, [ 5- ] 



and uttering bold and licentious truths ; with all their pretenfions 

 to enlighten a befotted world, to clear away vulgar errors, and 

 difpel the mifts of prejudice ; ihey fail to communicate, that molt 

 ufeful acquirement, a knowledge of men and manners. — Do you 

 feek in their Dramas to find inflrudive pidtures of life — to catch 

 the manners living as they rije — to trace the plaits and foldings of 

 the heart, and mark the various fliades and colourings of human 

 weaknefs and frailty ? — Merciful Heavens ! how will you find 

 yourfelf difappointed ! — I might have obferved, in my review of 

 the peculiarities of the German School, the total abfence of wit 

 and humour from its produflions (and they are very numerous) 

 which profefs to be comic. Of witty writings, if the German lan- 

 guage aftbrds any fpecimen, I know of none that has flood the 

 teft of tranflation.* In their various attempts at humour, the 

 German writers have been peculiarly unfortunate. In the place of 

 humorous charadler, we find unnatural hard caricatures ; in the 

 place of humorous dialogue, coarfe and vulgar ribaldry, and in the 

 'place of humorous incident, extravagant buffoonery, and the 

 meaneft puerilities, and loweft form of farce. — Suppofe fome per- 

 fon, who had been kept in utter feclufion from the world, and 

 debarred of all views of life, and all means of forming opinions 

 refpeding men and things — put the German writings into the 



( G 2 ) , hands 



* There is a plentiful lack of wit and humour, in the German Comedies, moft 

 of which are of the fentimental clafs, and prefent, here and there, it muft be con- 

 feft, fcenes of true pathos. The German SpeBator — ^The German Gil Bias, Sebaldus 

 Nothanker, &.C. &c. do not form an exception, if m'C may judge of them in tran- 

 flat ion. 



