"How charming that you should make thinkable to us, make vocal, musical and comfortably certain, what we were all inclined to think; you creature plainly divine!" And the homages to Gellert were unlimited and continual, not pleasant all of them to an idlish man in weak health.
Mitchell and Quintus Icilius, who are often urging on the King that a new German Literature is springing up, of far more importance than the King thinks, have spoken much to him of Gellert the Trismegistus;--and at length, in the course of a ten days from Friedrich's arrival here, actual Interview ensues. The DIALOGUE, though it is but dull and watery to a modern palate, shall be given entire, for the sake of one of the Interlocutors. The Report of it, gleaned gradually from Gellert himself, and printed, not long afterwards, from his manuscripts or those of others, is to be taken as perfectly faithful. Gellert, writing to his inquiring Friend Rabener (a then celebrated Berlin Wit), describes, from Leipzig, "29th January, 1760," or about six weeks after the event: "How, one day about the middle of December, Quintus Icilius suddenly came to my poor lodging here, to carry me to the King." Am too ill to go.
Quintus will excuse me to-day; but will return to-morrow, when no excuse shall avail. Did go accordingly next day, Thursday, 18th December, 4 o'clock of the afternoon; and continued till a quarter to 6. "Had nothing of fear in speaking to the King. Recited my MALER ZU ATHEN." King said, at parting, he would send for me again.
"The English Ambassador [Mitchell], an excellent man, was probably the cause of the King's wish to see me. ... The King spoke sometimes German, sometimes French; I mostly German."[<italic> Gellert's Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius, herausgegeben von F. A. Ebert <end italic> (Leipzig, 1823), pp. 629, 631.] As follows:--RING. "Are you (ER) the Professor Gellert?"GELLERT. "Yea, IHRO MAJESTAT."
KING. "The English Ambassador has spoken highly of you to me.
Where do you come from?"
GELLERT. "From Hainichen, near Freyberg."KING. "Have not you a brother at Freyberg?"GELLERT. "Yea, IHRO MAJESTAT."
KING. "Tell me why we have no good German Authors."MAJOR QUINTUS ICILIUS (puts in a word). "Your Majesty, you see here one before you;--one whom the French themselves have translated, calling him the German La Fontaine!"KING. "That is much. Have you read La Fontaine?"GELLERT. "Yes, your Majesty; but have not imitated: I am original (ICH BIN EIN ORIGINAL)."KING. "Well, this is one good Author among the Germans; but why have not we more?"GELLERT. "Your Majesty has a prejudice against the Germans."KING. "No; I can't say that (Nein; das kann ich nicht sagen)."GELLERT. "At least, against German writers."KING. "Well, perhaps. Why have we no good Historians? Why does no one undertake a Translation of Tacitus?"GELLERT. "Tacitus is difficult to translate; and the Frenoh themselves have but bad translations of him."KING. "That is true (DA HAT ER RECHT)."GELLERT. "And, on the whole, various reasons may be given why the Germans have not yet distinguished themselves in every kind of writing. While Arts and Sciences were in their flower among the Greeks, the Romans were still busy in War. Perhaps this is the Warlike Era of the Germans:--perhaps also they have yet wanted Augustuses and Louis-Fourteenths!"KING. "How, would you wish one Augustus,then, for all Germany?"GELLERT. "Not altogether that; I could wish only that every Sovereign encouraged men of genius in his own country."KING (starting a new subject). "Have you never been out of Saxony?"GELLERT. "I have been in Berlin."KING. "You should travel."
GELLERT. "IHRO MAJESTAT, for that I need two things,--health and means."KING. "What is your complaint? Is it DIE GELEHRTE KRANKHEIT(Disease of the Learned," Dyspepsia so called)? "I have myself suffered from that. I will prescribe for you. You must ride daily, and take a dose of rhubarb every week."GELLERT. "ACH, IHRO MAJESTAT: if the horse were as weak as I am, he would be of no use to me; if he were stronger, I should be too weak to manage him." (Mark this of the Horse, however; a tale hangs by it.)KING. "Then you must drive out."GELLERT. "For that I am deficient in the means."KING. "Yes, that is true; that is what Authors (GELEHRTE) in Deutschland are always deficient in. I suppose these are bad times, are not they?"GELLERT. "JA WOHL; and if your Majesty would grant us Peace (DENFRIEDEN GEBEN WOLLTEN)--"KING. "How can I? Have not you heard, then? There are three of them against me (ES SIND JA DREI WIDER MICH)!"GELLERT. "I have more to do with the Ancients and their History than with the Moderns."KING (changing the topic). "What do you think, is Homer or Virgil the finer as an Epic Poet?"GELLERT. "Homer, as the more original."KING. "But Virgil is much more polished (VIEL POLIRTER)."GELLERT. "We are too far removed from Homer's times to judge of his language. I trust to Quintilian in that respect, who prefers Homer."KING. "But one should not be a slave to the opinion of the Ancients."GELLERT. "Nor am I that. I follow them only in cases where, owing to the distance, I cannot judge for myself."MAJOR ICILIUS (again giving a slight fillip or suggestion). "He,"the Herr Professor here, "has also treated of GERMAN LETTER-WRITING, and has published specimens."KING. "So? But have you written against the CHANCERY STYLE, then"(the painfully solemn style, of ceremonial and circumlocution;Letters written so as to be mainly wig and buckram)?