EUROPEAN. 307 



strain of feeling and of patriotism. We have also beautiful ballads, 

 or lyrical compositions, by Goethe, Schiller, Herder, Uhland, and 

 others ; and the Minnelieder, or love-songs of the Minnesingers, 

 have been collected by Tieck. The Urania of Tiedge is said to be 

 of a lyrical and didactic character. Haller's poem on The Alps, is 

 a fine description ; and his ethical poems are of great value. Hage- 

 dorn's poem On Happiness, contains excellent morality; and his 

 fables are superior. Gellert also wrote fables, and didactic poetry. 

 Kleist's Vernal Season, is said to be a fine production. Among the 

 earlier satirical poems, are Reineckc der Fuchs, or Reynard the 

 Fox, by Henry of Alckmaer; the Narrenschiff, or Ship of Fools, 

 by Sebastian Brand ; and other similar productions. 



German dramatic poetry, originated with the Mast er sin g er s $ 

 who formed poetical fraternities in some of the German cities, about 

 the middle of the fourteenth century. Their first productions were 

 religious poems ; but Hans Rosenpliit, Hans Folz, and especially 

 Hans Sachs, wrote numerous pieces for the theatre. Among those 

 of Folz, are Solomon und MarcoJf, and Der Arzt und der Kranke. 

 The dramas of Gottsched, are said to be formal and inferior. Les- 

 sing, who wrote didactically on the theatre, is the author of Sarah 

 Thompson, a tragedy, and Minna von Barnhelm, a military comedy. 

 The tragedies of Schiller, including his Mary Stuart, Wallenstein, 

 and William Tell, are among the best in the German language. 

 Uhland's Duke Ernest of Suabia, and Louis of Bavaria, are re- 

 spectable dramas. The tragedies of Werner, including his Luther, 

 and Attila, are much esteemed ; but those of Goethe are perhaps 

 the most read; including his Gortz von Berlichingen ; Faust; 

 Iphigenia; Count of E gmont ; and Tasso. The dramas of Kotze- 

 bue, mostly comedies, are regarded as inferior. 



Of German romantic poetry, besides the romantic epics already 

 named, some of the most popular productions are the Melusine ; and 

 Magalone ; and the famous Till Eulenspiegel, or German rogue, 

 which last has been attributed to Dr. Murner, but is probably of an 

 earlier date. Herder's romantic poems, including the Cid, Voices of 

 the Nations, and Legends, are highly praised ; but those of Wieland, 

 among which are Gandolin, Endymion, and Ganymede, are, to say 

 the least, highly extravagant. Lessing's Nathan the Wise, is, we 

 believe, a poem of the romantic kind. Goethe's Hermann and Do- 

 rothea, is much admired ; and the romantic poems of Schwab, and 

 Tieck are said to be superior. 



Of German romance, in prose, many specimens have been handed 

 down from the days of chivalry ; which we have no room to men- 

 tion. Lohenstein's Jlrminius and Thusuelda, is said to be vigorous, 

 but bombastic and conceited. The Swiss physician Haller, wrote 

 three political novels in German, entitled Usong ; Alfred the Great; 

 and Fabius and Cato ; designed to compare the different forms of 

 government. Gellert's Swedish Countess, was the first German 

 ^ovel devoted to a description of domestic life. Wieland, besides his 

 roj i./Jc poems, wrote several novels in prose; of which his Jlga- 

 thon, is the best known ; though its philosophy should be received 

 with caution. Engel's Lorenz Stark, is a masterly picture of life 



