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| RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY, 157
only one or two months in the year. Their daughters are the lovelieft and cleverett
creatures in the world. ‘Vheir natural fenfibility generally contracts a romantic turn in
the {tillnefs of the country, which appears in their converfation and actions, and leads
them to take unguarded {teps in the firft years of life. Unequal marriages and elope-
ments are extremely frequent here. In Suabia, Bavaria, and Auftria, 1 met with Saxon
girls of good family, who in the laft Silefian war had enlifted with officers of the impe-
rial and circular armies, and who all made excellent wives-and mothers: At Prague 1
met with a Saxon girl of a good family, who partly from a cohfiderable fhare of fenfi-
bility, as fhe confefled herfelf with tears in her eyes, and partly from want of knowledge
of the world, was a common woman. Lefling’s comedy, Minna von Barnheim, which
doubtlefs you have read, exhibits fome of the romantic part of this character, but in
general it is more a picture of the town ladies. ‘The country girls have not in general
the coquetry and livelinefs of Minna: they are more penfive and more tender, but all
of them are as handfome as angels. The kind of reading in fafhion in Germany, which,
is moftly novels and romances, is no proper nourifhment forthe ladies of Saxony, who
are by nature of fuch inflammable conttitutions. ;
Leipfick is a very {mall, but very handfome, and in fome places, {plendid city. The
number of its inhabitants, reckoning the fuburbs, amounts to near thirty thoufand ; it
was greater formerly. The way of living is totally different from any I have hitherto
feen in the other Saxon towns. Much more luxury and profufion reigns here than at
Drefden. They play in all companies, and often extremely high, The ladies of this
place are far behind hand with their countrywomen of the other towns in domeltic oeco-
nomy, but agree with them in the articles of drefs and coquetry. Amongit the literati
who {warm here, there are too many boatters, petit maitres, ignoramufles, and fools of
all forts; fo that 1 fometimes thought myfelf got to Vienna again, where the /ri/eurs
and literati meet in the fame companies, and are almoft equally numerous. But the
infinite number of men of merit, whofe condu& and manners do honour to their na-
tive country, foon made me find out the difference. You meet here with men in all
fciences, who, from the extent as well as the depth of their learning, but particularly
from their knowledge of the world, are entirely different from the Vienna literati, for
whom all is dead that is out of their own line.
I paid a vifit to Mr. Weifle, whofe excellent work called the Children’s Friend, Mr.
Berquin propofes partly to imitate, and partly to tranflate. he author is not only one
of the beft German poets, but an extraordinary learned man, in the moft extenfive fig-
nification of the word. He is elegance itfelf; and the income of a good place, which
he poffefles, enables him to give up his latter days to philofophical repofe, benevolence,
and the mufes. He is one of the determined enemies of thofe literary Calmucks, I
mentioned to you in my letter.on the theatre of Munich, who like the troops of Gen-
gifkan, fome years fince made an inroad upon Parnaflus, drove out the mufes, deltroyed
the flower-beds of the old Germah poets, mangled the language, hacked the words with
‘Tartar fury, and would probably in their rage have begotten children like the fathers,
if their difcipline had an{wered the violence of their attack, and, fuch enlightened men
as Mr. Weiffe had not difcomfited them after the ardour of their firft onfet. They
have been compelled to retreat behind hedges, whence they fometimes fire upon paflen-
gers, but they will not be able to keep even this poft long.
Pe ie
LETTER
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