SfXT. IL] Germany. 183 



of knowledge; and though Frederic II of Prussia 

 was no friend to the German language *, yet his 

 accession to the throne may be considered as a 

 favourable era to German literature; because, by 

 collecting so many foreigners, and especially 

 Frenchmen, at his court, he excited a spirit of 

 emulation among his native subjects; introduced 

 much of the literature and science of other coun- 

 tries into his dominions ; and thus indirectly pro- 

 moted the general interests of knowledge in Ger- 

 many. 



Public Libraries were greatly enlarged and 

 multiplied in Germany in the course of the 

 eighteenth century. To this circumstance, and 

 also to the great multiplication of literary and 

 scientific Societies, may be ascribed no small share 

 of that astonishing progress in literature and 

 science by which every part of the country, and 

 especially the northern provinces, have for some 

 time been and are every day becoming more 

 distinguished. 



In short, during the eighteenth century Ger- 

 many has risen from pedantry and dulness to a 

 high character for genius and refined accomplish- 

 ments in the literary world. Instead of present- 

 ing few and cornparativcly uninteresting publica- 

 tions, as was the case a hundred years ago, she 

 has become by far the most prolific nation on 



* Frederic II, among his numerous freaks and errours, was a 

 great enemy to the German language. He ordered the Trans- 

 actions of the Royal Society of Berlin to be published in French ; 

 by whicli, as many supposedj he meant to cast undeserved re- 

 proach ©n his native tongue, and to discourage the study an4 

 cultivation of it, tljough it had then become so fashionable. 



