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24 RIESBEEK’s TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
beauties of the original, his imitators have endeavoured to diftinguifh themfelves, by
copying his extravagancices. As in Gots of Berlichingen the {cenery is frequently
changed, it is now neceflary for the poet to carry the fpe@tator through every part of
the town. Goethe was rather lavifh of executions in his pieces; and now there are
innumerable hangmen on the ftage. Shakefpear, whom Goethe, probably from whim,
ortwith the view to draw the attention of his countrymen to that great poet, propofed
as his example in his Gots, became inftantly the idol of the German dramatic writers ;
but not that Shakefpear, who, like Raphael, paints man as he is, under every cir-
cumftance, and exprefles every movement of the mufcles and nerves, and every emo-
tion of the paflions; but he, who, for want of fufficient acquaintance with originals,
and due education, gives himfelf up to his own wild whims, flies over ages and coun-
tries, and worlds, and in the purfuit of his fluctuating objects, does not trouble himfelf
about either unity or order. An hiftorical painter may failin what is called /a compofi-
tion du groupe, or harmony of the piece, and feveral other things, and yet merit great
praife for his excellence in the delineation of fingle figures ; but the fcholar who copies
thefe faults, is truly to be pitied.
Rules, it is true, do not fetter a genius; he either wears them like wreaths of
flowers, unconttrained, eafily and gracefully; or, when he does not know the value
of this ornament, and will come forth in his own wildnefs, makes up for the omiflion,
by the vigour with which he lays hold of his object. But fuch untraGtable geniufes
are very {carce, and not the proper objects of his imitation. England, or rather we
may fay all Europe, has produced but one Shakefpear during many centuries. The
greateft number of artifts are doomed to acquire reputation by ftudy, and rules have
been made to regulate that ftudy.
This ridiculous tafte of defiring to excel by the neglect of order and rules, by the
affeétation of extravagance, unnatural events, abominable grimaces, and pitiful dif-
figurations, has fince this time infected every department of literature and the arts.
We fee crouds of young pretenders to genius, who, in their different walks, in mufic,
painting, and other parts of poetry, think to acquire fame by departing from the
e(tablifhed rules, and giving up fludy. But the ancients thought otherwife on. this
fubjeét, and the works which they have left behind, will never be eclipfed by thefe
weak and pretended originals.. Virgil, it is well known, compared his produétions to
the unformed cub of a bear, which could only receive its proper fhape by frequent
licking ; and it is eafy to fee, by the writings of Terence and Plautus, that they were
not finifhed over a pipe of tobacco. You know that Shakefpear has now, for fome
time pa{t, had his partizans amongft us; but his extravagance will not fo eafily be
adopted for a rule; and though Arnaud has opened the way for montfters on our ftage,
as yet they appear too feldom for there to be any danger of our feeing our old friends
and acquaintance in common life banifhed by them.
This corrupt tafte has produced a wonderful revolution in the German language.
When we read the writings of Gefner, Wieland, and Lefling, we perceive that it was
improving under their culture, and would gradually have received the polifh and per-
fection which are indifpenfably neceflary to make it claflical. But thefe new geniufes
have not been fatisfied with the mutilation of fingle words, but have contracted whole
periods in the fame manner. ‘They have abolifhed all conjun&ions and connettives of
every kind. In many of the more modern works, the fentences are all feparate, like
the feparate effata of an oracle; nor are any ftops or divifions admitted, except full
ftops, and!!! and? :? and -——-—. Befides, every writer made a point of in.
venting
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