supposed that the improving offools by ridicule is no fruitless undertaking. 

Rabener's personal character will not easily appear again. As an able, punctual man of business, he does his duty, and thus gains the goodopinion of his fellow-townsmen and the confidence of his superiors;along with which, he gives himself up to the enjoyment of a pleasantcontempt for all that immediately surrounds him. Pedantic/literati/, vain youngsters, every sort of narrowness and conceit, he banters rather than satirizes; and even his banter expresses nocontempt. Just in the same way does he jest about his own condition, hismisfortune, his life, and his death. 

There is little of the aesthetic in the manner in which this writertreats his subjects. In external forms he is indeed varied enough, butthroughout he makes too much use of direct irony; namely, in praisingthe blameworthy and blaming the praiseworthy, whereas this figure ofspeech should be used but extremely seldom; for, in the long run, itbecomes annoying to clear-sighted men, perplexes the weak, while indeedit pleases the great middle class, who, without any special expense ofmind, can fancy themselves more knowing than others. But whatever hebrings before us, and however he does it, alike bears witness to hisrectitude, cheerfulness, and equanimity; so that we always feelprepossessed in his favor. The unbounded applause of his own times was aconsequence of such moral excellencies. 

That people looked for originals to his general descriptions and foundthem, was natural; that individuals complained of him, followed from theabove; his lengthy apologies that his satire is not personal, prove thespite it provoked. Some of his letters crown him at once as a man and anauthor. The confidential epistle in which he describes the siege ofDresden, and how he loses his house, his effects, his writings, and hiswigs, without having his equanimity in the least shaken or hischeerfulness clouded, is highly valuable; although his contemporariesand fellow-citizens could not forgive him his happy turn of mind. Theletter where he speaks of the decay of his strength and of hisapproaching death is in the highest degree worthy of respect; andRabener deserves to be honored as a saint by all cheerful, intelligentmen, who cheerfully resign themselves to earthly events. 

I tear myself away from him reluctantly, yet I would make this remark:his satire refers throughout to the middle class; he lets us see hereand there that he is also well acquainted with the higher ranks, butdoes not hold it advisable to come in contact with them. It may be said, that he has had no successor, that no one has been found who couldconsider himself equal or even similar to him. 

Now for criticism! and first of all for the theoretic attempts. It isnot going too far when we say that the ideal had, at that time, escapedout of the world into religion; it scarcely even made its appearance inmoral philosophy; of a highest principle of art no one had a notion. They put Gottsched's "Critical Art of Poetry" into our hands; it wasuseful and instructive enough, for it gave us a historical informationof all the kinds of poetry, as well as of rhythm and its differentmovements: the poetic genius was presupposed! But, besides that, thepoet was to have acquirements and even learning: he should possesstaste, and every thing else of that kind. They directed us at last toHorace's "Art of Poetry:" we gazed at single golden maxims of thisinvaluable work, but did not know in the least what to do with it as awhole, or how we should use it. 

The Swiss stepped forth as Gottsched's antagonists: they must take itinto their heads to do something different, to accomplish somethingbetter; accordingly we heard that they were, in fact, superior. Breitinger's "Critical Art of Poetry" was taken in hand. Here we reacheda wider field, but, properly speaking, only a greater labyrinth, whichwas so much the more tiresome, as an able man, in whom we hadconfidence, was driving us about in it. Let a brief review justify thesewords. 

For poetry in itself they had been able to find no fundamental axiom: itwas too spiritual and too volatile. Painting, an art which one couldhold fast with one's eyes, and follow step by step with the externalsenses, seemed more favorable for such an end: the English and Frenchhad already theorized about plastic art; and, by a comparison drawn fromthis, it was thought that poetry might be grounded. The former presentedimages to the eye, the latter to the imagination: poetical images, therefore, were the first thing which was taken into consideration. People began with comparisons, descriptions followed, and only that wasexpressed which had always been apparent to the external senses. 

Images, then! But where should these images be got except from nature?The painter professedly imitated nature: why not the poet also? Butnature, as she lies before us, cannot be imitated: she contains so muchthat is insignificant and worthless, that one must make a selection; butwhat determines the choice? one must select that which is important: butwhat is important?

To answer this question, the Swiss may have taken a long time toconsider; for they came to a notion, which is indeed singular, butclever, and even comical, inasmuch as they say, the new is always themost important: and after they have considered this for a while, theydiscover that the marvellous is always newer than every thing else. 

They had now pretty well collected their poetical requisitions; but theyhad still to consider that the marvellous might also be empty, andwithout relation to man. But this relation, demanded as necessary, mustbe a moral one, from which the improvement of mankind should manifestlyfollow; and thus a poem had reached its utmost aim when, with everything else accomplished, it was useful besides. They now wished to testthe different kinds of poetry according to all these requisites: thosewhich imitated nature, besides being marvellous, and at the same time ofa moral aim and use, were to rank as the first and highest. And, aftermuch deliberation, this great pre-eminence was at last ascribed, withthe highest degree of conviction, to Aesop's fables!

Strange as such a deduction may now appear, it had the most decidedinfluence on the best minds. That Gellert and subsequently Lichtwerdevoted themselves to this department, that even Lessing attempted tolabor in it, that so many others turned their talents towards it, speaksfor the confidence which this species of poetry had gained. Theory andpractice always act upon each other: one can see from their works whatis the men's opinion, and, from their opinions, predict what they willdo. 

Yet we must not dismiss our Swiss theory without doing it justice. Bodmer, with all the pains he took, remained theoretically andpractically a child all his life. Breitinger was an able, learned, sagacious man, whom, when he looked rightly about him, the essentials ofa poem did not all escape, --nay, it can be shown that he may have dimlyfelt the deficiencies of his system. Remarkable, for instance, is hisquery, "Whether a certain descriptive poem by König, on the 'Review-campof Augustus the Second, ' is properly a poem?" and the answer to itdisplays good sense. But it may serve for his complete justificationthat he, starting from a false point, on a circle almost run outalready, still struck upon the main principle, and at the end of hisbook finds himself compelled to recommend as additions, so to speak, therepresentation of manners, character, passions, --in short, the wholeinner man; to which, indeed, poetry pre-eminently belongs. 

It may well be imagined into what perplexity young minds felt themselvesthrown by such dislocated maxims, half-understood laws, and shivered-updogmas. We adhere to examples, and there, too, were no better off;foreigners as well as the ancients stood too far from us; and from thebest native poets always peeped out a decided individuality, to the goodpoints of which we could not lay claim, and into the faults of which wecould not but be afraid of falling. For him who felt any thingproductive in himself it was a desperate condition. 

When one considers closely what was wanting in the German poetry, it wasa material, and that, too, a national one: there was never a lack oftalent. Here we make mention only of Günther, who may be called a poetin the full sense of the word. A decided talent, endowed withsensuousness, imagination, memory, the gifts of conception andrepresentation, productive in the highest degree, ready at rhythm, ingenious, witty, and of varied information besides, --he possessed, inshort, all the requisites for creating, by means of poetry, a secondlife within life, even within common real life. We admire the greatfacility with which, in his occasional poems, he elevates allcircumstances by the feelings, and embellishes them with suitablesentiments, images, and historical and fabulous traditions. Theirroughness and wildness belong to his time, his mode of life, andespecially to his character, or, if one would have it so, his want offixed character. He did not know how to curb himself; and so his life, like his poetry, melted away from him. 

By his vacillating conduct, Günther had trifled away the good fortune ofbeing appointed at the court of Augustus the Second, where, in additionto every other species of ostentation, they were also looking about fora court-poet, who could give elevation and grace to their festivities, and immortalize a transitory pomp. Von König was more mannerly and morefortunate: he filled this post with dignity and applause. 

In all sovereign states the material for poetry comes downwards fromabove; and "The Review-camp at Mühlberg" ("Das Lustlager bei Mühlberg")was, perhaps, the first worthy object, provincial, if not national, which presented itself to a poet. Two kings saluting one another in thepresence of a great host, their whole courts and military state aroundthem, well-appointed troops, a mock-fight, /fêtes/ of all kinds, --this is business enough for the outward sense, and overflowing materialfor delineating and descriptive poetry. 

This subject had, indeed, the internal defect, that it was only pomp andshow, from which no real action could result. None except the very firstdistinguished themselves; and, even if they had done so, the poet couldnot render any one conspicuous lest he should offend the others. He hadto consult the "Court and State Calendar;" and the delineation of thepersons therefore went off pretty dryly, --nay, even his contemporariesvery strongly reproached him with having described the horses betterthan the men. But should not this redound to his credit, that he showedhis art just where an object for it presented itself? The maindifficulty, too, seems soon to have manifested itself to him, --since thepoem never advanced beyond the first canto. 

Amidst such studies and reflections, an unexpected event surprised me, and frustrated my laudable design of becoming acquainted with our newliterature from the beginning. My countryman, John George Schlosser, after spending his academical years with industry and exertion, hadrepaired to Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the customary profession of anadvocate; but his mind, aspiring and seeking after the universal, couldnot reconcile itself to this situation for many reasons. He accepted, without hesitation, an office as private secretary to the Duke Ludwig ofWurtemberg, who resided in Treptow; for the prince was named among thosegreat men who, in a noble and independent manner, purposed to enlightenthemselves, their families, and the world, and to unite for higher aims. It was this Prince Ludwig who, to ask advice about the education of hischildren, had written to Rousseau, whose well-known answer began withthe suspicious-looking phrase, "/Si j'avais le malheur d'être néprince/. "

Not only in the affairs of the prince, but also in the education of hischildren, Schlosser was now willingly to assist in word and deed, if notto superintend them. This noble young man, who harbored the bestintentions and strove to attain a perfect purity of morals, would haveeasily kept men from him by a certain dry austerity, if his fine andrare literary cultivation, his knowledge of languages, and his facilityat expressing himself by writing, both in verse and prose, had notattracted every one, and made living with him more agreeable. It hadbeen announced to me that he would pass through Leipzig, and I expectedhim with longing. He came and put up at a little inn or wine-house thatstood in the /Brühl/ (Marsh), and the host of which was namedSchönkopf. This man had a Frankfort woman for his wife; and although heentertained few persons during the rest of the year, and could lodge noguests in his little house, yet at fair-time he was visited by manyFrankforters, who used to eat, and, in case of need, even take quarters, there also. Thither I hastened to find Schlosser, when he had sent toinform me of his arrival. I scarcely remembered having seen him before, and found a young, well-formed man, with a round, compressed face, without the features losing their sharpness on that account. The form ofhis rounded forehead, between black eyebrows and locks, indicatedearnestness, sternness, and perhaps obstinacy. He was, in a certainmeasure, the opposite of myself; and this very thing doubtless laid thefoundation of our lasting friendship. I had the greatest respect for histalents, the more so as I very well saw, that, in the certainty withwhich he acted and produced, he was completely my superior. The respectand the confidence which I showed him confirmed his affection, andincreased the indulgence he was compelled to have for my lively, impetuous, and ever-excitable disposition, in such contrast with hisown. He studied the English writers diligently: Pope, if not his model, was his aim; and, in opposition to that author's "Essay on Man, " he hadwritten a poem in like form and measure, which was to give the Christianreligion the triumph over the deism of the other work. From the greatstore of papers which he carried with him, he showed me poetical andprose compositions in all languages, which, as they challenged me toimitation, once more gave me infinite disquietude. Yet I contrived toget over it immediately by activity. I wrote German, French, English, and Italian poems, addressed to him, the subject-matter of which I tookfrom our conversations, which were always important and instructive. 

Schlosser did not wish to leave Leipzig without having seen face to facethe men who had a name. I willingly took him to those I knew: with thosewhom I had not yet visited, I in this way became honorably acquainted;since he was received with distinction as a well-informed man ofeducation, of already established character, and well knew how to payfor the outlay of conversation. I cannot pass over our visit we paid toGottsched, as it exemplifies the character and manners of that man. Helived very respectably in the first story of the Golden Bear, where theelder Breitkopf, on account of the great advantage which Gottsched'swritings, translations, and other aids had brought to the trade, hadpromised him a lodging for life. 

We were announced. The servant led us into a large chamber, saying hismaster would come immediately. Now, whether we misunderstood a gesturewhich he made, I cannot say: it is enough, we thought he directed usinto an adjoining room. We entered, to witness a singular scene: for, onthe instant, Gottsched, that tall, broad, gigantic man, came in at theopposite door in a morning-gown of green damask lined with red taffeta;but his monstrous head was bald and uncovered. This, however, was to beimmediately provided for: the servant rushed in at a side-door with agreat full-bottomed wig in his hand (the curls came down to the elbows), and handed the head-ornament to his master with gestures of terror. Gottsched, without manifesting the least vexation, raised the wig fromthe servant's arm with his left hand, and, while he very dexterouslyswung it up on his head, gave the poor fellow such a box on the ear withhis right paw, that the latter, as often happens in a comedy, wentspinning out at the door; whereupon the respectable old grandfatherinvited us quite gravely to be seated, and kept up a pretty longdiscourse with good grace. 

As long as Schlosser remained in Leipzig, I dined daily with him, andbecame acquainted with a very pleasant set of boarders. Some Livonians, and the son of Hermann (chief court-preacher in Dresden), afterwardsburgomaster in Leipzig, and their tutor, Hofrath Pfeil, author of the"Count von P. , " a continuation of Gellert's "Swedish Countess;"Zachariä, a brother of the poet; and Krebel, editor of geographical andgenealogical manuals, --all these were polite, cheerful, and friendlymen. Zachariä was the most quiet; Pfeil, an elegant man, who hadsomething almost diplomatic about him, yet without affectation, and withgreat good humor; Krebel, a genuine Falstaff, tall, corpulent, fair, with prominent, merry eyes, as bright as the sky, always happy and ingood spirits. These persons all treated me in the most handsome manner, partly on Schlosser's account--partly, too, on account of my own frankgood humor and obliging disposition; and it needed no great persuasionto make me partake of their table in future. In fact, I remained withthem after Schlosser's departure, deserted Ludwig's table, and foundmyself so much the better off in this society, which was limited to acertain number, as I was very well pleased with the daughter of thefamily, a very neat, pretty girl, and had opportunities to exchangefriendly glances with her, --a comfort which I had neither sought norfound by accident since the mischance with Gretchen. I spent the dinner-hours with my friends cheerfully and profitably. Krebel, indeed, lovedme, and continued to tease me and stimulate me in moderation: Pfeil, onthe contrary, showed his earnest affection for me by trying to guide andsettle my judgment upon many points. 

During this intercourse, I perceived through conversation, throughexamples, and through my own reflections, that the first step indelivering ourselves from the wishy-washy, long-winded, empty epoch, could be taken only by definiteness, precision, and brevity. In thestyle which had hitherto prevailed, one could not distinguish thecommonplace from what was better; since all were brought down to a levelwith each other. Authors had already tried to escape from this wide-spread disease, with more or less success. Haller and Ramler wereinclined to compression by nature: Lessing and Wieland were led to it byreflection. The former became by degrees quite epigrammatical in hispoems, terse in "Minna, " laconic in "Emilia Galotti, "--it was not tillafterwards that he returned to that serene /naiveté/ which becomeshim so well in "Nathan. " "Wieland, who had been occasionally prolix in"Agathon, " "Don Sylvio, " and the "Comic Tales, " becomes condensed andprecise to a wonderful degree, as well as exceedingly graceful in"Musarion" and "Idris. " Klopstock, in the first cantos of "The Messiah, "is not without diffuseness: in his "Odes" and other minor poems heappears compressed, as also in his tragedies. By his emulation of theancients, especially Tacitus, he sees himself constantly forced intonarrower limits, by which he at last becomes obscure and unpalatable. Gerstenberg, a fine but eccentric talent, also distinguishes himself:his merit is appreciated, but on the whole he gives little pleasure. Gleim, diffuse and easy by nature, is scarcely once concise in his war-songs. Ramler is properly more a critic than a poet. He begins tocollect what the Germans have accomplished in lyric poetry. He nowfinds, that scarcely one poem fully satisfies him: he must leave out, arrange, and alter, that the things may have some shape or other. Bythis means he makes himself almost as many enemies as there are poetsand amateurs; since every one, properly speaking, recognizes himselfonly in his defects: and the public interests itself sooner for a faultyindividuality than for that which is produced or amended according to auniversal law of taste. Rhythm lay yet in the cradle, and no one knew ofa method to shorten its childhood. Poetical prose came into theascendant. Gessner and Klopstock excited many imitators: others, again, still demanded an intelligible metre, and translated this prose intorhythm. But even these gave nobody satisfaction, for they were obligedto omit and add; and the prose original always passed for the better ofthe two. But the more, with all this, conciseness is aimed at, the moredoes a judgment become possible; since that which is important, beingmore closely compressed, allows a certain comparison at last. Ithappened, also, at the same time, that many kinds of truly poeticalforms arose; for, as they tried to represent only what was necessary inthe objects they wished to imitate, they were forced to do justice toevery one of these: and in this manner, though no one did itconsciously, the modes of representation multiplied themselves, amongwhich, indeed, were some which were really caricatures, while many anattempt proved unsuccessful. 

Without question, Wieland possessed the finest natural gifts of all. Hehad early cultivated himself thoroughly in those ideal regions whereyouth so readily lingers; but when, by what is called experience, by theevents of the world, and women, these were rendered distasteful to him, he threw himself on the side of the actual, and pleased himself andothers with the contest of the two worlds, where, in light skirmishingbetween jest and earnest, his talent displayed itself most beautifully. How many of his brilliant productions fall into the time of my academicyears! "Musarion" had the most effect upon me; and I can yet rememberthe place and the very spot where I got sight of the first proof-sheet, which Oeser gave me. Here it was that I believed I saw antiquity againliving and fresh. Every thing that is plastic in Wieland's genius hereshowed itself in its highest perfection; and when that Phanias-Timon, condemned to an unhappy insipidity, finally reconciles himself to hismistress and to the world, one can well, with him, live through themisanthropical epoch. For the rest, we readily conceded to these works acheerful aversion from those exalted sentiments, which, by reason oftheir easy misapplication to life, are often open to the suspicion ofdreaminess. We pardoned the author for prosecuting with ridicule what weheld as true and reverend, the more readily as he thereby gave us tounderstand that it caused him continual trouble. 

How miserably criticism then received such labors may be seen from thefirst volumes of "The Universal German Library. " Of "The Comic Tales"there is honorable mention, but there is no trace of any insight intothe character of the kind of poetry. The reviewer, like every one atthat time, had formed his taste by examples. He never takes it intoconsideration, that, in a judgment of such parodistical works, one mustfirst of all have before one's eyes the original noble, beautifulobject, in order to see whether the parodist has really gotten from it aweak and comical side, whether he has borrowed any thing from it, or, under the appearance of such an imitation, has perhaps given us anexcellent invention of his own. Of all this there is not a notion, butthe poems are praised and blamed by passages. The reviewer, as hehimself confesses, has marked so much that pleased him, that he cannotquote it all in print. When they even meet the highly meritorioustranslation of Shakespeare with the exclamation, "By rights, a man likeShakespeare should not have been translated at all!" it will beunderstood, without further remark, how infinitely "The Universal GermanLibrary" was behind-hand in matters of taste, and that young people, animated by true feeling, had to look about them for other guidingstars. 

The material which, in this manner, more or less determined the form, the Germans sought everywhere. They had handled few national subjects, or none at all. Schlegel's "Hermann" only showed the way. The idyllictendency extended itself without end. The want of distinctive characterwith Gessner, with all his great gracefulness and child-like heartiness, made every one think that he could do something of the same kind. Justin the same manner, out of the more generally human, some snatch thosepoems which should have portrayed a foreign nationality, as, forinstance, the Jewish pastoral poems, those on the patriarchs altogether, and whatever else related to the Old Testament. Bodmer's "Noachide" wasa perfect symbol of the watery deluge that swelled high around theGerman Parnassus, and which abated but slowly. The leading-strings ofAnacreon likewise allowed innumerable mediocre geniuses to reel about atlarge. The precision of Horace compelled the Germans, though but slowly, to conform to him. Comic heroic poems, mostly after the model of Pope's"Rape of the Lock, " did not serve to bring in a better time. 

I must here mention a delusion, which operated as seriously as it mustbe ridiculous when one examines it more closely. The Germans had nowsufficient historical knowledge of all the kinds of poetry in which thedifferent nations had distinguished themselves. This pigeon-hole work, which, properly speaking, totally destroys the inner conception ofpoetry, had been already pretty completely hammered together byGottsched in his "Critical Art of Poetry;" and it had been shown at thesame time that German poets, too, had already known how to fill up allthe rubrics with excellent works. And thus it ever went on. Each yearthe collection was more considerable, but every year one work pushedanother out of the place in which it had hitherto shone. We nowpossessed, if not Homers, yet Virgils and Miltons; if not a Pindar, yeta Horace; of Theocrituses there was no lack: and thus they weighedthemselves by comparisons from without; whilst the mass of poeticalworks always increased, so that at last there could be a comparison fromwithin. 

Now though matters of taste stood on a very uncertain footing, therecould be no dispute but that, within the Protestant part of Germany andof Switzerland, what is generally called common sense began to stirbriskly at that epoch. The scholastic philosophy--which always has themerit of propounding according to received axioms, in a favorite order, and under fixed rubrics, every thing about which man can at all inquire--had, by the frequent darkness and apparent uselessness of its subject-matter, by its unseasonable application of a method in itselfrespectable, and by its too great extension over so many subjects, madeitself foreign to the mass, unpalatable, and at last superfluous. Many aone became convinced that nature had endowed him with as great a portionof good and straightforward sense as, perchance, he required to formsuch a clear notion of objects that he could manage them and turn themto his own profit, and that of others, without laboriously troublinghimself about the most universal problems, and inquiring how the mostremote things which do not particularly affect us may hang together. Menmade the trial, opened their eyes, looked straight before them, observant, industrious, active, and believed, that, when one judges andacts correctly in one's own circle, one may well presume to speak ofother things also, which lie at a greater distance. 

In accordance with such a notion, every one was now entitled, not onlyto philosophize, but also by degrees to consider himself a philosopher. Philosophy, therefore, was more or less sound, and practised commonsense, which ventured to enter upon the universal, and to decide uponinner and outer experiences. A clear-sighted acuteness and an especialmoderation, while the middle path and fairness to all opinions was heldto be right, procured respect and confidence for writings and oralstatements of the sort; and thus at last philosophers were found in allthe faculties, --nay, in all classes and trades. 

In this way the theologians could not help inclining to what is callednatural religion; and, when the discussion was how far the light ofnature may suffice to advance us in the knowledge of God and theimproving and ennobling of ourselves, they commonly ventured to decidein its favor without much scruple. According to the same principle ofmoderation, they then granted equal rights to all positive religions, bywhich they all became alike indifferent and uncertain. For the rest, they let every thing stand; and since the Bible is so full of matter, that, more than any other book, it offers material for reflection andopportunity for meditation on human affairs, it could still, as before, be always laid as the foundation of all sermons and other religioustreatises. 

But over this work, as well as over the whole body of profane writers, was impending a singular fate, which, in the lapse of time, was not tobe averted. Hitherto it had been received as a matter of implicit faith, that this book of books was composed in one spirit; that it was eveninspired, and, as it were, dictated by the Divine Spirit. Yet for a longtime already the discrepancies of the different parts of it had been nowcavilled at, now apologized for, by believers and unbelievers. English, French, and Germans had attacked the Bible with more or less violence, acuteness, audacity, and wantonness; and just as often had it been takenunder the protection of earnest, sound-thinking men of each nation. Asfor myself, I loved and valued it; for almost to it alone did I owe mymoral culture: and the events, the doctrines, the symbols, the similes, had all impressed themselves deeply upon me, and had influenced me inone way or another. These unjust, scoffing, and perverting attacks, therefore, disgusted me; but people had already gone so far as verywillingly to admit, partly as a main ground for the defense of manypassages, that God had accommodated himself to the modes of thought andpower of comprehension in men; that even those moved by the Spirit hadnot on that account been able to renounce their character, theirindividuality, and that Amos, a cow-herd, did not use the language ofIsaiah, who is said to have been a prince. 

Out of such views and convictions, especially with a constantlyincreasing knowledge of languages, was very naturally developed thatkind of study by which it was attempted to examine more accurately theOriental localities, nationalities, natural products, and phenomena, andin this manner to make present to one's self that ancient time. Michaelis employed the whole strength of his talents and his knowledgeon this side. Descriptions of travels became a powerful help inexplaining the Holy Scriptures; and later travellers, furnished withnumerous questions, were made, by the answers to them, to bear witnessfor the prophets and apostles. 

But whilst they were on all sides busied to bring the Holy Scriptures toa natural intuition, and to render peculiar modes of thought andrepresentation in them more universally comprehensible, that by thishistorico-critical aspect many an objection might be removed, manyoffensive things effaced, and many a shallow scoffing be madeineffective, there appeared in some men just the opposite disposition, since these chose the darkest, most mysterious, writings as the subjectof their meditations, and wished, if not to elucidate them, yet toconfirm them through internal evidence, by means of conjectures, calculations, and other ingenious and strange combinations, and, so faras they contained prophecies, to prove them by the results, and thus tojustify a faith in what was next to be expected. 

The venerable Bengel had procured a decided reception for his labors onthe Revelation of St. John, from the fact that he was known as anintelligent, upright, God-fearing, blameless man. Deep minds arecompelled to live in the past as well as in the future. The ordinarymovements of the world can be of no importance to them, if they do not, in the course of ages up to the present, revere prophecies which havebeen revealed, and in the immediate, as well as in the most remotefuturity, predictions still veiled. Hence arises a connection that iswanting in history, which seems to give us only an accidental waveringbackwards and forwards in a necessarily limited circle. Doctor Crusiuswas one of those whom the prophetic part of Scripture suited more thanany other, since it brings into action the two most opposite qualitiesof human nature, the affections, and the acuteness of the intellect. Many young men had devoted themselves to this doctrine, and alreadyformed a respectable body, which attracted the more attention, asErnesti with his friends threatened, not to illuminate, but completelyto disperse, the obscurity in which these delighted. Hence arosecontroversies, hatred, persecution, and much that was unpleasant. Iattached myself to the lucid party, and sought to appropriate to myselftheir principles and advantages; although I ventured to forebode, thatby this extremely praiseworthy, intelligent method of interpretation, the poetic contents of the writings must at last be lost along with theprophetical. 

But those who devoted themselves to German literature and the /belles-lettres/ were more nearly concerned with the efforts of such men, who, as Jerusalem, Zollikofer, and Spalding, tried, by means of a goodand pure style in their sermons and treatises, to gain, even amongpersons of a certain degree of sense and taste, applause and attachmentfor religion, and for the moral philosophy which is so closely relatedto it. A pleasing manner of writing began to be necessary everywhere;and since such a manner must, above all, be comprehensible, so didwriters arise, on many sides, who undertook to write about their studiesand their professions clearly, perspicuously, and impressively, and aswell for the adepts as for the multitude. 

After the example of Tissot, a foreigner, the physicians also now beganto labor zealously for the general cultivation. Haller, Unzer, Zimmerman, had a very great influence; and whatever may be said againstthem in detail, especially the last, they produced a very great effectin their time. And mention should be made of this in history, butparticularly in biography; for a man remains of consequence, not so faras he leaves something behind him, but so far as he acts and enjoys, androuses others to action and enjoyment. 

The jurists, accustomed from their youth upward to an abstruse style, which, in all legal papers, from the petty court of the Immediate Knightup to the Imperial Diet at Ratisbon, was still maintained in all itsquaintness, could not easily elevate themselves to a certain freedom, the less so as the subjects of which they had to treat were mostintimately connected with the external form, and consequently also withthe style. But the younger Von Moser had already shown himself anindependent and original writer; and Putter, by the clearness of hisdelivery, had also brought clearness into his subject, and the style inwhich he was to treat it. All that proceeded from his school wasdistinguished by this. And even the philosophers, in order to bepopular, now found themselves compelled to write clearly andintelligibly. Mendelssohn and Garve appeared, and excited universalinterest and admiration. 

With the cultivation of the German language and style in everydepartment, the capacity for forming a judgment also increased, and weadmire the reviews then published of works upon religious and moral, aswell as medical, subjects; while, on the contrary, we remark that thejudgments of poems, and of whatever else may relate to the /belles-lettres/, will be found, if not pitiful, at least very feeble. Thisholds good of the "Literary Epistles" ("Literaturbriefen"), and of "TheUniversal German Library, " as well as of "The Library of the Belles-Lettres, " notable instances of which could easily be produced. 

