316 Nations lately become Literary. 



with ardour in various undertakings for this pur* 

 pose. And though his own style was far from 

 being a model of that purity and elegance for 

 which he contended; yet his labours were by no 

 means without considerable effect. He wrote se- 

 veral works on the subject, which were extensively 

 useful. He engaged in controversies relating to 

 philological questions, with Bodmer, Breitinger, 

 and others, which also served to throw important 

 light on the German language. And he directed 

 the attention of his countrymen to the English and 

 French classic writers, whose influence in promot- 

 ing the same object was very sensible. In short, 

 before the death of this indefatigable labourer, 

 which happened in 1766, he had done much to 

 discountenance the wretched models which were 

 before implicitly followed, and to bring into view 

 principles and examples more worthy of imitation. 

 While Gottsched was engaged in these useful 

 exertions, the great object of his pursuit was aided 

 by the writings of Poposwitsch and Meiners, 

 who both published extensive and important 

 works on the German language, and made con- 

 tributions towards its improvement which do them 

 much honour. But to no individual now living 

 is this language more indebted than to the cele- 

 brated J. C. Adelung, who was mentioned in a 

 former chapter. His Grammar and Dictionary of 

 the High-German language 11 are famous throughout 

 Europe, and have probably done more to explore 

 the etymology, to correct the orthography, and to 

 regulate the syntax of that language, than any 

 writer who appeared before him. To the above 



v The language spoken in the middle and southern parts of Germany 

 is called the High-German, of which that dialect which prevails in Upper 

 Saxony, especially in Leipsic, Dresden, &c. is reckoned the most pure and 

 elegant. In Lower Saxony and Westphalia the country people speak a lan- 

 guage called Flat-German, or Low- Dutch, but still differing greatly from, 

 the Low-Dutch of the United Netherlands. 



