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164 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
tions mifconceive Gothe’s theory. His flatterers imitate him in the moft ridiculous
manner, in his drefs, in his walk, and even in his fpeech.
Gothe is in fome meafure refponfible for thefe excrefcences. Having difcovered
fparks of genius in fome of his friends, fuch as Lentz, Clinger, and others, by proper
encouragements he foon blew the fparks into a real flame. ‘Thus far was fit and right ;
but as foon as he had commenced protector, there came people to him by no means
worthy of his protection. Inftead of fending thefe back to their brethren of the foreft,
the bubble of reputation led him on, and he was not afhamed, at leaft for a time, to fet
himfelf at the head of a little academy — very different in this refpect from Rouffeau,
who neither commended nor protected any one. At prefent Gothe does not feem to
difturb himfelf much about literary purfuits. He is at work on the life of the celebrated
Bernard of Weimar, and enjoys.life as much as it is to be enjoyed amidft a number of
little troubles. Formerly he ufed to be regularly befieged with recommendations, and
his difciples came from all parts to vifit him, in hopes to be brought forward by his pa-
tronage. He is now grown wifer, and has made ita rule to himfelf, to be very nice in
his recommendations. In this he is extremely in the right, as he would be accountable
for the follies of all thefe people.» Neither indeed does it follow as a natural confe-
quence, that becaufe the minifter, counfellor, and private fecretary of a prince is a
wit, his cooks, and butlers, valets de chambre, hunt{men, and ftable-boys, fhould alfo
be wits.
Gotha is a large town, richer and handfomer than Weimar; the number of its inha-
bttants are eftimated at nine or tenthoufand. ‘There are fome valuable manufactures in
this place. The court is as popular as that of Weimar, and equally fond of ftrangers.
Some years ago the Duke had one of the beft German theatres in Germany ;_ but he
fent away the whole company on finding that the expence was too large, that he had
fufficiently amufed himfelf, and that the players began to aflume airs of importance.
The fubjeéts of both thefe dukes are very happy. ‘Their finances too are well regu-
lated, and their adminiftration of juftice and police is perfect. Neither of them have
the weaknefs of other German princes, who {pend a great part of their incomes in the
maintenance of a regiment or two of foldiers, and make the younger part of their fub-
jects do the military exercife, inftead of keeping them at the plough. The income of
each of them is about 600,000 Rhenifh guilders, or 54,000 French louis-d’ors. Their
country is extremely productive, and extraordinarily well inhabited.
Erfurt is a very large, old, black, and ill-inhabited town ; it is near a mile in circum-
ference, and contains nearly eighteen thoufand men. ‘The moft remarkable thing here
is the a€t-of gardening, which is carried toa greater perfection than in any other part of
Germany I have yet had occafion to fee. The people of the country carry on a confi-
derable trade in fruits and plants. The inhabitants, like thofe of the reft of Saxony,
are a handfome, fenfible, and friendly people. ‘The prefent vice-governor for the Elec-
tor of Mentz, to whom the city, with feventy villages which lie round it, belongs, is a
baron of D’Alberg, canon of Mentz, whom you may probably have feen at Paris. He
was in the houfe of the Marquis of —-——, and, it I miftake not, well known to the
Duke of Choifeul. He is a man of uncommon knowledge of the world, a man of let-
ters in the full extent of the word, anda patriot. He underftandsall the bufineis of the
higher world, and all that concerns government; _poflefles the Belles Lettres and the
arts, and is on terms of friendfhip with the moft fenfible men of Germany. . He expects
in time to be the firft ecclefiaftical prince of the German empire, and, after the Pope, the
richeft and moft diflinguifhed prelate in the catholic world. Erfurt and its territory yields
annually about 180,c0o Rhenifh guilders. It contains about thirty-fix thoufand men.
LETTER
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