Nations lately become Literary, C25 



Kuster, Reiske, Ernestt, IIeyne, Ruhnken, 

 Matthjei, Schneider, Voss, Heeren, F. A. 

 Wolf, Bottiger, and Heusinger, with a much 

 greater number, of nearly equal eminence, would 

 do the highest honour to any country, or any age* 

 Oriental literature eminently nourished in Ger- 

 many during the^eighteenth century. It may be 

 questioned whether the oriental learning, and cri- 

 tical skill of the MicHAELrsEs, Eichhorn, and 

 Reiske, were ever before equalled. To which il- 

 lustrious names, it would be improper not to add 

 those of Reinecius, Ludolf, Hezel, Schrceder, 

 Wahl, Hirt, Tychsen, Paulus, and Hasse, who 

 have rendered important services to the cause of 

 eastern learning, and biblical criticism. 



No country has ever produced so great a num- 

 ber of authors within a similar period, as Germany, 

 in the eighteenth century; and there is no country 

 where a taste for reading more generally prevails, 

 especially in the Protestant provinces. Printing 

 is carried to an excess truly wonderful. Almost 

 every man of letters is an author. Books are mul- 

 tiplied to an incredible extent. Between six and 

 seven thousand new works are annually published, 

 besides smaller controversial pieces; for no one 

 can become a graduate in their universities un- 

 less he has published at least one controversial 

 treatise. 



In Germany the authors by profession amount 

 to about fifteen thousand ! It is true, the greater 

 part of these are chiefly occupied in translating 

 from other languages, especially the French and 

 English . But their translations are generally accom- 

 panied with large bodies of learned notes, which, if 

 well executed, require all the judgment and labour 

 of original composition. It is further to be observed, 

 that, of their prodigious number of books, Novels 

 m,ake a considerable part. But they also make a 



