Dryden's Relation to Germany yi 



In 1763 Nicolai, the co-worker of Mendelssohn and Lessing, 

 made a literal translation without comment of Warton's Essay, 

 which he published in the " Sammlung der vermischten Schrif- 

 ten."^^ His prominent position as editor of the Bihliothek, as 

 critic and publisher, assured the translation of the Essay a wide 

 circulation among German scholars. It is significant to note, as 

 we shall see, that the translation of the ode of Dryden was also 

 published in 1763. 



Four years previously Nicolai had translated the £^^03' on Lyr- 

 ical Poetry-^ by Young to whom Warton dedicated his Essay. 

 Young took a national pride in Dryden's ode which Nicolai trans- 

 lated as follows : " Allein nach dem allem muss ich zur Ehre uns- 

 res Vaterlandes noch hinzusetzen, dass, nach meinem Urtheil, des 

 Drydens Ode auf den Tag der heiligen Cacilia keiner Arbeit von 

 dieser Art etwas nachgebe. Ihre vornehmste Schonheit besteht 

 darinnen, dass sie einen Sylbenmass hat, welches auf das Gliick- 

 lichste zur Abwechslung der Umstande gewahlt ist."^*^ 



C. Translations of Alexander's Feast 



During the eighteenth century Alexander's Feast was translated 

 in Germany by Weisse, Ramler, Kosegarten, Noldeke, and T — r, 

 followed by many other translators at the beginning of the nine- 

 teenth. Weisse's translation was published in the " Anhang " of 

 his Schcrtzhaften Lieder^^ in 1763, together with the translations 

 of the Cecelia odes of Pope and Congreve. His esteem for Dry- 

 den is intimated in his review of Brown's ode, The Cure of Said, 

 an imitation of Alexander's Feast, which likewise appeared in 

 1763. " Die Erfindung, Die Heilung Sauls betietelt, ware der 

 Ausfiihrung eines Dryden wohl wiirdig gewesen, da sie unter des 

 V. (Verfassers) Handen mittelmassig gerathen ist."^^ 



Ramler made two translations of Dryden's ode which were 



28 Friedrich Nicolai, Sammlung der vermischten Schriften, VI, p. i-end. 

 Berlin, 1763. 



29 Loco citato, II, pp. 206-219. 



30 Ibid., p. 214. 



31 The text at my disposal was the Kleine lyrische Gedichte, III, pp, 

 157-172, published at Leipzig in 1772. 



32 Bihliothek der schonen Wissenschaften, X, p. 175. 



359 



