650 
‘Tragedy has, for the laft two years, 
made a confiderable progrefs towards 
perfection. The following is the moft 
remarkable change that has taken place: 
Since about the middle of the laf cen- 
tury, the German tragedians had begun 
‘to deviate from the common practice of 
writing their works in verfe; and, to 
make an impreflion on the hearts of 
their hearers, trufted only to energy of 
expreffion, and pathetic dialogue. ‘The 
Germans poffefs many excellent pieces, 
publifhed during that period; and it 
was long confidered as decided, that 
dramatic works fhould not be compofed | 
in verfe. But, during the laft ten years, 
Leffing, Gothe, and, at laft, Schiller, 
began again to write in verfe: but 
however excellent the Nathan the Wife 
of the firft, the Iphigenia in Tauris 
ef the fecond, and the Don Carlos of 
the third of thefe authors—the German 
public, accuftiomed to the more natural 
method of writing theatrical pieces in 
profe, found fomething fff and un- 
natural in verfified dialogue. ScHIL- 
EER, however, publifhed, in 17099, anoe 
ther tragedy in verfe, viz. “ Wallen- 
ftein,” which, in imitation of fome of 
Shakefpear’s hiftorical pieces, 1s divided 
into three parts. In the following 
year he brought upon the ftage a third 
tragedy in verfe, ‘* Mary Stuart,” 
which 1s diftinguifhed above the former 
ones, by a more rapid fuccefiion of 
events, and by an eafier flow of lan- 
guage. In this piece Schiller ventured 
to intreduce even lyric metre, and it 
met with the approbation of the public, 
Laft year, a fourth tragedy, in verfe, by 
Schiller, made its appearance, viz. ** The 
Maid of Orleans,” in which the dia- 
Jogue frequently changes from the 
jambic to other kinds of verte. 
character of the heroine is very ideal 
and noble, and one of the moft tender 
that ever appeared on the German ftage. 
The poet is, however, juftly blamed for 
having introduced prodigies, which 
perhaps are admiffible only in the 
Opera. by 
KorTzesvue too has, for fome years 
paft, paid his addrefles to the Tragic 
Mufe: and has prefented to the public 
. feveral much-efleemed Tragedies: e. g. 
«¢ Oftavia” and * Bayard.”’ His laft fer1- 
ous drama, which is not yet printed, 
but is reprefented with uncommon fuc- 
cefs on all the German Theatres, is 
intitled ‘* The’ Siege of Naumburg by 
the Huffites.” In the fixteenth century, 
during the Thirty Years Religious War 
j ad ; 
Retrofpedt of German Literature—Diama. 
The 
of Naumburg in Saxony, and thréat- 
ened to burn it. Finding it impofible 
to make any effectual refiftance, the in= 
habitants fent their children, drefledin - 
fhrouds, into the camp of the befiegers, 
to implore their mercy. The hearts of 
the Huffites were foftened, and they 
{pared the town. In commemoration 
of this happy deliveranee, an affeétin 
popular feftival is annually celebrated 
at Naumburg. On this ground-work, 
Kotzebue has reared a moft interefting 
dramatic fuper-ftructure. Itis not only 
the beft production of that ingenious 
Author, but that which has called 
forth the moft lively fenfation in the 
German nation. Itis written in various 
kinds of verfe; and mufical chorufles 
are introduced. : : 
COLLIN, a very young Poet, fur- 
prifed the public with his firft attempt 
at Tragedy, which difplayed more. 
energy and maturity than many works 
of oider writers,who have toiled for years 
in the cultivation of his ipecies of 
peetry. His * Regulus,’ a Tragedy, . 
in five Aéts, has been, however, juftly . 
cenfured by the Critics for containing 
too little ation, and too long fpeeches. 
It is written in Iambics. 
Another dramatic work, by one of 
the beft poets and profe-writer of Ger- | 
many, deferves to be here noticed with | 
honourable diftinction. The ftory of 
Ariadne, a fubject never brought upon 
the ftage by any of the Greek poets, 
probably from national confiderations, 
theugh affording fuch excellent mate- - 
rials, has been treated, byMr.JHERDER, 
after the model, and conformably to the » 
fpirit and character of the ancient Greek 
Drama. In this little piece, every thing 
bears the ftamp of genius, poetic infpi- 
ration, and genvine tafte. 
Mr. SCHLEGEL, who, for a feries 
of years, has.been labouring in aimott 
every department of the Belles Letters, 
without rifing above mediocrity in any, 
has prepared ‘*The Ion of Euripides” for 
the German Stage. He has madefome 
alterations in the fable of the original ; 
but thefe alterations are far from being 
improvements. Thus, e.g. inftead of 
Minerva, he introduces Apollo himielf, 
and makes him give to Xuthus a very. 
lubricous defcripticn, how he had vio- 
jated the chaftity of his wife. Mr, 
Schlegel bas tranflated fome fplendid 
‘pafflages from other ancient {poets, and 
interwoven them with this imitation of | 
Evripides’s 
—_ . 
~ ¥ 
’ i” 
4 3 } 
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in Germany, a large-army of Huffites; 
from Bohemia, laid fiege to the town: 
