2nd s. No 104., Dec. 26. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



517 



of the Pegnitz Flower Order, with the name of 

 Daphnis of Cimbria ; and in 1660 he founded 

 - the Order of The Swans of the Elbe, of which he 

 was president. Horn* calls him the precursor of 

 Gottsched; Grassef notes his weakness (Wasserig- 

 heit) ; and SchoU J, after stating that throughout 

 his life he was almost smothered with incense, in- 

 serts three specimens of what the German public 

 of that time would bear for poetry, — "a?5 Poesie 

 gehoten werden durfte" I confess they seem to 

 me no worse than much which is quoted with ad- 

 miration from later poets. Vilmar's criticism is — 



" Die in Norddeutschland durch Opitz geweckten und 

 der neueii deutschen Zierlichkeit und reinlichen Lieblicli- 

 keit unserer uralten deutschen Heldensprache sich befliess- 

 igenden Dichter, sammelten sich um den Pfarrer zu We- 

 del in Holstein, Johan Rist, einen in der Handhabung der 

 Sprache und des Verses, besonders des lyrischen, Susserst 

 gewandten, sonst aber ziemlich oberflachlichen, und aus 

 der Poesie fast ein Geshaft und Gewerbe machenden 

 Dichter. Nur in der geistlichen Poesie, der wir gleich 

 nacher, noch einige Worte der naheren Erwagung widmen, 

 mtlssen, war Rist wenigstens grostentheils wahr und zum 

 kleineren Theile sogar originell ; seine ubrigen Gedlchte 

 sind verdienter AVeise langst vergessen, und auch die 

 Masse seiner geistlichen Dichtungen ist zu gross als dass 

 nicht vieles darunter hohle Phrase und eitle Reimerei 

 sein musste." — Vbrlesungen iiber deutschen National Lite- 

 ratur, p. 410. 



The list of Rist's works occupies nearly a page 

 of Grasse, but only three are in the British Mu- 

 seum : 



" Neuer Teutshen Parnass. Copenhagen, 1680." Pp. 

 920. 



" Musikalischer Seelen Paradis. Luneberg, 1660." Pp. 

 1005. 



'.'Das Frieden-vvunschende Deutschland. Schauspiel. 

 Hamburg, 1649." Not paged. 



From what I have read of these, I think Vil- 

 mar's appreciation of Rist as a poet nearly right, 

 but rather too low. His versification is very 

 good. In sacred poetry he may be favourably 

 compared with Watts, in secular with Hay ley. 



Das Friedenwuiisclieiide Deutschland is a series 

 of dialogues on peace and war, explaining either 

 pictures or tableaux vivants, which are so nume- 

 rous that I suppose it was never acted. Mercury, 

 Mars, Death, Germany, Hunger, Pestilence, and 

 other mythological personages, describe the views, 

 and talk to the mortals. As the book is acces- 

 sible, I will not elongate this notice by descrip- 

 tion, but recommend it as amusing, especially in 

 the scenes in which Mars exalts and Mercury de- 

 preciates war to Monsieur Sauerwind, a student 

 who has turned soldier and forgotten his Latin. 



Die alleredelste Erfindung was probably Rist's 

 last work. The preface is dated April 10, 1667, 

 and he died August 31. of the same year. By 

 " die fiinffte dieser Art," I presume, is meant the 



* Die Poesie und Beredsamhet der Deutschen, i. 345. 

 t Handbiich der algemeinen Literaturgeschichte, iii. 572. 

 X Deutsche Literaturgeschichte, ii. 222. 



fifth " alleredelste." Grasse mentions his " allere- 

 delste Leben," and "alleredelste Thorheit," which 

 indicates two more works not included in his long 

 catalogue. 



The May-Dialogue begins with a description of 

 the author's garden. He is in it at 4 a.m. Jacob 

 the gardener and bis brother Michael come in, 

 and the talk is of flowers, especially the May- 

 blossom, ranunculus, and iris. The characters 

 are well maintained. The master self-satisfied 

 and important, but kind ; the servants respectful 

 and admiring, but at ease. A friend, called Phy- 

 loclyt, arrives and begs to introduce two more, 

 Epigrammatocles and Almesius. They are joy- 

 fully received, and compliments fly. After some 

 pleasant talk about inventions and courteous dif- 

 ference, as to the most important, they agree to 

 deliver, each in his turn, a discourse on what he 

 holds to be the greatest. For this purpose they 

 adjourn to an arbour, where wine and beer are 

 provided, and the two gardeners have permission 

 to sit and hear, Almesius begins with mills, but 

 describes the benefits we derive from them, and 

 not, as Dr. Eyre supposed, the machinery. Epi- 

 grammatocles follows on medicine and surgery ; 

 Phyloclyt on magnetism and the compass, but not 

 as useful in mill-work ; and Der Rustige comes 

 last, and of course best, pronouncing the alphabet, 

 as the foundation of literature, the noblest inven- 

 tion of the whole world. 



Rist's prose is very good ; indeed, as far as I 

 can judge, quite as good as any before Gothe's, 

 and the matter is copious and well put together, 

 so as to avoid the national " Langweiligkeit." I 

 read the May-Dialogue with much pleasure, and, 

 preferring June to May, should be very glad to 

 spend a long day in such a garden and such com- 

 pany. 



In Rist's composition I see nothing ridiculous, 

 but the complimentary verses prefixed are in- 

 tensely so. Well might SchoU say that he was 

 " in Weihrauchwolken beinahe erstlckt." I select 

 the most quotable specimen, though not the most 

 hyperbolical. A copy of verses ends thus : 



" Publica scripta viri super iethera fama locavit 

 Aurea qua monumen (^sic^ nobile stela tenet ; 



Ristius ingenio comprendit scibile^ quodvis 

 Pansophus ut merito sit maneatque sue. 



Felix est aevi nostri Galenus, et idem 

 Ipse Maro, Thales, Tullius esse potest." 



A sonnet "An ihre Magnificenz und Hoch- 

 wurden Herrn Johann RIsten," begins : 



" Durchlauchtigster Monarch, dem das gelehrte Reich 

 Der Pimperlinnen Land die starcke Schenkel neiget 

 Apppollo grosser Prinz," &c. 



No reason is assigned for spelling Apollo with 

 three p's. 



All the works above-mentioned are prefaced by 

 compliments at once dull and extravagant. The 

 Seelen Paradis is graced by a portrait of the 



