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 <c u k >
 
 BOHN'S STANDARD LIBRARY. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN 
 
 SCHILLER AND GOETHE 
 
 Vol. II.
 
 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN 
 
 SCHILLEK AND GOETHE 
 
 From 1794 to 1805. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM TLE THIRD EDITION OF THE GERMAN 
 WITH NOTES. 
 
 BY 
 
 L. DOEA SCHMITZ, 
 
 TRANSLATOR OF DR. ULBICl'S ' SHAKSPF.AUK.'s DRAMATIC ART,' AND DR. SCHLIEMANN'S 
 'TROY AND ITS REMAINS,' ETC. 
 
 Vol. II. 
 1798—1805. 
 
 LONDON: GEOEGE BELL AND SONS, YOEK STEEET, 
 COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 1890.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.. 
 
 STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
 
 
 COEEESPONDENCE 
 
 SCHILLEB AND GOETHE 
 
 404. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 2, 1798. 
 
 I shall look upon it as a good omen that my first letter 
 under the new date is addressed to you. May fortune be 
 as gracious to you this year as she has been during the 
 last two years ; I can wish you nothing better. Would 
 that I too might this year have the pleasure of working 
 out successfully what is best in my nature as you have 
 done with yours. 
 
 Your peculiar way of alternating between reflection and 
 production is truly enviable and admirable. Both species 
 of activity are wholly distinct in you, and this is precisely 
 the reason why both are so well developed. W 1 hile at work, 
 you are in reality in the dark, and the light is merely 
 in you ; and with reflection the inward light comes forth 
 from you illuminating objects for yourself and others. 
 In me the two species of activity are mixed, and that 
 moreover not to the advantage of the matter in hand. 
 
 I lately read a review of your Hermann and Dorothea in 
 the Niirnberg Gazette, which was again a proof to me that 
 the Germans appreciate only what is general, rational, 
 and moral. The criticism is full of good- will, but does not 
 contain anything that shows poetic feeling or that evinces 
 an insight into the poetic economy of the whole. The good 
 man clings merely to certain passages, and more especially 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 . o
 
 2 ' '•' CO.liBESPONDEXCE BETWEEN [1798 
 
 to such as enter into what is general and broad, and give 
 one something to take to heart. 
 
 Have you ever seen or heard anything of that strange 
 "book of Betif s : Cceur himain devoile ? I have read it as 
 far as it is written, and in spite of all that is objection- 
 able, low, and revolting in it, have enjoyed it very much. 
 For I have never yet met with so vehemently sensual a 
 nature, and the variety of the personages, chiefly female, 
 to whom one is introduced, the life and the vividness of 
 the descriptions, the characteristic account of customs, 
 and the delineation of French character, among a certain 
 class of people, cannot fail to excite interest. To me, who 
 have so little opportunity for drawing my materials from 
 without, and for studying real life, such books— among 
 which I also class Cellini — is of inestimable value. 
 
 A few days ago, to my great delight, I read in the 
 Intelligence sheet of the Literary Gazette an announce- 
 ment from the younger SehL'gel that he no longer has 
 anything to do with the editor of the Lyceum* Hence 
 our prophecy that this publication would not last long, 
 has proved time ! 
 
 Farewell for to-day ; to-morrow I shall expect definite 
 notice as to how soon you can come to us. My wife 
 sends kindest greetings. Meyer will, I hope, come for 
 one day in any case. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 405. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 3, 1798. 
 
 I feel quite happy in the thought that the New Year 
 finds us so near one another ; I only hope that we shall 
 soon meet again and spend some time together uninter- 
 ruptedly. There are many things I wish to discuss and 
 to confide in you, in order that a certain period in my 
 meditations and work may the more speedily be matured. 
 
 I am looking forward with great pleasure to seeing 
 something of your Wallenstein, for I shall thus be able to 
 
 * The editor was Reichardt, so frequently alluded to in some of the 
 earlier letters.
 
 Letter 405.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 3 
 
 take a new interest in your nature. I only wish that 
 you may be able to finish it this year. 
 
 I had hoped to have been able to come to you next 
 Sunday, but a new obstacle seems to be coming in the 
 way ; on Saturday I shall be able to say more definitely. 
 You will at the same time receive a copy of an old dialogue 
 between a Chinese scholar and a Jesuit,* in which the 
 former appears a creative idealist, and the latter a regular 
 Eeinholditcj" The thing has amused me inconceivably, 
 and given me a good idea of Chinese acuteness. 
 
 Eetif s book I have not yet seen, but shall try to 
 procure it. 
 
 Were it of importance to us as poets — as with con- 
 jurers — that no one should perceive how the trick is 
 done, we should certainly be the winners in the game ; for 
 all who please the public can count upon good luck, 
 inasmuch as they swim with the stream. In my Hermann 
 und Dorothea I have — in regard to subject-matter — for once 
 complied with the wishes of the Germans, and hence, they 
 are extremely well satisfied. I am just considering whether 
 we could not, in a similar way, write a dramatic piece that 
 might be seen played in every theatre, and be generally 
 declared excellent, without the author himself requiring 
 to consider it as such. 
 
 This, and the discussion of many another subject, must 
 be left till we meet. How much I wish that you could 
 be with us just now in order to see, in the self-same hour, 
 and hence, as it were, side by side, one of the most mis- 
 shapen creatures in organic nature — an elephant — and the 
 most graceful of all artistic forms — Raphael's Florentine 
 Madonna. J 
 
 Schelling's ideas towards a Philosophy of Nature I shall 
 bring with me, it will give rise to many a discussion. 
 
 Farewell, and give your dear wife many kind greetings 
 from me. 
 
 Friedrich Schlegel has had a mad essay of his inserted 
 
 ♦ See Letters 407, 410. 
 
 t One of the noblest inquirers after Truth since Kant produced his 
 * History of Philosophy.' He was born in Vienna, but subsequently 
 became one of the professors at the university of Jena. 
 
 X Meyer's copy of the Madonna ddla Sedia. 
 
 B 2
 
 4 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1708. 
 
 in a number of the Lyceum, while it was being printed in 
 Berlin, where he was at the time ; there happened to be a 
 dearth of manuscript, and this essay was pnt in without 
 Eeichardt's knowledge ; there is an attack upon Voss in it, 
 and this has given rise to a dispute between the two noble 
 friends. 
 
 406. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 5, 1798. 
 
 My landlord* and his wife cannot say enough about the 
 friendly way in which they were received by you, and 
 about the beautiful things that were shown to them. I 
 am really astonished at the interest with which the old 
 man speaks of these works of art ; the artist himself has 
 every reason to rejoice at the effect produced by them in a 
 character like his. 
 
 I am greatly disappointed that your intention of coming 
 here has been thwarted so often, for, owing to a former 
 letter of yours, I have been calculating upon seeing you 
 ever since Christmas Day. I have meanwhile advanced 
 some steps with my work, and am now in a position to 
 lay before you four times as much as the Prologue amounts 
 to, although this includes nothing, as yet, of the third 
 act. 
 
 Now that I have got my work cleanly copied out in 
 another person's handwriting, and it, therefore, looks less 
 familiar to me, I am really pleased with it. There are 
 obvious proofs that I have gone beyond myself, which is 
 the result of my intercourse with you ; for it is only the 
 frequent and continued communion with an objective 
 nature so opposite to my own, my active striving after it, 
 and the combined effort of contemplating it and of reflect- 
 ing upon it, that could enable me to keep the subjective 
 limits of my own nature so far apart. I find that the clear- 
 ness and thoughtfulness which is the fruit of a later period 
 in life, has not deprived me of any of the warmth that 
 belongs to the earlier one. However, it would be more 
 
 • Griesbach, professor of theology at the university of Jena.
 
 Letter 407.] SCHILLER AXD GOETHE. 5 
 
 appropriate that I should hear this from you, than that 
 you should hear it from me. 
 
 I grant that I should not choose any subjects but 
 historical ones ; freely invented ones would be dangerous 
 ground to me. It is quite a different thing to idealise what 
 is realistic, than to realise what is ideal, and this is what 
 has actually to be done in free fiction. I know it to be 
 within my power to animate and to give warmth to any 
 given subject that is definite and limited, and so to say to 
 make it sprout up, whereas the objective definiteness of 
 such a subject would curb my imagination, and be an 
 obstacle to my wishes. 
 
 If I succeed with one or two dramas and win the public 
 over to my side, I should be very much tempted to do 
 something wicked and to work out an old idea of mine 
 about Julian the Apostate. For here, likewise, there 
 would be quite a definite historical world ; there would 
 be no fear of my not finding poetic material in it, and the 
 fearful interest in the subject-matter would only make 
 the power of the poetic representation the more effective. 
 If there should be a copy of Julian's Blisopogon or of his 
 Letters (that is to say a translation) in the Weimar 
 Library, you would be doing me a great favour by bring- 
 ing them with you when you come. 
 
 Charlotte Kalb, I hear, is said to be in danger of 
 becoming blind ; she would be greatly to be pitied. 
 
 Farewell; I enclose something of Korner's concerning 
 your Pauslas. Please be so kind as to send me back 
 Humboldt's letter which I wish to answer on Monday. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 407. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January, 6, 1798. 
 I congratulate you upon your satisfaction with the 
 portion of your w \ you have finished. The clearness 
 with which you have examined the demands that you 
 were obliged to make upon yourself, leads me to think 
 that there can be no doubt about the justness of your 
 own testimony. The fortunate meeting of our natures has
 
 6 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 already been of many an advantage to us both, and I 
 hope that the relation may always continue equally 
 effective. If I have served you as the representative of 
 much objective matter, you have led me back to myself 
 from too exclusively contemplating outward things and 
 their circumstances. You have taught me to look at the 
 manysidedness of the inner man more fairly, you have 
 given me a second youth and re-fashioned me into a poet, 
 which I may be said to had ceased to be. 
 
 Very strange still is the effect which I feel my journey * 
 to have had upon me. The material which I gathered I 
 cannot make use of, and have got completely out of the 
 mood for doing anything. I recollect this having been 
 the effect upon me in former years, and I know very 
 well from many instances and circumstances that impres- 
 sions received have to work away in me for a long time in 
 quiet, before they will willingly allow themselves to be put 
 to poetical use. For this reason I have made a complete 
 halt, and am now waiting to see what my first sojourn in 
 Jena will bring forth. 
 
 Korner's interpretation of Pausias is again very remark- 
 able. We ought to make our work as good and as varied 
 as we can, in order that every one may be able to pick 
 out something and take an interest in it after his own 
 fashion. Korner's remark is just in some respects, the 
 grouping of the poem is as definite as if it had been 
 painted, and animated only by sentiment and recollection, 
 whereby the rivalry between the poet and the painter is 
 made more striking. 
 
 I have, moreover, again very clearly perceived, in the 
 case of the poems in the last Mmenalmanach, that no 
 sympathy however valuable can teach us anything, and 
 that neither is any species of censure of any use. As long 
 as a work does not exist, no one can form any idea of 
 the possibility of its existence ; and as soon as it does 
 exist, praise and blame are in all cases subjective, and 
 many, who cannot be denied to possess taste, will wish 
 something added to or taken from it, whereby, possibly, 
 the whole work would be destroyed, so that not even the 
 
 * Probably his journey to Italy, in 1787-1788.
 
 Lettei 407.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 7 
 
 actual negative value of the critic, which is perhaps always 
 the most important, can be of any benefit to us. 
 
 I wish, for very many reasons, that your Wallenstein 
 may soon be finished. Let us again go thoroughly over 
 the demands of the drama, both while you are at work 
 with it and afterwards ! If in future you feel sure and 
 determined in regard to the plan and the arrangement, 
 then, considering the exercise your talents have had and 
 the inner wealth of your mind, you would not be doing 
 right unless you were to write a couple of plays every 
 year. For it seems to me clear that it is necessary for a 
 dramatist to come frequently before the public, continually 
 to renew the effect which he has produced, and, if he has 
 the talent, to go on building upon it. 
 
 Our poor friend Frau von Kalb is really very ill. She 
 has already lost the best use of her sight, and it is very 
 likely that she will lose it altogether. 
 
 I will remember Julian.* 
 
 Herewith comes the promised philosophical discoursed 
 The Chinaman would please me even better had he taken 
 the fire-basket and handed it to his adversary with the 
 
 * See Letter 406. 
 
 t This refers to a work of Erasmus Franeisci, which Goethe 
 mentioned in Letter 405, and again speaks of at the end of Letter 411. 
 Francisci there quotes a passage from a treatise by Trigault, a Jesuit, 
 entitled : De Christianorum Ezpeditione ad Sinas a S<>cie ate Jesu 
 suseepta. It is an amusing conversation between a Jesuit and a 
 Chinese priest, a portion of which may be quoted here to explain 
 the allusion in the letter. The Chinese, upon being asked by the 
 Jesuit what he thought of the Lord of Heaven, replied that " he 
 did not consider Him to possess any special majesty, power, or 
 divine strength. For," he added, " I, too, and every other man, are 
 like unto him, and in no way Lis inferior." The Jesuit then put 
 the question as to whether he could do such things as it was uni- 
 versally acknowledged the Lord of Heaven had done? The reply 
 was: " Yes ;" and the heathen ventured further to say that he could 
 also create heavens and earths. " Ah ! my good man," replied the 
 Jesuit, "then make a fire-basket like this one;" for it happened 
 that a fire-basket was standing by full of glowing coals. There- 
 upon tne idolatrous priest exclaimed that it was unfair of the Jesuit 
 to desire this of him ; and the other replied in a still louder voice 
 that it was more unfair to presume to promise a thing thai c uld 
 not be performed, &c.
 
 8 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 words : " Yes, I created it ; there, take it and make use of 
 it ! " I should like to know what the Jesuit's answer to 
 this would have been. 
 
 While reading Schelling's book various thoughts have 
 again struck me wmich we must talk over in detail. I 
 willingly admit that it is not nature that we perceive, but 
 that it is comprehended by us merely according to certain 
 forma and faculties of our mind. There may indeed be 
 very many different stages of perception between the 
 appetite of a child for an apple and the fall of an apple 
 which is said to have awakened in Newton the idea for 
 his theory ; it is veiy much to be wished that these stages 
 were very distinctly laid down, and that, at the same time, 
 it were made intelligible to us which is considered the 
 highest. The transcendental idealist of course believes 
 himself to be standing at the top of all, but one thing in 
 him I do not like is that he is ever disputing other modes 
 of conception, while the fact is that not any one mode of 
 conception can be disputed. "Who would dissuade certain 
 persons from believing in the idea of the appropriateness 
 of organic natures towards the outer world, when experi- 
 ence itself daily seems to express this doctrine, and a 
 plausible explanation can so easily be made to settle the 
 most difficult phenomena? You know how much I am 
 inclined to believe in the idea of the appropriateness of 
 organic natures to their inner life, and yet, of course, it 
 cannot be denied that there is a determination from without* 
 and a relation towards things that are without, whereby 
 one again comes more or less near to that mode of con- 
 ception which cannot be dispensed with in any discourse 
 as a mode of speech. In the same way the idealist may 
 defend his idea of things in themselves as much as he pleases, 
 he will nevertheless, before he is aware of it, come upon 
 things outside of himself and, as it seems to me, on first 
 meeting them, they will come athwart his path as the 
 fire-basket did the Chinaman's. It always appears to 
 me that if the one party can never get at the spirit from 
 without, so the other will probably hardly be able to reach 
 matters from within, and that therefore it would be better 
 to abide by the philosophical state of nature (Schelling's 
 ideas, p. xvi.), and to make the best possible use of one a
 
 Letter 409.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 9 
 
 ■undivided existence till philosophers are agreed as to how 
 that which they have separated can be re-united. 
 
 I have again come upon some questions which I shall 
 require to have settled for my next work, and in regard 
 to which I shall beg you to give me your opinion. Fare- 
 well. I am inclined to defer coming to you for a short 
 time, in order to be more likely to be able to enjoy a 
 continuance of happy and fruitful days with you. 
 
 G. 
 
 408. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 9, 1798. 
 
 The enclosed* Cotta sent me for you, and you are to 
 have it regularly. The parcels are always to be enclosed 
 to me, because they cannot be prepaid to Weimar. 
 
 To-day I can only bid you good evening. I had no 
 sleep last night and mean to go to bed immediately. How 
 are you keeping in this abominable weather? I feel it 
 through all my nerves. For your own sake I am glad that 
 you are not here just now. 
 
 Farewell. Sch. 
 
 409. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 10, 1798. 
 The last days have really been of such a kind that one 
 did well to think as little as possible of the existence 
 of heaven and earth, so I have kept mostly to my room. 
 Meanwhile, during these colourless and cheerless days, I 
 have again taken up my studies on colour, and been 
 putting my papers into order, so as thoroughly to examine 
 what I had hitherto done. I have, namely, kept notes 
 from the beginning, and thus preserved an account of the 
 false as well as of the right steps I had taken, but 
 especially of all my experiments, experiences and ideas ; I 
 
 * The opening number of the Neueste Weltkunde, the editorship of 
 which had been declined by Schiller. E. L. Posselt, the historian, 
 undertook it, and a few months later was assisted in this by Huber, a 
 friend of Schiller's and of Korner's, when the periodical received the 
 name of the Allgemeine Zeitung.
 
 10 COIiltESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 have now separated the pile, had paper bags made, classed 
 these according to a certain system, and put the different 
 papers into them, and shall thus be able more easily to 
 examine my materials for each separate chapter, to destroy 
 all useless papers, by separating those that are useful, 
 and, at the same time, to revise the whole. I now see what a 
 mad undertaking this has been, and shall take good care 
 never to attempt anything of the kind again. For even 
 now, although I have got things arranged thus far, I shall 
 have much trouble before I get my material worked out in 
 proper form. Still I have gained much in culture by this, 
 for my nature would scarcely have vouchsafed me an in- 
 sight into these matters without my having taken this 
 strange interest in the subject. I enclose a short essay * 
 which may be from four to five years old ; I think you are 
 sure to be interested in seeing how I looked at things in 
 those days. 
 
 I send you. at the same time, Herr Bouterwek's aesthetic 
 essays which I beg you to keep carefully till I come. 
 Nothing could well strike me as more odd. The whole 
 book seems to me to consist of old traditional ware, of in- 
 definite views of his own, and of fragments of the new 
 system of philosophy. It would be amusing enough if, at 
 some future time, one could get hold of notes he might 
 have taken during lectures ; I shall try and do this. 
 
 It is very good of Cotta to send me his new WeWcundeJ 
 and I shall thank him for it myself. The pamphlet will 
 have a large sale, although I will not deny that its style 
 is repugnant to me ; it reminds me of Schubart's Chronicle, 
 and does not show either good taste or dignity. But 
 what does that matter, if friend Cotta's expectations are 
 realised ? If I can at any future time serve him by sending 
 him a contribution of some sort, I will gladly do so. The 
 third number came to me direct yesterday. 
 
 Keep as well as you possibly can ! I shall remain here 
 throughout January, on the 30th have another opera per- 
 formed, and then hasten over to you, where I hope to find 
 
 * The essay which is now included in Goethe's work bears the title 
 of Der Veratic'h ah Verm ttler von Sxbjtct und Object. (1793). 
 f See note to last Letter.
 
 Letter 410] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 11 
 
 Wallenstein in a good way. I shall probably not be able to 
 do anything meanwhile but arrange and settle things. 
 Farewell. G. 
 
 410. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 12, 1798. 
 Your essay gives me an excellent idea and account of 
 your proceedings in the study of natural history; it 
 touches the highest concerns and demands of all rational 
 empiricism, inasmuch as its object is only to lay down the 
 law for a single branch. I shall read it through again 
 carefully and think it over, and then tell you my observa- 
 tions. This, for instance, is very evident to me, that it is 
 dangerous to wish to prove a theoretical proposition 
 directly by experiments. And, it seems to me, it corresponds 
 with another philosophical warning, never to try to prove 
 one's propositions by examples, inasmuch as no proposition 
 is equal to the example. The opposite method wholly 
 ignores the essential difference between the world of nature 
 and the world of reason ; nay, it disregards all nature by 
 allowing us to find only this conception in things and 
 never conversely. In general, a phenomenon, a fact, 
 which is something always variously definitive, can never 
 be equal to a rule which is simply defining. I wish that 
 you felt inclined to work out the main substance of this 
 essay by itself, and independently of the investigations 
 and experiments to which it serves as an introduction. 
 You would give important hints for a stricter and purer 
 distinction between practical procedure and theoretical 
 application ; people would be brought so far as to be con- 
 vinced that science can be extended, on the one hand, only 
 by following a phenomenon without any consideration of 
 a unity to be established, by looking at it from all points, 
 and by only endeavouring to compass nature in its breadth ; 
 and, on the other hand, (if only the first has been estab- 
 lished) by favouring the freedom of the powers of percep- 
 tion, and by applying the power of combination as much 
 as is wished, with this reservation, that the imaginative 
 faculty should try to create things only in its own world, 
 and never in the fact itself. For it seems to me that
 
 12 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 hitherto men have erred in two different ways when 
 studying nature ; at one time nature was narrowed by 
 theory, and at another the thinking powers were too much 
 limited by the object. Both must have justice done to 
 them, if a system of rational empiricism is to become 
 possible, and both can have justice done them only if a 
 strict critical police separate their domains. As soon as 
 we favour the freedom of the theoretical powers, it cannot 
 but be — as experience itself teaches — that the multiplicity 
 of the modes of conception by which they mutually limit 
 and frequently neutralise one another makes up for the 
 harm produced by the despotism of the one, and we are 
 thus forced back upon the object even on the theoretical 
 path. 
 
 The metaphysical discussion between the priest and the 
 Chinaman * amused me very much, and it is particularly 
 good in the Gothic language. Only I am uncertain, as 
 often happens in such cases, whether something very 
 clever or something very commonplace may not be hidden 
 behind the Chinaman's reasoning. Where did you dis- 
 cover this exquisite morsel ? It would be a good joke to 
 have it printed with a gentle reference to our latest- 
 system of philosophers. 
 
 Bouterwek's aesthetic commodities are really remarkable. 
 Never have I seen so insipid, belletristic a chatterer with 
 so muddled a head, and such barefaced pretension to 
 philosophy, together with such wretchedly rhapsodical 
 implements. 
 
 Your having deferred your visit till February will 
 make this melancholy month of January seem all the 
 longer ; but I shall try and extort one advantage from this 
 state of solitude, and proceed busily with my Wallenstein, 
 It will moreover be well for me to have brought the 
 tragedy to a certain heat of action before I show it to 
 you, a point where it will move on seemingly of its own 
 accord, and so to say, be in the act of rolling down-hill, 
 for in the first two acts it is still in a state of ascending. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to Meyer. My 
 wife wishes to be most kindly remembered. 
 
 Sch. 
 * See Letter 407. and note.
 
 Letteb 411.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 13 
 
 411. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, January 13, 1798. 
 
 Your instructive letter finds me among colours produced 
 by glass plates being pressed together, the phenomenon in 
 I which you yourself were so much interested, and which I 
 ! now intend to trace to its first elements, inasmuch as I 
 propose working out one chapter after the other. Be sure 
 to write and tell me what you think of my essay, for we 
 must now be making a good step forwards, and I have 
 again come to see, in looking through Schelling's book, 
 that but little assistance is to be expected from modern 
 philosophers. During these last days, while separating 
 and arranging my papers, I have seen to my satisfaction, 
 that by faithfully moving forwards, and by unprejudiced 
 observation, I have left stiff realism and stagnating 
 objectivity so far behind me, as to be able to subscribe 
 your letter of to-day as if it were my own confession of 
 faith. I will try and see whether I cannot practically 
 I represent this conviction of mine in my work. 
 
 This week, while again looking through different works 
 Ion physics, it struck me very forcibly that most in- 
 vestigators make the natural phenomenon a means for 
 making use of their individual powers and for exercising 
 their own peculiar trade. It is almost inconceivable that 
 Newton should, at a wrong time, be found playing the 
 part of a geometrician in his optics ; it is no better than if 
 ione wished to set the phenomena to music or turn them 
 into verse, simply because one happened to be a director 
 I of music or a poet. The mechanist makes light to consist of 
 balls which come into collision with one another and drive 
 one another on ; their striking off more or less obliquely is 
 3aid to give rise to the different colours; with the chemist 
 'it is caloric and, in recent times, more especially, oxygen 
 'that is said to produce them. A peaceful and peculiarly 
 modest man like Kliigel is doubtful about this, but does 
 ;aot urge the point ; Lichtenberg jests with and ridicules 
 ;he conceptions of others ; W iinsch brings forward an 
 Hypothesis madder than any chapter in the Apocalypse,
 
 14 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793 
 
 squanders his skilfulness, his cleverness in experimenting, 
 and his acuteness in combining, upon one of the most 
 absurd ideas in the world ; Gren repeats what is anti- 
 quated, like one praying to a symbolical confession of faith, 
 and maintains that it is the right one ; enough, it seems 
 to be more or less everybody's object to connect his own 
 special condition with the case, and wherever possible to 
 make it suit his own convenience. We must see how we 
 are to guard ourselves from such dangers as these ; assist 
 me by also taking note of them. 
 
 I will one day soon write you out a sketch of the 
 subject in order to let you see my method, object and 
 idea of the work. 
 
 To-day I can only send you my best wishes for the 
 progress of your Wallenstein. 
 
 The mad philosophical conversation is taken from 
 Erasmus Francisci's newly polished Mirror of History, 
 Art and Manners* a nonsensical book which, however, 
 contains some matter that might prove useful to us. 
 
 Farewell. The message-woman is at the door. 
 
 G. 
 
 412. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January, 15, 1798. 
 
 Only a friendly greeting to-day. To-morrow evening 
 I shall write by the post. I have been so absorbed in one 
 of my principal scenes that the night-watchman has just 
 warned me to stop. All is still going on quite satis- 
 factorily with the work ; and although a poet cannot set 
 airy more value upon his first draught than a merchant 
 upon such of his goods as are at sea, still, I nevertheless 
 think that I have not been wasting my time. 
 
 Farewell. Sch. 
 
 413. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 17, 1798. 
 The good news that your work is progressing, is a 
 compensation to me for the want of a longer letter which 
 I should otherwise have been sorry to miss. 
 * Gtschichte-, Kunst- vnd Sitttnspiegel.
 
 Lettkb 413.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 15 
 
 Herewith you will receive a short essay* on some 
 points which I would rather have discussed with you by 
 word of mouth one day soon. I think that when we 
 have once or twice discussed the matter properly, it must 
 become clear. I yesterday read a chapter on electricity 
 in Gren's Naturlehre, it is as sensible as the one on 
 colours is senseless ; but how much had not already 
 been worked out and prepared for him ? 
 
 As far as I can as yet foresee, the theory of colours, 
 when well taken in hand will, in regard to exposition, 
 have an advantage over that in electricity and magnetism ; 
 for in the case of colours we do not deal with signs, but 
 with the conditions and effects of visible differences in 
 nature. 
 
 Herewith also you will receive supplementary remarks 
 by our friend Hirt f on his Laokoon. 
 
 Bottiger, in his favourite fashion, had treacherously 
 let this friend of ours know of my essay on the subject, 
 and he has consequently been placed in the greatest 
 embarrassment, as his supplement proves. 
 
 It is worthy of notice that he adduces his examples 
 from bas-reliefs, which, as inferior works of art, may 
 indeed go somewhat further, and that he is silent in 
 regard to the family of !Niobe, a work of art which ranks 
 as one of the highest, but does not speak in favour of his 
 hypothesis. 
 
 If only the group itself had arrived safely in Paris and 
 were again to be seen, our twaddle on the subject might 
 all end in smoke. 
 
 People in Paris are already beginning to lament over 
 the bad condition in which the works of art have arrived 
 there. Friend Meyer maintained, for instance, that it 
 would be impossible to transport the Cecilia by Eaphael, 
 because the chalk ground had in many places been 
 raised ; and so it has proved, for in the shaking it has 
 received much of the chalk has fallen off. How fortunate 
 Herr Posselt seems to me in being able, from the depth 
 of his heart, to rejoice in the success of this over-powering 
 and over-bearing nation. 
 
 * Veber die Methode bei den Naturwissensch a/ten. 
 t Compare Letters 340, 342.
 
 16 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Farewell. I shall have a good deal to do for the next 
 few weeks, but as soon as the birthday is past, I mean to 
 come to you in order to take part in your work. 31y 
 kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 414. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 19, 1798. 
 
 It will be interesting and instructive to you, to examine 
 the ideas, which you brought forward in that older essay 
 and again in your last one, according to the Categories. 
 Your judgment will be quite confirmed, and it will at the 
 same time awaken in you a new faith in the regulative 
 use of philosophy with regard to matters empirical. I will 
 here confine myself only to a few modes of applying it, and 
 moreover at once in connection with your last essay. 
 
 The idea of experience under the three different kinds 
 of phenomena is entirely exhaustive if you test them 
 according to the Categories. 
 
 Common empiricism, which does not go beyond the 
 empiric phenomenon has (according to quantity) always 
 but one case, a single element of experience, and hence 
 no experience ; according to quality it alwa}~s asserts but 
 one definite existence without distinguishing it, without 
 excluding it, without opposing it, in a word, without 
 making comparisons ; according to relation, it is in danger 
 of conceiving what is accidental as substantial ; according 
 to modality it remains confined simply to a definite reality, 
 without suspecting what is possible, or even leading its 
 cognition up to necessity. According to my idea common 
 empiricism is never exposed to error, for error first arises 
 when it is made the basis of a science. What it 
 observes, it really observes, and as it feels no desire 
 to make its perceptions laws for the object, so its per- 
 ceptions may always, without any danger, be isolated and 
 accidental. 
 
 b. 
 
 Tt is only with rationalism that there arises the philosch
 
 Letter 414.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 17 
 
 phical phenomenon and error ; for in this field the thinking 
 faculties commence their play, and arbitrariness enters 
 with the freedom that is granted to these powers which 
 are so inclined to substitute themselves for the object. 
 
 According to quantity, rationalism always comprises 
 several cases, and as long as it is modest enough not to 
 represent plurality as totality— that is, to make objective 
 laws— it is harmless, nay useful, for it is the way to 
 truth, which can be found only when one understands 
 how to free oneself from particular cases. When abused, 
 however, it becomes hurtful to philosophy, because, as 
 you yourself very clearly state in your essay, it will 
 maintain the immense combining powers of the human 
 mind at the cost of a certain republican freedom of facts ; 
 in short, because it regards mere plurality as unity, and 
 hence treats that which is no totality, as a totality. 
 
 According to quality, rationalism very properly con- 
 trasts the phenomena one with another, it distinguishes 
 and compares, which (like rationalism generally) is also 
 praiseworthy and good, and the only way to philosophy. 
 But the despotism of the thinking powers spoken of 
 above, manifests itself here also immediately by onesidedness, 
 by strictness of distinction, as before by arbitrariness of com- 
 bining. It runs in danger of strictly separating that 
 which is allied in nature, as in the above case it joins 
 what nature separates. It makes divisions where none 
 exist, <fec. 
 
 According to relation it is the everlasting endeavour of 
 rationalism to enquire into the causality of the pheno- 
 mena, and to unite everything qua cause and effect: 
 again very praiseworthy and necessary for philosophy, 
 but likewise extremely hurtful owing to onesidedness. I 
 refer here to your essay itself which chiefly censures the 
 abuse which occasions the causal relationship of the 
 phenomena. Rationalism seems to be at fault here prin- 
 cipally from the fact that, inadequately, it merely takes 
 into account the length and not the breadth of nature. 
 
 According to modality, rationalism quits reality without 
 
 arriving at necessity. Possibility is its immense field, 
 
 hence its unlimited hypotheses. Even this function of 
 
 the understanding is, as I think, necessary, and the 
 
 VOL. ii. ■ c
 
 18 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1708. 
 
 conditio sine qua non of all philosophy, for, in my opinicn, 
 it is only through what is possible that a passage frcm 
 the Eeal to the Necessary is to be found. Hence I 
 uphold, as far as I can, the freedom and justification of 
 theoretical powers in the domain of physics. 
 
 The pure phenomenon which, as I think, is one with the 
 objective law of nature, can be got at only by rational 
 empiricism. But, to repeat it again, rational empiricism 
 itself can never begin directly with empiricism ; on the 
 contrary, rationalism will in all cases first lie between 
 them. The third category arises at all times from the 
 union of the first with the second, and thus we also find 
 that it is only the full activity of the freely thinking 
 faculties together with the purest and the most extensive 
 activity of the sensuous powers of perception, that leads to 
 scientific knowledge. Eational empiricism, consequently, 
 will effect both these things : it will exclude arbitrariness 
 and call forth liberality : the arbitrariness which in- 
 fluences the mind of man towards the object, or blind 
 chance in the object, and the limited individuality of 
 the single phenomenon towards the power of thought. 
 In a word, it will grant the object its full right by 
 taking from it its blind power, and procure for the human 
 mind its full (rational) freedom by cutting off from it 
 all arbitrariness. 
 
 According to quantity, the pure phenomenon must com- 
 prehend the totality of instances, for it is the element of 
 constancy in every one of them. Hence it again restores 
 unity in the plurality, and that perfectly in accordance 
 with the meaning of the Category. 
 
 According to quality, rational empiricism always sets a 
 limit, as may be leamt from the example of all true 
 enquirers into nature, who are equally removed from all 
 absolute affirmations and denials. 
 
 According to relation, rational empiricism pays heed 
 both to the causality and to the independence of pheno- 
 mena ; it sees all nature in a reciprocal state of activity, 
 everything is determined alternately, and hence : : t takes 
 good care not to allow causality to assert itsdf only
 
 Letter 414.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 19 
 
 according to a simple scanty length, but breadth too is in 
 all cases taken into account. 
 
 According to modality rational empiricism always pene- 
 trates to necessity. 
 
 Eational empiricism, in accordance with its idea, is 
 indeed never exposed to abuse like the two preceding 
 species of cognition ; but one ought nevertheless to guard 
 against a false and apparently rational empiricism. For 
 in the same way as a wise limitation constitutes the real 
 spirit of this species of rational empiricism, so a cowardly 
 and timid limitation may produce the other. The fruit of 
 the former is the pure phenomenon, the fruit of the latter 
 the empty and hollow phenomenon. I have on several occa- 
 sions observed that timid, weak minds — on account of too 
 great a regard for objects and their variety, and from 
 too great a fear of the powers of the mind — in the end, 
 so limit and, as it were, hollow out their assertions and 
 enunciations that the result is nil. 
 
 There is still so much to be discussed on this subject and 
 on your theses, that I am looking forward to your coming 
 in order thoroughly to enter into the matter, for it is only 
 conversation that gives me actual help in quickly grasping 
 and retaining hold of the ideas of others. In the mono- 
 logue of a letter I am always in danger of only taking up 
 my own side. I more particularly wish to hear you your- 
 self discourse upon that which you call the direct applica- 
 tion of cases to rules. 
 
 My poetical work has been at a standstill for the last 
 three days, notwithstanding my having been quite in the 
 humour for it. An affection of the throat, which has 
 been going the round of our house, has at last attacked 
 me also, and this trouble having come upon me just when 
 I was in a state of great sensitiveness, produced by my 
 work, I was very feverish all day yesterday. To-day, 
 however, my head is already much better, and I hope in a 
 few days to have quite got rid of my troublesome visitor. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your new Xenion* We will, of 
 course, put it ad acta. 
 
 The mad pranks which Herr Posselt is cutting before 
 the public will not do his publisher any great injury. 
 * Probably a Xenion enclosed in Goethe's previous Letter. 
 
 c 2
 
 20 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 People are asking here continually whether you are 
 going to have Gotter's opera, The Enchanted Isle* performed 
 in Weimar. 
 
 As Herr Hirt has to some extent prepared people for 
 your essay on Laolzoon, do you not feel inclined to let it 
 appear in the Horen ? 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 415. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 20, 1798. 
 
 Accept my best thanks for your examination of my 
 essay by the Categories ; I shall always keep it before me 
 when at work. I myself feel, to judge from the spirit in 
 which I treat these subjects, that I shall herein soon 
 arrive at a noble freedom of thought. I am incessantly 
 planning, going over my collection and endeavouring to 
 bring the phenomena out of the midst of what is un- 
 necessary and erroneous, into the safest definitions and 
 the purest results. How glad I shall be when all the 
 useless rubbish is burnt, and I have got what is useful 
 written down on a few pages. The labour has been 
 immense, for I have been working at it now for eight 
 years, and I had no experience in the subject, and had 
 always to gain it for myself in and by practice. As we 
 have now come so far, do not let this last work cause us 
 any vexation ; do you but stand by me on the theoretical 
 side, and it is sure to proceed more speedily. 
 
 I enclose a hasty sketch towards a history of the theory 
 of colours. You will, while reading it, be able to make 
 some good observations on the course of the development 
 of the human mind ; it runs round a certain circle till it 
 has exhausted it. The whole thing, as you will see, 
 turns upon common experience which merely expresses the 
 phenomenon, and upon that rationalism which hunts after 
 causes ; there are but few attempts at a clear classification 
 
 * Goethe wrote to A. W. Schlegel on February 28 : " We are now 
 waiting for the composition of the Zauheriasel (the music by Zumsteg) ; 
 we think of giving it after Easter."
 
 Letter 416.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 21 
 
 of the phenomena. Hence even the history itself pre- 
 scribes what we have to do. In working this out, some 
 very interesting points will come into discussion. Grant 
 me your support while I proceed further. 
 
 Your frequent returns of ill-health grieve me very much, 
 both on account of your suffering as well as for the loss of 
 time it entails. The mild weather does not yet forebode 
 us any good for some time to come. 
 
 Cotta is to be envied ; he no doubt feels happy that so 
 splendid a pamphlet should make its appearance in the 
 world through him, and thus the golden approval will be 
 doubly welcome. I have greatly furthered its circulation 
 in Weimar. 
 
 Gotter's opera we are not going to have performed just 
 yet. 
 
 My essay on Laokoon I shall again look over when I 
 have time, and we will then think of what is to be done 
 with it. Farewell ; give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife, and again accept my thanks for your long, instructive 
 letter. 
 
 G. 
 
 416. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 23, 1798. 
 
 I have not got as quickly rid of my sore-throat as I 
 hoped would be the case when I last wrote to you. It is 
 still troubling me to-day, and as it is my head that is 
 chiefly affected, this makes me more impatient than my 
 spasms otherwise do. It is doubly vexatious to me as I 
 was feeling in the best mood for work and hoped to have 
 got over a good piece before you came. 
 
 The short sketch towards a history of optics contains 
 many important principles for a general history of science 
 and of human thought, and should you think of working 
 it out, it would necessarily give rise to many philosophical 
 observations. But the German mind would not appear to 
 advantage there, unless the development be anticipated. 
 It is indeed strange that the vivacity of the French should 
 allow itself to be so soon intimidated and tired out. One 
 would be inclined to say that, after all, it was more passion
 
 22 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 than Love that fostered the opposition of the French ; 
 otherwise they would not have yielded to authority. The 
 German is long kept in subjection by authority and 
 dogmatic error, but in the end his natural objectivity 
 and his serious consideration of the matter carry off the 
 victory, and it is after all generally he who gathers in 
 the materials for science. 
 
 There is no question about your doing all that is 
 possible for your object, and that a point which is already 
 carried out so far must be brought to the desired end, for 
 I do not for a moment doubt that you will get to the end 
 of it. I believe, however, that, as you have waited in 
 vain for a companion and fellow-worker, you had better 
 not look about you for one any longer, but finish your 
 work quietly by yourself, and then come forward with 
 what you have accomplished as far as this can be done 
 by following your path. It seems as if Germans were not 
 impressed by what is coming into existence, it rather 
 irritates them and makes them self-willed, to see their 
 dogmas only shaken without being pulled entirely to 
 pieces. A perfectly finished whole and a serious methodical 
 attack, on the other hand, subdues their self-will and 
 brings the German's natural and innate love of enquiry 
 over to the adversary's side. This is my view of the case, 
 and if, in the course of three or four years, you bring 
 a detailed and methodical account before the public, it 
 will be sure to produce results. This chemical flood will 
 meanwhile disperse into something, and a new interest 
 will have arisen. 
 
 I heard that Bottiger intended writing an essay * on 
 the vandalism of the French in regard to the works of 
 art which have been so carelessly transported. I hope he 
 may do so, and, at the same time, collect all such character- 
 istic traits of rudeness and thoughtlessness as are connected 
 with it. Encourage him to do this, and then try and 
 procure the essay for the Horen. 
 
 Farewell. To-day week I hope to have you here. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * Bottiger's essay on this subject appeared in the February number 
 of the Merkur, under the title of " Und voie wird alles dies in Pari* 
 autgthoben sein i "
 
 Letter 417.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 23 
 
 417. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 24, 1798. 
 
 To-day even I might send you a better sketch for a future 
 history of the theory of colours, and it shall by degrees 
 become better still. When we examine that series of 
 mental work, of which the history of the sciences actually 
 consists, we are no longer inclined to smile at the 
 idea of writing a history a priori: for in reality every- 
 thing develops out of the progressive and retrograding 
 qualities of the human mind, out of such natures as are 
 aspiring and such as again are retarding. 
 
 A single instance I must mention. You remember the 
 experiment with the glass cube, where I very distinctly 
 showed that the perpendicular rays become changed, and 
 that the image is raised from the base. Even Bnellius, 
 who first discovered the law of refraction, suggested this. 
 However, Huygens, who was the first actually to make 
 known the discoveiy, straightway overlooked the phe- 
 nomenon, because he could not make use of it in his 
 mathematical treatment of the subject, which is other- 
 wise quite correct ; since that time no one would listen to it. 
 The perpendicular ray is indeed not refracted, and a calcu- 
 lation cannot be made, as in the case of refracted rays, 
 because no comparison can be drawn between the angles 
 and their sinus. Now a phenomenon that cannot be 
 calculated is a phenomenon for that very reason ; and 
 it is strange that, in this case, it is just the fundamental 
 phenomenon (for such I consider it to be) from which all 
 others are derived, that is set aside. 
 
 It is only since I firmly resolved not to discuss the subject 
 with anyone, except with yourself and Meyer, and only since 
 then that I have had pleasure and courage in it ; for being 
 frequently disappointed in the hope of sympathy and 
 assistance from others, is always accompanied by loss of 
 time. I can now always be carefully working on, as time, 
 circumstances, and inclination permit. 
 
 I trust that the fine weather and the rise of the 
 barometer may help somewhat in bringing you into a 
 better state of health ; I am longing heartily to get out
 
 24 COREESPONDEXCE BETWEEN [179S. 
 
 of this theatrical life with its masks, and to come over to 
 you. I shall give or send your message to Bottiger ; he 
 has been invisible for some time, that is, since he played 
 me a rather spiteful kind of trick.* Meyer is busy and 
 sends kind greetings. 
 
 418. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 26, 1798. 
 
 I have just formally subscribed to the sentence of death 
 of the three goddesses, f Eunomia, Dike and Irene. Let 
 fall a pious Christian tear in memory of the noble dead ; 
 condolence, however, is deprecated. 
 
 Last year, Cotta only just paid his expenses, and would 
 even now like to let things go on vegetating in the same 
 way for a year longer, but I really did not see the remotest 
 possibility of continuing it, for we have absolutely no 
 contributors upon whom we could depend, and I have 
 had perpetual anxiety and a good deal of uninteresting 
 work connected with the editorship, so that I felt some 
 decisive step must be taken to free myself from it. 
 
 "We shall, of course, not make much eclat by closing, 
 and as the appearance of Xo. xii. of 1797 will, at any rate, 
 be delayed till March, they will quietly fall asleep of 
 their own accord. Or shall this twelfth number contain 
 a mad politico-religious essay to bring down an interdict 
 upon the Horen ! If you know of one suitable for such 
 a purpose, there is room for it still. 
 
 My health is again better since yesterday, but my 
 inclination for work has not returned yet. I have 
 meanwhile occupied myself with Xiebuhr's and Yolney's 
 travels in Syria and Egypt, and I really advise any one 
 who is inclined to lose courage with the present bad 
 prospect of political affairs, to read these books ; for in 
 this way only can one come to see what a blessing it is — 
 in spite of all — to have been born in Europe. It is really 
 inconceivable that the animating power in man should be 
 
 * See Letter 413. The year before Bottiger had sent Eaeknita 
 Schiller's Kraniche des lbicv^ without the latter's knowledge and 
 consent. 
 
 t The Horen.
 
 Letter 419.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 25 
 
 active only in so small a portion of the globe, and that 
 the other enormous masses of men are of no account what- 
 ever in regard to the perfectibility of the human race. 
 It is an especially remarkable fact to me, that those 
 nations, and indeed that all non-Europeans on the earth, 
 should be wholly wanting, not so much in moral as in 
 lesthetic perceptions. Eealism as well as idealism are 
 displayed by them, but the two states of mind never 
 assume a humanly beautiful form. I consider it absolutely 
 impossible to find a subject for an epos or for a tragic poem 
 in these nations, or even to transfer one there. 
 
 Farewell for to-day ; my wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 419. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 26, evening-, 1798. 
 
 As I do not know how things may be with me to-morrow 
 morning, I shall dictate a short note this evening. 
 
 From the enclosed stanzas you will be able to form 
 some vague idea of the performance which is to take 
 place this evening. Six of our pretty lady friends are 
 going to adorn themselves as becomingly as possible, and 
 in order not to have any more allegories in marble, and, 
 wherever possible, nothing even of paint, we have, in the 
 clearest manner possible, represented the most important 
 symbols in pasteboard, gold, and other kinds of paper 
 tinsel and gauze, and whatever else of such materials was 
 to be found. 
 
 It will, in some measure, assist your dear wife's imagi- 
 nation if I add the following list of characters. 
 
 Peace . . . Fraulein von Wolfskeel. 
 
 Concord . . Frau von Egloffstein and Fraulein von 
 
 Seckendorf. 
 Abundance, Frau von Werther. 
 Art .... Fraulein von Beust. 
 Agriculture, Fraulein von Seebach. 
 
 In addition to these there will be six children who will 
 also have not a few attributes to drag in after them, and 
 thus, by means of a motley variety of forms, we hope — with
 
 26 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 the utmost awkwardness no doubt — to force a species of 
 reflection into those quarters which are most devoid 
 of thought. 
 
 This prelude is quite in keeping with the news which 
 I propose sending you of the renowned English poem by- 
 Darwin, entitled The Botanic Garden. I wish I could let 
 you have a look at this fashionable style of English book, 
 as I have it before me in large quarto bound in morocco. It 
 weighs exactly five and a half pounds, as I know by having 
 convinced myself of this yesterday. Now as our pocket- 
 books weigh about as much in half-ounces, we may, in 
 this respect, also be as one to thirty-two compared with 
 the English, unless indeed we on our part were able to 
 counterbalance one such fashionable English giant with 
 thirty-two pocket-books. It is splendidly printed on 
 smooth paper, embellished with crazy, allegorical engrav- 
 ings by Fueszli,* and in addition to this every now and 
 again adorned with illustrations the subjects of which are 
 taken from botany, antiquarian research, incidents and 
 love-affairs of the day ; it has introductions, tables of con- 
 tents, notes below the text and notes at the end of the 
 text, in which physics, geography, botany, manufacture 
 and commerce, but more especially the names of dead and 
 living celebrities are admirably set forth, so that from 
 ebb and flood down to the sympathetic ink, everything 
 can be readily perceived and understood. 
 
 Of all these strange things, however, to me the strangest 
 is : that this botanical work is found to speak of every- 
 thing except vegetation. This, at least, is almost literally 
 true in regard to the first part. Here are the contents of 
 the second canto : 
 
 Address to the Gnomes. The Earth thrown from a 
 volcano of the Sun ; its atmosphere and ocean ; its 
 journey through the Zodiac ; vicissitudes of daylight and 
 of seasons. Primeval islands. Paradise or the Golden 
 Age. Yenus rising from the sea. The first great earth- 
 quakes, continents raised from the sea ; the Moon thrown 
 from a volcano, has no atmosphere and is frozen ; the 
 Earth's diurnal motion retarded ; it's axis more inclined ; 
 whirls with the Moon round a new centre. Formation of 
 * Henry Fuseli, the Royal Academical!.
 
 Letter 419.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 27 
 
 lime-stone by aqueous solution ; calcareous spar ; white 
 marble; ancient statue of Hercules resting from his 
 labours. Antinous, Apollo of Belvedere, Venus de Medici. 
 Lady Elizabeth Foster, and Lady Melbourne by Mr. 
 Darner. Of morasses. Whence the production of salt 
 by elutriation. Salt mines at Cracow. Production of 
 nitre. Mars and Venus caught by Vulcan. Production 
 of iron. Mr. Michel's improvement of artificial magnets. 
 Uses of steel in agriculture, navigation, war. Production 
 of acids, whence flint, sea-sand, selemite, asbestus, fluor, 
 onyx, agate, mocha, opal, sapphire, ruby, diamond. 
 Jupiter and Europa. New subterraneous fires from fer- 
 mentation. Production of clays; manufacture of porce- 
 lain in China ; in Italy ; in England. Mr. Wedgwood's 
 works at Etruria, in Staffordshire. Cameo of a slave in 
 chains ; of Hojoe. Figures on the Portland or Barberini 
 vase explained. Coal ; pyrite ; naphtha ; jet ; amber ; 
 Dr. Franklin's discovery of disarming the tempest of its 
 lightning. Liberty of America ; of Ireland ; of France. 
 Ancient central subterraneous fires. Production of tin, 
 copper, zinc, lead, mercury, platina, gold and silver. 
 Destruction of Mexico. Slavery of Africa. Destruction 
 of the armies of Cambyses. Gnomes like stars of an 
 orrery. Inroads of the sea stopped. Eocks cultivated. 
 Hannibal passes the Alps. Matter circulates. Manures to 
 vegetables like chyle to animals. Plants rising from the 
 earth. St. Peter delivered from prison. Transmigration 
 of matter. Death and resuscitation of Adonis. Departure 
 of the Gnomes. 
 
 Here, therefore, you have the plan of a poem ! Such 
 must be the appearance presented by a didactic poem 
 which is not only to teach but to instruct. You will now 
 be able to imagine that a goodly variety of descriptions, 
 of allegories and of similies is to be found roaming about 
 in this book, and that there is not a vestige of poetic 
 feeling to link the poem together. The versification, it 
 seems to me, is not bad, and many passages possess a 
 rhetorical turn peculiar to the meter. In part, the details 
 remind one of many of those English poets whose works 
 are of the didactic and narrative order. How pleased the 
 English blase world will be with certain passages when
 
 28 COKEESPOXDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 it sees so much theoretical matter — of which it had for 
 long heard faint whisperings — sung aloud to it in the 
 well-known rhythm ! I have only had the book in the 
 house since last night, and, in truth, find it beneath my 
 expectation, for I am really in favour of Darwin. His 
 Zoonomia, it is true, is already 
 
 I had got thus far yesterday when I was called off to 
 lead the chorus. All went off very well except that, as in 
 all similar cases, sj3ace failed in the end to be sufficiently 
 productive. The ladies had adorned themselves very 
 beautifully, and the twelve figures — some tall, some short 
 — standing as they did in a semi-circle, would have pre- 
 sented a very effective appearance on a stage where one 
 could have had a full view of them. But in the confined 
 space all were crowded together, and, as every one wanted 
 to have a good view, very few saw anything. How- 
 ever, they could be seen afterwards separately in their 
 pretty dresses, and were pleased themselves and gave 
 others pleasure. 
 
 The news that you intend to let our friends* drop 
 asleep was not altogether unexpected. What do you say 
 to the idea of a monthly magazine being published only 
 for one year ? For instance, let collections be made during 
 the year 1798, and publish twelve parts in 1799, and 
 so on when once started, perhaps always with a pause in 
 between. One would have to make it a rule to have 
 great variety, interesting articles of not too great a 
 length, and to be sure to have everything complete in the 
 one year ; further to arrange matters in such a manner 
 that it might, at the end of that time, be sold as a com- 
 plete work. — Shall I still try and procure Bottiger's essay 
 for you ? 
 
 Einsiedel has written a couple of stories that are said 
 to be good, I was going to try and get them as well. 
 
 As regards the Almanack, I have an ideaf that is even 
 madder than that of the Xenia ; what do you say to this 
 seemingly presumptuous statement ? I shall, however, not 
 
 * The Eoren. See Letter 418 and note. 
 
 t This probably refers to the Weissagungen des Bakis (Prophecies 
 of Bakis) which were to form a kind of little calendar, giving a 
 prophecy for every day of the year.
 
 Letter 420.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 29 
 
 communicate it, except under certain conditions, as I 
 mean to keep the editing of this new appendix to myself, 
 but would, of course, give you free leave to accept or reject 
 it as you please. Before a syllable of it is printed all 
 would have to be settled as in the case of any other work. 
 You will hardly guess my idea, even though you were to 
 make world-wide speculations, but in doing so you may 
 come upon something similar for future use. 
 
 Farewell; this beautiful weather I should like to be 
 spending near you. I am only waiting for a letter from 
 Stuttgart to see whether Thouret — whom we have ordered 
 to make the decorations in the palace — intends coming 
 soon. 
 
 After what you say, let us rejoice that we are living in 
 this part of the world, even though things should even 
 become somewhat more lively still in Europe. 
 
 G. 
 
 420. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 30, 1798. 
 
 Accept our best thanks for the news and curiosities con- 
 tained in your last letter. You have let us take part in 
 all the grand festivities without being inconvenienced by 
 the crush and dust. 
 
 Darwin's book would probably have little success in 
 Germany. The Germans like sentiment, and the more 
 trifling it is the more generally welcome it is ; but this 
 play of the fancy with ideas, this realm of allegory, 
 this cold intellectuality and learning disguised in verse, 
 could not be attractive to any but the English in their 
 present state of frostiness and unconcern. The work, 
 however, shows what function is wont to be attributed to 
 poetry, and is a new and brilliant triumph to the philistines 
 over their poetical adversaries. 
 
 Otherwise I do not think the subject-matter inadmissi- 
 ble and wholly inappropriate for poetical treatment. The 
 miscarriage, in this case, I consider altogether the poet's 
 fault. If one were, at the very outset, to relinquish all 
 idea of giving so-called instruction, and merely endeavoured 
 to bring nature, in its rich variety, movement, and co-opera-
 
 30 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798, 
 
 tion, within reach of the imagination, and set forth all 
 the products of nature with a certain love and reverence — 
 paying regard to the independent existence of every one 
 and so forth — then a lively interest in the various subjects 
 could not fail to be awakened. But from the menu you 
 give of the book, I am forced to infer that the author has, 
 in a directly opposite manner, endeavoured to awaken a 
 poetic interest only in what he has done, not in the thing 
 itself, and, consequently, that it is the veiy reverse of a 
 good poem. 
 
 The card with which you mean to out-trump the Xenia, 
 I cannot guess, and there would be no likelihood of my 
 guessing it unless I knew at least, whether, as in the case 
 of the Xenia, individual persons are to be attacked, or 
 whether war is to be waged against all together. In the 
 latter case, it would be difficult to produce a more lively 
 excitement than was created by the Xenia. 
 
 I would be very willing to submit to your conditions ; 
 only I should not be able myself to take any part in the 
 work before the end of July, by which time I hope to 
 have finished my WaUenstein. However, to judge from 
 your letter, I suspect that it is not to be an undertaking 
 in which we are to work together, and that, therefore, 
 you will yourself run all the risks in connection with it. 
 
 Bottiger's essay and Herr von Einsiedel's tales would 
 both be welcome to me for the last number of the Horen ; 
 and if Einsiedel could send me something at once, I have 
 still space in the last number but one. 
 
 Your idea of publishing a monthly for a year at a time 
 is not a bad one, except that the publisher would not find 
 it pay, as people would not care to pay down so much 
 money at a time. As in the case of the Horen, the main 
 difficulty would always be where to procure essays ; for 
 it is strange that, in spite of the offer of unusually large 
 remunerations, we have been unable to attract to our 
 journal certain streams which appear willingly to flow 
 into other channels for half the money. 
 
 I am sorry that the time of your coining cannot yet be 
 decided. Perhaps your letter of to-morrow may bring me 
 more definite word. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sen.
 
 Letter 421.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 31 
 
 One day lately a new poet* presented himself; he does 
 not seem at all bad, or else I am prejudiced by finding in 
 him certain reflexes of your mind, for yon seem to have 
 greatly influenced him. I enclose the poem, please tell 
 me your opinion of it. 
 
 421. — Goethe to Schillee. 
 
 Weimar, January 31, 1798. 
 
 Business matters and diversions are ever producing 
 new things of their kind to be attended to, so that I feel 
 almost inclined to come over to you for a day or two ; I 
 see no prospect of any peace in the meantime. 
 
 Yesterday we heard a new opera.f Cimarosa proves 
 himself a perfect master in this style of composition ; the 
 text is after the Italian fashion, and I made the observa- 
 tion, that it is quite possible for what is foolish, nay even 
 absurd, to be happily wedded to the highest aesthetic 
 grandeur of music. This is accomplished solely by 
 humour {Humor) ; for without itself being poetical it is a 
 species of poetry, and, in accordance with its nature, 
 raises us above the subject. The German rarely possesses 
 the talent for this, inasmuch as his philistinism allows 
 him to appreciate only that species of stupidity which has 
 the appearance of sentiment or common sense. 
 
 I herewith send you a curiosity, an announcement that 
 a last descendant J of the old Niirnberg Meistersanger 
 intends publishing a selection of his own works. I know 
 several things of his already, and unfortunately forgot to 
 look him up when I was in Nurnberg. He has written 
 some things full of humour and naturalness which might 
 easily be translated into a purer form of German, and 
 which no one need be ashamed to own. We shall get the 
 book through Knebel when it is published. 
 
 * Schiller intentionally did not say that the enclosed idyll. Die 
 Caprtle im Walde, was written by his own wife. It was p iblished 
 in the last number of the Horen. 
 
 f Cimarosa's J I Marito disperato, a free and graceful adaptation ot 
 which, into German, had been written by E.nsiedel, under the title 
 of Die bestra/te Eifersucht. 
 
 X Johann Konrad Griibel, a harness-maker in Xurnberg.
 
 82 COKRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 This friend is again in Ilmenau ; his lady-love* leaves 
 this in a few days in order to have the yoke of matrimony 
 put abont his old stiff neck. As I really like him, I wish 
 him all possible happiness in this venture. 
 
 Of other friends and acquaintances you shall hear soon 
 in one way or another when we meet. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 Should you have an opportunity, would you kindly 
 find out whether Justizrath Boie has received the six 
 volumes of my new work which I sent him by way of 
 thanks for the Cellini, as long ago as the 6th of June last? 
 I have not heard anything of him since. 
 
 422. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 2, 179S. 
 
 Your remarks on the opera recalled to me some ideas 
 which I discussed rather fully in my ^Esthetic Letters. 
 It is certain that the aesthetic, little as it can tolerate 
 emptiness, is much less opposed to frivolity than to 
 earnestness, and, therefore — as it is far more natural in 
 Germans to be occupied with, and to determine matters, 
 than to place themselves in a state of freedom — something 
 aesthetic has already been gained when they have freed 
 themselves from the weight of the subject, for their nature 
 will take sufficient heed that their freedom is not wholly 
 wanting in power and substance. For this reason I much 
 prefer to see business-men, and philistines in general, 
 engaged with this kind of playful humour than idle 
 worldlings, for with the latter the play is always without 
 power and character. We ought always to be able to 
 serve each party according to its need, and thus I would 
 send the one to the opera and the other to see a tragedy. 
 
 Your Nftraberg Meisterscinger speaks to me like a voice 
 from an entirely different age, and delighted me very 
 
 * The court-singer (Kammersangerin) Luise Rudorf, whom he 
 married on the 9th of February, but had lived with for some years 
 previously.
 
 Letter 423.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 33 
 
 much. If you write to Knebel, please ask him to put my 
 name down among the subscribers for a copy with 
 engravings. I consider it as really necessary that one 
 should send in applications for the little book in good 
 time, otherwise perhaps nothing may come of it, for the 
 good man has outlived his age, and he is not likely to 
 have that justice done him which he deserves. How 
 would it be for you to devote a couple of pages in the Horen 
 to introducing him to the public ? He really appears to 
 require this as much as he deserves it. 
 
 I once had some communication with Boie, but this was 
 about a year and a half ago. I therefore do not know 
 how it may be with your parcel ; of his having received 
 it, there can scarcely be any doubt, and hence I think 
 you would be doing him too great an honour by putting 
 any further questions to him on the subject. When an 
 opportunity occurs he might be asked. 
 
 If only you could come to us at last. Do try and arrange 
 this if only for four or five days, and you will find one of 
 the Muses in the old castle ready to keep you there. 
 
 Farewell. Sch. 
 
 423. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 3, 1798. 
 
 I resign myself with some peace of mind to the cir- 
 cumstances which still keep me here, for if only I manage 
 to get certain matters of business settled and others 
 started, I can look forward to spending a number of 
 happy days in Jena. 
 
 Herewith I send you a work of Einsiedel's, which I 
 have been unable to read as I have not had any spare 
 time ; it is at your disposal should you care to make use 
 of it for the Eoren. As usually happens with those con- 
 trarieties which accident so often throws into life's path- 
 way, quantities of articles are now at last coming in, 
 and Bottiger's essay on the latest French style of treating 
 works of art will probably not make its appearance till 
 after the decease of our three beloved Nymphs.* 
 
 * The Eoren. See Letter 418. 
 VOL. II. D
 
 34 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798 
 
 I am employing the hours I have to spare, partly in 
 making a clearer sketch for my next essay on the theory 
 of colours, partly in condensing and simplifying my 
 previous work, partly also in studying its literature, 
 because I feel greatly attracted by its history, and venture 
 to hope that, if I devote proper time and attention to it, 
 I may accomplish something good, nay, perhaps even 
 something pleasant on account of the clearness of my 
 treatment of it. In one of your last letters you made the 
 perfectly just remark : that not till now had I stood on 
 the right spot, by having renounced all outward sympathy 
 and co-operation. In such a case it is only a completed 
 work — which relieves so many other people of all trouble 
 — that first deserves the thanks of the public, and will 
 be sure to receive them if it is a success. 
 
 I have about half a dozen stories in my mind, which I 
 shall work out, as the second part of the Diversions of my 
 Wanderers* bring the whole matter up to a certain point 
 and then publish it as a continuation of my works. 
 
 After that I mean to think more seriously of my Faust, 
 and in this way shall have occupation for the whole 
 year, especially as Ave must calculate upon having to 
 devote a month to the Almanack. 
 
 The variety of these projects will enable me to make 
 use of every hour. 
 
 The Idyll | is really a curious production. Here again 
 we have an almost feminine talent, pretty youthful 
 views of life and a pleasant, peaceful, moral disposition. 
 If it were possible for the Germans to cultivate their 
 talents, and a person of this kind could learn what, after all, 
 can be learned in regard to the inward and outward form 
 of a poem, something good might be made of it, where- 
 as, at present it does not go beyond a certain indifferent 
 gracefulness. For instance, meo voto, the mother ought to 
 notice the daughter's absence, ought to follow her, re- 
 cognition and confession ought to take place in the chapel, 
 whereby the tedious way back might be avoided, and the 
 conclusion gain a pathetic and solemn appearance. 
 
 * Compare Letter 30 and note, vol. i. 
 
 t The Idyll, by Schiller's wife, which he had pent to Goethe with- 
 out siating who the author was. See postscript and note to Letter 420.
 
 Letter 423.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 35 
 
 It cannot be denied that my Hermann und Dorothea has 
 influenced the author's natural disposition, and it is really- 
 strange to see how, in the case of poetry, young minds 
 lay hold of that which can "be grasped "by sentiment, 
 and reproduce in it their own fashion, and at times 
 produce something pretty tolerable ; but generally, by 
 striving with the whole force of their nature after style, 
 they at once fall into mannerism. This is simply on 
 account of their endeavouring to act more in accordance 
 with the taste of the public, whereby they frequently 
 meet with greater success than the original, although 
 they have appropriated only a portion of the merits of 
 the latter. 
 
 These remarks of mine remind me of our poetical lady- 
 friends. Amalie * is again working at something. Meyer 
 is afraid that the subject will put too many obstacles in 
 her way. It is strange that these good creatures will not 
 understand how much depends upon the subject being 
 capable of treatment. I have during these last days 
 been reading the second part of Agnes von Lilien.\ It is 
 really a pity that this work was written so hurriedly. 
 The abrupt manner in which the story is narrated, and 
 the reflections which, so to speak, come in with rhythmical 
 leaps, do not allow one to feel a moment at ease, and one 
 becomes impatient without being interested. Let this 
 be said in censure of the execution, for the plot offers such 
 good situations that were they worked out with some 
 sodezza, they could not but produce an incomparable effect. 
 As regards the spirit which called forth this work, it 
 still causes astonishment even though people cannot but 
 recognise the influence of your intercourse upon its origin, 
 and your pen in the completion of the work. It is, of 
 course, difficult for us readers to distinguish, but I think 
 I may say that had a nature like hers been capable of 
 artistic culture, she must have produced something in- 
 comparably fine. Even Meyer is full of astonishment, and 
 he is otherwise not readily astonished. Having come to 
 
 * Amalie von Imhof, who at this time commenced her Schicesfern 
 von Lwbos. which is so frequently spoken of in later letters. 
 
 t A novel by Schiller's sister-in-law, often referred to in the earlier 
 letters. 
 
 D 2
 
 36 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798, 
 
 the end of my sheet I send yon kindest greetings, wish 
 yon all progress with yonr work, and can only say that I 
 look forward to yonr WalUmtein as to an accumulated 
 treasure. Gr. 
 
 424. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (February 6, 1708.) 
 
 I am glad to hear from you that I was not altogether 
 deceived in my opinion as regards the Idyll and its author. 
 Of its being feminine in nature, there is probably no 
 doubt, and the fact of its origin being wholly naturalistic 
 and dilettantic explains and excuses the impropriety in the 
 treatment. 
 
 You seem to think my influence in my sister-in-law's 
 work greater than I can in fairness claim to have been the 
 case. The plan and development are wholly her own, 
 without any addition on my part. In regard to the first 
 part I did not put in a single word, it was finished before 
 I knew of its existence. "What it alone owes to me is, that 
 I freed it from some striking defects of a certain manner- 
 ism in representation, but only such as could be removed 
 by being struck out ; and that, by thus drawing together 
 what was important, I freed it from a certain want of 
 power, and cast out entirely some wordy and worthless 
 episodes. In the second part there was nothing to suggest, 
 except to get it finished, and in this I did not exercise 
 any influence in it even in regard to the language. Hence 
 the way in which the second part is written lies wholly 
 within the powers of my sister-in-law without any assist- 
 ance from without. And it is saying not a little in her 
 favour that, with the little solid and definite culture she 
 has had, and by little more than passively allowing in- 
 fluences to work upon her, she should have been able — 
 in her rather dreamy than brightly sunlit existence — to 
 have attained as much as she actually has attained. 
 
 In the list of the work you have set yourself for this 
 year I do not find your epopee, and I had thought that 
 you would have been able to set to work with it in good 
 earnest in the autumn ; however, you may yourself not 
 yet know in what way the goddess may lead you.
 
 Letter 425.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 37 
 
 The continued postponement of your coming has indeed 
 increased my stock of Wallenstein ; and as I have ceased 
 working at the scene * which will be most dependent upon 
 a cheerful state in my outward surroundings, and which, 
 therefore, I have put by till I can venture out to my 
 garden-house, I may have my third act finished in a few 
 weeks. The fourth and fifth taken together are not 
 longer than the first, and will develop almost of their own 
 accord. 
 
 Farewell. My sister-in-law is with us ; she, as well as 
 my wife, sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 425. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 7, 1798. 
 
 What you tell me about your having had but little 
 influenced Agnes von Lilien increases my wish that the 
 authoress should quietly take the work in hand again, 
 especially the second part, make it richer in matters of 
 detail and be more moderate in reflections. The book is 
 worth the trouble, all the more so as, considering her 
 disposition, she will not readily find a second subject in 
 which she will be as successful. In the second volume 
 there are several very happy situations which have 
 failed to produce their effect owing to the hurry in which, 
 so to say, they are allowed to rush past. I could not 
 readily mention another instance where a reader could 
 become more terrified, than the pretended marriage with 
 Julius ; only, this passage would have to be treated with 
 a great deal of retardation. 
 
 If you are of my opinion, try and induce the authoress 
 to decide to do this, all the more so as there is no occasion 
 for hurry, and of course the first impression must be 
 allowed to prevail for a time. 
 
 * Now in The Piccolomini, iii. 5-9 ; it was originally worked out 
 more in detail (See Letter 564) ; Schiller here refers to the whole play 
 of Wallenstein, which was subsequently divided into two parts. The 
 Piccolomini, as we now have them, originally consisted only of three 
 acts. 
 
 1 

 
 38 COKRESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 As I am, so to say, cut off from all production, I am 
 occupying myself with all kinds of practical pursuits,* 
 although with but little pleasure. It might be possible 
 to carry out very many ideas to their whole extent, were 
 it not that people considered the determination — which 
 they borrow from circumstances — to be ideas, the result 
 of which generally is the greatest bungling, and not- 
 withstanding a much greater outlay of trouble, anxiety, 
 time and money, cannot produce anything possessing any 
 definite form. I am silently but eagerly longing for the 
 day which will bring me to you. 
 
 I send you Schlosser's second paper. "j" It will be in- 
 teresting to me to discuss this man and his new assertions 
 more fully when we meet. Nothing seems to me more 
 strange than that he should not notice that he is in 
 reality only postulating his God ; for what is a want — 
 that has to be satisfied in some definite manner — other 
 than a demand ? 
 
 Farewell ; it has become late, and I can now only send 
 you and the ladies my kind greetings. 
 
 426. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 9, 1798. 
 
 Herr Schlosser would have done better to have quietly 
 pocketed the impertinences of Fr. Schlegel and the truths 
 that Kant addressed to him. He makes what is bad 
 worse with his would-be apology, and exposes himself in 
 the most unpardonable manner. The paper has disgusted 
 me, I must confess ; it shows an obstinate feeling against 
 pure conviction, an incorrigible hardness of character, 
 and at all events blindness, if not intentional delusion. 
 You, who know men better, will perhaps explain this 
 correctly and more naturally by unconscious narrowness 
 
 * Goethe here probably refers to his superintendence of the decora- 
 tions of the Palace, which were entrusted to him, to Geheimrath Voigt 
 and to Oberforstmeister von Wedel. 
 
 t Addressed to " a young man, wishing to study critical philosophy, 
 and suggested by the essay of Professor Kant on peace between 
 philosophers." See Letter 364.
 
 Letter 426.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 39 
 
 of mind, while I — who am inclined to regard people as 
 more sensible than they are — can account for it only by 
 moral perversity. For this reason I am perhaps more 
 indignant about the treatise than it deserves. It seems 
 to me to contain an arrogant philosophical tone clothed in 
 very common twaddle; he everywhere appeals to the 
 common, low interests of human nature, and nowhere 
 do I find a trace of any actual interests in truth 
 itself. 
 
 Nothing can be said specially about the treatise, because 
 the actual point upon which all depends — namely to 
 attack the arguments of criticism and to adduce argu- 
 ments for this new species of dogmatism — has not in 
 any way been touched upon. It, in reality, does not 
 contain a single philosophical thought that might intro- 
 duce a philosophical discussion. For what can be said 
 if, after the many and not unsuccessful endeavours of the 
 new philosophers to bring the point of dispute into the 
 most definite and proper formulas, some one comes march- 
 ing up with an allegory, and again envelops that which 
 had been carefully prepared for the pure faculty of 
 thought in a chiaro-oscuro, as this Herr Schlosser has 
 done in his exposition of the four philosophical sects. 
 
 It is really unpardonable that an author who sets some 
 value upon honour should venture to act in so unphilo- 
 sophical and impure a manner, in so pure a field as philo- 
 sophy has been made by Kant. You and we other 
 honest folks surely know, for instance, that man in his 
 highest functions always acts as a united whole, and 
 that, in fact, nature everywhere acts synthetically. For 
 this reason, however, it would never occur to us to abuse 
 the work of distinguishing and analysing, which is the 
 basis of all inquiry, any more than it would occur to us 
 to quarrel with a chemist for artificially annulling the 
 syntheses of nature. But persons such as this Schlosser 
 like to smell and feel their way through metaphysics ; 
 they everwhere want to see things synthetically, but this 
 seeming wealth is, in the end, found to conceal the most 
 miserable emptiness and platitude, and the affectation of 
 such persons to maintain man in his totality, to spiritualise 
 the physical and to materialise the spiritual, is, I fear, only
 
 40 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 a lamentable endeavour successfully to place their own 
 poor selves in a comfortable state of obscurity. 
 
 "When you come, we shall have a good deal more to say 
 on this subject, but the treatise itself we shall not need to 
 thank much for this. Schlosser will, however, not quite 
 fail in his object, he will strengthen his party, the non- 
 philosophers ; about real philosophers he does not appear 
 to be much concerned. 
 
 Farewell. This wretched weather is not very favor- 
 able to my industry, for it has brought back my old 
 troubles, catarrh and cold in the head. 
 
 My wife sends kindest remembrances. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 427. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 10, 1798. 
 
 Your dear letter was very enjoyable and refreshing 
 after a redoute, which has unsettled my faculties more 
 rhan in fact philosophy could ever do. Schlosser's treatise 
 was to me the expression of one of those natures with 
 w^hich I have been in a state of opposition for the 
 last thirty years, and as — in my philosophical studies — 
 I happen just now to be thinking about limited kinds 
 of representation — stubbornness, self-deception and dis- 
 honesty — this treatise was to me a remarkable con- 
 tinuation of these. Newton's followers are evidently in 
 the same predicament as regards the theory of colours, 
 nay, Pater Castel straightway accuses Newton himself of 
 dishonesty, and certainly the manner in which he, in this 
 sense, compiled his system of optics from his Lectiones 
 Optica, surpasses all conception. He had evidently 
 become aware of the weak side of his system. He there 
 discourses upon his experiments like one who feels con- 
 vinced of his case, and in this conviction exposes his weak 
 points with the utmost confidence ; here he sets forth 
 what appears most likely, forces the hypothesis, and is 
 Bilent, or touches but lightly upon wh&t is opposed to his 
 views. 
 
 That which strikes us as so strange in theoretical
 
 Letter 427.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 41 
 
 matters, we see every day in matters practical. How 
 much man is obliged to close his eyes and to struggle 
 with all his energies against adverse circumstances, 
 merely in order to make something out of his individual, 
 one-sided and powerless existence, if his own view of 
 things is not credited ; and yet the reason of this lies in 
 what is deeper and better in human nature, inasmuch as, 
 practically, he must ever be constructive, and in reality 
 need not trouble himself about what might happen, but 
 about what ought to happen. Yet this latter is always 
 an idea, and he is concrete in a concrete state ; things 
 then proceed in perpetual self-delusion in order to procure 
 for the concrete the honour of the idea, etc., a point which 
 I have already touched upon in a former letter, and 
 which often surprises one in practical matters, while in 
 other cases it throws one altogether into a state of 
 despair. 
 
 Philosophy is becoming ever dearer to me for the very 
 reason that I am being daily taught to distinguish my- 
 self from myself, which can the more readily be done, as 
 my nature — like separated globules of quicksilver — can 
 speedily and easily be reunited. Your proceedings are 
 of great assistance to me in this, and I hope that my 
 scheme for the theory of colours will ere long afford us 
 an opportunity for new discussions. 
 
 I have during these last days been reading Robert 
 Boyle's * work on colours, and do not know of any nobler 
 character in the whole domain. With a decided prefer- 
 ence for a peculiar method of exposition which, it is true, 
 is only tolerably in keeping with the chemical part 
 which he discusses, he nevertheless shows an admirable 
 spirit of liberality which allows him to perceive that 
 other modes of representation may be more convenient in 
 the case of other phenomena. The incompleteness of 
 his own work he perceives very clearly, and his account 
 of things, in this respect, is very honest. He does not 
 hesitate to express and to develop his own opinions, but 
 is always like one addressing a third person, a young 
 man, and always recommending him to make further 
 researches and to reflect upon them. He touches upon. 
 * A contemporary of Newton. See also Letters 39, 188, seq.
 
 42 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798L 
 
 almost all important questions, and his judgment in most 
 cases shows a great deal of soundness. It is only the first 
 two parts of his work that are actually worked out ; in 
 the last the experiments are arranged less methodically. 
 He wrote his book — while already suffering very much 
 from his eyes — from odd papers and from memory, so as 
 not to allow what he had thought out and witnessed, to 
 be lost. He speaks with delightful clearness and truth, 
 both of the worth and the worthlessness of his own 
 endeavours, and seems to me to be, as yet, the only one in 
 this branch of learning who has worked in accordance 
 with Bacon's good advice. His book was published one 
 year before Xewton came upon his hypothesis and with it 
 tyrannised over the whole field in quite an anti-Baconian 
 fashion. Had but a couple of other men followed Boyle 
 and continued to work the subject in his way, nothing 
 would have been left for us to do, and I might per- 
 haps have made better use of my time. However, one 
 is always making good use of one's time when engaged 
 with a subject that daily forces one to make advances in 
 self-culture. 
 
 Farewell. I wish you good success with your work. 
 
 G. 
 
 428.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 13, 1798. 
 
 I am trying to console myself during your long absence 
 by being industrious and by the prospect of having all 
 the more of my work to lay before you when you do 
 come; but the time of the year and the changeable 
 weather are not at all favorable, and hinder my progress 
 in spite of my feeling greatly inclined for work, and in 
 the humour for it. My head has again, for nearly a 
 week, been affected by cold, and my old trouble also 
 has been plaguing me. In order that my mind may keep 
 itself fresh, I dare not even think of my present work, 
 and have to occupy myself with what is further from me 
 and with general ideas. 
 
 Having throughout the winter been reading a good
 
 Letter 428.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 43 
 
 many books on travel, I have not been able to refrain 
 from trying what use a poet might make of such material, 
 and, while enquiring into this matter, have again very 
 vividly felt the difference between the epic and dramatic 
 treatment of subjects. 
 
 There is no doubt that the voyage of a discoverer or 
 circumnavigator, like Cook*, might furnish, or at least 
 introduce, excellent subject-matter for an epic poem ; I 
 find it to contain all these requisites for an epos about 
 which we were agreed, and in addition to this it would be 
 of great advantage that the means should possess the 
 same dignity and independent significance as the object 
 itself, nay, that the object should exist more for the sake 
 of the means. A certain human cycle might be com- 
 pleted in it, which seems to me essential in an epos, and 
 the physical element would permit of being united with 
 the moral element and formed into a beautiful whole. 
 
 When, however, I think of this same subject-matter for 
 a drama,f I at once perceive the great difference between 
 the two species of poetry. Here I am as much incon- 
 venienced by the sensuous breadth as I was attracted by 
 it in the first case; the physical element appears now 
 only to be a means to introduce the moral element; it 
 becomes wearisome by its importance and the claims it 
 makes ; in short, the whole of the rich material now serves 
 only as a means for occasioning certain situations which 
 set the inner man into action. 
 
 I am really astonished that such subject-matter has not 
 yet led you into temptation, for here you would find 
 almost everything that is necessary and yet so difficult, as 
 it were, ready-made, that is to say, the personal and the 
 physical activity of the natural man united with that 
 substance which Art alone might give it. Le VaillantJ 
 
 * The great traveller, the account of whose voyages had been lent to 
 him by Knebel. 
 
 t Among Schiller's literary remains were found some few notes 
 about a drama, the scene of which was to be a non-European island, 
 and in which " all interesting motives connected with sea- voyages, 
 non-European circumstances and customs were to be skilfully 
 combined." 
 
 X Francois Le Vaillant's first account of his travels into the interior 
 of Africa was published in 1790, and translated into German in 1795k
 
 44 CORRESPONIENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 in his African Travels is really a poetic character and a 
 truly grand man, for in him are united all the power of 
 animal strength and all the qualities that are drawn 
 directly from nature, together with those advantages 
 which are derived from culture only. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. It is just eight o'clock at night, 
 and I am called to come to supper. My wife sends kind 
 greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 429. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 14, 1798. 
 
 I send you what you probably do not expect, the pheno- 
 mena and my hypothetical remarks on the theory of 
 colours arranged according to the categories. Little as 
 such a work may suit me, still you must admit that it is 
 a praiseworthy intention on my part to work towards 
 you, and thus to increase your interest in the subject, for 
 all now depends upon the whole being expounded in the 
 clearest manner possible. In your hand, this page will 
 soon acquire a different shape. 
 
 I have sent an explanation of the terminology of my 
 threefold divisions * in advance, and added some remarks. 
 Be satisfied with what I send you till I come and bring 
 the matter quickly a couple of stages further, by having 
 a lively discussion with you. My present endeavour 
 is that no name in the whole literary history of this 
 department shall be a mere name to me, then only is the 
 moral character quite inseparable from the scientific effect. 
 Moreover it is inconceivable how much science has been 
 retarded by the starting-point of investigators having 
 always been merely some special practical want ; they 
 dwelt long upon certain points in order to satisfy this 
 want, and generally came forward too hurriedly with 
 hypotheses and theories. However, it is always a delight- 
 ful thing to see the human understanding following its 
 imprescriptible rights in spite of all hindrances, and 
 hurrying eagerly towards the utmost possible agreement 
 
 * Physiological, physical and chemical colours.
 
 Letter 429.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 45 
 
 "between ideas and objects. I hope that before I have 
 come to the end of this work I shall have lost all bitter- 
 ness against opposition ; I trust I shall both feel and think 
 freely upon the subject. 
 
 The continued reports of the bad state of your health 
 grieve me very much. It is the only trouble affecting me 
 at present, and hence I feel it all the more keenly. 
 
 A lengthened stay here always offers me a freer prospect 
 for coming days. And in this way I am looking forward 
 more than usual to my apjxroaching sojourn in Jena. 
 
 I fully agree with you that excellent epic motives are 
 to be found in travels, especially of the kind you mention ; 
 however, I should never venture to handle such a subject, 
 inasmuch as I have no direct experience of such things, and 
 it also seems to me that in this species of poetry, sensuous 
 identification with the object is quite indispensable, and 
 this can never be effected by descriptions. 
 
 In addition to this, one would have to fight the Odyssey, 
 which has carried off all the most interesting motives. 
 The emotion of a feminine mind occasioned by the ar- 
 rival of a stranger, as the best of motives, can no longer 
 be attempted after Xausicaa. How inferior, in com- 
 parison, even in antiquity, are Medea, Helena and Dido 
 compared with the daughter of Alcinous. The Karma 
 of Vaillant, or one like her, would always be but a 
 parody on those glorious characters. With this I come* 
 back, however, to my first proposition : that direct ex 
 perience might perhaps give rise to situations which 
 might be sufficiently attractive. But how necessary 
 direct perception is, will be evident from the following 
 remarks. 
 
 We inhabitants of northern countries are charmed with 
 the Odyssey, it is true, yet it is only the moral part of the 
 poem that actually affects us ; our imagination assists us 
 but imperfectly and pitifully in regard to the descriptive 
 portions. In what glory this poem rose up before me 
 when I read the cantos in Naples and Sicily ! It was as 
 if a faded picture had received a coating of varnish where- 
 by the work acquired the appearance of being distinct 
 and in harmony. I confess it ceased to me to be a poem, 
 it seemed nature itself, and this, with the ancients, was the
 
 46 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 more necessary as their works were recited in nature's 
 presence. How many of our poems would stand being 
 read aloud on the market-place or elsewhere under the 
 canopy of heaven ! 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 Make use of every favorable moment. 
 
 G. 
 
 430. — Schillee to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 16, 1798. 
 It is a hazardous undertaking to treat so mixed an 
 empiric subject according to a form that brings with it 
 the demand of exhaustive completeness. The twelve cate- 
 gories contain every possible leading question that could 
 be addressed to an object, therefore when the calculation 
 has been properly made, the result must be a feeling of 
 satisfaction which however I am in no way conscious of, 
 but rather the reverse. Yet I think it is more owing to 
 the subject-matter than to your working of it out that the 
 latter still presents too rhapsodical and therefore arbitrary 
 an appearance. But whatever the reason may be, I doubt 
 very much whether you will succeed in bringing me 
 nearer to you in this way : for in accordance with so 
 strict a form which would inevitably excite a demand 
 for totality, this empiric object will always appear to 
 me an unsurveyable mass, and I feel my empiric insuffi- 
 ciency from the very fact of my reason insisting upon 
 mastering it. 
 
 If, in fact, the trial with the categories is to be made, and 
 to be of use, it must, it seems to me, be commenced with 
 what is most general and simplest in the theory of colours, 
 before there is any question of special determinations, for 
 these would only give rise to confusion. 
 
 Again it seems to me that some confusion has arisen 
 from the fact that you have not always kept to the 
 masculine subject of the question, but that in the one 
 category you thought of light, in the other of colour, 
 just as was most convenient ; for, after all, the essential 
 point of the whole operation depends upon the categories
 
 Letter 430.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 47 
 
 in all cases furnishing only the predicate, while the snbject 
 to which the predicate belongs always remains the same. 
 
 I shall defer entering more closely into the matter till 
 we can make our communications by word of mouth, for 
 conversation will help me on with it much more quickly. 
 I will meanwhile add but one or two observations. 
 
 In regard to the point of quality, it seems to me that the 
 important question as to whether colour acts as a positive 
 energy of its own or merely as a limited energy of light, and 
 whether consequently in the case of the effect of colour the 
 actual agent is simply light, and the appearance of colour 
 itself simply a peculiarly modified negation of light. 
 (Without light, of course, the eye can see no colour, be- 
 cause light is the condition of all seeing. But without 
 light there is for the eye likewise neither form, size, etc., 
 and hence it may be asked whether the quality of colour 
 likewise exists independently of light). 
 
 In regard to relation also it would have to be asked : — 
 
 1. Is colour merely an accident of light, and consequently 
 nothing material? 
 
 2. Is colour merely the effect of light? 
 
 3. Is it the product of a correlation between light 
 and a material agent = X distinct from it ? (For in the 
 category of relation everything is taken relatively only, 
 hence in the above question, light is at once regarded as a 
 substance, and the question therefore is merely : is colour 
 invariably only an accident relating to light, or is it some- 
 thing independent as well ?) 
 
 Might it not lead to fruitful ideas were colour regarded 
 in the three following different relations ? 
 
 1. In relation to light and darkness. 
 
 2. In relation to the eye. 
 
 o. In relation to the body upon which it appears. 
 
 Your division of colours appears to me as yet not perfectly 
 defined, hence I do not know for certain whether, for 
 instance, I have quite a right notion of what you call 
 physical colours. As things at present stand, I imagine 
 them to include prismatic colours. Chemical colours I 
 understand to signify pigments. 
 
 I have to-day been trying to set to work again ; but it 
 will be some time before I am in a proper mood.
 
 43 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1708. 
 
 Farewell, which wish includes Meyer. The Idyll of 
 The Chapel in the Wood * I beg you to' let me have back 
 when you have an opportunity for sending it. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Sch. 
 
 431. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (February 17) 1798. 
 
 Much as I felt and still feel the incompleteness of that 
 first attempt of mine, still I have great confidence in being 
 able to work it out more successfully, and when we are 
 once together again — I am sure to get much material 
 assistance from you in this. 
 
 i he chief fault in my work, which you ah o very justly 
 observe, is, that I have not always kept to the same 
 subject, and that at one moment I take up light, then 
 colour, then again what is most general, and again what 
 is most special. 
 
 But this is nothing to the point. If, in place of making 
 one table, three were made and re-arranged half a dozen 
 times, they would necessarily acquire a different appear- 
 ance. 
 
 I myself, it is true, believe that the empiric mass of 
 phenomena — which, when properly separated and not 
 arbitrarily mixed, amount to a very great number and are 
 of immense breadth — cannot readily be made to accomo- 
 date themselves to a rational unity ; but then it is worth 
 while making every effort to improve the method of the 
 description. 
 
 Again, my division is the one you wish : 
 
 1. In regard to the eye physiological ; 
 
 2. In regard to light and darkness physical, none of 
 which exist without modification and limitation and of 
 which the prismatic ones are only a subdivision. 
 
 3. Chemical, those which appear on bodies. 
 
 Even though this division is not given for any other 
 purpose than by way of exposition, still it cannot be 
 dispensed with, and I do not as yet know of any other 
 that could be devised. 
 
 * See postscript to Letter 420 arid note,
 
 Letter 431.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 49 
 
 But that which actually led me to the scheme with 
 the categories, nay, that forced me to persist in working 
 them out, is the history of the theory of colours. 
 
 It is divided into two parts, the history of experiences 
 and the history of opinions, and the latter must, of course, 
 all stand in the categories. A separation, therefore, is 
 most necessary, especially as one would otherwise not 
 get on with the modern Aristotelians who made all 
 natural science, and especially this part, play over into 
 the metaphysical or rather the dialectic domain. 
 
 In doing this, it seems to me, they have really exhausted 
 every possible species of representation, and it would be 
 interesting to see these arranged side by side ; for owing 
 to Nature being so inexhaustible and unfathomable 
 that every contrast and contradiction may be predicated 
 of her without her being in the slighest degree affected 
 by them, investigators have, at all times, honestly made 
 use of this licence, and compared opinions in so ingenious 
 a manner, that it has given rise to the greatest confusion 
 which cannot be removed except by a general review of 
 what can be predicated. 
 
 I feel convinced, as will yet be proved, that Newton's 
 system gradually acquired its many supporters because of 
 a system of emanation or emission, or whatever it may be 
 called, and yet is, after all, but a kind of mystical pons 
 asinorum possessing the advantage of leading over from the 
 land of restless dialectics into the land of faith and dreams. 
 
 The former ought, therefore, meo voto to be this : to esta- 
 blish the theory of light and of colours in the most general 
 sense, each specially according to the categories, in doing 
 which one would have to keep aloof from all empiric 
 details. 
 
 Now the empiric details have been established according 
 to the three divisions which coincide with those which 
 you think requisite. You will probably before very long 
 receive the scheme of the whole, and be astonished at its 
 immense bulk when you see it in detail. 
 
 Everything is being brought into surveyable order, and 
 I shall beware of working out any one portion till I find 
 that I cannot make any improvements upon my scheme ; 
 then, however, the work will be all but finished. I beg 
 
 VOL. II. E
 
 50 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 you to give me your kind assistance both in the way of 
 agreeing with and in opposing me ; the latter I am 
 always in want of, and nowhere more than when I pass 
 over into the domain of philosophy, because I can there 
 only grope about feeling my way. 
 
 I have this week been hurriedly reading the works of 
 a dozen authors who have written on my subject in order 
 to discover a few principal points for its history, and feel 
 somewhat confident of being able to produce something 
 worth reading out of them, inasmuch as what is special 
 in human affairs is agreeable, and what is general is far- 
 reaching. 
 
 However, I am both afraid and yet wish that my 
 temporary inclination for this subject may soon leave me 
 and give way to a poetic mood. Still I ought to be 
 content that, in my present harassed position, I have an 
 interest which upholds me through all. 
 
 G. 
 
 432. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 18, 1798. 
 
 Herr von Brinkmann* is going to Jena specially to 
 see you, and wishes to have a few words from me to take 
 to you. As he has already been introduced to you by the 
 Muses — and you are sure to find his animated conversa- 
 tion pleasant — I need not say anything further about him. 
 
 My letter of yesterday had to go off without my having 
 added a friendly greeting, things were in so much confu- 
 sion here. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind remembrances to your dear 
 wife ; how glad I shall be to hear that you are again 
 making progress with your work. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Karl Gustav von Brinkmann was born in Sweden in 1764, and 
 had studied in Upsala, then in Halle, Leipzig, and Jena, and under 
 the name of Selmar had published a collection of poems. He was 
 acquainted with Rahel, Humboldt, Schleiermacher and Fr. SchlegeL 
 The MusenaXmanach published some of his poems under the name of 
 Selmar.
 
 Letter 433.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 51 
 
 433. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 20, 1798. 
 
 As I have for some time past been living quite beyond 
 the sound of human voices, the animated conversation of 
 the friend, who yesterday brought me your note, was 
 very refreshing and enjoyable. It is, in fact, very in- 
 teresting to come across a reader, and to have one's own 
 ideas and those of others given back to one in a different 
 shape. In him the affiliation to us is very evident, he 
 has clearly been drawn to our circle by the Humboldts. 
 It is strange that a certain state of literature should 
 produce a race of parasites — or whatever they may be 
 called— who develop an existence out of what has been 
 done by others and — without themselves enriching or 
 increasing the realm of Art and Science — help in circu- 
 lating what exists, bring ideas out of books into life, and 
 scatter the seeds here and there like the wind and certain 
 birds. As couriers, between an author and the public, 
 they ought indeed to be held in high esteem, although it 
 might be dangerous to confound them with the public. 
 Moreover the friend in question has refined taste, and, 
 together with a fondness for reasoning, seems to me to 
 possess delicate susceptibility, and again a special aptness 
 for understanding the thoughts of others, nay, of making 
 them his own. 
 
 Your applying the categories to the material you have 
 amassed, cannot but be fruitful in its results. For while 
 it affords an opportunity for revising the work, it will at 
 the same time render you the service of a friend whose 
 nature differs from your own. It will force you — as I 
 think — to give strict definitions, boundaries, nay, even 
 marked contrasts for which you yourself have no very 
 great liking, owing to your fear of dealing violently with 
 nature; and inasmuch as this decision and strictness — 
 dangerous as they may seem in individual cases — are 
 always made good by the totality of the work, you will 
 by this means always be led back again to your own 
 mode of representation. This service is rendered to you 
 principalis by the idea of correlation and limitation ; you 
 
 £ 2
 
 52 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 will, however, experience the same in the case of uni- 
 versality and necessity. In the work itself yon will not 
 be able to avoid being polemical, therefore the category 
 test will be a decided advantage, and I very well under- 
 stand that it is also of great service to you in reviewing 
 the historical part of the subject. 
 
 I am now more than ever inquisitive to see your scheme, 
 and when you come we will go over it with true enjoyment 
 and earnestness ; I find it very interesting — apart from the 
 matter itself, which is so interesting to me to fathom — to 
 appear before you in the position of a good reader, and 
 to try and discover how the double regard, due to the 
 object and to the subjective requirement of the reader, can 
 be united in one and the same manner. 
 
 As I am frequently hindered with my work, and, there- 
 fore, cannot as yet foresee the end, I am becoming rather un- 
 comfortable about the enquiries which are now beginning 
 to be made of me by outsiders, concerning my Wallenstein. 
 Schroder wishes to play the chief part himself and does 
 not seem disinclined to appear in it in Weimar. Unger, 
 in Berlin also, wrote to me yesterday that the Berlin 
 theatre would pay me any sum I liked to ask for it, on 
 condition that I would let him have the piece before it 
 was printed. If only it were finished ! The work is 
 progressing a little again, although my head is not yet 
 quite well. 
 
 Farewell. My wife goes to-morrow to hear the Zavber- 
 flote, but I think she will hardly be able to stay and 
 speak to you, for she returns home the same evening. Do 
 come over to us again soon, we are longing for the delight- 
 ful evenings. To Meyer very many kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 434. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 21, 1798. 
 This morning I waited in vain for a letter from you ; 
 would that the delay were not an indication of your 
 being ill ! 
 
 Brinkmann* was very pleased at having spent a few 
 * See Letter 432 and note.
 
 Letter 435.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 53 
 
 hours of friendly intercourse with yon. His lively 
 interest in so many different subjects really deserves a 
 good reception ; he dined with me yesterday, and I 
 placed him between our two amiable authoresses,* where 
 he evidently felt himself extremely happy. But, in 
 reality, his character seems to me to be made for a large 
 sphere like Berlin. 
 
 Please tell me what you think of the style of verse in 
 which Schlegel's Prometheus is written. I have some- 
 thing in view that tempts me to write in stanzas, but 
 owing to these being somewhat too tame and strictly 
 periodical, I thought of the above measure of syllables ; 
 however, on examining it more carefully I do not like it 
 as it possesses no points of rest whatever, and one can 
 nowhere come to an end on account of the continuous 
 rhymes. 
 
 I have also been thinking over many other things in 
 order that those demands upon rational empiricism — ac- 
 cording to your conception which you sent me some weeks 
 ago may be worked out by me also in my own fashion. 
 I must become quite clear on this point before I again 
 take up Bacon, in whom I again feel great confidence. 
 I do not allow anything connected with this subject to 
 vex me, and I already foresee that, when I have well 
 worked out my chapter on Colours, I shall be able to proceed 
 more rapidly with other things. More ere long, and I 
 hope by word of mouth. 
 
 G 
 
 435. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 23, 1798. 
 Owing to the manner in which you are carrying on 
 your work, you will always have the doubly excellent 
 advantage, firstly, of obtaining an insight into the subject, 
 and, secondly, of gaining an insight into the workings of 
 the mind, so to say, a philosophy of the business ; and the 
 latter is almost the greater advantage, because a know- 
 ledge of the mental faculties, and a distinct perception of 
 the method makes one, to a certain extent, master of all 
 
 * Frau von Wolzogen and Amalie von Imhof.
 
 54 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1879. 
 
 subjects. I am rejoicing in the thought that, when you 
 come here, I shall learn very much and be able to reflect 
 a great deal, more particularly on what is general in the 
 treatment of empiric knowledge. Perhaps you may decide 
 to treat the question very much in detail at the beginning 
 of your work, and thereby make the book — independently 
 of its actual contents — of special value to all those whose 
 thoughts are engaged with natural objects. Bacon ought 
 to induce you to do this. 
 
 In regard to your question about the measure of syllables, 
 much depends, of course, upon the subject for which you 
 require it. I do not, as a rule, like this metre either, it 
 runs on too monotonously, and seems inseparably con- 
 nected with a solemn state of mind. This is very probably 
 not what you want. I should, therefore, prefer the stanzas, 
 because the difficulties are pretty much the same, and the 
 stanzas possess incomparably more elegance. 
 
 I hear from Paris (through Humboldt) that the Schlegels 
 are going to leave Jena and to move to Dresden. Have 
 you heard anything about this ? 
 
 From what my wife told me, Brinkmann met with 
 great success in Weimar, and especially at the Dowager's 
 court. He is a very entertaining man, and clever enough 
 to connect what is intellectual and trivial together at 
 both ends. 
 
 Humboldt also tells me of the judgment which Voss 
 has passed upon your Hermann ; he heard it from Yieweg, 
 who is at present in Paris. Voss said he had feared that 
 your Hermann would cause his Louise to be forgotten. 
 Further, that this had indeed now proved not to be the case, 
 but that nevertheless it contained some passages for which 
 he would give the whole of his Louise. That your not 
 being able to stand a comparison with him in hexameters, 
 was no fault of yours, as in fact this was his strong point ; 
 but that he nevertheless thought your latest hexameters 
 were very much more perfect. — It is evident that he has 
 not the very remotest idea of the inner spirit of the poem, 
 and consequently cannot have any idea of the spirit of 
 poetry generally ; in short, no general and independent 
 power of judgment, but simply an instinct for Art, as the 
 bird for its nest and the beaver for its hole.
 
 Letter 437.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 55 
 
 Farewell. My wife wishes to enclose a note. 
 Humboldt's letter I cannot find just now, but will let 
 you have it another time. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 436. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 24, 1798. 
 
 I had dictated a letter to you as early as Wednesday 
 last, and was beginning to add something to it to-day, 
 but became so confused in what I wished to say and had 
 already said, that I must write it all over again. It shall 
 be sent off to-morrow evening by the mounted post-boy. 
 
 Of Schlegel I know this much, that he intends, after 
 Easter, to go to Dresden by way of Berlin, but that he 
 will be back in Jena next winter. 
 
 When I come over I shall propose that you meet him 
 once or twice before his departure, so that he may not, 
 out of spite, refuse to let you have his articles for the 
 Almanack, as I should be very unwilling to miss them. 
 
 Farewell and continue to give me your affection. 
 
 437. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Any one that enters my room early on a Wednesday ol 
 Saturday morning, is looked at narrowly to see whether 
 he or she is bringing me a letter from you ; and as I had 
 this morning to do without this longed-for morning 
 repast, the blue envelope, which came in the evening, 
 was all the more welcome. 
 
 Our Swedish friend, whom you have so admirably 
 described, I have induced to remain over to-morrow. 
 Our Weimar ladies are much in need of seeing such 
 foreigners, and as they have otherwise so little pleasure, 
 I gladly procured this for them. Natures like his, are 
 certainly very desirable, inasmuch as they belong to the 
 affirmative side, and have nevertheless always to suppose 
 the existence of talent in the world if their own talent is 
 to be recognised.
 
 56 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 I cannot tell you how I am looking forward to seeing 
 the result of your labours, and to discussing a variety of 
 subjects with you. If the Stuttgart people had not left 
 me without an answer to my letter, and I had thus not 
 been uncertain about the time of Thouret's arrival, I might 
 have been with you some days ago. 
 
 I scarcely remember what I wrote this morning about 
 rational empiricism, but it seems to me as if it could 
 not become critical except at its highest point. It 
 must allow certain modes of representation to exist one 
 beside the other, without taking upon itself to exclude 
 any one mode or to make any extend over the domain of 
 the others. Throughout the whole history of the theory 
 of colours the fault seems to me ever to be this : that no 
 one has felt inclined to make the three divisions, and 
 that it was endeavoured to make the empiric enunciations 
 which suited the one class of experiences, extend over to 
 the other, so that in the end nothing suited. 
 
 It appears to me to be precisely the same with ideas 
 that are brought from the realm of thought over into the 
 domain of experience; they too suit but one portion of 
 the phenomena, and, I might say, nature is unfathomable 
 for the very reason that no one man can comprehend it, 
 although humanity, as a whole, might be able to com- 
 prehend it. But as dear humanity can never exist at 
 one and the same time, nature, therefore, has the game in 
 its own hands, when wishing to hide itself from us. 
 
 I have again been reading some of Schelling's ideas, 
 and one always has a curious feeling while listening to 
 him ; yet I think I have found that he often contradicts 
 himself, nay, that he is even suspiciously silent in regard 
 to the modes of representation which he would like to see 
 in vogue, and what can I gain from an idea which obliges 
 me to lessen my stock of phenomena ? 
 
 On the other hand, mathematicians who possess immense 
 advantages in attacking nature are also frequently found 
 concealing what is most interesting. An old gardener at 
 the court used to say : Nature may consent to be forced, 
 but not compelled, and all that we undertake theoretically 
 with her are approximations in regard to which modesty 
 cannot sufficiently be recommended. I have lately been
 
 Letter 438.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 57 
 
 very much interested in looking through Lambert's 
 Photometrie ; he appears to be of a very accommodating dis- 
 position, for while declaring his subject to be unattain- 
 able, he nevertheless takes the utmost trouble to get 
 nearer to it. All this, especially when I can lay my work 
 before you, shall be matter for the best of discussions. 
 
 "Weimar, February 25, 1798. 
 
 I wrote thus far on Wednesday. What I dictated 
 yesterday is quite shapeless, and yet this sheet shall be 
 sent off to you without delay. The court has gone to 
 Gotha. The whole of this quiet day I have passed in 
 making new arrangements in the library, but have as 
 yet accomplished nothing except what was a matter of 
 course. 
 
 Farewell, and let me, on Wednesday, have the pleasure 
 of receiving a letter. 
 
 G. 
 
 438. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, February 27, 1798. 
 
 So February has passed without bringing you to me, 
 and, while waiting and hoping, I shall soon have got 
 through the winter. I am looking the more cheerfully 
 towards the spring, and feel a newly awakened longing 
 for it to appear. I am occupying myself, at present, in a 
 pleasant way by making improvements in my summer- 
 house and garden, to meet the requirements of our future 
 residence there. One of these improvements will be of 
 especial benefit to us and no less agreeable ; it is a neat 
 and pretty bath which I am having built in one of the 
 garden sheds. The shed itself is being made one storey 
 higher, and will thus have a cheerful view into the valley 
 of the Leutra. On the opposite side (Lambrecht's), last 
 year, we built quite a large kitchen on the site of the 
 cottage. Therefore, when you pay us a visit, you will 
 find all kinds of useful alterations. If only we were 
 there together again ! 
 
 I am, moreover, quietly getting through my task bit
 
 58 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 by bit, and am now in the very vortex of the action. I 
 am especially glad to have left behind me one situation 
 where my task * was to give expression to the most 
 ordinary moral judgment in regard to Wallenstein's crime, 
 and to treat this, in itself, trivial and unpoetic matter, 
 poetically and ingeniously, without destroying the nature 
 of the moral element. I am satisfied with the way I have 
 worked it out, and hope our dear moral public will not 
 be less pleased with it, although I have not made a sermon 
 out of it. And while engaged with this I have felt clearly 
 how empty the actual moral element is, and how much, 
 therefore, is required of the subject to keep the object at 
 its proper poetic height. 
 
 I was struck by the thought expressed in your last 
 letter, that nature, although not comprehended by a 
 single individual, might be comprehended by a totality 
 of individuals. It seems to me really as if each in- 
 dividual might be regarded as a distinct sense, compre- 
 hending nature as a whole, as peculiarly as any one 
 distinct organ of sense in man, and just as little to be 
 replaced by any other as the ear by the eye, etc. If only 
 each individual mode of conception and sensation were 
 also capable of communicating itself freely and perfectly ; 
 for language has a tendency directly opposed to in- 
 dividuality, and natures which cultivate a talent for 
 general communication, have usually to part with much 
 of their individuality, and, therefore, very often lose the 
 sensuous quality of grasping phenomena. In fact, the 
 relation of general ideas, and language — which is based 
 upon these — to things, cases and intuitions, seems to me 
 an abyss into which one cannot look without becoming 
 giddy. In real life, we, at every moment, see the possi- 
 bility of such communication between what is special and 
 most special by means of a general medium, and reason, 
 as such, has almost to prove the impossibility to itself. 
 
 Farewell. I enclose Humboldt's last letter which 
 please let me have back soon, for I have to answer it. 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. To Meyer many kind 
 remembrances. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * Probably the scene between Wallenstein and Max, ii. 2.
 
 Letter 439.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 59 
 
 439. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 28, 1798. 
 
 If my Stuttgart friends had been more polite, and had 
 announced the time of Thouret's arrival, I might have been 
 with you now, for with the exception of this one piece of 
 business I have now settled everything. However, if 
 your Wallenstein has meanwhile been advancing with 
 rapid strides, it will be easy to console me for what I 
 have had to deny myself; it is evident — as we see from 
 Humboldt's case also — how necessary certain diversions 
 may become when we are entirely without them. 
 
 Humboldt must be sure to try and avoid the French 
 when they commence theoretical discussions, unless he 
 wishes to be perpetually in a state of annoyance. They 
 cannot at all conceive that there can be anything in a 
 man which has not come to him from without. I was 
 assured of this lately by Mounier,* who said : the Ideal 
 is that which has been composed of various beautiful 
 parts. And when I then asked him : whence the idea 
 of the beauty of parts came from ? how it should occur 
 to man to demand a beautiful whole ? and whether the 
 word composed were not too tame a word for the workings 
 of genius, inasmuch as it took into its service the elements 
 of experience? — he answered these questions in his own 
 language, maintaining that genius had long since been 
 declared to be une sorte de creation. 
 
 It is the same with all their remarks : they always pro- 
 ceed most determinedly from one idea, and if the question 
 should happen to play over into a higher region they try, 
 at all events, to show that they may have a word for this 
 relation also, but do not trouble themselves whether it 
 contradicts their first assertion or not. 
 
 * Jean Joseph Mounier, a member of the French National Assembly 
 of 1789, and the author of Becherches sur les Causes qui ont empeche les 
 Frangais de devenir libr?s. He had to flee from France, and found 
 a friendly welcome in Weimar. The Duke gave him the residence of 
 Belvedere for an educational establishment, which wns very well at- 
 tended, especially by English youths. See alio Letter 201 and note.
 
 60 COBRESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Yon will probably Have beard from your sister-in-law 
 that Mounier too bas been undermining Kant's reputation, 
 and that be proposes shortly to explode his views. This 
 moral Frenchman is much aggrieved by Kant having 
 declared a falsehood to be immoral under any circum- 
 stances. Bottiger has sent an essay attacking this proposi- 
 tion, to Paris, and it will very soon come back to us again 
 in the Decade philosophique ; he there, to the consolation of 
 many noble natures, clearly proves that, at times, it is 
 necessary to tell falsehoods. 
 
 How delighted friend Ubique* would be were this 
 principle to be adopted in the moral code, you can readily 
 imagine, for he has, for some time, obstinately denied 
 having in his possession books that have been lent to him, 
 although it is no secret that they are in his house and 
 that he continues calmly to make use of them. 
 
 I am at present in communication with the Count and 
 Countess Fouquet concerning some natural history sub- 
 jects. They are very pleasant, polite and obliging people, 
 and agree with and are very well satisfied with me ; yet 
 one notices that they silently reserve for themselves the 
 privilege of knowing many things better, and of fancying 
 that they have a clearer insight into many questions. 
 
 My poem, as you see from the reports, has not done 
 Toss as much good as his did me. I still remember the 
 genuine enthusiasm which I felt for the clergyman of 
 Griinau, when he first appeared in the Mercury ; f I read 
 it aloud so often that I still know the greater part of it 
 by heart, and I gained much good from it, for the pleasure 
 I took in it, at last became productive in me and tempted 
 me to try to work at that same species. Hermann was 
 the result, and who knows what it may yet lead me to do ? 
 On the other hand I am sorry that Voss enjoys my poem 
 only se defendendo, for what is the use of all our little 
 poetry if it does not act as encouragement, and does not 
 make us appreciate all and everything that is done? 
 
 * A name given to Bottiger because of his everywhere having his 
 hand in things, and especially discussing things in the newspapers. 
 
 t The principal portions of Vojs's Louise had appeared as early as 
 1784 in Wieland's Merkur, and Goethe was especially fond of it in its 
 earlier and natural shape.
 
 Letter 440.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 61 
 
 Would to God that I could begin again at the beginning, 
 and leave all my works behind me like the trodden-down 
 shoes of children, and produce something better. 
 
 I am now cheering myself with the thought that during 
 my next stay in Jena, I shall try to write some small 
 things of a kind for which I require the kindly influence 
 of spring. How very glad I am that we two shall keep 
 as steadfastly to the matter as we shall do to one 
 another. 
 
 This evening, in honour of the unexpected arrival of the 
 royal children from Gotha, we got up a dance and had 
 supper at 2 o'clock, the consequence of which is that I 
 have slept away the greater part of a fine morning. 
 
 Farewell ; give my kind greetings to your dear wife, 
 and arrange things so that you may spend a happy time 
 in your garden-house during the summer months. 
 
 G. 
 
 440. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 2, 1798. 
 
 I have during the late fine weather again tried the effects 
 of the open air and found it do me good. It is really a 
 pity that you cannot be here just now. The Muse 
 would be sure to present herself to you very soon. 
 
 What you tell me of the French and their exiled, but 
 ever worthy representative Mounier, is very true, and 
 however lamentable it may be in itself, one cannot but 
 rejoice at it, because it is so necessarily a part of the 
 whole idea of this man's life, and we ought always to 
 take up natures clearly, for then we should at once find 
 their systems clearly demonstrated. It is truly worth 
 remarking that laxity in aesthetic matters always shows 
 itself connected with moral laxity, and that the pure, 
 strict striving after what is highly beautiful — together 
 with the greatest liberality towards everything that is 
 nature — will lead to rigorousness in moral matters. So dis- 
 tinctly are the realms of reason and of the understanding 
 separated from one another, and this separation asserts
 
 62 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 itself in every one of the paths and pursuits which man 
 can follow. 
 
 Mounier is a worthy pendant to Garve, who has like- 
 wise attacked Kant in a similar manner. 
 
 The French diploma of citizenship,* which according 
 to the papers I was to have received five years ago, was 
 yesterday presented to me in good earnest. It appears 
 that it was ready when first spoken of, and had been 
 signed by Roland. But owing to my name having been 
 misspelt, and there being no town or district mentioned 
 in the address, it, of course, never found its way to me. 
 I do not know how the matter came to be brought for- 
 ward again, but, in short, it has now been sent to me, 
 and moreover through Campe in Brunswick who took 
 this opportunity of addressing the most complimentary 
 speeches to me. 
 
 I consider that it would be a good thing to give the 
 Duke notice of it, and if it is not giving you too much 
 trouble I should be glad if you could manage to do so for 
 me. I enclose the documents for this purpose. The fact 
 of my being there called a German publicist kclt e|o^v» 
 will I think also amuse you. 
 
 Farewell. It is post-day to-day, and I have a number 
 of things to get ready. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 441.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 3, 1798. 
 
 As regards the diploma of citizenship which has been 
 
 sent to you from the realm of the dead, I can congratulate 
 
 you only in so far that it has found you still among the 
 
 living ; you will, I hope, wait a little before paying a visit 
 
 * Schiller writes to Korner under the date of March 16 : ,; About a 
 fortnight ago I, at last, received the French diploma of citizenship from 
 Paris, which had been drawn up five years previously by Roland, and has 
 been lying in Strassburg ever since. It has come to me quite from the 
 land of the dead ; for the Loi. has been subscribed by Danton and 
 Clavieri, and the letter to me by Roland. Custine was entrusted with 
 it on his German campaign, and all these are now no more." In the 
 diploma and on the address Schiller is called Sieur Grille, publiciste 
 aUemand; the diploma is dated October 10, 1792. 

 
 Letter 441.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 63 
 
 to your deceased great fellow-citizens. Herr Campe seems 
 to be suffering from the most dangerous of all species ot 
 madness, like so many other good Germans. Unfortunately 
 there is as little to be done for it or to say to it, as in 
 the case of another pestilence. 
 
 The beautiful weather calls me to you every day, and I 
 am making as much good use of my time here as I can. 
 I have taken up the study of insects again, and also been 
 arranging my minerals. If, after collecting a lot of 
 things, one but stands for a time hesitating how to 
 arrange the accumulation, one soon feels as if one did not 
 know where to turn. 
 
 Meyer is getting on with his work and will soon have 
 a little volume ready. 
 
 Since the latest occurrences in Italy I feel quite re- 
 conciled about our having returned when we did ; it will, 
 moreover, not matter in the least if our collected notes 
 appear fragmentary. The public always accept such 
 detached things in a more kindly spirit, and a methodical 
 review can of course always be given in addition. The 
 introduction to this work will probably be my first work 
 in Jena, as I shall then be better able to work out the 
 scheme of the theoretical portions as well as of the whole 
 actual facts, of which I have already drawn up a sketch. 
 
 My studies in organic nature as well as those respecting 
 the theory of colours work towards our late enquiries into 
 Art, and a second edition of Cellini will be added to 
 Meyer's work on the History of Art in Florence, together 
 with a few important notes. 
 
 Moreover, my valued friend, as I should like to give the 
 introduction in the form of Letters addressed to you, it 
 would be very delightful if, at this opportunity, you 
 would address a word or two to us, holding out the 
 prospect of being able in future to meet us in your work. 
 "For, as the century in which we are living seems to put a 
 good many obstacles in our way from without, it is all 
 the more necessary for us to work from within undeterred 
 and in harmony. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G.
 
 64 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798 
 
 442. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 6, 179S. 
 
 From the plans which you have lately communicated to 
 me, I infer that yon propose remaining in the field of 
 natural science for some time to come ; this is disappoint- 
 ing to me for poetry's sake, much as I acknowledge the 
 use and the necessity of the former. Your many and 
 varied experiences in, and reflections upon Nature and Art, 
 and on the third Ideal which ultimately connects both, 
 must be expressed, arranged, and maintained, otherwise 
 they will merely be obstacles in your path. But the 
 undertaking will be an very great one, and the work will 
 again produce work. Hitherto I have not had any clear 
 idea of the limits which you intend to set to this work 
 without injuring its claim to a certain comprehensive com- 
 pleteness : a claim which your nature would demand even 
 though the subject itself did not raise it. All the greater, 
 therefore, is my desire to see your scheme. For this will 
 also show me the point where I can enter with my ideas in 
 such a manner that they will tally with the whole. Gladly 
 will I take that part in it, which you determine for me ; 
 and as it is to be a work written conjointly, it is perhaps 
 as well that a third man should put in a word. The 
 rigorousness which is to pervade it will be more acceptable 
 if it be accompanied by variety in the way of opinion and 
 form. But the work will in any case be opposed to the 
 age ; and as there can be no thought of a happy issue, 
 the question is, whether we should not declare war openly 
 and make the work more piquant both by the sharpness 
 of the law and of justice. However, we will discuss this 
 more fully by word of mouth, when I know more about 
 your plan. 
 
 I myself hope to be able to return to argumentation 
 with success, after having for some time past been 
 engaged with poetry and gained additional experience 
 from it. 
 
 My wife hopes to see you to-day, which makes me feel 
 very envious, for I can honestly say that I am longing 
 most heartily to see your face again.
 
 Letter 443.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 65 
 
 The rescript which makes me a professor ordinarius, has 
 at last come from Coburg ; hence, within a short period I 
 have been clothed with several honours, and only wish 
 that they kept me warmer. 
 
 Farewell. My kind greetings to Meyer, and write s< >on 
 and tell me when I may expect you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 443.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 7, 1798. 
 
 Although your dear wife paid us very much too short 
 a visit, she has at all events taken away with her a 
 good impression of Meyer's works which will give her not 
 a little enjoyment ; it would have been very delightful if 
 you could have shared it with her. This reminds me to 
 tell you that, as your brother-in-law can get settled 
 gradually, you should also be looking out for a house for 
 the winter. For even taking our theatre as it is, there is, 
 after all, great enjoyment in being able to hear good 
 music almost every week ; our opera is pretty good, and 
 the performance, as a whole, tolerably good. I could 
 procure you a better and more comfortable seat than the 
 one in the proscenium, and in accordance with the well- 
 known system of isolation in Weimar — you would not 
 need to complain of a want of quiet at home ; and, more- 
 over, it would assuredly be an advantage to you not to 
 shut yourself off wholly from outward influences. As 
 regards myself, I am, as you know, always obliged to 
 keep going the round of my zodiac, and every sign I 
 enter into gives me new occupation and thoughts. 
 What I am to be about next, I hope to be able to tell you 
 on Saturday. 
 
 I have again taken up Cellini, am correcting my tran- 
 script, and drawing up a sketch for the notes. This is 
 putting me into a position where I shall be able gradually 
 to work out the short historical essays which are necessary 
 for this. I intend to add them to the end of the work, 
 and to arrange them according to the subjects, so that 
 they may be read one after the other like a short essay. 
 
