‘ 
On the German Charaéter....8tirn. 
them, a wild extravagance of fancy, and 
a morbid irritability of feeling, which 
we cannot eafily fuppofe to be copied 
from nature. The feverifh pride, the 
wild, maddening love, the imagination 
extracting from every incident and ap- 
pearance, new means of forrow; make 
the Werter of Goethe, appear almoit a 
being different in genus from thofe 
which romance and real life prefent to us 
in Britain. © Schiller is’ equally ac- 
‘éounted to have, in his fine dramas, 
overleaped the bounds of nature. Charles 
Moor, Fiefco, with the young hero and 
heroine of his ** Cabal and Love,” ap- 
pear tous fo extravagant in all their fan-’ 
cies and all their diftreffes, that we fhould 
not, probably, endure with patience, 
their reprefentation upon our ftage. 
But, jome fatts have fallen within my 
knowledge, which incline me to believe, 
that thefe characters muft feem to the 
Germans, for whom they were written, 
to be fufficiently within the range of the 
probabilities of ordinary life. I have 
had occafion to be acquainted with feve- 
ral gentlemen from Germany, who have 
Vifited this country. I think that I have 
obferved in them all, thai ecuzric chara&er, 
of which “ Werter,’’ and others ima- 
gined by Schiller, are but fubordinate 
fpecies. They, were men of virtue and 
learning, of elegant manners, of a certain 
generofity of nature, fitted to win affec- 
tion, and to command efteem. But, 
their imaginations were uncommonly fer- 
vid and romantic; their feelings were 
pregnant with exceflive fenfibility ; they 
Were, in their tempers, jealous of the 
refpect and attentions wich they thought 
their due, even.to,a degree that it was 
impoflible to fatisfy.; there feemed to 
ang about them a wayward ficklinefs 
of {pirit, unfitting them for the fober and 
uniform, bufinefs of common life. In one 
of the early volumes of the old “ Axaual 
Regifier,”’ there isan affecting account of 
the trial, condemnation, and execution 
of a youth, named Stirn, for the murder 
ot a Mr. Matthew, which feems to con- 
firm, in a remarkable manner, this idea 
ofmine. Stirn was a German youth, of 
extraordinary genius and accomplith- 
fments, who had:come into England to 
feek a fituation, in which-his qualifca- 
tions might make his fortune: ~~ With 
difficulty he obtained the employment of 
an uther in a boarding-fehool. His in- 
tegrity, the elegance and accuracy of his 
knowledge, with his affiduity in teach- 
ig, made his-affiftance exceedingly va- 
huable to the matter of the {chool ; while, 
’ » 
*75 
on the other hand, the incredible: jea- 
loufy of his temper rendered him excef= 
fively troublefome, as an inmate‘in the. 
family. Ere he had been Jong. here, he 
became acquainted with Mr. Matthew, 
by whom he was invited, with offers of 
refpectful treatment and a liberal falary, 
to take up his refidemce in his family, for 
the purpole of inftruGting his wife and 
daughter in mufic, and Mr.Matthew him- 
felf in theGreek and Roman claflics. With > 
Mr. Matthew he had not long retided, 
when he began to fancy, that mockery 
and infults were offered to him, whic 
had no exiftence, fave in his-own diftem- 
pered imagination. He became furioufly 
querulous; and reciprecal il-humour’ 
was naturally excited in the minds of 
Mr. Matthew and family. Frequent ex- 
planations made Stirn, from time to time, 
curfe the gloominefs of his own temper, 
intreat pardon for his fufpicions, and ab- 
jure them in the deepeft anguith of heart. 
Neverthelefs were thefe (ufpicions fill 
renewed on the very next moment, and° 
{till exafperated beyond their former rage. 
Matthew became at length no lefS unjui - 
than Stirn; in the madnefs of refentment, 
he accufed' the youth of attempting to fe 
duce the aifections of his wite, and of 
filching fome articles of his property 3’ 
then thruft him contemptuoufly out of 
doors. Stirn, utterly incapable of thefe’ 
crimes, or indeed of any bafe and mean’ 
ast, was driven, by this treatment, to the 
Jaf trenzy ofdefpair. He recarded him- 
felf as contaminated and debated beyond 
the ‘poflibility of reftcration to honour,’ 
by the very circumftance of any perfon’s 
having daved to name fuch crimes in the 
fame breath with his narne. | Branded’ as 
a thief, and as a feducer driven ‘igno- 
minioufly out of doors; how ¢hould he 
continue longer in England? how return 
to meet th: eyes of his friends nGermany? 
No; thus vile, he could net endure to live : 
nor fhould the author of his woes furvive, 
the “wrone's wa ke had: done‘ hiny! 
Having folicited ‘a ‘meeting with Mr. 
Matthew, in the prefence of fome com- 
mon’ friends; the “unfortunate! youth 
feized an opportunity of shooting him 
through the head; and was, with duii-: 
culty, prevented from confummating the 
fame violence upom himielf., He was 
then feized, conveyedito.. prion; brought 
to trial, condemned to-death.. Pdo not 
certainly remember, whether he did not; 
by taking’ poifen,..withdraw himéelf 
from the ignominy of a public execution. 
I think, upon recolleftion, that hetore 
he refoived to ailajiimate Matthew, he 
nad 
Sead 
seh 
WdiCih 
