oppressive yoke; will not its superstition become the only law whereby it will be guided? It will relapse into slavery, namely, into the servitude of its own superstition and cruelty, the natural consequence of ignorance. Civil liberty, indeed, does generally lead to mental liberty; but, perhaps, more slowly than a state of oppression. These, my son, are eternal truths, of which we should never lose sight. Oppression does, indeed, prevent individuals from proclaiming truth; but truth continues to work, in private, and secretly rears pupils. The voice of an individual may be silenced by the thunder of an imperious ruler; but ten thousand voices will be raised on a sudden soon after, and truth become victorious. Not even the most powerful monarch can oppose the spirit of the times; for it is omnipotent. A wise man, however, ought to ask, "What is the spirit of the times? and what the clamorous voice of party-spirit?" He ought to teach the uninformed, to secure and propagate mental illumination, without caring when, how, and where it will triumphantly burst forth, and never attempt to further the cause of truth by means of rebellion, conspiracy, and corruption. Error stands in need of these instruments, but not truth, which, if rightly known, has a self-persuasive power. And do you not think, that the great also will and must finally yield to that universal influence of truth? They assume the colour of the times, as well as the people. The great grow better along with their subjects, because they are human beings. Their interest may sometimes appear to require, that they should oppose the progress of truth; but they are swept along by the general torrent of light, without being aware of it. They grow milder, more humane, and wiser, along with their subjects. The truth of this assertion is incontrovertibly proved by the history of all ages. At the time of Nero, the Romans scarcely deserved to have better Emperors; and Brutus perhaps, was the only one of his cotemporaries who really intended to deliver Rome from the yoke of tyranny. Therefore, if a nation is not to be given up to lawlessness, which is the highest degree of human misery, and if the connexion between the princes and their people is to be rendered a real blessing, then every wise man that knows these truths, must propagate mental light and virtue, oppose every error, destroy all superstition, prevent, or at least, procrastinate every eruption of popular impatience, and promote peace between both parties, for the benefit of truth. Liberty then will establish its empire of itself; all will become free, the princes as well as their subjects, and the government of the law will take place. Eternal wisdom has at all times

pursued

pursued the same road. The civil liberty of nations has been repeatedly destroyed; but truth did never totally disappear. It did, indeed, sometimes, appear to have taken flight for ever, but always again shot up with additional lustre, as it were from its own ruins. It seemed to have been lost in superstition and the mazy labyrinths of foolish sophistry; but generally gained most, when it seemed to be lost for ever. Thus it constantly binds men by stronger ties, and renders its own influence more extensive; and I may safely predict, that a time will come, when mankind will eclipse the noble Greeks in the knowledge of beneficial truths; when the world will be the abode of a noble race and no longer of individual noble nations. Cast your eyes all over Europe, and you will perceive that the luminous beams of truth every where are breaking forth among the dark shades of superstition. This mental liberty is the freedom which I wish to see established, because it is the only and permanent basis of civil liberty. Where is the free Sparta? where Athens? where the free Rome? They are no more, because their freedom sprung from external circumstances, but not from truth and mental liberty."

"The dawn of morning affords light as the sun at noon, though in a less degree. Would you take a man that has just recovered his sight, at once into the broad glare of the noontide sun? Surely, the sudden influx of light would overpower his weak organs, and again reduce him to blindness. The dusk is more grateful to him and congenial with his state. Every century produces great men; but they are great only because they diffuse no more light than their age can bear. If they were greater, then they would not be great men, would not be benefactors of their cotemporaries. A few wise individuals cannot be considered as constituting day; but they are the dawn that precedes, and the day succeeds them without fail.”

"A wise man diffuses the light of truth as privately as he would communicate a secret. The people learn by degrees, perceive the light at last, and truth victoriously steps forth, but conquers only by amanating from amongst the people, not from the lips of the noise. Liberty is the natural consequence of the general diffusion of truth among a people. But the wise man, in the mean time has proceeded farther, and now again privately teaches new truths, which are the consequences of the former, and is slowly followed by the people. Man gradually advances towards the grand gaol of perfection; now slower, now quicker, as circumstances, time and great geniuses urge him."

Ꮓ

Let

Let us then urge him towards it, interrupted Rudolph with

ardour.

"But not precipitate him," replied the monk. "A single truth sometimes requires whole ages, to obtain the victory over prejudices that are sacred to man. What then could violence prevail? It is of as little use in rendering truth victorious, as it is in oppressing it. The time will come, when the prince will live amongst his subjects like a father amongst his grateful and loving children, when humanity and contentment will give laws, and support their authority. But these times are not yet arrived. How many truths will be required to be acknowledged, before the princes and their subjects will be convinced that love is the only sacred tie that can indissolubly unite them. The ties which at present unite the magistrates and the people, are compacts that seem to have been concluded between enemies, but do not destroy them; for, they are necessary at present; they are a step that leads to better truth and greater happiness. Should they once be broke, and the people refuse to observe them, then they must absolutely relapse into their original state of natural barbarism, wherein superior strength and blind fury are the only law which man acknowledges.

P. w.

CATALOGUE OF AUTHORS. NOW LIVING IN WEIMAR,

with short literary and biographical notices concerning them. AS SUPPLEMENT to our description of Weimar.