 VOL. II. F
 
 66 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Meyer's work on the History of Art in Florence is mean- 
 while progressing also, and one thing helps the other. 
 
 I hope soon, near you, to find time for collecting my 
 thoughts, and for examining the various subjects we have 
 in hand ; this must come soon now, and it shall be time 
 profitable to us in more senses than one. 
 
 I congratulate you upon having at last received the 
 rescript from Coburg. In reality this affair also was 
 settled by our Duke. Coburg was about a dozen rescripts 
 in arrears, and as no solicitations were of any avail with 
 the privy councillors, our Duke at last sent a messenger, 
 specially for the purpose, with a friendly letter of recom- 
 mendation to the Duke and Duchess, the result of which 
 was that the matter at last was set afloat. I only wish 
 that something substantial for you had accompanied it. 
 
 Humboldt's letter I herewith return ; his opinion of 
 the French drama pleased me very much. I should like 
 to see these wonderful artistic productions with my own 
 eyes. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 444. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 9, 1798. 
 
 My wife was very much pleased to find you at home, 
 and could not say enough in praise of Meyer's works. 
 She has re-awakened in me the desire to see them, and 
 should you not be able to come over here within a week's 
 time, I shall take a run to Weimar. 
 
 It is also my serious intention, as you advise, to make 
 better use of the W. theatre in future. It was simply 
 on account of the difficulty of finding a house that pre- 
 vented me doing so last winter. But I shall certainly 
 arrange this for the future. Were it only for the sake of 
 the music, it ought to be managed, for, in fact, the senses 
 are not aesthetically moved in any other way. However, 
 even the theatre itself will have a good effect upon me. 
 It is true that during the last few months I have had to 
 set everything aside, in order to make decided progress 
 with my work. This I have now accomplished. My 
 drama has been set a-going and the most difficult part has
 
 Letter 445.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 67 
 
 been overcome. Three-fourths of the whole are now 
 ready. 
 
 Have you not been curious to get a look at the new 
 English tragedy by Walpole, The Mysterious Mother ? It is 
 spoken of as being a perfect tragedy in the style of the 
 (JEdipus Rex, with which — to judge from an extract I read 
 — it shows certain affinity as regards subject-matter. 
 Perhaps this similarity in substance may account for all 
 that is said of it. If it is so, one ought not to allow the 
 carelessness of English art-critics to pass unnoticed ; in 
 any case it would not be bad, I think, to make use of the 
 temporary interest shown by the public, and, as we have 
 the opportunity, to say a few words in regard to the law and 
 the demands. I shall try and procure the play and see 
 whether it might not start a discussion on the genus. 
 
 The Duke, as my brother-in-law tells me, wishes me to 
 present my diploma of citizenship to the Library, which 
 I feel quite disposed to do. Only I should like to have it 
 copied, and to have a voucher, in the name of the Library, 
 that the original had been deposited there, in case that at 
 some future day any of my children might wish to settle 
 in France and claim their civil rights. 
 
 Farewell. Perhaps to-morrow's messenger may bring 
 me the wished-for news that you are coming soon. My 
 wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 445. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 10, 1798. 
 The only thing wanting now is that a few hides of land 
 should be introduced into the tenth house * of my horo- 
 scope, so that my existence may become still more diversi- 
 fied. And yet so it is, I have at last purchased the estate 
 of Ober-Eossla, after the affair having, for the last two 
 years, been made a worry to me by the former tenants, as 
 
 * Astrologers divide the heavens into ten "houses" of equal siz^ 
 according to the direction that the meridian passes across the horizon. 
 Each house refers to some special portion of man's aff.urs, the tenth to 
 his possessions. Schiller had to make use of this astrological super- 
 stition iu his Wullemttin. 
 
 F 2
 
 68 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 well as by Hofrath Gruner. However, I am as yet quite 
 satisfied with the possession and with the price, for, at 
 present, it is with land as with the Sybillene books, every- 
 one stands hesitating about the rise in the prices while 
 the prices go on rising. 
 
 I have moreover made a " pure " purchase, such as is 
 probably seldom done, for I have not yet seen the estate 
 and the buildings, and shall to-morrow see it for the first 
 time. I shall be barely a week in attending to what 
 has to be thought over and done there. It would be very 
 nice if you could then pay us a visit, but I must not forget 
 to tell you that the opera * is to be given on Thursday, 
 and that on Saturday there will be a performance of a 
 new piece of Kotzebue's f which I will not persuade you 
 to come and see. If you would put up in the little green 
 room next to Meyer's, I should be delighted to see you ; 
 but I cannot offer you more accommodation just now. 
 
 I have heard nothing of the English tragedy you tell 
 me of; it would in any case be well to procure it. 
 
 An accredited copy of your dipL una of citizenship shall be 
 made for you, with a certificate that it is preserved in the 
 Duke's Library. It is very kind of you to comply with 
 the Duke's wish to have the document. Another of a 
 similar kind has already been deposited there : an account 
 of the glorious French revolution, addressed to all the 
 nations of the earth, in several different languages. 
 
 Do come if it is at all possible, for I wish very much 
 that you should see Meyer's works before we spend any 
 time together. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 * On the 18th Schiller writes to Knebel that Einsiedel's opera 11 
 Marito disperato (the music by Cimarosa) is admirable and went off 
 very well, and that Die liHmliche Eeirath and Cosi fan tutte (by 
 Mozart) °:ain upon one the more one hears them. The opera here 
 mentioned is, however, Cimarusa's Die vereitelten Ranktt. 
 
 f Die Corsen, a play in four acts.
 
 Letter 446.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 69 
 
 446. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 13, 1798. 
 
 After having for once been tolerably well for a fortnight 
 and having thought I might venture to make some exertion, 
 my head has again become affected, and I feel dispirited and 
 unfit for anything. It is true the weather has been very 
 bad. I hope, however, to be able to accomplish my journey 
 to you this week, even though it be but for one day. My 
 object will be attained if I manage to see your and Meyer's 
 work, and bring back with me some definite word about 
 your coming here. 
 
 I congratulate you heartily upon your acquisition.* 
 I feel, in the case of my own little property, how much 
 pleasure there is in looking upon a piece of land as be- 
 longing wholly to oneself and to those dear to one. 
 
 1 have found a thoroughly competent person for 
 Mourner's institution, and have thus secured to the former 
 a temporary means of earning his livelihood, while at the 
 same time 1 have done Mounier himself a good service. 
 
 It is said here that the French got a thrashing near 
 Murten. I should be heartily glad of this, for even a 
 small piece of good luck — and more especially at this 
 very place — would be of particular advantage to the 
 Swiss at the outset. 
 
 I have during these last few days been re-reading an 
 old German play belonging to the days of chivalry, which 
 you have probably long since forgotten — Fust von Strom- 
 oerg.\ Very much may be said against it, it is true, but 
 while reading it I made the observation that a poet can 
 exercise an astonishing power over the mind, if only he 
 places a good deal of matter and definiteness in his subject. 
 Thus Fust von Stromberg, is no doubt, over-burdened with 
 historical incidents and allusions that are often far-fetched, 
 and this pedantry makes the play heavy and often cold ; 
 but still the impression produced is extremely definite 
 
 * Goethe's purchase of the estate of Ober-Rossla. 
 
 t By Jacob Maier (1739-1784) and written by him in 1782. Five 
 years previously he published his Sturm von Bocksberg, which is men- 
 tioned in the following Letter.
 
 70 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 and enduring, and the poet actually wins by force the 
 state of mind which it is his intention to produce. It 
 likewise cannot be denied that such works, as soon as one 
 grants them to possess poetic effect, produce another 
 impression, and certainly a very valuable one, for no his- 
 tory — be it even so well written — could so vividly and 
 sensuously lead us back to those times as is done by this 
 drama. 
 
 Farewell. My head is quite confused. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 447. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 14, 1798. 
 
 It would be very nice if you would come over this week, 
 only I should like to know the day in order to be a little 
 prepared. I have pretty well got through all I had to 
 do, and have also pretty well settled the business con- 
 nected with my little property, so that my presence there 
 is no longer necessary. In looking more closely into 
 matters, I find that I have made quite a fair purchase, 
 although the price appears too high for what it has 
 hitherto yielded, and this may be the reason why 
 Gruner disposed of it. 
 
 I am now, however, again in the greatest need of living 
 wholly within myself, and hope soon to be able to do so. 
 
 In order that you may see what a direct connection 
 there exists between our dear Weimar and Paris, I here- 
 with send you some French papers.* Such silly common- 
 places in nature are objectionable to me. The French 
 language, however, is very well adapted for describing 
 the phenomenon of phenomena ; and again their men of 
 letters seem to be as tame as their politicians are mighty. 
 
 The Swiss will in any case get the worst of it. I 
 daily expect to hear that the French have taken possession 
 of Basle, for they no longer need to fear or to avoid any- 
 thing from without. 
 
 * The Decade philosophique.
 
 Letter 448.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 71 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 I have hardly any recollection of the Sturm von Bocks- 
 berg ; * I only know that I found the archival details in 
 it very wearisome. 
 
 448. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 14, 1798. 
 
 As there is another post to-day, I send you the French 
 things at once. 
 
 The essay on Hermann und Dorothea I do not think at all 
 bad, and if I knew that it was the veritable production of 
 a Frenchman, I should feel myself both delighted and 
 touched by this appreciation of the German element in 
 the subject and of the Homeric element in the form. 
 
 Mounier, in his letter, appears what I expected him to 
 be, a calm, narrow-minded representative of that species 
 of common-sense which one does not care to grumble at, 
 as it is really without malice, and has not the slightest 
 idea of the point at issue. 'J 'he instance he gives at the 
 end — that it would be a misfortune if a village magistrate 
 were to acknowledge the moral doctrines of a Kant, and 
 to act in accordance with them — is really all that I, on 
 the other hand, should have to adduce against Mounier, 
 in settling the matter. 
 
 Farewell. I am glad to hear that you are so well 
 satisfied with the prospect of your purchase, and that 
 you are again free to set to work with something of your 
 own. 
 
 I cannot well fix anything about my coming to you, 
 as all depends upon the sleep I get on the preceding night. 
 Farewell. 
 
 SCH. 
 * See note to kst Letter.
 
 72 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 449. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 16, 1798. 
 
 Only a few words by way of greeting. It is post-day 
 here, and my thoughts are very much occupied. 
 
 In spite of the best of intentions, I have not been able 
 to venture upon a trip to Weimar, for I have not been 
 well, and the weather also was too boisterous. If I cannot 
 accomplish a visit to you before you come, I shall, at all 
 events, manage it during your stay in Jena, and shall so 
 arrange it as to be back the same evening ; I am myself 
 most anxious to see Meyer's works before or while you 
 are still here. 
 
 I hope you will bring a good deal of manuscript with 
 you, both in the way of schemes as well as of things you 
 have worked out, for I cannot tell you how much I am 
 longing for some animated discussion, particularly on 
 such subjects as have nothing to do with, my own work. 
 I also want to read something of Meyer's soon. 
 
 Farewell. Perhaps I may bear to-morrow when you 
 think of coming. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 450. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 17, 1798. 
 
 Next week, I think, will not pass without our having 
 met. All the affairs here with which I am in any way 
 connected have been set a-going and will probably 
 now proceed on their course. It has become an urgent 
 necessity that the thousand different ideas in my mind 
 should have space given them and be put into order, and 
 the perfect quiet in Jena and your presence can alone 
 help me in this. 
 
 I enclose a couple of curious letters, which will tell you 
 of an adventure which sounds strange enough in our days. 
 I know the people myself, and the papers are themselves a 
 guarantee of their own truth. 
 
 I have again looked through the French essay on my 
 Hermann, and, so to speak, with your eyes, and hence also
 
 Letter 451.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 73 
 
 find it of a kind that one need not be altogether dis- 
 satisfied with it, nay, it would be a wonder to find that 
 it has really been written by a Frenchman. However, it 
 is by a German as I well know. There will at some 
 future time be a strange conglomeration of things ; for 
 so many of the French and English are now learning 
 German, and so much is done in the way of translations, 
 and our literature, in all the various branches, is more 
 active than that of the two other countries. 
 
 So the poor Bernese have suffered a sad defeat. Meyer 
 is afraid that one Canton after another will now be 
 totally crushed, for in their own way of thinking, they 
 are still the old Switzers ; but patriotism, like many 
 another brave, personal effort, has outlived its day, as is 
 the case with the priesthood and the aristocracy. Who 
 could withstand the quick, well-organised French hordes, 
 commanded as they are with good sense and seriousness ! 
 'Tis lucky that we belong to the steadfast northern 
 hordes, which they will not readily think of attacking. 
 
 If what you want is diversion, and a host of curiosities 
 in the way of schemes, essays and ideas, I can accommo- 
 date you ; what I mean to bring with me will amount to 
 not much less than a ream. 
 
 I shall not say anything more about your coming ; for 
 as you intend merely to spend the day here, it will not 
 matter whether or not I may be in Jena. Farewell ; my 
 kind greetings to your dear wife, and be as industrious as 
 you possibly can. 
 
 G. 
 
 451. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 As I shall not see you till the evening, I shall try 
 meanwhile to make some progress with my fourth act. 
 This morning I read the Phcedra of Euripides, only in a 
 very miserable translation by Steinbruchel, it is true, but 
 it nevertheless struck me as inconceivable that this 
 beautiful subject should have been so lightly and super- 
 ficially treated. Farewell. 
 
 Sch.
 
 74 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 452. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I must again ask you about Schlegel, whom I have 
 spoken of in a previous letter. If you have firmly deter- 
 mined to exclude him for the future also, we will leave 
 matters as they are, and I shall act accordingly. However, 
 should you feel inclined to grant him access upon cer- 
 tain conditions, the present would be the best opportunity, 
 for Tischbein wishes to pay you a visit, and, as Schlegel 
 leaves after Easter, you would not need to fear any press- 
 ing advances from him throughout the summer. As I 
 shall have to see both men, and cannot avoid calling upon 
 Tischbein, I should like to hear what you have to say in 
 the matter, as I am always expected to act as a mediator. 
 I also wish you good progress with your work. 
 
 G. 
 
 453.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, April 6, 1798. 
 
 This morning, early, or rather at noon, when I got up 
 and inquired for you, I met our unhappy lady friend 
 C.,* whom I had not seen for a year, and found her 
 much the same. She has, if possible, become still more 
 material in her views, and her anxious, affectedly un- 
 happy, unrefreshing disposition, did not leave me in any 
 very pleasant state of mind. 
 
 Your stay here seems to me now to have been shorter 
 than it actually was. It passed so quickly, and was really 
 too short considering the long time that you have been 
 away. 
 
 Meanwhile I will try to throw myself thoroughly 
 into my work again, and in the first place to evolve out 
 of myself the image I have in my mind, I shall then be the 
 better able to look at it. I am glad to be able to think 
 that you are, on the whole, satisfied with my Wallenstein, 
 and more especially that you did not observe, in it, any 
 contradiction either with regard to the subject or to the 
 genus of art to which it belongs ; for I hope to be able to 
 * Their mutual friend Charlotte von Kalb.
 
 Letter 454.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 75 
 
 have settled the demands of the stage, if the tragico- 
 dramatic demands are once satisfied. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. My wife sends kindest greetings ; 
 we miss yon very mnch. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 454. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 7, 1798. 
 
 If my little household affairs, which had necessarily to 
 be attended to at once, had only left me in peace, I should 
 certainly not have left you so soon, more especially as I 
 felt myself very much disposed for work, owing to the 
 favorable change in the weather. I have become recon- 
 ciled and intend gradually to work myself free again, in 
 order to be able to remain all the longer with you next 
 time. 
 
 We have assuredly every reason to rejoice at our relation 
 to one another, for after so long a separation we feel our- 
 selves drawn but the closer, and the contrast in our 
 natures, makes interchange of thought only the more desir- 
 able, and from it, moreover, we may venture to hope the 
 best results for the future. 
 
 What you say about the increasing tendency for 
 materialism in our lady friend, I have myself observed in 
 many other persons as well. It seems that most natures 
 very soon waste their small portion of ideal conceptions 
 by making false aspirations, so that they soon fall back 
 to earth of their own weight. 
 
 I look back with pleasure to your Wallenstein, and enter- 
 tain the greatest hopes of it. The plot is of a kind that, 
 when all is finished, it will bring the ideal treatment into 
 wonderful agreement with a limited subject which is per- 
 fectly within the range of human life. 
 
 I enclose a sturdy Amor,* by Guttenberg, from a drawing 
 of Meyer's, with which we are all very well pleased, 
 although some points, for instance the face, are far from 
 being a success. 
 
 * This Amor was intended for the title-page of Knebel's translation 
 of the Elegit^ of Propertius.
 
 76 CORKESPOXDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Clever now knows how and in what way the other does 
 his work, and can therefore make his drawings accordingly. 
 If you see no objections, let us at once order something 
 of the kind for the Almanack, and, as this one was taken 
 from the signet ring I usually wear, we might perhaps 
 make use of one of the other stones from my collection. 
 
 Farewell, I send you and your dear wife my thanks for 
 all the trouble you have given yourselves on my account. 
 
 The little book is sent only to carry the engraving to 
 you and back again unharmed. 
 
 G. 
 
 455. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, April 10, 1798. 
 
 The Amor which I herewith return, gives evidence at 
 once of the powerful and sound skill of our master, if only 
 it did not look somewhat too solemn and serious at the 
 head of the little work in front of which it is to be placed. 
 It would be very nice if you would choose something 
 from your collection for the Almanack, and get Meyer to 
 draw it. I do not need to say that a poetic idea like this 
 Amor would be the most suitable ; and as the Almanack — 
 owing to the smallness of its size, and its being chiefly 
 intended for amusement — can grant but little space, a 
 subject of this kind appeal's to me most appropriate, 
 because more depends upon the idea than upon the way in 
 which it is worked out. But this is your affair, and you 
 are sure to choose what is best. 
 
 I enclose a letter together with some poems by a certain 
 Jakobi, who has addressed himself to me for news of you. 
 The poems I have scarcely looked at, and have not 
 noticed anything either good or bad in them. However, 
 I should rather like to make use of one of them for the 
 last number of the Horen. Therefore, in case any one of 
 them could be made use of. please be so good as to let me 
 have the poems back by the message- woman to-morrow, 
 so that I may despatch them that self-same evening. 
 
 If you could say a kind word to Geheimrath Voigt, 
 about Niethammer, you would be giving encouragement 
 where it is deserved ; I have reason to think that he has
 
 Letter 456.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 77 
 
 little affection for the latter, nay, in reality too little, and, 
 on the other hand, favours unimportant rivals of his. 
 Should there be an opportunity of again mentioning 
 Schelling's cause,* which appears to be in the hands of 
 Voigt, it would be a good thing for us Jena philosophers, 
 and it would even not be unpleasant to you, to have so 
 good an addition to our circle here. 
 
 . Although the fine weather is still continuing, yet the 
 sudden cold has again given me a severe catarrh and 
 brought back all my old troubles. My work goes on but 
 slowly, and I have just come to that point where all 
 depends upon a happy state of mind. 
 
 It is said here that Imand goes to Weimar on the 24th 
 of this month, in order to play there for a week. But as 
 you did not appear to know anything about this when 
 you were here I can scarcely credit the report. However, 
 should it be true, I doubt very much whether he will 
 receive the same reception as last time, and our worthy 
 Puss-in-bootsf will find himself somewhat embarrassed. 
 
 Farewell. I hear from my brother-in-law, who is here 
 to-day, that Thouret is coming one day soon. Hence, on 
 this account, also, it is well that you are in Weimar just 
 now, and not interrupted in the midst of your work. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 456. — Goethe to Schillee. 
 
 Weimar, April 11, 1798. 
 
 Sorry as I was to leave Jena, it was time I did so. One 
 or two things that had come to a standstill here had to 
 be set a-going again, and now everything — both general 
 and special affairs — seem again to be proceeding better. 
 
 Inland is going to give five performances beginning on 
 the 24th. If I do not mistake, the rush to see him will 
 
 * His appointment hs professor extraordinary of philosophy in Jena. 
 
 t This, as is evident, refers to Iffland, and the alius on is taken 
 from Tieck's well-known fairy-tale which plays upon many of the in- 
 cidents of the day, and among other things l id i cult s Bottiger's eulogy 
 on Iffland. The Puss of the story plays the part of " the foreign 
 actor, the great man."
 
 78 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 be even greater than on his first appearance here. For 
 in the town itself there are now more strangers than 
 formerly, and the fondness for the theatre has increased 
 both here and in the neighbouring towns. 
 
 In order that the next four weeks, which have still to 
 be spent here, may not pass uselessly, I have at once set 
 to with my Faust, and find that you are correct in 
 your remark that the state of mind which comes with 
 spring is lyrical, and this is very much to the advantage 
 of my rhapsodical drama. 
 
 The Jakobi who has written to you is the son of the 
 one who studied in Jena ; the poems, which I return, I 
 could not read through. I am in the midst of entirely 
 different occupations and states of mind. The next 
 fortnight, in fact, will again be rather a gay one here. I 
 take it for granted that you will come to us on Monday 
 the 23rd, and enjoy the theatrical festivities with us. 
 You would be very comfortably quartered close to Meyer. 
 Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 457. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, April 24, 1798. 
 
 At last T am again able to give you an account of 
 myself. For a fortnight I have been unfit for anything, 
 as the rheumatism seized my head, and even now I can- 
 not hope to be able to take up my work again for a week. 
 It is a great pity that, being unfit for work, I cannot at 
 least profit by the theatrical entertainments in W. ; but 
 even though a perpetual cough did not keep me in-doors, 
 I do not feel the slightest inclination for any intellectual 
 enjoyment, and must guard against even thinking of 
 aesthetic things. 
 
 I wish you all the more enjoyment from Inland's visit 
 to the theatre. Here we have been wondering at the 
 choice of the pieces to be played, and I am particularly 
 astonished at the choice of Pygmalion* For if this is the 
 monodrama which, as I think, was set to music by 
 
 * By Rousseau, and set to music by Benda. Compare Goethe's 
 Briefwechsel mit Zelter, vol. ii., 40 ff. 48 f.
 
 Letter 458.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 79 
 
 Benda, you and Meyer will see a curious proof of the 
 unsuccessful effects of a mistake as regards subject. Jt 
 is to me absolutely inconceivable, how an actor— even 
 though he be quite an ordinary one— can so entirely Jose 
 sight of the object of his art, to labour before the public in 
 a farce that is cold, wanting in action and unnatural. In 
 addition to this, Iffland has never in all his life been able 
 either to see or to represent any enthusiasm or any 
 exalted state of mind, and he has always been abominable 
 as a lover. 
 
 However, you will see for yourself, and perhaps it is 
 not the Pygmalion to which I am referring that has been 
 thought of. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your progress with Faust. 
 The theatrical entertainments ought, I think, rather to 
 assist than to disturb you in it. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 458.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 25, 1798. 
 
 I have to-day only time to say that I am delighted to 
 see your handwriting again. Would that your health 
 might always go on improving ! 
 
 Iffland has played the Essigmann* splendidly. Na- 
 turalness, study, care, conscientiousness, his old and 
 familiar way of playing the part, moderation, variety, 
 grace, and power, were all admirable in him. The play, 
 as a whole, did not go off with sufficient fluency, for our 
 actors had only learned their parts a short time before- 
 hand, and did not even play as well as they are capable 
 of doing ; hence, much was lost in Inland's acting, for in 
 place of being unrestrained he had every now and again 
 to resort to gesticulation, which, however, he did in a 
 masterly style. 
 
 To-day we have Der Hausvater ;f we do not know yet 
 what is to be given on Friday. 
 
 * Mercier's Essighdndler mit seinem Schuhharren was given on the 
 day previously, and Iffland took the principal part. 
 
 t In Gemmingen's DeuUcher Hausvater Inland took the pait of 
 Count Wodniar.
 
 80 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 It is Benda's Pygmalion that is to be performed ; I am 
 exceedingly curious to see it. The play I know, and have 
 seen it several times ; it is a very strange undertaking, 
 and yet Iffland is much too wise an actor to choose any- 
 thing where he is not sure of producing a certain effect. 
 You shall hear from me again soon. 
 
 (Jr. 
 
 459. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, Ap- 27, 1798. 
 
 I herewith send you Cotta's reply to my in Jiiry about 
 publishing the short treatises. He is, as you see, so 
 anxious to get something of yours to publish ihat he does 
 not care to be quite open about his desideria and wishes in 
 regard to the work. But this much is clear, he is afraid 
 of having too limited a public for a book, the contents of 
 which are so preponderatingly scientific in matters of art. 
 I cannot deny that, from a publisher's point of view, he 
 is not at all wrong ; but, on the other hand, as nothing 
 can be altered in the plan of the work, my proposal 
 would be to lead him to expect that you would give him 
 your next poetical work, say Faust, or perhaps promise it 
 to him at once. If it were for me to advise you, I should 
 recommend you to ask four louis-d'ors a sheet for the theo- 
 retical treatises, printed much in the same style as your 
 Meisters Lehrjahre and eight louis-d'ors a sheet for your 
 Faust. However, if you think that Unger or Yieweg 
 would give more, Cotta can do so also, and I shall only 
 await your injunctions, and then, at once, write to Cotta ; 
 he is at present in Leipzig. 
 
 I hear that Ififland plays Pygmalion to-day. I never 
 doubted that he knew well how to calculate upon his 
 public. In this character, also, he will be great and 
 intellectual, but I cannot retract what I said about the 
 play itself, and its success will not disprove my remarks. 
 
 My health is now improving daily, but I have as yet 
 not been able to get into the humour for work. To 
 make up for this I have again been reading Homer with 
 an entirely new feeling of pleasure, your remarks on the 
 subject having contribut d not a little to this. One
 
 Litter 460.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 81 
 
 really feels as if swimming about in a veritable poetic sea ; 
 at no point does one fall out of this state oi feeling, and 
 everything is ideal and yet most realistic and true. More- 
 over, after having read through a few cantos, the idea of a 
 rhapsodical concatenation, and of their origin having been 
 different, must necessarily strike one as barbarous ; for 
 the glorious continuity and reciprocity of the whole, and 
 of its parts, is one of its most effective beaut: - 
 
 The underlined passage in Humboldt's letter — which I 
 
 with return — was probably not altogether very clear 
 
 - If. and then, as a whole, it seems to exj i as 
 
 more an idea than any definite conception. It seems to 
 
 me, in fact, that he merely wishes to say that what is 
 
 common, hence national, in the French — both in their 
 
 ordinary proceedings - well as in their merits and 
 
 aberrations — is an effect of the understanding and its 
 
 adjuncts, that is to say, of wit. of observation, etc., without a 
 
 ortionate co-operation of the imagination, and that they 
 
 are sensitive physically rather than morally. There is 
 
 no question that they are better realists than idealists, and 
 
 from this I infer a triumphant argument that realism 
 
 cannot produce a poet. 
 
 Farewell for to-day, and I trust that you ma} r find very 
 sant diversion among the hosts of people by whom 
 you are at present often surrounded. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 460. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 29, 1798. 
 
 I am. to use Lieutenant TVallen'e * words, so to say in 
 despair that you cannot take part in our theatrical ad- 
 ventures, both because you yourself miss a great deal of 
 enjoyment, and also because the talk here is about every- 
 thing that is interesting to us in the dramatic line, and 
 this, in fact, can be discussed only with those who have 
 themselves seen the performano - 
 
 Yesterday we had an exceedingly interesting re- 
 
 * A character in Schroder's StiBe Wasser sind tie/ (after Beaumont 
 and Fletchc 
 
 L. II. Q
 
 82 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 presentation. Pygmalion demands the highest dramatic 
 dignity and fullness, and from the manner in which 
 Iffland plays Wallen it becomes a representation of the 
 vanity of life puffed out and equipped with frolicksome 
 humour. No words can describe the way in which he 
 acquitted himself in both parts ; however, we must wait 
 and see what friend Bottiger furnishes us with. It will 
 be easier to give some account of this by word of mouth. 
 
 On Monday we are to have Benjoivski ; * on Wednesday 
 Der taube Apotheker ;| I do not know yet what he is 
 going to give on Thursday as a finale. As soon as he is 
 gone I shall quickly put things to rights here, and then 
 run over to you. 
 
 Thank you for Cotta's explanation ; however, I consider 
 it better to have a couple of volumes of manuscript ready 
 before deciding anything more definitely. As regards a 
 somewhat greater variety in the way of subject-matter, I 
 have myself already thought about this ; it would be an 
 opportunity for turning many a thing to account that one 
 would otherwise not know what to do with, and what is 
 profitable to the publisher is, in every respect, profitable 
 also to the author. He whose work is well paid, will be 
 well read, and these are two laudable prospects. 
 
 In like manner also I shall finish my Faust, who, in 
 accordance with his northern nature, ought to find an 
 immense public in the north. Friend Meyer will not 
 consider it loss of time to make drawings for this barbarous 
 production. We contemplate having the outlines printed 
 on greyish brown paper, then to have them washed in 
 Indian ink and set off with the brush, an operation 
 which perhaps could not be executed anywhere so well or 
 so cheaply as here. A few specimens will soon be forth- 
 coming. 
 
 I shall now send friend Humboldt an answer, and more 
 particularly beg him to hold a prosodiacal conference upon 
 my Hermann und Dorothea, and purpose also to lay before 
 you some other general questions of the same kind. 
 
 Your but mentioning the Iliad makes me feel an intense 
 
 * A piece by Kotzebue. 
 
 t The actual name of this piece is Die verstellte Kranke, one of 
 Qoldoni's plays.
 
 Letter 4G1.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 83 
 
 longing to take up this work which we have already so 
 frequently discussed. I hope to get through another 
 couple of cantos this year, meanwhile let us denounce all 
 chorizontes with the curse of Bishop Ernulphus,* and, like 
 the French, maintain and defend unto death the unity 
 and indivisibility of the poetic worth, in a tender heart. 
 Farewell, I must again be on and dress, for the hour 
 when we are to have a musical luncheon is approaching. 
 The lovely mornings facilitate matters during the festivi- 
 ties as our guests can enjoy the garden, and my house is 
 almost too small for the influx of visitors. 
 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, and send her over 
 to us on Monday in any case. 
 
 I may, as Director, be also allowed, with some degree 
 of triumph, to remark that my calculations were right. 
 For notwithstanding that the prices of the seats were 
 raised, the house was even fuller than on the last occasion, 
 so that, if things only continue as they are, we shall make 
 almost as much by the seven performances as we did last 
 time with fourteen. Should Schroder come we might 
 double the prices ; and even if Iffland should come back at 
 some future time, I should raise the prices, for money will 
 continue to become cheaper. Again farewell, and enjoy this 
 lovely weather in the quiet by which you are surrounded, 
 while I spend another very interrupted week. However, 
 the Saal Valley will meanwhile be becoming beautifully 
 green, and we shall soon re-commence our old life. 
 
 G. 
 
 461. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 1, 1798. 
 As we have now entered the month of Joy (Wonne- 
 monat), I am again in hopes of being favoured by the 
 Muses, and of finding in my garden-house what I have 
 long been in want of. I think of going there at the end 
 of this week provided the weather keeps fine. 
 
 * Ernulphus was originally a monk in a licentious monastery at 
 Beauvuis, which he left with a curse and came to England, where he 
 subsequently was made bishop of Rochester. 
 
 G 2
 
 84 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 I certainly regret extremely not to be able, in any way, 
 to profit by Inland's performances ; bnt as I have lost so 
 much time during the winter and spring, and wish to get 
 finished by a stated period, I feel I must withdraw into 
 myself, and avoid everything that would engage my 
 attention too much from without as a dangerous diversion. 
 This is the way I console myself about the enjoyment I 
 have been losing, and which I should not have been able 
 to resist, had I been in good health. 
 
 That Inland should have triumphed so much beyond 
 my expectation and predictions, is still incomprehensible 
 to me, and it is difficult for me even to take your word 
 for what would rob me of faith in my firmest ideas and 
 convictions. However, no more can be said about it as 
 you hold up a fact against my a priori proofs ; and I, not 
 having been able to convince myself, cannot, of course, 
 venture upon a reply. Moreover, I have only to do with 
 your judgment, because public opinion can prove nothing 
 in this case, as the point at issue is only one of objective 
 demands, and the world at large is satisfied provided only 
 it is interested. 
 
 I wish to know whether it is still likely that Schroder 
 will come this autumn, for I must take counsel with my- 
 self as to whether I can get Wallenstein ready for the stage 
 by that time. Therefore, please let me know whether you 
 have taken any steps in this matter, for if you have not 
 done so ere this, I doubt whether he will come this 
 autumn. 
 
 Cotta will probably be here in about ten days. It may 
 perhaps happen that you will be here about that time ; 
 it would be well for you to meet him, and to make your 
 proposals yourself. He is a most kindly disposed man, 
 and is also in no way wanting in power to venture upon 
 important undertakings. 
 
 1 have been struck by a passage in the Odyssey from 
 which one might infer the existence of a lost poem, the 
 theme of which preceded the Iliad. The passage I allude 
 to is in the 8th book of the Odyssey, beginning at the 72nd 
 verse. Perhaps you know something of this. 
 
 Would that you were again living in your Homeric 
 world. I have not the slightest doubt that you will
 
 Letter 462.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 85 
 
 succeed with some other cantos during the summer and 
 autumn. 
 
 Farewell. My wife will be in Weimar on Thursday 
 in order to enjoy the closing exhibitions of Inland's talents. 
 She sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 462. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 2, 1798. 
 
 Iffland continues doing his work admirably and proves 
 himself a true artist. Praiseworthy characteristics in him 
 are, his lively imagination, whereby he discovers all that 
 belongs to his part ; then his power of imitating, whereby 
 he contrives to represent what he has found, and, so to 
 say, created ; lastly, his spirit {Humor'), by means of which 
 he carries on what he has to do in an animated manner 
 from beginning to end. The way in which he characterises 
 the various personages he represents, by means of dress, 
 gesture and style of language, the distinction he makes in 
 the various situations, and again their subdivision into 
 evident subordinate parts, is admirable. I will at present 
 not mention those other points, which we alreadj" know 
 in detail. 
 
 He appears to the eyes of the audience a living picture 
 both of nature and of art, whereas the other actors — even 
 though they do not play their parts badly — appear, as it 
 were, mere reporters, representing the affairs of some other 
 persons from written records ; we indeed learn what is 
 happening and what has happened, but cannot take any 
 further interest in them. 
 
 Very significant to me was the observation I made, that 
 he almost invariably had it in his power to command the 
 purest and most appropriate state of mind in his audience, 
 which, of course, is possible only by a union of genius, 
 art, and study. 
 
 The attendance has been pretty equal. The number 
 has hitherto wavered between 380 and 430, and I can 
 foresee that we shall not have either so large or so small 
 a house as on the last occasion. Raising the prices affects 
 only a certain class of the spectators. We can be satisfied
 
 86 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 with the receipts, and I am glad to have trium^ hed over 
 the unbelieving Hofkammerrath. * 
 
 Otherwise I have not heard anything comforting except 
 a pretty general feeling of satisfaction which has been 
 freely expressed. How few we find productive compared 
 with the artist ! I have, on the other hand, occasionally 
 heard some very stupid negations. To-morrow we are to 
 have Der taube Apotlieher, f and after that I mean again to 
 enjoy a time of rest ; but I will not deny that his acting, 
 on this occasion, has been more a necessity to me than when 
 he was here last. I can say that, in every respect, he has 
 had a good influence upon me, and I hope that when I 
 come to you, the months of May and June will bring forth 
 good fruits. 
 
 I have not received a letter from you to-day, and trust 
 that there may not be any unfavorable cause to account 
 for your silence. 
 
 Friend Bottiger, as I see, is meditating a didascalia on 
 Pygmalion. It will probably be another pretty piece of 
 work. 
 
 One of the most amusing occurrences of the day I can- 
 not leave untold. Wieland has been prohibited by a secret 
 democratic Court from writing the continuation of his Con- 
 versations, | which were appearing in the Mercury ; the next 
 number will show whether the old man means to obey. 
 
 The poor author of the Golden Mirror and of Agathon,§ he, 
 who in his day told kings and lords the strangest truths, 
 who understood political constitutions so well when, as 
 yet, there were none, he, the noble forerunner of the new 
 empire, is now — in these days of liberty, when Herr P. || is 
 daily exposing his bare back at the window, and Herr G., % 
 
 * Probably Hofkammerrath Kirms. It may, however, refer to 
 Einsiedel, who was chamberlain to the Duchess Amalia. 
 
 t See Letter 460 and note. 
 
 \ These are his Gesprache unter vier Aug en ; in the second — the 
 March number of the Merkur — Bonaparte is pointed to as the future 
 dictator. 
 
 § Two romances by Wieland. 
 
 || Posselt; the allusion here is to an article in Die neueste Welt- 
 kunde. 
 
 ^f Genz, who one year previously had addressed a letter to King 
 Frederick William III. (of Prussia) on the occasion of his ascending 
 the throne.
 
 Letter 463.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 67 
 
 with liberal importunity is extorting from a new king an 
 unlimited freedom of the press — compelled to conceal the 
 pet-children of his old age, the fruits of a silver wedding, 
 like so many love-children. 
 
 About a fortnight ago he came to Weimar in the hope 
 of reaping some praise for these productions which he 
 has been working at in secret ; he read them aloud in all 
 the stages of our house of taste and of society, and was re- 
 ceived with such tame indifference, that, full of impatience 
 he soon fled back into the country ; meanwhile a counsel 
 was held, and I now hear that he has received notice 
 quietly to strangle and to bury these hybrids of an aristo- 
 democratic marriage-bond in a cellar, for expose them he 
 dare not. 
 
 G. 
 463. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 2, 1798. 
 
 The above was written just when your dear letter came 
 in. I trust that fine weather may soon entice you out to 
 your garden-house, and continue to favour you when you 
 get there. 
 
 Let us set methodically to work with Pygmalion, for con- 
 sidering that there is a great deal of agreement between 
 us with regard to principles, and that we are, neverthe- 
 less, somewhat opposed to one another with regard to the 
 manner of judging a production, we are certain to come 
 upon good results, if only we understand one another. 
 
 I think we should soon come to an understanding, for, 
 in fact, this monodrama is open to criticism only in so far 
 as we assume that the manner of French tragedy, and the 
 rhetorical treatment of a tragical subject, or — as in the 
 present case — of a sentimental one, is admissible ; if this 
 is wholly rejected, then Pygmalion itself is rejected with 
 it, but if its worth or worthlessness is allowed to pass, 
 then, of course, praise and blame can be apjdied in the 
 present instance as well. Every mannerist can be praised, 
 and the merit he may possess, analyzed, provided I do 
 not judge him by nature and style. This is about the 
 point from which I should start. I shall tell you what I 
 noticed on the two occasions ; but what I most wish is
 
 88 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 that you should hear Meyer on the subject ; however, the 
 inquiry cannot be concluded before the appearance of the 
 didascalia* 
 
 Of Schroder I cannot tell you anything further. He has 
 in this matter played the part of a coquette, first made an 
 offer unasked, and then withdrew just as we were about 
 to engage him. However, I do not feel very much an- 
 noyed with him, for every profession has its own ways of 
 acting ; but I cannot now take any further steps. 
 
 Probably I shall be with you again in ten days; I 
 should be glad to see Cotta again. 
 
 The passage in the Odyssey seems indeed to point to 
 one of the innumerable rhapsodies, out of which subse- 
 quently the two extant poems were so happily composed. 
 It is very likely that these were lost simply by the 
 Iliad and the Odyssey having become united into one 
 whole. In like manner countless epigrams have been lost 
 by a collection of epigrams having been compiled ; in like 
 manner again, the works of the ancient lawgivers have been 
 lost, by their having been digested in the pandects, &c. 
 Pardon me these somewhat chorizontic utterances, but it 
 seems to me to become daily more intelligible how it was 
 that these two works — which have survived — could 
 have been compiled from the immense accumulation of 
 rhapsodical productions of genius, by some inferior talents ; 
 perhaps even by one possessing mere common sense : nay, 
 who can prevent our assuming that this contiguity and 
 continuity, had already in the highest degree been pre- 
 pared by demands made by the mind upon the rhapsodists ; 
 I am even inclined to go so far as to assume that not all 
 that which might have been appropriate in the Iliad and 
 Odyssey, has been admitted into them, on the contrary 
 that nothing has been added to them, but that things have 
 been left out of them. 
 
 However, these are opinions upon a subject, in regard 
 to which all certainty has been lost for ever, and the idea 
 which I express is favorable to myself in my present work, 
 for I have, so to say, to dissolve the Iliad and Odyssey into 
 that mighty ocean of poetry from which I myself intend to 
 draw. 
 
 * See Letter 462 and note.
 
 Letter 464.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 89 
 
 One word more about Schroder ; in my conviction your 
 Wallenstein and his coming here stand in a correlation of 
 which it might sooner be said : finish it and he will come, 
 rather than let him come and you will have it ready. 
 
 And herewith farewell. There is another luncheon 
 again to-day; to-morrow is the last one in my house, to 
 which I invite your dear wife if she can be here in time. 
 
 The English translation of my Dorothea, which Mr. 
 Mellish* undertook, is now ready, as he told me himself 
 yesterday; he is going to show me the first four cantos 
 which he brought with him. I am myself no judge of 
 this sort of work, I shall get Schlegel to take a look at 
 them ; he has studied the relation between the two lan- 
 guages thoroughly. I must, however, conclude, although 
 there is much else to say. 
 
 G. 
 
 464. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 4, 1798. 
 My wife has had a great deal to tell me in praise of the 
 friendly welcome she received from you, of the gay and 
 animated company in your house, and of Inland's merry 
 Apothecary. It is in such ridiculous parts that Inland 
 always delighted me ; for natural disposition does so much 
 in cases like this, everything appears tobe the thought and 
 feeling of the moment; hence it seems inconceivable, and 
 one feels both delighted and utterly surprised. On the 
 other hand, in noble, serious and affecting parts I find more 
 to admire in his ability, his understanding, his calculation 
 and self-possession. Here he is to me always significant, 
 full of intention, engaging and riveting one's attention and 
 reflection, but I cannot say that I really felt charmed or 
 enthusiastic about him in such parts, and this I have been 
 with much less perfect actors ; hence, he would scarcely 
 put me into a poetic humour for tragedy. 
 
 * Joseph Charles Mellish, an English gentleman who resided in 
 Weimar, and was a great admirer of German literature; he had 
 married a Fraulein von Stein, and became English consul-general at 
 Hamburgh. The translation of Schiller's Mary Stuart, which is pub- 
 lished in this series, was made by him from the original MS. He ia fre- 
 quently mentioned in subsequent letters.
 
 90 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 I do not know what to do abont Schroder, and have 
 almost decided to drop the whole idea of having Wallenstein 
 performed. It is impossible for me to have the whole 
 piece ready in time for him to play Wallenstein in Septem- 
 ber or the beginning of October ; for Schroder — as he 
 himself told Bot tiger — must have several months for 
 learning his part, and would, therefore, require to have 
 the play at latest by the middle of July. I might, 
 indeed, were it necessary, have a sketch of the whole 
 ready for the theatre by that time, but having to work in 
 so hurried a manner and for no outward object, would 
 destroy my humour for quietly working it out afterwards. 
 In addition to this, even if Schroder should come, some of 
 the principal parts would be sure to be very badly repre- 
 sented, and to this I would not expose myself. As you 
 yourself write, good actors, even in the happiest instances, 
 are but the passive channels for, or the reporters of the 
 text, and I should grieve to see this, especially in the case 
 of my two Piccolominis and Countess Terzki. I propose, 
 therefore, to proceed on my course freely, without any 
 definite regard to the stage, and, if possible, to keep 
 myself in the proper humour for it. "When Wallenstein is 
 once finished and printed I shall not have any further 
 interest in it, and shall then be able more readily to 
 think of such things. 
 
 I am very glad to think that we shall have you here 
 again so soon. It would not be bad, were we to read 
 Homer together when you come. Not to mention the 
 capital state of mind into which it would throw you for 
 your own work, it would also offer us the best opportunity 
 for an exchange of ideas, and the most important points 
 in regard to poetry would have to be talked over. We 
 should thus, in future, continue our discussions on tragic 
 writers and others. 
 
 I am still in town, and shall wait and see what comes 
 of the present doubtful weather before I move. If your 
 barometer can prognosticate anything definite, I would 
 arrange accordingly. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sch.
 
 Letter 4G5.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 91 
 
 4G5. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 5, 1798. 
 
 Inland finished yesterday by giving his Aussteuer, after 
 having in the course of his acting given me a good deal 
 to think about, and this, upon the whole, agrees with what 
 you say of him. We shall have many a thing to discuss 
 on this point. 
 
 I do not know what to advise you about Wallenstein, 
 although I myself think that the plan you yourself pro- 
 pose is the best, considering your manner of working, the 
 piece itself, as far as I know it, and all the outward cir- 
 cumstances. No one can serve two masters, and of all 
 masters, the public seated in a German theatre would be 
 the last one I should choose. 
 
 I have scarcely any other thought, at present, than of 
 becoming more intimately acquainted with Homer as soon 
 as I can come to you ; our reading him together will be 
 the best introduction to this. 
 
 My Faust I have brought a good bit further. The old, and 
 very confused manuscript, has been copied, and the parts 
 arranged in separate boxes and numbered according to a 
 detailed scheme ; hence I shall now be able to make use of 
 every moment when I feel in the humour for it, work out 
 the various parts, and sooner or later have them put 
 together. 
 
 A very curious thing struck me while doing this : some 
 tragic scenes I had written in prose, and owing to their 
 naturalness and power, as compared with the rest, are 
 quite intolerable. 
 
 I am, therefore, at present trying to turn them into 
 rhyme, as the idea then appears as if it were half hidden 
 by a veil, and the direct effect of the immensity of the 
 subject is thus lessened. 
 
 Farewell. The barometer can tell us only of such 
 changes as are immediately about to take place ; one 
 would think, however, that we were likely now to have a 
 time of rain, yet who can tell ! 
 
 G.
 
 92 COEKESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 466. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Fichte lias sent me the second part of his Naturrecht. 
 I have read some bits out of the middle of it, and find 
 many deductions made in a praiseworthy manner, and 
 yet, practical sceptic as I am, I find that in some instances 
 empiric influences still act strongly upon him. I feel 
 here very much the same as what I lately told you of in 
 regard to making observations : it is only humanity 
 as a whole that perceives nature, only men collectively 
 that live the life of man.* I may take up what position I 
 choose, I see in the many famous axioms only the ex- 
 pression of an individuality ; and precisely that which is 
 generally acknowledged as true is usually but the pre- 
 judice of the multitude, which is affected by the condi- 
 tions of the age, and therefore also to be regarded as but 
 one individuum. 
 
 Farewell, and love my loving individuum, notwith- 
 standing all its heresies. 
 
 G. 
 
 467. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 8, 1798. 
 
 In spite of the uncertain weather yesterday I ventured 
 to move out to my garden-house, and everything went off 
 as well as I could have wished. Here, therefore, I am 
 once more on my own landed estate ; unfortunately, how- 
 ever, I have accidentally had a string of visitors, one after 
 the other, so that within these last two days there has 
 been more hubbub about me than I have had all winter. 
 
 One among the number, Joseph v. Eetzer from Vienna, 
 you have perhaps likewise seen, for he left this for 
 Weimar. He is a miserable individual, but to some extent 
 remarkable, by reminding one of a period already of the 
 past. Professor Morgenstem from Halle, who was here 
 lately, also called upon you, so my wife tells me. His is 
 a nature somewhat similar to Woltmann's, as coquettish 
 and elegant in his ideas, and very well acquainted with 
 * See Letter 437.
 
 Letter 468.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 93 
 
 the current coin of philosophical criticism. Eschen, a 
 pupil of Voss's, who gave him a letter of recommendation 
 to me last year, has become altogether faithless to his old 
 idol and master, and now finds very much to censure in 
 him. The Schlegel family have taken this young gentle- 
 man in hand and have led him away from Yoss. I fear he 
 has improved for the worse by his change of faith. Voss is 
 contemplating adding some new idylls to his Louise ; he 
 seems to regard this subject too as a thread without an 
 end, but it may also be that it requires an imagination 
 without an end. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your progress with Faust. 
 As soon as you but definitely know what has still to be 
 done to the subject, it may be said to be all but finished, 
 for to me the most difficult part about it seems to be its 
 illimitedness. A remark you made lately that on account of 
 some of your tragic scenes having been written in prose, 
 they proved powerfully affecting, confirms an earlier ex- 
 perience of yours in the case of Marianne in your Meister, 
 in which case likewise pure realism violently affects a 
 pathetic situation and produces a seriousness which is not 
 poetical : for according to my idea, it belongs to the 
 nature of poetry that it should ever unite within itself 
 seriousness and play. 
 
 Farewell. I am looking forward with no small amount 
 of pleasure to your coming, when, I hope, many subjects 
 will be discussed and more fully developed. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 468. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 9, 1798. 
 
 I congratulate you upon again being in your garden- 
 house, the season as well as the weather are exceedingly 
 fine, and I hope soon to be able to pay you a visit on your 
 own property. 
 
 The time I have lost during these last days could not 
 have been made good to me in any other way than by the 
 evenings Iffiand has given us. Otherwise society is, for 
 those like ourselves, a sorry thing ; one hears things, but
 
 94 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [.798. 
 
 one learns nothing, and that which is most needful, nay, 
 what we can alone make use of, viz., a good state of mind 
 (Stimmung), is not awakened but is more likely destroyed. 
 
 Inclination for work, however, Inland has left in me. 
 He heard that I had been working at a second part of the 
 Zauherfiote {Magic Flute), and with some eagerness ex- 
 pressed the wish to have the piece for the Berlin Theatre, 
 and did so both to myself and to others. This has roused 
 my thoughts about it again, and I have looked over the 
 acts and already done something to them. In fact so 
 much is already done that it would be foolish to leave it 
 unfinished, and, after all, were it only for the sake of the 
 mere gain, it deserves due encouragement, the more so as 
 so light a composition could be worked at, at any time 
 and at any hour, and would, moreover, put one into a 
 humour for something better. 
 
 Herr Thouret has not appeared yet, although we hoped 
 he would have come with Cotta. and I want as soon as 
 possible to start off to be with you, for the days are 
 passing uselessly, and I hardly know what is becoming of 
 them. I should be in a state of despair with the quantity 
 of subjects I have in hand, were it not that the great 
 order in which I keep my papers enables me to take up 
 any one of them at any time, and to put every hour to its 
 own special use, and thus to get one thing after another 
 pushed forwards. 
 
 Meyer has finished his treatise on the family of Niobe 
 which deserves high praise; I will bring it with me. 
 He is quite willing to let us modify the essay on the 
 Choice of Subjects,* according to our own convictions, 
 and perhaps also to allow us to set to work in our own 
 fashion with regard to the arrangement of the arguments. 
 We may perhaps manage to read it over again together, 
 and then but little will be required to put it to rights. 
 He is at present busy with Baphaei's works and intends 
 continuing thus. I foresee already that he will soon have 
 a couple of little volumes ready. You shall hear, when 
 I come, what spice we intend to put to these serious — and 
 
 * A sketch of this treatise, the title of which is : Abhandlunq iiber 
 die Wahl der Gegenztiinde, Meyer had drawn op while in Switzerland 
 with Goethe. Compare Letters 372 and 373.
 
 Letter 469.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 95 
 
 as we think, good — essays, for the sake of consoling the 
 publisher; so that if the essays are not rewarded they 
 will at least be "forgiven." * For to-day farewell ; I am 
 expecting Herr von Eetzer and am curious to see how the 
 Imperial Buchercensur will behave himself in Weimar. 
 
 May all be well with you, your dear wife and the chil- 
 dren, and enjoy the lovely mornings and evenings. 
 
 G. 
 
 469. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 11, 1798. 
 
 The weather is still keeping good, and hence I am 
 again by degrees beginning to feel an inclination and to 
 be in the proper mood for work. Otherwise, however, 
 the cheerfulness of spring is not exactly what is required 
 for the sombre weight of the fifth act of a tragedy, 
 although it awakens a poetic spirit which is good for 
 everything. 
 
 Do not let the opera prevent your thinking very seri- 
 ously of the main thing ! It is true, of course, that the main 
 thing always is money, but only to a realist of the strict- 
 est order. You must take to heart the proverb : Seek 
 that which is highest and the rest will come of itself. 
 
 If you have not got a thoroughly clever and popular 
 composer for the continuation of your Zauberflote, you will, 
 I fear, be exposing yourself to the danger of finding a very 
 ungracious public ; for during a performance no text will 
 save an opera unless the music be good ; on the contrary 
 the failure will be attributed to the poet as well. 
 
 I am curious to hear with what you intend to spice the 
 essays to please the public. 
 
 Could you not manage to incorporate the short essays, 
 which you published eight years ago in the Mercury, 
 with your present collection? They would increase the 
 variety and add to the bulk, and I know that when they 
 appeared in the Mercury, they excited a great deal of 
 interest. 
 
 * An allusion to a line in Klopstock's Messias, which Goethe often 
 referred to: " Einige (Tugenden) werden belohnt, die meisten werden
 
 96 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 We have, this week, also had a number of diversions 
 which, however, I know of only from hearsay. Yesterday 
 a young man from Mannheim gave a concert on the violin, 
 and this evening Herr Bianchi — who is doubtless known 
 to you— gives an intermezzo. Kriiger, who at one time 
 had an engagement in Weiniar, has joined him ; they are 
 making a tremendous stir, and seem to be drawing in a 
 good deal of money. I hear that the actors, now in Eise- 
 nach, have been invited by the Duke to come to Weimar 
 as soon as the theatrical company now there have left. 
 I should very much like to see the ballet, which is very 
 highly praised. 
 
 If you can be here by Sunday or Monday you may still 
 meet Cotta, I think. I did expect him to-morrow, it is 
 true, but as he has not written, he will probably come a 
 little later. 
 
 I wish you all success with The Enchanted Isle* I 
 have been told, by Herr Bianchi, that the main effect 
 does not lie so much in the singing as in the accompani- 
 ment, which is a thing scarcely to be praised. 
 
 Farewell. My wife is anxiously looking forward to 
 your coming, as I am myself. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 470. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 12, 179S. 
 Your letter, as you desired, found me engaged with the 
 Iliad, which I am ever glad to take up again, for one 
 always feels lifted up by it above all earthly things as if 
 one were in a balloon, and finds oneself in that intermediate 
 sphere where the gods move to and fro. I am continuing 
 my schemes and inquiries, and think I have again 
 conquered some main points which will assist me in 
 future undertakings. To work these out would be im- 
 possible, did it not come of itself; in the same way, no 
 one could plant a field of oats, although, of course, such a 
 field might be sown. I am at present looking about for 
 the best seeds, and shall not fail also to attend to the 
 
 * An opera by G otter. See Letters 414, 415.
 
 Letter 470.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 97 
 
 preparation of the soil ; the rest may then be left to the 
 chances of the weather. 
 
 The most important point in my present studies is that 
 I am casting out from my investigations everything that 
 is subjective and pathological. If I am to succeed with a 
 poem that can in any way be connected with the Iliad, I 
 must follow the ancients even in that for which they are 
 censured, nay, I must even make what I do not like, 
 my own; then only can I be sure of not having quite 
 failed in the spirit and the tone. The two important 
 points, the employment of the divine influence and of 
 similies are, I think, now quite clear to me ; I have 
 probably already said something in regard to the latter. 
 My plan is extending from within and is becoming more 
 antique as my knowledge increases. I have to write 
 down everything so that I may not forget anything 
 during my hours of relaxation. 
 
 When I next pay you a visit, everything shall be 
 pushed forwards, and passages of which I feel most sure 
 shall be worked out. 
 
 I did not find it uninteresting to devote a few days to 
 my Zauberflote, and to take up and work out what I 
 had begun three years ago. Being able to think only 
 when active, I have again made some very good observa- 
 tions which refer both to my subject and to the drama in 
 general, to the opera specially, and most specially to the 
 very one in question. There can be no harm in finishing 
 it at such times when I am but in a middling humour. 
 
 The Duke has not yet returned from Leipzig. 
 
 Thouret also has not yet come ; my coming is therefore 
 again postponed for a day or two; but I shall not wait 
 long, for as I must be here again by Midsummer-Day, 
 and wish to spend at least a month with you this time, I 
 dare not put it off. 
 
 Kr tiger is a detestable swaggerer. His ballet is said 
 to be not bad; he is not likely to obtain permission to 
 play here, unless merely for a few times. 
 
 The noble von Eetzer was an appearance such as one 
 needs to have seen with one's own eyes to believe in his 
 existence. Did he also show you his poem on Gleim ? 
 
 Unger sent me the enclosed new specimen of printing, 
 
 VOL. II. h
 
 98 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 and wishes me to let him have something of mine to print 
 in this small type. I do not at present know of anything 
 to give him, and shall always give the Almanack my first 
 thought. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 Would that you too could find the proper mood for 
 advancing with your work ! I will meanwhile try and 
 make the best possible use of the next few days, while 
 waiting to start. 
 
 G. 
 
 471. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 15, 1798. 
 
 Cotta will be here on Ascension Day. It would be 
 very nice if you could be here by that time. 
 
 Write and tell me what you wish said to him about 
 your work, in case you should not be able to be here. 
 The best plan would be for you to fix a price, and he 
 could then decide whether he were able to give it. 
 
 Unger's specimen type seems to me much too pointed. 
 The public would very soon be made blind in this way. 
 
 In the last numbers of Niethammer's journal you 
 will find an essay by Forberg on the Deduction of the 
 Categories, which I recommend you to read. It is very 
 good both in thought and in execution. 
 
 As I hope to have you here soon, I shall keep a fresh 
 and unexpected piece of news till you come ; it concerns 
 you and will give you much pleasure. But perhaps you 
 can guess what it is. 
 
 What you do not like in Homer you surely do not 
 mean to imitate intentionally : but if it mingles with 
 your work of its own accord, it will be a proof of how 
 completely you have transposed yourself into the Homeric 
 element, and of the genuineness of the state of mind you 
 are in. W T hen reading Sophocles I have frequently been 
 struck by a kind of playfulness in his serious dialogues, 
 which would not be allowed to pass in a modern writer. 
 And yet it suits the ancient poet ; at all events it in no 
 way disturbs one's state of mind, and to some extent even
 
 Letter 472.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 99 
 
 helps to give the mind a certain ease and freedom in 
 pathetic scenes. Yet it seems to me nevertheless to be a 
 bad habit, and hence to deserve anything rather than 
 imitation. 
 
 I am looking forward to Meyer's Niobe, and shall be 
 anxious to compare it with your article on Laohoon. The 
 latter I herewith return, as you lately asked me for it. 
 
 Schlegel, I hear, hopes to get a professorship here. I 
 have just received his Athenceum, but have not yet been 
 able to look at it. 
 
 Von Eetzer did leave me his verses, they are in perfect 
 keeping with the man. 
 
 I am interrupted by Paulus.* Farewell. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 472. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 16, 1708. 
 
 Your letter again finds me engaged with the Iliad. 
 The study of this poem has always chased me round a 
 circle of delight, hope, insight and despair. 
 
 I am more than ever convinced of the unity and in- 
 separableness of the poem, and, in fact, there no longer is 
 and never will be any one capable of judging it. At all 
 events I find myself at every moment forming a subjective 
 opinion ; it must have been so with others before us and 
 will be with others after us. However, my first idea of 
 an Achilleid was correct, and if I wish and am to do 
 anything of the kind, I must keep to this. 
 
 The Iliad seems to me so round and so perfect — let people 
 say what they will — that nothing can be added to or 
 taken from it. The new poem that might be undertaken, 
 one would likewise have to endeavour to keep apart from 
 it even though, in regard to time, it were directly con- 
 nected with it. 
 
 The Achilleid is a tragic subject, which, however, by 
 possessing a certain degree of breadth would not resent 
 epic treatment. 
 
 It is thoroughly sentimental, and owing to this twofold 
 peculiarity would be qualified for a modern work ; and a 
 * Professor of oriental languages in Jena. 
 
 H 2
 
 100 COEEESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 thoroughly realistic style of treatment would counter- 
 balance the above two intrinsic peculiarities. Further 
 the subject possesses merely a personal and private 
 interest, whereas the Iliad embraces the interest of 
 nations, of countries, of earth and of heaven. 
 
 Lay all this to heart ! If you think that notwith- 
 standing all these peculiarities, one might undertake a 
 poem of this magnitude and labour, I could begin at any 
 moment, for I have, in my own mind, for the most part 
 decided how to work it out, but shall — according to my 
 old custom — keep this a secret till I can myself read the 
 passages worked out. 
 
 I have no idea to what unexpected and pleasant news 
 you allude in your last, but it will be very welcome. I 
 have never yet in life met with a piece of good fortune 
 that was unprepared, unlooked for, or one that had not 
 been striven for. Unfortunately, I cannot come before 
 Sunday. 
 
 My kind greetings to Cotta, and also thank him for all 
 the generous kindness he has shown me. I am still a few 
 things in his debt, but there will very probably soon be 
 an opportunity for settling this. 
 
 I am also thinking of carrying out what I recently told 
 you about our essays on theoretico-empirical subjects ; as 
 soon as, so to say, an alphabet has been clearly written 
 out and finished, we shall come to an agreement about it. 
 
 I intend in future, as far as possible, not to promise any 
 manuscript till it is ready for printing, and in the present 
 case, especially, where so many things have to be con- 
 sidered. 
 
 Schlegel can hardly fail to get the professorship. He 
 has the Duke's support, on account of his translations of 
 Shakespeare, and communications in his favour have 
 already been despatched to Gotha. 
 
 Farewell ; I am longing heartily to see you, and to set 
 to work at something important. It is now nearly a year 
 since I did anything, and this seems to me very strange. 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, and enjoy this 
 lovely weather in the open air. 
 
 G.
 
 Letter 473.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 201 
 
 473. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 18, 1798. 
 As it is doubtless quite true that there is no longer any 
 possibility of an Iliad after the Iliad, even though there 
 were to be another Homer and another Greece, I cannot 
 wish you anything better than that you should compare 
 your Achilleid — as it exists in your imagination— simply 
 with itself, and seek in Homer merely the proper mood, 
 without actually comparing your work with his. You 
 will be quite certain to develop your subject as required 
 by its form, and conversely, neither will you fail in 
 finding the form for your subject. Your nature, your 
 penetration and experience are a guarantee of these two 
 points. The tragic as well as the sentimental character 
 of the subject will undoubtedly be counterbalanced by 
 your subjective character as a poet, and assuredly it is 
 more a merit than a de-merit in the subject that it meets 
 the demands of our age ; for it is as impossible as it is 
 thankless for a poet to be demanded entirely to quit his 
 
 native soil and to set himself against his 
 
 own 
 
 age. 
 
 beautiful vocation is to be a contemporary and denizen of 
 both poetic worlds, and simply on account of this higher 
 merit you will not belong to either exclusively. 
 
 However, we shall soon have an opportunity of talking 
 this subject over thoroughly, for the news of which I 
 wrote to you, and about which I do not wish you to raise 
 your expectations too high, is a work on your Hermann, 
 sent to me by Humboldt in manuscript. I call it a work, 
 for it will make a thick volume, and goes into the subject 
 fully and thoroughly. We will read it together, if you 
 have no objections ; it will lead us to the discussion of 
 what can be established or guessed by reasoning upon the 
 genus and various species of poetry. The admirable 
 justice which is shown towards you here by a thoughtful 
 mind and a sensitive heart, must please you; and this 
 outspoken and trustworthy testimony will also help in 
 directing the indefinite opinion of our German public, 
 and both decide and hasten the victory of your Muse 
 over all opposition, even on the path of reasoning.
 
 102 COEJJESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Of my to Ik with Cotta I will tell you when we meet. 
 But what specially 'pleased me to hear was the news he 
 gave me of the enormous sale of your Hermann nnd 
 Dorothea. You were very right in thinking that this 
 subject was a particularly happy one for the German 
 public, for it has charmed the German reader in his own 
 native territory, within the sphere of his capacity and of 
 his interest ; and the fact of its having really charmed him, 
 shows that the effect produced was not so much owing to 
 the subject as to the poetic animation which was thrown 
 into it. Cotta thinks that Yieweg ought to have issued a 
 cheaper and commoner edition, for he feels sure that some 
 thousands of it would be sold in Suabia alone. 
 
 But more of this and of other subjects when you come. 
 I hope this will be the day after to-morrow. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 474. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 19, 1798. 
 
 I can only say Amen to the first page of your dear 
 letter, for it contains the quintessence of what I said 
 to myself by way of consolation and encouragement. 
 These doubts proceed chiefly from the fear of making a 
 mistake as regards the subject, which perhaps should 
 either not be attempted at all, or not by me, or not in 
 the way I propose. We will, for the present, lay all 
 these troublesome questions aside, and take theiu up 
 again by and by courageously. 
 
 Humboldt's work I really did not expect, and shall 
 look forward to seeing it, all the more so as I feared his 
 journey would deprive us of his assistance in theoretical 
 matters, for a time at all events. It is no small advantage 
 to me to find that upon the last part of my poetical career, 
 at least, I have been acting in accordance with criticism. 
 
 I cannot add more this morning, for I shall be very 
 much engaged up to the last moment. 
 
 To-morrow evening I shall be with you, and am looking
 
 Letter 476.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 103 
 
 foward to the good which the next four weeks will 
 produce. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 475. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 24, 1798. 
 
 I send you a short essay* which we will talk over, and 
 perhaps get copied out for Cotta. I am meanwhile pre- 
 paring for the first number. This matter must be put into 
 proper working order before I can set my mind to any- 
 thing else. 
 
 Herewith also the Discourse f which I recently told you 
 about. I am curious to see whether you approve of it, 
 and whether you will wish and demand the promised 
 continuation. % 
 
 At noon to-day I shall be in your neighbourhood as a 
 guest, and shall then come to you to continue our yester- 
 day's reading and discussions. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 476. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 June 11, 1798. 
 
 Please send me Humboldt's work and the iron rod.f 
 This evening I shall spend with Loder, but shall probably 
 come over to you first for a few hours. 
 
 This morning early, during my walk, I was thinking 
 over a cursory exposition to my theory of colours, and feel 
 a good deal of inclination and courage for writing one. 
 
 Schelling's work will do me the great service of keeping 
 me very closely within my sphere. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Upon the object and style of the proposed journal, 
 t Gesprdche iiber Wahrheit und Wahrscheinlichkeit. 
 % For some experiments with magnetism.
 
 104 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 477. — Goethe to Schiller, 
 
 Jena, June 21, 1798. 
 As I must after all decide to drive, I shall have to start 
 earlier, and shall, therefore, not see you to-day. 
 
 Herewith I send you Fischer's Dictionary, which seems 
 to fulfil its object very well. 
 
 Hofrath Loder sends a parcel to Paris on Monday, and I 
 want him to enclose my letter and perhaps also a tran- 
 script of my Euphrosyne. It would be very nice if you 
 could have finished your work by that time. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. I am anxious to see what these next few days have 
 in store for me. 
 
 G. 
 478. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 24, 1798. 
 
 As soon as I leave Jena, I am immediately drawn 
 towards another polarity, which again lays hold of me for 
 a time. There was more than one reason for my return 
 to Weimar, and I am now awaiting the Duke's arrival ; for 
 a time I shall be busy arranging and directing different 
 matters ; however, I hope to be able to be with you again 
 in a week. As I have nothing with me here, having left 
 everything in Jena, I have been forced to look through 
 some of my old papers, and have come upon all kinds of 
 things which will, at all events, serve us in the first place 
 with subject-matter. 
 
 I send you the French ballad.* It was well that it 
 was not within my reach, for certain very pleasing turns 
 would have withheld me from going my own course. 
 The other manuscript enclosed, I had no wish to look into at 
 all ; it is an instance of an inconceivable mistake as regards 
 subject, and God knows what other caution it may not 
 be. I am very curious to hear who you think is ths 
 author of this unlucky production. 
 
 The affairs in Eossla have been settled to my satisfac- 
 tion ; my assistants spared me both trouble and thought, 
 
 * From La Folle en Pele'rinage, the prototype of Goethe's poem Der 
 2Iillltrin Verrath.
 
 Letter 479.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 105 
 
 and in the end, I had only to decide certain matters which 
 depended solely upon the wishes of the proprietor. 
 
 The Duke returns on Wednesday or Thursday, but will 
 not stay long. 
 
 Farewell, and, if possible, welcome me with something 
 lyrical. 
 
 The twelfth number of the Roren, it seems, I have not 
 yet received ; please let me have it by the message- woman. 
 I have some parts of the beginning, so we might, perhaps, 
 make up a few complete copies together, and after the 
 decease of the goddesses do some persons the favor of 
 presenting them with one. 
 
 Give my kind greetings to your dear wife, and keep as 
 well as you can during this weather, which, if not of the 
 finest, is most favourable to vegetation. 
 
 Wieland was very cheerful in Ober-Kossla.* Country life 
 seems to afford him great pleasure still, but he cannot be 
 said to have actually commenced it yet. The preparations 
 for it seem to me like lectures on anthropology which 
 has enticed many an honest fellow into the toils of 
 medicine. So it please God, the meadows — be they ever 
 so green — and the fields — be they ever so beautiful — shall 
 not tempt me upon that sea. 
 
 Again, farewell. On Wednesday you shall hear from 
 me again. 
 
 G. 
 
 479.' — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 25, 1798. 
 
 I cannot yet accustom myself to your long absence, and 
 only hope that it may not last longer than you at present 
 suppose. 
 
 Our letters to Humboldt will probably be somewhat 
 delayed, that is to say, if we are to send them off together. 
 I will, therefore, write to him by Wednesday's post, and 
 meanwhile give him some sign of my existence and a few 
 words of consolation. I shall not be able to enter into 
 any details this time, because I have not got his manu- 
 script, which is in your keeping. 
 
 * Diintzpr thinks this word Ober-Eossla was written in place of 
 Ossmannstedt, as it was in the latter place that Wieland resided.
 
 106 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Here are the poems * you asked for. 
 
 The drama f I likewise return ; I read it at once, and 
 am inclined to think better of it than you seem to suppose 
 I should have been. It reminds one of a good school, 
 although it is only the production of a dilettanti, and can- 
 not be judged from an artistic point of view. It gives proof 
 of a morally cultivated mind, of fine and moderated feelings, 
 and of an acquaintance with good models. If it is not by 
 the hand of a woman, still it suggests a certain womanli- 
 ness of sentiment, even in so far as a man might possess 
 this feature of character. If it were freed from its many 
 long-winded details and digressions, and also from some 
 far-fetched expressions — some of which I have underlined 
 — and more especially if the last monologue, which contains 
 an unnatural bound, were corrected, it might certainly be 
 read with interest. 
 
 If there is no objection to my knowing who the author 
 is, I wish you would tell me his name. 
 
 Here also are the Horen. Please look a little carefully 
 at the second idyll in it. The first you have already seen 
 in manuscript, and suggested some improvements. These 
 improvements have been made, and your advice followed 
 as far as was possible. 
 
 Farewell. I have to-day laid Wallenstein aside, and 
 shall now see whether a lyric mood will come over me. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 480. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Accidentally, or rather because I supposed you knew 
 that Elpenor was by myself, I did not tell you so expressly 
 in my letter ; and now I am all the more glad as the im- 
 pression of the work upon you has been quite impartial. 
 It may be about sixteen years ago since I wrote the two 
 acts, but very soon I took a dislike to them, and have 
 certainly not looked at them for ten years. I am de- 
 lighted with the clearness and justice of your remarks, as 
 I have had frequent occasion to remark, and in the present 
 
 * Some poems which had been sent in for the Musen* Almanack. 
 f Goethe's Eljjenor. See next Letter.
 
 Letter 480.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 107 
 
 case again. You gave a very good description of the state 
 of mind in which I probably was, and it can now also 
 very well be imagined why the production was objection- 
 able to me. 
 
 Here are two small poems * by Schlegel. He wishes it 
 to be understood that they are to be regarded as manuscript, 
 and that they might deserve a place in the Almanack. 
 Perhaps it will be as well to accept them, as we intend 
 inserting some other poems addressed to definite persons. 
 
 I mean to suspend my judgment of the other poems 
 enclosed ; they appear to me to be standing so much upon 
 the borders that I do not know whether they incline more 
 to reality or to nullity. 
 
 All the more defined is the letter which you will 
 receive with this ; it is a splendid specimen of madness 
 outside of a mad-house. It would, in fact, be difficult to 
 give a reason why such an individual is not locked up. 
 The one thing that might be said in his favour is that he 
 is harmless, but this even he ceases to be as soon as he 
 comes into close contact with us. However, as we cannot 
 have him locked up, he shall, at any rate, be locked out. 
 
 To-day the Duke comes. It remains to be seen how 
 long he intends staying. When he leaves I shall at 
 once come to you, that is, after having been to Eossla, 
 where I must go to arrange some things. 
 
 A book that was sent to me yesterday came very 
 opportunely. Its title is : An Attempt to develop the 
 Laws of Magnetic Phenomena from Propositions in 
 Natural Metaphysics — hence, according to a priori prin- 
 ciples — By C. A. Eschenmayer. Tubingen, Jakob Fried- 
 erich Heerbrandt. 1798/f 
 
 It has given me a very good insight into the work- 
 shops of natural philosophers and naturalists, and I havo 
 thus had another proof of my peculiar liking for natural 
 science. I shall bring the book with me, and we shall be 
 able to make good use of it in arranging the phenomena, 
 my first attempt at which is still in your hands. 
 
 * Schlegel's poems : An Friederike Vnzelmann ah Nina, and the 
 sonnet : Der neue Pygmalion, addressed to Iffland. 
 
 f Versuch die Gesetze magnetischer Ereheinungen aus Satzen der 
 Naturmetaphysik, mithin a priori zu entwickeln, etc.
 
 108 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 Farewell ; I am looting forward to the moment when 
 I shall see you again. 
 
 One thing more. Meyer, who sends kindest greetings, 
 is more in favour of the title Propylcea than for yours. 
 He thinks one ought to be sure to leave the field undefined 
 as the public like it thus. We shall have to talk this over 
 again. 
 
 G. 
 481. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 28, 1798. 
 
 The news that Elpenor is from your pen really surprised 
 me ; I do not know how it happened that I never thought 
 of you. But the very fact of my not knowing any one 
 likely to have written it among those whose names are 
 known to me, and among whom I might have selected the 
 author, made me very curious to hear who had written it ; 
 for it is one of those works which leads and carries one 
 away beyond the subject, directly into the state of mind 
 of him who is producing it. Moreover it is a valuable 
 document respecting the history of your mind and its 
 various stages, which you must hold in due honour. 
 
 I am looking forward with not a little pleasure to the 
 essay on magnetism ; in Fischer's Dictionary, I found little 
 consolation, especially on this subject, for the first volume 
 does not go very far. We will — that is, if it does not 
 distract your mind too much — also include in our dis- 
 cussions electricity, galvanism, and chemical subjects, and 
 also, if possible, make some experiments. I shall, in the 
 first place, read such things as you recommend and can be 
 procured. 
 
 My letter to Humboldt goes off to-day ; I enclose a copy 
 of that portion which refers to his work. As 1 had not 
 got it by me, and this direction of thought is, in fact, some- 
 what foreign and difficult to me at present, I could only 
 keep to generalia. Your letter will contain what may 
 otherwise be necessary. 
 
 If Schlegel will arrange to give me something more 
 important for the Almanack, I should have no objection to 
 introduce his little poems. But should he intend them as 
 his only contribution, which moreover he does not even
 
 LETVS3 482.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 109 
 
 expressly send as such, it would look as if we snatched at 
 everything that was to be had of his, and we are in no 
 such dire necessity. I have experienced so little honest 
 treatment from this family that I must really take care 
 not to give them any opportunity to consider themselves 
 of importance. For were I to accept them, the least risk 
 I should be running would be that Frau Schlegel would 
 assure everyone that her husband never wrote for the 
 Almanack, but that, in order to give it a lift, I had seized 
 upon two of his poems and had them printed. 
 
 However, the one addressed to Iffland is not bad, although 
 I could not help laughing to see that Schlegel has here a 
 second time made a mistake in regard to Pygmalion which 
 he cannot at all get rid of. 
 
 Meyer's proposal of Propylcea as a title is no doubt a 
 good one ; my reasons against it you already know ; but if 
 the point in question can gain anything by it, my objections 
 need not be considered. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 482. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June, 30, 1798. 
 
 Your letter to Humboldt is all very true and good, but 
 it will nevertheless not be altogether comforting to our 
 friend, for it too clearly expresses that his work does 
 not quite tally with our present circumstances. You 
 have touched upon a very important point : the difficulty 
 of making use of what is theoretical in things practical. 
 I really believe that — when they are viewed separately — 
 there is no connecting-link between them, and that they are 
 connected only in so far as they act conjointly from the 
 very first, which happens in the case of genius, of what- 
 ever species it may be. 
 
 I am at present much in the same predicament as a 
 natural philosopher who endeavours to trace things down- 
 wards from above, and as a naturalist who traces things 
 upwards from below. At all events, I find my only safe- 
 guard in that conception of things which stands midway 
 between the two. During these last days I have been 
 struck by some ideas on this subject which I will tell you 
 of when we meet. They will, I trust, be specially regula-
 
 110 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 tive and profitable, and afford us an opportunity, in a 
 peculiar manner of quickly surveying the domain of 
 physics. We will take up one chapter after another. 
 
 I am longing very much to be with you again and to 
 occupy myself with such things as would have no exist- 
 ence without me ; hitherto I have done and started only 
 such as might very well have been done without me. 
 
 Your caution in regard to the Schlegels I consider 
 quite justifiable under the circumstances ; we will now 
 wait and see what follows. 
 
 The best thing that has meanwhile fallen to my lot is, 
 perhaps, my having found fuller motives for the first 
 cantos of Tell, as well as a clearer idea as to how, in regard 
 to treatment and style, I can separate this poem from the 
 first, in doing which friend Humboldt shall be praised, 
 for, by having given a detailed analysis of the first, he 
 has distinctly shown me the wide field into which I can 
 play with the second. I hope that you will approve of 
 my intentions. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. I shall probably be with you again on Wednesday 
 evening. 
 
 G. 
 
 Herewith I also send you the earliest of my own 
 poems * which I have. It is fully thirty years old. 
 
 483. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 A most naughty spirit is at present ruling over our 
 communications and your poetic Muse. How much I wish 
 that you may soon return to us free and at peace ! The 
 month of August shall be very dear to us as a guarantee 
 of your approaching return. 
 
 Farewell ; and may you have a safe journey. My wife 
 sends kindest remembrances. 
 
 If it can be managed, please leave Humboldt's work 
 by Trapezius, f 
 
 Sch. 
 * Goethe's, Die Laune des Yerliebten. 
 t The Keeper of the Palace.
 
 Letter 485.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. Ill 
 
 484. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 11, 1798. 
 
 These few lines will accompany the Magnetica, which 
 Geist * has come to fetch, in order to bring yon onr 
 heartiest greetings and good wishes. These interruptions 
 are indeed most annoying, but inasmuch as they retard 
 the poetical things to which you are to give birth, they 
 may perhaps be the means of bringing about a quicker 
 and maturer delivery, and thus it may be a repetition of 
 what happened at the end of the summer of '96, a time 
 which will never be forgotten by me.f 
 
 I will meanwhile try to foster and to make use of the 
 lyrical mood within me, and hope, by the time you come, 
 to have at last made a beginning with something of my 
 own. 
 
 Gries has just sent me an immensely big poem from 
 Dresden, which would have pleased me more had it been 
 half as long. 
 
 To-day my little garden-house will probably be put 
 into order, which will doubtless take up my whole after- 
 noon; it is so new an experience to me that I cannot 
 resist attending to it myself. 
 
 Farewell. Do not remain away any longer than you 
 can possibly help. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 485. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 13, 1798. 
 All yesterday and to-day I have felt quite unfit for 
 work owing to the return of my spasms, which prevented 
 my getting any sleep ; I can, therefore, only send you a 
 kind greeting. To make up for this, I enclose Gries's 
 poem,f to see whether you can perhaps make use of it. 
 
 * A servant of Goethe's. 
 
 t This probably refers to the completion of Goethe's Wilhelm 
 Meister. Compare Letter 232. 
 
 X Probably Der Arzt which appeared in the Musen-Almanach to- 
 gether with some other contributions by Gries ; the subject of the 
 poem was the legend of Antiochus and his step-mother Stratonike.
 
 112 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 One other tolerably good production has been sent in, of 
 which I shall at all events be able to accept something. 
 
 I am longing for the time of your coming. Both I and 
 my wife feel it quite strange to be so long without any 
 news of you. 
 
 Farewell. More in a day or two. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 486. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 14, 1798. 
 
 These last days appear to have not been very favorable 
 to either of us, for since I left you I have been incessantly 
 beaten about by the bad angel of empiricism. However, 
 to spite and to shame it, I have made a scheme in which I 
 am drawing parallels between those effects in nature 
 which seem to refer to a duality, and in the following 
 order : Magnetic : Electric : Galvanic : Chromatic : and 
 Sonorous. 
 
 I will not forget smell and taste according to your wish. 
 Let the results be what they will, this method is ex- 
 tremely convenient for finding questions one has to put. 
 
 The things in cast-iron also, have come from Ilmenau. 
 The experiments, for the sake of which I had them cast, 
 proved successful as I thought would be the case ; however, 
 one or two new phenomena presented themselves which I 
 could not have foreseen, yet were very remarkable. 
 
 The poem I herewith return ; its nullity is of a species 
 belonging peculiarly to itself. Young men leam to make 
 verses, as one is taught to make paper bags; would that 
 they did but put a little spice into them for us ! Whether 
 it should be accepted for the Almanack I do not know. It 
 depends, I should think, as to whether you have space for 
 it ; the public, and especially the female portion, delights 
 in such hollow vessels, in order to pour their little bit of 
 heart and mind into them. 
 
 The design for the new theatre is now settled, nay, is 
 already marked out on the ground, and next week, no 
 doubt, will be commenced. The plan is very good and 
 appropriate, and when finished is sure to give satisfaction.
 
 Letter 487.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 113 
 
 It is to hold about 200 persons more than formerly, and 
 yet will not look empty with a smaller number of spectators. 
 I think that we shall be ready in good time also. 
 
 I will now do my utmost to get things into order and 
 set a-going, and come over to you as soon as possible, for I 
 am most anxious to continue the course we have entered 
 upon together. 
 
 Farewell. Give my kind greetings to your dear wife, 
 and hold me in remembrance. G. 
 
 487. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 15, 1798. 
 
 I have, at last, although much interrupted, succeeded 
 in despatching my letter to friend Humboldt, and in 
 getting the Elegy copied out ; this done, I was just about 
 to send off the little parcel when I discovered that I had 
 not got his address. Please be so good as to let me have 
 it as soon as possible. 
 
 The plan for the decorations of the interior of the theatre 
 is now settled, and to-morrow the work will be begun. 
 When completed it will look very well, and be very 
 comfortable ; however, it will call for great sacrifices on 
 my part, as the next four months, if not entirely lost to 
 me, will nevertheless be very much interrupted by these 
 proceedings. 
 
 I intend, meanwhile, to dictate the first portion of my 
 new work for Cotta, and then bring it over to you and 
 hear your opinion of it. As all relating to it is already 
 finished, and only a few alterations to be made here and 
 there, I shall be able to get through a good deal in a 
 fortnight. 
 
 The scheme which I told you last Saturday I had 
 drawn up, has put me into very good spirits, as by means 
 of it I have in this short time already found out many a 
 short cut. In the end perhaps it may come back to the 
 old story that we can only know a little, and that the 
 question is merely whether or not we know this little 
 well. My mind is, moreover, in such a state, that I should 
 be afraid of never beholding the Muses again, did I not 
 know from experience that these good-hearted maidens 
 
 VOL. II. I
 
 114 CORRESPOXDEXCE BETAYEEN [179S. 
 
 themselves watch for the hour in which to meet their 
 friends with ever the same affection. 
 
 Farewell. I will do what 1 can to steal something 
 from each coming day ; it will make bulk if it does not 
 make a whole. Give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife, and tell me if the beet* is thriving ; I also want to 
 know whether your garden-house is happily in order. 
 
 G. 
 
 4S8. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 18, 1798. 
 
 I have not received a letter from you to-day, and trust 
 that this is not a sign of your being ill. 
 
 Our work in the theatre is progressing actively ; it 
 will certainly be pretty and certainly also substantial. 
 It seems to be an infallible law of nature that every 
 species of activity is met by a negation. People have 
 long wished for better arrangements, and now that these 
 are being made, doubts are being raised and circulated to 
 make such persons as will in future, at all events have 
 comfortable seats, uneasy about their necks. But as this 
 is merely a repetition of an old story, it must be allowed to 
 pass unheeded. 
 
 Please be so kind as to send me on Friday — 
 
 1 . My two fascicles of papers relating to my journey,f 
 
 2. The essay on the magnet, 
 
 3. And the earlier essay % on Cautiousness in Observations, 
 if you can find it. Things are going very well as regards 
 the essays for the periodical, and must go better still 
 when it is once fairly started. The main difficulty, at 
 first, for the editor is that he must keep general objects 
 in view, and think of it as a whole, notwithstanding its 
 fragmentary nature. 
 
 Many very interesting points are meanwhile cropping 
 up for discussion between Meyer and myself, and we shall 
 
 * Goethe had brought some beautiful seeds of beet with him from 
 Switzerland in order to be able "to treat" friend Wieland to seme in 
 the summer. Schiller had also received some. See Letter 508. 
 
 t The papers relating to his journey in Switzerland. 
 
 * See Letter iOd.
 
 Letter 4S9.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 115 
 
 in future have more pleasure in single and often short 
 essays, "because they can at once be made use of without 
 our requiring to think of any strict connection. 
 
 If only you too could possibly manage to contribute 
 something before the end of the year. 
 
 I shall this week do all I possibly can here, and 
 perhaps be able to come to you again next week, for I can 
 scarcely get into the humour for even a few moderately 
 good periods in prose. Meanwhile farewell; give my 
 kind greetings to your dear wife, and see that your 
 pretty garden-house is habitable by the time I come. 
 
 480. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 20, 1798. 
 
 As the weather is again improving I too am feeling 
 better and more energetic, and a lyrical mood also seems 
 by degrees to be coming over me. I have noticed that 
 this mood is least of all inclined to yield to one's will, 
 inasmuch as it is, so to say, bodiless, and owing to want 
 of material foundation, rests solely upon the state of one's 
 feelings. During the last weeks I have felt more aversion 
 than inclination in that way, and hence for some days 
 took up Wallenstein again out of vexation. 
 
 Would you consider it appropriate to write a hymn 
 in distichs,* or to call a poem, with a kind of hymnal 
 rhythm, and written in distichs, a hymn ? 
 
 Do not let yourself be influenced in your alterations of 
 the theatre by over-scrupulous persons. I mention this 
 only because I was told that even Thouret had expressed 
 himself in that fashion. 
 
 My building operations are not progressing very 
 actively ; it is very difficult at present, during the 
 harvest which has commenced here already, to get the 
 workmen I require for finishing a thatched roof and for 
 plastering the walls. These things draw me more from 
 my work than is necessary. 
 
 The Almanack has now been despatched to the printers, 
 
 * The question here refers to a poem entitled Das Gliiclc, which 
 Schiller had in hand at the time. 
 
 I 2
 
 116 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 and you will be welcomed on your arrival here by your 
 Euplirosyne, which worthily opens the series. I hope that 
 Guttenberg will not be longer about his work than he 
 can help, for the printing of the Almanack will be 
 finished by the first week in September, by which time, 
 therefore, I shall also require to have the covers and 
 frontispieces. 
 
 During these last days I have been reading Madame de 
 Stael's narratives, which are very characteristic of her 
 affected, argumentative, and, at the same time, thoroughly 
 unpoetic nature, or rather of her highly intellectual natu- 
 ralness. Such reading puts one very perceptibly out of 
 humour, and I experienced exactly what you yourself 
 usually feel when reading such things, that one is thrown 
 completely into the authoress's own state of mind, and 
 feels very uncomfortable in that state. The authoress in 
 question shows no trace whatever of any attractive femi- 
 nine quality of mind, and yet the faults of her book are 
 altogether feminine. She steps out of her sex without 
 rising above it. And yet I have come upon certain very- 
 pretty thoughts in the little book ; these are never want- 
 ing in her, and betray her keen insight into life. 
 
 Farewell. I am interrupted by the arrival of two 
 persons in Prussian uniform, the two brothers of my 
 brother-in-law, who intend spending their time of leave 
 in Weimar. My wife and mother-in-law wish to be most 
 kindly remembered. Sch. 
 
 490. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 21, 1798. 
 Most heartily do I wish that you may very soon again 
 find yourself in the mood for poetical work. Unfortunately, 
 being in your garden-house is, at present, as unfavorable 
 on the one hand as it is favorable on the other, especially 
 now that you have commenced building. I know, un- 
 fortunately but too well, from former experiences, how 
 wonderfully distracting such operations are, and have 
 myself lost a great deal of time over them. The 
 mechanical occupations of man, the watching any object,
 
 Letter 490.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 117 
 
 as it were, coming into existence by manual labour, is a 
 very pleasant way of passing one's time, but our own 
 activity is, at the moment, nil. It is almost the same as 
 with smoking tobacco. We poets should, in fact, be 
 treated as the Dukes of Saxony treated Luther, that is, 
 we should be taken from the highways and locked up iu 
 a mountain castle. I wish some one would commence the 
 operation with me at once, for in that case my Tell would 
 be finished by Michaelmas. 
 
 As the elegiac metre can move in all directions, I have 
 no doubt that when treated lyrically it will also be per- 
 fectly successful. I remember having, myself, in former 
 days, had a similar intention. 
 
 From the enclosed you will see that our first anaglyphic 
 attempt has succeeded well enough ; the impress was 
 made by free hand ; it is best where there is a little cross, 
 and you will easily see that this sort of work might be 
 carried very much further. The idea delighted me very 
 much. Facius is just the man to carry out such an undertak- 
 ing, and our Meyer, by knowing what can be done in this 
 limited style of art, will aid the enterprise with his draw- 
 ings. We must order a similar, but very rich, cover for 
 the Almanack, then have it printed on coloured paper and 
 illuminated with colours that harmonise. All this to- 
 gether will not come more expensive than a copper-plate 
 cover, with engraving and a black print. I am con- 
 vinced that when once in vogue it will be very exten- 
 sively used for the decoration of covers, especially as a 
 good many books are now published half-bound. 
 
 I am also at work preparing my own and Meyer's essays 
 
 . for publication. In a week the first manuscript will be 
 
 I sent off; if I keep to this work, the next part will soon 
 
 " be finished, and 1 see a wide space opening up before me 
 
 in that direction. 
 
 During the last few days I have spent several hours 
 with Herr von Marum.* His is a very original, good, 
 sensible nature. He has devoted a great deal of time to 
 the study of electricity ; I wish he could have remained 
 
 * A Dutch physicist who was well known by his writings on 
 electricity and electric machines, and whose works had been translated 
 into German.
 
 118 COREESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 here longer, as I should the more quickly get over this 
 part of my subject ; he recommended me the third portion 
 of his work, which gives an account of the latest results 
 in this important chapter of natural science. 
 
 One thing I cannot deny is, that editing Meyer's work 
 has made me feel quite unhappy. The truth of his 
 descriptions and representations, his accurate and yet 
 well-conceived opinions, irrestistibly demand the reader 
 to look at the objects himself. During the last few days 
 I have been going over his essay on the family of Niobe, 
 and should have liked then and there to have started off 
 for Florence. 
 
 Madame de Stael's novels I know, they are strangely 
 and passionately conceived productions. 
 
 For the last few days I have been a little at variance 
 with Meyer, and we have not yet quite settled the 
 point at issue ; he maintains that what is even genially 
 naive can, in a certain sense, be transmitted by school, 
 and he may be right if the expression is applied only in 
 the following way : that the attention of the artist may 
 and should from early years be directed to its value in 
 the plastic arts. It does indeed seem strange that, in our 
 day, the very idea of it has been utterly lost, as is evident 
 from Dannecker's late proposal for a bas-relief, and has 
 struck us forcibly again recently in some remarks made by 
 Thouret, who is the representative of a large party, inas- 
 much as he represents the artist as well as the public. One 
 cannot alter one's century, but one can oppose it and pre- 
 pare for happy results. One of my next essays shall bear 
 the title : On the obtacles that prevent modem artists from 
 getting from what is shapeless to what has shape. Space 
 will permit me only to bid you farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 491. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 23, 1798. 
 Your anaglyphic attempt leads me to expect much good 
 from this undertaking. I felt, at first, somewhat doubt- 
 ful as to whether, as a whole, it would not present too 
 fragmentary an appearance, like printed music. Perhaps,
 
 Letter 491.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 119 
 
 however, I have not quite grasped your idea, and all 
 may nevertheless appear as if made out of one piece. 
 
 As the printing of the Almanack has been commenced, 
 I was obliged to baptize your poet's poem, and could find 
 no more appropriate title than Scingerwiirde* which con- 
 ceals the irony and yet expresses the satire to those 
 acquainted with the subject. If you want or know of a 
 better, pray let me know by to-morrow, because I shall 
 soon have to send the poem to the printers. 
 
 In your dispute with Meyer, it seems to me that he is 
 quite right. For although that which is beautifully 
 naive cannot be brought into any formula, and con- 
 sequently connot be transmitted in any such manner, still 
 in accordance with its nature, it is nevertheless natural 
 in man; just as the opposite sentimental mood is not 
 natural in him, but a bad habit. While therefore 
 school prevents and corrects this bad habit, and watches 
 over the natural state which can very well be conceived, 
 still it must be able to foster and transmit the naive 
 spirit. Nature will produce and foster the naive in every 
 individual according to kind if not according to cha- 
 racter, provided that all that disturbs it is removed; if, 
 however, sentimentality already exists, school will pro- 
 bably not effect much. I cannot think otherwise than 
 that the naive spirit which every work of art, from a 
 certain period of antiquity, has in common, is the effect, 
 and consequently also the proof, of the efficacy of trans- 
 mission by precept and example. 
 
 But the question then is, what could be expected, in an 
 age like ours, from a school of Art. The ancient schools 
 were training-schools for pupils, our modern ones would 
 require to be houses of correction for offenders, and, at 
 the same time— on account of the poverty of productive 
 genius — would have to prove themselves more a means of 
 training in a critical than in a creative respect. However, 
 there is no doubt that much would be gained if a fixed 
 point could anywhere be found or made, round which all 
 the questions we are agreed upon could be collected; if, 
 
 * The pcem was subsequently called Dithyramb, is now entitled 
 Deutscher Parnass, and originally appeared as Wachter auf clem 
 Purnass.
 
 120 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798 
 
 at this point of agreement, it were established what could 
 be regarded as canonical, and what as objectionable, and 
 if certain truths, regulative for artists, were set forth and 
 handed down in round and substantial forms, this would 
 produce certain symbolical books relating to poetry and 
 art, which would have to be recognised, and I do not 
 see why a party-spirit, which is so easily aroused for what 
 is bad, could not also be awakened for what is good. At 
 any rate, it seems to me that as much might be adduced 
 in favour of an (Esthetic confession and community as for 
 discountenancing a philosophical one. 
 
 I to-day procured Bitter's * book on Galvanism ; but 
 although it contains much that is good, still the heavy 
 style in which it is written did not please me, and has 
 made me still more anxious to have a discussion with you 
 on the subject. 
 
 What do you say to the Schlegels' new Athenceum, and 
 especially to the Fragments ? | I, for my part, feel that this 
 impudent, determined, cutting and one-sided style hurts 
 me physically. Farewell, and do come over to us soon. 
 My wife and mother-in-law wish to be most kindly 
 remembered. Sen. 
 
 492. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 25, 1798. 
 I am very well satisfied with your explanation of the 
 difference between myself and Meyer. When I come to 
 this subject you will, I hope, allow me to make modest 
 use of your words. 
 
 To-day, at last, the first instalment goes off to Cotta. 
 Gladly would I have again sent you the manuscript; 
 however, it has been gone over again with Meyer as if 
 
 * Dr. Johann Wilhelm Ritter, whose book entitled : B ewe is, dass ein 
 hettandiger Galvanismus den Lebensprocess im Thierrnich begleite, had 
 just appeared. 
 
 t Under this title the brothers Schlegel had published single 
 aphoristic remarks and axioms in the second number of their 
 Athenxum. A. W. Schlegel subsequently collected the articles he had 
 contributed to it, and had them published among his critical works 
 under the titles of : Urtheile, Gedanhen und Einfalle iiber Literatur 
 und Kunst.
 
 Letter 492.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 121 
 
 you had been present. The little that can be said on the 
 plastic and architectural remains of the Etruscans, you 
 will perhaps receive on Saturday. The whole of the 
 first portion will be finished shortly, and the others almost 
 directly, as what is ready will have a productive influence 
 upon what is to follow. 
 
 Of the material already worked out, a great quantity is 
 ready, and there is an endless amount yet to be done to 
 that which has still to be worked out. 
 
 The title Sangenciirde is, beyond all expectations, excel-' 
 lent. I hope soon to see the noble work in print. I 
 have not said anything more about it to anyone. 
 
 Eitter's essay is indeed obscure, and not pleasant to 
 those who wish to gain information on the subject from it. 
 He is at present in Belvedere with Scherer, and I have 
 now double reason to turn my attention to the whole 
 circle of inquiries, as my object must also be to make you 
 more intimately acquainted with it. 
 
 Taken in its entire individuality, the contribution of the 
 Schlegels seems to me after all not to be despised in the 
 olla podrida of our German journalism. This general 
 nullity, the partizanship for what is extremely mediocre, 
 the attempts to please, the mean flatteries, the emptiness 
 and lameness among which the few good articles are lost, 
 has a terrible adversary in a wasps' nest such as these 
 Fragments are. Friend JJbique * too, who received the first, 
 has already been going about busily in order to bring the 
 whole thing into discredit by reading some passages from 
 it aloud. In spite of all that which justly displeases 
 you, one cannot deny that the authors show a certain 
 earnestness, a certain depth, and when regarded from the 
 other point of view, liberality also. A dozen such num- 
 bers will show how rich and perfectible they are. 
 
 Wilhelm sent me the enclosed poem j for the Almanack, 
 which, however, I do not in any way recommend, nor do 
 I even defend it. There is not much in the legend itself, 
 for there is nothing much in the fact of a Sultan making 
 the present of a girl to anyone. Further, he has not 
 drawn from the subject the pleasing motives that might 
 have been taken from it. The manner in which it is 
 * See Letter 439 and note. t Kamp'wpe.
 
 122 COREESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 worked out is not transparent or clear, and many other 
 things might be said in disparagement of the work. When 
 looked at closely it will be found to be another Pygmalion, 
 and again a proof of the erroneous endeavour of treating 
 what belongs to plastic art, poetically. I intend making 
 a few friendly observations to him upon it, and to advise 
 him to look it over again; this will at all events give 
 rise to a discussion. 
 
 Unfortunately, he has also published a poem* in honour 
 of the King, which is by no means happy ; but it yesterday 
 led to an amusing discussion when I defended it against 
 that party which had been clawed by our Puss in Boots.f 
 
 Our anaglyphic experiments are progressing very well. 
 An owl on a lyre, which is to adorn the back cover of 
 the Almanack, is to be drawn from nature by Meyer, and 
 carefully copied, to show what may be expected from the 
 new style in this branch of the work. 
 
 Farewell. Eemember me to all your circle. Each day 
 I all but give in to the temptation of running over to see 
 you again ; however, the ceaseless stream of small occupa- 
 tions always keeps me from getting off. In a fortnight's 
 time the inner skeleton of our theatre will be finished ; 
 the order for the channeled pillars was given on condi- 
 tion of their being ready by the 7th of August, and what- 
 ever else may have to be done. Thouret and Heidlof are 
 painting the drop-scene. Do try and get your Wallenstein 
 ready for us. 
 
 Again farewell. G. 
 
 493. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 27, 1798. 
 My letter to Humboldt took an unusually short time in 
 reaching him, as did his answer to me, which I herewith 
 enclose. He is, as you will see, quite satisfied with my 
 letter. His expecting me now to revise his book is some- 
 what inconvenient; to have to correct another person's 
 work is both a thankless and a tedious task. I am curious 
 
 * Am Tage der Hulcliijung, Berlin, July 6 ; 1798. 
 f See Letter 155 aud note.
 
 Letter 493.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 123 
 
 to see what the actual critical world, especially the 
 Sclilegels, will have to say to this book of Humboldt's. 
 
 I cannot deny that I too find a certain earnestness and 
 deep insight into matters, in both of the Schlegels, more 
 particularly in the younger brother. But these virtues 
 are mixed up with so many egotistical and objectionable 
 ingredients that they lose a great deal of their value and 
 usefulness. I must also confess that I find in the assthetic 
 criticisms of both brothers so much barrenness, dryness, 
 and purposeless strictness in words, that I am often in 
 doubt as to whether they are really thinking of the 
 same subject. The poetical works of the elder brother 
 confirm me in my suspicion, for it is to me absolutely 
 inconceivable how the same individual who really com- 
 prehended your genius, and, for instance, really appreciated 
 your Hermann, which is the very reverse of his own 
 works in character, can tolerate — I will not say admire — 
 the meagreness and heartless coldness of his own works. 
 If the public can ever become happily disposed towards 
 what is good and right in poetry, then the manner in 
 which these two men are proceeding will rather delay 
 than hasten the advent of that epoch; for their style 
 excites neither liking, nor confidence, nor respect, even 
 though it may awaken fear among babblers and brawlers ; 
 and the manner in which they expose themselves to 
 attack, by their onesided and exaggerated style, throws an 
 almost ridiculous light upon the good cause. 
 
 Kant has published two letters addressed to Kicolai on 
 the art of book-making, saying some rather severe things 
 to him, and settling him in a very contemptuous manner. 
 Perhaps I may still be able to procure the little pamphlet 
 to-day and enclose it. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. There is a large family gathering 
 from Weimar and Eudolstadt in our house. My wife 
 sends kindest greetings. Sch. 
 
 P.S. — Humboldt's letter and Kant's little pamphlet bo 
 so kind as to let me have back by the message-girl.
 
 124 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1703. 
 
 494. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 28, 1798. 
 
 Your letter came late to-day. Do urge the message- 
 girl to bring the letters at once herself. These people 
 very often try to make things suit their own convenience 
 and give their parcels to small boys, who come late by 
 having to find their way from place to place. 
 
 Kant's advice to the twaddler is very good. I like to see 
 that the old man never tires of repeating his fundamental 
 principles, and of attacking the same point whenever he has 
 the opportunity. A younger practical man will do better 
 not to take any notice of his opponents, an older theo- 
 retical man ought never to allow a stupid word to pass. 
 Let us in future do likewise. 
 
 I am heartily glad that Humboldt received your letter 
 in so kindly a spirit. His earnestness, his talent, his 
 firm endeavour, his goodwill, his affection and his friend- 
 ship deserve an honest and friendly acknowledgment ; he 
 will now soon get my letter with the Euphrosyne. But I 
 must frankly confess that I do not see how it will be possible 
 to revise his book in the way he proposes. For if you 
 set to work with it according to your idea, the edifice will 
 be too much shaken for it to be able to remain standing 
 secure in all its grooves. My idea is that such a plan 
 could scarcely be carried out even were you to work to- 
 gether and discuss things as you went along. 
 
 Whatever else there may be to say in favour of the 
 Schlegels, let us reserve it till we can discuss it by word 
 of mouth. I wish particularly to read the Fragments 
 with you ; they will certainly be of great use in giving 
 rise to interesting discussions. How happy I should be 
 were I but near you again ! 
 
 The first instalment * has been despatched to Cotta ; 
 herewith I send you the second, and would like to have it 
 back by Wednesday. Be sure to let me know what you 
 think of the subject and the way in which it is worked out. 
 
 * For the Propykea, which contained Goethe's essay on Laokoon, 
 the first part of Meyer's treatise Leber die Gegentidnde tier biUenrlen 
 KunxL, and Goethe's discourse L'eber WahrheU and Wahrschernliehkeit 
 
 der Kunstucerl-ce.
 
 Letter 495.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 125 
 
 The introduction to the first piece, also, will not he 
 long in appearing ; it seems to me to he a little too solemn ; 
 hut, as Humboldt says, it is in keeping with the German 
 character, and the subject itself, when looked into closely, 
 is serious enough. It will afterwards have to he made 
 all the more lively, and, above all, naturally cheerful 
 wherever this can be done appropriately. 
 
 In announcing the appearance of the new anaglyph, I 
 give an example as to how every mechanical detail ought 
 in future to be connected with what is general in intel- 
 lectual art. 
 
 I am also putting the second article to rights, and hope 
 soon to have the third and fourth prepared, in order, at 
 all events, to see part of a clean transcript before me. 
 AYhat pleases me is that I have herein a piece of work 
 which I can very comfortably manage to get done here 
 in Weimar. 
 
 I hope soon to hear that the stock of articles for the 
 Almanack is increasing. Perhaps I too may send you 
 something. Please let me have the first printed sheets. 
 
 G. 
 
 495. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 31, 1798. 
 
 The essay on plastic art among the Etruscans * is 
 judged a little meagre owing to its being strictly and 
 calmly truthful ; but this should not be made a reproach 
 to the work itself. An author will always appear dry 
 when he describes a favorite prejudice exactly as it is, 
 and keeps his imagination within the strict boundaries of 
 its own sphere. The essay pleased me because it gave 
 me a clear and satisfactory idea of the subject, concerning 
 which I had always been somewhat in the dark. A few 
 sentences, for instance the very first one, might perhaps 
 still be improved. 
 
 It is a very happy thought of the old master to conceal 
 the meagreness of the subject in the second Letter in the 
 
 * Meyer's Letters on Etruscan Monuments. In his second Letter, 
 "so that it may not appear too meagre," he describes + -he position and 
 the district around thu ancient town of Fit sole.
 
 126 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 graceful manner he has done; for this second Letter, 
 which is so much poorer in substance, has thereby become 
 even more interesting than the first, from which much 
 more may be learnt. Both, each in its own way, are very 
 appropriate contributions to the collection. 
 
 The solemnity which is to pervade your Introduction 
 makes me somewhat afraid, for what you call solemn and 
 what it of course is, might not appear so to the German 
 public at large, but only as something serious and pro- 
 found. This Introduction I am awaiting with great 
 eagerness. 
 
 A few and not useless contributions have again come in 
 for the Almanack, but the proper amount is not yet made 
 up, even though I reckon that my probable share in it 
 will be about twenty pages. True, I yesterday received 
 at one sending and from the one and the same author, a 
 Moravian, poems sufficient to have filled more than half 
 the Almanack, but with the mad condition, in spite of their 
 worthlessness, that the ivhole series should be printed, 
 fifty of which were poems that had been composed for 
 some special occasions. 
 
 I have myself been in a very good state of mind for 
 work during these last days. One thing* has been 
 finished and another | is on the way of being so. 
 
 No proof-sheets of the Almanack have as yet come in. 
 
 While conversing with Scherer yesterday 1 remembered 
 a remark you made about him to me last year. His 
 nature is utterly wanting in kindliness, and so slippery that 
 cne cannot lay hold of him anywhere. When in the com- 
 pany of such persons, one feels clearly that it is a kindly 
 spirit which actually constitutes the human element in 
 man, for in their presence one can think only of things, and 
 in no way make use of the human element in oneself. 
 
 Farewell, and do your best to get rid of your business 
 affairs in W. Let me counsel you to do what you have often 
 in vain advised me to do, to will it and to set to work 
 briskly. 
 
 My wife sends kind greetings. During the last few 
 days we have again been alone. Sch. 
 
 * A poem entitled Das Glutk. See Letter 489. 
 t Des Mudchens Klage.
 
 Letter 497.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 127 
 
 496. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 21, 1798. 
 
 It was the weather alone that kept me on Friday and 
 Saturday from pay ing you my promised visit, for I should, 
 of course, have liked to have wandered round your posses- 
 sions, and this could not have been done owing to the rain. 
 I cannot at all accustom myself to see and to hear nothing 
 of you for almost a week ; meanwhile I have been making 
 a few dozen rhymes, and am at present at work with the 
 ballad,* in doing which I have the diversion of acting 
 with a certain degree of plastic composure, which the 
 sight of the engravings awakened in me. 
 
 My having read to you the last two acts of my Wallen- 
 stein, and thus convinced myself that you approve of 
 them, has been truly an advantage to me, and will give 
 and sustain within me that courage of which I am so 
 greatly in need for finishing the piece. 
 
 On the other hand, however, 1 could almost become sad 
 at the thought that I no longer have anything before me 
 in connection with this work to which I can really look 
 forward with any pleasure ; for to read the finished work 
 to you and to assure myself of your approval of it, was in 
 reality my principal enjoyment ; with regard to the public, 
 the little pleasure that one derives from it is destroyed 
 by a number of dissonances. 
 
 Humboldt's letter I answered last Friday, and told him 
 of the fate of his treatise which, I trust, may satisfy him. 
 
 I have just been interrupted by pro-rector Paulus; I 
 shall add more to-morrow evening. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 497. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 22, 1798. 
 The Muses and the Graces of Ober-Eossla were more 
 desirous than really expectant of your coming; the 
 weather was much too bad, and during such moments 
 
 * Der Kampf mit dem Drachen, which bad been begun on the 18th,
 
 128 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 when it was not raining, it was impossible to walk any- 
 where except npon the lawn. Perhaps we may soon again 
 have an opportunity of meeting there. I have meanwhile 
 been thinking a good deal about your Wallenstein, and 
 have been re-calling the first acts to my remembrance. 
 When I come to you, I think we should begin again from 
 the beginning, as I now know the whole, more especially 
 as it does not hinder you in your work to hear it discussed. 
 I am anxious, and the sooner the better, of getting a clear 
 view of it, but still more to see it finished. It will rank 
 very high when completed. I wish you a continuance 
 of your favorable state of mind during the autumn. 
 
 If you want to hear good knocking, sawing, hammering, 
 and planing, you should come and sit in the theatre for a 
 ^ouple of hours during the daytime ; the work is pro- 
 gressing very rapidly and promises to be very successful. 
 
 I have again some new ideas regarding tragic and 
 epic poetry of which I will tell you when we next meet. 
 By Saturday we shall probably know when his Grace 
 the Duke will arrive. If his coming is deferred to 
 September I shall be with you again soon. 
 
 The first sheet of Laokoon * has come ; the type is very 
 pleasing. The Introduction f I have again looked over, 
 and drawn up a table of contents ; when I receive Cotta's 
 next letter I shall send off the rest, and another little ship 
 will thus have been launched. 
 
 Meyer sends kindest greetings, and is again at work 
 with many a good thing. I am delighted to hear of the 
 plastic spirit which has been called forth by the pictures 
 that were left with you ; this spirit appears to me to be 
 daily more indispensable. 
 
 Farewell; I am longing heartily for the daily con- 
 versations to which we have lately been accustomed. 
 My kindest greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Goethe's essay contributed to the Propylxa. See note to Lettei 
 491. 
 t To the Propylxa.
 
 Letter 498.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 129 
 
 498. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 24, 1798. 
 
 As our Duke has again arrived, the time of yonr coming 
 here seems again to be deferred ; I shall meanwhile try 
 to get through my business and work in connection with 
 the Almanack, so that when you come, and we may again 
 begin our discussions, I may be able to take the last and 
 most difficult step in my Wallensiein. As you are inclined 
 to enter into the economy of the piece, I will, when 1 have 
 time, arrange the scheme of it I have among my papers, 
 as this may make it easier for you to get an insight into 
 the piece before it is all worked out. 
 
 I am anxious to hear your new ideas on the epos and 
 tragedy. When in the midst of writing anything tragic, 
 one very clearly feels how surprisingly far removed the 
 two species are from one another. I myself experienced 
 this in a manner that astonished me, while working out 
 my fifth act, which completely shut me off from every- 
 thing that was peaceful in human life, inasmuch as an 
 instant of time had there to be fixed which must neces- 
 sarily be transient. The great contrast which my state of 
 mind here formed towards all other human conditions of a 
 freer sort, awakened in me almost a fear that I should 
 find myself upon too pathological a path, by ascribing 
 to my own individual self that which the nature of the 
 subject brought with it. But it is to me one proof the 
 more that Tragedy treats merely of single extraordinary 
 moments in the life of man, the Epos — where this state 
 of mind is not likely to be met with — merely of things 
 as enduring, as calmly continuing to exist, and on this 
 account it excites interest in whatever frame of mind a 
 man may be in. 
 
 I make my characters talk a good deal and use a certain 
 breadth of expression ; of this you have never said any- 
 thing to me, and appear not to find fault with it. Nay, 
 your own usus, in dramatic as well as in epic poetry, 
 supports me in this. One might assuredly do with fewer 
 words for ravelling and unravelling a tragic action, and 
 this might moreover seem more in accordance with the 
 
 VOL. II. K
 
 130 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 nature of the dramatis per sonce. But the example of the 
 ancients, who acted in a like manner, and were not sparing 
 in words concerning what Aristotle terms feelings and 
 opinions, seems to point to a higher poetic law which, 
 in this very case, would demand a deviation from reality. 
 As soon as one bears in mind that all poetic personages 
 are symbolical beings, that, as poetic figures, they have 
 invariably to represent and to express what is general 
 in man; and when one further considers that a poet, 
 like all other artists, holds himself aloof from reality 
 in a straightforward and upright manner, and that he 
 ought to remind one of his doing so, then nothing can be 
 said against this custom. It seems to me, moreover, that 
 any shorter or more laconic mode of treatment would not 
 only turn out much too poor and dry, it would also be 
 much too realistically harsh, and become intolerable in 
 grand situations, whereas a broader and fuller treatment 
 would always produce a certain calmness and pleasant- 
 ness even in the representation of the most powerful 
 circumstances. 
 
 Eichter * has been here, but he called upon me at an 
 inconvenient hour, and I could not receive him. Matthis- 
 son, to whom a few weeks ago I said something in praise 
 of his contributions and the number of them, has sent me 
 another poem ; hence the Almanack is gradually assum- 
 ing its requisite size, (hies, too, has sent me some small 
 things that can be made use of. Gopferdt has not yet 
 got beyond the second sheet. 
 
 Farewell ; perhaps I may come over next week for a 
 day, and see something of the building operations at the 
 theatre. When you come here, you will also find my 
 little house in order ; to-morrow we celebrate its comple- 
 tion. This will be the beginning of a quieter time for me. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings ; she was very pleased 
 at having seen you lately, although it was but for a 
 minute. Sch. 
 
 * Jean Paul Richter, who was travelling from Leipzig to Gotha by 
 way of Jena and Weimar, having been attracted to the latter place by 
 Herder.
 
 Letter 500 . SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 131 
 
 499. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 25, 1798. 
 
 I have just been paying a visit to the building opera- 
 tions at our theatre, where everything is going on rapidly. 
 By the middle of next week the roof will be finished, the 
 light scaffolding pulled down, and the principal mess 
 cleared away. We shall then be able to form some idea of 
 the plan. I expect it to be very pretty, for from certain 
 seats people will be able to see one another; besides 
 which, it will hold a very large number of persons. 
 
 It would be delightful if you could pay us a visit soon ; 
 we should be able to discuss many a point, and the build- 
 ing operations would amuse you for a couple of hours 
 during the day. Perhaps also the sight of a theatre 
 might suggest some new dramatic subject. 
 
 To-day I shall not add more, for the wedding festivities * 
 of yesterday have not left me in the best state of mind. 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 500. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 27, 1798. 
 
 As our calculation regarding the manuscript does not 
 tally with the compositor's requirements, I must send off 
 another couple of sheets, and therefore beg you to let me 
 have the Niobe.^ What we lose from a typographical 
 point of view we shall gain in the weight of articles 
 which we hand over to the public at one and the same 
 time. Have the kindness to give the manuscript of the 
 Niobe to the bearer of this, whom I have sent expressly 
 for it. 
 
 Farewell, and, if possible, keep your promise of paying 
 me a visit. G. 
 
 * This refers to the marriage of Bergrath Voigt. See Letter 511. 
 f An essay of Meyer's. See Letter 468.
 
 132 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1703. 
 
 501. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August, 27, 1798. 
 
 While waiting for your messenger I think I ought 
 again to try and persuade you to come over here, if this 
 can be in any way managed while you are still engaged 
 with the Almanack and in seeing it through the press ; 
 for— 
 
 (1.) The bad weather, which threatens to last for some 
 time to come, is more unpleasant in a garden-house than 
 in a many-roomed house. 
 
 (2.) The building operations at the theatre will interest 
 you. 
 
 (3.) On Friday the completed part of the Propylcea is 
 to be sent off, which ought first to receive your blessing. 
 
 (4.) Arrangements will have to be made about the new 
 number, and it would be very delightful to have your 
 advice respecting it. 
 
 (5.) Various kinds of observations in natural history 
 are being made, the results of which are sure to interest 
 you, and let me say anything else that might induce you 
 to come. However, consult your own good and con- 
 venience ; but if you come, bring your Wallenstein with 
 you, for we must get through a good deal at a time. 
 Owing to the state things are in at the theatre I cannot 
 get away. 
 
 Farewell, and decide about coming as soon as ever you 
 can. In a fortnight's time matters here will be so far 
 settled that I shall be able to set out for Jena and remain 
 there till the end of September. 
 
 Farewell, and do what you possibly can. 
 
 502. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 27, 1798. 
 Two sheets too little is indeed a bad error in calcula- 
 tion, which does not promise well for future consignments, 
 and may render it necessary to have a larger stock of 
 manuscript in hand. However, it is well to give the
 
 Letter 503.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 133 
 
 public more at first. But if you could substitute some- 
 thing in place of the Niobe, it would be better, for in 
 addition to the fact that articles on plastic works are 
 least liked by the general public and make greater 
 demands upon the reader, I am afraid you will not be 
 very well able to continue the same proportion in the 
 following numbers. Could not your essay on Method in 
 the Natural Sciences * be used for this purpose ? 
 
 These remarks have been made in haste, for I must 
 settle with the message-girl. 
 
 The weather here since the day before yesterday has 
 been quite unbearable, and living, as we do, in a house 
 much exposed to the wind, we have been obliged to shut 
 ourselves up in a room with a fire. However, my work is 
 progressing very well, and I shall, in a short time, have 
 something to show you. 
 
 Farewell, which wish includes Meyer. Could you get 
 us Clery's Memoires ? f Sch. 
 
 503. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 28, 1798. 
 
 I had intended to have brought you my congratulations 
 for your birthday in person, but owing to my having got 
 up too late and not feeling well, I had to give up my 
 good intention. However, we have thought of you with 
 heartfelt interest, and more particularly recalled to mind 
 all the good which you have been the means of bringing 
 about. 
 
