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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 1c9
any prophet at all. All thefe things are confidered as bare {peculations of the clofet by
the police; and any prieft, rabbi, or cadi, defiring to make an awto-de-fé, would be the
firft to occupy a place on his own faggots.
The King has an academy, which is mot compofed of the beft wits to be met with
here. ‘There are, however, fome men of true merit amongft this generally very indif
ferent fet. But Frederick, as has been oberved by feveral of his enemies, has a preju-
dice in favour of foreigners, and had rather take one of our journali/ts* to fill up his
academy, than any of the German literati. Mr. Pilati has obferved that feveral of the
German men of letters would make a better figure in this academy, than molt of the
foreigners who are init. The King does not think fo; but then it mutt be confefled
that he has given the Germans full revenge on this fubject, by the publication of his
eflay fur la Literature Allemande, which makes it very evident that he knows nothing at
all either of their literature or their language. The reafon of this is alfo obvious.
When he began his courfe, German literature was {till in its infancy, and there pre-
vailed at Berlin efpecially, a barbarity which mult have vexed him forely. His tafte
was confequently formed on the French and Italian medels; and the company he kept
in his hours of recreation, confifted only of perfons of thefe nations. In procefs of
time, light advanced in Germany, but he did not perceive the blaze it made in its pro-
grefs. He himfelf wrote aid fpoke only in French; and the jefts of the foreign wits
who furrounded him, and knew no German, increafed his prejudices, both againft a
language which he could neither fpeak nor write, and again{t a nation which he knew
only by its dark melancholy humours, and {tiff cut of the clothes for which the inhabi-
tants of Berlin were remarkable in his father’s time, and which they have not yet intirely
thrown off. When the fame of German literature increafed, and inconteftible proofs
of its eminence were offered to be laid before him, it was impoflible for him to enter
into the beauties of a language which he had always treated as barbarous, and of which
he could only write and fpeak the moft miferable jargon. In order to difcover the
beauties in any tongue whatever, it is neceflary to be acquainted with its peculiar idiom:
for it is in this cafe as it is with an actor who fucceeds one that had been the favourite
of the public. The new actor may poffefs all that art and nature can beftow upon him,
flill he will not do enough for general expectation on his firft appearance ;_ the {peCtators
muft have time to grow familiar with his peculiar pronunciation, his carriage, and a
number of trifling ctrcumftances, which only hurt him from the comparifon with his
predeceflor, in whom many things of the fame kind did not make unfavourable impref-
flons, on account of the habit which people were under of feeing them. ‘The King,
who never had time enough to {pare from the cares of his ftate, to make himfelf tho-
rough mafter of the beauties of the language, and to wear away the prejudice he had
formed againft it, was rather confirmed in his prejudices than fhaken in them, by the
proofs that were laid before him, of the contrary opinion. It is poflible too that his in-
ftructors might not be happy in the choice of the works they took to convince him.
After all, if we confider that ever fince his acceflion to the throne he has only ufed
literature for a recreation and amufement, we fhall not be very angry with him for his
averfion to German literati. ‘The ton of the polite world is feldom found united to their
learning, and their wits are moftly ftunted by the fevere ftudies of their refpective pro-
feffions. Whilft in other nations the literati often facrifice their under{tanding to their
genius, thefe always offer up the former at the fhrine of the latter. Hunger and want
of knowledge of the world render them boorifh and untra¢table in focial life, though
* Reviewers,
at
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