No matter in how motley a manner all this might be confused, still, forevery one who contemplated producing any thing from himself, --who wouldnot merely take the words and phrases out of the mouths of hispredecessors, --there was nothing further left but, early and late, tolook about him for some subject-matter which he might determine to use. Here, too, we were much led astray. People were constantly repeating asaying of Kleist, which we had to hear often enough. He had sportively, ingeniously, and truly replied to those who took him to task on accountof his frequent, lonely walks, "that he was not idle at such times, --hewas going to the image-hunt. " This simile was very suitable for anobleman and soldier, who by it placed himself in contrast with the menof his rank, who did not neglect going out, with their guns on theirshoulders, hare-hunting and partridge-shooting, as often as anopportunity presented itself. Hence we find in Kleist's poems many suchindividual images, happily seized, although not always happilyelaborated, which, in a kindly manner, remind us of nature. But now theyalso recommended us, quite seriously, to go out on the image-hunt, whichdid not at last leave us wholly without fruit; although Apel's garden, the kitchen-gardens, the Rosenthal, Golis, Raschwitz, and Konnewitz, would be the oddest ground to beat up poetical game in. And yet I wasoften induced by that motive to contrive that my walk should besolitary; and because many objects neither beautiful nor sublime met theeye of the beholder, and, in the truly splendid Rosenthal, the gnats, inthe best season of the year, allowed no tender thoughts to arise, so didI, by unwearied, persevering endeavor, become extremely attentive to thesmall life of nature (I would use this word after the analogy of "stilllife"); and, since the pretty events which one perceives within thiscircle represent but little in themselves, so I accustomed myself to seein them a significance, which inclined now towards the symbolical, nowtowards the allegorical, side, accordingly as intuition, feeling, orreflection had the preponderance. I will relate one incident in place ofmany. 

I was, after the fashion of humanity, in love with my name, and, asyoung, uneducated people commonly do, wrote it down everywhere. Once Ihad carved it very handsomely and accurately on the smooth bark of alinden-tree of moderate age. The following autumn, when my affection forAnnette was in its fullest bloom, I took the trouble to cut hers aboveit. Towards the end of the winter, in the mean time, like a capriciouslover, I had wantonly sought many opportunities to tease her and causeher vexation: in the spring I chanced to visit the spot; and the sap, which was rising strongly in the trees, had welled out through theincisions which formed her name, and which were not yet crusted over, and moistened with innocent vegetable tears the already hardened tracesof my own. Thus to see her here weeping over me, --me, who had so oftencalled up her tears by my ill conduct, filled me with confusion. At theremembrance of my injustice and of her love, even the tears came into myeyes; I hastened to implore pardon of her, doubly and trebly: and Iturned this incident into an idyl, [Footnote: Die Laune des Verliebten, translated as The Lover's Caprice, see p. 241. ] which I never could readto myself without affection, or to others without emotion. 

While I now, like a shepherd on the Pleisse, was absorbed childishlyenough in such tender subjects, and always chose only such as I couldeasily recall into my bosom, provision from a greater and more importantside had long been made for German poets. 

The first true and really vital material of the higher order came intoGerman poetry through Frederick the Great and the deeds of the SevenYears' War. All national poetry must be shallow or become shallow whichdoes not rest on that which is most universally human, --upon the eventsof nations and their shepherds, when both stand for one man. Kings areto be represented in war and danger, where, by that very means, theyappear as the first, because they determine and share the fate of thevery least, and thus become much more interesting than the godsthemselves, who, when they have once determined the fates, withdraw fromall participation in them. In this view of the subject, every nation, ifit would be worth any thing at all, must possess an epopee, to which theprecise form of the epic poem is not necessary. 

The war-songs started by Gleim maintain so high a rank among Germanpoems, because they arose with and in the achievements which are theirsubject; and because, moreover, their felicitous form, just as if afellow-combatant had produced them in the loftiest moments, makes usfeel the most complete effectiveness. 

Ramler sings the deeds of his king in a different and most noble manner. All his poems are full of matter, and occupy us with great, heart-elevating objects, and thus already maintain an indestructible value. 

For the internal matter of the subject treated is the beginning and endof art. It will not, indeed, be denied that genius, that thoroughlycultivated artistical talent, can make every thing out of every thing byits method of treatment, and can subdue the most refractory material. But, when closely examined, the result is rather a trick of art than awork of art, which should rest upon a worthy object, that the treatmentof it, by skill, pains, and industry, may present to us the dignity ofthe subject-matter only the more happily and splendidly. 

The Prussians, and with them Protestant Germany, acquired thus for theirliterature a treasure which the opposite party lacked, and the want ofwhich they have been able to supply by no subsequent endeavors. Upon thegreat idea which the Prussian writers might well entertain of theirking, they first established themselves, and the more zealously as he, in whose name they did it all, wished once for all to know nothing aboutthem. Already before this, through the French colony, afterwards throughthe king's predilection for the literature of that nation and for theirfinancial institutions, had a mass of French civilization come intoPrussia, which was highly advantageous to the Germans, since by it theywere challenged to contradiction and resistance; thus the very aversionof Frederick from German was a fortunate thing for the formation of itsliterary character. They did every thing to attract the king'sattention, not indeed to be honored, but only noticed, by him; yet theydid it in German fashion, from an internal conviction; they did whatthey held to be right, and desired and wished that the king shouldrecognize and prize this German uprightness. That did not and could nothappen; for how can it be required of a king, who wishes to live andenjoy himself intellectually, that he shall lose his years in order tosee what he thinks barbarous developed and rendered palatable too late?In matters of trade and manufacture, he might indeed force upon himself, but especially upon his people, very moderate substitutes instead ofexcellent foreign wares; but here every thing comes to perfection morerapidly, and it needs not a man's life-time to bring such things tomaturity. 

But I must here, first of all, make honorable mention of one work, themost genuine production of the Seven Years' War, and of perfect North-German nationality: it is the first theatrical production caught fromthe important events of life, one of specific, temporary value, and onewhich therefore produced an incalculable effect, --"Minna von Barnhelm. "Lessing, who, in opposition to Klopstock and Gleim, was fond of castingoff his personal dignity, because he was confident that he could at anymoment grasp and take it up again, delighted in a dissipated life intaverns and the world, as he always needed a strong counterpoise to hispowerfully laboring interior; and for this reason, also, he had joinedthe suite of Gen. Tauentzien. One easily discovers how the above-mentioned piece was generated betwixt war and peace, hatred andaffection. It was this production which happily opened the view into ahigher, more significant, world, from the literary and citizen world inwhich poetic art had hitherto moved. 

The intense hatred in which the Prussians and Saxons stood towards eachother during this war could not be removed by its termination. The Saxonnow first felt, with true bitterness, the wounds which the upstartPrussian had inflicted upon him. Political peace could not immediatelyre-establish a peace between their dispositions. But this was to bebrought about symbolically by the above-mentioned drama. The grace andamiability of the Saxon ladies conquer the worth, the dignity, and thestubbornness of the Prussians; and, in the principal as well as in thesubordinate characters, a happy union of bizarre and contradictoryelements is artistically represented. 

If I have put my reader in some perplexity by these cursory anddesultory remarks on German literature, I have succeeded in giving thema conception of that chaotic condition in which my poor brain founditself, when, in the conflict of two epochs so important for theliterary fatherland, so much that was new crowded in upon me before Icould come to terms with the old, so much that was old yet made me feelits right over me, when I believed I had already cause to venture onrenouncing it altogether. I will at present try to impart, as well aspossible, the way I entered on to extricate myself from this difficulty, if only step by step. 

The period of prolixity into which my youth had fallen, I had laboredthrough with genuine industry, in company with so many worthy men. Thenumerous quarto volumes of manuscript which I left behind with my fathermight serve for sufficient witnesses of this; and what a mass of essays, rough draughts, and half-executed designs, had, more from despondencythan conviction, gone up in smoke! Now, through conversation, throughinstruction in general, through so many conflicting opinions, butespecially through my fellow-boarder Hofrath Pfeil, I learned to valuemore and more the importance of the subject-matter and the concisenessof the treatment; without, however, being able to make it clear tomyself where the former was to be sought, or how the latter was to beattained. For, what with the great narrowness of my situation; what withthe indifference of my companions, the reserve of the professors, theexclusiveness of the educated inhabitants; and what with the perfectinsignificance of the natural objects, --I was compelled to seek forevery thing within myself. Whenever I desired a true basis in feeling orreflection for my poems, I was forced to grasp into my own bosom;whenever I required for my poetic representation an immediate intuitionof an object or an event, I could not step outside the circle which wasfitted to teach me, and inspire me with an interest. In this view Iwrote at first certain little poems, in the form of songs or in a freermeasure: they are founded on reflection, treat of the past, and for themost part take an epigrammatic turn. 

And thus began that tendency from which I could not deviate my wholelife through; namely, the tendency to turn into an image, into a poem, every thing that delighted or troubled me, or otherwise occupied me, andto come to some certain understanding with myself upon it, that I mightboth rectify my conceptions of external things, and set my mind at restabout them. The faculty of doing this was necessary to no one more thanto me, for my natural disposition whirled me constantly from one extremeto the other. All, therefore, that has been confessed by me, consists offragments of a great confession; and this little book is an attemptwhich I have ventured on to render it complete. 

My early affection for Gretchen I had now transferred to one Annette(/Aennchen/), of whom I can say nothing more than that she wasyoung, handsome, sprightly, loving, and so agreeable that she welldeserved to be set up for a time in the shrine of the heart as a littlesaint, that she might receive all that reverence which it often causesmore pleasure to bestow than to receive. I saw her daily withouthinderance; she helped to prepare the meals I enjoyed; she brought, inthe evening at least, the wine I drank; and indeed our select club ofnoon-day boarders was a warranty that the little house, which wasvisited by few guests except during the fair, well merited its goodreputation. Opportunity and inclination were found for various kinds ofamusement. But, as she neither could nor dared go much out of the house, the pastime was somewhat limited. We sang the songs of Zachariä; playedthe "Duke Michael" of Krüger, in which a knotted handkerchief had totake the place of the nightingale; and so, for a while, it went on quitetolerably. But since such connections, the more innocent they are, afford the less variety in the long run, I was seized with that wickeddistemper which seduces us to derive amusement from the torment of abeloved one, and to domineer over a girl's devotedness with wanton andtyrannical caprice. My ill humor at the failure of my poetical attempts, at the apparent impossibility of coming to a clear understanding aboutthem, and at every thing else that might pinch me here and there, Ithought I might vent on her, because she truly loved me with all herheart, and did whatever she could to please me. By unfounded and absurdfits of jealousy, I destroyed our most delightful days, both for myselfand her. She endured it for a time with incredible patience, which I wascruel enough to try to the uttermost. But, to my shame and despair, Iwas at last forced to remark that her heart was alienated from me, andthat I might now have good ground for the madness in which I hadindulged without necessity and without cause. There were also terriblescenes between us, in which I gained nothing; and I then first felt thatI had truly loved her, and could not bear to lose her. My passion grew, and assumed all the forms of which it is capable under suchcircumstances; nay, at last I even took up the /rôle/ which thegirl had hitherto played. I sought every thing possible in order to beagreeable to her, even to procure her pleasure by means of others; for Icould not renounce the hope of winning her again. But it was too late! Ihad lost her really; and the frenzy with which I revenged my fault uponmyself, by assaulting in various frantic ways my physical nature, inorder to inflict some hurt on my moral nature, contributed very much tothe bodily maladies under which I lost some of the best years of mylife: indeed, I should perchance have been completely ruined by thisloss, had not my poetic talent here shown itself particularly helpfulwith its healing power. 

Already, at many intervals before, I had clearly enough perceived my illconduct. I really pitied the poor child, when I saw her so thoroughlywounded by me, without necessity. I pictured to myself so often and socircumstantially her condition and my own, and, as a contrast, thecontented state of another couple in our company, that at last I couldnot forbear treating this situation dramatically, as a painful andinstructive penance. Hence arose the oldest of my extant dramaticlabors, the little piece entitled, "Die Laune des Verliebten" ("TheLover's Caprice"), in the simple nature of which one may at the sametime perceive the impetus of a boiling passion. 

But, before this, a deep, significant, impulsive world had alreadyinterested me. Through my adventure with Gretchen and its consequences, I had early looked into the strange labyrinths by which civil society isundermined. Religion, morals, law, rank, connections, custom, all ruleonly the surface of city existence. The streets, bordered by splendidhouses, are kept neat; and every one behaves himself there properlyenough: but, indoors, it often seems only so much the more disordered;and a smooth exterior, like a thin coat of mortar, plasters over many arotten wall that tumbles together overnight, and produces an effect themore frightful, as it comes into the midst of a condition of repose. Agreat many families, far and near, I had seen already, eitheroverwhelmed in ruin or kept miserably hanging on the brink of it, bymeans of bankruptcies, divorces, seduced daughters, murders, house-robberies, poisonings; and, young as I was, I had often, in such cases, lent a hand for help and preservation. For as my frankness awakenedconfidence; as my secrecy was proved; as my activity feared nosacrifice, and loved best to exert itself in the most dangerousaffairs, --I had often enough found opportunity to mediate, to hush up, to divert the lightning-flash, with every other assistance of the kind;in the course of which, as well in my own person as through others, Icould not fail to come to the knowledge of many afflicting andhumiliating facts. To relieve myself I designed several plays, and wrotethe arguments [Footnote: "/Exposition/, " in a dramatic sense, properly means a statement of the events which take place before theaction of the play commences. --TRANS. ] of most of them. But since theintrigues were always obliged to be painful, and almost all these piecesthreatened a tragical conclusion, I let them drop one after another. "Die Mitschuldigen" ("The Accomplices") is the only one that wasfinished, the cheerful and burlesque tone of which upon the gloomyfamily-ground appears as if accompanied by something causing anxiety; sothat, on the whole, it is painful in representation, although it pleasesin detached passages. The illegal deeds, harshly expressed, wound theaesthetic and moral feeling, and the piece could therefore find no favoron the German stage; although the imitations of it, which steered clearof those rocks, were received with applause. 

Both the above-mentioned pieces were, however, written from a moreelevated point of view, without my having been aware of it. They directus to a considerate forbearance in casting moral imputations, and insomewhat harsh and coarse touches sportively express that most Christianmaxim, /Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone/. 

Through this earnestness, which cast a gloom over my first pieces, Icommitted the mistake of neglecting very favorable materials which layquite decidedly in my natural disposition. In the midst of theseserious, and, for a young man, fearful, experiences, was developed in mea reckless humor, which feels itself superior to the moment, and notonly fears no danger, but rather wantonly courts it. The reason of thislay in the exuberance of spirits in which the vigorous time of life somuch delights, and which, if it manifests itself in a frolicsome way, causes much pleasure, both at the moment and in remembrance. Thesethings are so usual, that, in the vocabulary of our young universityfriends, they are called /Suites/; and, on account of the closesimilarity of signification, to say "play /suites/, " means just thesame as to "play pranks. " [Footnote: The real meaning of the passage is, that the idiom "Possen reissen" is used also with the university word"Suite, " so that one can say "Suiten reissen. "--TRANS. ]

Such humorous acts of daring, brought on the theatre with wit and sense, are of the greatest effect. They are distinguished from intrigue, inasmuch as they are momentary, and that their aim, whenever they are tohave one, must not be remote. Beaumarchais has seized their full value, and the effects of his "Figaro" spring pre-eminently from this. Whereassuch good-humored roguish and half-knavish pranks are practised withpersonal risk for noble ends, the situations which arise from them areaesthetically and morally considered of the greatest value for thetheatre; as, for instance, the opera of "The Water-Carrier" treatsperhaps the happiest subject which we have ever yet seen upon the stage. 

To enliven the extreme tedium of daily life, I played off numberlesstricks of the sort, partly without any aim at all, partly in the serviceof my friends, whom I liked to please. For myself, I could not say thatI had once acted in this designedly, nor did I ever happen to consider afeat of the kind as a subject for art. Had I, however, seized upon andelaborated such materials, which were so close at hand, my earliestlabors would have been more cheerful and available. Some incidents ofthis kind occur indeed later, but isolated and without design. For sincethe heart always lies nearer to us than the head, and gives us trouble, whereas the latter knows how to set matters to rights, the affairs ofthe heart had always appeared to me as the most important. I was neverweary of reflecting upon the transient nature of attachments, themutability of human character, moral sensuality, and all the heights anddepths, the combination of which in our nature may be considered as theriddle of human life. Here, too, I sought to get rid of that whichtroubled me, in a song, an epigram, in some kind of rhyme; which, sincethey referred to the most private feelings and the most peculiarcircumstances, could scarcely interest any one but myself. 

In the mean time, my external position had very much changed after thelapse of a short time. Madame Böhme, after a long and melancholyillness, had at last died: she had latterly ceased to admit me to herpresence. Her husband could not be very much satisfied with me: I seemedto him not sufficiently industrious, and too frivolous. He especiallytook it very ill of me, when it was told him, that at the lectures onGerman Public Law, instead of taking proper notes, I had been drawing onthe margin of my note-book the personages presented to our notice inthem, such as the President of the Chamber, the Moderators andAssessors, in strange wigs; and by this drollery had disturbed myattentive neighbors and set them laughing. After the loss of his wife helived still more retired than before, and at last I shunned him in orderto avoid his reproaches. But it was peculiarly unfortunate that Gellertwould not use the power which he might have exercised over us. Indeed, he had not time to play the father-confessor, and to inquire after thecharacter and faults of everybody: he therefore took the matter verymuch in the lump, and thought to curb us by means of the church forms. For this reason he commonly, when he admitted us to his presence, usedto lower his little head, and, in his weeping, winning voice, to ask uswhether we went regularly to church, who was our confessor, and whetherwe took the holy communion? If we came off badly at this examination, wewere dismissed with lamentations: we were more vexed than edified, yetcould not help loving the man heartily. 

On this occasion I cannot forbear recalling somewhat of my earlieryouth, in order to make it obvious that the great affairs of theecclesiastical religion must be carried on with order and coherence, ifthey are to prove as fruitful as is expected. The Protestant service hastoo little fulness and consistency to be able to hold the congregationtogether; hence it easily happens that members secede from it, andeither form little congregations of their own, or, withoutecclesiastical connection, quietly carry on their citizen-life side byside. Thus for a considerable time complaints were made that church-goers were diminishing from year to year, and, just in the same ratio, the persons who partook of the Lord's Supper. With respect to both, butespecially the latter, the cause lies close at hand; but who dares tospeak it out? We will make the attempt. 

In moral and religious, as well as in physical and civil, matters, mandoes not like to do any thing on the spur of the moment; he needs asequence from which results habit; what he is to love and to perform, hecannot represent to himself as single or isolated; and, if he is torepeat any thing willingly, it must not have become strange to him. Ifthe Protestant worship lacks fulness in general, so let it beinvestigated in detail, and it will be found that the Protestant has toofew sacraments, --nay, indeed, he has only one in which he is himself anactor, --the Lord's Supper; for baptism he sees only when it is performedon others, and is not greatly edified by it. The sacraments are thehighest part of religion, the symbols to our senses of an extraordinarydivine favor and grace. In the Lord's Supper earthly lips are to receivea divine Being embodied, and partake of a heavenly under the form of anearthly nourishment. This import is the same in all kinds of Christianchurches: whether the sacrament is taken with more or less submission tothe mystery, with more or less accommodation as to that which isintelligible, it always remains a great, holy thing, which in realitytakes the place of the possible or the impossible, the place of thatwhich man can neither attain nor do without. But such a sacrament shouldnot stand alone: no Christian can partake of it with the true joy forwhich it is given, if the symbolical or sacramental sense is notfostered within him. He must be accustomed to regard the inner religionof the heart and that of the external church as perfectly one, as thegreat universal sacrament, which again divides itself into so manyothers, and communicates to these parts its holiness, indestructibleness, and eternity. 

Here a youthful pair join hands, not for a passing salutation or for thedance: the priest pronounces his blessing upon them, and the bond isindissoluble. It is not long before this wedded pair bring a likeness tothe threshold of the altar: it is purified with holy water, and soincorporated into the church, that it cannot forfeit this benefit butthrough the most monstrous apostasy. The child in the course of lifegoes on progressing in earthly things of his own accord, in heavenlythings he must be instructed. Does it prove on examination that this hasbeen fully done, he is now received into the bosom of the church as anactual citizen, as a true and voluntary professor, not without outwardtokens of the weightiness of this act. Now, only, he is decidedly aChristian, now for the first time he knows his advantages and also hisduties. But, in the mean time, a great deal that is strange has happenedto him as a man: through instruction and affliction he has come to knowhow critical appears the state of his inner self, and there willconstantly be a question of doctrines and of transgressions; butpunishment shall no longer take place. For here, in the infiniteconfusion in which he must entangle himself, amid the conflict ofnatural and religious claims, an admirable expedient is given him, inconfiding his deeds and misdeeds, his infirmities and doubts, to aworthy man, appointed expressly for that purpose, who knows how to calm, to warn, to strengthen him, to chasten him likewise by symbolicalpunishments, and at last, by a complete washing away of his guilt, torender him happy, and to give him back, pure and cleansed, the tablet ofhis manhood. Thus prepared, and purely set at rest by severalsacramental acts, which on closer examination branch forth again intominuter sacramental traits, he kneels down to receive the host; and, that the mystery of this high act may be still enhanced, he sees thechalice only in the distance: it is no common eating and drinking thatsatisfies, it is a heavenly feast, which makes him thirst after heavenlydrink. 

Yet let not the youth believe that this is all he has to do; let noteven the man believe it. In earthly relations we are at last accustomedto depend on ourselves; and, even there, knowledge, understanding, andcharacter will not always suffice: in heavenly things, on the contrary, we have never finished learning. The higher feeling within us, whichoften finds itself not even truly at home, is, besides, oppressed by somuch from without, that our own power hardly administers all that isnecessary for counsel, consolation, and help. But, to this end, thatremedy is instituted for our whole life; and an intelligent, pious manis continually waiting to show the right way to the wanderers, and torelieve the distressed. 

And what has been so well tried through the whole life, is now to showforth all its healing power with tenfold activity at the gate of Death. According to a trustful custom, inculcated from youth upwards, the dyingman receives with fervor those symbolical, significant assurances; andthere, where every earthly warranty fails, he is assured, by a heavenlyone, of a blessed existence for all eternity. He feels perfectlyconvinced that neither a hostile element nor a malignant spirit canhinder him from clothing himself with a glorified body, so that, inimmediate relation with the Godhead, he may partake of the boundlesshappiness which flows forth from him. 

Then, in conclusion, that the whole may be made holy, the feet also areanointed and blessed. They are to feel, even in the event of possiblerecovery, a repugnance to touching this earthly, hard, impenetrablesoil. A wonderful elasticity is to be imparted to them, by which theyspurn from under them the clod of earth which hitherto attracted them. And so, through a brilliant cycle of equally holy acts, the beauty ofwhich we have only briefly hinted at, the cradle and the grave, howeverfar asunder they may chance to be, are joined in one continuous circle. 

But all these spiritual wonders spring not, like other fruits, from thenatural soil, where they can neither be sown nor planted nor cherished. We must supplicate for them from another region, --a thing which cannotbe done by all persons nor at all times. Here we meet the highest ofthese symbols, derived from pious tradition. We are told that one manmay be more favored, blessed, and sanctified from above than another. But, that this may not appear as a natural gift, this great boon, boundup with a heavy duty, must be communicated to others by one authorizedperson to another; and the greatest good that a man can attain, withouthis having to obtain it by his own wrestling or grasping, must bepreserved and perpetuated on earth by spiritual inheritance. In the veryordination of the priest is comprehended all that is necessary for theeffectual solemnizing of those holy acts by which the multitude receivegrace, without any other activity being needful on their part than thatof faith and implicit confidence. And thus the priest joins the line ofhis predecessors and successors, in the circle of those anointed withhim, representing the highest source of blessings, so much the moregloriously, as it is not he, the priest, whom we reverence, but hisoffice: it is not his nod to which we bow the knee, but the blessingwhich he imparts, and which seems the more holy, and to come the moreimmediately from heaven, because the earthly instrument cannot at allweaken or invalidate it by its own sinful, nay, wicked, nature. 

How is this truly spiritual connection shattered to pieces inProtestantism, by part of the above-mentioned symbols being declaredapocryphal, and only a few canonical!--and how, by their indifference toone of these, will they prepare us for the high dignity of the others?

In my time I had been confided to the religious instruction of a goodold infirm clergyman, who had been confessor of the family for manyyears. The "Catechism, " a "Paraphrase" of it, and the "Scheme ofSalvation, " I had at my finger's ends: I lacked not one of the stronglyproving biblical texts, but from all this I reaped no fruit; for, asthey assured me that the honest old man arranged his chief examimationaccording to an old set form, I lost all pleasure and inclination forthe business, spent the last week in all sorts of diversions, laid in myhat the loose leaves borrowed from an older friend, who had gotten themfrom the clergyman, and unfeelingly and senselessly read aloud all thatI should have known how to utter with feeling and conviction. 

But I found my good intention and my aspirations in this importantmatter still more paralyzed by a dry, spiritless routine, when I was nowto approach the confessional. I was indeed conscious of having manyfailings, but no great faults; and that very consciousness diminishedthem, since it directed me to the moral strength which lay within me, and which, with resolution and perseverance, was at last to becomemaster over the old Adam. We were taught that we were much better thanthe Catholics for the very reason, that we were not obliged to confessany thing in particular in the confessional, --nay, that this would notbe at all proper, even if we wished to do it. I did not like this atall; for I had the strangest religious doubts, which I would readilyhave had cleared up on such an occasion. Now, as this was not to bedone, I composed a confession for myself, which, while it well expressedmy state of mind, was to confess to an intelligent man, in generalterms, that which I was forbidden to tell him in detail. But when Ientered the old choir of the Barefoot Friars, when I approached thestrange latticed closets in which the reverend gentlemen used to befound for that purpose, when the sexton opened the door for me, when Inow saw myself shut up in the narrow place face to face with myspiritual grandsire, and he bade me welcome with his weak, nasal voice, all the light of my mind and heart was extinguished at once, the well-conned confession-speech would not cross my lips: in my embarrassment Iopened the book I had in my hand, and read from it the first short formI saw, which was so general, that anybody might have spoken it withquite a safe conscience. I received absolution, and withdrew neitherwarm nor cold; went the next day with my parents to the Table of theLord, and, for a few days, behaved myself as was becoming after so holyan act. 

In the sequel, however, there came over me that evil, which, from thefact of our religion being complicated by various dogmas, and founded ontexts of scripture which admit of several interpretations, attacksscrupulous men in such a manner, that it brings on a hypochondriacalcondition, and raises this to its highest point, to fixed ideas. I haveknown several men, who, though their manner of thinking and living wasperfectly rational, could not free themselves from thinking about thesin against the Holy Ghost, and from the fear that they had committedit. A similar trouble threatened me on the subject of the communion; forthe text, that one who unworthily partakes of the sacrament /eatethand drinketh damnation to himself/, had, very early, already made amonstrous impression upon me. Every fearful thing that I had read in thehistories of the Middle Ages, of the judgments of God, of those moststrange ordeals, by red-hot iron, flaming fire, swelling water, and evenwhat the Bible tells us of the draught which agrees well with theinnocent, but puffs up and bursts the guilty, --all this pictured itselfto my imagination, and formed itself into the most frightfulcombinations; since false vows, hypocrisy, perjury, blasphemy, allseemed to weigh down the unworthy person at this most holy act, whichwas so much the more horrible, as no one could dare to pronounce himselfworthy: and the forgiveness of sins, by which every thing was to be atlast; done away, was found limited by so many conditions, that one couldnot with certainty dare appropriate it to one's self. 

This gloomy scruple troubled me to such a degree, and the expedientwhich they would represent to me as sufficient seemed so bald andfeeble, that it gave the bugbear only a more fearful aspect; and, assoon as I had reached Leipzig, I tried to free myself altogether from myconnection with the church. How oppressive, then, must have been to methe exhortations of Gellert, whom, considering the generally laconicstyle with which he was obliged to repel our obtrusiveness, I wasunwilling to trouble with such singular questions, and the less so as inmy more cheerful hours I way myself ashamed of them, and at last leftcompletely behind me this strange anguish of conscience, together withchurch and altar. 