THE principal authors resident at Weimar and in its

neighbourhood are the following: MADAME von WOHLZOGEN, MLLE. von IMHOF, MADAME von BERLEPCH, MADAME von KALB. WIELAND, von GOETHE, HERDER, RICHTER, BOETTIGER, BERTUCH, FALK, Von EINSIEDEL, Von LINKERT, von KNEBEL, JAGEMAN, the two MAIERS, LUDTKEMULLER, GERNING, SCHMIDT, HUNNIUS, von SECKENDORF, HERDER, the son, SCHALL, GADIKE, VULPIUS, von KOTZEBUE.

MADAME Von WOHLZOGEN, author of Agnes von Lillien, a lady of extraordinary talents. She is sister in law to the celebrated Schiller. One hardly discovers the fascinitating female genius under her grave exterior. Her husband lately conducted as envoy at Petersburg the marriage contract of the hereditary prince of Weimar, with the Russian princess.

Mile. von IMHOF, author of a poem entitled "The Sis

ters

ters of Lesbos," and of several fugitive pieces which are generally inserted in Schiller's almanacks of the muses.

Madame von BERLEPSCH, author of a variety of poetical productions.

Madame von KALE, also a poetess. She is versed in the Greek language, a zealous disciple of Fitche, and particular friend of Jean Paul Richter.

WIELAND, aulic counsellor. This celebrated poet now spends the evening of a life devoted to the muses in retirement upon his estate Osmanstædt, near Weimar. In this delightful retreat, he divides his time between agriculture and poetry, in which he still displays the same ardour of genius. and exuberance of imagination, which characterizes the performances of his youth.

"

Few of nature's most favoured children have ever retained the powers of the mind in such unimpaired vigour, at so great an age as Wieland does. Amidst the frost of age his soul seems to be irradiated by the sunshine of a perpetual spring. Simplicity, gentleness and benevolence, are the distinguishing traits in his disposition, and display themselves in every feature of his countenance, in every sally of his sportive fancy, with a fascination, which irresistibly engages the heart of all who see and converse with him. Notwithstanding the extreme delicacy of his constitution, this extraordinary man still enjoys a state of the most perfect health, which, combined with the influence of rural air and occupations, seems to promise that his life may still be prolonged for many years to

come.

He visits from time to time Weimar, her operas, her theatres. At the time when Schiller's Wallenstein was first acted, he remained eight days in that city. Sometimes Martinis's Una cosa rara, whose soft tones are above all, pleasing to his ears, entice him back again within the walls he has left. The vicinity of Tiefurt, the usual summer residence of his old faithful friend, the dutchess Amelia, mother of the reigning duke of Weimar, often induces Wieland to exchange his beloved shades for that sacred vale of friendship. The most lively picture of the manner of living at Osmanstædt, is to be found in a book, published lately by the deservedly esteemed and celebrated authoress, Sophia de la Roche, entitled, Schattenrisse meiner Errinnerungen von. Offenbach, Weimar und Leipzig, Leipzig. Gräff. 1800, a translation of which would undoubtedly be well received by the

She has just now prepared for the press and will be published next Easter fair, Errinnerungen meines Lebens." A work as we understand, both entertaining and instructive.

English

English public. She paid Wieland, (who calls her his oldest friend and beloved) a visit in the summer of 1799, and in that publication, with great and sentimental eloquence, describes the scenes of her happy meeting, and sojournment at Osmanstædt.

Wieland's family is numerous. Besides three sons, two of whom have devoted themselves to agricultural pursuits, and the third to study at the university, he has six daughters, of whom three are married, and two are widows. The latter reside with their small families in their father's house at Osmanstædt.

His favourite daughter Charlotte, of an agreeable genteel figure, and aimable character who accompanied the Danish poet, Baggesen, and his lady, in a tour through Switzerland, is married to a bookseller in Zurich a son of the celebrated poet, Solomon Gessner*. Another of his daughters is married to Mr. Rheinhold, professor of philosophy, at Kiel, whom Wieland formerly had received with open arms, when as an ex-monk, he was obliged to make his escape from Vienna.

Wieland, was born at Biberach, a free imperial city in the circle of Swabia, where his father was a clergyman of the Lutheran church. In early youth he was strongly impressed with religious sentiments, and his first poetical essays were pious hymns. Soon, however, the bent of his genius turned his pursuits into a different direction. He began his " Aga thon" when he was not more than seventeen years of age. He afterwards obtained a public office in his native city, but did not retain it long, as the duties it exacted of him were very little suited to the turn of his mind. His poetic enthusiasm was first kindled by reading the works of the Hamburg poet, Brookes, and the same is said to have also been the case with Klopstock.

Two persons who were most intimately connected with the History of Wieland's youth, had the greatest influence in developing the faculties of his mind. Julia Bondeley, a beautiful lady of Bern, of one of the first families of that city, became the object of his affection during a five years residence in Switzerland. What she began, Count Stadion, prime minister of the elector of Mentz, compleated, who lived in princely splendour at Warthansen, a castle about a mile and a half distant from Biberach, at the time Wieland was appointed recorder of his native city. He conceived so

*The other son of Gessner, a painter, has been these several years in London; and though possessed of great abilities, particularly in painting of horses, dess not meet with the encouragement he merits.

great