so that
we shall not wonder at De Maistre's delicate and dainty truth that the
Fornarina "loved her love more than her lover." Not that sheep-stealing,
or any other peccadillo is beautiful, or in any way to be commended or
imitated, but that these are the signs of human and actual sympathy
which these great and glorious geniuses show us--as stately sky-sailed
galleons, sweeping the sea into admiring calm at their progress, might
hang out simple lanterns to the fishing-smacks around, to show their
crews that the same red blood was the sap of all that splendid life. "Is
he not the Just?" "Yes--and because he is the Just, I have done it."
Poor old Herr Bodmer could not see with equanimity the illustrious guest
of his imagination boating about the lake with the girls at Zurich, and
selling the stanzas--of priceless worth to him--for a snatched and
blushing kiss. For our own part, we are glad that generous Mr. Morikofer
has pulled off the bleached horse hair wig of factitious gravity, and
shown us the natural moist and waving hair of a human-hearted poet.

* * * * *

A _History of German Literature_, from W. WACKERNAGEL, is coming out in
parts at Basle. Since Gervinus there has been no broad treatment of the
subject. But Gervinus gives us rather a history of the cultivation than
of the literature of Germany. Vilmar is much too partial and partisan,
and Hillebrand treats only the period from Lessing to the present time.
Wackernagel surveys the whole ground from the beginning. The first part
of his work is occupied with the elder literature of Germany, but he has
handled it so dexterously that it interests the general reader, even
while he develops the laws by which the old high German proceeded from
the Gothic, and the middle high German from that. He divides the
literary history into three parts. 1. The old high German era, Frank,
Carlovingian, of the German Latinity of the bards. 2. The middle high
German, beginning with the Crusades, and treating all the chivalric,
social, and international relations which they inspired. 3. The new
German style. The treatise is original and profound, and lacks only a
little more elaboration of the biographical notices.

* * * * *

A somewhat curious proof of the influence which America at present
exerts, even in language, may be found in the title of a dictionary
(English and German), recently published at Brunswick. The tit