168 Nations laidi) become Literary. [Cii. XXVI, 



It is true, much was done al^ont this time, by 

 several learned men, for regulating me grammar of 

 their vernacular tongue. K. Dunkelberg, who died 

 in I7O8, was the first conspicuous German who 

 perceived and publicly insisted on the necessity 

 of regularly instructing the youth of his country 

 in their native language. After him, Schilter, 

 Leibnitz, von Stade, Steinbach, Wachter, and 

 Frisch, wrote largely on the German language, 

 and contributed much to its regulation and refine- 

 ment. Still, however, after all the labours of 

 these philologists, persons of tolerable correctness 

 of taste were much dissatisfied with the corrupt 

 jargon which continued to be in vogue. 



About the year 1740, J. C. Gottsched became 

 animated v/ith a laudable zeal for the improve- 

 ment of his native language, and engaged with 

 ardour in various undertakings for this purpose ; 

 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 several 

 works on the subject, which were extensively 

 useful. He engaged in controversies relating to 

 philological questions with Bodmer, Breitinger, 

 and others, w^hich also served to throw important 

 light on the Gernian language. And he directed 

 the attention of his countrymen to the English 

 and French classic writers, whose influence in pro- 

 iijoting the same object was very sensible. In 



Avas In a course of degeneracy ; and at the commencement of 

 tbe eighteenth was found in a condition ^yhich loudly demanded 

 (•eform. 



