WEIMAK AND JENA. 187 



to take away one's breath, extinguish the vital force altogether, 

 and shatter all one's nerves such learning ! ' 



Schiller's judgment of the ' Genius of Khodes' was somewhat 

 unfavourable, and was only incidentally expressed in a few 

 words in a letter to Goethe 1 on the subject of the ' Epigrams,' 

 in which he says he has been reading a review of the ' Horen ' 

 by Eeichardt in his journal, 'Deutschland,' 'where he had in- 

 dulged in a frightful amount of license. The essays of Fichte 

 amd Woltmann are represented as models of composition, and 

 copious extracts from them are given. The fifth paper, the 

 worst of all, is described as being the most interesting; Vossen's 

 poems and the " Genius of Ehodes " by Humboldfc are greatly 

 extolled along with some other such rubbish.' 2 This expression 

 is all the more remarkable, since Reichardt's criticism was 

 contained in these few words : ' Humboldt's essay is a mas- 

 terpiece of composition.' It may be said that Schiller only 

 expressed himself in the same excited epigrammatic tone with 

 which he hurled 'lances into the flesh of his colleague,' and 

 which caused him to remark concerning this just criticism that 

 it ' thoroughly exasperated him, since a stupidity was less to be 

 censured.' But this humour had long passed away when he 

 gave his opinion of Alexander von Humboldt in a tone of much 

 greater severity. 



During the visit paid by the two Humboldts to Dresden in 

 the summer of 1797, Korner wrote to Schiller, on July 17, in 

 the following terms: 'Alexander von Humboldt excites my 

 admiration by the zeal with which he devotes himself to his 

 scientific studies. As a companion William is the more agree- 

 able, from his good nature and the greater repose of his 

 temperament ; for there is some degree of irritability and 

 bitterness about Alexander such as is often to be noticed in 

 men of great activity. I have become greatly attached to 

 William, with whom I have many points of sympathy.' 



To this Schiller replied on August 6, 1797 : ' I was glad to 

 hear that you enjoyed so much your intercourse with (William) 

 Humboldt. He is pre-eminently formed for conversation. He 



1 ' Briefwechsel zwischen Schiller und Goethe/ vol. ii. p. 4. 

 3 Reichardt, < Deutschland ' (Berlin, 1796), vol. i. pp. 8, 9. 



