He compiled a grammar, badly needed, and sufficiently scientific, for Gottsched was the best German philologian prior to Jakob Grimm. His

Kritische Dichtkunst, or "Critical Art of Poetry," carried on the work of Opitz, and sought to lay down hard and fast rules for the drama, as well as for poetry in general. Where he erred was in too strict adherence to the opinion of French critics, by which real genius is bound down to rules too small, too unimportant to be invariably enforced. He was afraid of allowing scope to the imagination, afraid of a return to the extravagance of Lohenstein, and his critical faculty was not sufficiently keen to distinguish true poetry from false. He did all in his power to attract the best actors to Leipzig, and adapted plays for the stage, a work in which he was largely aided by his wife, who undertook the comedies.

Gottsched's original poetical works were a total failure. He copied from Addison's "Cato "—itself a failure—

Der Sterbende Cato, which was possibly the best of his many attempts.

He translated "Racine," attained great celebrity, then attempted to assume the censorship of all publications, and thereupon plunging into literary quarrels, suffered in many circles ridicule as great as the admiration he had formerly received. The chief dispute initiated by Gottsched is the

Streit der Leipziger und der Schweizer, or the GottschedBodmer Controversy, the great opponent of Gottsched being Johann Jacob Bodmer, born 1698, at Zürich, died 1783. He, together with his friend,

Breitinger (1701-1776), also a native of Zürich, followed the English school rather than the French, not Addison or Pope, or any of the so-called Augustan poets, but chiefly Milton, of whose "Paradise Lost" Bodmer made a prose translation.

Neither Bodmer nor Breitinger possessed great original genius; the former especially was ambitious of literary fame, and both opposed Gottsched strenuously.

Bodmer had some appreciation of Shakespeare, and expressed a fastidious horror of rhyme, copied probably from Milton's opinion in the apology to "Paradise Lost." The chief critical and aesthetic writings of the two Swiss authors were Breitinger's

Kritische Dichtkunst, and Bodmer's

Vom Wunderbare in der Poesie ("On the Marvellous in Poetry "), and Diskurse der Maler.

Another Professor of the University of Leipzig at the same time as Gottsched, like him summoned to appear before Frederick the Great-who, during the Seven Years' War often visited Leipzig-was

Christian Fürchtegott Gellert (1715-1769). Gellert was originally intended for a clergyman; he remained all his life a strict moralist and a thoroughly religious man. His work was varied, but perhaps the worthiest of all he accomplished was the moral influence exercised over those who came in contact with him. His

Fabeln are excellent, possibly called forth by Lafontaine -though Gellert answered Frederick the Great as to his having imitated the French poet, "Nein, Ihro Majestät, ich bin ein Original"-but written melodiously and gracefully, until then a rare thing in the German since the Minnesinger. Gellert tried many styles, and gained more than deserved popularity in all. He wrote serio-comedies and a sentimental novel in the style of Richardson,

Das Leben der schwedischen Gräfin G., but his fables and Erzählungen are decidedly the best of his works. Some of his hymns are very melodious and sweet.

Rabener and Zachariä, two of the most talented writers of Leipzig, contributed for some time, together with Gellert, to Gottsched and Schwabe's periodical, "Belusti

gungen des Verstandes und Witzes," but left it and began the publication of the "Bremer Beiträge," in order to be independent of Gottsched-one of the many fallings off of partisans which the latter experienced.

A poet of independent standpoint may be mentioned here, Albrecht von Haller, of Bern, born in 1708, died 1777. He wrote "Oden;" his

Ode an Doris is celebrated as a passionate love-poem, for the fire of which he thought fit to excuse himself in his old age;

Die Alpen, his masterpiece, showing his love for his native land, and

Über die Ewigkeit. The influence of the late Roman period and of the English poets is to be seen in his work, especially in his didactic poems and satires. Haller's language is not thoroughly correct in his first editions-as German-Swiss this was probably unavoidable-but he has high thoughts, and expresses them with appropriate earnestness.

