IS °EIRE'S CON VERSA TION S. * THESE conversations present a

distinct and truthful image of Goethe's mind during the last ten veers of his life. Its most cha- racteristic feature then as throughout life, was that " repose of power " which •it has in common with the great works of Grecian sculpture. But what most excites the wonder and admiration of the reader, is Goethe's fullness of vitality to the very end of his days. He appears to have continued in as full in of all his facul- ties, to have taken as lively an interest mhis friends and favourite pursuits, the very moment before his death, as in the vigour of manhood. The impression produced by the close of his mortal ca- reer is, to a degree rarely experienced, that a mind so undecayed has only ceased to appear to us, not ceased to exist.

The contributions of Eckermann and Soret to this collection of Goethiana are very unequal in quantity, and dissimilar in character. Beret's are brief, and little more than supplementary. They are French, or to speak more strictly, Genevese in their -tone ; they evince a clear apprehension of Goethe's metuaing, and, present it in a condensed form, with lightness and artistic 'finish. Ecker- maines share of the work is more extensive, decidedly German, and has more of individual character.

Eckermann is one of a class not uncommon in Germany at pre- sent. The am of parents in humble and needy circumstances, he awed his education entirely to his own passionate and•persevering efforts to obtain it. He served as a volunteer in the war of 1813 ; he contrived with the assistance of patrons to maintain himself at school and college by private teaching, and by occasional employ- ment under Government After completing his academical studies, he supported himself by working for the booksellers ; publishing one or two works of his own, but more frequently assisting, in the preparation of the works .of others. Early in 1823, he was em- ployed by Goethe to assist him in .conductang the complete edition of his works through the press; and he performed the-task so satis- factorily, that the charge of editing the poet's posthumous works was left to him by a kind of testamentary disposition. On the re- muneration for this labour and what he picked up by teaching he contrived to live, in a manner of which only German literati are capable, until he was appointed tutor to the young Prince of Weimar. For his office of literary assistant to Goethe, and for the task of recording:Goethe's "table-talk," Eckermann was eminently quali- fied by a something BosweLlian in his nature. He was capable of feeling greatness in others, and of .devoting his whole faculties to the service of what was great. With little 'original imagination or thought, he could apprehend and reproduce the fancies and thoughts of more ingenious men. When he reports what Goethe says, it is as if we were listening to the great poet-critic himself ; when he speaks in his own person, we feel that it is an immea- surably feebler nature. He is in fact Boswell Redivivus, without the ludicrous features of the Scotch worthy's character.

It has been said of Boswell that Tohnson appears to more ad- vantage in his pages than in his own writings. This would be too much to say of Eckermann in resppect to Goethe ; but no other contemporary of Goethe• has succeeded in producing so satisfactory and faithful a portraiture of him as Eckermann : and this is owing entirely. to Eckermann's similarity to Boswell—his entire devotion to and faith in the object of his admiration, and his capacity to appreciate, apprehend, and repeat what was original, combined with his own utter want of originality.

We have attempted on former occasions to express 'our concep- tion of Goethe's character. In Eckermann we have found nothing that scan exactly be said to place it lira new light, but much that helps to fill up the outline and enables us to know him more en- tirely. And the perusal of these volumes leads to the conviction that not only did Goethe's faculties remain unimpaired to the last, but that his'judgment was never more clear and correct—his sym- pathy with all that is great, good, and beautiful; more profound and powerful, at any period of his life, than in its closing years. His light shone with the most steady brightness just as it was about to be extinguished.

In one of our former notices of Goethe, we remarked his su- periority to all his countrymen in elegance and simplicity of dic- "..Coarersations of Goethe with Eckermann and Soret. Translated from the Gernaunny John Oitenferd. Published by Smith and Elder.

tieu,It_woultLappear..imm_the_lallowin6 rvmavirthathe was conscious of this, and also aware of the cause of the inferiority.

" On the whole,' said Goethe; lilillesophigal speculation is an injury to the Germans ; as it tends to make their style vague, difficult; and obscure. The stronger their attachment to certain philosophical schools, the worse they write: ThoseGennans whe,ars.nittirof business and actual :life, confine themselves to the practical, write the best. Schiller's style is most noble ana impressive whenever he leaves off philosophizing ; as I observe every day iu hii highly interesting letters, with which I am now busy. " 'There are likewiseamong tbeGernianvornen, genial-beings, who write a really, excellent-styleirandAndeed.in thatrespeet surpass many of our eele- 1)1'1%042E41e writnllVoll ,:111 I: cal mm, ytithi 37tPki cY to the real. tjrne,E41414 Valwayr write well; being born orators and praeti-, " ThdfFieliCli;lh eft-style, remain true 'to their general character.' Theylirhlif siSobial nattire, Wan therefore never forget the public whom they address-`they strive to be clear; that they may convince their reader agreeable, that they may please Lim. " Altogether, the style of a writer is a faithful representative of his mind : therefore, if any man wish to write a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts ; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.'

