iere. 1867.

The fame of Lessing is steadily growing. Year by year he is valued more
highly, and valued by a greater number of people. And he is destined,
like his master and forerunner Spinoza, to receive a yet larger share of
men's reverence and gratitude when the philosophic spirit which he lived
to illustrate shall have become in some measure the general possession
of the civilized part of mankind. In his own day, Lessing, though widely
known and greatly admired, was little understood or appreciated. He was
known to be a learned antiquarian, a terrible controversialist, and an
incomparable writer. He was regarded as a brilliant ornament to Germany;
and a paltry Duke of Brunswick thought a few hundred thalers well spent
in securing the glory of having such a man to reside at his provincial
court. But the majority of Lessing's contemporaries understood him as
little perhaps as did the Duke of Brunswick. If anything were needed to
prove this, it would be the uproar which was made over the publication
of the "Wolfenbuttel Fragments," and the curious exegesis which was
applied to the poem of "Nathan" on its first appearance. In order to
understand the true character of this great poem, and of Lessing's
religious opinions as embodied in it, it will be necessary first to
consider the memorable theological controversy which preceded it.

During Lessing's residence at Hamburg, he had come into possession of
a most important manuscript, written by Hermann Samuel Reimarus, a
professor of Oriental languages, and bearing the title of an "Apology
for the Rational Worshippers of God." Struck with the rigorous logic
displayed in its arguments, and with the quiet dignity of its style,
while yet unable to accept its most general conclusions, Lessing
resolved to publish the manuscript, accompanying it with his own
comments and strictures. Accordingly in 1774, availing himself of the
freedom from censorship enjoyed by publications drawn from manuscripts
deposited in the Ducal Library at Wolfenbuttel, of which he was
librarian, Lessing published the first portion of this work, under the
title of "Fragments drawn from the Papers of an Anonymous Writer."
This first Fragment, on the "Toleration of Deists," awakened but little
opposition; for the eighteenth century, though intolerant enough, did
not parade its bigotry, but rather saw fit to disclaim it. A hundred
years before, Rutherford, in his "Free Disputation," had declared
"toleration