 I was lately surprised by a visit which I had not at all 
 expected. Fichte came to call upon me, and was extremely 
 friendly. As it is he who has made the beginning, I 
 cannot of course play the demure, and shall endeavour, 
 at all events, to make the relation between us cheerful 
 and pleasant, for it is not likely to become either fruitful 
 
 * An essay of Goethe's which he mentions at the beginning of 
 Letter 413. 
 
 f Journal de ce qui s'est passe a la Tour de Temple pendant la 
 captivite' de Louis XVI, Boi de France, par M. Clery, Valet de 
 Chanibre.
 
 134 COKRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 or agreeable, because our natures are not suited to each 
 other. 
 
 The pleasure you usually find in the Greek proverbs * 
 I am at present enjoying in a collection of fables by 
 Hyginus. There is a peculiar charm in wandering 
 among these fictitious characters which have had life 
 breathed into them by a poetic spirit ; one feels oneself 
 upon well-known ground and moved with interest in a 
 very great variety of forms. For this reason I should 
 not like to have any change made in the careless arrange- 
 ment of the book ; it ought to be read straight through 
 quickly, if one is to feel the full grace and wealth of the 
 Greek imagination. The most splendid subjects for a 
 tragic poet are still to be found in it, the Medea is, 
 however, specially striking; but her whole story ought 
 to be made use of in its entirety and as a cycle. The 
 fable of Thyestes and Pelopia is likewise an excellent 
 subject. The expedition of the Argonauts I find to con- 
 tain several motives which do not occur in the Odyssey or 
 in the Iliad; and yet it seems to me as if the germ of 
 another epic poem were preserved in it. 
 
 It is strange that the whole of this mythical cycle, 
 which I am at present examining, is but a tissue of 
 gallantries or of compressus, as Hyginus modestly expresses 
 it, and that all our grand and fearful motives are taken 
 from it and based upon it. 
 
 It has struck me whether it would not be a very praise- 
 worthy undertaking to work out anew the idea — which 
 Hyginus has sketched out thus roughly for a different 
 generation — with understanding and with reference to 
 what the imagination of the present age would demand, 
 and in this manner produce a collection of Greek fables 
 that would awaken a poetic spirit and be of good use both 
 to poets as well as to readers. 
 
 1 herewith enclose two proof-sheets of the Almanack. 
 The third will follow shortly. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 * See Letter 396.
 
 Ljstter 504.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 135 
 
 504. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 29, 1798. 
 
 Accept my heartfelt thanks for your kind remembrance 
 of my birthday, and for your thought of coming to pay 
 me a visit. The day was a disturbed one, and I ac- 
 complished nothing. I hope, however, soon again to 
 settle down near you. Hyginus is a delight to me also, 
 every time I open his book ; I should very much enjoy 
 going over the whole of it again with you. I, too, have 
 always had some faith in the Argonauts, and according 
 to the new theory — its not demanding any unity in the 
 epopee— the subject would be an extremely convenient 
 one, on account of its rhapsodical character. It contains 
 splendid motives, and many others might certainly be 
 developed from it. 
 
 On Friday I shall send off the last sheet of the manu- 
 script. I have altered a good deal in the Introduction, 
 which, I hope, will not do it any harm; and confess I 
 should have done more to it still, had I not been obliged 
 to send it off. Now, however, a new view of things is 
 opening up, for it already looks quite different in the 
 proof-sheets to what it did in manuscript. I hope we 
 shall not fail in at once making a kind of harmonious 
 composition out of the first four numbers. If only we 
 could get something else from you that would point 
 further forwards. The type of the Almanack looks very 
 well ; in fact, the small book requires careful printing and 
 smooth paper. 
 
 I am glad that Conz and Biirde* are becoming a little 
 loose and amusing themselves with forbidden loves ; if I 
 could but live to see Matthisson doing this too, it would 
 delight me even more. It is curious that people cannot 
 escape from certain association of ideas. Thus there is 
 surely somewhat of an echo of the old Wizard f in the 
 magician's wand. 
 
 * The second sheet of the Musen-Almanach contained Conz's 
 Liebeszuruf and Biirde's Ueberraschung. 
 
 t Goethe here alludes to poems having been written in imitation of 
 his Zauberlehrling and his Hexenmeister.
 
 136 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 You may perhaps still receive something from me by 
 the end of the week. 
 
 The cover is ready, and we shall now see what can be 
 done about increasing and enhancing its decorations. 
 You shall very shortly have a specimen of it. 
 
 Farewell, and be industrious, while I too shall try and 
 work myself free here. 1 should be very glad to be able 
 to spend the first half of September with you. 
 
 Make as much use as possible of your new acquaintance 
 with Fichte, and let it also be of advantage to him. 
 There can be no thought of your becoming more intimate 
 with him, but it is always very interesting to have him 
 near one. O. 
 
 505. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 31, 1798. 
 
 If I can in any way manage it, and my health will 
 permit me, I shall certainly come over this week for a 
 few days. I must indeed first get through with my 
 contributions for the Almanack ; however, this I can do in 
 about four days, as two ballads * are ready, which will 
 together amount to twenty printed pages, and the poem 
 at which I am at present working will print from ten to 
 twelve pages ; hence, with the poem already printed, I 
 have from thirty-six to forty pages in addition to what 
 may come in by chance during the next fortnight. I 
 shall thus be able to come with less anxiety, and also be 
 able to give some thoughts to Wallenstein. 
 
 You are right in thinking that certain states of feeling 
 which you have raised, are re-echoed in the man you 
 mention. Yet these moral characters rarely hit the right 
 medium, and when they describe human affairs we at 
 once have something of a platitude. 
 
 I congratulate you upon having now completely finished 
 with the first number of the Propylcea. I am very 
 anxious to read it in print, and to take it quietly in hand. 
 You may safely reckon upon receiving an article from me 
 for the fourth part, as I shall have sufficient time with 
 what is left of the year for finishing my Wallenstein. The 
 
 * His Kampf mit dem Drachzn and Die Biirgschaft.
 
 Letter 506.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 137 
 
 adaptation of the piece for the stage, being a mere matter 
 of common-sense, I shall be able to undertake it simul- 
 taneously with any other work, especially a theoretical 
 subject. 
 
 I am looking forward to the prospect of watching the 
 building operations at the theatre, and believe that you 
 are right in fancying that the sight of the boards may 
 awaken a variety of thoughts. I was lately struck by 
 something I read in some pamphlet or newspaper to the 
 effect that the Hamburg public were complaining about 
 the continual repetition of Inland's plays, and that enough 
 had been seen of them. If a similar conclusion may be 
 drawn from this regarding other towns, my Wallenstein 
 will appear at a lucky moment. It is not unlikely that 
 the public no longer care to see merely a representation of 
 itself, and that it finds itself among too bad company. 
 The rage for those plays, it seems to me, was awakened, 
 or at all events encouraged, by a surfeit of plays depicting 
 the days of chivalry ; people wanted a change from such 
 distortions. But then again, having to stare at common- 
 places for any length of time becomes, in the end, weari- 
 some likewise. 
 
 The first sheets of the Propylcea, as well as the covers 
 for the Almanack, I shall probably see when I come to you. 
 
 Shall I be able to stay a few days with Meyer without 
 putting him to inconvenience ? 
 
 Farewell ; my wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 506. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 1, 1798. 
 
 My letter of to-day must be devoted to telling you 
 about the covers for the Almanack, of which I send you a 
 few specimens. 
 
 Those on white paper show how clearly they have been 
 engraved; several thousands can be printed off without 
 there being any perceptible difference, for the work has 
 been done entirely with the graving-tool. Those on 
 coloured paper I think look especially good; but the 
 original intention was that a little colour should be 
 applied, as is shown on the one half.
 
 138 COKKESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793. 
 
 A ream of writing paper, like the specimen sent, costs 
 three Eeichsthaler and twelve Groschen; it would look 
 very well coloured, and the ream would make not quite 
 2000 covers. 
 
 It would cost sixteen Groschen to have 100 carefully 
 printed on a heated plate, and five Groschen to colour a 
 quire of paper. 
 
 To have one copy coloured would likewise cost eighteen 
 Pfennige in any case. It would depend upon how 
 many you would wish to have coloured. I think many 
 persons would gladly give a few Groschen more for a 
 coloured copy. 
 
 If you send me back the coloured copy as well as the 
 specimen of paper, and decide upon your order, things 
 could be attended to in succession, and the covers be got 
 ready in time. 
 
 When you pay us a visit you can quite well put up in 
 the room next to Meyer. Be sure, if possible, to fulfil 
 your promise. G. 
 
 507. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 2, 1798. 
 
 A Swedish gentleman, Herr Lindahl, will take this 
 letter to you. He is a very zealous admirer of German 
 literature, is very well informed, and appears to have a 
 good many connections among the most eminent scholars 
 in Sweden. You will, therefore, I hope, give him a 
 friendly welcome, for he is a man that seems to deserve 
 it. 1 am also anxious that he should become acquainted 
 with Meyer. 
 
 The wrapper looks very neat. We might have the 170 
 copies on vellum decorated at once with coloured wrappers. 
 There will be time afterwards to have the others em- 
 bellished. The yellowish grey colour too, that has been 
 chosen, is very suitable, and especially for the coloured 
 copies. I can perhaps send you somewhat better paper 
 from here for the latter ; otherwise everything of which 
 you sent me a specimen is very suitable. The price of the 
 various things Cotta will not consider too high.
 
 Letter 508.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 139 
 
 I will send the covers and the paper to-morrow, as I do 
 not wish to ask a stranger to take too large a parcel. 
 
 The weather here has again changed much for the 
 better, and seriously determined me to keep to my resolu- 
 tion of going to Weimar, probably on Thursday. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 508. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 4, 1798. 
 
 My letter of Sunday you will have received from the 
 Swedish gentleman. Here now are the specimens. 
 
 I send you meanwhile one of the ballads.* I may be 
 able to do something more to the other. I shall be glad 
 if I have succeeded in hitting the Christian, monkish, and 
 chivalrous spirit of the action, and united its several 
 movements into one harmonious whole. The Knight's 
 story has turned out rather long, it is true, but the details 
 were necessary and could not well be divided. 
 
 Be so good as to remind me if there is anything else 
 you wish, and also to send me back the manuscript by the 
 message-girl. 
 
 The other story was suggested to me by Hyginus. I 
 am curious to hear whether I have been successful in 
 finding out all the principal motives contained in the 
 subject. See if there is any other that would have 
 occurred to you ; this is one of the cases in which one 
 can act with great directness, and invent almost according 
 to principles. 
 
 I have caught a violent cold, but hope, if nothing 
 intervenes, to be able to come to you on Thursday. 
 
 Heartily glad I shall be to see you again. 
 
 Farewell. My wife would like you to come and see 
 the mangold,"]" which has thriven very well. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 My wife begs me to ask you not to forget the promised 
 Stembald. $ 
 
 * See Letter 505 and note. t See Letter 487 and note. 
 
 X Tieck had just published the first part of his Franz Stembald" § 
 Wanderungen.
 
 140 COKBESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 509. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 5, 1798. 
 
 I am hoping to see you to-morrow, and shall therefore 
 not write much. The ballads I return ; they are both 
 very successful. I find nothing to suggest regarding the 
 Christian dragon ; it is very good and to the purpose. 
 With regard to the Biirgschaft, it is perhaps physiologi- 
 cally not quite consistent that a man, having safely got 
 out of a stream on a rainy day, should be dying of thirst, 
 as, of course, his clothes must necessarily be wet. But even 
 apart from truth, and without considering the resorption 
 of the skin, his thirst does not satisfy one's imagination 
 and feeling at the moment. However, I cannot think of 
 any other more appropriate motive in the wanderer's cha- 
 racter to take the place of this ; the two others are very 
 well devised by a natural event and the power of man. 
 
 Would you be kind enough to send the enclosed note to 
 Frofessor Lenz,* and to bring the book with you when 
 you come ? Be sure not to draw back from your good in- 
 tention. The journey is certain to do you good. 
 
 I enclose the admirable Sternbald ; it is inconceivable 
 how empty the pretty vessel is. 
 
 510. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 5, 1798. 
 
 As my cold is still very bad, I would rather defer my 
 journey for a day or two. I shall thus also be able to 
 make some other corrections, and perhaps finish the poem 
 I have in hand, although my cold permits of but a poor 
 state of mind. 
 
 If you can devise something else for the Almanack, 
 please do so, for it will be difficult for me to provide the 
 necessary tribute, notwithstanding that the divine Mat- 
 thisson has to-day again sent me a poem ; for our poetesses 
 have left me in the lurch. 
 
 * The well-known mineralogist, Johann Georg Lenz, professor of 
 philosophy in Jena.
 
 Letter 511.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 141 
 
 The stanzas * which you wrote for the Duchess' birth- 
 day I should like to have. The leaf you sent me must be 
 among my papers in town ; I cannot find it here ; you may 
 perhaps find it in Weimar. 
 
 I enclose a little poem.f If it pleases you, we could 
 have it printed also. I find, among my papers, all sorts 
 of things commenced, but the mood for finishing them is 
 not always at one's command. 
 
 Farewell. I should like to hear that you are satisfied 
 with my yesterday's parcel. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 511. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 September 6, 1798. 
 
 Yv T e looked for you with longing, and as regards your 
 cold, you might — according to the Duke's approved theory 
 — have got quite rid of it by getting out into the open 
 air. 
 
 The theatre keeps me tied here, for every day I find 
 something to attend to in connection with the building 
 operations and arrangements, otherwise I should long 
 since have been to see you. 
 
 I enclose the poem to the Duchess ; it is your business 
 now to find a title for it ! 
 
 Your little poem, which I return, is charming, and its 
 tone quite like that of your Klage (Lament). 
 
 I have found three not unimportant misprints in those 
 sheets of the Almanack which 1 have here : — 
 
 Page 20, last line but one, gerecht in place of gereiht ; 
 „ 27, in Matthisson's poem, second pentameter singt, 
 in place of siegt ; 
 the third I cannot remember just now. 
 
 We were to have discussed the wrapper by word of 
 mouth. Be so kind as to send me the better paper as 
 soon as possible, so that we may have it coloured and the 
 copies printed and painted. 
 
 * See Letter 419. 
 
 f His Poesie des Lebens, a sketch of which had been written as 
 eurlv as June 12, 1705. See Letter 7G.
 
 UZ CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 The wrapper for the PropyltEa has also been finished ; 
 you will find a specimen of it in the enclosed. It was 
 impossible to foresee the mechanical difficulties which had 
 to be, and have still to be overcome in connection with 
 it. However, the truly German spirit of our Facius has 
 struggled faithfully against them, and I am in hopes of 
 having many another bit of fun out of it. 
 
 I have looked about through all my papers, and do not 
 find anything that could be of any use to you for the 
 Almanack. For Voigt's wedding I did draw up a full 
 sketch for a poem, but unfortunately it was never finished ; 
 for the Almanack it might still be in time. But whence 
 is the mood for writing it to come from ! ? ! ? 
 
 Friend Richter* lately awakened in me quite a different 
 idea, by assuring me (modestly, it is true, and in his 
 peculiar way of expressing himself) that it was all non- 
 sense about being in the humour for a thing, and that he 
 need only have his cup of coffee to be able straightway 
 to write things, about which all Christendom would be 
 enchanted. 
 
 This, and his further assurance that everything is 
 physical, let us both take to heart in future, for we shall 
 then probably produce double and treble the amount of 
 works. 
 
 This worthy friend, moreover, also intends settling in 
 Weimar next winter, and has already taken lodgings 
 above our little Matizek.f I am curious to see how the 
 theatrical element in the house will suit him. 
 
 There are other curiosities which I have not told you 
 of, as I hope to see you either here or in Jena. 
 
 512.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 7, 1798. 
 I am retiring to bed with the firm resolution of driving 
 over to you to-morrow. My work for the Almanack is 
 finished ; my last poem I will bring with me. Now I 
 must hasten and make use of the small remaining portion 
 of good weather and of my stay in my garden-house, 
 
 ♦ Jean Paul Richter. See Letter 498. 
 
 t The operatic siuger Demoiselle Matigzek.
 
 Letter 514.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 143 
 
 for my Wallenstein ; for, if I do not get my love-scenes 
 finished before returning to town, I may not feel in the 
 humour for them all the winter, not being so happily 
 constituted as to be able to find inspiration in a cup of 
 coffee. 
 
 Lenz's book, as well as the better kind of paper for the 
 wrappers, I shall bring with me. I hope to arrive shortly 
 after this letter. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 513. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 9, 1798. 
 I am sorry that I decided to come on Saturday, and that 
 I was again unable to keep my promise ; but I could not 
 help it, for during the last four nights I have had abso- 
 lutely no sleep, and feel very wretched in consequence. It 
 is a strange misfortune that this should happen to me just 
 now, after having, throughout this summer, been quite 
 well in this respect. I have now lost all faith in being 
 able to decide about my visit ; however, if I get any sleep 
 to-night and feel a little better, I shall come to-morrow 
 notwithstanding. Meanwhile I send you Lyonet, so that 
 you may not be hindered in your work. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 514. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 18, 1798. 
 
 Immediately on my return I set to work at my Prologue,* 
 and have again looked at it in respect to its having to 
 stand by itself. The result of this is that I find two 
 things necessary to adapt it for such a purpose. 
 
 (1.) It must receive somewhat more fullness and 
 substance, as a picture of the character and customs of the 
 time, in order that it may represent a definite existence 
 in a palpable form ; by this means also, 
 
 (2.) It will be made impossible for the spectator to 
 trace any thread among the number of figures and single 
 * Wallensteins Lager (Wallenstein' 's Camp).
 
 144 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN. [1798. 
 
 descriptions, or to form any notion of the action which is 
 to follow. 
 
 Hence I find myself obliged to introduce a few more 
 figures, and also to develop a few of those which already 
 exist somewhat more fully. However. I shall always 
 keep in mind the cast we have in Weiniar. On Saturday 
 you shall have the Prologue. 
 
 Cotta writes that the Duke has given him a new news- 
 paper license, and that by removing the newspaper office 
 to Stuttgart he will save about 3500 florins. He does 
 not write whether Posselt* is also editing this new paper; 
 however, I do not doubt it. He seems, in fact, to stake 
 his whole happiness in manufacturing newspapers. 
 
 I again enclose a sheet. If you have no objections, 
 my superscription to your poem to the Duchess will be 
 simply, Stanzas. 
 
 Again accept my best thanks for all your goodness and 
 kindness to me in TVeimar. As soon as the Prologue is 
 off, I shall not think of anything except of at once 
 completing the adaptation of the play for the stage, and 
 wherever it is possible shall make use of your advice and 
 remarks. 
 
 Give Meyer my kindest greetings. At the same time 
 ask him from me to look for one large and two small keys 
 which I left somewhere in my cupboard, and to send them 
 to me by the message-girl. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. Sch. 
 
 515.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 21, 1798. 
 On "Wednesday I went to Eossla, and found your letter 
 yesterday on my return. I wish that while at your work 
 you could feel what a good influence you have left upon 
 us here. A monument of so unusual a degree of mental 
 activity as your Wallenstein must put every one, in any 
 way capable of being so, into an active state of mind. 
 Gather together all your energy in order soon to have the 
 woj-k on our stage ; it will thence come to you in a more 
 * See Letter 403 and note.
 
 Letter 517.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 145 
 
 supple and plastic form, than it appears in the manuscript 
 which you have so long had before you. In my opinion 
 you have now got so far that such an undertaking could 
 only "be of advantage. 
 
 What you propose doing to your Prologue I very much 
 approve of. I shall expect it anxiously, and we will then 
 have a talk about the further arrangements. 
 
 No more for to-day. The keys will accompany this. 
 
 My poem can very well appear under the general title 
 of Stanzas. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. G-. 
 
 516. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 21, 1708. 
 I forgot in my letter to say that we require good Swiss 
 paper for printing off the frontispiece for the Almanack. 
 None is to be had here. Hertel is sure to have some. We 
 beg you to send some soon. G. 
 
 517. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 21, 1798. 
 
 I got no letter from you the day before yesterday, and 
 hope that this is no bad sign. After having spent a 
 week with you, it is quite strange to me not to hear any- 
 thing of you for so long. 
 
 A sleepless night, which has spoiled my whole day, has 
 also prevented my getting my Prologue off to-day ; in 
 addition to this my copyist did not come; I think that 
 in the form it has now received it will be able to stand 
 entirely by itself as a vivid picture of an historical incident, 
 and of a certain phase of military life. And yet I do not 
 myself know whether everything that I had to take up in 
 it for the good of the whole, can be represented on the stage. 
 Thus, for instance, a Capuchin monk has been introduced 
 to preach to the Croats, for this characteristic of the age 
 and locality was still wanting. However, it would not 
 matter in the least were he not to appear on the stage. 
 
 Humboldt has written, and wishes to be remembered to 
 you. He duly received your letter and the poem, and 
 
 VOL. II. L
 
 146 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1703. 
 
 intends writing to you shortly ; lie is very well satisfied 
 with our arrangements in regard to his work. He adds 
 a few words also about Yon Retif* whom he knows 
 personally, but says nothing about his writings. He 
 compares his conduct and disposition with Eichter's, of 
 course, apart from national differences. 
 
 To return to my Prologue. 1 should be glad if another 
 suitable play, and not an opera, could be connected with 
 it, for I must have it accompanied by a good deal of 
 music ; it begins with a song and ends with one ; in the 
 middle also there is another little song; it is therefore 
 musical enough itself, and a peaceful, moral drama would 
 accordingly perhaps best set it off, because its whole 
 merit is mere animation. 
 
 Farewell. I am anxiously awaiting news of you. 
 Give Meyer many kind greetings from me, and ask him 
 to be sure to remember the goblet. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 518. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Jena) September 20, 1708. 
 
 I want you to send me by the bearer your History of 
 the Thirty Years' War ; I wish to consult it in reference 
 to the song at the beginning f as well as to several other 
 points. 1 shall not be with you this evening, for I mean 
 to linger in Wallenstein's Camp till it is dark, and then 
 to go and look at the moderno- antique Prussians and 
 Saxons in your Jena theatre.J I cannot resist the temp- 
 tation. 
 
 To-morrow, at noon, if you will allow me, I propose to 
 come and be your guest in order to discuss various things. 
 Farewell. G. 
 
 519.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 1 regret that I shall not see you to-day. When the 
 sky is so gloomy, conversation is one's only consolation. 
 
 * See Letter 404. 
 
 t At the first performance of the drama, and even at a later date, 
 Wal r en8teins Lager opened with a martial song wiitten hy Goethe, to 
 which Schiller added a few verses. See Letters 528, 5o0, 531. 
 
 J A play representing an episode from the Seven Years' War.
 
 Letter 521.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 147 
 
 I will try and finish the addition to my Prologue which is 
 commenced. The History of the Thirty Years' War you 
 shall have in less than half an hour. 
 
 Farewell. Let the drama from the Seven Years' War at 
 the theatre divert you as much as possible. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 520. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 My brother-in-law's two brothers are here on their way 
 back to Silesia, and are going to spend the evening with 
 us. I tell you this in case you may not care to be one of 
 our party. Should you not be inclined to be with us this 
 evening, will you not come a little earlier in the day ? 
 
 Sch. 
 
 521. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 2, 1798. 
 A visit from our Weimar poetesses Amalie Imhof and 
 my sister-in-law prevented my sending the poem* by the 
 message-girl; a couple of hours would have seen it 
 finished. You shall have it by the next post. I am very 
 well satisfied with the plan, and think it will suit our 
 purpose. Let me know by the returning messenger 
 whether you see any objection to my appending the 
 Prologue f to the Almanack. I should attain several objects 
 by doing so : the Almanack would get an additional and 
 not unimportant poem, the number of my contributions 
 would be increased, and the Prologue itself would be 
 more widely circulated. Your intention of inserting it in 
 Posselt % would not in any way be interfered with by this. 
 Further, the Prologue would not appear earlier before the 
 public than is just, for I should not send off a copy till 
 the end of next week, and even then only those that are 
 to go to Leipzig ; and besides, it would not be unpacked 
 for three days after being sent off. Should you find any 
 
 * The Prologue. 
 
 t It seems that what is here called the Prologue is the Theatre 
 Prologue, and not Wallenstein' s Camp, which has hitherto always been 
 called the Prologue ; the latter seems now to be called the Vorspiel or 
 Introductory Play. See end of Letter 423. 
 
 X The editor of several periodicals. 
 
 L 2
 
 U8 COERESPOXDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 alteration to suggest in the Prologue, let me have it by 
 an express messenger, so that I may make use of it while 
 correcting the sheet ; perhaps I may send it to you 
 to-morrow by an express. 
 
 I must beg you urgently to let me have covers and 
 frontispieces for the Almanack. 
 
 More to-morrow. Farewell. Sen. 
 
 522. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 3, 1798. 
 
 You will be doing very wisely to have the Prologue in 
 serted in the Almanack ; after that it may find its way into 
 Posselt or elsewhere; we must by degrees also accustom 
 ourselves to ubiquity, and we shall not fail to do so. 
 
 Be so kind as to let me have the Prologue as soon as it 
 is ready; the plan is admirable, and the execution will 
 not be less so. 
 
 I am in hopes that I may receive prints of the cover 
 and of the frontispiece before this letter goes off. 
 
 Xo more to-day, for the turmoil around me is too great. 
 
 G. 
 
 What I have been able to procure in the way of prints 
 I enclose ; there was no time to count them. Please, 
 therefore, see that this is done, and write and tell me how 
 many more you want, so that I may arrange accordingly ; 
 for everyone here is at present very much engaged. 
 Farewell. 
 
 523. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 4, 1798. 
 Herewith I send the Prologue, and hope it may meet 
 with your approval. Let me know by the returning 
 messenger whether there is anything you would like to 
 have altered. It seems to me that what I have put 
 within brackets would be better omitted when actually 
 recited. Many things that are quite good when read, 
 cannot well be spoken, and the circumstances under which 
 rhe Prologue is recited, the solemnity which is inseparable 
 £roni the recital, call for certain limits that are difficult to
 
 Letteb 524.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 140 
 
 calculate in a room. Moreover, as the Prologue is pretty 
 long, I think we had better bring it to a close before the 
 last paragraph. 
 
 Please send me whatever is ready in the way of covers 
 and frontispieces. Among the latter I do not find one 
 printed in brown ; if it does not cause any extra trouble, 
 have about 500 printed in this colour. 
 
 I am very anxious to hear how your actors acquit 
 themselves in the Introductory play. 
 
 Farewell. My wif3 sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 524. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 5, 1798. 
 
 Your Prologue is as good as it promised to be ; I have 
 enjoyed it greatly and thank you a thousand times for it. 
 I have as yet merely read it over once or twice so as to 
 be thoroughly imbued with it as a whole, and cannot 
 meanwhile say what had perhaps better be omitted, and 
 whether or not a little touch here and there might not be 
 given for the sake of dramatic effect. 
 
 To-morrow evening you shall have my version by the 
 message-girl ; if you can postpone the printing till then it 
 would be better, in order that we may have the same 
 reading ; on Monday it shall be sent straight to Stuttgart. 
 
 I am sorry that 1 cannot recite it myself. However, if 
 Vohs acquits himself as well as the others in the Intro- 
 ductory play, we can be satisfied. Leiszring, Wehrauch 
 and Haide* recite the rhymed lines as if they had done 
 nothing else all their lives; and Haide, in particular, 
 recited some passages towards the end in a manner such 
 as I have never yet heard on the German stage. 
 
 After this good news I have unfortunately now to tell 
 you that it has been impossible for me to contribute as 
 much as a line for our object ; hence I send you a volume 
 of Abraham,| which will be sure to inspire you at once 
 
 * Leiszrins; played the First Huntsman, Wehrauch the Watchman, 
 Haitle the Cuirassier, and Genast the Capuchin Monk. 
 
 t Abraham a St. Clara. The volume here referred to is the Eeimb 
 Dicli oder ich Lisz Dich which appeared in the year 1690. From it 
 Schiller borrowed the Auffl auff, ihr Christen.
 
 150 COIiRESPONDEXCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 with a sermon for the Capuchin. Thus, for instance, the 
 JRabenaas as a closing formula would be extremely edifying 
 in Genast's mouth. See the passage marked on p. 77. The 
 book is. moreover, so rich a treasure that it produces the 
 best state of mind. 
 
 The song at the beginning * I shall also not manage to 
 get ready, but shall give something in place of it. All 
 this can be introduced in subsequent performances, for, in 
 fact, the play demands that something new and variable 
 should be ever occurring in it, so that none may be able 
 to fix their parts in future representations. 
 
 Farewell. You shall now soon hear which day I hope 
 to see you here. As yet there has been too much of a tur- 
 moil ; my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 525. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 5, 1798. 
 
 That you are satisfied with my Prologue, and that the 
 three gentlemen are acquitting themselves so well in the 
 Introductory play, is very welcome news to me. I cannot 
 withhold the printed copy of the Prologue till to-morrow 
 evening. However, I do not think that any little difference 
 in the recited and printed versions will matter much, pro- 
 vided the copy you send to Posselt corresponds with that 
 given in the Almanack. 
 
 I shall set to work with the Capuchin's sermon, and 
 have good hopes of worthy Abrahani.f I have not yet 
 been able to read it, as Schelling has been with me all the 
 afternoon. I must also advise you of some other altera- 
 tions in the work which I hope to be able to send off on 
 Monday evening, together with the Capuchin's sermon; 
 for, as the alterations do not affect the whole play they 
 can very well be learned in half a day. 
 
 You will, for instance, also agree to my giving a more 
 decidedly dramatic figure in place of the Artilleryman. 
 Instead of him I have introduced a man with a wooden- 
 leg who is a good pendent to the Eecruit. This invalid 
 brings in a newspaper, and with it the intelligence of the 
 taking of Eegensburg ; and the latest occurrences also are 
 
 * See last Letter and note. f Bee Letter 524 and note.
 
 Letter 525.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 151 
 
 heard of indirectly from the paper. It is an opportunity 
 for making a few complimentary speeches to Duke 
 Bemhard, &c. A representative for the wooden-leg it will 
 doubtless be easy to find. 
 
 If I am in the humour and have time, I will finish the 
 little song of Magdeburg,* and write it for an old melody, 
 so that there may not be any delay. I am consoled 
 with the thought that, should I not have time, you will 
 be able to substitute something else. 
 
 If you could send me my copy of the Introductory play 
 by the message- woman, it would be of good service to me 
 in the alterations I contemplate making. I should only 
 require the first eight or ten pages, for there is nothing to 
 alter at the end and in the middle. 
 
 Schelling has returned with a good deal of seriousness 
 and cheerfulness ; he came to see me almost immediately 
 upon arriving here, and shows a great amount of warmth. 
 With regard to the theory of Colours, he told me, that he 
 had lately been reading a good deal on the subject in 
 order to be equal to a discussion with you, and that he 
 had much to ask you. He will call upon you after the 
 performance of the Introductory play, for I told him that 
 he would find you too much engaged just now. It would 
 be well if you could show him your experiments before you 
 come here. 
 
 I have lately become acquainted with a very strange 
 example of an enthusiast of the moral-political type 
 whom Wieland and Herder straightway consign to the 
 great nation. He is a student here, and comes from 
 Kempten, a man full of goodwill, of great capacity, and 
 violently sensual energy. His character is quite a new 
 experience to me. 
 
 Farewell. I fancy that during the next few days 
 there will probably have to be several other messengers 
 despatched between this and Weimar. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Sch. 
 
 * Among Goethe's literary remains we find a poem on the destruction 
 of Magdeburg, where several gaps have been filled up in pencil in 
 Goethe's own handwriting. It is given in the quarto edition, p. 21. 
 Schiller probably thought of using Das Liedlein von Magdeburg in 
 place of the soldier's song which Goethe thought he would not have 
 ready in time.
 
 152 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 If, upon the receipt of this letter, you approve of the 
 alterations in the Prologue, and can find an express 
 messenger, please be so good as to let me have the copy- 
 back at once. 
 
 526. — Goethe to SchillePw. 
 
 Weimar, October 6, 1798. 
 
 Herewith I send you back your Prologue; I have 
 introduced your alterations gladly, for they are very 
 much to the purpose ; on the other hand I would like to 
 have the passage which I have struck out replaced by the 
 other * in the manuscript which I enclose. My object for 
 this was : 
 
 (1.) That more should be spoken by our actors; 
 
 (2.) By Itnand somewhat less ; 
 
 (3.) That Schroder might be referred to in one passage. 
 
 If you will be kind enough to see that I receive a few 
 printed copies of the Prologue on Monday, I will at once 
 send one to Schroder with a few kind words, and another 
 to Stuttgart. 
 
 In any case you might send me back by express, the 
 corrected sheet, if you have done with it, and merely 
 say whether you will admit my passage. I would then 
 have the two copies that are to be despatched transcribed 
 at once. 
 
 Here is part of the Introductory play ; be sure to go on 
 with it, although I cannot promise to accept your altera- 
 tions next time. All are now so accustomed to the 
 rhyme and rhythm, and so bound to the cues, that I dare 
 not venture to change anything ; I should immediately 
 be afraid of break-downs. 
 
 Farewell ; everything is now in such a turcnoil that it 
 is only the hope of its soon being evening and all over, 
 that sustains me. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Diintzer thinks that the passage by Goethe in the Prologue is 
 probably the passage : TJnd dort id dies — hohere Gesetz, in which 
 perhaps some lines of Schiller's first version may have been retained.
 
 Letter 527.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 153 
 
 527. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 6, 1798. 
 
 The alterations in the Prologue I accept with pleasure, 
 and have nothing to say against your three reasons. 
 
 I will have about six special copies of the Prologue 
 printed off, in order to spare my copyist the trouble of 
 writing them out. If, therefore, you will send me early 
 on Monday enclosures for Schroder and Cotta, they could be 
 despatched straight from here, with the printed Prologue, 
 to the right quarters. In any case, however, the Prologue 
 will be returned. 
 
 I am indeed sorry that the little alterations in the 
 Introductory play cannot at once be made use of in the first 
 performance. The motive respecting the newspaper would 
 be appropriate for a full explanation of the action and of 
 the history of the war. At all events, in No. 5, let the 
 Artilleryman appear with a newspaper, and in place of 
 saying : 
 
 But a courier is come, 
 let him say : 
 
 But the Prague gazette has come. 
 
 In this way we shall at all events have the newspaper 
 introduced, in case we should want to mention it again. 
 
 You have lately also made me doubtful about the 
 " wigs./' In place of that passage, had we not better put : 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 SERGEANT. 
 And those mutterings and espionage, 
 And those secret doings and the many couriers— 
 
 TRUMPETER. 
 Yes, yes, there is certainly something in that. 
 
 SERGEANT. 
 And the stiff Spanish collars, 
 Which one, &c. 
 
 The messenger is in a hurry, I cannot add more to-day. 
 Perhaps you could let me know by the message-girl which 
 date is fixed upon for the performance; for naturally I
 
 154 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 should like to have a couple of days leisure for the 
 Capuchin's sermon. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 P.S.— I also enclose the corrected proof of the Prologue, 
 as it is to stand in the Almanack, for as the transcript I 
 sent you was written from memory, I had to invent some- 
 thing at the moment, and there are differences in it 
 which I have marked with N.B. Now if you could let me 
 have your alterations to-morrow before two in the after- 
 noon, I should have time to insert them for the press. If 
 this cannot be managed, be so kind as to send the enclosed 
 copy of the Prologue to Posselt — not the transcript — so 
 that the two printed copies may be alike. 
 
 528. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 6, 1798. 
 
 By this evening's post I can merely tell you in a few 
 words how about we stand. 
 
 Of the Prologue 1 am having two transcripts made the 
 same as your printed one. The passage which I altered, 
 and which you approved of, will be introduced. 
 
 For the recitation here I have made a different version 
 and omitted the 3Iimes and Eras, and on the other hand 
 mentioned Walhnstein once or twice, in order that some 
 idea might be formed of our intention. How different 
 that is which one works out by oneself and among friends 
 in the tenderest and most special way, to that which one 
 is expected to present in the most general manner to a 
 number of outsiders. You will see the strangest things 
 in regard to this, on this occasion. 
 
 For the rest, everything has as yet been going on as 
 well as we could wish. The hall looks very pretty, and 
 most persons are pleased and delighted with it, so that 
 the opposition party are having a bad time of it. 
 
 The Prologue goes very well. To-day we had a 
 rehearsal on the stage; but we must beware now of 
 introducing the smallest alteration. Owing to the difficulty 
 of learning so new and so unusual a task creditably, the
 
 Letter 528.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 155 
 
 actors all cling tenaciously to their different parts, like 
 shipwrecked men to a plank, and would be made unhappy 
 were they to find them shaky. 
 
 I am now endeavouring merely to have all the several 
 parts brought forward and get them linked to the whole. 
 
 The soldier's song which is to open the piece 1 enclose. 
 The music will be put to rights to-morrow morning 
 early, and I hope that soon everything will be in order. 
 
 I will not ask you to hurry over sooner than necessary, 
 for it is even probable that the performance will be 
 given on Wednesday. As soon, however, as the Prologue 
 and the Introductory play have been sufficiently studied 
 by the actors for you to listen to them with pleasure, I 
 shall let you know by an express messenger. Therefore 
 be prepared to come. 
 
 The Capuchin's sermon you will, of course, send me as 
 soon as you have it ready. Otherwise everything has been 
 attended to, and the transcripts of which I spoke at the 
 beginning of this letter, will be sent off to Schroder and 
 to Posselt to-morrow. 
 
 I have moreover drawn up a preliminary criticism both 
 of the performance as well as of the effect produced by the 
 play, and could finish it in a few hours' steady work. 
 Having once entered the element of impudence, let us see 
 who will outrival us in this. 
 
 Meanwhile remain quietly where you are till my 
 messenger comes. Should it be evident to-morrow that 
 we shall not give the performance on Wednesday, you 
 shall have a message to this effect on Tuesday. 
 
 I can, however, assure you that the main object will be 
 attained. Some few persons who have heard the Prologue, 
 and the actors too, say, that they think they now know 
 pretty well how things must have looked in those days. 
 
 Farewell, and be as industrious as you can. 
 
 With regard to the engraving, Meyer will do his part. 
 Unfortunately, however, the curse of all these things is 
 that they have always to be done in too great a hurry. 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G.
 
 156 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 529. — Goethe to Schilllr. 
 
 * Weimar, October 7, 1798. 
 
 Here again comes a packet of printed copies ; the next 
 covers are to be highly coloured; they come somewhat 
 more expensive, but look all the more pleasing. 
 
 It seems probable that the opening of our theatre will 
 take place on Friday. I therefore beg you to come on 
 Thursday, early in the day, so that we may talk every- 
 thing over, and in the evening be present at the full 
 rehearsal. 
 
 The principal characters do their parts admirably, and 
 already know the whole excellently by heart ; the others 
 are still a little uncertain, but this will all be resolved 
 into real harmony. Moreover, the softest, well-articulated 
 word is audible in every corner of the house. 
 
 I have hitherto — as the new newspaper will soon prove 
 — frequently had occasion to go over the task, and hope 
 that people will now soon repeat my own words to me 
 again. 
 
 Farewell; I am in the best of spirits, because every- 
 thing has as yet gone so well. 
 
 Please send me a few printed copies of the Prologue by 
 the message-woman, and the Capuchin's sermon the 
 sooner the better. 
 
 G. 
 
 530. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Herewith you will receive my Capuchin's sermon such 
 as the distractions of the last few days — I have literally 
 been overrun with visitors — permitted it to become. As 
 it is intended only for a few performances in Weimar, 
 and I mean to take my time with the other which shall 
 be worth something, I have not hesitated in many 
 passages simply to give a translation of my worthy 
 original,* and in others to imitate him. I think I have 
 succeeded pretty well in catching his spirit. 
 
 * Abraham's work. See Letter 521 and note.
 
 Ietteb 531.] SCHILLER ANL GOETHE. 157 
 
 But now about an important piece of business. When 
 you have read the sermon, you will yourself find that it 
 must necessarily be introduced a few scenes later, when 
 people have already formed some idea — through the 
 huntsmen and others — of the soldiers by themselves. 
 Were it to appear earlier, the scenes which come next 
 would be weakened by it, and an error made as regards 
 gradation. It would further be well that it were directly 
 followed by an animated scene of action, therefore I 
 propose that it should be introduced either immediately 
 before the appearance of the Eecruit, or what I would 
 almost rather prefer, immediately before the capture of 
 the Peasant and the uproar in the tent. 
 
 This would not in any way affect the economy of the 
 rest, as you will find, and only one cue would require to 
 be altered. The few words spoken by the soldiers could be 
 learnt in a couple of minutes. 
 
 My having likewise had to introduce the Spielmann 
 and dancing in order to make the scene where the 
 Capuchin first enters, gay and lively, you will also 
 perceive to be necessary. 
 
 Accept my thanks for the opening song; I find it 
 most appropriate, and may add a couple of verses to it, for 
 it is perhaps a little too short. 
 
 After to-morrow 1 shall be ready to start at a moment's 
 notice. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 531. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 9, 1798. 
 Thanks for the covers and frontispieces which you 
 sent, and which we were very much in want of; and let 
 me thank you especially for the good news you give me 
 about the progress of our dramatic undertaking. The 
 postponement of the play cannot but be welcome news to 
 me. 1 hope to be with you in good time on Thursday. 
 The active treatment of the matter stirs up all kinds of 
 thoughts in my head which will yet prove useful to my 
 Wallenstein. The Introductory play I propose making of
 
 158 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 niuch greater service for the whole, and I already know of 
 many important touches which it shall receive, and more- 
 over to its advantage. The work will become more 
 arduous to me, and yet at the same time facilitated. 
 
 Were it not that I thought the Capuchin's sermon 
 would come too late by arriving to-morrow, it must have 
 turned out better. In fact it would be a great pleasure 
 to me to spend more time upon this caricature; for 
 Abraham * is a splendid original, necessarily enforces 
 respect, and then it is an interesting, yet by no means 
 easy task to imitate or to out-do him in his eccentricity 
 and cleverness. However, I shall do my utmost. 
 
 The Soldier's song I have lengthened by a couple of 
 verses, which I enclose. It seems to me that it would be 
 well to give the spectator, as well as those taking an in- 
 active part in the performance, time to watch the group in 
 action, and to make arrangements. You will, no doubt, 
 so arrange matters that several voices join in singing the 
 verses, and that a chorus always repeats the last lines. 
 You have been very merciful with the alterations you 
 have made in my text. In a few cases I do not see your 
 reason very clearly, but we will talk this over. Such 
 trifles often lead to the most fruitful remarks. 
 
 Farewell. I am only glad that inclination and spirit 
 are not forsaking you in the midst of the mechanical 
 worry. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Sch. 
 
 Should you have anything further to say to me to- 
 morrow by the message- woman, be sure to impress it upon 
 her to let me have your letter early. Otherwise I shall 
 not get it till Thursday. 
 
 532. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 October 18, 1798. 
 After taking everything into consideration, and with 
 the special sanction of our mental and bodily weariness, 
 
 * See Letter 524 and note.
 
 Letter 535.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 159 
 
 we propose remaining at home this evening, and wish 
 you a good and quiet night. 
 
 If it is possible for you to send me your copyist to- 
 morrow morning early, he would be a great help to me. 
 
 G. 
 
 533. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 After such a busy day as this has been, rest is certainly 
 the best thing. I am delighted that all has been so 
 cheerfully and happily settled between us, and, to speak 
 for myself, I have spent a most pleasant day. 
 
 I hope to see all the more of you to-morrow. I will 
 send for my copyist as early as possible. 
 
 Sleep well. c ch. 
 
 534. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 October 19, 1798. 
 My Ojms * has taken me longer than I thought ; there 
 is no more time to have it copied out ; we will, therefore, 
 despatch the clean draft this evening. For the con- 
 venience of the compositor, I have had those lines, which 
 are to to be printed in a different type, underlined with 
 red. 
 
 Please look over the essay carefully, and think whether 
 there is anything else to be inserted or added. I will 
 come over early to-day, and we will despatch the parcel 
 from the garden-house. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 535. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 23, 179S. 
 
 It is a pity that you did not wait and spend these last 
 
 few lovely days in Jena. Here we are all well, although 
 
 I do not progress as quickly with my work as I expected. 
 
 Having to turn my text into a form of speech suitable for 
 
 * Goethe's notice of the performance of Schiller's Lager, for the 
 Allgemeine Zeitung. See Letters 528 and 529.
 
 160 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 the stage, definite and easy of utterance, is very tedious 
 work, and the worst of it is that the necessary and vivid 
 idea of the reality of the individual actors, and of all the 
 other conditions connected with these, blunts one's poetic 
 spirit. God help me over these besogna ! However, the 
 definite dramatic object before me cannot fail to suggest 
 to me some new and important additions and alterations 
 for the good of the whole. 
 
 Since your departure I have not occupied myself with 
 anything but my own work, and seen no one beyond my 
 own family, and therefore cannot to-day tell you of any- 
 thing new or interesting. If you hear anything, be sure 
 to let me know about it. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kind remembrances. To 
 Meyer my kind greetings. 
 
 The enclosed Almanack please forward to Herder. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 536. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 26, 1798. 
 
 Having had a visitor with me, who remained till late 
 in the evening, I shall not be able to write much to-day. 
 I must ask you to have a note made of the expenses in 
 connection with the Almanack, and to send it to me as 
 soon as possible, so that I may settle the matter with 
 Cotta. Further I must also ask you whether the twenty- 
 four louisd'ors, which we owe you for the Almanack, 
 shall be paid to you here or settled by Cotta. If you do 
 not come on Monday yourself, please let me have an 
 answer to these questions. 
 
 We send you warmest greetings. I must conclude in 
 Cotta's usual style. 
 
 In haste. Sch. 
 
 537.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 27, 1798. 
 At last the first redoute too is over, and its having 
 eiven general satisfaction has settled the point that the 
 house is also adapted for such purposes. I must still
 
 Letter 538.] SCHILLER A fD GOETHE. 161 
 
 devote a few days to different business matters, and on 
 Tuesday be off to Eossla ; hence I think I shall be able to 
 come to you on Sunday, November 4th, and to spend the 
 rest of the month with you. I am now very anxious to 
 have a time of inward activity which unfortunately I 
 have not enjoyed for a very long time. Our actors may 
 meanwhile learn their parts and play some nova, which, 
 honestly said, are of a horrible description. The bill of 
 the expenses I enclose; Professor Meyer paid them and 
 hopes soon to be refunded. 
 
 The payment for my contribution to the Musen-Alma- 
 nach — for which I thank you in advance — I should like 
 to be sent here, although it does not much matter either 
 way, for Cotta has a remittance to send me sooner or 
 later. 
 
 From Schroder I have received an answer which sounds 
 very friendly and polite when one considers his usual 
 style, which is inconceivably dry and antiquated. How- 
 ever, he decides the matter thus : that he is not coming 
 this winter, and probably not next winter either, etc. I 
 am only glad that at all events we are now certain about 
 this, and can proceed on our own course. Hoping and 
 waiting is not my way of doing things. 
 
 Farewell, and continue to be busy with your work. 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, and enjoy this 
 beautiful weather, which is denied to me. 
 
 G. 
 
 538. — Schiller to Ggithe. 
 
 Jena, October 30, 1798. 
 We are still in our garden-house where we are enjoying 
 the unusually fine weather, and forgetting that it is about 
 to take leave of us for a long time. It is with dread that 
 I see November approaching, as I have so much to get 
 through, and cannot but expect a very unfriendly sky. 
 My work is progressing meanwhile, but not so rapidly as 
 you would think. Still, I hope, by the time you come, to 
 have the first two acts finished, and, a few days after- 
 wards, to lay before you the two last likewise. 
 
 VOL. II. M
 
 162 CORKESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 I have meanwhile been reading the Propylcea with 
 great pleasure, and again been edified with the plainly 
 and definitely expressed truths and art-oracles. It seems 
 to me as if they had never come so home to me or struck me 
 so clearly. You will, it is true, only benefit the few, yet 
 it is well that you felt prompted to come forward with 
 these. It will be curious to see how many of those, who 
 fancied that they too were of your persuasion, will try 
 and accommodate these grand ideas to their small notions. 
 
 That Schroder should pronounce his coming to be very 
 uncertain, and something afar off, did not surprise me. 
 I should like very much to see his letter, if you could let 
 me have it. However, this circumstance shall make me 
 somewhat more frank with him in regard to selling my 
 Wallenstein, unless, indeed, I manage to get off having any 
 transactions with him altogether, for, as far as I know, he 
 has sold the directorship of the theatre to four or five 
 actors. 
 
 From Inland I have as yet had no answer. 
 
 The bills have been despatched to Cotta. He has also 
 forwarded me a good copy of the Propylaza, so that you 
 do not need to send me one. 
 
 Farewell. My head is not in the best state after 
 working all day. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 539. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 31, 1798. 
 
 Herewith I enclose Schroder's letter as a proof that I 
 did not read it wrongly. I never entertained any special 
 hope of his coming, but we have now done our part. 
 
 The Duke is not well, hence I shall have to come 
 somewhat later, for I must go over to Eossla again. I 
 am most anxious to see how far you have advanced, and 
 feel it now to be an actual necessity to come to an end 
 with my studies on Colour. The Propylcea are a true 
 benefit to me, inasmuch as I am, through them, at last 
 forced to give expression to ideas and experiences which 
 I have for long been dragging about with me. It would
 
 Letter 540.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 163 
 
 delight me veTy much to hear that you found the first 
 number pleasing and agreeable. 
 
 Farewell, and enjoy the fine weather. I am at present 
 thinking only of my large rooms in the castle and of my 
 new stove,* and have no other wish than to be delivered 
 of my chromatics ; yet, who can say what may be in store 
 for us ? My kind greetings to your dear wife, and abide 
 steadfastly in the bond of earnestness, and of love ; every- 
 thing else is of a nature both vain and sad. 
 
 G. 
 
 540. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 2, 1798. 
 
 I herewith return Schroder's letter. We have, as I see, 
 merely flattered his vanity without arousing his ambition, 
 and our courtesy towards him, it seems, will be made use 
 of simply to make his surliness towards the Hamburgers 
 the more piquant. It is very small and paltry in him to 
 bring local quarrels with persons, of which no notice is 
 taken in Weimar, into concerns that are purely and inde- 
 pendently artistic in character, and into a letter addressed 
 to you. 
 
 N.B. — It is absolutely necessary that other 600 frontis- 
 pieces and wrappers for the Almanack should be printed off 
 as speedily as possible. Please, therefore, have the kind- 
 ness to request Meyer to see to this with the utmost 
 speed, and to let me have 400 of them by Wednesday 
 at latest. I had intended to spare Cotta unnecessary 
 expense in this matter, but, owing to the custom of 
 sending out copies on sale, a great many more are sent off 
 than are actually purchased. I forward paper for the 
 frontispieces; Meyer can doubtless procure what is re- 
 quired for the wrappers in Weimar ; light yellow seems 
 to be the cheapest. 
 
 I have, as yet, heard but little about the Almanack. 
 Korner will, I expect, send me his customary detailed 
 letter upon it ; meanwhile I have heard only about what 
 pleased him best. This habit or bad habit of seeking 
 one special thing out of works of a distinctly poetical 
 
 * The stove which he had to procure for the palace. 
 
 M 2
 
 164 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 character, and of giving it the preference — as to an apple 
 with a better flavour — always strikes me as out of place, 
 although there is no doubt that among several works, 
 the one can be and always is better than the rest. But 
 feeling should be juster towards each individual work 
 of a distinct species ; and, after all, it is generally mere 
 twaddlers that lurk behind such judgments. 
 
 I should not be at all disinclined — as soon as Wallen- 
 stein leaves me in peace — to work out a pendent to that 
 part of your Introduction to the Propylcea and of the 
 Discourse which treats of the non-aesthetic demands of 
 the Actual in nature, and to take up the opposite demand ; 
 one, however, which is usually connected with it, that 
 is. the demand of what is Moral and Possible in nature, 
 or rather rationally possible ; for even though the attack 
 is made from this side, the enemy is hit right in the 
 centre. You could not well say much on this subject, 
 as this bad habit does not usually apply so much to 
 plastic art and the opinions expressed concerning it, as to 
 poetical works and writers of criticisms of these. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. It is disappointing to me that 
 your coming is postponed. Report here says that Wallen- 
 steins Lager is to be played again to-morrow, but I 
 doubt it. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Please to remember the 600 frontispieces and the 
 wrappers. iScu. 
 
 541. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 6, 1798. 
 
 I write from my fort in town; we returned to-day, 
 and being wearied, I cannot say more than good-night. 
 We have not heard anything of you for very long, I am 
 quite unaccustomed to this, and have, moreover, no wish 
 to accustom myself to it. 
 
 My work is progressing, and you will find something 
 ready when you come. 
 
 I must again remind you of the wrappers and frontis- 
 pieces ; J am being so dunned for them. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. Sch.
 
 Letter 513.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 165 
 
 542. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, November 7, 1798. 
 
 Your letter, my dearest friend, 1 am sorry to say I did 
 not receive till yesterday morning on my return from 
 Eossla. Professor Meyer will do his utmost to let you 
 have the prints speedily. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your return to town. Being 
 among neighbours, especially in winter, makes intercourse 
 both more lively and more easy. 
 
 Schroder's answer, it seems, appeared stranger to you 
 than it did to me. Owing to my radical want of faith in 
 mankind, I thought it quite natural. 
 
 In like manner, with regard to the reception of the 
 Almanack, I should say : he wbo does not — like the sense- 
 less sower in the Gospel — care to scatter his seed without 
 considering where it falls and where it will spring up, 
 ought not to have any dealings with the public. 
 
 I wish you good progress with your Wallenstein. As 
 regards myself, I am coming to you this time with the 
 firm resolve of casting my Colour-studies from my 
 shoulders, whatever the cost may be. I have, during 
 the last days, again been thinking the subject well over, 
 and it seems to me to be becoming more and more 
 possible to give an exposition of my views. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. I shall now not be long in coming. 
 
 G. 
 
 543. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 9, 1798. 
 Since yesterday I have entered upon what is, poetically 
 speaking, the most important part of my Wallenstein, and 
 which I have hitherto always kept in reserve, the part 
 dedicated to Love, and which, in accordance with its 
 purely human character, is entirely distinct from the 
 busy nature of the other state affairs ; nay, in regard to 
 spirit, entirely opposed to it. Only now — alter having
 
 166 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 given the latter the only form which it was possible for 
 me to give it — shall I be able to cast it from my mind 
 and allow an entirely different mood to come over me ; it 
 will be some time before I really forget it. What I have 
 now most to fear is that the predominance of the human 
 interest in this great episode may easily displace some- 
 thing in the action which is already firmly fixed and 
 partly worked out ; for, in accordance with its nature, it 
 deserves the precedence, and the more I may succeed in 
 carrying it forward, the more the rest of the action may 
 suffer in consequence. For it is far more difficult to give 
 up an interest in feeling than one connected with the 
 understanding. 
 
 Meanwhile my business is now to make myself master 
 of all those motives to be found in the entire cycle of 
 my piece connected with this episode; and thus, even 
 though it should be a slow process, to allow the proper 
 mood to become matured in me. 1 think I have already 
 found what is actually the right way, and therefore hope 
 not to make any useless expense. 
 
 This much, however, I must say beforehand, that I 
 cannot and dare not allow the Piccolomini to leave my 
 hands and to pass into those of the actors, till the third 
 part, with the exception of receiving the last touches, has 
 all been finished. Thus my only wish is that Apollo 
 may be gracious to me, so that I may get through my 
 work within the next six weeks. 
 
 In order to get rid of the sight of what I have been 
 engaged with hitherto, I send it to you at once. There 
 are really only two small gaps left, the one is connected 
 with the mysterious, magical proceedings between Octavio 
 and Wallenstein, the other with Questenberg's presenta- 
 tion to the generals, which appeared to me somewhat 
 stiff at the first performance, and the right turn had not 
 occurred to me. The first two and the last two acts are 
 otherwise ready, as you will see, and the beginning of the 
 third has likewise been copied out. 
 
 Perhaps I might have spared myself the trouble of 
 sending the manuscript to Weimar, for, to judge from 
 your last letter, I may expect you here any day. 
 
 I heartily wish you all success with your studies on
 
 Letter 544.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 167 
 
 Colours, for very much will be gained when you have 
 cast this burden off your mind ; and as the winter does 
 not, in any case, incline you to be productive, you could 
 not make any better use of it than by devoting it to this 
 work, and attending to the Propylcea. 
 
 Whatever there may be ready of wrappers and frontis- 
 pieces, pray send over by the message-woman. Of 
 frontispieces I shall require 115 less than were ordered, 
 for as many as this were found here accidentally. Please 
 ask Meyer to countermand them if there is still time. 
 
 Inland's not having let me have an answer yet, strikes 
 me as strange, for he was himself very pressing in his 
 enquiry, and it must be to his interest to have the piece 
 soon, if he really wishes to have it. 
 
 Farewell. My stay in town has as yet suited me 
 perfectly well. Kind greetings from my wife. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 544. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, November 10, 1798. 
 
 Herewith I send you as many prints as are ready. I do 
 not know myself how many there are. 
 
 To-morrow evening I shall be with you, and hope to 
 remain for some time. I trust my wishes may not prove 
 vain. 
 
 Accept my thanks for your Wallenstein ; the first two 
 acts I read this morning early with great pleasure. The 
 first, which I now know so well, I consider very nearly 
 appropriate for the stage ; as it is, the domestic scenes are 
 very happy, and of a kind that affect me. In the audience- 
 Bcene, some of the historical points might be more clearly 
 expressed, in the same way as in my version of the 
 Prologue I have mentioned Wallenstein' s name twice. 
 One is apt to forget what reason there is for being clear. 
 However, all this will soon be settled when we have a 
 talk over it, and to this I am looking forward with 
 pleasure. 
 
 Farewell ; I shall not add more. 
 
 G.
 
 168 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 545. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Jena) November 16, 1798. 
 In sending you the scheme for the physiological colours, 
 I recommend it to your consideration as the basis of our 
 investigations and discussions. 
 
 Knebel presents his compliments and sends a Propertius. 
 May I ask you to lend me Sulzer's Dictionary ? It is 
 now time that I should be looking at traditional ideas. 
 I wish you may have had a good night. 
 
 Herewith also another copy of the Propylcea. 
 
 G. 
 
 546. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 24, 1798. 
 
 As I shall not see you again to-day, I wish you rich 
 booty from to-day's exhibition of characters.* I myself, 
 intend spending the evening by having a quiet philoso- 
 phical discourse with Schelling. 
 
 This wintry day, interrupted as it is by the tinkling 
 of the sledge-bells, I do not find disagreeable; and 
 although my present work is not of that kind which 
 gives good signs of progress, still I am not inactive. 
 
 Herewith come the Atlanta,^ which will perhaps amuse 
 you, as they are in some measure connected with the bold 
 oratorical tone of Diderot's reflections on art, J the spirit 
 always excepted. 
 
 Farewell. I hope to hear a good deal from you to- 
 morrow. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 547. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 30, 1798. 
 Having lately been accustomed to your coming of an 
 evening and winding up the clock of my thoughts, I feel 
 
 * Schiller here probably refers to a ball which was given on that 
 evening. 
 
 t H. Diintzer, in his Review of this correspondence, confesses to be 
 unable to explain this reference. 
 
 I Schiller is here thinking of Diderot's work, Sur la Peinture.
 
 Letter 517.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 169 
 
 it quite strange now — after rny day's work is finished — 
 to find myself thrown upon my own resources. I very 
 much wish that it had not so happened that we com 
 menced our chromatic discussions on the very last day, 
 for an occupation of this kind, consisting purely of facts, 
 would have been to me a beneficial change and recreation 
 from my present poetical work, and I should have en- 
 deavoured to have continued the subject in my own 
 fashion, in your absence. This much, however, I observed, 
 that one main object in the method will be to keep pure 
 facts as well as what is polemical, most strictly apart 
 from what is hypothetical, that the evidence of the case 
 and of the Newtonian falsum shall not be confounded with 
 what is problematical in the interpretation, and that it 
 may not appear as if both the former and the latter 
 demand a certain faith. It, indeed, lies in your nature 
 to distinguish clearly between the fact and its representa- 
 tion ; but, nevertheless, it is scarcely to be expected that 
 one should not occasionally feel inclined to adopt a current 
 mode of representation, and to make an actual case out of 
 a mere instrument of thought. 
 
 Your long studies on Colour and the earnestness which 
 you have devoted to the subject must be rewarded by no 
 ordinary success. You ought, as you are able to do so, to 
 set an example as to how enquiries in physics should be 
 treated, and this work, by your treatment of it, would be 
 as instructive as it would be gainful to science. 
 
 When one considers that the fate of poetical works is 
 connected with the fate of language, which cannot well 
 remain at its present point, an immortal name in science 
 is a thing very much to be desired. 
 
 To-day, at last, I have sent my Wallenstein * on its first 
 flight out into the world, and despatched it to Iffland. 
 Will you kindly have the costumes sent to him soon, as 
 he might be in want of them. I have written to him 
 about them. 
 
 Please ask Meyer — to whom my kindest greetings — to 
 let me have the receipted bill. 
 
 Farewell amid your present distractions ! How I wish 
 
 * Although the title Wallenstein is here used in full, it refers only 
 to Lager (1 he Camp).
 
 170 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 that the Muse, whose services you do not require just 
 now, could be handed over to me for my present work. 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Farewell. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 548. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, December 1, 1798. 
 
 How very different is the remembrance of our peaceful 
 discussions — which I find re-echoing in your letter — 
 from the turmoil with which I have again been surrounded 
 during the few days of my stay here. Yet they have not 
 passed unprofitably ; for Count Fries * has brought back 
 with him, among other things, a dozen old engravings 
 by Martin Schon which have enabled me, for the first 
 time, to form an estimate of the merits and demerits of 
 this artist. It appears to us exceedingly probable — 
 although friend Lerse t entertains a contrary hypothesis 
 — that the Germans, in earlier times, stood in some 
 connection with Italy. 
 
 Martin Schon lived forty years after Masaccio's death ; 
 is it likely that not a breath crossed the Alps during 
 that time? I have never devoted any thought to the 
 subject, and left it just as it was, but it interests me more 
 as regards the future. 
 
 The method you propose for the treatment of my 
 chromatic studies, is indeed what I should particularly 
 desire ; yet I am almost afraid that, like every other idea, 
 it will be unattainable. However, what is possible will be 
 accomplished by your interest. Everyone considers it 
 very difiicult to distinguish between an hypothesis and a 
 fact, but it is even more difiicult than is generally 
 imagined, inasmuch as every exposition, every method is 
 itself hypothetical to begin with. 
 
 * Count Fries of Vienna, whom Goethe became acquainted with in 
 Naples, and whom he hoped to accompany to Italy again at some future 
 day. 
 
 f Goethe's old Strassburg friend Franz Lerse, whom he has immor- 
 talised in Gotz ; Lerse was on a visit to "W eimar at this time. Goethe 
 in writing to Hufeland, on December 6, says that he had been called 
 from Jena sooner than he had wished, but that he could not complain 
 very much about this, as it had given him the opportunity of enjoying 
 the" society of his old friend Lerse.
 
 Letter 549.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 171 
 
 Owing to your being, so to say, a third person listening 
 to my discourse bit by bit, you will now gradually make a 
 better distinction between what is hypothetical and what 
 actual, than I shall ever be able to do, as certain ideas 
 have, of course, become fixed in my mind, and, as it were, 
 become facts. Further, you are interested in that upon 
 which I have been pondering till I am wearied and tired 
 of it, and hence, you will be the first to discover the main 
 points upon which most depends. But of this there is no 
 time to speak just now. I am expecting friends to break- 
 fast, and between that and the Zauberflote things will not 
 indeed be fairy-like, but nevertheless gay and bustling 
 enough. 
 
 Farewell ; give my kind greetings to your dear wife, and 
 think of me when eating the roast whch I herewith send 
 you. 
 
 549. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 4, 1798. 
 
 I must to-day trouble you with an astrological question, 
 and beg you to give me your sesthetico-critical thoughts 
 upon a complicate matter. 
 
 Owing to the greater length of the Piccolomini, I shall 
 now be obliged to decide upon the astrological motive that 
 is to lead to Wallenstein 's downfall, and to awaken in him 
 a stronger faith in the success of his undertaking. Accord- 
 ing to my first sketch, this was to be brought about by 
 the constellation being found to be favorable, and the 
 speculum astrologicum was to be made in a specified room 
 before the eyes of the audience. But this is devoid of 
 dramatic interest, is dry and empty, and moreover obscure 
 owing to the technical expressions. It would not have any 
 effect upon the imagination, and simply be a ridiculous 
 burlesque. I have, therefore, tried a different plan, and 
 commenced to work this out, as you will see from the 
 enclosed.* 
 
 The scene opened the fourth act of the Piccolomini, 
 
 * This has been preserved, and is communicated in Hoffrneister's 
 Hachlese. Goethe advised Schiller to retain the astrological chamber.
 
 172 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 according to the new division, and would have imme- 
 diately preceded the one where Wallenstein receives in- 
 telligence of Sesin's imprisonment, and is followed by the 
 great monologue ; the question is, whether the astrological 
 room might not be altogther dispensed with, as it is not 
 wanted for any operation ? 
 
 Now I want to know whether you consider that my 
 object — namely, to give Wallenstein a momentary kind 
 of sublimity by means of something marvellous — will be 
 attained in the way I propose, and whether, therefore, the 
 burlesque that is introduced possesses a certain tragical 
 character and is not merely ridiculous. The case is a 
 very difficult one, and handle it in whichever way one 
 pleases, the mixture of folly and absurdity with what is 
 serious and rational will always remain objectionable. 
 
 On the other hand I could not hold mj^self aloof from 
 the astrological element, and had to keep close to the 
 spirit of the age, which accords with the motive selected. 
 
 The reflection which Wallenstein makes upon this, I 
 shall perhaps work out more in detail, and if only the 
 case itself does not stand opposed to what is tragical, and 
 is combinable with seriousness, I hope to be able to raise 
 him by means of those reflections. 
 
 Be so kind as to give me your opinion about this. 
 
 The present wretched weather affects me very much, 
 and I have again lost several days' work owing to spasms 
 and sleeplessness. 
 
 My wife wishes to be most kindly remembered, and we 
 both thank you very much for the roast. It was very 
 welcome. 
 
 Farewell. I hope to hear that you have made progress 
 with your schemata. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 550.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 5, 1798. 
 
 Your letter comes at a time of great confusion and 
 
 work, which have nothing in common with aesthetic 
 
 opinions of dramatic motives. I must, therefore, beg 
 
 you to give me time till I can collect my thoughts in
 
 Letter 551.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 17S 
 
 regard to your question. At first sight your idea seems 
 to me to be very well devised, and 1 should think one 
 might agree to it. For, as you yourself observe, there 
 will always be an irremediable breach between burlesque 
 and tragic dignity, and the question may perhaps only be 
 whether the result is in any way dignified, and this does 
 seem to me to be achieved. 
 
 For the political substance itself is not much better 
 than the astrological, and it seems to me that in judging 
 of the astrological substance it ought not to be compared 
 directly with the tragic element, but that when compared 
 with the tragic element it should be connected with it as 
 belonging to what is temporary in an historical, political 
 and barbarous sense. 
 
 The five-fold letters * — although to my taste — I do not 
 as yet know how to balance against the astrological 
 chamber; both seem to me to have something distinct 
 in themselves. However, I must end now as I began : I 
 am to-day neither in a condition for feeling things 
 clearly, nor for thinking properly. 
 
 Hence accept but a farewell, and give my kind greetings 
 to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 551. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 7, 1798. 
 
 We are again living in the very opposite circumstances : 
 you amid nothing but distractions which do not permit 
 of a collected state of mind, and I in such seclusion and so 
 monotonously that I pant for some distraction to refresh 
 my spirit. However, I have not spent the late gloomy 
 weather — which is only now beginning to clear up — 
 altogether fruitlessly, and have filled up some important 
 gaps in my action which has given it more roundness 
 and solidity. Some entirely new scenes have sprung up, 
 and these have a good effect upon the whole. 
 
 Further, the not altogether irremediable breach, of 
 which you speak, between what is senseless and rational, 
 1 find somewhat lessened, inasmuch as all depends upon 
 
 * F, which Seni reads : Fidat Fortunx Friedlandus. Fata Favebunt.
 
 174 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 the above-mentioned strange combination of heterogeneous 
 elements appearing of a permanent character, arising 
 from the totality of the man and revealing itself every- 
 where. For if one but succeeds in making it thoroughly 
 individual it will become true, inasmuch as what is in- 
 dividual speaks to the imagination, and we, therefore, 
 have nothing to do with dry reason. 
 
 If you think that we should not give up the astrological 
 room, it might still be put to some use. even in the case 
 of our retaining the other burlesque. More or less of it 
 here will do no harm, and one thing helps the other. 
 What, in fact, I only want to know from you is, whether 
 all that which was lately sent, is admissible in all cases ; 
 for it is not at all necessary for anything else to be 
 excluded by it. 
 
 I have nothing of interest to tell you of to-day, for I 
 have not stirred from my work, and have heard nothing 
 from without. 
 
 Will you procure me the book on the Caucasus* which 
 you have so often spoken to me about. I am, at present, 
 in real need of some entertaining book. 
 
 Farewell Many kind greetings to Meyer. My wife 
 wishes to be kindly remembered. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 552. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 8, 1798. 
 
 How much I should like to discuss this very subject 
 with you some evening ; for, after all, it is very much 
 more important than the question, where the armour"]" 
 should first be worn. I shall be brief in what I have to 
 say, and shall pass over all those points upon which we 
 are agreed. 
 
 After much deliberation I consider the astrological 
 motive better than the new cne. 
 
 * Reinegg's Allgemeine Historisch Topographische Beschreibung des 
 Eai(}:asu8. published byFr. E. Schroder, the second part of which also 
 contains an attractive account of the strange adventures of Reinegg 
 himself. 
 
 t Wallenstein's armour, in which he first appears in the third act of 
 Wallenstein's Tod.
 
 Letter 552.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 175 
 
 Astrological superstition is based upon the obscure 
 feeling of an immense universe. Experience tells us 
 that the nearest constellations have a decided influence 
 upon the state of the weather, vegetation, &c. ; one need 
 only proceed upwards by stages to see how it can be said 
 where this influence ceases. For does not the astronomist 
 everywhere find disturbances in one constellation trace- 
 able to others ; and is not the philosopher inclined, nay, 
 forced to assume an effect upon what is farthest off; in 
 the same way man, conscious of his own power, has but to 
 proceed a little further and to extend this influence to 
 morality, to fortune, and to misfortune. These and similar 
 delusions I would not even call superstition, they are so 
 much a part of our nature, and as much to be tolerated 
 and as dispensable as any other belief. 
 
 And not only is it met with more frequently than one 
 can well believe in certain centuries, but also in certain 
 periods of life, nay, in certain natures. For did not the 
 late King of Prussia hope much from your Wallenstein 
 merely because he expected this character would be 
 treated in a serious manner. 
 
 The modern belief in oracles has likewise many a poetic 
 advantage, only that the very species you have chosen 
 seems to me not to be the best, it belongs to the class of 
 anagrams, chronodistichs, devil's verses, which can be read 
 backwards as well as forwards, and is, therefore, related 
 to an order that is tasteless and pedantic ; of this one is 
 reminded by its incurable dryness. The manner in 
 which you have handled the scene took such hold of me 
 at first that I did not notice these peculiarities, and was 
 not aware of them till I had reflected over it. Moreover, 
 think as much as I like, I cannot make this letter- 
 business * at all presentable. The letters must either be 
 interwoven like the M in Mathias.f The F would have 
 to be placed in a circle which would nevertheless not be 
 recognisable afar off, however large it were made. 
 
 These are my doubts, and I will not add anything 
 further. 1 have talked them over with Meyer, and he 
 agrees with me. You have now only to accept what you 
 
 * See Letter 550 and note. 
 
 i This sentence is evidently unfinished.
 
 176 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [179S. 
 
 think best. My dearest wish is that your work may be 
 furthered. 
 
 I intend to make the best use of the interrupted time 
 between this and the New Year. The second part of the 
 Propylcea has now all been sent off. Of manuscript for 
 the third there is sufficient, and only about one half of 
 it has still to be revised; I shall do my utmost to get 
 through this in the course of three weeks. 
 
 I have a special idea for the fourth number which I 
 shall tell you of, and, in fact, hope to arrange things in 
 such a way as to be free, in the spring, for some larger 
 work. The Schemata for my chromatics I also hope to 
 push forward with your assistance. 
 
 And thus a foolishly wearisome life continues running 
 on like the tales in the Arabian Nights, where one story 
 is always encased in the other. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 553. — SchillePw to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 11, 1798. 
 
 It is verily a God-send to have a wise and careful 
 friend ; this I have again experienced in the present case. 
 Your remarks are perfectly correct, and your reasons 
 convincing. I do not know what evil spirit has possessed 
 me, and never allowed me to grasp the astrological 
 motive in Wallenstein altogether seriously, for my nature 
 is, after all, more inclined to look at things from a 
 serious point of view than from a frivolous one. The 
 peculiarities of the subject must have frightened me at 
 the outset. However, I now see perfectly that I have 
 6till something important to do to the material, and I 
 6hall doubtless succeed, although the work will again be 
 prolonged. 
 
 Unfortunately the urgent necessity of getting finished 
 with it comes at a very unfavorable time. I can, at 
 present, only get sleep every other night, and have to 
 exert myself greatly to keep my mind in the requisite 
 6tate of clearness and humour. Were it not that — by
 
 Letter 554] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 177 
 
 force of will — I can accomplish somewhat more than 
 other men in similar circumstances, I should be obliged 
 to make an entire pause. 
 
 However, I hope to send you my Piccolomini as a 
 Christmas gift. 
 
 I hope also that you may spend the next wretched 
 weeks cheerfully and pleasantly, and then, in January 
 return to us again and to your work here. 
 
 I am curious to hear what you have thought of for the 
 fourth part of the Propylcea. 
 
 Farewell. My landlord has just come to pay me an 
 evening call, and this will prevent my adding any more. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Give Meyer many 
 kind greetings from me. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 554. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 12, 1798. 
 
 I am glad to have been able to give you back something 
 of that for which I am so much indebted to you. I only 
 wish that my good advice might have arrived at a more 
 favorable time of the year, so that it might have enabled 
 you to get more speedily finished ; for I am truly sorry 
 that the time for your finishing your work should have 
 fallen in such days as these, which are not exactly 
 friendly to either of us. 
 
 Fortunately I have discovered that something quite 
 new, that is to say, something I have not yet thought 
 about, may rouse me, and, to some extent, make me 
 productive. 
 
 I herewith send you Griibel's poems, which I once 
 spoke to you about. They will amuse you. I have sent 
 a review * of them to Cotta for the new journal, and 
 will let you have a transcript of it. I have taken this 
 opportunity of saying something about this gay style of 
 description, which cannot exactly, in all cases, be said to 
 have a moral tail trailing after it. 
 
 * Reprinted in the AEgemeine Zeitung of December 23. The col- 
 lected edition of Goetht-'s works contains a later criticism of Griibel'a 
 poem, the second review appeared in 1800. 
 
 VOL. II. N
 
 178 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN £1798. 
 
 For the rest. I occupy myself first with one thing and 
 then with another, only so as not to allow the days to 
 flit by altogether unprofitably. 
 
 The question as to whether or not yonr piece will be 
 ready by Christmas, will decide where I shall spend the 
 month of January ; in the first case, I hope to have you 
 here ; in the second, I propose paying you a visit. For 
 to-day farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 555. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 14, 179S. 
 
 To-day I can only send you a friendly greeting, for a cold 
 has so affected my head that I feel quite confused upon 
 rising from my work. Would that the next hard three 
 weeks were over for you and me ! 
 
 Accept my thanks for the Xiirnberg poet ; I have not 
 been able to read many of the poems as yet. It would 
 not be at all a bad thing for you to say a few words in 
 commendation of him ; for this is a case where no person 
 would venture to give praise at the risk of his own taste, 
 for he would not have any fashionable formulas to go 
 upon. 
 
 As your coming here is to depend upon my PiccoUm'tni, 
 I shall probably see you in Weimar first, for I dare not 
 drag this piece over into the new year in an unfinished 
 state ; that is to say, in so far as it is destined for the 
 stage. I am also in hopes of being able to do what is still 
 necessary within that time. As soon as I get part of 
 the new scenes in order, and copied out, I will send them 
 to you. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 556. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, December 15, 179S. 
 With me things are still progressing only tolerably, 
 for I have a variety of subjects in hand, and can choose
 
 Letter 5.37.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 179 
 
 that which suits the moment and my inclination. To 
 receive your Piccolomini would indeed be a true Christmas 
 gift to me. 
 
 I herewith send you what I have said about Griibel. 
 It is meant to cause annoyance to a certain party. The 
 subject must be broached again in the Propylcea, and 
 renewed in every form ; a couple of very mad ones have 
 already occurred to me for it. 
 
 I also enclose Gadike's demand regarding the printing 
 of the Propylcea. You, of course, have had experience 
 about estimates of this kind, and could make a rough 
 calculation what the cost of a whole number would be at 
 this rate. 
 
 What time I have been able to devote to things beyond 
 my usual routine of work, has been given to the prepara- 
 tion of the third number, for which I am doing my utmost 
 to push things forward, so as to be quite free by the 
 beginning of the year. 
 
 Thus, this wretched, depressing weather is, after all, 
 being turned to account. 
 
 Farewell, and may you too endeavour to draw every 
 possible advantage from the close of the year. My kind 
 greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 557. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 18, 1798. 
 Little as I should object to subscribe to all the good 
 you say, specially and generally, of our popular poet,* 
 still, it always strikes me as somewhat unbecoming to 
 draw all eyes upon him in so public a place as the 
 Allgemeine Zeitung. He cannot, in fact, be expected to be 
 alive to the advantages of form, and hence what is little 
 and common in his subjects meets with objection from 
 refined gentlemen and ladies, and gives witlings an 
 opportunity for airing their humour. This, at least, is 
 my feeling when, upon reading your notice, I picture to 
 myself the public for whom it is meant ; and, it seems to 
 
 * Griibel. See last letter, 
 
 N 2
 
 180 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN - [1798. 
 
 me, an acceptable and "wise rule, that, "where there are no 
 convincing reasons, feeling should not be stifled to let the 
 understanding carry off the victory. It "would be a very 
 different matter if the article were to appear in a literary 
 paper; there one would be justified, and in duty bound 
 to give everything due honour, and to enter into details. 
 In a political paper, however, only that which is pre- 
 sumably of general interest should be admitted, not what 
 ought to please, but. as Bouffler says, what does please. 
 
 I have been reading Mourner * with great pleasure ; his 
 book is extremely well written, and contains charming 
 observations which are as well thought out as they are 
 well expressed. It does indeed show a certain amount of 
 narrowness and meagreness. At times when, for the sake 
 of hosjritalite, he mentions us Germans, he makes himself 
 very ridiculous ; it is quite evident that it is a mere case 
 of bribery, and that he has not thought much about the 
 subject. 
 
 Garve, as I hear, is also dead. Again one less in the 
 golden age of literature, Wieland would say. 
 
 Niethammer's journal f has been prohibited in the 
 Electorate of Saxony. 
 
 The offer made by the printer Gadike I find very 
 reasonable ; I should think Cotta could not have it done 
 more cheaply. 
 
 I should be very glad if you could let the Frankfurt 
 people know soon, that the three Wallenstein plays can be 
 had for 60 ducats ; for I should like to know soon whether 
 or not the edition for the Empire is still necessary, 
 as Kotzebue has not yet sent any answer, and is, after 
 all, probably under arrest. J My Wallenstein shall remain 
 imprinted throughout the whole year of 1799, of this the 
 Frankfurt people can likewise be informed. 
 
 * Discours sur la literature, prononee a VAcade'mie des sciences d 
 belles-lettres de Berlin le 9 d'Aout, 1798, par M. le Marquis ci-devant 
 Chevalier (Stanislas) de Bonfrlers. 
 
 t The journal was prohibited on account of Fichte's essay Veber 
 den Grand vnseres Glcwbens an eine gottliche Weltregierung, and For- 
 berg's Eirficiclduiiq des Begriffs Religion. 
 
 t Kotzebue 1 ad followed a call to Vienna as stage-poet. The report 
 at this time was that he had been arrested in Vienna, on account oi 
 his disputes with the Court theatre.
 
 Letter 558.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 181 
 
 Have you not yet heard whether you may be sure of 
 having the theatrical mother * from Kegensburg for next 
 month ? 
 
 My work has made but poor progress during the last 
 few days. The damp weather, which is usually not 
 very unfavorable to me, has affected me very much, and 
 the gloomy appearance of the sky and earth alone are 
 depressing to my spirits. 
 
 Fare as well as it is possible to do. We both send you 
 hearty greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 558. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 19, 1798. 
 
 Something of your views may have hovered before my 
 mind, for, ere I sent off the little essay, I deliberated 
 with myself whether I should not, mutatis mutandis, let 
 it appear in the Literary Gazette or reserve it for the 
 Propylwa. However, it may meanwhile go to the afore- 
 said picnic, which, after all, does not calculate upon the 
 effect of its dishes. 
 
 Bouffler pleased me very much also, and in the same 
 sense as he did you ; on the other hand, the French and 
 the nobility, as far as I can leam, do not entertain the 
 best opinion of it, and yet it was in reality written for 
 them. Upon what portion of the public can an author 
 then calculate or depend? 
 
 Kant's Anthropology is a very valuable book to me, 
 and will be still more so in future, when I have repeated 
 the enjoyment in smaller doses; for, when taken as a 
 whole, it is not refreshing. From this point of view 
 man can see himself only in a pathological state, and as 
 — according to the old man himself — one cannot become 
 reasonable before one's sixtieth year, it is but a poor jest 
 to declare oneself a fool during the other part of one's iife. 
 And yet, upon reading a couple of pages in it when in 
 the proper frame of mind, one cannot but feel the charm 
 
 * Madame Teller. Goethe had -written to Kirms en the 23rd of 
 November : " At the representation of Wallenstein, we shall indeed 
 require an important mother ; it is, therefore, very desirable that it 
 should be settled who is to fill the part."
 
 182 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 of the ingenious manner in which, the subject is treated. 
 As for the rest, I hate everything that merely instructs 
 me without increasing or indirectly rousing my activity. 
 
 My condition too, during these last few days, has been 
 one not to be commended. Days like these should, in 
 reality, be spent in a large town, where outward excite- 
 ment would make one forget oneself. 
 
 Mechanical work cannot be got forward an inch, and 
 mental work does not succeed. Even this letter is to me 
 a proof that my thoughts are not as collected as they are 
 wont to be. 
 
 Enquiries shall be made of the Frankfurters respecting 
 your Wattenstein. 
 
 Our theatrical mother is to be here during the first half 
 of next month. Farewell till better days come. I will try 
 and get rid of several things, so that I may be able to set 
 about some complete work after the new year. 
 
 G. 
 
 559. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 22, 1798. 
 
 I am very anxious to read Kant's Anthropology. The 
 pathological side which, in man, he always turns out- 
 wards, and which is perhaps appropriate in an anthropo- 
 logical work, is traceable in almost everything he writes, 
 and it is this which makes his practical philosophy present 
 such a piteous appearance. It is surprising and to be 
 regretted that such a cheerful and jovial spirit should not 
 have been able wholly to free his wings from the dirt of 
 life, nay, not even from certain morose impressions per- 
 taining to youth, etc. There is always something in him, 
 as in Luther's case, that reminds one of a monk, who has, 
 it is true, thrown open his monastery, but could not 
 destroy all traces of it. 
 
 That the aristocrats should not speak altogether well 
 of a work like Bouffler's, I can quite believe. They would 
 tolerate a greater amount of truths from the mouth and 
 the pen of the burgher class. But it has ever been thus, 
 for even in the Church the heresy of a Christian was
 
 Letter 559.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 183 
 
 always looked upon as more hateful than the unbelief of 
 an atheist or of a heathen. 
 
 Have you been doing anything to your scheme of 
 Colours lately ? I am looking forward to coming to you 
 for its sake, in order that this subject may be brought 
 further forward. Schelling I have seen but once a week 
 — to the disgrace of philosophy be it said — generally to 
 play at l'hombre * with him. This diversion has indeed 
 become almost indispensable to me, as I have no other ; 
 but it is, of course, a sad thing that nothing more rational 
 passes between us. However, as soon as I again get my 
 head a little above water, I will set about something 
 better with him. He is still as uncommunicative and 
 problematical as ever. 
 
 From our absent friends I have again not heard any- 
 thing for a long time. Humboldt, I trust, is not one of 
 the foreigners who have been arrested in Paris. 
 
 I wanted to ask you to beg the Duke to let me have the 
 rooms which Thouret occupied, when I come to Weimar. 
 My sister-in-law cannot, at present, conveniently put up 
 my wife and the children, and, in any case, I should not 
 like to be so long separated from my family, nor should 
 I care to be a burden to you for so long a time. It would 
 indeed stand a little in the way of our meeting frequently, 
 but even this might be managed if things are arranged 
 properly. Please tell me what you think on the subject. 
 I propose coming over in about twelve days. 
 
 I see scarcely any chance of even small progress with 
 my work, for, in altering the last acts for the stage, I have 
 met with greater difficulties than I anticipated ; and this 
 kind of work is astonishingly wearisome and time-con- 
 suming. 
 
 Let me meanwhile congratulate you upon having left 
 the shortest day behind you ; it is wont to form an epoch 
 in your existence. 
 
 Farewell, with heartiest greetings from us both. 
 
 Sch. 
 * A game at cards.
 
 1S4 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ("1798. 
 
 560. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 22, 1798. 
 
 I am greatly delighted to hear that yon intend coming 
 soon, and it is to me the brightest hope which the return- 
 ing sun is bringing with it. I have not been able to give 
 even a moment's thought to my theory of Colours; I 
 intend, during these next days, to draw up a scheme for 
 various other kinds of work and to prepare them for next 
 year, so that I may be quite free when you come. 
 
 It is so extremely rare an occurrence for persons to 
 cultivate their minds with and through one another that I 
 am not surprised when a hope like yours for closer com- 
 munion with Schelling proves vain. However, we may, 
 after all, be satisfied that he is as near us as he is, for we 
 shall be able to watch what he is producing talcing form ; 
 and perhaps things may go better in time. 
 
 I wish you all success at l'hombre. You will find an 
 apology for play in the Anthropology itself ; and although 
 I myself cannot conceive how anyone can be diverted or 
 take pleasure in such things, still, experience shows me 
 that this is the case with very many people. I find re- 
 laxation at such times in various kinds of philosophical 
 games, in mineralogy and such things. The evenings just 
 now are indeed very long and unfruitful. 
 
 The apartments which Thouret occupied, as far as I 
 know, are vacant, clean, and require only to be furnished, 
 which I could have done. There are two rooms that can 
 be heated, and a few smaller ones. 
 
 I do not like letting you be away from me, but then the 
 only rooms I could offer you are not comfortable, especially 
 in winter. We must, however, make some arrangements, 
 otherwise we shall lose both time and opportunity. 
 
 Of Thouret's rooms you shall hear more on Wednesday. 
 
 If you could let me have the role for Wallenstein's 
 wife at once, I would send it on to our new actress in 
 Eegensburg. She would thus have time to study the 
 part on her journey here ; and as she is to come on the 
 14th, she will be here in time for the play to be given on 
 the 30th.
 
 Letter 561.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 185 
 
 Farewell; having now the hope of seeing yon here 
 again soon, I shall work off various things that might 
 hinder and disturb us. 
 
 G. 
 
 561. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 24, 1798. 
 
 I sit down with a mind much relieved to tell you that 
 The Piccolomini has been sent off to Iffland. He urged 
 and pressed me so much in his letter, to be quick with it, 
 that I to-day gathered up all my energy, ordered three 
 copyists, and (with the exception of the one scene in the 
 astrological chamber, which I shall forward later) actually 
 got the work finished. A very favorable state of mind 
 and a night's good sleep aided me in this, and I think I 
 may say that the hurry has not done the matter any harm. 
 But I hardly think that anyone within a circuit of thirty 
 miles has spent such a Christmas Eve, that is to say, 
 been so driven and so worried in the anxiety of not getting 
 finished. Inland described what the misery of his case 
 would be if — during the next two months of the actual 
 theatrical season — he had nothing wherewith to counter- 
 balance the operas which were to be given free ; for, in 
 having calculated upon the piece, he had not thought of 
 anything else, and reckoned the loss, in case of a delay, 
 at 4000 thalers (£600). 
 
 I shall make use of this week in having the transcript 
 of the play for our Weimar theatre properly finished, and 
 in thinking over the astrological scene ; the week follow- 
 ing, or perhaps not till the one after that, I shall then 
 come over to you, if the weather and my health will 
 permit me. 
 
 As I am not sure whether a sum of money, I expect, 
 will come within this time, I shall decide not to wait for 
 it, and shall pack up in the hope that, in case of necessity, 
 I may borrow of you. 
 
 Thank you very much for your kindness in procuring 
 me the apartments. Of furniture — wooden articles — my 
 brother-in-law will be able to lend me some things, but
 
 186 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 not beds; therefore, if you could let me have one or 
 two for a time, I would not require to bring so many 
 with me. 
 
 As regards our meeting, some arrangements could be 
 made with a coach. 
 
 And now for to-day farewell. I had to ease my heart 
 and to tell you of this latest proceeding in my house. 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 562. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, December 25, 1798. 
 
 I congratulate you upon having been compelled to 
 finish your work! for I will in no way deny, that 
 I have latterly been beginning to despair of its getting 
 finished. 
 
 Considering the way in which you have treated your 
 Wallenstein during these last years, it was impossible to 
 think of any inner cause that would lead to its being 
 completed, just as little as wax would become hardened 
 as long as it was left in front of a fire. You will yourself 
 not be aware of how much you have gained till you have 
 left the subject behind you. I look upon the gain as 
 infinite. 
 
 Your rooms in the palace shall be put into perfect order, 
 and I hope you will not find anything wanting ; what- 
 ever else you may require in the way of first or last 
 wants shall be ready for you. Do not let anything 
 detain you, but determine straightway to come on the 
 2nd, for we have an enormous deal to see to if we are 
 to have things ready by the 30th ; the worst part of the 
 matter being that this limit cannot be extended. 
 
 Farewell ; my kind greetings to your dear wife, and ba 
 assured beforehand of receiving a hearty welcome. 
 
 G.
 
 Letter 563.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 187 
 
 562a.— 
 
 Weimar, December 27, 1798. 
 The bearer of this represents a detachment of Irussars 
 which has orders to arrest the Piccolomini, both father 
 and son, in what ever manner it can ; and, should it not 
 succeed in getting complete possession of them, at all events 
 to deliver them up piecemeal. Your Excellency is entreated 
 to give all possible assistance to this laudable undertaking, 
 and may command of us any service in return. 
 
 By gracious appointment, the Melpomenean Commission 
 of Enquiry into the Mischief created by the W'allensteins. 
 
 Goethe and Kirms. 
 
 563. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 29, 1798. 
 
 If, dear friend, you had asked for advice when deciding 
 upon your scenery, we should certainly have had a few 
 suggestions to offer. For it is assuredly a difficult task 
 to give the thing in place of the symbol ; however, all 
 that can be done to enhance the theatrical effect shall be 
 done with pleasure. Friend Meyer intends drawing the 
 cartoon himself, and has already made a small sketch 
 of it. 
 
 Now, however, you must pardon me if I too, like 
 Imand, play the part of a Director, upon whom in the end 
 all the difficulties of the performance accumulate. 
 
 To-morrow morning a messenger will call upon you, 
 and, I trust, towards evening bring back with him a 
 portion of the play, and, in any case, the Duchess' part. 
 
 Do not become impatient ! for should you not come 
 soon, messengers will appear pretty frequently. It will, 
 whatever happens, be a troublesome January to us, as 
 people expect the play at the end of the month, and yet 
 will not willingly miss any of the other gaieties mean- 
 while. On Monday the four most important military cos- 
 tumes for the Introductory play are to be sent to Iffland. I 
 hope you may have a day like this for your journey, and 
 accept my kind greetings for yourself and your wife. 
 
 G.
 
 188 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1798. 
 
 564. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, December 31, 1798. 
 
 The Duchess' role I sent you yesterday by Wolzogen. 
 Herewith you will receive Tlw Piccolomini complete, but, 
 as you see, with a most terrible amount of passages 
 struck out. I thought I had cut out sufficient already, 
 but the day before yesterday — after having read the 
 whole straight through aloud from the already curtailed 
 version, and found a third hour had gone with the third 
 act — I became so terrified, that yesterday I again sat down 
 and struck out somewhere about 400 iambics. It will 
 still take a long time to play, but I hope not beyond four 
 hours ; and if it is commenced punctually at half-past 
 five, the public can be at home again by 10 o'clock. 
 
 Be kind enough to read the second act * — of which I 
 send two versions — in both forms. It contains the new 
 scenes with Thekla, and it would disturb you — in scenes 
 you are now reading for the first time — to be reminded, 
 even bj r the eye, of the curtailings, and to have laboriously 
 to seek out the text on the paper. 
 
 By to-day's post I am going to send Iffland the latest 
 abridgments, for the great length of the play will cause 
 him no little embarrassment. 
 
 Wallenstein's important statement about Buttlerf (act 
 iv., scene 3), which is here struck out, I have placed in a 
 more appropriate part in the third play. 
 
 In the arrangement of the characters, I have calcu- 
 lated upon Thekla's part being played by Jagemann, and 
 have given her a song to sing.J The Countess' part 
 thus falls to Slanzovsky,§ it is true, and the question is 
 
 * Now the third and fourth of The Piccolomini. The third contains 
 the scenes with Thekla here referred to (4-9). 
 
 f Now in Wallenstein's Tod, iii. 4. At that time the third scene of 
 the fourth act of Tlie Piccolomini must have formed part of the third 
 scene of the first act of Wallengtein's Tod. 
 
 X Thekla's song (iii., 7) Schiller had composed independently of 
 Wallenstein, and appeared in the Musen-Almcuiach under the title of 
 Des Nadchen's Klage. See Letter 495. 
 
 § The actress did not play in this character; Countess Terzky's
 
 Letter 564.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 189 
 
 whether you may not find the expected mother* more 
 suited for the role; for a great deal does depend upon 
 the Countess, and she has, as you will see, important 
 things to say in the new scenes of the third act also. 
 As she may be assumed to be older even than the Duchess 
 (having helped to make the King of Bohemia, sixteen 
 years previously) the other lady can have nothing to 
 complain of. 
 
 I reckoned upon having Hunnius for Wrangel. 
 
 And with this I give the piece up into your hands. I 
 am now positively unable to judge of it any longer, nay, 
 many a time feel inclined altogether to doubt its suit- 
 ability for the stage. I trust you may not find it so, and 
 that you may be able to give me courage and hope, for 
 I am in need of both. 
 
 Farewell. The messenger is to be despatched at 
 3 o'clock. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 part was played by Madame Teller, and the Duchess by quite a young 
 actress, Mademoiselle Malkolmi, who in this part first exhibited her 
 talent for tragedy, having previously played only in subordinate 
 characters. 
 
 * Madame Teller, who played the part of the Duchess in Wallenstein. 
 See end of Letter 557 and note.
 
 190 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 1799, 
 
 565. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, January 1, 1793. 
 
 Here, for your amusement, are a few pages from 
 Kdrnei for the Almanack. 
 
 My oj us is now in your hands, and while I am writing, 
 you will have set its horoscope. I have meanwhile 
 commenced to turn my thoughts to the third play, in 
 order to be able to take it in hand as soon as I get to 
 Weimar. There is, indeed, a great deal still to be done 
 to it, but it will be quicker work than the last, as the 
 action is a settled point and there is a predominance of 
 lively effects. 
 
 I shall have to be bled to morrow, a thing I have had 
 done regularly since the two violent attacks of inflamma- 
 tion of the lungs I had in '91 and '92. This operation will 
 keep me here to-morrow, and, it may be, the day after 
 also. Otherwise I am very well mentally, but in order 
 not to be quite free from troubles, I lately pricked my 
 finger below the nail which has become very painful, and 
 being the middle finger of the right hand, it is very 
 inconvenient when writing. 
 
 You were kind enough to obtain through the Hof- 
 "kammerrath* a list of the things I might require in 
 Weimar. This I lately sent to my brother-in-law, and, 
 presuming that such was your wish, added tc it all that 
 I myself should require. 
 
 * Kirms.
 
 Letter 5G8.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 191 
 
 I hope to hear from you to-morrow whether I may- 
 come to you on the day following. 
 
 Farewell. We are both looking forward to seeing you 
 again. 
 
 Sch. 
 566. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 2, 1799. 
 
 As the main point is right, and I am convinced that 
 you could not have come to an end sooner, the rest must 
 adapt itself to it. 
 
 The tender scenes are very successful, and the way 
 that astrology* is there introduced is extremely happy. 
 
 Of all the rest I shall say nothing, because time presses, 
 and because I hope to see you soon. Do not be long in 
 coming, for there are a hundred things to discuss. I hope 
 you will find everything right in your rooms. My kind 
 greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 567. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 5, 1799. 
 
 It is with great pleasure that I hear you have arrived, 
 and now wish to know what you have arranged to do 
 to-day. If you can come and dine with me, you will be 
 most heartily welcomed. 
 
 I do not feel quite well to-day and do not, therefore, 
 care to go out, as we shall need health and good spirits 
 during these coming days. 
 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, whom I shall be 
 very glad to see again. 
 
 G. 
 
 568. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I have just received your note with great pleasure, for 
 it gives me permission to call upon you at one o'clock, and 
 I am free till five for you to do with me as you please. 
 
 We have had a good night's rest in the pretty and 
 * In The Piccolomini, ii. 4.
 
 192 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 comfortable apartments you prepared and arranged 
 for us. 
 
 All else by word of mouth. My wife sends kindest 
 greetings. Sch. 
 
 569. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 10, 1799. 
 
 I wish and hope to hear that you have slept well and 
 feel better to-day. I was surprised yesterday that, in 
 spite of a bad night and clouds of tobacco-smoke, you 
 kept quite well and in good spirits. 
 
 To-day at 4 o'clock I shall be with you. After the 
 rehearsal we shall probably meet at Geheimrath Yoigt's. 
 
 My work continues to progress a little nevertheless. 
 Nulla dies sine linea. 
 
 Would you let me have last week's number of the 
 AUgemeine Zeitung ? Mine is lying in Jena. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 570. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I herewith pack up and send you two very diner ent 
 species of novelties.* They may be welcome to you as 
 dessert. 
 
 Inland's speaking so warmly in praise of the play 
 makes me augur much good for its theatrical success. 
 
 As he finds it posssible to wait for my advice as to 
 which part he should play, it seems they are not in any 
 very great hurry there about the performance ; and hence 
 the Berlin critics will not be so very much beforehand 
 with us. Sch. 
 
 571. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 17, 1799. 
 
 As I am uncertain whether you will be here to dinner, 
 and the Duke has invited me to his rooms — a thing I 
 
 * One of these was a letter from Iffland, who still hesitated whether 
 he should play Octavio or Wallenstein ; Fleck undertook the latter 
 part.
 
 Letter 572.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 193 
 
 must not refuse — I shall go, but shall expect you, dearest 
 friend, this evening at 4 o'clock, as the theatrical people 
 are to meet again at my house. 
 
 The second number of the Propylcea has come, but the 
 satisfaction one might feel in seeing a thing of this kind 
 finished, is destroyed by the wretched misprints which 
 again occur on the last sheet. We must now be hopeful 
 of the third, and correct the matter ourselves. 
 
 For the rest, I cannot even look at the number without 
 wishing soon to behold something from your pen in the 
 publication. 
 
 But what I urgently entreat of you at a moment of 
 full activity, is to procure for me the precis of The 
 Jiccolomini, so as to enable me as soon as possible to 
 publish something in the Allgemeine Zeitung. We must 
 make all the more haste, as the Berliners will let forth a 
 flood of criticisms as soon as the piece is played. Fare- 
 well. G. 
 
 572. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 25, 1799. 
 
 Please let me have a few words, dearest friend, to say 
 how you have slept and how you are. You may perhaps 
 still be unable to decide whether you can come to the 
 rehearsal ; in any case, if you fear that you may become 
 worse, keep at home both to-day and to-morrow. I will 
 meanwhile act in your place as well as I can, and report 
 to you to-morrow how things go off. 
 
 Madame Teller read her part yesterday in so far well as 
 she did not read wrong ; but she was tame and ill at ease. 
 She maintains that everything will be quite different on 
 the stage. This being almost invariably the excuse with 
 actors 1 cannot blame her specially for it, although the 
 folly of the idea is the principal reason why no important 
 role is ever thoroughly studied, and that so much is left 
 to chance. I hope to hear the best news of you. 
 
 G. 
 
 VOL. IT.
 
 194 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [17*5. 
 
 573. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, January 27, 1799. 
 
 If you have spent the present day in any way tolerably, 
 and can think somewhat of our object. I may already con- 
 gratulate you, and shall send you word to-morrow morning 
 what our weekly manager (Wijchner) * considers it most 
 advisable to do. One cannot — in spite of the best of wills 
 — always agree with an actor's performance, and matters 
 are only made worse by our trying to render things easier 
 for them. 
 
 I have not spent the day altogether uselessly, and that 
 is saying something in praise of it, considering my present 
 circumstances. 
 
 Farewell, and I hope that by this time to-morrow we 
 shall have got a good step forwards. 
 
 G. 
 
 574. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January, 28, 1799. 
 
 There is to be a rehearsal this morning of the audience- 
 scene and of the banquet. 
 
 At five in the afternoon we are to meet again, and to 
 begin the play from the beginning. If we only rehearse 
 three acts we shall have time enough to repeat what may 
 be necessary. 
 
 I want you to come and dine with me in order that we 
 may feel that we are near each other again. Send me 
 word whether you can come or not. 
 
 G. 
 
 575. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 30, 1799. 
 So here at last is the dawn of the great day, the even- 
 ing of which I am awaiting with interest and anxiety. 
 Herewith a few more suggestions : 
 
 * The actors who undertook to manage affairs week by week, in turn, 
 \ent under the name of Wochner.
 
 Lettek 577.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 195 
 
 (1.) Would you not let Vohs appear in a cuirass in 
 the first scenes ? He really looks too unimportant in the 
 cape. 
 
 (2.) The cap for Wallenstein, too, must not be for- 
 gotten ; there must be something in the shape of heron's 
 feathers among the wardrobe. 
 
 (3.) Would you not give Wallenstein a different kind of 
 red mantle ? When looked at from behind he is too much 
 like the others. 
 
 By dinner-time I hope to see you here. G. 
 
 576. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 3, 1799. 
 I should be very glad to hear that yesterday's per- 
 formance was very much better than the first ; we have 
 now time to consider what has to be done to carry the 
 third further still, after a pause. 
 
 Let me have the pleasure of seeing you here at dinner 
 to-day, for to-morrow you have an invitation to join his 
 Excellency the Duke in his rooms. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 577. — Goethe to Schillep.. 
 
 Jena, February 17, 1799. 
 I herewith send you the first budget with the request 
 that the political possibility,* of making himself King of 
 Bohemia, be done briefly. This, and whatever else it 
 might be necessary to insert, could be written out and 
 entered on separate pages, without there being any need 
 of having the whole copied out again. By 1 o'clock I 
 hope to have got pretty far on, and to see you here again, 
 when we shall have many a remark to make about Inland's 
 letter. 
 
 G. 
 
 * The possibility of Wallenstein's making himself King of Bohemia , 
 Goethe wished to be mentioned in the first scenes. 
 
 2
 
 196 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799 
 
 578. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 1, 1799. 
 
 After an interval of eight weeks the traffic with the 
 message-woman is now about to recommence. I feel as if 
 I were looking back upon a much longer period of time 
 than it actually is. The doings at the theatre, my having 
 been constantly in society, and our having been so much 
 together, has changed my state of mind a good deal ; and 
 when 1 but once get quite rid of the Wallenstein burden, 
 I shall feel quite a different being. 
 
 Korner has written ; I enclose his letter. 
 
 Humboldt's work does not seem to have found any 
 favour with him either; an appropriate extract from it 
 ought really to be laid before the public, so that what is 
 good and estimable in his ideas should come into cir- 
 culation. 
 
 1 to-day received a letter from Frau Schimmelmann * 
 which offers me a very suitable opportunity for leading on 
 to a discussion of the said affair. From it I also learnt, 
 not a little to my astonishment, that Wallenstein's Camp 
 has reached Copenhagen, for it was read aloud there at 
 Schimmelmann' s house, and even a performance of it given 
 by some of his friends, on the occasion of his birthday. 
 I know of no other way of their having got it, except from 
 Weimar, and am afraid that TJbique^ has again had a 
 hand in the matter. Have the kindness to inquire into 
 this, and I beg you more especially to keep The Piccolomini 
 in your own possession, for it would be fatal work were 
 the plays to be found roaming about the world. Of Inland 
 I cannot entertain any suspicion. TJbique has lately been 
 raising disputes in Copenhagen, and anything may be 
 expected from his indiscretion. 
 
 I cannot add more to-day, it is close upon post-time, and 
 I have TJbique also to settle. 
 
 Farewell. To Meyer many kind greetings. My wife 
 
 * The wife of Count Ernst von Schimmelmann, the Danish Minister 
 of Finance, 
 t Bottiger. 

 
 Letter 579.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 197 
 
 wishes to be kindly remembered ; she was yesterday pre- 
 sent at the comedy given at the Loders,* and enjoyed it 
 very much. 6ch. 
 
 579. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 3, 1799. 
 
 Your letter came very late yesterday, and I answer it to- 
 day in order to start our communication with one another 
 again. 
 
 I am very glad that this winter has been favorable to 
 you, for it has done very badly by me. There is no doubt 
 that we have in many respects both made progress, and I 
 trust that when the good time of the year comes, it may 
 put us in the proper mood for giving practical proof of this. 
 
 Korner's letter strikes me as strange, as indeed does 
 everything that is individual. No one can find himself 
 in himself or in others ; in fact, he has himself to spin his 
 web from the centre of which he exercises his influence. 
 All this throws me constantly more and more back upon 
 my poetic nature. In writing poetry, one more especially 
 satisfies oneself, and is, besides this, brought into the best 
 connection with others. 
 
 I will have a strict inquiry made about Wallensteins 
 Camp. Your supposition appears to me only too well 
 founded. In these glorious times, when reason is extend- 
 ing her sublime rule, one daily comes across some sort of 
 infamy or absurdity in the worthiest of men. 
 
 I am now carrying on my work and duties here, so as 
 to be free in a short time. For the rest, I am in the worst 
 of moods, which moreover will not improve till I have 
 again been successful with some sort of important work. 
 
 Farewell; give my kind greetings to your dear wife 
 and be industrious. As regards myself, 1 foresee that I 
 shall not spend one hour that could be called satisfactory 
 till I am again near you, and thus enabled to be active in 
 a desirable manner. When the summer comes I must 
 think of something, let it be what it will, to give me back 
 some of the light-heartedness which I have missed alto- 
 gether during the worst months of the year. G. 
 
 * There had been some theatrical entertainment at Dr. Loder's to 
 celebrate his birthday.
 
 198 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 580. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 5, 1799. 
 
 It has often grieved me, during the winter, not to see 
 you as cheerful and hopeful as you are wont to be, and for 
 this very reason wish that I possessed more freedom of 
 spirit to be better able to help you. Nature, in fact, 
 intended you to be productive; every other condition 
 of mind, if continued for any length of time, will be at 
 strife with your character. So long a pause as that 
 which you have made since last engaged with poetry, 
 ought not to occur again ; you must utter a mighty word 
 and will it seriously. On this very account, to hear of 
 your idea of writing a didactic poem is very welcome 
 news to me ; such an undertaking connects scientific 
 works with poetical powers, and will facilitate the transi- 
 tion which alone seems wanting at present. 
 
 As for the rest, when I think of the quantity of ideas 
 and forms which you possess for working out into the 
 proposed poems, and which, as it were, are already alive 
 in your imagination, so that a single talk would call 
 them forth, 1 cannot at all conceive how your activity 
 could for one moment be at a stand-still. A single one of 
 these plans would occupy half the lifetime of any other 
 man. But here again your realism manifests itself; we 
 others may burden ourselves with ideas, and even fancy 
 this to be a state of activity, but you are not at rest till 
 your ideas show an existence. 
 
 The spring and summer will have a good effect upon 
 everything. After the long interval you will have but 
 a richer stock to unload, especially if you at once begin 
 with the cantos from your Achilleid, for this will set a 
 whole world in motion. I have not yet forgotten that 
 short talk I had with you. when you told me the argu- 
 ment of the first canto, and, as little, the expression of 
 cheerful fire and awakening life which, on that occasion, 
 manifested itself in your whole being. 
 
 Here again is a letter from Ubique. The man cannot 
 desist from meddling with other people's affairs. And 
 then his horrible twaidle about Wallenstein and the
 
 Letter 5? 1 . 1 SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 199 
 
 women in the play ! I shall not give my play to cool 
 Schroder's small show of courage towards the Hamburg 
 actors. 
 
 Opitz* wants the plays for the Leipzig stage. Be so 
 good as to send me, by the message-girl Tlie Piccolomini, 
 which the theatre is not in need of just now. I must 
 have it copied out. 
 
 From Imand I have not yet heard anything, but have 
 heard from another quarter that Imand had given the 
 first representation of The Piccolomini from the una- 
 bridged version, that it lasted till half-past ten, and that, 
 at the second performance, he was forced to give the 
 abridged play, and announced this on the play-bill. 
 This is very annoying to me, and his doing so was most 
 stupid, for he might very well have judged of the length 
 of the piece from the rehearsals. He played Octavio 
 himself, so Bottiger writes ; Thekla's part being played 
 by Mad. Fleck. Of its success I have not heard anything 
 as yet ; the report which came to me through Gries 
 probably proceeded from the Schlegels' house. 
 
 On Friday I shall send you the first two acts of Wallen- 
 stein. Imand shall not have anything till he writes. 
 
 Farewell, and be of good cheer in spite of the return of 
 the wintry weather, which looks very melancholy here. 
 We both send you hearty greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 581.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 6, 1799. 
 
 I need — according to your advise — only to consider 
 myself an onion in the ground beneath the snow, and 
 hope for leaves and blossoms with the coming weeks ! 
 
 The printing of the Propylcea is in progress, and — in 
 accordance with my usual custom — I am setting various 
 matters in order, if possible, to have a few weeks' free- 
 dom, which 1 intend putting to the best use possible. It 
 is very strange that my position, which, taken as a whole, 
 could not well be more advantageous, should stand so much 
 
 * Chr. W. Opitz, the actor, who in the year 1798 undertook the 
 directorship of a company t I actors in Leipzig.
 
 200 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1790. 
 
 in contradiction with my nature. Let us see how far we 
 can get by willing things. 
 
 Herewith you will receive The Piccolomini and the 
 letter.* It is, of course, the hand of our ever-present 
 friend that you will come across in the papers on the 
 false statements of Wallensteiri s Camp. His whole being 
 seems centred upon fault-finding, and you will do well to 
 keep aloof from him. He who meddles with pitch will 
 find some sticking to his own hands. Nothing is more 
 paralyzing than to have to do with persons who could 
 presume to call Octavio a knave. 
 
 Palmira f is a very acceptable gift in the wintry 
 weather which has come upon us again. I can scarcely 
 wait till the opera is played again, and many other people 
 feel the same. 
 
 Farewell, and pardon the renewed unfruitfulness of 
 this letter, in compensation for which I send you a bunch 
 of turnips. 
 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, and continue, 
 both in good and in bad hours, to support me with your 
 strength of mind and heart. 
 
 G. 
 
 582. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 7, 1799. 
 
 In accordance with my promise, I herewith send you 
 the first two acts of Wallenstein, which I hope may meet 
 with a good reception. Let me, if possible, have a few 
 words about them to-morrow at once, and send me back 
 the manuscript by the Sunday evening's post, for I have 
 not got a readable copy of it, and cannot allow my copyist 
 to leave his other work. 
 
 I likewise enclose Inland's report of the performance of 
 The Piccolomini, together with the play-bill. All went off 
 just as I expected, and we may meanwhile be satisfied. 
 The third piece will, I hope, have made its way. 
 
 * From Bottiger. See last letters. 
 
 t Palmira, Prinzessin von Persien, an opera by Salieri, -which 
 Goethe had heard in Frankfurt in 1797. It was performed in Weimar 
 ou the 9th of March.
 
 Letter 583.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 201 
 
 I have, fortunately, at last, "been able so to arrange 
 things that it has five acts also, and have given the 
 preparations for the murder of Wallenstein greater breadth 
 as well as dramatic importance. Two resolute captains, 
 by whom the deed is accomplished, are brought into the 
 action and dialogue ; by this means Buttler too comes to 
 rank higher, and the preparations for the scene of the 
 murder are rendered more fearful. My work, it is true, 
 is somewhat increased by this. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. My wife, who has not been very 
 well, but is now better again, sends kind greetings. We 
 both thank you for the turnips. 
 
 J Sen. 
 
 583. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 9, 1799. 
 
 The two acts of Wallenstein are admirable, and made 
 upon me such a vivid impression on first reading them 
 that there can be no doubt of their success. 
 
 If the spectator cannot at once find his way out of a 
 certain artificial and seemingly arbitrary complication, 
 and cannot feel at one with himself or with others, these 
 new acts will pass as something naturally necessary. 
 The world in which all this happens is a given one ; laws 
 are established according to which judgments are formed, 
 and the stream of interest, of passion, finds a ready-made 
 bed into which it can flow. I am now very anxious to 
 have the remainder, which will be quite new to me, on 
 account of your plan being new. 
 
 After having this morning read your two acts with 
 true interest and deep emotion, I received the third num- 
 ber of the Athenceum* which I have been looking into, and 
 this has run away with my time. It is now the hour for 
 the messenger to call, therefore let me but add the good 
 piece of news, that, encouraged by your words, I . have 
 during the last days been keeping my thoughts in the 
 Trojan field. A great portion of the poem which is still 
 wanting in inward form has been organised in its smallest 
 details, and, inasmuch as it is only the infinitely finite 
 * The periodical edited by the brothers Schlegel. See Letters 471, 491.
 
 202 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 that can interest me, I fancy that I could get it finished 
 by the end of September by applying myself to it with 
 all my energy. I will try and keep myself in this delusion 
 as long as possible. 
 
 Wallenstein shall be sent back to you to-morrow. 
 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, who, I hope, is in 
 better health ; and I trust you may continue to advance 
 happily nearer and nearer to the close of your tragedy. 
 
 G. 
 
 584. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 10, 1799. 
 This consignment can be accompanied only by a few 
 words from me, and a hearty greeting from Meyer. It was 
 the same with him as with me, he could not stop while read- 
 ing it. Of the dramatic effect we can be certain. During 
 the last few days I have kept my attention fixed on the 
 plain of Troy. If I succeed with the preliminary work, 
 the good time of the year may see much accomplished. 
 Forgive me, therefore, if I keep quiet till I have some- 
 thing to show. 
 
 Farewell, and bring your work successfully to an end. 
 
 G. 
 
 585. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 12, 1799. 
 I am very pleased to hear that my first two acts should 
 have met with so good a reception ; the last three — even 
 though I should not have time to work them out quite as 
 carefully — shall not be inferior to the first, at all events 
 not in respect to the effect of the whole. The work is 
 now progressing with increased speed, and if every day is 
 put to as much good use as the last few, it is not unlikely 
 that 1 shall send you the whole of the remaining portion 
 of Wallenstein on Monday next by an express messenger, so 
 as to be able to despatch the manuscript to Inland by the 
 evening post on Monday, unless you have any alterations 
 to suggest.
 
 Letter 586.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 203 
 
 Do not, therefore, expect to hear much from me this 
 week. 
 
 It gave me sincere pleasure to hear that the Trojan 
 field was beginning to open itself up to you. 
 
 Keep in good spirits, and would that the cheerful 
 weather might support you in this. 
 
 Farewell. My wife, who is quite well again, sends 
 kindest greetings. The groats have arrived from Dresden ; 
 it is a heavy box, and if you are not in want of it at once, 
 we will wait for an opportunity of sending it. The 
 quantity sent only costs three thalers and a few groschen. 
 There was no more in stock ; the mill was at a stand-still 
 owing to the frost. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 586. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 13, 1799. 
 
 It would be very delightful if I could summon up 
 courage to undertake some new work while you are finish- 
 ing your Wallenstein. I hope that Monday will bring me 
 the last three acts. I have been allowing the first two to 
 occupy my thoughts, and still find that they will do very 
 well for representation. When going over and taking 
 an interest in The Piccolomini, one feels irresistibly carried 
 away by them. 
 
 If I can at all make it possible, I shall spend my holi- 
 days with you, especially if the weather continues fine. 
 
 Please let the box of groats remain where it is till I 
 fetch it, send for it, or find an opportunity for having it 
 brought here. 
 
 Be so good as to let me have the receipted bill of the 
 medallion, and I will then settle everything together. 
 
 Farewell ; I shall not add more, for I should have to 
 talk about my gods and heroes, and I do not care to be in 
 too great a hurry. My kind greetings to your dear wife, 
 and let me have but a line on Saturday to say how your 
 work is progressing. 
 
 G.
 
 204 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN 11709. 
 
 587. — S:hillePw to Goitiie. 
 
 Jena, March 15, 1799. 
 Only a line to confirm what I lately promised. On 
 Monday you will receive Wallensteia complete. He is 
 dead already and the funeral proceedings over. I have 
 now only to touch up and to file things. 
 
 Be sure to come here for your holidays. This would 
 be truly refreshing to me after this last troublesome week. 
 '.Kind greetings from my wife. Farewell. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 588. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 16, 1799. 
 
 Most heartily do I congratulate you upon the death of 
 your dramatic hero ! AYould that I too could blow the 
 life's light out of my epic hero before the coming autumn. 
 I am anxiously awaiting Monday's parcel, and shall 
 arrange to be with you on the Thursday before Easter. 
 Even though we should not be able to spend more than a 
 week together, still we shall be sure to get a good step 
 forwards. We shall have to calculate upon the perform- 
 ance of Wallenstein and the coming of Madam Unzelmann 
 taking place in April. It would be well, therefore, to 
 make the utmost haste with Wallenstein, so that, with the 
 help of the tragedy and of this nice little woman, we may 
 give a series of interesting performances, and keep hold 
 of such strangers as are sure to be here at the time. 
 