Gellert, in accordance with his pious feelings, had composed for himselfa course of ethics, which from time to time he publicly read, and thusin an honorable manner acquitted himself of his duty to the public. Gellert's writings had already, for a long time, been the foundation ofGerman moral culture, and every one anxiously wished to see that workprinted; but, as this was not to be done till after the good man'sdeath, people thought themselves very fortunate to hear him deliver ithimself in his lifetime. The philosophical auditorium [Footnote: Thelecture-room. The word is also used in university language to denote aprofessor's audience. ] was at such times crowded: and the beautifulsoul, the pure will, and the interest of the noble man in our welfare, his exhortations, warnings, and entreaties, uttered in a somewhat hollowand sorrowful tone, made indeed an impression for the moment; but thisdid not last long, the less so as there were many scoffers, whocontrived to make us suspicious of this tender, and, as they thought, enervating, manner. I remember a Frenchman travelling through the town, who asked what were the maxims and opinions of the man who attractedsuch an immense concourse. "When we had given him the necessaryinformation, he shook his head, and said, smiling, "/Laissez le faire, il nous forme des dupes. /"

And thus also did good society, which cannot easily endure any thingworthy near it, know how to spoil, on occasion, the moral influencewhich Gellert might have had upon us. Now it was taken ill of him thathe instructed the Danes of distinction and wealth, who were particularlyrecommended to him, better than the other students, and had a markedsolicitude for them; now he was charged with selfishness and nepotismfor causing a /table d'hôte/ to be established for these young menat his brother's house. This brother, a tall, good-looking, blunt, unceremonious, and somewhat coarse, man, had, it was said, been afencing-master; and, notwithstanding the too great lenity of hisbrother, the noble boarders were often treated harshly and roughly:hence the people thought they must again take the part of these youngfolks, and pulled about the good reputation of the excellent Gellert tosuch a degree, that, in order not to be mistaken about him, we becameindifferent towards him, and visited him no more; yet we always salutedhim in our best manner when he came riding along on his tame gray horse. This horse the elector had sent him, to oblige him to take an exerciseso necessary for his health, --a distinction for which he was not easilyto be forgiven. 

And thus, by degrees, the epoch approached when all authority was tovanish from before me, and I was to become suspicious--nay, to despair, even--of the greatest and best individuals whom I had known or imagined. 

Frederick the Second still stood at the head of all the distinguishedmen of the century in my thoughts; and it must therefore have appearedvery surprising to me, that I could praise him as little before theinhabitants of Leipzig as formerly in my grandfather's house. They hadfelt the hand of war heavily, it is true; and therefore they were not toblame for not thinking the best of him who had begun and continued it. They, therefore, were willing to let him pass as a distinguished, but byno means as a great, man. "There was no art, " they said, "in performingsomething with great means; and, if one spares neither lands nor moneynor blood, one may well accomplish one's purpose at last. Frederick hadshown himself great in none of his plans, and in nothing that he had, properly speaking, undertaken. So long as it depended on himself, he hadonly gone on making blunders, and what was extraordinary in him had onlycome to light when he was compelled to make these blunders good again. It was purely from this that he had obtained his great reputation; sinceevery man wishes for himself that same talent of making good, in aclever way, the blunders which he frequently commits. If one goesthrough the Seven Years' War, step by step, it will be found that theking quite uselessly sacrificed his fine army, and that it was his ownfault that this ruinous feud had been protracted to so great a length. Atruly great man and general would have got the better of his enemiesmuch sooner. " In support of these opinions they could cite infinitedetails, which I did not know how to deny; and I felt the unboundedreverence which I had devoted to this remarkable prince, from my youthupwards, gradually cooling away. 

As the inhabitants of Leipzig had now destroyed for me the pleasantfeeling of revering a great man; so did a new friend, whom I gained atthe time, very much diminish the respect which I entertained for mypresent fellow-citizens. This friend was one of the strangest fellows inthe world. He was named Behrisch, and was tutor to the young CountLindenau. Even his exterior was singular enough. Lean and well-built, far advanced in the thirties, a very large nose, and altogether markedfeatures: he wore from morning till night a scratch which might wellhave been called a peruke, but dressed himself very neatly, and neverwent out but with his sword by his side, and his hat under his arm. Hewas one of those men who have quite a peculiar gift of killing time, or, rather, who know how to make something out of nothing, in order to passtime away. Every thing he did had to be done with slowness, and with acertain deportment which might have been called affected if Behrisch hadnot even by nature had something affected in his manner. He resembled anold Frenchman, and also spoke and wrote French very well and easily. Hisgreatest delight was to busy himself seriously about drolleries, and tofollow up without end any silly notion. Thus he was constantly dressedin gray; and as the different parts of his attire were of differentmaterial, and also of different shades, he could reflect for whole daysas to how he should procure one gray more for his body, and was happywhen he had succeeded in this, and could put to shame us who had doubtedit, or had pronounced it impossible. He then gave us long, severelectures about our lack of inventive power, and our want of faith in histalents. 

For the rest, he had studied well, was particularly versed in the modernlanguages and their literature, and wrote an excellent hand. He was verywell disposed towards me; and I, having been always accustomed andinclined to the society of older persons, soon attached myself to him. My intercourse served him, too, for a special amusement; since he tookpleasure in taming my restlessness and impatience, with which, on theother hand, I gave him enough to do. In the art of poetry he had what iscalled taste, --a certain general opinion about the good and bad, themediocre and tolerable: but his judgment was rather censorious; and hedestroyed even the little faith in contemporary writers which Icherished within me, by unfeeling remarks, which he knew how to advancewith wit and humor, about the writings and poems of this man and that. He received my productions with indulgence, and let me have my own way, but only on the condition that I should have nothing printed. Hepromised me, on the other hand, that he himself would copy those pieceswhich he thought good, and would present me with them in a handsomevolume. This undertaking now afforded an opportunity for the greatestpossible waste of time. For before he could find the right paper, beforehe could make up his mind as to the size, before he had settled thebreadth of the margin and the form of handwriting, before the crow-quills were provided and cut into pens, and Indian ink was rubbed, wholeweeks passed, without the least bit having been done. With just as muchado he always set about his writing, and really, by degrees, puttogether a most charming manuscript. The title of the poems was inGerman text; the verses themselves in a perpendicular Saxon hand; and atthe end of every poem was an analogous vignette, which he had eitherselected somewhere or other, or had invented himself, and in which hecontrived to imitate very neatly the hatching of the wood-cuts and tail-pieces which are used for such purposes. To show me these things as hewent on, to celebrate beforehand in a comico-pathetical manner my goodfortune in seeing myself immortalized in such exquisite handwriting, andthat in a style which no printing-press could attain, gave anotheroccasion for passing the most agreeable hours. In the mean time, hisintercourse was always secretly instructive, by reason of his liberalacquirements, and, as he knew how to subdue my restless, impetuousdisposition, was also quite wholesome for me in a moral sense. He had, too, quite a peculiar abhorrence of roughness; and his jests were alwaysquaint without ever falling into the coarse or the trivial. He indulgedhimself in a distorted aversion from his countrymen, and described withludicrous touches even what they were able to undertake. He wasparticularly inexhaustible in a comical representation of individualpersons, as he found something to find fault with in the exterior ofevery one. Thus, when we lay together at the window, he could occupyhimself for hours criticising the passers-by, and, when he had censuredthem long enough, in showing exactly and circumstantially how they oughtto have dressed themselves, ought to have walked, and ought to havebehaved, to look like orderly people. Such attempts, for the most part, ended in something improper and absurd; so that we did not so much laughat how the man looked, but at how, perchance, he might have looked hadhe been mad enough to caricature himself. In all such matters. Behrischwent quite unmercifully to work, without being in the slightest degreemalicious On the other hand, we knew how to tease him, on our side, byassuring him, that, to judge from his exterior, he must be taken, if notfor a French dancing-master, at least for the academical teacher of thelanguage. This reproval was usually the signal for dissertations an hourlong, in which he used to set forth the difference, wide as the heavens, which there was between him and an old Frenchman. At the same time hecommonly imputed to us all sorts of awkward attempts, that we mightpossibly have made for the alteration and modification of his wardrobe. 

My poetical compositions, which I only carried on the more zealously asthe transcript went on becoming more beautiful and more careful, nowinclined altogether to the natural and the true: and if the subjectscould not always be important, I nevertheless always endeavored toexpress them clearly and pointedly, the more so as my friend often gaveme to understand what a great thing it was to write down a verse onDutch paper, with the crow-quill and Indian ink; what time, talent, andexertion it required, which ought not to be squandered on any thingempty and superfluous. He would, at the same time, open a finishedparcel, and circumstantially to explain what ought not to stand in thisor that place, or congratulate us that it actually did not stand there. He then spoke with great contempt of the art of printing, mimicked thecompositor, ridiculed his gestures and his hurried picking out ofletters here and there, and derived from this manoeuvre all thecalamities of literature. On the other hand, he extolled the grace andnoble posture of a writer, and immediately sat down himself to exhibitit to us; while he rated us at the same time for not demeaning ourselvesat the writing-table precisely after his example and model. He nowreverted to the contrast with the compositor, turned a begun letterupside down, and showed how unseemly it would be to write any thing fromthe bottom to the top, or from the right to the left, with other thingsof like kind with which whole volumes might have been filled. 

With such harmless fooleries we squandered our precious time; while itcould have occurred to none of us, that any thing would chance toproceed out of our circle which would awaken a general sensation andbring us into not the best repute. 

Gellert may have taken little pleasure in his "Practicum;" and if, perhaps, he took pleasure in giving some directions as to prose andpoetical style, he did it most privately only to a few, among whom wecould not number ourselves. Professor Clodius thought to fill the gapwhich thus arose in the public instruction. He had gained some renown inliterature, criticism, and poetry, and, as a young, lively, obligingman, found many friends, both in the university and in the city. Gellerthimself referred us to the lectures now commenced by him; and, as far asthe principal matter was concerned, we remarked little difference. He, too, only criticised details, corrected likewise with red ink; and onefound one's self in company with mere blunders, without a prospect as towhere the right was to be sought. I had brought to him some of my littlelabors, which he did not treat harshly. But just at this time they wroteto me from home, that I must without fail furnish a poem for my uncle'swedding. I felt far removed from that light and frivolous period inwhich a similar thing would have given me pleasure; and, since I couldget nothing out of the actual circumstance itself, I determined to trickout my work in the best manner with extraneous ornament. I thereforeconvened all Olympus to consult about the marriage of a Frankfortlawyer, and seriously enough, to be sure, as well became the festival ofsuch an honorable man. Venus and Themis had quarrelled for his sake; buta roguish prank, which Amor played the latter, gained the suit for theformer: and the gods decided in favor of the marriage. 

My work by no means displeased me. I received from home a handsomeletter in its praise, took the trouble to have another fair copy, andhoped to extort some applause from my professor also. But here I hadmissed my aim. He took the matter severely; and as he did not notice thetone of parody, which nevertheless lay in the notion, he declared thegreat expenditure of divine means for such an insignificant human end inthe highest degree reprehensible; inveighed against the use and abuse ofsuch mythological figures, as a false habit originating in pedantictimes; found the expression now too high, now too low; and, in diversparticulars, had indeed not spared the red ink, though he asserted thathe had yet done too little. 

Such pieces were read out and criticised anonymously, it is true; but weused to watch each other, and it remained no secret that thisunfortunate assembly of the gods was my work: yet since his critique, when I took his point of view, seemed to be perfectly just, and thosedivinities more nearly inspected were in fact only hollow shadow-forms, I cursed all Olympus, flung the whole mythic Pantheon away; and fromthat time Amor and Luna have been the only divinities which at allappear in my little poems. 

Among the persons whom Behrisch had chosen as the butts of his wit, Clodius stood just at the head; nor was it hard to find a comical sidein him. Being of small stature, rather stout and thick-set, he wasviolent in his motions, somewhat impetuous in his utterances, andrestless in his demeanor. In all this he differed from his fellow-citizens, who, nevertheless, willingly put up with him on account of hisgood qualities, and the fine promise which he gave. 

He was usually commissioned with the poems which had become necessary onfestive occasions. In the so-called "Ode, " he followed the manneremployed by Ramler, whom, however, it alone suited. But Clodius, as animitator, had especially marked the foreign words by means of which thepoems of Ramler come forth with a majestic pomp, which, because it isconformable to the greatness of his subject and the rest of his poetictreatment, produces a very good effect on the ear, feelings, andimagination. In Clodius, on the contrary, these expressions had aheterogeneous air; since his poetry was in other respects not calculatedto elevate the mind in any manner. 

Now, we had often been obliged to see such poems printed and highlylauded in our presence; and we found it highly offensive, that he whohad sequestered the heathen gods from us, now wished to hammer togetheranother ladder to Parnassus out of Greek and Roman word-rungs. Theseoft-recurring expressions stamped themselves firmly on our memory; andin a merry hour, when we were eating some most excellent cakes in thekitchen-gardens (/Kohlgärten/), it all at once struck me to puttogether these words of might and power, in a poem on the cake-bakerHendel. No sooner thought than done! And let it stand here too, as itwas written on the wall of the house with a lead-pencil. 

 "O Hendel, dessen Ruhm vom /Süd/ zum /Norden/ reicht, Vernimm den /Päan/ der zu deinen Ohren steigt. Du bäckst was /Gallien/ und /Britten/ emsig suchen, Mit /schöpfrischen Genie, originelle/ Kuchen. Des Kaffee's /Ocean/, der sich vor dir ergiesst, Ist süssev als der Saft der vom /Hymettus/ fliesst. Dein Haus ein /Monument/, wie wir den Künsten lohnen Umhangen mit /Trophän/, erzählt den /Nationen/: Auch ohne /Diadem/ fand Hendel hier sein Glück Und raubte dem /Cothurn/ gar manch Achtgroschenstück. Glänzt deine /Urn/ dereinst in majestäts'chen /Pompe/, Dann weint der /Patriot/ an deinem /Katacombe/. Doch leb! dein /Torus/ sey von edler Brut ein /Nest/, Steh' hoch wie der /Olymp/, wie der /Parnassus/ fest! Kein /Phalanx/ Griechenland mit römischen /Ballisten/ Vermög /Germanien/ und Hendel zu verwüsten. Dein /Wohl/ is unser /Stolz/, dein /Leiden/, unser /Schmerz/, /Und/ Hendel's /Tempel ist der Musensöhne Herz/. "

[Footnote: The humor of the above consists, not in the thoughts, but inthe particular words employed. These have no remarkable effect inEnglish, as to us the words of Latin origin are often as familiar asthose which have Teutonic roots; and these form the chief peculiarity ofthe style. We have therefore given the poem in the original language, with the peculiar words (as indicated by Goethe) in Italics, and subjoina literal translation. It will be observed that we have said that thepeculiarity consists /chiefly/, not /solely/, in the use ofthe foreign words; for there are two or three instances ofunquestionably German words, which are Italicized on account of theirhigh-sounding pomp. 

"O Hendel, whose fame extends from /south/ to /north/, hearthe /paean/i> which ascends to thine ears! Thou bakest that which/Gauls/ and /Britons/ industriously seek, (thou bakest) with/creative genius original/ cakes. The /ocean/ of coffee which pours itself out before thee is sweeter than the juice which flows from/Hymettus/. Thy house, a /monument/, how we reward the arts, hung round with /trophies/, tells the nations: 'Even without a/diadem/, Hendel formed his fortune here, and robbed the/Cothurnus/ of many an eight-groschen-piece. ' When thy /urn/shines hereafter in majestic /pomp/, then will the/patriot/ weep at thy /catacomb/. But live! let /thy/ bed(/torus/) be the /nest/ of a noble brood, stand high as/Olympus/, and firm as /Parnassus/. May no /phalanx/ ofGreece with Roman /ballistoe/ be able to destroy /Germania/and Hendel. Thy /weal/ is our /pride/, thy /woe/ our/pain/, and Hendel's /temple/ is the /heart/ of the/sons of the Muses/. "-TRANS. ]

This poem had its place for a long time among many others whichdisfigured the walls of that room, without being noticed; and we, whohad sufficiently amused ourselves with it, forgot it altogether amongstother things. A long time afterwards, Clodius came out with his "Medon, "whose wisdom, magnanimity, and virtue we found infinitely ridiculous, much as the first representation of the piece was applauded. Thatevening, when we met together in the wine-house, I made a prologue indoggerel verse, in which Harlequin steps out with two great sacks, places them on each side of the /proscenium/, and, after variouspreliminary jokes, tells the spectators in confidence, that in the twosacks moral aesthetic dust is to be found, which the actors will veryfrequently throw into their eyes. One, to wit, was filled with gooddeeds, that cost nothing; and the other with splendidly expressedopinions, that had no meaning behind them. He reluctantly withdrew, andsometimes came back, earnestly exhorted the spectators to attend to hiswarning and shut their eyes, reminded them that he had always been theirfriend, and meant well with them, with many more things of the kind. This prologue was acted in the room, on the spot, by friend Horn: butthe jest remained quite among ourselves, not even a copy had been taken;and the paper was soon lost. However, Horn, who had performed theHarlequin very prettily, took it into his head to enlarge my poem toHendel by several verses, and then to make it refer to "Medon. " He readit to us; but we could not take any pleasure in it, for we did not findthe additions even ingenious: while the first poem, being written forquite a different purpose, seemed to us disfigured. Our friend, displeased with our indifference, or rather censure, may have shown itto others, who found it new and amusing. Copies were now made of it, towhich the reputation of Clodius's "Medon" gave at once a rapidpublicity. Universal disapproval was the consequence, and theoriginators (it was soon found out that the poem had proceeded from ourclique) were severely censured; for nothing of the sort had been seensince Cronegk's and Rost's attacks upon Gottsched. We had besidesalready secluded ourselves, and now found ourselves quite in the case ofthe owl with respect to the other birds. In Dresden, too, they did notlike the affair; and it had for us serious, if not unpleasant, consequences. For some time, already, Count Lindenau had not been quitesatisfied with his son's tutor. For although the young man was by nomeans neglected, and Behrisch kept himself either in the chamber of theyoung count, or at least close to it, when the instructors gave theirdaily lessons, regularly frequented the lectures with him, never wentout in the daytime without him, and accompanied him in all his walks, yet the rest of us were always to be found in Apel's house, and joinedthem whenever they went on a pleasure ramble: this already excited someattention. Behrisch, too, accustomed himself to our society, and atlast, towards nine o'clock in the evenings, generally transferred hispupil into the hands of the /valet de chambre/, and went in questof us to the wine-house, whither, however, he never used to come but inshoes and stockings, with his sword by his side, and commonly his hatunder his arm. The jokes and fooleries, which he generally started, wenton /ad infinitum/. Thus, for instance, one of our friends had ahabit of going away precisely at ten, because he had a connection with apretty girl, with whom he could converse only at that hour. We did notlike to lose him; and one evening, when we sat very happily together, Behrisch secretly determined that he would not let him off this time. Atthe stroke of ten, the other arose and took leave. Behrisch called afterhim, and begged him to wait a moment, as he was just going with him. Henow began, in the most amusing manner, first to look after his sword, which stood just before his eyes, and in buckling it on behavedawkwardly, so that he could never accomplish it. He did this, too, sonaturally, that no one took offence at it. But when, to vary the theme, he at last went farther, so that the sword came now on the right side, now between his legs, an universal laughter arose, in which the man in ahurry, who was like-wise a merry fellow, chimed in, and let Behrischhave his own way till the happy hour was past, when, for the first time, there followed general pleasure and agreeable conversation till deepinto the night. 

Unfortunately Behrisch, and we through him, had a certain otherpropensity for some girls who were better than their reputation, --bywhich our own reputation could not be improved. We had often been seenin their garden; and we directed our walks thither, even when the youngcount was with us. All this may have been treasured up, and at lastcommunicated to his father: enough, he sought, in a gentlemanly manner, to get rid of the tutor, to whom the event proved fortunate. His goodexterior, his knowledge and talents, his integrity, which no one couldcall in question, had won him the affection and esteem of distinguishedpersons, on whose recommendation he was appointed tutor to thehereditary prince of Dessau, and at the court of a prince, excellent inevery respect, found a solid happiness. 

The loss of a friend like Behrisch was of the greatest consequence tome. He had spoiled while he cultivated me; and his presence wasnecessary, if the pains he had thought good to spend upon me were in anydegree to bring forth fruit for society. He knew how to engage me in allkinds of pretty and agreeable things, in whatever was just appropriate, and to bring out my social talents. But as I had gained no self-dependence in such things, so when I was alone again I immediatelyrelapsed into my confused and crabbed disposition, which alwaysincreased, the more discontented I was with those about me, since Ifancied that they were not contented with me. With the most arbitrarycaprice, I took offence at what I might have considered an advantage;thus alienated many with whom I had hitherto been on a tolerablefooting; and on account of the many disagreeable consequences which Ihad drawn on myself and others, whether by doing or leaving undone, bydoing too much or too little, was obliged to hear the remark from mywell-wishers, that I lacked experience. The same thing was told me byevery person of sound sense who saw my productions, especially whenthese referred to the external world. I observed this as well as Icould, but found in it little that was edifying, and was still forced toadd enough of my own to make it only tolerable. I had often pressed myfriend Behrisch, too, that he would make plain to me what was meant byexperience? But, because he was full of nonsense, he put me off withfair words from one day to another, and at last, after greatpreparations, disclosed to me, that true experience was properly whenone experiences how an experienced nvan must experience in experiencinghis experience. Now, when we scolded him outrageously, and called him toaccount for this, he assured us that a great mystery lay hidden behindthese words, which we could not comprehend until we had experienced. .. And so on without end, --for it cost him nothing to talk on in thatway by the quarter of an hour, --since the experience would always becomemore experienced and at last come to true experience. When we were aboutto despair at such fooleries, he protested that he had learned this wayof making himself intelligible and impressive from the latest andgreatest authors, who had made us observe how one can rest a restfulrest, and how silence, in being silent, can constantly become moresilent. 

By chance an officer, who came among us on furlough, was praised in goodcompany as a remarkable, sound-minded, and experienced man, who hadfought through the Seven Years' War, and had gained universalconfidence. It was not difficult for me to approach him, and we oftenwent walking with each other. The idea of experience had almost becomefixed in my brain, and the craving to make it clear to me passionate. Being of a frank disposition, I disclosed to him the uneasiness in whichI found myself. He smiled, and was kind enough to tell me, as an answerto my question, something of his own life, and generally of the worldimmediately about us; from which, indeed, little better was to begathered than that experience convinces us that our best thoughts, wishes, and designs are unattainable, and that he who fosters suchvagaries, and advances them with eagerness, is especially held to be aninexperienced man. 

Yet, as he was a gallant, good fellow, he assured me that he had himselfnot quite given up these vagaries, and felt himself tolerably well offwith the little faith, love, and hope which remained. He then feltobliged to tell me a great deal about war, about the sort of life in thefield, about skirmishes and battles, especially so far as he had takenpart in them; when these vast events, by being considered in relation toa single individual, gained a very marvellous aspect. I then led him onto an open narration of the late situation of the court, which seemed tome quite like a tale. I heard of the bodily strength of Augustus theSecond, of his many children and his vast expenses, then of hissuccessor's love of art and of making collections; of Count Brühl andhis boundless love of magnificence, which in detail appeared almostabsurd, of his numerous banquets and gorgeous amusements, which were allcut off by Frederick's invasion of Saxony. The royal castles now lay inruins, Brühl's splendors were annihilated, and, of the whole, a gloriousland, much injured, alone remained. 

When he saw me astonished at that mad enjoyment of fortune, and thengrieved by the calamity that followed, and informed me that one expectsfrom an experienced man exactly this, that he shall be astonished atneither the one nor the other, nor take too lively an interest in them, I felt a great desire still to remain a while in the same inexperienceas hitherto; in which desire he strengthened me, and very urgentlyentreated me, for the present at least, always to cling to agreeableexperiences, and to try to avoid those that were disagreeable as much aspossible, if they should intrude themselves upon me. But once, when thediscussion was again about experience in general, and I related to himthose ludicrous phrases of my friend Behrisch, he shook his head, smiling, and said, "There, one sees how it is with words which are onlyonce uttered! These sound so comical, nay, so silly, that it would seemalmost impossible to put a rational meaning into them; and yet, perhaps, the attempt might be made. "

And, when I pressed him, he replied in his intelligent, cheerful manner, "If you will allow me, while commenting on and completing your friend'sobservations, to go on after his fashion, I think he meant to say, thatexperience is nothing else than that one experiences what one does notwish to experience; which is what it amounts to for the most part, atleast in this world. "

EIGHTH BOOK. 

Another man, although infinitely different from Behrisch in everyrespect, might yet be compared with him in a certain sense: I meanOeser, who was also one of those men who dream away their lives in acomfortable state of being busy. His friends themselves secretlyacknowledged, that, with very fine natural powers, he had not spent hisyounger years in sufficient activity; for which reason he never went sofar as to practise his art with perfect technicality. Yet a certaindiligence appeared to be reserved for his old age; and, during the manyyears which I knew him, he never lacked invention or laboriousness. Fromthe very first moment he had attracted me very much: even his residence, strange and portentous, was highly charming to me. In the old castlePleissenburg, at the right-hand corner, one ascended a repaired, cheerful, winding staircase. The saloons of the Academy of Design, ofwhich he was director, were found to the left, and were light and roomy;but he himself could only be reached through a narrow, dark passage, atthe end of which one first sought the entrance into his apartments, having just passed between the whole suite of them and an extensivegranary. The first apartment was adorned with pictures from the laterItalian school, by masters whose grace he used highly to commend. As I, with some noblemen, had taken private lessons of him, we were permittedto draw here; and we often penetrated into his adjoining privatecabinet, which contained at the same time his few books, collections ofart and natural curiosities, and whatever else might have mostinterested him. Every thing was arranged with taste, simply, and in sucha manner that the little space held a great deal. The furniture, presses, and portfolios were elegant, without affection or superfluity. Thus also the first thing which he recommended to us, and to which healways recurred, was simplicity in every thing that art and manual laborunited are called upon to produce. Being a sworn foe to the scroll-and-shell style, and of the whole taste for quaintness, he showed us incopper-plates and drawings old patterns of the sort contrasted withbetter decorations and simpler forms of furniture, as well as with otherappurtenances of a room; and, because every thing about him correspondedwith these maxims, his words and instructions made a good and lastingimpression on us. Besides this, he had an opportunity to let us see hisopinions in practice; since he stood in good consideration, both withprivate and with official persons, and was asked for advice when therewere new buildings and alterations. He seemed in general to be more fondof preparing things on occasion, for a certain end and use, than ofundertaking and completing such as exist for themselves and require agreater perfection; he was therefore always ready and at hand when thepublishers needed larger and smaller copper-plates for any work: thusthe vignettes to Winckelmann's first writings were etched by him. But heoften made only very sketchy drawings, to which Geyser knew very wellhow to adapt himself. His figures had throughout something general, notto say ideal. His women were pleasing and agreeable, his children/naive/ enough; only he could not succeed with the men, who, in hisspirited but always cloudy, and at the same time foreshortening, manner, had for the most part the look of Lazzaroni. Since he designed hiscomposition less with regard to form than to light, shade, and masses, the general effect was good; as indeed all that he did and produced wasattended by a peculiar grace. As he at the same time neither could norwould control a deep-rooted propensity to the significant and theallegorical--to that which excites a secondary thought, so his worksalways furnished something to reflect upon, and were complete through aconception, even where they could not be so from art and execution. Thisbias, which is always dangerous, frequently led him to the very boundsof good taste, if not beyond them. He often sought to attain his viewsby the oddest notions and by whimsical jests; nay, his best works alwayshave a touch of humor. If the public were not always satisfied with suchthings, he revenged himself by a new and even stranger drollery. Thus heafterwards exhibited, in the ante-room of the great concert-hall, anideal female figure, in his own style, who was raising a pair ofsnuffers to a taper; and he was extraordinarily delighted when he wasable to cause a dispute on the question, whether this singular musemeant to snuff the light or to extinguish it? when he roguishly allowedall sorts of bantering by-thoughts to peep forth. 