Altogether, we English have something morethan reason to be satisfied with the judgment passed upon us by Goethe. This is .a specimen.

have been reading Sterne,' returned'I, where Yorick is sauntering about the streets of Paris, and makes the remark that every tenth man as a dwarf. I thought of that when you mentioned the vices of great towns. I also remember to have seen, in Napoleon's time, among the French infantry, one battalion, which consisted entirely of Parisians, who were all. such puny diminutive people that one could not comprehend what could be done with them in battle.

" The Scotch Highlanders under. the Duke -of Wellington, rejoined Goethe, were doubtless heroes of. another description.' " I saw them in Brussels a year before the battle of Waterloo," returned

I. They were indeed fine men ; all strong, freshtand active, as if just from the hand of their Maker. They all carried their heads so freely and gallantly,. and - stepped so lightly along with their strong hare legs, that it seemed as. if there were no original sin, and. no ancestral failing,. as far as they were concerned,' " 'There is something peculiar in this,' said Goethe. Whether it lies in the race, in the soil, in the free political constitution, or in the heulthy tone of education, certainly the. English in.general appear to have certain ad- vantages over many. nthers. Herein Weimar we see only a few of them, and probahly.by nemeans the beet; but what fine, handsome people they are ! And however young thereon:le here, they-feel themselves brio means strange or embarrassed in this foreign atmosphere ; on the contrary, their deportment in _society is as full of confidence and as easy as if they were lords everywhere and the whole world belonged to them. This it is which pleases our women, and by which they make such havoc in the hearts of ouLyoung ladies. Ifs a German fathecof a -family, who is concerned tor. the tranquillity of his household, I often feel 'a slight shudder when my dangh, ter-m-law announces to me the expected arrival of some fresh young islander. I already lee in my mind's eye the tears which will one day flow whetrhe takes his departure. They-are -dangerous young people ! but this very quality-of beingAringerous is their-virtue.' " Still, I would not assert,' answered I, 'that the young Englishmen in Weimar are ,more .clever, more intelligent, better informed, or more excel- lent at heart than other people.' " The secret does not lie in these things, my good friend,' returned Goethe. Neither does it lie in birth and riches : it lies in the courage which they have to be that for which Nature has made them. There is nothing

vitiated er spoilt about them; is nothing half-wayor crooked ; but such as -they are, they are thormighly complete men. That they are also some- times complete fools, I allow with.all my heart ; but that is still something, and has still always some weight in the scale of Nature.

" The happiness of personal freedom, the consciousness of an English name, and of the importance attached to it by other nations, is an advantage even to the children ; for.in their own family, as well as in scholastic establish- menta, they are treated with-far more: respect, and enjoy a far freer develop- ment, than is the, case with.ua Germans.

" 'In our own dear Weimar, I peed only look nut at the window to dis- cover how matters stand with us. Lately, when the snow was lying uponthe ground, and my neighbour's-children mere 'trying their little sledges in the street, the police was immediately at hand, and I saw-the poor little things fly as quickly as they could. Now, when the spring sun tempts them from the houses, and - they would like to play with their companions before the door, I see them always constrained, as if they were not safe, and feared the approach of.some despotwf the police. Not a boy may crack a whip,,orsing, or shout : the police is immediately at hand to forbid it.' "

This cordial appreciation of what is vigorous and healthy in our national character is visible also in his estimates of individuals. The following extract may. serve to illustrate this point, and is at the same time an example -of his singular freedom from any parti- cular bias.

"I went at seven this evening to Goethe.; whom I found alone in.his room. I sat down, by him at the table, and told him that yesterday I had seen, at the inn,. the Duke of Wellington, who was passing through on his way to St. Petersburg. ' Indeed!' said Goethe, with animation ; what was he like ?—tell me all about him. Does he look like his portrait ? '

" Yes,' said I; but better, with more of marked character. If you ever look at his face, all the portraits are nought. One need only see him owe never to forget him, such an impression does he make. His eyes are brown, and of the serenest bnllamoy; one feels the effect of his glance ; his mouth speaks, even when it is closed : he looks a man who has had many thoughts, and has lived through the greatest deeds, who now can handle the world serene- ly and calmly, and whom nothing more can disturb. He seemed to me as hand and as tempered as a Damascus blade. By his appearance, ha is far-advanced in the fifties ; is upright, slim, and not very tall or stout. I sew him get. ting into his carriage to depart. There was something uncommonly cordial in his salutation as he passed through the crowd, and, with a very slight bow, touched his hat with his finger.' Goethe listened to my description with visible interest. You have seen one hero more,' said he, and that is saying something.' "'We then talked of Napoleon, and I lamented that I had never seen .inns.

