And as a tree beside a fountain sprouts, In Nature's bosom soft, and thee the dews Rafaël ! Celestial consecration, like the sun's Thus mourned the Muse! She rose, her girdle shone Fearful, at distance, I looked after her, Till by the door-way of Angelica, Which opened of itself to her, and shut After her of itself, she vanished from me. The allusion to Angelica Kauffman at the close of this fine poem is a princely compliment to that highly-gifted but unfortunate artist. In a yet more lyrical strain he addresses Michael Angelo. Our design, in such extracts as we have made from these travels, was not to furnish the reader with any information derivable from them, as to the places visited by the poet, but to exhibit the character of the traveller. In fact, he appears more to have reflected than observed, and is more desirous of exhibiting his own feelings than the manners and customs of the people among whom he sojourned. They are, however, in their peculiar way, admirable as the travels of a poet and scholar; indeed, a Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' in prose, without any of its misanthropy. On the contrary, Count Stolberg delights to throw over the scenes and their inhabitants a soft and sunny hue, and to embellish them with the affectionate colours of his own genial sensibility, and illustrate them with the classical associations of his own intellect. As if to confirm the poetical character of the whole production, he sums up, in three epistles in verse, addressed to J. A. Ebert, entitled 'Hesperides,' the general impression received from his Italian excursion. From these epistles we had intended to present some extracts, but our space will not permit it. The tenth volume consists of Fred. Leopold's 'Life of Alfred,' and other little pieces. The 'Life of Alfred the Great,' (whom the author reckoned, with Charlemagne, among his ancestry,) is very valuable. The introductory representation of AngloSaxon history, and the fine manner in which the hero of the book is exhibited, entitle the production to be esteemed as a patriotic work of art; the author's countrymen say, the best extant. The remainder of the volumes, except the last, is occupied with the different translations of the two brothers. The last volume contains a dedication of his History of the Religion of Jesus Christ to his son and daughter. The History itself, however, in fifteen volumes, is not contained in this collection. A tendency to religiosity was apparent in the latter years of Frederick Leopold's life, of which, doubtless, the seeds were deposited by his early acquaintance with the poet Klopstock. He was, however, suspected of not being, in his young days, a staunch Lutheran; but at a later period, he had made himself conspicuous upon a public occasion as a zealous orthodox 6 orthodox defender of that Church. Greater, consequently, was the surprise, when he afterwards declared himself a Catholic, and apostalized to the Church of Rome. It has been said that he adopted this step to produce religious conformity in his family, his second wife being a Catholic; and this view of the subject has been defended, upon the ground that a predisposition to conform to the religion of the father-in-law facilitates advantageous matrimonial connexions.' Apostasy is, however, a sin of such deadly dye, even when undertaken conscientiously upon mistaken motives, that when resorted to upon interested ones, it can never fail to excite general abhorrence. Religion is the perfection of human reason, and a Christian is the highest style of man; true courage of mind lives only in a faith of something above itself. Fearing God, it knows no other fear. Timidity never looked upwards for protection, for consolation, and for happiness. The Heaven-erected look is peculiar to the Christian hero, and is only possible with the consciousness of moral integrity, and the hope which is the result of determined perseverance for the future, and temptation overcome in the past. We believe that Frederick Leopold's conversion was real and not pretended. It was not effected without many sacrifices. He resigned all his public employments, and much emolument -a serious consideration in a family so numerous as his (for he left thirteen children behind him); he also forfeited the good opinion of many of his friends. Voss in particular expressed the sharpest and bitterest censure on his conduct. A little Book on Love,' included in the present collection, shews how deeply agitated he was by the controversy consequent on his conversion. The history before mentioned, which he wrote in defence of his change of religious sentiments, was, though a feeble production, in many respects, well received by the Papists, who caused an Italian translation to be made. One also appeared in the Dutch language. Stolberg, in fact, was inspired with an overwhelming enthusiasm-in particular his enthusiasm for the beautiful in Nature and in Art was exceedingly warm. His poetry is distinguished by uncommon fire, and the ardour with which he seems to contemplate every subject which attracted his attention, is surprising. All this superabundant fervour of spirit was transferred in its full force into the channel of religion, when once his mind had taken a decided course in that direction. His love for the fine arts appears to have inspired him with a passion for antiquity and the devotional forms of the middle ages. His temperament was of a nature to crave for sensuous and external excitement; such the ceremonies of the Church of Rome supplied VOL. V.-NO. IX. L supplied him withal, and for constitutions such as his, its discipline is expressly adapted. Protestantism and Catholicism,' says Madame de Stäel, 'exist in the human heart; they are moral powers which are developed in nations, because they are inherent in every individual. If in religion, as in other human affections, we can unite what the imagination and the reason suggest, there is harmony in the whole man; but in man, as in the universe, the power of creating and that of destroying, faith and inquiry, succeed and combat each other.' Indeed we look upon this same conversion of the younger Stolberg as a great proof of his being a man of genius. For every one such is a type of his age, though a creator of the public taste. Stolberg was both. These two moral powers, spoken of above, had begun to manifest themselves in antithesis in Germany. The most susceptible spirits are they which take the primitive impressions and communicate them to inferior minds. The tide was gradually setting in of this religious controversy; he was the first to take the alarm; he set the example of conversion, and was not without many imitators. From the time of Klopstock onward, the poetry, and indeed every other form of intellectual exertion, had taken, in Germany, this religious colour. Nor is it one of the least merits of the Christian religion, the favourable influence exercised thereby over the arts, imagination, and poetry. In fact, in every age, such as religion is, such are they. Stolberg himself was not unaware of this truth. 'We may observe,' he says in his Travels, the poets of antiquity, even in the midst of their festive songs, turn pale with the thought of the gloomy grave. What may avail against this, the flower-wreathed goblet and the melody of stringed instruments? Vainly sought the Epicurean to banish the anticipation of death. Nature renounces not her feelings. Thou art not able, as Alexander did Bucephalus, so to place her that she throws no shadow. Bolder and prouder than the scholars of Epicurus, the Stoics spurned at the suggestions of nature. But were they not spurned in return by her? Only revelation shews how we may comprehend "in the darkness and shadow of death," the great morn, and hear even in death the cock crow, announcing light eternal. 'Only among one people burned the lamp of Godlike hope, from generation to generation, fed with oil from heaven. 'And the times were fulfilled! The wisdom and appeared, visibly, concealed in human form, to man. they kindled the grave out of which they arose love of God Descending, victoriously, shedding shedding a light which enlightened and cheered the nations. Before this light, the Shadow of the Valley of Death, with all its phantoms, vanished! Tender virgins, smiling, and with songs of thanksgiving, met his fearfully prepared terrors. And seventeen centuries having passed away, the sacred poet thus sang Schweig denn du o Thräne, die in Wehmuth Trost weinet, Ist am Ziel denn nicht Vollendung? Klopstocks Messias, 20 Gesang.' Frederick Leopold Stolberg continued, in his latter days, to receive the impressions of his time, and to communicate them. He endeavoured to evoke anew the spirit of his countrymen in resistance to the Corsican oppressor, by several national songs, of which we insert a specimen. NAPOLEON. 15th January, 1824. 'He falls! hurled down by God, the Omnipotent, He falls! perhaps already dusts the snow, O Glory give to God, the Omnipotent! Him let escape the All-wise God, because The doating people drink with him! Bewitched and numberless, like hornets in The summer's glow, new hosts swarmed through the jaws Of the Decision proudly deemed. Ancient of Days! but thou decided hadst Humility gazed up, and entered heaven L 2 Whose |