But the building of the new theatre, in my time, made the greatestnoise; in which his curtain, when it was still quite new, had certainlyan uncommonly charming effect. Oeser had taken the Muses out of theclouds, upon which they usually hover on such occasions, and set themupon the earth. The statues of Sophocles and Aristophanes, around whomall the modern dramatic writers were assembled, adorned a vestibule tothe Temple of Fame. Here, too, the goddesses of the arts were likewisepresent; and all was dignified and beautiful. But now comes the oddity!Through the open centre was seen the portal of the distant temple: and aman in a light jerkin was passing between the two above-mentionedgroups, and, without troubling himself about them, directly up to thetemple; he was seen from behind, and was not particularly distinguished. Now, this man was to represent Shakespeare, who without predecessors orfollowers, without concerning himself about models, went to meetimmortality in his own way. This work was executed on the great floorover the new theatre. "We often assembled round him there, and in thatplace I read aloud to him the proof-sheets of "Musarion. " As to myself, I by no means advanced in the practice of the art. His instructionsworked upon our mind and our taste; but his own drawing was tooundefined to guide me, who had only glimmered along by the objects ofart and of nature, to a severe and decided practice. Of the faces andbodies he gave us rather the aspect than the forms, rather the posturesthan the proportions. He gave us the conceptions of the figures, anddesired that we should impress them vividly upon our minds. That mighthave been beautifully and properly done, if he had not had merebeginners before him. If, on this account, a pre-eminent talent forinstruction may be well denied him, it must, on the other hand, beacknowledged that he was very discreet and politic, and that a happyadroitness of mind qualified him very peculiarly for a teacher in ahigher sense. The deficiencies under which each one labored he clearlysaw; but he disdained to reprove them directly, and rather hinted hispraise and censure indirectly and very laconically. One was nowcompelled to think over the matter, and soon came to a far deeperinsight. Tims, for instance, I had very carefully executed, after apattern, a nosegay on blue paper, with white and black crayon, andpartly with the stump, partly by hatching it up, had tried to giveeffect to the little picture. After I had been long laboring in thisway, he once came behind me, and said, "More paper!" upon which heimmediately withdrew. My neighbor and I puzzled our heads as to whatthis could mean; for my bouquet, on a large half-sheet, had plenty ofspace around it. After we had reflected a long while, we thought, atlast, that we had hit his meaning, when we remarked, that, by workingtogether the black and the white, I had quite covered up the blueground, had destroyed the middle tint, and, in fact, with greatindustry, had produced a disagreeable drawing. As to the rest, he didnot fail to instruct us in perspective, and in light and shade, sufficiently indeed, but always so that we had to exert and tormentourselves to find the application of the principles communicated. Probably his view with regard to us who did not intend to becomeartists, was only to form the judgment and taste, and to make usacquainted with the requisites of a work of art, without preciselyrequiring that we should produce one. Since, moreover, patient industrywas not my talent, for nothing gave me pleasure except what came to meat once, so by degrees I became discouraged, if not lazy; and, asknowledge is more comfortable than doing, I was quite content to followwherever he chose, after his own fashion, to lead us. 

At this time the "Lives of the Painters, " by D'Argenville, wastranslated into German: I obtained it quite fresh, and studied itassiduously enough. This seemed to please Oeser; and he procured us anopportunity of seeing many a portfolio out of the great Leipzigcollections, and thus introduced us to the history of the art. But eventhese exercises produced in me an effect different from that which heprobably had in mind. The manifold subjects which I saw treated byartists awakened the poetic talent in me: and, as one easily makes anengraving for a poem; so did I now make poems to the engravings anddrawings, by contriving to present to myself the personages introducedin them, in their previous and subsequent condition, and sometimes tocompose a little song which might have suited them; and thus accustomedmyself to consider the arts in connection with each other. Even themistakes which I made, so that my poems were often descriptive, wereuseful to me in the sequel, when I came to more reflection, by making meattentive to the differences between the arts. Of such little thingsmany were in the collection which Behrisch had arranged, but there isnothing left of them now. 

The atmosphere of art and taste in which Oeser lived, and into which onewas drawn, provided one visited him frequently, was the more and moreworthy and delightful, because he was fond of remembering departed orabsent persons, with whom he had been, or still continued to be, on goodterms; for, if he had once given any one his esteem, he remainedunalterable in his conduct towards him, and always showed himselfequally friendly. 

After we had heard Caylus pre-eminently extolled among the French, hemade us also acquainted with Germans of activity in this department. Thus we learned that Professor Christ, as an amateur, a collector, aconnoisseur, a fellow-laborer, had done good service for art, and hadapplied his learning to its true improvement. Heinecken, on thecontrary, could not be honorably mentioned, partly because he devotedhimself too assiduously to the ever-childish beginnings of German art;which Oeser little valued, partly because he had once treatedWinckelmann shabbily, which could never be forgiven him. Our attention, however, was strongly drawn to the labors of Lippert, since ourinstructor knew how to set forth his merits sufficiently. "For, " hesaid, "although single statues and larger groups of sculpture remain thefoundation and the summit of all knowledge of art, yet, either asoriginals or as casts, they are seldom to be seen; on the contrary, byLippert, a little world of gems is made known, in which the morecomprehensible merit of the ancients, their happy invention, judiciouscomposition, tasteful treatment, are made more striking andintelligible, while, from the great number of them, comparison is muchmore possible. " While now we were busying ourselves with these as muchas was allowed, Winckelmann's lofty life of art in Italy was pointedout, and we took his first writings in hand with devotion; for Oeser hada passionate reverence for him, which he was able easily to instil intous. The problematical part of those little treatises, which are, besides, confused even from their irony, and from their referring toopinions and events altogether peculiar, we were, indeed, unable todecipher; but as Oeser had great influence over us, and incessantly gavethem out to us as the gospel of the beautiful, and still more of thetasteful and the pleasing, we found out the general sense, and fancied, that, with such interpretations, we should go on the more securely, aswe regarded it no small happiness to draw from the same fountain fromwhich Winckelmann had allayed his earliest thirst. 

No greater good fortune can befall a city, than when several educatedmen, like-minded in what is good and right, live together in it. Leipzighad this advantage, and enjoyed it the more peacefully, as so manydifferences of judgment had not yet manifested themselves. Huber, aprint collector and well-experienced connoisseur, had furthermore thegratefully acknowledged merit of having determined to make the worth ofGerman literature known to the French; Kreuchauf, an amateur with apractised eye, who, as the friend of the whole society of art, mightregard all collections as his own; Winkler, who much loved to share withothers the intelligent delight he cherished for his treasures; many morewho were added to the list, --all lived and labored with one feeling;and, often as I was permitted to be present when they examined works ofart, I do not remember that a dispute ever arose. The school from whichthe artist had proceeded, the time in which he lived, the peculiartalent which nature had bestowed on him, and the degree of excellence towhich he had brought it in his performances, were always fairlyconsidered. There was no predilection for spiritual or temporalsubjects, for landscape or for city views, for animate or inanimate: thequestion was always about the accordance with art. 

Now, although from their situation, mode of thought, abilities, andopportunities, these amateurs and collectors inclined more to the Dutchschool, yet, while the eye was practised on the endless merits of thenorth-western artist, a look of reverential longing was always turnedtowards the south-east. 

And so the university, where I neglected the ends of both my family andmyself, was to ground me in that in which I afterwards found thegreatest satisfaction of my life: the impression of those localities, too, in which I received such important incitements, has always remainedto me most dear and precious. The old Pleissenburg; the rooms of theAcademy; but, above all, the abode of Oeser; and no less the collectionsof Winkler and Richter, --I have always vividly present before me. 

But a young man, who, while older persons are conversing with each otheron subjects already familiar to them, is instructed only incidentally, and for whom the most difficult part of the business--that of rightlyarranging all--yet remains, must find himself in a very painfulsituation. I therefore, as well as others, looked about with longing forsome new light, which was indeed to come to us from a man to whom weowed so much already. 

The mind can be highly delighted in two ways, --by perception andconception. But the former demands a worthy object, which is not alwaysat hand, and a proportionate culture, which one does not immediatelyattain. Conception, on the other hand, requires only susceptibility: itbrings its subject-matter with it, and is itself the instrument ofculture. Hence that beam of light was most welcome to us which that mostexcellent thinker brought down to us through dark clouds. One must be ayoung man to render present to one's self the effect which Lessing's"Laocoön" produced upon us, by transporting us out of the region ofscanty perceptions into the open fields of thought. The /ut picturapoesis/, so long misunderstood, was at once laid aside: thedifference between plastic and speaking art [Footnote: Bildende undRedende Kunst. " The expression "speaking art" is used to produce acorresponding antithesis, though "/belles-lettres/ would be theordinary rendering. --TRANS. ] was made clear; the summits of the two nowappeared sundered, however near their bases might border on each other. The plastic artist was to keep himself within the bounds of thebeautiful, if the artist of language, who cannot dispense with thesignificant in any kind, is permitted to ramble abroad beyond them. Theformer labors for the outer sense, which is satisfied only by thebeautiful; the latter for the imagination, which may even reconcileitself to the ugly. All the consequences of this splendid thought wereillumined to us as by a lightning-flash: all the criticism which hadhitherto guided and judged was thrown away like a worn-out coat. Weconsidered ourselves freed from all evil, and fancied we might ventureto look down with some compassion upon the otherwise so splendidsixteenth century, when, in German sculptures and poems, they knew howto represent life only under the form of a fool hung with bells, deathunder the misformed shape of a rattling skeleton, and the necessary andaccidental evils of the world under the image of the caricatured Devil. 

What enchanted us most was the beauty of that thought, that the ancientshad recognized death as the brother of sleep, and had represented themsimilar, even to confusion, as becomes Menaechmi. Here we could first dohigh honor to the triumph of the beautiful, and banish the ugly of everykind into the low sphere of the ridiculous within the realm of art, since it could not be utterly driven out of the world. 

The splendor of such leading and fundamental conceptions appears only tothe mind upon which they exercise their infinite activity, --appears onlyto the age in which, after being longed for, they come forth at theright moment. Then do those at whose disposal such nourishment is placedfondly occupy whole periods of their lives with it, and rejoice in asuperabundant growth; while men are not wanting, meanwhile, who resistsuch an effect on the spot, nor others who afterwards haggle and cavilat its high meaning. 

But, as conception and perception mutually require each other, I couldnot long work up these new thoughts without an infinite desire arisingwithin me to see important works of art, once and away, in great number. I therefore determined to visit Dresden without delay. I was not in wantof the necessary cash: but there were other difficulties to overcome, which I needlessly increased still further, through my whimsicaldisposition; for I kept my purpose a secret from every one, because Iwished to contemplate the treasures of art there quite after my own way, and, as I thought, to allow no one to perplex me. Besides this, sosimple a matter became more complicated by still another eccentricity. 

We have weaknesses, both by birth and by education; and it may bequestioned which of the two gives us the most trouble. Willingly as Imade myself familiar with all sorts of conditions, and many as had beenmy inducements to do so, an excessive aversion from all inns hadnevertheless been instilled into me by my father. This feeling had takenfirm root in him on his travels through Italy, France, and Germany. Although he seldom spoke in images, and only called them to his aid whenhe was very cheerful, yet he used often to repeat that he always fanciedhe saw a great cobweb spun across the gate of an inn, so ingeniouslythat the insects could indeed fly in, but that even the privileged waspscould not fly out again unplucked. It seemed to him something horriblethat one should be obliged to pay immoderately for renouncing one'shabits and all that was dear to one in life, and living after the mannerof publicans and waiters. He praised the hospitality of the olden time;and, reluctantly as he otherwise endured even any thing unusual in thehouse, he yet practised hospitality, especially towards artists andvirtuosi. Thus gossip Seekatz always had his quarters with us; and Abel, the last musician who handled the /viol di gamba/ with success andapplause, was well received and entertained. With such youthfulimpressions, which nothing had as yet rubbed off, how could I haveresolved to set foot in an inn in a strange city? Nothing would havebeen easier than to find quarters with good friends. Hofrath Krebel, Assessor Hermann, and others, had often spoken to me about it already;but even to these my trip was to remain a secret, and I hit upon a mostsingular notion. My next-room neighbor, the industrious theologian, whose eyes unfortunately constantly grew weaker and weaker, had arelation in Dresden, a shoemaker, with whom from time to time hecorresponded. For a long while already this man had been highlyremarkable to me on account of his expressions, and the arrival of oneof his letters was always celebrated by us as a holiday. The mode inwhich he replied to the complaints of his cousin, who feared blindness, was quite peculiar: for he did not trouble himself about grounds ofconsolation, which are always hard to find; but the cheerful way inwhich he looked upon his own narrow, poor, toilsome life, the merrimentwhich he drew, even from evils and inconveniences, the indestructibleconviction that life is in itself and on its own account a blessing, communicated itself to him who read the letter, and, for the moment atleast, transposed him into a like mood. Enthusiastic as I was, I hadoften sent my compliments to this man, extolled his happy natural gift, and expressed the wish to become acquainted with him. All this beingpremised, nothing seemed to me more natural than to seek him out, toconverse with him, --nay, to lodge with him, and to learn to know himintimately. My good candidate, after some opposition, gave me a letter, written with difficulty, to carry with me; and, full of longing, I wentto Dresden in the yellow coach, with my matriculation in my pocket. 

I went in search of my shoemaker, and soon found him in the suburb(/Vorstadt/). He received me in a friendly manner, sitting upon hisstool, and said, smiling, after he had read the letter, "I see fromthis, young sir, that you are a whimsical Christian. "--"How so, master?"I replied. "No offence meant by '/whimsical/, '" he continued: "onecalls every one so who is not consistent with himself; and I call you awhimsical Christian because you acknowledge yourself a follower of ourLord in one thing, but not in another. " On my requesting him toenlighten me, he said further, "It seems that your view is, to announceglad tidings to the poor and lowly; that is good, and this imitation ofthe Lord is praiseworthy: but you should reflect, besides, that herather sat down to table with prosperous rich folks, where there wasgood fare, and that he himself did not despise the sweet scent of theointment, of which you will find the opposite in my house. "

This pleasant beginning put me at once in good humor, and we ralliedeach other for some time. His wife stood doubting how she should boardand lodge such a guest. On this point, too, he had notions whichreferred, not only to the Bible, but also to "Gottfried's Chronicle;"and when we were agreed that I was to stay, I gave my purse, such as itwas, into the charge of my hostess, and requested her to furnish herselffrom it, if any thing should be necessary. When he would have declinedit, and somewhat waggishly gave me to understand that he was not soburned out as he might appear, I disarmed him by saying, "Even if itwere only to change water into wine, such a well-tried domestic resourcewould not be out of place, since there are no more miracles nowadays. "The hostess seemed to find my conduct less and less strange: we had soonaccommodated ourselves to each other, and spent a very merry evening. Heremained always the same, because all flowed from one source. Hispeculiarity was an apt common sense, which rested upon a cheerfuldisposition, and took delight in uniform habitual activity. That heshould labor incessantly was his first and most necessary care; that heregarded every thing else as secondary, --this kept up his comfortablestate of mind; and I must reckon him before many others in the class ofthose who are called practical unconscious philosophers. [Footnote:"Pratische Philosophen, bewusstlose Weltweisen. " It is impossible togive two substantives, as in the original, since this is effected byusing first the word of Greek, then the word of German origin, whereaswe have but one. --TRANS. ]

The hour when the gallery was to be opened appeared, after having beenexpected with impatience. I entered into this sanctuary, and myastonishment surpassed every conception which I had formed. This room, returning into itself, in which splendor and neatness reigned togetherwith the deepest stillness; the dazzling frames, all nearer to the timein which they had been gilded; the floor polished with bees'-wax; thespaces more trodden by spectators than used by copyists, --imparted afeeling of solemnity, unique of its kind, which so much the moreresembled the sensation with which one treads a church, as theadornments of so many a temple, the objects of so much adoration, seemedhere again set up only for the sacred purposes of art. I readily put upwith the cursory description of my guide, only I requested that I mightbe allowed to remain in the outer gallery. Here, to my comfort, I feltreally at home. I had already seen the works of several artists, othersI knew from engravings, others by name. I did not conceal this, and Ithus inspired my conductor with some confidence: nay, the rapture whichI expressed at pieces where the pencil had gained the victory overnature delighted him; for such were the things which principallyattracted me, where the comparison with known nature must necessarilyenhance the value of art. 

When I again entered my shoemaker's house for dinner, I scarcelybelieved my eyes; for I fancied I saw before me a picture by Ostade, soperfect that all it needed was to be hung up in the gallery. Theposition of the objects, the light, the shadow, the brownish tint of thewhole, the magical harmony, --every thing that one admires in thosepictures, I here saw in reality. It was the first time that I perceived, in so high a degree, the faculty which I afterwards exercised with moreconsciousness; namely, that of seeing nature with the eyes of this orthat artist, to whose works I had devoted a particular attention. Thisfaculty has afforded me much enjoyment, but has also increased thedesire zealously to abandon myself, from time to time, to the exerciseof a talent which nature seemed to have denied me. 

I visited the gallery at all permitted hours, and continued to expresstoo loudly the ecstasy with which I beheld many precious works. I thusfrustrated my laudable purpose of remaining unknown and unnoticed; andwhereas only one of the unclerkeepers had hitherto had intercourse withme, the gallery-inspector, Counsellor Riedel, now also took notice ofme, and called my attention to many things which seemed chiefly to liewithin my sphere. I found this excellent man just as active and obligingthen, as when I afterwards saw him during many years, and as he showshimself to this day. His image has, for me, interwoven itself so closelywith those treasures of art, that I can never regard the two apart: theremembrance of him has even accompanied me to Italy, where, in manylarge and rich collections, his presence would have been very desirable. 

Since, even with strangers and unknown persons, one cannot gaze on suchworks silently and without mutual sympathy, --nay, since the first sightof them is rather adapted, in the highest degree, to open hearts towardseach other, I there got into conversation with a young man who seemed tobe residing at Dresden, and to belong to some embassy. He invited me tocome in the evening to an inn where a lively company met, and where, byeach one's paying a moderate reckoning, one could pass some verypleasant hours. 

I repaired thither, but did not find the company; and the waitersomewhat surprised me when he delivered the compliments of the gentlemanwho made the appointment with me, by which the latter sent an excuse forcoming somewhat later, with the addition that I must not take offence atany thing that might occur; also, that I should have nothing to paybeyond my own score. I knew not what to make of these words: my father'scobwebs came into my head, and I composed myself to await whatever mightbefall. The company assembled; my acquaintance introduced me; and Icould not be attentive long, without discovering that they were aimingat the mystification of a young man, who showed himself a novice by anobstreperous, assuming deportment: I therefore kept very much on myguard, so that they might not find delight in selecting me as hisfellow. At table this intention became more apparent to everybody, except to himself. They drank more and more deeply: and, when a vivat inhonor of sweethearts was started, every one solemnly swore that thereshould never be another out of those glasses; they flung them behindthem, and this was the signal for far greater follies. At last Iwithdrew very quietly; and the waiter, while demanding quite a moderateamount, requested me to come again, as they did not go on so wildlyevery evening. I was far from my lodgings, and it was near midnight whenI reached them. I found the doors unlocked; everybody was in bed; andone lamp illuminated the narrow domestic household, where my eye, moreand more practised, immediately perceived the finest picture bySchalken, from which I could not tear myself away, so that it banishedfrom me all sleep. 

The few days of my residence in Dresden were solely devoted to thepicture-gallery. The antiquities still stood in the pavilion of thegreat garden; but I declined seeing them, as well as all the otherprecious things which Dresden contained, being but too full of theconviction, that, even in and about the collection of paintings, muchmust yet remain hidden from me. Thus I took the excellence of theItalian masters more on trust and in faith, than by pretending to anyinsight into them. What I could not look upon as nature, put in theplace of nature, and compare with a known object, was without effectupon me. It is the material impression which makes the beginning even toevery more elevated taste. 

With my shoemaker I lived on very good terms. He was witty and variedenough, and we often outvied each other in merry conceits: nevertheless, a man who thinks himself happy, and desires others to do the same, makesus discontented; indeed, the repetition of such sentiments producesweariness. I found myself well occupied, entertained, excited, but by nomeans happy; and the shoes from his last would not fit me. We parted, however, as the best friends; and even my hostess, on my departure, wasnot dissatisfied with me. 

Shortly before my departure, something else very pleasant was to happen. By the mediation of that young man, who wished to somewhat regain hiscredit with me, I was introduced to the Director Von Hagedorn, who, withgreat kindness, showed me his collection, and was highly delighted withthe enthusiasm of the young lover of art. He himself, as becomes aconnoisseur, was quite peculiarly in love with the pictures which hepossessed, and therefore seldom found in others an interest such as hewished. It gave him particular satisfaction that I was so excessivelypleased with a picture by Schwanefeld, and that I was not tired ofpraising and extolling it in every single part; for landscapes, whichagain reminded me of the beautiful clear sky under which I had grown up, of the vegetable luxuriance of those spots, and of whatever other favorsa warmer climate offers to man, were just the things that most affectedme in the imitation, while they awakened in me a longing remembrance. 

These delightful experiences, preparing both mind and sense for trueart, were nevertheless interrupted and damped by one of the mostmelancholy sights, --by the destroyed and desolate condition of so manyof the streets of Dresden through which I took my way. The Mohrenstrassein ruins, and the Church (/Kreuzkirche/) of the Cross, with itsshattered tower, impressed themselves deeply upon me, and still standlike a gloomy spot in my imagination. From the cupola of the Lady Church(/Frauenkirche/) I saw these pitiable ruins scattered about amidthe beautiful order of the city. Here the clerk commended to me the artof the architect, who had already fitted up church and cupola for soundesirable an event, and had built them bomb-proof. The good sacristanthen pointed out to me the ruins on all sides, and said doubtfully andlaconically, "/The enemy hath done this/!"

At last, though very loath, I returned to Leipzig, and found my friends, who were not used to such digressions in me, in great astonishment, busied with all sorts of conjectures as to what might be the import ofmy mysterious journey. When, upon this, I told them my story quite inorder, they declared it was only a made-up tale, and sagaciously triedto get at the bottom of the riddle which I had been waggish enough toconceal under my shoemaker-lodgings. 

But, could they have looked into my heart, they would have discovered nowaggery there; for the truth of that old proverb, "He that increasethknowledge increaseth sorrow, " had struck me with all its force: and themore I struggled to arrange and appropriate to myself what I had seen, the less I succeeded. I had at last to content myself with a silentafter-operation. Ordinary life carried me away again; and I at last feltmyself quite comfortable when a friendly intercourse, improvement inbranches of knowledge which were suitable for me, and a certain practiceof the hand, engaged me in a manner less important, but more inaccordance with my strength. 

Very pleasant and wholesome for me was the connection I formed with theBreitkopf family. Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, the proper founder ofthe family, who had come to Leipzig as a poor journeyman printer, wasyet living, and occupied the Golden Bear, a respectable house in the newNewmarket, with Gottsched as an inmate. The son, Johann GottlobImmanuel, had already been long married, and was the father of manychildren. They thought they could not spend a part of their considerablewealth better than in putting up, opposite the first house, a large newone, the Silver Bear, which they built higher and more extensive thanthe original house itself. Just at the time of the building I becameacquainted with the family. The eldest son, who might have been someyears older than I, was a well-formed young man, devoted to music, andpractised to play skilfully on both the piano and the violin. Thesecond, a true, good soul, likewise musical, enlivened the concertswhich were often got up, no less than his elder brother. They were bothkindly disposed towards me, as well as their parents and sisters. I lentthem a helping hand during the building up and the finishing, thefurnishing and the moving in, and thus formed a conception of much thatbelongs to such an affair: I also had an opportunity of seeing Oeser'sinstructions put in practice. In the new house, which I had thus seenerected, I was often a visitor. We had many pursuits in common; and theeldest son set some of my songs to music, which, when printed, bore hisname, but not mine, and have been little known. I have selected thebest, and inserted them among my other little poems. The father hadinvented or perfected musical type. He granted me the use of a finelibrary, which related principally to the origin and progress ofprinting; and thus I gained some knowledge in that department. I foundthere, moreover, good copper-plates, which exhibited antiquity, andadvanced on this side also my studies, which were still further promotedby the circumstance that a considerable collection of casts had falleninto disorder in moving. I set them right again as well as I could, andin doing so was compelled to search Lippert and other authorities. Aphysician, Doctor Reichel, likewise an inmate of the house, I consultedfrom time to time when I felt, if not sick, yet unwell; and thus we ledtogether a quiet, pleasant life. 

I was now to enter into another sort of connection in this house; forthe copper-plate engraver, Stock, had moved into the attic. He was anative of Nuremberg, a very industrious man, and, in his labors, preciseand methodical. He also, like Geyser, engraved, after Oeser's designs, larger and smaller plates, which came more and more into vogue fornovels and poems. He etched very neatly, so that his work came out ofthe aquafortis almost finished; and but little touching-up remained tobe done with the graver, which he handled very well. He made an exactcalculation how long a plate would occupy him, and nothing could callhim off from his work if he had not completed the daily task he had sethimself. Thus he sat working by a broad table, by the great gable-window, in a very neat and orderly chamber, where his wife and twodaughters afforded him a domestic society. Of these last, one is happilymarried, and the other is an excellent artist: they have continued myfriends all my life long. I now divided my time between the upper andlower stories, and attached myself much to the man, who, together withhis persevering industry, possessed an excellent humor, and was goodnature itself. 

The technical neatness of this branch of art charmed me, and Iassociated myself with him to execute something of the kind. Mypredilection was again directed towards landscape, which, while itamused me in my solitary walks, seemed in itself more attainable andmore comprehensible for works of art than the human figure, whichdiscouraged me. Under his directions, therefore, I etched, after Thieleand others, various landscapes, which, although executed by anunpractised hand, produced some effect, and were well received. Thegrounding (varnishing) of the plates, the putting in the high lights, the etching, and at last the biting with aquafortis, gave me variety ofoccupation; and I soon got so far that I could assist my master in manythings. I did not lack the attention necessary for the biting, and Iseldom failed in any thing; but I had not care enough in guardingagainst the deleterious vapors which are generated on such occasions, and these may have contributed to the maladies which afterwards troubledme for a long time. Amidst such labors, lest any thing should be leftuntried, I often made wood-cuts also. I prepared various littleprinting-blocks after French patterns, and many of them were found fitfor use. 

Let me here make mention of some other men who resided in Leipzig, ortarried there for a short time. Weisse, the custom-house collector ofthe district, in his best years, cheerful, friendly, and obliging, wasloved and esteemed by us. We would not, indeed, allow his theatricalpieces to be models throughout, but we suffered ourselves to be carriedaway by them; and his operas, set to music by Hiller in an easy style, gave us much pleasure. Schiebler, of Hamburgh, pursued the same track;and his "Lisuard and Dariolette" was likewise favored by us. Eschenburg, a handsome young man, but little older than we were, distinguishedhimself advantageously among the students. Zachariä was pleased to spendsome weeks with us, and, being introduced by his brother, dined everyday with us at the same table. We rightly deemed it an honor to gratifyour guest in return, by a, few extra dishes, a richer dessert, andchoicer wine; for, as a tall, well-formed, comfortable man, he did notconceal his love of good eating. Lessing came at a time when we had Iknow not what in our heads: it was our good pleasure to go nowhere onhis account, --nay, even to avoid the places to which he came, probablybecause we thought ourselves too good to stand at a distance, and couldmake no pretension to obtain a closer intimacy with him. This momentaryabsurdity, which, however, is nothing rare in presuming and freakishyouth, proved, indeed, its own punishment in the sequel; for I havenever set eyes on that eminent man, who was most highly esteemed by me. 

Notwithstanding all our efforts relative to art and antiquity, we eachof us always had Winckelmann before our eyes, whose ability wasacknowledged in his country with enthusiasm. We read his writingsdiligently, and tried to make ourselves acquainted with thecircumstances under which he had written the first of them. We found inthem many views which seemed to have originated with Oeser, even jestsand whims after his fashion: and we did not rest until we had formedsome general conception of the occasion on which these remarkable andsometimes so enigmatical writings had arisen, though we were not veryaccurate; for youth likes better to be excited than instructed, and itwas not the last time that I was to be indebted to Sibylline leaves foran important step in cultivation. 

It was then a fine period in literature, when eminent men were yettreated with respect; although the disputes of Klotz and Lessing'scontroversies already indicated that this epoch would soon close. Winckelmann enjoyed an universal, unassailed reverence; and it is knownhow sensitive he was with regard to any thing public which did not seemcommensurate with his deeply felt dignity. All the periodicalpublications joined in his praise, the better class of tourists cameback from him instructed and enraptured, and the new views which he gaveextended themselves over science and life. The Prince of Dessau hadraised himself up to a similar degree of respect. Young, well and noblyminded, he had on his travels and at other times shown himself trulydesirable. Winckelmann was in the highest degree delighted with him, and, whenever he mentioned him, loaded him with the handsomest epithets. The laying out of a park, then unique, the taste for architecture, whichVon Erdmannsdorf supported by his activity, every thing spoke in favorof a prince, who, while he was a shining example for the rest, gavepromise of a golden age for his servants and subjects. We young peoplenow learned with rejoicings that Winckelmann would return back fromItaly, visit his princely friend, call on Oeser by the way, and so comewithin our sphere of vision. We made no pretensions to speaking withhim, but we hoped to see him; and, as at that time of life one willinglychanges every occasion into a party of pleasure, we had already agreedupon a journey to Dessau, where in a beautiful spot, made glorious byart, in a land well governed and at the same time externally adorned, wethought to lie in wait, now here, now there, in order to see with ourown eyes these men so highly exalted above us walking about. Oeserhimself was quite elated if he only thought of it, and the news ofWinckelmann's death fell down into the midst of us like a thunderboltfrom a clear sky. I still remember the place where I first heard it: itwas in the court of the Pleissenburg, not far from the little gatethrough which one used to go up to Oeser's residence. One of my fellow-pupils met me, and told me that Oeser was not to be seen, with thereason why. This monstrous event [Footnote: Winckelmann wasassassinated. --TRANS. ] produced a monstrous effect: there was anuniversal mourning and lamentation, and Winckelmann's untimely deathsharpened the attention paid to the value of his life. Perhaps, indeed, the effect of his activity, if he had /continued/ it to a moreadvanced age, would probably not have been so great as it nownecessarily became, when, like many other extraordinary men, he wasdistinguished by fate through a strange and calamitous end. 

