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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 156
The firft feeds of literature and tafte were fown in Germany, by perfons who were
no literati by profeffion. Since the firft zra of French tafte, one or the other of the
princes of Germany have always been in alliance with France. ‘The negociations this
has given rife to, and the abode of the French armies in Germany in confequence, have
rendered the knowledge of French abfolutely neceflary to the German nobility. Hence
all perfons of confequence, minifters, counfellors, officers, and fecretaries, polifhed
~ themfelves by their intercourfe with our countrymen; fo that the talte of feveral Ger-
man courts was formed before there was a man of letters of confequence in the country.
Prince Eugene, who had been brought up at the court of France, laboured with all his
might to introduce the arts into Germany, but he found the Jefuits in his way at the
court of Vienna, for a long time the only one in which the French language could not
gain admittance. In all the others there were perfons of as much tafte and good fenfe
as Prince Eugene, true children of the mufes, who were more or lefs fuccefsful in their
attempts to extend good tafte. Much in the fame manner the arts came to us from
Italy, and much in the fame manner they came to Italy from Greece. i
After this intercourfe with France, the only thing wanting to awaken the Germans
to emulation, was a language, and in this refpect Saxony had a great advantage over the
ether German provinces. Ever fince the time of Luther this country has had a manner
of writing, which diftinguifhed it from the barbarous manner of the fchools that ob-
rained over the reft of Germany. The fervice of the church contributed much in thefe
parts to the improvement of the language. ‘The fchools for young people were very
good here long before the brilliant zra of German literature.. The language of fome
of the Saxon writers who lived betwixt the years 1715, and 1725, a time in which the
reft of Germany was {till plunged in the barbarous ftyle of the Cancelleria, is remark-
able for its grammatical clearnefs and accuracy. ‘The natural. wit of the Saxons, toge-
ther with their peculiar and, as it were, innate love for all that is beautiful, foon made
it their peculiar pride and pleafure, as it had been that of the Athenians, to diftinguifh
themfelves by fpeaking their language correctly. ‘The loweft handy-craftfman here is
more folicitous to fpeak purely and well, and is much more fortunate in his attempts for
the purpofe, than feveral learned men by profeffion, with whom I have had the honour
to converfe in the fouthern parts of the country. The very women are fenfible of gram-
matical errors, and take notice of them. Befides the language, the Saxons had other
advantages, which contributed to {pread literature fooner and wider amongft them than
amongft the other Germans. Philofophy.and the higher parts of the belles lettres, had
had the duft rubbed from them in this country long before the bright zra of German:
literature.. Leibnitz, Puffendorf, Thomafius, Wolf, and others,.had broken up the ex-
tenfive field of literature, had ploughed it with tafte and fimplicity, and had. brought
about a happy revolution in the minds of the people in all the north of Germany, par-
ticularly in Saxony. The celebrated journal, known by the name of Ada Eruditorum,.
was begun in 1682, and was foon equal to the journals of the moft enlightened nations,
fuch as the Journal des Scavans, the Englifh Tranfactions, and the Giornale di Literati,
whilft in the other ftates of Germany, Berlin not excepted, knowledge was confined to:
a few perfons about the court. The beginning of the prefent century alfo produced fe-
veral editions of the ancientclaflics, which contributed more to the nurture of genius and .
true tafte, than the beft rules and theories.
No. doubt the magnificence and peculiar tafte of the Saxon Auguftus, for the fine
arts, contributed much to the early polifhing of tafte, and the awakening of: genius in
this country. All the arts have a fifterly affection for each other; they do notlike to
be’long out of the famecompany. Painting, {culpture, architecture, mufic, and all the
arts
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