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von Berlichingen and his W9erther. The melancholy influence of the latter on so many sensitive minds is well known, and especially on Lord Byron, who may be considered as the leader, as it were, of a sect all more or less affected by a species of English Wertherism, that peculiar mixture of sentimentality, despondency and satiety, which haunted not only the reading public in general, but also the minds of such eminent men as Shelley and his followers and is so apparent in a thonsand works of that period.

Among the first, who began to treat subjects taken from the Germans, and who allowed them- selves to be influenced by the German mind was, as we have already observed. Walter Scott. We could not assert that Scott's mind was so peculiarly constituted as to cause him to feel greatly attracted towards the Germans; on the contrary, neither his poetical, nor his speculative disposition did in any way particularly qualify him for becoming the interpreter between the two different nationalities. Notwithstanding, already in his early youth, at the time when in some circles of Edinburgh the taste for our language and literature began to become the fashion, he undertook a translation of Goetz von Berlichingen, which excited so great a sensation all over Europe. Nor can it well be doubted that the impulse given by this version was so great with Scott, that his rhymed romances, The lady of the lake, the Lay of the last minstrel and Marmion and many of the numerons rhymed and unrhymed romantic productions may be traced back to this Fountain. Although, however, Scott'’s literary destination was thus lastingly affected by Goethe, he was too far from approaching near enough to this powerful genius to produce himself any works, that might rank equally with those of his great prototype. On the other hand, he treated in a masterly manner the ballads of Bürger and others, among which we mention as an instance The wild Huntsman and William and Helen(Leonore). Now thus meeting with a very numerons reading public and ardent epigones, it is evident how much he facilitated the adoption of the new subjects in England.

We could here, in chronological order, place some other names next to Seott; we prefer, however, for the sake of more commodions arrangement, first to say a few words of Byron and the position which he held to Germany. The wild geniality, satiety and, to use the German expression, Weltschmerz, that breathe through all the lyrical, dramatical and narrative poems of this titanic mind, fitted him wonderfully well to the receiving, cherishing and propagating of that disease which, under the name of Wertherism came from our country and which he developed through his individuality into a Byronism, that produced the strongest effects on his numberless prethren and admirers. No other Briton, either before or after him, Carlyle excepted, has perhaps been able to comprehend so deeply the vast genius of Goethe as the poet who dared to call himself„The great Napoleon of the

realms of rhyme.“

The subject in which he approached nearest to the great German is indeed the same with which we see all the poetical and philosophical faculties of Goethe employed during his whole literary career, we mean the tale of Faustus imitated in„Manfred.“ A titanic spirit infinitely superior to that of all other works of imitation treating of the she same subject, breathes in this master-piece. Another homage did Byron pay to his admired prototype in„Sardanapalus“ which he significantly inscribed to„The illustrions Goethe.—

There is no doubt that the grandest results might have been expectet from the united efforts of the two literatures, the German and the English in the course of this century if to the powerful universalism of so all-comprehending a genius a longer space for activity had been allotted by a less

cruel Destiny. Similar reflexions are awakened by the brilliant companion of Byron, Percy Bysshe