ader of some of its most amusing passages.

DEDICATION TO BARON GOETHE, &c. &c. &c.

"Sir,--In the Appendix to an English work lately translated into
German and published at Leipsic, a judgment of yours upon English
poetry is quoted as follows: 'That in English poetry, great genius,
universal power, a feeling of profundity, with sufficient
tenderness and force, are to be found; but that _altogether these
do not constitute poets_,' &c. &c.

"I regret to see a great man falling into a great mistake. This
opinion of yours only proves that the '_Dictionary of ten thousand
living English Authors_' has not been translated into German. You
will have read, in your friend Schlegel's version, the dialogue in
Macbeth--

"'There are _ten thousand_!
_Macbeth_. _Geese_, villain?
_Answer_. _Authors_, sir.'

Now, of these 'ten thousand authors,' there are actually nineteen
hundred and eighty-seven poets, all alive at this moment, whatever
their works may be, as their booksellers well know; and amongst
these there are several who possess a far greater reputation than
mine, although considerably less than yours. It is owing to this
neglect on the part of your German translators that you are not
aware of the works of * * *.

"There is also another, named * * * *

"I mention these poets by way of sample to enlighten you. They form
but two bricks of our Babel, (WINDSOR bricks, by the way,) but may
serve for a specimen of the building.

"It is, moreover, asserted that 'the predominant character of the
whole body of the present English poetry is a _disgust_ and
_contempt_ for life.' But I rather suspect that, by one single work
of _prose_, _you_ yourself have excited a greater contempt for life
than all the English volumes of poesy that ever were written.
Madame de Stael says, that 'Werther has occasioned more suicides
than the most beautiful woman;' and I really believe that he has
put more individuals out of this world than Napoleon himself,
except in the way of his profession. Perhaps, Illustrious Sir, the
acrimonious judgment passed by a celebrated northern journal upon
you in particular, and the Germans in general, has rather
indisposed you towards English poetry as well as criticism. But you
must not regard our critics, who are a