1805.] 



Memoirs of GotthoU Ephraim Lejfmg, 



4S 



the prudence of tarte. Many minor 

 poems dilappeartd for ever; many new 

 readings were introduced with exquifite 

 dexterity. 



On the 13th of March, 1771, the birtli- 

 day of the Dowaeer Ducheis of Braun- 

 I'chwei;;, vvas fi'ft aifted Emilia Galo'ti. • 

 The piece h^d been proniifcd months 

 before, but the author, who was very 

 difficult, could not imke the conclulicn 

 to his mind. It wc\ikl probably have 

 remained unended for a long rime, had 

 not the manager, DoSbelin, written word 

 that the aftors ha.i gotten by hi-art the 

 four firft acts, and that he (hoiild comp. fe 

 for the occalion a concluding Ictneor two 

 of his own. This appendix LefTing could 

 not brock, and f'ent in his fifth a<5V : it 

 betrays hali^e, and terminates unworthy a 

 fine pr.-paratinn. 



All antique fem^ile (tatue, or r:ither the 

 torfo of a (fatue, haii formerly (food in 

 the library at, Wolfenbuitel, which was 

 transferred 10 Di' fien, and there fifed up 

 with a hesd from Rome, and with two 

 new arms, on the model of nn AsripprnT 

 at Paris. Lefling inferteii, in his Notices 

 of the Wolfenhuttel CuiiofitifS, a dilftr 

 tation en th/S Datue, which drew contro- 

 verfial attention. He alio wrote on the 

 manner in which the ancient liruiptors per- 

 fonified Death, by a genius quenciiing a 

 torch ; and on the antiquity of oil-paint- 

 ing. 



He confulted tlie Hereditary Prince how 

 far he conlJ he n Do wed to publifh fome 

 «xtra6is, which migiit be objt-ifted to by 

 the licenfeis of the prcfs. The Prince 

 hinted that he fluuki not take up the 

 complaints cf theologian^: Ltffing 

 knew where to find h.s urinter, and the 

 Fiagn^ents of an An 'nymous Writer dif- 

 covtred in the Library at WolFenbuttel 

 were prog.eirivt-ly infeited in tiie Ctntri- 

 hutions. Tins anti-Chriilian work mane 

 great uproar in Germany ; it enJeavours 

 to pruve ihst tht- founder of Chriftianity 

 had a worldly objeft in view; that the 

 Jews under," 001! by the kingdom of Hei- 

 ven the temporal fway of the Mtfliah ; 

 thxt 'lie 5)even(y were apoPles of (edition 

 and inl'u' reef ion, intended to fuperfede 

 the feventy mfmbers of the Sanhedrim ; an I 



diral book cf the infidels. They ulti- 

 mately orcafioned, but not before i772» 

 a fupprcffi .n of the Contributions, in con- 

 fequence of a reprelientation fiom the con- 

 fiftcry. 



Ltffing attempted a ncw clafTificatlon 

 of the b(>oks under his care, which dif- 

 pleifed the Chancellor, Von Praun, who 

 had »he nominal fuperintmdence of the 

 library, and wr.o probably thought the 

 pr poliil was preparatory to fuperleding 

 him in his offiie. Mendellbhn came 

 during the bufy tr.Jk ; he valued low the 

 antiquarian details to which his friend 

 wa.s h-.ibitually condefccnding, and ehdea- 

 VMired to^diveit his attention from works 

 of induifry to works of art. Lelling, 

 who was naturally fickle, began to be 

 wearv both of his drudgery, and of his 

 foiitude ; and afier Mendelfohn's depar- 

 ture, fell into an hypochondriac, fplenetic, 

 canftic, ffate of temper, of which he had 

 formerly (hewn fymptrms, and ^or which 

 nature had taught him to fct k, in wander- 

 ing, a remedy. The fbn of MariaTherefa, 

 afterwards the Emperor Joleph II, was at 

 this lime defirous of founding an academy 

 at Vienna, which fliould rival that of 

 Berlin ; but the rtate of inftruftion ia 

 Aulfria as yet wouid not allow it. He 

 fuggefted, therefore, to his mother the 

 Empiel's the propriety cf inviting, under 

 various pretexts, fcveral of the eminent 

 men of letters to Virnna ; and, when the 

 number and value fliould I'uffice to make 

 a fliew with, he piopofed to get up his 

 academy. Poets weie to be attached to 

 tiie theatres, linguilts to the fchools, phi- 

 I'jfophers to the libraries, hilforians to the 

 archives, and prof^^fkr Sulzcr was em- 

 ployed as a recruiting officer of this in- 

 tended army of inteileft. He learned 

 from Mendel ohn Leffing's refile/Tiiefs, 

 and enquired if he might mention his 

 name at Vitiiina. Leffing conlented, and 

 the more readily, b&criufe the lady he ex- 

 pcftcd to marry had houfes in Vienna, 

 and w;(hed to refide there. Nothing being 

 arranged, he did not communicate the ap- 

 plicaii'^n to the Heir Apparent of the 

 Duke of Biannrchweigi This was not, 

 acc.Miding to Lrfliig's own feeling, jir^ht; 



the dvlicate gcnerofity of that Prince in 

 that tlie cxpulfion of tiie money-chmgem cho fing the moment of his adverfity to 

 fiom the 'Temple was the criiis of an jhor- tffcf liim a competency was entitled to 



tive attempt at rebellion. A feparaie and 

 uniaii«fa<if'iry fragment was confecrated 

 10 tiie attack cf the rtfurreffi 'n. Mnny 

 ptifbns have afcribed t>) Leffing himfeff 

 thefe dexteroiifly fbphiftical compofitions. 

 Thty (till conltitute in Gtrmany the ra- 



petency 

 rankneCs ; yet a ci..mmunicatiDn 

 wouid have had tlie air of afkinp fnr 

 more. The negociation at Vienna went 

 off, probibly b caul'e the pitty of the 

 Empreli Q,^een hefiiated to patroni^-t fuch 

 a gang of Free-thiDkert a« bad been re- 



Fx 



CDinincr.de^ 