Now, while I was infinitely lamenting the death of Winckelmann, I didnot think that I should soon find myself in the case of beingapprehensive about my own life; since, during all these events, mybodily condition had not taken the most favorable turn. I had alreadybrought with me from home a certain touch of hypochondria, which, inthis new sedentary and lounging life, was rather increased thandiminished. The pain in my chest, which I had felt from time to timeever since the accident at Auerstädt, and which after a fall fromhorseback had perceptibly increased, made me dejected. By an unfortunatediet I destroyed my powers of digestion; the heavy Merseburg beerclouded my brain; coffee, which gave me a peculiarly melancholy tone, especially when taken with milk after dinner, paralyzed my bowels, andseemed completely to suspend their functions, so that I experiencedgreat uneasiness on this account, yet without being able to embrace aresolution for a more rational mode of life. My natural disposition, supported by the sufficient strength of youth, fluctuated between theextremes of unrestrained gayety and melancholy discomfort. Moreover, theepoch of cold-water bathing, which was unconditionally recommended, hadthen begun. One was to sleep on a hard bed, only slightly covered, bywhich all the usual perspiration was suppressed. These and otherfollies, in consequence of some misunderstood suggestions of Rousseau, would, it was promised, bring us nearer to nature, and deliver us fromthe corruption of morals. Now, all the above, without discrimination, applied with injudicious alternation, were felt by many mostinjuriously; and I irritated my happy organization to such a degree, that the particular systems contained within it necessarily broke out atlast into a conspiracy and revolution, in order to save the whole. 

One night I awoke with a violent hemorrhage, and had just strength andpresence of mind enough to waken my next-room neighbor. Dr. Reichel wascalled in, who assisted me in the most friendly manner; and thus formany days I wavered betwixt life and death: and even the joy of asubsequent improvement was embittered by the circumstance that, duringthat eruption, a tumor had formed on the left side of the neck, which, after the danger was past, they now first found time to notice. Recoveryis, however, always pleasing and delightful, even though it takes placeslowly and painfully: and, since nature had helped herself with me, Iappeared now to have become another man; for I had gained a greatercheerfulness of mind than I had known for a long time, and I wasrejoiced to feel my inner self at liberty, although externally awearisome affliction threatened me. 

But what particularly set me up at this time was, to see how manyeminent men had, undeservedly, given me their affection. Undeservedly, Isay; for there was not one among them to whom I had not been troublesomethrough contradictory humors, not one whom I had not more than oncewounded by morbid absurdity, --nay, whom I had not stubbornly avoided fora long time, from a feeling of my own injustice. All this was forgotten:they treated me in the most affectionate manner, and sought, partly inmy chamber, partly as soon as I could leave it, to amuse and divert me. They drove out with me, entertained me at their country houses, and Iseemed soon to recover. 

Among these friends I name first of all Docter Hermann, then senator, afterwards burgomaster at Leipzig. He was among those boarders with whomI had become acquainted through Schlosser, the one with whom an alwaysequable and enduring connection was maintained. One might well reckonhim the most industrious of his academical fellow-citizens. He attendedhis lectures with the greatest regularity, and his private industryremained always the same. Step by step, without the slightest deviation, I saw him attain his doctor's degree, and then raise himself to theassessorship, without any thing of all this appearing arduous to him, orhis having in the least hurried or been too late with any thing. Thegentleness of his character attracted me, his instructive conversationheld me fast; indeed, I really believe that I took delight in hismethodical industry especially for this reason, because I thought, byacknowledgments and high esteem, to appropriate to myself at least apart of a merit of which I could by no means boast. 

He was just as regular in the exercise of his talents and the enjoymentof his pleasures as in his business. He played the harpsichord withgreat skill, drew from nature with feeling, and stimulated me to do thesame; when, in his manner, on gray paper and with black and white chalk, I used to copy many a willow-plot on the Pleisse, and many a lovely nookof those still waters, and at the same time longingly to indulge in myfancies. He knew how to meet my sometimes comical disposition with merryjests; and I remember many pleasant hours which we spent together whenhe invited me, with mock solemnity, to a /tete-a-tete/ supper, where, with some dignity, by the light of waxen candles, we ate whatthey call a council-hare, which had run into his kitchen as a perquisiteof his place, and, with many jokes in the manner of Behrisch, werepleased to season the meat and heighten the spirit of the wine. Thatthis excellent man, who is still constantly laboring in his respectableoffice, rendered me the most faithful assistance during a disease, ofwhich there was indeed a foreboding, but which had not been foreseen inits full extent; that he bestowed every leisure hour upon me, and, byremembrances of former happy times, contrived to brighten the gloomymoment, ---I still acknowledge with the sincerest thanks, and rejoicethat after so long a time I can give them publicly. 

Besides this worthy friend, Groening of Bremen particularly interestedhimself in me. I had made his acquaintance only a short time before, andfirst discovered his good feeling towards me during my misfortune: Ifelt the value of this favor the more warmly, as no one is apt to seek acloser connection with invalids. He spared nothing to give me pleasure, to draw me away from musing on my situation, to hold up to my view andpromise me recovery and a wholesome activity in the nearest future. Howoften have I been delighted, in the progress of life, to hear how thisexcellent man has in the weightiest affairs shown himself useful, andindeed a blessing to his native city. 

Here, too, it was that friend Horn uninterruptedly brought into actionhis love and attention. The whole Breitkopf household, the Stock family, and many others, treated me like a near relative; and thus, through thegood will of so many friendly persons, the feeling of my situation wassoothed in the tenderest manner. 

I must here, however, make particular mention of a man with whom I firstbecame acquainted at this time, and whose instructive conversation sofar blinded me to the miserable state in which I was, that I actuallyforgot it. This was Langer, afterwards librarian at Wolfenbüttel. Eminently learned and instructed, he was delighted at my voracioushunger after knowledge, which, with the irritability of sickness, nowbroke out into a perfect fever. He tried to calm me by perspicuoussummaries; and I have been very much indebted to his acquaintance, shortas it was, since he understood how to guide me in various ways, and mademe attentive whither I had to direct myself at the present moment. Ifelt all the more obliged to this important man, as my intercourseexposed him to some danger; for when, after Behrisch, he got thesituation of tutor to the young Count Lindenau, the father made it anexpress condition with the new Mentor that he should have no intercoursewith me. Curious to become acquainted with such a dangerous subject, hefrequently found means of meeting me indirectly. I soon gained hisaffection; and he, more prudent than Behrisch, called for me by night:we went walking together, conversed on interesting things, and at last Iaccompanied him to the very door of his mistress; for even thisexternally severe, earnest, scientific man had not kept free from thetoils of a very amiable lady. 

German literature, and with it my own poetical undertakings, had alreadyfor some time become strange to me; and, as is usually the result insuch an auto-didactic circular course, I turned back towards the belovedancients who still constantly, like distant blue mountains, distinct intheir outlines and masses, but indiscernible in their parts and internalrelations, bounded the horizon of my intellectual wishes. I made anexchange with Langer, in which I at last played the part of Glaucus andDiomedes: I gave up to him whole baskets of German poets and critics, and received in return a number of Greek authors, the reading of whomwas to give me recreation, even during the most tedious convalescence. 

The confidence which new friends repose in each other usually developsitself by degrees. Common occupation and tastes are the first things inwhich a mutual harmony shows itself; then the mutual communicationgenerally extends over past and present passions, especially over love-affairs: but it is a lower depth which opens itself, if the connectionis to be perfected; the religious sentiments, the affairs of the heartwhich relate to the imperishable, are the things which both establishthe foundation and adorn the summit of a friendship. 

The Christian religion was fluctuating between its own historicallypositive base and a pure deism, which, grounded on morality, was in itsturn to lay the foundation of ethics. The diversity of characters andmodes of thought here showed itself in infinite gradations, especiallywhen a leading difference was brought into play by the question arisingas to how great a share reason, and how great a share the feelings, could and should have in such convictions. The most lively and ingeniousmen showed themselves, in this instance, like butterflies, who, quiteregardless of their caterpillar state, throw away the chrysalis veil inwhich they have grown up to their organic perfection. Others, morehonestly and modestly minded, might be compared to the flowers, which, although they unfold themselves to the most beautiful bloom, yet do nottear themselves from the root, from the mother stalk, nay, --ratherthrough this family connection first bring the desired fruit tomaturity. Of this latter class was Langer; for although a learned man, and eminently versed in books, he would yet give the Bible a peculiarpre-eminence over the other writings which have come down to us, andregard it as a document from which alone we could prove our moral andspiritual pedigree. He belonged to those who cannot conceive animmediate connection with the great God of the universe: a mediation, therefore, was necessary for him, an analogy to which he thought hecould find everywhere in earthly and heavenly things. His discourse, which was pleasing and consistent, easily found a hearing with a youngman, who, separated from worldly things by an annoying illness, found ithighly desirable to turn the activity of his mind towards the heavenly. Grounded as I was in the Bible, all that was wanted was merely the faithto explain as divine that which I had hitherto esteemed in humanfashion, ---a belief the easier for me, since I had made my firstacquaintance with that book as a divine one. To a sufferer, to one whofelt himself delicate, nay, weak, the gospel was therefore welcome; andeven though Langer, with all his faith, was at the same time a verysensible man, and firmly maintained that one should not let the feelingsprevail, should not let one's self be led astray into mysticism, I couldnot have managed to occupy myself with the New Testament without feelingand enthusiasm. 

In such conversations we spent much time; and he grew so fond of me asan honest and well-prepared proselyte, that he did not scruple tosacrifice to me many of the hours destined for his fair one, and even torun the risk of being betrayed and looked upon unfavorably by hispatron, like Behrisch. I returned his affection in the most gratefulmanner; and, if what he did for me would have been of value at any time, I could not but regard it, in my present condition, as worthy of thehighest honor. 

But as when the concert of our souls is most spiritually attuned, therude, shrieking tones of the world usually break in most violently andboisterously, and the contrast which has gone on exercising a secretcontrol affects us so much the more sensibly when it comes forward allat once: thus was I not to be dismissed from the peripatetic school ofmy Langer without having first witnessed an event, strange at least forLeipzig; namely, a tumult which the students excited, and that on thefollowing pretence. Some young people had quarrelled with the citysoldiers, and the affair had not gone off without violence. Many of thestudents combined to revenge the injuries inflicted. The soldiersresisted stubbornly, and the advantage was not on the side of the verydiscontented academical citizens. It was now said that respectablepersons had commended and rewarded the conquerors for their valiantresistance; and, by this, the youthful feeling of honor and revenge wasmightily excited. It was publicly said, that, on the next evening, windows would be broken in: and some friends who brought me word thatthis was actually taking place, were obliged to carry me there; foryouth and the multitude are always attracted by danger and tumult. Therereally began a strange spectacle. The otherwise open street was lined onone side with men who, quite quiet, without noise or movement, werewaiting to see what would happen. About a dozen young fellows werewalking singly up and down the empty sidewalk, with the greatestapparent composure; but, as soon as they came opposite the marked house, they threw stones at the windows as they passed by, and this repeatedlyas they returned backwards and forwards, as long as the panes wouldrattle. Just as quietly as this was done, all at last dispersed; and theaffair had no further consequences. 

With such a ringing echo of university exploits, I left Leipzig in theSeptember of 1768, in a comfortable hired coach, and in the company ofsome respectable persons of my acquaintance. In the neighborhood ofAuerstädt I thought of that previous accident; but I could not forebodethat which many years afterwards would threaten me from thence withstill greater danger, just as little as in Gotha, where we had thecastle shown to us, I could think in the great hall adorned with stuccofigures, that so much favor and affection would befall me on that veryspot. 

The nearer I approached my native city, the more I recalled to myselfdoubtingly the circumstances, prospects, and hopes with which I had lefthome; and it was with a very disheartening feeling that I now returned, as it were, like one shipwrecked. Yet, since I had not very much withwhich to reproach myself, I contrived to compose myself tolerably well:however, the welcome was not without emotion. The great vivacity of mynature, excited and heightened by sickness, caused an impassioned scene. I might have looked worse than I myself knew, since for a long time Ihad not consulted a looking-glass; and who does not become used tohimself? Suffice it to say, they silently resolved to communicate manythings to me only by degrees, and before all things to let me have somerepose, both bodily and mental. 

My sister immediately associated herself with me, and as previously, from her letters, so I could now more in detail and accuratelyunderstand the circumstances and situation of the family. My father had, after my departure, applied all his didactic taste to my sister; and ina house completely shut up, rendered secure by peace, and even clearedof lodgers, he had cut off from her almost every means of looking aboutand finding some recreation abroad. She had by turns to pursue and workat French, Italian, and English; besides which he compelled her topractise a great part of the day on the harpsichord. Nor was her writingto be neglected; and I had already remarked that he had directed hercorrespondence with me, and had let his doctrines come to me through herpen. My sister was and still continued to be an undefinable being, themost singular mixture of strength and weakness, of stubbornness andpliability, which qualities operated now united, now isolated by willand inclination. Thus she had, in a manner which seemed to me fearful, turned the hardness of her character against her father, whom she didnot forgive for having, in these three years, hindered, or embittered toher, so many innocent joys; and of his good and excellent qualities shewould not acknowledge even one. She did all he commanded and arranged, but in the most unamiable manner in the world. She did it in theestablished routine, but nothing more and nothing less. Not from love ora desire to please did she accommodate herself to any thing, so thatthis was one of the first things about which my mother complained to mein private. But, since love was as essential to my sister as to anyhuman being, she turned her affection wholly on me. Her care in nursingand entertaining me absorbed all her time: her female companions, whowere swayed by her without her intending it, had likewise to contriveall sorts of things to be pleasing and consolatory to me. She wasinventive in cheering me up, and even developed some germs of comicalhumor which I had never known in her, and which became her very well. There soon arose between us a coterie-language, by which we couldconverse before all people without their understanding us; and she oftenused this gibberish with great pertness in the presence of our parents. 

My father was personally tolerably comfortable. He was in good health, spent a great part of the day in the instruction of my sister, went onwith the description of his travels, and was longer in tuning his lutethan in playing on it. He concealed at the same time, as well as hecould, his vexation at finding, instead of a vigorous, active son, whoought now to take his degree and run through the prescribed course oflife, an invalid who seemed to suffer still more in soul than in body. He did not conceal his wish that they would be expeditious with my cure;but one was forced to be specially on one's guard in his presenceagainst hypochondriacal expressions, because he could then becomepassionate and bitter. 

My mother, by nature very lively and cheerful, spent under thesecircumstances very tedious days. Her little housekeeping was soonprovided for. The good woman's mind, inwardly never unoccupied, wishedto find an interest in something; and that which was nearest at hand wasreligion, which she embraced the more fondly as her most eminent femalefriends were cultivated and hearty worshippers of God. At the head ofthese stood Fräulein von Klettenberg. She is the same person from whoseconversations and letters arose the "Confessions of a Beautiful Soul, "which are found inserted in "Wilhelm Meister. " She was slenderly formed, of the middle size: a hearty natural demeanor had been made still morepleasing by the manners of the world and the court. Her very neat attirereminded of the dress of the Hernhutt women. Her serenity and peace ofmind never left her; she looked upon her sickness as a necessary elementof her transient earthly existence; she suffered with the greatestpatience, and, in painless intervals, was lively and talkative. Herfavorite, nay, indeed, perhaps her only, conversation, was on the moralexperiences which a man who observes himself can form in himself; towhich was added the religious views which, in a very graceful manner, nay, with genius, came under her consideration as natural andsupernatural. It scarcely needs more to recall back to the friends ofsuch representations, that complete delineation composed from the verydepths of her soul. Owing to the very peculiar course she had taken fromher youth upwards, the distinguished rank in which she had been born andeducated, and the liveliness and originality of her mind, she did notagree very well with the other ladies who had set out on the same roadto salvation. Frau Griesbach, the chief of them, seemed too severe, toodry, too learned: she knew, thought, comprehended, more than the others, who contented themselves with the development of their feelings; and shewas therefore burdensome to them, because every one neither could norwould carry with her so great an apparatus on the road to bliss. But forthis reason most of them were indeed somewhat monotonous, since theyconfined themselves to a certain terminology which might well have beencompared to that of the later sentimentalists. Fräulein von Klettenbergguided her way between both extremes, and seemed, with some self-complacency, to see her own reflections in the image of CountZindendorf, whose opinions and actions bore witness to a higher birthand more distinguished rank. Now she found in me what she needed, alively young creature, striving after an unknown happiness, who, although he could not think himself an extraordinary sinner, yet foundhimself in no comfortable condition, and was perfectly healthy neitherin body nor soul. She was delighted with what nature had given me, aswell as with much which I had gained for myself. And, if she conceded tome many advantages, this was by no means humiliating to her: for, in thefirst place, she never thought of emulating one of the male sex; and, secondly, she believed, that, in regard to religious culture, she wasvery much in advance of me. My disquiet, my impatience, my striving, myseeking, investigating, musing, and wavering, she interpreted in her ownway, and did not conceal from me her conviction, but assured me in plainterms that all this proceeded from my having no reconciled God. Now, Ihad believed from my youth upwards that I stood on very good terms withmy God, --nay, I even fancied to myself, according to variousexperiences, that he might even be in arrears to me; and I was daringenough to think that I had something to forgive him. This presumptionwas grounded on my infinite good will, to which, as it seemed to me, heshould have given better assistance. It may be imagined how often I gotinto disputes on this subject with my friend, which, however, alwaysterminated in the friendliest way, and often, like my conversations withthe old rector, with the remark, "that I was a foolish fellow, for whommany allowances must be made. "

I was much troubled with the tumor in my neck, as the physician andsurgeon wished first to disperse this excrescence, afterwards, as theysaid, to draw it to a head, and at last thought it best to open it; sofor a long time I had to suffer more from inconvenience than pain, although towards the end of the cure the continual touching with lunarcaustic and other corrosive substances could not but give me verydisagreeable prospects for every fresh day. The physician and surgeonboth belonged to the Pious Separatists, although both were of highlydifferent natural characters. The surgeon, a slender, well-built man, ofeasy and skilful hand, was unfortunately somewhat hectic, but enduredhis condition with truly Christian patience, and did not suffer hisdisease to perplex him in his profession. The physician was aninexplicable, sly-looking, fair-spoken, and, besides, an abstruse, man, who had quite won the confidence of the pious circle. Being active andattentive, he was consoling to the sick; but, more than by all this, heextended his practice by the gift of showing in the background somemysterious medicines prepared by himself, of which no one could speak, since with us the physicians were strictly prohibited from making uptheir own prescriptions. With certain powders, which may have been somekind of digestive, he was not so reserved, but that powerful salt, whichcould only be applied in the greatest danger, was only mentioned amongbelievers; although no one had yet seen it or traced its effects. Toexcite and strengthen our faith in the possibility of such an universalremedy, the physician, wherever he found any susceptibility, hadrecommended certain chemico-alchemical books to his patients, and giventhem to understand, that, by one's own study of them, one could wellattain this treasure for one's self, which was the more necessary, asthe mode of its preparation, both for physical, and especially formoral, reasons, could not be well communicated; nay, that in order tocomprehend, produce, and use this great work, one must know the secretsof nature in connection, since it was not a particular, but an universalremedy, and could indeed be produced under different forms and shapes. My friend had listened to these enticing words. The health of the bodywas too nearly allied to the health of the soul; and could a greaterbenefit, a greater mercy, be shown towards others than by appropriatingto one's self a remedy by which so many sufferings could be assuaged, somany a danger averted? She had already secretly studied Welling's "OpusMago-cabalisticum, " for which, however, as the author himselfimmediately darkens and removes the light he imparts, she was lookingabout for a friend, who, in this alternation of glare and gloom, mightbear her company. It needed small incitement to inoculate me also withthis disease. I procured the work, which, like all writings of thiskind, could trace its pedigree in a direct line up to the Neo-Platonicschool. My chief labor in this book was most accurately to notice theobscure hints by which the author refers from one passage to another, and thus promises to reveal what he conceals, and to mark down on theterminology which might well have been compared to that of the latersentimentalists. Fräulein von Klettenberg guided her way between bothextremes, and seemed, with some self-complacency, to see her ownreflections in the image of Count Zindendorf, whose opinions and actionsbore witness to a higher birth and more distinguished rank. Now shefound in me what she needed, a lively young creature, striving after anunknown happiness, who, although he could not think himself anextraordinary sinner, yet found himself in no comfortable condition, andwas perfectly healthy neither in body nor soul. She was delighted withwhat nature had given me, as well as with much which I had gained formyself. And, if she conceded to me many advantages, this was by no meanshumiliating to her: for, in the first place, she never thought ofemulating one of the male sex; and, secondly, she believed, that, inregard to religious culture, she was very much in advance of me. Mydisquiet, my impatience, my striving, my seeking, investigating, musing, and wavering, she interpreted in her own way, and did not conceal fromme her conviction, but assured me in plain terms that all this proceededfrom my having no reconciled God. Now, I had believed from my youthupwards that I stood on very good terms with my God, --nay, I evenfancied to myself, according to various experiences, that he might evenbe in arrears to me; and I was daring enough to think that I hadsomething to forgive him. This presumption was grounded on my infinitegood will, to which, as it seemed to me, he should have given betterassistance. It may be imagined how often I got into disputes on thissubject with my friend, which, however, always terminated in thefriendliest way, and often, like my conversations with the old rector, with the remark, "that I was a foolish fellow, for whom many allowancesmust be made. "

I was much troubled with the tumor in my neck, as the physician andsurgeon wished first to disperse this excrescence, afterwards, as theysaid, to draw it to a head, and at last thought it best to open it; sofor a long time I had to suffer more from inconvenience than pain, although towards the end of the cure the continual touching with lunarcaustic and other corrosive substances could not but give me verydisagreeable prospects for every fresh day. The physician and surgeonboth belonged to the Pious Separatists, although both were of highlydifferent natural characters. The surgeon, a slender, well-built man, ofeasy and skilful hand, was unfortunately somewhat hectic, but enduredhis condition with truly Christian patience, and did not suffer hisdisease to perplex him in his profession. The physician was aninexplicable, sly-looking, fair-spoken, and, besides, an abstruse, man, who had quite won the confidence of the pious circle. Being active andattentive, he was consoling to the sick; but, more than by all this, heextended his practice by the gift of showing in the background somemysterious medicines prepared by himself, of which no one could speak, since with us the physicians were strictly prohibited from making uptheir own prescriptions. With certain powders, which may have been somekind of digestive, he was not so reserved, but that powerful salt, whichcould only be applied in the greatest danger, was only mentioned amongbelievers; although no one had yet seen it or traced its effects. Toexcite and strengthen our faith in the possibility of such an universalremedy, the physician, wherever he found any susceptibility, hadrecommended certain chemico-alchemical books to his patients, and giventhem to understand, that, by one's own study of them, one could wellattain this treasure for one's self, which was the more necessary, asthe mode of its preparation, both for physical, and especially formoral, reasons, could not be well communicated; nay, that in order tocomprehend, produce, and use this great work, one must know the secretsof nature in connection, since it was not a particular, but an universalremedy, and could indeed be produced under different forms and shapes. My friend had listened to these enticing words. The health of the bodywas too nearly allied to the health of the soul; and could a greaterbenefit, a greater mercy, be shown towards others than by appropriatingto one's self a remedy by which so many sufferings could be assuaged, somany a danger averted? She had already secretly studied Welling's "OpusMago-cabalisticum, " for which, however, as the author himselfimmediately darkens and removes the light he imparts, she was lookingabout for a friend, who, in this alternation of glare and gloom, mightbear her company. It needed small incitement to inoculate me also withthis disease. I procured the work, which, like all writings of thiskind, could trace its pedigree in a direct line up to the Neo-Platonicschool. My chief labor in this book was most accurately to notice theobscure hints by which the author refers from one passage to another, and thus promises to reveal what he conceals, and to mark down on themargin the number of the page where such passages as should explain eachother were to be found. But even thus the book still remained dark andunintelligible enough, except that one at last studied one's self into acertain terminology, and, by using it according to one's own fancy, believed that one was, at any rate, saying, if not understanding, something. The work mentioned before makes very honorable mention of itspredecessors, and we were incited to investigate those original sourcesthemselves. We turned to the works of Theophrastus, Paracelsus, andBasilius Valentinus, as well as to those of Helmont, Starkey, andothers, whose doctrines and directions, resting more or less on natureand imagination, we endeavored to see into and follow out. I wasparticularly pleased with the "Aurea Catena Homeri, " in which nature, though perhaps in fantastical fashion, is represented in a beautifulcombination; and thus sometimes by ourselves, sometimes together, weemployed much time on these singularities, and spent the evenings of along winter--during which I was compelled to keep my chamber--veryagreeably, since we three (my mother being included) were more delightedwith these secrets than we could have been at their elucidation. 

In the mean time, a very severe trial was preparing for me: for adisturbed, and, one might even say, for certain moments, destroyeddigestion, excited such symptoms, that, in great tribulation, I thoughtI should lose my life; and none of the remedies applied would produceany further effect. In this last extremity my distressed motherconstrained the embarrassed physician with the greatest vehemence tocome out with his universal medicine. After a long refusal, he hastenedhome at the dead of night, and returned with a little glass ofcrystallized dry salt, which was dissolved in water, and swallowed bythe patient. It had a decidedly alkaline taste. The salt was scarcelytaken than my situation appeared relieved; and from that moment thedisease took a turn which, by degrees, led to my recovery. I need notsay how much this strengthened and heightened our faith in ourphysician, and our industry to share in such a treasure. 

My friend, who, without parents or brothers and sisters, lived in alarge, well-situated house, had already before this begun to purchaseherself a little air-furnace, alembics, and retorts of moderate size, and, in accordance with the hints of Welling, and the significant signsof our physician and master, operated principally on iron, in which themost healing powers were said to be concealed, if one only knew how toopen it. And as the volatile salt which must be produced made a greatfigure in all the writings with which we were acquainted; so, for theseoperations, alkalies also were required, which, while they flowed awayinto the air, were to unite with these superterrestrial things, and atlast produce, /per se/, a mysterious and excellent neutral salt. 

No sooner was I in some measure restored, and, favored by the change inthe season, once more able to occupy my old gable-chamber, than I alsobegan to provide myself with a little apparatus. A small air-furnacewith a sand-bath was prepared; and I very soon learned to change theglass alembics, with a piece of burning match-cord, into vessels inwhich the different mixtures were to be evaporated. Now were the strangeingredients of the macrocosm and microcosm handled in an odd, mysteriousmanner; and, before all, I attempted to produce neutral salts in anunheard-of way. But what, for a long time, kept me busy most, was theso-called /Liquor Silicum/ (flint-juice), which is made by meltingdown pure quartz-flint with a proper proportion of alkali, whenceresults a transparent glass, which melts away on exposure to the air, and exhibits a beautiful clear fluidity. Whoever has once prepared thishimself, and seen it with his own eyes, will not blame those who believein a maiden earth, and in the possibility of producing further effectsupon it by means of it. I had become quite skilful in preparing this/Liquor Silicum/; the fine white flints which are found in the Mainfurnished a perfect material for it: and I was not wanting in the otherrequisites, nor in diligence. But I wearied at last, because I could notbut remark that the flinty substance was by no means so closely combinedwith the salt as I had philosophically imagined, for it very easilyseparated itself again; and this most beautiful mineral fluidity, which, to my greatest astonishment, had sometimes appeared in the form of ananimal jelly, always deposited a powder, which I was forced to pronouncethe finest flint dust, but which gave not the least sign of any thingproductive in its nature from which one could have hoped to see thismaiden earth pass into the maternal state. 

