1806.] Critical Survey of the Works of Lessing. 



27 



Mother Gertrude, dated from Ag^r^ in 

 Ealt India, ult. Ott. 10 IG." '' Certain 

 Obicrvations from tlia Mo'tul's Court and 

 Ka/l India," in ['urclius'sl'ilgrims. "Tra- 

 vels to «nd Obfcrvations in Conflanti- 

 nopie and other Places in tlie way tin- 

 ther, and in his jouruoy thence; to Alep- 

 po, Damafcus, and Jorufalcm," iiilertcd 

 in the fame collection. 



John Watkins. 

 London, June, 1806. 



For the MoiUitli/ Magnzine. 



CRITICAL SURVEY o/LESilNc's WORKS. 



[For tarticulars of lik Life fee Vol. 19, 

 p. 569, and' To/. 20* p. 38.] 



THRLE volumes of letters occur. 

 They arc in fact reviewals, whence 

 the quoted paflages have in a great de- 

 gree been difj,laced. Separations fonic- 

 what abrupt have been introduced, and 

 the titles of the books analyzed ai c fup- 

 prefled. This repubhcation of materials 

 already employed in a critical journal 

 was very fuccelsful, and lliews how much 

 of peculiarity and native force there was 

 in Lefling's mind, lince even his talk- 

 work has furvived many of the books it 

 refpedts. His favourite ambition is, (may 

 we borrow fo vulgar an exprt llion ?) to 

 tcarh his grandmother to fuck csrgs. 

 Whether he is reviewing theology or hif- 

 tory, poetry or philofophy, editors of the 

 ancient, or tranllators of the modern 

 claliics, he always linds means to difplay 

 the appropriate learning and tafte, with 

 a curious felicity, which perfuades a 

 reader that he could better have exccu- 

 ed the work he is criticizing. There is 

 trick in this ; but it is the fecret of the 

 trade. A fpecin'.en may amufe : it re- 

 fpcds G, C. Gebauer's Portugueze Hif- 

 tory, 4to,, Leipzig, 1759. 



"lihallnot deny that in the whole terr 

 ritory of German literature, hiltory is the 

 field in the word condition. Cultivated it 

 is ; but how .? We have as yet not one 

 excellent vernacular hiftorian to l)oait of. 

 Our polifhed writers are feldom learned ; 

 our learned writers feldorn poliihed. 

 Thofe will not read, not feek, not colleCt, 

 in a word, not fag ; and thci'e will do no- 

 thing clfe. Thofe want matter ; thefe 

 the art of giving form. 



" It is on the whole bed that fuch 

 mt-n fliould keep to their vocations ; at 

 .eafl no harm enfucs. The fuie writers 

 do not preoccupy the niches of hiftoric 

 fame with fliallow compolitions : the 

 tonipilcrs are filling warehouffs w ith ma- 

 terials which our future Livies and Ta 

 citulcs wiil need ; they are burning iiinc 



and chipping ftone for the edifices to 

 come. 



" Perhaps the name of a real hiftorian 

 ought only to be given to him who dc- 

 fcnbcs his own times and his own comi- 

 trv. Only he can be adduced as a wit- 

 iiefs : oulv he may hope to weigh as fuch 

 with porterity. The collectors and com- 

 parers of teftimony will themfelves be fu- 

 pcrfeded b\ frelh compilations and fcve- 

 rer Ikgacity. I pity hnccrely the bufy 

 pains of this latter clafs ; they have 

 chofen an unthankful otlicc ; they mud 

 remain Gebauers, when they might have 

 become De Thous. A fweet conviction 

 of their in\incd;atc utility may indemnify 

 them for the fhort duration of their 

 f.tme ; and with this conviction fuch 

 men are fonned to be content. 



" But enough of general remark. I 

 come to the work wliich has provoked it. 

 The author is already known by a Life of 

 the Emperor Richard : he now offers to 

 the public a Hiiloiy of Portugal. It be- 

 gan in the author's academic prelections 

 on the Ilirtory of Modern Europe, and is 

 divided into five parts. — 1. On the prim- 

 aval accounts before the foundation of 

 the monarchy. — 2. From the beginning 

 of the kingdom to the extinction of the 

 proper royal family. — 3. From the ex- 

 tuittion oi'the proper royal family to the 

 union with Spain. — 4. From the union 

 with Spain to the elevation of the honfe 

 of Brauanza. — 5. F'rom the elevation of 

 the dynalty of Braganza to our own times. 

 " You will expect I fliould iingle out 

 and talk about fome one event on which 

 our author has beffowed peculiar atten- 

 tion. It is the fhortefl courfe for giving 

 you fome idea of his manner in narration, 

 and of his care in refearch. I can guels 

 your tafte. Bold enterprizes, remark- 

 able misfortunes falling on a great man, 

 fuch are the iiicidents on which you will 

 prefer to dwell. I fufpect, if you "had jull 

 received this Portugueze Hiftory, you 

 would begin by cutting open the account 

 of the unfortunate Sebafliaii. 



" The young Sebaftian, jts you recol- 

 left, bprned \nth zeal to try his hand 

 againft the African Infidels. A flight in- 

 vitation led him to the alViflance of the 

 expelled King of Morocco, Mirfey Maho- 

 met. He f 'tiail with a confiderahle army 

 on Midfumn.er-day 1578, in fjnte of the 

 difluafion of his friends, and the ominous 

 appearance of a coi.iet. The anny was 

 landed at Arcilla, and went fur Allarache. 

 On the road it met the hoilile force 

 of Muley Molucco in the plain of Alkaf- 

 farc|uivir. Seballian and his Portu;i;t><>7«» • 

 o a fuii\;r<j(i 



