30 MARCH 1844, Page 18

NOTE ON FRANZ THIMill ' S "LITERATURE OF GERMANY. "

THE author, in a temperate and manly spirit, appeals against our brief criticism of his work on some points, and offers a candid apology for his imperfections.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SPECTATOR.

118, Fleet Street. 21st March 1899. SIB—In noticing my Literature of Germany in 819 of your valuable journal, you remark, " that the notices had been carelessly compiled." In illustration of this, you say—" Herder is said to have been a Professor at Gottingen, which be never was, while his residence at Buckeburg is passed over in silence ; and the Niebelungen Lied is said to have been composed in the time of Attila, although the confusion of the poem shows its origin must have been many centuries later. Goethe is said to have studied at Jena, whereas he shawl at Leipzig and Strasburg." May I be allowed to make the following observations. L HERDER, after his return from France, was, in 1770, called as Court Preacher to Buckeburg ; he staid in this little town, which has 2,200 in- habitants, for four years; but nothing of any general interest transpired during that time necessary to be recorded. Dues such an omission therefore indicate "slovenliness," in a little work designated to be brief and comprehensive ? But it appeared much more important to mention that he was called in 1775 to fill the post of a theological Professor at Gottingen, because it was his most ardent wish to obtain a place as academical teacher. He went to GOttingen, (any good description of his life will confirm this,) as 1 stated in my work ; but he had to undergo so many inconveniences on his arrival there, that he was glad to accept the post of Superintendent-General and Court Preacher at Weimar : where did 1 say that he actually was lecturing Professor ? 2. The first traces of the legend of our Niebelungen are found as early as Arms's time ; and to confirm this, I must draw your attention to the highest authority on the subject. VON DER HAGEN, in his Introduction to the Niebelungen Lied (edition 1816, page 11,) says—" Des Niebelungat Lied ragt iiber, die Geschichte hinaus, and ut selbst ems ihrer iiltesten Denkmak." Again he remarks—" The subject of the Niebelungen has been in the German tongue from the most ancient time (vom Anfange an); it has been told of and chanted, particularly since the great migration of the (Eastern) nations. Its origin is, therefore, as early as Attila."

That it has not been written before the 12th century in that form in which we have it now, no one denies; and I placed it myself iu date after the Heiden- buch (1200), and mentioned that the remodellers were supposed to be HEIN- RICH VON OFLERDENGIN and ESSCHENBACH, who lived at that period. 3. With respect to GOETHE, 1 am exceedingly obliged to you that you have drawn my attention to the mistake that has happened : however, I did not omit to mention his study at Strasburg, which you will find in page 106. I am sorry you should charge my. work with slovenliness ; for as it has been solely a labour of love, and occupied many months in getting together, I honestly feel the accusation to be unfounded. In consulting a vast number of conflicting authorities for facts, I am aware that occasional error cannot be avoided : neither did I presume to have escaped the general liability ; I exer- cised as much care as I could. I meant the book to be useful to the English students of my native literature; and I believe, humble as the attempt is, I have done something towards facilitating his references. My excuse for the disfigurements of " fine writing" must rest upon the circumstance that I am a foreigner, and that when I commenced the work I was not so well ac- quainted with the proprieties of English literary style as I have been since. I remain, Sir, your very obedient servant, Faasz Tnimm.

The phrase " slovenliness " was applied to the style of the work ; and the concluding sentence of Mr. Teirsm's letter, in explaining the cause of that defect, admits it. In what be says of the Niebelungen Lied he confounds the legend, of which parts are undoubtedly as old as Arms, and probably older, with the poem. With regard to HERDER, we must repeat our statement, that he never was Professor at G6ttingen. He was offered the appointment, subject to a condition, which, as be felt it to be degrading, he refused to comply with ; and before the negotia- tion terminated, he received and accepted the call to Weimar. He did not go to Gottingen. This incident in HERDER'S life is stated in con- siderable detail in his biography by RING, which occupies the 16th volume of HERDER'S collected Works, published at Carlsruhe, pp. 171- 189. HERDER did not even go to Gottingen during the negotiation. It is true that Buckeburg is a small town ; but in HERDER'S day it was the residence of Count WILLIAM of Schaumburg Lippe, a virtually inde- pendent sovereign ; and HERDER exercised the control in chief over the churches and schools in the Count's territories. The five years he spent there were an important icra in the development of his views on life and the formation of his intellect.

In noticing the Literature of Germany, however briefly, it would have been unfair to the public to have given no hint of the errors in the biographical sketches, of which these are specimens. But it would be unjust to the author not to allow weight to his plea of the difficulty in consulting many conflicting sources of information, and the just claim of his work to be viewed as supplying a desideratum in English lite- rature.