Strange and unconnected as these operations were, I yet learned manythings from them. I paid strict attention to all the crystallizationsthat might occur, and became acquainted with the external forms of manynatural things: and, inasmuch as I well knew that in modern timeschemical subjects were treated more methodically, I wished to get ageneral conception of them; although, as a half-adept, I had very littlerespect for the apothecaries and all those who operated with commonfire. However, the chemical "Compendium" of Boerhaave attracted mepowerfully, and led me on to read several of his writings, in which(since, moreover, my tedious illness had inclined me towards medicalsubjects) I found an inducement to study also the "Aphorisms" of thisexcellent man, which I was glad to stamp upon my mind and in my memory. 

Another employment, somewhat more human, and by far more useful for mycultivation at the moment, was reading through the letters which I hadwritten home from Leipzig. Nothing reveals more with respect toourselves, than when we again see before us that which has proceededfrom us years before, so that we can now consider ourselves as an objectof contemplation. But, of course, I was as yet too young, and the epochwhich was represented by those papers was still too near. As in ouryounger years we do not in general easily cast off a certain self-complacent conceit, this especially shows itself in despising what wehave been but a little time before; for while, indeed, we perceive, aswe advance from step to step, that those things which we regard as goodand excellent in ourselves and others do not stand their ground, wethink we can best extricate ourselves from this dilemma by ourselvesthrowing away what we cannot preserve. So it was with me also. For as inLeipzig I had gradually learned to set little value on my childishlabors, so now my academical course seemed to me likewise of smallaccount; and I did not understand, that, for this very reason, it mustbe of great value to me, as it elevated me to a higher degree ofobservation and insight. My father had carefully collected and sewedtogether the letters I had written to him, as well as those to mysister; nay, he had even corrected them with attention, and improved themistakes, both in writing and in grammar. 

What first struck me in these letters was their exterior: I was shockedat an incredible carelessness in the handwriting, which extended fromOctober, 1765, to the middle of the following January. But, in themiddle of March, there appeared all at once a quite compressed, orderlyhand, such as I used formerly to employ in writing for a prize. Myastonishment resolved itself into gratitude towards good Gellert, who, as I now well remembered, whenever we handed in our essays to him, represented to us, in his hearty tone of voice, that it was our sacredduty to practise our hand as much, nay, more, than our style. Herepeated this as often as he caught sight of any scrawled, carelesswriting, on which occasion he often said that he would much like to makea good hand of his pupils the principal end in his instructions; themore so as he had often remarked that a good hand led the way to a goodstyle. 

I could further notice that the French and English passages in myletters, although not free from blunders, were nevertheless written withfacility and freedom. These languages I had likewise continued topractise in my correspondence with George Schlosser, who was still atTreptow; and I had remained in constant communication with him, by whichI was instructed in many secular affairs (for things did not always turnout with him quite as he had hoped), and acquired an ever increasingconfidence in his earnest, noble way of thinking. 

Another consideration which could not escape me in going over theseletters, was that my good father, with the best intentions, had done mea special mischief, and had led me into that odd way of life into whichI had fallen at last. He had repeatedly warned me against card-playing;but Frau Hofrath Böhme, as long as she lived, contrived to persuade me, after her own fashion, by declaring that my father's warnings were onlyagainst the abuse. Now, as I likewise saw the advantages of it insociety, I readily submitted to being led by her. I had indeed the senseof play, but not the spirit of play: I learned all games easily andrapidly, but I could never keep up the proper attention for a wholeevening. Therefore, however good a beginning I would make, I invariablyfailed at the end, and made myself and others lose; through which I wentoff, always out of humor, either to the supper-table or out of thecompany. Scarcely had Madame Böhme died, who, moreover, had no longerkept me in practice during her tedious illness, when my father'sdoctrine gained force: I at first begged to be excused from joining thecard-tables; and, as they now did not know what else to do with me, Ibecame even more of a burden to myself than to others, and declined theinvitations, which then became more rare, and at last ceased altogether. Play, which is much to be recommended to young people, especially tothose who incline to be practical, and wish to look about in the worldfor themselves, could never, indeed, become a passion with me; for Inever got any farther, no matter how long I might have been playing. Hadany one given me a general view of the subject, and made me observe howhere certain signs and more or less of chance form a kind of material, at which judgment and activity can exercise themselves; had any one mademe see several games at once, --I might sooner have become reconciled. With all this, at the time of which I am now speaking, I had, from theabove considerations, come to the conviction, that one should not avoidsocial games, but should rather strive after a certain skill in them. Time is infinitely long; and each day is a vessel into which a greatdeal may be poured, if one would actually fill it up. 

Thus variously was I occupied in my solitude; the more so, as thedeparted spirits of the different tastes to which I had from time totime devoted myself had an opportunity to re-appear. I then again tookup drawing: and as I always wished to labor directly from nature, orrather from reality, I made a picture of my chamber, with its furniture, and the persons who were in it; and, when this no more amused me, Irepresented all sorts of town-tales, which were told at the time, and inwhich interest was taken. All this was not without character and acertain taste; but unfortunately the figures lacked proportion and theproper vigor, besides which the execution was extremely misty. Myfather, who continued to take pleasure in these things, wished to havethem more distinct, wanting every thing to be finished and properlycompleted. He therefore had them mounted and surrounded with ruledlines; nay, the painter Morgenstern, his domestic artist, --the same whoafterwards made himself known, and indeed famous, by his church-views, --had to insert the perspective lines of the rooms and chambers, whichthen, indeed, stood in pretty harsh contrast with those cloudy lookingfigures. In this manner he thought he would make me gain greateraccuracy; and, to please him, I drew various objects of still life, inwhich, since the originals stood as patterns before me, I could workwith more distinctness and precision. At last I took it into my head toetch once more. I had composed a tolerably interesting landscape, andfelt myself very happy when I could look out for the old receipts givenme by Stock, and could, at my work, call to mind those pleasant times. Isoon bit the plate and had a proof taken. Unluckily the composition waswithout light and shade, and I now tormented myself to bring in both;but, as it was not quite clear to me what was really the essentialpoint, I could not finish. Up to this time I had been quite well, aftermy own fashion; but now a disease attacked me which had never troubledme before. My throat, namely, had become completely sore, andparticularly what is called the "uvula" very much inflamed: I could onlyswallow with great pain, and the physicians did not know what to make ofit. They tormented me with gargles and hair-pencils, but could not freeme from my misery. At last it struck me that I had not been carefulenough in the biting of my plates, and that, by often and passionatelyrepeating it, I had contracted this disease, and always revived andincreased it. To the physicians this cause was plausible, and very sooncertain on my leaving my etching and biting, and that so much the morereadily as the attempt had by no means turned out well, and I had morereason to conceal than to exhibit my labors; for which I consoled myselfthe more easily, as I very soon saw myself free from the troublesomedisease. Upon this I could not refrain from the reflection, that mysimilar occupations at Leipzig might have greatly contributed to thosediseases from which I had suffered so much. It is, indeed, a tedious, and withal a melancholy, business to take too much care of ourselves, and of what injures and benefits us; but there is no question but that, with the wonderful idiosyncrasy of human nature on the one side, and theinfinite variety in the mode of life and pleasure on the other, it is awonder that the human race has not worn itself out long ago. Humannature appears to possess a peculiar kind of toughness and many-sidedness, since it subdues every thing which approaches it, or which ittakes into itself, and, if it cannot assimilate, at least makes itindifferent. In case of any great excess, indeed, it must yield to theelements in spite of all resistance, as the many endemic diseases andthe effects of brandy convince us. Could we, without being morbidlyanxious, keep watch over ourselves as to what operates favorably orunfavorably upon us in our complicated civil and social life, and wouldwe leave off what is actually pleasant to us as an enjoyment, for thesake of the evil consequences, we should thus know how to remove withease many an inconvenience which, with a constitution otherwise sound, often troubles us more than even a disease. Unfortunately, it is indietetics as in morals, --we cannot see into a fault till we have got ridof it; by which nothing is gained, for the next fault is not like thepreceding one, and therefore cannot be recognized under the same form. 

While I was reading over the letters which had been written to my sisterfrom Leipzig, this remark, among others, could not escape me, --that, from the very beginning of my academical course, I had esteemed myselfvery clever and wise, since, as soon as I had learned any thing, I putmyself in the place of the professor, and so became didactic on thespot. I was amused to see how I had immediately applied to my sisterwhatever Gellert had imparted or advised in his lectures, withoutseeing, that, both in life and in books, a thing may be proper for ayoung man without being suitable for a young lady; and we both togethermade merry over these mimicries. The poems also which I had composed inLeipzig were already too poor for me; and they seemed to me cold, dry, and, in respect of all that was meant to express the state of the humanheart or mind, too superficial. This induced me, now that I was to leavemy father's house once more, and go to a second university, again todecree a great high /auto-da-fé/ against my labors. Severalcommenced plays, some of which had reached the third or the fourth act, while others had only the plot fully made out, together with many otherpoems, letters, and papers, were given over to the fire: and scarcelyany thing was spared except the manuscript by Behrisch, "Die Laune desVerliebten" and "Die Mitschuldigen, " which latter play I constantly wenton improving with peculiar affection; and, as the piece was alreadycomplete, I again worked over the plot, to make it more bustling andintelligible. Lessing, in the first two acts of his "Minna, " had set upan unattainable model of the way in which a drama should be developed;and nothing was to me of greater importance than to thoroughly enterinto his meaning and views. 

The recital of whatever moved, excited, and occupied me at this time, isalready circumstantial enough; but I must nevertheless recur to thatinterest with which supersensuous things had inspired me, of which I, once for all, so far as might be possible, undertook to form somenotion. 

I experienced a great influence from an important work that fell into myhands: it was Arnold's "History of the Church and of Heretics. " This manis not merely a reflective historian, but at the same time pious andfeeling. His sentiments chimed in very well with mine; and whatparticularly delighted me in his work was, that I received a morefavorable notion of many heretics, who had been hitherto represented tome as mad or impious. The spirit of contradiction and the love ofparadoxes are inherent in us all. I diligently studied the differentopinions: and as I had often enough heard it said that every man has hisown religion at last, so nothing seemed more natural to me than that Ishould form mine too; and this I did with much satisfaction. The Neo-Platonism lay at the foundation; the hermetical, the mystical, thecabalistic, also contributed their share; and thus I built for myself aworld that looked strange enough. 

I could well represent to myself a Godhead which has gone on producingitself from all eternity; but, as production cannot be conceived withoutmultiplicity, so it must of necessity have immediately appeared toitself as a Second, which we recognize under the name of the Son: now, these two must continue the act of producing, and again appear tothemselves in a Third, which was just as substantial, living, andeternal as the Whole. With these, however, the circle of the Godhead wascomplete; and it would not have been possible for them to produceanother perfectly equal to them. But, since the work of productionalways proceeded, they created a fourth, which already fostered inhimself a contradiction, inasmuch as it was, like them, unlimited, andyet at the same time was to be contained in them and bounded by them. Now, this was Lucifer, to whom the whole power of creation was committedfrom this time, and from whom all other beings were to proceed. Heimmediately displayed his infinite activity by creating the whole bodyof angels, --all, again, after his own likeness, unlimited, but containedin him and bounded by him. Surrounded by such a glory, he forgot hishigher origin, and believed that he could find himself in himself; andfrom this first ingratitude sprang all that does not seem to us inaccordance with the will and purposes of the Godhead. Now, the more heconcentrated himself within himself, the more painful must it havebecome to him, as well as to all the spirits whose sweet uprising totheir origin he had embittered. And so that happened which is intimatedto us under the form of the Fall of the Angels. One part of themconcentrated itself with Lucifer, the other turned itself again to itsorigin. From this concentration of the whole creation--for it hadproceeded out of Lucifer, and was forced to follow him--sprang all thatwe perceive under the form of matter, which we figure to ourselves asheavy, solid, and dark, but which, since it is descended, if not evenimmediately, yet by filiation, from the Divine Being, is just asunlimited, powerful, and eternal as its sire and grandsire. Now, thewhole mischief, if we may call it so, having arisen merely through theone-sided direction of Lucifer, the better half was indeed wanting tothis creation; for it possessed all that is gained by concentration, while it lacked all that can be effected by expansion alone: and so theentire creation might have been destroyed by everlasting concentration, become annihilated with its father Lucifer, and have lost all its claimsto an equal eternity with the Godhead. This condition the Elohimcontemplated for a time: and they had their choice, to wait for thoseeons, in which the field would again have become clear, and space wouldbe left them for a new creation; or, if they would, to seize upon thatwhich existed already, and supply the want, according to their owneternity. Now, they chose the latter, and by their mere will supplied inan instant the whole want which the consequence of Lucifer's undertakingdrew after it. They gave to the Eternal Being the faculty of expansion, of moving towards them: the peculiar pulse of life was again restored, and Lucifer himself could not avoid its effects. This is the epoch whenthat appeared which we know as light, and when that began which we areaccustomed to designate by the word creation. However much thismultiplied itself by progressive degrees, through the continuallyworking vital power of the Elohim, still a being was wanting who mightbe able to restore the original connection with the Godhead: and thusman was produced, who in all things was to be similar, yea, equal to theGodhead, but thereby, in effect, found himself once more in thesituation of Lucifer, that of being at once unlimited and limited; andsince this contradiction was to manifest itself in him through all thecategories of existence, and a perfect consciousness, as well as adecided will, was to accompany his various conditions, it was to beforeseen that he must be at the same time the most perfect and the mostimperfect, the most happy and the most unhappy, creature. It was notlong before he, too, completely acted the part of Lucifer. Trueingratitude is the separation from the benefactor; and thus that fallwas manifest for the second time, although the whole creation is nothingand was nothing but a falling from and returning to the original. 

One easily sees how the Redemption is not only decreed from eternity, but is considered as eternally necessary, --nay, that it must ever renewitself through the whole time of generation [Footnote: "Das Werden, " thestate of becoming, as distinguished from that of being. The word, whichis most useful to the Germans, can never be rendered properly inEnglish. --TRANS. ] and existence. In this view of the subject, nothing ismore natural than for the Divinity himself to take the form of man, which had already prepared itself as a veil, and to share his fate for ashort time, in order, by this assimilation, to enhance his joys andalleviate his sorrows. The history of all religions and philosophiesteaches us, that this great truth, indispensable to man, has been handeddown by different nations, in different times, in various ways, and evenin strange fables and images, in accordance with their limitedknowledge: enough, if it only be acknowledged that we find ourselves ina condition which, even if it seems to drag us down and oppress us, yetgives us opportunity, nay, even makes it our duty, to raise ourselvesup, and to fulfil the purposes of the Godhead in this manner, that, while we are compelled on the one hand to concentrate ourselves (/unszu verselbsten/), we, on the other hand, do not omit to expandourselves (/uns zu entselbstigen/) in regular pulsation. [Footnote:If we could make use of some such verbs as "inself" and "unself, " weshould more accurately render this passage. --TRANS. ]

NINTH BOOK. 

"The heart is often affected, moreover, to the advantage of different, but especially of social and refined, virtues; and the more tendersentiments are excited and unfolded in it. Many touches, in particular, will impress themselves, which give the young reader an insight into themore hidden corner of the human heart and its passions, --a knowledgewhich is more worth than all Latin and Greek, and of which Ovid was avery excellent master. But yet it is not on this account that theclassic poets, and therefore Ovid, are placed in the hands of youth. Wehave received from a kind Creator a variety of mental powers, to whichwe must not neglect giving their proper culture in our earliest years, and which cannot be cultivated, either by logic or metaphysics, Latin orGreek. We have an imagination, before which, since it should not seizeupon the very first conceptions that chance to present themselves, weought to place the fittest and most beautiful images, and thus accustomand practise the mind to recognize and love the beautiful everywhere, and in nature itself, under its determined, true, and also in its finer, features. A multitude of conceptions and general knowledge is necessaryto us, as well for the sciences as for daily life, which can be learnedout of no compendium. Our feelings, affections, and passions should beadvantageously developed and purified. "

This significant passage, which is found in "The Universal GermanLibrary, " was not the only one of its kind. Similar principles andsimilar views manifested themselves in many directions. They made uponus lively youths a very great impression, which had the more decidedeffect, as it was strengthened besides by Wieland's example; for theworks of his second brilliant period clearly showed that he had formedhimself according to such maxims. And what more could we desire?Philosophy, with its abstruse questions, was set aside; the classiclanguages, the acquisition of which is accompanied by so much drudgery, one saw thrust into the background; the compendiums, about thesufficiency of which Hamlet had already whispered a word of caution intoour ears, came more and more into suspicion. We were directed to thecontemplation of an active life, which we were so fond of leading; andto the knowledge of the passions, which we partly felt, partlyanticipated, in our own bosoms, and which, if though they had beenrebuked formerly, now appeared to us as something important anddignified, because they were to be the chief object of our studies; andthe knowledge of them was extolled as the most excellent means ofcultivating our mental powers. Besides, such a mode of thought was quitein accordance with my own conviction, --nay, with my poetical mode oftreatment. I therefore, without opposition, after I had thwarted so manygood designs, and seen so many fair hopes vanish, reconciled myself tomy father's intention of sending me to Strasburg, where I was promised acheerful, gay life, while I should prosecute my studies, and at lasttake my degree. 

In spring I felt my health, but still more my youthful spirits, restored, and once more longed to be out of my father's house, thoughwith reasons far different from those on the first time. The prettychambers and spots where I had suffered so much had become disagreeableto me, and with my father himself there could be no pleasant relation. Icould not quite pardon him for having manifested more impatience thanwas reasonable at the relapse of my disease, and at my tedious recovery;nay, for having, instead of comforting me by forbearance, frequentlyexpressed himself in a cruel manner, about that which lay in no man'shand, as if it depended only on the will. And he, too, was in variousways hurt and offended by me. 

For young people bring back from the university general ideas, which, indeed, is quite right and good; but, because they fancy themselves verywise in this, they apply them as a standard to the objects that occur, which must then, for the most part, lose by the comparison. Thus I hadgained a general notion of architecture, and of the arrangement anddecoration of houses, and imprudently, in conversation, had applied thisto our own house. My father had designed the whole arrangement of it, and carried out its construction with great perseverance; and, considering that it was to be exclusively a residence for himself andhis family, nothing could be objected to it: in this taste, also, verymany of the houses in Frankfort were built. An open staircase ran upthrough the house, and touched upon large ante-rooms, which might verywell have been chambers themselves, as, indeed, we always passed thefine season in them. But this pleasant, cheerful existence for a singlefamily--this communication from above to below--became the greatestinconvenience as soon as several parties occupied the house, as we hadbut too well experienced on the occasion of the French quartering. Forthat painful scene with the king's lieutenant would not have happened, nay, my father would even have felt all those disagreeable matters less, if, after the Leipzig fashion, our staircase had run close along theside of the house, and a separate door had been given to each story. This style of building I once praised highly for its advantages, andshowed my father the possibility of altering his staircase also; whereathe got into an incredible passion, which was the more violent as, ashort time before, I had found fault with some scrolled looking-glassframes, and rejected certain Chinese hangings. A scene ensued, which, indeed, was again hushed up and smothered; but it hastened my journey tothe beautiful Alsace, which I accomplished in a newly contrivedcomfortable diligence, without delay, and in a short time. 

I had alighted at the Ghost (/Geist/) tavern, and hastened at onceto satisfy my most earnest desire and to approach the minster, which hadlong since been pointed out to me by fellow-travellers, and had beenbefore my eyes for a great distance. When I first perceived thisColossus through the narrow lanes, and then stood too near before it, inthe truly confined little square, it made upon me an impression quite ofits own kind, which I, being unable to analyze on the spot, carried withme only indistinctly for this time, as I hastily ascended the building, so as not to neglect the beautiful moment of a high and cheerful sun, which was to disclose to me at once the broad, rich land. 

And now, from the platform, I saw before me the beautiful country inwhich I should for a long time live and reside: the handsome city; thewide-spreading meadows around it, thickly set and interwoven withmagnificent trees; that striking richness of vegetation which follows inthe windings of the Rhine, marks its banks, islands, and aits. Nor isthe level ground, stretching down from the south, and watered by theIller, less adorned with varied green. Even westward, towards themountains, there are many low grounds, which afford quite as charming aview of wood and meadow-growth, just as the northern and more hilly partis intersected by innumerable little brooks, which promote a rapidvegetation everywhere. If one imagines, between these luxuriantlyoutstretched meads, between these joyously scattered groves, all landadapted for tillage, excellently prepared, verdant, and ripening, andthe best and richest spots marked by hamlets and farmhouses, and thisgreat and immeasurable plain, prepared for man, like a new paradise, bounded far and near by mountains partly cultivated, partly overgrownwith woods, he will then conceive the rapture with which I blessed myfate, that it had destined me, for some time, so beautiful a dwelling-place. 

Such a fresh glance into a new land in which we are to abide for a time, has still the peculiarity, both pleasant and foreboding, that the wholelies before us like an unwritten tablet. As yet no sorrows and joyswhich relate to ourselves are recorded upon it; this cheerful, varied, animated plain is still mute for us; the eye is only fixed on theobjects so far as they are intrinsically important, and neitheraffection nor passion has especially to render prominent this or thatspot. But a presentiment of the future already disquiets the youngheart; and an unsatisfied craving secretly demands that which is to comeand may come, and which at all events, whether for good or ill, willimperceptibly assume the character of the spot in which we findourselves. 

Having descended the height, I still tarried a while before the face ofthe venerable pile; but what I could not quite clearly make out, eitherthe first or the following time, was, that I regarded this miracle as amonster, which must have terrified me, if it had not, at the same time, appeared to me comprehensible by its regularity, and even pleasing inits finish. Yet I by no means busied myself with meditating on thiscontradiction, but suffered a monument so astonishing quietly to workupon me by its presence. 

I took small, but well-situated and pleasant, lodgings, on the northside of the Fish-market, a fine, long street, where the everlastingmotion came to the assistance of every unoccupied moment. I thendelivered my letters of introduction, and found among my patrons amerchant, who, with his family, was devoted to those pious opinionssufficiently known to me, although, as far as regarded external worship, he had not separated from the Church. He was a man of intelligencewithal, and by no means hypocritical in his conduct. The company ofboarders which was recommended to me, and, indeed, I to it, was veryagreeable and entertaining. A couple of old maids had long kept up thisboarding-house with regularity and good success: there might have beenabout ten persons, older and younger. Of these latter, one named Meyer, a native of Lindau, is most vividly present to my mind. From his formand face he might have been considered one of the handsomest of men, if, at the same time, he had not had something of the sloven in his wholeappearance. In like manner his splendid natural talents were marred byan incredible levity, and his excellent temper by an unboundeddissoluteness. He had an open, jovial face, rather more round than oval:the organs of the senses, the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, could becalled rich; they showed a decided fulness, without being too large. Hismouth was particularly charming, owing to his curling lips; and hiswhole physiognomy had the peculiar expression of a rake, from thecircumstance that his eyebrows met across his nose, which, in a handsomeface, always produces a pleasant expression of sensuality. By hisjovialness, sincerity, and good nature, he made himself beloved by all. His memory was incredible; attention at the lectures was no effort forhim; he retained all he heard, and was intellectual enough to take aninterest in every thing, and this the more easily, as he was studyingmedicine. All his impressions remained vivid; and his waggery inrepeating the lectures and mimicking the professors often went so far, that, when he had heard three different lectures in one morning, hewould, at the dinner-table, interchange the professors with each other, paragraphwise, and often even more abruptly, which motley lecturefrequently entertained us, but often, too, became troublesome. 

The rest were more or less polite, steady, serious people. A pensionedknight of the order of St. Louis was one of these: but the majority werestudents, all really good and well-disposed; only they were not allowedto go beyond their usual allowance of wine. That this should not beeasily done was the care of our president, one Doctor Salzmann. Alreadyin the sixties and unmarried, he had attended this dinner-table for manyyears, and maintained its good order and respectability. He possessed ahandsome property, kept himself close and neat in his exterior, evenbelonging to those who always go in shoes and stockings, and with theirhat under their arm. To put on the hat was with him an extraordinaryaction. He commonly carried an umbrella, wisely reflecting that thefinest summer-days often bring thunder-storms and passing showers overthe country. 

With this man I talked over my design of continuing to studyjurisprudence at Strasburg, so as to be able to take my degree as soonas possible. Since he was exactly informed of every thing, I asked himabout the lectures I should have to hear, and what he generally thoughtof the matter. To this he replied, that it was not in Strasburg as inthe German universities, where they try to educate jurists in the largeand learned sense of the term. Here, in conformity with the relationtowards France, all was really directed to the practical, and managed inaccordance with the opinions of the French, who readily stop at what isgiven. They tried to impart to every one certain general principles andpreliminary knowledge, they compressed as much as possible, andcommunicated only what was most necessary. Hereupon he made meacquainted with a man, in whom, as a /repetent/, [Footnote: Arepetent is one of a class of persons to be found in the Germanuniversities, and who assist students in their studies. They aresomewhat analogous to the English tutors, but not precisely: for thelatter render their aid /before/ the recitation; while the repetent/repeats/ with the student, in private, the lectures he haspreviously heard from the professor. Hence his name, which might berendered /repeater/, had we any corresponding class of men inEngland or America, which would justify an English word. --/AmericanNote/. ] great confidence was entertained; which he very soon managedto gain from me also. By way of introduction, I began to speak with himon subjects of jurisprudence; and he wondered not a little at myswaggering: for, during my residence at Leipzig, I had gained more of aninsight into the requisites for the law than I have hitherto takenoccasion to state in my narrative, though all I had acquired could onlybe reckoned as a general encyclopedical survey, and not as properdefinite knowledge. University life, even if in the course of it we maynot exactly have to boast of industry, nevertheless affords endlessadvantages in every kind of cultivation, because we are alwayssurrounded by men who either possess or are seeking science, so that, even if unconsciously, we are constantly drawing some nourishment fromsuch an atmosphere. 

My repetent, after he had had patience with my rambling discourse forsome time, gave me at last to understand that I must first of all keepmy immediate object in view, which was, to be examined, to take mydegree, and then, perchance, to commence practice. "Regarding theformer, " said he, "the subject is by no means investigated at large. Itis inquired how and when a law arose, and what gave the internal orexternal occasion for it: there is no inquiry as to how it has beenaltered by time and custom, or how far it has perhaps been perverted byfalse interpretation or the perverted usage of the courts. It is in suchinvestigations that learned men quite peculiarly spend their lives, whereas we inquire into that which exists at present: this we stampfirmly on our memory, that it may always be ready when we wish to employit for the use and defence of our clients. Thus we qualify our youngpeople for their future life, and the rest follows in proportion totheir talents and activity. " Hereupon he handed me his pamphlets, whichwere written in question and answer, and in which I could have stood apretty good examination at once; for Hopp's smaller law-catechism wasyet perfectly in my memory: the rest I supplied with some diligence, and, against my will, qualified myself in the easiest manner as acandidate. 

But since in this way all my own activity in the study was cut off, --forI had no sense for any thing positive, but wished to have every thingexplained historically, if not intelligibly, --I found for my powers awider field, which I employed in the most singular manner by devotingmyself to a matter of interest which was accidentally presented to mefrom without. 

Most of my fellow-boarders were medical students. These, as is wellknown, are the only students who zealously converse about their scienceand profession, even out of the hours of study. This lies in the natureof the case. The objects of their endeavors are those most obvious tothe senses, and at the same time the highest, the most simple, and themost complicated. Medicine employs the whole man, for it occupies itselfwith man as a whole. All that the young man learns refers directly to animportant, dangerous indeed, but yet in many respects lucrative, practice. He therefore devotes himself passionately to whatever is to beknown and to be done, partly because it is interesting in itself, partlybecause it opens to him the joyous prospect of independence and wealth. 

At table, then, I heard nothing but medical conversations, just asformerly in the boarding-house of Hofrath Ludwig. In our walks and inour pleasure-parties likewise not much else was talked about: for myfellow-boarders, like good fellows, had also become my companions atother times; and they were always joined on all sides by persons of likeminds and like studies. The medical faculty in general shone above theothers, with respect both to the celebrity of the professors and thenumber of the students; and I was the more easily borne along by thestream, as I had just so much knowledge of all these things that mydesire for science could soon be increased and inflamed. At thecommencement of the second half-year, therefore, I attended Spielmann'scourse on chemistry, another on anatomy by Lobstein, and proposed to beright industrious, because, by my singular preliminary or rather extraknowledge, I had already gained some respect and confidence in oursociety. 

