WEIMAR AND JENA. 175 



just as Humboldt is in our own time.' In the ' Correspon- 

 dence with Knebel ' l Humboldt is described as ' a rich cornu- 

 copia, distributing his gifts with prodigality.' 



Eckermann relates 2 having on one occasion found Goethe in 

 a state of joyous excitement, exclaiming as he advanced to meet 

 him : 'Alexander von Humboldt has been with me for some hours 

 this morning ; what an extraordinary man he is ! Though I 

 have known him for so long, I am always struck with fresh 

 amazement in his company. He may be said to be without a 

 rival in extent of information and acquaintance with existing 

 sciences. He possesses, too, a versatility of genius which I have 

 never seen equalled. Whatever may be the subject broached, 

 he seems quite at home in it, and showers upon us treasures in 

 profusion from his stores of knowledge. He resembles a living 

 fountain, whence flow many streams, yielding to all comers a - 

 quickening and refreshing draught. He will remain here a few 

 days, and I already feel that I shall have lived through years 

 in the time.' H 



It is very remarkable and altogether inexplicable unless 

 some clue may be discovered hereafter among the poet's papers 

 preserved at Weimar that Goethe never discussed with Hum- 

 boldt any of his own researches in botany or optics, although, 

 as before stated, he had been eagerly engaged upon these 

 studies since the year 1790. 



That Humboldt on his part estimated Groethe very highly as 

 a botanist, is evident from his dedicating to him his work, 

 ' Thoughts upon the Geographical Distribution of Plants, illus- 

 trated with a View of Nature in Tropical Kegions,' 3 forming 

 the first part of his Travels in America ; the dedication page was 

 illustrated after a design by Thorwaldsen, and represents the 

 Genius of Poetry as Apollo crowned with laurel unveiling Isis, 

 at whose feet lies a book inscribed ' The Metamorphoses of 

 Plants,' thus indicating that to poetry we are also indebted 



1 < Briefwecbsel mit Knebel,' vol. i. p. 243. 



2 ' Gesprache mit Goethe in den letzten Jahren seines Lebens.' Monday, 

 December 26, 1826. 



3 ' Ideen zu einer Geographie der Pflanzen, nebst einem Naturgemalde 

 der Tropenlander.' 