"Truly, ' said -Goethe, that also was worth the trouble. What-a com- pendium of the world !' 'Did he look like something ?' asked I. 'He was something,' replied Goethe; and he „looked what he-was—that was all.' "

An impression, has prevailed that Goethe rather'-undervalued the romances of Walter Scott. It wouldappear from what follows, that either this must have originated.in 'misapprehension of what fell-from him in conversation, or that more mature resection had led him to alter his opinion.

- 04-But,' continued , reps --ryrolter Seott's Fort DI ysd qj Pertisis'eteellentiOs `it` fhere is a hand . . .p

„.

firm foundation* 'die whole, in particUlawienot a touch which do.pkno t lead to the eatm6oPhe. 'Thet4ivhat details 'Of dialogue and deserip4m4 both of which are excellent. '

" '1Essesseasadlibeations,gie -lifie pictures by Teniers : in the arrange- niepA thoy,show the awn* okraiMI theindividual figures have a speaking Irtith ; and the execution is extended withffirtisticaL lave.ta the minutest de- tails, se that not a stroke Anwlfaghave pm read?' " I have come,' said ,:rlogtiot where Henry Smith carries the pretty minstrel girl homethrough e, streets and round about lanes,;‘, and where, to his great vexation, Proudfoot and Dwiniug meet him.' " Ah,' said Goethe, that is excellent that the obstinate, homA black- smith should be brought at last to take with him not only *Auspicious novel' 'It shows a inahrlidge of hiumnr tine to,Vhich the deep* mys-

maiden, but even the little dog, is one of finest things to be fcitiild,ip any teriesare revealed.' ' t! - -„ " 'It was also,' said an admirable notion to make the heroidet father a glover, who by his teadein skins must have been 'long iii comintrideation with the Highlanders.'

" Yee,' said Goethe, 'that is a touch of the highest order. From this circumstance spring the relations and situations most favourable for the whole book; and these by this means also obtain a real basis, so that they have an air of the most convincing truth. You find everywhere in Walter Scott a remarkable security. and thoroughness in his delineation, which pro- ceeds from his comprehensive knowledge of the real world, obtained by life- long studies and observations, and a daily discussion of the most important relations. Then come his great talent and his comprehensive nature. You remember the English critic who compares the poets to the voices of male singers, of which some can command only a few fine tones, while others hive the whole compass, from the highest to the lowest, completely in their power. Walter Scott is one of this last sort. In the Fair Maid of Perth, you will not find a P. le weak passage, to make you feel as if his knowledge and talent were ins dent. He is equal to his subject in every direction in which it takes him : the king, the royal brother, the prince, the head of the clergy, the nobles, the magistracy, the citizens and mechanics, the High- landers, are all drawn with the same sure hand, and hit off with equal truth.'

"'The English,' said Frau von Goethe, 'particularly like the character of Henry Smith, and Walter Scott seems to have made him the hero of the book : however, be is not my favourite; I like the Prince.'

"The Prince,' said I, 'is indeed amiable enough with all his wildness, and is as well drawn as any of the rest.'

"'The passage,' said Goethe, where, sitting on horseback, he makes the pretty minstrel girl step upon foot that he may raise her up for a kiss, is in the boldest English style. But you ladies are wrong always to take sides. Usually, you read a book to find nutrition for the heart ; to find a hero whom you could love. This is not the way to read : the great point is, not whether this or that character pleases, but whether the whole book pleases.' " We women were made so, dear father,' said she, affectionately leaning over the table to press his hand. " Well, we must let you have your own way in your amiability,' replied Goethe."

Eckermann has preserved some remarks of Goethe on Ireland, made at the time of Catholic Emancipation, which it is curious to read now that conjecture has become fact. The following is the only sample for which we can find room. "The newspapers were brought in, and we looked over them while wait- ing for the soup. The emancipation of the Irish was now discussed as the order of the day.

" 'It is instructive,' said Goethe, to see how things oome to light on this occasion of which no one ever thought, and which would never have been spoken of but for the present crisis. We cannot,. however, get a clear no- tion of the state of Ireland ; the subject is too intricate. But this we can see, that she suffers from evils which will not be removed by-any means, and therefore of course, not by emancipation. If it has hitherto been un- fortunate for Ireland to endure her evils alone, it is now unfortunate that England is also drawn into them. Then, no confidence can be put in the Catholics. We see with what difficulty the two millions of Protestants in Ireland have kept their ground hitherto against the preponderating five mil- lions of Catholics, and how, for instance, the poor Protestant farmers have been oppressed, tricked, and tormented, when among Catholic neighbours. The Catholics do not agree among themselves, but they always unite against a Protestant. They are like a pack of hounds, who bite one another, but when a stag comes in view they all unite immediately to run it down? "

In making these quotations, it has simply been our object to present the reader with samples of what is curious in this book. To appreciate Eckermann's contributions to our knowledge of Goethe, the whole of it must be read. The time spent upon its pe- rusal will be usefully and agreeably employed; and the mere English reader may rest assured that Mr. Oxenford's translation is as exact and faithful as it is elegant.