Yet this trifling and piecemeal way of study was even to be once moreseriously disturbed; for a remarkable political event set every thing inmotion, and procured us a tolerable succession of holidays. MarieAntoinette, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of France, was to passthrough Strasburg on her road to Paris. The solemnities by which thepeople are made to take notice that there is greatness in the world werebusily and abundantly prepared; and especially remarkable to me was thebuilding which stood on an island in the Rhine between the two bridges, erected for her reception and for surrendering her into the hands of herhusband's ambassadors. It was but slightly raised above the ground; hadin the centre a grand saloon, on each side smaller ones; then followedother chambers, which extended somewhat backward. In short, had it beenmore durably built, it might have answered very well as a pleasure-housefor persons of rank. But that which particularly interested me, and forwhich I did not grudge many a /büsel/ (a little silver coin thencurrent) in order to procure a repeated entrance from the porter, wasthe embroidered tapestry with which they had lined the whole interior. Here, for the first time, I saw a specimen of those tapestries workedafter Raffaelle's cartoons; and this sight was for me of very decidedinfluence, as I became acquainted with the true and the perfect on alarge scale, though only in copies. I went and came, and came and went, and could not satiate myself with looking; nay, a vain endeavor troubledme, because I would willingly have comprehended what interested me in soextraordinary a manner. I found these side-chambers highly delightfuland refreshing, but the chief saloon so much the more shocking. This hadbeen hung with many larger, more brilliant and richer, hangings, whichwere surrounded with crowded ornaments, worked after pictures by themodern French. 

Now, I might perhaps have become reconciled to this style also, as myfeelings, like my judgment, did not readily reject any thing entirely;but the subject was excessively revolting to me. These picturescontained the history of Jason, Medea, and Creusa, and therefore anexample of the most unhappy marriage. To the left of the throne was seenthe bride struggling with the most horrible death, surrounded by personsfull of sympathizing woe; to the right was the father, horrified at themurdered babes before his feet; whilst the Fury, in her dragon-car, drove along into the air. And, that the horrible and atrocious shouldnot lack something absurd, the white tail of that magic bull flourishedout on the right hand from behind the red velvet of the gold-embroideredback of the throne; while the fire-spitting beast himself, and the Jasonwho was fighting with him, were completely covered by the sumptuousdrapery. 

Here all the maxims which I had made my own in Oeser's school werestirring within my bosom. It was without proper selection and judgment, to begin with, that Christ and the apostles were brought into the side-halls of a nuptial building; and doubtless the size of the chambers hadguided the royal tapestry-keeper. This, however, I willingly forgave, because it had turned out so much to my advantage; but a blunder likethat in the grand saloon put me altogether out of my self-possession, and with animation and vehemence I called on my comrades to witness sucha crime against taste and feeling. "What!" cried I, without regardingthe by-standers, "is it permitted so thoughtlessly to place before theeyes of a young queen, at her first setting foot in her dominions, therepresentation of the most horrible marriage that perhaps ever wasconsummated? Is there among the French architects, decorators, upholsterers, not a single man who understands that pictures representsomething, that pictures work upon the mind and feelings, that they makeimpressions, that they excite forebodings? It is just the same as ifthey had sent the most ghastly spectre to meet this beauteous andpleasure-loving lady at the very frontiers!" I know not what I saidbesides: enough, my comrades tried to quiet me and to remove me out ofthe house, that there might be no offence. They then assured me that itwas not everybody's concern to look for significance in pictures; thatto themselves, at least, nothing of the sort would have occurred; whilethe whole population of Strasburg and the vicinity, which was to throngthither, would no more take such crotchets into their heads than thequeen herself and her court. 

I yet remember well the beauteous and lofty mien, as cheerful as it wasimposing, of this youthful lady. Perfectly visible to us all in herglass carriage, she seemed to be jesting with her female attendants, infamiliar conversation, about the throng that poured forth to meet hertrain. In the evening we roamed through the streets to look at thevarious illuminated buildings, but especially the glowing spire of theminster, with which, both near and in the distance, we could notsufficiently feast our eyes. 

The queen pursued her way: the country people dispersed, and the citywas soon quiet as ever. Before the queen's arrival, the very reasonableregulation had been made, that no deformed persons, no cripples nordisgusting invalids, should show themselves on her route. People jokedabout this; and I made a little French poem in which I compared theadvent of Christ, who seemed to wander upon earth particularly onaccount of the sick and the lame, with the arrival of the queen, whoscared these unfortunates away. My friends let it pass: a Frenchman, onthe contrary, who lived with us, criticised the language and metre veryunmercifully, although, as it seemed, with too much foundation; and I donot remember that I ever made a French poem afterwards. 

No sooner had the news of the queen's happy arrival rung from thecapital, than it was followed by the horrible intelligence, that, owingto an oversight of the police during the festal fireworks, an infinitenumber of persons, with horses and carriages, had been destroyed in astreet obstructed by building materials, and that the city, in the midstof the nuptial solemnities, had been plunged into mourning and sorrow. They attempted to conceal the extent of the misfortune, both from theyoung royal pair and from the world, by burying the dead in secret; sothat many families were convinced only by the ceaseless absence of theirmembers that they, too, had been swept off by this awful event. That, onthis occasion, those ghastly figures in the grand saloon again camevividly before my mind, I need scarcely mention; for every one knows howpowerful certain moral impressions are when they embody themselves, asit were, in those of the senses. 

This occurrence was, however, destined moreover to place my friends inanxiety and trouble by means of a prank in which I indulged. Among usyoung people who had been at Leipzig, there had been maintained everafterwards a certain itch for imposing on and in some way mystifying oneanother. With this wanton love of mischief I wrote to a friend inFrankfort (he was the one who had amplified my poem on the cake-bakerHendel, applied it to /Medon/, and caused its general circulation)a letter dated from Versailles, in which I informed him of my happyarrival there, my participation in the solemnities, and other things ofthe kind, but at the same time enjoined the strictest secrecy. I musthere remark, that, from the time of that trick which had caused us somuch annoyance, our little Leipzig society had accustomed itself topersecute him from time to time with mystifications, and this especiallyas he was the drollest man in the world, and was never more amiable thanwhen he was discovering the cheat into which he had deliberately beenled. Shortly after I had written this letter, I went on a littlejourney, and remained absent about a fortnight. Meanwhile the news ofthat disaster had reached Frankfort: my friend believed me in Paris, andhis affection led him to apprehend that I might have been involved inthe calamity. He inquired of any parents and other persons to whom I wasaccustomed to write, whether any letters had arrived; and, as it wasjust at the time when my journey kept me from sending any, they werealtogether wanting. He went about in the greatest uneasiness, and atlast told the matter in confidence to our nearest friends, who were nowin equal anxiety. Fortunately this conjecture did not reach my parentsuntil a letter had arrived announcing my return to Strasburg. My youngfriends were satisfied to learn that I was alive, but remained firmlyconvinced that I had been at Paris in the interim. The affectionateintelligence of the solicitude they had felt on my account affected meso much that I vowed to leave off such tricks forever; but, unfortunately, I have often since allowed myself to be guilty ofsomething similar. Real life frequently loses its brilliancy to such adegree, that one is many a time forced to polish it up again with thevarnish of fiction. 

This mighty stream of courtly magnificence had now flowed by, and hadleft in me no other longing than after those tapestries of Raffaelle, which I would willingly have gazed at, revered, nay, adored, every dayand every hour. Fortunately, my passionate endeavors succeeded ininteresting several persons of consequence in them, so that they weretaken down and packed up as late as possible. We now gave ourselves upagain to our quiet, easy routine of the university and society; and inthe latter the Actuary Salzmann, president of our table, continued to bethe general pedagogue. His intelligence, complaisance, and dignity, which he always contrived to maintain amid all the jests, and often evenin the little extravagances, which he allowed us, made him beloved andrespected by the whole company; and I could mention but few instanceswhere he showed his serious displeasure, or interposed with authority inlittle quarrels and disputes. Yet among them all I was the one who mostattached myself to him; and he was not less inclined to converse withme, as he found me more variously accomplished than the others, and notso one-sided in judgment. I also followed his directions in externalmatters; so that he could, without hesitation, publicly acknowledge meas his companion and comrade: for, although he only filled an officewhich seems to be of little influence, he administered it in a mannerwhich redounded to his highest honor. He was actuary to the Court ofWards (/Pupillen-Collegium/); and there, indeed, like the perpetualsecretary of a university, he had, properly speaking, the management ofaffairs in his own hands. Now, as he had performed the duties of thisoffice with the greatest exactness for many years, there was no family, from the first to the last, which did not owe him its gratitude; asindeed scarcely any one in the whole administration of government canearn more blessings or more curses than one who takes charge of theorphans, or, on the contrary, squanders or suffers to be squanderedtheir property and goods. 

The Strasburgers are passionate walkers, and they have a good right tobe so. Let one turn his steps as he will, he will find pleasure-grounds, partly natural, partly adorned by art in ancient and modern times, allof them visited and enjoyed by a cheerful, merry little people. But whatmade the sight of a great number of pedestrians still more agreeablehere than in other places, was the various costume of the fair sex. Themiddle class of city girls yet retained the hair twisted up and securedby a large pin, as well as a certain close style of dress, in which anything like a train would have been unbecoming: and the pleasant part ofit was, that this costume did not differ violently according to the rankof the wearer; for there were still some families of opulence anddistinction who would not permit their daughters to deviate from thiscostume. The rest followed the French fashion, and this party made someproselytes every year. Salzmann had many acquaintances and an entranceeverywhere: a very pleasant circumstance for his companion, especiallyin summer, for good company and refreshment were found in all the publicgardens far and near, and more than one invitation for this or thatpleasant day was received. On one such occasion I found an opportunityto recommend myself very rapidly to a family which I was visiting foronly the second time. We were invited, and arrived at the appointedhour. The company was not large: some played and some walked as usual. Afterwards, when they were to go to supper, I saw our hostess and hersister speaking to each other with animation, and as if in a peculiarembarrassment. I accosted them, and said, "I have indeed no right, ladies, to force myself into your secrets; but perhaps I may be able togive you good counsel, or even to serve you. " Upon this they disclosedto me their painful dilemma; namely, that they had invited twelvepersons to table, and that just at that moment a relation had returnedfrom a journey, who now, as the thirteenth, would be a fatal /mementomori/, if not for himself, yet certainly for some of the guests. "Thecase is very easily mended, " replied I: "permit me to take my leave, andstipulate for indemnification. " As they were persons of consequence andgood breeding, they would by no means allow this, but sent about in theneighborhood to find a fourteenth. I suffered them to do so; yet when Isaw the servant coming in at the garden-gate without having effected hiserrand, I stole away and spent my evening pleasantly under the oldlinden-trees of the Wanzenau. That this self-denial was richly repaid mewas a very natural consequence. 

A certain kind of general society is not to be thought of without card-playing. Salzmann renewed the good instructions of Madame Böhme; and Iwas the more docile as I had really seen, that by this little sacrifice, if it be one, one may procure one's self much pleasure, and even agreater freedom in society than one would otherwise enjoy. The oldpiquet, which had gone to sleep, was again looked out; I learned whist;I made myself, according to the directions of my Mentor, a card-purse, which was to remain untouched under all circumstances; and I now foundopportunity to spend most of my evenings with my friend in the bestcircles, where, for the most part, they wished me well, and pardonedmany a little irregularity, to which, nevertheless, my friend, thoughkindly enough, used to call my attention. 

But that I might experience symbolically how much one, even inexternals, has to adapt one's self to society, and direct one's selfaccording to it, I was compelled to something which seemed to me themost disagreeable thing in the world. I had really very fine hair; butmy Strasburg hair-dresser at once assured me that it was cut much tooshort behind, and that it would be impossible to make a /frizure/of it in which I could show myself, since nothing but a few short curlsin front were decreed lawful; and all the rest, from the crown, must betied up in a cue or a hair-bag. Nothing was left but to put up withfalse hair till the natural growth was again restored according to thedemands of the time. He promised me that nobody should ever remark thisinnocent deception (against which I objected at first very earnestly), if I could resolve upon it immediately. He kept his word, and I wasalways looked upon as the young man who had the best and the best-dressed head of hair. But as I was obliged to remain thus propped up andpowdered from early morning, and at the same time to take care not tobetray my false ornament by heating myself or by violent motions, thisrestraint in fact contributed much to my behaving for a time morequietly and politely, and accustomed me to going with my hat under myarm, and consequently in shoes and stockings also; however I did notventure to neglect wearing understockings of fine leather, as a defenceagainst the Rhine gnats, which, on the fine summer evenings, generallyspread themselves over the meadows and gardens. Under thesecircumstances, violent bodily motion being denied me, our socialconversations grew more and more animated and impassioned; indeed, theywere the most interesting in which I had hitherto ever borne part. 

With my way of feeling and thinking, it cost me nothing to let every onepass for what he was, --nay, for that which he wished to pass for; andthus the frankness of a fresh, youthful heart, which manifested itselfalmost for the first time in its full bloom, made me many friends andadherents. Our company of boarders increased to about twenty persons;and, as Salzmann kept up his accustomed order, every thing continued inits old routine, --nay, the conversation was almost more decorous, asevery one had to be on his guard before several. Among the new-comerswas a man who particularly interested me: his name was Jung, the samewho afterwards became known under the name of Stilling. In spite of anantiquated dress, his form had something delicate about it, with acertain sturdiness. A bag-wig did not disfigure his significant andpleasing countenance. His voice was mild, without being soft and weak:it became even melodious and powerful as soon as his ardor was roused, which was very easily done. On becoming better acquainted with him, onefound in him a sound common sense, which rested on feeling, andtherefore took its tone from the affections and passions; and from thisvery feeling sprang an enthusiasm for the good, the true, and the just, in the greatest possible purity. For the course of this man's life hadbeen very simple, and yet crowded with events and with manifoldactivity. The element of his energy was indestructible faith in God, andin an assistance flowing immediately from him, which evidentlymanifested itself in an uninterrupted providence, and in an unfailingdeliverance out of all troubles and from every evil. Jung had made manysuch experiences in his life, and they had often been repeated of latein Strasburg: so that, with the greatest cheerfulness, he led a lifefrugal indeed, but free from care, and devoted himself most earnestly tohis studies; although he could not reckon upon any certain subsistencefrom one quarter to another. In his youth, when on a fair way to becomea charcoal-burner, he took up the trade of a tailor; and after he hadinstructed himself, at the same time, in higher matters, his knowledge-loving mind drove him to the occupation of schoolmaster. This attemptfailed; and he returned to his trade, from which, however, since everyone felt for him confidence and affection, he was repeatedly calledaway, again to take a place as private tutor. But for his most internaland peculiar training he had to thank that wide-spread class of men whosought out their salvation on their own responsibility, and who, whilethey strove to edify themselves by reading the Scriptures and goodbooks, and by mutual exhortation and confession, thereby attained adegree of cultivation which must excite surprise. For while the interestwhich always accompanied them and which maintained them in fellowshiprested on the simplest foundation of morality, well-wishing and well-doing, the deviations which could take place with men of such limitedcircumstances were of little importance; and hence their consciences, for the most part, remained clear, and their minds commonly cheerful: sothere arose no artificial, but a truly natural, culture, which yet hadthis advantage over others, that it was suitable to all ages and ranks, and was generally social by its nature. For this reason, too, thesepersons were, in their own circle, truly eloquent, and capable ofexpressing themselves appropriately and pleasingly on all the tenderestand best concerns of the heart. Now, good Jung was in this very case. Among a few persons, who, if not exactly like-minded with himself, didnot declare themselves averse from his mode of thought, he was found, not only talkative but eloquent: in particular, he related the historyof his life in the most delightful manner, and knew how to make all thecircumstances plainly and vividly present to his listeners. I persuadedhim to write them down, and he promised to do so. But because, in hisway of expressing himself, he was like a somnambulist, who must not becalled by name lest he should fall from his elevation, or like a gentlestream, to which one dare oppose nothing lest it should foam, he wasoften constrained to feel uncomfortable in a more numerous company. Hisfaith tolerated no doubt, and his conviction no jest. "While in friendlycommunication he was inexhaustible, every thing came to a standstillwith him when he met with contradiction. I usually helped him through onsuch occasions, for which he repaid me with honest affection. Since hismode of thought was nothing strange to me, but on the contrary I hadalready become accurately acquainted with it in my very best friends ofboth sexes; and since, moreover, it generally interested me with itsnaturalness and /na véte/, --he found himself on the very best termswith me. The bent of his intellect was pleasing to me; nor did I meddlewith his faith in miracles, which was so useful to him. Salzmannlikewise behaved towards him with forbearance, --I say with forbearance, for Salzmann, in conformity with his character, his natural disposition, his age arid circumstances, could not but stand and continue on the sideof the rational, or rather the common-sense, Christians, whose religionproperly rested on the rectitude of their characters, and a manlyindependence, and who therefore did not like to meddle or have any thingto do with feelings which might easily have led them into gloom, or withmysticism, which might easily have led them into the dark. This class, too, was respectable and numerous: all men of honor and capacityunderstood each other, and were of the like persuasion, as well as ofthe same mode of life. Lerse, likewise our fellow-boarder, also belongedto this number: a perfectly upright young man, and, with limited giftsof fortune, frugal and exact. His manner of life and housekeeping wasthe closest I ever knew among students. He was, of us all, the mostneatly dressed, and yet always appeared in the same clothes; but hemanaged his wardrobe with the greatest care, kept every thing about himclean, and required all things in ordinary life to go according to hisexample. He never happened to lean anywhere, or to prop his elbow on thetable; he never forgot to mark his table-napkin; and the maid always hada bad time of it when the chairs were not found perfectly clean. Withall this, he had nothing stiff in his exterior. He spoke cordially, withprecise and dry liveliness, in which a light ironical joke was verybecoming. In figure he was well built, slender, and of fair height: hisface was pock-pitted and homely, his little blue eyes cheerful andpenetrating. As he had cause to tutor us in so many respects, we let himbe our fencing-master besides, for he drew a very fine rapier; and itseemed to give him sport to play off upon us, on this occasion, all thepedantry of this profession. Moreover, we really profited by him, andhad to thank him for many sociable hours, which he induced us to spendin good exercise and practice. 

By all these peculiarities, Lerse completely qualified himself for theoffice of arbitrator and umpire in all the small and great quarrelswhich happened, though but rarely, in our circle, and which Salzmanncould not hush up in his fatherly way. Without the external forms, whichdo so much mischief in universities, we represented a society boundtogether by circumstances and good feeling, which others mightoccasionally touch, but into which they could not intrude. Now, in hisjudgment of internal piques, Lerse always showed the greatestimpartiality; and, when the affair could no longer be settled by wordsand explanations, he knew how to conduct the desired satisfaction, in anhonorable way, to a harmless issue. In this no man was more clever thanhe: indeed, he often used to say, that since heaven had destined him fora hero neither in war nor in love, he would be content, both in romancesand fighting, with the part of second. Since he remained the samethroughout, and might be regarded as a true model of a good and steadydisposition, the conception of him stamped itself as deeply as amiablyupon me; and, when I wrote "Götz von Berlichingen, " I felt myselfinduced to set up a memorial of our friendship, and to give the gallantfellow, who knew how to subordinate himself in so dignified a manner, the name of Franz Lerse. 

While, by his constant humorous dryness, he continued ever to remind usof what one owed to one's self and to others, and how one ought tobehave in order to live at peace with men as long as possible, and thusgain a certain position towards them, I had to fight, both inwardly andoutwardly, with quite different circumstances and adversaries, being atstrife with myself, with the objects around me, and even with theelements. I was then in a state of health which furthered mesufficiently in all that I would and should undertake; only there was acertain irritability left behind, which did not always let me be inequilibrium. A loud sound was disagreeable to me, diseased objectsawakened in me loathing and horror. But I was especially troubled with agiddiness which came over me every time I looked down from a height. Allthese infirmities I tried to remedy, and, indeed, as I wished to lose notime, in a somewhat violent way. In the evening, when they beat thetattoo, I went near the multitude of drums, the powerful rolling andbeating of which might have made one's heart burst in one's bosom. Allalone I ascended the highest pinnacle of the minster spire, and sat inwhat is called the neck, under the nob or crown, for a quarter of anhour, before I would venture to step out again into the open air, where, standing upon a platform scarce an ell square, without any particularholding, one sees the boundless prospect before; while the nearestobjects and ornaments conceal the church, and every thing upon and abovewhich one stands. It is exactly as if one saw one's self carried up intothe air in a balloon. Such troublesome and painful sensations I repeateduntil the impression became quite indifferent to me; and I have sincethen derived great advantage from this training, in mountain travels andgeological studies, and on great buildings, where I have vied with thecarpenters in running over the bare beams and the cornices of theedifice, and even in Rome, where one must run similar risks to obtain anearer view of important works of art. Anatomy, also, was of doublevalue to me, as it taught me to endure the most repulsive sights, whileI satisfied my thirst for knowledge. And thus I also attended theclinical course of the elder Dr. Ehrmann, as well as the lectures of hisson on obstetrics, with the double view of becoming acquainted with allconditions, and of freeing myself from all apprehension as to repulsivethings. And I have actually succeeded so far, that nothing of this kindcould ever put me out of my self-possession. But I endeavored to hardenmyself, not only against these impressions on the senses, but alsoagainst the infections of the imagination. The awful and shudderingimpressions of the darkness in churchyards, solitary places, churches, and chapels by night, and whatever may be connected with them, Icontrived to render likewise indifferent; and in this, also, I went sofar that day and night, and every locality, were quite the same to me:so that even when, in later times, a desire came over me once more tofeel in such scenes the pleasing shudder of youth, I could hardly compelthis, in any degree, by calling up the strangest and most fearfulimages. 

In my efforts to free myself from the pressure of the too gloomy andpowerful, which continued to rule within me, and seemed to me sometimesas strength, sometimes as weakness, I was thoroughly assisted by thatopen, social, stirring manner of life, which attracted me more and more, to which I accustomed myself, and which I at last learned to enjoy withperfect freedom. It is not difficult to remark in the world, that manfeels himself most freely and most perfectly rid of his own feelingswhen he represents to himself the faults of others, and expatiates uponthem with complacent censoriousness. It is a tolerably pleasantsensation even to set ourselves above our equals by disapprobation andmisrepresentation; for which reason good society, whether it consists offew or many, is most delighted with it. But nothing equals thecomfortable self-complacency, when we erect ourselves into judges of oursuperiors, and of those who are set over us, --of princes and statesmen, --when we find public institutions unfit and injudicious, only considerthe possible and actual obstacles, and recognize neither the greatnessof the invention, nor the co-operation which is to be expected from timeand circumstances in every undertaking. 

Whoever remembers the condition of the French kingdom, and is accuratelyand circumstantially acquainted with it from later writings, will easilyfigure to himself how, at that time, in the Alsatian semi-France, peopleused to talk about the king and his ministers, about the court andcourt-favorites. These were new subjects for my love of instructingmyself, and very welcome ones to my pertness and youthful conceit. Iobserved every thing accurately, noted it down industriously; and I nowsee, from the little that is left, that such accounts, although only puttogether on the moment, out of fables and uncertain general rumors, always have a certain value in after-times, because they serve toconfront and compare the secret made known at last with what was thenalready discovered and public, and the judgments of contemporaries, trueor false, with the convictions of posterity. 

Striking, and daily before the eyes of us street-loungers, was theproject for beautifying the city; the execution of which according todraughts and plans, began in the strangest fashion to pass from sketchesand plans into reality. Intendant Gayot had undertaken to new-model theangular and uneven lanes of Strasburg, and to lay the foundations of arespectable, handsome city, regulated by line and level. Upon this, Blondel, a Parisian architect, drew a plan, by which an hundred andforty householders gained in room, eighty lost, and the rest remained intheir former condition. This plan accepted, but not to be put intoexecution at once, now, should in course of time have been approachingcompletion; and, meanwhile, the city oddly enough wavered between formand formlessness. If, for instance, a crooked side of a street was to bestraightened, the first man who felt disposed to build moved forward tothe appointed line, perhaps, too, his next neighbor, but perhaps, also, the third or fourth resident from him; by which projections the mostawkward recesses were left, like front court-yards, before the houses inthe background. They would not use force, yet without compulsion theywould never have got on: on which account no man, when his house wasonce condemned, ventured to improve or replace any thing that related tothe street. All these strange accidental inconveniences gave to usrambling idlers the most welcome opportunity of practising our ridicule;of making proposals, in the manner of Behrisch, for accelerating thecompletion, and of constantly doubting the possibility of it, althoughmany a newly erected handsome building should have brought us to otherthoughts. How far that project was advanced by the length of time, Icannot say. 

Another subject on which the Protestant Strasburgers liked to conversewas the expulsion of the Jesuits. These fathers, as soon as the city hadfallen to the share of the French, had made their appearance and soughta /domicilium/. But they soon extended themselves and built amagnificent college, which bordered so closely on the minster that theback of the church covered a third part of its front. It was to be acomplete quadrangle, and have a garden in the middle: three sides of itwere finished. It is of stone, and solid, like all the buildings ofthese fathers. That the Protestants were pushed hard, if not oppressedby them, lay in the plan of the society which made it a duty to restorethe old religion in its whole compass. Their fall, therefore, awakenedthe greatest satisfaction in the opposite party; and people saw, notwithout pleasure, how they sold their wines, carried away their books:and the building was assigned to another, perhaps less active, order. How glad are men when they get rid of an opponent, or only of aguardian! and the herd does not reflect, that, where there is no dog, itis exposed to wolves. 

Now, since every city must have its tragedy, at which children andchildren's children shudder; so in Strasburg frequent mention was madeof the unfortunate Praetor Klingling, who, after he had mounted thehighest step of earthly felicity, ruled city and country with almostabsolute power, and enjoyed all that wealth, rank, and influence couldafford, had at last lost the favor of the court, and was dragged up toanswer for all in which he had been indulged hitherto, --nay, was eventhrown into prison, where, more than seventy years old, he died anambiguous death. 

This and other tales, that knight of St. Louis, our fellow-boarder, knewhow to tell with passion and animation; for which reason I was fond ofaccompanying him in his walks, unlike the others, who avoided suchinvitations, and left me alone with him. As with new acquaintances Igenerally took my ease for a long time without thinking much about themor the effect which they were exercising upon me, so I only remarkedgradually that his stories and opinions rather unsettled and confusedthan instructed and enlightened me. I never knew what to make of him, although the riddle might easily have been solved. He belonged to themany to whom life offers no results, and who, therefore, from first tolast, exert themselves on individual objects. Unfortunately he had withthis a decided desire, nay, even passion, for meditating, without havingany capacity for thinking; and in such men a particular notion easilyfixes itself fast, which may be regarded as a mental disease. To such afixed view he always came back again, and was thus in the long runexcessively tiresome. He would bitterly complain of the decline of hismemory, especially with regard to the latest events, and maintained, bya logic of his own, that all virtue springs from a good memory, and allvice, on the contrary, from forgetfulness. This doctrine he contrived tocarry out with much acuteness; as, indeed, any thing may be maintainedwhen one has no compunction to use words altogether vaguely, and toemploy and apply them in a sense now wider, now narrower, now closer, now more remote. 

At first it was amusing to hear him; nay, his persuasiveness evenastonished us. We fancied we were standing before a rhetorical sophist, who for jest and practice knew how to give a fair appearance to thestrangest things. Unfortunately this first impression became blunted buttoo soon; for at the end of every discourse, manage the thing as Iwould, the man came back again to the same theme. He was not to be heldfast to older events, although they interested him, --although he hadthem present to his mind with their minutest circumstances. Indeed, hewas often, by a small circumstance, snatched out of the middle of a wildhistorical narrative, and thrust into his detestable favorite thought. 

One of our afternoon walks was particularly unfortunate in this respect:the account of it may stand here instead of similar cases, which mightweary if not vex the reader. 

On the way through the city we were met by an old female mendicant, who, by her beggings and importunities, disturbed him in his story. "Packyourself off, old witch!" said he, and walked by. She shouted after himthe well-known retort, --only somewhat changed, since she saw well thatthe unfriendly man was old himself, --"If you did not wish to be old, youshould have had yourself hanged in your youth!" He turned roundviolently, and I feared a scene. "Hanged cried he, "have myself hanged!No: that could not have been, --I was too honest a fellow for that; buthang myself--hang up my own self--that is true--that I should have done:I should have turned a charge of powder against myself, that I might notlive to see that I am not even worth that any more. " The woman stood asif petrified; but he continued, "You have said a great truth, witch-mother; and, as they have neither drowned nor burned you yet, you shallbe paid for your proverb. " He handed her a /büsel/, a coin notusually given to a beggar. 

