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he always spoke with the most affectionate regard and warmth of feeling. I recollect his saying, that there was no reward so gratifying to him as the approving smiles of his wife. Such, therefore, at least, was the estimable quality of our poet's imagination in his character of a husband at the time in question, when I believe he was the father of not fewer than three children.

No one could express a stronger abhorrence of seduction and seducers, than he was wont to do; and in perfect accordance with this feeling, was his fondness for the chivalrous compositions of the Minnesinge, or Troubadours.

He disliked to see the arm of a German peasant, as often happened, locked in that of the woman who was walking with him. Where pure affection, he remarked, predominates in the lover's breast, the fair lady's arm is allowed to be gently intertwined with his, thus seeming to claim the support due from him to her sex.

There were other suspicious tokens, which, as several of his beautiful sonnets bear testimony, he failed not to notice :

"Soft the glances of the youth,

Soft his speech, and soft his sigh ;
But no sound like simple truth,

But no true love in his eye."*

* It is the recorded testimony of no less a judge than Professor Wilson, that "If there be any man of great and original genius alive at this moment,

R

We had an opportunity, whilst at Brunswick, of conversing with several learned Germans. The first upon whom we called was Professor Roose, who was in no very good humour with his country. The German empire, he said, was so divided and subdivided, that there was no vaterland (no common country), and consequently no such thing as patriotism to be met with, which, however, does not exactly tally with an anecdote recorded by Archenholz in his Seven Years' War." A German, in the act of sabreing a Frenchman, was on the point of losing his victim, and, by fair play, his own life, by the interruption of another German (an auxiliary on the side of the

in Europe, it is Coleridge; nothing can surpass the melodious richness of words which he heaps around his images-images which are not glaring in themselves, but which are always affecting to the very verge of tears, because they have all been formed and nourished in the recesses of one of the most deeply musing spirits that ever breathed forth its inspirations in the majestic language of England. Who, that ever read "Genevieve," can doubt this? That poem is known to all readers of poetry, although comparatively few of them are aware that it is the work of Coleridge. His love-poetry is, throughout, the finest that has been produced in England since the days of Shakspeare and the old dramatists. The old dramatists, and Coleridge, regard women with far higher reverence-far deeper insight into the true grandeur of their gentleness. I do not think there is any poet in the world who ever touched so truly the mystery of the passion as he has done in " Genevieve," and in that other exquisite poem where he speaks of

"Her voice

Her voice, that, even in its mirthful mood,

Hath made me wish to steal away and weep."

Letters, &c. vol. i. p. 95.

Where the above is given in a note, said to be extracted from "Peter's Letters to his Kinsfolk," which Coleridge, from some accompanying remarks, does not seem to have been aware were written by Mr. Lockhart.

French!), but, upon his exclaiming, Brother German! pray leave the Frenchman to me! Aye! aye! he replied, and took himself off." By Professor Roose, we were introduced to the venerable Zimmermann, whose great erudition, gentlemanly manners, and communicativeness, highly gratified us. He said it was the fashion on the Continent to hold English schools and universities cheap; but that, for his part, he thought very favourably of our plan of education; considering, as he did, the classics and mathematics to be admirably calculated to enrich and invigorate the youthful mind, and, at the same time, to keep its discursiveness within due bounds.

He had taken a great fancy to the Emperor Paul of Russia, who had not yet exhibited himself in the decided character of a madman. On the contrary, very many believed that he was destined to be the champion who was to deliver Europe from the iron grasp of France. I have now in my possession a very pretty and curious little book, "Schlozer's Miniature History of Russia," given me in the spring of 1800, by a French emigrè, then residing at Göttingen, with the following inscription written on the cover:

“Ciel, rend-nous les Russes et combats contre nous !”

an inscription equally commemorative of the hopes and feelings of himself and fellow exiles, and of the times that then were.

The little present was addressed "A Monsieur Carlyon," with this additional pledge of reminiscence.

"Monsieur,

"Recevez, je vous prie, ce petit livre, comme un gage de mon amitié pour vous.

"Puisse-t-il vous rappeler, par fois, mon souvenir.

"Göttingue,

"le 4 Avril, 1800.

“ Bévij,

"Gentilh. de Bourgogne "nè à Dijon."

Zimmerman gave us his opinion freely of Kant's philosophy, and no one could have more cordially reprobated its general tendency. After maintaining, as Kant has done, that the existence of a God can

*

never be proved; to what purpose, asked Zimmermann, is it to tell the world that the best argument which can be adduced in its favour is this very impossibility of proving it? The generality of mankind, he said, would recollect the impossibility, but forget the inference. Kant, moreover, was unable, he added, to ex

* With reference to this point, the reader will do well to consult the fifth section of Professor Turton's "Natural Theology," where he enters upon the consideration of what Lord Brougham has written on the "Argument à priori."

How can the learned professor have supposed that the unpublished materials, which, he says, he has by him, for an "Historical and Critical Account of the modern (so called) Argument à priori, with remarks upon its proper use," would not, when set in order, prove attractive to above half-a-score persons in the kingdom?

His bookseller, if his opinion were taken, would soon help him to correct this mistake.

plain his own system; so that it was not to be wondered at, that his worshippers branched off into almost as many ramifications as the human arteries; but without returning to a common centre. Is it not extraordinary, he concluded by exclaiming, to see such herds of commentators groping after and guessing at the meaning of a living author? Coleridge attended to what Zimmermann said, without showing any desire to defend the Philosopher of Königsburg on this occasion.

Zimmermann informed us, that the greater part of the German literati were Spinozists; their secluded habits were calculated, he thought, to promote this doctrine; besides, added he, people have their vanity gratified, in supposing themselves equal with God; not considering that their doctrine puts them, at the same time, on a footing with frogs and spiders.

We next went to pay our respects to Professor Wiedeman, a great anatomist, chemist, and mineralogist. He showed us his museum, and afterwards took us to see, and be introduced to his friend, Professor Eschenburg. They were both great friends of the learned traveller, Mr. Hawkins, of whom they seemed to think they could not speak too highly. Which was the case likewise with Professor Blumenbach, whose attentions to me, during my residence at Göttingen, I owed in great measure to his having

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