328 Nations lately become Literary. 



try are so much disposed as those of the German: 

 empire to learn the languages of other nations. Be- 

 sides the English and French, which have a very 

 general currency, being read and spoken by a very 

 large portion of their literary men, the Italian,' 

 Spanish, and Swedish are taught in many of their 

 seminaries of learning. The great increase of 

 this taste is one of the circumstances which pre- 

 eminently distinguish German literature in the 

 eighteenth century. 



The interests of letters and science have seldom 

 received very extensive or permanent governmental 

 aid in Germany. The constitution of the empire 

 prevents any material aid of this kind from being 

 rendered, especially on a large scale. A few of 

 the subordinate princes have distinguished theirs 

 selves by their efforts for the advancement of know- 

 ledge; and though Frederick II. of Prussia, was 

 no friend to the German language/ yet his acces- 

 sion to the throne may be considered as a favour- 

 able era to German literature; because, by collect- 

 ing so many foreigners, and especially Frenchmen, 

 at his court, he excited a spirit of emulation among 

 his native subjects; introduced much of the litera- 

 ture and science of other countries into his domi- 

 nions ; and thus indirectly promoted the general 

 interests of knowledge in Germany. 



Public Libraries were greatly enlarged and mul- 

 tiplied in Germany in the course of the eighteenth 

 century. To this circumstance, and also to the 

 great multiplication of literary and scientific Socie- 

 ties, may be ascribed no small share of that asto- 

 nishing progress in literature and science by which 

 every part of the country, and especially the nor- 



a Frederick II. among his numerous freaks and errors, was a great 

 enemy to the German language. He ordered the Transactions of the Royal 

 Society of Berlin to be published in French ; by which, as many supposed, he 

 meant to cast undeserved reproach on his native tongue, and to discourage 

 the stady and cultivation of it, though it had then become so fashionable* 