We had crossed over the first Rhine-bridge, and were going to the innwhere we meant to stop; and I was trying to lead him back to ourprevious conversation, when, unexpectedly, a very pretty girl met us onthe pleasant foot-path, remained standing before us, bowed prettily, andcried, "Eh, eh, captain, where are you going?" and, whatever else isusually said on such an occasion. "Mademoiselle, " replied he, somewhatembarrassed, "I know not"--"How?" said she, with graceful astonishment, "do you forget your friends so soon?" The word "forget" fretted him: heshook his head and replied, peevishly enough, "Truly, mademoiselle, Idid not know!"--She now retorted with some humor, yet very temperately, "Take care, captain: I may mistake you another time!" And so she hurriedpast, taking huge strides, without looking round. At once my fellow-traveller struck his forehead with both his fists: "Oh, what an ass Iam!" exclaimed he, "what an old ass I am! Now, you see whether I amright or not. " And then, in a very violent manner, he went on with hisusual sayings and opinions, in which this case still more confirmed him. I can not and would not repeat what a philippic discourse he heldagainst himself. At last he turned to me, and said, "I call you towitness! You remember that small-ware woman at the corner, who isneither young nor pretty? I salute her every time we pass, and oftenexchange a couple of friendly words with her; and yet it is thirty yearsago since she was gracious to me. But now I swear it is not four weekssince this young lady showed herself more complaisant to me than wasreasonable; and yet I will not recognize her, but insult her in returnfor her favors! Do I not always say, that ingratitude is the greatest ofvices, and no man would be ungrateful if he were not forgetful?"

We went into the inn; and nothing but the tippling, swarming crowd inthe ante-rooms stopped the invectives which he rattled off againsthimself and his contemporaries. He was silent, and I hoped pacified, when we stepped into an upper chamber, where we found a young man pacingup and down alone, whom the captain saluted by name. I was pleased tobecome acquainted with him; for the old fellow had said much good of himto me, and had told me that this young man, being employed in the war-bureau, had often disinterestedly done him very good service when thepensions were stopped. I was glad that the conversation took a generalturn; and, while we were carrying it on, we drank a bottle of wine. Buthere, unluckily, another infirmity which my knight had in common withobstinate men developed itself. For as, on the whole, he could not getrid of that fixed notion; so did he stick fast to a disagreeableimpression of the moment, and suffer his feelings to run on withoutmoderation. His last vexation about himself had not yet died away; andnow was added something new, although of quite a different kind. He hadnot long cast his eyes here and there before he noticed on the table adouble portion of coffee, and two cups, and might besides, being a manof gallantry, have traced some other indication that the young man hadnot been so solitary all the time. And scarcely had the conjecturearisen in his mind, and ripened into a probability, that the pretty girlhad been paying a visit here, than the most outrageous jealousy addeditself to that first vexation, so as completely to perplex him. 

Now, before I could suspect any thing, --for I had hitherto beenconversing quite harmlessly with the young man, --the captain, in anunpleasant tone, which I well knew, began to be satirical about the pairof cups, and about this and that. The young man, surprised, tried toturn it off pleasantly and sensibly, as is the custom among men of goodbreeding: but the old fellow continued to be unmercifully rude; so thatthere was nothing left for the other to do but to seize his hat andcane, and at his departure to leave behind him a pretty unequivocalchallenge. The fury of the captain now burst out the more vehemently, ashe had in the interim drunk another bottle of wine almost by himself. Hestruck the table with his fist, and cried more than once, "I will strikehim dead!" It was not, however, meant quite so badly as it sounded; forhe often used this phrase when any one opposed or otherwise displeasedhim. Just as unexpectedly the business grew worse on our return; for Ihad the want of foresight to represent to him his ingratitude towardsthe young man, and to remind him how strongly he had praised to me theready obligingness of this official person. No! such rage of a managainst himself I never saw again: it was the most passionate conclusionto that beginning to which the pretty girl had given occasion. Here Isaw sorrow and repentance carried into caricature, and, as all passionsupplies the place of genius, to a point really genius-like. He thenwent over all the incidents of our afternoon ramble again, employed themrhetorically for his own self-reproach, brought up the old witch at lastbefore him once more, and perplexed himself to such a degree, that Icould not help fearing he would throw himself into the Rhine. Could Ihave been sure of fishing him out again quickly, like Mentor hisTelemachus, he might have made the leap; and I should have brought himhome cooled down for this occasion. 

I immediately confided the affair to Lerse; and we went the next morningto the young man, whom my friend in his dry way set laughing. We agreedto bring about an accidental meeting, where a reconciliation should takeplace of itself. The drollest thing about it was, that this time thecaptain, too, had slept off his rudeness, and found himself ready toapologize to the young man, to whom petty quarrels were of someconsequence. All was arranged in one morning; and, as the affair had notbeen kept quite secret, I did not escape the jokes of my friends, whomight have foretold me, from their own experience, how troublesome thefriendship of the captain could become upon occasion. 

But now, while I am thinking what should be imparted next, there comesagain into my thoughts, by a strange play of memory, that reverendminster-building, to which in those days I devoted particular attention, and which, in general, constantly presents itself to the eye, both inthe city and in the country. 

The more I considered the /façade/, the more was that firstimpression strengthened and developed, that here the sublime has enteredinto alliance with the pleasing. If the vast, when it appears as a massbefore us, is not to terrify; if it is not to confuse, when we seek toinvestigate its details, --it must enter into an unnatural, apparentlyimpossible, connection, it must associate to itself the pleasing. Butnow, since it will be impossible for us to speak of the impression ofthe minster except by considering both these incompatible qualities asunited, so do we already see, from this, in what high value we must holdthis ancient monument; and we begin in earnest to describe how suchcontradictory elements could peaceably interpenetrate and unitethemselves. 

First of all, without thinking of the towers, we devote outconsiderations to the /façade/ alone, which powerfully strikes theeye as an upright, oblong parallelogram. If we approach it at twilight, in the moonshine, on a starlight night, when the parts appear more orless indistinct and at last disappear, we see only a colossal wall, theheight of which bears an advantageous proportion to the breadth. If weview it by day, and by the power of the mind abstract from the details, we recognize the front of a building which not only encloses the spacewithin, but also covers much in its vicinity. The openings of thismonstrous surface point to internal necessities, and according to thesewe can at once divide it into nine compartments. The great middle door, which opens into the nave of the church, first meets the eye. On bothsides of it lie two smaller ones, belonging to the cross-ways. Over thechief door our glance falls upon the wheel-shaped window, which is tospread an awe-inspiring light within the church and its vaulted arches. At its sides appear two large, perpendicular, oblong openings, whichform a striking contrast with the middle one, and indicate that theybelong to the base of the rising towers. In the third story are threeopenings in a row, which are designed for belfries and other churchnecessities. Above them one sees the whole horizontally closed by thebalustrade of the gallery, instead of a cornice. These nine spacesdescribed are supported, enclosed, and separated into three greatperpendicular divisions by four pillars rising up from the ground. 

Now, as it cannot be denied that there is in the whole mass a fineproportion of height to breadth, so also in the details it maintains asomewhat uniform lightness by means of these pillars and the narrowcompartments between them. 

But if we adhere to our abstraction, and imagine to ourselves thisimmense wall without ornaments, with firm buttresses, with the necessaryopenings in it, but only so far as necessity requires them, we even thenmust allow that these chief divisions are in good proportion: thus thewhole will appear solemn and noble indeed, but always heavilyunpleasant, and, being without ornament, unartistical. For a work ofart, the whole of which is conceived in great, simple, harmonious parts, makes indeed a noble and dignified impression; but the peculiarenjoyment which the pleasing produces can only find place in theconsonance of all developed details. 

And it is precisely here that the building we are examining satisfies usin the highest degree, for we see all the ornaments fully suited toevery part which they adorn: they are subordinate to it, they seem tohave grown out of it. Such a manifoldness always gives great pleasure, since it flows of its own accord from the suitable, and therefore at thesame time awakens the feeling of unity. It is only in such cases thatthe execution is prized as the summit of art. 

By such means, now, was a solid piece of masonry, an impenetrable wall, which had moreover to announce itself as the base of two heaven-hightowers, made to appear to the eye as if resting on itself, consisting initself, but at the same time light and adorned, and, though piercedthrough in a thousand places, to give the idea of indestructiblefirmness. 

This riddle is solved in the happiest manner. The openings in the wall, its solid parts, the pillars, every thing has its peculiar character, which proceeds from its particular destination: this communicates itselfby degrees to the subdivisions; hence every thing is adorned inproportionate taste, the great as well as the small is in the rightplace, and can be easily comprehended, and thus the pleasing presentsitself in the vast. I would refer only to the doors sinking inperspective into the thickness of the wall, and adorned without end intheir columns and pointed arches; to the window with its rose springingout of the round form; to the outline of its framework, as well as tothe slender reed-like pillars of the perpendicular compartments. Let onerepresent to himself the pillars retreating step by step, accompanied bylittle, slender, light-pillared, pointed structures, likewise strivingupwards, and furnished with canopies to shelter the images of thesaints, and how at last every rib, every boss, seems like a flower-headand row of leaves, or some other natural object transformed into stone. One may compare, if not the building itself, yet representations of thewhole and of its parts, for the purpose of reviewing and giving life towhat I have said. It may seem exaggerated to many; for I myself, thoughtransported into love for this work at first sight, required a long timeto make myself intimately acquainted with its value. 

Having grown up among those who found fault with Gothic architecture, Icherished my aversion from the abundantly overloaded, complicatedornaments which, by their capriciousness, made a religious, gloomycharacter highly adverse. I strengthened myself in this repugnance, since I had only met with spiritless works of this kind, in which onecould perceive neither good proportions nor a pure consistency. But hereI thought I saw a new revelation of it, since what was objectionable byno means appeared, but the contrary opinion rather forced itself upon mymind. 

But the longer I looked and considered, I all the while thought Idiscovered yet greater merits beyond that which I have alreadymentioned. The right proportion of the larger divisions, the ornamental, as judicious as rich, even to the minutest, were found out; but now Irecognized the connection of these manifold ornaments amongst eachother, the transition from one leading part to another, the enclosing ofdetails, homogeneous indeed, but yet greatly varying in form, from thesaint to the monster, from the leaf to the dental. The more Iinvestigated, the more I was astonished; the more I amused and weariedmyself with measuring and drawing, so much the more did my attachmentincrease, so that I spent much time, partly in studying what actuallyexisted, partly in restoring, in my mind and on paper, what was wantingand unfinished, especially in the towers. 

Finding that this building had been based on old German ground, andgrown thus far in genuine German times, and that the name of the master, on his modest gravestone, was likewise of native sound and origin, Iventured, being incited by the worth of this work of art, to change thehitherto decried appellation of "Gothic architecture, " and to claim itfor our nation as "German architecture;" nor did I fail to bring mypatriotic views to light, first orally, and afterwards in a littletreatise dedicated to the memory of Ervinus a Steinbach. 

If my biographical narrative should come down to the epoch when the saidsheet appeared in print, which Herder afterwards inserted in hispamphlet, "Von Deutscher Art und Kunst" ("Of German Manner and Art"), much more will be said on this weighty subject. But, before I turn fromit this time, I will take the opportunity to vindicate the mottoprefixed to the present volume with those who may have entertained somedoubt about it. I know indeed very well, that in opposition to thishonest, hopeful old German saying, "Of whatever one wishes in youth, hehas abundance in old age, " many would quote contrary experience, andmany trifling comments might be made; but much, also, is to be said inits favor: and I will explain how I understand it. 

Our wishes are presentiments of the capabilities which lie within us, and harbingers of that which we shall be in a condition to perform. Whatever we are able and would like to do, presents itself to ourimagination, as without us and in the future. We feel a longing afterthat which we already possess in secret. Thus a passionate anticipatinggrasp changes the truly possible into a dreamed reality. Now, if such abias lies decidedly in our nature, then, with every step of ourdevelopment will a part of the first wish be fulfilled, --under favorablecircumstances in the direct way, under unfavorable in the circuitousway, from which we always come back again to the other. Thus we see menby perseverance attain to earthly wealth. They surround themselves withriches, splendor, and external honor. Others strive yet more certainlyafter intellectual advantages, acquire for themselves a clear survey ofthings, a peacefulness of mind, and a certainty for the present and thefuture. 

But now there is a third direction, which is compounded of both, and theissue of which must be the most surely successful. When a man's youthfalls into a pregnant time; when production overweighs destruction, anda presentiment is early awakened within him as to what such an epochdemands and promises, --he will then, being forced by outward inducementsinto an active interest, take hold now here, now there, and the wish tobe active on many sides will be lively within him. But so manyaccidental hinderances are associated with human limitation, that here athing, once begun, remains unfinished: there that which is alreadygrasped falls out of the hand, and one wish after another is dissipated. But had these wishes sprung out of a pure heart, and in conformity withthe necessities of the times, one might composedly let them lie and fallright and left, and be assured that these must not only be found out andpicked up again, but that also many kindred things, which one has nevertouched and never even thought of, will come to light. If, now, duringour own lifetime, we see that performed by others, for which weourselves felt an earlier call, but had been obliged to give it up, withmuch besides, then the beautiful feeling enters the mind that onlymankind combined is the true man, and that the individual can only bejoyous and happy when he has the courage to feel himself in the whole. 

This contemplation is here in the right place; for when I reflect on theaffection which drew me to these antique edifices, when I reckon up thetime which I devoted to the Strasburg minster alone, the attention withwhich I afterwards examined: the cathedral at Cologne, and that atFreyburg, and more and more felt the value of these buildings, I couldeven blame myself for having afterwards lost sight of them altogether, --nay, for having left them completely in the background, being attractedby a more developed art. But when now, in the latest times, I seeattention again turned to those objects; when I see affection, and evenpassion, for them appearing and flourishing; when I see able youngpersons seized with this passion, recklessly devoting powers, time, care, and property to these memorials of a past world, --then am Ireminded with pleasure that what I formerly would and wished had avalue. With satisfaction I see that they not only know how to prize whatwas done by our fore-fathers, but that, from existing unfinishedbeginnings, they try to represent, in pictures at least, the originaldesign, so as thus to make us acquainted with the thought, which is everthe beginning and end of all undertakings; and that they strive withconsiderate zeal to clear up and vivify what seems to be a confusedpast. Here I especially applaud the brave Sulpiz Boisserée, who isindefatigably employed in a magnificent series of copper-plates toexhibit the cathedral of Cologne as the model of those vast conceptions, the spirit of which, like that of Babel, strove up to heaven, and whichwere so out of proportion to earthly means that they were necessarilystopped fast in their execution. If we have been hitherto astonishedthat such buildings proceeded only so far, we shall learn with thegreatest admiration what was really designed to be done. 

Would that literary-artistical undertakings of this kind were dulypatronized by all who have power, wealth, and influence; that the greatand gigantic views of our fore-fathers may be presented to ourcontemplation; and that we may be able to form a conception of what theydared to desire. The insight resulting from this will not remainfruitless; and the judgment will, for once at least, be in a conditionto exercise itself on these works with justice. Nay, this will be donemost thoroughly if our active young friend, besides the monographdevoted to the cathedral of Cologne, follows out in detail the historyof our mediaeval architecture. When whatever is to be known about thepractical exercise of this art is further brought to light, when the artis represented in all its fundamental features by a comparison with theGraeco-Roman and the Oriental Egyptian, little can remain to be done inthis department. And I, when the results of such patriotic labors liebefore the world, as they are now known in friendly privatecommunications, shall be able, with true content, to repeat that mottoin its best sense, "Of whatever one wishes in youth, he will have enoughin old age. "

But if, in operations like these, which belong to centuries, one cantrust one's self to time, and wait for opportunity, there are, on thecontrary, other things which in youth must be enjoyed at once, fresh, like ripe fruits. Let me be permitted, with this sudden turn, to mentiondancing, of which the ear is reminded, as the eye is of the minster, every day and every hour in Strasburg and all Alsace. From early youthmy father himself had given my sister and me instruction in dancing, atask which must have comported strangely enough with so stern a man. Buthe did not suffer his composure to be put out by it: he drilled us inthe positions and steps in a manner the most precise; and, when he hadbrought us far enough to dance a minuet, he played for us somethingeasily intelligible in three-four time, on a /flute-douce/, and wemoved to it as well as we could. On the French theatre, likewise, I hadseen from my youth upwards, if not ballets, yet /pas seuls/ and/pas de deux/, and had noticed in them various strange motions ofthe feet, and all sorts of springs. When we had had enough of theminuet, I requested my father to play some other dance-music, of whichour music-books, in their jigs and murkies, [Footnote: A "murki" isdefined as an old species of short composition for the harpsichord, witha lively murmuring accompaniment in the bass. --TRANS. ] offered us a richsupply; and I immediately found out, of myself, the steps and othermotions for them, the time being quite suitable to my limbs, and, as itwere, born with them. This pleased my father to a certain degree;indeed, he often, by way of joke for himself and us, let the "monkies"dance in this way. After my misfortune with Gretchen, and during thewhole of my residence in Leipzig, I did not make my appearance again onthe floor: on the contrary, I still remember, that when, at a ball, theyforced me into a minuet, both measure and motion seemed to haveabandoned my limbs, and I could no longer remember either the steps orthe figures; so that I should have been put to disgrace and shame if thegreater part of the spectators had not maintained that my awkwardbehavior was pure obstinacy, assumed with the view of depriving theladies of all desire to invite me and draw me into their circle againstmy will. 

During my residence in Frankfort I was quite cut off from suchpleasures; but in Strasburg, with other enjoyments of life, there soonarose in my limbs the faculty of keeping time. On Sundays and week-daysone sauntered by no pleasure-ground without finding there a joyous crowdassembled for the dance, and for the most part revolving in the circle. Moreover, there were private balls in the country houses; and peoplewere already talking of the brilliant masquerades of the coming winter. Here, indeed, I should have been out of my place, and useless to thecompany, when a friend, who waltzed very well, advised me to practisemyself first in parties of a lower rank, so that afterwards I might beworth something in the highest. He took me to a dancing-master, who waswell known for his skill. This man promised me, that, when I had in somedegree repeated the first elements and made myself master of them, hewould then lead me farther. He was one of your dry, ready Frenchcharacters, and received me in a friendly manner. I paid him a month inadvance, and received twelve tickets, for which he agreed to give mecertain hours' instruction. The man was strict and precise, but notpedantic; and, as I already had some previous practice, I soon gave himsatisfaction, and received his commendation. 

One circumstance, however, greatly facilitated the instruction of thisteacher: he had two daughters, both pretty, and both not yet twenty. Having been instructed in this art from their youth upwards, they showedthemselves very skilful, and might have been able, as partners, soon tohelp even the most clumsy scholars into some cultivation. They were bothvery polite, spoke nothing but French; and I, on my part, did my best, that I might not appear awkward or ridiculous before them. I had thegood fortune that they likewise praised me, and were always willing todance a minuet to their father's little violin, and, what indeed wasmore difficult for them, to initiate me by degrees into waltzing andwhirling. Their father did not seem to have many customers, and they leda lonely life. For this reason they often asked me to remain with themafter my hour, and to chat away the time a little, which I the morewillingly did, as the younger one pleased me well; and generally theyboth altogether behaved very becomingly. I often read aloud somethingfrom a novel, and they did the same. The elder, who was as handsome as, perhaps even handsomer than, the second, but who did not correspond withmy taste so well as the latter, always conducted herself towards me moreobligingly, and more kindly in every respect. She was always at handduring the lesson, and often protracted it: hence I sometimes thoughtmyself bound to offer back a couple of tickets to her father, which, however, he did not accept. The younger, on the contrary, although nevershowing me any ill will, was more reserved, and waited till she wascalled by her father before she relieved the elder. 

The cause of this became manifest to me one evening; for when, after thedance was done, I was about to go into the sitting-room with the elder, she held me back, and said, "Let us remain here a little longer; for Iwill confess to you that my sister has with her a woman who tellsfortunes from cards, and who is to reveal to her how matters stand withan absent lover, on whom her whole heart hangs, and upon whom she hasplaced all her hope. Mine is free, " she continued, "and I must accustommyself to see it despised. " I thereupon said sundry pretty things toher, replying that she could at once convince herself on that point byconsulting the wise woman likewise; that I would do so myself, for I hadlong wished to learn something of the kind, but lacked faith. She blamedme for this, and assured me that nothing in the world was surer than theresponses of this oracle; only it must be consulted, not out of sportand mischief, but solely in real affairs. However, I at last compelledher to go with me into that room, as soon as she had ascertained thatthe consultation was over. We found her sister in a very cheerful humor:and even towards me she was kinder than usual, sportive, and almostwitty; for, since she seemed to be secure of an absent friend, she mayhave thought it no treachery to be a little gracious with a presentfriend of her sister's, which she thought me to be. The old woman wasnow flattered, and good payment was promised her if she would tell thetruth to the elder sister and to me. With the usual preparations andceremonies she began her business, in order to tell the fair one'sfortune first. She carefully considered the situation of the cards, butseemed to hesitate, and would not speak out what she had to say. "I seenow, " said the younger, who was already better acquainted with theinterpretation of such a magic tablet, "you hesitate, and do not wish todisclose any thing disagreeable to my sister; but that is a cursedcard!" The elder one turned pale, but composed herself, and said, "Onlyspeak out: it will not cost one's head!" The old woman, after a deepsigh, showed her that she was in love; that she was not beloved; thatanother person stood in the way; and other things of like import. We sawthe good girl's embarrassment. The old woman thought somewhat to improvethe affair by giving hopes of letters and money. "Letters, " said thelovely child, "I do not expect; and money I do not desire. If it istrue, as you say, that I love, I deserve a heart that loves me inreturn. "--"Let us see if it will not be better, " replied the old woman, as she shuffled the cards and laid them out a second time; but beforethe eyes of all of us it had only become still worse. The fair onestood, not only more lonely, but surrounded with many sorrows. Her loverhad moved somewhat farther, and the intervening figures nearer. The oldwoman wished to try it a third time, in hopes of a better prospect; butthe beautiful girl could restrain herself no longer, --she broke out intouncontrollable weeping, her lovely bosom heaved violently, she turnedround, and rushed out of the room. I knew not what to do. Inclinationkept me with the one present: compassion drove me to the other. Mysituation was painful enough. "Comfort Lucinda, " said the younger: "goafter her. " I hesitated. How could I comfort her without at leastassuring her of some sort of affection? and could I do that at such amoment in a cool, moderate manner? "Let us go together, " said I toEmilia. "I know not whether my presence will do her good, " replied she. Yet we went, but found the door bolted. Lucinda made no answer, we mightknock, shout, entreat, as we would. "We must let her have her own way, "said Emilia: "she will not have it otherwise now. " And, indeed, when Icalled to my mind her manner from our very first acquaintance, shealways had something violent and unequal about her, and chiefly showedher affection for me by not behaving to me with rudeness. What was I todo? I paid the old woman richly for the mischief she had caused, and wasabout to go, when Emilia said, "I stipulate that the cards shall now becut for you too. " The old woman was ready. "Do not let me be present, "cried I, and hastened down stairs. 

The next day I had not courage to go there. The third day, early in themorning, Emilia sent me word by a boy, --who had already brought me manya message from the sisters, and had carried back flowers and fruits tothem in return, --that I should not fail that day. I came at the usualhour, and found the father alone, who, in many respects, improved mypaces and steps, my goings and comings, my bearing and behavior, and, moreover, seemed to be satisfied with me. The younger daughter came intowards the end of the hour, and danced with me a very graceful minuet, in which her movements were extraordinarily pleasing, and her fatherdeclared that he had rarely seen a prettier and more nimble pair uponhis floor. After the lesson, I went as usual into the sitting-room; thefather left us alone; I missed Lucinda. "She is in bed, " said Emilia, "and I am glad of it: do not be concerned about it. Her mental illnessis first alleviated when she fancies herself bodily sick: she does notlike to die, and therefore she then does what we wish. We have certainfamily medicines which she takes, and reposes; and thus, by degrees, theswelling waves subside. She is indeed too good and amiable in such animaginary sickness; and as she is in reality very well, and is onlyattacked by passion, she imagines various kinds of romantic deaths, withwhich she frightens herself in a pleasant manner, like children when wetell them ghost-stories. Thus, only last night, she announced to me withgreat vehemence, that this time she should certainly die; and that onlywhen she was really near death, they should bring again before her theungrateful, false friend, who had at first acted so handsomely to her, and now treated her so ill; she would reproach him bitterly, and thengive up the ghost. "--"I know not that I am guilty, " exclaimed I, "ofhaving expressed any sort of affection for her. I know somebody who canbest bear me witness in this respect. " Emilia smiled, and rejoined, "Iunderstand you; and, if we are not discreet and determined, we shall allfind ourselves in a bad plight together. What will you say if I entreatyou not to continue your lessons? You have, I believe, four tickets yetof the last month: and my father has already declared that he finds itinexcusable to take your money any longer, unless you wish to devoteyourself to the art of dancing in a more serious manner; what isrequired by a young man of the world you possess already. "--"And do you, Emilia, give me this advice, to avoid your house?" replied I. "Yes, Ido, " said she, "but not of myself. Only listen! When you hastened away, the day before yesterday, I had the cards cut for you; and the sameresponse was repeated thrice, and each time more emphatically. You weresurrounded by every thing good and pleasing, by friends and great lords;and there was no lack of money. The ladies kept themselves at somedistance. My poor sister in particular stood always the farthest off:one other advanced constantly nearer to you, but never came up to yourside; for a third person, of the male sex, always came between. I willconfess to you that I thought that I myself was meant by the secondlady, and after this confession you will best comprehend my well-meantcounsel. To an absent friend I have promised my heart and my hand; and, until now, I loved him above all: yet it might be possible for yourpresence to become more important to me than hitherto; and what kind ofa situation would you have between two sisters, one of whom you had madeunhappy by your affection, and the other by your coldness, and all thisado about nothing and only for a short time? For, if we had not knownalready who you are and what are your expectations, the cards would haveplaced it before my eyes in the clearest manner. Fare you well!" saidshe, and gave me her hand. I hesitated. "Now, " said she, leading metowards the door, "that it may really be the last time that we shallspeak to each other, take what I would otherwise have denied you. " Shefell upon my neck, and kissed me most tenderly. I embraced her, andpressed her to my bosom. 

At this moment the side-door flew open; and her sister, in a light butbecoming night-dress, rushed out and cried, "You shall not be the onlyone to take leave of him!" Emilia let me go; and Lucinda seized me, clung close to my heart, pressed her black locks upon my cheeks, andremained in this position for some time. And thus I found myself betweenthe two sisters, in the dilemma Emilia had prophesied to me a momentbefore. Lucinda let me loose, and looked earnestly into my face. I wasabout to grasp her hand and say something friendly to her; but sheturned herself away, walked with violent steps up and down the room forsome time, and then threw herself into a corner of the sofa. Emilia wentto her, but was immediately repulsed; and here began a scene which isyet painful to me in the recollection, and which, although really it hadnothing theatrical about it, but was quite suitable to a lively youngFrenchwoman, could only be properly repeated in the theatre by a goodand feeling actress. 

Lucinda overwhelmed her sister with a thousand reproaches. "This is notthe first heart, " she cried, "that was inclining itself to me, and thatyou have turned away. Was it not just so with him who is absent, and whoat last betrothed himself to you under my very eyes? I was compelled tolook on; I endured it; but I know how many thousand tears it has costme. This one, too, you have now taken away from me, without letting theother go; and how many do you not manage to keep at once? I am frank andgood natured; and every one thinks he knows me soon, and may neglect me. You are secret and quiet, and people think wonders of what may beconcealed behind you. Yet there is nothing behind but a cold, selfishheart that can sacrifice every thing to itself; this nobody learns soeasily, because it lies deeply hidden in your breast: and just as littledo they know of my warm, true heart, which I carry about with me as openas my face. "

Emilia was silent, and had sat down by her sister, who became constantlymore and more excited in her discourse, and let certain private mattersslip out, which it was not exactly proper for me to know. Emilia, on theother hand, who was trying to pacify her sister, made me a sign frombehind that I should withdraw; but, as jealousy and suspicion see with athousand eyes, Lucinda seemed to have noticed this also. She sprang upand advanced to me, but not with vehemence. She stood before me, andseemed to be thinking of something. Then she said, "I know that I havelost you: I make no further pretensions to you. But neither shall youhave him, sister!" So saying, she took a thorough hold of my head, thrusting both her hands into my locks and pressing my face to hers, andkissed me repeatedly on the mouth. "Now, " cried she, "fear my curse! Woeupon woe, for ever and ever, to her who kisses these lips for the firsttime after me! Dare to have any thing more to do with him! I know Heavenhears me this time. And you, sir, hasten now, hasten away as fast as youcan!"

I flew down the stairs, with the firm determination never again to enterthe house.