Poetry. 183 



bourers in attuning the German language to poetry- 

 were Haller, Klopstock, Gesner, and Wie- 

 land. Before the works of these great literary 

 reformers appeared, this language could scarcely 

 boast of any poems superior to those of Gottsched 

 and Schoonaik. A poetic diction was to be 

 formed. Accordingly, Baron Haller is said to 

 have written his poem on Reason, Superstition, and 

 Infidelity, for the express purpose of proving that 

 the German language was capable of an advan- 

 tageous application to moral and philosophical 

 poetry. It was before remarked, that Klopstock 

 was eminently successful in improving the versifi- 

 cation of his native language. His Messiah, on its 

 first appearance, was severely criticised, on ac- 

 count of the novel expressions and combinations 

 which it contained; but these innovations soon 

 gained credit, and were generally adopted; and 

 the author may be said to have formed a new era 

 in German poetry. Gesner and Wieland carried 

 these improvements still further. Besides these, 

 the writings of Gellert, Lessing, Kleist, Gleim, 

 and several others, have contributed largely to en- 

 rich and refine the versification of their country; 

 insomuch that the poetry of Germany, which, half 

 a century ago, was scarcely thought worthy of no- 

 tice, may be reckoned, at the present day, among 

 the most polished, harmonious, and spirited in the 

 republic of letters. 



The poetry of Sweden received, during the same 

 period, improvements of a similar nature. About 

 the middle of the century arose Dahlin, the father 

 of Swedish poetry. He attained high excellence 

 in the Epic, Tragic, and Lyric departments of po- 

 etic composition, and contributed much towards 

 establishing the reign of taste in his country. To 

 him many successors have arisen, some of whom 

 have pursued, with honourable success, the same 