 Farewell. Of my AchiUeid five cantos are already 
 planned and 180 hexameters of the first written. I 
 accomplished this by a peculiar species of resolution and 
 form of diet : and as the beginning has succeeded, I need 
 not be afraid of the continuation. If only you could 
 assist us with the Projujlcea, this year would not be 
 
 wanting in a variety of good things. 
 
 G.
 
 Letter 590.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 205 
 
 589. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Sunday evening, Jena, March 17, 1799. 
 
 Here then is the work, in so far as it could be managed 
 under the present circumstances. There may perhaps 
 still be a want of definiteness in some parts, but for a 
 theatrical and tragic purpose it seems to me to be suffi- 
 ciently detailed. If you should now consider it to be 
 a genuine tragedy, that the chief demands of sentiment 
 are fulfilled, that the chief questions connected with the 
 understanding and the interest are settled, that the 
 destinies of the different characters are unravelled, and 
 that the unity of the chief sentiment is preserved, I 
 shall be quite content. 
 
 I will leave it to you to determine whether the fourth 
 act shall close with Thekla's monologue — this is what I 
 should like best — or whether it is necessary for the com- 
 plete unravelling of the episode to give the two following 
 little scenes as well. Have the kindness to send back the 
 manuscript in time for me to have it to-morrow, Monday, 
 by seven in the evening at latest, and write on the wrapper 
 at what time the messenger was despatched. 
 
 Everything else by word of mouth. I congratulate 
 you heartily upon the progress your Achilleid has made ; 
 this is doubly advantageous, for, while at work with it, 
 you will, at the same time, experience how much power 
 your determination possesses over your humour for work. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. We are looking for- 
 ward eagerly to your coming to us during the holidays. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 590.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (March 18, 1799.) 
 I congratulate you with all my heart upon having 
 finished your work ; it has given me particular satisfaction, 
 although I have, so to say, but tasted the outside of it, 
 and that on a most disturbed morning. For stage purposes 
 it is quite sufficiently developed ; the new motives, which 
 I did not know of, are very good and to the point.
 
 206 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1700. 
 
 If, at soine future time, you could cut off a little from 
 The Piccolomini, both pieces would be a priceless gift to 
 the German stage, and they would have to be given 
 throughout many a long year. 
 
 The last piece has, it is true, this great merit, that 
 everything ceases to be political and becomes of purely 
 human interest : nay, the historical element itself is but 
 a light veil through which we have the purely human 
 element shining forth. The effect upon the mind is 
 neither interfered with nor disturbed. 
 
 I would certainly close with the monologue by the 
 Princess.* For it is, in any case, left to the imagination 
 as to what becomes of her. It might perhaps be well 
 eventually to have the Equerry introduced in the first 
 piece. 
 
 The close of the whole with the address of the letter 
 is, in reality, frightening, especially considering the tender 
 state of one's feelings at the moment. Jt is doubtless 
 an exceptional case to conclude with what is terrible 
 after having exhausted all that was capable of rousing 
 fear and pity. 
 
 I shall not add more, and can but say that I am 
 delighted at the prospect of enjoying this, work with 
 you. I hope still to be able to start on Thursday. You 
 shall know for certain on Wednesday ; we will then read 
 the play together, and I intend then to enjoy it in a 
 thoroughly composed state of mind. 
 
 Farewell ; take a rest now and let us both begin a new 
 life during the vacation. My kind greetings to your dear 
 wife, and think of me. 
 
 I do not intend to boast of the work extorted from the 
 Muses just yet ; it is still a great question whether it is 
 worth anything; in any case, however, it maybe regarded 
 as preparatory. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Schiller did not follow Goethe's advice in this, but retained tha 
 two following scenes.
 
 Letter 591.] SCHILLER i.ND GOETHE. 207 
 
 591. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 19, 1799. 
 
 I have for long dreaded the moment when I should be 
 rid of my work, much as I wished for it to come ; and in 
 fact I do feel my present freedom to be worse than the 
 state of bondage I have been in hitherto. The mass 
 which has hitherto drawn and held me to it, has now 
 gone, and I feel as if I were hanging indefinitely in 
 empty space. At the same time I feel also as if it were 
 absolutely impossible for me ever to produce anything 
 again; I shall not be at rest till I again have my 
 thoughts turned to some definite subject, with hope and 
 inclination in view. When I again have some definite 
 object before me I shall be rid of the feeling of rest- 
 lessness which at present is also drawing me off from 
 smaller things I have in hand. When you come I mean 
 to lay before you some tragic materials of my own inven- 
 tion, in order that I may not, in the first instance, make 
 a mistake as regards subject. Inclination and necessity 
 draw me towards subjects of pure fancy, not to historical 
 ones, and towards such where the interest is of a purely 
 sentimental and human character ; for of soldiers, heroes, 
 and commanders, I am now heartily tired. 
 
 1 envy you your present and latest state of activity ! 
 You are standing on the purest and sublimest poetic 
 ground, in the most beautiful world of definite figures, 
 where everything is ready-made and can be re-made. 
 You are, so to say, living in the home of poetry and being 
 waited upon by the gods. During these last days I have 
 again been looking into Homer, and read of the visit of 
 Thetis to Vulcan* with immense pleasure. There is, in 
 the graceful description of a domestic visit, such as we 
 might receive any day and in an account of any kind of 
 handicraft, an infinity of material and form, and the 
 Naive shows the full nature of the Divine. 
 
 Your hope of being able to finish the Achilleid by 
 August, or, at least, your believing it to be possible to do 
 so, is to me inconceivable, notwithstanding all the proofs I 
 have myself had of the rapidity with which you get 
 
 * In the eighteenth Book of the Iliad.
 
 208 COKEESPONDENCE BETWEEN . [1709. 
 
 through things, especially as you do not even reckon 
 upon having April for work. I sincerely regret that you 
 will lose this month ; perhaps, however, you will be able 
 to preserve your epic mood; if so, be sure not to allow 
 theatrical cares to disturb you. I will gladly relieve you 
 of whatever trouble I can in connection with Wallenstein. 
 
 A few days ago Inihof sent me the two last cantos of 
 her poem,* which have given me very great pleasure. 
 The development is extremely refined and pure, and is 
 accomplished by simple means and unusual elegance. 
 When you come we will talk it over together. 
 
 I herewith return The Piccolomini, and beg you to let 
 me have Wallenstein'' s Camp, which I wish likewise to 
 have copied out, and shall then, at last, be able to send 
 the three plays to Korner. 
 
 The box of groats has been called for and delivered up 
 in your name to a Herr Meyer. You have, no doubt, 
 already received it. 
 
 Farewell My wife sends kindest greetings. To- 
 morrow I hope to hear that we may expect you on 
 Thursday. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 592. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 20, 1799. 
 
 During these last days Wallenstein has again very often 
 been the subject of our conversations. Professor Meyer 
 too has read it and been very much delighted with it. 
 
 If you undertake anything new, and feel inclined for a 
 subject of your own invention, I have nothing to say 
 against it ; in fact, I know from experience that you will 
 feel incomparably better when engaged with some freely- 
 chosen subject. I am very anxious to hear in what direc- 
 tion your inclination is at present turned. 
 
 Meyer has spoken very favorably of Imhol's poem. I 
 should be very glad were our lady-friends, who show 
 such decided talent, really to make some jDrogress. 
 
 I shall start to-morrow morning early, and be with you 
 by dinner-time, and intend to gather together all my 
 
 * Die Schwestem von Lesbos, which appeared in the Musenalmanach 
 for 1800.
 
 Letter 594.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 209 
 
 dietetic energies to prove something to you this time. If 
 you too can determine upon commencing some new work, 
 that is to come forth wholly out of yourself, and, therefore, 
 suited to your inclination as well as to your talents, we 
 shall be safe for the summer. 
 
 The little box came safely. My kind greetings to your 
 dear wife. I feel particularly happy at the thought that 
 I shall soon again be looking out upon the mill-stream 
 running along its course. 
 
 G. 
 
 593. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 26, 1799. 
 This morning I got as far as Minerva's speech, and as, 
 in reality, it opens the next part, I feel inclined to lay 
 before you to-day what I have hitherto been doing. I 
 will come at half-past twelve, read it to you before 
 dinner, and after dinner again take my departure on 
 account of the messenger having to be despatched, and 
 wish to know whether this arrangement will suit you ? 
 Farewell. Au revoir on the shores of the Hellespont { 
 
 G. 
 
 594. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jeuft, April 2, 1799; 
 I herewith send the first canto, as I intend making a 
 little pause in order to become quite sure about the 
 motives which have to be worked out next. I send you 
 the manuscript that you may read it yourself and look 
 into it carefully. I feel in the best of spirits about 
 the work, and entreat you to give me your continued 
 support. 
 
 G. 
 
 Wallenstein's Camp I should like to send to Weimar 
 to-day. 
 
 vol. n.
 
 210 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 595. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Your budget was a very pleasant surprise ; I shall read 
 and examine the canto with the greatest care. 
 
 Wallenstein's Camp shall be sent off this evening. I 
 hope to see you soon and to tell you my thoughts upon 
 what I have read. 
 
 Sch. 
 596. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, April 26, 1799. 
 
 The gay time T spent in Weimar is still re-echoing in 
 me to-day, and I cannot yet settle down in. any calm 
 state of mind. I have, meanwhile, taken up the History 
 of the Eeign of Queen Elizabeth, and begun to study the 
 proceedings in connection with the trial of Mary Stuart. 
 A few tragic motives presented themselves at once, and 
 have given me great faith in the subject, which unques- 
 tionably possesses a great niany points which it would 
 be worth while to work out. It seems more especially 
 adapted for the Euripidean style, which consists in giving 
 the fullest representation of the state of affairs, for I see 
 a possibility of setting aside all the legal proceedings as 
 well as political concerns, and of beginning the tragedy 
 with the condemnation. But more of this by word of 
 mouth, and when my ideas have become more definite. 
 
 We did not find the spring any further advanced here 
 than in Weimar, only the gooseberry hedges, that bid us 
 welcome to the mill- valley, were green. 
 
 Will you have the kindness — with the enclosed ticket 
 — to procure for me from the Library the specified works, 
 and to send them to me by the message-girl ? Camden * 
 I brought with me, but forgot to leave the ticket. I 
 should be very glad if you could also get me, from the 
 Duke's collection, Genz's Historical Calendar^ containing 
 the life of Mary Stuart. 
 
 * William Camden's Vita Elisabeths, the book which Schiller, at 
 the beginning of this letter, refers to as the History of the Reign of 
 Queen Elizabeth. 
 
 f Viewers Taschenbuch for 1799, the first part of which is formed 
 by Genz's essay on Mary Stuart.
 
 Letteu 508.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 211 
 
 Pray excuse the trouble T am giving you. 
 
 Again accept my heartfelt thanks for all the pleasant 
 things I enjoyed with and through you in Weimar. Be 
 sure not to fail to be here on the 1 st of May. I have told 
 Cotta of your coming. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Farewell. Many kind greetings to Meyer. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 597. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 27, 1790. 
 
 I am at present at work only in trying to get free so as 
 to start on Wednesday. 
 
 The next number of the Propylcea is already being- 
 printed, and I am sending the first half of the Sammler : 
 to the press, whereas the second is still in limbo patrum. 
 
 I hope that this one too will soon see day-light, when 
 once we are together again. I have thought of a plan 
 which will be the easiest and surest way of our getting 
 out of the scrape. I rejoice to hear of the faith you have 
 in Mary Stuart. It is only as a whole that this subject 
 seems to contain a good deal that might produce a tragic 
 effect. The books will accompany this ; I shall be curious 
 to hear of its further development from you. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 I am looking forward to our next meeting at a time when, 
 surely, spring must at last be on its way to us. 
 
 G. 
 
 598. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 May 11, 1790. 
 I congratulate you upon having this lovely day after 
 the damp one of your removal, and shall give you my 
 good wishes for your summer sojourn this evening by 
 word of mouth. 
 
 The sixth letter, which is enclosed, I send just as I 
 could get it done. It may pass as a sketch ; it would take 
 
 * The first four Letters — in the Propylsea. 
 
 P 2
 
 212 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 more time to make it worthy of being worked out than I 
 can, at present, devote to it. Look at it, therefore, in this 
 light, and see whether it contains anything that is incon- 
 sistent with our project, since it cannot altogether fulfil its 
 object. 
 
 G. 
 599. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Xot dated.) 
 Your manuscript will be a pleasant and welcome occupa- 
 tion to me this afternoon, during the first quiet hours I 
 shall have had since the confusion of our removal. We 
 were not favored by the weather, it is true, and to-day 
 again is but little cheerful, but I am nevertheless glad 
 that we shall be able to enjoy the first moments of fine 
 weather in the open air. 
 
 Come a little earlier this evening, if you do not feel 
 inclined to stay for the philosophers. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 600. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 May 12, 1799. 
 
 Herr Leiszring has taken the role of the 1st Huntsman 
 away with him ; please let me have the manuscript so 
 that I may be able to replace it again. 
 
 The festivities of to-day did not pass without leaving 
 their effect upon my spirit ; the eighth letter is written, 
 so this trouble is now a thing of the past. 
 
 Write and tell me how you and your dear wife are 
 to-day, and how I shall find you this evening. 
 
 601. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I congratulate you upon £he good effect produced on 
 your spirits. You will have gained much by having left 
 this too behind you. The spirit has not shown itself 
 to me to-day as yet, although I have sought it in all 
 the avenues of my garden, and went out in the hope of 
 finding it. 
 
 My wife is pretty well to-day ? and sends you many
 
 Letter 602.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 213 
 
 friendly greetings. We have arranged nothing for to-day 
 and shall expect you. Here is something philosophical 
 for you for dessert. 
 
 Sch. 
 602. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 29, 1799. 
 
 During the two days since you left, I have been busily 
 proceeding with the work I had begun, and hope that 
 settled weather will favour my exertions. In thinking 
 over our last stay together, I find that, although we have 
 not produced anything, we have not spent our time un- 
 profitably. More particularly the idea of the necessary 
 separation of nature from art, will become more and more 
 significant and fruitful to me the oftener I come back 
 upon the subject, and 1 would suggest that the essay on 
 Dilettanteism should enter very fully into it. 
 
 The sketch of this essay I shall now expect back copied 
 out and enriched with new observations, and hope that the 
 presence of Aurora * and of Hesperus f may throw a good 
 deal of light upon the subject for you. 
 
 I yesterday came accidentally upon a life of Christian 
 Thomasius,\ which has interested me very much. It gives 
 one an account of the interesting process of a man of 
 intellect and power, disentangling himself from the 
 pedantries of the age ; and although the way he does this 
 is pedantic enough, still, when compared with his con- 
 temporaries, he may be said to have possessed a philoso- 
 phical, nay, even a beautiful mind. He chose the same 
 means, which you too consider the most effectual : to dis- 
 concert one's opponents by continued thrusts in rapid 
 succession ; he gave his first journal the title of Monthly 
 Discourses, in which, in a satirical manner and with a 
 
 * Herder, who, on the 1st of May, had announced the publication 
 of a journal under the name of Aurora, in which Jean Paul was to 
 take part. 
 
 f Jean Paul, the author of Hesperus, who was still residing in 
 "Weimar. 
 
 % In the fifth volume of Schrockh's Allgemeine Biographie. The 
 first German work of this well-known writer, published in 1687, bears 
 the title of Discours, welcher Gestalt man denen Franzosen im gemeinen 
 Leben unci Wanclel nachahmen soil.
 
 214 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1199. 
 
 satirical engraving in front of every article, he bravely 
 attacks Ms opponents, the theologians and Aristotelian 
 philosophers. He ventured also, at first, to write aca- 
 demical treatises in the German language ; one of these, 
 which discusses polite behaviour, and in what things the 
 Germans ought to imitate the French, I should like very 
 much to see, and shall look out for it here. 
 
 Have you heard anything about Fraulein Imhof and 
 her work, and do you intend giving her any hints in 
 regard to what you lately said to me ? 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. We miss you very 
 much, and I can scarcely accustom myself any longer to 
 spend the evenings without our usual talks. To Meyer 
 many kind greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 603. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 29, 1799. 
 
 When I think of our separation — which always strikes 
 me too as very trying — I find reason to envy you, for you 
 remain in your own circle and on your own path, and, 
 therefore, move forwards the more securely, whereas any 
 advance from my position is a very problematical affair. 
 Of an evening I do. no doubt, feel that something has 
 been done, but something that would probably have been 
 accomplished without me, and perhaps in a totally 
 different manner. 
 
 1 can but try to do my duty generally as best I may 
 here, and take care also that my stay may not pass 
 uselessly in regard to the special objects we have in 
 view. 
 
 The first canto of the poem I did receive from our lady- 
 friend ; however, unfortunately all the gravamina, of which 
 I have already told you, are most conspicuous in it. 
 There is no epic retardation whatever, owing to which 
 one thing is hurried on to, and over the other, and while 
 reading it one finds absolutely no calmness or clearness in 
 the poem. There is not one single indication of any 
 division in the whole canto, and it would, in fact, be 
 difficult to make divisions. The great length of the
 
 Letter 604.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 215 
 
 sentences rather entangles the matter than adds grace 
 to the descriptions, by showing a certain amount of 
 finish. It gives rise to many obscure parentheses and 
 allusions, the words are misplaced without epic purpose, 
 and the use of the participles is not always happy. I 
 will try and do as much as I can — the more so as I do not 
 calculate that the hours I shall be here will amount to 
 very many. 
 
 In truth however, our works on Dilettanteism will, as 
 I foresee, place us in a very peculiar position ; for it is 
 not possible to get a clear insight into its mischievous 
 effects without becoming impatient and unfriendly. It is 
 still a very doubtful question whether I shall be able to 
 send or to bring you the scheme very much furthered. 
 
 What I have heard of Christian Thomasius has always 
 been of interest to me. His cheerful and intelligent 
 nature is very attractive. I will make enquiries about 
 the essays you wish to have. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. Meyer is going to enclose something in this. 
 
 a. 
 
 604. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, May 31, 1799. 
 I can very well understand that your pleasure in the 
 poem by our dilettante lady-friend should become less 
 and less, the more you look into it. For dilettanteism 
 manifests itself in this also, that by starting from a false 
 principle it cannot produce anything that is not false 
 as a whole, and one cannot, therefore, render it any essen- 
 tial aid. My consolation is that, in the case of this work, 
 we can of course at once proclaim its dilettante origin, 
 and that, in being tolerant we merely show ourselves 
 merciful without compromising our judgment. The 
 worst of the matter is the trouble and dissatisfaction it 
 gives you ; however, you must look upon the work as a 
 sectio cadaveris in behalf of philosophy, for this practical 
 instance does not come altogether inopportunely at a time 
 when we are engaged with theoretical work.
 
 216 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 I have not found much more pleasure, during the last 
 few days, in an entirely different kind of production by a 
 master in art; but I may keep calm about this, for I 
 am not called upon to respond to it. I have been reading 
 Corneille's Bodogune, Pompee, and Polyeucte, and have 
 been astounded at the truly immense defects in these 
 works which I have heard praised for the last twenty 
 vears. The action, the dramatic organisation, characters, 
 customs, language, etc., everything, in fact, even the 
 versification, present a great many weak points ; and the 
 barbarism of a style of art which is only just forming 
 itself, will not nearly suffice to excuse them. For it is 
 not the false taste which one so frequently meets with 
 even in the most intellectual works — if the compositions of 
 rude times — it is not this alone, and not even specially 
 this, that I find objectionable in them. It is the poverty 
 of invention, the meagreness and dryness in the treat- 
 ment of the characters, the coldness of the passions and 
 the almost invariable want of interest. The female char- 
 acters are piteous caricatures, and I have as yet found 
 nothing successfully handled except what is actually 
 heroic ; and yet even this ingredient, which is not very 
 rich in substance of itself, is treated without variety. 
 
 Kacine, without comparison, comes much nearer to 
 what is excellent, although he has all the bad habits of 
 the French style, and is, upon the whole, somewhat weak. 
 I am now, in fact, very anxious to see Voltaire's tragedy, 
 for, to judge from the criticisms which he has written on 
 Corneille, he was quite aware of the latter 's faults. 
 
 It is indeed easier to find fault than to write things 
 oneself. This reminds me of my own task, which is still 
 lying in a very shapeless state. If only ever-ready 
 critics and all-too-ready dilettanti knew what it costs to 
 produce a proper work. 
 
 Be so good as to send me by the message-woman The 
 Piccolomini and Wallenstein. Kotzebue has begged me for 
 them, and I have promised to let him have them, for this 
 act of amiability will cost me less than to visit or to 
 sup with him. 
 
 To Meyer mauy kind greetings. His letter I have 
 forwarded to Bottiger.
 
 Letter GOG.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 217 
 
 My wife sends kind greetings. Farewell, and be of 
 good cheer during this refreshing rainy weather. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 605. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 1, 1799. 
 
 Things are already beginning to go better with the 
 poem* since I have set to work in earnest with the first 
 canto, and thought out in detail how the matter can be 
 furthered. A conference, too, was held yesterday evening 
 respecting it at Frau von Wolzogen's, and our lady-friends 
 did not seem at all horrified with my rigoristical demands, 
 so that I hope the thing may yet yield to our wishes. 
 
 Yesterday the Duke left for Eisenach and Cassel, and I 
 am, therefore, pretty well thrown back upon my own 
 quiet abode. I am now waiting to see what the next 
 week may bring, and if I but succeed in getting some 
 preliminary work done, I shall be content. Would that 
 something from the deep wells of production would flow 
 towards you also. 
 
 Herewith you will receive the three Wallensteins. Of 
 myself I can only say that I have, in. fact, to plan, to 
 revise, to arrange and to settle matters. Otherwise 
 things are progressing pretty well, and — if one be not 
 over-scrupulous — to some purpose as well. 
 
 Farewell ; my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 606. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 4, 1799. 
 
 Here is Korner's article on Wallenstein. It cannot, 
 however, be used as it is, for he has taken the easy way 
 of allowing the poet to speak in place of speaking 
 himself, and thus brought the work before the public 
 torn, as it were, to rags. If the play had been printed 
 this might have been allowed to pass, but as things are it 
 is not satisfactory. There is, fortunately, no urgent 
 necessity to send it off, for you will agree with me in 
 * Fr'aulein Imhol's Schwestem von Lesbos.
 
 218 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 thinking that, after having waited so long already the 
 notice need not be sent off till after the fourth performance 
 of Wallenstein. I shall meanwhile take Korner's work in 
 hand, and allow the narrative tone to prevail over what 
 is dramatic, and also weave into it a few more explana- 
 tions regarding the whole. 
 
 As the sketch for the first acts of my Mary was made, 
 and there was but one point unsettled in the last, and 
 also in order not to lose time, I could not desist from at 
 once beginning to work them out. Before I come to the 
 second act, I must be clear about everything in the last 
 acts. Hence to-day, on the 4th of June, I have com- 
 menced the opus with inclination and joy, and hope 
 during the month to get a pretty considerable part of the 
 exposition finished. 
 
 What you write about The Sisters of Lesbos has con- 
 soled me greatly. My sister-in-law wrote to me of this 
 meeting, and could not say enough of how much she had 
 learnt on that occasion. 
 
 I am, at present — during those hours which we were 
 in the habit of spending together — reading Lessiug's 
 Dramaturgic, which does indeed afford one very intel- 
 lectual and inspiriting entertainment. There can be no 
 doubt that Lessing — of all the Germans of his day — was 
 clearest in his mind about all pertaining to Art, that his 
 thoughts upon it were the acutest and at the same time 
 the most liberal, and that he most steadily kept in view 
 the Essential in Art. When reading him, one would 
 verily believe that the good days of German taste were 
 already past, for how few of the criticisms that are now 
 made on Art can be placed by the side of this ? 
 
 Is it true that the Queen of Prussia did not wish to see 
 WaUenstein performed in Berlin, in order that she might 
 see it in AVeimar for the first time ? 
 
 Write and tell me whether Frau La Roche has arrived 
 in Osmannstedt ? My wife too is interested in this news. 
 
 I also beg you to get Vulpius to let me have the list of 
 books I have to send in, together with a catalogue of the 
 sale, if there is one to be got. 
 
 F&Tewell, and enjoy the present pleasant weather. 
 
 Sch.
 
 Letter C07.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 219 
 
 607. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 5, 1799. 
 
 I congratulate you upon having set to work with your 
 new piece. Good as it may be thoroughly to think out 
 the plan as a whole, still, it is so great an advantage to be 
 able to work it out while you are also inventing, that 
 you ought not to neglect this. 
 
 Korner has indeed taken the matter very easily ; in 
 place of sending a review he has sent a paper of extracts. 
 Perhaps you will think it over a little, and the essay 
 could be despatched after the fourth performance. 
 
 It is true that the King and Queen have not seen 
 Wallenstein in Berlin, and, in reality, as it seems, out of 
 compliment to the Duke, who had consulted them about the 
 choice of the plays, and received their consent to this 
 tragedy. 
 
 As regards myself, it is only by means of perfect resig- 
 nation that I have been able to save myself from despair, 
 for to do any coherent work is out of the question. 
 However, as there are various things to be done, the time 
 passes, and I am looking forward to more favorable hours 
 in July. 
 
 The Sisters of Lesbos are meanwhile making tolerable 
 progress. I am very glad that the first conference has 
 ended satisfactorily for both parties; it is not only of 
 advantage in the present case, but it will be so in sub- 
 sequent ones. 
 
 Frau von la Eoche has not come yet, and, according to 
 report, intends deferring her journey. Perhaps the 
 thunder-storm will pass over without our being obliged 
 to fly to the Lobedean conductors * for refuge. 
 
 From the latest number of the Mercury you wil lsee 
 with amazement, and not without annoyance, what in- 
 conceivable infatuation old Wieland exhibits by joining 
 
 * Goethe here alludes to the poetess of Nature, the wife of the burgo- 
 master Bohl, in the village of Lobeda, near Jena, to whom they wished 
 to introduce Madame de la Roche, so that they themselves would 
 require to devote less time to her. Frau Bohl had shortly before 
 met with an accident, probably by fire, so that they could the more 
 readily find an excuse of introducing the sympathetic lady to her. 
 See also Letters 629 and 630.
 
 220 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 in the all too-premature, uieta-critical triumph. Do not 
 Christians maintain* that, during the night when Christ 
 was born, all the oracles were suddenly struck dumb? 
 In the same way the apostles and disciples of the new 
 philosophical gospel now assure us that, when meta-criti- 
 cism first saw light, the old man in Konigsberg, seated on 
 his tripod, not only became paralysed, but that, like Dagon, 
 he even fell down on his nose ; that not a single one of 
 the idols, raised in his honour, were any longer to be 
 found standing in their places, and that it would not take 
 much to make people believe it to be necessary and natu- 
 ral, to massacre the whole Kantian set, as in the case of 
 the refractory priests of Baal. 
 
 It is to me no good sign for the matter itself, it being 
 thought to require such violent and yet by no means 
 adequate recommendation. 
 
 Humboldt's letter I herewith return. 
 
 Will you grant Herr von Fritsch the request he makes 
 in the enclosed note ? 
 
 Here is the printed catalogue. Your books are enclosed 
 between the red strokes. 
 
 Please see that the parcel is sent to Hufeland. 
 
 I wish you could be present at the performance of The 
 Theatrical Adventure^ this evening, it is sure to be exceed- 
 ingly good, as it is to serve as the chief rehearsal, to 
 prepare things for the performance before the King. 
 Yesterday and the day before I was present during the 
 rehearsals and the preliminary rehearsals, which I enjoyed 
 very much, and there made the observation how necessary 
 it is to remain in connection with, in training for and at 
 work with Art, in order to be a proper judge of it. 1 have 
 frequently remarked that after any long interval I have 
 again to accustom myself to music and to plastic art, in 
 order to be able to gain anything from them at the time 
 of the performance. 
 
 Farewell, and prepare me a good reception by being 
 industrious. 
 
 G. 
 
 * The story is given in the apocryphal gospels. 
 
 t Das theatralisclie Abenteuer, by Ciinarosa and Mozart, from an 
 adaptation by Yulpius. Uoethe speaks of the performance given in 
 Weimar on the 5th in a letter to Kirms.
 
 Letter COS.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 221 
 
 G08. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 7, 1799. 
 
 Only a few words to-day, as I hope to see you to- 
 morrow. If nothing intervenes, I have promised Loder 
 to be one of the party he has invited to Belvedere. 
 
 Dohm * has left me his authentic account of the affair 
 at Eastadt which has led me to make many an observation. 
 Among other things you must have remarked the most 
 strange contradiction which occurs in it respecting the 
 death of Eobertjot, where two entirely opposite reports 
 are founded upon the statement of the same valet. When 
 solemnly declared to be an accurate account, such an error 
 is indeed strange, and I do not, in fact, know how to 
 explain it. 
 
 For the last two days I have made no progress with my 
 work ; yesterday I had visitors the whole day, and to-day 
 an immense number of letters had to be attended to. 
 
 The cry which \\ ieland is raising about Herder's book 
 will, I fear, have quite a different effect from what he 
 intends. We can await it with all composure and, like 
 peaceful spectators, take our seats quietly at the play 
 which will become gay and noisy enough. Amusement 
 it is sure to give us. Whatever it be that Wieland may 
 have said, I wish that Cotta would put it into the 
 Allgemeine Zeitung, or that Bottiger would send it there, 
 for it cannot become too widely known. 
 
 Let Herr von Fritsch copy out the passage from the 
 Count's role, which he doubtless wishes for some album 
 or other. I have no objections to his doing so. 
 
 Farewell. I am looking forward to having you here for 
 a few hours. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * Dohni was the Prussian ambassador at the Congress which met 
 at Eastadt, and was dissolved on April 4. The attack upon and the 
 assassination of the French ambassador took place on the evening of 
 April 28. Dohm gave a full report of the murder in the name of all 
 the ambassadors.
 
 222 COERESPONDEXCE BETWEEN [1790. 
 
 609. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 11, 1799. 
 
 We got home quite safely the other day, but I never- 
 theless found that an eight hours' jolting in a carriage 
 and the excitement of company, when the two things are 
 crowded into the space of three parts of a day, is too 
 violent a change for me ; two days passed before I had 
 quite recovered from the effects. 
 
 However, for the last two days, during the fine weather, 
 I have been enjoying such a good and pleasant state of 
 mind in my little garden-residence, that I should be 
 heartily glad to be able to share it with you. My work 
 is progressing, it is true, but only slowly, as I am laying 
 the foundation for the whole, and it is of the utmost im- 
 portance not to spoil anything at the beginning; how- 
 ever, I am in good hopes of being upon the right track. 
 
 If it were not that I should be losing too much time, it 
 would be a temptation to me to come and see the play * 
 that is to be given to morrow in Weimar. While engaged 
 with my present work it might prove useful to me to 
 witness the representation of a new historical piece on the 
 stage, whatever kind it might be. To dramatise this 
 subject does not strike me as a bad idea. It has, to begin 
 with, the one essential merit that the action is concen- 
 trated upon one eventful incident, and that it must hurry 
 on rapidly to a close between fear and hope. It also con- 
 tains excellent dramatic characters taken direct from 
 history. The play may, however, not be anything very 
 special, as you have not said anything to me about it. 
 
 Mellish has proposed to come to us to-morrow at noon 
 with his company, and you are sure to be often spoken of. 
 Do try and come over for a day. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. I have nothing more to write 
 about, for I have heard nothing during the last days, 
 having lived wholly in my work. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 * Der Friede am Pruth, a play in five acts, by Franz Kratter, was 
 given on the 12th of June.
 
 Letter 610.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 223 
 
 610. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 14, 1799. 
 
 Yoti were, I hear, in Eossla a few days ago, and ha^e 
 again returned to Weimar, which yon will have no occasion 
 to repent owing to the bad weather of yesterday. The 
 Mellishes were very fortunate and spent a very pleasant 
 day in Jena. He brought a stranger with him from the 
 canton Vaux who seemed to be not unacquainted with 
 learned matters in Germany, and even spoke somewhat 
 reasonably about the new system of philosophy ; that is 
 to say, as far as we could discuss the subject in French. 
 
 I heard the other day that Fichte had addressed a 
 request to the Prince of Eudolstadt, to grant him a 
 residence in one of the royal residences in Eudolstadt, 
 but that the petition had been politely refused. It is 
 really inconceivable how this friend can go on committing 
 one piece of folly after the other, and how incorrigible he 
 is in his acts of indiscretion ! To imagine that the Prince 
 of Eudolstadt — who does not care a fig for him — should 
 grant him public protection by giving him a residence, 
 and thus, for no reason or purpose, compromise himself 
 with all other courts that hold different opinions ! And 
 what could any such free residence be to him in a place 
 where he would be utterly out of his element ? 
 
 I hope that you may have been more industrious than I 
 have been able to be during these last days. On Wednes- 
 day Mellish was with us, and on Thursday Frau von 
 Kalb, hence but little has been done meanwhile. I am 
 still sitting at the first three scenes of my exposition, and 
 am trying to lay a sure foundation for the coming ones. 
 
 It really seems as if I might be able to do something 
 with my plays in England. Within the last eight weeks 
 I have received two applications from London to send 
 over plays in manuscript. These came only from pub- 
 lishers and translators it is true, and, as yet, unaccompanied 
 by any definite promise of remuneration, but the inquiries 
 are so urgent that I feel I may entertain some hopes of 
 fchem.
 
 224 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 Have the kindness to let me have JEschylus, I am longing 
 very much for some diversion from Greek tragedy. 
 
 Farewell, and be sure to come over for a day soon. 
 My wife sends kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 611. — Goethe to Schillee. 
 
 Rossla, June 15, 1799. 
 
 Your second dear letter finds me still in Eossla, where 
 various business matters will detain me for the next few 
 days. These I feel I had better devote to the affair now 
 that I have once undertaken it, and shall then not let 
 it occupy my thoughts for a long time to come. It is 
 pleasant to me to get a clearer insight into the state of 
 the village and its agrarian circumstances, and to think of 
 what is old while the new concerns myself. 
 
 I am longing to see you again soon. On Wednesday I 
 hope to write from Weimar. I have many a thing to 
 report that has meanwhile been running through my 
 mind. 
 
 Were my Spiritus* not engaged in copying out in- 
 ventories, I should quickly dictate something to him ; but 
 it is too long a story for me even to think of beginning to 
 write it myself, for I should have to go a long way back. 
 There are some things also that cannot well be told in 
 writing. 
 
 Farewell in your semi-solitude, move carefully forwards 
 with your work, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. G. 
 
 We have had our rooms heated to-day ! 
 
 612. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 18, 1799. 
 
 It was very pleasant to me to see your handwriting 
 
 after so unusually long an interval. We were told here 
 
 that you had returned to Weimar in order to meet the 
 
 Minister von Haugwitz whom the Duke brought with 
 
 * A humorous epithet given to his servant whose name was Geist 
 (mind or spirit).
 
 Letter 612.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 225 
 
 him. It is all the better for you that you have been able 
 to spend your time more usefully. I could, indeed, have 
 wished you better weather, for even here it has been so 
 bad that we had to return to heated stoves. 
 
 Many things are conspiring against my work this 
 summer. In about a week I expect my sister and my 
 brother-in-law, the Librarian Eeinwald, from Meiningen. 
 
 I would gladly have granted my sister this relaxation, 
 were it not that I cannot get on with my brother-in-law, 
 and he will probably hang on to me like a clog for a 
 week. 
 
 Under these circumstances I shall not, as I had hoped, 
 be able to get to the end of my first act before you come. 
 However, it has, as yet, always been progressing, and 
 nulla dies sine linea. Now that I am working it out, I am 
 beginning to feel more and more convinced of the truly 
 tragic quality of my subject ; one of the principal points 
 being that the catastrophe is evident in the very first 
 scenes, and that, while the action of the play appears to 
 be moving away from it, it is being brought closer and 
 closer to it. Hence the fear demanded by Aristotle is 
 not wanting, and pity too will be sure to be met with as 
 well. 
 
 My Mary will not excite any tender feelings, and I did 
 not intend that she should ; I mean in all cases to regard 
 her as a physical character, and the pathos must be more a 
 general, deep emotion than a personal or individual feel- 
 ing of sympathy. She feels and excites no affection, her 
 fate in life being only to experience and kindle violent 
 passions herself. It is only her nurse that feels any 
 affection for her. 
 
 However, it will be wiser for me to be doing and work- 
 ing than to tell you much in advance of what I propose 
 doing. 
 
 It is said here that Yohs has received a call to St. Peters- 
 burg, and that he is inclined to accept it. Surely it 
 would be a pity to lose him, although his health is such 
 that we could not count upon him for long. It would be 
 difficult to fill his place immediately. 
 
 Farewell, and let me hear to-morrow when you get 
 back to Weimar. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 VOL. II. Q
 
 226 COERESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 To Meyer, please, niy kind greetings, and tell him that 
 he shall have an answer together with the pictures on 
 Saturday. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 613. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 19, 1799. 
 
 Loss of time, I frankly confess, is becoming a more and 
 more serious matter to me, and I have wonderful projects 
 in my mind wherewith, at all events, to save a few 
 months of the year for poetry; probably, however, 
 nothing will come of these plans. Our relation to things 
 outside of ourselves forms, and, at the same time, robs us 
 of our existence, and yet we have to do our best to adapt 
 ourselves to circumstances; for to isolate oneself, as 
 Wieland has done, is also not advisable. 
 
 I hope that you may get on as well as possible with 
 vour work. During the first stage, when the idea itself 
 is still new to us, things invariably go quicker and better. 
 
 Whether I shall be able to come before the end of the 
 month, I cannot yet say. The Prince has come to stay in 
 my house, and, besides this, things are in pretty unsettled 
 state, for we are prepared for anything rather than for the 
 reception of a King. 
 
 In order not to have been quite idle, I have been putting 
 my dark room into order, and intend to make some new 
 experiments, and to repeat others, and wish especially to 
 see whether I can obtain anything from so-called inflexion. 
 I made a very pretty experiment yesterday in Meyer's 
 presence. You know, perhaps, that it has been said that 
 in summer, towards evening, certain flowers as it were 
 give off lightning or momentarily give out light. The 
 phenomenon I had never seen myself ; yesterday evening 
 we observed it very distinctly in an oriental poppy, more 
 vellowish-red in colour than any other flower. Upon 
 closer examination this proved to be a physiological phe- 
 nomenon and the apparent lightning the reflex of the 
 flower with the requisite very light-green colour. No 
 flower when looked at straight will produce this appear- 
 ance, but when looked at slantwise, out of the corner of
 
 Letter 614.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 227 
 
 one's eyes, we have the momentary double effect. It 
 must, moreover, be done at twilight, when the eye is com- 
 pletely at rest and sensitive, but yet there must be suffi- 
 cient light for the red colour to preserve its full force. I 
 think the experiment might very well be made with 
 coloured paper. I intend carefully to note the conditions. 
 However, the effect is really very deceptive. 
 
 I enclose the Sammler* and hope that the joke, now that 
 it is finished, may again amuse you. When looking into 
 it, think of the happy hours when we first thought of it. 
 
 Vohs does talk of going away ; I shall, however, appeal 
 to the contract by which he is bound to remain two years 
 longer. 
 
 Farewell, and make as much use as possible of the next 
 fortnight till we meet again. I shall be content if only I 
 accomplish something. Meanwhile I have commenced to 
 drink Pyrmont water. My kind greetings to your dear 
 wife, and commend my Julia to her remembrance. 
 
 G. 
 
 614. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 20, 1799. 
 
 The Frenchman who called upon me the other day with 
 Mellish, and came again to-day, has robbed me of the time 
 and inclination I had for telling you what I had to say 
 about the Propylcea. 
 
 The form it has now assumed seems to me much richer 
 and more vigorous than it ever appeared to me before 
 when I read it singly ; and owing to its being the cheerful 
 and artlessly poured-forth result of experience and reflec- 
 tion, its influence upon every receptive mind must prove 
 wonderful. Its substance must not escape notice, for the 
 very reason that a great deal of what is important is but 
 delicately touched upon in passing. 
 
 The introduction of the characters and of the represen- 
 tatives of art has gained very much by the fact that none 
 of the caricature visits fit into the framework which is 
 afterwards set up. Not to mention that the little romance 
 thereby gains — poetically — in wealth and truth, the whole 
 
 * A series of Letters which formed part of the Propyleea. 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 COEKESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 circle, which is contained within the three classes of what 
 is false, imperfect and perfect, is thereby also made 
 complete philosophically. 
 
 The last developments which I did not as yet know of, 
 are very successful, and sustain the feeling of intellectual 
 cheerfulness to the end. 
 
 I have no doubt that this number of the Propylcea will 
 make a goodly stir, and remind people again of the Xenia. 
 
 My wife, who sends kindest greetings, has also been 
 very much delighted with the gay humour and anima- 
 tion that prevails in it, and was specially pleased with 
 the visit of the strangers. 
 
 Farewell for to-day, and enjoy the beautiful weather, to 
 which I am indebted for my present good and productive 
 state of mind. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 615. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 22, 1799. 
 
 I am glad to find that you can say so much in favour of 
 the Sammler. How greatly you contributed to its contents 
 and to its form you yourself know. I, unfortunately, had 
 neither the necessary time nor the quiet for working it 
 out properly, so that I was afraid that, as a whole, it 
 might not present a sufficiently attractive appearance. 
 With a little more leisure, the spicy ingredients might 
 have been mixed with more syrup. However, the sketchy 
 style is perhaps more appropriate to the work as a whole. 
 We ourselves have gained " a good deal by it, we have 
 instructed ourselves, amused ourselves, are now creatirg 
 a stir, and the present number of the Propylcea will 
 certainly be twice as much read as the last ones. Its 
 true use, however, is in reality still a matter to come. 
 The principle is good, and I beg of you to think it over 
 very carefully. Meyer took up the idea with interest, and 
 we may look for very important results. I shall, mean- 
 while, say only this much about it. 
 
 All modem artists belong to the class of the Imperfect, 
 and hence fall more or less under different rubrics. Thus 
 Meyer only yesterday, to his greatest satisfaction, dis- 
 covered that Giulio Romano belongs to the class of Sketchcrs.
 
 Letter 015.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 229 
 
 Meyer, in spite of his deep studies, had not been able to 
 define the character of this artist ; he believes the problem 
 is now solved by the above declaration. If Michel Angelo 
 is a phanta&mist, Correggio an undulist, Raphael a character- 
 iser, these rubrics acquire immense significance, for these 
 extraordinary men are here looked at in their limitation, 
 and are nevertheless set up as kings or high representa- 
 tives of whole species. Imitators the Germans will pro- 
 bably ever be, and of nebulists there were none in the 
 earlier days of art ; Oeser,* however, will doubtless be 
 regarded as one. Who can hinder us — when we have once 
 thought this subject thoroughly over — from working out 
 a continuation of the Sammler f This production will 
 always be attractive to us as it so honestly combines the 
 artistic demands of earnestness and play. 
 
 But, however this may be, and whatever it may effect, 
 the work on Dilettanteism will surely extend over a much 
 wider range. It is of the greatest importance, and it 
 will depend upon circumstances and upon chance in what 
 shape it will finally appear. I should like, only too well, 
 to give it a poetic form, partly to make its influence more 
 general, partly more pleasing. For as we have thought 
 the matter over so carefully, and given the child its name, 
 I now see foi the first time, and with dismay, how deeply 
 submerged in dilettanteism are artists, dabblers, dealers 
 in, purchasers of, and lovers of all the different arts. Let 
 us once more work out our schemes with the iitmost care, 
 so that we may make ourselves sure about its whole sub- 
 stance, and then wait and see whether good luck will 
 point out to us a form in which it can be set up. When 
 at some future day we open the flood-gates, we shall cause 
 the most dire mischief, for we shall straightway deluge 
 the whole of the dear valley where bungling has so com- 
 fortably settled itself. Now as the main characteristic of 
 bunglers is incorrigibility, and, in our own day especially 
 they are affected with a species of conceit of the lowest 
 order, their cry will be that the plans they have laid out 
 are being destroyed and — when the flood has passed — 
 they will set to work, like ants after a downpour of rain, 
 
 * The Director of the Drawing Academy in Leipzig, under whose 
 guidance Goethe studied for a time.
 
 230 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 in putting things into their old places. However, that 
 cannot alter matters, judgment must be pronounced upon 
 them. Let us only get our reservoirs pretty full, and then 
 open the locks upon them all at once. There shall be a 
 mighty flood. 
 
 We yesterday had a look at the new papers of the 
 Chalcographical Society.* It is inconceivable how much 
 it too is beginning to bungle, and the conceit of those 
 connected with it is on a par with the inconceivableness 
 of the thing. The choice of the work of art of which they 
 give on copperplate is unfortunate to begin with, and 
 the manner in which it is now to be transferred, wrongly 
 chosen. They are not, it is true, aware of either of these 
 points, but in cases where they cannot shut their eyes to 
 it, they try to improve matters by rejoicing at their 
 economical procedure, inasmuch as the bad originals cost 
 them nothing. 
 
 The other day I had a visit from a poetical dilettante, 
 who would have driven me to despair, were it not that I 
 happened to be in the humour for regarding him from a 
 physical point of view, in order, for once, to form some 
 intuitive idea of the brood. 
 
 Let this be enough for to-day. There is nothing for 
 us to do but to proceed upon the path we have entered ; 
 and we ought, moreover, faithfully to abide in it. I am 
 making as good use of my time as I can, and am, at all 
 events, continuing to move the pieces forwards on the 
 board. May this be the same with you till the happy day 
 when we shall see each other again. My kind greetings 
 to your dear wife, and thank her from me for the interest 
 she is taking in my last work. I am now advancing 
 towards the fate of the one remaining day. 
 
 G. 
 
 616. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 25, 1799. 
 I am afraid you will notice from these few lines in what 
 wretched circumstances I am in just now. 
 
 * The Chalcographical Society in Dessau ; the proceedings of the 
 Society had been discussed in the third number of the Propylxa.
 
 Letter 616.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 231 
 
 My brother-in-law is here with my sister ; he is an indus- 
 trious, and not altogether awkward philistine, sixty years 
 of age, and comes from a small country town, oppressed 
 and limited by circumstances, and still more bowed down 
 by some hypochondriacal affliction ; otherwise, however, 
 he is not unacquainted with the modern languages, and 
 German linguistic research, as well as with certain other 
 branches of literature. You may imagine how few points 
 of conversation there are between us, and in what an un- 
 comfortable state of mind I must be in, when these few 
 are broached ; the worst of it is, I find him to represent a 
 class of readers and reviewers which is not a very small 
 one, nor even one to be despised, for he may even be con- 
 sidered something above the common run in Meiningen, 
 where he holds the post of Librarian. This imperfect and 
 narrow style of reviewing things could put me into a 
 state of despair, if one were to expect anything from it. 
 
 This visit, moreover, which is to last till Thursday, is 
 robbing me of a large portion of my time, as well as of all 
 the good spirit I was in ; this week will have to be wholly 
 struck out from my life. 
 
 I am truly anxious to see what sort of effect the Sammler 
 will produce. As we cannot hope to build or to plant 
 much, there is some satisfaction in being able to flood and 
 to destroy things. The one circumstance, with regard to 
 the public, which one cannot regret, is the warfare, and I 
 very much wish that dilettanteism too could be attacked 
 with every weapon. An aesthetic disguise, something in 
 the form of the Sammler, would indeed ensure the largest 
 circulation for the article with an intelligent public, but 
 the Germans must be told the truth as plainly as possible : 
 hence, I think that one ought, at all events, to allow 
 earnestness to predominate, even in the outward disguise. 
 There might perhaps be some forms to be found among 
 Swift's satires that would be appropriate here, or shall 
 we follow Herder's footsteps and write in the spirit of 
 the Pantagruel.* 
 
 I shall probably accompany my guests to the station 
 nearest Weimar, on Sunday, and may perhaps afterwards 
 remain for a day or two there myself, where I hope to see 
 * By Rabelais,
 
 232 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1790. 
 
 you for a few hours in spite of the bustle you are in. I 
 am also rejoicing heartily at the prospect of our being 
 together again here. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Fare well in the mean 
 time. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 617. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 26, 1799. 
 
 I have not received a letter from you to-day, and could, 
 therefore, scarcely believe that it was Wednesday. I 
 only hope the delay has not arisen from any unpleasant 
 cause. As regards myself, I am at least stirring, as 1 
 cannot be on the move. 
 
 I am having my small poems collected ; these will form 
 a strange collection. 
 
 While thus engaged I have been re-reading your Diver, 
 and have again been extremely delighted with it, and, as 
 it seems, even more so than I ever was before. 
 
 The phenomena of so-called inflexion,* by bright sun- 
 shine, were to-day again part of my day's work. 
 
 J t is easily said : observations ought to be carefully 
 made ! But I should never find fault with any one for 
 quickly setting aside phenomena with an hypothetical 
 declaration. I intend in the present case to collect and 
 to make use of everything I possibly can, and it will be 
 very necessary. However, I see very well that it is 
 perhaps the last knot which keeps me tied ; and yet, to 
 solve it would probably be to require the most perfect 
 freedom over the whole. 
 
 Farewell, and be industrious. 
 
 G. 
 
 * To which Grimaldi was the first to draw attention. Goethe treats 
 these phenomena as a third, species of physical colours, as paroptio 
 colours, but leaves it undecided as to whether or not, in explaining 
 them, one has to take refuge in certain intrinsic peculiarities of light 
 (See Duntzer's Erlauterungen).
 
 Letter 61S.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 233 
 
 618. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 26, 1799. 
 
 The carelessness of my message- woman, who forgot my 
 letter yesterday, is the cause of your not receiving any- 
 thing from me to-day. Just as I received your letter 
 mine was brought back to me. 
 
 Unger wrote to me to-day, but without giving any 
 answer to the suggestion which I made to him lately re- 
 garding your collected poems. Perhaps he has written to 
 you direct. However, my proposal to him about a collec- 
 tion of German dramas, and, moreover, that ten plays 
 should appear annually, with a notice on each, he is very 
 willing to accept, and agrees to pay a hundred caroling 
 by way of honorarium for the ten plays and the notices 
 prefixed to them, provided that we edit the work. We 
 could earn this very easily if we settled the criticism part 
 of the business between us by talking the matter over; 
 the thing could be done in ten or fifteen evenings, and we 
 should earn 300 thalers (about £45) for everyone of them. 
 
 At last, after long waiting, I too have heard some- 
 thing from Berlin about my Wallenstein. It was played 
 for the first time on May 1 7, hence four weeks later than 
 in Weimar. Unger writes in high praise of the perform- 
 ance as well as of the reception given to the piece by the 
 public. Also that some scribbler in Berlin has been ex- 
 patiating upon it in the Annals cf the Prussian Monarchy, 
 speaking very highly of the play, but picking out passages 
 very much in the style of Bottiger, and interlarding his 
 essay with them. 
 
 Farewell. To-morrow we pay Mellish a visit ; what a 
 pity that you cannot be one of the party. I wish you all 
 success with your optical studies. As long as you can do 
 anything to further this subject your time in Weimar 
 will be well spent. 
 
 Soh.
 
 234 . COBEESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN - [1799. 
 
 619. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, June 28, 1799. 
 
 To-day I can only send yon a friendly greeting. 1 
 shall have friends with me this evening, and on Sunday I 
 may perhaps see you myself. Not much has been accom- 
 plished this week, although the days have not passed 
 altogether fruitlessly. The next three months shall be 
 made use of all the more seriously, and I hope that you 
 may be helped forwards likewise. As soon as you but 
 once get away from Weimar again, the good spirit will 
 come over you, even though you had to retire to the 
 depths of the Thuringian forest or to some other Wart- 
 burg. 
 
 Farewell ; my wife bids me send you kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 620. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 29, 1799. 
 
 As I am in hopes of seeing you here to-morrow, this 
 note need only bring you a greeting in return for yours. 
 Should you decide upon remaining with us, a bed could 
 easily be put up for you, if you come to me and care to 
 remain over the two days of the royal visit. I hope that 
 July may satisfy our wishes and aims more fully than the 
 departing month has done. I also want very much to 
 talk over various matters with you. 
 
 May you both fare well. G. 
 
 621.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 5, 1799. 
 
 On my arrival in Jena I found a letter from Cotta in 
 
 which he tells me of his anxiety about a letter which he 
 
 had written to you regarding the Propylcea. What he 
 
 writes of the sale of the periodical* is astounding, and 
 
 * Only 300 copies had been sold.
 
 Letter 621.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 235 
 
 shows us that portion of the German public, interested in 
 and devoted to art, from a still more wretched point of 
 view than one could have conceived possible, however 
 small one's expectations had been. As there is no reason 
 for doubting Cotta's honesty, there cannot be any question 
 about continuing it, for the sale would have to be three 
 times as large if Cotta is to come off without loss. True, 
 we may hope that the last number will draw more 
 purchasers, but, considering the coldness of the public for 
 the previous one, and the utterly unprecedented wretched- 
 ness that was manifested at the time, we cannot expect 
 that even this number will save the whole ; however, we 
 must wait and see. I dare not think of the matter, unless 
 I wish to put my blood in a state of fury, for nothing has 
 ever given me such a despicable idea of the German 
 public. One should, however, no longer be surprised at 
 anything; and if one but thought things over quietly 
 and drew comparisons, everything, unfortunately, would 
 be intelligible. 
 
 I cannot and do not wish to write of anything else to- 
 day, nor have I, in fact, much to report. The heat here 
 is unbearable, and affects me so much that I feel unfit for 
 any good thoughts ; I have, moreover, not had any sleep 
 for the last two nights. 
 
 I forgot to ask you to whom I should send the note 
 about the prices of the books, and beg you to have it sent 
 to the proper quarter together with the two volumes of 
 Montesquieu which were left recently. The prices which 
 I have marked on the note are the lowest at which I 
 should give up the books ; however, if the agent should 
 ask a higher price for any one of the previous books than 
 I have mentioned, he might have one of the others some- 
 what cheaper, provided the sum total remains the same. 
 
 To-morrow I hope to hear when we may expect you to 
 come. I long very much to spend some time in your 
 society again. To Meyer many kind greetings. My wife 
 wishes to be most kindly remembered. 
 
 Farewell, and keep in good spirits. 
 
 Sch.
 
 236 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 622. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 6, 1799. 
 
 I cannot indeed yet say when I shall be able to come, 
 but I have already got through a good deal, and hope I 
 may not have to delay much longer. 
 
 1 did not wish to spoil the short time of our last meeting 
 with telling of what has now made its unpleasant im- 
 pression upon you also. However, the proceeding is such a 
 natural one that we ought not to be surprised at it. For 
 surely one ought not to judge the whole — which one knows 
 — by the many integral parts which one does not know. 
 When we meet we can think over what had best be done. 
 
 The books and the lists shall be attended to. Will you 
 send your ^YaUeilsteil^ and The Piccolomini to Kirms as 
 soon as possible ? Wallenstein I have received back from 
 the Prince. We would like to give a few performances 
 of the plays in Lauchstedt. The prompter is ready — in 
 a written document — to stake all his possessions as a 
 guarantee for the success of the plays. 
 
 At this time of the year your garden-house is indeed 
 very much exposed to the sun's rays and to the hot 
 atmosphere. I hope we may soon have rain and pleasant 
 cool weather, but I wish nothing so much as soon to be 
 with you again. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 623. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 9, 1799. 
 The Hofkammerraih has nc doubt been complaining to you 
 of the difficulties he has had to contend with, and of the 
 conditions on which I agree to let him give a performance 
 of my plays in Lauchstedt. He will hardly care to do so 
 now, but I was obliged to keep to this arrangement as the 
 facility with which the people of Halle and Leipzig would 
 have thus been able to see the plays in Lauchstedt might 
 have interfered with my negotiations with Opitz.* The 
 
 * The director of a company of actors in Leipzig. See Letter 580 
 and note.
 
 Letter 623.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 237 
 
 curiosity of the public is the one thing upon which we 
 can rely, and if this is tampered with, we should not be 
 able to reckon upon anything. Moreover, I do not exactly 
 insist upon the proceeds of the performance, I should 
 be content with any measures that would satisfy the 
 theatre as well as myself. I have expressed another 
 wish in regard to the filling up of Thekla's part, which 
 you will no doubt approve of, and I think I shall thereby 
 have done away with the claims which any other might 
 have been inclined to raise. 
 
 Otherwise I have not made much progress since my 
 return from Weimar ; the great heat has acted injuriously 
 both upon my state of mind and upon my health. 
 Numerous as have been the signs in the sky of approach- 
 ing thunder-storms, no rain has as yet come to refresh us ; 
 the grass in my garden has quite the appearance of having 
 been burnt. 
 
 I am curious to hear what you will decide regarding 
 the Propijlcea. After weighing everything well, and 
 bearing in mind the money contributed by Cotta, I should, 
 after all, perhaps consider it wiser to try and see whether 
 the journal might not be pushed, and the first numbers 
 be thus, at the same time, set afloat. If proper regard 
 were paid to what the public chiefly wishes and looks 
 for, it seems to me that the undertaking ought not to 
 fall through. Let the editions be smaller, at first, so as 
 to lessen the expense, you might also perhaps consent to 
 lower the price, and then let it be endeavoured to bring 
 the periodical more before the public through the medium 
 of newspapers and other publications of this kind. At the 
 first appearance of things I lost heart too soon ; we must, 
 however, not give in too hurriedly. If you were to insert 
 something from your Faust, there would be many a good 
 result. The fifth number might appear towards the end 
 of the year — not earlier ; to that one also I might perhaps 
 contribute something from my Mary, and thus the 
 dramatic part — which always finds most admirers — would 
 predominate. Let us consider this well; stedfast per- 
 severance will, perhaps, after all, gain the day. 
 Farewell ; kindest greetings from my wife. 
 
 Sch.
 
 238 COKRESPONDEXCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 624. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 9, 1799. 
 
 Unfortunately I must tell you, with these few lines, 
 that I cannot come yet. His Excellency the Duke believes 
 that my presence at the building operations at the palace 
 may be of use, and I am obliged to respect this belief, even 
 without my having any faith in it myself. In addition 
 to this there is so much else to do and to attend to, that 
 any time I may have unemployed is at all events put to 
 some use. I am drinking my portion of Pj'rmont water, 
 and am otherwise doing what, in fact, turns up to be done. 
 May the Muse be all the more gracious to you, so that 
 when I come, be it sooner or later, I may find you have 
 progressed bravely with your work. Let me hear soon 
 from you, so that I may at least be encouraged to converse 
 with you by letter, for which to-day I am neither composed 
 enough nor in the humour. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 625. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 10, 1799. 
 
 You did very well to make your conditions, which our 
 otherwise economical friend and I will attend to them with 
 pleasure. People are so apt to look upon the offerings of 
 the Muses as gifts from heaven, that they fancy that the 
 poet ought to act towards the public as the gods do to- 
 wards him. Moreover, I have reason to believe that you 
 will on this occasion hear something else agreeable from 
 another quarter. 
 
 With regard to the Propylcea, I am entirely of your 
 opinion ; authors, editors, and publishers seem to me to be 
 all interested in the work not falling through. A lesser 
 number of copies, reduction of remuneration, delay with the 
 next number, appear to be the first things that we should 
 have to decide upon doing, and there would be time to 
 consider what our future proceedings should be. It is
 
 Letter 626.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 239 
 
 the case of a lost arrow, and shooting another after it ; only, 
 of course, one cannot expect the publisher to take the sole 
 risk. 
 
 I only wish that I may soon be with you again, in the 
 same way as I wish for rain here, so that my inward as 
 well as my outward being may thrive. 
 
 Farewell meanwhile, and give my kind greetings to 
 your dear wife. 
 
 * G. 
 
 626. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 12, 1799. 
 
 The advantages which you so kindly concede to me, are 
 as refreshing and as much desired by my small household, 
 as the rain which has since yesterday cheered and 
 refreshed our valley. The HofJcammerratlis willingness 
 to agree to my conditions also pleased me, in so far as it 
 proves to me that he is not dissatisfied with my dramatic 
 offering. That a beautiful gift, worked in silver, was on 
 its way to us from the reigning Duchess, we had already 
 heard. Poets should always be rewarded with gifts and 
 not paid in money; there is a connection between the 
 happy thought and the gifts of fortune : both drop from 
 heaven. 
 
 I have now attentively read the essays * on Academies 
 and Schools for Drawing, and enjoyed them greatly ; nay, 
 I could not leave them till I had read them through. In 
 addition to being so correctly thought out, and so 
 practically convincing, they are also written in an ex- 
 tremely attractive style; and unless the public are 
 altogether refractory, these essays alone ought to bring 
 the Propylcea into notice. At present we must first of all 
 think only of how to bring the Propylcea into the widest 
 circulation and reputation possible, and for this purpose 
 it would be no bad thing to make a presentation of several 
 dozen copies in proper quarters. AVe will also, when you 
 come, draw up some half-dozen advertisements of the 
 journal for the public papers ; Cotta will know where to 
 have them inserted. 
 
 * The fourth number of the Propylspa contained the beginning of 
 Moyer's essay on Lehranstalten zu Gunsten der bildenden Kiimste.
 
 240 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 My work has not been progressing very rapidly, it is 
 true, but yet it has not, for some time past, been quite at 
 a stand-still. The necessary exposition of the legal pro- 
 ceedings and of the form of trials, in addition to being 
 subjects with which I am not very well acquainted, have 
 a tendency to be dry, which, indeed, I hope to have over- 
 come, but not without having lost a good deal of time over 
 the subject ; still, it could not have been avoided. The 
 history of England by Eapin Thoyras, which I have been 
 reading meanwhile, has had the good effect of keeping' 
 English localities and life vividly before my imagination. 
 
 I only wish that you might be able to come over here 
 soon. My garden, where the roses and lilies are in 
 bloom, would alone be sufficient to attract you. 
 
 Earewell, and give my kind greetings to Meyer. 
 
 From my wife many kind remembrances. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 627. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 13, 1799. 
 Only a few words to-day, as, in fact, things here are 
 turning only upon diversion. Owing to the new con- 
 ditions * which will devolve upon us, it will be necessary 
 to hasten the building operations at the palace. It will 
 take me a week or a fortnight yet to give things their 
 first start, and to arrange matters in accordance with the 
 new and somewhat more hurried measures, and I shall, 
 therefore, probably not see you before the beginning of 
 August. To-day I can but bid you a hurried farewell, 
 for the parcel must be despatched. 
 
 G. 
 
 * The closer relation between the Court of Weimar and that of 
 Prussia. On the occasion of the King's visit it had become evident 
 that it was a matter of necessity to complete the buildiDg of the palace.
 
 Letter C2S.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 241 
 
 628. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 15, 1799. 
 
 It is some unkind spirit that has, this summer, been 
 ruling your good projects and hopes, after having begun 
 by promising well, especially after your having success- 
 fully got rid of the Musenalmanach ; in addition to this, 
 certain persons cannot even be made to understand what 
 a sacrifice it is you are making. Jf only you are certain 
 of being free in a fortnight and for some length of time, 
 there is still hope that something essential may yet be 
 accomplished. 
 
 Your long absence is the cause also of my not receiving 
 any encouragement from without, and of my living merely 
 for my work. With the philosopher,* as you know, one 
 can now only play at cards, and with the poet, as I hear, 
 only at bowls. For it is said that Kotzebue, who, however, 
 is at present away, went in for this one social amusement 
 while he was here. 
 
 Be sure to send a copy of the Propylcea to Berlin very 
 soon, so that it may create a stir there before it gets there 
 through the publishers. We must really try to get some 
 things written against it, if none appear of themselves, 
 for people are most surely entrapped by love of mischief. 
 For this reason it would not be bad to describe the 
 Kunst-Sammler at the very outset — even in the advertise- 
 ment — as somewhat polemical. 
 
 Have you meanwhile been thinking further on the 
 subject of Dilettanteism ? I am longing for some such 
 incentive, and would gladly add my thoughts to it, provided 
 I had the actual condition of the collected material before 
 me. If it has been copied out and you do not require it, 
 please let me have it. 
 
 You have probably heard that our postmaster here, 
 Becker, intends putting a stop to the message-women 
 having anything to do with postal affairs, and that they 
 are no longer to be allowed to take parcels, merely letters 
 
 * Schelling. See Letter 559. 
 VOL. II. R
 
 242 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 which can be concealed. If only we could restore them 
 their old business ! 
 
 This Becker is a wretched fellow, and even in addition 
 to his pettifoggery as postmaster, is a mischievous member 
 of the community here, as he encourages all kinds of 
 mischief among the officials and other irregularities. 
 
 Farewell, and let us, if possible, during the next two 
 weeks of July settle some more points on Dilettanteism. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 629. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 17, 1799. 
 
 Considering the state 1 am in at present, the best thing 
 for me just now would be the conviction that what must 
 be done just now, is furthered by my presence; and 
 even though it were a mere delusion that I am necessary 
 here, still, there would be sufficient gained by it. I have 
 no thoughts for anything else, either poetical or literary, 
 scientific or philosophical ; my expectations are set upon the 
 beginning of August, when I hope to see you again. By 
 that time probably my Eussla business also will be put to 
 rio-hts. for I have still to receive the rents and some other 
 things of the same kind. 
 
 Madame de la Roche has really arrived in Osmannstedt, 
 and as I am at present in a state of humiliation. I am in 
 no want of the support of the unfortunate lady burgo- 
 master * to meet this visit properly. 
 
 Otherwise, as already said, nothing new. agreeable, or 
 refreshing to the spirit has occurred, and I am again forced 
 to close this letter even before it contains anything. 
 
 Farewell ; keep to your work and thus prepare me a 
 good reception. To your dear wife many kind greetings. 
 
 * See Letter 607 and note.
 
 Letter G30.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 243 
 
 630. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 19, 1799. 
 
 A few hours ago, after reading Schlegel's Lucinda, my 
 head felt so giddy, that I still feel the effects of it. You 
 must read the work if only for the sake of the astonish- 
 ment you will feel. It characterises the man, as does 
 everything descriptive in it, better than anything .else 
 he has published, only that it makes him even more of a 
 caricature. Here also we have things everlastingly form- 
 less and fragmentary, and an extremely rare combination 
 of the Ncbulistic and the Cliaracteristic which you would 
 never have considered possible. Feeling how little suc- 
 cessful he was with the Poetical, he has compounded an 
 ideal for himself out of love and wit. He fancies that he 
 has united an ardent and infinite capacity for loving, with 
 a horrible species of wit ; and after having taken up this 
 standpoint, considers everything allowable, and even 
 declares impudence to be his divinity. 
 
 The work, otherwise, is beyond reading through, for 
 the empty chattering goes too much against the grain. 
 After the rhodomontades about the Greeks and the time 
 which Schlegel has spent upon these, I should ha^e 
 hoped to have been, at all events, a little reminded of the 
 simplicity and naivete of the ancients ; but this production 
 is the climax of modern formlessness and unnaturalness. 
 one feels as if one were reading a conglomeration of 
 Woldemar* of Sternbald,-\ and of some shameless French 
 romance. 
 
 The essay on Dilettanteism has, as I hear, received new 
 subject-matter from the ladies and gentlemen of Weimar, 
 on the occasion of the opening of the private theatre 
 there. We shall, therefore, have but few friends among 
 them, however, the Jena people may console themselves 
 with the thought that equal justice has been done them. 
 
 Of my Mary Stuart you will not find more than one act 
 finished. This act has cost me a good deal of time, and 
 indeed will take me another week, as in it I have had to 
 
 * A romance by F. Jacobi. 
 
 f A romance by Tieck. See Letter 508. 
 
 R 2
 
 244 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [179D. 
 
 maintain the poetic struggle against the historical subject- 
 matter, and, with difficulty, obtained freedom for the 
 fancy over the historical matter, because I endeavoured 
 at the same time to take possession of all that the latter 
 contained and that could be put to use. The following 
 acts, I hope, will go more quickly, they are moreover 
 considerably shorter. 
 
 So you do not require the misfortune from Lobeda?* 
 The more the pity, I was about to say. I feel ill at ease, 
 when near this old lady-friend, for I am just at present very 
 sensitive to everything that depresses and confines me. 
 
 The enclosed page please forward to Yulpius. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends greetings. Augustus f was 
 with us yesterday. 
 
 Sch. 
 631. — Gottse to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 20, 1799. 
 
 Accept my thanks for having given me some definite 
 idea of Schlegel's wonderful production; I had already 
 heard a good deal about it. Everybody is reading it, and 
 everybody is finding fault with it, and yet one never hears 
 what is actually wrong about it. If it comes into my 
 hands, I too will have a look into it. 
 
 We have again, during the last days, had new proofs 
 of the horrors of dilettanteism, which are the more fright- 
 ful because people at times bungle pretty neatly, that is 
 to say, when it is once admitted that they may bungle. 
 But it is inconceivable that through this one attempt, all 
 social entertainment which, moreover, has nothing about 
 it that can be destroyed, should assume a hollow, flat and 
 egotistical turn, and that all real interest in artistic work 
 should be annulled by so frivolous a reproduction. 
 
 As for the rest, this case, as well as others in different 
 provinces, has confirmed me in my conviction, that we 
 others ought not to do anything but dwell within our- 
 selves, so that one proper work after another may be given 
 forth. All the rest is bad. 
 
 For this reason I congratulate you upon your first act, 
 
 * See Letter 6.07 aud note. 
 
 f Goethe's sou, then nine years U age.
 
 Lettek 632.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 245 
 
 trust soon to be with you again, and cannot give up the 
 hope that the end of the summer may yet prove fruitful 
 to me. 
 
 Farewell. Augustus was greatly delighted to see Karl 
 and Ernst again, of whom he had a great deal to relate. 
 
 G. 
 
 632. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 24, 1799, 
 
 I hear that you are in Eossla, from which I conclude, to 
 my great delight, that the day of your coming is now not 
 very far distant. My existence too will receive quite a 
 different swing when we are once more together, for you 
 always manage to drive me towards the outer world, and 
 into wider latitudes ; when I am alone I sink down into 
 myself again. 
 
 Tieck, of Berlin, has been to see you ; I am curious to 
 hear how you liked him now that you have had some 
 talk with him. I was not at all ill-pleased with him ; his 
 manner of expressing himself, although not showing any 
 great power, is refined, intelligent and significant, and 
 there is also nothing capricious or awkward about him. 
 On one occasion, when he broached the subject of Don 
 Quixote, I strongly recommended him to turn his attention 
 to Spanish literature, which would bring him into con- 
 tact with rich, intellectual subject-matter, and would, it 
 seems to me, suit his taste very well, owing to his fond- 
 ness for what is fantastic and romantic. His pleasing 
 talent would in this way work fruitfully and agreeably 
 and be in its element. 
 
 Mellish has sent me from his citadel * a few fragments of 
 The Piccolomini, which appeared in the Allgemeine Zeitung, 
 translated into iambics which, if they are quite in accord- 
 ance with the English language, express the ideas very 
 well, and are also a good imitation of the peculiarity of the 
 diction. He would like to undertake the translation of 
 the whole play, provided that there were some substantial 
 
 * Mellish was residing in the Duke's palace at Dornburg, where 
 eo many happy, social gatherings had been held. See Goethe's Works, 
 vi. 96. (German edition.)
 
 246 COKEESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799 
 
 advantages to be gained for himself as well as for me, and 
 lias, accordingly, written to Sheridan on the subject. 
 
 The first act of my Mary I hope to get finished by the 
 end of this week. I ought, indeed, to have got further 
 forwards, but this month has not been as favorable to 
 me as the last ; I shall be content if I succeed in bringing 
 the third act back to town with me. 
 
 The thunder-storm over Osmannstedt seems to be dis- 
 persing. At least, I hear that relatives of Frau de la Eoche, 
 who reside here, have been called there to see her. 
 
 When you return to Weimar, please be so kind as to let 
 Gadike have what is ready of Fraulein lmhof 's poem, and 
 to give him the Almanack of 1797-1798 as a model, with 
 this difference, that he is to place only nine hexameters on 
 every page, and to leave an empty page before each of the 
 songs, upon which page nothing is to be printed except 
 the number of the song. 
 
 Farewell ; my wife sends you most kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 G33. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 24, 1799. 
 
 I can now hope soon to be able to come over to you 
 again ; possibly I may start on Saturday or Sunday. 
 Frau de la Eoche I have seen twice, first in Tieffurth and 
 then in Osmannstedt, and found her precisely what she 
 was twenty years ago. She is one of the levelling natures, 
 she exalts what is common and lowers what is exalted, 
 and then dishes up the whole with her own sauce for 
 any one to enjoy ; one might, moreover, say that her con- 
 versation presents points of interest. 
 
 Tieck * came with Hardenberg and Schlegel to dinner ; 
 to judge from a first appearance, he seems very pleasant. 
 
 * Tieck had been introduced to Goethe by A. W. Schlegel and 
 Hardenberg (Novalis). It -was he who drew Goethe's attention to 
 Ben Jonson, and persuaded him to read his Volpone. In his Annalen 
 Goethe writes : " Having returned to town (in Septemher) I studied 
 some of the earlier English plays, for the above-mentioned theatrical 
 purposes, more especially Ben Jonson, as well as others that are 
 ascribed to Shakespeare."
 
 Letter G34.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 247 
 
 He spoke little, but well, and has, in fact, made a very 
 good impression here. 
 
 To-morrow I have a large dinner party, and after that 
 shall prepare to start. 
 
 Gadike shall have the first two cantos before I leave ; 
 I am going over them again, but it is and remains a 
 difficult task. The work is like a bronze statue that has 
 been well thought out and well modelled, but which failed 
 in the casting. The further one gets into the details the 
 more there is to do. There is, of course, no help for it 
 now, and I must get through with it. 
 
 Farewell ; 1 hope now that I shall not need to write to 
 you again, and rejoice with all my heart at the prospect 
 of seeing you and your dear wife once more. 
 
 G. 
 
 634. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 27, 1799. 
 I have not received any letter from you to-day, probably 
 because you thought I should be coming ; however, I must 
 again begin my old litany, and tell you that I cannot get 
 away from here yet. Business affairs are like polypuses ; 
 if they are cut into a hundred pieces, every single piece 
 will again show signs of life. I have resigned myself to 
 circumstances, meanwhile, and try to put what time I 
 have of my own to as much good use as possible. But 
 every observation confirms me in my former resolution : 
 to turn my mind to works — of whatever species they may 
 be — and to their production, and to give up all theoretical 
 communications. My latest experiences have again con- 
 vinced me that people, in place of caring for any species 
 of real theoretical knowledge, prefer phrases by which 
 their proceedings may acquire some importance. I have 
 had terrible instances of this from a few foreigners who 
 came to see our collection, from the presence of our old 
 lady-friend, and, above all, from the newly established 
 amateur theatre ; hence the wall which I had already built 
 round my existence, I now intend raising a few shoe- 
 lengths higher.
 
 248 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 Inwardly things are, however, not looking at all so 
 bad. I have advanced a little in all the different branches 
 of my studies and my projects, whereby, at all events the 
 inward and ever-active life has manifested itself, and you 
 will find me in good spirits and in the mood for work. 
 
 I thought of coming over to you for a day, but this 
 would not do us much good ; for it will take some time 
 for us both to communicate our experiences to each othei 
 and to accomplish something. 
 
 To-day, as I hear, you are threatened with a visit from 
 Frau de la Eoche's descendants. I shall be curious to 
 hear how it goes off. As regards myself, I have, during 
 these last days, been in a pretty settled state of mind ; 
 vou will, however, be amused at the infinite misery Meyer 
 has been in on this occasion, for these unusual and — one 
 might doubtless say — unnatural phenomena * produced an 
 altogether new and fresh effect upon his pure mind. 
 
 That I may not appear quite empty-handed I enclose a 
 couple of curious productions, one of which will probably 
 divert, you more than the other. 
 
 Farewell ; think of me, and let me hear how you are, 
 and what you are about. 
 
 635. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, July 30, 1799. 
 
 I did confidently expect you to come on Saturday, and 
 for that reason put off our philosopher gathering in order 
 to be able to spend the evening with you undisturbed. All 
 the more grieved was I, after reading your letter, to see 
 my hopes melting away and losing themselves in un- 
 certainty. 
 
 There is now nothing for it but, as long as I can, to 
 throw myself into production, as there is no other way of 
 opening up my mind. I have, moreover, got thoroughly 
 into the second act of my royal hypocrite ; the first has 
 been copied out, and is awaiting your arrival. 
 
 You are probably right in thinking that one ought to 
 
 * Sophia and Adelgunde Bretano, the latter of whom resided with 
 her brother Clemens in Jena. See Schiller's remark on this piece of 
 news in the following letter.
 
 Letter 035.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 249 
 
 withhold theoretical communications and rather to pro- 
 duce. The theoretical pre-supposes the existence of the 
 practical, and is, even on this account, a higher link in 
 the chain. It seems also as if it required a more inde- 
 pendent imagination than for appreciating the actual 
 presence of a work of art, where the poet and artist coma 
 to the aid of the lazier or weaker imagination in the 
 listener or spectator, and present him with the material 
 object. 
 
 It also cannot be denied that feeling, in most people, is 
 more correct than their judgment. It is only with re- 
 flection that error steps in. I could very well name 
 several friends whom I should not be ashamed of pleasing 
 by some work, and yet would be very chary about asking 
 them to give me an account of their feelings. 
 
 Even if this were not the case, what person would care 
 to exhibit a work with which he was satisfied ? And yet 
 the artist and poet cannot overcome this desire. 
 
 The two ladies* did come to pay me a visit lately and 
 found me at home to them. The little one has a very 
 agreeable presence, which is not altogether destroyed in 
 spite of the defect in her eye. They gave me consolation 
 by telling me that the dread of the Snail (ScJineckef) 
 would probably deter their old grandmother from coming 
 here. They had a great deal to relate about the sumptuous 
 dinner at your house. I shall be anxious to have the 
 account which Meyer will give of them. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. She is too at a crisis 
 in her way, but will be out of it some months before I 
 shall. 
 
 Farewell, and may some good spirit soon allow us to 
 meet. 
 
 I have forgotten to write about the things sent lately. 
 Jakobi's J work I have not yet looked at ; however, the 
 poem § is merry enough, and has some capital ideas. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * See note to last Letter. 
 
 t Der Schneclce is a hilly part of the country between Weimar and 
 Jena, somewhat dangerous for carriage-driving. 
 
 X His Sendschrtiber an Fichte. 
 
 § "Viscount de Parny's comic epos entitled : La guerre des dieux 
 anciens et modernes.
 
 250 CORKESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1793 
 
 636. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 31, 1799. 
 
 It is very pleasant that at the moment when I am ex* 
 clusively praising and recommending productiveness I can 
 congratulate you upon it in a double way. May things, 
 in both cases, go off happily. 
 
 I knew beforehand that Parny * would give you pleasure 
 He has drawn a number of very good and ingenious 
 motives from his subject, and also describes things very 
 vividly and well. Only, it seems to me, he is not success- 
 ful in his disposition and gradation of these motives, on 
 which account the whole lacks unity. It also seems to 
 me that its outward and final purpose of casting the 
 Eoman Catholic religion into the mire is more apparent 
 than it is appropriate in a poet. It seemed to me as if 
 this little book might have been written expressly by an 
 order from theo-philanthropists. 
 
 It is true that these and similar subjects are more suit- 
 able for comic than for serious poems. Milton's Paradise 
 Lost, which I have accidentally taken in hand lately, has 
 led me to make some strange observations. In the case 
 of this poem, as with all modern works of art, it is, in 
 reality, the individual that manifests itself, that awakens 
 the interest. The subject is detestable, outwardly plau- 
 sible and inwardly worm-eaten and hollow. With the 
 exception of the few natural and vigorous motives, 
 there are a number which are lame and false, and which 
 offend one. However, it is assuredly an interesting man 
 that is expressing himself; it cannot be denied that he 
 possesses character, feeling, intellect, knowledge, poetic 
 and oratorical talents, and many other good qualities. 
 Kay, the rare and unique case of his being able to act the 
 unfortunate revolutionist better in the character of the 
 devil than of the angel, has a great influence upon the 
 plan and composition of the poem, just as the circumstance 
 of the author being blind affects its character and colour- 
 ing. The work will, therefore, ever remain unique and, 
 
 * See note to last Letter.
 
 Letter 636.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 251 
 
 as already said, the more defective it is as a work of art 
 the more will nature be triumphant in it. 
 
 Among other observations made in connection with this 
 work, I was also led to reflect upon free-will, a thing with 
 which I am otherwise not very ready to puzzle my brains ; 
 it plays but a poor part in the poem, as, in fact does the 
 Christian religion generally. For as soon as man is 
 assumed to have been good from the first, then free-will 
 is the stupid capacity of deviating from what is good by 
 choice, in order to become guilty by so doing ; on the other 
 hand, if man is assumed to be sinful by nature, or, to speak 
 more correctly, to be unconditionally liable to be carried 
 away by his inclinations — in the animal sense of the word 
 — then free-will is certainly an important factor which 
 presumes by virtue of its own nature to act contrary to 
 nature. We see from this also how it was that Kant was 
 forced to assume radical evil, and how it was that those 
 philosophers who find man so charming by nature, are so 
 little able to justify themselves in regard to his freedom, 
 and why they defend themselves so vigorously when 
 objections are raised against too high an estimate being 
 formed of his goodness from inclination. However, let 
 us reserve this for discussion by word of mouth, as also 
 Eeinhold's disquisitions on Fichte's atheism. 
 
 The letter to Lavater* on this same subject I have 
 commenced to read. Eeinhold's remarks appear to me, 
 in fact, to be very instructive physiologically, and, it 
 seems to me, come back in the end upon the old saying, 
 that everyone forms his own idea of God, and that we 
 neither can nor ought to deprive any one of this idea. 
 
 In order to escape from the noise around me on all 
 sides, I have determined to move to my garden-house and 
 to await there the arrival of the Duke and of Voigt the 
 Privy Councillor, which, I hope, will set me free from 
 my present post. 
 
 \\ hether the solitude of the Ilm valley will contribute 
 the one thing needful, time must show. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. The more our next meeting is delayed the more 
 
 * Reinhold's Sendschreiben an Lavater unci an Ficlde uber den 
 Glauben an Gott.
 
 252 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 delightful will it be when the time actually comes, for we 
 shall both have meanwhile again learned many a thing, 
 to communicate which will of itself be sufficiently in- 
 teresting. 
 
 G. 
 
 637. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 2, 1799. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your removal to your garden, 
 from which I expect good results for your productive 
 activity. After the long pause you have made, solitude 
 and a composed state of mind are the only things required 
 to set your spirit free. 
 
 While you have been looking into Milton's poem, I have 
 had an opportunity of glancing at the period in which it 
 was written, and which in reality gave rise to its com- 
 position. Terrible as the times were, they must have had 
 the power of awakening poetic genius, for the historian 
 has not omitted mentioning among the prominent persons, 
 several names famous in English poetry. Herein this 
 revolution is more fruitful than the French one, which 
 otherwise reminds one so strongly of it. The Puritans 
 play pretty much the same part as the Jacobins, the ex- 
 pedients are often the same as is also the issue of the 
 struggle. Such a period is quite calculated to destroy 
 poetry and art, for it stirs up and inflames the mind with- 
 out giving it an object. It then receives its object from 
 within, and the result is abortions of allegorical, subtle 
 and mystic representations. 
 
 I do not remember how Milton settles the question oi 
 free-will, but Kant's explanation is decidedly too monkish 
 for me; I could never become reconciled to it. All his 
 arguments are based upon this : that man possesses a 
 'positive impulse for what is good as well as for a state of 
 sensual well-being ; hence, that when he chooses what is 
 evil he is also in need of a positive inward reason for evil, 
 inasmuch as what is positive cannot be annulled by any- 
 thing that is merely negative. Here, however, we have 
 two things infinitely heterogeneous, the impulse for what 
 is good and the impulse for sensual well-being, treated as 
 entirely equal powers and quantities, because the free
 
 Letter G38.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 253 
 
 individual is regarded as quite equally opposed to and 
 betiveen the two impulses. 
 
 Thank God that we are not called upon to comfort the 
 human race in regard to this question, and that we may 
 keep in the realm of appearances. However, these obscure 
 points in nature are not without their value to the poet, 
 and more especially to the tragic poet, and not less so to 
 the orator, and are no small item in the representation of 
 the passions. 
 
 Please tell me in your next letter about what time the 
 Duke is expected back in Weimar, and when, therefore, 
 we may count upon your coming to Jena. I wish to know 
 this, as a short journey which I propose making with my 
 wife for a day or two, might depend upon this, and I should 
 not like to lose a day of your stay here. 
 
 My wife begs me to thank you heartily for your good 
 wishes. 
 
 Farewell, and let me soon have the pleasure of hearing 
 that the poetic hour has struck. 
 
 Sch. 
 638. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, August 3, 1799. 
 
 The solitude of my garden I am making use of, above 
 all things, in having my small poems — which Unger is 
 now in want of for the seventh volume — still more care- 
 fully arranged and copied out. While preparing such an 
 edition one requires to be in a composed and collected 
 state of mind, and in a good humour generally. If I could 
 add a few dozen new poems, so as to fill up certain gaps 
 and to enrich certain rubrics which are poorly represented, 
 I might make out a very interesting volume. However, 
 if I do not find time to consider the public, I will, at least, 
 act honestly towards myself and determine what I ought 
 to do even though I may not be able to accomplish it just 
 now. These will be leading hints for the future. 
 
 Milton's Paradise Lost, which I was reading this after- 
 noon, has furnished me with material for a variety of 
 observations which I hope soon to communicate to you. 
 The chief error he has committed — after having once 
 chosen the subject — is that, to a certain extent, he ha*
 
 254 COF.PvESPOXDESCL BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 introduced all his personages — gods, angels, devils and 
 men — unconditionally, and then — in order to allow them 
 to act — has, from time to time, in several instances to limit 
 them, for which he then tries to excuse himself, cleverly 
 it is true, yet generally in a somewhat humourous way. 
 Otherwise there can be no doubt that the poet is an 
 excellent and. in every sense, an interesting man, whose 
 mind is capable of appreciating the sublime, and it is 
 observable that the absurd subject aids rather than that 
 it inrpedes him in this tendency ; nay, that in the case of 
 such readers as credulously swallow the subject-matter, it 
 must prove a great advantage to the poem. 
 
 There is much else that I must leave unnoticed, as this 
 letter must be despatched to town. As to when I shall 
 be able to come, I would rather not say anything, as I 
 cannot say definitely as yet. Do not, therefore, let this 
 interfere with your little excursion. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 639. — SchillePw to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 6, 1799. 
 
 I have been rather late with my work to-day. and have 
 only time to send you a friendly greeting. I am glad to 
 hear that you are at work with your poems, and that tho 
 collection is now being printed. The class of Epistles and 
 of Ballads is the only one, so far as I know, in which you 
 have as yet no great quantity, unless you perhaps intend 
 adding to the Idylls. The Elegies, Epigrams and Songs, 
 however, are the more fully represented. It is to bo 
 hoped that you intend keeping to your proposal of intro- 
 ducing every one of your songs into the collection, even 
 those occurring in your larger works. It will be a rich 
 and a delightful collection, even though it is not carried 
 out in accordance with your own higher demands; 
 and what you may not accomplish just now can be done 
 at a future time, for such a work will be sure to be sold 
 out within three or four years. 
 
 I should nave been glad to have contributed some trifles 
 to this new Almanack, but do not feel at all in the propef?
 
 Letteb 040.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 255 
 
 humour for it, as my dramatic work draws me away 
 from everything else. This latter has been progressing 
 regularly as yet, and if the little excursion to Eudolstadt, 
 which I contemplate making, does not prove too much of 
 a diversion for me, I shall still be able to conclude my 
 second act this month. 
 
 Farewell in your solitude. It was a very great pleasure 
 to my little boy to have Augustus here the day before 
 yesterday. My wife sends kindest greetings. Parny * I 
 herewith return with many thanks. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 640. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 7, 1799. 
 
 I am going on busily with my work in the solitude of 
 my garden-house, and the clean transcript has also made 
 progress. I still cannot say how it may be with the col- 
 lection, one thing helps another. My present work re- 
 minds me of simpler and darker days,| and the poems 
 themselves of a variety of circumstances and states of 
 mind. I will but quietly do the next thing that has to 
 be done, and allow one thing to follow upon the other. 
 
 The Epigrams — as regards metre— are the most care- 
 lessly worked out and fortunately also the easiest to 
 correct, and the expression and meaning will often gain 
 something by this as well. Many a fault in prosody has 
 been struck out of the Eoman Elegies, and, as I hope, 
 successfully. In some of the impassioned works, for 
 instance, in Alexis und Dora, this will be difficult ; however, 
 1 must see what can be done, and the decision will in the 
 end rest with you, dear friend. Even though such im- 
 provements can be only partially effected, still, in trying 
 to accomplish them one shows one's perfectibility as well 
 as one's respect for the advances in prosody which, it can- 
 not be denied, Voss and his school have made. 
 
 In fact, this collection, if successful, ought in many 
 respects to appear a step in advance. 
 
 * See Letter 035 and note. 
 
 t The years of his first coming to "Weimar, which were troubled by 
 passion.
 
 256 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799 
 
 Meyer will provide half-a-dozen drawings for it, perhaps 
 but a couple immediately referring to the subject, or, as 
 might be said, historical in character; for instance, the 
 catastrophe in the Bride of Corinth. Others would require 
 to have a more remote symbolical reference. 
 
 ^'hile I am thus working my way out of what is old 
 into what is new, it is a very pleasant thought to me that 
 you have something quite new awaiting me, of which I 
 may be said to know next to nothing. Be industrious, if 
 circumstances will permit, and accomplish your trip to 
 Eudolstadt happily. Give Augustus occasionally a kindly 
 welcome at your house. As I could not run over to Jena 
 myself, those about me had to go ; for this much is cer- 
 tain, that, without absolute solitude, I cannot produce the 
 smallest thing. The quiet of my garden-house is, there- 
 fore, immensely valuable to me. 
 
 Again farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 G41. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 9, 1799. 
 
 I congratulate you upon the prosodical corrections you 
 have made in your poems. The last article in our scheme, 
 the completion, is also unquestionably in need of this 
 virtue, and the artist has herein something to learn of 
 the punctuator (Pundirer). There is this peculiar use of 
 the purity of the metre, that it serves as a sensuous repre- 
 sentation of the inner necessity of the thought, in the 
 6ame way as, conversely, any license taken with the metre 
 makes it appear very evident that there has been some 
 arbitrary proceeding. Looked at from this point of view 
 it is a matter of great importance, and touches upon the 
 most essential of the rules of Art. 
 
 With regard to the present time, every one interested 
 in good taste must rejoice that poems which possess 
 decided artistic value, are still subject to this standard. 
 Mediocrity is best combated in this way, for it silences 
 him who has no other talent but for writing correct verses, 
 and him who considers himself too origiral to turn hia 
 attention to metre with befitting diligence.
 
 Letter 642.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 257 
 
 The idea of adding some engravings to the work is a 
 very good one. They can be well paid for, and hence also 
 well executed ; but I would suggest that you should give 
 in to the general taste in so far as not to choose any in- 
 dividual illustrations. The catastrophe in The Bride is 
 very appropriate, and there are also subjects in Alexis unci 
 Dora, the Roman Elegies, and in the Venetian Epigrams, 
 which friend Meyer would be particularly well able to 
 execute. 
 
 I shall be very anxious to see how far you have got 
 with the editing business by the time you come here. A 
 few doubtful points concerning the metre would be 
 pleasant and instructive occupation to us. 
 
 No less anxious shall I be to lay before you the papers 
 which I have meanwhile been at work upon, and in 
 regard to which I have myself not formed any adequate 
 opinion. I have, however, each day vividly felt the 
 want of witnessing theatrical representations, and shall 
 have straightway to decide upon spending the coming 
 winter months in Weimar. The question about the 
 finanical means for carrying this matter into effect shall 
 be my next thought. 
 
 Fare well in your solitude. Whether and when I may 
 be able to set out upon my little journey, I still cannot 
 decide to-day. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 642. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 10, 1799. 
 
 After having spent this last week almost entirely in the 
 solitude of my garden-house, I have again been to town 
 for a day, and first of all visited the palace, where things 
 are in a pretty lively state. A hundred and sixty work- 
 men are busy there; I wish you could see the many 
 different kinds of mechanics at work in this small space. 
 To any thoughtful on-looker it is most interesting to 
 watch the work of the different degrees of skill, from the 
 rudest to the most refined. Each one does his own work 
 according to principles and from practice. If but the plan 
 
 vol. n. s
 
 258 COERESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1790. 
 
 upon which, all are at work were the best ! for, unfortu- 
 nately, a tasteful work as well as a barbarous freak is 
 accomplished in the same manner. 
 
 The poems are still being gone on with and copied out. 
 
 Through Stein's reflecting telescope I have paid a 
 visit to the moon. It is incredible with what distinctness 
 one can see its different parts; one must watch it both 
 while on the increase and while decreasing, and then the 
 outlines become very clear. I have also read and done all 
 kinds of other things. For it is only when in a state of 
 such absolute solitude — where one is altogether undis- 
 turbed and left to oneself — that one really feels and learns 
 to understand what the length of a day is. 
 
 There is no doubt that you would gain an immense deal 
 if you could be in the neighbourhood of a theatre for some 
 length of time. When living in solitude one is apt to cast 
 these objects too far from one. We would gladly do what 
 we could to further your wishes. The greatest difficulty 
 would be to find lodgings. As Thouret will probably not 
 come till the end of September, he will, no doubt, be kept 
 here the whole winter. Count Werther's haunted house, 
 which is very conveniently situated for any one who 
 wishes to visit the theatre often, is to be had, as far as 
 I know; it would be worth while to disenchant the 
 building. 
 
 Let us think the mattei over further. Meanwhile fare- 
 well, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 643. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 12, 1799. 
 
 The description you gave me of the animated scene at 
 the building operations very nearly tempted me to run 
 over for a day and thus to break the monotony of my 
 present mode of life by seeing something altogether 
 different. But great as might be the necessity of my 
 having some diversion, I am at present too deeply engaged 
 with my work, and must make double efforts to get for- 
 wards with it, as I do not know how much time and in- 
 clination for work I may not lose by the domestic event
 
 Letter 643.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 259 
 
 expected in the autumn. The journey to Kudolstadt, 
 which I contemplated making for the sake of giving my 
 wife and myself a little change, is still deferred for a week 
 or two, as it so happens that bird-shooting is going on 
 there just now, and my mother-in-law has left with the 
 Court. If, therefore, you can and would care to come to 
 us just now, you would find us ready to receive you. We 
 have been enjoying and making use of the fine weather. 
 
 That I shall, in future, spend the winter months in 
 Weimar, is now a settled point in my own mind. The 
 living presence of the theatre must keep me from making 
 any faux frais which, at present, I find unavoidable, 
 because I cannot picture to myself the living mass, and 
 the subject-matter also will then flow towards me in a 
 richer stream. This winter I shall be late in coming — 
 perhaps not till the end of January — on account of my 
 wife and the little one. Meanwhile I hope to be able to 
 come to some agreement with Charlotte about her rooms, 
 but shall certainly also inquire about Werther's house, as 
 its position is rather convenient for the theatre. What I 
 should like best would be to live in the market-place, in 
 which case I should be equally near you and my brother- 
 in-law. 
 
 The Duke, last spring, gave me to understand that he 
 would like me to come and live in Weimar more fre- 
 quently, and to stay longer when I came. Now, as he 
 could very easily be made to see how much better I my- 
 self should feel under these circumstances, I mean to 
 address myself to him with full confidence, and to beg 
 him to contribute something towards the increase of the 
 expenses I should incur by so doing. In fact, five years 
 ago I received from the Duke the promise of an increase 
 of salary, and he has been generous to me before this. If 
 my presence in Weimar could in any way benefit the 
 theatre — -and I should devote myself to it with my whole 
 heart — the matter could be the more easily arranged. 
 
 Let me have but a few words to say how the printing 
 of the Almanack is going on, for the time between this 
 and Michaelmas is already getting somewhat short. Meyer 
 will perhaps be kind enough to count the hexameters of 
 the whole poem, so that I may know for certain how 
 
 s 2
 
 260 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1790. 
 
 many sheets there are. I shall probably have to con- 
 tribute something to the Almanack, in order to keep my 
 promise with Cotta, even though The Bell should have to 
 be given for it. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings, and is 
 looking forward as anxiously as I am to your coming. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 64:4:. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 14, 1799. 
 
 The first sheet of the Almanack is now in the press ; the 
 type looks very well. The third canto I have now in 
 hand, and will do my utmost with it. It is true that, 
 being at present engaged in carefully revising my own 
 poems, the feminine peculiarities of our dear lady friend 
 strike me as being somewhat more loose and unconnected 
 than they did before, and Ave must see in what way we can 
 remedy this. The whole of it shall be gone over, and it 
 will then become clear that we shall, in any case, have to 
 add something to it. At any rate do not regret The Bell, 
 and I too will do my utmost to contribute something, 
 although I do not as yet know what or how. 
 
 As impending circumstances make it very doubtful 
 whether you will be able to spend this winter in Weimar, 
 and there is, in any case, no chance of your being here 
 during the first part of it, it would be best to let the 
 matter drop in the meantime; for should it so happen 
 that you could be here in October, you should not in 
 any way want the necessary means to facilitate your 
 coming to reside here. 
 
 My stay in my garden-house I am putting to as much 
 good use as possible in a variety of ways, and am glad to 
 see that I have advanced in many respects, and, at some 
 future day, shall heartily enjoy telling you of all this. 
 
 Be sure not to fail to concentrate your mind upon the 
 work you have commenced. There is, in truth, nothing 
 better to be wished for than to have a large quantity of 
 material to arrange. 
 
 As I have to go to the palace directly, and do not know
 
 Letter G45.1 SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 201 
 
 whether I shall be back in time, I will conclude my letter 
 now, and hope that you may both fare well. G. 
 
 645. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 16, 1709. 
 
 The Schlegels, as I found to-day, have added some more 
 stings to tlnir Athenceum, and are endeavouring by this 
 means — which is not ill-chosen — to keep their bark afloat. 
 The Xenia have proved a favourite pattern. There are 
 some good ideas in this literary Reichsanzeiger, and also 
 a great many that are merely impertinent. In the article 
 on Bottiger it is clear that its bitter seriousness has not 
 allowed humour to put in an appearance. The attack on 
 Humboldt is ill-mannered and ungracious, considering 
 that he has always been upon good terms with the 
 Schegels, and hence it is clear that they are rot worth 
 anything. 
 
 However, the Elegy addressed to you is good — except 
 for its great length — and contains much that is beautiful. 
 I also think that it shows greater warmth than one is 
 accustomed to find in the Schlegels' works, and several 
 points are admirably put. I have not read anything else 
 in this number. I do not doubt that it will find readers 
 enough in the path which it has struck out, but the 
 editors will not exactly gain any friends by it ; and, I fear, 
 there will also soon be a dearth of subject-matter, inas- 
 much as they have once and for all issued all their coin 
 in aphorisms. 
 
 If it were possible for you to manage to give something 
 for the Almanack, and I too could offer a contribution, I 
 should accept the articles by Matthisson, Steigentesch 
 and others, and give the Almanack its wonted, shape. 
 I should be glad were Cotta not to meet with any ill-luck 
 in this; however, I have the best hopes of the copper- 
 plates. 
 
 While thinking of your collection of poems it occurred 
 to me whether you might not enrich the class of didactic 
 poems — of which the Metamorjrfwsis of Plants forms one ; 
 perhaps the mood for this species of poetry could be found
 
 262 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 the quickest, as the incitement comes from the intellect. 
 When you come here and we talk the subject over, 
 perhaps something will speedily suggest itself, for the 
 poem on the Metamorphosis was quick in making its 
 appearance. It would, at the same time, be a contribution 
 for the Almanack. 
 
 My dramatic work is still making active progress, and 
 if nothing comes in the way, I may get the second act 
 finished before the end of August. It already exists in 
 rough. I hope that everything in this tragedy will be 
 suitable for the stage, although I shall draw things more 
 closely together still for the actual representation. As 
 it is a rich subject from an historical point of view, I have 
 treated it somewhat fully in an historical respect, and 
 employed motives which may please a thoughtful and 
 studious reader, but which are unnecessary in the re- 
 presentation where the object is actually present, and 
 devoid of interest on account of the ignorance of the 
 general public in matters historical. Otherwise, in the 
 work itself, I have calculated upon everything that will 
 have to be omitted for stage purposes, and these will in no 
 way give me as much trouble as those in Wallenstein. 
 
 Farewell, and let us soon have the hope of seeing you 
 here. My wife sends kind greetings. She is in hopes 
 that our removal to Weimar may not be deferred later 
 than the middle of January. Perhaps I shall be able to 
 come earlier. 
 
 Farewell. Many kind greetings to Meyer. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 646. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 17, 1799. 
 
 If, in future, I determine to send you somewhat longer 
 letters, I shall have to write beforehand, for when, as 
 happens to-day, I am obliged to start for town early, I 
 cannot readily collect my thoughts again. 
 
 I must beg you to be sure to provide something more 
 for the Almanack ; I will do my part, and promise this as 
 certainly as such things can be promised. Further, get 
 all you possibly can from Steigentesch and Matthisson,
 
 Letter 646.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 263 
 
 so that the Almanack may assume more of its old appear- 
 ance. The poem, the more one looks at it, makes one fear 
 that it will not produce much effect in the main, pleasing 
 as it may be to persons possessing a certain degree of 
 culture. A barbarous custom as a subject, tender senti- 
 ments as substance, and an undulistic style of treatment, 
 give to the whole a peculiar character and special charm, 
 which one must either be naturally constituted to ap- 
 preciate, or, in the first place, get oneself so constituted. 
 The worst of it is that I am afraid about the engravings. 
 The man is a mere punctuator, and an aggregate of such 
 points does not produce any form. You shall ere long 
 hear how much the whole amounts to; the first two 
 cantos print three sheets. 
 
 I am quite of your opinion with regard to the warfare 
 waged by the Schlegels. The Elegy ought to have been 
 divided into several, in order to facilitate the reader's 
 interest in and survey of it. 
 
 The other jests will attract readers enough, and there 
 will also be no want of effect. Unfortunately both 
 brothers lack a certain inner basis of character which 
 would keep and hold them well together. A youthful 
 failing is not to be admired except in so far as one may 
 hope that it will not be the failing of old age. It is 
 really a pity that the page devoted to Bottiger is not 
 merrier. Some of the ideas in the other rubrics are 
 very good. As for the rest it could in no way be expected 
 — personal relations even considered — that one should 
 escape from them unscathed. However, I could sooner 
 pardon them for saying anything amiss, than I could the 
 detestable style of these masters in journalism. 
 
 Bottiger has committed the canaillerie of having twice 
 mentioned the Propylcea on the blue cover of the Mercury, 
 for which reason it would serve him right to have his ears 
 cut off, and it seems as if this were likely to be done to 
 him a second time, were it found that they were growing 
 again. 
 
 The disrespect they show towards Wieland they ought 
 to have left alone. But what can one say to it when they 
 themselves have been badly treated by his firm ? 
 
 Farewell, I feel unsettled and not in the humour for
 
 26*4 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 anything. My kind greetings to your dear wife. I hope, 
 for both our sakes, that we may soon spend a long day 
 together in each other's company, and wish you every 
 "blessing" for your work, to use Madame la Eoche's* 
 favorite mode of expression. 
 
 G. 
 
 647. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 20, 1799. 
 
 I have during these last days come upon the track of a 
 jiew possible tragedy t which, it is true, has in the first 
 place still to be wholly invented ; but, as it seems to me, 
 can be invented out of the said subject-matter. 
 
 In the reign of Henry VII. of England, there arose a 
 Pretender, Warbeck by name, who gave himself out to be 
 Edward V., one of the princes whom Richard III. had 
 caused to be murdered in the Tower. He managed to 
 give plausible reasons as to how he had been saved, found 
 a party who acknowledged him, and wished to set him 
 upon the throne. One of the princesses of the House of 
 York, of which. Edward was a descendant, and who was 
 anxious to raise disturbances against Henry TIL, knew of 
 the plot, and supported it ; in fact, it was mainly her con- 
 trivances that had brought TVarbeck upon the scenes. 
 After he had lived at her court in Burgundy as a prince, 
 and had acted the part for some length of time, the under- 
 taking failed, he was overthrown, unmasked and executed. 
 There is, indeed, next to nothing in the story itself 
 that could be made use of; but the situation, taken as a 
 whole, is very suggestive, and the two figures of the 
 Pretender ancl the Duchess of York might serve as the 
 foundation of a tragic action that might be very freely 
 invented. In fact, I think it would be well to take from 
 history merely the general situation of the times and the 
 personages, and to invent everything else with full poetic 
 licence ; this would give rise to an intermediate species 
 
 * To Vieland's annoyance, Madame de la Roche perpetually used the 
 word segnen (to ble<s) instead of danken (to tiiank). 
 
 t The plan of Warbeck occupied Schiller frequently even at a later 
 day, until his Demetrius was thought of, when it was set aside for the 
 latter, hut nevertheless often again cropped up.
 
 Letter 647.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 265 
 
 of subject which would combine the advantages of the 
 historical drama, and that of pure invention. 
 
 With regard to the treatment of the subject in question, 
 one would need, it seems to me, to act quite differently to 
 what a comic poet would do. The latter would have to 
 make something ludicrous out of the contrast between the 
 important part to be played by the Pretender and his 
 inability to play it. In tragedy he would have to appear 
 born for the part he has to play, and he would have to 
 make it so completely his own, that interesting struggles 
 would break out between him and those who wished to 
 make use of him as their tool and to treat him as their 
 puppet. The state of affairs would have to look exactly 
 as if the deception had merely pointed out to him the 
 position which nature itself had intended him to occujDy. 
 The catastrophe would have to be brought about by his 
 adherents and supporters, not by his enemies ; also by love 
 intrigues, by jealousy and such things. 
 
 Should you find anything good in this subject as a 
 whole, and think that it can be used as the foundation of 
 a tragic story, I would now and then occupy myself with 
 it; for when I am in the middle of any work, I feel, 
 occasionally, the necessity of thinking of a new one. 
 
 You do not give me any comforting news about the 
 Almanack. As regards the illustrations, I did not set my 
 hopes upon the excellence of the engravings, for people 
 are not at all spoilt in this respect; and as this style of 
 things is popular upon the whole, and the drawings 
 made with intelligence to boot, we need not be afraid of 
 presenting ourselves. The remark you make about the 
 poem itself is to me a more serious matter, especially as I 
 myself had similar misgivings about it. I do not yet 
 know what will have to be done to it, for I cannot manage 
 to turn my thoughts to anything lyrical. 
 
 Further, it is an unfortunate circumstance that we have 
 reserved a very small space for the small poems that were 
 to have been appended, and which, therefore, will now 
 have to be filled up with important things. As soon as I 
 get my second act finished I will think the n at or over 
 seriously. 
 
 Farewell ; my wife sends kindest greetings. Sen.
 
 266 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 648. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 21, 1799. 
 
 My quiet life in my garden still continues bearing good 
 fruits, although these may not be numerous. 
 
 I have been busily engaged with Winckelmann's life 
 and works. I must try to become clear about the services 
 rendered by this sterling man, and the influence he 
 exercised. 
 
 My smaller poems have likewise been further arranged 
 and corrected. Here, also, it becomes evident that every- 
 thing depends upon the principle upon which one acts. 
 Now that I recognise the necessity of stricter metrical 
 rules, they are more of a help than a hindrance to me. 
 There are, indeed, still many points which it will be 
 necessary to understand more fully. Yoss would, even 
 ten years ago, have done a great service had he written 
 somewhat less mysteriously on this subject in his Intro- 
 duction to the Georgics. 
 
 This week, contrary to my usual custom, I have 
 generally remained up till midnight to await the appear- 
 ance of the moon, which I have been watching with 
 Auch's telescope, and have been greatly interested. It is 
 very delightful to become so intimately acquainted with 
 so important an object of which but a short time ago 
 next to nothing was known. Schroter's admirable work 
 on selenotopography is, indeed, a guide which shortens 
 the way very much. The great stillness at night, out 
 here in my garden, has likewise a great charm, especially 
 as I am not awakened in the morning by any noise, and 
 thus with a little practice I might one day deserve being 
 admitted among the company of the worthy lucifugae. 
 
 Your letter has just been brought in to me. The new 
 tragic subject which you propose, seems at first sight to 
 possess many good points, and I will think it over. There 
 is no doubt that when history furnishes the simple fact, 
 the bare object, and the poet the substance and the treat- 
 ment, that things are better and more convenient than 
 when we have to make use of the details and minutiaj
 
 Letter 648.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 267 
 
 given by history; for in the latter case we are always 
 obliged to take up the particulars of the given state of 
 affairs, we get away from what is of purely human interest 
 and poetry suffers in consequence. 
 
 Of prize-drawings * only one has come in that claims 
 consideration and shows praiseworthy points; a few 
 others are below all criticism, and one is reminded of the 
 German populace excited by the said puzzle. 
 
 With regard to the Almanack we shall have now to make 
 up our minds to devote each succeeding day to it and to 
 do our utmost. The third canto, which I have gone over 
 with the ladies, is now in the press, and we must now try 
 and do what we can with the fourth. There is still no 
 question that the poem shows a good deal of talent, and 
 that it possesses much that is good ; but with regard to 
 the way it is worked out, it is greatly inferior to what it 
 ought to be, although a good deal has been done to it since 
 you saw it. 
 
 Frau von Kalb is really having her things removed, and 
 the lodgings will, therefore, be vacant. Of course they 
 would not be let to any one except at a whole year's lease. 
 However, some decision ought to be come to, and for the 
 sake of the theatre there is every reason for us to aid you 
 in this move. 
 
 Bergraih Scherer, who is thinking of getting married, 
 is, I hear, speculating upon getting them ; if this were to 
 come about, the upper floor at Wolzogen's would become 
 vacant, and your family might reside there. We could 
 give you Thouret's rooms, and — if you approved of the 
 arrangement — we might contrive to find other quarters 
 for him. All this will have to be thought over and dis- 
 cussed, till some decision is come to. 
 
 Herewith farewell for to-day, and give my kind greetings 
 to your dear wife. G. 
 
 * In an Advertisement to Artists printed in the Allgemeine Zeitung 
 of the 3rd of July, and also in the third number of the Propylxa, 
 the subject for the prize theme was Aphrodite leading Helen to 
 Paris, according to the close of the third Book of the Iliad ; and more 
 importance was to be attached to the artistic idea than to the manner 
 in which it was executed, as the drawings were to be sent to Weimar 
 by the 25th of August. Two prizes of twenty and ten ducats 
 had been fixed.
 
 268 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799 
 
 049. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 24, 1799. 
 
 All things considered, I have now begun to believe that 
 we can scarcely hope to have yon here before autumn has 
 appeared. Thus the summer will have passed quite differ- 
 ently from what I anticipated . And although I am keeping 
 diligently to my work, and am making progress with it, 
 still, I feel that this privation affects my whole inward 
 state of mind, and in no small degree increases my desire 
 to spend the winter in Weimar. I do not, indeed, shut 
 my eyes to the fact that I cannot expect anything very 
 beneficial from the influence of society there, but personal 
 intercourse with you, occasionally meeting Meyer, sitting 
 in the theatre, and a certain reality of life which the 
 rest of the many people must necessarily bring before into 
 my view, will have a good effect upon me and my work. 
 My existence here is absolute solitude, and that is a little 
 too much. 
 
 I am every day expecting an answer from Frau von 
 Kalb about the lodgings which — if they are to be had — I 
 shall without hesitation take a lease of for a year from 
 Michaelmas. If I can arrange things so as to live com- 
 fortably with my family, I should prefer doing so; but 
 if this cannot be managed, I would gladly accept the 
 offer of Thouret's rooms. If my wife gets safely over her 
 confinement, I should be inclined to come over towards 
 the end of Xovember, at first by myself, till my family 
 could follow. This I should very much like to ac- 
 complish, so as to be able to work out the two last acts of 
 my play under the direct influence of the stage. 
 
 If, within ten days, you cannot come here at least for a 
 day or two I shall feel greatly inclined to run over to 
 you for a day, and to bring my two acts with me. For I 
 am anxious to have your opinion of them now, in order to 
 convince myself that I am on the right track. 
 
 I should like to be able to take part in your observa- 
 tions of the moon. The object has always forced me to 
 pay it a certain amount of respect, and I have never
 
 Letter 650.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 269 
 
 watched it without it having put me into a very serious 
 state of mind. When looked at through a good telescope 
 the outlines of the surface become very distinct, and the 
 thought of our being able to see this distant stranger 
 with any other sense than with the eye, has always 
 struck me as something fearful. A few dist,ichs on it 
 have already been penned ; these may perhaps help in 
 settling the requirements of the Almanack. 
 
 When you have time I should like to know whether 
 many of the books which I sent to the auction have 
 remained unsold ; for some one in Weimar is reported to 
 have lately said that I had myself bid for a number of 
 books, and this would not be any good sign. 
 
 Farewell in your busy solitude. Your strictness re- 
 garding metre will not a little edify gentlemen who go 
 in for the strict observance of rules. 
 
 My wife sends kind greetings, and is, like me, most 
 anxious to see you again. 
 
 Many kind greetings to Meyer. Sch. 
 
 650. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 24, 1799. 
 
 As things have not gone in accordance with our wishes 
 during the summer, we must hope that the winter will 
 bring us better luck. As soon as you have made up your 
 mind about your lodgings, we will see that wood is 
 ordered, for this is an article that has to be thought of in 
 good time. 
 
 Not a day passes without some gain, even though it be 
 but a small one, and thus one thing leads to another, and 
 in the end becomes something, for, of course, I am always 
 at work with noteworthy subjects. 
 
 Let us consider things a week longer, it will then be 
 decided whether I can come, and how soon. 
 
 Unfortunately, a good many of the books you sent to 
 auction have remained unsold. The amount realised was 
 not very large upon the whole, although several works 
 were sold at a sufficiently high price. The extracts are 
 now being made out and the money cashed.
 
 270 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 From time to time conferences are being held respecting 
 Tlie Sisters of Lesbos * which — as usually happens on such 
 occasions — at times lessen one's hopes and then again 
 revive them. 
 
 I am looking forward to seeing your work and to 
 spending a few quiet days near you. To-day, however, I 
 shall not add more, for a visit to the Palace this morning 
 has distracted my thoughts, and I do not feel able to 
 concentrate my mind upon any one object. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear 
 wife. 
 
 G. 
 
 651. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 27, 1799. 
 
 After weighing and considering the various circum- 
 stances, I find myself obliged to tell you that I shall not 
 be able to come to you for the next few days, but that I 
 am all the more anxious for you to come here, more 
 especially on account of the lodgings. 
 
 The state of matters is this : Frau von Kalb appears to 
 have made some agreement with Bergrath Scherer, to let 
 him have a lease of her rooms ; at all events, circumstances 
 lead one to suppose this. However, the landlord, Miiller, 
 the wigmaker, need not consent to this sub-letting of 
 apartments, unless he feels so inclined, and would give you 
 the rooms if I asked him ; however, he would like you to 
 take them for a few years, which you might very well 
 do, for you would always find people ready to take 
 them off your hands again. The main thing now, there- 
 fore, is lor you to see the rooms yourself, so that you 
 may talk the matter over and come to some decision. 
 You could bring your play with you, and I, on my part, 
 should doubtless also have something to communicate 
 to you. I am still living in my garden-house, and you 
 could drive straight here; Meyer would arrange about 
 your remaining over night. By this means all the 
 
 * Amalia von Imhof s poem, which has been discussed in several of 
 the preceding Letters.
 
 Letter 652.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 271 
 
 necessary points could be settled, and other things would 
 follow as a matter of course. 
 
 I send this letter by post, and will not add more 
 to-day. Farewell. 
 
 J G. 
 
 652. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 27, 1799. 
 
 Upon getting up this morning I was very agreeably 
 surprised by the arrival of a weighty parcel from the Hof- 
 Tcammerrath* and again send you my very best thanks 
 for having led this stream of money into my coffers. 
 The spirit of the old general f is acting like a true ghost, 
 he is helping to raise treasures. In Eudolstadt also, as I 
 hear through letters, there has been a great run after 
 Wallenstein. I should like to know how that pretty little 
 woman Yohs J managed to get out of the business. 
 
 My second act 1 finished yesterday, and after a well- 
 meant, and yet vain, endeavour to persuade a lyrical mood 
 to come over me for the sake of the Almanack, have 
 to-day commenced the third. The only means now of 
 drawing myself away from Mary, and of inducing me 
 to set about my lyrical work, would be to have some 
 outward diversion. The week's journey to Eudolstadt 
 would be a good thing for this. As soon as I hear from 
 you, whether and when I can see you here or in Weimar, 
 1 shall make my arrangements. But I shall not leave 
 before the 8th of September, as the foreign visitors will 
 not have left before that. 
 
 During my many reflections as to what new form of 
 contribution we might make use of for the Almanack, a 
 new species of Xenia — for friends and contemporaries — 
 suggested itself to my mind. The turn of the century 
 would not be an inappropriate occasion for raising a 
 
 * On the 21st of the same month Goethe had written to Kirms: 
 "As the performances in Lauchstedt are now concluded, I wish you 
 would send Ho/rath Schiller what is owing to him. Please let me 
 know to what it amounts." 
 
 + The reference is to the play of Wallenstein, performances of which 
 had been given at Lauchstedt. 
 
 J The actress who played the part of Thekla.
 
 272 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799, 
 
 monument to all such as have wandered with us through 
 life, and by whom we have felt ourselves improved, 
 and also to those with whom we are not personally 
 acquainted, but whose influence we have felt to have been 
 of use to us. Of course vestigia terrent. Fault-finding is 
 always a more grateful subject than praising; Paradise 
 Eegained is not as successful as Paradise Lost, and Dante's 
 Heaven is likewise much more wearisome than his Hell. 
 Moreover the time is too short for so praiseworthy a 
 scheme. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. I have been rather too long over 
 my other occupations. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 We are all expecting you, the children too. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 653. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 28, 1799. 
 
 My letter of yesterday has, I hope, made you decide to 
 come over for a few days, and I am dictating these lines 
 only so as to strengthen you in your decision. You shall 
 hear a good many things about the performances of 
 WaUenstein, and of everything in connection with them. 
 
 You shall also see the prize-drawings,* and admire 
 Helen in many a different form. There are, after all, only 
 nine of them. 
 
 The Almanack, and many another subject, we will 
 discuss by word of mouth. 
 
 Farewell, and give kind greetings to your dear wife, 
 whom, I hope, you will bring with you. 
 
