Dry den's Relation to Germany 63 



Titel Fabeln (Fables), nach Chaucer, Boccaz, und einigen andern 

 Dichtern, noch in seinen alten Tagen schrieb haben zwar nicht die 

 charakteristische Naivetat der Erzahlungen des franzosischen 

 Dichters, Lafontaine ; aber sie gehoren doch zu den gelungensten 

 Werken dieser Art in der neueren Litteratur."^^ 



Closely related in spirit to Dryden's fables are his poetic-class- 

 ical translations. Of these the complete translations of Virgil, and 

 the partial translation of Homer and Ovid are the most noted, and 

 indeed the favor with which they were received incited Dryden 

 to take up the translation of the fables. His classical translations, 

 especially that of Virgil, found early recognition in Germany. 

 The Beytrdge ::ur Critischen Historie der deutschen Sprache und 

 Beredsamkeit (1732) contains a review of the German transla- 

 tion of Virgil which states : " Wenn ihm eine Stelle des Grund- 

 textes etwas dunkel geschienen, hat er das fiirtreffliche englische 

 Virgil Drydens in 3 Octavbanden nachgeschlagen. ..." The 

 same review asserts that Dryden immortalized the Metamorphoses 

 of Ovid. The Beytrdge also reviews a translation of Anaereon 

 in which it commends the classical translations of Pope, Creek, 

 and those of Dryden. 



The citations from Dryden's classical translations, and the man- 

 ner in which they were quoted indicate that they were generally 

 known in Germany. Konig,^® for instance, quotes from his Ovid 

 and Virgil translations and, contrary to his manner of dealing 

 with other English authors, finds it unnecessary to enlighten his 

 readers in regard to Dryden and his works. Spreng says of Dry- 

 den's Latin translations : " Er hat verschiedene lateinische Poeten 

 in englische Verse gebracht, und sonderlich durch die tJbersetz- 

 ung des Virgil einen ewigen Namen bei seinen Landsleuten er- 

 worben."-" The Brittische Bibliothek (1757) twice commends 

 Dryden's translation of Virgil (pp. 89 and 328). Lessing was 

 also familiar with the Virgil translation, and refers to it in his 



IS Loco citato, VIII, p. 52. 



1^ Uniersuchnng von der Einsylbigen Wortern in der Teiitschcn Dicht- 

 kunst von Johann Ulrich Konig ausgefcrtigt, appended to the life and 

 works of Besser, pp. 887 and 889. Leipzig, 1732. 



-° See note to Drollingcrs Gcdichte, p. 219. 



