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“Retrofped of German Literature—Didaétic Poetry, Se. 
5 _ 
Euripides’s Tragedy, fo that his work 
certainly containsmany beautiful glean- 
ings ; but is, upon the whole, uninter- 
efting, and is no longer reprefented at 
any theatre, on account of the indecen- 
cies in many parts of the dialogue. The 
author, however, in the mean time trum- 
peted forth his own praife, aflerting; that 
he had far furpafled Euripides ; and un- 
blufhingly owns, that he thinks his 
work an excellent performance. This 
Mr. Schlegel poffefles confiderable ta- 
lents for tranflating. He has publifhed 
feveral volumes of .a Tranflation of 
Shakefpeare’s Works; in which he has 
indeed been guilty of the abfurdity of 
giving, with a ridiculous Flemith pre- 
cifion, all the blemifhes and errors of 
the original, not omitting even the moft 
unimportant play upon words; he has, 
however, evinced, that. he is well ac- 
quainted with the Englith, and has a 
great command of theGerman language. 
A brother of the preceding has, 
on the contrary, brought forth a 
Tragedy, intitled “ Alaiicos,” which, 
for rant, abfurdity, and want of 
tafte, furpaffes every thing that ever 
emanated from the diftempered brain 
of a writer for the Stage. -The hero 
of this piece, a Spanifh Knight, ftabs 
his tenderly-beloved wite, becaufe he 
had promifed ‘to marry a_ princeis, 
whom he abhors. He does not, how- 
ever, marry the princefs: but ftabs him- 
felf at the fide of his wife’s corpfe—the 
princefs dies in a ftate of infanity ; and 
the king, her fathér, is frightened to 
death by an apparition. ‘The language 
of this work is in the higheft degree 
bombaftic, and fo far-fetched and {tiff, 
as if it had been written for a puppet- 
fhow. The public laughed fora while at 
the ridiculo-horrid moniter, and foon 
forgot it: butthebrotherof the author, 
and his partizans, do not ceafe afluring 
us, that it is a wonderful mafter-piece. 
In Comedy, the laft year was not 
productive of many works of diftin-_ 
guifhed merit. The principal one, 
which was publithed during that period, 
Is intituled The Pulfe, by Baso. 
It is founded upon the well-known 
Story of Stratonice, whom King Seleu- 
cus gave up tohis love-fick fon. Mr. 
.Babo has modernifed this ftory, and 
laid the {cene in Germany ; fo-that it 
now forms a very_entertaining Co- 
medy. 
Korzerve, who is certainly the 
mott prolific dramatic writer of Ger- 
many, publifhed only two {mall Come- 
Montuty Mac. No. 96. 
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651 
dies, ** Der Wirwarr;” and “ Die 
Deutfchen Klein-{tadtler :” but he has 
tranflated and fitted feveral foreign 
plays for the German Stage. As a 
New-Year’s Gift, he prefented to the 
public a Dramatical Almanack, cone 
taining fix very witty and {prightly, 
little pieces, which have been received 
with diftinguifhed approbation by the 
public, and almoft every where acted 
at private theatres, and by family pars 
ties, for the. ufe of which they were 
purpofely written. 
Few Operas, of any note, have made 
their appearance. Tranflations front 
the French, have, in general, been 
deemed fufficient. 
Some attempts have lately been made 
at the Little Court-Theatre of the 
Duke of Weimar, to revive the come- 
dies of the ancients. Matfterly tranfla- 
tions of two plays of Terence were 
exhibited: the actors were drefled in 
the coftume of the ancients, and wore 
matks. It is faid, that one of Sopho- 
cles’s Tragedies will foon be acted at 
the fame place; and that the actors 
are to be exalted on the cothurz. ‘The 
novelty of the thing may amufe fora 
while; but furely good tafte would 
refift the general introduction of them, 
as improvements, in the comparatively 
{mailer modern theatres. 
DIDACTIC POETRY. 
Tn this branch of poetry, the laft year 
brought forth only one remarkable pub- 
lication; but it is a highly finithed 
matter-piece: the title of itis ‘ Ura- 
nia, by TIEDGE, a Didadétic Poem, -in 
Six Cantos.” Hae 
The poet here treats of the eternal 
truths of philofophical religion. He 
has diffufed over his fubject a ge- 
nuine philofophical fpirit; has a- 
dorned it with the- unfading gar- 
lands of poefy ; and impreffed it 
upon the minds of his readers with 
the enrapturing warmth. of fenfibi- 
lity. The arrangement is excellent ; 
and .verfification harmonious. If. Mi- 
nerva ever appeared with the ceitus of 
the celeftial Venus, it is in this poem 5. 
of which a fecond edition has already 
appeared. thei 
LYRIC POETRY. 
_ Lyric Poetry has, for feme years 
paft, much declined in Germany; as is, 
perhaps, always the cafe, when a nation 
is fo far advanced in literature, that 
almoft every one fcribbles his copy of 
verfes. In Germany at prefent, asin 
France during almoft the whole of latt- 
40 century 