Friedrich von Hagedorn, of Hamburg, also independent of Gottsched and the "Leipziger," was born in the same year as Haller, and died in 1754. He is remarkable for the thorough correctness and flowing elegance of his diction, and was the first to introduce the anacreontic style into German verse. As Haller followed English, Hagedorn

followed French models. Some of his Lieder are: "An die Freude," "Der Wein," "Der Mai." His "Fabeln" are written with great elegance. The "Erzählung," or Tale, Johann, der muntere Seifensieder, is still very popular in Germany.

A group of poets who also wrote Anacreonics, and were known as the

Hallische or Preussische Dichterverein may be placed here. The influence of Horace, and sometimes of Petrarch, is visible in them.

Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (1719-1803), called "Vater Gleim" on account of his benevolent interest in rising poets, wrote Anacreontics and the

Preussische Kriegslieder eines Grenadiers, which bear witness to the charm exercised by Frederick the Great over his contemporaries. He wrote also "Petrarkische Lieder," "Fabeln, 99 66 Erzählungen," and "Halladat oder das rothe

Buch."

Ewald Christian von Kleist, born 1715, fell at Kunersdorf, 1759, was a major in the Prussian army who sang of king and country, and, happier than the later unfortunate poet of his name,' died for them in battle. His great literary success, hailed with enthusiasm at the time but less prized by posterity, is the long descriptive poem :

Der Frühling, in the style of Thomson's "Seasons." Kleist wrote excellent Idylls, such as "Irin," and a short "Cissides and Paches."

heroic poem,

Johann Peter Uz (1720-1796) may be classed with the "deutsch anakreontische " poets. In later life, however, he adopted a graver style and wrote the Odes: "Das bedrängte Deutschland" and "Theodicee."

Karl Ramler (1725-1798) wrote Odes imitated from Horace.

At this period, a poetess known as the "German Sappho," in the exaggerated phraseology of the time,

Anna Luise Karsch (1722-1791) was in great renown among her contemporaries, but posterity has forgotten her once celebrated "Gelegenheitsgedichte."

About 1744, when Gottsched was attempting to impose. his universal censorship on German literature-tabooing, among other things, the opera as false art—a group of his followers who were members of the "Leipziger Dichterverein " freed themselves from his influence, and founded

1 Vide Heinrich von Kleist, page 122.

the new periodical before referred to, the "Bremer Beiträge," with Gärtner (died 1791) as editor. These Leipzigers copied Richardson and Young. Chief among them were: Friedrich Wilhelm Zachariä (1726-1777), who has already been named with Gellert. He wrote the

Renommist, Das Schnupftuch, Phaeton, and Murner in der Hölle, in the style of Pope.

Gottlieb Wilhelm Rabener (1714-1771), wrote satires in many forms, influenced by Swift and Cervantes. He satirized especially the German middle-class of the period, and his writings are now out of date, as the state of things parodied has in great measure passed away.

Johann Elias Schlegel, died 1749, wrote a tragedy, "Canut," and "Triumph der guten Frauen."

Johann Adolf Schlegel, died 1793-the father of the two "Romantiker" Schlegel-wrote "Fabeln," "Erzählungen," and sacred poems.

Johann Andreas Cramer, died 1788, wrote Odes, sacred poems, and a biography of Gellert.

Gellert himself belonged to this circle of poets, and was greatly admired by them. The sentimentality which has ceased to please in our time pleased in his, and Gellert charmed his readers as Richardson in England delighted his public.

A man whose best work comes very near the first rank of genius, who in a way achieved a great and admirable success, and who yet, judged from the highest standpoint, may be considered to have missed his own grand ideal, was Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, born at Quedlinburg, 1724, died 1803.

The Swiss poet Bodmer's enthusiasm for Milton had not been confined to a limited circle. It was felt that a sacred epic was needed in German literature, that he would be a great and happy man who should be inspired to climb the sublime heights which the English epic poet had

E