 654. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jeua, August 28, 1799. 
 
 Charlotte Kalb has written, and tells me that the 
 lodgings are at our disposal, if we will agree to her 
 conditions. She has not made any arrangement with 
 Scherer as yet. 
 
 Unfortunately, on account of toothache and a swollen 
 cheek, I cannot come over immediately; this, however, 
 
 * See Letter 64S and note.
 
 Letter 655.] ' SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 273 
 
 need not affect our negotiations about the lodgings. My 
 wife, on one occasion, was shown all over them, and the 
 front rooms belonging to the gentleman and lady, I 
 know also. The arrangement quite meets our wishes, 
 and I shall not hesitate to agree to them at once. Will 
 you, therefore, have the kindness to get Miiller to draw 
 up the contract ? I would prefer it to be made out for two 
 years rather than for any longer period of time ; but one 
 year more or less would not matter much, we should 
 always find persons who would be glad to take the rooms. 
 As for the rest, I presume the rent is the same as 
 what Frau von Kalb paid, namely, 122 Eeichsthalers 
 (about £19), the Laubthaler * at one Reichsthaler fourteen 
 Grosehen. 
 
 When I come I should like, if you will allow me, to 
 lay before you my wishes and estimates regarding this 
 new arrangement. 
 
 My toothache should not keep me from coming to you 
 to-morrow at once, were it not that, unfortunately, the 
 pain increases when I talk or read ; otherwise I can bear 
 it pretty well. 
 
 I am anxious to see what you have to show and to 
 tell me, and, in fact, am longing heartily for the inter- 
 course which has so long been denied to us. 
 
 My wife will not fail to come with me. With great 
 pleasure do I accept the permission to stay with you, and, 
 if at all possible, I shall come on Saturday. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 655. — Schiller to Duke August of Weimar. 
 
 Jena, September 1, 1799. 
 Most Illustrious Duke, 
 Most Gracious Prince and Master ! 
 
 The few weeks of my stay in Weimar near Your 
 Highness during last winter and in the spring, exercised 
 so inspiriting an influence upon my state of mind, that 
 I have doubly felt the dearth and the utter want of 
 artistic enjoyment and intercourse which is my lot here 
 in Jena. As long as I was engaged with philosophy I 
 
 * A Laubthaler, whir>h was an older coin than the Reichsthaler 
 (rix-dollar), was about the value of six livres. 
 
 VOL. II. T
 
 274 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 felt myself perfectly in my sphere here; but now that 
 inclination and the improved state of my health have 
 led me back to poetry with renewed zeal, I feel as if 
 I were turned out into a desert waste. A place where 
 only learning, and metaphysics in particular, are the 
 order of the day, is not a favorable one for poets; they 
 have at all times prospered only under the influence of 
 art and of genial intercourse. In addition to this, my 
 dramatic labours render it of the utmost importance that 
 I should be enabled to witness theatrical representations, 
 and I feel perfectly convinced of their happy influence 
 upon my works. All these considerations have awakened 
 in me an intense desire to spend the winter months in 
 Weimar. 
 
 But, upon comparing this desire with my financial means, 
 I find that it is beyond my power to defray the expenses 
 of a double establishment and the higher prices of most 
 of the necessaries of life in Weimar. In this dilemma I 
 venture to appeal directly to your Highness's generosity, 
 and do so all the more confidently on account of the 
 reasons which induce me to make this change of residence, 
 which I venture to hope will meet with your Highness's 
 gracious approval. The desire which urges me to make 
 this change, gracious Sir, is to be nearer yourself and the 
 illustrious Lady Duchesses, and, by my active endeavour 
 to obtain your approval, to become myself more perfect in 
 my profession, nay, perhaps even by this means to con- 
 tribute some few things for your special enjoyment. 
 
 As, in the main, I can rely upon the fruits of my own 
 industry, and it is in no way my intention to be less 
 industrious than formerly, but rather to be doubly active, 
 I venture to address this most humble petition to Your 
 Highness, graciously to render less irksome the increase of 
 the expenses which will yearly become greater upon my 
 removal to Weimar and the keeping up of two establish- 
 ments, by granting me an increase of salary. 
 I remain, with the deepest devotion, 
 
 Most Illustrious Duke and Gracious Master, 
 Your most obedient Servant 
 
 Fr. Schiller.* 
 
 * The Duke's answer to this letter, dated September 11, may be 
 quoted here : " The plan which you propose, of spending this winter
 
 Letter 656.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 275 
 
 656. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, September 3, 1799. 
 
 I have not received any further news from yon about 
 the lodgings, and now fully calculate upon your having 
 taken a lease of them for me. Circumstances oblige me 
 to take the trip to Eudolstadt a week earlier than I 
 proposed. We start to-morrow, and I hope to be able to 
 be in Weimar by Tuesday or Wednesday. Your letter 
 would, therefore, not find me here to-morrow. Hence, un- 
 fortunately, I shall not hear anything of you during the 
 coming week unless the theatrical despatches between 
 Weimar and Eudolstadt bring me a few lines. 
 
 I shall now have to make a pause in my dramatic 
 work for a time, if anything is to be done for the 
 Almanack. The break, moreover, is an appropriate one, 
 as I have brought the action up to the scene where the 
 two queens meet. The situation is, in itself, morally 
 impossible; I am very curious to see how far I have 
 succeeded in making it possible. The question applies to 
 poetry generally, and hence I am doubly anxious to 
 discuss it with you. 
 
 I am beginning, in Mary Stuart, to use the metre with 
 more licence, or rather variety, where the occasion justifies 
 me in so doing. An alternation of this kind is met with 
 
 and perhaps the following ones here, is so agreeable to me and so 
 much in accordance with what I myself would wish, that I very gladly 
 consent to contribute something towards rendering your stay here less 
 burdensome to you, and therefore 200 Ethlrs. (£30) shall be added to 
 your salary from Michaelmas of this year. Your presence will be of great 
 use to our social relations, and your work might perhaps be rendered 
 easier to you, if you would show the frequenters of the theatre here 
 some confidence, and honour them by giving them those plays upon 
 which you are still engaged. That which is intended to influence 
 society, certainly becomes better developed when one meets a variety 
 of people than when one lives in a state of isolation. It is to me in 
 particular an especially precious hope that I shall be able to see you 
 frequently, and repeatedly to assure you, in person, of the great esteem 
 and friendship I feel for you, and herewith I remain, Herr Ho/rath, 
 your friend and well-wisher 
 
 Karl August, H. z. 8. W. 
 T 2
 
 276 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 in Greek pieces, and the public must get accustomed to 
 everything. 
 
 Most glad I am to be coming to you again, although 
 the way will be a very roundabout one, for I shall go direct 
 from Eudolstadt to Weimar. 
 
 Farewell during the coming week. My wife sends 
 kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 657. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 4, 1799. 
 
 As theatrical despatches are just about to leave for 
 Eudolstadt, I will not let the messenger off without a 
 few lines to you. 
 
 I have settled matters with Miiller about the house; 
 Charlotte intends leaving some things in it, which is 
 very friendly on her part. 
 
 I hope you may get safely over your journey here. 
 The road to Eudolstadt has not been a very fortunate one 
 this time for the Weimarians.* 
 
 It will be a pleasure to me to discuss your Mary with 
 you. With regard to the situation, it belongs, if I am not 
 mistaken, to the romantic class. As we modern writers 
 cannot, in fact, escape from the tendency, we shall have 
 to let it pass, if only the probability of the case is in 
 some measure saved. Certain it is, however, that you 
 will have done even more than this. I am extremely 
 curious to see how you have treated the case. 
 
 Our prize-drawings are now arranged ; the hall is not 
 open yet, and only a few persons have seen them, but it 
 seems to me that the circle of opinions has already been 
 pretty well exhausted. 
 
 The Absurd is being cried down by every one, and 
 people are delighted to see something so far beneath them. 
 Mediocrity they rise above with complacency. Plausibility 
 is praised unhesitatingly and unconditionally, for plau- 
 sibility is, in reality, that which has a general value in 
 practical experience. The Good, which, however, is not 
 perfect, is passed over in silence ; for, that which is found 
 
 * The Weimar theatrical company.
 
 Letter 658.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 277 
 
 to be genuine in what is good commands respect, while 
 that which is felt to be imperfect awakes doubt ; and he 
 who cannot himself do away with the doubt does not care 
 to compromise himself, and herein acts very wisely. That 
 which is Perfect — where it is to be met with — gives 
 thorough satisfaction, in plausibility it is superficial, and 
 thus both together produce a similar effect. 
 
 We shall see whether the public shows itself in even 
 greater variety. Try and see whether you cannot com- 
 plete the sketch on the journey you are about to make. 
 It would be nice to bring things to a point where we 
 should know what opinion people would be obliged to 
 pronounce. 
 
 Farewell and enjoy yourself. My kind greetings to 
 your dear wife, and come safely to us. I am longing as 
 much to see you again, as I am wishing for a new period 
 to enter into the present state of my affairs, for things 
 are beginning to stagnate in me a little. 
 
 G. 
 
 658. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 The parcel * surprised me not a little ; and although it 
 reminds me again of my old indecision (for I had to-day 
 firmly resolved to give up contributing anything to the 
 Almanack, and accordingly again set to work at my 
 Mary) still, it gives me courage also ; perhaps it had the 
 same effect upon you. 
 
 Farewell. I hope to see you early to-day, even though 
 the weather interferes with the proposed garden-party. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * A parcel from Zelter, the composer, on September 21, who sent 
 both Goethe and Schiller a uew edition of his songs. This collection 
 now contained his music to Goethe's Zauberlehrling and his Erinnerung, 
 to Amalia von Imhof s Sonett, and to Schiller's Mddchens Klage, all of 
 which poems had been published in the Musenalmanach of 1798 and 
 1799.
 
 278 COKKESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 659. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 15, 1799. 
 
 Our little Caroline was baptized this forenoon, and I 
 am beginning to get a little peace again. My wife is 
 feeling pretty well, considering the circumstances, and 
 the child too has been doing very well during the last 
 two days. 
 
 I have now also begun to look over Mahomet, and to 
 make some notes upon it, which I will send you on 
 Friday. This much is certain, if any attempt is to be 
 made with a French piece, especially with one of Voltaire's, 
 his Mahomet is the best one to choose for the purpose. 
 Its very subject saves the piece from being received with 
 indifference, and its treatment shows much less of the 
 French style than the rest of the pieces that occur to me 
 just now. You have yourself done a great deal for it, 
 and will, without any great amount of trouble, be able to 
 do something more important to it still. Accordingly I 
 do not doubt that the result will prove that the experi- 
 ment was worth the trouble. However, notwithstanding 
 this, I should hesitate making any similar attempt with 
 other French pieces, for it is not likely that there is a 
 second fit for the purpose. If the style is destroyed in the 
 translation, there remains too little of what is poetically 
 human, and if the style is retained and its excellences 
 are held forth in the translation, the public would be 
 scared. 
 
 The nature of the Alexandrine to divide into two equal 
 halves, and the peculiarity of the rhythm to form a 
 couplet out of two Alexandrines, not merely determine 
 the whole language, but also determine the whole inner 
 spirit of the pieces. The characters, the sentiments, 
 the actions of the personages, everything is thus classed 
 under the rule of contrast ; and precisely as the musician's 
 fiddle directs the movements of the dancers, so the double 
 nature of the Alexandrine affects the movements of the 
 mind and thought. Demands are perpetually made upon
 
 Letter 6G0.] SCHILLER AND OOETHE. 279 
 
 the understanding, and every feeling, every thought 
 forced into this form as into the bed of Procrustes. 
 
 Now, in a translation, by destroying the Alexandrine 
 rhythm, the whole foundation upon which these pieces 
 have been built, is undermined, hence there cannot be any- 
 thing left but the ruins. The effect is no longer intelligible 
 for the cause has been lost. 
 
 I fear, therefore, that we shall not be able to obtain 
 much that is new from this source for our German stage, 
 unless it be the bare subject-matter. 
 
 During the two days since your departure I have not 
 worked at all, but hope to set to work again to-morrow. 
 
 Please have the kindness to send me the sheets of the 
 Almanack by the message-woman, or — if one is to be had 
 — a copy with the sheets sewn together. 
 
 To Meyer my kind greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 660. — Goethe to SchillePw. 
 
 Weimar, October 16, 1799. 
 
 I am heartily glad that your wife and the baby are as 
 well as circumstances permit. I trust they will both 
 continue to improve. 
 
 I am again in the midst of the distractions of my 
 Weimar life, so that not even a trace of an iambus is left 
 in my head. I had intended to examine the first scene a 
 little yesterday, but I could not even read it. Be sure to 
 tell me something about the piece soon, and to send me 
 my translation so that I may at least think it over, and 
 thus work the whole together as soon as possible. In 
 order to do this, however, it will be necessary for me 
 again to decide upon a stay in Jena. 
 
 Herewith I send your dear wife a flask of Eau de 
 Cologne to refresh her ; it is rolled in those sheets of the 
 Almanack which you want to have. 
 
 Farewell; the Almanacks will follow with the next 
 messenger, and things may then unravel themselves one 
 out of the other for the winter. 
 
 G.
 
 280 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799 
 
 C61. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 18, 1799. 
 
 My wife is now beginning to recover from her great 
 weakness and is pretty well, considering all things, — the 
 baby very well. She bids me thank yon heartily for 
 your kind thought, and for the refreshment you have 
 sent her. 
 
 Here is Mahomet, together with a few observations 
 which I made while reading it. They apply, for the 
 most part, to the original itself, and not to the transla- 
 tion; but I think that the original ought of necessity 
 to be improved in this. 
 
 With regard to the arrangement of the whole, it 
 seems to be absolutely imperative that Ammon should be 
 introduced actively engaged, keeping the audience in 
 a state of suspense as to whether he will disclose the 
 secret about the children to Sopir. He must try several 
 times to get hold of the latter, must throw out hints and 
 so forth, so that the matter is never allowed to be 
 forgotten by the spectator, and that the fear upon which 
 all depends is nourished and kept alive. People must be 
 made to wish that they were able to drag this Ammon 
 and his revelation to the front by the ears, and to set all 
 their hopes upon his timely appearance, etc. 
 
 The scene in which Seide tells Ammon of the proposed 
 murder, and which is merely narrated in the piece, ought 
 to be actually represented upon the stage. It is too 
 important to the whole, and would, in addition, be a gain 
 for the theatrical effect. Hence Ammon would not require 
 to disclose his secret at once; there are other means by 
 which he could prevent the deed without putting him- 
 self in danger. Mahomet would only need to hear 
 from Omar that he had surprised Seide and Ammon in 
 passionate conversation, and found the latter in great 
 consternation. He might also hear of an attempt on 
 Amnion's part to speak privately with Sopir. This 
 would suffice to induce him to get rid of Ammon ; the 
 latter, in dying, would disclose everything to Phanor, 
 and the end might be what it already is in the piece.
 
 Letter 6G1.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 281 
 
 My idea would "be somewhat to this effect : When 
 Mahomet (in ii. 4) has told Omar of his love for Palmira, 
 Amnion should appear ; Omar should manage to move off, 
 and Ammon might then bring forward the proposal that 
 Mahomet should give the children back to their father, 
 thus making peace with Sopir and with Mecca. The 
 loves of the two being discovered, and the fear of incest 
 might be made a new inducement for him to do so. 
 Mahomet ought not to refuse him straightway, and merely 
 demand of him the strictest silence. 
 
 I would have Ammon appear a second time at the 
 beginning of the third act, between the two children. 
 They would have to show him their love for one another, 
 and he would have to show a certain amount of horror at 
 it. Besides this, Seide might here make the disclosure 
 that Mahomet had called upon him to do a bloody deed. 
 Ammon would be filled with terror, Mahomet's entrance 
 would have to frighten him away. 
 
 Upon his third appearance I would bring Ammon face 
 to face with father and son ; but, before he declared him- 
 self, Omar should enter and take Seide away. Ammon 
 should remain with Sopir ; part of the discovery, which 
 would now be made from the Arab's letter, would be 
 brought about by himself; Sopir would hear that his 
 children were still alive, but not who they were, as 
 Ammon should be interrupted while making his dis- 
 closure. He should merely have time to propose a 
 meeting at night. 
 
 Mahomet should meanwhile be led to suspect Amnion's 
 infidelity, and everything would then proceed as in the 
 piece. 
 
 I must break off, as I am interrupted. 
 
 Farewell ; I wish very much that, within the coming 
 week, you could make up your mind about the alterations 
 which it would be necessary to make in Mahomet, in order 
 that you might set to work with them at once when you 
 come here. 
 
 I miss the sixth and seventh sheets of The Sisters of 
 Lesbos. You perhi ps forgot to send them. Farewell. 
 
 Sch.
 
 282 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 662. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 19, 1799. 
 
 Many thanks for your remarks about my translation. 
 I shall keep them before me while studying the piece, 
 and this I shall now consider it my duty to do. The 
 idea of making Ammon appear three times is a very good 
 one, and I will try and find a somewhat important dis- 
 guise for him. Besides, as the matter has been brought so 
 far, it will not be difficult to keep up the interest to the 
 end. 
 
 This next week will again be taken up with a variety 
 of affairs, but after that I shall probably have to decide 
 upon paying you a visit again. 
 
 The Duke has sent me Martinuzzi's history ; * I enclose 
 his note from which you will see that he abandons the 
 idea itself, and hopes soon to see you draw up a sketch for 
 your Maltese Knights. 
 
 I enclose Voss's Almanack, in case you may not have 
 seen it. 
 
 This will also be accompanied by eight good and six 
 inferior copies of the Almanack. 
 
 Farewell, and give my kind greetings to your dear wife. 
 I am glad that, in one way or another, I may hope soon 
 to see you again. 
 
 663. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 22, 1799. 
 The recovery of my little wife is proceeding somewhat 
 slowly, but she has been spared all bad after-effects, and 
 the little one is growing daily, and proves herself a good 
 peaceful inmate of the house. Under these circumstances 
 I have not been able to collect my thoughts properly, for 
 
 * Probably Becliet, Histoire du ministere du Cardinal Martinusius. 
 A certain outward resemblance between the history of this Hungarian 
 prelate — who was murdered on the 16th of December, 1551, in his 
 palace at Alvintz, by the command of the Emperor — and that of 
 Wallenstein. seems to have drawn the Duke's attention to it.
 
 Letter 663.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 283 
 
 I cannot isolate myself, and am moreover called off too 
 frequently. 
 
 However, in order to be doing something, I have been 
 thinking over the arrangement of my Maltese Knights 
 tragedy, so that I may have something important to lay 
 before the Duke immediately on my arrival. The subject 
 will do very well, the punctum saliens has been found, and 
 the whole is very well adapted for a simple grand and 
 affecting action. It will not be the fault of the subject 
 if it does not become a good tragedy, and one such as you 
 would wish. I shall not, indeed, be able to do with as few 
 characters as you wish, this the subject will not permit, 
 but the variety will not distract the attention, and not 
 interfere with the simplicity of the whole. 
 
 Martinuzzi's history, which the Duke has sent you, does 
 not seem to me appropriate for tragedy. It contains mere 
 facts, no action, and everything in it is too political. I 
 am very glad that the Duke himself does not insist upon 
 it further. 
 
 Voss's Almanack really shows a complete break in his 
 poetic nature. He and his associates appear to be in 
 exactly the same stage of platitude, and to make up for 
 the want of poetry, are all filled with the fear of God. 
 
 I hope to hear to-morrow that you have meanwhile 
 gained something from Mahomet. 
 
 The Erlangen Gazette is said to contain a very offensive 
 criticism on Herder. 
 
 Our Almanack has been very well received, and presents 
 a noble enough appearance among its fellows. 
 
 I have been looking into Schlegel's new volume of 
 Shakespeare, and it seems to me the language is much 
 more harsh and stiff than in the first volumes. If you 
 find this to be the case, it would be well to recommend 
 him to be a little more careful. 
 
 My wife sends friendly greetings. Farewell. 
 
 Sch.
 
 284 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 6G4.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 23, 1799. 
 
 I congratulate you upon the continued good state of 
 things in the sick room ; perhaps I may myself pay it a 
 visit. My life here is as prosaic as Voss's Almanack, and 
 I do not, under the present circumstances, see any 
 possibility of making any progress with my work, for it 
 requires a tender state of mind. Just that which has now 
 to be done with Mahomet can, least of all, be accomplished 
 by mere reason. 
 
 Since Humboldt's letter * and your adaptation of 
 Mahomet have given me new light regarding the French 
 stage, I find more pleasure in reading their plays, and 
 have now begun CrebiUon. He is remarkable in a peculiar 
 way. He treats the passions like playing cards, which 
 are mixed, played out, and can again be shuffled and 
 played out without being in the least degree changed. 
 There is in him no trace of any fine chemical affinity, by 
 which they are attracted and repelled, united, neutralised, 
 again divided and repaired. True he does, in his way, 
 obtain situations which it would be impossible to obtain 
 otherwise. To us this manner would be intolerable, but 
 I have been thinking whether it might and should not be 
 successfully employed in an inferior kind of composition, 
 in operas and plays of chivalry and mystery. My thoughts 
 on the subject will lead to discussion and reflection. 
 
 I shall be very glad if you bring the scheme of your 
 Maltese Knights with you. If I can make it possible — but 
 more especially if I see no other way of getting my 
 Mahomet finished — I shall come over on the 1st of 
 November; by that time everything that depends upon 
 me here will be pretty well set agoing for a time. 
 
 From Frankfurt I have received the news that Schlosser f 
 is dead. The French and his own garden were the imme- 
 
 * This letter of Humboldt's was published in the fifth number of the 
 Propyl&a under the title of: Ueber die gegenicartige Franzodsdm 
 tragitehe Biihne. 
 
 t Goethe's brother-in-law who had returned to Frankfurt as syndic 
 some months previously. He died on the 17th of October.
 
 Letter 665.] SCHILLER AXD GOETHE. 285 
 
 diate causes of his death. He was in it when the French 
 were approaching Frankfurt; he was late, and found 
 the nearest gate locked, he had to hurry on to the next 
 one — which was a long way off — came into a very hot 
 room, and was thence called to the town-hall, whereupon 
 he was attacked by a fever, which proved fatal and carried 
 him off in a very short time. 
 
 Farewell, and let us make use of the days that are still 
 before us. 
 
 G. 
 
 665. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, October 25, 1799. 
 
 Since the evening on which I last wrote to you, the 
 6tate of things here has been very sad. That same night 
 my wife got worse, and her trouble has now taken the 
 form Of regular nervous fever, which causes us great 
 anxiety. She has, it is true, a good deal of strength con- 
 sidering the suffering she has gone through, but she has 
 been delirious for three days, has not had any sleep during 
 all this time, and is often in a very high fever. We are 
 still in great anxiety, although Starke still holds out great 
 hopes of her recovery. But even though things do not 
 come to the worst, a long period of great weakness is 
 inevitable. 
 
 I have suffered a great deal during these days, as you 
 may imagine ; however, the intense anxiety, worry and 
 sleeplessness has not affected my health, if only the con- 
 sequences do not show themselves later. My wife can 
 never be left alone, and will not allow anyone to come 
 near her except myself and my mother-in-law. Her 
 ravings pierce my very heart, and keep me in a perpetual 
 state of uneasiness. 
 
 The child, thank God, is well. I should not know what 
 to do without my mother-in-law, who is always sympa- 
 thetic, calm and composed. 
 
 Farewell ; it would be a great comfort to me to see you 
 here soon, although I cannot well invite you to come 
 under the present unhappy circumstances. 
 
 Sch.
 
 286 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 666. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 26, 1799. 
 
 Your letter, dearest friend, has brought me the most 
 unpleasant news. Our circumstances are so closely inter- 
 woven that what concerns you affects me as much. I do 
 hope that this trouble may soon change for the better, and 
 let us try and bear the inevitable consequences. 
 
 I should come over and see you at once, were it not that 
 I am being driven from so many quarters. Besides, unless 
 I were able to be of some use to you, I should only feel 
 anxious in Jena, whereas here a number of things claim 
 my co-operation. 
 
 I wish for nothing more sincerely than soon to hear 
 comforting news from you. If only your own health does 
 not suffer from the present state of things. Please let me 
 have a letter between the messenger's days if you have an 
 opportunity. 
 
 667. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Monday evening, October 28, 1799. 
 
 I have only a few minutes' time to tell you that since 
 yesterday evening we have been less anxious, that a 
 tolerably good night was passed, and the ravings no longer 
 so distressing, although my poor dear wife is still in a state 
 of delirium. The rash has come out and her strength is 
 still good. Starke is hopeful, and thinks that an improve- 
 ment may probably set in on Thursday. 
 
 I am keeping in good health, although I have been up 
 watching for six whole days and three nights. 
 
 Farewell ; I will write again the day after to-morrow. 
 
 Sch.
 
 Letter GG9.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 287 
 
 668. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 October 30, 1798. 
 
 I take this opportunity, which has just offered itself, of 
 sending a letter to Weimar, so as to let you know that, 
 in Starke's opinion, my wife is now out of danger ; the 
 fever has almost entirely disappeared, but, unfortunately, 
 consciousness has not yet returned ; in fact, violent attacks 
 of derangement of the mind are of frequent occurrence. 
 But although the doctor bids us not be too uneasy about 
 this, you can imagine that we are in a melancholy state. 
 I have hitherto kept tolerably well, but to-day, after a 
 fourth night's watching during the last seven days, am 
 now feeling very much exhausted. 
 
 Farewell, and let me soon hear from you again. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 669. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Nieder-Rossla, October 31, 1799. 
 
 I was greatly comforted by the news you give me of 
 your idear wife's condition, which, if not better, is at all 
 events more hopeful; and I have, therefore, been able 
 during the last days to attend the fair here in Rossla with 
 some peace of mind. To-day I mean to drive over to the 
 horse-fair in Buttstadt, and on my return home this 
 evening shall hope to find your letter of yesterday with 
 good news. 
 
 As soon as circumstances in any way permit I shall 
 come over and see you, for there are a number of things I 
 wish to discuss with you ; and if Mahomet is to get finished, 
 I shall have to spend some time in Jena. I hope that 
 things are in such a state that you can again give the 
 poor invalid my kind greetings. If only this anxiety 
 does not affect your own health. 
 
 G.
 
 288 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1739, 
 
 670. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 1, 1799. 
 
 The one-and-twentieth day of the illness is now past, 
 the fever is very much less and is often quite gone, but 
 consciousness has not yet returned ; in fact, it seems as 
 if the whole mischief had settled in the head, and it 
 often takes the form of regular phrenetic attacks. We 
 are, therefore, no longer anxious about the life of my 
 dear wife, but cannot help fearing that her head may 
 suffer. However, Starke still thinks that we need not 
 be alarmed about this. He has not omitted to apply 
 active remedies from the very outset, and has increased 
 these according to the degree of illness. At present cold 
 compresses are applied to the head, and these do not seem 
 to be altogether without a good effect, for since they have 
 been used my wife has for a moment at a time recognised 
 both me and her mother. 
 
 I do my utmost to get some hours' rest from the distress 
 by day and night, and cannot as yet complain of my 
 health. But things threaten to become tedious, and I do 
 not know what I shall do if such is the case. 
 
 Farewell, I am called off. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 671. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 4, 1799. 
 Things are, unfortunately, exactly in the same state 
 with my wife as they were three days ago, and it cannot 
 be said what the end of it may be. Since the day before 
 yesterday she has not uttered a syllable, although several 
 circumstances would lead one to suppose that she re- 
 cognises us, and she returns the signs of affection we show 
 her. • She has had plenty of sleep during these three days, 
 but has taken almost no food, and the little she has was 
 taken with considerable difficulty. An obstinate dullness, 
 indifference and absence of mind, are the symptoms which 
 distress and make us most anxious. God knows to whit
 
 Letter 671.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 289 
 
 all this may lead, I know of no similar case which would 
 enable me to judge of this one, and I fear that Starke's 
 expedients will soon be exhausted. Opium, musk, hyoscya- 
 nius, china, camphor, oxide of zinc, vesication, sinapisine, 
 cold ammonia- compresses on her head, strong oils for em- 
 brocation, have all been tried in turn, and to-day another 
 trial with belladonna is to be made. 
 
 As the continual distressing sight is depressing me 
 altogether, I have decided to drive over to Weimar 
 perhaps for half a day so as to divert my thoughts. My 
 mother-in-law, too, is in need of a change. We should 
 know that my wife was well taken care of during our 
 short absence by Frau Griesbach who has hitherto been a 
 great help to us. 
 
 Please be so kind as to have a transcript made as quickly 
 as possible of Wallenstein's Lager and of the two pieces 
 herewith returned. I have, at present, no room for copyists 
 in my house, and do not care to give the plays out of the 
 house. You would be doing me a great favour if you let 
 me have the transcripts soon. 
 
 Otherwise everything is still lying untouched, and will 
 probably remain so for a long time to come. 
 
 I hope you may meanwhile keep well and in good spirits, 
 I regretted not having been able to see Bury lately, but 
 it was quite impossible under the circumstances. 
 
 A hearty farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 P.S. The two plays will be brought to you to-morrow 
 by the message-girl, as the horse-post did not take them. 
 Wallenstein's Lager, however, Seyffarth has got, and this 
 might therefore be commenced at once. I likewise beg 
 you to let me have the melodies : firstly, of the opening 
 song in Wallenstein's Lager ; secondly, that of the Eecruit ; 
 thirdly, the Horseman's Song ; and, fourthly, the Maiden's 
 Lament. Loder has entered into negotiations with the 
 Magdeburg theatre in regard to the plays, and I shall 
 very soon have to send them there. Seyffarth, it is true, 
 lately had Wallenstein's Lager copied out for me, but I am 
 in want of another copy. 
 
 VOL. II.
 
 290 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 672. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 5, 1799. 
 I accompany the enclosed plays with but a few words 
 by way of greeting. My wife shows decidedly more 
 consciousness to-day, and, in fact, seems to be better than 
 she has been for a week. 
 
 Perhaps I may come over to Weimar to-morrow and 
 bring back my mother-in-law, who went thither to-day 
 with my brother-in-law. I should be heartily glad to 
 see you again. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 673. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, November 8, 1799. 
 
 The day before yesterday, on my return home, I found 
 my wife just as I had left her. Yesterday was a good 
 day and promising in many ways; but last night the 
 restlessness returned accompanied by great distress of 
 mind, and her recovery seems again to be very far off. 
 
 Hence things with me too are in their old state, and I 
 cannot occupy myself with anything enjoyable. 
 
 1 have given my brother-in-law the commission, and 
 hope soon to see some effects from it. 
 
 Farewell, and my greetings to Karl. His small wants 
 will give me an opportunity to-morrow. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 674. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, November 8, 1799. 
 
 My wish to see you will, I hope, be fulfilled to-morrow ; 
 and if my presence cannot be of any assistance, still there 
 will be some good in diverting your thoughts from this 
 continued trouble. 
 
 Karl is very well amid his new surroundings ; it is 
 only at the approach of night — as always happens with 
 children — that he longs for things to be as he is accustomed 
 to have them.
 
 Letter 676.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 291 
 
 I hope that you may keep as well as you have hitherto 
 been. 
 
 There are many things about which I wish to have 
 your opinion. 
 
 675. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 November 18, 1799. 
 
 As I am invited to Loder's this evening, and should be 
 afraid of disturbing you were I to come at an earlier 
 hour, I send a letter to enquire how our dear invalid is. 
 
 To-morrow Geheimrath Voigt comes. If you have no 
 objections to meet Egloffstein and Milkau,* we should be 
 delighted to see you here to dinner. At all events a 
 place shall be set for you. 
 
 Loder wishes to "know whether you are satisfied with 
 the offer from Magdeburg, and whether you will agree to 
 let them have your plays, or whether the frequenters of 
 the theatre there should not be asked for something more. 
 
 Farewell, and let me have the second part of the 
 Princess Conti if you have read it. 
 
 G, 
 
 676. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 November 19, 1799. 
 
 Last night was a tolerably good one, but throughout 
 to-day my poor wife has again been very much troubled 
 with her imagination, and made us very unhappy. For 
 this reason it was quite impossible for me to do anything 
 this morning; perhaps the evening will find me in a 
 more favorable state of mind ; I wish you much enjoy- 
 ment. 
 
 The Magdeburg gentlemen are a set of rascals ; tell 
 
 * Hofmarschall Egloffstein and Kammerrath Milkau had been sent 
 to Jena to arrange some matters in connection with the University. 
 Owing to one of the students having fallen in a duel, Prince Karl 
 August had given orders that all societies formed among the students 
 should be dissolved ; this order, however, Professor Paulus contrived 
 to prevent being carried out. 
 
 u 2
 
 292 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 Loder this from nie, and that I yesterday wrote to 
 Bathmann Fritze — to whom he had referred me — and told 
 him my opinion. The proofs of my judgment of them I 
 will send you to-morrow, as I have not got the letters at 
 hand just now. 
 
 Here is the second part of the Conti, which I beg you 
 will let me have back as soon as you have done with it. 
 I wish you a good night's rest. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 677. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (December 2, 1799.) 
 I must to-day bid you good-night by letter, for my 
 packing and other arrangements will, I fear, keep me 
 busy till ten o'clock. To-morrow, after ten, I hope to see 
 you for a minute before I start. My wife, thank God, 
 has kept well to-day. But I can hardly manage to 
 collect my thoughts. 
 
 Herewith I send you what belongs to you. The enclosed 
 charts I beg you to send on to Biittner's library. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 678. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 4, 1799. 
 
 Our journey went off very well, and my wife, who is 
 staying witr/Frau von Stein, had a good night after the 
 troubles of the previous day, without a trace of her old 
 attacks. The beginning, therefore, has been fortunate, 
 and I hope the best for the future. 
 
 I have, as yet, not had time to see any of the people 
 excepting my own relatives and Frau von Stein. 
 
 Farewell, and be sure to come soon. Sch. 
 
 679. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 6, 1799. 
 The few days since your departure I have spent in my 
 favorite and almost absolute solitude. A visit to Mellish, 
 an evening at Loder's, and a recital of Tieck's Genoveva in 
 mv room, were some little diversion.
 
 Letter 680.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 293 
 
 I have been making myself better acquainted with th& 
 early English drama.* Malone's treatise on the probable 
 succession in which Shakespeare wrote his plays, a 
 tragedy and a comedy of Ben Jonson's, two apocryphal 
 plays of Shakespeare, and some things connected with 
 these, have given me a good insight into the subject. 
 
 It would be hard to conceive how Eschenburg could 
 have omitted giving his new edition this critical value, if 
 one did not know what people were. Had he but given 
 short introductions to every play, partly historical, 
 partly critical — the material for which already exists in 
 the last English edition by Malone, and which he might 
 have increased by a few remarks of his own — he would 
 have rendered a great service to the subject in question, 
 and this style of review would have made every one 
 imagine that they were reading new plays. Probably he 
 will do this in a special volume, and do so more minutely 
 than is necessary, as has happened on a previous occasion. 
 But how many persons would look for and read it at the 
 end? 
 
 You see I am still enjoying the pure quiet of Jena, 
 whereas the wave of Weimar society has probably already 
 washed up to where you are. On Sunday afternoon I 
 shall inquire where you are to be found. 
 
 Earewell ; my kind greetings to you and yours. 
 
 Gr. 
 
 680. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 7, 1799. 
 
 It was a great pleasure to me to-day to hear from you. 
 The poles of our magnetic stave have turned round, and 
 what was north is now south. The change of locality I 
 have not felt much as yet, for during the first days there 
 was much to do, partly in my own house, and partly also 
 in connection with arrears of letters and otter matters 
 that had to be arranged, before I could begin my 
 existence here anew. I did not call upon the Duke till 
 the day before yesterday, and spent an hour with him. 
 
 * See Letter 633 and note.
 
 294 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799 
 
 The subject of our conversation you shall hear of by 
 word of mouth. 
 
 My wife has kept steadily well during the last five 
 days, without the slightest trace of her previous con- 
 dition. God grant that things may remain in this good 
 state, and that the returning periods may not produce a 
 relapse. 
 
 The sonnet * has made an unfortunate sensation here, 
 and even friend Meyer has induced the ladies to be 
 horrified at it. A few days ago I had to defend it 
 vigorously. I shall not think it in the least degree 
 strange if, in this case also, I do not make any other 
 experience than of the contradiction in the opinion of 
 the day. 
 
 The merit which Eschenburg has omitted to give to his 
 edition of Shakespeare, Schlegel will now not hesitate to 
 give to his. His doing so would immediately give new 
 life to the subject, and readers who merely care for what 
 is curious would here again find something similar to 
 what is to be found in Wolf's Homer. 
 
 Fichte, as I hear, is now in Jena ; I am curious to hear 
 whether he came in your carriage. 
 
 If it is not abusing your great kindness, I wish you 
 would let us have the use of your vehicle again so as to 
 bring over all my cupboards and other things that have 
 been left in Jena; for our lodgings here require this, 
 and the female regime is especially unwilling to do 
 without these conveniences. However, if this cannot be 
 managed at once, things can be left as they are for a few 
 weeks longer. We expect you to-morrow with great 
 eagerness. 
 
 Farewell, and be so good as to remember me kindly to 
 the Griesbachs and to the Loders. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * A sonnet by Goethe, where he expresses himself somewhat 
 strongly against dilettanteism in art.
 
 Lzttee 683.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 295 
 
 681. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 9, 1799. 
 When I went ont this morning, I hoped to call upon 
 you, but found it impossible. I dine at the Court, and 
 beg you to let me know what you intend doing this 
 evening, so that I may arrange to see you. 
 
 G. 
 
 682. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 10, 1799. 
 
 The piece * will be returned herewith ; the best that 
 can be said in its favour I said yesterday. The deeper 
 one gets into the action, the weaker the work seems to 
 become. The motives are weak, and, in part, very ordi- 
 nary and awkward. Antony is rather too simple, and 
 it is clear from the Preface that the poet foresaw this 
 objection, and oddly enough thought that the testimony of 
 history justified his doing this. Cleopatra is merely 
 repulsive without grandeur; even Octavia is incom- 
 prehensible ; the motive in connection with the children 
 constantly recurs in all sorts of shapes, and has to make 
 up for the poverty of the other devices. 
 
 Accordingly, I abide by my yesterday's assertion ; the 
 rhetorical portion is good, but not much can be said of 
 the poetic and dramatic parts. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 j 683. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 11, 1799. 
 Thank you for what you say about the piece ; I perfectly 
 agree with you. The further one gets the less one is 
 pleased with it. 
 
 To-day I dine with the Dowager Duchess ; after that I 
 will call and inquire if you are at home. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Perhaps — says Diintzer in his Erlauterung to the Correspondence — 
 this was a piece called Cleopatra , in manuscript, perhaps the same one 
 which appeared in Vienna in 1801.
 
 296 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 684. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 15, 1799. 
 As I did not see you at the play yesterday, I want to 
 know how yon are to-day, and whether yon would care to 
 come to rue for a little this evening. 
 
 G. 
 
 685. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 17, 1799. 
 The Duke and Duchess are going to take tea with me 
 to-day, and, as I hope, will lend a gracious ear to the 
 recital of Mahomet. If you care to be present at this 
 operation you will be heartily welcome. 
 
 686.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 20, 1799. 
 If you care to call this evening at about six, and to 
 remain to supper, I should be very much pleased. 
 
 G. 
 
 687. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 23, 1799. 
 I hoped yesterday to have seen you towards evening, 
 which, however, I was unable to manage. To-day I can- 
 not well go out, and this evening the excess of things 
 prophetic * will probably keep you away from our circle. 
 However, send your dear wife to us, and write and tell 
 me whether the Muses are gracious to you. My life is 
 a most interrupted one just now. 
 
 G. 
 
 * This refers to the proposed re-reading of his Mahomet, which 
 Schiller had already heard on the 17th.
 
 Letter 690.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 297 
 
 688. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Yesterday evening I determined to call upon yon, but 
 became too much absorbed in my work and forgot the 
 time. As I mean to read the first three acts to Mellish 
 to-morrow, I have had, and still have, a great many 
 things to do which keep me at home ; for, as you know 
 by experience, nothing runs away with so much time as 
 filling up the little gaps that have been left in one's 
 work. However, should you this evening, after your 
 adventure, still feel inclined for a talk, let me know and 
 I will come. 
 
 Farewell. My wife will be very glad to avail herself 
 of your invitation if she is at all able to get out. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 689. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 23, 1799. 
 I think you should decide to come to me at half-past 
 eight o'clock in any case. You will find the rooms 
 warmed and lighted, probably also a few friends who 
 may have remained behind, something cold and a glass 
 of punch — all of which things are not to be despised in 
 these long winter nights. 
 
 G. 
 
 690. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 27, 1799. 
 So you are going to have yourself carried to Court 
 to-day at two o'clock, where we shall meet in the Duke's 
 rooms. The evening you will, I hope, spend with me.
 
 298 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1799. 
 
 691. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 29, 1799. 
 I wish to know whether you feel inclined to come and 
 see me to-day for a little. Yon can be carried right into 
 the honse as far as the large staircase, so as to be less 
 exposed to the cold. A glass of punch shall come to the 
 assistance of a warm room, and a frugal supper will after- 
 wards be at your command. 
 
 G. 
 
 692. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 December 30, 1799. 
 I had hoped to see you to-day, either at the play or 
 afterwards, but could not tear myself away from my 
 warm room, and we had visitors till after six o'clock, so 
 that I could not leave. Accept, therefore, a kind good- 
 night, and let me recommend the means for inducing 
 sleep which Cotta sends. If Meyer should go out to- 
 morrow, please ask him to come and speak to me for a 
 minute. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 693. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 31, 1799. 
 
 I herewith send you a copy of the Propylcea, and 
 should like to know whether you will gladden me with 
 your presence this evening. I have not been very well 
 since yesterday, and am almost afraid that the shortest 
 day is still inclined to do me some mischief. 
 
 G. 
 
 694. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 December 31, 1799. 
 I reo-ret with all my heart to hear that you are ailing, 
 and hope that you will not carry this state of affairs over 
 into the new year. 1 shal- make my appearance after
 
 Letter 094.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 299 
 
 six o'clock ; between this and the evening I mean to try- 
 to get one of my heroes put safely under ground, for the 
 Keres of death are already upon him. 
 
 This morning I received a large parcel of paper and 
 other things which I owe to your ldndness. 
 
 Sch.
 
 300 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 1800. 
 
 695. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I come to you with kind greetings for the new year 
 and the new century, and hope to hear that you have 
 entered it in good health. Shall you be going to the 
 opera ? If so, I shall perhaps see you there, for to-day I 
 feel inclined for some diversion. Vohs and Heide * have 
 just been with me ; they do not give Gustav Wasa f any 
 very great praise, and, to judge from some of the details, 
 the piece must contain some hideous motives. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends you kindest greetings for 
 the new year. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 696. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 1, 1800. 
 I rejoice silently in having been able to spend the 
 close of the year and — being in the ninety-nines — the end 
 also of the century with you. Let the beginning be like 
 the end, and the future like the past ! 
 
 I am to dine with Gore J to-day, where it is always late 
 before one gets away. I shall, however, in any case look 
 out for you at the opera. 
 
 Farewell, and give your dear wife my kindest greetings 
 and good wishes for the new year. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Two of the actors at the Weimar theatre. 
 
 t A play of Kotzebue's. 
 
 % Charles Gore, who Lad come to reside in Weimar with 1 is two 
 
 daughters.
 
 Letter 700.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 301 
 
 6 9 7. —Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 2, 1800. 
 I had calculated upon finding you at the club this 
 evening, to which I had been invited by my brother-in- 
 law. But if you do not intend going, I shall perhaps not 
 go either. However, I shall see how I feel when the time 
 comes, and beg you, at all events, not to count upon me. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 698. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 2, 1800. 
 
 I stayed so long at Gore's yesterday that it was too 
 late to go to the comedy afterwards. 
 
 I come to-day to inquire how you are and what you 
 intend doing this evening. I am not quite as I should 
 be, but always glad if you care to come and see me. 
 
 G. 
 
 699. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I have received an invitation to be present at the 
 repetition of Kotzebue's play at the Dowager Duchess', 
 which I cannot well decline, as I have not paid a visit 
 there yet. However, I shall not remain to supper. If, 
 therefore, I may come to you about eight o'clock and 
 shall not disturb you, I will have myself carried to you 
 straight from the palace. Yesterday I was at the ball, 
 but did not stay to supper, and would have gladly come 
 to see you had it not been too late. 
 
 Farewell ; let me have a verbal answer. Sch. 
 
 700. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 3, 1800. 
 It is a hard demand — even if it were made in the case 
 of one of Shakespeare's plays — that a piece which is to 
 be represented to-morrow should be heard read aloud to- 
 day. Therefore take courage also in this trial of patience
 
 302 COEEESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 and endurance. Yon will in any case find me in, and I 
 should be very glad to see you at eight o'clock or even 
 later. I have, during these days, occupied myself quietly 
 in more than one interesting manner. Meyer is in very 
 good spirits, and we only require your presence here this 
 evening to make us thoroughly happy. 
 
 701. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 5, 1800. 
 
 I hope that the heroes and tyrants * of yesterday have 
 done you good. I would gladly have spoken a little 
 longer to you had it not been too late. The actors 
 acquitted themselves tolerably well, and I cannot deny 
 that I was astonished at the clearness which pervades 
 this motley romance. The voice of the public here will, 
 I have no doubt, be confirmed on all hands, and Kotzebue 
 have honour done to his calculations. 
 
 Be sure to let me know whether I shall see you to-day, 
 and also how and when. My wife wishes to be most 
 kindly remembered. 
 
 J SCH. 
 
 702. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 6, 1800. 
 It is already three o'clock and I have not heard from 
 you yet. Hence, dearest friend, pardon my asking you 
 whether you think of flying northwards again with the 
 cranes,t contrary to the season, or whether you have any 
 other plans. In any case I beg you to send me word so 
 that I may be able to arrange things in case I should be 
 tempted to leave Malepartus for a short time. 
 
 * Gustav Wasa and Christian II., characters in Kotzebue's play 
 Gustav Wasa. 
 
 t In explanation of this allusion, Diintzer merely saya that 
 Kotzebue's play of Gustav Wasa was given a second time.
 
 Letter 704.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 303 
 
 703. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 6, 18C0. 
 
 I shall not allow myself to be tempted to take yester- 
 day's long journey again, and if I may come to you this 
 evening after I have finished my work it would delight 
 and refresh me very much. I have to-day begun to think 
 over the prologue qucestionis, and perhaps heaven may 
 grant me a favorable state of mind, if not for finishing 
 the poem to-day, at all events for doing something 
 towards it. 
 
 If you have no objections I will make my appearance 
 at about seven o'clock. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 704. — Schillee to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 The business * you have taken in hand to-day is not 
 very inspiriting, although it is somewhat interesting to a 
 poor poet to see his ideas even so far realized. 
 
 I have to-day been looking into your Iphigenia, and have 
 no longer any doubt that a representation of it will prove 
 a success. Yery little would require to be altered in the 
 text for the purpose, and this would have to be done more 
 particularly in the mythological part, which, as a whole, is 
 too cold for the public. Again I would advise you to 
 sacrifice a few common-places for the sake of the dramatic 
 interest, although they quite deserve the place they at 
 present occupy. More when we meet. I shall be with 
 you at about seven. I must first wait here for Hufeland 
 from Jena, who has announced his coming. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * This, says Duntzer, probably refers to Goethe's adaptation of his 
 Iphigenia for the stage, unless, indeed, it may refer to some perform- 
 ance in connection with a redoute.
 
 304 C02KESF0XDEXCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 705. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 8, 1S00. 
 I hope that you have slept well after our quartett * ol 
 yesterday. To-day I propose staying at home and making 
 an attempt to get my stanzas finished, so that at the re- 
 presentation of Mahomet we may be able to await the 
 public with a loaded musket. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 706. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 8, 1800. 
 I was on the point of asking you to come, for it is not 
 very agreeable to me to spend the evening without you. 
 However, I wish you all success with your noble intention. 
 I am somewhat absorbed in physics. To-morrow at half 
 past nine we shall therefore expect you to assist us at the 
 reading rehearsal.! 
 
 G. 
 
 707. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 9, 1800. 
 I was yesterday somewhat premature with my invita- 
 tion for you to come to the reading rehearsal. It will not 
 take place till to-morrow. If you care to spend the even- 
 ing with me alone you would be most welcome. How 
 are the stanzas progressing ? 
 
 If you care for a drive, I will call for you at twelve 
 o'clock with the sledge. 
 
 G. 
 
 * An evening party, where probably Schelling and Meyer had 
 joined the two friends. Compare Letter 788. 
 t Of Goethe's Mahomet.
 
 Letter 710.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 305 
 
 708. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 9. 
 
 I am soriy that the rehearsal is a day later, for it 
 comes in collision with an invitation to tea which I 
 received for to-morrow from the reigning Duchess and 
 have already accepted ; and yet I should very much have 
 liked to have been with you. 
 
 The stanzas are not yet quite finished, for I was not 
 alone yesterday evening as I had hoped to have been. I 
 am just now at work with them, and in order not to be 
 interrupted, I must ask you to allow me to accept your 
 invitation for another day. This evening I -shall come 
 to you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 709. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 11, 1800. 
 I am curious to hear how you were satisfied with 
 yesterday's reading rehearsal. As I did not get away 
 from the Duchess' tea-party till half-past-eight, I did not 
 care to inconvenience you by coming in so late. What 
 do you propose doing to-day ? I thought of going to the 
 opera; perhaps I shall see you there, or even before if 
 you pass my house. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 710. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 13, 1800. 
 
 I come to inquire about your health, and have all kinds 
 of proposals to make. 
 
 Would you care to come to the palace with me ? It is 
 not cold to-day, and there is no wind. I would fetch you 
 with the sledge, and you would see a variety of things 
 that could not fail to interest you. We could then 
 discuss our plans for the rest of the day. 
 
 This morning, pretty little Palmira* was with me. 
 
 * Mademoiselle Caspers, who was to play the part of Palmira in his 
 Mahomet. See also Letter 723. 
 
 VOL. II. X
 
 306 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 She really takes things very much to heart. If it is 
 possible to veil her transparent nature in the first acts, 
 things will go veiy well ; I am not afraid about the last 
 ones. 
 
 I have had the dresses fetched from Herr von TVolzogen. 
 among which there are several that can be made use of. 
 
 More by word of mouth, especially about my strange 
 feelings after having to-day commenced to read Iphigenia. 
 I have not got far in it, but will not begin to talk about 
 it as there is too much to say. 
 
 Farewell. I could fetch you at once if you let me have 
 an answer by return. 
 
 G. 
 
 711. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Unfortunately I am to-day not in a fit condition to 
 accept your invitation. I did not get any sleep last 
 night, and only fell asleep after twelve o'clock. My 
 head, too, is in a confused state from want of sleep ; I 
 must have excited myself too much with having worked 
 very vigorously at Macbeth. I was busy at it yesterday 
 till late in the evening. Let us reserve what has to 
 be discussed till to-morrow, when I hope to attend the 
 rehearsal with a clearer head than mine is to-day. Fare- 
 well. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 712. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 15, 1800. 
 I expected to see you at dinner at the Duke's to-day, 
 where I had been invited, but met no one. After dinner 
 I went to my brother-in-law and heard upon returning 
 home that you. had been here. It is truly an almost un- 
 precedented case- that you should not find me at home ! 
 To-day I shall merely wish you good evening. More to- 
 moiTow. Xot much work has been done to-day for I got 
 up too late; however, I have again been at work with 
 Macbeth. 
 
 Scs.
 
 Letter 715.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 307 
 
 713. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 19, 1800. 
 Only a few words by way of greeting to-day, as I 
 purpose remaining at home and keeping to my work, for 
 things have gone a little slowly during the last few days. 
 To-morrow I shall hear whether you will be at home in 
 the evening. I have invited the actors who are to play 
 in Mahomet to come to me on Tuesday after the rehearsal. 
 Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 714. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 19, 1800. 
 
 I had hoped to have seen you at my house this evening, 
 and was just about to ask you to come. But, in the hope 
 that your entertaining yourself will be a source of enjoy- 
 ment to us both at some future time, I will resign myself 
 to the fact that I must do without your society to-day. 
 
 Yesterday I looked for you in the box at the theatre 
 during the first and second acts, and could not find out 
 where you had gone to. 
 
 Farewell. To-morrow you shall hear from me early. 
 
 715. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 20, 1800. 
 Herewith I send you a variety of things, a packet of 
 sealing-wax rolled up in Humboldt's letter,* and also 
 return your Iphigenia, of which even the devices of Herr 
 von Eckardtshausen — such as have recently been revealed 
 to us by the Beichsanzeiger f — could hardly gwe us a 
 palingenesis. 
 
 * This was a letter of Wilhelm von Humboldt's, whC ~id written 
 from Madrid. 
 
 t The third number of this paper contained a reprint of Count Carl 
 von Eckardtshausen's Avis aux amis des recherches secretes de la 
 nature, ou decouvertes interessantes pour le commencement du dix* 
 neuvieme Steele. 
 
 x 2
 
 308 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 It is very kind of you to think of inviting the actors 
 to-morrow after the rehearsal. Many a point in question 
 can be discussed then, particularly as you do not expect 
 very many persons. 
 
 If you care to pay me a visit this evening I shall be 
 very glad to see you, as I am not feeling very well. I 
 hope the low state of the barometer may suit you all the 
 better. 
 
 G. 
 
 716. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (January 20.) 
 
 I thank you very much for what you have sent. You 
 do not tell me what Serenissimus augurs and has said 
 about the Iphigenia. This evening I shall come at a little 
 past six o'clock after I have worked the first two scenes 
 of Macbeth out of the rough. 
 
 Eckardtshausen's devices I lately heard Herder speak 
 of at the Duchess' with great confidence and praise; at 
 all events, he was very enthusiastic about the man. 
 
 I herewith enclose a scene from Wallenstein for Vulpius.* 
 I have chosen the first scene with Gordon and Buttler 
 where they speak of Wallenstein's early years, and which 
 can very well be read apart from the context. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 717. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 2, 1800. 
 Would you be so kind as to let me have a bottle of the 
 red vine which Herr Zapf f sent you. Please also let me 
 know whether I shall have the pleasure of seeing you 
 here as I hope to do. 
 
 G. 
 
 * The editor of a periodical entitled Janus, eine Zeitschrift auf 
 Ereignisse und Tltatsachen gegriindet. The second number contained 
 some scenes from Schiller's Wallemtein and Kotzebue's Guttav Wata. 
 
 t A wine-merchant in Jena.
 
 Letter 720.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 309 
 
 718. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (February 2.) 
 
 It is not a red but a white wine that I told you about 
 yesterday. 
 
 I shall be with you this evening. 
 
 Since I got Frau von Stein to give me Shakespeare in 
 the original,* I find it much better to keep to it at the 
 very outset, little as I may understand English ; for the 
 spirit of the thought acts much more directly, and I have 
 often had unnecessary trouble in getting at the true 
 meaning through the clumsy medium of my two pre- 
 
 Sch. 
 719. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 3, 1800. 
 
 I must tell you that it is not Die Lasterschule f that is 
 going to be given this evening, but Die Verschleierte\ ; it 
 is not at all a bad piece, yet it will not tempt me to go to 
 the theatre. I shall, therefore, be at home if you feel 
 inclined to come; I could offer you some game in the 
 shape of wild boar this evening. 
 
 G. 
 
 720. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 5, 1800. 
 How did you spend yesterday evening, and what are 
 your plans for this evening ? If you decide upon going 
 to the theatre I shall expect you after it is over ; but if 
 you do not go — which I should think very natural — you 
 would be heartily welcome at any hour. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Schiller had previously made use of Wagner's translation of 
 Macbeth. 
 
 t An adaptation of Sheridan's play The School for Scandal ; it was 
 played on the 10th of March. 
 
 X A play in four acts by Vogel ; it had already been performed in 
 November 1798.
 
 310 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800, 
 
 721. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I acu in hopes that if I keep to my work this evening 
 and to-morrow, I shall have finished by to-morrow evening 
 and be able to submit it to you. Hence I shall remain at 
 home this evening, and only send you this note by way 
 of greeting. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 722. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 11, 1800. 
 
 If you care to come to me this evening in spite of the 
 very cold weather, I wish you would come at six o'clock, 
 so that we may finish Macbeth. 
 
 At seven o'clock, when the moon rises, I should like you 
 to join our astronomical party to watch the moon and 
 Saiurn ; I shall have telescopes at my house this evening. 
 
 However, should you prefer remaining in a warm room, 
 friend Meyer would keep you company, for he has an 
 artist's hatred to the mountains of the moon as well as 
 of Swiss mountains,* and to the stars as well as to the cold. 
 
 G. 
 
 723. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 February 12, 1800. 
 
 The time is now approaching when we shall have to fill 
 up Neubrunn's part in Wallenstein, for, according to the 
 usual custom of the theatre, we cannot well expect Madame 
 Yohs to take it. I therefore propose Mademoiselle Caspers f 
 who — to judge from what we have seen of her lately — 
 will be likely to play the part very well, all the more so 
 as she is a friend of Mademoiselle Jagemann. It will, 
 moreover, be well to introduce her to the rhythmical 
 language of tragedy by means of this attempt. 
 
 This afternoon you will hear more from me. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Meyer bad a great dislike to cold. See Letter 42, where Schiller 
 calls him our " stove-friend." 
 t See Letter 710 aud note.
 
 Letter 72G.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 311 
 
 724. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 12, 1S00. 
 If you care to come to me this evening after the play is 
 over you would, in less than a quarter of an hour, be able 
 to take away with you a definite idea of the mountains 
 and valleys of the moon, and I should myself very much 
 enjoy having you here after so long an interval. 
 
 G. 
 
 725. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 14, 1800. 
 If you care to pay us a visit to-day at six o'clock you 
 will be heartily welcomed by us. 
 
 I should like you to see Meyer's Wallenstein in its 
 present stage of development ; by seeing a picture, as it 
 were, in a state of growth, one more readily grasps what 
 it really is. 
 
 I should also like to hear the end of your Macbeth, and, 
 by friendly conversation, obtain enjoyment of life. 
 
 G. 
 
 726. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 16, 1800. 
 
 I am glad to hear that you are better for having been 
 bled. 
 
 Herewith I send you the English dictionary, and shall 
 see that the other things are attended to. 
 
 Of The Piccolomini I have not heard anything im- 
 portant beyond what we know ; there were 422 spectators 
 present. 
 
 Perhaps I may look in upon you at about six o'clock. 
 At seven I shall again have to be off. 
 
 G.
 
 312 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800 
 
 727. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 22, 1800. 
 
 In accordance with your advice I have patched up an 
 Autumn* and herewith send the four seasons for your kind 
 consideration. Perhaps something may occur to you that 
 may benefit the whole, for I 'am myself in no poetical 
 season. 
 
 Unfortunately I shall have to keep at home for a few 
 days, for the doctor urges me to try a cure which I have 
 been trying to escape from for some time past. It would 
 be very pleasant news to hear that you had so far 
 recovered as to be able to pay me a visit. Meanwhile 
 farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 728. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I am most truly sorry to hear of your being unwell, and 
 hope that it may soon pass off. As soon as ever I can in 
 any way summon up courage to leave the house I shall 
 pay you a visit. Perhaps the air may be milder to-morrow 
 and the sun shining ; in that case I might perhaps venture 
 to do so. 
 
 I was glad to see that the four seasons are now com- 
 pleted. The device which you have hit upon is very good, 
 and if you would add something or other with some 
 distinct reference to the season— at all events among the 
 distichs which form your Autumn — nothing further 
 could be desired. The distichs I will meanwhile examine 
 carefully, and we will then discuss them by word of 
 mouth. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. My wife wishes most heartily 
 that you may soon be better. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 * Goethe had already written poems on three of the seasons, which 
 appeared in the Musenalmanach of 1797 under the titles of Vielen, 
 Einer and Die Eisbahn.
 
 Ietter 730 J SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 313 
 
 729. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 23, 1800. 
 
 Having now made up my mind to be ill, the doctor — 
 whom I have so long been trying to evade — is now in full 
 possession of his despotic power over me. How much I 
 wish that you were again one of those enjoying good 
 health, so that I might look forward to your paying me 
 a visit ! 
 
 I am making use of this unfortunate time by putting 
 my collection of plants into order, and venture to hope 
 that you will find some pleasure in it. The more that 
 single things confuse one, the pleasanter it is to find our 
 endeavours to bring objects into a certain connection, 
 somewhat successful. I enclose the attack on the Weimar 
 theatre. One could have no better proof of nullity and 
 conceit. 
 
 Farewell, and let me hear how you are. 
 
 G. 
 
 730. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 24, 1800. 
 
 Your visit yesterday was as enjoyable to me as it was 
 unexpected. If you are none the worse for going out, I 
 should be very glad to find that you are inclined to come 
 to me again to-day. 
 
 Herewith I send you my addresses to the theatre,* 
 which I think of appending to my volume of poems. 
 They are a little meagre, it is true, but they must pass 
 as they are. 
 
 Perhaps I may decide upon writing one for the close of 
 this year's winter performances; this may be the most 
 suitable way of annoying the opposition party in a gay 
 yet serious manner. More of this when we meet. 
 
 My kind greetings to your dear wife, and beg her if 
 
 * These addresses, published under the title of Theaterreden, gehalten 
 zu Weimar, are four prologues and two epilogues, written between the 
 years 1791 and 1794, and form the conclusion to the seventh volume 
 of Goethe's Neue Schriften.
 
 314 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 possible to go and see the comedy this evening, for I 
 should like to have an impartial opinion of the two per- 
 formances* from her. 
 
 a 
 
 731. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 March 24, 1800. 
 
 The powerful effect which the air had upon me yester- 
 day frightened me a little, and ascending the stairs, 
 especially of my own house after my return, fatigued me 
 very much. If, as I hope, I can overcome my timidity, 
 I shall certainly come and see you. It will depend upon 
 how I feel at the moment. 
 
 The theatrical addresses are a very interesting addition 
 to the poems. They all possess a character peculiarly 
 their own, and are besides so pleasantly social that one 
 feels charmed and attracted by them. "What I yesterday 
 found on the printed sheet also pleased me very much. 
 
 As you said yesterday that you intended to have your 
 as yet imprinted Elegy, which contains so much personal 
 reference to yourself, printed with them, and that you 
 also propose closing with these genial and pleasant 
 addresses, I should be the less inclined to advise you to 
 startle and to confound the public with the fragment from 
 Faust out of Oberon'8 Hochzeit."\ At all events, consider 
 again whether it would not be better to maintain the 
 spirit of good humour which already pervades the whole 
 collection. 
 
 My wife sends kind greetings, and will, in accordance 
 with your wish, go again to the theatre to-day. 
 
 I should be very glad if you could procure Bayard J for 
 me to read. Many kind greetings to Meyer. 
 
 Sch. 
 * The performances of Kotzebue's Bayard. 
 t See Letter 370 and note, 
 j Kotzebue's play. See note to last Letter.
 
 Letter 735.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 315 
 
 732. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 27, 1800. 
 I hope that you have enjoyed this lovely day in the 
 ojDen air ; • and as I cannot hope to see you to-day, I send 
 you a few things with the request that you will take a 
 friendly yet critical interest in them. 
 
 733. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I have, this afternoon, been so overwhelmed with 
 making corrections, revising things, and other worries, 
 that it has become quite late — too late to pay you a visit. 
 Unfortunately, I have been able only to enjoy the beauti- 
 ful air from my window, but still got great enjoyment 
 from it even in this way. 
 
 For what you have sent accept my thanks. It shall bo 
 a pleasant diversion to me this evening, in place of the 
 author himself. Sleep well. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 734. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 A young Swiss from Tubingen has brought news of 
 Cotta. He really was carried off to Stuttgart ; but after 
 security had been given for him, he returned next day on 
 foot, so as to be able to carry on his business. 
 He intends being at the fair. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. We have visitors at our house 
 this evening, and shall, therefore, be unable to come to 
 you. 
 
 Sch. 
 735. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 April 3, 1800. 
 Here is the conclusion of Macbeth ; I have marked only 
 a very few pasages in it. May I hope to see you here to- 
 day ? My condition is not one of the best.
 
 316 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 736. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 5, 1800. 
 Schlegel presents Lis compliments and sends the en- 
 closed.* 
 
 Are you going to the play, or do you intend coming to 
 me ? Your decision will determine mine. 
 
 I should like you to come on Monday to dinner. Ge- 
 heimrath Yoigt will probably be here, and Wieland also, 
 perhaps. 
 
 Fare better and be more diligent than I can be. I 
 cannot manage a single period, much less a stanza. 
 
 G. 
 
 737. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (April 5.) 
 I shall not in any case go to the play to-day. How- 
 ever, if you think of going I will come to you beforehand, 
 between three and four, if you have no objections. I will 
 come to dinner on Monday if I am at all well enough. I 
 am completely absorbed in my work just now, and am 
 trying to get as much done as possible, for I am, at 
 present, in a tolerably good state of mind. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 738. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 10, 1800. 
 This will be accompanied by a telescope. There was a 
 time when one simply wished to be conscious of the moon's 
 existence, now we wish to examine it. I hope there will 
 be a great many inquisitive persons, so that we may 
 gradually entice the pretty ladies into our observatories. 
 
 If you" have still got the music to Macbeth by you, please 
 bring it with you this afternoon, also the Porter's song. 
 
 I hope that the effect of yesterday's music may still be 
 resounding in you this morning. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Probably his translation of Selections from the works of Horace 
 Walpole, which appeared in 1800.
 
 Letter 740.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 317 
 
 739.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 April 16, 1800. 
 
 As the Prophecies of Bdkis* were found in so wonderful 
 a way in your house, I should like to know whether that 
 small social — or pastoral — play of mine, written in earlier 
 days,f may not to be found there likewise. If so, I beg 
 you to let me have it. 
 
 What do you propose doing this evening ? 
 
 Schelling is here, but I could not invite him to come to 
 me this evening, for, owing to domestic circumstances, 
 I was unable to have any guests with me to-day. Will 
 you and your dear wife give me the pleasure of your 
 company at a small musical gathering here to-morrow 
 evening ? 
 
 The Devil % whom I have invoked is behaving very 
 strangely. 
 
 G. 
 740. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Leipzig (end of April), 1800. 
 
 After my long state of solitude, the change of being here 
 is very agreeable to me. I propose, moreover, remaining 
 here another week. 
 
 A fair like this may really be said to be the world in a 
 nutshell, where one may get a very clear notion of such 
 human affairs as are based upon mere mechanical dexterity. 
 Otherwise, as a rule, there is so little in it that could be 
 called intellectual, that things seem to me more to re- 
 semble a mere animal instinct for Art. 
 
 Of what might be actually called Art, there is, one 
 might boldly say, no trace whatever in what the age 
 itself has produced. 
 
 Of paintings, engravings and such things, there is 
 many a good thing, but they belong to bygone days. 
 
 The sensation produced by the portrait — at Bausen's — 
 of a painter now residing in Hamburg, is incredible ; but 
 
 * Weissagungen des Bakis, by Goethe. 
 
 t His Laune des Verliebten. See postscript to Letter 482. 
 
 X In his Faust.
 
 318 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 it is, so to say, the last flicker which the departing spirit 
 has excited in the artistic subjects. A cloud for a Juno. 
 
 I should like you to see but one performance at the 
 theatre here. The naturalism, and the loose, careless 
 style of behaviour, both generally and individually, 
 could not be surpassed. Of Art and Grace there is not 
 a trace. A lady from Vienna veiy appropriately said 
 that the actors did not behave in the slightest degree 
 as if there were spectators present. "With regard to the 
 recitation and declamation of most of the actors, there was 
 no evidence of their having any intention to make them- 
 selves understood. Of turning their backs to the audience 
 and of speaking to the ground there is no end ; things are 
 done according to so-called nature ; and then, when im- 
 portant passages occur, they fall into the most exaggerated 
 style. 
 
 On the other hand, the public deserves a certain 
 amount of credit in its way; it is extremely attentive, 
 and one does not observe any preference shown to any 
 special actor, which, however, it would be difficult to do. 
 The author is frequently applauded, or rather the subject 
 he has treated, and the actor himself generally receives 
 loud applause only when he exaggerates. These things, 
 as you will see, are all symptoms of a public which, it 
 is true, is unspoilt but also uneducated — in fact, such as 
 comes together at a fair. 
 
 But now farewell, and hold me in remembrance. Many 
 another thing by word of mouth. 
 
 G. 
 
 741. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 5, 1800. 
 Thank you for your dear letter ; it was quite strange to 
 me not to see you or to hear from you for so long. But 
 much as I miss you here, I am, nevertheless, glad for your 
 own sake that you are having this change after the long 
 winter, for it will certainly bring you back to us in more 
 cheerful spirits. During your absence I have been very 
 well physically ; I have been a good deal in the open air, 
 and am beginning gradually to look upon myself as a
 
 Letter 741.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 319, 
 
 strong man. I have during these last days occupied 
 myself with arranging the first four acts of my Mary for 
 the stage, and as these are now finished, have already 
 taken the fifth act in hand. There have "been several 
 rehearsals of Macbeth and I have good hopes of it. How- 
 ever, the first performance of it cannot he given till 
 Wednesday week. 
 
 You will meanwhile have met Cotta and have heard all 
 about his misfortunes. 
 
 Schutz's reply to Schelling's attack * you will likewise 
 have heard of. Unfortunately it is clear that Schelling 
 will not have the majority on his side ; it is a bad thing, 
 when attacking anything, to expose one's own self in 
 variety of ways. He has now left for Bamberg. 
 
 I have been told that Kotzebue, in a new piece,f has 
 taken it upon himself to say several things against the 
 Propylcea. If this is the case, I hope that you will let the 
 wretched man feel his detestable stupidity. 
 
 I have not much to tell you about Weimar. I went 
 once to tea and supper at the palace, where, for three 
 quarters of an hour, I had to listen to some French poetry. 
 
 Although you may not be able to get very much in- 
 tellectual amusement in Leipzig, still, the knowledge you 
 possess of worldly affairs of this kind must lead you to find 
 a good deal of pleasure and profit in that kind of life. 
 
 The description you give of the theatre there repre- 
 sents a town and a public which, at all events, do not 
 make any pretensions to Art and the criticism of Art, 
 but which merely have the wish to be amused and affected. 
 Yet it is very melancholy to think that dramatic art 
 should be in such a state. I have offered my Macbeth to 
 Opitz, but have not yet heard from him. 
 
 I have heard that a great friendship has been struck up 
 between Friedrich Schlegel — who was here recently — 
 and Jean Paul, and that Seckendorf, too, is striking up an 
 acquaintance with Schlegel, and has been entertaining 
 and paying his respects to him. 
 
 * Schelling's essay Ueber die Jenaische allgemeine Litter atur-Zeitung 
 in the first number of the Zeitschrift fur speculative Philosophic. 
 
 t Kotzebue's Besuch oder die Sucht zu gliinzen appeared the follow- 
 ing year.
 
 320 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 Eichter * is at present away with Herder in order to be 
 married by him. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Keep in good health 
 and return to us refreshed. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 742. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 9, 1800. 
 
 I hear this moment that some one from your house *f is 
 about to start for Leipzig, and I take this opportunity of 
 sending you a few lines by way of greeting. I feel your 
 absence very much, and feel it doubly as I cannot at 
 present throw myself wholly into my own work, for the 
 rehearsals of Macbeth cut up my time tremendously, and 
 I have not been able or cared to set to work with the fifth 
 act of Mary, for I require to be in a peculiar humour 
 for it. 
 
 You are, I am told, not coming back till Wednesday. 
 We shall, therefore, be able to receive you at once with 
 Macbeth, as it has been postponed till that day. 
 
 My health has been keeping good ; I go out walking a 
 good deal with Meyer. 
 
 My little girl was inoculated five days ago, and we are 
 now in fear and in hope, awaiting the breaking out of the 
 eruption. 
 
 I must hurry, as the person is just starting. Un- 
 fortunately, I shall see you tut for one dav and then be 
 off to my poetic solitude. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 The enclosed please send to Cotta for me ; he has some 
 money for me ; and if it does not inconvenience you, I 
 should be very much obliged if you would bring it with 
 you. 
 
 * Jean Paul F. Richter and his betrothed, Caroline von Feuchters- 
 leben, met Herder and his wife at Ilmenau on the second of May ; 
 but in place of the marriage ceremony being performed, the relation 
 in which they had stood to one another was entirely broken off. 
 
 t No doubt, says Diintzer, Schiller here refers to Christiana Vulpius, 
 whom he avoids mentioning by name, in the same way as, in one of 
 his earlier letters, he makes a in place of giving her name.
 
 Letter 745.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 321 
 
 743. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I am sorry that you could not attend our reading 
 rehearsal. To-morrow I will send you a full report of it. 
 
 I do not altogether care for you to be present at the 
 evening recital of my Diary, for I should prefer laying 
 before you the whole of the second half of the play — 
 which you do not yet know — at one and the same time, 
 because the best of it is lost when read piecemeal. 
 
 Meanwhile farewell. I wish that good Faustian appari- 
 tions may rise up before you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 744. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 12, 1800. 
 Your bold idea of having a communion service* ex- 
 hibited upon the stage has already got wind, and I have 
 been urged to request you to leave out this performance. 
 I may here confess that I myself did not altogether like it, 
 and now that it is being protested against beforehand, 
 it would, in a double respect, be unadvisable to introduce 
 it. Do you feel inclined to let me see the fifth act, and to 
 pay me a visit this morning after ten, so that we may 
 discuss the matter ? Perhaps you would like to go and have 
 a look at the palace, j it is a lovely day for this. 
 
 G 
 
 745. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (June 15.) 
 I am very curious to hear how you were satisfied with 
 yesterday's performance, and, therefore, come to inquire 
 when I can see you to-day. Our actors certainly deserve 
 a good deal of praise, and if you are of the same opinion, 
 you will doubtless tell them something to that effect. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * A scene with communion service was actually given at the first 
 representation of the play, 
 t The decorations of the palace were at this time being attended to. 
 
 VOL. II. Y
 
 322 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S0O. 
 
 746. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, June 15, 1S00. 
 We have every reason to be very well satisfied with 
 the performance, and the play itself pleased me extremely. 
 If you care to pay me a visit this evening at six o'clock, 
 it would be a great pleasure to me to see you again. I 
 dine at Court and can scarcely be back before that time. 
 
 G. 
 
 747.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I have been so upset by the bustle of the last few days, 
 by the heat and a bad night, that I shall to-day have to 
 keep at home and try to get well again. To-morrow 
 evening I hope to be all the fresher and to have had a 
 better night's rest so as to be able to come to you. There- 
 fore farewell for to-day, and I wish that good thoughts 
 may keep you company. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 748. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 24, 1800. 
 I come to ask whether you will drive over to Tieffurt 
 with me this evening, and at the same time beg you to 
 send me back Schlegel's poem.* 
 
 Perhaps at this opportunity you would ask your dear 
 
 wife whether she knows anything about one of my 
 
 smaller metrical pieces that was written in former years.f 
 
 I am in town. You will, I hope, call for me to-day, and 
 
 we can then drive wherever we please. 
 
 G. 
 
 * His Bundder Eiinste mit der Kirche, which Meyer had read aloud 
 in Herder's house, where it was received with great delight. 
 
 f His Laune des Verliebten, which he inquires about in Letter 739.
 
 Letter 751. j SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 323 
 
 749. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 27, 1800. 
 I will decide at once to let you have my first sketch, so 
 as to have your opinion of it. My great object is to be 
 rid of one piece of work, and, I think — upon reading the 
 sheets over again — that they are almost good enough 
 for their purpose ; however, I will wait and hear your 
 opinion. When I return from Court, and know how things 
 will be this evening, you shall hear from me again ; 
 perhaps I may call upon you before I return home. 
 
 G. 
 
 750. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 22, 1S00. 
 I have straightway decided to go over to Jena after 
 dinner, for, in fact, I cannot in any way collect my 
 thoughts. 
 
 Farewell, and make good progress in all things. On 
 Saturday you shall hear from me. 
 
 G. 
 
 751. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jeua, July 25, 1800. 
 
 Owing to the brevity and vanity of human life (I com- 
 mence my letter as if making a will), and the want of 
 any feeling of being able to produce anything of my 
 own, I went straightway to Biittner's library, on Tuesday 
 evening when I arrived, fetched a volume of Voltaire, and 
 commenced to translate his Tancred. I do something to 
 it every morning and the rest of the day is squandered. 
 
 This translation will again benefit us in many ways. 
 The piece possesses very many dramatic excellences, and 
 will produce a good effect in its way. I shall remain here 
 but a week longer, and if the spirit does not lead me off 
 to anything else, I shall certainly get two-thirds of it 
 
 y 2
 
 324 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 finished. I have, moreover, seen a great many people 
 and on several occasions anmsed myself very well. 
 
 Write and tell me what your activity has accom- 
 plished, and also when you think of going to Lauchstedt. 
 
 G. 
 
 752. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, July 26, 1800. 
 
 Some spiritus familiaris told me that you were trans- 
 lating Tenured, for I considered it a known fact before I 
 received your letter. The undertaking will certainly be 
 very advantageous for our dramatic purposes, although I 
 heartily wish that Faust may yet push it aside. 
 
 As for the rest, I envy you seeing something actually 
 coming into existence. I am not in a like case, for the 
 scheme of my tragedy has not yet been put into order, 
 and I have still a good many difficulties to overcome. 
 Although a similar period has to be passed through with 
 every work that is newly produced, still there is always 
 the painful feeling as if nothing had been done, because 
 there. is nothing to show of an evening. 
 
 What gives me particular trouble with my new piece is 
 that it will not let itself be arranged into a few large 
 masses, and that I have to cut it up into too many parts 
 connected with the time and locality, which is always 
 opposed to the nature of tragedy, even though the action 
 itself possesses the proper continuity. One must not — as I 
 see from this piece— allow oneself to be fettered by any 
 general idea, but venture to invent a new form for a new 
 subject, and always keep one's idea of species variable. 
 
 I enclose a new periodical * that was sent to me ; from 
 it you will be amazed to see the influence which Schlegel's 
 ideas are exercising upon the latest opinions in Art. It 
 is impossible to say what this style of things will lead to ; 
 but these hollow, empty caricatures cannot prove beneficial 
 either to production itself or to the taste for Art. You 
 will be astonished to find it there said, that true produc- 
 tion in the different arts must be accomplished altogether 
 
 * See Letter 754, and the fifth note to that Letter.
 
 Letter 753.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 325 
 
 unconsciously, and that it is considered a great merit, 
 particularly in the case of your own genius, that it works 
 altogether unconsciously. You are, accordingly, very 
 wrong in continually striving, as you have hitherto done, 
 to work with the greatest possible amount of consideration, 
 and to make the process clear to yourself. Naturalism 
 is the true indication of mastership, and it was in this 
 way that Sophocles worked. 
 
 My visit to Lauchstedt will depend upon a letter which 
 I am expecting from Komer. If the project should not 
 be practicable, I shall go to Ettersburg for some short time, 
 and there try to collect my thoughts for the beginning of 
 my work. 
 
 I hope the Muses may be gracious to you. My wife 
 sends kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 753.— Schiller to Professor Suvern. 
 
 Weimar, July 26, 1800. 
 
 Pardon me, highly esteemed Sir, for having so long 
 delayed acknowledging the receipt of your valued letter, 
 and the pamphlet * you so kindly sent me. The latter I 
 read with great interest, and am glad that Greek tragedy 
 has found so able an advocate and my piece so friendly a 
 reviewer. I felt, at first, very much tempted to express 
 myself more fully upon this treatise of yours, and to 
 dispute some of the assertions with which I cannot quite 
 agree, but as I am obliged, at present, to endeavour to 
 drive Wallenstein completely out of my head, in order 
 that it may not interfere with the work I have in hand, 
 I must reserve this discussion for another occasion. 
 
 You will, moreover, have seen from the printed version 
 of my Wallenstein that several of your suggestions had 
 already been fulfilled by me in the first sketch of the 
 piece ; the subsequent idea of adapting it for the stage is 
 alone to blame for my having had to sacrifice certain 
 artistic demands for the requirements of the stage. 
 
 I agree with you unconditionally in your veneration for 
 
 * Siivera's book : Ueber Schillers Wallenstein. In Hinslcht auf 
 Gritchische Tiagodie.
 
 326 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 the tragedies of Sophocles, but they were a manifestation 
 of their day which cannot return, and to enforce the 
 living product of an individual, definite Present upon 
 completely heterogeneous times — as a standard and model 
 — would be more likely to kill than to put life into Art, 
 which must ever arise and act dynamically and vividly. 
 Tragedy with us, if we had any, would have to struggle 
 against the impotence, the languor, the want of character 
 in the spirit of the age and with a common mode of 
 thought, it would, accordingly, have to show strength 
 and character, and would have to endeavour to terrify, 
 to elevate but not to dissolve the feelings. Beauty is 
 for a happy race, an unhappy one has to be moved by 
 sublimity. 
 
 But more of this another time. In closing, allow me 
 to assure you of my sincerest esteem and regard. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 754. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, July 29, 1800. 
 
 My work proceeds on its course ; the translation I write 
 out of a morning as far as I can in pencil, and then 
 dictate it during quiet moments ; by this means the first 
 manuscript will appear tolerably clean. By the end of 
 the week I shall have finished the last three acts, and 
 shall reserve the first two for a fresh attack. I say 
 nothing about the matter as a whole, which will, in every 
 way, be useful for our purposes. It is in reality a Schau- 
 spiel — a show-piece — for everything in it is set up, as it 
 were, on show, and this characteristic of the piece can be 
 set forth even more by me as I am less restricted than the 
 French author. It cannot fail to have a dramatic effect, 
 as everything is calculated, and can be reckoned upon 
 to produce this. By representing a public event and 
 action, the piece necessarily requires choruses; these I 
 shall also attend to, and hope, by this means, to carry the 
 matter as far as the Gallic origin of the piece will admit. 
 It will help us to make some good and new experiences. 
 
 I shall require about four hours to finish the work, 
 and the accompanying sketch will show you in what
 
 Letter 754.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 327 
 
 different ways, at times merrily, the rest of my time is 
 spent. 
 
 Brief survey of the offerings presented to me in this 
 emporium of knowledge and of science for my diversion 
 as well as for my mental and physical mood : 
 
 Loder* gave excellent crabs, of which I wish you 
 could have had a plate; delicious wines; a foot to be 
 amputated ; a nose-polypus ; a few essays on anatomical 
 and surgical subjects ; a variety of anecdotes ; a microscope 
 and newspapers. 
 
 Fromann : f Gries's Tasso ; Tieck's Journal, first number. 
 
 Fr. ScMegel: a poem of his own ; | supplementary 
 sheet to the Athenceum. 
 
 Lenz : New minerals, especially some beautiful crystal- 
 lised chalcedony. 
 
 The Mineralogical Society : A few essays from high as 
 well as low points of view ; an opportunity for all sorts 
 of remarks. 
 
 llgen:§ History of Tobi ; various amusing pliilologica. 
 
 The Botanic Gardener : A number of plants in their 
 orders, as arranged and grown here in the garden. 
 
 Cotta: Philibert's Botany. 
 
 Accident : Gustav Wasa, by Brentano. 
 
 Literary Scandal : Inclination to read Steffen's small 
 work on Mineralogy. 
 
 Count Veltheim : His collected works, intellectual and 
 amusing, but, unfortunately, frivolous, amateurish, and at 
 times, hare-brained and fantastic. 
 
 Some matters of business: An opportunity both to please 
 and to vex myself. 
 
 Finally I must not forget your Memnon || which must 
 
 * Professor of medicine in Jena ; the anatomist and physician so 
 frequently spoken of in earlier Letters. 
 
 t The publisher, an exceedingly well-informed man, who delighted 
 in gathering around him the most eminent men of the day. During 
 the year 1800 he published Gries's Tasso and Tieck's Poetischts 
 Journal, both referred to in the above Letter. 
 
 % Probably Die neue Schule, a gloss in Goethian metres. 
 
 § Professor of Oriental languages in Jena, and celebrated for his 
 works of theological and philological subjects. 
 
 || Memnon probably stands for Mnemosyne, as two numbers of this 
 periodical were published by Hennings during that yi ar. See also 
 Letter 752, where Schiller speaks of sending Goethe some periodical.
 
 328 COEEESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 likewisa be reckoned among the remarkable phenomena 
 and signs of the time. 
 
 Now when you think that one and all of these spirits are 
 roaming about me, you can imagine that I am never alone, 
 either in my own room or while out taking my solitary 
 walks. During the next few days, as I am told, there is 
 still a wonderful variety of things in store for me, about 
 which you will hear more next message-day. I shall at 
 the same time be able to decide about the day of my 
 return. 
 
 Farewell, and be diligent, if the high state of the 
 barometer suits you as well as it does me. 
 
 G. 
 
 755. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, July 30, 1800. 
 
 The cheerful tone of your letter proves to me that things 
 are going well with you in Jena, and I congratulate you 
 that such is the case. I cannot boast the same of myself; 
 the state of the barometer, which is so favorable to you, 
 brings on my spasms, and I do not sleep well. Owing to 
 this state of things, it was very welcome news to me to 
 hear from Korner that he could not undertake the journey. 
 I shall, therefore, not go to Lauchstedt, and shall thus 
 have an unexpected gain in time and also in money ; for, 
 much as I should have liked to have seen him again, 
 it would just at present have been a little inconvenient 
 to me. 
 
 I congratulate you upon the progress you have made in 
 your work. The liberty which you appear to be taking 
 with the French original, I look upon as a good sign of 
 the productive state of your mind ; and also augur from 
 this that the work will bring us a step further forwards 
 than Mahomet did. I am looking forward eagerly to 
 seeing your work and to our discussions upon it. 
 
 If you carry out your idea respecting the choruses, wo 
 shall be making an important experiment on the stage. 
 
 My piece, too, will, I hope, be so far advanced by the 
 time you return for me to lay the finished sketch of it 
 before you, in order that I may assure myself that you
 
 Letter 756.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 329 
 
 a jprove of it before I set about working it out. During 
 the last few days I have likewise been engaged with the 
 conclusion of my collection of poems. The stanzas on 
 Mahomet I have also had printed in it. If you are curious 
 to see them, Gopferdt could send you sheets It and S as 
 soon as they have been printed off. 
 
 Kirms sent me a very welcome roll* to-day, for which I 
 send you my best thanks. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. May you fare well 
 and enjoy the gay variety of entertainments by which 
 you are surrounded in Jena. Mellish passed through here 
 yesterday, and has again taken up his abode in Dornburg. 
 I hear a great deal about the merry life they are leading 
 in Wilhelmsthal,! where the proceedings are evidently 
 very Utopian. My sister-in-law met with a serious acci- 
 dent in the carriage, which broke in two ; however, she 
 herself was not hurt. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 756. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jenn, August 1, 1800. 
 
 Tancred I laid aside yesterday morning. I have trans- 
 lated — and here and there a little more than this — the 
 close of the second act and the third and fourth acts, with the 
 exception of the close of the two latter. By this means, 
 as I think, I have secured the worthier parts of the piece, 
 to which I shall now have to add something that is life- 
 giving of my own, so that the beginning and the end may 
 become somewhat fuller than the original. The choruses 
 will be very appropriate; however, I shall nevertheless 
 have to act very cautiously so as not to injure the whole. 
 Still, once being upon the path we have entered I shall 
 never regret working out and accomplishing this task. 
 
 Yesterday I attended to some business matters and to- 
 day solved a small difficulty in Faust. If I could remain 
 here another fortnight from now, it should assume quite a 
 
 * A roll of money which was due to Schiller for the performance of 
 his Maria Stuart in Lauchstedt. 
 
 t Wilhelmsthal, a small town near Eisenach, one of the ducal 
 country residences.
 
 330 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 different appearance. However, I have unfortunately taken 
 it into my head that my presence is required in Weimar, 
 and I am going to sacrifice my dearest wish to this fancy. 
 
 In other ways, also, these last few days have not been 
 unfruitful in many good things. We have long pondered 
 over a Bride in Sorrow. Tieck, in his poetic journal, 
 reminds me of an old marionette play called the Hollen- 
 braut, which I too remember to have seen in my young 
 days. It is a pendant to Faust, or rather to Don Juan. 
 An extremely vain and heartless girl, who has ruined her 
 faithful lover, consents to accept an unknown stranger as 
 her betrothed, and he, in the end, as a devil, carries her 
 off with him as she deserves. Ought we not to be able to 
 find the idea for a bride in sorrow here, at least, in this 
 direction. 
 
 I have been reading a treatise of Baader's on the 
 Pythagorean square in nature, or the four quarters of the 
 globe. Whether it is that I have for some years past 
 interested myself more in this species of writing, or that 
 he has contrived to make his intentions clearer, the little 
 work has pleased me and has served me as an introduc- 
 tion to his earlier writings; however, my faculties are 
 still unable to comprehend ail of the latter. 
 
 A student here, who is engaged with the anatomy of 
 insects, dissected some very neatly and explained them to 
 me, and I have thus made progress in this branch also, 
 partly in knowledge of the subject itself, partly also in 
 the treatment of it. 
 
 If a young man like this could have some definite 
 object given him to work at, if only for four months, 
 many very pleasant things might be the result. How- 
 ever, if I can come over here again before the time when 
 certain caterpillars change into chrysalises, I shall as- 
 suredly try and make use of his ability and dexterity. 
 One might, indeed, easily do such things oneself were it 
 not that they would at once lead one over into an 
 entirely different sphere. 
 
 On Monday I shall be with you again, and shall have a 
 number of things to bring with me and to relate. 
 
 Farewell meanwhile, and hold me in remembrance. 
 
 G.
 
 Letter 758.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 331 
 
 757. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (August 2, 1800.) 
 
 I rejoice to see from your letter that you are soon 
 coming back, and congratulate you upon having spent 
 your time so profitably, and also upon Faust having been 
 in your thoughts. I shall, accordingly, not give up the 
 hope that you will yet make considerable progress with it 
 this year. 
 
 I can to-day send you only a few words of greeting. 
 Gopferdt sends me two things to correct, which must be 
 quickly attended to, and I am obliged to go to the library 
 to collect a whole lot of books for the purpose. My piece 
 takes me back into the times of the troubadours, and, in 
 order to get into a proper mood for it, I have also to make 
 myself better acquainted with the Minnescinger. There 
 is still an immense deal to do to the basis of this tragedy ; 
 however, I take great pleasure in it, and hope that by 
 devoting more time to the plan itself, I shall be enabled 
 to proceed the more freely with the actual working of 
 it out. 
 
 The idea about the Hollenbraat is not a bad one, and I 
 shall take note of it. 
 
 Farewell, therefore, till we meet again. My wife sends 
 kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch. ' 
 
 758. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 12, 1800. 
 
 If you care to- go with me to-day to Legationsrath 
 Bertuch, I will come at one o'clock with the carriage and 
 fetch you. 
 
 Herewith you will receive a copy of my poems for your 
 dear wife ; but ask her not to have it bound till I have 
 spoken to her about it, for the creases in Wallenstein, 
 which you consider the fault of Fromman * and his 
 machine, are the result of the binding, and can be avoided, 
 as I will show you. 
 
 * The publisher. See Letter 754 and note.
 
 332 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 I hope that you are feeling better to-day than yon were 
 yesterday, although the barometer is still in my favour. 
 
 G. 
 
 759. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 August 15, 1800. 
 Yesterday evening I came out to Ober- Weimar, and am 
 now enjoying a very bright morning. I fear, however, 
 that as long as the heat lasts I shall not accomplish much, 
 as mind and body are quite exhausted. 
 
 You may perhaps decide to drive out this evening and 
 to call upon me. I am also curious to hear whether any 
 new pieces for competition have been sent in. I may tell 
 you — in case you have anything to say to me — that my 
 man-servant returns at about one o'clock with my dinner. 
 Fare right well. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 760. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Ober- Weimar, August 17, 1800. 
 
 My hopes of seeing you yesterday proved vain. I was 
 kept in town till quite late in the evening, as my wife 
 was not feeling very well, and I returned at about ten 
 o'clock. 
 
 By the maddest chance in the world — just as I fled 
 from town to escape from the noise — there happened to 
 be a wedding in the house exactly opposite the one in 
 which I am staying, an event which is perhaps the only 
 one of its kind within a radius of six miles. I have not 
 slept all night, and even my forenoon has been disturbed, 
 as the people were packing up the bride's belongings 
 amidst shoutings and jokes. Thus you see everything is 
 conspiring against my industry, and I am afraid it will 
 take me some time to get a fair start. Perhaps you will 
 drive over this evening ; at all events, I shall be prepared 
 for you. Farewell. 
 
 J SCH.
 
 Letter 762] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 333 
 
 761. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 2, 1800. 
 Herewith you will receive Humboldt's essay.* 
 If you can be ready at about five o'clock I will call for 
 you or have you fetched, so that you may see the things 
 arranged at the Academy; some wonderful things have 
 come in. 
 
 This evening we shall spend together again in order, at 
 the very last, to discuss what is most necessary. 
 
 G. 
 
 762. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, September 5, 1800. 
 
 Humboldt's essay, which I herewith return, can very 
 well be made use of. The subject must prove interesting, 
 for it describes a definite human condition that is as 
 secluded and isolated as the mountain upon which it exists, 
 and accordingly leads the reader from the world back into 
 his inward self. It is to be wished that this picture could 
 have been contrasted with one from the busiest scenes of 
 life, for in that case both would have had a double effect. 
 
 I hope you have now fairly settled down again in your 
 solitude, and shall hope to hear in your letter of to- 
 morrow that something has been produced. I too have 
 now regularly begun at the beginning f and hope to get 
 one part finished before' I come over to Jena. I have 
 meanwhile been once to the gallery of paintings, and have 
 made various observations respecting the public, which I 
 shall tell you of. 
 
 While Meyer is criticising and examining our German 
 artists, they are coming down upon him reciproce, and find- 
 ing fault with his works. Thus Crusius, my publisher in 
 Leipzig, writes and tells me that the Leipzigers are very 
 much displeased with the drawing which forms the frontis- 
 piece to my volume of poems ; he thinks it too indefinite 
 and wanting in expression, and accordingly begs me in 
 
 * A letter addressed to Goethe with an account of Montserrat in the 
 Pyrenees (HumhoHts IVerke, iii., 173 fl'.). 
 t Of his Maid of Orleans.
 
 334 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 future to employ a different artist. I should like to 
 know in what Herr Schnorr shows that he possesses what 
 is definitive and expressive. 
 
 Cotta gives me good news of Wallenstein, Of four 
 thousand five hundred copies the greater portion has 
 already been sold, and he is preparing a new edition. It 
 is a good omen for your Faust that the public has not 
 been deterred from making further purchases by the 
 higher price ; in the case of Faust, Cotta might at once 
 strike off an edition of from 6000 to 8000 copies. 
 
 Poor Eschen,* Voss' pupil, whom you know as the 
 translator of Horace, has lost his life in the valley of 
 Chamouni. He slipped while climbing, and fell down a 
 precipice among huge masses of snow, and was never seen 
 again. I am very soriy that the poor fellow has quitted 
 the world in such a wretched manner. 
 
 September 6. 
 
 No letter from you has been brought in to me yet. 
 I hope that very great diligence has been the cause of 
 your not writing. 
 
 Farewell, and let me hear from you soon. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 763. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, September 12, 1800. 
 Having met with various adventures, I did not get back 
 to the quietude of Jena till early this morning, and im- 
 mediately tried my hand at something, but have as yet ac- 
 complished nothing. Fortunately, during the last few days, 
 I have been able to keep to the situations which you know 
 of, and my Helena has actually appeared upon the scenes. 
 But I now find that what is beautiful in the position of my 
 heroine is so attractive to me that it grieves me to think 
 that, before long, I shall have to turn it into a caricature. 
 The truth is, I feel no small inclination to found a serious 
 tragedy upon what I have already commenced ; however, 
 
 * See Letter 467. The fatal accident occurred on the 7th of August ; 
 Eschen, at the time, was on his way towards the mountain Buet, in 
 the Chamouni valley, and fell into a ravine that was covered with a 
 coating of ice.. A monument was erected, near Servoz, in memory of 
 the unfortunate man, and is still to be seen.
 
 Lettee 764.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 335 
 
 I shall guard against adding to the demands I make upon 
 myself, for the trouble of fulfilling them takes away 
 from the pleasure of life. 
 
 I hope that you have progressed with your undertaking. 
 If it were possible for you, in conjunction with Meyer, to 
 do something towards noticing the things that are being 
 exhibited, it would be a great blessing to me. Let me 
 have a few words by the returning messenger, and fare- 
 well. 
 
 G. 
 
 764. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, September 13, 1800. 
 
 I congratulate you upon the advance you have made 
 in your Faust. But be sure not to allow yourself to be 
 disturbed by the thought that it would be a pity to bar- 
 barise beautiful figures and situations, should such be met 
 with. A similar case might often present itself to you in 
 the second part of Faust, and I should be glad, once and 
 for all, to silence your poetic conscience on this point. 
 The barbarous element in the treatment which is imposed 
 upon you by the spirit of the whole, cannot destroy its 
 higher character or do away with what is beautiful in it ; 
 it can only modify it and prepare it for some other faculty 
 of soul. Just that which is higher and more elevated in 
 the motives, gives a peculiar charm to the work, and 
 Helena here stands as a symbol of all the beautiful forms 
 which will stray into it. It is a very great merit to pro- 
 ceed consciously from what is pure to what is impure, in 
 place of soaring up from what is impure to what is pure, 
 as is the case with us other barbarians. Hence, in Faust, 
 you must everywhere maintain your Faust-recht (the right 
 of the fist.) 
 
 With regard to the criticism of the exhibited paintings, 
 I cannot promise you anything definite, except the letter 
 which I intend writing upon the subject myself and in 
 my own fashion. I lose all the advantage I may possess 
 when I try to blend my ideas on these works with your 
 and Meyer's opinions. Moreover, what I attain by keeping 
 my own views distinct from yours, is not without its use 
 to the readers of the Propylcea, or rather for our intention
 
 336 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 regarding it. However, I will gladly give Meyer any 
 advise about his essay on the subject. 
 
 My work is still progressing, but only slowly, however, 
 I have not fallen back. Owing to the poverty of my ex- 
 periences in actual life, I have always to devise some 
 peculiar method and to devote a great deal of time to 
 animating the subject. This subject is not one of the 
 easiest and not altogether within my sphere. 
 
 I enclose some novelties from Berlin which will amuse 
 you ; you will be particularly pleased with the protection 
 offered you by Woltmann.* 
 
 Farewell, and keep in the path you have entered upon. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 765. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, September 16, 1800. 
 
 The consolation you give me in your letter that the 
 union of what is pure with what is adventurous cannot 
 give rise to a poetic monstrosity altogether objectionable, 
 I have already found confirmed by experience, inasmuch 
 as this amalgamation gives rise to strange results in 
 which I myself take some interest. I am curious to see 
 how things will look in a fortnight's time. Unfortunately, 
 these results possess great breadth and depth, and would 
 actually make me happy, could I see a quiet six months 
 before me. 
 
 The philosophical colloquia with Xiethammer are still 
 being continued, and I have no doubt that I shall in this 
 way gain an insight into the philosophy of these later 
 times. As one cannot keep aloof from the contemplation 
 of nature and art, it is absolutely necessary to become 
 acquainted with the prevailing and powerful modes of 
 conception. 
 
 But now above all things let me ask whether I may 
 hope to see you here on Sunday. Frau Griesbach has 
 already invited me to meet yon. As the weather is fine, 
 and seems likely to keep so, I am in great hopes that 
 
 * Evidently in a letter to Schiller. See next Letter. Woltmann 
 h id irone to live in Berlin a few years previously, where he pub- 
 li-hed a periodical : Geschiehte rind Politilc (1800-1805), and his 
 Geschichte der Reformation ^1800-1801).
 
 Letter 7GC] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 337 
 
 you will cany out your intention and come over with 
 Meyer. You could make use of my coach, we might then 
 dine with Griesbach, you remain over-night with me at 
 the palace, and after our deliberations you could drive off 
 early on Monday. I should not like to have anything 
 about the prizes mentioned publicly till we are able to 
 announce the theme for next year. In fact, it will be 
 necessary again to discuss what is to be said in the 
 Propylcea. 
 
 I have written a letter to Humboldt, which I enclose. 
 It is truly unfortunate that I have again mislaid his last 
 letter, in which he a second time gave me his address. 
 But as it is still the old one, you or your sister-in-law are 
 sure to have it. Be so kind as to add what is necessary 
 and to have it sent to the post. 
 
 AVoltmann's letter I herewith return. Things must 
 look strange in Berlin for persons to have such notions. 
 However, the question, of course, is not so much about 
 what is effected as about starting something. I refer to 
 the idea of enticing us thither. The tone of the an- 
 nouncement is quite like Fichte. I am only afraid 
 that the Idealists and Dynamists will very shortly appear 
 as dogmatisers and pedants, and, when they have an 
 opportunity, lay hold of one another by the throat. When 
 you come over you shall hear and see all sorts of things ; 
 I have no inclination for communicating things at a 
 distance. Farewell. 
 
 G 
 
 766. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, September 17, 1800. 
 
 With regard to my journey to Jena, I had indeed firmly 
 resolved to go over on Sunday; but I dare not venture to 
 remain over-night, for an interruption of two days in my 
 work would at once distract my thoughts. However, I 
 hope to be with you a little after nine o'clock, and could 
 remain till about nine at night. I should not think of 
 taking your horses the long drive there and back in one 
 day. 
 
 Most glad I am that you have meanwhile kept to Faust ; 
 
 VOL. II. «
 
 338 COKRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 and that you intend keeping to it. Part of it must get 
 finished now, and j^ou have still several weeks' quiet 
 before you. 
 
 I shall look forward to hearing the result of your 
 discussions with Niethammer, "by word of mouth. I have 
 latterly been reading Woltmann's work on the Reforma- 
 tion, which is carried down to Luther's death, and this 
 ecclesiastical revolution has made me think of the latest 
 revolution in philosophy. In both there was something 
 very eminently real ; in the former the falling away from 
 the ordinances of the church and the return to the 
 original sources, to the Bible and to Eeason ; in the latter 
 the falling away from dogmatism and empiricism. But 
 in the case of both revolutions one perceives the old 
 failings of human nature, of settling down directly in 
 prejudice and of becoming dogmatical. Where this does 
 not happen, things again diverge too much, nothing 
 remains steadfast, and people end — as in the first case — 
 by unsettling the world and by arrogating to themselves 
 a brutal sovereignty over all things. 
 
 Otherwise Woltmann's work, which might have entered 
 more minutely into the matter, is not in any way more 
 mature or promising than his previous political history. 
 The question here was to arrange the subject — which in 
 accordance with its nature aims at trivial wretched details, 
 and proceeds with endless retardations — into large fruit- 
 ful masses and to grasp its spirit with a few bold strokes. 
 But, in place of doing this, he is as circumstantial and 
 tedious in his proceedings as an Imperial diet ; he does not 
 omit giving the smallest particulars, or useless colloquy, 
 we have to wade through everything. The opinions pro- 
 nounced exhibit youthful, weak, would-be wisdom, a 
 certain spirit of triviality and secondary considerations ; in 
 the descriptions given favoritism and aversion. But not- 
 withstanding all this the book is not without interest. 
 
 Your letter to Humboldt shall be sent to the post to- 
 morrow. 
 
 Farewell, and may all good spirits be with you. 
 
 SCH.
 
 Letter 70S.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 339 
 
 767. — Goethe to Schillek. 
 
 Jena, September 23, 1800. 
 
 Your recent visit was very delightful to me ; our talk, 
 as well as Meyer's recital, have given me courage to get 
 rid of my first despatch at once. Letters, money and 
 notices have been sent off. The review is being copied 
 out, and I am now thinking of my introitus, which it is to 
 be hoped will soon be helped afloat by your peroration. 
 
 My Helena, too, has been making progress lately. The 
 principal incidents of the plan have been arranged, and 
 as I have your approval of the main point, I shall com- 
 mence working it out all the more courageously. 
 
 Whether or not, I should like this time to keep composed, 
 and not to look into the distance ; still I already see that 
 it is only from this summit that I shall get a proper view 
 of the whole. 
 
 I also wish to hear from you that you are making 
 progress. 
 
 In order not to draw down upon myself more curses 
 from wives than I have already done, I will not persuade 
 you to come here. However, should the weather change 
 you will have but little pleasure from your garden. 
 
 My kind greetings to Meyer; I cannot write to him 
 to-day. 
 
 Our philosophical colloquia are becoming more and 
 more interesting, and I venture to hope that, if only I 
 leave myself time, I shall get a very good insight into 
 the whole matter. Let us do our utmost to enter the new 
 century with this third wonder* 
 
 Farewell, and keep me in remembrance. G. 
 
 768. — Schiller to Goethf . 
 
 Weimar, September 23, 1800. 
 The recital, the other day, made a great and significant 
 impression upon me ; one feels the noble, sublime spirit of 
 ancient tragedy come wafting towards one from the 
 
 * This, says Diintzer, probably refers to some jocose remark when 
 they last met. 
 
 z 2
 
 340 COERESPONBEKCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 monologue, and its effect is the right one, for it excites 
 what is deepest, in a calm and yet powerful manner. If 
 you were not to "bring back anything poetical from Jena but 
 this, and what you have already settled in your own mind 
 about the further course of this tragic part, your stay in 
 Jena would nave met with its reward. If you succeed 
 with this synthesis of what is noble and barbarous, as I 
 have no doubt will be the case, you will have found 
 the key to the remaining portion of the whole, and it will 
 then not be difficult for you — as it were — analytically to 
 determine and dispute the meaning and spirit of the 
 other portions from this point ; for the summit, as you 
 yourself call it, must be seen from, and look towards all 
 the various points of the whole. 
 
 I yesterday began to work out my letter, and if, as I 
 hope, I get it finished on Friday, it would give me great 
 pleasure to bring it over to Jena myself. I expect a good 
 influence from mj lonely stay in my garden-house, even 
 though the weather should not be exactly favorable to 
 me, and I can calculate with certainty upon having some 
 pleasant days in October. My wife is becoming reconciled 
 to it, for here everything depends upon habit. Do not 
 let either of us be interrupted in our work if you prefer 
 absolute solitude. 
 
 I spoke to Mellish yesterday, and did all I could to 
 encourage him in the lively interest he already takes in 
 your optical studies. If I came over, I should propose 
 meeting him, and beg you to give him some decisive 
 explanations and further instructions. He has a grand 
 idea of the whole matter, and it is so important to him 
 that it is only his amazement that awakens doubt. If, 
 therefore, you lead him over from the untenableness 
 of Newton's doctrine by ocular demonstration, the matter 
 will become sufficiently important to him to persevere 
 in it. 
 
 Both Meyer and I are almost sorry that you should 
 already have sent off the notice of the new prize-theme ; 
 for we had a few proposals to make to you with regard to 
 the second theme. I also wished to tell you of an idea 
 that had struck me, namely, whether the public could 
 not be induced to buy 150 or 200 lottery tickets, at one
 
 Letter 700 ] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 341 
 
 ducat a-piece, and then to distribute the two or three best 
 pieces among such persons as take an interest in the 
 matter. This would make it possible to propose giving a 
 hundred ducats for the first prize, in which case, of 
 course, the author would have to give up all claim to his 
 work ; the public would become interested in the under- 
 taking, and thereby, indirectly, in the Propylcea, and no 
 artist could keep out of the competition. 
 
 Meyer, too, thought this idea practicable and good ; I 
 leave it to your further consideration. Fare right well. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 769. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, September 26, 1800. 
 
 I had hoped to send you my promised letter by the 
 message-woman to-day, but did not get it quite finished 
 in time ; the last d lys have not been favorable to me, for 
 the change in the weather has again roused my old 
 spasms. However, the manuscrij^t shall be sent off by 
 to-morrow's pott, for I do not in the mean time consider 
 it advisable for me to come over myself. 
 
 I hope that you are feeling well, although I have 
 not heard from you to-day. If you could procure 
 Hermann's book on Greek metre for me to read I should 
 be very much obliged. Your recent recital has drawn 
 my attention very much to the trimeter, and I wish to go 
 further into the matter. I also feel a great inclination to 
 occupy myself, at odd hours, with Greek literature, only 
 so as to gain an insight into Greek metres. I hope, when 
 Humboldt comes, to gain something from him. I should 
 also like to know which Greek grammar and which 
 lexicon are most serviceable. Friedrich Schlegel will 
 probably be best able to answer this. 
 
 I hope that you may make good progress with your 
 tragedy ; this week I have not made any advance with 
 my work. 
 
 Farewell. My wife sends kindest greetings. 
 
 Sch.
 
 342 CORKESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 770. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, September 28, 1800. 
 
 I -^ave written to Vulpius, and told hini at once to look 
 out those of my books which you might be able to make 
 use of for the object you have in view. The material of 
 every language as well as its forms of conception are so 
 widely distinct from productivity that, when they are but 
 looked at, one sees such a long roundabout way before 
 one, that one is well satisfied merely to be able to find 
 one's way out of them again. In my work I proceed 
 solely according to general impressions. It is necessary 
 that some one, like Humboldt, should have paved the way 
 in order to hand over what is requisite for our use. At 
 all events, I shall wait till he comes, and even then expect 
 but little for my purpose. 
 
 The weather is such that I can scarcely hope to see you 
 here, hence I beg you most urgently to let me have your 
 friendly contribution soon, and also to encourage Meyer 
 to continue working out his portion. My scheme is ready, 
 but I cannot purify and complete it, much less work it 
 out, till I see in what you have anticipated me. I only 
 hope that it may be in a great deal. 
 
 My eoUoguia with Xiethammer are being continued and 
 are taking a good turn. 
 
 Ritter * was with me yesterday ; he is a very heaven 
 of knowledge upon earth. 
 
 My wishes would, at present, be very limited if it 
 depended upon myself to gratify them ; however, I will 
 not say anything about this, and wish you a hearty 
 farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 771. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, September 29, 1800. 
 Here is my letter. I very much wish that it might 
 spare you a little trouble as regards your own work, 
 but I scarcely expect this. I was not in my sphere, and 
 
 • Dr. Johann W. Bitter, of Jena. See also Letters 491, 492.
 
 Letter 772.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 343 
 
 what was actually wanted here — propriety in the matter 
 — was not to be expected from me. To express a few 
 thoughts, to entertain the reader, to incite the artist a 
 little, and, at times, to confuse him, this is what I 
 promised to do, and have, to some extent, accomplished. 
 The essay will, however, almost fill one sheet and a half; 
 if you think it too long, cut out some of the details — in 
 fact, do with it as you please. 
 
 V. has sent me the books ; Hermann * I took up at once, 
 and, moreover, shall keep to the subject till it becomes 
 intolerable to me. 
 
 Farewell for to-day. I must hurry with this parcel to 
 the post. 
 
 Sch. 
 772. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, September 30, 1800. 
 
 The weather continues to be of a kind which doubtless 
 does not inspire you. I have, during these last days, 
 written the beginning to our distribution of the prizes and 
 drawn up a sketch for the conclusion. I must now wait 
 and see how this agrees with what you and Meyer have 
 written. 
 
 If I could have Meyer's second half and the whole of 
 yours by Wednesday evening, it would indeed be a great 
 help to me, for I do not wish to leave this till everything 
 is one complete whole. In Weimar I should never get 
 anything of this kind done ; I know this beforehand, for 
 a collected state of mind is even more necessary to me for 
 rhetoric than for poetry. It occurred to me that I have 
 another essay of Humboldt's on the trimeter. Unfor- 
 tunately I did not correct it when it was copied out ; 
 hence there are a few, 4;o me vexatious, orthographical 
 errors in it. I likewise enclose a portion of his Agamem- 
 non ; both will, in some measure, meet your wishes. 
 
 When I tell you that I am also discussing transcendental 
 idealism with Niethammer and Friedrich Schlegel, and 
 higher physics with Bitter, you can imagine that poetry 
 is almost wholly cast aside; however, it is to be hoped 
 that it will return again. 
 
 * Gottfried Hermann on Greek metres. See Letter 769.
 
 344 COIiKESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 Moreover I may now return home when I etc-; se, as I 
 have spent my four weeks profitably and find that I have 
 made progress on all hands. Many a thing has now to be 
 worked out, and if I can only manage to spend another 
 month here this winter, it will be a gain to me in more 
 ways than one. 
 
 Farewell ; keep me in remembrance and be diligent in 
 your own way. 
 } G. 
 
 I also enclose last year's notices on Macbeth, which I 
 have still to comment upon in part. Keep them yourself 
 or give them to Becker. 
 
 773. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Xot dated.) 
 
 I was just on the point of closing my despatch, when, 
 to my greatest joy, your essay * came in. I have hurriedly 
 read it over and find it better, more beautiful, and more to 
 the point than you can yourself well know. It struck me 
 while reading it that in Venice, when a trial is held, each 
 party employs two lawyers of different characters to plead 
 the case, one to start the law-suit and one to conclude it. 
 
 Our trichord shall this time give forth something very 
 good. My peroration, in which you have anticipated me 
 in some points, I shall now add to the introduction, and 
 what there may be over, append to next year's prize-theme, 
 where several other things can be said in addition. How- 
 ever, this cannot be decided till I have seen Meyer's review, 
 which I hope to get to-morrow. The unity in the variety 
 of the three tones will have a very good effect. I thank 
 you a thousand times for your kind assistance ; I thought 
 also of classifying the motives, But fear— even in looking 
 over my sketch— that I should become too dry. With 
 you things are in full flow. 
 
 * The essay is now printed among Schiller's works, vol. xii. 326 ff. 
 The programme in connection with the prize theme in the Propi/l^a con- 
 tained : (1) Goethe's Introduction entitled Preiserllieilung : (2) Meyer's 
 criticism of the several pieces : (3) Schiller's Letter: (4) Thennnounce- 
 nieut of the new theme, and (5, Cu ory review of the state of plastic art 
 in Germany.
 
 Letter 774.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE 345 
 
 Farewell, and please give a passing glanoe at the sketch 
 which I send to Meyer, concerning the different position 
 of Art in Germany. 
 
 G. 
 
 774. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, October 1, 1800. 
 
 Yonr historical results in regard to the prize-pieces 
 sent in, Meyer communicated to me at once, a few days ago, 
 and we were both very much pleased with them. And 
 even though only this one result were obtained from the 
 whole affair, still something has been gained by these 
 nine and twenty artists having been at work, for we have 
 obtained a very characteristic and fruitful insight into the 
 present statistics of Art, which will be serviceable in many 
 ways. And this very observation will be of the most 
 general interest. 
 
 That you should be satisfied with my work, and find 
 that it accords with your object, is doubly agreeable to 
 me, as I really undertook it more because you wished it 
 than from any inclination of my own ; you will have 
 found that just that which, at first, determined me to 
 undertake it — the out-pouring of my feelings on Nahl's 
 drawing — has not been made the main point in it. 
 
 If I am to judge, from what Meyer has done and from 
 what I myself have said, as to what ought especially to 
 be expressed, I should say that the following is what 
 chiefly presents itself to my mind. 
 
 Meyer has discussed what is artistic, what is poetical 
 and generally philosophical ; now there may still be some- 
 thing general, or, if you prefer it, something scientific to 
 be said concerning what is really artistic. I did, it is true, 
 feel the necessity in my own way, of touching upon this, 
 but as it lay wholly beyond my capacity and experience, 
 I kept simply to the mere idea of the picture. Ac- 
 cordingly it would still be necessary to state something 
 generally scientific with regard to the picturesque treat- 
 ment of the outward arrangement, in short, with regard 
 to what has to be done when the thought has been found, 
 and it has then to be represented through the medium of
 
 346 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 plastic art. It is true Meyer's opinions are based upon 
 this, but he confines himself more to criticising, and 
 hence we should have to strike a major chord to his minor. 
 
 Thank you very much for sending me Humboldt's 
 work ; I hope to learn many things from it. It is hard 
 for me to understand Hermann's book properly, and one 
 comes upon difficulties at the very beginning; I am 
 curious to hear your experience of the book, and hope you 
 will enlighten me about it. 
 
 The actors have returned and abuse Eudolstadt, where 
 they B€ m to have received but very poor thanks. It is 
 amusing to hear how these gentlemen scoff at Kotzebue, 
 as if they could boast of having any real taste. How- 
 ever, it cannot be denied that in several instances their 
 censure is well directed and well founded, only they are 
 not very consistent. Your remarks upon Macbeth we will 
 try to put to as much good use as possible. It will also 
 be necessary to arrange the parts differently, for as Yohs 
 cannot play Macbeth, and Spangler has left, we might 
 perhaps decide upon something different with regard to 
 filling the part of the Witches. 
 
 Cotta seems to be expecting to hear from you, and is 
 anxious about your silence. Literary pirates have been 
 eiving him some trouble about Wallenstein. Some one in 
 Bamberg has already had the play printed and sent 
 abroad, and some one else in Vienna has received the 
 imperial permission to do likewise. Accordingly nothing 
 good ever comes to us from that quarter, yet they 
 disturb and hinder us all the more. 
 
 Farewell, and get through with your business soon, in 
 order that we may settle down here again and draw near 
 to each other before the winter comes. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 775. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, October 3, 1800. 
 
 I have decided to leave this to-morrow, the 4th of 
 October. 
 
 Although I have not exactly accomplished all that I
 
 Letter 777.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 347 
 
 proposed doing, still my time has been well spent, and 
 I have progressed in many respects. 
 
 If you care to pay me a visit to-morrow evening, we 
 will have a discussion while the rest of the world are 
 amusing themselves with Bayard* "We three must have 
 a conference before I can think of working out my 
 sketches which have assumed a wondrous appearance ; as 
 far as I can see, we shall fill the five remaining sheets 
 that are still wanting. 
 
 Farewell : all else by word of mouth. 
 
 776. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, November 9, 1800. 
 
 Together with the inquiry as to whether I shall have 
 the pleasure of seeing you here this evening, I add the 
 following points : 
 
 (1.) Would you be so good as to think of the prize- 
 theme for the play of intrigue, as the last sheet of the 
 Propylcea must now be attended to. 
 
 (2.) Would you kindly send me back Ancient and 
 Modern Times,f as well as : 
 
 (3.) The few useless manuscript plays of mine which 
 you have, and further, when you come : 
 
 (4.) Look at the printed plays which I herewith en- 
 close. 
 
