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high naitie, and poetic rank, which he has acquired, have done 

 great differvice to German tafte. Goethe may, in particular, be 

 called the dramatic father of Schiller, and the great patriarch of 

 the terrific and ferocious fchool. It may be faid, that the canni- 

 balifm of the theatre, the reign of terror and of blood in the 

 Drama, were eftabliftied by the GoJ's with the iron band of this 

 -writer. The fubjed of this piece is the peafant's war under the 

 Emperor Maximilian, and it is filled with all the atrocities incident 

 to the fubjed. The appearance of Gofs, like a ma^ic w.ind, pro- 

 duced, at once, an hundred geniufes out of nothing. Blind to 

 the real beauties of their archetype, the imitators of Goethe have 

 tried to diftinguifh themfelves, by copying his extravagancies and 

 faults ; and his fuccefs has led many to imagine, that nothing more 

 is requifite to farm a man of genius, than the becoming bold, im- 

 pudent, and carelefs about ftyle and language, entertaining a con- 

 tempt for every thing, that is called regularity and order. Study 

 and attention to rules were held to be unneceffary. It became 

 a principle, among thefe writers, that a true genius requires no 

 education, but has all the powers of creation within himfelf ; that 

 real judgment and rational principles only make affes of men; 

 that dreams, and enthufiaftic raptures in his own greatnefs, and 

 the littlenefs of the world around him, are the perfection of man; 

 that the cares and occupations, by which his daily bread is to be 

 provided, degrade him ; and that unreftrained imagination raifes 

 him to the rank of a divinity. 



These 



