Additional Notts. 477 



German Language. 



About the year 1720, the practice of employing the ver- 

 nacular tongue in important scientific publications vyas com- 

 menced in Germany. For the introduction of this improve- 

 ment the honour is chiefly due to Thomasius, an eminent 

 metaphysical and moral writer of that country ; and to Wo if, 

 distinguished for his labours in the same department of science. 

 Their example was soon followed by others. From that pe- 

 riod, therefore, it became necessary for authors to culm ate 

 their own language with greater care: the influence of which 

 soon became visible in their writings. A few years afterwards, 

 that is to say, about the middle of the century, the practice 

 of translating the best French and English books commenced 

 in Germany, and produced very sensible effects in meliorating 

 the style of writing among the German literati. These events 

 were 'succeeded by the works of several authors, who wrote 

 with a particular view to the introduction of new idioms and 

 graces of language, and whose exertions were productive of 

 the most useful effects.— See the progress of improvement in 

 German style more minutely traced in the 26th chapter of 

 this work. 



NOTES ON CHAPTER XVII. 



THE principal writers of Universal History in Germany 



areGATTERER,HETNRICH,MuLLER,aildHABERLIN. The 



most distinguished writers of particular histories are Ge- 

 eauer, Schmidt, Krause, Wieland, Galetti, and 

 Schiller. The greatest Statistical historians are Achen- 



WALL, WALCH, ReINHARD,REiMER, MEUSELandSPREN- 



gel. ■ 



The History of England, in the form of Letters from a 

 Nobleman to his Son, in two vols. 12mo, was ascribed to 

 Lord Lyttleton, to the Earl of Orrery, and other noble 

 writers; but was, in reality, written by Dr. Goldsmith. 



Mrs. Macaulay, in her History of England from the 

 Revolution to the present Time, 4to. 1778, adopts the mode 

 of writing in Letters, addressed to the Rev. Dr. Wilson. 