 G. 
 777. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, November 18, 1800. 
 Where poor poetry will fly to at last I do not know ; at 
 present she is again in danger of being driven into 
 great straits by philosophers, naturalists and their set. 
 I cannot, it is true, deny that I myself invited and 
 challenged these gentlemen, and that I am following the 
 bad habit of my own free will, and, accordingly, cannot 
 blame anyone but myself. However, some very good 
 things have been very fairly started, so that I spend my 
 time pleasantly enough. 
 
 * A play of Kotzebue's. 
 
 t Goethe's PaLopliron unci Neoterpe.
 
 3-18 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 Loder hopes to see you on Thursday. Geheimrath Voigt, 
 
 so it is said, is not disinclined to come, so you might 
 perhaps come together and bring Meyer with you. Let 
 me know more definitely about this by the messenger, so 
 that we may make our arrangements. 
 
 If you come you will find great enthusiasm for the 
 festum sceculare ; we have really some very good ideas 
 which may perhaps be carried out. 
 
 Some good motives have been discovered for my Helena, 
 and if, during my stay here, I can get rid of some dozen 
 letters that I owe to different people, I shall have gained 
 something in this respect also. 
 
 I hope that it may be the same with you in all you 
 undertake. 
 
 G. 
 
 778. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, November 19, 1800. 
 
 Geheimrath Yoigt has some business to attend to which 
 will prevent his going to Jena this week. I shall, there- 
 fore, come alone with Meyer ; this will be on Friday, as, 
 on that day, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law pass 
 through Jena on their way from Eudolstadt. However, 
 I cannot ask them to come to the Loders, as it is un- 
 certain whether they will arrive in time. 
 
 You may perhaps then decide to come over to us again. 
 
 I have meanwhile been keeping steadily to my work, 
 and have finished the scenes with the trimeters. 
 
 I have made inquiries of Inland, and also of Opitz, with 
 regard to our centenary festivities, and am now awaiting 
 their answers. Inland wrote to me a few days ago about 
 my Mary, which is now soon to be given. I see from his 
 remarks that he is dissatisfied with his position in Berlin, 
 and that he more especially finds himself slighted as an 
 actor, so that he is, so to say. panting for a part which 
 will raise him again. As Fleck— according to what 
 he writes — is going to play in my Mary, the state of his 
 health cannot be as serious as is made out ; and thus, if 
 Inland cannot pay us a visit, we might possibly get 
 Fleck and his wife to come. Our proposals with regard 
 to the jubilee are circulating here, and the Duke is to be
 
 Letter 779.] SCHILLEE AND GOETHE. 349 
 
 spoken to about it one of these clays, so that no difficulty 
 may be raised in that quarter. When I come to Jena, 
 we will compare our ideas on the subject. 
 
 Farewell, and enjoy your visit. Please remember me 
 most kindly to Loder. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 779. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 The Duke,* so we have been informed, a few days ago 
 gave it to be understood that he is very much opposed 
 to our proposed centenary festivities, and among other 
 things states, that such things should not be undertaken 
 without consulting the Direction of the theatre. What 
 this means you will know. Under these circumstances 
 I no longer feel any inclination to act further in 
 the matter, and hence leave it entirely to you whether 
 the Direction of the theatre should make any arrange- 
 ments with Ifnand or Fleck. I will myself write to 
 Iffland and tell him that the proposed celebration is not 
 to take place, and that I hope he will consider my 
 intimation a private affair. 
 
 At the same time I must beg you to request Loder to 
 return the circular we sent to Jena, and to have it 
 destroyed. 
 
 The circular about the medal, however, should go its 
 course. Under these circumstances we need not be in a 
 hurry about making any theatrical arrangements, and, in 
 God's name, let us bury ourselves in our poetry and try to 
 produce things from within as we have so little success 
 in producing from without. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * Iu a letter to Korner, Schiller writes: " We have not been able to 
 have our centenary festivities, as people in the town formed themselves 
 into parties, and the Duke himself wished to avoid a demonstration. 
 Leo von Seckendorf, as Frau von Wolzogen in her life of Schiller 
 reports, wag one of the leaders in the matter.
 
 350 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1800. 
 
 780. —Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 2, 1800. 
 If you will favour me with your company at supper 
 this evening to meet Professor Gentz,* I should be very 
 pleased to see you. I must, however, ask you not to 
 come till eight o'clock, as we have first to pay Gore a 
 visit. If you can come, please have the kindness to give 
 the enclosed note to the bearer of this, so that he may 
 take it to Mellish, whom I have also invited to come. 
 
 G. 
 
 781. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I wanted, as you know, to go to Jena to-morrow ; now, 
 however, Gluck's Iphigenia is in preparation, and if the 
 representation is not given with animation and under- 
 standing, little is to be expected from it. I beg you, there- 
 fore, to take an interest in it. Perhaps you may feel 
 inclined to drive to the rehearsal with me at three o'clock, 
 so as to get a general idea of it. If it goes well it might 
 at the same time be an opera for the centenary festivities. 
 
 On the other hand everything shall be done, that we 
 may have The Creation.^ 
 
 782.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I have, as you know, so little knowledge and experience 
 with matters connected with music and the opera, that 
 even with the best of wills I could be of but little use to 
 you on this occasion ; especially as, in operatical affairs, 
 one has to do with a very touchy set of people. I will 
 very gladly be present at the rehearsals in the afternoon 
 at three o'clock, but cannot assist you further than by 
 being present. To-day, at about four, I will look for you 
 at the rehearsal, I cannot be there earlier. 
 
 * Gentz had been called to Weimar from Berlin, respecting the 
 building operations at the palace. 
 
 t Haydn's oratorio, The Creation. See next Letter.
 
 Letter 764.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 351 
 
 You write that you will try and procure Haydn's 
 Creation for us, and a little while ago Capellmeister Kranz 
 gave me a message from you to the effect that you wished 
 me to procure it, and moreover through the Coadjutor* 
 and that an express messenger was to be despatched at 
 once with the letter. I wrote the note immediately, and 
 am now waiting for the express messenger to fetch it. 
 
 More by word of mouth. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 783. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Inland has just written to me that he hopes to come to 
 us after the first fortnight of the new year, and asks 
 whether — in case of his not coming — the Flecks would 
 be welcome. As I must let him have a speedy answer, I 
 write to ask you to give me or the Hofkammerrath full 
 power with regard to the Flecks. I wish you a good 
 morning and a safe journey. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 784. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, December 16, 1800. 
 
 During the first days of my stay here I received through 
 Kirms the news that Inland intended to give a perform- 
 ance of my Tancred on the 18th of January, for the 
 coronation festivities. I have sent him two acts, and 
 propose sending the rest afterwards. If he had let me 
 know of his intention sooner, the choruses might have 
 been added and the piece have thus acquired greater 
 animation and bulk. 
 
 It must now pass as it may ; however, as I am com- 
 promised in this way, I shall have to remain here at least 
 a week longer, so as to get it completely finished, for I 
 dare not break off. Merely in order to make that which 
 has been done possible, I have, during the last days of 
 my stay here, maintained a state of absolute quiet, and 
 see no philosopher, no physicist, in fact, no one but Loder. 
 I have kept in the romantico-tragic sphere, and that 
 * E. Th. von Dalberg.
 
 352 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ("1800. 
 
 which I am doing, and that which I have done, appears 
 to me in a somewhat favorable light ; and this is ex- 
 tremely needful when it is necessary to get anything 
 finished. 
 
 As, according to Kirms, no arrangements have yet been 
 made with Inland, my advice would be to ask him to 
 decide to come in May, for, in fact, I do not see how he 
 or any other actor of note in Berlin could come in 
 January, if Tancred or any other piece of importance is to 
 be given at the coronation festival. Let Hofkammerrath 
 Kirms discuss this with you ; I will ask him to do so. 
 
 I must now most urgently beg you and Meyer — to 
 whom my kindest greetings — to interest yourselves in 
 the performance of IpMgenia. The rehearsal and per- 
 formance will always be sufficiently interesting in them- 
 selves, as the play has quite the appearance of a lyrical 
 tragedy. 
 
 I have nothing further to say, and therefore add but a 
 hearty fareweii. 
 
 G. 
 
 785. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 17, 1800. 
 
 It is a very good thing that Berlin has spurred you on 
 to hasten matters concerning Tancred, it will therefore be 
 sure to be finished in time, and you will be satisfied with 
 it. You will no doubt send it off act by act, for other- 
 wise the parts could not be learned in time. 
 
 What Meyer and I can do for IpMgenia, we will most 
 gladly do, so that your industry may not be interrupted. 
 But IpMgenia, as I hear, is not to be played on Saturday ; 
 the piece is to be Cost fan tutte* 
 
 I shall now write and tell Inland that the time of his 
 coming depends upon his own convenience, and that you 
 and all of us will be very glad to see him in May. The 
 present delabrement in our theatre — caused by the illness 
 of Graff and Vohs — would alone have interfered with the 
 selection of many of the plays in which one would have 
 liked to have seen Inland. 
 
 » Mozart's Opera, with the text remodelled by Vulpius, under the 
 title of So sind sie alle I
 
 :/* 
 
 Letter 786.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 353 
 
 That you are meanwhile living alone with the Muses, 
 and that you have banished the philosophers, I am de- 
 lighted to hear. 
 
 I, too, have not lost any time here, and have kept quietly 
 at borne and at my work. Some difficult passages also, 
 which I had left unfinished, have now been successfully 
 mastered. 
 
 Farewell, and may it be your experience on this occasion 
 that, in case of necessity, the poetic Muse agrees to obey a 
 command.* 
 
 Sch. 
 
 786. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, December 22, 1800. 
 
 The enclosed graceful composition j will probably have 
 already found its way to you ; if not, keep it for a few 
 days; it cannot be denied that it contains brilliant 
 passages. 
 
 It will take me at least three more days to get my 
 Knight % ready. Tragic misery has regularly laid hold of 
 me during these last short days ; I should have finished 
 long since, and been with you again, had I not made this 
 agreement with Imand. For to have perpetually to cor- 
 rect things carefully, to get them copied out, and again 
 to revise them, this it is that keeps me back. You knoAv 
 yourself what such work is. On the other hand, it is a 
 good thing, when once at it, to get the work finished, and, 
 after all, we should have required it for the beginning of 
 the year. The truth is, I had delayed too long with it, 
 and the work that had still to be done to it was too great 
 an amount for one attack, in my style. No one would 
 believe how many threads there are in such a piece of 
 work till they set to themselves to gather them up. 
 
 * This is an allusion (says Duntzer) to the Director's words in the 
 Prologue to Faust : 
 
 " Gebt ihr euch einmal filr Poeten, 
 So commanclirt die Poesie" 
 
 f A. W. Schlesrel's Ehrenpforte unci Triumphbogen fur den Theater- 
 prdsidenten von Kotzebue bei seiner geltofften Ruckkehr in's Vaterland. 
 Schiller thought the article excessively rude and coarse, but could 
 not deny that it was very witty. 
 
 X Tancred. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 A
 
 354 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S00. 
 
 This is a confession of my last week's doings, and 
 I hope that you may also have several things and of a 
 better kind to report to me. 
 
 I have continued my solitary life, and have only had 
 one walk on one of the finest days. Friedrich Schlegel, 
 Haarbauer, and Xiethammer have called upon me. 
 
 Schelling 1 shall bring with me on Friday, so as to 
 have a strong support for our centenary plans. 
 
 I have, moreover, been reading a good deal, and thus 
 made some good use of the long evenings. 
 
 Farewell. I am anxious soon to be able again to spend 
 the long evenings at your house with you. 
 
 G. 
 
 787.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 24, 1800. 
 
 I am anxiously expecting you and your work, and 
 congratulate you upon having been able to get through 
 these besogne in the old century. For you have during 
 the past year shown yourself productive in various kinds 
 of dramatic work, and can be satisfied with what you have 
 accomplished. 
 
 Iphigenia is awaiting you here, and I expect it to be 
 good in every way. I was present at yesterday's rehearsal, 
 and there is but little now to be done. The music is so 
 heavenly that it moved me to tears even during the 
 rehearsal, and amid the jokes and merriment of the gentle- 
 men and ladies who were singing. I also consider the 
 dramatic course of the piece exceedingly intelligible, 
 besides which we had a confirmation of your recent re- 
 mark : that the vibration of ancient poetic times in the 
 names and persons is irresistible. 
 
 For the novelty enclosed in your last, my best thanks. 
 I enjoyed it very much, some of the bon mots are admi- 
 rable ; the work might have stood a somewhat greater 
 wealth of substance and also of forms ; as it now is, it can 
 be too readily surveyed and exhausted ; it ought to con- 
 tain an infinite, unsurveyable wealth of wit and mischief. 
 I have as yet not heard anything said about it here.
 
 Letter 788.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 355 
 
 Burgsdorf* has passed through here, and you have 
 doubtless seen him by this time and heard about our 
 friends in Paris, f who do not intend returning till May. 
 
 Since you left, I, too, have made considerable pro- 
 gress with my tragedy. What is now in order I am very 
 well satisfied with, and hope that it will meet with 
 your approval. The historical part has been mastered, 
 and yet, as far as I can judge, has been made use of to 
 the fullest extent possible; the motives are all poetical, 
 and for the most part belong to the naive species. 
 
 During the last days I have been reading a novel of 
 Madame Genlis,J and, to my great astonishment, found a 
 great similarity of mind between her and our Hermes, § 
 in so far as this is possible, considering the great dif- 
 ference of nationality, of sex, and of position. 
 
 Farewell, and return to us well and in good spirits. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 788. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 30, 1800. 
 
 You will receive Tancred damp from the bookbinder's 
 hands; have the kindness to read it through carefully 
 and to picture it at once upon the stage. 
 
 If you care to partake of an ordinary frugal meal this 
 evening, in philosophical and artistic society, || you would 
 be heartily welcomed. We might then further discuss 
 the piece, the different roles of which would meanwhile 
 be copied out. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Wilhelm von Burgsdorf, a friend of Humboldt's. See Letter 250, 
 and note. 
 
 f The Humboldts. 
 
 X Madame de Genlis, the well-known French authoress. 
 
 § Johann Timoth Hermes, the novelist, whose Fanny Wilkes was 
 written in imitation of Fielding and Eichardson. 
 
 U Probably to meet Schelling and Meyer. 
 
 2 x 2
 
 356 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 1801. 
 
 789. — Goethe* to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 29, 1801. 
 
 If yon care to join ns this evening at a small snpper, 
 after the rehearsal, which will, of course, be over before 
 eight o'clock, yon will be heartily welcomed. Gotzef 
 can wait in the theatre for your orders, and fetch the 
 carriage for you as soon as the fifth act has commenced. 
 If you would also like to drive there, give him orders to 
 that effect. 
 
 I am pretty well; this morning I went over Caspers'J 
 part with her, and am very well satisfied with the good 
 child. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 * The first letter of the year 1801 is dated January 29, for during 
 the first weeks Goethe was seriously ill. On the second day of the 
 New Year he complained of feeling very unwell, which Herder's wife 
 attributes to his having caught cold at the performance of Haydn's 
 oratorio, Tlie Creation, on the 1st, hut which Steffens says was the 
 consequence of their merry doings on New Year's night. Be that as 
 it may. Guethe became so much worse, that on the 7th the Duke, very 
 much alarmed at his friend's condition, sent in haste over to Jena for 
 the assistance and advice of Dr. Starke, who found his patient in a 
 most precarious state. Fortunately, things soon took a favorable turn, 
 and although there was a relapse, which extremely distressed his many 
 friends, still, on the loth, Goethe was so far recovered as to be pro- 
 nounced quite out of danger. On the 22nd we even hear that there 
 was a small musical party in his house, as he had a great wish for 
 some music. 
 
 f Goethe's servant, Paul Gotz. 
 
 J Mad emoiselle Caspers, who, it had been proposed, should play the 
 part of Ameniade in Tancred.
 
 Letter 792.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 357 
 
 790. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 An actor, who is passing through here, is going to ex- 
 hibit his talents to us this evening, after the rehearsal, in a 
 few scenes, as we cannot offer him any engagement. 
 
 If you care to be present at this trial of his, I would 
 send my carriage for you, and it might wait and bring 
 you back again. 
 
 G. 
 
 791. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I must bid you good-night in writing, as I must remain 
 at home, for, owing to a violent cold in my head and a 
 bad night, I am feeling wretched. Last night I was 
 afraid I was going to be ill, for I felt both hot and cold ; 
 however, I have not had any feverish symptoms all day, 
 and hope that it will pass off. I trust that your health 
 will continue to improve, and that the manuscript of 
 Faust may not be lying unheeded on your table. 
 Farewell. I hope to see you to-morrow. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 792. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 9, 1801. 
 
 Take care of yourself that this storm may blow over. 
 I had indeed hoped to have had a visit from you this 
 evening in my loneliness. I should like to, and no doubt 
 could work — especially to please you — were it not that 
 the distracted state of my mind has robbed me of all hope 
 as well as of all courage. 
 
 The motives which you told me of yesterday I have 
 thought over further, and it seems that they will all 
 hold good with my way of thinking too ; I now wish to 
 learn the plan of the piece from the very beginning. 
 
 G.
 
 358 COERESPONDEXCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 793. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I have already told you so much bit by bit about my 
 Maid, that I consider it best to let you know the whole of 
 it. as it has been arranged. Moreover I am at present in 
 need of something to spur me on so that I may reach the 
 goal fresh and vigorously. Three acts are quite in order 
 and have been copied out ; if you feel inclined to listen to 
 them to-day, I will be with you at about six o'clock. Or 
 will you yourself quit your room and come to us to 
 supper ? This would give us great pleasure, and I should 
 not be running as much risk as I should be doing by 
 exposing myself to the air after getting heated with 
 reading aloud for two hours. Kindly ask Meyer not to 
 come before eight o'clock. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 794. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 11, 1801. 
 Your offer of reading aloud to me I accept with great 
 pleasure, all the more so as I myself was about to request 
 you, at all events, to tell me the plan from the beginning. 
 I cannot, however, drive out to-day, for Starke f has this 
 morning performed a somewhat painful operation on my 
 eye — I hope it may be the last one— and has forbidden 
 me to go out on account of the cold. I will, therefore, 
 send the carriage for you at half-past-nve, and you can 
 drive home again after supper. I quite expect that this 
 recital will have many a good result, both with regard to 
 your own progress as well as upon the state of my 
 mental activity. 
 
 G. 
 
 * His medical attendant.
 
 Letter 70S.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 359 
 
 795. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 February 20, 1801. 
 This afternoon, at five, I mean to have a rehearsal of 
 Tancred, but shall not ask you to be present. After it is 
 over, however, that is, at about eight o'clock, if you have 
 no objections, I will come and fetch you to our usual 
 frugal supper. 
 
 G. 
 
 796. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I doubt whether I shall get the parcels* — which have 
 to be despatched early to-morrow morning to Leipzig and 
 Berlin — ready in time for me to call upon you to-day. 
 It is an unfortunate time for me when these business 
 matters accumulate so unreasonably ; for these last three 
 days I have been unable to get to my tragedy at all. 
 
 To-morrow I shall again have some peace for a week, 
 and hope, therefore, to see you to-morrow evening. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 797. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 28, 1801. 
 Take it as kindly meant that — in consideration for 
 your friendly participation in the Propylcea — I send you 
 part of a hamper of wine which has just arrived. I 
 hope that you may taste and enjoy the other sorts at my 
 house. 
 
 G. 
 
 798. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 7, 1801. 
 As it is already late, and I cannot, therefore, expect to 
 hear anything of you to-day, I herewith send you the 
 latest news. 
 
 * Probably his Maria Stuart, which had been promised to the 
 theatres of the above towns.
 
 \ 
 
 V 
 
 360 v CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 Herr Hartmann of Stuttgart has arrived ; when I have 
 seen him and his painting you shall hear more. 
 
 I have again been considering the question about the 
 prizes, and find that it can very well be approached from 
 the stand-point of empirical psychology, where we poets 
 may surely be said to be at home. We there stand 
 between the philosopher and the historian, and in the 
 domain of the actual substance, provided the former 
 brings the form and the latter the subject-matter. 
 
 The unalterable natural state which pervades all ages 
 and places, seems to me to be the basis upon which the 
 whole edifice has to be erected, and yet this serves more 
 for answering than putting the question. 
 
 I am very anxious to hear how the change is agreeing 
 with you, and hope for the best. 
 
 Farewell, and send me news of yourself soon. 
 
 G. 
 
 799. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 10, 1801. 
 
 With regard to the prize question, I cannot communicate 
 anything that will be of much use. One point I would 
 have you consider is, whether the question should not be 
 altogether transferred from the domain of history into 
 that of anthropology; by this means we should get rid 
 of an immense quantity of subject-matter, which, more- 
 over, is not of much use, for history is too untrustworthy 
 and empirical for philosophical requirements. As regards 
 the thing itself, it seems to me quite a matter of in- 
 difference whether the inquiry is made according to 
 length or according to breadth. For if, as you yourself 
 think, the natural state were made the basis, one is 
 equally well served whether the entire present is re- 
 garded anthropologically, or whether the different mani- 
 festations of mankind are looked for in the history of the 
 past : man is to be found complete in every period of time. 
 
 I hope to hear more definitely from your next letter 
 how I ought actually to take up and to express myself on 
 the question, in order to discuss the subject more in detail 
 with our philosophers.
 
 Letter 800.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 361 
 
 I have not succeeded as yet in inducing them to discuss 
 the question much ; when the vacation begins things 
 will, I hope, improve in this respect, for just at the end 
 of the college-session work accumulates. Schelling in- 
 tends writing a deduction about the various a priori 
 species of art which I shall be very curious to see. 
 
 There is nothing very good to report of my own doings. 
 The difficulties of my present task are still too great a 
 strain upon my head, and together with this I am in fear 
 of not getting finished in time ; * I excite and worry my- 
 self, and things will not go properly. If I do not soon 
 master these pathological influences, I am afraid I shall 
 become utterly discouraged. 
 
 You are perhaps producing more amid your Weimar 
 gaieties than I am in my solitude, and I heartily wish that 
 this may be the case. 
 
 The weather is fine, and I am enjoying my garden. 
 
 Farewell. I hope to be able to entertain you better in 
 my next. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 800. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 11, 1801. 
 
 Your letter has robbed me of the hope that you had 
 been making good progress during the late lovely weather. 
 Perhaps this will come all at once, as has happened to me 
 on similar occasions. 
 
 Hartmann, of Stuttgart, is here, and I am very sorry 
 that you will not get to know him. He is a tall, well- 
 made young man of twenty-eight years, whom one would 
 more readily take to be a musician than a painter. His 
 nature and manner of behaviour are naive, and, with 
 regard to his idea of Art, he is in the right field, but not 
 always on the right track. His large picture is worth 
 seeing, the subject one cannot find fault with, but it is 
 nevertheless not altogether happy. 
 
 It is very pleasant to converse with him. I kept to the 
 most important points so as to come to a true under- 
 
 * Schiller had promised linger, the Berlin publisher, to send him 
 his Jungfrau von Orleans within a very short time, as it was to appear 
 towards the middle of the year.
 
 362 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 standing with so fine a mind and so excellent a man, 
 and to be able to maintain this understanding with him 
 when he has left. The best of the matter is that he 
 loses nothing when the truth, is true; many persons 
 oppose what is genuine only because they would injure 
 themselves by acknowledging it. 
 
 My Faust is quietly moving forwards. Although I do 
 only a little every day, still I try to keep up my humour 
 for it and my interest in it. 
 
 We are quite of one mind respecting the prize-question. 
 One might demand a concise, clear representation of the 
 existing in Man with a development of the phenomena of 
 culture arising from it, whether it were regarded as a 
 whole representing the present or a succession, or both at 
 once. 
 
 Like you, I am convinced that the goal could most 
 readily be reached in this way, and an intelligible re- 
 presentation expected from the infinity of the subject. 
 
 In Stuttgart, as I hear from Meyer — who had it from 
 Hartmann — there is great excitement and dissatisfaction 
 about our art-criticisms.* "When one hears all the details, 
 it, of course, becomes clear enough in what a pitiable 
 mode of reasoning they have become involved. Your 
 essay f they have declared to be from Bottiger's pen. If 
 they understand plastic art no better than style in writing, 
 things must, of course, look a little hazy. People are for 
 ever in some illusion about mankind, and especially about 
 their own age. The confusion that arises is endless, 
 owing to the many individuals, every one of whom has a 
 different interest in asserting this or that point. 
 
 Herewith you will receive a tragedy J in which you 
 will, with horror, as I think, again hear a re-echo of 
 Wallenstebi out of a hollow vessel. 
 
 I close with the wish that you may have fine weather 
 and productive hours. 
 
 G. 
 
 * On the pieces sent in to compete for the prizes. 
 
 t A letter by Goethe to the Editor of the Propylsea, which appeared 
 in the periodical. 
 
 X Ugolino Gherardesca, by Bohlendorf, "which appeared that year, 
 and was reviewed by Goethe. See his Works, vol. xxxii. 167. Com- 
 pare also Letter 805.
 
 Letter 801.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 363 
 
 801. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 13, 1801. 
 
 The account you give of Hartmann makes me greatly 
 regret that we shall have to allow him to go forth into 
 the world without having quite succeeded in securing so 
 good an acquisition for what is right, because, however 
 close one may draw to any person by serious conversa- 
 tion carried on for a few days or weeks, still it is only by 
 means of a continued and progressive state of intercourse 
 that a perfect understanding can be maintained. 
 
 It is a pity — with regard to the art-criticisms in the 
 Propylcea — that one can so seldom raise one's voice, and 
 that there is no time to strengthen an impression which 
 has been made, by quickly creating a new one. Other- 
 wise we should certainly succeed in rousing artists and 
 associates in art out of their idle state of rest ; their very 
 indignation against our criticism is to me a warrant that 
 this would be the case. Hence let us next time carry 
 things much farther, and Meyer must help us in striking 
 the mischief in a more direct manner and in attacking 
 the false maxims individually. 
 
 Of the piece which you sent me, I cannot say anything 
 good ; it is again a proof of how even the most empty- 
 headed people succeed in producing something plausible, 
 when literature has reached a certain point where certain 
 set phrases can be drawn from it. This work, in par- 
 ticular, is doubly wretched, as it is immensely inferior to 
 Gertenberg's Ugolino ; for the latter tragedy — which per- 
 haps you do not know — contains some very beautiful 
 motives, much true pathos, and shows something of true 
 genius, although it is not a work of good taste. One 
 might feel tempted to make use of it, so as to throw 
 light upon the tragic idea contained in it, for, in fact, this 
 would embrace some of the most important questions. 
 
 I was obliged to dine with Zigesar * and others at 
 Loder's this forenoon, and am this evening invited to a 
 small party. My evenings are generally spent in society, 
 
 * Geheimraih A. Fr. Carl von Zigesar, who resided at Drackeudorf, 
 near Jena.
 
 364 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1301 
 
 and I might more readily complain of too much diversion 
 than of having too little. 
 
 However, my work is making "better progress, and I 
 feel more courage and see that things are developing. 
 
 Farewell. Many kind greetings to Meyer. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 802. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 14, 1801. 
 
 First of all I congratulate you heartily that things are 
 again going well with your work ; I too have been doing 
 a little to Faust, and thus one is ever moving onwards 
 even though it be but slowly. 
 
 Hartmann's visit is perhaps more useful to us than to 
 himself, inasmuch as we are becoming acquainted with 
 an as yet not fully developed mode of thought in an 
 excellent man. Moreover it often occurs to me that one 
 ought really to establish a secret society of Art, the 
 amusing part of which would be that very many artists 
 could never obtain the higher degrees; further, these 
 should not be conferred even upon the ablest, but — in case 
 of their obtaining them in the end — only announce the fact 
 that they had been obtained. Talking, writing, printing, 
 will be of some use, but not much ; but do not let this 
 vex us in the meantime. 
 
 Hartmann we have induced to set to work here at once, 
 and have, moreover, given him a somewhat refractory 
 subject : Admetus about to receive Hercules and to enter- 
 tain him, notwithstanding the corpse being in the house. 
 You shall hear, at some future time, how we came upon 
 this subject, the story is too long a one for a letter. 
 
 Farewell in your solitude as well as amid your academic 
 society, and hold us in remembrance. 
 
 G. 
 
 803. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 16, 1801. 
 Things are still going well with me here, and every 
 day sees something accomplished. I propose remaining 
 here as long as my garden is at my disposal, which will
 
 Letter 803.] SCHILLER AXD GOETHE. 365 
 
 be till Easter,* and, during this time, to finish making a 
 rough sketch of the whole piece, so that when I return to 
 Weimar 1 shall only have to round off things and to give 
 it a final polish. 
 
 The philsophical faculty here has, at its own cost, 
 furnished matter for amusing talk. Friedrich Schlegel 
 had to hold a disputation, and, in order to annoy him, 
 Messrs. Ulrich, Hennings, and others, rummaged up 
 an old and obsolete law by which they themselves ap- 
 pointed his opponents, a thing which from time im- 
 memorial had been done by the disputants themselves. 
 Upon the good advice of a few friends Schlegel — without 
 raising any objections — submitted to this chicane, and 
 acted quite good-naturedly towards the one of these 
 officially appointed opponents — whose behaviour was the 
 more modest ; the other, however, a Professor Augusti, — 
 who, according to the opinion of all, was a wretched in- 
 dividual and had come and been recommended from Gotha 
 — began the argumentation by making insulting personal 
 remarks, and besides this, behaved so impudently and 
 stupidly that Schlegel was compelled to reply in the same 
 fashion. Ulrich, who was present as dean of the faculty, 
 and allowed all these rudenesses on the adversary's part to 
 pass, solemnly denounced some of Schlegel's replies ; but 
 the latter did not remain in his debt for these, and got 
 all the laughter on his side, and there were scandalous 
 scenes. But, according to the general account, Schlegel 
 is said to have behaved with great moderation and pro- 
 priety, and it is expected that this affair will again raise 
 faith in him as a lecturer, and that had fallen very low. 
 
 Madam Veitf has published a novel which I send 
 you ; look into it for curiosity's sake. You will find the 
 ghosts of old acquaintances flitting about in it too. 
 However, this novel — which is a rare caricature — has 
 nevertheless given me a better idea of the authoress, and 
 is a new proof of how far this style of dilettanteism can be 
 
 * In the summer of 1802 Schiller's garden-house was sold to 
 Hofrath Hufeland. See Letters 839 ff. 
 
 t Madam Veit, a daughter of Moses Mendelssohn, and subsequently 
 married to Fr. Schlegel, published a romance called Florentine the 
 first part of which was then appearing.
 
 366 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 carried at least in what is mechanical and void of form. 
 Please return the book to me as soon as you have done 
 with it. 
 
 The theme given to Hartmann for his painting surprised 
 me, but it has, at first sight, something very interesting 
 and inviting. Without solving the problem oneself, one 
 feels that it depends upon an ingenious idea whether the 
 subject is happy or refractory. Perfect independence in 
 the painting can hardly be expected, but much will 
 already be gained if, merely upon looking at it — that is 
 without the key — it is at once found to be interesting 
 and suggestive ; and again, as soon as the key is given, it 
 exhibits itself clearly and completely. 
 
 I wish you all success with your progress in Faust, to 
 which the philosophers here are looking forward with 
 inexpressible interest. 
 
 Farewell. To Meyer many kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 804. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 18, 1801. 
 
 Although Floreutin* makes his appearance as an 
 autochthon one could very well write out his pedigree, 
 and a number of other wonderful creatures would arise 
 out of these filiations. 
 
 I have read about a hundred pages and entirely agree 
 with what you say of it. Some situations are well 
 devised ; I am curious to see whether the authoress will 
 be able to make use of them when the time comes for 
 her to do so. How delighted a student would be to meet 
 such a hero ! They would all, I fancy, like to look some- 
 thing like him themselves. 
 
 In return I send you another novelty,t which, as it 
 itself says, comes from heaven, but, as I think, has rather 
 too much of the old-Frankish world about it. The 
 author of this little work seems to me to be in a kind of 
 purgatory between empiricism and abstraction, a very 
 
 * See note to last Letter. 
 
 t The first part of Herder's Adrastea, on the title-page of wliich 
 were represented the two Adrastea coming down from heaven in a 
 chariot drawn by two griffins.
 
 Letter 805.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 367 
 
 uncomfortable intermediate position ; howe . er, neither in 
 substance nor in form is it superior to what one is other- 
 wise accustomed to. 
 
 I hope that Schlegel may gain some good from his 
 fight, for, in truth, I have not heard even his best friends 
 say anything in praise of him as a lecturer. 
 
 Although we feel your absence very much, still I hope 
 that you will remain where you are as long as possible. 
 The present time of the year has always been favorable 
 to me when in a state of solitude, and I wish with all my 
 heart that this may be your case also. 
 
 I have not come to any actual stand-still with Faust, 
 but have made only very small progress. As the philo- 
 sophers are so interested in this work I shall have to do 
 my utmost with it. 
 
 Hartmann's first sketch of the picture in question has 
 already been the subject of much discussion ; if he learns 
 to elevate what is prosaically real by what is poetically 
 symbolical, something delightful may be the result. 
 
 I said to Meyer lately that our position towards modern 
 Art was like that occupied by Julian towards Christianity, 
 except that our ideas on the subject were a little more 
 definite than his. It is very strange how certain modes 
 of thought become general, and can, for some length of 
 time, be maintained, and for long actually regarded as 
 something existing in human nature. This is one of the 
 main points which will have to be considered when the 
 question about the prizes comes to be discussed. 
 
 Farewell, and enjoy your academic life to your heart's 
 content. 
 
 G. 
 805. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 20, 1801. 
 
 The novelties you sent me I herewith return with my 
 best thanks. 
 
 The Adrastea* is a most mischievous work, and has 
 
 given me but little pleasure. The idea of leading the 
 
 reader through the past century in about a dozen richly 
 
 furnished numbers, was in itself not a bad one, but it 
 
 * See Dote to last Letter.
 
 368 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN 1801. 
 
 would have required a different guide, and the animals * 
 with, wings and claws which draw the work can only 
 indicate the flightiness of the production and the animosity 
 of its maxims. Herder is really falling off visibly, and 
 one would at times seriously like to ask whether a man 
 who at present shows himself to be so immensely trivial, 
 weak, and empty-headed, could ever have been anything 
 extraordinary. The book contains views such as one is 
 accustomed to find in the Beichsanzeiger ; and what a 
 dragging forth of early and antiquated writings simply 
 in order to ignore the present or to institute malicious 
 comparisons ! 
 
 And what do you say to his Aeonis ? "f Have you suc- 
 ceeded in catching hold of any firm substance in it ? I 
 must confess that I do not exactly know what is being 
 spoken of, but what ought to be spoken of is pretty 
 evident. However, it is well that conceit and a spirit of 
 contradiction have enticed the author into the arena 
 to display his own weakness and awkwardness in his 
 imitation of your example. What is good about the work 
 — his giving two principal figures as a contrast which 
 solves itself, and accompanying them with subordinate 
 allegorical figures — this is borrowed from you, and where 
 the invention is his own, he begins to bungle. 
 
 Tressan's \ narrative has been some pleasure to me in my 
 solitude. In his version of the stories of the old knights, 
 he has taken up little more than a certain moral purity 
 and refinement ; in place of the naturalness of feelings we 
 have only a sermonising style, and the whole is calculated 
 to produce a sentimental effect, but there is also a certain 
 simplicity in the plan, and skilfulness in the arrangement 
 which satisfies and pleases the reader. 
 
 Ugolino you will not be able to make use of in any case. 
 There is nothing to be done with it but to return it as 
 
 * The griffins on the t:tle-page. See note to letter 804. 
 
 t Herder's dramatic allegory Aeon und Aeonis, which appeared in 
 the Adrastea. 
 
 t Histoire du Chevalier Robert, by Louis Elisabeth de la Vergne de 
 Tressan. the brave and well-known soldier, and likewise the author 
 of extracts from old tales of chivalry in the Bibliotheque universelle 
 des Romans. The romance was published, after his death, by his 
 son.
 
 Lettek 806.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 369 
 
 quickly as possible to Herr Gries, of Hamburg, who is 
 still here. 
 
 The incessant wind, which I cannot escape from, even 
 in my rooms with closed doors, often makes my stay in 
 my garden-house very tiresome, and also prevents my 
 going out as it affects my chest. 
 
 However, my work is progressing, although not with 
 rapid strides. 
 
 Farewell ; to Meyer many kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 806. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 21, 1801. 
 
 I suspected I should be giving you some pleasure by 
 sending you the Knight's history; it is very pretty and 
 entertaining, and besides this, a very good example of the 
 modern way of conceiving and treating the conditions of 
 earlier times. 
 
 We shall not be able to agree with Hartmann about his 
 Admetus, although he has already made two drawings of 
 it, for, in a picture that ought to be altogether symbolical, 
 he represents the occurrence as natural. We have here a 
 chasm that can only be bridged over by revelation. We 
 fancied that we had expressed ourselves very distinctly to 
 him on the subject, but it is clear from his work that he 
 has not understood what we wish. This would indeed 
 demand an entire change of sentiment, and who knows 
 whether, in spite of his admirable talents, he is one of 
 the elect. Professor Meyer has promised me — after Hart- 
 mann has left — to make a drawing * in accordance with 
 our idea, but merely for our own private use. 
 
 You are in my thoughts whether the weather be good 
 or bad. If I could have foreseen that the Duke would 
 remain away so long (he does not return till the twenty- 
 seventh) I should have come over to see you for a few 
 days; by the next messenger I shall again send you 
 something to read. 
 
 I knew beforehand that the impression which the two 
 
 * A water-colour drawing, where the same subject has been treated 
 by Meyer, is to be found among Goethe's collections. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 B
 
 370 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S01. 
 
 griffins* would make upon you, would be a bad one. 
 The allegorical drama f I have read over again this morn- 
 ing ; what especially struck me is the bitterness and the 
 sorrow in the one work. I should not care to be in the 
 author's shoes. 
 
 I wish you all success with your undertakings, and am 
 looking forward with pleasure to the time when we shall 
 be together again. Faust has not come to any stand-still 
 as yet. 
 
 G. 
 
 807. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 24, 1S01. 
 
 I send you merely a few lines in order not to let the 
 message-girl go off empty-handed, for just as I was sitting- 
 down to write to you, my two philosophers entered my 
 room. The day before yesterday my wife came over to 
 pay me a visit with the children, accompanied by a young 
 cousin of mine, who is an aid-de-camp in the Dutch-French 
 army. He seemed to me very well behaved and modest 
 for so young a military man who has served a good many 
 years in the war. 
 
 My work is progressing pretty well, but I am afraid 
 that the slow approach of the good weather, and the 
 perpetual winds will drive me away from here before a 
 week is out. 
 
 The last act but one, which I began here and hoped to 
 bring back with me finished, is all that I have accom- 
 plished during my stay here. 
 
 Farewell. Many kind greetings to Meyer. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 808. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 25, 1801. 
 I am on the point of going to Eossla for a week, after 
 which we shall, I hope, meet again, and am looking 
 forward to this with very great pleasure. 
 
 If your stay in Jena has not been quite as fruitful as 
 * See note to Letter 804. f See note to Letter S05.
 
 LETiEA 809.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 371 
 
 you had hoped, this is nothing but the usual fate of poetic 
 intentions; however, the little ought to be thankfully 
 accei3ted. 
 
 I send you an account of some travels in Portugal * 
 which is both amusing and instructive, and yet it will, I 
 think, hardly induce the reader to visit the country. 
 
 In thinking over what is permanent in man and to 
 what the phenomena of culture may be referred, I have 
 as yet found only the four fundamental conditions: of 
 enjoyment ; of aspiration ; of resignation ; of habit. 
 
 In such reflections it is strange to see that differences 
 disappear in individual cases; and yet, of course one's 
 object is to obtain a certain unity. 
 
 Farewell. Many things will happen meanwhile to form 
 subject-matter for discussion. 
 
 G. 
 
 809. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, March 27, 1801. 
 
 I shall now soon leave Jena, not indeed laden with any 
 great amount of deeds and works, and yet not altogether 
 without profit ; for, after all, as much has been done as I 
 should have accomplished during the same period in 
 Weimar. I have, therefore, not gained anything in the 
 lottery, but have, nevertheless, upon the whole got back 
 all I staked. 
 
 I have also — as always happens to me— profited less 
 by the society here than I had hoj^ed to ; a few discussions 
 with Schelling and Niethammer is all. Only a few days 
 ago I attacked Schelling about an assertion he makes in 
 his Transcendental Philosophy, that, "in Nature one 
 starts from the Unconscious in order to raise it to the 
 Conscious ; whereas, in Art, one proceeds from the Con- 
 scious to the Unconscious." Here, it is true, he speaks 
 only of the contrast between the product of Nature and 
 that of Art; in so far he is quite right. I fear, how- 
 ever, that idealists, such as he is, take too little notice of 
 experience, and in experience the poet too only starts 
 
 * H. F. Link's Bemerkungen auf einer Eeise durch Franhreich. 
 Spanien und vorziiglich Portugal, 2 vols. 
 
 2 B 2
 
 372 CORBESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN" [1801. 
 
 with the Unconscious ; nay, he may consider himself fortu- 
 nate if, by being most clearly Conscious of his opera- 
 tions, he gets to that point where he meets again in the 
 work he has completed, with the first, obscure total-idea of 
 his work, and finds it unweakened. There can be no 
 poetic work without an obscure, but mighty total-idea of 
 this kind, which precedes all technical work ; and poetry, 
 seems to me, in fact, to consist in being able to express 
 and communicate that Unconscious state — in other words, 
 to transfer it to some object. The non-poet can — as in 
 the case of the poet — be touched by a poetic idea, but he 
 cannot transfer it to any object, he cannot represent it 
 with any pretension to Necessity. In like manner the 
 non-poet, like the poet, may compose with Consciousness 
 and with Necessity, but a work of this kind does not start 
 from Consciousness and does not end with it. That is but 
 a work of reflection. Unconsciousness combined with 
 reflection constitutes the poet-artist. 
 
 Of late years, in the endeavour to give poetry a higher 
 rank, people have become confused about their idea of it. 
 Any one who is able to place his own feelings into an 
 object so that this object compels me to pass over into 
 that state of feeling, and, accordingly, works actively 
 upon me, him I call a poet, a maker. But every poet is 
 not on this account — according to rank — an excellent one. 
 The degree of his excellence depends upon the wealth, the 
 substance, which he has in him, and consequently gives 
 forth out of himself, and also upon the degree of the 
 necessity which his work exercises. The more subjective 
 his feelings the more accidental they are ; his objective 
 power rests upon the Ideal. Totality of expression is a 
 thing demanded of every poetic work, for it must possess 
 character or it is nothing. The perfect poet, however, 
 gives expression to what is common to all mankind. 
 
 There are now-a-days persons of such great culture 
 that they ah>. satisfied only with what is altogether excel- 
 lent, and yet are not able themselves to produce any- 
 thing even good. They cannot make anything ; to them 
 the path from the subject to the object is a closed one ; 
 now it is this step which I think makes the poet. 
 
 In this way there have been, and still are, poets
 
 Letter 810.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 373 
 
 enough, capable of producing something good and charac- 
 teristic, but who in their works do not attain the above 
 high demands, nay, who do not even make these demands 
 of themselves. Now these latter, I should say, lack the 
 degree, the former the style; and, it seems to me, that too 
 little distinction is now made between them. There ac- 
 cordingly arises a useless dispute between the two which 
 can never be settled, and Art gains nothing by it ; for the 
 former — who take up their position on the vague domain 
 of the Absolute — are ever holding up to their opponents 
 the obscure idea of the highest, whereas the latter have the 
 fact in itself, which is indeed limited, yet real. But yet 
 the idea can never become anything without the fact. 
 
 I do not know whether I have expressed myself clearly 
 enough, but should like to know your thoughts on this 
 subject which is brought so close home to one by the 
 present dispute in the aesthetic world. 
 
 I shall probably not write to you again from here, for I 
 think of returning to Weimar on Wednesday ; you may 
 be back there by that time, and our discussions recom- 
 menced. 
 
 Thank you for the book on travels in Portugal ; it is 
 not badly written, and yet it is somewhat meagre, and not 
 without pretension. The author seems to me to be one 
 of those common-sense men, who in their heart are more 
 disposed to be at enmity with philosophy and art than 
 they will admit. This, of course, does not matter much 
 in a book on travels, but still it is expressed and is felt. 
 
 Farewell, and I hope you may spend some pleasant 
 days. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 810. — Schiller to Gobthe. 
 
 Weimar, April 3, 1801. 
 I came back here on Wednesday, and very much 
 regretted not finding you. However, I hope that you 
 may derive benefit from your stay in the country. 
 During your absence I intend making as much progress 
 as possible with my work, so that soon after your return 
 I may lay it before you finished. I hope to have reached
 
 374 COEEESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1S0I. 
 
 the goal in about a fortnight. I expect much good from 
 my last act, it explains the first, and thus the serpent will 
 bite into its own tail. As my heroine stands alone in it, 
 and is deserted by the gods in her misfortune, she gives 
 more distinct evidence of her independence and her claim to 
 the prophetic part she has to play. The close of the last 
 act but one is very dramatic, and the thundering Deus ex 
 iiiacliina will not fail to produce its effect. 
 
 Meyer has been painting my little Ernst, as you know ; 
 the picture is now finished and has turned out very good, 
 and is certain to please you also. It is so well con- 
 ceived and so pleasantly treated ; resemblance, too, is not 
 wanting, difficult as it was to place the little fellow in a 
 quiet position. 
 
 I was very sorry to have to leave my garden just as 
 the weather was becoming fine ; however, I was longing 
 to get home again, and fortunately was able to set to 
 work at once when I got back. 
 
 I heartily wish to have a few words from you again, 
 for when in Eossla, near as it is, you might be at the end 
 of the Avorld as far as I am concerned. 
 
 Farewell, and may all good attend you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 811. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Ober-Rossla, April 6, 1801. 
 
 I wish you all happiness upon your return to Weimar, 
 and hope soon to see you again either by your coming to 
 pay me a visit, or by my again repairing to town. 
 
 My stay here suits me very well, partly because I 
 move about in the open air all day, partly because I am 
 drawn down to the common objects of life, and thus 
 there comes over me a certain feeling of nonchalance and 
 indifference such as I have not known for long. 
 
 With regard to the questions contained in your last 
 letter, J not only agree with your opinion, but go even 
 further. I think that everything that is done by genius 
 as genius, is done unconsciously. A person of genius can 
 also act rationally, with reflection, from conviction, but 
 this is all done as it were indirectly. No wor.V of genius
 
 Letter 811.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 375 
 
 can be improved, or be freed from its faults by reflection 
 and its immediate results, but genius can by means of 
 reflection and action be gradually raised, in so far as in the 
 end to produce exemplary works. The more genius a 
 century possesses the more are individual things furthered. 
 
 With regard to the great demands now made of the 
 poet, I too am of the opinion that these will not readily 
 call forth a poet. The art of poetry requires of the person 
 who is to exercise it, a certain good-natured kind of 
 narrowness enamoured of what is Eeal, behind which 
 lies concealed what is Absolute. Demands made by 
 criticism destroy the innocent, productive state, and give 
 us as genuine poetry — in place of poetry — something 
 that is in fact no poetry at all, as unfortunately we have 
 seen in our own day ; and the same is the case with the 
 kindred arts, nay, with Art in its widest sense. 
 
 This is my confession of faith, which otherwise does not 
 make any further claims. 
 
 I expect much good from your latest work. It is well 
 conceived, and if you devote sufficient time to it, it will 
 round itself off of its own accord. Faust also has mean- 
 while had something done to it. I hope that soon the only 
 thing wanting in the great gap will be the disputation ; * 
 this, it' is true, will have to be looked upon as a distinct 
 piece of work, and one which will not be accomplished at 
 a moment's notice. 
 
 The famous prize-question also has not been lost sight 
 of during these days. In order to obtain an empiric 
 foundation for my observations, I have commenced ex- 
 amining the character of the different European nations. 
 In Link's Travels I have read a good deal more about 
 Portugal, and shall now pass on to Spain. I am daily 
 becoming more convinced how much more limited every- 
 thing appears when such observations are made from 
 within. 
 
 Eitter f came to see me for a minute, and has among 
 other things directed my attention again to the theory of 
 
 * The scheme of which is printed in his paralipomena of Faust. 
 t Dr. J. W. Ritter, the physicist, had shortly before published his 
 Darstellung der neuen Untersuchungen iiber das Leuchten des Phosphors 
 im Stickstoffgas.
 
 376 COEEESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1S01. 
 
 colours. Hersckel's new discoveries, which have been 
 carried further and extended by our young naturalist, are 
 very beautifully connected with that observation which I 
 have frequently told you of, that Bolognian phosphorus * 
 does not receive any light on the yellow-red side of the 
 spectrum, but certainly does so on the blue-red side. The 
 physical colours are thereby identified with the chemical 
 colours. The time and care which I have devoted to this 
 subject gives me the greatest advantage in judging of 
 new observations, inasmuch as in fact I have thought 
 out some new experiments which will carry the matter 
 further still. I foresee that I shall this year write at least 
 two or three chapters more in my theory of colours. I 
 am anxious to show you the latest some day soon. 
 
 Would you care to come to me on Thursday with Pro- 
 fessor Meyer? Please talk this over with him, and I will 
 then write to him more fully on the subject. 
 
 Meanwhile farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 812. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (April 15.) 
 I bid you a very hearty welcome on your return to 
 Weimar, and am delighting in the thought of meeting 
 you again after our long separation. Please let me know 
 whether you will be at home this evening, or wmether I 
 shall find you at the play. 
 
 I shall get my piece finished to-day, and so this day is 
 doubly valuable. But as the weather is unfavorable to 
 me, and my work has been somewhat of an effort to me 
 during the last few days, I do not feel altogether well. 
 
 My wife sends kindest greetings. Xiethammer too, who 
 arrived this morning, wishes to be kindly remembered. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * These were also to be spoken of in the disputation spoken of at the 
 beginning of the Letter. See also his Farbenkhre, § 678.
 
 Letter 816.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 377 
 
 813. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 15, 1801. 
 
 I too am most glad to be near you again, and more 
 especially that I have arrived on the very day which is to 
 form an epoch. 
 
 This evening, at seven, yon will find me at home. If 
 Niethammer cares to be one of our party at supper he will 
 be heartily welcome. 
 
 Many kind greetings to your dear wife, to whom I still 
 owe my thanks for her friendly letter. 
 
 I congratulate you sincerely upon your having completed 
 your work. 
 
 G. 
 
 814. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I herewith send you the work you ask for, together 
 with a sketch as to how the parts are to be filled up. In 
 the stage-version there are about six pages less. 
 
 Nathan* I shall take in hand to-day and give you a 
 definite answer about it this evening at the opera. 
 
 Sch. 
 815. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 20, 1801. 
 I herewith send you back your piece with many thanks. 
 It is so true, so good and beautiful, that I know of nothing 
 that could be compared with it. 
 
 Let us have a walk together towards evening, and 
 remain together. 
 
 G. 
 816. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Ober-Kossla, April 27, 1801. 
 "While you are enjoying all sorts of unusual theatrical 
 amusements, I have to spend my time in the country 
 
 * Lessing's Nathan der Weise, of which they had decided to give a 
 theatrical representation; Schiller undertook to look it over and to 
 make the necessary alterations.
 
 378 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 and to amuse myself with all sorts of legal affairs, visits in 
 the neighbourhood and other realistic affairs. 
 
 If possible, I shall return on Saturday. Let me have a 
 line to say how things are progressing with Nathan ; and 
 whether your brave Maid has developed further. 
 
 Of myself I cannot say anything more than that my 
 stay here agrees with me very well physically, and that 
 I ought to be satisfied that this is so, as, of course, I cannot 
 expect wonders from my re-convalescent state. 
 
 Farewell, and let me soon have the pleasure of receiving 
 a few lines from you. 
 
 G. 
 
 817. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, April 28, 1801. 
 
 You are losing something by being away during this 
 musical week, where dance and song are now forming a 
 part of our entertainments. Gern,* as Sarastro,f has 
 given very much pleasure with his beautiful voice ; as 
 Tarare he was less successful, for this violent, brusque 
 character does not suit his soft style of delivery. 
 
 The dancers who appeared on Monday in the intermezzo 
 have put the Weimar people into a state of doubtful 
 admiration ; for they are not accustomed to such strange 
 attitudes and movements, where the leg is stretched far 
 out backwards or to the side. It is awkward, indecent, 
 and anything but beautiful ; but still there is something 
 very delightful in the ease, the agility, and the musical 
 rhythm of the movements. 
 
 fcotta passed through here lately, but only stayed a few 
 hours ; however, he intends remaining longer on his way 
 back, and hopes to find you here. He brought Miiller, 
 the engraver from Stuttgart, with him, whom you know 
 personally, if I remember rightly. He is a first-rate man, 
 but he and his style of art explain each other ; he himself 
 possesses all the carefulness, neatness, fineness and delicacy 
 of his pencil. He brought with him four drawings by 
 "Wachter for Wallenstein, which will give rise to many a 
 
 •■ An operatic singer. t A character in the Zauberflute.
 
 Letter 818.] SCHILLER AXD GOETHE. 379 
 
 remark, and especially again on the choice of subjects. 
 However, there is something very able, characteristic, and 
 powerful in them. Meyer has not seen them yet. I am 
 curious to see whether he will guess who the artist is. 
 
 Nathan has been copied out, and will be sent to you to 
 distribute the parts. 1 mean to have nothing more to do 
 with these theatrical people, for one cannot accomplish 
 anything with them by reasoning and kindness ; there is 
 only one way of treating them, and that is by being curt 
 and imperative, and this it is not my business to be. 
 
 The Maid I was obliged to send to the Duke a week 
 ago and it has not been returned to me yet. But from 
 what he said to my wife and sister-in-law, it has made an 
 unexpected impression upon him, in spite of its being so 
 wholly opposed to his taste. He thinks, however, that it 
 cannot be given on the stage, and in this he may be right. 
 After long deliberations with myself, I have, moreover, 
 decided not to allow it to be acted, although I shall lose 
 some advantage by so doing. In the first place Unger, to 
 whom I have sold the play, calculates upon bringing it out 
 at the autumn fair as a perfect novelty. He has paid me 
 w^ell for it, and I should not like to interfere with him. 
 Besides the terrible labour of seeing that the different parts 
 are properly studied, of having to assist in this, and the 
 loss of time at the rehearsals, makes me afraid of attempting 
 such a thing, not to mention what I should lose in the way 
 of good humour for work. I am at present carrying two 
 new dramatic subjects about with me, and when I have 
 thought them over and tested them, shall pass on to a 
 new work. 
 
 Farewell, and be sure to come over on Saturday. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 818. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Ober-Eossla, April 28, 1S01. 
 My experience during the last few days has been the 
 very reverse of song and dance, for I have been disputing 
 with rude nature about that most detestable question 
 concerning Mine and Thine. Only to-day did I get rid 
 of my old tenant, and now there is a great deal to attend
 
 380 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 to and to consider, as the new tenant does not take 
 possession till Midsummer. Hence I scarcely think that 1 
 shall be able to come on Saturday. Pray be kind enough 
 to take some interest in the reading-rehearsals of Nathan 
 till I come, for without some direction the people will 
 not know in the least how to proceed. It is a very thank- 
 less business, but one cannot do without it altogether. 
 
 I do not see why we should give up all idea of giving 
 a representation of your Maid. There would indeed be 
 considerable difficulties; however, we have before this 
 managed to overcome some that were sufficiently great ; 
 certain it is that theatrical experiences do not foster hope, 
 faith, and charity. Of your being able to do something 
 better than to engage in such didascalia, I am myself 
 convinced, and the question is whether — considering my 
 present state of semi-activity — I am not more fitted for 
 it ; however, we can discuss this when we meet. 
 
 I have not been able to resist the temptation of having 
 a walk made here, as in damp weather I never had a 
 drv bit of ground to walk upon, and could find no 
 shade when the sun was shining. This has, however, led 
 me somewhat further than I thought, and I must remain 
 here till I see things fairly started, because I might 
 otherwise find it all spoilt. 
 
 Farewell meanwhile in a better world, and think of 
 new creations for our mutual enjoyment. 
 
 G. 
 
 819. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 May 12, 1801. 
 
 If you should feel inclined to come over to me to-day 
 at half-past-eleven to see the experiment I told you of,* 
 and then to have an hour's drive with me, it would give 
 us much pleasure. 
 
 G. 
 • Some experiment in connection with his theory of colours.
 
 Letter 820.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 381 
 
 820.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Gottingen, June 11, 1801. 
 
 Before leaving Gottingen,* I must give you som 3 sign 
 of my existence. Things have as yet gone very well 
 with me ; I have seen the most noteworthy institutions, 
 and become acquainted with most of the Professors. I 
 have met with a very kind and pleasant reception, and 
 must confess that I have not felt so well and in such 
 good spirits for long. 
 
 The institutions are highly respectable, but of these 
 and of the people here you shall hear more by word of 
 mouth. Unfortunately, my notes taken on this journey 
 do not appear to swell up to the same extent as on the 
 occasion of my last journey to Switzerland ; I was then, 
 it is true, about to try my powers upon the world, 
 whereas now I shall be content if I succeed in strength- 
 ening them by means of it. However, even though I 
 cannot gain an insight into the totality of the condition 
 of Gottingen, this journey will be of immense use to me ; I 
 already feel how much my spirits are cheered by observing 
 these conditions. 
 
 My fellow-traveller Augustus, f who sends his kindest 
 greetings to Carl, is to blame for my having been less 
 industrious than usual, for he disturbs my thoughts and 
 leads me off from many an observation. However, he is 
 very happy; he is making progress in many respects, 
 and through him my relation towards mankind has 
 become more friendly and cheerful than it might perhaps 
 otherwise have been. 
 
 Farewell; give my kind greetings to your dear wife, 
 and gladden me on my return by showing me some fruits 
 of your industry. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Got-the was on his way to Pyrmont, where his medical advisers 
 had recommended him to try the waters. He remained there till 
 August 30. and did not see Schiller again till September 20, as Schiller 
 had meanwhile left Weimar and visited Dresden and Berlin. 
 
 f His son, then about 11 years of age.
 
 382 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 821. — .Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, June 28, 1801. 
 "We have oeen waiting most anxiously for news of you, 
 and received your letter from Gottingen only the day 
 before yesterday after it had been fifteen days on the 
 road. Mine, I hope, will reach you more speedily, as a 
 conveyance starts this week from here to Pyrmont. The 
 cold weather of a fortnight ago will, I fear, have been un- 
 favorable for the beginning of the water-cure, and thus 
 will oblige you to remain away some time longer. It has 
 also affected my health and interfered with my industry. 
 However, I have nevertheless actually written a ballad 
 for Cotta — Leander und Hero — together with a few poems 
 which I hope to lay before you on your return. The 
 play is beginning to show signs of organisation, and I 
 hope to commence working it out about a week hence. 
 The plot is simple, the action rapid, and I do not need to 
 be afraid of being driven into any wide range. 
 
 However, I, too, see before me a long spell of interrup- 
 tion, for I have now seriously resolved to start for the 
 Baltic in about three weeks in order to try the sea-bathing 
 there, and then to return by way of Berlin and Dresden. 
 I do not indeed expect to get very much pleasure from this 
 trip ; nay, I am afraid I shall spend some wretched days 
 in Berlin, but I must see some new objects and must take 
 some decisive step about my health. I also want to see 
 some good dramatic performances, at all events some of 
 the eminent talents, and also to meet some of my old 
 friends again, as this will not take me very much out of 
 my way. My expectations, such that they are, are more 
 likely to be surpassed than disappointed. Moreover, I 
 hope to be back by the 10th of September, for I shall 
 travel quickly and only remain twelve days in Dobberan, 
 the same length of time in Berlin, and but six days in 
 Dresden. On my return I hope to find you well and 
 in good spirits, and perhaps to have myself improved in 
 health. 
 
 Anything new that has occurred here since your depar-
 
 Letter 821.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 383 
 
 ture you will have heard of from other quarters. Among 
 the suite of the Badeners * is a Frau von Hack, an old ac- 
 quaintance of yours, who inquired after you with interest 
 and recognised you perfectly in the picture by Bury. 
 Knebelf also has been staying here with his wife for 
 some days, and is said to be in very good spirits ; in fact, 
 just the same as ever. 
 
 Eochlitz \ of Leipzig has been here ; he says that you 
 encouraged him to compete with the prize-pieces. His 
 intentions are, no doubt, good, but he lacks power. From 
 Leipzig he sent me the one finished half of a comedy,§ 
 and wishes to have my opinion as to whether I thought 
 it could compete for the prize with any hope and likeli- 
 hood of obtaining it, for — he writes — he could not get it 
 finished by the appointed time without some sacrifice, 
 and hence would like to be certain of the result before 
 devoting extra time to it. 
 
 The play— as far as it is finished — is certainly repre- 
 sentable; it possesses some good dramatic scenes which 
 would not fail to produce their effect, but still it cannot 
 be commended, and still less receive the crown, even though 
 it should actually be the best of the competition pieces ; it 
 is too trivial, weak and wanting in esprit. Owing to the 
 embarrassment in which I am placed in having to give 
 hi ;n my honest advice, I shall keep somewhat strictly to 
 the task given being for a play of intrigue ; because what- 
 ever may be good and piquant in the two acts is centred 
 in the play between two amusing characters, and by no 
 means in the intrigue. I shall encourage him to finish 
 the piece, but not to send it to compete for the prize. I 
 could promise him that we might and would consent to 
 
 * The Duchess of Baden had come to visit her sister, the Duchess 
 of Weimar. 
 
 t Knebel had received an invitation from the Duchess, and arrived 
 on the 24th. 
 
 % Rochlitz's two comedies Jedem das Seine and Es ut die Recite 
 nicht, Goethe had already had performed with success. There had 
 evidently been prizes offered for dramatic compositions as well as 
 for paintings. 
 
 § The comedy of Eochlitz, here referred to, is his Liebhabereien, 
 oder die neue Zauberflote, in four acts. See also Letter 825.
 
 384 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S0L 
 
 have it played, and so it rests with you whether you will 
 consider it a competition-piece or not. 
 
 Seckendorf writes to me from Kegensburg that there 
 is among the wretched theatrical company there an 
 actor, Eugen by name, who might be very serviceable ; 
 he sings tenor, and plays comic parts in the opera, and 
 takes the chief lovers' parts in dramas. That his medium 
 height and thick-set figure does not indeed make him 
 specially suited for such parts, but that he thinks himself 
 able to rival Kordemann and Heide, nay, to be much superior 
 to the former. That he receives ten florins in Ehenish 
 money weekly, and that he is engaged from six weeks to 
 six weeks. I tell you this because Seckendorf is more in 
 the habit of finding fault than of giving too much praise, 
 and hence that there must be something about this young 
 fellow that is capable of more development. 
 
 The Propylcea, as Cotta assures me, are still not a 
 success, and too few copies of them are in circulation, 
 which, accordingly, affects the object we have in view, 
 even, though you were generously not to expect to make 
 anything by it ; hence I have told Meyer of an idea that 
 has struck me of making the Literatur Zeitung a channel 
 for bringing those conceptions of art which we wish ad- 
 vanced, before the public. You might, for instance, claim 
 one week out of every quarter in the Literatur Zeitung, 
 and there discuss the nature of Art. Criticisms of the 
 latest works of art and treatises on art would be the 
 vehicles for everything that we might have to say ; and 
 besides the great advantage of a general circulation, we 
 should, in addition, gain this point, that false taste would 
 be deprived of its worthless tribunal and forced to bear 
 witness for that which is good. Meyer agrees with me, 
 and intends discussing the matter more fully with you 
 when he next sees you. 
 
 I now bid you a hearty farewell, and hope that I may 
 very soon receive pleasant news of you. Kindest 
 greetings from my wife and sister-in-law, and from Carl 
 to Augustus. 
 
 SCH.
 
 Letter 822.] SCHILLER AXD GOETHE. 385 
 
 822. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Pyrmont, July 12, 1S01. 
 
 I congratulate you with all my heart upon the resolu- 
 tion you have formed ; it is very pleasant to think of your 
 moving northwards while I am looking about me in north- 
 western Germany; we shall thus have many things to 
 communicate to each other, and be able to compare notes. 
 
 As the water-cure has made me unfit for all work, I 
 have had but little satisfaction from being here; how- 
 ever, I must not forget that I have enjoyed many a good 
 and interesting conversation. The preacher Schiitz from 
 Buckeburg — a brother of Frau Griesbach's — is a very in- 
 telligent and pleasant man ; it is particularly curious to 
 draw in one's own mind a comparison between him and his 
 brothers and sisters. Of other people, more when we meet. 
 
 If I am to speak of a state of mind which seems to be 
 forming in me, it seems as if I were becoming more and 
 more inclined to theorise for myself and less and less 
 so for others. People joke about and take fright at the 
 problems of life, few trouble themselves about the words 
 that would solve them. And as they all do wisely in this, 
 they ought not to be bewildered. 
 
 Whatever the effect of this journey and water-cure may 
 be having upon my mind and body, I still feel that I have 
 every reason to check myself and not to undertake any- 
 thing beyond what lies nearest and is most necessary. 
 Accordingly, I should be very glad to be freed from any 
 engagement I have made, and should not at all readily 
 enter upon any new one ; however, all this will become 
 clear when we meet and calculate what we have acquired 
 and see what our strength is. 
 
 Your Hero und Leander I am very anxious to see, and 
 wish you had sent it to me. With regard to the drama 
 you speak of, I do not know whether you allude to your 
 Maltese Knights or to your pseudo prince,* and so it will 
 be a surprise, in a double respect, to find that you have 
 made progress in this likewise. 
 
 * Schiller's Wmheeh. 
 VOL. II. 2 C
 
 386 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 I have now got a tolerably good insight into the total 
 condition of things in Pyrniont. On my return journey 
 I hope also to complete what I am still unacquainted with 
 as regards Gottingen. Cassel I shall try to grasp more 
 generally, and only from its artistic side as I shall not 
 have time for more than this. 
 
 My notes have, moreover, remained very meagre, and 
 consist principally of lists of visitors and of play-bills. 
 
 In the theatre here, there are several individuals who 
 have a very attractive appearance and seem to be im- 
 provable. The company is, upon the whole, more good 
 than bad, and yet it does not actually effect anything en- 
 joyable, because here, as elsewhere, naturalism, bungling, 
 and a wrong direction given to individualities lead either 
 to dryness or to mannerism, and whatever else such 
 failings may be called, and are interwoven with and affect 
 everything, and thus hinder things burning well together. 
 
 I shall be very anxious to hear what accounts you will 
 have to give of the Berlin stage. 
 
 The Duke is expected to-morrow or the day after; 
 when he has made his arrangements I intend returning to 
 Gottingen. Blumenbach's collection of skulls has again 
 stirred up many an old thought, and I hope that when I 
 consider it more carefully I shall not fail to come upon 
 some result or other. Professor Hofmann is going to 
 assist me in becoming more intimately acquainted with 
 cryptogamic plants, and thus fill up a great gap in my 
 botanical knowledge. What I have to look for in the 
 Library, in connection with my theory of colours, has also 
 been noted down and will accordingly be all the more 
 readily found. I do not deny that I should like very 
 well to spend four months in Gottingen, as one finds there 
 collections of such various things. 
 
 The Duke is now here, and — as with all new arrivals 
 — lives in hope and finds things amusing, whereas I 
 who am about to depart, expect but little gain, and the 
 time I have yet to spend here seems daily to become 
 more wearisome.* I am accordingly looking anxiously 
 
 * In his Annalen Goethe writes, " that during the last days of his stay 
 at Pyrmont, he felt so unusually sensitive, that even the moat trivial
 
 Letter 821.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 387 
 
 forward to my release, which will probably take place on 
 Wednesday the fifteenth. From Gottingen I shall write 
 again, if indeed I have anything to say. 
 
 Farewell; I also wish you a safe journey. My kind 
 greetings to your circle, and hold me in remembrance. 
 
 G. 
 
 823. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 18, 1801. 
 
 Our yesterday's feast * threatened to go off very badly 
 in spite of its strong flavouring. Your not coming at once 
 made a great gap in the small party. Mellish was not in 
 the best of spirits, and this put me too in a somewhat 
 gloomy state of mind. We had to eat and drink for a 
 couple of hours before we felt ourselves at all enlivened. 
 The huntsmen, who did not come in till about five, and 
 fell upon the remains with good appetites, gave the whole 
 thing a turn for the better ; they gave us an account of 
 all the doings at the hunt, and we remained together in 
 good spirits till about seven o'clock. 
 
 Now I am off to Jena without having seen you again ; 
 I shall be back in six days, and meanwhile send you a 
 couple of comedies which be so kind as to look over. 
 
 Farewell ; be industrious and hold me in remembrance. 
 
 G. 
 
 824. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, November 10, 1801. 
 As I have arrived before your birthday has quite drawn 
 to a close, I hasten to send you, expressly and in writing, 
 my warmest congratulations, which you must know are 
 yours already ; at the same time I wish to know whether 
 you will come to-morrow to our usual friendly gathering, 
 and we will have a second celebration of the day. 
 
 G. 
 
 things irritated him terribly, for which reason he could not altogether 
 enjoy the Duke's society. He remained at Pyrmont till the 17th. 
 
 * This probably refers to a dinner given at Ettersburg after one of 
 the Duke's hunting parties. 
 
 9 n 9 
 
 C Z
 
 388 COERESPOXDENCE BETWEEN [1S0L 
 
 8 2 5. —Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I rejoice to hear that you have returned, and send you 
 my best thanks for your kind congratulations. To- 
 morrow I hope to hear from you that the Muses have 
 been more gracious to you in Jena than they have been 
 to me. 
 
 I to-day received from Eochlitz of Leipzig a lament- 
 able letter about his Zauberflote* He is expecting a note 
 from you as to what the fate of this work is to be, and 
 begs that the manuscript may be returned to him. 
 
 Farewell ; I am delighted to think that I shall see you 
 again to-morrow. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 826. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, November 27, 1801. 
 As it is about time that we should see each other 
 again, I shall — if you have no objection — come with the 
 carriage this evening at about seven and fetch you. 
 
 If you feel at all inclined to go to the redoute, the 
 carriage shall be at your service after supper. 
 
 G. 
 
 827. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (December 14.) 
 I think matters are now improving. The fever f has 
 quite left us, and my wife's grievous attacks have also 
 disappeared. The children have as yet gone on very 
 well. So I hope to get off with one bad week. 
 
 If you are not afraid of Augustus coming to us, it 
 would be a great pleasure to Carl to have him here. 
 
 And if you have yourself no fear of the illness, and care 
 
 * See Letter 821 and note. 
 
 t At the beginning of the month Schiller's household were attacked 
 bv measles, and he himself was feeling poorly, so that his usual 
 evening visits to his friend had to be given up for a time.
 
 Letter 829.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 389 
 
 to drive out for an hour after dinner, it would be a great 
 pleasure to me to accompany you, and to see you again 
 for a little while. The air too would do me good, for I 
 have not been out of the sick-room for five days. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 828. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 15, 1801. 
 
 I send this to inquire how you all are, and at the same 
 time send you the treatise on the art-exhibition, which, 
 unfortunately, is becoming very voluminous; and yet 
 the enclosed is only about three-fourths of the whole. 
 The last portion, which has still to come, concerns the 
 next prize-theme and future arrangements generally. 
 
 Would you have the kindness, while reading it, to 
 have a pencil at hand, and mark in the margin whatever 
 suggestions you may have to offer ? One portion of the 
 manuscript, as you will see, I have not corrected at all, 
 and, in fact, shall have to read it all over again. 
 
 Finally Langer's Lucretia* requires an explanation as 
 to what one really sees in the picture. 
 
 Farewell, and keep well till the universal trouble with- 
 draws from you and our other friends. 
 
 G. 
 
 829. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (December 15.) 
 I have to-day read your manuscript with the greatest 
 possible attention, and do not know of anything that 
 could be altered or added to it. With regard to the small 
 omission you spoke of yesterday, I quite agree with you. 
 You will find pencil-marks in several places ; they refer 
 merely to the expression which, as I said yesterday, I 
 should, wherever it is possible, like to see freed from 
 everything that is not the usual style of language, 
 
 * The younger Danger of Diisseldorf, without wishing to compete 
 for the prize, had sent in a picture, the subject of which was the death 
 
 of Lucretia.
 
 390 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S0L 
 
 because tlie essay is addressed to that class of readers 
 who may be called the uninitiated portion of the 
 public. 
 
 My invalids are improving visibly. I shall perhaps 
 see you to-morrow, either out of doors or in the evening 
 at the play, if the weather proves favorable. 
 
 Farewell. Sch.
 
 Letter 831.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 391 
 
 1802. 
 
 830. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, January 1, 1802. 
 
 Let lis begin the new year with, our old sentiments and 
 with good hope. 
 
 I was very sorry that I could not be with you yester- 
 day evening; but, although my recent attack of fever 
 and cholera was but of short duration, still its effect 
 upon me was very severe, and the weak state which it 
 left me in has again roused all my spasms. 
 
 However, I am now much better, and I hope to be able 
 to attend to-morrow's performance. Be so kind as to 
 send me Euripides, if you are not using it just now ; at 
 all events the volume containing Ion. It would be a 
 pleasant diversion to me as I cannot do anything else 
 to-day, and it would also make me better able to follow the 
 piece to-morrow. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 831. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 1, 1802. 
 
 "We missed you very much yesterday, and regretted it 
 all the more as we were compelled to believe that you 
 could not be feeling quite well. 
 
 I hope you will be able to be present at to-morrow's 
 performance. 
 
 Herewith I send you the volume of Euripides you ask
 
 392 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 for ; you are doing very wisely in reading the original ; I 
 have not yet looked at it this time ; I hope the comparison 
 will lead to many comments. 
 
 Most glad I shall be soon to give you my new year's 
 greeting by word of mouth, and at an early day to cele- 
 brate the continuance of our relation to each other. 
 
 I also enclose the sketches of the prize-pieces, which 
 have turned out very good. 
 
 G. 
 
 832. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 16, 1802. 
 While sending you the treatise on the art-exhibition, 
 which I recommend to your kind consideration, I come to 
 ask whether you cannot arrange to drive home with 
 me this evening after the play. There are things about 
 which I should like to have your advice before my 
 departure, which is fixed for to-morrow morning at ten 
 o'clock. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 832a. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January, 1802. 
 I send you a friendly greeting by way of good-bye, and 
 wish you much pleasure and fine weather. 
 
 Of the riddles* I send you the one I wrote yesterday. 
 The other two I mean to think over this morning ; such 
 things can only be done backwards. 
 
 Please send me word by the bearer of this when 
 Turandot is to be played. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 833. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, January 19, 1802. 
 Here in Jena, in Knebel's old room, I always feel a 
 happy man, because to no other spot on earth am I 
 
 * Tor Turandot.
 
 Letter 833.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 393 
 
 indebted for so many productive moments. It is an amus- 
 ing fact that I have noted down on the white window- 
 post * everything of any importance that I have written 
 in this room since the 21st of November, 1798. If I had 
 commenced this register earlier, many a thing which 
 our relation to each other has lured out of me, would like- 
 wise be noted down upon it. 
 
 I have commenced to dictate a squib f on the Weimar 
 theatre, and have done so with a surprisingly serious 
 face. As we have got over the performance, it is just as 
 well to look a little subdued, and to keep all paths open 
 in every way possible. 
 
 Herewith you will also receive the transcript of the 
 Greekish play .J I am curious to see what you will gain 
 from it. I have looked into it here and there ; it is most 
 devilishly human. If it does at all, let us try it, for we 
 have already had frequent proofs that the effect of one 
 such venture is incalculable to ourselves and to things 
 generally. 
 
 While looking into Biittner's and the Academic Library 
 affairs, and endeavouring to carry out the idea of a vir- 
 tual catalogue of the three libraries we have in the 
 country, I find myself compelled to examine an immense 
 accumulation of literary concerns where — however high 
 the demands may be set — one nevertheless meets with 
 many a respectable endeavour and performance. 
 
 My evenings are spent socially in the spirit of the Jena 
 youth which is ever renewing itself. On Sunday, to 
 begin with, I remained at Loder's till one at night, 
 where the company happened to be talking of some 
 points of historical interest which are not discussed by us. 
 While thinking over the conversation, it occurred to me 
 what an interesting work might be compiled, if that 
 
 * This window-post was unfortunately re-painted. A similar 
 register of most of his meteorological observations which Goethe 
 kept on a wall in the inn Zur Tanne, in Camsdorf, met with a 
 similar fate ; but there is a third whicli has been carefully preserved 
 in the Grand Duke's palace at Dornburg. 
 
 t An essay published in the Journal des Luzus und der Modenj 
 under the title of Weimarisches Hoftheater, 
 
 % Goethe's Iphigenia. See next letter.
 
 394 CORRESPONDENCE EETWEEN [1802. 
 
 which one had oneself witnessed were written down in a 
 kindly humour with the experience one gains with years. 
 The hour for the messenger to call is approaching, so I 
 must hasten and bid you a friendly farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 834. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, January 20, 1802. 
 
 I shall now read the Iphigenia with a proper regard for 
 its new destination, and listen to every word from the 
 stage and with the public. That which you call human 
 in it will stand this test specially well, and I should 
 advise you not to leave out any of it. Next Saturday I 
 hope to be able to report something of its success. 
 
 Schutz, has now also sent me a review* of my J. V. 0., 
 which has been written by quite a different pen from that 
 on my Mary, and is moreover by an abler writer ; it is at 
 once evident that Schelling's philosophy of art has been 
 applied to the work. But while reading it, it was very 
 evident to me that another bridge is wanting between 
 transcendental philosophy and the actual fact, inasmuch 
 as the principles of the one against the reality of a 
 given case look very strange, and either destroy it or are 
 destroyed by it. In the whole review nothing is said of 
 the actual work ; it was, in fact, impossible to do so con- 
 sidering the path it pursued, as there is no transition 
 from general, hollow formulas to any actual case. And is 
 this, then, what is called criticising a work, where the 
 reader who has not read it does not get even the remotest 
 notion of it ! But it is evident from this that philosophy 
 and art have, as yet, not comprehended each other at all, 
 and have not penetrated one another, and we are more than 
 ever conscious of the want of an organ to act as a medium 
 between the two. In the Propylcea this was attempted 
 with regard to plastic art, but the Propylcea too started 
 with that idea, and our more recent philosophers would 
 prefer passing over directly from ideas to reality. Ac- 
 
 * Tins review, on the Maid of Orleans (Jungfrau von Orleans), 
 appeared in the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitimg, and was written by 
 J. A. Apel. who subsequently became well known through his new 
 system of metres and ancient tragtdies.
 
 Letter 835.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 395 
 
 cordingly, there is no other possibility than that what is 
 generally said should prove hollow and empty, and that 
 what is specially said should be flat and insignificant. 
 
 Turandot I hope to hear from the stage perhaps on 
 Tuesday, and shall then only be in a position to determine 
 what may still have to be done, and what locality and 
 time require altered in this old subject. Detouches * has 
 already composed a march for it, and played it to me 
 to-day ; the effect was very good. 
 
 I hope that you are keeping well in the old productive 
 room, and that you may have something new to make a 
 note of on the window-post.t 
 
 Sch. 
 
 835. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, January 22, 1802 
 
 I can only write a short note to-day to accompany the 
 enclosed, which will be sure to give you pleasure if you 
 do not know the poem. J It is only a pity that Jones 
 and Dalberg too (see p. xv.) should have suppressed the 
 so-called objectionable passages; the piece is thus made 
 to appear licentious in character, whereas in the original 
 the impression is certainly one of enjoyment. 
 
 What struck me as remarkable are the extremely varied 
 motives by which an extremely simple subject is made 
 endless. 
 
 The principal rehearsal of Turandot is to be held on 
 Thursday. Write and tell me whether you will get finished 
 without my assistance ; if so, I shall not come till Friday 
 morning early. The terrible confusion of Buttner's 
 legacy is the more troublesome to me as I shall have to 
 quit these quarters in order to make room for the new 
 commandant. § I had thought of locking up the rooms 
 and of combing out this mangled mass in a methodical 
 
 * The Director of concerts to the court, who subsequently published 
 his music to Turandot. 
 
 t See last Letter and note. 
 
 X The Gita-Govinda, of Dschajadeva, translated into German by 
 J. F. H. von Dalberg, from the English of Sir William Jones. See 
 t '.so Letters 843 and 844. 
 
 § The Commandant of Jena, von Hendrich.
 
 396 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S02. 
 
 manner; now, however, I shall have to cut it right off, 
 and see whereabouts things are concealed, and, at the 
 same time, take care not to increase the confusion. 
 
 The seals are not to be legally opened till Monday 
 afternoon, and thus I have but little time for the deme- 
 nagement. I need, in fact, only to imagine the house on 
 fire, and the removal would then become somewhat more 
 of a muddle still. 
 
 The philosophers I have not yet seen. 
 
 G. 
 
 836. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, January 22, 1802. 
 
 I have, as you will see, made less havoc with the 
 manuscript than I had myself expected to be obliged to 
 do; I found it, on the one hand, not necessary, and on 
 the other, not very feasible. The piece, in itself, is not at 
 all too long, and it contains but little over two thousand 
 lines, and even these two thousand will not all be left, if 
 you approve of the passages marked being cut out. But 
 it was not feasible also, because that which might retard 
 the progress of the piece lies less in single passages than 
 in its character as a whole, which is too reflective for 
 dramatic requirements. Frequently, also, those portions 
 upon which the fate of being excluded would first have 
 fallen, are necessary connecting-links, which could not 
 be replaced by others without changing the whole course 
 of the scene. In cases where I was in doubt, I have made 
 a stroke in the margin ; where my reasons for omitting 
 anything were more than convincing, I have struck the 
 passage out entirely ; and where a passage is underlined, 
 I should like it altered. 
 
 And as, moreover, there is too much moral casuistry in 
 the action itself, it would be a good thing somewhat to 
 curtail the moral aphorisms and other sentences of a 
 similar kind. 
 
 What is historical and mythical must be left un- 
 touched; it is an indispensable counterpoise to what is 
 moral, and that which speaks to the imagination can 
 least of all be lessened.
 
 Letter S3C] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 397 
 
 Orestes himself is the most doubtful part in the whole ; 
 without furies there can be no Orestes, and now that the 
 cause of his condition does not strike the senses — as it is 
 merely a matter of temperament — his condition is too 
 long and too monotonous a state of misery, and has no 
 object. Here is one of the boundaries between ancient 
 and modern tragedy. Would that something might 
 occur to you wherewith to meet this want; I confess 
 this seems to me scarcely possible in the present economy 
 of the piece, for what could be done without gods and 
 spirits has already been done. Yet in any case I 
 recommend you to curtail the scenes with Orestes. 
 
 Further, I would have you consider whether it would 
 not be advisable — for the sake of giving animation to the 
 dramatic interest — to make somewhat earlier mention of 
 Thoas and his Taurians, who have nothing to do through- 
 out two whole acts, and to keep both actions — one of 
 which is at present too long at a standstill — in an equal 
 state of heat. In the second and third acts one does, it is 
 true, hear of the danger in which Orestes and Pylades are 
 placed, but one sees nothing of it, there is nothing actual 
 by which the distressing situation comes to be represented. 
 According to my feeling there ought to be introduced 
 into the two acts — at present devoted wholly to Iphigenia 
 and her brothers — one motive ad extra, so that the out- 
 ward action is made continuous, and the appearance of 
 Arkas more fully prepared ; for, as things are at present, 
 he is almost entirely lost to our remembrance. 
 
 It does, indeed, belong to the peculiar character of this 
 piece that what actually goes by the name of action 
 should take place behind the scenes, and that the moral 
 element, that which passes in the heart, the feelings, 
 should be made the action, and, as it were, presented to 
 view. This character of the piece must be preserved, and 
 the moral element must in all cases have the precedence 
 over what is sensuous; but I should like only as much, 
 of the latter as is necessary to allow the former to be fully 
 displayed. 
 
 Your Iphigenia has otherwise affected me deeply upon 
 reading it over again, although I will not deny that some- 
 thirg material may have been at the bottom of it. Soul
 
 398 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 is what I would call that which constitutes its actual 
 merit. 
 
 The piece will not fail to produce its effect upon the 
 public, all that has preceded it has worked towards this 
 result. Among the initiated those very things which we 
 should object to in it will be accounted points of ex- 
 cellence, and this we may quietly accept, for we are 
 so often censured for what is truly praiseworthy. 
 
 Farewell, and let me soon hear that the hardened pro- 
 duct is again softening in your hands. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 837. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 February 1, 1802. 
 
 As my head is distracted from having passed a bad 
 night, there is nothing further to be done with me to-day, 
 and I shall soon retire to rest. 
 
 Meanwhile I send you two riddles,* and if you think 
 them usable, I propose that we give the three new ones 
 in place of the old ones. Perhaps I may think of a better 
 one still. 
 
 The answer to yours I have not opened yet ; I should 
 think I had guessed it, were it not that the last two lines 
 puzzled me. 
 
 I shall open yours f if you approve of the accompanying 
 riddles, then write out the necessary words for the Calif, 
 and send them to the actors. Therefore, please let me 
 have an answer this evening. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 838. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 2, 1802. 
 Your two new riddles possess the beautiful faults of 
 the first, especially of the Eye, inasmuch as they contain 
 charming views of the subject, upon which one might 
 almost establish a new style of poetry. The second I 
 guessed at a first reading, the first when I had read it 
 
 * For bis Turandot. These are the first and eighth in the col- 
 lection, 
 t Goethe's riddle was the one commencing " Ein Bruder ist's," etc.
 
 Letter 830.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 399 
 
 twice. J\Ieo voto you should place the Rainbow first, for it 
 is easy to guess, and yet very pleasing ; then I should give 
 mine, which is poor but beyond guessing; then would 
 come your Lightning, which will not be guessed at once, 
 but would in any case leave a very beautiful and grand 
 impression. 
 
 I wiflh that you would dine with me to-morrow, so 
 that, together with Meyer, we might once more meet 
 with some degree of comfort. I wish this all the more as, 
 at the beginning of next week, I think of going over to 
 Jena again. 
 
 G. 
 
 I must just add that Augustus guessed both of your 
 riddles when he had only read them half through. 
 
 839. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, February 11, 1802. 
 
 I have now decided to purchase Mellish's house,* as he 
 has come down a little in his demands. Although I am 
 not making a cheap purchase even now, still I must do 
 something to be quit of this worry. Under these cir- 
 cumstances I am now doubly anxious to get my little 
 property in Jena off my hands, and therefore beg you to get 
 Goetze to attend to the matter. 
 
 I enclose the advertisement in the weekly paper, as also 
 a short notice concerning what has to be paid annually for 
 the garden-house in the way of taxes, etc. I bought the 
 place for 1150 Eeichsthaler [about £170] and have spent 
 500 [£75] upon it, as I can prove by the bills I have by me. 
 Now I should not like to lose by it, and, if possible, make 
 something by it. But as I am in want of ready -money 
 to enable me soon to free my house here from all mort- 
 gage, I would be satisfied with 1500 thalers [about £225] 
 as the upset price for the garden and garden-house. What 
 Goetze can procure for me of this sum I will pay him back 
 with interest. I should also be content were this sum to 
 
 * The house stood on the esplanade, and Schiller, in a letter to his 
 sister, says that he bought it for 7200 gulden (about £620).
 
 400 COERESrOXDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 be paid to me within two or three terms, say, half at Easter, 
 a third at Midsummer, and the rest at Michaelmas or 
 Christmas. If I could have it all paid down at once, so 
 much the better, of course. 
 
 Excuse my troubling you with this affair, but as you 
 are busy with writing out the titles and numbering books, 
 let this mechanical piece of work be done with the rest. 
 This economical business — as always happens to me with 
 any natural things— has spoilt all my free state of mind; 
 for I had to turn my attention to the means for procuring 
 this estate, and now that I can look upon it as my own, 
 new cares arise as to how I am to adapt it to my circum- 
 stances. Owing to this state of things, a small poem 
 — Cassandra — which I began when in rather a favorable 
 mood, has not made much progress. 
 
 A few days ago I received from Stuttgart the commis- 
 sion to offer an opera of good old Zumsteeg's * to the theatre 
 here for six Carolina. As his wife and six children have 
 been left with less than nothing, you will, doubtless, do 
 all you can to procure this for the family. 
 
 May all things go well with your Herculean book-busi- 
 ness ! Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 840. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, February 12, 1802. 
 
 I am as glad to think of your binding yourself to 
 Weimar by purchasing a house, as I am glad to attend to 
 what you require to be done here. 
 
 Goetze will do his utmost, and I beg you to send me the 
 keys of the house and garden soon, so that those taking 
 a fancy to them may be shown over the place. 
 
 During these last days I have not accomplished any- 
 thing except a short essay on the Weimar theatre, which 
 I have already sent to Bertuch. It is, as it were, but 
 a venture ; we will see what more can be done to it and 
 made out of it. 
 
 My work at the library is more unpleasant than difficult, 
 
 * This was an operetta called Elbondokani, which the Crown Prince 
 of Weimar purchased soun after this, 'when passing through Stuttgart.
 
 Letteb 812.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 401 
 
 and is troublesome principally because the want of space 
 renders it almost impossible to make any proper arrange- 
 ments. However, I have already taken some steps about 
 this. The unfortunate thing, however, is that I cannot 
 manage to get any of the people here to assist me. They 
 are all very busy as it is, and their time fully occupied, 
 which, it is true, speaks very much in their favour. 
 During these last days I have been considering the matter 
 from all sides so as to begin what I have undertaken, not 
 only with a hope, but with a certainty of success. 
 
 Farewell, and let us both try to get through with 
 earthly affairs in order that we may attain to such as lie 
 beyond. 
 
 G. 
 
 841. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, February 17, 1802. 
 
 As I have not heard of you to-day, I presume that I 
 shall soon see you here yourself; besides this, you will, of 
 course, not let our Prince start on his journey without 
 taking leave of him. 
 
 It has struck me that it would be nice to present some- 
 thing to him on this occasion ; I have already written a 
 few verses that might perhaps be produced at our little 
 gathering; only this would have to be some day after 
 Monday next. I have also two new melodies which Korner 
 composed to two of my songs. 
 
 I do not know whether you have been told that the 
 keys of my garden are at Hufeland's. 
 
 Farewell, and do not let us have too long to wait for 
 you. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 842. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, February 18, 1802. 
 
 We want to know whether you feel inclined, and have 
 the time, to come over before the Prince's departure, for if 
 so, we would arrange to have our select party again, even 
 though — to spare you the inconvenience — it were to be 
 given in the town-hall. If you do not come, we are 
 
 VOL. II. 2 D
 
 402 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 threatened with a great gathering which Herr von 
 Kotzebue is at present arranging, and which is to be held 
 on the Monday after the play. The Prince himself would 
 like very much to escape this, and would by far prefer being 
 one of our small circle. Please let me know through 
 Herr von Pappenheim* — the bearer of this — whether 
 you will come or not, and whether we are to arrange 
 anything for the Monday. If you disappoint us, we can- 
 not well resist the importunity of the unwelcome guests. 
 Farewell. I long to have a few lines from you again. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 £4 . — GOE HE to SCHiLlER. 
 
 J na, February 19, 1802. 
 
 Your invitation, dear friend, I shall not be able to accept 
 this time. The spinning-rock I have set a-going I must 
 at once spin and wind off, otherwise things will get into 
 a renewed state of disorder, and what has already been, 
 done would have to be done over again. I shall bid our 
 good Prince good-bye by letter. Give Herr von Wolzogen 
 many kind greetings, and wish him a safe journey. 
 
 My stay here has been most pleasant, even some poetical 
 things have presented themselves, and I have again written 
 a couple of songs to well-known melodies. It is very 
 nice to think that you too have brought something of the 
 kind into the midst of the little circle. 
 
 With Schelling I spent a very pleasant evening. It is 
 always delightful to come across great clearness of mind 
 combined with great depth. I should like to see him 
 oftener, were it not that I am still hoping for poetic hours, 
 and philosophy, in my case, disturbs the poetic mood, 
 probably because it drives me into the object, for I am 
 never able to keep myself in a purely speculative mood, 
 
 * Major von Pappenheim, von Hinzenstern and Schiller's brother- 
 in-law Wolzogen, accompanied the Crown Prince to Berlin. Wolzogen 
 had been made a member of the Privy Council the preceding Decem- 
 ber, on his return from St. Petersburg, where he had made the 
 necessary arrangements for the Prince's betrothal with the Grand 
 Duchess Maria Paulowna.
 
 Letter 843.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 403 
 
 but have immediately to try and form a distinct concep- 
 tion, and on this account at once fly out into nature. 
 
 I had some very interesting conversation with Paulus, 
 who came to show me the third part of his commentary 
 on the New Testament. He is so well informed on this 
 subject, so at home with the localities and the times, 
 that many things in the sacred books which one usually 
 stares at in amazement as ideal generalities, are made to 
 appear intelligible as specifically and individually present. 
 He has solved some of my doubts very neatly by the 
 totality of his mode of representing things, and I was 
 glad to be able to agree with him. Moreover, there are a 
 number of maxims, at the basis of such a work, that can 
 be much more satisfactorily explained by word of mouth, 
 and, in fa ;t, it is always pleasant to meet any one pos- 
 sessing a totality in himself. 
 
 The English version of Gita-Govinda I have now read 
 also, and must unfortunately accuse good Dalberg of 
 bungling stupidity. Jones,* in his preface, says : " After 
 having translated the Gita-Govinda word for word, I re- 
 duced my translation to the form in which it is now ex- 
 hibited; omitting only those passages which are too 
 luxuriant and too bold for an European taste." Now the 
 German translator, again, not only leaves out other 
 passages which appear doubtful from his point of view, 
 but has entirely misunderstood some very beautiful, 
 innocent passages, and translated them quite wrongly. I 
 may perhaps translate the end myself, as this part has 
 more especially suffered from this German blight, and 
 you will then see the old poet in the beauty in which the 
 English translator thought fit to leave him. 
 
 Enough for to-day! I must, however, add that 
 people are talking about the sale of your garden. It 
 seems doubtful whether you will get what you ask for it ; 
 but we must hope for the best. The keys I shall have 
 fetched from Hufeland in case of necessity. 
 
 A friendly farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Sir William Jones. See also Letter 835 and note. 
 
 2 D 2
 
 404 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1£02. 
 
 844. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, February 20, 1802. 
 W 5 are all sorry, and I more especially, that we are not 
 to see you for some time yet ; however, as you are so well 
 occupied and so content, we will rejoice at the fruits of 
 your activity. Perhaps the pollen from the books, im- 
 pregnated by the poetic spirit, will lead you back to the 
 old ghostly doctor ;* and if this should happen, we shall 
 have reason to bless Biittner's Manes. I have lately been 
 reading your Elegies and Idylls over again, and cannot 
 express to you how deeply and forcibly I was moved and 
 affected by their truly poetic genius. I know of nothing 
 to equal them, not even among your own works ; nowhere 
 have you described your individual self and the world in 
 a purer and fuller manner. 
 
 It is a very interesting phenomenon to see how well 
 your contemplative nature agrees with philosophy, and 
 how it is. in all cases, animated and strengthened by it ; 
 whether, however, the speculative nature of our friend 
 will assimilate to itself as much of what is contemplative 
 in you, is doubtful, and, in fact, belongs to the very nature 
 of the case. For you take up of his ideas only that which 
 tallies with your own views, and what remains does not 
 make you uneasy ; for, after all, you have the object, which 
 is a more trustworthy authority than speculation, as long 
 as the latter does not coincide with the former. A philoso- 
 pher, however, must necessarily be very much inconve- 
 nienced by every view which he cannot admit into his 
 system, for he makes an absolute demand upon his ideas. 
 " AVhat you tell me of Paulus surprises me somewhat, as 
 I never fancied that he possessed the imagination to be 
 transported into the totality of any condition, which has 
 necessarily to be produced before it can be contemplated. 
 But, of course, even learning and great information 
 gradually, that is, atomistically, brings together con- 
 ditions out of which, by a moderate effort of the imagina- 
 tion, a definite concretum can be constructed. Thus it 
 * Faust
 
 Letter 844.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 405 
 
 happened to me, in a very different sphere — in the play of 
 Fust von Stromberg* the author of which is a poet of very 
 mediocre ability — that I found a perfect and vivid re- 
 presentation of the Middle Ages which was evidently only 
 the result of mere learning. 
 
 The Gita-Govinda lately led me back to Sacontala, nay, 
 I even read it with a view to see whether it could not be 
 made use of for the stage ; but it seems that the stage is 
 directly opposed to it. It is, so to say, the only one of the 
 thirty-two winds with which this ship of ours cannot sail. 
 This is probably owing to its principal characteristic being 
 tenderness ; and at the same time, it wants movement, for 
 the poet has taken a delight in spinning out sentiments 
 with a certain easy-going complacency, for the very 
 climate invited rest. 
 
 You will have heard good reports of the new actress 
 Mademoiselle Maas, for she very soon succeeded in winning 
 favour; she has, moreover, sprung directly from the 
 lap of sentimentality. Her voice is pleasing, although 
 still wanting in power; she shows feeling and speaks 
 with intelligence and significance; and in this one sees 
 the influence of Madam Unzelmann's school, and in no way 
 to her disadvantage. But I hear that she has chosen for 
 her second appearance the character of Lottchen in the 
 Hausvater ; f we are not likely to see her from any new 
 point of view there. It would be better to see her in a 
 comic or humorous and naive role, so as to know what 
 we may expect from her. I also beg you to keep her for 
 a whole year to smaller parts, and especially to comedy, 
 and thus lead her up step by step to grander roles which 
 are disastrous to all artists. 
 
 Farewell. I hope to hear from you soon. My brother- 
 in-law wishes to be most kindly remembered. 
 
 Sch. 
 * A play by Jacob Maier. See Letter 446. 
 + Der Deutsche Hausvater, by Geramingen.
 
 406 COKRESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 845. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, 1802. 
 
 I cannot resist your repeated invitation, and have — in the 
 enclosed — ordered the usual supper at my house for Monday 
 evening after the play. I am convinced that the spirits 
 in my house will make this possible, and it will be the 
 most appropriate way of getting out of the general meeting. 
 
 As to the guests, I think we should not have any large 
 number on this very account. I should propose: The 
 Hereditary Prince, von Hinzenstern, von Pappenheim, 
 the Princess* and Fraulein von Knebel. 
 
 If it were thought that Eiedel f should be asked also, it 
 might be well to invite him, partly on account of old 
 circumstances, partly because of his having been here 
 to-day in the company of the two men. 
 
 Farewell ; I am rejoicing at the thought of seeing 
 you again so unexpectedly. I take it for granted that you 
 will have the kindness to advise the company of this 
 proposal, and also kindly to send invitations to the few 
 guests. 
 
 846. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, March 9, 1802. 
 
 It happens to be a merry, sociable time here at present, 
 and I am usually out both at noon and in the evening. 
 On the other hand I cannot as yet boast of having had 
 any productive moments ; in fact they are becoming more 
 and more scarce. 
 
 I have taken up Soulaire's Memoires Jiistoriques et 
 politiques du regne de Louis XVI, a work which lays hold of 
 one and which interests one, owing to its many-sidedness, 
 although the author does at times appear untrustworthy. 
 It gives one, upon the whole, an extensive view over the 
 rivulets and streams which, in accordance with natural 
 l aTVS — coming down from the many heights and along the 
 many valleys — dash against one another, and finally make 
 
 * The Princess Caroline. 
 
 t Kammerr ith Eiedel was tutor to the Hereditary Prince.
 
 Letter 847.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 4^7 
 
 some great river overflow its banks and occasion an 
 inundation which proves the ruin of him who foresaw it, 
 as well as of him who was unaware of the danger. In 
 this tremendous series of experiences we see nothing but 
 nature, and nothing of what we philosophers should so 
 much like to call freedom. Let us wait and see whether 
 Bonaparte will delight us further with this lordly and 
 domineering appearance. 
 
 Within the last few days I have read four volumes of 
 this work, so I have not very much else to say. The fine 
 weather has once or twice tempted me out of doors, but it 
 is still very damp. 
 
 Farewell, and let me ere long hear something about the 
 state of affairs in Weimar,* and in how far you have been 
 able to accomplish some work. 
 
 G. 
 
 847. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, March 10, 1802 
 
 While you have been spending a pleasant time among 
 your friends, and are doing well in living and enjoying 
 yourself, I have kept at home, and have not been inactive, 
 although I am very far from being able to give any 
 account of my doings. A mightier interest * than Warbeck 
 has been occupying me for the last six weeks, and drawn 
 me to it with a force and intensity such as I have not 
 experienced for long. As yet, it is true, I feel merely the 
 movement of hope and a dim presentiment, but it is fruit- 
 ful and very promising, and I know that I am on the 
 right track. 
 
 Accordingly I can tell you but little of what is going 
 on in this part of the world, for I have seen no one. I 
 hear that Wieland has been persuaded to translate the 
 Jon of Euripides, and that most wonderful discoveries 
 have been made with regard to how much is concealed in 
 the Greek Ion. 
 
 The fifth of March has passed by me more favorably 
 than the fifteenth did in Caesar's case, and I have heard 
 nothing more whatever of this great affair. It is to be 
 * W ilhdm T, U.
 
 408 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 hoped that, on your return, you will find minds pacified. 
 But just as chance is always naive and carries on its own 
 wilful game, so the Duke — the day after the affair — made 
 the Burgomaster * a Councillor, on account of services 
 rendered. Further, Kotzebue's Ueble Laune (Bad Humour) 
 is to be given in the theatre to-day. 
 
 I am at present reading a history of the popes by an 
 Englishman f who was himself a Jesuit, and who — while 
 endeavouring to gather information about the actual 
 foundations of papacy with a view to strengthen his own 
 faith — found the reverse of what he sought, and then 
 applied w r hat he had learnt against the papacy. In spite 
 of its tame treatment, it is a very attractive history 
 owing to its consistency, and* is infinitely varied as it 
 embraces all sorts of subjects ; but yet there is a terrible 
 oneness about it, because everything that is individual is 
 lost in the ideal unity. 
 
 My wife sends her kindest regards, and begs you to 
 remember the Histoire des Favoris.% 
 
 Farewell, and get through with your work so that we 
 may soon enjoy having you here again. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 848. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, March 17, 1802. 
 
 I am glad to hear that things are going so well with 
 you in Jena, and that from time to time something 
 poetical as well is springing up. You have meanwhile not 
 lost anything by being away, for society here seems still 
 to be in an exhausted state and in a cold perspiration 
 from the violent shocks it has experienced. 
 
 The Duke — whom people likewise tried to prejudice — 
 questioned me a few days ago, and I represented the case 
 to him in the light in which it appears to me. He wished 
 
 * R. A. Schultze. 
 
 t Archibald Bower's History of the Topes, which had been trans- 
 lated into German by von Rambach. 
 
 t Probably the Histoire des plus illustres favoris anciens et modernes 
 recueillie par feu M. P. D. P. (Pierre du Puy) 1661.
 
 Letter 848.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 409 
 
 to read Begulus* as lie had heard by letter from Berlin 
 that the piece possesses great merit, although the perform- 
 ance itself was not successful. I am willing to believe it but 
 should like to know where its merits lie. Our most 
 gracious Prince has read the opus, and returned it to me 
 with the accompanying note. You will see from it that 
 he does not intend to drop it altogether, although — with- 
 out knowing or intending to do so — he himself condemns it, 
 for he is himself, in the end, compelled to declare it to be 
 tedious prose, and I should like to know what else there is 
 good about it. I did not let him have the last word, and 
 in a brief reply took the liberty of remarking that I could 
 not consider regularity of form of any merit, unless it 
 were combined with poetic substance. 
 
 He told me lately that you had given him some hope of 
 remodelling the Bhadamist.^ God help you through the 
 melancholy business. 
 
 You, like myself, are respectfully invited to send a few 
 contributions to Halem's J Irene. It is verily a disgrace 
 that those who do their utmost to annihilate us, can 
 nevertheless expect that we should help to further 
 their enterprises. I have, however, made up my mind to 
 send Unger — who made the request to me — a pretty 
 plain answer. 
 
 I have latterly been occupying myself with Saint 
 Bernhardt and been very much pleased to make his ac- 
 quaintance; it would be difficult, in history, to find a 
 second ecclesiastical scamp as worldly wise, and one who 
 was, at the same time, in such an admirable sphere for 
 playing the part worthily. He was the oracle of his day 
 and its ruler although he remained a private individual, 
 
 * Der Begulus, a tragedy in five acts, by Heinrich Joseph Collin 
 (1802). 
 
 t The very obscure drama by the elder Crebillon, entitled Bhada- 
 miste et Zenobie (1711). 
 
 X Irene, eine Zeitschrift fur Teutsehland's Tochter, edited by Halem 
 of Oldenburg, who had been a contributor to the Horen> and was alsci 
 the author of a pieoe called Wallenstein, printed as early as 1786. 
 
 § While reading Bower's History of the Popes. See Letter 847. 
 In Luther's opinion Bernhard of Clair vaux ranked " higher than all 
 monks and priests on earth," as a truly God-fearing and pioua 
 man.
 
 410 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S02. 
 
 and allowed others to hold the first positions. Popes were 
 his disciples and kings his creatures. He hated and 
 oppressed as far as he could, all those aspiring to higher 
 objects, and encouraged the obtusest, monkish stupidity, 
 besides which he was himself a mere monk and possessed 
 nothing beyond cunning and dissimulation. However, it 
 is charming to see him glorified. If you see Griesbach 
 or Paulus to speak to, be sure to get them to tell you 
 something about him; perhaps they could procure us 
 some books about him. 
 
 Farewell, and do think soon of returning. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 849. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, March 19, 1802. 
 
 I shall probably soon decide to bring my stay here to 
 a close, and come over to you again. I am looking 
 forward to the evenings we shall spend together, all the 
 more so as we shall have many new things to com- 
 municate to each other. 
 
 If the party in question has, in some degree, ceased 
 grieving over the adventure of the fifth, let us soon again 
 have a small gathering, and try the new songs which I 
 shall bring with me. Have you given yours to Zelter as 
 Komer's compositions did not find favour ? 
 
 I hope you will be in the proper humour and use your 
 fist pretty freely when you answer the lrenian invita- 
 tion.* It would be a good thing if you could write an 
 epistle that would apply to the whole set for whom I 
 vow and cherish an ever-increasing hatred. 
 
 I am glad to hear that you intend bringing your 
 Johanna more within the possibilities of the stage for us. 
 In fact, as we have delayed so long in having it repre- 
 sented, we must endeavour to distinguish ourselves in 
 some way. 
 
 It is impossible for me to do anything with Iphigenia. 
 If you will not venture upon the undertaking, correct the 
 few equivocal lines and see to the parts being leamt, I do 
 
 * To contribute to Halem's Irene. See last letter.
 
 Letter 849.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 411 
 
 not believe that it will succeed, and yet it would be well 
 if it could, considering the present position of things, and 
 the piece would then be demanded for other theatres, as 
 has already been the case with Nathan. Rhadamist and 
 Zenobia * I find, upon a closer examination, to be a very 
 remarkable piece, the climax of affectation in Art, in com- 
 parison with which Voltaire's works appear to be pure 
 nature. What is striking in this piece is probably the 
 similarity of the hero's position with that of Cain, and his 
 reckless character, which reminds one of the fate of the 
 first fratricide. But 1 do not see any prospect of being 
 able to adapt it for the German stage. 
 
 I congratulate you upon having made the acquaintance 
 of holy St. Bernhard. We will try and leam some further 
 details about him. 
 
 Our theological friends here are in a bad plight. 
 Griesbach is suffering from his feet and Paulus on his 
 wife's account. She is in a very bad way, and I am 
 afraid her life is in danger ; nature may go on working 
 for long before she manages a second time to produce so 
 gay a creature. 
 
 Zelter has left a very lively influence. One hears his 
 melodies everywhere, and we have to thank him that our 
 songs and ballads have been awakened from the dead 
 by him. 
 
 The library business is getting settled. Boards and 
 beams come floating down the Saale to the new temple of 
 the Muses in Lauchstedt. Let this enterprise of ours 
 also have its effect upon you, and do with your earlier 
 things what you can. I know indeed how difficult this 
 is, but you must gradually — by reflection and practice — 
 learn so many knacks from the dramatic line of business, 
 that genius and a purely poetic state of mind may not be 
 exactly necessary for every operation. 
 
 I have also been reading and attending to other things. 
 Yery remarkable to me was a glance I had into Brown's 
 Elements of Medicine.! One there meets with a most 
 admirable intellect which creates words, expressions and 
 turns, and uses them with modest consistency in giving au 
 
 * See Letter 848 and note. 
 
 t His Elementa medicium (1779).
 
 412 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S02. 
 
 account of his convictions. One does n t fend a trace of 
 the vehement terminological squabbles of his followers. 
 However, the little book is difficult to ul derstand in con- 
 nection, and I have laid it aside, as I can neither give il 
 the time nor the attention it deserves. 
 
 Since dictating this, I have determined to leave this on 
 Tuesday for Weimar, and accordingly wish you to know 
 that you will be heartily welcome on that evening if you 
 can come to us. 
 
 Will you inquire whether our friends propose meeting 
 at my house on Wednesday evening, and to leave word at 
 the house whether yes or no ? 
 
 As I am soon to have the pleasure of seeing you I shall 
 not add more. 
 
 G. 
 
 850. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, March 20, 1802. 
 
 I am glad that you are soon to be here again, and that 
 we shall be together at the coming of spring, which is 
 always wont to make me feel sad, as it raises in me a 
 restless and indefinite longing. 
 
 Gladly will 1 do all I possibly can in order that your 
 IpMgenia may make its appearance on the stage; there 
 is always a good deal to be learnt from such an under- 
 taking, and 1 have no doubt of its being a success if our 
 people do their best. Some one wrote to me lately, and 
 moreover from Dresden that a performance of Iphigenia 
 was to be given there, and other theatres are sure to 
 follow the lead. 
 
 I am in a tolerably good way with Carlos, and hope to 
 get it finished in eight or ten days. There is an un- 
 niistakeable dramatical fund in the piece, and it contains 
 much that may procure it approbation. It is indeed 
 impossible to make it a satisfactory whole, because it is 
 cut out much too broadly ; but I was content with giving 
 but a small amount of detail, and thus, with making the 
 whole merely the bearer of the details. And when the 
 public comes to be considered, it is, after all, tie thing 
 as a whole that has most to be thought of.
 
 Letter 850.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 413 
 
 Let us have the Maid of 0. performed in Lauchstedt 
 before giving it here. I must insist upon this, because, in 
 fact, the Duke has declared himself against it, and I 
 should not like in the least to appear as if I had urged 
 the matter. More of this by word of mouth. My second 
 reason is, because I last year promised Jagemann to let 
 her play Johanna's part, and it would look strange if I 
 took it from her. Now if the piece is first played in 
 Lauchstedt and Vohs plays Johanna, neither of them can 
 lay any claim to it when it comes to be acted here. I 
 will see to it that the various parts are learnt during the 
 last weeks of the theatrical season, and will myself direct 
 several of the rehearsals in order to see that it is properly 
 studied, and that we may appear with it in Lauchstedt 
 with all honour. 
 
 I cannot this year do anything more with my earlier 
 pieces ; besides there is no hurry about this, for if we but 
 get IpMgenia ready, the company will go this year to 
 Lauchstedt more richly laden than ever. Nay, it would 
 scarcely be possible to get any other pieces properly 
 learnt. 
 
 I have still in my possession a translation of Moliere's 
 Femmes Savantes, which could certainly be made use of, if 
 but one or two things were done to it. Besides this 
 another piece has been sent to me, which contains much 
 that is good, yet nevertheless has many dramatic defects, 
 the result of having been based upon a romance. 
 
 Madam Mereau told me that she is at work upon 
 Corneille's Le Cid ; we must try to have some influence 
 upon this work, and, if possible, procure it for the 
 theatre. 
 
 I will send out the invitations according to your 
 request, and am full of curiosity to see whether the 
 people have so far cooled down as to be willing to come to 
 an amicable understanding. 1 gave my two songs to 
 Zelter when he left, and am now waiting to see what he 
 will make of them. One of Korner's melodies is very sing- 
 able, if only our singers understood their business better. 
 
 Farewell. It is just possible that I may see you in 
 Jena on Monday, as my sister-in-law will be passing 
 through Jena to visit a friend of hers in the neighbour-
 
 414 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802 
 
 hood, and we may probably accompany her ; however, this 
 is not quite certain yet. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 851. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 20, 1802. 
 As we shall probably give Turandot on Saturday, I must 
 beg you to let me have the new riddles, in order that we 
 may give them to the actors in good time, for they are 
 never ready too soon. 
 
 G. 
 
 852. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 25, 1802. 
 Herewith I send you the desired sum, and the first two 
 of Hogarth's series which I have just found. 
 
 At the same time I come to ask what you intend doing 
 to-day. If you do not care to be out in the evening you 
 could, of course, come earlier and be at home again before 
 sunset. If you can decide to come, I will order Ehler * 
 and have some musical diversions. 
 
 G. 
 
 853. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 4, 1802. 
 
 First of all my hearty good wishes that your removal 
 from your old quarters may have gone off successfully. 
 I shall be very glad to find you in good health and busy 
 in your new, cheerful abode, facing the sun and the green 
 country. 
 
 But I want now to hear something from you about our 
 theatrical affairs. What do you expect from Iphigenia 
 which — as was to be foreseen — comes a little late ? What 
 
 * Wilhelm Ehler a favorite actor and singer, who was especially 
 BUdessful in rendering ballads and other soDgs while accompanying 
 himself on the guitar.
 
 Letter 853.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 415 
 
 do you think of Madam Burger, * whose appearance I 
 should myself have liked to have awaited. 
 
 In the library arrangements I find myself thwarted in 
 a vexatious manner by the behaviour of the Jena people, 
 which very much resembles the divine do-nothing of the 
 Italians. I offer the general observation : that to work 
 for a prescribed number of hours, and this continued 
 regularly for any length of time, produces and encourages 
 a set of people who do only what is absolutely necessary, 
 in fact, who only work by and for the hour. I shall stay 
 here as long as possible, because I am convinced that as 
 soon as I am away, the whole work will be more or less 
 at a stand-still. 
 
 With regard to myself and my own doings, however, 
 various things have been accomplished. Several lyrics 
 have again presented themselves, and on quiet evenings 
 I have been studying the primary sources of our northern 
 mythology.j I came upon it accidentally, and think I am 
 now pretty clear upon the subject, of which you shall 
 have a proof on my return. It is a good thing to have 
 Hone this, even though I may have done no more than 
 drive a stake into the field and set up a sign by which I can 
 at times find my position. 
 
 This library-work also makes demands upon one even 
 though one but looks into the books for a minute. Great 
 is the advantage I have found from my studies in physics, 
 geognostics, and natural history. All accounts of travels 
 are to me as if I had them in the palm of my hand. 
 
 That the country is exceedingly beautiful at this season 
 of budding I need scarcely tell you; a view from your 
 upper garden-room, which, as I hear, you have lent to a 
 philosopher,! would be very refreshing just now. 
 
 Farewell, and send me a few lines. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Elise Burger, the divorced wife of the unfortunate poet, who 
 wandered from place to place as an actress ; at this time she was forty-two 
 years of age. As to her capacity, see subsequent letters. 
 
 t The Edda, ou monuments de la mythologie et de la poesie des 
 ancievs peuples du Nord, by P. H. Mallet. 
 
 I Schiller, in a letter to Prof. Hufeland, mentions having given 
 permi&sioi. to a Dr. Schade to occupy one of the r^ms in his garden- 
 house.
 
 416 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 That Loder is going to take his father-in-law, and wife 
 and child to Warsaw, and that the indisposition of Madam 
 Paulus has ended in the arrival of a healthy "boy — you 
 have probably heard already. 
 
 854. — Schiller to Hofrath Kirms. 
 
 Weimar, May 4, 1802. 
 Madam B. did indeed give such general dissatisfaction 
 yesterday that we should only be injuring our own cause 
 with the public by giving her a second character to re- 
 present. Ariadne* it is true, was not a part to throw 
 light upon the merits of an actress, but her de-merits were 
 unfortunately made perfectly evident by it. Therefore, 
 besides your having to give her a double viaticum, if she is 
 to appear on Saturday, you will run the risk of having an 
 empty house and of doing ourselves harm. These reasons, 
 together with the lady's absolute uselessness on the 
 stage, ought probably to be sufficient to convince the 
 Geheimratti j that it was better to get rid of her soon 
 and in a good way. 
 
 Ew. woMgehoren, 
 
 Obedient Servant. 
 
 Schiller. 
 
 855. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 5, 1802. 
 
 I have this moment returned from the Government 
 office, where I was kept waiting longer than I expected, 
 and can, therefore, merely write what is most necessary 
 as the message-girl is leaving immediately. 
 
 Iphigenia could in no case have been managed for 
 Saturday, as the principal role is very long and difficult 
 to learn. It was absolutely necessary to give Vohs time 
 for it. However, I have the best hopes of the piece ; I 
 have not met with anything that could disturb the effect. 
 
 * In Benda's duodrame Ariadne (composed by Brandes). 
 t Goethe.
 
 Letter 856. J SCHILLEIt AND GOETHE. 417 
 
 It pleased me to see that the actual poetically beautiful 
 passages, and especially the lyrical ones, always had the 
 highest effect upon our actors. The account of the 
 horrors committed by Thyestes, and afterwards the 
 monologue of Orestes, where he again sees the same 
 figures in Elysium at peace with one another, must be 
 made specially prominent as two pieces that refer to one 
 another and solve a dissonance. It is especially necessary 
 that everything should be done to have the monologue 
 well given, because it stands on the boundary, and unless 
 it awakens the deepest emotion, may easily destroy the 
 proper mood. I think, however, that its effect will be 
 sublime. 
 
 Of the miserable success of Ariadne you will have 
 already heard from the Hofkammerrath. You can believe 
 all the bad he may tell you of it; for this Elise* is a 
 wretched, insipid and spiritless comic actress, of the 
 commonest order, and becomes quite intolerable by the 
 pretensions she makes. However, you will t e 3 and hear 
 her yourself, if you remain in Jena, for she pioposes going 
 there in a few days to give a recital. 
 
 We have been in our new house for six days, and are 
 still in the greatest confusion it is true, but I have been 
 able to settle to work a little of a morning, and hope soon 
 to have got fairly started again. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your lyrical find. Enjoy the 
 lovely season to the full, and hold us in remembrance. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 856. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 7, 1802. 
 Madam Burger has spared us as yet, unless indeed she 
 comes to-morrow and presumes to give a Sunday-recital. 
 In any case, I shall take a seat in a corner of the hall 
 near the door, and, according to circumstances, either 
 stay to the end or be up and off. 
 
 What you tell me of IpMgenia was pleasant to me to 
 
 hear. If you could and would go on with the work till 
 
 it is brought upon the stage without my having to see a 
 
 rehearsal, and it were given on Saturday the fifteenth, 
 
 * Elise Burger. See note to Letter 853. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 £
 
 418 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 I would remain here another week and get many things 
 started and others finished. 
 
 I hear that the building operations at the theatre at 
 Lauchstedt are progressing satisfactorily. I am very 
 curious to see how this fungus will come forth out of the 
 ground. 
 
 If you have held a reading-rehearsal of Alarkos* please 
 let me know something about it. 
 
 One day lately another new dramatic production was 
 sent to me, which, I could almost say, grieved me. Unmis- 
 takable talent, careful reflection, study of the ancients, 
 very good insight, usable in part and yet as a whole 
 insufficient, because it might be said to look neither back- 
 wards nor forwards. The tenth part of it one might have 
 been able to have performed, but, as it is, this would be 
 utterly impossible. When I return you shall see it, and 
 you will probably raise even greater lamentations. Hut 
 do not say anything about it to anyone, nor anything 
 about my preliminary notice of it ; for we must quietly 
 put it to rights ourselves. 
 
 The library affairs are gradually getting into order, 
 although still slowly enough. I keep to my tactics and 
 try to move on from point to point. 
 
 They at times lead to a poetic hour or to some scientific 
 gain. 
 
 Farewell, and I trust you may soon get very comfortably 
 settled. 
 
 G. 
 
 857. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 8, 1802. 
 
 We will do our utmost for Alarkos ; but, upon looking 
 through the piece again, serious doubts have presented 
 themselves to me. Unfortunately, it is such a strange 
 mixture of what is antique and the latest modem style, 
 that it will not win either approval or consideration. I 
 shall be satisfied if we do not suffer a total defeat with it, 
 which I almost fear will be the case. And I should be 
 sorry were the wretched party which we have to contend 
 
 * By Fr. Sclikgel.
 
 Letter 858.] SCHILLER ANP GOETHE. 419 
 
 with, to win the day. My opinion is to keep the re- 
 presentation of the piece as dignified and serious as 
 possible, and to employ everything from the French 
 tragedy that is at all appropriate ; if only we can bring 
 matters so far that the public be imposed by it, that some- 
 thing grander and severer is expressed, it will, indeed, 
 remain unsatisfactory, and yet people will not perceive 
 what is wrong about it. We shall not come a step 
 nearer our goal by this performance, or else I am very 
 much mistaken. 
 
 Iphigenia shall be properly studied for the fifteenth. 
 On Tuesday next we shall have the piece on the stage. 
 
 Elise Burger will not honour you with a visit after all. 
 She is still here, as I am told ; but what keeps her here 
 I do not know. 
 
 Farewell ; I am looking forward to the products of your 
 Muse. I have still not managed to get the proper quiet. 
 To-day I expect Cotta on his way to the fair. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 858. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 9, 1S02. 
 
 I hope that the accompanying volume has not already 
 come to you from another quarter, so that you may receive 
 this rhymed mad-house production * first from my hand, 
 as a curiosissimus. Such madness, turning as it does upon 
 the outward form of the latest occurrences, I have never 
 yet met with. But who could find expression for such a 
 phenomenon ! 
 
 Accept my very best thanks for the trouble jou are 
 taking about Iphigenia. Next Saturday I shall drive to 
 the play-house, as will also another Jenaite, and hope to 
 find you in your box. 
 
 With regard to Alarkos, I am quite of your opinion ; 
 however, it seems to me that we must venture everything:, 
 for whether it is a success or not, does not matter in the 
 least to outsiders. What we shall gain by it seems to me 
 to be mainly this : that we allow these extremely obligatory 
 metres to be recited and to be heard recited. Besides 
 * Athenor, a poem in sixteen cantos. 
 
 2 E 2
 
 420 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1S02. 
 
 this, we can. after all, also calculate somewhat upon the 
 interest in the subject itself. 
 
 Upon the whole, things are going very well with me 
 here, and would be better still could I remain here some 
 weeks longer. 
 
 Farewell; continue to get more comfortably settled, 
 and keep us in remembrance. 
 
 G. 
 
 859. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 11, 1802. 
 
 I trust to your kindness to let me know whether 
 Iphigenia is to be given on Saturday the fifteenth, in 
 which case I will come over in order by your side to 
 witness one of the most wonderful effects I have ex- 
 perienced in my life : the direct presence of a state of 
 things which to me is more than one of the past. 
 
 I am very well satisfied with my stay here. The work 
 has succeeded better than I had anticipated, although, 
 strictly speaking, little has been done as yet. However. 
 when it is considered that in such cases one may be said 
 to be waiting for one's execution, and that all — where 
 the assistance is purely mechanical as well as where it 
 is literary — require their work determined for them, to 
 be guided, spurred on, corrected and again encouraged, 
 one feels satisfied if only things are pushed forwards a 
 little, 
 
 Yulpius. the Secretary of the Library, has done admir- 
 ably ; in thirteen days he has written out 2134 labels ; 
 that is. titles of books on separate slips of paper. In fact, 
 fair persons have within that time got through about 
 6000 labels, which gives some idea of what has to be done. 
 
 This collection of books was the one bequeathed un- 
 arranged ; now we are coming to the one already in order, 
 the older one. However, the whole business must, after 
 all, have some outward effect upon one, and may be said 
 to be a species of bath, a kind of heavier element in 
 which one moves about, and feels oneself lighter because 
 one is borne by it. 
 
 I have learned varioun things during this time, and done 
 something as well. If I could entertain you and Meyer
 
 Letter 86U] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 421 
 
 the day after to-morrow evening with what I have lately 
 found, and, on the other hand, hear what you have been 
 doing, J could wish for nothing better. Perhaps, how- 
 ever, this three weeks' press of work will be but the more 
 enjoyable to us all. 
 
 Farewell, and let me have but a few words from you in 
 return by the messenger. 
 
 G. 
 
 860. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 12, 1S02. 
 
 There will be no difficulty in having the performance 
 of IpJiigenia on Saturday, although Titus has had posses- 
 sion of the theatre both yesterday and to-day. To-morrow 
 and the day after, however, the stage-rehearsals shall be 
 undertaken in good earnest, and I hope you will not be 
 alarmed at your own work. I do indeed believe that the 
 actual representation of this piece will awaken in you 
 many past conditions, both as regards the forms and 
 colours of your own mind and of the world to which you 
 belonged at the time ; and in this latter respect it will 
 also strike several of our friends and lady- friends here as 
 curious. 
 
 With Alarhos, therefore, we will venture at all hazards, 
 and at least instruct ourselves by means of it. I will 
 do my utmost to impress upon our actors to do their 
 best with it. I allowed C. K.* to read the piece, out of 
 curiosity, to see how such a production would affect a 
 mind like hers. However, some absurd things occurred 
 on the occasion, and I shall beware of repeating such 
 an experiment. It is strange what different kinds of 
 juices certain animals draw from certain plants, and K. is 
 one of those readers who fancy that a poetical work which 
 is laid before them has to be consumed in place of being- 
 looked at. Her opinion is that this Alarkos is a very 
 religious production for the author of Lucinde, and she 
 appears to have a great liking for the latter. The most 
 impassioned character in the piece — the Infanta — she 
 found to be detestable and immoral, quite contrary to my 
 
 * Charlotte von Kalb.
 
 422 COXRESrONDEXCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 expectation; however, it seems that poles of the same 
 name must always repel each other. 
 
 Cotta passed through here last Saturday; he hopes to 
 find you here on his return, which will be next Saturday 
 fortnight. He desired me to ask you to give him per- 
 mission to print your Mahomet and Tancred in iSuabia. 
 Godike* left him in the lurch in an ungracious manner. 
 He would have the type exactly as you like, and would 
 attend most carefully to the corrections. 
 
 He left the enclosed essay by Weinbrenner,f the archi- 
 tect, for you. The author wishes to have your co-operation 
 in the proposal he there makes. 
 
 The first days of my change of residence here have 
 been embittered by several occurrences, more especially, 
 however, by the news of the serious illness and death of 
 my mother, in Suabia. From the letter I received a few 
 days ago, I learned that my mother died on the very day 
 I moved into my new house. One cannot help being 
 painfully affected when one event is thus interwoven 
 with another. 
 
 Farewell, and rejoice in the work which is proving so 
 successful. 
 
 The money which you were kind enough to advance 
 to me, I am now ready to refund to you, and am awaiting 
 your commands as to what I am to do with it. If it is not 
 troubling you, 1 should be much obliged if you would get 
 Niethammer to give you a note of what I owe him for 
 the proceeds of my books and the Duchess' at Eckart's 
 auction ; both debts could be settled at the same time ; I 
 shall wait for further instructions about this from you. 
 
 You were only one day before me with Athenor, for I 
 too had received the horrible production, and had laid it 
 aside for you. I enclose another which is not much more 
 enjoyable, especially the Preface. Farewell. 
 
 Elise Burger you will now have heard yourself. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * A publisher in Jena. 
 
 t An architect in Carlsruhe, who had spent seven years in Italy, 
 where he had become convinced that the form of the ancient theatre 
 was the best. He returned from Italy with Meyer in 1797. The 
 essay here alluded to was probably one on the education of architects; 
 Weinbrenner had established an institution for young architects,
 
 Leti£r8C3.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 423 
 
 861. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 17, 1S02. 
 
 While coming to ask for Alarhos I at the same time 
 send you a few curiosa. 
 
 If you care to come to me this evening for a further 
 discussion, it would give me great pleasure as there are 
 still some things to talk over. 
 
 I should like to have your company at dinner to- 
 morrow ; you would still find the members of the Privy 
 Council here. 
 
 G. 
 
 862. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (May 24, 1802.) 
 I have been asked to request you to have Wallensteiri 's 
 Lager played on Wednesday with The Brothers * because 
 Beschort would like to see a representation of the piece, 
 which is also to be given in Berlin. Bruhl, too, would 
 like to see it, and accordingly it would be doing several 
 persons a favour. 
 
 As we have, at present, three actors more than usual, 
 I would advise that the three supernumeraries who do 
 put in a few words — that is, the Croatian, the Swiss, and 
 the Second Cuirassier — should be represented by our three 
 new actors ; in this way the piece could be played most 
 spiritedly. 
 
 I shall no doubt see you at the theatre to-day. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 863. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, June 8, 1802. 
 I cannot lose the opportunity offered by the messenger 
 who is about to start, and send you these few words to 
 say that my work is progressing very well. I have 
 dictated the whole from beginning to end, and am now 
 about to give it more smoothness in the execution. I 
 * An adaptation of the Adelphi of Terence.
 
 424 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN flS02. 
 
 must absolutely keep to prose, although the subject 
 might possibly gain very much by an alternation 
 between prose and metre. I hope to arrive on Saturday 
 with my parcel, and to hold a reading-rehearsal on 
 Sunday. In any case, the representation will possess the 
 character of an impromptu, and this will only be to its 
 advantage. As for the rest, I curse and detest the whole 
 business in all its old and new divisions and parts, and I 
 shall take some credit to myself if people do not perceive 
 in the work my conscious and cherished rage. 
 Farewell, be active, of good cheer, and happy. 
 
 G. 
 
 864. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Wt imar, June 9, 1802. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your having been happily 
 released from your work, and shall look forward to 
 hearing more of it. You have, on this occasion, had an 
 opportunity of seeing how much necessity may force you 
 to accomplish, and you should apply the same means to 
 other works ; it would assuredly be equally successful. 
 
 Nothing much has been achieved by me during these 
 last days ; 1 have not been feeling well myself, and the 
 children also have been ailing. In spito of the best of 
 wills and inclination, I am at present very often inter- 
 rupted in my work. 
 
 1 enclose the page with Zelter's * essay, which was, after 
 all, found here. 
 
 Farewell, and return to us laden with fine fruits. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 865. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 11, 1802. 
 My work has progressed very well, although it has 
 become much longer than I anticipated. 
 
 Some of the motives towards the end have still to be 
 
 * On the representation of Reichardt's Hercules' Tod, in Berlin. 
 Zolter had sent his rssay to Goethe, so as to get it iuseittd in Bertuch's 
 Journal des Luxus und der Moden.
 
 Letter SCO.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 425 
 
 worked out, but a clean copy of it has been made and the 
 various roles written out. 
 
 On Sunday evening I hope to read it to you ; do not 
 gainsay me, for on Monday I must have a reading- 
 rehearsal. Of course, if I could set the work aside for a 
 fortnight, several things might still be done to it. I 
 could not, indeed, work out all the motives to an equal 
 extent. I shall have over twenty scenes, some of which 
 are very short ; however, it will at all events give some 
 idea of the perpetual running to and fro of the persons, 
 and also of the variety of the motives, as the persons do 
 not come and go unnecessarily. 
 
 Farewell ; I can undoubtedly say that I undertook this 
 work the more courageously as you seemed to approve of 
 the idea and the plan. 
 
 G. 
 
 866. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, June 12, 1802. 
 
 I got a letter from you to-day, although I most con- 
 fidently expected to see you here yourself, and hoped to 
 have had the pleasure this evening of hearing your work 
 read aloud. I shall not fail to come to-morrow at 6 ( 'clock, 
 and am looking forward to the happily completed work 
 for a variety of reasons. 
 
 Becker's illness might have sadly interfered with our 
 next, nay, perhaps with all our future dramatic under- 
 takings ; he is still very ill, and even though things go 
 favorably, we shall scarcely be able to count upon him 
 for the next eight days. Under other circumstances his 
 part in your piece might have been filled by Ehlers or 
 some one else ; but as, in this very piece, you have 
 calculated upon the personality of the actor, something 
 might be lost if any one else had to take the part. 
 
 I am longing for some quiet ; for things are most noisy 
 about me at present. There is hammering going on 
 above and below, so that literally the floor trembles 
 beneath my feet. Moreover, I have this week not felt at 
 all well, and, unfortunately, have been in a very misan-
 
 426 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 thropical humour, which, unfortunately, was too patho- 
 logically passive to rise to the height of eternal wrath. 
 Farewell, and return with beautiful gifts. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 867.— Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, June 24, 1802. 
 
 As I cannot manage to get to Lauchstedt myself, I 
 must send you, by letter, my best wishes for the work 
 that is before you, and hope to hear from you, as soon as 
 possible, all particulars as to how it went off. If only 
 Apollo would be gracious to me during your absence, so 
 that I too might contribute something new to the new 
 dramatic era. It is time that I accomplished something 
 again, for since my journey to Dresden I have not 
 succeeded in settling down or mastering a spirit of rest- 
 lessness which has had possession of me. A variety of 
 things have been collected, it is true, but are still waiting 
 to be happily unloaded. 
 
 Be diligent and cheerful, and let me take part in every- 
 thing pleasant that you experience. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 868. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Lauchstedt, June 28, 1802. 
 
 The HofTcammerrath, who starts to-morrow, I cannot 
 allow to depart without a few words for you. He will 
 tell you in detail how the opening went off ; the weather 
 favoured us, and the preliminary play was a success. 
 The conclusion, although it might have been better, I 
 managed pretty successfully, considering the press of cir- 
 cumstances in which I had to get finished. Could I have 
 foreseen all, I should have left you no peace till you had 
 worked out the last motive for me. Now it must go as 
 it is. 
 
 I have to-day begun to read a little book on Colours 
 by "Wolf, and have already gained great confidence for 
 working out the whole, and also expect many other.
 
 Letter 8G9.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 427 
 
 good results from our conferences. More ere long when 
 the hours are less pressing. 
 
 All the young people are very eager in their desire to 
 see you, yet 1 confess honestly that I cannot exactly 
 summon up courage to ask you to come; now that I no 
 longer have any actual occupation I am beginning to feel 
 as it' I did not know what to be about. 
 
 I intend sending you a key of my garden and 
 garden-house; let your stay there be to some extent 
 tolerable, and enjoy the quiet that reigns in the valley. 
 Probably I shall soon be returning to Weimar, for there is 
 no special advantage to be gained by us in the outer world 
 where what one already possesses as a whole is every- 
 where met with only piecemeal. I shall spend a few 
 days in looking into the condition of Halle. 
 
 Farewell, and keep me in remembrance. I should like 
 to hear whether you have succeeded in getting any work 
 done. 
 
 G. 
 869. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Lauchstedt, July 5, 1802. 
 
 The expectation of seeing you here, which had been 
 raised before, is very great among the young members of 
 society ; yet I do not know whether or not I should ask 
 you to come. Write and tell me by the returning 
 messenger whether you have any inclination yourself to 
 come. There would, of course, be no gain to you in any 
 way, in addition to which it would be unsettling. How- 
 ever, if you care to come, comfortable lodgings and good 
 food should be procured for you. It would indeed be 
 very nice if we three could at some future day converse 
 together about things we had ourselves seen. 
 
 I intend one of these days to go to Halle, in order, if 
 possible, to look at the place as I did in the case of 
 Gottingen a year ago. Besides this, I should gain a good 
 deal by going there. 
 
 The little book on Colours I have already gone through 
 with Wolf. The main result, that, according to his 
 criteria also, the work is really ancient and worthy of 
 the peripatetic school, has delighted me very much, as
 
 428 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ("1802. 
 
 you may imagine; nay, he is inclined to absence it to 
 Aristotle rather than to any of his successors. 
 
 He considers the work — as I do myself — to be a whole 
 in itself, which has even suffered but little through 
 copyists. My three conjectures with regard to the cor- 
 rections of the text he at once accepted, one of them with 
 particular pleasure, as I want white instead of black. He 
 says that when there was any talk about such corrections 
 he often used this contrast as a bold jest, and that it was 
 exceedingly amusing to meet with an actual case in one's 
 own experience where the codices give the word black 
 instead of white. 
 
 As it would be an inestimable advantage to get to know 
 a man like this more intimately, I intend, at all events, 
 to try and form as close a relationship with him as possible, 
 in order that we may understand and confide in each 
 other. 
 
 The exceedingly interesting book on natural history,* 
 which I told you of before I left, has been occupying my 
 attention during the past fortnight; it has given me a 
 great deal to think about, chiefly in regard to the subject 
 and also the author; he is a peculiar kind of common- 
 sense man — as we call them — he drives himself into such 
 straits by reasoning that he has then frankly to confess 
 that he cannot go further; and yet he need only 
 look beyond himself to feel that the idea offered him a 
 happy way out. Now this working of the intellect against 
 itself I have never met with before in concrete, and it is 
 evident that the best attempts, experiences, reasonings, 
 separations and connections must occur in this way. 
 What impresses me in his favour is the great honesty 
 with which he works through his circle. It would in- 
 terest me very much to become personally acquainted 
 with him. 
 
 Herewith I send you Brandes' book on the present 
 state of Gottingen. The tameness of an official report is 
 of course very evident in it ; to me it was very pleasant 
 reading as a recapitulation of what I had experienced 
 
 * This probably refers to Oken's work : Grundrisz der Natur- 
 <philo8opMe. die Theorie der Sinne und die darauf gegriindete Classifica- 
 tion der Thiere.
 
 Letter S70.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 429 
 
 there a year ago. But the author should have felt that 
 his book would require to be read with good-will, and, 
 accordingly, that the attack, upon us in particular, is not 
 in the right }:>lace. If the Gottingers do enough in many 
 ways and never too much in any case, of course, a diplo- 
 matic hocus-pocus might be made on it ; but if we in many 
 ways do not do enough, and in many other cases do too 
 much, then, naturally, our situation * is incapable of 
 any adequate representation ; however, when we have a 
 chance we shall let the gentlemen feel to what extent it is 
 and will remain worthy of respect. 
 
 I must conclude, because 1 have still to see Wildfang f 
 this evening, and because I should otherwise have to com- 
 mence a new sheet. 
 
 Farewell, and let me have a few words about the state 
 of affairs with you.t 
 
 G. 
 
 870. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, July 6, 1S02. 
 
 It was fortunate for me that I did not follow you to 
 Lauchstedt, for I should only have carried the seeds of a 
 catarrh- fever with me; it made its appearance on the 
 same Saturday on which you gave the first performance 
 in L. Since then till yesterday 1 and my whole family 
 have been in the worst of circumstances, for we have all 
 been suffering from a species of whooping-cough, which 
 was especially severe in the case of my little Ernst. 
 During all this time we have lived shut off from all human 
 intercourse because I had carefully to avoid talking. On 
 this account I have not yet been able to hear from the 
 Hofkammerrath, how things went off at Lauchstedt, and 
 know nothing more than what you told me in your letter. 
 
 So you have been giving performances nine days in 
 succession ; that is saying a good deal and must have been 
 a great effort on the part of the actors. However, 1 see 
 from the poor attendance at the performance during the 
 
 * Tn Jena. 
 
 t A play of Kotzebue's, who called it a Luslspiel zar Verrhiuuvg. 
 
 * A portion of this Letter of the 5th must have been lost, to judge 
 from remarks made in Schiller's rvply.
 
 430 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 week that you cannot venture npon continuing the rich 
 offering much longer. 
 
 According to your repertory it is the operas that fill 
 the house in Lauchstedt also. Accordingly, what is 
 material reigns supreme everywhere, and he who has 
 once entered the service of the theatrical devil must be 
 an adept in the business. 
 
 I admit that you are perfectly right in thinking that, 
 in my plays, I should concentrate the dramatic effect more. 
 However, apart from all consideration of the theatre and 
 of the public, it is, in fact, a poetic demand, and only in 
 so far as it is this can I give the matter any thought. If 
 I ever succeed in producing a good stage-piece, it could 
 only be done in a poetic way, for I could never make it 
 my aim to obtain an effect ad extra — such as is, at times, 
 produced even by an author of ordinary talent or mere 
 skilfulness — nor should I attain it, even though I wished 
 to do so. Hence in the present case the point at issue is 
 only concerning the highest problem itself, and it is only 
 the perfection of art that could overcome my individual 
 tendency ad intra ; that is, if it is to be overcome. 
 
 I myself believe that our dramas should be merely 
 powerful and well-drawn sketches ; but, of course, it 
 would call for quite a different wealth of invention to 
 excite and to engage the sensuous faculties uninter- 
 ruptedly. This problem may be more difficult for me to 
 solve than it would be to others, for I can do nothing 
 without a certain degree of intensity, and this generally 
 keeps me more firmly to my object than is right. 
 
 1 wish that you could, through Wolf, procure a Latin 
 translation of Aristotle's Art of Poetry which the late 
 Eeitz * left in manuscript. This work, too, would fur- 
 nish an interesting theme for future discussions on the 
 drama. 
 
 Brandes' work I have looked into, but it would be 
 impossible for me to work my way right through such a 
 style of book. One would require to have Got tin gen fresh 
 in one's memory, as you have, to be able to tolerate it. 
 
 There appeared, a few days ago, a pamphlet by Herr 
 
 * The celebrated philologist, Friedrich Wolfgang Kcitz, whose 
 edition of the Art of Poetry appeared in 1786.
 
 Letter 872.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 431 
 
 von Ma^son,* against Kotzebue, in which he is treated 
 most contemptuously, but according to his merits and 
 deserts. It is not badly done, considering it is a work of 
 indignation and written for a party. 
 
 Farewell, and do not take too great a fancy to Halle. 
 I am longing heartily for your return, as I have hoped in 
 vain to make the time of your absence shorter by being 
 actively at work. 
 
 My kind greetings to Meyer; I wish him patience 
 during his hard trial ;| I shall write to him next post- 
 day. 
 
 My wife wishes to be most kindly remembered to you 
 both. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 871. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 July 26, 1802. 
 Heartily do I bid you welcome, and long to see your 
 face again. If you have no objections I will come to you 
 between 3 and 4 o'clock. I must be at home again in 
 good time, as my cough is still very easily roused, and I 
 cannot yet stand the evening air as I know by experience 
 from the day before yesterday. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 872. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, August 10, 1802. 
 
 At first, as you know, I was not very much inclined to 
 have my introductory play printed, but now I wish to 
 make the following remarks and to ask you to give me 
 your opinion on the subject. 
 
 Very many people want to read it, especially since the 
 publication of the essay in the elegant journal. Besides 
 
 * The pamphlet here spoken of is Brirfe eines Franzosen an einen 
 Deutschen, aZs Beantvortung des merkwurdigsten Juhres des Herru von 
 Kotzebue, etc., by C. F. Ph. von Masson, late Russian Premier-major 
 and private secretary to the Graml-Duke Alexander. 
 
 t Schiller probably alludes here to Meyer's separation from the lady 
 to whom he was engaged.
 
 432 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 this, I myself, at the last recital, again became somewhat 
 convinced that there is, after all, a good deal about the 
 strange production on the paper. And hence I am not 
 disinclined to send the manuscript to Cotta, who might 
 print it in small octavo like Mahomet and Tancred. I 
 have no wish for a larger edition with engravings, for 
 it is always an expensive undertaking and gives one 
 more to do than is fair, and this would also delay matters 
 very much. For my chief object is to be rid of the job 
 and to turn to something else. 
 
 What would you suggest about the honorarium, and 
 what might I in fairness demand ? 
 
 Be good enough to discuss the question with Meyer, 
 and let me know what you think. Also send me tidings 
 as to how you are. Unfortunately, there has been scarcely 
 a trace of any productive state in me; however, I will 
 wait patiently for a little while yet. and hope for some- 
 thing for the next days. 
 
 Farewell, and think of me. 
 
 G. 
 
 873. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, August 17, 1802. 
 
 Although I cannot boast of having been very productive 
 during my stay here, and, in fact, could not exactly say 
 why I should be here ; still I will send you a report of 
 myself again, and give you a general idea as to how 
 things are looking. 
 
 To-day I shall have been here a fortnight, and as I am 
 otherwise wont to require this length of time to get 
 settled, I will see whether my activity may not now be 
 about to become more favored. Some unpleasant, out- 
 ward occurrences, which have accidentally affected me 
 more than they would have under other circumstances, 
 have interrupted me once or twice. Even my bathing of 
 a morning has not favored my projects. 
 
 This, then, is the negative side. On the other hand. I 
 have discovered several things which promise something 
 for the future, and more especially certain observations
 
 Letter 874.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 433 
 
 and experiments in the province of natural history have 
 not remained unfruitful. Some gaps that still existed in 
 the doctrine of the metamorphosis of insects I have been 
 able to fill up to my own satisfaction. In this work, as 
 you know, the only point is that the formulas already 
 found should be made more applicable, and hence appear 
 richer in substance, and that one should be driven to 
 invent new formulas, or rather to potentiate old ones. 
 Perhaps I may soon be able to give pleasing examples of 
 both operations. 
 
 The Introductory Play I have again looked through 
 and sent it on to Cotta. It may now wander out into the 
 wide world. 
 
 With regard to the honorarium, I left it in suspense*, and 
 merely said that I, on my part, should be quite willing to 
 make a compromise for you; for, of course, it can only 
 be a question of a little more or less. 
 
 I wonder whether the Muse has been more gracious to 
 you meanwhile, and whether she will grant me anything 
 during the next few days. 
 
 The appearance of a gentleman peacefully taking 
 possession,* will afford you some days' amusement. As 
 regards myself, I will, if possible, quietly await this 
 expedition, and learn afterwards how things went off. 
 
 Farewell. Let me have a few words, and console me 
 about my long absence from you, which could only be 
 excused and compensated for by an important state of 
 productiveness. 
 
 G. 
 
 874. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, August 18, 1802. 
 You can never be inactive, and what you call an un- 
 productive mood, most other people would consider time 
 fully occupied. If only some subordinate genius— one of 
 those very ones residing and presiding at the universities 
 — would give the finishing touch to your scientific ideas, 
 collect and edit them fairly, and, :\n this way, preserve 
 
 * The neighbouring town of Erfurt and the Eichsfeld was ceded 
 to Prussia. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 F
 
 434 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 them for the world ! For, unfortunately, you yourself will 
 ever be putting off this business, because, as I think, 
 what is actually didactic is not a part of your nature. 
 You are, in reality, very well qualified for being appro- 
 priated and plundered by others during your own life- 
 time, as has already happened to you several times, and 
 would happen more frequently still, if people understood 
 their own advantage better. 
 
 If we had become acquainted with each other half a 
 dozen years earlier than we did, I should have had time 
 to master your scientific investigations ; I should perhaps 
 have sustained your inclination to give these important 
 subjects their ultimate shape, and, in any case, should 
 have honestly looked after what belonged to you. 
 
 I have lately been reading some notices on the elder 
 Pliny, which have astonished me in regard to what a man 
 can accomplish by putting time to good use. Compared 
 with him even Haller was a time-squanderer. But I am 
 afraid that the immense amount of time he devoted to 
 reading, making quotations and dictating, left him no 
 proper time for independent reflection, and he seems to 
 have applied all the activity of his mind to acquiring 
 knowledge ; for on one occasion he called his nephew very 
 much to task for walking up and down the garden 
 without having a book in hand. 
 
 During these last days I have been hard at work with 
 my play,* and moreover not unsuccessfully, and have never 
 yet learnt so much from any work of my own as from this. 
 It is one I can more readily survey and also more readily 
 manage ; besides, it is a more grateful and enjoyable task 
 to make a simple subject rich and full of substance, than 
 to limit one that is too rich and broad. 
 
 Otherwise, however, a variety of things are at present 
 engaging my thoughts ; and as political affairs f may also 
 affect my circumstances, I am awaiting my fate not with- 
 out anxiety. There are also other things J which threaten 
 
 * His Braut von Mussina. 
 
 t The decision about the Electorate of Mayence was, to Schiller, of 
 special importance, as he had set his hopes upon Dalberg, who, after 
 the death of Friedrich Carl (on the 25th of July) had been made 
 Elector of Mayence and Chancellor of the Cerman Empire. 
 
 J Schiller here probably alludes to family affairs.
 
 Letter 876.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 435 
 
 to drag me out of my old position, and which, therefore, 
 are not agreeable to me. 
 
 The repairs I am having made and other arrangements 
 will, I hope, be finished this week, and when you return 
 I shall be able to bid you welcome in a clean and pretty 
 house. 
 
 Farewell, and let me soon hear that you are coming 
 back to us with a rich gift. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 875. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 15, 1802. 
 
 Together with the German Andria, I enclose the first 
 Book of my Cellini, which please look into when you 
 have time ; and I should more particularly like you to read 
 and give me your opinion, say, of half-a-dozen sheets from 
 the beginning — as to whether it will do. 
 
 G. 
 
 876. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 16, 1802. 
 
 I herewith send you a little promemoria on my new 
 edition of Cellini, for you kindly to look into. It might 
 be communicated to Cotta as an introduction to further 
 negociations, and also — if some agreement were come to 
 — at once to announce its appearance. You would perhaps 
 like me to return home with you this evening after the 
 play, in order that we might discuss it more fully. 
 To-morrow I may perhaps return to Jena so as to enjoy 
 a few more good days. 
 
 Wishing that you may fare well, G. 
 
 2 f 2
 
 436 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1802. 
 
 877. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 19, 1802. 
 With us things are not in a good way, * as you may 
 have observed in me yesterday at the opera. The new- 
 arrival will probably not linger long, and the mother — 
 composed as she otherwise is — is suffering both physically 
 and mentally. She desires to be very kindly remembered, 
 and feels the value of your sympathy .f 
 
 I hope, nevertheless, to come this evening in order to fill 
 up the gap in my existence in the society of my friends. 
 
 G. 
 
 878. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 "Weimar, December 26, 1802. 
 If you should care to dine with me to-day in company 
 with Schelling and the Imperial Bergrath von Podmanitzky 
 from Chemnitz, I would send the carriage for you at 
 about one o'clock. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Goethe's wife had given birth to a boy, and had suffered greatly 
 during her confinement; Goethe was in great distress about both 
 mother and child. 
 
 t This is the first time that we hear, in the Correspondence, of any 
 interest shown by Schiller in Goethe's wife. At this time he did show 
 great sympathy for Christiane, so we may infer that his great avers » n 
 to her had somewhat diminished. 

 
 Letter 881.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE, 437 
 
 1803. 
 
 S 7 9. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 6, 1803. 
 Let me know how you are. My one consolation is the 
 numismatic talisman, which, in an easy and charming 
 manner, leads me into distant regions and times. Tell 
 me whether you care to pay me a visit this evening. If, 
 however, you still wish to keep shut up in a state of quiet, 
 I hope the results will be good. 
 
 G. 
 
 880. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 13, 1803. 
 
 Yesterday I heard that your last year's idea, of starting 
 an evening party on Saturdays after the play, is again 
 being discussed, and forgot to ask you about it. 
 
 Let me know how far you have arranged matters. I 
 hear that his Excellence the Duke is contemplating some- 
 thing of the same kind, and hope that the two plans may 
 both be carried out and not clash with each other. 
 
 G. 
 
 881. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 26, 1803. 
 
 Several times I have thought of enquiring how you 
 are, and do so now. But in order that you may feel in-
 
 438 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 clined to send me a somewhat detailed report, I send the 
 following particulars in regard to myself. 
 
 The Supplement to Cellini has hitherto been quietly 
 making progress. I have read and thought over much 
 that will be serviceable. 
 
 A few new engravings have been sent to me, which 
 have been both a pleasure and a diversion to me. 
 
 A carelessly made cast of the head of a Venus Urania 
 from Cassel, I have lovingly touched up and restored, in 
 order that it might to som£ extent be presentable. I had 
 partially to allow the nebulistic to prevail, and this 
 collision may be allowed to pass on account of the exquisite 
 fundamental form. 
 
 To Humboldt I have despatched a long letter. 
 
 Little has been done to the coins; however, with 
 every look into and at the subject one gains fresh infor- 
 mation. 
 
 Doctor Chladni has arrived and has brought his com- 
 pleted work on Acoustics with him in one quarto volume. 
 I have already read it half through, and shall, when we 
 meet, have many pleasant things to tell you about it with 
 regard to its contents, its substance, method and form. 
 He is, like Eckhel, one of those happy persons, who have 
 not even a notion that there is such a thing as a philo- 
 sophy of nature, and who carefully endeavour to perceive a 
 phenomenon, merely in order to classify and to use it 
 afterwards as far as can be done, and as their innate talent, 
 which has some experience in and for the matter, can 
 accomplish. 
 
 You can imagine that both while reading the book and 
 during a discussion of several hours, I always searched on 
 in my old direction, and fancy that I have marked some 
 very good points for further pursuits. 
 
 In fact, I look upon it as a good omen that he should 
 just happen to come when, with some degree of likelihood, 
 we are expecting Zelter. 
 
 Further, I have also been thinking again about the 
 theory of Colours, and find great assistance from relative 
 cases which in so many respects cross one another. 
 
 Could you not grant Chladni an interview of a quarter 
 of an hour so as to become acquainted with a man who
 
 Letter 882.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 439 
 
 expresses himself very decidedly about himself i^nd his 
 own proceedings? As he wishes to pay a visit to Rudol- 
 stadt while in Jena, you would perhaps give him a letter 
 of introduction to take with him . 
 
 This much for to-day, although I have still some plus 
 and minus to communicate, of which the one may balance 
 the other. 
 
 Farewell, and let me hear some details about yourself; 
 and, as we are both averse to going out, let us, at least, 
 like the enamoured lady, correspond about the umbrella. 
 
 882. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 When compared with the rich variety of your occupa- 
 tions, my activity, which is directed to one single point, 
 appears very pitiful ; and besides, I can only report the 
 result of my solitary life by facts. I have been engaged 
 with a critical and unpleasant business, namely, in filling 
 up the many gaps that were left in the first four acts now 
 completed, and I thus see at least five-sixths of the 
 whole ready and a thing of the past, and the remaining 
 sixth portion, which is usually a regular feast to the 
 tragic poet, is also making good progress. It is a very 
 good thing for this last action that I have kept the burial 
 of the one brother entirely apart from the suicide of the 
 other, that the latter had first accomplished the one 
 deed as an affair which he fully intends, and that the 
 last action — the vain endeavours of the Chorus, of the 
 mother and the sister to save D. Caesar — is not brought 
 in until after it is quite completed, that is, over the 
 brother's grave. In this way all confusion, and in par- 
 ticular every doubtful mixture of theatrical ceremony 
 with the seriousness of the action, is avoided. 
 
 Besides this, in the course of my work hitherto, several 
 other important motives have presented themselves and 
 will be very advantageous to the whole. 
 
 However, I shall hardly get to the end of my work 
 for a fortnight, although I should have been glad to have
 
 440 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 completed it by the 8th of February, the Arch-Chan- 
 cellor's * birthday, in order to show him some attention 
 in return for a beautiful new-year's gift. 
 
 Besides this, I have been engaged with the latest French 
 dramatic subjects from the library, which the Duke wished 
 me to read. As yet I have found nothing among them 
 that has pleased me or was in any way qualified to be oi 
 any use. But I have commenced reading a French transla- 
 tion of Alfieri, about which, however, I do not wish to say 
 anything at present. Moreover, it deserves attention, and, 
 when I have read my way through the above one-and- 
 twenty pieces, I shall be glad to look into the matter. 
 One merit I must, at all events, acknowledge in him, 
 but, of course, it is at the same time open to censure. 
 He understands how to suggest a subject for poetic 
 use, he awakens the desire to work upon it; a proof, 
 it is true, that he himself does not satisfy one, but still a 
 sign that he has successfully extracted it from prose and 
 history. 
 
 If you can be induced to break your quarantine, do 
 come to us to-morrow evening, and let me know this to- 
 morrow forenoon. 
 
 Chladni I shall be very pleased to see in the afternoon. 
 
 Farewell. Sch. 
 
 883. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 4, 1803. 
 
 Allow me also to come and enquire how you are, and 
 whether I am soon to get something of the tragic feast 
 to enjoy. 
 
 As regards myself, I cannot invite you either to come 
 to see me for my own sake, or for anything that I have 
 accomplished ; however, an admirable cast of the bust of 
 the so-called Yenus of Aries, which the Prince and your 
 brother-in-law have presented to me, is doubtless worth a 
 pilgrimage to my hermitage. 
 
 If you care to pay me a visit this evening, I should be 
 
 * Dalberg, whose birthday was on the 8th of February.
 
 Letter 885.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 441 
 
 very glad to see you again. And if your brother-in-law 
 and the ladies should be likewise inclined, there would be 
 no want of entertainment and of the necessary food. 
 Please let me know your decision in good time. 
 Wishing you a hearty farewell, 
 
 G. 
 
 884. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (February 4.) 
 
 My piece is finished, and as I said something about it a 
 few days ago, the Duke of Meiningen has expressed a 
 wish to hear it. Now, as he is my lord and master, and 
 I owe him some marks of attention, and it so happens that 
 I should be celebrating his birthday by so doing, I shall 
 read it to him this evening at five o'clock in the company 
 of some friends and acquaintances, as well as of foes. I 
 will not invite you to attend, as you do not like going out, 
 and, as I think, prefer reading or listening to the piece by 
 yourself. I have been briefer in the catastrophe than I at 
 first intended, owing to preponderating reasons. 
 
 Your invitation for to-day, therefore, we cannot accept, 
 but would make our appearance on any other day that 
 you would fix upon. I am very desirous of again com- 
 mencing our interrupted discussions. 
 
 The Venus I have already seen at my brother-in-law's, 
 to my great pleasure. There is another head for you to 
 see at his house, it is of great beauty, and has turned out 
 admirably in the cast. 
 
 A hearty farewell from your 
 
 Sch. 
 
 885.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 5, 1803. 
 Do let me have a word to say how yesterday's recital 
 went off, for an experienced author knows how to dis- 
 tinguish between interest and surprise, as well as how to 
 estimate courtesy and dissimulation. In the first place I 
 beg you to let me have the piece ; I should thus have a 
 great feast piepared for me for the evenings.
 
 442 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 Further, I come to ask and most kindly to request : that 
 you and your brother-in-law and the two ladies will call 
 upon me either on Monday in place of going to the play, 
 or on Tuesday after Chladni's concert ; but in any case to 
 remain to a friendly supper. 
 
 You will be glad to hear that I have meanwhile almost 
 finished the supplement to Cellini. You know that there 
 is no more accursed task than to establish such results. 
 How much one has to read and to reflect, if things are not 
 to end in a mere sham-fight ! I too am quite of one mind 
 with Einsiedel about the alteration of the Moorish slave,* 
 and am only awaiting an opinion from higher quarters. 
 I do not know your plans, it is true, but while this comedy 
 is being studied, the various parts of your tragedy might 
 be copied out, everything weighed and at once set a-going ; 
 however, more of this by word of mouth. With best 
 wishes for your welfare. 
 
 " G. 
 
 886. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I was rewarded for yesterday's recital — of which I had 
 very moderate expectations, as I could not select my own 
 public — by finding that true inteiest was shown in it, and 
 the heterogeneous elements of my public were really united 
 in a common state of feeling. Fear and terror manifested 
 themselves in their full force, and the more tender emotions 
 were evinced in beautiful expressions ; the Chorus delighted 
 all by its naive motives, and created enthusiasm by its 
 lyrical sublimity ; so that if things are properly arranged 
 I can promise myself an important effect from the Chorus 
 when it is brought upon the stage. 
 
 Becker was one of those invited to yesterday's recital ; 
 hence, when you see him, you can hear how this new pro- 
 duction presented itself to his dramatic mind. He was 
 greatly elated with it, and is convinced of the dramatic 
 effect of the Chorus. 
 
 * Einsiedel's adaptation of Terence's Eunuch, which was given on 
 the 19th.
 
 Letter 888.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 443 
 
 The copy out of which I yesterday read aloud, I shall, 
 owing to circumstances, have to send to the Duke, as he 
 may expect to be one of the first to whom I communicate 
 the piece, and my yesterday's recital raised the question. 
 Perhaps I shall be able to procure another copy for you 
 before this evening. We will then, if you have no objec- 
 tions, meet, say to-morrow forenoon, and have a talk 
 about it ; for if the piece is to appear upon the stage, I 
 should like to alter it for this purpose as soon as possible, 
 in order to be able to send it off to Berlin, Hamburg and 
 Leipzig. 
 
 That you should have nearly finished your Supplement 
 to Cellini is very welcome news to me ; there is in this 
 species of work something so endless, because, in accord- 
 ance with its nature, it is atomistic and difficult to bring 
 into a form. 
 
 With regard to your friendly invitation I must first 
 hear from my brother-in-law which evening he is free, 
 but will send you word to-day. 
 
 Sen. 
 
 887. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 8, 1803. 
 Could you let me know soon whether, in accordance 
 with my invitation, you are coming to me this evening, 
 and whether it is to be after the concert or earlier ? 
 
 If you care for a drive in the sledge, as it is so fine, I 
 will send you the machine towards midday. 
 
 G. 
 
 888. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 We will all be with you this evening after the concert, 
 and are looking forward to seeing and hearing something 
 beautiful. 
 
 The sledge would be very welcome to me and to my wife 
 at about half-past twelve. As I got up late I must first 
 attend to some business matters.
 
 444 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 The Chorus has already changed into a Captain, 
 Berengaria, Manfred, Bohennmd, Eoger, and Hippolytus, 
 and the two messengers into Lanzelot and Oliver, so that 
 the piece is now swarming with individuals. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 889. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 12, 1803. 
 
 The Mooress * can be given as early as a week hence. 
 I tell you this so that you may kindly hasten with the 
 stage version of the tragedy, and that the various parts 
 may be copied out next week. Keading-rehearsals might 
 then be held on the 22nd and 24th, which would be a 
 great step in advance. 
 
 Would you care to dine with me to-morrow ? Schelling 
 is probably coming over. More by word of mouth. 
 
 G. 
 
 890. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (February 28, 1803.) 
 For a first reading-rehearsal, things went very well 
 yesterday. The Chorus will, I expect, be well recited 
 and produce effect. Some other things, which I beg you 
 to think of and to watch with me, we will discuss by 
 word of mouth. 
 
 My brother-in-law invited the Eeuss family to tea to- 
 morrow, three days ago, and would therefore very much 
 regret if your evening party were given to-morrow. And 
 as, moreover, the second reading-rehearsal of The Bride 
 must be held as soon as possible, you will perhaps decide 
 to postpone your party for a week, or to have it on 
 Thursday. 
 
 I beg you to let me have a few words in answer to this 
 as well as about the reading-rehearsal. This evening I 
 shall not have finished till late, as I have still some copies 
 of The Bride to correct which must be despatched to 
 Berlin and Hamburg. Farewell. 
 
 Sch. 
 * See Letter 885, and note.
 
 Letter 893.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 445 
 
 891. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 28, 1803. 
 
 I will, accordingly, not give my party to-morrow, and 
 merely have some music rehearsed ; for I am very anxious 
 to hear the new tenor,* and the new version of the 
 Heiterlied.\ 
 
 Yesterday's reading-rehearsal I hope soon to he able to 
 discuss with you, and another might be held on Thursday 
 or Friday at my house ; perhaps the ladies would come, 
 and one or two other friends be invited in order that, 
 together with this business, we might have some social 
 entertainment, which we do not very frequently enjoy. 
 
 If you are not kept too late at work this evening, and 
 care to spend an hour or so with me, you will be very 
 welcome. 
 
 G. 
 892. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 For the sake of caution I beg you to have the stage 
 version of The Bride of Messina delivered up to you. I 
 know that there is a regular hunt being made here to get 
 hold of it, and the advertisers might be in want of it. 
 
 I have taken up my old papers on the Maltese Knights, 
 and there is awakening in me a great desire to set to 
 work upon this theme at once. The iron is at present hot 
 and can be beaten out. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 893. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 8, 1803. 
 "Will you think over the enclosed distribution again, and 
 alter it according to present circumstances, for Schall 
 
 * Brand, from Frankfort, who was appointed on the 6th of February. 
 He appeared first as Murney in Das unterbrochene Opferfest ; but as 
 he did not give satisfaction, he was soon dismissed. 
 
 t Zelter, the composer, had sent his musical setting of the poem to 
 Schiller on the 3rd of February, in the hope that it would be approved 
 of. All the previous musical settings to the song had been unsuc- 
 cessful.
 
 446 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803 
 
 is leaving, and Zim nermann, Oels, and Brand coming. 
 Whether the latter w ill be useable by that time is doubt- 
 ful. He should always remember that he is representing 
 a peasant-lover. How has the walk through Europe* 
 turned out? 
 
 G. 
 894. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 If we can count upon Graff for the next few months, 
 and no other gap arises in the caste, it may be possible to 
 fill up the parts in the piece. It would certainly be an 
 advantage if Jagemann would decide to play SoreL I 
 will to-day send you the caste, as I have planned it. 
 "What the public may miss in single performances we 
 must endeavour to replace by a good ensemble. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 895. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 10, 1803. 
 To-day's rehearsal went off so well that I have no 
 doubt that the piece can be given on the 19th. If you 
 care to come to me this evening we could discuss the 
 whole affair again, all the more so as it is still fresh in 
 our memory. Give the bearer of this orders when he is 
 to call with the coach. 
 
 G. 
 896. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 15, 1803. 
 Will you give me the pleasure of your company this 
 evening, and meanwhile send me the Europa^ back, so 
 that the extract for Humboldt may be continued. 
 
 G. 
 897. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, March 22, 1803. 
 Herewith Venice Preserved.^ If you have time, read it, 
 and we will discuss it this evening. I am longing veiy 
 
 * This is an allusion to the first number of a periodical, which 
 appeared under the name of Europa, and was published by Fr. Schlegel. 
 t Sec Letter 893, and note. 
 % See Letter 15.
 
 Letter 900.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 447 
 
 much to see you. The consequence of the confounded 
 applause * lately, was a few bad days to me. 
 
 898. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (April 26, 1803.) 
 
 Cotta intends calling upon you at about twelve 
 o'clock. If, however, you propose driving out, you might 
 fix some hour for him, or he will call after dinner. He 
 stays till the evening. I have prepared him about what 
 we spoke of. 
 
 Sch. 
 899. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, May 13, 1803. 
 
 So the last judgment f takes us by surprise after all ! 
 
 At the same time I send Nepotianus^ for your kind 
 consideration. 
 
 My carriages have both been injured ; otherwise I 
 would invite you to drive out with me to-day. After 
 eleven o'clock, however, I propose coming to see you for a 
 little, as I have several things I wish to discuss ; to- 
 morrow afternoon I think of going over to Jena. 
 
 G. 
 
 900. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 15, 1803. 
 Here, dearest friend, are the papers which must this 
 time take the place of my presence. Give Cotta kindest 
 greetings from me, and get him to tell you what his deci- 
 sions and projects are. I am tolerably well, but must think 
 more of excitement and instigations from without. If 
 things go on as they are, my whole existence will be concen- 
 trated upon Sommering's fluid. § My Spiritus has doubt- 
 less called. 
 
 * On the 19th, after the representation of Die Braut von Messina. 
 
 f Diintzer says that it is uncertain to what this refers. 
 
 X A drama on the Roman emperor. 
 
 § Sommering, in a treatise, Ueber das Organ der Seele, has set up 
 the hypothesis -that the soul has its seat in the vaporous humours con- 
 tained in the cerebral cavities.
 
 448 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 I hope during the coming week to make a good step 
 forwards in working out my theory of colours, and intend 
 to take the matter thoroughly in hand; at present it 
 weighs upon me like an irremovable debt. Farewell ; be 
 diligent, and continue to give me your affection. 
 
 G. 
 
 901. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 18, 1803. 
 
 As, by the self-will of genius, I am being driven hither 
 and thither between German prosody (Zeitmessung') * and 
 the theory of colours, and, having made a good start, 
 can hope to succeed to some extent, provided I prolong 
 my stay here, it seems that, in reality, I have nothing 
 further to discuss with Cotta, and that accordingly I can 
 very well remain here. Therefore early on Saturday you 
 will receive, by messenger, a short essay on the typogra- 
 phical questions and a receipt for the money, f which 
 Cotta proposes to bring with him. 
 
 It makes me anxious to think that May is already past, 
 and that nothing has been accomplished on either side. 
 
 Farewell, and rejoice in your new drama. 
 
 G. 
 
 902. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 20, 1803. 
 
 This evening, by messenger, I shall send the essay 
 for Cotta. Meanwhile, I send you kindest greetings by 
 the bearer of this, whom I am despatching to Weimar to 
 fetch my chromatic papers, and through whom I hope to 
 get some news of you. 
 
 How did the drama go off the other day, and what else 
 of interest has occurred ? 
 
 * A jocose term applied to poetry, in reference to Vosb's essay, Von 
 der Deutschen Zeitmessung. See also Letter 903. 
 
 t Probably what he was to receive for the new editi<n of Benvenuto 
 Cellini.
 
 Letter 903.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 449 
 
 The Colour question I hope chiefly to further, by sepa- 
 rating from among my papers what is of use, burning 
 what is unnecessary, and by having the rest collected 
 into one body and arranged according to the scheme. It 
 will then be seen that a great deal has been done, and I 
 shall have more courage for filling up the gaps. 
 
 Farewell, and think of me. 
 
 G. 
 
 903. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 21, 1803. 
 
 Herewith I return Voss's Prosodie; I did not get far 
 with it. There is too little of what is general to be got 
 out of it, and for actual use, for instance in referring to 
 doubtful cases where it might be of excellent service, it 
 wants an index to enable one to consult the oracle easily. 
 
 I have read the Hermannsschlacht* and to my great 
 regret have become convinced that it is utterly useless 
 for our purpose. It is a cold, heartless production, nay, 
 a mere caricature without any appreciation of the sense of 
 the subject, without life and truth, and the few touching 
 situations which it contains are handled with such a want 
 of feeling and coldness that one feels indignant. 
 
 My little comedy f greatly amused the public, and really 
 went very well. It was played with a great deal of spirit, 
 although it had not been studied as thoroughly as might 
 have been, and our actors, as you know, are apt to slur 
 things over if they are not kept in check by the metre. 
 As the plan and the idea were not mine and the words 
 were extemporised, I cannot take any credit to myself 
 from the performance. 
 
 Picard's second piece J cannot be studied here at present, 
 for Graff and Becker have a great deal to do in Niemeyer's 
 jpiece,§ which is to be given in Lauchstadt. 
 
 I congratulate you upon having advantageously got quit 
 of your estate, and upon your now being a free man again , 
 
 * A drama of Klopstocks. 
 
 t His Der Neffe als Onkel, in imitation of Picard. 
 j Der Parasit, after Picard's Mediocre et rampani, ou le moyen d« 
 parvenir. It was not performed till October 12. 
 § The translation of the Andria. 
 VOL. II. 2 G
 
 450 COEEESPOXDEXCE BETWEEN" [1803. 
 
 Farewell. I will let you know what new things Cotta 
 brings with him, and at the same time send you a few 
 poems which have been written within these last days. 
 
 !5ch. 
 
 904. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, May 22, 1803. 
 
 In a few words I can only tell you that this time, up 
 to a certain point, I seem to be successful with my theory 
 of colours. 1 am now sufficiently advanced to regard 
 my past endeavours and doings, historically, as if I were 
 another person. The naive incapacity and awkwardness, 
 the impassioned violence, the confidence, the faith, the 
 trouble, the industry, the trailing and dragging, and then 
 again the hurry and pressure, all this offers a very interest- 
 ing spectacle among my papers and notes ; but I mercilessly 
 excerpt and arrange only such things as are useable from 
 my present standpoint, the rest I burn at once. One dare 
 not seek to save the dross when one has finally decided 
 upon getting out the metal. 
 
 When 1 have got rid of the paper I shall have gained 
 everything, for the chief mischief lay in the fact that, before 
 T had mastered the subject, I always commenced to write 
 things down again, to work them out and to transcribe 
 them. By this means I have been the gainer each time. 
 But then again I sometimes find three essays on one 
 chapter, the first giving a vivid account of the phe- 
 nomena and experiments, the second showing a better 
 method and is better written, while the third is taken from 
 a higher standpoint, and endeavours to combine the two, 
 and yet has not succeeded in hitting the mark. Now what 
 am I to do with these attempts ? To suck them out would 
 require courage and energy, and to burn them would 
 require some resolution on my part, fur I should feel it to 
 be a pity to do so. When finished, that is to say in so 
 far as I can get finished, I should assuredly wish I had 
 preserved them, in order to form some idea of myself 
 historically ; and yet I shall not reach my goal unless I 
 destroy them. 
 
 This much of my joys and sorrows. Write to me soon 
 and let me hear how you are.
 
 Letter 905.] SCHILLER AND GOET.TE. 451 
 
 So Hermann * and his retinue have made a bad im- 
 pression. The golden era | has not devoted special care 
 to its descendants. 
 
 Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 905. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, May 24, 1803. 
 
 J congratulate you upon having mastered your subject 
 so well. Would that you could once cast all this dross 
 out of your pure sun, even though it should form a planet 
 which would for ever move around you. 
 
 I am at present in difficulties too, with material of an- 
 other sort ; for being about to say a few words regarding 
 the tragic chorus, which is to form a preface to my Braut 
 von Messina, I find the whole drama and the whole era 
 forcing themselves upon me, and I scarcely see how I am 
 to manage things. However, this work interests me and I 
 shall endeavour to say something really good, and thereby 
 do a service to a subject which is important to us both. 
 
 With Cotta everything was settled as you wished. 
 You will yourself give Frommann J his instructions about 
 the printing of your Natiirliche Tochter. I have advanced 
 Ehlers § the ten louis-d'or on Cotta's account. 
 
 Cotta seems to be more hopeful about Cellini; at all 
 events, a great many copies of it have been ordered on 
 commission, so that the work has now been laid hold of by 
 the stream of commerce and of literature. He was not 
 able to send me a copy of it, and so I must beg you for 
 one. 
 
 Herewith I send you some poetic concoctions. || The 
 Sieges f est is the fulfilment of an idea which our little 
 gatherings suggested to me a year and a half ago, as all 
 
 * Pee second paragraph in last Letter. 
 
 t A favourite expression of Wieland's. See Letter 577. 
 
 % The celebrated publisher. See Letter 751, and note. 
 
 § Cotta had published for Ehlers a volume of Gesdnge mit Beglei- 
 tung der Guitarre. See also Letter 852. 
 
 || Besides the Siegesfest, Der Pilgrim, and the Punchlied im Norden 
 zu singen. 
 
 2 g 2
 
 452 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN J803. 
 
 social songs which do not treat of a poetic subject fall 
 into the flat tone of Freemasons' songs. Hence it occurred 
 to me to drop straight into the full-sown field of the Iliad, 
 and to fetch from thence whatever I could carry off. 
 
 Farewell, and do not remain away too long. 
 
 Zelter, I hear, leaves Dresden on the 1st of June. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 906. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I forgot to tell you about the young actor Griiner whom 
 I lately got to read to me. I have very good hopes of 
 him; he reads with understanding, and knows how to 
 manage the change of tone ; what is passionate he delivers 
 with warmth, and the verses themselves with intelligence ; 
 something may certainly be expected of him. 
 
 Now as I have at the same time learnt that some of our 
 actors — I do not know why — are raising objections to him, 
 I wish you to know that this is one of the rare instances 
 where we could have a young person capable of culture, 
 and of good address and figure on trial for very moderate 
 conditions ; what speaks particularly in his favour is this, 
 that he seems almost more qualified to play men's parts 
 than for those of youths. And as we propose taking some 
 higher flights this winter — for which our present caste 
 will not suffice — and as moreover some of the actors will 
 be drawn to Lauchstedt this summer, I cannot refrain 
 from speaking to you in favour of this young man whom 
 I already consider as valuable as Cordemann ; and besides 
 this, his behaviour impresses one with respect and con- 
 fidence. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 907. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 15, 1803. 
 I herewith send you my poems with the request to 
 consider them singly and as a whole, and to give a title 
 to the fifth. This evening I shall no doubt see 3 t ou here. 
 
 G.
 
 Letter 009.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 453 
 
 908. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, June 23, 1803. 
 Here is the first draft. * Let us forge the iron while 
 it is hot ! But little of it will be useable ; this first attempt 
 will give rise to many observations. 
 
 More by word of mouth. Would you care to come to- 
 day, and at what time ? 
 
 G. 
 
 909. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, July 5, 1803. 
 
 The printing of the various things I am about to send 
 forth into the world has called me here ; I have to discuss 
 the matter with Frommann, who is well up in his business 
 and possesses an excellent metteur-en-page, and accordingly 
 things are settled with but little trouble. 
 
 Loderf has just returned from Halle where he has 
 taken a house. When talking with him about his new 
 circumstances, I am heartily glad that his lot has fallen 
 thus. What man of the world, like we other strange 
 Argonauts, would care to drag his own skiff over the 
 isthmuses? These are adventures of earlier, unskilled 
 navigators, at whom men of modern days skilled in 
 technical details would be likely to smile. Do not fail to 
 look about you when in Halle, where you will have many 
 an opportunity. Whether I shall come or not I do not 
 know. To succeed in putting the remaining three useable 
 months to some use in my fashion, and in forwarding 
 that which is demanded from without, is at present my 
 sole wish. 
 
 The old-German resuscitated drama J is being remodelled 
 with some degree of facility. I could scarcely say whether 
 it is being organised or crystalised ; which, after all, ac- 
 
 * This probably refers to his Theory of Colours. 
 
 t Loder had been appointed professor at the University of Halle, 
 under advantageous circumstances, where he was to establish a medical 
 hospital. 
 
 J His Gotz von Berlichingen.
 
 454 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 cording to tlie language used in the different schools, 
 might mean one and the 3ame thing. 
 
 Moreover, it suits us very well to believe more in nature 
 than in freedom, and quickly to treat freedom — when it 
 does force itself upon us — as nature ; otherwise we should 
 not in the least know what to be about, for we very 
 frequently get into the same case as Balaam, and bless 
 when we ought to curse. 
 
 I wish you much pleasure on your journey, as in your 
 case it is always a great sacrifice to go out into what is 
 called the world : into that insipid, temporary fragment 
 which would be very nice if people did not attempt to repre- 
 sent it as a whole. 
 
 To the enclosed I say nothing, as it speaks forcibly for 
 itself. But perhaps to you it is important enough at this 
 moment. 
 
 That you may not suffer physically, is what I wish, 
 and if possible, that you may even feel comfortable in 
 the midst of the whirl. I shall not expect any letter from 
 you, only a friendly greeting when we see each other 
 again, and I shall have many a curiosity to tell you of. 
 
 G. 
 
 910. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Lauchst'adt, July 6, 1803 
 I cannot allow Jagemann to start without sending you 
 a small sign of my existence. Things please me very 
 much here as yet, the place and the doings of the company 
 have made a pleasing impression upon me, and when one 
 has cheerfully resolved to do nothing, one can quite 
 comfortably be idle amid the proceedings of a number of 
 persons who have likewise nothing to do. I should, how- 
 ever, not care to put up with such a state of affairs longer 
 than eight or twelve days. 
 
 Although but a short time here, I have had an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing the good points as well as the defects in 
 the theatre. With regard to the latter I find that the voices 
 lose in distinctness, but have more particularly observed 
 that the roof is very nrrch exposed to the weather owing
 
 Letteb 910.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 455 
 
 to its form and the thinness of its construction. During 
 the performance of Die Braut v. M. there was a thunder- 
 storm,* accompanied by a good deal of rain, which made 
 such a rattle on the roof that for a quarter of an hour at 
 a time one could not understand a single coherent speech, 
 however much the actors exerted their voices. And the 
 following day, when looking at the empty play-house, one 
 could see the ugly traces of the rain that had come 
 through upon the beautifully painted ceiling. 
 
 Die Natiirliche Tochter met with great success, especially 
 the last half, as was the case in Weimar. Some ob- 
 servations I made at the time, I will tell you of when we 
 meet. Jagemann,f in spite of being hoarse and thinking 
 that she was quite unable to play, did very well, and 
 Becker also spoke well, and Heide too received applause. 
 
 It sometimes leads one to make useful observations to 
 watch a different assemblage of spectators, and besides 
 it may here be said to be a double one, as on Sundays an 
 entirely different set of people assemble to see the play. 
 
 I may perhaps, either here or in Halle, still have an 
 opportunity of hearing Mara, whom I did not manage to 
 see in Weimar. In case of her coming, I have, at the 
 request of the visitors here, become a guarantee to the 
 manager that you will have no objections to let the 
 concert be held in the play-house. I must bear witness 
 to the fact that Genast is very thoughtful and zealous for 
 the welfare of all, and careful both of the increase of 
 the funds as well as of the honour of the company. 
 
 In Schmalz^ who came here on account of your Natiirliche 
 Tochter, I have made a very valuable acquaintance, and this 
 one evening led to our becoming very intimate. It is a 
 pleasure to be with such a clear-headed, jovial and sterling 
 a man of business who is neither a pedant nor affected. 
 The Niemeyers, too, were here that same evening, and I 
 
 * Schiller gives a more detailed account of the "amusing yet 
 terrible " effect of this storm upon the actors and the spectators in a 
 letter to his wife. 
 
 t It was only at Schiller's urgent request that JagLinann consented 
 to play her part in spite of her hoarseness. 
 
 | Who had shortly befure been appointed director of the University 
 of H.dle.
 
 456 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 had to promise them that T would come over to Halle this 
 week. Unfortunately, I shall not find Wolf there, as he 
 has gone to Pyrmont for the waters. The Duke of 
 Wiirteniberg has behaved very well here, and put every- 
 one into good humour; the first days of my stay here 
 were very much enlivened and cheered by him. Other- 
 wise the company here is pretty agreeable, confiding and 
 gay, only one must not be very punctilious about tho 
 gain to be got from conversation. However, I have 
 meanwhile had various and by no means uninteresting 
 discussions with some young men, especially from Berlin. 
 Farewell, and let old Gotz make a good step forward. 
 To Meyer many kind greetings. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 911. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, August 9, 1803. 
 
 I would like you to devote a few minutes to the bearer 
 of this, Herr Arnold * from Strassburg, and to say a few 
 friendly words to him. He clings with zealousness and 
 affection to German affairs; he has toiled hard to gain 
 information, and is returning with the best intentions of 
 doing something that will be of value. Of Gottingen, 
 where he is studying, and of Strassburg, where he lived 
 during the terrible days of the Bevolution, he had various 
 things to relate, 
 
 You ran off from me most unexpectedly on my return 
 from Jena ; but I hear from Meyer that you are to be here 
 again the day after to-morrow. 
 
 I myself am still standing on the old spot and moving 
 round about the Lake of the Four Cantons.| But the 
 journey to Jena on that hot day was so exhausting that I 
 feel the effects of it still. What do you say to the Lit,- 
 Zeitung \ being now about to wander from Jena ? 
 
 Farewell, and come back soon from your solitude laden 
 with good fruits. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * Afterwards professor of law in Strassburg. 
 
 t Probably an allusion to bis Willi elm Tell. 
 
 X Kotzebue, in his arrogance, had lieen unable to be silent on the 
 subject ; he had published the first notice of it in the Freimiithigen.
 
 Letter 914.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 457 
 
 912. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I am so exhausted from the heat and the confounded 
 state of the barometer, that I cannot make up my mind 
 to cross the threshold, and moreover am incapable of 
 entertaining a single thought of any value. 
 
 If I feel better I shall perhaps see you this evening after 
 supper for a little while. If you have any kind of novum 
 for me to read, please let me have it. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 913. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 6, 1803. 
 To-day for the first time the business has afforded me 
 some amusement. You should see the confusion of con- 
 tradictory and conflicting reports ! I shall have everything 
 sewed together, and perhaps some day treat you to it, 
 when all is done. It is only at such a moment that one 
 can find interest in the moment. According to my Nilo- 
 meter the confusion can rise only a few degrees higher, 
 afterwards the whole rubbish will gradually settle down 
 again, and the country folk may then set about sowing I 
 I rejoice in having your interest, and shall see you soon. 
 
 G. 
 
 914. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (September 12, 1803.) 
 I have to-day so many important letters to attend to, 
 that I shall not get through with them before nine o'clock, 
 and accordingly shall not be able to come. 
 
 From the enclosed letter* you will see, unfortunately, 
 
 * Humboldt's letter to Schiller, dated August 27, contained the 
 following passage : " Our eldest boy, Wilhelm, of whom you may 
 perhaps have some dim recollection, was suddenly taken from us by a 
 malignant fever. The loss of this child I feel exceedingly. Of all 
 those I have, he was most fond of being about me, and hardly ever 
 left me."
 
 458 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 that friend Humboldt has experienced a bitter loss. If 
 yon can, send him a few words of sympathy. I am very 
 grieved, for this very child was the most promising of all. 
 Please let me have the letter back. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 915. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I hear that yon are to-day going to have a reading- 
 rehearsal of Julius Ccesar, and wish you all success. A 
 violent cold still keeps me confined to the house and makes 
 my head feel quite confused. 
 
 I saw the two threatrical recruits * yesterday ; their 
 appearance was very good, and with regard to the dialect 
 of the one, it is better than I had expected. We shall have 
 to expect more from their good- will than from their talents. 
 
 Griiner has a great wish to appear as the ghost | in the 
 Jungfrau von Orleans. In many respects this sort of intro- 
 duction would not be unfavorable to him. In addition 
 to the role being a short one, and accordingly one that 
 would have to be very accurately learnt, it can be spoken 
 to a certain extent monotonously, and does not call for 
 much action. What is strange in it will connect itself 
 well with what is new, and Graff, who, on account of 
 his removal, at present only finds this part a trouble, will 
 be glad to be rid from it. 
 
 Becker I have not been able to speak to alone. 
 
 Farewell. I want very much to see you again soon. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 916. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 17, 1803. 
 
 Do write and tell me how you are and whether you will 
 
 be able to go to the theatre this evening. I shall see 
 
 you to-day in any case. Meanwhile I want your advice. 
 
 In thinking how I could show Humboldt some friendly 
 
 * Griiner and Wolf. 
 f As the Black Knight.
 
 Letter 918.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 459 
 
 attention, it occurred to me to send him Die Natiirliche 
 Tochter bit by bit ; but the difficulty is that the subject is 
 the loss of a child. Can we hope that counterfeited sorrow 
 will lessen real grief, or must we fear what might be the 
 impression produced by the subject ? 
 
 I want to hear that you are quite well again. 
 
 G. 
 
 917. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I propose going to the theatre this evening ; the short 
 way cannot harm me. But my catarrh is still troubling 
 me, and I must take care of it if 1 wish to prevent its 
 becoming an obstinate one. 
 
 Fernow * told me that Cotta told him that he intended 
 sending Humboldt Die Natiirliche Tochter as soon as it was 
 ready. You should therefore, I think, leave it to him, and 
 perhaps yourself express the wish that he should do so. 
 The parcel would moreover arrive at a time when his loss is 
 no longer quite recent, and in that case a poet's work would 
 be more likely to produce a good effect than a bad one. 
 
 Will you have the kindness, as it is message-day to-day, 
 to order the catalogue f of the history of Switzerland, 
 and perhaps also of the history of the German empire, by 
 Vulpius ? 
 
 I am looking forward to seeing you to-day. If you drive 
 to the play or from it, you will no doubt take me with you. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 918. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 23, 1803. 
 Would you be so kind as to send the enclosed note to 
 
 * Fernow had received the appointment of Professor of the History 
 of Art in Jena a year previously, while in Rome, but did not leave till 
 the following August, and arrived in Weimar in September very 
 unwell. Schiller was shocked at his appearance, and found him very 
 much aged. He has been frequently mentioned in some of the earlier 
 letters. 
 
 + Catalogues which Schiller wished to consult about books that 
 might be of use to him for his Tell. It was only as a favour that the 
 loan of the catalogues of the library of the University of Jena could 
 be obtained.
 
 460 COKEESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 Fichte ? * Unfortunately, the whole affair is not a pleasant 
 one. Fichte, in spite of his great intellect, is still under 
 the delusion that one can maintain one's rights in a court 
 of law in one's own particular fashion, whereas of course 
 things there niainly depend upon certain forms. Further, 
 as you will see from the little note, Salzmann, who is ab- 
 solutely of no good, must be got out of the way. I want 
 very much to see you. Would you care to drive over to 
 Tieffurth with me this afternoon, as it is such a beautiful 
 day ? I have announced my coming, and they will as- 
 suredly be glad to see you also. I would call for you 
 after twelve. 
 
 G. 
 
 919. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Having wasted weeks and months of the summer, I 
 must now be careful of the days and hours. Hence I can- 
 not accept your friendly invitation to drive to Tieffurth. 
 Perhaps you will call in upon me on your return, or I 
 will come to you at about five o'clock; for the late 
 evening hours are sometimes favorable to me for work, 
 and I must make up for those I lose of a morning. We 
 might perhaps make some arrangement about meeting 
 more frequently between three and five o'clock, and thus, 
 by breaking the day in the middle, make two out of it. 
 
 Farewell. Sch. 
 
 920. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, September 30, 1803. 
 I send you, by a very unprepossessing modern Roman 
 lady, f an interesting letter from Johannes Miiller J and 
 
 * Fichte had, on June 9, applied to Schiller about some money 
 matters ; he wished, namely, that the ducal court of law should accept 
 a mortgage of 1100 thalers (£165) which he had raised upon a house 
 he formerly possessed in Jena, for 1000 thalers (£150). A lawyer 
 Salzmann had been engaged, who, however, did not further the matter. 
 Goethe, at Schiller's request, subsequently interested himself in the 
 case. 
 
 f Duntzer is unable to explain this allusion. 
 
 J The famous historian.
 
 Letter 922.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 461 
 
 also wish to know whether we can meet anywhere this 
 afternoon. At six o'clock we have the full rehearsal of 
 Julius Caesar. 
 
 G. 
 
 921. — Schiller to Goethe 
 
 (October 2, 1803.) 
 
 This forenoon I leave for Jena, as my mother-in-law is 
 going there also; things have made a great impression upon 
 me here, and a week hence, after the second performance, 
 I shall be able to say something to you about it. There is 
 no question that Julius Ccesar possesses all the qualities for 
 becoming a mainstay to the theatre : interest in the action, 
 variety and wealth, force of passion and sensual life vis- 
 a-vis the public — and as regards art it possesses all that 
 one could wish and require. Hence all the trouble one 
 devotes to it is pure gain, and any increase of perfection 
 in the representation of this piece must at the same time 
 serve to indicate an advance of our theatre. 
 
 The play is inestimable to me for my Tell; my little 
 ship also is furthered by it. Yesterday it at once put me 
 into the most productive state of mind. 
 
 On Thursday, at latest, I hope to see you here again. 
 Will you have the kindness to give me a few lines to 
 Trapizius*, respecting your rooms, to take with me? I 
 6hall by this device escape the embarrassment of being 
 obliged to stay with friends, where I should be deprived 
 of my freedom and not accomplish my object. 
 
 "What am I to do with the two volumes of catalogues ? 
 Shall I send them back to the Library in your name ? 
 
 Farewell, and may the best of thoughts present them- 
 selves to you this week. 
 
 I hope to start at ten o'clock. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 922. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, October 2, 1803. 
 I was very much pleased with what was done yester- 
 day, but specially with the interest you too\ in it. At 
 
 * The keeper of the palace at Jena
 
 462 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 the next performance I hope to increase its effect; we 
 are making a great step forward at the commencement of 
 the winter. 
 
 I gladly confess thai I undertook it with the view of 
 promoting your impoi cant work ; but my enterprise * 
 has also drawn some advantage from it. 
 
 A note to Trapizius I enclose, and hope that the lonely 
 room may grant you a very favorable state of mind. 
 
 The two volumes of catalogues must be returned to the 
 Academic Library, in return for which they give me a 
 receipt. Farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 923. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 October 29, 1803. 
 Here is The Merchant of Venice^, with the request 
 that you will kindly undertake the revision and the re- 
 hearsals. While reading it, think of the distribution of 
 the parts, and we will talk the matter over. Perhaps 
 you ma} T care to come to me to-morrow evening at six 
 o'clock, we are to have all kinds of dramatico-musical 
 rehearsals. Herewith a copy of the Pocket-hook \ 
 
 G. 
 
 924. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, November 27, 1803. 
 Unless I write now, I shall have even greater diffi- 
 culty later in breaking the silence; hence I will only 
 say that I have made use of these last few days in 
 getting quit of answers and applications of various kinds. 
 I have also been engaged with all sorts of matters con- 
 
 * Duntzer says this refers to the theatrical school and not, as 
 Eiemer thinks, to the remodelling of his Gutz. 
 
 t Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice was not given during this year. 
 It was first played in the Weimar theatre on December 29, 1812, from 
 Schlegel's translation. 
 
 X Das Taschenbuch von Wieland und Goethe of the year 1S04; 
 Goethe's Natiirliche Tochter had appeared in the Taschenbuch earlier 
 in the year.
 
 Letter 924.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 463 
 
 nected with the critical institution which promises to 
 prove nourishing in a wonderful way. In the first place, 
 it will perhaps take me eight days or more to revise 
 the programme of the art-exhibition and my essay on 
 Polygnotus. When these are in the printer's hands, I 
 will see if it is not possible to produce something pleasant. 
 If this cannot be managed, I shall nevertheless console 
 11 iv se'f somehow. 
 
 Most pleasant hours have been spent with Schelver,* 
 Hegel, | and Fernow. The first is working in the botanical 
 department so exactly according to what I think right, 
 that I can scarcely trust my own ears and eyes, for I am 
 accustomed to see each individual — for the sake of a 
 foolish desire for claims to originality — departing from 
 the plain path of progressive potentiation with capricious 
 jumps aside. 
 
 At Hegel's the thought occurred to me, whether some 
 great advantage might not be obtained for him by what is 
 technical in rhetoric. He is a most excellent man ; but 
 there is really too much that interferes with the clear- 
 ness of his expressions. 
 
 Fernow, in his way, is very good, and has a very honest 
 and judicious opinion in matters connected with art. 
 When I talk with him, it always seems to me as if I had 
 just come from Rome, and, to my own shame, I feel of more 
 importance than amid the poverty of my northern sur- 
 roundings which has been endured now for so many years, 
 and with which one becomes more or less assimilated in 
 spite of all. 
 
 It is strange that the historical element, which is so 
 important when it treats of worthy subjects, can likewise 
 be something in and of itself, and of significance to us also, 
 when the object is an ordinary one, nay, even when it is 
 absurd. 
 
 However, it has always denoted a wretched state of 
 affairs when the form has to make up for everything. 
 
 * Friedrich Joseph Schelver, who had shortly before been called 
 from Halle to fill Batsch's place, and of whom great hopes were 
 entertained in the cause of natural science. 
 
 f For the two years previously Hegel had been Prieat-Docettf, ar.*;l 
 was joint-editor with Schilling of the Kritische Journal dtr Philmoj 'd«.
 
 *64 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 The gentlemen, * moreover, are away or on the pcmt of 
 leaving, and it does not occur to any one that anything is 
 lost by this. The church bells may, of course, call the 
 whole town together round the grave of its ablest citizen, 
 yet the surviving multitude hurries home with the lively 
 feeling that the honorable commonwealth can, will, and 
 must exist now as before. 
 
 And herewith farewell ; produce the best in so far as it 
 is granted you. Let me hear from you from time to 
 time ; I will make it a rule to write at least every week, 
 and to report how things are with me. 
 
 G. 
 
 925. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, November 30, 1803. 
 
 In my present seclusion it is only the increasing short 
 ness of the days that reminds me that time is moving on. 
 
 Owing to there being absolutely nothing to distract 
 the mind, and to my prescribed perseverance, I have 
 gained this much that my work is, at least, not at a 
 standstill, although my whole physical nature is suffering 
 from the depressing influence of the season. 
 
 Your letter shows that you are in good spirits, and I 
 see with pleasure that you are becoming more intimate 
 with Hegel. That which he lacks can now scarcely be 
 given to him, but this want of talent in describing 
 things is, in general, a defect in the German national 
 character, and is compensated for — at least to a German 
 audience — by the German virtue of thoroughness and of 
 honest earnestness. 
 
 Do try and bring Hegel and Fernow into closer contact ; 
 I think that the result would be that the one would help 
 the other. In his intercourse with Fernow, Hegel would 
 have to think of a method by which he could make his 
 idealism intelligible to the other, and Fernow would have 
 to quit his platitudes. When you have had both of them 
 
 * Hufeland had left for Ingolstadt, Professor Paulus and Sch6iiLng 
 for Wiirzburg.
 
 Letter 926.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 465 
 
 at your house four or five times, points of interest will be 
 sure to present themselves between them. 
 
 Professor Rehberg* passed through here a week ago. 
 You would be able to tell me more about him than I 
 myself found out, as I knew nothing whatever about 
 him. He has some respect and affection for the German 
 character; but I do not know whether he has the 
 capacity for appreciating an idealistic mode of thought. 
 The northern magnet appears to be having a mighty 
 effect upon all the Germans in Italy; for what we are 
 doing in the north is making them most mightily anxious 
 in the south. 
 
 It is said here that the Halle people have succeeded in 
 having the Jenaische Zeitung prohibited in Prussia. I can 
 scarcely believe it, write and tell me about this. 
 
 Thibaut, j who was here lately, has also very good hopes 
 of the Jenaische Zeitung. He was formerly rather doubt- 
 ful, and had no faith in it at all. 
 
 You do not write anything about Voss; please give 
 him kind greetings from me when you see him, and tell 
 me something about him. 
 
 Frau von Stael is really in Frankfurt, and we may soon 
 expect her here. If only she understood German, I do not 
 doubt that we should get the better of her ; but to explain 
 our religion to her in French phrases, and to be a match 
 for her French volubility, is too difficult a task. We shall 
 scarcely be able to settle things as easily with her as 
 Schelling did with Camille Jourdan, who met him by 
 appealing to Locke — " Je meprise Locke" replied Schelling, 
 and, of course, his adversary had nothing more to say. 
 
 Farewell. Sch. 
 
 926. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, December 2, 1803. 
 Herr Regierungsrath Voigt paid me a visit this afternoon 
 
 * The painter Friedrich Kehberg, brother of the well-known author 
 in Hanover. He had lived in Italy for many years and had there 
 become acquainted with Goethe, Herder, Meyer, and Moritz. He was 
 then on his way to England, and took with him a number of valuable 
 paintings. 
 
 t Antcn Fr. J. Thibaut, professor of law in Jena. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 H
 
 4C6 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 and prevented my writing to you ; however, I have begged 
 him to see you soon, and to tell you of the successful pro- 
 gress of our literary undertaking. If you had not chosen 
 the better part for the present, I should beg you soon to 
 give us a sign of your approval. 
 
 To me his nature is a new and strange school, which 
 may be good, for with years, one always becomes less 
 productive, and accordingly can no doubt enquire more 
 narrowly into the affairs of others. 
 
 I am at present engaged with the programme, which 
 falls into two portions : pronouncing judgment upon what 
 is being exhibited, and in giving animation to the Poly- 
 gnotic remains. The first part has, it is true, been very 
 beautifully prepared by Meyer, inasmuch as he has thought 
 of and expressed himself in an admirable manner upon 
 everything that required it ; and yet I shall have to re-write 
 some passages entirely, and this will be a difficult task. 
 
 With regard to the Polygnotic remains, I have also done 
 what I could ; still it will take me a few mornings before 
 everything is collected and revised; however, this woik 
 leads one into very beautiful regions, and must in future 
 give our institution quite a different direction of thought. 
 Besides this, there is the printing, so that I shall not be rid 
 of the business for a fortnight. The programme will this 
 time amount to about four sheets. 
 
 Voss I have only seen once, as I have scarcely ventured 
 as far as the Bachgasse on account of the damp. He has 
 now taken Burkhardt Waldis * in hand in order to make a 
 note of his words and phrases in the dictionary. I shall 
 have to accustom myself again to him and to his circle, 
 and learn to curb my impatience by the gentleness of his 
 disposition. If I might venture to think of something 
 poetical, I would read with him as usual ; for one then 
 at once gets into the centre of the interest. 
 
 Knebel has taken apartments near the Neuthor in 
 Hellf eld's house, hence in your old neighbourhood ; and 
 sufficiently far from Voss not to be incommoded by his 
 rigorism. However, he will not disturb the water for 
 our prosodist ; for the latter lives where the brook runs 
 in, he. where it runs out. 
 
 * A German poet of the sixteenth century.
 
 Letter 927.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 467 
 
 Poor Verrnehren* is dead. Probably he would be living 
 still if he had gone on writing mediocre verses. The 
 postal business was fatal to him ; and with this a friendly 
 farewell for to-day. 
 
 927.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Jena, December 13, 1803. 
 It was to be expected that I should be recalled when 
 Madame de Stael came to Weimar. I had taken council 
 with myself so as not to be surprised at the moment, 
 and had at the outset decided upon remaining here. I 
 have, especially during this wretched month, only just 
 enough physical strength to get on tolerably, as I am 
 obliged to give my assistance in so difficult and critical 
 a piece of business. I must have the thing before me, 
 from the most intellectual view of the whole down to 
 the mechanical typography ; and the printing of the pro- 
 gramme also, which has a good many difficulties, on account 
 of the Polygnotic plates, demands repeated revision on my 
 part. How few days remain before everything is ready and 
 given in a dexterous manner on account of the passionate 
 opposition. You, dear friend, will certainly look with 
 horror at my position, in which Meyer is an admirable 
 support to me, it is one which cannot be appreciated 
 by every one; for everything that is at all possible is 
 considered to be something ordinary. For this reason I 
 wish very much that you would take my place; for it 
 will not occur to any one but myself to think of the Diver 
 on this occasion, and no one understands me but you. 
 Therefore arrange things for the best as far as it is pos- 
 sible. If Madame de Stael comes to pay me a visit, she 
 shall be well received. And if I know of her coming four- 
 and-twenty hours beforehand, a part of Loder's house 
 shall be furnished for her use, she should find homely fare, 
 we should really meet and speak to each other, and she 
 could remain as long as she liked. What 1 have to do 
 
 * Joh. Bernhard Vermehren specially noted for his essay on 
 Schiller's Maria Stuart, and as the author of a number of Sonnets, &o. 
 
 2 H 2
 
 408 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803. 
 
 here can be done at odd quarters of an hour, the rest of 
 my time I a ould place at her disposal ; but to drive over 
 in such weather as this, to have to dress, to be at court 
 and in society, is utterly impossible, this I maintain as 
 positively &s was ever declared by yourself in similar 
 circumstances. 
 
 Take this as a friendly guidance for your actions, for I 
 desire nothiug more than actually to see and to become 
 acquainted with this remarkable and highly respected 
 woman, and I wish for nothing so much as that she may 
 care to take this drive of a couple of hours for my sake. 
 On her journey she must have become accustomed to worse 
 fare than she will find here. Arrange and manage these 
 things with your gentle, friendly hand, and send me an 
 express messenger at once, as soon as anything important 
 occurs, 
 
 1 wish you success in everything that your solitude 
 produces, according as you yourself may wish and desire ! 
 I am rowing about in a foreign element, nay, I may say 
 that I am merely paddling about in it, with loss to things 
 without, and without satisfaction from within or towards 
 within. But — as I am always learning more distinctly 
 from Polygnotus and Homer — we have in reality to„ 
 conceive hell as existing here above ; this it may also 
 be considered to be a life. A thousand farewells in a 
 heavenly sense ! 
 
 G. 
 
 928. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 14, 1803. 
 
 Nothing can be said against the reasons you give about 
 not caring to come here at present, and I have done my 
 best to make the Duke understand them. To Madame de 
 Stael also it cannot fail to be much more agreeable to meet 
 you away from the perpetual train of entertainments, 
 and if things are so arranged, you yourself will find it a 
 pleasure to make her acquaintance, whereas otherwise it 
 would have been only an intolerable trouble. 
 
 I am truly interested in the progress of your present 
 cocr pation, which is, in fact, a necessity, even though you
 
 Letter 929.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 469 
 
 may not be erecting and establishing anything T\ 'thin 
 yonr own self. My work, too, is being furthered, and, at 
 last, there are signs of something having been done. But 
 being urged and driven by letters from Berlin — and thus 
 perpetually reminded of the dragon which will devour 
 and swallow the work warm from my pen — I do not feel 
 any great inclination for work. From what Cordemann 
 writes, I have again obtained some idea of the utterly 
 contemptible spirit of the Berlin theatre. 
 
 It is now certain that Bottiger is going to Berlin ; let us 
 heartily wish him a safe journey. If only we prove 
 fortunate in his successor. I have thought of Riemer ; it 
 is surely very desirable that such a man should be kept 
 hold of. 
 
 Farewell, continue in good health and cheerful, and act 
 charitably towards lady-pilgrim who is wandering to you. 
 As soon as 1 hear anything further 1 will send you word. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 The Duke's answer to me was, that he would write to 
 you himself, and would speak to me at the play. 
 
 Be firm, even though he should not comply at once. 
 
 929. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, December 21, 1803. 
 
 The rapid and really violent change from productive 
 solitude to the utterly heterogeneous state of social diver- 
 sion, so tired me out last week that I was absolutely 
 unable to write, and left it to my wife to give you an 
 account of the state of affairs here. 
 
 Madame de Stael will appear to you precisely what you 
 will a priori have already imagined her to be ; she is all of 
 a piece. There is no odd, false and pathological feature 
 in her character. The result of this is that one feels per- 
 fectly at ease with her, in spite of the imme lse difference 
 of natures and modes of thought, and that o le can listen 
 to all she has to say, and also tell her all one wishes to 
 say. The intellectual culture of the French has in her 
 a pure and exceedingly interesting representative. In 
 everything which we call philosophy, consequently in all
 
 470 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1803 
 
 the ultimate and highest stages, one is at strife with her, 
 and remains so in spite of all discussion. But nature and 
 feeling are in her better than her metaphysics, and her fine 
 intellect rises to the capacity of genius. She tries to ex- 
 plain, to understand and to measure everything; she admits 
 of nothing obscure or unintelligible ; and those things 
 which cannot be illuminated by her torch, have no existence 
 for her. On this account she has a horrible aversion to ideal 
 philosophy, which, in her opinion, leads to mysticism and 
 to superstition, and is the atmosphere which stifles her. 
 For what we calL poetry, she has no appreciation ; from 
 works of this kind she can assimilate only what is passion- 
 ate, oratorical and general, but she will not prize anything 
 that is false, and in all cases only acknowledge what is 
 right. You will perceive from these few words that the 
 clearness, decision, and the intellectual animation of her 
 nature cannot but have a beneficial efTect. The one tire- 
 some thing about her is the extraordinary volubility of 
 her tongue ; one has to transform oneself into an organ 
 for hearing to be able to follow her. As I get on very 
 well with her, in spite of having but little facility in speak- 
 ing French, you will find it very easy to converse with 
 her, as you have had much more practice. 
 
 My proposal would be for you to come over on Saturday, 
 be introduced to her, and then to leave again on the 
 Sunday so as to finish your work in Jena. If Madame de 
 Stael remains till the new year, you would find her here, 
 and if she leaves before, she could, of course, pay you a 
 visit in Jena. All now depends upon your hastening to get 
 some idea of her, and to relieve your mind from a certain 
 state of tension. If you can come sooner than Saturday, 
 so much the better. 
 
 Farewell ; my work has not progressed much during the 
 week, it is true, but it has nevertheless not been quite at 
 a standstill. It is very much to be regretted that this 
 interesting lady has come at so inconvenient a time, when 
 urgent business matters, the bad season of the year, and 
 the melancholy occurrences which cannot leave one 
 altogether unaffected, press upon us. 
 
 Sch.
 
 Letter 931.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 471 
 
 930. — Goethe t? Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, December 31, 1803. 
 Here, dearest friend, are the proof sheets of the pro- 
 gramme, stitched together in lots, till I can send you a 
 better copy. Would that our efforts may succeed in 
 drawing some expression of approval from you. 
 
 I am not going to the play this evening ; what do you 
 think of doing? Would you care to come and see me 
 towards eight o'clock, and wait here for Wolf who will 
 probably go to the theatre ? 
 
 G. 
 
 931. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I was on the point of coming to enquire what you 
 intended doing this evening, when 1 received your parcel 
 which pleased me very much. The programme is full of 
 substance and life, and fills one's whole mind with a world 
 of ideas. Your essay on Polygnotus is splendid, and seems 
 to announce the advent of a new day. More by word of 
 mouth. I shall be with you at about eight o'clock. 
 
 Be so good as to let me have a note about the drawings 
 which Wolzogen left, and I will pay for them at once. 
 
 Sch.
 
 472 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801. 
 
 1804 
 
 932. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Weimar, January 4, 1804. 
 
 The enclosed little note I was about to send off v; hen I 
 
 again came upon the ballads which I received some time 
 
 ago; there is something good about them without their 
 
 actually being good. I want to have your opinion of them. 
 
 933. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 As a birthday piece, Mithridates * might, I think, be used 
 in case of necessity ; as we have nothing better, it will at 
 all events furnish a serious and noble representation. For 
 this reason I yesterday set to work upon the manuscript 
 which has been lying in a state of stagnation by me, and 
 have given the first act, with my remarks, to Bode,| who 
 is going to alter the passages in question. If he can 
 manage this, which will be proved in a couple of days, the 
 piece might be copied out next week and the parts dis- 
 tributed, and there would still be a fortnight's time for 
 getting the parts learned. 
 
 Geist told me yesterday that the concert and supper at 
 the town-hall had again been postponed. As I have not 
 
 * Racine's Mithridates, translated by Bode. 
 
 f Dr. August Bode, son of the Berlin astronomer. He had already 
 published translations of Racine's Bajazet and of Corneille's Rodogune. 
 He died very young in October r$04.
 
 Letter 935.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 473 
 
 heard anything about this officially, please let me hear how 
 the matter stands. I send the Augusteam for Meyer. Of 
 Madame de Stael I have heard nothing; I hope she is 
 engaged with Herr Benjamin Constant. What would I not 
 give for peace, freedom, and health during the next four 
 weeks ; I should then get through a good deal. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 934. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 10, 1804. 
 
 When I got home last night, it suddenly struck me that 
 I promised Herr Genast new conundrums for to-morrow's 
 performance of Turandot, and, in order that I may in some 
 measure keep my word I shall sit down before going to 
 bed, and put a few ideas for these into verse : hence the 
 book you lent me and put into my pocket I have only this 
 moment taken in hand, but shall this evening be able 
 to give a re >ort of it. 
 
 The Lew pjople in the list of theatrical personages I 
 will end^av.ur to put to the utmost possible use in my 
 Jungfrau. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 935. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 While coming to enquire how you are, I wish, at t'^e 
 same time, to ask you whether you feel in the humour and 
 have time to take note of some poetical work. For, if so, 
 I should like to send you the large first act* of Tell, which 
 I am obliged to send off to Iffland, and do not care to give 
 out of my hands till I have your opinion of it. Not- 
 withstanding all the adverse circumstances which have 
 been accumulating this month, my work is still making 
 tolerable progress, and I am in hopes of getting it com- 
 pletely finished by the end of the coming month. 
 
 The review which you sent me is altogether unenjoy- 
 able and almost unintelligible ; I am afraid you will often 
 
 * This act originally included the first scene of what is now act ii.
 
 474 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804 
 
 meet with cases like this. Of the book which is reviewed, 
 I have not been able to obtain any idea. 
 
 Madame de Stael was here yesterday, and to-day I shall 
 meet her again at the Dowager Duchess' : — It is the old 
 story with her ; it would remind one of the vessel which 
 the Danaides were called up to fill, were it not that 
 Oknos * and his donkey came into one's mind at the same 
 time. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 936. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 13, 1804. 
 
 This is really no first act, but a whole play, and, more- 
 over, an admirable one ; I congratulate you upon it with all 
 my heart, and hope soon to see more of it. To judge from 
 my first look at it, everj^thing is exactly as it should be, 
 and this is doubtless the main point in works which are 
 calculated upon producing certain effects. Two passages 
 only I have enclosed. In the one case — where I have 
 made a stroke — I should like another line added as the 
 turn is rather too abrupt. 
 
 In the other case I remarked this : that a Swiss does 
 not feel a longing for home when hearing the Ranz des 
 VacJies in another country, for, as far as I know, it is not 
 heard elsewhere ; he feels it because he does not hear t, 
 his ear misses what it has always been accustomed <o 
 hear from his youth upwards. However, I will not main- 
 tain this as quite certain. Fare- well, and again give us a 
 new interest in life by continuing in your beautiful state 
 
 * This is an allusion to a painting by Polygtiotus — Odysseus in the 
 Lower Begions — which Goethe had spoken of shortly before. According 
 to Pausan'ias it represented a man called Oknos plaiting a rope out of 
 reeds, and by his side a donkey which at once eat up what he had 
 plaited. The Danaides were also represented carrying water to the 
 broken earthen vessels. Goethe had made the remark that " It was 
 natural to Oknos to go on plaiting just as it was natural to the donkey 
 to go on eating: he might have left off plaiting;, but what should he 
 have done in place of it? He prefers plaiting in order to be plaiting, 
 and the reed-grass — which would have been devoured, even though 
 it had not been plaited — is now eaten plaited. Perhaps it tastes better 
 thus, perhaps it is more nutritious? This Oknos, moreover, keeps up 
 a vein of conversation with his donkey."
 
 Letter 938.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 475 
 
 of productivity ; also keep bravely in the Hades of Society, 
 and weave reeds and rushes skilfully into a strong rope, in 
 order that there may be something to chew. * 
 With greetings and good wishes. 
 
 g. 
 
 937. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 That , ou are satisfied with the commencement of my 
 Tell, is a great comfort to me, which I was particularly in 
 need of in the stifling atmosphere by which I am sur- 
 rounded. On Monday I will send you the Kiitli, which is 
 being copied out : it can be read as a whole by itself. 
 
 I am longing impatiently to see you again. When 
 shall you open your door again ? 
 
 To-day, after four weeks, I again feel a desire to go to 
 the play. During all this time I have not felt the slightest 
 wish this way, as play has been going on round my own 
 self a good deal.f Madame de Stael intends remaining 
 here three weeks longer. In spite of the vivacity of the 
 French she will, I fear, make the experience in her own 
 person, that we Germans in Weimar are a changeable 
 people too, and that one ought to know that it is better 
 to leave in good time. 
 
 Let me have a few words from you before you retire for 
 the night. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 938. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 In answer to your friendly evening-words, I can only 
 say that I wish most heartily to see you soon, although 
 I must take great care of myself. A conversation I had 
 with Voigt | yesterday had a bad effect upon me. I am 
 beginning to feel how weak I am. 
 
 * See note to last Letter. 
 
 f Duntzer explains this by saying that Madame de Stael had kept 
 Schiller in a state of perpetual excitement. 
 
 t Christian Gottlob von Voigt, an intimate friend of the Duke of Saxe- 
 Weimar, Carl August, and one of his ministers of state. He had just 
 returned from St. Petersburg on some mission for the Duke.
 
 476 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804. 
 
 I have, meanwhile, been thoroughly enjoying your expo- 
 sition, and feasting upon it. It is a good thing that you 
 express your opposition towards our importunate lady- 
 neighbour so simultaneously, otherwise the state of affairs 
 would be intolerable. 
 
 As I am at present feeling ill and out of humour, it 
 seems to me as if it would be next to an inpossibility ever 
 to carry on such discussions again. One may really be 
 said to be sinning against the Holy Ghost if one but utters 
 anything in the slightest degree to please her. Had she 
 been schooled by Jean Paul, she would not have remained 
 so long in Weimar ; let her, at her peril, but try it for 
 other three weeks. 
 
 I have, meanwhile, been constantly occupied in some 
 way or another, and not having been able to accomplish 
 anything, have done and learnt various things; only I 
 have had to change from subject to subject, and to make 
 pauses in between. 
 
 Hackert's landscapes which have arrived, also gave me 
 one pleasant morning ; they are most unusual works, and 
 even though many suggestions might be made in regard to 
 them, it must be confessed that no living artist could have 
 done them, and certain parts have never been done better. 
 
 Farewell, and if you drive to court to-morrow, come to 
 me for a minute first ; my carriage could fetch you and 
 wait the while. 
 
 The Eiitli will be a great pleasure to me. I am now 
 very anxious to have a full view of what has been intro- 
 duced so well by itself. 
 
 G. 
 939. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Herewith the new journals, with the request that you 
 will send them on to Meyer immediately, especially No. 13. 
 There is really nothing new under the sun ! And did not 
 our excellent lady-traveller assure me this morning that 
 she would have all those of my words which she could get 
 hold of printed? This news about Rousseau's Letters* 
 
 * The Correspondance originate et ine'dite de J.-J. Rousseau ive*> 
 Madame Latuur de Franqueville et M. du Feyron.
 
 Letteb 940.] SI CHILLER AND GOETHE. 477 
 
 really plays the mischief with me in regard to the said 
 lady. One sees oneself and a caricature of the aspirations 
 of French women reflected as it were in a (diamantine — 
 adamantine) mirror. My best wishes for your welfare. 
 
 G. 
 
 940. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 An ailment which I dare not neglect, and which more 
 particularly prevents my walking, has kept me indoors and 
 confined to the sofa since yesterday, and is also the reason 
 why I shall not be present at the dinner to-day at Madame 
 de StaeTs, nor at the concert this evening. Unfortunately 
 my work will not gain anything by this, for my head is 
 very much affected. As my wife also cannot leave home, 
 owing to a bad cough, please be so good, if necessary, to 
 excuse me to his Serenissimo at the concert. 
 
 The leaves from the periodical I have read with great 
 interest. The beginning made by the theological disqui- 
 sition * is admirable, and could not, probably, have been 
 more significant, even though one had had the freest choice. 
 The review of Sartorius' book f is very powerful and ex- 
 cellent ; the beginning must be allowed to pass as oratorical 
 and reckoned as ad extra, as he recalls it again so naively 
 in what follows. Of Cellini more might and ought to have 
 been said, however this early notice of it, even though it 
 does not quite satisfy one, will be useful in making the 
 work known. 
 
 The article on Philosophy J in the Intelligenzblatt gave me 
 a great pleasure, and is an uncommonly happy thought ; 
 I am very anxious to see the continuation. A few more 
 such articles from the same pen on philosophical matters 
 would introduce a happy change in the public opinion about 
 philosophy. To the shame of my shrewdness be it said, I 
 have not yet made out who the author of this essay can be. 
 
 * The Litteratur-Zeitung opens with a criticism of the latest editions 
 of the New Testament by Matthai and Griesbach. 
 
 f No. 7 contained a review of the first two volumes of the 
 Geschichte des Hanseatischen Bundes by Prof. Sartorius of Gottingen, 
 a friend of Goethe's. 
 
 X In No. 5 of the Intelligenzblatt there is the commencement of an 
 UebersCcht der neuesten Philosophie des Auslandes.
 
 478 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [ISO I. 
 
 Johannes Hiiller * is close by : a letter I had to-day 
 from Korner announces his arrival there and that he will 
 shortly come to us. Komer considers Bottiger's appoint- 
 ment in Dresden as not quite settled, as his negociations 
 with Berlin were known to persons in Dresden and they 
 did not wish to come into collision with them. 
 
 Madame de Stael, in a note to my wife to-day, speaks of 
 having to leave shortly, but also says that it is very 
 probable she may be returning soon by way of Weimar. 
 
 Let me hear how you are feeling. I shall this after- 
 noon have a reading-rehearsal of Mithridates at my house, 
 as I shall not be neglecting anything very important. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 941. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 That you too should be suffering physically is not 
 good ; one ought, when not feeling specially well oneself, 
 to be able to bear the ailments of one's friends as well, 
 which I, under present circumstances, would very gladly 
 undertake to do. 
 
 Your approval of the first leaves of the Zeitung, was very 
 comforting to me. Almost everything in such a piece 
 of work is accidental, and yet it has to become and look 
 as if it had been well weighed. The matter, however, 
 is in a good way, and if you would take part in it, you 
 would further it greatly; to begin with, the articles 
 would not require to be very carefully thought out or long 
 reviews ex professo but merely, from time to time, an in- 
 telligent communication on the occasion of the publication 
 of a book which we should read in any case. And then I 
 surely deserve to receive a little help : for I have during 
 the past four months dragged and pushed this dead- 
 weight about more than is fair. 
 
 I am also very much pleased that you are satisfied with 
 the little introduction to the Philosophy of Nations. If 
 we succeed in starting some such thing, in other depart- 
 ments also, before details are introduced, it will be 
 amusing and instructive in every way. It is dorfctless 
 
 * The famous historian. See also Letter 945.
 
 Letter 944.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 47 s 
 
 difficult to guess who the author is, for he is still a 
 nameless individual. In fact, I have on this occasion seen 
 that a certain kind of higher culture is very general in 
 Germany, and those possessing it will also gradually be 
 drawn towards us. Accept my thanks for undertaking 
 the reading-rehearsal of Miihridaies. Be sure to write and 
 tell me how it goes off, and, in fact, what you augur of it. 
 A hearty good-night. G. 
 
 942. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Costume and an animated representation must do their 
 best with Mithridates. In fact, were it not that one learnt 
 something from these obsolete works, and, at all events, 
 felt more and more strengthened in one's old belief by 
 them, one ought not to waste time and trouble upon them. 
 When attending a poetical reading-rehearsal, the empti- 
 ness, superficiality and woodenness of this mannerism 
 becomes very evident. 
 
 You said nothing to me about the Eiitli. If you have 
 any suggestion to make in regard to it, let me know of it 
 to-morrow morning ; for on Friday I shall have to send 
 it off. 
 
 I trust you may soon feel better ! 
 
 Sch. 
 
 943. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 18, 1804. 
 
 I herewith return the Eiitli which is deserving of all 
 praise. The idea of at once instituting a meeting of the 
 people is admirable, both on account of the dignity and 
 of the breadth it gives. I am very anxious to see the 
 rest. All good wishes for its completion ! 
 
 G. 
 
 944. — Goethe to Schiller, 
 
 Weimar, January 23 1804. 
 I was just on the point of enquiring how you w<ire, for 
 this long separation does come to seem very strange.
 
 480 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN. [1804. 
 
 To-day, for the first time, Madame de Stael came to see 
 me : one has always the same sensation ; in spite of all 
 her graciousness, she still acts rudely enough as a traveller 
 to the Hyperboreans, whose capital of old firs and oaks, 
 whose iron and amber could very well be made useful and 
 ornamental ; and yet she obliges one to look out old carpets 
 as gifts for a stranger, and rusty weapons for defence. 
 
 Yesterday I saw Miiller, he will probably return to-day. 
 I will give him your message. He is of course shocked 
 to find so much sickness in Weimar, for things must look 
 rather bad when the Duke himself keeps in his room. 
 
 Amid all these troubles it is some consolation to me to 
 know that your work is not quite interrupted, for it is 
 the only thing I have in view which I could not do with- 
 out ; the little I have to do can at all events wait. 
 Be sure to keep quiet till you have again recovered your 
 full activity. Of Miiller you shall hear to-morrow in good 
 time. My kindest farewell. 
 
 The new Litter atur-Zeitung I may probably still send 
 this evening. 
 
 G. 
 945. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 One more enquiry this evening as to how you are. I 
 am tolerably well. This evening Johannes von Miiller 
 was with me, and found great pleasure in my drawer of 
 coins. He so unexpectedly found himself alone among 
 these old friends, that one saw clearly how perfectly he 
 has history at his command ; for he was acquainted even 
 with the most subordinate figures, and knew about their 
 surroundings and connections. I want to hear that the 
 Swiss heroes have conducted themselves bravely in their 
 troubles. 
 
 G. 
 946. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 26, 1804. 
 
 My brother-in-law sends you his kindest greetings. 
 The betrothal was celebrated on New Year's Day according 
 to the Eussian Caleu lar, or on the 13th of January of our 
 own. The marriage is to take place in February.
 
 Letter 947 J SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 481 
 
 Cotta enquires very urgently about the continue' ition of 
 your Naturliche Tochter. Would that I could give him 
 some hopes of it ! 
 
 He writes that my copies of his Allgemeine Zeitung, which 
 have hitherto always come by way of Jena, will in future 
 come enclosed in yours. Perhaps he has already com- 
 menced to do this, in which case please forward rue mine. 
 
 Pray let me have Adelung* if you do not require it any 
 longer. I have all sorts of questions to put to this oracle. 
 Herewith I enclose a small poetic theme f for you to 
 solve. 
 
 What do you propose doing to-day and to-morrow ? 
 The long talked-of French lecture by Madame de Stael is, 
 I hear, to come off to-morrow. But if you will be at 
 home to-morrow evening and so disposed, I will come 
 self-invited, for I am longing to see you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 947. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January, 26, 1804. 
 
 Madame de Stael came to me to-day with Miiller, 
 whereupon the Duke soon joined us, and the conversation 
 became very animated, and my object in looking over a 
 translation of my Fischer J was frustrated. 
 
 Herewith I send my Adelung ; forgive me for having 
 carefully packed up yours and sent it to Voss, who was 
 greatly in need of it for his review of Klopstock's Gram- 
 matisclie Gesprache. 
 
 I also send you the first numbers of the Zeitung, except 
 1 and 2, and those others I myself miss in this sending. 
 
 Your poem is a very pretty mount up the St. Gotthardt, 
 to which all sorts of other meanings might be added, and 
 it is a very appropriate song for Tell. 
 
 To-morrow evening at five Benj. Constant is coming to 
 me ; if you care to come later it would be very pleasant 
 to me. 
 
 Wishing that you may have a good night's rest, 
 
 G. 
 
 * Adelung's Dictionary. 
 
 t The Berglied in the form of an enigma. 
 
 % Madame de StaeTs translation of the poem. 
 
 VOL. II. -2 l
 
 482 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1801 
 
 948. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, January 28, 1804. 
 
 While coming to enquire how you are, and at the same 
 time to assure you that I can keep tolerably well by 
 remaining at home, I wish to send you word about two 
 works of art that have arrived here. 
 
 Firstly, a painting by an old mannerist of the seven- 
 teenth century, representing those women who stripped 
 themselves of their clothes in order to stop the fleeing 
 army and to drive it back against the enemy ; it is re- 
 presented with so much intelligence, humour and success 
 that it awakens a feeling of real pleasure. 
 
 Secondly, a piece of Calderon's, Fernando, prince of 
 Portugal, who dies in slavery at Fetz, because he will not 
 give up Cento, which is demanded as his ransom. As in 
 the case of his earliest dramas, one is disturbed by a variety 
 of causes in the enjoyment of single passages, particularly 
 upon first reading it ; however, when one gets through it, 
 and the idea rises up before the mind's eye, like a phoenix 
 from the flames, one feels as if nothing more admirable had 
 ever been written. It certainly deserves to stand beside 
 The Devotion at the Cross, nay, it is even classed higher, 
 perhaps because it has been read last, and because the 
 subject as well as its treatment is pleasing in the highest 
 degree. Nay, I could say that if poetry were wholly lost 
 to the world, it might be restored from this one piece. 
 
 If you but add an act of Tell to this favourable aspect of 
 things, no evil can waft towards me during the next days. 
 
 Best by night, and good humour during the day, is my 
 heartfelt wish for you. 
 
 949. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Considering the seclusion in which I am at present 
 living, it is really refreshing to receive so friendly a greet- 
 ing in the evening, and you will quite spoil me. I am 
 very anxious to see the two nova. The subject of the 
 painting seems to me to be excellent, and qualified for 
 an artistic work of the first rank, inasmuch as it unites
 
 Letter 951.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 483 
 
 and gives an actual representation of two entirely opposite 
 conditions. 
 
 I have nothing of a similar kind to communicate to you. 
 In addition to my task, which is slowly advancing, and is 
 at least not at a stand-still, I have been reading the 
 memoirs of an excellent navigator * which have led me 
 to the Mediterranean and to the Indian Ocean, and are 
 important enough of their kind. Sleep well ; I hope soon 
 to be able to send you something again. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 950. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 8, 1804. 
 With kindest greetings I send you herewith various 
 things : 
 
 1. Three numbers of the Allgemeine Zeitung, one of 
 which is particularly important on account of a curious 
 article (xpea).t 
 
 2. A few roles in Macbeth which have still to be filled up. 
 
 3. Your beautiful Berglied. 
 
 4. An attempt — I am afraid again an unsuccessful one — 
 to produce a Greek tragedy ; what seems to me more 
 especially unsuccessful is the rhymed chorus which is 
 connected with the ancient and, for us, perhaps, too heavy 
 measure of the trimeter, its being without any sort of 
 mediation. 
 
 If you care to pay me a visit this evening, give the 
 bearer of this orders at what hour the carriage shall call 
 for you. 
 
 G. 
 951. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Accept my very best thanks for what you have sent me. 
 Greek things are, in fact, inappropriate on our stage, 
 
 * Voyages a Madagast ar, Maroc et aux Indes-Orientales, by Alexis 
 Kochon. 
 
 t This probably refers to the " flowery " account in the Allgemeine 
 Zeitung of the 31st of January, of Madame de Stael's journey to 
 Weimar and of her stay there, which could not be ascribed to auy 
 one but Bottiger/ 
 
 2 I 2
 
 484 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804. 
 
 and, apart from the work itself, I should be opposed to it. 
 Has any one spoken to you on the part of Wieland, about 
 a performance of the Helena of Euripides, where, however, 
 the Chorus is to be accompanied by the flute ? I heard of 
 this five weeks ago and have always forgotten to ask you 
 about it. 
 
 As I am to-day feeling in a very good mood for work, 
 I shall probably make a long evening of it, and doubt 
 whether I shall be able to go out. Unfortunately I must 
 to-day try and make up what I shall lose to-morrow, for 
 I am to dine with Madame de Stael. Your letter to my 
 brother-in-law I sent off yesterday and expressely re 
 commended its contents to his consideration. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 952. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 
 "Weimar, February 16, 1800. 
 While again sending you some numbers of the Zeitung, 
 I come to enquire whether you will give me the pleasure 
 of your company this evening. Madame de Stael and 
 JHerr von Constant are coming after five o'clock. I shall 
 have a supper ready in case they are inclined to remain ; 
 it would be very nice if you were one of the party. Order 
 the carriage at what time you like. 
 
 953. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I have now come close to the end of my work, and must, 
 above all things, carefully avoid everything that might 
 rob me of or disturb the necessary last mood, and, above 
 all, more particularly keep away from all French friends. 
 Excuse me, therefore, my dear friend, with that evangelical 
 Christian charity which I will reserve for you under similar 
 circumstances. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 954. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 I herewith send you my work, to which, considering 
 the present state of affairs, I can do nothing further.
 
 Letter 955.] SCHILLEK AND GOETHE. 485 
 
 When you have read it pray let me have it hack, because 
 the man who is copying out the different roles is waiting 
 for it. 
 
 If it is to be given towards Easter, we must try and get 
 it ready a week beforehand, in order to be able to profit by 
 Zimmermann's presence, and by the actual state of things 
 in Jena — in respect of the state of our funds — which might 
 change after Easter. In this case, however, some speedy 
 decision must be come to in regard to the dresses to be 
 procured, and the necessary decorations; Macbeth, too, 
 would have to be put off. There would be no difficulty 
 about having the parts learnt, as even the chief one is not 
 of any great length. 
 
 I enclose my idea as to how the parts should be filled 
 up. You will see from it how difficult it would be to fill 
 Zimmermann's part. If, after Easter, we should have to 
 do without him, it will then be a more easy matter than 
 if the first impression had been bad. 
 
 These anxieties, and also the weather, affect me very 
 much, and I must keep at home a few days longer. But 
 if you will discuss this with Becker and Genast, as well 
 as with Meyer and Heidloff,* the matter can nevertheless 
 be carried on. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 955. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 19, 1804. 
 I was on the point of enquiring how you were, and 
 about your work ; for not to hear or to see anything of 
 you was becoming too wearisome to me. The sight of the 
 piece and of the distribution of the parts pleased me very 
 much. I should think the performance might be given 
 before Easter, although the time is short enough ; of course 
 the copying of the parts would have to be done quickly. 
 I would suggest that several copyists should be set to 
 work together. More of this as soon as I have read it. At 
 present merely my heartfelt thanks. 
 
 * Professor Victor P. Heidloff, painter to the court and the theatre. 
 See Letter 492.
 
 486 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804. 
 
 956. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 February 21, 1804. 
 The work turned out admirable, and gave me an enjoy- 
 able evening. A few considerations in regard to its re- 
 presentation before Easter have occurred to me. If you 
 would care to drive out about twelve o'clock I will come 
 and fetch you. 
 
 G. 
 957. — Schiller to Goethe, 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Herewith I send you the roles of Tell, with the way I 
 should fill the parts, and beg you now to arrange the rest. 
 I have created three new female parts,* in order to 
 introduce the three remaining actresses, as they did not 
 care to act as mere dummies. Madame Muller is left out 
 entirely. 
 
 This evening we shall meet at Madame (de StaeTs). Yes- 
 terday we missed you very much ; many amusing things 
 occurred, which will afford us amusement in days to come. 
 
 SCH. 
 
 958. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 It is a real comfort to me that you will take an interest 
 in Tell. If I feel at all able I shall certainly come. Since 
 I last saw you at the reading rehearsal I have not felt at 
 all well, for the weather affects me very much, and also 
 since the departure of our lady friend I feel as if I had 
 just recovered from a severe illness. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 959. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 March 12, 1804. 
 Would you care to look at the first two acts ? Where 
 the white paper is sewn in, there is a scene wanting 
 
 * The three peasants, Mechtild, Elsbeth, and Hildegard, were wholly 
 wanting in the original. The inserted passages are distinct enough : 
 * Und du hist — Befeld zu trotz>rn!" and u Da kommt — Emporung" (see 
 Diintzer's Erlduterungen).
 
 Letter 962.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 487 
 
 "between Weislingen and Adelheid.* If you have no 
 suggestions to make, I shall, at all events, have the 
 parts copied out from the beginning. 
 
 G. 
 
 960. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Mid-March, 1804. 
 Have the kindness to look at the passage in question 
 and see whether it will now do. Any important alteration 
 could not, of course, be attempted now ; however, I hope 
 that there is no longer any inadmissible jump from one 
 thing to another in it. 
 
 If you have nothing to suggest, send me the leaf back, 
 in order that I may at once alter what is necessary for 
 to-day's rehearsal. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 961. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 April 2, 1804. 
 Pray let me know how you and yours are ? — whether 
 you are going to see the Hussiten f f — whether you will give 
 me the pleasure of your company this evening? — or what 
 your state of affairs may otherwise suggest ? 
 
 G. 
 
 962. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 April 6, 1804. 
 Act I. 
 
 1. With Macbeth and Banco a few others should enter, 
 so that the latter can ask, How far is it still to Foris ? 
 
 Act II. 
 
 2. TJie bell calls. It ought not to be rung ; one should 
 rather hear but one peal. 
 
 * Characters in Goethe's Gotz von Berlicliingen. 
 f A play of Kotzebue's.
 
 488 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804. 
 
 3. The old man should sit down or go away. With a 
 small alteration Macduff might close the act. 
 
 Act III. 
 
 4. The boy who attends upon Macbeth ought rather to 
 be dressed and to some extent equipped as a page. 
 
 5. Eilenstein's mantle is too narrow. Another breadth 
 might be let in. 
 
 6. When Banco is murdered, it should be quite night. 
 
 7. The fruits on the table should be painted more of a 
 red colour. 
 
 8. Banco's ghost looks to me too prosaic in the doublet. 
 Yet I could not exactly say how I should like this 
 altered. 
 
 Act IV. 
 
 9. The witches should have wire supports beneath their 
 veils, so that their heads do not appear too smooth. They 
 might perhaps have wreaths by way of decoration in 
 imitation of the Sibyls. 
 
 10. As the horizon falls after the scene with the witches, 
 Macbeth must, of course, not say " Komm herein, da 
 draussen" &c, for this supposes the scene to be in the cave. 
 
 Act V. 
 
 11. The Lady washes or rubs first one hand and then 
 the other. 
 
 12. The shields ought to be re-painted. 
 
 13. Macbeth ought to put on his armour in the theatre, 
 at least, partially, otherwise he says too much without any 
 actual reference to anything. 
 
 14. He ought not to fight in his mantle of ermine. 
 
 G. 
 
 963. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 The review * is ingenious and throws light upon the 
 subject ; to find so much agreement about the main prin- 
 
 * The review of Schiller's Braut von Messina, which was sent to the 
 Litteratur-Zeitung, and appeared in it immediately.
 
 Letter 965.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 489 
 
 ciples must, of course, please me, even though a few in- 
 dividual points are still open to discussion. But I think 
 I shall, in any case, be able to come to an understanding 
 about these points with an art-critic whose mind is so 
 congenial to my own. 
 
 More by word of mouth. If you have nothing else in 
 view, I will make my appearance this evening at about 
 seven. To my house, which is still a cough-hospital, I 
 cannot invite you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 964. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 May 30, 1804. 
 
 Dr. Kohlrausch,* a Hanoverian, who comes from Eome 
 accompanying Frau von Humboldt, wishes to introduce 
 himself to you. He is sure to interest you, and will tell 
 you about von Humboldt and of Italian affairs. 
 
 I have nothing new to report, for I have heard but 
 little and done still less. The machine has not yet been 
 set a-going. 
 
 I have partly resolved what to do about the roles in the 
 Selbstqualer f that have still to be filled up, the others may 
 remain as they are till you return. 
 
 Farewell, and come soon again. My whole household 
 send you kind greetings. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 965. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 June 19, 1804. 
 Will you tell me what you have arranged to do to-day ? 
 Till about seven I shall be in my garden-house. After- 
 wards at home. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Humboldt had mentioned this physician — whom he had acciden- 
 tally met, and who had saved the life of his son Theodor — in a letter 
 to Schiller as an " excellent man, unusually well informed and of 
 great experience, of the most sympathetic disposition, and yet of the 
 greatest thoughtfulness and composure of manner." 
 
 t Einsiedel's translation of Terence's Heautontimoroumenos, which 
 was performed on April 30, and repeated on May 30.
 
 490 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [:C04. 
 
 966. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Accept my thanks for the beautiful things * which I 
 will bring back with me this evening, if yon will have me. 
 The journey to Jena will probably be undertaken in six 
 or seven days. Before that, however, we hope to have 
 you here again one evening. 
 
 At last a Charlotte Corday,\ which, it is true, I take up 
 with fear and hesitation, but my curiosity is great. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 967. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, July 25, 1804. 
 
 For some days I left the Allgemeine Zeitung unopened, 
 and so your copy remained here. I now send them all 
 together and they will doubtless serve as entertainment. 
 
 I have all this time kept to my Gotz, and hope to have 
 a clean manuscript and the roles copied out before the 
 actors return ; when shall we see it objectively and con- 
 sider what is next to be done ? If only it is somewhat 
 successful as regards length, I shall have no fear of 
 the rest. 
 
 Write and tell me that you are busy, and the rest of 
 your household well. 
 
 Thank you for having given Eichstadt,J a good re- 
 ception, which has pleased him very much. 
 
 Farewell, and keep me in remembrance. 
 
 G. 
 
 968. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 Jena, August 3, 1804. 
 I have indeed had a sharp attack, and it might easily 
 have become serious, but the danger has happily passed 
 
 * Probably some contributions sent in for the Litteratur- Zeitung, 
 and other articles. 
 
 t A tragedy of this name with • lionises was published that year in 
 Hamburg. 
 
 % The editor of the Litteratur-Zeitung and Schiitz's successor at the 
 university. Schiller seems not to have been very well disposed 
 towards him.
 
 Letter 969.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 491 
 
 off; things are now improving again, if only the intoler- 
 able heat would allow me to recover my strength. Sudden 
 and great nervous exhaustion at such a time of the year 
 is, in fact, almost killing, and during the eight days since 
 my illness, I have felt scarcely any trace of increase of 
 strength, although my head is tolerably clear and my 
 appetite very good again. 
 
 Very glad I am to hear that you have got so far with 
 your Gotz, and that, accordingly, we can look forward 
 with certainty to this dramatic feast. 
 
 Count Gessler is here at present, and will probably 
 remain another week. Perhaps you will come while he 
 is here. 
 
 Bode's review of Kotzebue is indeed a bad affair; but 
 an Allgemeine Zeitung could not be published at all, if 
 things were to be taken so very seriously. I think, there- 
 fore, that the work should be allowed to be published, 
 mutatis mutandis, and more especially abridged, inasmuch 
 as it recalls to mind the chief grievance one feels against 
 Kotzebue, and is merely insufficient, not actually false. 
 
 The enclosed melodies to Tell were sent to me from 
 Berlin. Get them played to you by Detouches or some 
 one and see what they are like. 
 
 Here all are well and send you kindest greetings. 
 
 Farewell ; remember me to our friends, especially to 
 Frau von Stein. Sch. 
 
 969. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, August 5, 1804. 
 
 To see your handwriting again was exceedingly de- 
 lightful to me. Your illness, which I did not hear of till 
 late, I have grumbled over and allowed to vex me, which 
 is the usual way in which my grief vents itself. Most 
 heartily glad I am that you are better. Be sure to 
 keep quiet while this hot weather lasts. 
 
 Enclosed is a letter from Zelter to you and to me. 
 His is one of those sterling and admirable natures 
 which should have been born under popes and cardinals 
 in very blunt times. How pitiable it is to see him lying 
 on this sand gasping for the element of his origin !
 
 492 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804. 
 
 To Count Gessler niy kindest greetings ; if I possibly 
 can I will come over this next week. 
 
 With regard to the review of Kotzebue I gladly conform 
 to your opinion. If you would ask Hofrath Eichstadt 
 about it, this sending too might be dispatched. 
 
 I take a sincere interest in the welfare of all your circle, 
 both older and younger, and I wish we could soon be 
 united again. 
 
 To Frau von Wolzogen many kind remembrances. 
 
 970. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 September 10, 1804. 
 Herewith a peculiar, I might almost say, a melancholy 
 bit of reading.* If people had not followed so many false 
 tendencies, and still followed them half intentionally, one 
 could not understand how they could produce such strange 
 stuff. I hope to see you to-day. 
 
 971. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 October 2, 1804. 
 Herewith an essay as a result of your yesterday's en- 
 couragement ! Will you kindly look through it and 
 assist me with your good advice ? 
 
 G. 
 
 972. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 October 28, 1804. 
 If you would again let me have Eochlitz's piece,f also 
 Lorenz Stark,% and the two others, I could think over and 
 arrange something for the future. More by word of 
 mouth shortly. 
 
 G. 
 
 * According to Diintzer, probably Tieck's Octavianus. 
 
 t His Kevanche, a comedy in two acts. 
 
 % Lorenz Starh, oder die deutsche Familie, a play in five acts, by 
 Fr. L. Schmidt (after Engel's novel of the same name), appeared 
 during the year 1804. See Letters 134 and 135.
 
 Letter 975.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 493 
 
 973. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 November 5, 1804. 
 I do not wish to disturb you, but should like to know 
 how matters stand and are progressing. Let me have a 
 few words, and tell me whether we could meet to-morrow. 
 
 G. 
 
 974. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 20, 1804. 
 Pardon me, dearest friend, for not having answered^your 
 note. My head is still most confused. I must, however, 
 inform you that the Minerva Yelletri * has arrived and 
 looks quite astonished at having to take part in the 
 Christmas festivities. All good be with you and yours ! 
 
 975.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 December 21, 1804. 
 While coming to enquire how you are, I will add a few 
 things about the state of affairs here, so that you may, in 
 the meantime, know how things stand. I hope to be able 
 to finish one half of the translation f by the middle of 
 January, the other half by the end of the month. With 
 regard to what might be said about it, is a matter for 
 further consideration. At first one steps into the water 
 and fancies that one can very well wade through it, but 
 as it becomes deeper and deeper, one finds oneself at last 
 obliged to swim. The' bomb of these conversations bursts 
 right in the middle of French literature, and one has to 
 take great care to show how and what it hits. Moreover, 
 Pallisot is still alive, and in his seventy-fourth year, 
 unless he died last year ; we shall all the more have to 
 beware of exposing weak points. 
 
 * Found in the year 1797, and described by Fernow the year follow- 
 ing in the Merkur. Goethe had probably received the plaster-cast 
 from Paris. 
 
 f Goethe's translation of Diderot's Le Neveu de Bameau which was 
 made from the manuscript. It did not appear in the original till 
 some years later.
 
 494 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1804. 
 
 And then many a critical point in the dialogue is 
 more difficult than I at first thought. The piece, The 
 Philosophers, is mentioned in it as given but shortly before, 
 and yet it was played for the first time in Paris on 
 May 20, 1760. Old Rameau was still alive. This fixes 
 the epoch previous at least to the year 1764, the date of 
 his death. Then, however, mention is made of the " trois 
 siecles de la litterature fraryaise" which only appeared in 
 1772. One would accordingly have to assume that the 
 dialogues were written at an earlier date and that they 
 were subsequently dished up again, which might very 
 well have given rise to such anachronisms. But before 
 expressing one's opinion upon such matters, matters must 
 be examined on all sides. When, therefore, this con- 
 tribution can be finished is difficult to say, as I must 
 get my account of Winchelmann* ready before Easter, 
 and it cannot be done at a moment's notice. All this I 
 tell you meanwhile for your kind consideration. Other- 
 wise I am very well and not altogether inactive. I am 
 living in the hope of better things and wish you the same. 
 
 G. 
 
 * Winchelmann und sein Jahrhundert, in Brief en und Au/scitzen.
 
 Letter 977.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 495 
 
 1805. 
 
 976.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 Herewith, for the New Year, a packet of plays with my 
 best wishes. As you will probably be glad to look at 
 them, please write down a few words about each of them. 
 This may lead to some result. Oels has no part to play 
 in Phadra, has he? He has asked for leave, which I am 
 all the more willing to grant him. 
 
 May I not soon expect to have a couple of acts ? The 
 appointed time is, with every day, coming closer upon us. 
 
 G. 
 
 977. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 9, 1805. 
 
 Let me, dearest friend, have a few words about yourself 
 and your work. My endeavours to approach high and 
 refined society, have not succeeded as well as they might 
 have. At all events I am driven back indoors again for 
 the next few days. Hence I should like to receive some 
 pleasant news from your citadel ; at the same time I wish 
 to know whether your wife would care to meet our lady- 
 friends here on Thursday morning? Wishing you good 
 health and goods spirits, 
 
 G. 
 
 I just hear that his Excellency is going to favour us to- 
 morrow. It would be very nice if you could decide to 
 join us.
 
 496 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 978. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 January 14, 1805. 
 I am very sorry to hear that your having to keep at 
 home is not voluntary on your part. Unfortunately we 
 are none of us quite strong, and he who is of necessity 
 forced to learn to put up with being ill, has the best of it. 
 I am very glad now that I formed the determination and 
 have commenced to -occupy myself with a translation. 
 Thus these days of misery have at all events been put to 
 some use, and I have lived and been active. During the 
 next eight days I shall now try and see whether I can put 
 myself into the proper humour for my Demetrius, which, 
 however, I doubt I shall not be able to do. If it cannot 
 be managed, I shall have to look up some other semi- 
 mechanical work. 
 
 Herewith I send you what has been copied out. To- 
 morrow my Eudolph will get the whole finished. 
 
 Would you look over the first sheets, occasionally com- 
 pare them with the original, and mark in pencil whatever 
 you may have to suggest. I should like to have it ready 
 as soon as possible, and before the roles are copied out. 
 
 If the roles are commenced the day after to-morrow, we 
 could have a reading-rehearsal next Sunday, and there 
 would still be ten days before the thirtieth. 
 
 The Duke has given me permission to read the Memoirs 
 of Marmontel * which you have just now, therefore, please 
 let me have them when you have finished with them. 
 
 The Grand Duchess yesterday again spoke with great 
 interest about your late recital. She is looking forward 
 to seeing and hearing many other things at your house. 
 Farewell, and let me too soon hear from you again. 
 Should you not be in the humour to read the sheets 
 through, please send me them back, so that I can make 
 use of the time for having them copied out. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 * Mtfmoires d'un Pere pour servir a Vinstruction de ses Enfants. 
 Goethe thought that Marmontel was not competent to judge of Rousseau, 
 whereas Voltaire and Necker seemed to stand bodily before one. These 
 Memoirs were going the round of the court at the time.
 
 Letteb 979.J SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 497 
 
 979. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I congratulate you upon the good use you are making 
 of this dangerous time. I have read the three acts with 
 great interest. The exposition of the piece is brief and 
 good, and the aroused passion gives it life. I entertain the 
 best hopes of it. In addition to this, some of the chief 
 passages must produce an excellent effect as soon as the 
 motives are admitted. In these, moreover, the diction is 
 admirable. I had commenced to insert a few alterations 
 here and there, but they refer merely to a case that occurs 
 several times, where a hiatus arises, or two short unim- 
 portant syllables take the place of an iambus ; both cases 
 make the already short line still shorter, and I have 
 noticed at the time of performances, that an actor, as it 
 were, breaks down and loses his composure in such passages, 
 particularly where they are pathetic. It will cost you 
 but little trouble to alter these passages. Be good enough 
 also to hurry the copying out of the parts as much as 
 possible ; for the piece has, of course, still to be learnt and 
 rehearsed. 
 
 Marmontel's Life I send you back with pleasure, it will 
 give you a few days' pleasant diversion. In it you will 
 once or twice come upon the finance minister, Bouret, who 
 has become interesting to us through Kameau's cousin. 
 Be kind enough merely to note the page. I can make 
 good use of the few traits for my notes. 
 
 If our young Princess is pleased with what we can 
 offer, all our wishes are fulfilled. One of our set can 
 only say with the apostle : " Gold and silver have I none, 
 but what 1 have I give in the name of the Lord." Be 
 Bure also to think what we could present to her on such 
 occasions. They would have to be short things, but of all 
 kinds and descriptions, and that which lies nearest does 
 not generally occur to me. 
 
 Farewell, and hold me in remembrance. As soon as I 
 dare venture out again I shall come to see you one evening. 
 I have been reading all kinds of things out of ennui, for 
 
 VOL. II. 2 K
 
 498 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 instance, Amadis von Gallien* It is really a disgrace to 
 have become so old without having become acquainted 
 with so admirable a work, except from the mouth of 
 parodists. 
 
 G. 
 
 The last pages f which I read afterwards also pleased 
 me very much. 
 
 980. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (January 17, 1805.) 
 
 Your Mitschuldigen gave general pleasure yesterday, and 
 will do so even more when the actors know better how to 
 handle the style of verse. Becker did his best, at times ; 
 Silie did very well also ; Unzelmann did not suit his part 
 altogether ; with Wolf one could be satisfied. 
 
 There was every now and again some hitch, but the 
 good humour into which the piece transports one, did not 
 allow these points, respecting propriety, to hold good. 
 The Grand Duchess was greatly delighted, and the sublime 
 passage with the chair J especially, did not fail to produce 
 its effect. 
 
 In the case of your Burger-General it has again occurred 
 to me that it would be well to omit, as far as possible, 
 the moral passages, more especially from the role of the 
 Nobleman. For, as the interest in the circumstance has 
 ceased, it lies, so to say, outside of the play. 
 
 The little piece deserves to be held in the favour which 
 it has met with, and it will be very well to give it a 
 more rapid course. 
 
 Yesterday, when I saw Unzelmann again, I felt doubt- 
 ful whether I could entrust Hippolytus to him, principally 
 because he still does not possess actual manliness, and 
 there is still too much of the boy in him. If Oels should 
 
 * A romance of the sixteenth century. 
 
 t The beginning of the fourth act of Phiidra. 
 
 X Scene iv. in the third act. of which Cliodowiecki has given a 
 delightful ilivstration in a vignette to the second volume of Goethe'a 
 works.
 
 Letter 981.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 499 
 
 be here in time I would prefer having him, and he would 
 be in time if only he were certain to be here by Wednes- 
 day, for he learns well and the role is not a long one. 
 I hope to hear that you are feeling better again. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 981. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Now, whether — according to the ancient doctrine — the 
 himores peccantes roam about the body, or whether — ac- 
 cordiDg to modern ideas — the comparatively weaker parts 
 are at a disadvantage, in my case at all events, there is 
 some hitch, first in one part and then in another, and my 
 troubles have wandered from the bowels to the diaphragm, 
 thence to my chest, then to my throat, and after that to 
 my eye, where they are least of all welcome. 
 
 Thank you for having consented to attend yesterday's 
 performance. As the piece was favourably received, some 
 other things might be done to it, as in fact have already 
 been done, for various alterations were made. It seems to 
 me that the main point will be that what, in any case, is 
 still too much opposed to propriety, should be tempered and 
 altered, and that something more cheerful, pleasant, and 
 hearty should be introduced into it. During the couple of 
 rehearsals which I had in my room, many things occurred 
 to me. I send you herewith the stage version, from 
 which you will already be able to judge of the alterations 
 which I have made in this sense, and give me your advice 
 regarding further ones. We shall also be able to work up 
 the actors more, and it is worth the trouble, for it is a 
 matter of greater importance than people are inclined to 
 admit, to have one piece more in one's repertoire. 
 
 My Burger- General I shall take in hand as soon as 
 possible. I had thought of casting out the dogmatic 
 character of the Nobleman altogether; however in that 
 case one would have to devise some happy means at the 
 end for uniting the objectionable elements by a piece of 
 fun, in order that there should be no necessity for a Deas 
 ex machina. This will have to be considered. 
 
 As Oels has leave till the twenty-sixth, we shall probably 
 
 2 K 2
 
 500 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 have to keep to the first arrangement. I wish to hear 
 how far you have got, and when you think you will be 
 able to have reading-rehearsals. 
 
 As I am still unable to go out, you will perhaps come 
 early for a little, perhaps to dinner. If so, I would send 
 you the carriage. 
 
 I hope that things may go well with you, and that you 
 are thinking of projects of your own. 
 
 982. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 In the theatre, as usual, and especially just now — owing 
 to a variety of circumstances — there is all kinds of talk, 
 and it is reported — probably to annoy Frau Becker — that 
 we delayed about distributing the parts merely because 
 we expected Frau Unzelmann, who is not coming after all. 
 If you know of anything that can throw light upon this 
 gossip write and tell me. I must look seriously into this, 
 unless I wish things to become worse than they are. 
 Write and let me know how you and yours are. 
 
 G. 
 
 983. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 . As you know yourself how much I counted upon Frau 
 Becker when I first thought of this translation, in fact 
 that it was chiefly on her account that I chose the Phedre 
 and not the Britannicus, you can easily imagine how 
 strange to me must be the gossip that is going about. I 
 do not know in the least what can have given rise to it, 
 unless it be that I told Oels, when he came to me before 
 he left for Berlin and asked me if I had any message to 
 send, that I had a piece in hand which contained an 
 interesting role for Madame Unzelmann. But how he could 
 have understood this to mean that Madame Unzelmann 
 was to play the part here, I do not comprehend. 
 
 My children, thank God, have not had any relapses, ar \ 
 I hope, will be well again in a few days.
 
 Letter 985.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 501 
 
 My catarrh has not yet left me, although it i« no longer 
 violent. Marmontel's Memoires are engaging my atten- 
 tion very much, the acheminement to the Revolution, in 
 particular, is very well described. It will interest me to 
 talk to you about Necker when we see each other again ; 
 for you no doubt know him from his own writings, and 
 know in how far Marmontel's account of him is true. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 984. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 January 24, 1805. 
 Herewith, my dearest friend, the opus.* Have the kind- 
 ness to read it over attentively, to put your remarks in 
 the margin, and then to give me your opinion of it. After- 
 wards I will read it over again, make use of your notes, 
 fill up some of the gaps, perhaps modify some of the 
 cynical passages, and then it can go off. To read it aloud 
 to you and yours was what I had hoped to do, but this is 
 now impossible. What are the little ones about ? 
 
 G. 
 
 985. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I send you back meanwhile what I have read of Rameau, 
 the rest shall follow to-morrow. There were very few 
 remarks to make, and several of them would perhaps only 
 have occurred to me. 
 
 I looked to see whether the translation of the French 
 vous by our Uir might not occasionally have given rise to 
 some discrepancy, but did not notice anything of the kind. 
 It was at all events better than to use the Sie. 
 
 With regard to the point of propriety I had not much to 
 suggest. It might be sufficient to give merely the first 
 letter "J" of the improper words, and thus to pay one's 
 respects to decorum without sacrificing the matter. 
 
 In my house things still look like a hospital, but the 
 
 * Rameau's Neffen, a dialogue of Diderot's translated from the manu- 
 script, with notes by Goethe. See Letter 975. 
 t This was actuaLly done.
 
 502 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 doctor consoles us by saying that there is not m 'ch wrong 
 with our little one. 
 
 Would you be so good as to interest yourself a little 
 about my Phddra f I mean about the principal parts ; it 
 might perhaps be specially needful to help Hippolytus on 
 to the right track. When he read his part a short time 
 ago, there was too much vehemence in his delivery, he 
 confounds it with power and pathos. 
 
 Farewell, and may you soon again appear as a good 
 spirit to us. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 986. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 February 22, 1808. 
 
 If you do not mind writing a few words, do let me 
 know how you are ? For, much as I am interested, I have 
 not heard anything. 
 
 I have again succeeded in getting into a state of rest, 
 composure, and susceptibility, but nevertheless cannot 
 produce anything ; and this to some extent worries me, for 
 I would gladly see my Winckelmann set aside. 
 
 How much I wish I could see you again soon. Hoping 
 for the best, 
 
 G. 
 
 987. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 February 22, 1805. 
 
 It was pleasant to me to see a few lines in your hand- 
 writing, and it has again awakened my belief in the return 
 of the old state of things, which I have at times quite 
 despaired of. The two severe attacks which I have had 
 within the space of seven months have shaken my system 
 to its very foundation, and I shall have difficulty in recover- 
 ing my strength. 
 
 It is true my present attack seems to have been merely 
 the general epidemic that is going about, but the fever in 
 my case was so great, and it seized me when I was already 
 in such a weak state, that I feel as if I had arisen from a 
 most severe illness, and find it specially difficult to struggle
 
 Letter 988.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 503 
 
 against a certain listlessness, which is the m orst trouble 
 in my case. 
 
 I am anxious to hear whether you have yet sent off the 
 manuscript of Bameau. Goeschen has not written any- 
 thing about it to me, and, in fact, for the last fortnight I 
 have not heard of anything that is going on in the 
 world. 
 
 I trust that things may daily and hourly improve with 
 you and with me too, so that we may soon see each other 
 in gladness. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 988.— Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 I herewith send you my Bameau 1 8 Neffe, with the request 
 that you will send it on to Leipzig to-morrow by the mail 
 coach. Kindly see that it is wrapped up in a thick cover, 
 so that the manuscript may not be harmed. It must go 
 as it is, even though it may require a few alterations 
 when it comes back in print. To give the finishing 
 touches to such a matter is certainly not work for a con- 
 valescent state. 
 
 When I have finished with Winckelmann, I will see 
 whether I have time and courage left to add the alpha- 
 betical literary notes to Bameau. 
 
 I have written some observations on the manuscript, 
 which may, in some measure, be a guide to the printer. 
 
 Your Phadra I shall in every respect be very glad to look 
 over. 
 
 As for the rest we must be patient and do what we can, 
 till we are able to accomplish something better. I drive 
 out every day, and am again hearing something of what 
 is going on in the world. 
 
 I hope soon to pay you a visit, and trust that I shall 
 find your strength improving. 
 
 I also enclose the engravings for Tell, and a few novelties 
 of various kinds.
 
 504 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 989. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 February 26, 1805. 
 As you are probably in the humour for reading in your 
 present circumstances, I send you a goodly bundle of 
 Litteratur-Zeitungen, and our Winckelmanniana, &c, which, 
 as far as I know, you have not yet seen. I have again 
 run off into French literature while at work with the 
 notes I spoke of, and something will come of this. 
 
 Things do seem to be progressing with me. How do 
 things look with you ? I am anxiously hoping to see you 
 again. 
 
 G. 
 
 990. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 With genuine pleasure have I read the series of aesthetic 
 reviews,* which do not leave one in any doubt as to their 
 author. If only you could decide upon taking a critical 
 ramble like this from time to time, you would not a little 
 promote the good cause generally, and more especially 
 what is best for the Jenaische Zeitung. It is just this 
 creative construction of works and of minds, and this 
 admirable way of directing attention to the points of effect, 
 that is wanting in all criticisms, and yet this alone can 
 lead to anything. 
 
 The reviews are moreover written in so pleasant and 
 cheerful a tone, that the information is imparted in the 
 pleasantest way ; it would only cost you the trouble of 
 dictating, and certainly occasion no less happy sallies | 
 than the Niirnberg philistine is, with consciousness. 
 
 Sonntagsfruhe (Sunday Morning) J I should like to read 
 in the pure, high German language of a poet, for the 
 dialect, at least in reading, is always somewhat disturbing. 
 
 * In the Litteratur-Zeitung which Goethe sent to Schiller shortly 
 before (see Letter 989), and now in Goethe's Works, vol. xxxii. 
 128-141, 160-173. 
 
 t Of Griibel, Goethe had said that he had an extraordinary advan- 
 tage over others of his sect, inasmuch as he was " consciously " a Nurn« 
 berg philistine. 
 
 X A poem by Helel which Goethe had given as a specimen.
 
 Letter 991.] SJHILLER AND GOETHE. 505 
 
 The poem is most admirable, and has an irresistible 
 charm. 
 
 Thank you for the Winckelmann Letters. They have 
 come just in time to aid my convalescent state. I am 
 continuing to improve, and propose one day soon to try 
 and go out. 
 
 Could you procure me Schlozer's Nestor* or let me know 
 where I could get it ? 
 
 Continue to get more cheerful and to gain in strength. 
 Perhaps, if the wind subsides, I shall venture out and pay 
 you a visit. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 P.S. — Miiller's academic lecture f is somewhat scanty 
 and meagre, and betrays the sand upon which it has sprung 
 up. As this historiographer of Prussia is scarcely ever 
 likely to succeed in writing a history of that monarchy, he 
 ought and should have been able at this his first and last 
 opportunity, to have said something very ingenious and 
 rich in substance ; in that case our good German public 
 would have everlastingly regretted that it had not received 
 a whole work from so excellent a hand. 
 
 991. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, February 28, 1805. 
 You have given me great pleasure by your approval of 
 my reviews. In such matters one never knows whether 
 one is not doing too much, while by doing too little, one, 
 in fact, does nothing. 
 
 I intend acting in a similar way with regard to the 
 notes to Bameau which I am at present dictating at times, 
 all the more so as the text is of that kind where the notes 
 
 * Sehlozer hud in 1802 commenced a translation of this earliest of 
 the Russian chroniclers under the title of Rwsische Annalen, of which, 
 up to the year 1805, only four volumes, extending to the year 945, had 
 appeared. Schiller wished to become acquainted with Russian history, 
 and the account given of it by the famous chronicler, for the sake of 
 his Demetrius. 
 
 f Miiller's lecture Ueber die Geschichte Friedrichs II. was delivered 
 in the Berlin Academy of Sciences on January 24, 1805.
 
 506 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 also require to be well spiced. At this opportunity many 
 things may be freely said about French literature which 
 we have hitherto generally treated too rigidly as models 
 or the reverse. And then, as the same story is played 
 all over the world, a very faithful representation of their 
 works is just what we are ourselves witnessing at present. 
 
 I very much wish to see you again. But do not venture 
 out too soon, especially in this wild weather. 
 
 There is nothing new to send you to-day and therefore 
 I will only say that, with all my heart, I wish that you 
 may be well again soon. 
 
 G. 
 
 992. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 March 27, 1805. 
 
 Do let me hear how you have been during these last 
 days. I have, at last, settled to my work again in all 
 earnestness, and hope no longer to be so easily distracted. 
 
 It was difficult to settle down again after such long 
 interruptions and unfortunate intermediate occurrences, 
 and I had to put constraint upon myself. Xow, however, 
 I am in swing again. 
 
 The cold north-east wind will, I am afraid, make your 
 recovery more difficult, as it does mine, and yet I have 
 been feeling better than I usually do when the barometer 
 has been in the same state. 
 
 Would you kindly send me the French Rameau for 
 Goeschen ? I will do my best to get him to send you the 
 proof sheets immediately they are printed. 
 
 Farewell ; I am longing for a few lines from you. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 993. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 19, 1805. 
 
 As, at Cotta's next coming, there might be some talk 
 
 of an edition of my works, I find it necessary to make you 
 
 acquainted with my earlier connection with Goeschen. 
 
 Your friendship and knowledge of such matters will relieve
 
 Letter 994.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 507 
 
 me from the necessity of locking through the unpleasant 
 papers at present. 
 
 Besides this I must mention that Goeschen printed an 
 edition in four volumes under the wrong dates of 1787 
 and 1791, of which there had not been any talk between 
 us. Wishing you all good, 
 
 994. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 20, 1805. 
 
 Thank you very much for looking over the papers, and 
 I am glad to find that we are of one mind with regard to 
 the obligations in question. It is certainly a strange look 
 into days that have out lately passed and yet are different 
 in so many respects. We will discuss the subject more 
 closely when we have an opportunity, and make arrange- 
 ments for its further development. 
 
 The three sketches * relating to Winchelmann were sent 
 off yesterday. I do not remember which painter or 
 dilettante wrote beneath his picture, in doloribus pinxit. 
 This sub-scription might very well apply to my present 
 work. I only hope that the reader may not be at all 
 aware of the state of the case, in the same way as no one 
 ever noticed a trace of gout-pains in the jokes of Scarron. 
 
 I have now set to work with the notes to BameaiCs 
 Neffe, and of course have got into the wide and large 
 domain of music. I shall take care and merely run 
 through a few principal lines, and then, as soon as possible, 
 again make my way out of this realm, where I am, alter 
 all, somewhat of a stranger. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your work, and am delighting 
 in the prospect of seeing something of it soon. 
 
 G. 
 
 * In Goethe's treatise, Winchelmann und seine Zeit, Winckelmann'a 
 letters to Berendis were followed by Meyer's Enhvurf einer Kunstne- 
 schiclite des achtzelmten Jahrhunderts and three Skizzen zu einer Schil- 
 derung Winckelmanns by Goethe, Meyer, and Fr. A. Wolf, without 
 giving the authors' names. In the Preface, however, the authors are 
 described as being gleichdenkende Freunde 'friends of one mind) who 
 offer "the small tribute as a testimony of their sentiments towards 
 the great man, not as an account of his merits."
 
 508 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 995. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 Weimar, April 23, 1805. 
 
 I write to let you know what came from Leipzig yester- 
 day. Goeschen seems not to wish the notes, while I have 
 been busily working at them. 
 
 Have the kindness to go over them and to mark what 
 you may find to be too paradoxical, bold and insufficient. 
 I think that these pages, which do not exhaust the half 
 of the names occurring in the ' dialogue, should, if still 
 possible, be worked out and sent off : for, in fact, the main 
 points in question have already been discussed in it, and the 
 rest is more incidental and concerns his life which at this 
 distance of time and place we shall not be able to fathom. 
 Theatrical names such as Clairon, Preville, Dumenil, are 
 already well known, and are not of the first importance 
 even in the dialogue itself. Well, I say again, be so 
 good as to look through the pages, to think the matter 
 over and to discuss it with me one of these days. My 
 kindest farewell. 
 
 G. 
 
 996. — Schiller to Goethe. 
 
 April 24, 1805. 
 
 The notes read remarkably well, even apart from the 
 text upon which they throw very great light. What you 
 have said about French taste, about authors and the public 
 in general, and, moreover, with a side glance at our Ger- 
 many, is as happy and true as the articles on music and 
 musicians, on Palissot and others are appropriate and 
 instructive for an annotated work. Your giving Voltaire's 
 letter to Palissot, and placing Eousseau above Rameau, 
 produce a good effect. 
 
 I found but few remarks to make, and even these 
 merely referred to expressions, with exceptions of one 
 short passage in the note on Taste which I did not quite 
 understand. 
 
 As the notes seem to be all but finished, the question is 
 whether they mi^ht not be despatched at once by to- 
 morrow's post. I have found fifteen articles among them
 
 Letter 998a.] SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 509 
 
 which were interesting in themselves, and even the half of 
 this number would have justified the notes. Moreover, I 
 estimate that they will print, at least, three sheets, which 
 I call equipping the text sufficiently well. 
 
 Farewell, and ever better ! Do not forget to send :ae 
 Elpenor* 
 
 Sch. 
 
 997. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated. ) 
 Be so kind as to take out the article Le Mievre from the 
 manuscript. I have just discovered that I have been 
 mistaken in the person. 
 
 G. 
 
 998. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 Herewith at last is the manuscript which I beg you to 
 look at again and then to send on to Leipzig. Were it 
 not that everything one does is extemporised, I should 
 have many scruples about these very extemporised notes. 
 My greatest consolation in this that I can say : sine me ibis 
 liber I for I should not care to be present everywhere 
 that it may go. 
 
 I have meanwhile recommenced to dictate my history of 
 the theory of colours, and shall soon have settled a difficult 
 chapter in the middle of it. 
 
 As for the rest, I keep very well as long as I take my 
 daily ride. But as soon as I make a break in this, many 
 unpleasantries arise. I hope to see you soon. 
 
 G. 
 
 998a. — Goethe to Schiller. 
 
 (Not dated.) 
 
 The enclosed little note be so kind as to have despatched 
 
 to Leipzig, and when you have time, to read through the 
 
 inclosed attempt at treating the history of the theory of 
 
 colours. Keep the manuscript by you till I send the end 
 
 * A work of Goethe's. See Letters 478, 479, 480, etc.
 
 510 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN [1805. 
 
 of the chapter. It is prefixed by a short sketch for 
 reviewing the whole. 
 
 G. 
 
 999. — Schiller to Goethe.* 
 
 Weimar, April 1805. 
 
 Your notes end merrily enough with Voltaire, and 
 the reader gets a goodly load to go away with. How- 
 ever, in this very last article I find myself at some dis- 
 agreement with you, both as regards the list of qualities 
 necessary to make a good author, and its application to 
 Voltaire. 
 
 It is true the list is meant merely to be an empiric 
 enumeration of the predicates which one feels induced to 
 express when reading a good author; but when these 
 qualities come to stand in a row, it strikes one as odd to 
 see such words as genera and species, principal colours 
 and colour-tones, cited one beside the other. At all 
 events, in this list, I should have avoided using such 
 grand and highly-comprehensive words as genius, under- 
 standing, intellect, style, &c, and kept simply within 
 the bounds of moods and shades of mood that are of only 
 partial application. 
 
 Further, I missed in the series other definitions, such as 
 character, energy, and fire, precisely that which constitutes 
 the power of so many authors, and which can in no way be 
 included among those before mentioned. It would indeed 
 be difficult to assign a character to Voltaire's Proteus. 
 
 It is true that in denying that Voltaire possesses depth, 
 you have pointed out one of his chief defects ; but still I 
 should have liked you to have stated that, like all French- 
 men as a rule, he is also very much wanting in what is 
 called Gemiith. Gemilth and Herz you have not enumerated 
 in the list ; true they are in part included among other 
 predicates, but still not in the full sense in which they 
 are generally understood. 
 
 Finally, I would have you consider whether Louis XIV. 
 
 * This last letter of Schiller's, which Goethe kept among his trea- 
 sures, was not published either in the first or the second edition of the 
 Correspondence. Diintzer, in his Erlauterungen, gives a reprint of it 
 horn Riemer's Brief e von und an Goethe.
 
 SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 511 
 
 — who, aftel all, was in reality a very weak character, 
 who never achieved mnch in war as a hero by his per- 
 sonality, and whvjse proud representative government, to 
 speak fairly, was the work of the two very active minis- 
 terial governments who preceded him, and prepared the 
 field for him — whether Louis XIV. represents the character 
 of a French king better than Henry IV. 
 
 This heteros logos occurred to me while reading it, and I 
 wished to let you know of it. 
 
 Sch. 
 
 Schiller was taken ill on April 29th. Goethe relates 
 that he paid his friend a visit on that evening : " I found 
 him just starting for the theatre, and would not allow 
 him to remain away on my account. I was not feeling 
 very well myself, and this prevented my accompanying 
 him, so we parted — never to meet again." 
 
 From young Voss, who was in the habit of joining 
 Schiller in his box at the theatre after the close of a play, 
 we learn that, on the evening in question, he found 
 Schiller in a violent fever and shivering. He was im- 
 mediately taken home and carefully attended to. During 
 the following week he was very much reduced in strength 
 and confined to his sofa, but was able to see several 
 friends. One of these was the publisher Cotta who was 
 on his way to Leipzig, and whom Schiller wished to see 
 on his return journey with regard to the publication of 
 Goethe's works (See Letter 993). He himself had no idea 
 that his end was approaching, and those around him — 
 although conscious that his frequent attacks of illness 
 during the last months had told most severely upon him — 
 sought comfort in the thought that they had often seen 
 their beloved patient in as precarious a condition, and 
 fondly hoped that the spring, he so loved, would restore 
 him to his usual state of health. This, however, was not 
 to be. On the evening of the 9th of May a sudden change 
 came, and before his wife — who had left him but for a few 
 minutes — could reach his side, Schiller had fallen into his 
 last sleep.
 
 512 
 
 SCHILLER AND GOETHE. 
 
 Goethe himsef was very unwell during these days of 
 Schiller's last illness, and his friends avoided, as much as 
 possible, speaking to him on a subject which they knew 
 would only have distressed him. The sorrowful tidings 
 of Schiller's death reached Goethe's house when Heinrich 
 Meyer — their mutual friend — was there ; and as Meyer 
 could not summon up courage to break the intelligence 
 to Goethe, he left the house without taking leave of any 
 one. Goethe, who had noticed this, said to his wife next 
 morning : " I feel sure that Schiller must be very ill ;" and 
 his wife knowing that the truth could not be withheld from 
 him much longer, gently told him of his friend's death. 
 " Half of my existence is gone from me," Goethe wrote to 
 Zelter shortly afterwards, and later we again have his 
 own words: "My diary is a blank at this period; the 
 white pages intimate the blank in my existence. In those 
 days I took no interest in anything."
 
 513 ) 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 The figures refer to the number of the Letters. 
 
 5' I 
 
 Abraham a St. Clara, 524, 525, 531 
 Abramson, medailion-maker, 155, 
 
 159 
 'Achilleid/ by Goethe, 401, 424, 
 
 460, 461, 470, 472, 473, 474, 580, 
 
 583, 584, 585, 586, 588, 589, 591, 
 
 593, 594, 595 
 ' Adrastea,' by Herder, 804, 805 
 
 * Aeonis,' by Herder, 805 
 
 ' Agnes von Lilien,' by Frau von 
 Wolzogen (in the ' Horen ') 252 
 253, 257, 315, 352, 423, 425 
 
 Ahhvardt of Anklam, 337 
 
 1 Alarkos,' a drama by Fr. Schlegel, 
 856, 857, 858, 860, 861 
 
 * Alexis und Dora,' an idyll by Goethe 
 
 in the ' Musenulmanach ' for 1797, 
 
 163, 168, 171,173, 182, 185, 186, 
 
 217, 246 
 Aliieri, 881 
 Almanack of the Muses (see ' Musen- 
 
 almanach). 
 Amadis von Gallien, 979 
 Anaglyphs, Attempts in, (see 
 
 Facius). 
 4 Annals of Suffering Humanity,' 
 
 (article in this periodical attack- 
 ing the 4 Xenia '), 315 
 ■Antonius und Cleopatra,' a 
 
 drama, (by E. A. Horn?), 682, 
 
 683 
 4 Antwerp, Siege of,' by Schiller, 26, 
 
 27, 28, 30, 59, 62 
 Archenholz, T. Wilhelm von, the 
 
 historian, 125 
 
 VOL. U. 
 
 4 Archives of the Time,' 102, 103, 
 
 105, 108, 247 
 Arends, the architect, 12, 14 
 Aristophanes, 291, 294 
 Aristotle, 4 On the Art of Poetrr,' 
 
 306, 311, 312; 4 On Colours,' 
 
 869, 870 
 Arnold of Strassburg, 911 
 4 Athenaeum,' published by the 
 
 brothers Schlegel, 471, 491, 492, 
 
 583, 645, 646 
 Augustenburg, Prince of, 18 
 Augusti, Professor in Jena, 803 
 
 Baader, Joseph von, the engineer, 
 
 756 
 Baggesen, Jens (Immanuel), 82, 
 
 199, 200 
 Beaumarchais, 4 La mere coupable,' 
 
 201, 215 
 Becker, the actor, 866, 886, 903, 
 
 910, 954, 980 
 
 ■, , the actress, 982, 983 
 
 , postmaster in Jena, 628 
 
 4 Bell, The Song of the,' {see 
 
 4 Glocke '). 
 I 4 Berglied,' bv Schiller, 946, 947, 
 
 950 
 4 Berlichingen, Goetz von,' by 
 
 Goethe, 909, 910, 959, 967, 968 
 Bernhard, Saint, 848, 849 
 Bertuch, Fr., editor of the ' Journal 
 
 des Luxus und der Moden,' 840 
 Beschort, the actor, 862 
 
 2 L
 
 514 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bianchi, the composer, 469 
 
 Biester, editor of the 'Berlinische 
 Monatsschrift, 237 
 
 Blumenbach, John Friedrich, the 
 naturalist, 226, 227, 822 
 
 Bode, Dr. August, son of the Berlin 
 astronomer, 931, 969 
 
 Boie, 231, 244, 262, 263, 322, 353, 
 421, 422 
 
 Bolt, engraver in Berlin, 187, 
 189 
 
 Bottiger, Karl August, the archae- 
 ologist and author, 139 : on the 
 ' Xenia' in the ' Journal des Luxus 
 und der Moden,' January 1796, 
 151, 237; on Iffland, 242, 321, 
 335, 350, 366/), 413, 416, 417, 
 423, 439, 460, 462, 464, 492, 
 578, 580, 581, 608, 645, 646, 
 800, 928, 940 
 
 Bourflers, Le Marquis de, 557, 558, 
 559 
 
 Bouterweck's sesthetical writings, 
 409, 410 
 
 Boyle, Robert, the naturalist, 
 427 
 
 Brandis, his ' Zoonomia,' 139, 140 
 
 ' Braut in Trauer,' a project of 
 Goethe's for a poem, 756, 757 
 
 Brinkmann, Karl Gustav von, 432, 
 434, 435, 437, 460 
 
 Brown, John, his ' Elementa Medi- 
 cinal,' 849 
 
 Building of the palace in Weimar, 
 642 
 
 Burger, Elise, wife of the poet, 853, 
 854, 855, 856, 857, 860 
 
 1 Burgergeneral, Der,' by Goethe, 
 980, 981 
 
 * Biirgschaft, Die,' ballad by Schiller 
 308, 509 
 
 Calderon, his ' Fernando, Prince of 
 
 Portugal,' 948 
 Campe, Joachim Heinrich, on the 
 
 ' Xenia,' 271 
 Carlsbad, Goethe there in 1795, 
 
 82-85 
 Carstens, 'Representation of Kantian 
 
 ideas in allegorical illustrations, 
 151, 152, 157 
 
 C irver, Thomas, ' Travels through 
 the Interior Parts of North 
 America,' (the source of Schiller's 
 ' Xadowessian Death Song ') 337, 
 338 
 
 Caspers, the actress, 723, 789 
 
 ' Cassandra,' a poem by Schiller, 
 839 
 
 Castel, his ' Optique des Couleurs,' 
 136, 427 
 
 ' Cellini,' by Goethe, in the ' Horen,' 
 88, 151, 153, 154, 162, 168, 172, 
 173, 227, 244, 277, 278, 296, 
 319 ; conclusion of the same, 325 ; 
 Second Edition, 441, 443, 876, 
 
 881, 885, 886, 905, 940 
 Century, celebration of the turn of 
 
 the, 1801, 777, 778, 779 
 ' Ceres, Lament of,' (see ' Lament ') 
 Cervantes, 134 
 ' Chase, The,' (see ' Jagd.') 
 ' Chinaman in Rome, The,' (J. P. 
 
 Richter). Poem by Goethe in the 
 
 1 Musenalmanach,' 1797, 210, 
 
 211 
 Chladni, Dr., his ' Acoustics,' 881, 
 
 882, K85 
 
 Cimarosa, his opera, 'II marito 
 disperato,' 421 
 
 ' Clery, Memoires de,' 502 
 
 ' Conversations in Verse,' poems by 
 Goethe : ' The Page and the 
 Miller's Daughter,' 3636, 367; 
 ' The Yotvth and the Mill-stream,' 
 372, 376 ; ' The Miller's Dau enter 
 Betrayed,' 378; 'The Repent- 
 ance of the Miller's Daughter,' 
 378 
 
 Conz, Karl Phillip, philologist and 
 poet, 213, 504 
 
 Cook, Captain, his ' Voyages,' 428 
 
 Copenhagen, feeling against the 
 'Xenia' in, 245, 246 
 
 Cordemann, the actor, 906, 928 
 
 Corneille, Schiller's opinion of him, 
 604 
 
 Cotta, the publisher, 1, 12, 30, 31, 
 42, 67, 136, 137, 3636., 364, 409,
 
 INDEX. 
 
 515 
 
 415, 459, 461, 471, 472, 473, 514, 
 621, 734, 774, 817, 860, 901, 905, 
 993 
 1 Cranes, The,' (see ' Kraniche.') 
 Crebillon, Goethe's opinion of, 664 
 
 Dalberg, E. Th. von, (the 'Coad- 
 jutor '), 46, 242, 835, 843 
 
 Dannecker, Schiller's bust by, 363, 
 364, 366 
 
 Darwin, Erasmus, 140; his ' Botanic 
 Garden,' 419, 420 
 
 ' Demetrius,' by Schiller, 822, 978 
 
 Detouches, Franz, the composer, 
 834 
 
 ' Deutscher Parnass,' (' Sanger- 
 wiirde ') by Goethe, in the 
 « Musenalmanach,' 1799, 491, 
 492 
 
 1 Deutschland,' a journal edited by 
 Reichard, 228 
 
 Diderot. 3, 4, 128, 132, 135, 257, 
 260 ' Sur la Peinture,' 354, 356 
 ' Rameau's Neffe,' remodelled 
 bv Goethe, 975, 985, 987, 988, 
 991, 992, 994, 996, 997, 998, 
 898/. 
 Dignity of Women,' (see ' Wiirde ') 
 
 Dillettanteism, Goethe on, 602, 603, 
 615, 628, 630 
 Distribution of the Earth,' (see 
 ' Theilung ') 
 
 ' Diver, The,' (see ' Taucher ') 
 
 1 Diversions,' (see ' Emigrants') 
 
 ' Don Carlos,' drama by Schiller, 
 17, 850 
 
 Don Juan, Schiller's project for a 
 ballad on this subject, 308, 310, 
 311 
 
 Eberhard, Johann August, pro- 
 fessor of philosophy in Halle, 
 240 
 
 Eckardshausen, Count Karl von, 
 715, 716 
 
 * Edelknabe und Mullerin,' poem by 
 Goethe, 3636, 364, 367 
 
 Education, "Letters on aesthetic 
 
 (see ' Letters,') 
 ' Egmont,' drama by Goethe, 162, 
 
 163 
 Ehlers, the actor, 866 
 Eichhorn, Johann Gottfried, Pro- 
 fessor of biblical and oriental 
 
 literature in Gottingen. His 
 
 'Introduction to the Old Testa- 
 ment,' 300 
 Einsiedel, von, 380, 393, 419, 423, 
 
 885 
 ' Eisbahn, Die,' poem by Goethe in 
 
 the ' Musenalmanach,' 1797, 213, 
 
 214 
 ' Elegies,' by Goethe, 17, 20, 21, 24, 
 
 25, 30, 64, 65. 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 
 
 72, 85, 89, 122, 844 
 , of ' Propertius,' by Knebel, 
 
 (see ' Propertius.') 
 1 Elpenor,' by Goethe, 478, 479, 480, 
 
 481, 996 
 ' Emigrants, Diversion of German,' 
 
 by Goethe, 22, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 
 
 35, 38, 39, 65, 76, 77, 80, 88 
 , 'The Honest Procurator,' 21, 
 
 51, 52, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61 
 , ' Anecdote of the Actress 
 
 Clairon,' 29, 30, 32, 33 
 , 'The Story,' 88, 89, 91, 92, 
 
 93, 94, 95, 97", 98, 100, 101, 105, 
 
 106, 107, 109, 123, 124, 137, 
 
 138 
 Engel, Johann Jacob, director of 
 
 the Berlin theatre, 19, 105, 125, 
 
 134, 135, 972 
 ' Epigrams, Venetian,' by Goethe, 
 
 40, 88, 89, 97, 98, 99,* 100, 129, 
 
 144, 199 
 ' Epistles,' by Goethe, in the ' Horen, 
 
 20, 21, 22, 25, 31, 35, 37 
 Erasmus, his ' Adagia,' 396 
 Eschenburg, Joh. Joachim, the 
 
 translator of Shakespeare, 679, 
 
 680 
 Eugen, the actor, 821 
 ' Euphrosvne,' elegy by Goethe, 
 
 477, 489 
 Euripides, his ' Phaedra.' 452 : ' Ion,' 
 
 830, 831, 847 ; ' Helena,' 951 
 2 L 2
 
 616 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Facius, ' Attempts in Anaglyphs,' 
 
 490, 491, 492, 511 
 1 Faust,' by Goethe, 26, 27, 37, 88, 
 
 89, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 338, 
 
 340, 390, 391, 423, 456, 459, 460, 
 
 465, 467, 752, 756, 757, 762, 765, 
 
 766, 768, 791, 800, 802, 803, 804, 
 
 811 
 , « Helena,' 763, 764, 767, 768, 
 
 777 
 Fernow, * On Style in Plastic Art,' 
 
 in the < Mercur,' 66, 82, 84, 274, 
 
 339, 917, 924, 925, 926 
 Fichte, 21, 30, 37, 67, 68, 80, 82, 
 
 284, 466, 503, 504, 610, 680, 765, 
 
 918 
 4 Fight with the Dragon,' (see 
 
 ' Kampf.') 
 ' Fischer, Der,' (' The Fisherman '), 
 
 poem by Goethe. Translated by 
 
 Madame de Stael, 947 
 Fleck, Madam, the actress, 580, 
 
 778 
 
 , the actor, 778, 779, 783 
 
 Fouquet, Count, 439 
 
 Frankfort, Goethe there in 1797, 
 
 355, 356, 357, 358, 360, 361 
 Franzisci, Erasmus, his ' Neupolir- 
 
 ter Geschichts-Kunst und Sitten- 
 
 spiegel, 405, 407, 410 
 Fr'anzl, the violinist, 469 
 French, Goethe on the, 439, 
 
 447 
 
 , Schiller on the, 440, 459 
 
 Frommann, the publisher, 754, 
 
 909 
 Fuentes, the painter, 357 
 * Fust von Stromberg,' a drama, 
 
 446, 447, 874 
 
 'Gang nach dem Eisenhammer,' 
 
 poem by Schiller, 367, 371, 
 
 377 
 * Gartnerin, Die empfindsame,' poem 
 
 by Goethe, 306 
 Garve, Christian, 380, 381, 383, 440, 
 
 557 
 Genast, the actor, 524, 910, 934, 
 
 954 
 
 Genlis, Madam de, the novelist, 
 787 
 
 Genz, his ' Xeue Monatschrift,' 104, 
 105, 108, 125; « Historischer 
 Kalender,' 596, 708 
 
 1 Germania in Jahre, 1795,' a 
 pasquil, 173, 174 
 
 Gern, the operatic singer, 817 
 
 Gerning, Johann Isaak, 17, 73, 321 
 
 Gerstenberg, H. W. von, 801, 
 805 
 
 Gessler, Count, 391, 392, 766, 968, 
 969 
 
 ' Gita Govinda,' by Dschajadeoa, 
 835, 843, 844 
 ! Glocke, Das Lied von der, 342, 343, 
 364, 3666, 367, 372 
 
 ' Glove, The,' (see ' Handschuh.') 
 
 Gluck's ' Iphigenia,' 781 
 
 Gochhausen, Fraulein von, 83 
 
 Goschen, 139, 993, 995 
 
 Gottingen, Goethe there in 1801, 
 820 
 
 Goethe, on himself, 5, 127, 188, 206 
 269, 358, 372, 384, 388, 392, 
 407, 427, 443, 470, 581, 603, 
 634, 772, 822, 843 
 
 , on Schiller's intellect, 110 
 
 , on his relation to Schiller, 3, 
 
 5, 8, 14, 38, 132, 138, 184, 186, 
 188, 269, 316, 329, 345, 365, 
 368, 383, 390, 405, 407, 441, 
 454, 579 
 
 , on literature, art and poetry, 
 
 66, 107, 126, 173, 292, 294, 300, 
 305, 306, 338, 358, 363 6, 373. 
 375, 383, 392, 399, 401, 407, 
 421, 423, 429, 487, 490, 635, 
 811, 924. 
 
 , on the theory of colours and 
 
 optics, 124, 136, 258, 260, 263, 
 272, 409, 411, 413, 415, 417, 
 423, 427, 429, 431, 434, 437, 
 476, 539, 545, 548, 613, 617, 
 811, 822, 868, 869, 881, 900, 
 901, 902, 904, 998, 999. 
 
 , on natural science, 103, 203, 
 
 208, 210, 236, 241, 244, 263, 
 278, 443, 482, 486, 729, 756, 
 873
 
 INDEX. 
 
 5i; 
 
 Goethe, on religion, 89, 126 
 
 , on the authoresses of his day, 
 
 338, 356 
 
 — , on astronomical and astro- 
 logical subjects, 551, 642, 648, 
 722, 724, 738 
 
 , on philosophical matters, 407, 
 
 427, 431, 437, 46o, 636 
 
 , on literary work, 68, 132, 
 
 405, 423, 486, "492 
 
 , on the public and its taste, 
 
 68, 86, 186, 215, 236, 241, 246, 
 253, 316, 351, 383, 390, 407, 
 421, 423, 542, 631, 634, 657, 
 800 
 
 , on the political events of the 
 
 day, 113, 198, 200, 203, 213, 
 305, 363 &., 373, 447, 450 
 
 , collection of his smaller 
 
 poems, 617, 618, 638, 639, 640, 
 641, 642, 645, 648 
 
 , his first invitation to Schil- 
 ler, 8 
 
 , birth of a son, 121, 122, 123, 
 
 124 
 
 , his departure for Switzer- 
 land in 1797, 353 
 
 , his son August, 820 
 
 Gore, Charles, 696, 698 
 
 ' Gott und die Bayadere,' by Goethe, 
 Zelter's music, 354, 382, 383 
 
 Gotter, Fr. Wilhelm, 223; his 
 ' Geisterinsel,' 359, 414, 415, 
 469 
 
 Graff, the actor, 785, 894, 903, 
 915 
 
 Gren, 411 
 
 Gries, his 'Phaethon' in the 'Musen- 
 almanach ' 1798, 365 ; 368,371; 
 484, 485, 498, 580, 805 
 
 Griesbach, Professor of Theology in 
 Jena, 848, 849 
 
 Gros, 122 
 
 Griibel, 421, 422 ; his poems criti- 
 cised by Goethe in the ' Allge- 
 meine Zeitung,' 554, 555, 556, 
 557, 558; 990 
 
 Griiner, the actor, 906, 915 
 
 •<xustaveIH.,The Death of,' tragedy 
 by Horst (1797), 350, 351 
 
 ' Gustav Wasa,' play, by Kotzebue, 
 695 
 
 Haarbauer, 786 
 
 Hack, Frau von, 821 
 
 Hackert, Phil., the landscape 
 painter, 938 
 
 Haide, the actor, 524, 695 
 
 Halem, his * Irene,' 848, 849 
 
 Haller, A. von, 874 
 
 ' Handschuh, Der,' poem by Schiller, 
 328, 329, 353 
 
 Hardenberg (Novalis), 633 
 
 Hartmann, the painter, 798, 800, 
 801, 802, 803, 804, 803 
 
 Haugwitz, 612 
 
 Hegel, 924, 925, 926 
 
 Heide, the actor, 910 
 
 Heidloff, 492, 954 
 
 Heilbronn, Goethe there in 1797, 
 363 
 
 Heinrich, Professor in Jena, 803 
 
 Heinse, Wilhelm, 83, 85 
 
 Hennings, Professor in Jena, 803 
 
 Herder, 19, 20, 21, 45, 49, 68, 71, 
 81, 85, 92, 93, 102, 105, 113, 
 116, 118, 125, 133, 135, 154, 
 167, 168, 171, 199, 225, 354, 
 356, 525, 535, 607, 608, 616, 
 663, 716, 741; his ' Adrastea,' 
 804, 805, 806 
 
 Hermann, Gottfried, 769, 771, 
 774 
 
 'Hermann und Dorothea/by Goethe. 
 First mentioned, 229 ; 238, 239, 
 244, 266, 272, 273, 276, 282, 
 285, 288, 289, 290, 294, 298, 
 299, 300, 304, 314, 315, 316, 
 322, 338, 347, 356, 364, 367, 
 374, 376, 400, 404, 405, 435, 
 448, 450, 460, 473 
 
 , elegy, by Goethe, 253, 255, 
 
 256, 262 
 
 Hermes, Johann Timotheus, 787 
 
 ' Hero and Leander,' by Schiller, 
 821, 822 
 
 Herschel, W., 811 
 
 Hetsch, painter in Stuttgart, 
 363 
 
 Hirt, the archaeologist, 12, 14, 165,
 
 518 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 166, 194, 207, 235, 338, 339, 
 340, 342, 343, 413 
 
 Hofmann, Professor in Gbttingen, 
 822 
 
 Hogarth, 852 
 
 Holderlin, Johann C. F., 335, 336, 
 337, 338, 352, 359, 360 6., 
 365 
 
 Hollenbraut. See ' Braut in Traner.' 
 
 Homer, 26, 27 ; used for the 
 ' Xenla,' 152, 171 ; 300, 306, 401, 
 429, 459, 460, 461, 463, 464, 
 465, 470, 471, 472, 473, 591 
 
 • Horen, Die :' announcement of the 
 periodical, 1 ; 2,4, 11,18,19,20, 
 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 
 37, 42, 43, 44, 45, 51, 53, 55, 56, 
 57, 58, 59, 65,67, 68, 71,75,76, 
 78, 79, 85, 89, 98, 99, 100, 102, 
 103, 105, 108, il3, 118, 119. 
 120, 123, 125, 129, 130, 135, 
 137, 138, 154, 155, 235, 236, 
 275, 311, 328, 337, 361, 362, 
 387, 396 ; review of, in the Jena 
 4 Literaturzeitung,' 16, 30, 45, 
 135, 137, 138, 139, 140; its 
 ceasing to be published, 418, 
 419, 455, 478, 479. 
 
 Huber, his project of translating 
 ' Wilhelm Meister ' into French, 
 65 
 
 Hufeland, Justizrath, 32, 234, 704 
 
 Humboldt, Alexander von, 44, 48, 
 49, 242, 266, 368 
 
 , Wilhelm von, 9, 11, 14, 
 
 25, 26, 27, 32, 44, 58, 67, 105, 
 108, 109, 112, 115, 122, 171, 
 174, 180, 182, 209, 217, 231, 
 234, 240, 247, 248, 249, 250, 
 263, 275, 291, 294 ; his leaving 
 Jena, 303, 305, 314, 349, 366 6., 
 368, 376, 377, 391, 402, 435, 
 439, 443, 459, 460; essay on 
 • Hermann und Dorothea,' 471, 
 472, 473, 474, 476, 479, 481, 
 482; 493, 494, 496, 517, 559, 
 578, 645, 664, 761, 762, 765, 
 770, 772, 774, 881, 896, 914, 
 916, 917, 964 
 
 Hunnius, the actor, 564 
 
 Hyginus, 395, 396, 503, 504 
 
 'Jagd, Die,' projected epos bv 
 Goethe, 300, 301, 304, 306, 330, 
 333, 334 
 
 Jagemann, the actress, 272, 276, 
 564, 850, 893, 894, 910 
 
 ' Jahreszeiten, Die vier,' by Goethe, 
 727, 728 
 
 Jakobi, Frdr., 11, 14, 42, 45, 54, 
 55, 85, 100, 128, 247 
 
 Jakobi, the vounger, 251, 260 ; 455, 
 456 
 
 Icy Way, {see ' Eisbahn.') 
 
 Jenisch, 125 
 
 lffland, 129, 132, 171, 204, 455, 
 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 
 462, 463, 464, 465, 468, 505, 
 526, 538, 543, 547, 561, 564, 
 570, 578, 580, 582, 585, 778, 
 779, 783, 784, 785, 786, 
 935 
 
 Ilgen, 754 
 
 Ilmenau, Goethe there in 1795, 96 ; 
 in 1796, 238, 239 
 
 Imhof, Amalie, 122, 356, 359, 521 ; 
 her ' Schwester von Lesbos ' in the 
 4 Musenalmanach ' for 1800, 591, 
 592, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 
 607, 632, 633, 644, 646, 647, 
 648, 649 
 
 Jones, William, 835, 843 
 
 Jourdan, Camille, 925 
 j 'Journal fur Luxus und Moden,' 
 ! published by Bertuch, 151 
 l ' Iphigenie,' by Goethe, English 
 translation of, 11; 400; adapta- 
 tion for the Weimar theatre, 704, 
 j 710, 715, 716, 784, 785, 787, 
 | 833,834; superintendence of the 
 performance bv Schiller, 836, 
 849, 850, 853/ 855, 856, 857, 
 858, 859, 860 
 
 Isopi, the sculptor, 363 
 
 * Israel in the Desert,' an essav bv 
 Goethe, 296, 298, 309, 312, 319, 
 387 
 
 Julian the Apostate, 406, 804 
 
 'Junggesell; Der, und der M iihlbach,' 
 poem by Goethe, 372, 376 

 
 INDEX. 
 
 519 
 
 Kalb, Charlotte von, 34, 35, 136, 
 
 148, 171, 242, 406, 407, 454, 
 
 648 
 ' Kampf mit dem Drachen, Der,' a 
 
 ballad by Schiller, 508, 509 
 Kant, 21, 48, 49, 68, 199, 364, 367, 
 
 426, 439, 493, 494, 558, 559, 
 
 607, 636, 637 
 Keller of Zurich, 370, 397 
 Kirms, Hofkammerrath, 201, 623, 
 
 625, 626, 652, 784; a letter of 
 
 Schiller's to him, 854 ; Kirms 
 
 and Goethe to Schiller, 562 b. 
 1 Klage der Ceres,' poem by Schiller, 
 
 165, 167, 168, 173, 175 
 Klauer, 159 
 Klein, 240 
 Klopstock, Fr. G., 37, 247, 350; 
 
 his ' Hermannsschlacht,' 903, 
 
 904; 947 
 Kliigel, 411 
 Knebel, Karl Ludwig von, Major, 
 
 109, 124, 155, 157, 186, 260, 
 
 263, 264, 378, 421, 821, 832, 
 
 926, (see Propertius.) 
 Korner, 7, 49, 51, 154, 167, 219, 
 
 228, 230, 231, 233, 239, 245, 
 
 246, 249, 262, 370, 406, 407, 
 
 540, 565, 578, 579, 591; on 
 
 1 Wallenstein,' 606, 607; 755, 766, 
 
 841, 849, 940 
 Kohlrausch, 964 
 
 Kosegarten, L. Theobald, 356, 359 
 Kotzebue, Aug. von, 204, 557, 604, 
 
 628, 701, 741, 774, 842, 847, 
 
 870, 968, 969, 990 
 * Kraniche des Ibykus, Die,' by 
 
 Schiller, 345, 346, 351, 352, 
 
 359, 360, 362, 364, 365, 366 &., 
 
 367, 368, 372 
 , Die,' projected poem by 
 
 Goethe, 333, 334 
 Kranz, Kapellmeister, 782 
 Kriiger, the actor, 469, 470 
 
 Lange, Directof of the Diisseldorf 
 
 Gallery, 302 
 — — , Professor in Jena, 275 
 
 < Lament of Ceres, The,* 1 (see 'Klage'") 
 
 Langer, the painter, 828 
 
 'Laokoon,' by Goethe, 340, 343, 
 344, 370, 413,415, 471, 497 
 
 Laroche, Madame de, 696, 607, 629, 
 630, 632, 633, 634, 646 
 
 Lauchstadt, the building of the 
 theatre there, 849, 856 ; opening 
 of the theatre, 868; Schiller 
 there, 910 
 
 Lavater, Joh. Kasp., 226, 227, 228, 
 229 
 
 Leipzig, Goethe there in January 
 1797, 265 ; April 1800, 740 
 
 ' Leipziger Intelligenzblatt ' on the 
 ' Xenia,' 237 
 
 Leissring, the actor, 524, 600 
 
 Lenz, literary remains of, 268, 
 274, 275, 311, 312 
 
 Lerse, 548 
 
 Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim ; Schil- 
 ler's opinion of, 606; his 'Nathan,' 
 814, 816, 817, 818 
 
 Letters on ' Aesthetic Education,' by 
 Schiller, in the ' Horen,' 19, 20, 
 21, 22, 26, 30, 53 
 
 Lichtenberg, Georg Christoph, 124, 
 125, 361, 411 
 
 Lindahl, Swedish merchant, 507, 
 508 
 
 4 Literaturzeitung, Allgemeine,' in 
 Jena, after 1801 in Halle, 
 911 
 
 , (new in Jena after 1804) ; 
 
 Goethe's contributions to it, 924, 
 925, 926, 927, 930, 931, 935, 
 940, 941, 944, 968, 989, 990 
 
 , Oberdeutsche,' on the ' Xenia,' 
 
 244 
 
 Locke, John, 925 
 
 Loder, Ferd. Christian von, anato- 
 mist and physician, 39, 195, 286, 
 608, 675, 676, 784, 801, 834, 
 852, 909 
 
 * Lucinde,' romance by Fr. Schlegel, 
 630, 631 
 
 Ludwig, professor in Leipzig, 263 
 
 Maas, the actress, 844
 
 .20 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ' Macbeth,' adaptation of, bv Schil- 
 ler, 711, 712, 716, 718, 722, 725, 
 735, 738, 741, 742, 772, 774, 
 950, 954, 962. 
 
 ' Madchen's Klage, Des,' poem by- 
 Schiller, 510, 5U 
 
 1 Magic Flute,' (see ' Zauberflote.') 
 
 'Magician's Apprentice,' (see Zau- 
 berlehrling.) 
 
 1 Mahomet,' adaptation of Voltaire's 
 tragedv, by Goethe, 659, 660, 
 661, 662, 663, 664, 669, 685, 709, 
 710,713; Schiller's stanzas for 
 it, (the Prologue), 703, 705, 
 707, 708, 755 
 
 Maimon, Solomon, on the ' Idea of 
 Beauty,' 11, 22 
 
 Malone, Edmund, 679 
 Maltese Knights, The,' an un- 
 finished drama, by Schiller, 17, 
 21, 245, 391, 663, 664, 822, 
 892 
 
 Manso (and Dyk), ' Gegengeschenke, 
 an die Sudelkoche, eic.,' 251, 252, 
 253, 381 
 
 Mara, 910 
 
 'Marmontel, Memoires of,' 978, 
 979, 983 
 
 Martinuzzi, 662, 663 
 
 Marum, von, 490 
 
 Masson, von, 870 
 
 Mattei, Legationsrath, 210, 212 
 
 Matthisson, Fr., 9, 207, 498, 504, 
 510, 645, 646 
 
 Masks, Procession of, in Weimar 
 (1798), 419 
 
 'Meister, Wilhelm,' by Goethe, 5, 
 7, 16, 20, 31, 37, 38, 39, 43, 47, 
 48, 50, 52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 62, 
 67, 69, 73, 75, 76, 77, 7t, 79, 
 80, 85, 86, 89, 91, 100, 101, 
 108, 109, 112, 113, 115, 123, 
 124, 125, 127, 132, 133, 135, 
 147, 153, 154, 166, 168, 170, 
 172, 173, 175; completion of, 
 176; 164, 193, 197, 198, 200, 
 202, 203, 210, 211, 215, 227; 
 Schiller's more important re- 
 marks on it, 32, 40, 51, 87, 89, 
 
 123, 177, 178, 181, 182, 183, 
 187, 190, 211, 232, 234, 249 
 374; Goethe's own, 25, 33, 79, 
 
 124, 127, 132, 173, 175, 176, 
 184, 186, 188, 192, 198, 209, 
 215, 246, 377; 'Confessions of a 
 Fair Saint,' 58, 59, 89, 91 
 
 Mellish, Charles, his English trans- 
 lation of 'Hermann and Dorothea,' 
 463, 609, 610, 632, 679, 688, 
 756, 768, 823, 839 
 
 * Memoiren, Historische,' edited by 
 Schiller, 158 
 
 Mereau, Sophie, 213, 226, 337, 359, 
 395, 850 
 
 'Messina, Braut von,' by Schiller, 
 821, 847, 874, 882, 883, 884, 
 885, 886, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 
 905 ; performance in Lauchstadt, 
 910 
 
 ' Metamorphosis of Plants,' poem 
 by Goethe, 139 
 
 Meyer, F. T. W., editor of the 
 ' Archives of the Time,' 102, 103, 
 237 
 
 , Heinrich, 20, 21, 24, 37 ; 
 
 Schiller on Meyer, 46 ; 56, 57, 
 66, 73, 79, 80, 102, 103, 140, 
 151, 157, 159, 168, 174, 197, 
 200, 202, 213, 238, 243, 246, 
 279, 329, 341, 343; Goethe's 
 opinion of Meyer, 347 ; 356, 368, 
 372, 383, 387, 401, 454, 455, 
 468, 490, 584, 634, 680, 722, 
 725, 762, 773, 774, 801, 806, 
 810 
 
 , Marianne, 351 
 
 Michaelis, bookseller in Strelitz, 19, 
 73, 144 
 
 ' Mignon,' poem by Goethe ; Zelter's 
 music to the words, 354, 382, 
 383 
 
 Milkan, 675 
 
 Milton, John, 636, 637, 638 
 
 ' Mithridates,' (see Racine.) 
 
 ' Mitschuldigen, Die,' by Goethe, 
 980, 981 
 
 Moliere's ' Femmes Savantes,' 850 
 
 Morgenstern, Professor, 467
 
 INDEX. 
 
 521 
 
 Moritz, Carl Ph., 3, 4, 236 
 
 ' Mountain Song,' (see ' Berglied.') 
 
 'Moses,' an essay bv Goethe, 296, 
 297, 298, 319, 320 
 
 Monnier, 441, 442, 448, 450 
 
 Mozart's ' Don Juan,' 403 
 
 Miiller, J. G., an engraver in Stutt- 
 gart, 363, 817 
 
 , Johannes, the historian, 920, 
 
 941, 944, 945, 947, 990 
 
 (Maler), 274, 275, 276, 277, 
 
 399 
 
 'Miillerin, Der, Reue,' poem by 
 Goethe, 378 
 
 , Der, Verrath,' poem by 
 
 Goethe, 378 
 
 'Musenalmanach ' for 1795, edited 
 by Schiller, 19, 20, 21, etc. 
 
 for 1796, 64, 65, 72, 78, 102, 
 
 129, 141, 144, 145, 146 
 
 for 1797, 136, and through- 
 out the year 1796 ; completed, 
 223 ; sale, 239 ; new edition, 242, 
 244, 245 
 
 , for 1798, 335, 336, 342, 359, 
 
 360, 361, 365, 367, 368, 370, 398 
 
 for 1799, 455, 470, 489, 495, 
 
 498, 505, 506, 510, 512, 521, 
 522, 540, 542 
 
 for 1800 (see Imhof, 591 etc.), 
 
 639, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 
 648 ; Schiller's idea for a new- 
 kind of ■ Xenia,' 652, 656, 658 
 
 * Nadowessian Death-Song,' by 
 Schiller, 337, 339, 340 
 
 ' Naive, On the,' an essay by Schiller, 
 21, 113, 116 
 
 Necker, 983 
 
 Nepotian, 899 
 
 Newton, Sir Isaac, used for the 
 'Xenia,' 150, 152; 411, 427 
 
 Nicolai, Frdr., 120, 128, 139, 237, 
 279, 280, 493 
 
 Niemeyer, 910 
 
 Niethammer, professor of philoso- 
 phy in Jena, 160, 275, 455, 557, 
 765, 770, 772, 786, 809, 812, 
 813, 860 
 
 Niirnberg, Goethe there in 1797, 
 378 
 
 Obereit, Jacob Hermann, 36, 37, 
 80, 143 
 
 'Oberon's and Titania's Golden 
 Wedding,' by Goethe, 370, 397, 
 731 
 
 Oels, the actor, 976, 980, 981, 
 983 
 
 Oeser, director of the Academy for 
 drawing, painting, and archi- 
 tecture in Leipsic, 615 
 
 Opitz, manager of the theatre in 
 Leipzig, 580, 623, 741, 778 
 
 Orleans, Jungfrau von (The Maid 
 of) by Schiller, 737, 752, 755, 
 757, 764, 778, 785, 787, 793, 
 794, 800, 803, 805, 807, 810, 
 811; completed, 812, 813; 816, 
 817, 818 ; criticism of the piece, 
 834 ; 849, 850, 894, 895, 915 
 
 'Page and the Miller's Daughter, 
 
 The,' (see ' Edelknabe.') 
 ' Palaophron und Neoterpe,' by 
 
 Goethe, 748, 749, 776 
 Palissot, 975, 996 
 Pappenheim, von, 842, 845 
 Parny, le viscomte de, his comic 
 
 epos, 636 
 Paulus, H. C. G., professor of 
 
 oriental languages in Jena, 226, 
 
 227, 843, 844, 848 
 , Madam, 190, 192, 849, 
 
 852 
 'Pausias, Der neue,' elegy, by 
 
 Goethe, 317, 325, 407 
 Periodical, Goethe's project for a 
 
 new, 419, 420 
 Pesce, Nicol (in connection with 
 
 Schiller's < Diver '), 354, 356 
 Peter's, St., description of, by 
 
 Goethe, 329, 340 
 ' Phedre,' Racine's, adapted by 
 
 Schiller, 976, 978, 979, 980, 981, 
 
 982, 983, 985, 988 
 Picard, Schiller's adaptation of 
 
 Picard's comedies, 903
 
 522 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Pliny, the elder, 874 
 
 Podnianitzki, von, 577 
 
 Poetry : Goethe and Schiller on the 
 epos and the drama, 399 
 
 ' Poetrv of Life,' poem bv Schiller, 
 76 
 
 Polygnotns, 924, 926, 927, 931 
 
 1 Polvcrates, The Pang of,' by 
 Schiller, 333, 334, 336, 345 
 
 Posselt, Ernst Ludwig, first editor 
 of the ' Allgemeine Zeitung,'413, 
 413 c, 462, 514 
 
 Prize Theme, for a play of in- 
 trigue, 776, 821 
 
 Themes for artists, their 
 
 exhibition bv Goethe, 648, 653, 
 657 ; 759, 761, 763, 764, 765, 
 767, 768, 770, 771, 772, 773, 
 774, 828, 831, 832, 924, 926, 
 927, 930, 931 
 
 philosophical, 798, 799, 800, 
 
 808 
 
 Prologue to Goethe's ' Mahomet,' 
 (see ' Mahomet.') 
 
 'Prometheus,' bv Goethe, the Chorus 
 from it, 297," 328, 329, 346 
 
 Propertius : ' Elegies,' bv Knebel, 
 for the 'Horen,' 109," 124, 130, 
 131, 132, 134, 135, 154, 156, 
 157, 159 
 
 'Prophecies of Bakis,' by Goethe, 
 725 
 
 1 Propvlaea,' edited bv Goethe, 441, 
 458, 460, 461, 469, 471, 472, 
 475, 480, 481, 487, 488, 490, 
 492, 494, 495, 500, 502, 504, 
 505, 511, 538, 539, 540, 552, 
 553, 556, 571, 581, 588, 597, 
 
 614, 621, 622, 623, 625, 626, 
 628, 645, 741, 765, 768, 776, 
 800, 801, 821, 834 
 
 , the ' Sammler,' an article bv 
 
 Goethe, 597, 598, 600, 613, 614, 
 
 615, 616, 628 
 
 Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III. of, 
 
 607 
 
 , Queen Louise of. 606 
 
 ♦Pygmalion,' by Benda, played by 
 
 Inland in Weimar, 457, 458, 459, 
 
 460, 461, 463 
 
 Pvrmont, Goethe there in 1801, 
 
 " 822 
 
 Racine, Schiller's opinion of him, 
 
 604; his ' Mithridates ' performed 
 
 in Weimar, 933, 940, 941, 942 
 ■ Racknitz, J. T. von, Hofmarschall, 
 
 136, 139 
 Rambach, 384 
 Ramdohr, his ' Charis,' 8, 9, 11, 
 
 12, 139 
 | ' Rameau's Xefte,' {see Diderot.) 
 Raphael, 375 
 Rapp, merchant in Stuttgart, 363, 
 
 364 
 Recke, Elise von der, 395 
 Rehberg, 925 
 Reichard, of Giebichenstein, his 
 
 country seat, 67, 68, 150, 151, 
 
 152, 154, 169, 170, 172, 173, 
 
 204, 205, 228, 231, 237, 240, 
 
 264, 267, 268, 313, 405 
 ' Reichsanzeiger, Der,' against the 
 
 ' Xenia,' 273 : 379 
 Reinhold, 24, 636 
 Reinwald, Schiller's brother-in-law, 
 
 612, 616 
 Reitz, Fr. Wolfgang, 870 
 Retif, de la Bretonne 404, 517 
 Retzer von, 467, 468, 470 
 Rhinefall, the : Goethe's description, 
 
 368 
 Richter, Jean Paul, 74, 76, 79, 132, 
 
 133, 170, 171, 173, 178, 179, 
 
 210, 211, 359, 498, 511, 741,938 
 Riedel, 845 
 Riemer, 928 
 Ritter, J. W., the phvsician, 491, 
 
 492, 770, 772, 811 
 Robertjot, 608 
 Rochlitz, 821, 972 
 Rochow, 66 
 
 Rosch, Captain, 227, 232 
 Rudolstadt, Ludwig Friedrich, 
 
 Prince of, 307, 610 
 Ruoff, patron of the fine arts in 
 
 Stuttgart, 363 
 
 Saxe-Gotha, Ernst, Duke of, 235, 
 236
 
 INDEX. 
 
 523 
 
 Saxe-Gotha, August, Prince of, 126, 
 128, 133, 238, 239 
 
 Saxe-Meiningen, Georg, Duke of, 
 254, 884 
 
 Saxe-Weimar, Carl August, Duke 
 of, 45, 201, 443, 444, 445, 469, 
 472, 571 ; Schiller's letters to 
 him, 655; 662, 663, 680, 685, 
 716, 779, 817, 822, 848, 850, 
 880, 882, 928, 944, 947, 978 
 
 , Amalie, Duchess of, 340, 699 
 
 , Carl Friedrich, hereditary 
 
 Prince of, 816, 842, 843, 845, 883 
 
 , Maria Paulowna, hereditary 
 
 Princess of, 978, 979, 980 
 
 Sacontala, 844 
 
 Saint Foix ; ' Essay sur Paris,' in 
 connection with Schiller's ' Diver,' 
 328 
 
 Salzmann, 918 
 
 'Sammler, Der,' by Goethe, (see 
 ' Propylaea.') 
 
 * S'angerwiirde,' poem by Goethe, 
 appeared in the l Musenalman- 
 ach,' 1799, under the name J. 
 Ammann (subsequently in the 
 1 Deutscher Parnass '), 491, 492 
 
 Sansculottism, Literacy : Goethe on, 
 102, 103, 104, 135 
 
 Sartori, 940 
 
 'Saxo-Grammaticus' Hamlet, 326 
 
 Scheffauer, the sculptor, 218, 363 
 
 Schelling, Fr. Wilh. von, professor 
 of philosophy in Jena, 405, 
 407, 437, 455, 476, 525, 546, 
 559, 560, 739, 741, 786, 799, 
 809, 843, 844, 878, 889, 905, 
 925 
 
 Schelver, 924 
 
 Scherer, 495 
 
 Schiller, on himself, 7, 40, 59, 113, 
 128, 148, 161, 245, 249, 252, 
 270, 277, 328, 381, 406, 489, 
 591, 870 
 
 , on Goethe's intellect, 4, 7, 
 
 59, 190, 245, 268, 347, 374, 
 393, 404, 442, 580, 591, 844, 
 874 
 
 ■ , on his relation to Goethe, 
 
 7, 12, 4 A 181, 212, 245, 270, 
 
 328, 346, 365, 376, 406, 602, 
 874 
 
 Schiller, on literature, art, and 
 poetry, 9, 55, 291, 293, 301, 
 303, 304, 311, 342, 346, 354, 
 359, 365, 366, 370, 382, 399, 
 40U, 402, 406, 420, 422, 428, 
 440, 446, 473, 491, 498, 602, 
 635, 641, 752, 753, 766, 809, 
 834, 870 
 
 , on authorship, 68, 359, 395, 
 
 803 
 
 , on the public and its taste, 
 
 67, 86 
 
 , on philosophical matters, 
 
 21, 40, 354, 419, 413, 430, 433, 
 435, 438, 637, 809 
 
 , on religion, 59, 89 
 
 , on Goethe's theory of colours, 
 
 125, 261, 264, 271, 410, 413, 
 415, 430, 433, 442, 547, 768, 
 905 
 
 , on natural science, 20H, 
 
 264, 450 
 
 , on astronomical and astrolo- 
 gical subjects, 293, 649 
 
 , on political events of the 
 
 day, 113, 196, 199, 204, 205, 
 209, 214, 446, 608 
 
 , on the authoresses of his 
 
 day, 337, 359 
 
 , his being offered an appoint- 
 ment in Tuoingen, 49, 50, 63 
 
 , project of a collection of 
 
 German plays, 618 
 
 , the birth of his son, 189 
 
 , his removal to his garden- 
 house in Jena in 1797, 308 
 
 , receives a French diploma of 
 
 citizenship, 440, 441, 444, 445 
 
 , is appointed professor ordi- 
 
 narius, 442, 443 
 
 , offers from England respect- 
 ing the translation of his dramas. 
 610 
 
 , removal to Weimar, 3rd 
 
 Decernber,_1799, 678 
 
 , collection of his poems, 755 
 
 , death of his mother, 860 
 
 Schiller, Charlotte (Schiller's wile),
 
 524 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 author of an idyll (' The Chapel j 
 in the Forest,' printed in the 
 < Horen/ 1797, xii.) 420, 423 
 Schimtnelmann, Madam, wife of the 
 Danish minister of finances in 
 Copenhagen, 245, 578 
 Schlegel, A. W., 123, 168, 190, 228, 
 230, 235, 237, 252, 263, 266, 
 306, 323, 348, 352, 353, 365, 
 368, 371, 397, 398, 435, 436, 
 452, 463, 472, 480, 481, 482, 
 491, 492, 493, 633, 645, 646, 
 663, 680, 752 
 
 , Fnedrich, 135, 137, 209, 
 
 240, 247, 248, 315, 404, 405, 
 426 ; his ' Lucinde,' 630, 631 ; 
 645, 646, 741, 772, 784 ; holds a 
 disputation in Jena, 803, 804; 
 856, 857, 858, 860, 861, 
 
 , Madam, wife of A. W. 
 
 Schlegel {nee Michaelis), 223,224, 
 252, 481 
 Schlichtegroll, Adolf H. F., 235, 
 
 236 
 Schlosser, 204, 364, 367, 425, 426, 
 
 427, 664 
 Schlozer, Aug. Lud. von, his trans- 
 lation of Nestor the Russian 
 chronicler, 990 
 Schmalz, 910 
 Schmidt of Friedberg, 350, 351, 
 
 352, 356, 359 
 Schmidt, professor in Jena, 53 
 Schmidt: article in the 'Horen,' 
 
 125 
 Schnauss, 392 
 
 Schocher, Chris. Gotthold, 3 
 Schon, Martin, 548 
 Schroder, Sophie, the actress, 433, 
 460, 461, 463, 464, 526, 527, 
 537, 538, 539, 540, 544, 580 
 Schiitz, Hofrath, editor of the 
 ' Jenaischen Literaturzeitung,' 
 16, 34, 67, 82, 137, 139, 235, 
 741, 834 
 
 , a clergyman in Biickeburg, 
 
 822 
 Reasons, The Four,' (see ' Jahres- 
 
 zeiten.') 
 Seckendorf, Leo von, 741, 821 
 
 Senf, von, 328 
 
 ' Sentimental poets,' essay by 
 Schiller, 125, 126, 127, 128, 
 130, 131, 132, 139, 156 
 Sentimentality, Goethe on, 358 
 
 , Schiller on, 365 
 
 Shakespeare, 291, 293, 303, 311, 
 385, 386, 679, 718; 'Julius 
 Casar,' 915, 920, 921, 922 ; ' Mer- 
 chant of Venice,' 923 
 * Siegesfest, Das,' poem by Schiller, 
 
 902 
 Slanzowski, the actress, 564 
 Soden, von, 123 
 
 ' Sophocles,' ' Philoctetes,' ' Trachi- 
 nae,' 291; 'Oedipus Rex,' 370; 
 471 
 Soulavie, ' Memoires du regne de 
 
 Louis XVI.,' 846 
 Spaugler, the actor, 744 
 Stael, Madame de, 110, 111, 112, 
 113, 115, 118; 'Influence des 
 passions,' 132, 133; 250, 251, 
 252, 253, 255, 256, 257, 260, 262, 
 263, 489, 490 ; 925, 927, 928 ; 
 arrival in Weimar, 929, 933, 935, 
 937, 938, 939, 940, 944, 946, 947, 
 951, 952, 953 ; departure, 958 
 Stafa, Goethe there in 1797 ; 363, 
 
 369, 372, 373 
 Stanzas on the birthday of the 
 Duchess of Weimar, in the 
 ' Musenalmanach ' of 1799, by 
 Goethe, 510, 511, 514, 515 
 Steigentesch, August von, captain 
 and author, 350, 352, 860 6, 645, 
 646 
 Stein, Frau von, 678, 718, 968 
 Stolberg, Chr. Count, 24, 124, 125, 
 126, 128; casts Goethe's ' Wil- 
 helm Meister ' into the flames, 
 199, 200, 204 
 Story, Goethe's project for a, as a 
 continuation of the ' Diversions of 
 the Emigrants,' 276, 423 
 Stuart, Maria, by Schiller : first 
 mentioned, 596 ; 597, 606, 607, 
 609, 610, 612, 626, 630, 632, 
 635, 645, 652, 656, 657, 688, 
 741, 742, 748 ; introduction of a
 
 INDEX. 
 
 525 
 
 scene with sacrament, 744 ; 7^6, 
 
 778 
 Stuttgart, Goethe there in 1727, 
 
 363 ; Schiller's thoughts in con- 
 nection with, 365, 366 
 Sublime, on the,' Schiller, 7, 8, 9, 
 Sulzer (Dictionary), 545 
 Siivern, Professor, Schiller's letter 
 
 to him respecting ' Wallenstein,' 
 
 753 
 Switzerland, an account of Goethe's 
 
 journey, in the ' Horen,' 157, 159, 
 
 234 
 Switzerland, Goethe there in 1797, 
 
 368, 375 
 'Synonyms,' Weisshuhn's essay on, 
 
 in the ' Horen,' 50, 52, 53, 54 
 
 Tabulae votivse, in the ' Musenalma- 
 
 nach' of 1797, 216 
 'Tancred,' by Voltaire, translated 
 
 by Goethe, 751, 752, 754, 755, 
 
 756, 784, 785, 786, 788, 795 
 4 Tasso,' Goethe's, 400 
 4 Taucher, Der,' poem by Schiller, 
 
 323, 326, 354, 368, 371, 617 
 4 Tell,' Goethe's project of a poem 
 
 on the subject, 372, 376, 390, 482 
 , drama by Schiller, 921, 922, 
 
 929, 935, 936, 937, 938, 942, 
 
 943, 947, 948, 949; completed 
 
 954; 955, 956, 957, 958, 960, 
 
 968, 988 
 Teller, the actress, 558, 559, 560, 
 
 572 
 Terence, 139 
 Theatrical architecture, Goethe on, 
 
 357 
 Theatre, building of the, in Weimar, 
 
 1798, 486, 487, 488, 489, 492, 
 
 497, 499, 528, 529 
 Theatrical addresses, by Goethe, 
 
 730, 731 
 'Theatrical Almanack,' 139 
 4 Theilung der Erde,' poem by 
 
 Schiller, 113, 119, 132, 135 
 Thibaut, 925 
 
 Thomasius, Christian, 602, 603 
 Thouret, the architect, 437, 439, 
 
 455, 468, 470, 492, 642. 
 
 Thoyras, Rapin de, 4 Histoire d'An- 
 
 gleterre,' 626 
 Thummel, 139 
 Tieck, his ' Sternbald,' 508, 590; 
 
 632, 633, 679, 756 
 Tischbein, 452 
 'Tochter, Die naturliche,' by 
 
 Goethe, 905, 910, 916, 917, 946 
 4 Tourville, The Knight of (article 
 
 in the 'Horen '), 154 
 Tressan, Robert de, 805, 806 
 Tubingen, Goethe there in 1797, 
 
 364, 377 
 4 Turandot,' drama by Schiller, 
 
 834, 835 
 , conundrums, 832a, 837, 838, 
 
 851, 934 
 
 Ulrich, professor in Jena, 803 
 Unger, the publisher, 5, 25, 26, 
 
 199, 433, 618, 817 
 Unzelmann, the actor, 980 
 
 , Madam, 588, 982, 983 
 
 Uz, J oh. Peter, the poet, 193 
 
 Vaillant, Le, the traveller, 428 
 Veit, Madam, her ' Florentin,' 803, 
 
 804 
 Veltheim, Count, 754 
 4 Venice Preserved,' tragedy by 
 
 Otway, German by Valet, 15 
 Vent, of Weimar, 366 6. 
 Vermehren, 926 
 Vieilleville, ' Memoires de Mare- 
 
 schal,' for the ' Horen,' 183, 275, 
 
 328 
 Vohs, the actor, 524, 575, 612, 
 
 613 
 , the actress, 652, 723, 850, 
 
 855 
 Voigt, Geheimrath, 63, 95, 275, 
 
 287, 288, 455, 736, 926, 938 
 Voltaire, 97, 100, 604, 998 a. 
 Voss, T. H., 67, 68, 81, 169, 170, 
 
 171, 172, 173; his 4 Almanack,' 
 
 237 ; 244, 256, 311, 312, 313, 
 
 378, 405 ; on Goethe's 4 Hermann 
 
 und Dorothea,' 435, 439, 467, 
 
 662, 663, 664, 903, 925, 926, 
 
 947
 
 526 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Vulpius, 716, 859 
 
 Waehter, the painter, 817 
 
 Waldis, Burghaidt, 926 
 
 ' Wallenstein,' >v Schiller : first 
 mentioned, 161; 242, 245, 249, 
 261, 269, 273, 277, 291, 299, 
 340, 346, 360 a, 370, 376, 382, 
 384, 387, 38&, 391, 393, 406, 
 407, 410, 420, 424, 433, 438, 
 444, 453, 454, 461, 464, 465, 
 479, 489, 492, 496, 498, 505, 
 512, 535, 543, 547, 553, 557, 
 606 ; representation in Berlin, 
 618, 622, 623, 652, 671, 723, 
 753 ; sale of, 762 ; pirated 
 edition of, 774: prologue, 521, 
 522, 523, 524, 526, 528, 
 the Camp first mentioned, 514, 
 515, 517, 518, 523, 524, 525, 
 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 
 540, 578, 579, 671, 862 ; the 
 ' Piccolomini,' 538, 543, 544, 554, 
 555, 556 ; completed, 561, 562, 
 562a ; 563, 564, 565, 571, 572, 
 574 ; representation in Weimar, 
 575; 576, 577, 580, 581, 583, 
 726 ; Wallenstein's death, 549. 
 550, 551, 552, 553, 565, 582, 
 585 ; completed, 587 ; 588, 589 ; 
 Goethe's more important remarks 
 on < Wallenstein,' 236, 244, 260, 
 454, 497, 515, 544, 562, 566, 583, 
 584, 586, 590 
 
 4 Walk to the Iron Foundry/ (see 
 ' Gang.') 
 
 Walpole, Horace : Schlegel's trans- 
 lation of selections from his 
 •works, 444 
 
 Warbeck, Schiller's project for a 
 tragedy, 647, 648. 847 
 
 1 Was wir bringen ' (What we bring) 
 a plav bv Goethe, 863, 864, 865, 
 866, 872, 873 
 
 * Weibchen in Kasten, Das' (The 
 Little Woman in the Box), pro- 
 ject of a tale by Goethe (subse- 
 quently introduced as 'Die neue 
 Melusine ' ir ' Wilbj Im Meister's 
 Wanderjahrt '), 276 
 
 Weinbrenner, Friedrich, architect 
 
 in Carlsruhe, 860 
 Weisshuhn, Fr. August, 21, 49, 
 
 50, 52, 53, 54, 126 
 ' Weltkunde,' new journal published 
 
 by Cotta, 409 
 ' Weltweisen, Die,' poem by Schiller, 
 
 113 
 Weyrauch, the actor, 524 
 ' Widow, The,' a comedy, 24 
 Wieland, 82, 84, 125, 138, 204, 
 
 230, 237, 267, 277, 278, 319, 
 
 369, 390, 462, 478, 525, 557, 
 
 607, 608, 646, 736, 847, 951 
 ' Winkelmann,' 648 ; essay by 
 
 Goethe, 975, 986, 988, 989, 990, 
 
 994 
 Wolf, F. A., 70, 116, 118, 240, 300, 
 
 868, 869, 870, 930 
 
 , the actor, 980 
 
 Woltmann, Karl Ludwig von, the 
 
 historian, 67, 82,. 137, 138, 139, 
 
 140, 148, 237, 299, 402, 467, 
 
 764, 765, 766 
 Wolzogen, Caroline, authoress of 
 
 ' Agnes von Lilien,' 252, 356, 
 
 359, 423, 424, 425, 605 
 
 ' , Schiller's brother-in-law, 
 
 212, 245, 246, 254, 259, 281, 
 
 843 
 Wiinsch, 411 
 ' Wiirde der Frauen,' by Schiller, 
 
 325 
 Wiirttemberg, Carl Eugen, Duke of, 
 
 3636 
 , Prince Friedrich Eugen of, 
 
 general in the Prussian armv, 
 
 910 
 
 * Xenia,' by Schiller and Goethe : 
 first idea in regard to them, 136 ; 
 139, 140, etc., throughout the 
 vear 1796 ; alteration of the 
 plan, 203, 204, 205, 206, 271, 
 253, 315, 368, 371, 382, 383 
 Goethe's project for another col- 
 lection, 419, 420 
 
 ' Youth, The, and the Mill-stream, 
 {see ' Junggesell.')
 
 INDEX. 
 
 527 
 
 Zahn, Christ. Jacob, in connection 
 
 with Cotta, the publisher, 12, 
 
 13, 14 
 ' Zauberflote,' second part, by 
 
 Goethe, 468, 469, 470 
 * Zauberlehrling,' by Goethe, 349 
 'Zeitung, Allgemeine, Die,' 946, 
 
 950, 967 
 , Xeue Hamburgische,' attacks 
 
 the ' Xenia,' 255, 256 
 Zelter, Karl Fried., the composer, 
 
 165, 173, 174, 354, 382, 383, 
 849, 850, 864, 905, 9t i 
 Ziegler, the actor and dramatist, 
 
 140, 379 
 Zigesar, A. Fr. Karl yon, 801 
 Zimmermann, the actor, 954 
 Zoliner, one of the editors of the 
 
 ' Berlinische Monatschrift,' 237 
 Zumsteg, the composer in Stutt- 
 gart/ 389, 839 
 
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 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 15 
 
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 Notes of Sermons. By the late Et. Eev. E. Steere, D.D., LL.D., 
 Missionary Bishop in Central Africa. Edited by Rev. R. M. Heanley, M.A. 
 Oxon. With Introduction by the Bishop of Lincoln Crown 8vo. 
 
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 Pastor Pastorum ; or, the Schooling of the Apostles by Our Lord. 
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 Large crown 8vo. 3rd thousand. 6s. 6d. 
 
 Thomas a Kempis. On the Imitation of Christ. Translated by 
 the Right Rev. Harvey Goodwin, D.D., Bishop of Carlisle. 3rd edition. With 
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 Butler's Analogy of Religion, Natural and Eevealed, to the Con- 
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 Taylor's Holy Living and. Dying, with Prayers, containing the 
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 Church or Dissent ? An Appeal to Holy Scriptures, addressed to 
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 Parish Priest's Book (The), of Offices and Instructions for the Sick. 
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 Daily Readings for a Year on the Life of our Lord and Saviour 
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 Family Prayers, containing Psalms, Lessons, and Prayers, for every 
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 Prebendary of St. Paul's. 20th edition. Fcap. 8vo. Is. 
 
 Short Meditations for Every Day in the Year. By the late Very 
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 2 vols. fcap. 8vo. large type, 14s. Also 2 vols. 32mo. cloth, 5s. ; calf, gilt 
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 The Christian Taught by the Church's Services. By the late Very 
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 A Commentary on the Gospels for the Sundays and other Holy 
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 ot St. Bai-tholomew's, Cripplegate. 3 vols. Demy 8vo. 9s. each. 
 
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 Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. By the late Eev. W. 
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 t 6 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 WORKS BY THE REV. M. F. SADLER, 
 
 Rector of Honiton and Prebendary of Well*. 
 
 Church Commentary on the New Testament. With Notes Critical 
 
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 ' Mr. Sadler's Commentary is decidedly one of the most unhackneyed and 
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 ST. MARK. 4th edition. 7s. 6d. 
 ST. LUKE. 4th edition. 9s. 
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 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 3rd edition. 7s. 6d. 
 THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 2nd edition. 6s. 
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 THE REVELATION. [In the Press. 
 
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 Church Doctrine — Bible Truth. 45th thousand. Fcap. 8vo. 
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 The Church Teachers Manual of Christian Instruction. Being 
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 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 1 7 
 
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 BOTANY. 
 
 By J. G-. BAKER, F.R.S., F.L.S., Keeper of the Herbarium of the 
 Royal Gardens, Kew. 
 
 A Flora of the English Lake District. Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Handbook of the Fern Allies. A Synopsis of the Genera and 
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 Handbook of the Amaryllideae, including the Alstroemerieae and 
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 English Botany. Containing a Description and Life-size Drawing 
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 V A Supplement to the third edition is now in preparation. Vol. I. (Vol. 
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 the Royal Herbarium, Kew, now ready, 16s. Or in three parts, 5s. each. 
 
 Cottage Gardener's Dictionary. Edited by G. W. Johnson. With 
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 Botanist's Pocket -Book. By W. E. Hay ward. Containing the 
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 Names and Synonyms of British Plants, collating the Nomen- 
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 By the Rev. G. Eger ton- War burton. Fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Index of British Plants, according to the London Catalogue (8th 
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 1 8 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 The London Catalogue of British Plants. Part I., containing the 
 
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 ECONOMICS AND FINANCE. 
 
 By ROBERT GIFFEX, C.B., LL.D. 
 
 The Case against Bimetallism. 2nd edition. Crown 8vo., 7s. 6d. 
 
 The Growth of Capital. Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Essays in Finance. The Cost of the Franco- German War of 1870-71 
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 Essays in Finance. Second Series. Containing : — Trade Depres- 
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 Ricardo on the Principles of Political Economy and. Taxation. 
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 Sm. post 8vo. 5s. 
 
 Smith (Adam). The Wealth of Nations. Edited by E. Belfort 
 Bax. 2 vols. Sm. post 8vo. 7s. 
 
 The History, Principles, and Practice of Banking. By the late 
 
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 and Westminster Bank. New edition, revised by A. 8. Michie, of the Royal 
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 ART. 
 
 Bryan's Biographical and Critical Dictionary of Painters and 
 
 Engravers. With a List of Cyphers, Monograms, and Marks. By Michael 
 Bryan. New edition, thoroughly revised and enlarged by R. E. Graves, 
 of the British Museum, and Walter Armstrong, R.A. 2 vols, imperial 8vo. 
 buckram, 31. 3s., or in 12 parts, 5s. each. 
 
 Edward Burne- Jones. A Becord and Beview. By Malcolm Bell. 
 Illustrated with over 100 Reproductions of the most popular pictures by the 
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 representative selection of his designs for stained elass, tapestry, &c. With 
 full and complete lists of his finished works and of his cartoons. Super Royal 
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 Architectural Studies in France. By the late Kev. J. T. Petit, F.S.A. 
 New edition, revised by Edward Bell, M.A., F.S.A. Fcap. 4to. with 260 
 Illustrations, 15s. net. 
 
 The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture. By M. H. 
 
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 2 vols. 15s. Companion Volume on C HURCH VESTMENTS. 7s. 6d. 
 
 The History of Hampton Court Palace. Profusely Illustrated with 
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 Vol. II.— IN STUART TIMES, 21s.; Vol. III.— IX ORANGE AND 
 GUELPH TIMES, 31s. 6d.
 
 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 19 
 
 The Book of Sun-dials. Collected by Mrs. Alfred Gatty, Author of 
 * Parables from Nature,' &c. Edited by Horatio K. F. Eden and Eleanor 
 Lloyd. "With numerous Illustrations. 3rd edition. Fcap. 4to. 15s. 
 
 The Art of Sketching from Nature. By P. H. Delamotte. 
 Illustrated by 24 Woodcuts and 20 Coloured Plates, arranged progressively! 
 from "Water-colour Drawings by Prout, E. W. Cooke, R.A., Girtin, Varley, De 
 Wint, and the Author. New edition. Royal 4to. 21s. 
 
 Principle in Art. By Coventry Patmore. 2nd edit. Fcap. 8vo. os. 
 
 Leonardo da "Vinci's Treatise on Painting. With a Life of Leonardo. 
 New edition, revised, with numerous Plates. Small post 8vo. 5s. 
 
 Lectures and Lessons on Art. By the late F. W. Moody, Instructor 
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 A Concise History of Painting. By Mrs. Charles Heaton. New 
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 Lanzi's History of Painting in Italy, from the Period of the Ke- 
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 Thomas Roscoe. 3 vols, small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Cunningham's Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters. A 
 new edition, with Notes and Sixteen fresh Lives. By Mrs. Heaton. 3 vols, 
 small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Vasari's Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and 
 Architects. Translated by Mrs. J. Foster, with Notes, Index, and Portrait. 
 6 vols, small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Didron's Christian Iconography. A History of Christian Art in the 
 Middle Ages. Translated from the French, with additions, &c, by Margaret 
 Stokes. 2 vols, small post 8vo. 5s. each. 
 
 Flaxman's Classical Compositions, reprinted in a cheap form for 
 the use of Art Students. Oblong demy, paper cover, 2s. 6d. each. 
 
 THE ILIAD OF HOMER, 39 Designs. THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER, 
 34 Designs. THE TRAGEDIES OF AES TEYLTJ3, 36 Deigns. THE 
 WORKS AND DAYS AND THEOGOXY OF HESIOD, 37 Designs. 
 SELECT COMPOSITIONS FROM DANTE'S DIVINE DRAMA. 37 
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 Flaxman. Lectures on Sculpture, as delivered before the President 
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 New edition. Small post 8vo. 6s. 
 
 The Anatomy and Philosophy of Expression as Connected with 
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 An Illustrated History of Arms and Armour, from the Earliest 
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 Fairholt's Costume in England. A History of Dress to the end of 
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 A History of British Costume, from the Earliest Time to the close 
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 20 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 SPORTS AND GAMES. 
 
 Bonn's Handbooks of Athletic Sports. In 8 vols. Sm. post 8vo. 
 
 each. 
 
 Vol. I.— Cricket, by Hon. and Rev. E. Lyttelton. Lawn Tennis, by H. W. W. 
 Wilberforce. Tennis, Rackets, and Fires, by Julian Marshall, Major Spens, 
 and Rev. J. A. Tait. Golf, bv W. T. LinskilL Hockey, bv F. S. Creswell. 
 
 Vol. II.— Rowing and Scuffing, by W. B. Woodgate. Sailing, by E. F. 
 Knight. Swimniing, by M. and J. R. Cobbett. 
 
 Vol. III. — Boxing, by R. G. Allanson-Winn. Broadsword and Single Stick, 
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 by Walter Armstrong. Fencing, by H. A. Colmore Dunn. 
 
 Vol. IV.— Rugby^Football, by Harry Vassal!. Association Football, by 
 C. W. Alcock. "Baseball, bv Newton Crane. Rounders, Bowls, Quoits, 
 Curlrne, Skittles, ftc, bv C. C. Mott and J. M. Walker. 
 
 Vol. V.— Cycling and Athletics, by H. H. Griffin. Skating, by Douglas 
 Adams. 
 
 Vol. VI. — Practical Horsemanship, inclndinsr Riding for Ladies, by W. A. 
 Kerr ; V.C. 
 
 Vol. VII. — Drivinsr and Stable Management, bvW. A. Kerr,V.C. [J 
 
 Vol. VIII.— Gymnastics, by A. F. Jenkin. Clubs, by G. T. B. Gobbt 
 A. F. Jenkin ; and Dumb-bells. | In : 
 
 Bonn s Handbooks of Games. New edition. In 2 vols. Small 
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 Vol. I. — Table Games : Billiards, with Pool, Pyramids, and Snooker, by 
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 Bagatelle, by 'Berkeley.' * Chess, by K. F. Green. Draughts, Backgammon, 
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 Faro, bv ' Berkeley. 5 
 
 Vol." II.— Caed Games: Whist, bv Dr. William Pole, F.R.S., Author of 
 ' The Philosophy of Whist,' &c. Solo" Whist, by R. F. Green. Piquet, Ecarte, 
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 Staunton s Chess-Player's Handbook. A Popular and Scientific 
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 Chess Praxis. A Supplement to the Chess-player's Hand- 
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 Chess-Player's Companion. Comprising a Treatise on Odds, 
 
 Collection of Match Games, and a Selection of Original Problems. Witk 
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 Chess Studies and End-Games. In Two Parts. Part I. Chess 
 Studies. Part II. Miscellaneous End-Games. By B. Horwitz and J. Kling. 
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 Schools and Masters of Fence, from the Middle Ages to the 
 Eighteenth Century. With a Sketch of the Development of the Art of 
 Fencing with the Rapier and the Small Sword, and a Bibliography of the 
 Fencing Art during that Period. Bj Egerton Castle, M.A. With numerous 
 Illustrations. 2nd edition. Crown Svo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Oars and Sculls, and How to Use them. By W. B. Woodgate, M.A.. 
 
 Brasenose College, Oxford. Crown Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 Dancing as an Art and Pastime. With 40 full-page illustrations 
 
 from life. By Edward Scott. Crown Svo.
 
 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 21 
 
 THE ALL-ENGLAND SERIES. 
 
 HANDBOOKS OF ATHLETIC GAMES. 
 
 The only Series issued at a moderate price, by Writers who are in 
 
 the first rank in their respective departments. 
 
 • The best instruction on games and sports by the best authorities, at the lowest 
 prices.'— Oxford. Magazine. 
 
 Small 8vo. cloth, Illustrated. Price Is. each. 
 
 Cricket. By the Hon. and Rev. 
 
 E. Lyttelto>\ 
 Lawn Tennis. By H. W. W. 
 
 Wilberforce. With a Chapter for 
 
 Ladies, by Mrs. Hillyard. 
 
 Tennis and Rackets and Fives. 
 
 By Julian Marshall, Major J. Spens, 
 
 and Rev. J. A. Arnan Tait. 
 Golf. By W. T. Linskill. 
 Rowing and Sculling. By W. B. 
 
 WOODGATE. 
 
 Sailing. By E . F. Knight, dbl.vol. 2s. 
 
 Swimming. By Martin and J. 
 Racster Cobbett. 
 
 Camping out. By A. A. Macbon- 
 ell. Double vol. 2s. 
 
 Canoeing. By Dr. J. D. Hayward. 
 [In the Press. 
 
 Athletics. By H. H. Griffin. 
 With contributions by E. H. Pelling, 
 H. C. L. Tindall, J. L. Greig, T. Jen- 
 nings, C. F. Daft, J. Kibblewhite, Tom 
 Ray, Sid Thomas, and the Rev. W. 
 Pollock-Hill. 
 
 Riding. By W. A. Kerr, Y.C. 
 
 Double vol. 2s. 
 
 Ladies' Riding. By W. A. Kerr, 
 
 V.C. 
 Boxing. By R. G. Allanson-Winn. 
 
 With Prefatory Note by Bat Mullins. 
 
 Cycling. By H. H. Griffin, L.A.C., 
 N.C.U., C.T.C. With a Chapter for 
 Ladies, by Miss L. C. Davidson. 
 
 Wrestling. By Walter Arm- 
 strong ('Cross-buttocker'). 
 
 Fencing. ByH.A. Colmore Dunn. 
 
 Broadsword and Singlestick. 
 By R. G. Allanson-Winn and C. Phil- 
 lipps-Wollet. 
 
 Gymnastics. By A. F. Jenkin. 
 
 Double vol. 2s. 
 Indian Clubs. By G. T. B. Cob- 
 bett & A. F. Jenkin. [In the Press. 
 Football — Rugby Game. By 
 
 Harry Vassall. 
 
 Football — Association Game. 
 
 C. W. Alcoce. 
 Hockey. By F. S. Creswell. 
 
 (In Paper Cover, 6d.) 
 Skating. By Douglas Adams. 
 
 With a Chapter for Ladies, by Miss L. 
 
 Cheetham, and a Chapter on Speed 
 
 Skating, by a Fen Skater. Dbl. vol. 2s. 
 
 Baseball. By Newton Crane. 
 Rounders, Fieldball. Bowls, 
 
 Quoits, Curling, Skittles, &c. 
 
 By J. M. Walker and C. C. Mott. 
 
 By 
 
 THE CLUB SERIES OF CARD AND TABLE GAMES. 
 * No well-regulated club or country house should be -without this useful serif s of books.' 
 Small 8vo. cloth, Illustrated. Price Is. each. Globe. 
 
 Whist By Dr. Wm. Pole, F.R.S. | Dominoes and Solitaire. 
 
 Solo Whist. By Robert F. Green. 
 
 Billiards. The Art of Practical 
 Billiards for Amateurs, with chapters on 
 Pool, Pyramids, and Snooker. By 
 Major-Gen. A. W. Dratson, F.R.A.S. 
 With a Preface by W. J. Peall. 
 
 Chess. By Kobert F. Green, 
 Editor of the * British Chess Magazine.' 
 
 The Two-Move Chess Problem. 
 
 By B. G. Laws. 
 Draughts and Backgammon. 
 
 By ' Berkeley." 
 Reversi and Go Bang. 
 
 By 'Berkeley.' 
 
 By ' Berkeley.' 
 Bezique and Cribbage. 
 
 By • Berkeley.' 
 Ecarte and Euchre. 
 
 By • Berkeley.' 
 
 Piquet and Rubicon Piquet. 
 
 By ' Berkeley.' 
 Skat. By Louis Diehl. 
 
 Round Games, including Poker, 
 Napoleon, Loo, Vingt-et-un, New- 
 market, Commerce, Pope Joan, Specu- 
 lation, Spin, Snip-Snap-Snorum, Jig, 
 Cassino, My Bird Sings, Spoil-Five, 
 and Loto. By Baxter-Wray.
 
 22 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 FICTION. 
 
 {See also ' Standard Books.') 
 
 Bjornson's Arae and the Fisher Lassie. Translated from the 
 Norse with an Introduction by W. H. Low, M.A. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Burney's Evelina ; or, The History of a Young Lady's Entrance 
 into the Woi-ld. By Frances Burney (Mme. D' Arblay) . With an Introduc- 
 tion and Notes by A. R. Ellis. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d, 
 
 Cecilia. 2 vols, small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Cervantes' Galatea. A Pastoral Komance. Translated from the 
 Spanish by G. W. J. Gyll. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Exemplary Novels. Translated from the Spanish by Walter 
 
 K. Kelly. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Don Quixote de la Mancha. Motteux's Translation, revised. 
 
 With Lockhart's Life and Notes. 2 vols, small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Classic Tales, containing Easselas, Vicar of Wakefield, Gulliver's 
 Travels, and The Sentimental Journey. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 De StaeTs Corinne or Italy. By Madame de Stael. Translated by 
 Emily Baldwin and Paulina Driver. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Ebers' Egyptian Princess. An Historical Novel. By George Ebers. 
 Translated by E. S. Buchheim. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Fielding's Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend Mr. 
 Abraham Adams. With Cruikshank's Illustrations. 3s. 6d. 
 
 History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. Boscoe's Edition, 
 
 with George Cruikshank's Illustrations. 2 vols, small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 Amelia. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. 5s. 
 
 Gil Bias, the Adventures of. Translated by Smollett. Illustrated 
 by Smirke and Cruikshank. Small post 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Hauff's Tales. The Caravan— The Sheik of Alexandria — The Inn 
 in the Spessart. Translated by S. Mendel. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Hawthorne's Tales. 3 vols. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Hoffmann's Tales. The Serapion Brethren. Translated by Lieut.- 
 
 Col. Ewing. 2 vols. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 Manzoni. The Betrothed. By Alessandro Manzoni. With 
 
 numerous Woodcut Illustrations Small Post 8vo. 5s. 
 
 Stinde (J.) The Buchholz Family. Sketches of Berlin Life. By 
 Julius Stinde. Translated from the 49th edition of the German by L. Dora 
 Schmitz. Popular edition, picture boards, 2s. ; cloth, 3s. 
 
 The Buchholz Family. Second Part. Crown 8vo. cloth, 3s. 
 
 The Buchholzes in Italy. Translated from the 37th 
 
 edition of the original by Harriet F. Powell. Crown 8vo. 3s. 
 
 Frau Wilhelrnine. Being the Conclusion of ' The Buchholz 
 
 Family.' Translated by Harriet F. Powell. Crown 8vo. 3s.
 
 A Classified Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG. 
 
 Andersen (Hans Christian). Fairy Tales and Sketches. Trans- 
 lated by C. C. Peachey, H. Ward, A. Plesner, & rcus Illus- 
 trations by Otto Speckter and others. 7th thousand. Crown Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Tales for Children. With 48 full -page Illustrations by 
 
 Wehnert, and 57 small Engravings on Wood by W. Thomas. 13th thousand. 
 Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Danish Legends and Fairy Tales. Ti a slated from the 
 
 Original by Caroline Peachey. With a Short Lit fchor, 'ni 1 120 
 
 Wood Engravings, chiefly by Foreign Artists. Small post Svo. 5s. 
 
 Edgeworth's Stories for Children. With 8 Illustrations by L. Speed. 
 Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Grimm's Gammer Grethel; or, German Fa ; -v Tales and Popular 
 Stories, containing 42 Fairy Tales. Translated Taylor. With 
 
 numerous Woodcuts after George Cruikshank and Ludv ig Grimm 
 
 Tales. With the Notes of the Original Tra lslated by Mrs. 
 
 A. Hunt. With Introduction by Andrew Lang, M.A. 2 vols. 3s. ttd. each. 
 
 Stowe s Uncle Tom's Cabin ; or, Life among the Lowly. With In- 
 troductory Remarks by Rev. J. Sherman. With 8 full-page Illustrations. 
 Small post Svo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 The Wide, Wide World. A Story. By Elizabeth Wetherell. Sm. 
 post Svo. 3s. 6d. ^_____ 
 
 CAPT. MARRYAT'S BOOKS FOR BOYS. 
 
 Uniform Illustrated Edition. Small post 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Poor Jack. 
 
 The Mission ; or, Scenes in Africa. 
 The Pirate, and Three Cutters. 
 Peter Simple. 
 
 The Settlers in Canada. 
 The Privateersman. 
 Masterman Ready. 
 Midshipman Easy. 
 
 MRS. GATTY'S BOOKS. 
 
 Parables from Nature. Illustrated Edition. With Notes on the 
 Natural History, and numerous full-page Illust' ations by W. Holman Hunt, 
 E. Burne Jones, J. Tenniel, J. Wolf, and other eminent artists. Complete 
 edition with short Memoir by J. H. Ewing. Fcap. 4to. 10s. 6d. 
 Uniform Edition. 2 vols. Fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d. each. 
 Pocket Volume Edition. 2 vols. Imp. 32mo. 5s. 
 
 Cheap Edition. Illustrated. 2 vols. Fcap. 4to. paper covers, Is. each ; 
 or bound in 1 vol. cloth, 3s. 
 The Fairy Godmothers, and other Tales. 7th edition. 2s. Qd. 
 Worlds not Realised, and Proverbs Illustrated, 3rd edition. 3s. &d 
 Domestic Pictures and Tales. With 6 Illustrations. 3s. 6d. 
 Aunt Judy's Tales. Illustr. by Clara S. Lane. 9th edition. 3s. 6d. 
 
 The Hundredth Birthday, and other Tales. With Illustrations by 
 Phiz. New edition, revised. 3s. 6d.
 
 24 A^ ; cd Catalogue of Selected Works. 
 
 MRS. EWING'S BOOKS. 
 
 Tniform Edition, in 9 vols. 
 
 . A Story for Boys. By the late Juliana 
 Horatio Ew i 7 Illustrations by W. L. Jones 4th edition. 3s. 
 
 M R "Pirthing; or, Some Passages in the Life of an 
 lustrations by H. Allingham. 16th edition. 3s. 
 
 way's Remembrances. Illustrated with 9 fine full- 
 j Pasquier, and Frontispiece by Wolf. 5th edition. 3s. 
 
 Six to Sixteen : A Story for Girls. With 10 Illustrations by Mrs. 
 AlliugbntL, 8th edition. 3s. 
 
 Jan of the Windmill : a Story of the Plains. With 11 Illustrations 
 .^>th edition. 3s. 
 
 A Great Emergency A very Ill-tempered Family — Our Field — 
 >Yith i Illustrations. 3rd edition. 3s. 
 
 Meichior s Dream. The Blackbird's Nest— Friedrich's Ballad— A 
 Bit of Green — Monsieur the Viscount's Friend — The Yew Lane Ghosts — A 
 Bad Habit— A Happy Family. With 8 Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 7th 
 edition. 3s. 
 
 Lob-Lie-by-the-Fire, or the Luck of Lingborough ; and other Tales. 
 With 3 Illustrations by George Cruikshank. 4th edition. Imp. 16mo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 The Brownies. The Land of Lost Toys— Three Christmas-trees — 
 An Idyl of the Wood— Christmas Crackers— Amelia and the Dwarfs— Timothy's 
 Shoes— Benjy in Beastland. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. 7th edition. 
 Imp. 16mo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 THE SHILLING SERIES. 
 
 Fcap. -ito. double columns, Illustrated, Is. each. 
 Mrs. Ewing's Melchior's Dream, and other Tales. 
 
 A Flat Iron for a Farthing. 
 
 Six to Sixteen. 
 
 We and the World. 
 
 Mrs. Overtheway's Remembrances. 
 
 Jan of the Windmill. 
 
 A Great Emergency, and other Tales. 
 
 The Brownies, and other Tale?. 
 
 Mrs. Gatty's Parables from Nature. Two Series, each Is. 
 
 Miss Procter's Legends and Lyrics. Two Series, each Is. 
 
 Hector. A Story for Young People. With 12 Illustrations by 
 W. J. Hennessey. By Flora Shaw, Author of ' Castle Blair.' 
 
 Andersen's Tales. Translated by Caroline Peachey. 
 
 London : George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 
 
 6-soi
 
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