year, and then mounting a noble horse, leaped that Saracenic element, that spirit of intelheadlong into the gulf, and immediately the earth closed." " The moralization runs thus: 6 lectual movement which contributed so much towards the higher mental cultivation of modern Europe? Professor Keller's edition of the 'Gesta Rome signifies this world, in the middle of Romanorum,' is, as we have observed, merewhich is hell in the centre, which was open before ly a careful reproduction of the early printed the nativity of Chirst, and an infinite number of text; but we look forward with some demen fell into it, whereupon we received an answer gree of interest to his essay and commentary, from the gods, that is the prophets, that it would which is to form the second part. We never be closed until a virgin should give birth to know no scholar of the present day better a son, who should fight for mankind against the fitted for this task. devil, and his soul with divinity should descend to We could wish, howhell, from which time you are to know that it will ever, to see a good edition of the English never afterwards be opened, unless some one open text of the Latin Gesta,' which in our opiit by mortal sin." nion is the most ancient one, and which is certainly the best. The 'Gesta RomanoThe moralization here does not appear rum' deserves a new edition less from any very applicable. But the symbolical inter- great interest possessed by the stories thempretations are the most singular feature of selves, which are inferior to the common the work. In the story of the 'Procuress tales of the age, than as a monument of imand the little Dog,' we are told that the portance in the history of fiction; for it was chaste and beautiful matron is the soul once an extremely popular book, and it not cleansed by baptism, the young man who only exercised a great influence on our litattempts to seduce her is the vanity of the erature down to so late a period as the sevworld, the old woman who effects her ruin enteenth century, but it forms one of the is the devil, and, which is the oddest of all, most important links in the chain of transthe little dog is the hope of long life and mission of popular stories from one age to too much presumption in God's mercy.' In another. the story of Argus,' the white cow is the Before leaving this latter subject, and as soul, the lord who possesses it is Jesus Christ, a conclusion to our article, we will point out Argus represents the clergy to whose care what appears to us a most remarkable inthe soul is intrusted, and Mercury is the de- stance of this transmission, and one which vil. In the story of Rosimunda,' the lady we believe has not been hitherto noticed. is the soul, which runs swiftly in good It is an example in which there is a singularworks as long as it remains in purity of life;' ly close resemblance in the incidents, and Abibas is the devil, who overtakes the soul yet no apparent mode of accounting for it. by three stratagems: the garland, represent- Grimm and Schmeller, in a collection of meing pride; the girdle, luxury; and the ball, dieval Latin poetry published at Göttingen, avarice. And so with the rest. This style in 1838, have printed a metrical story of an of moralization is characteristic of, and fitted adventurer named Unibos; taken as we are for, a singular state of society, when the informed from a manuscript of the eleventh mass of the people were wholly uneducated century, though from its general character and little accustomed to think for them- we should have been more inclined to look selves, and it required broad material images upon it as a production of the twelfth. Unito convey even spiritual ideas. Taking the bos, who was so named because he constantcollection as a whole, it gives us an extraor-ly lost all his cattle but one, had enemies in dinary picture of the intellectual condition the provost, mayor, and priest of his town. of an age which we can hardly understand At length, his last bullock dying, he took the so well in any other historical form, and we hide to a neighbouring fair and sold it, and might, perhaps, be allowed to hazard one on his way home he accidentally discovered general moralization as a conclusion:-may a treasure. He thereupon sent to the prowe not look upon the whole collection as vost to borrow a pint measure. The prorepresenting the construction of medieval vost, curious to know the use to which this civilisation? The classic stories show the is to be applied, watches through the door, civilisation of antiquity on which medieval sees the gold, and accuses Unibos of robbery. society was founded, while the Gothic garb The latter, aware of the provost's malice, in which they are clothed is the spirit of the determines to play a trick upon him, which Germanic race which overran it; the monk-leads him into further scrapes than he exish legends represent that baneful weight of pected, though they all turn out in the end papal church influence which checked civil- to his advantage. He tells the provost that isation in its progress; and the beautiful at the fair which he had visited, bullocks' apologues of the East, what are they but hides were in great request, and that he had "Respondet, sub prodigio sold his own for gold which he saw there. I supposed drowned, driving before him a fine The provost consults with the mayor and drove of pigs. He tells them that at the priest, and they kill all their cattle and carry bottom of the sea he had found a pleasant the hides to the fair, where they ask an country, where there were innumerable pigs, enormous price for them. At first they are of which he had only brought with him a only laughed at, but in the end they become few. involved in a quarrel with the shoemakers, are carried before the magistrates, and are obliged to abandon their hides to pay the fine for a breach of the peace. The three enemies of Unibos return in great wrath, to escape the effects of which he is obliged to have recourse to another trick. He smears his wife with bullocks' blood, and makes her lie down to all appearance dead. The provost and his companions arrive, and are horror-struck at the spectacle offered to their eyes; but Unibos takes the matter coolly, and tells them that if they will forgive him The greedy officials are seduced by his the trick he has played upon them, he will tale, and throw themselves from a rock into undertake to restore his wife to life and make the sea, and Unibos is thus delivered of his her younger and handsomer than she had enemies. been before. mare. Ad regnum felicissimum Modo stertunt sub pulvere."" ་ The Contes Tartares,' of Gueulette, To this they immediately agree, and Uni- which are believed to be only imitations of bos, taking a small trumpet out of a wooden oriental tales, though they are, probably, box, blows on it three times over the body mixed with stories of an Eastern origin, were of his wife, with strange ceremonies, and published in 1715. The adventures of the when the trumpet sounds the third time, she Young Calender,' in this collection, are the jumps upon her legs. She then washes and exact counterpart of the story of Unibos,' dresses herself, and appears so much more which it is quite certain that Gueulette never handsome than usual, that the three officials, saw. The young calender having been who all possess wives that are getting old cheated by three sharpers, in a manner simiand are rather ill-favoured, give a great sum lar to the story of the Rustic and his Lamb,' of money to possess the instrument, and each mentioned in the earlier part of the present of them goes immediately and kills his wife, article, is eager to be revenged, and having but they find that the virtues of the trumpet two white goats resembling each other, he have entirely disappeared. They again re- goes with one of them to the market where pair to the hut of Unibos, who averts their he had been cheated. The three men, who vengeance by another trick, and extorts again are there seeking opportunities of depredaa large sum of money as the price of his tion, immediately enter into conversation In this they find themselves equally with him, and in their presence he buys vacheated, and they seize upon Unibos, whose rious articles of provision, and placing them tricks appear to be exhausted, and give him in a basket on the goat's back, orders the only the choice of his death. He requests animal to inform his servant that he had to be confined in a barrel and thrown into invited some friends to dinner, and to give the sea. On their way to the coast, his her directions how each of the different artithree enemies enter a public house to drink, cles are to be cooked, and then turns it loose. and leave the barrel at the door. A herds-The sharpers laugh at him; but in order to man passes at this moment with a drove of convince them he was in earnest, he asks pigs, and, hearing a person in the barrel, asks them to accompany him home. There, to him how he came there. Unibos answers their astonishment, they find the dinner prethat he is subjected to this punishment be- pared exactly according to the calender's cause he had refused to be made provost of directions; and in their hearing, the calena large town. The herdsman, ambitious of der's mother, who was in the secret, and the honour, agrees to change places with who acted the servant, tells her son that his him, and Unibos proceeds home with the friends have sent to excuse themselves, and pigs. The three officials continue their that the goat had delivered his orders, and journey, and in spite of the exclamations of was now feeding in the garden, where, in the prisoner in the barrel that he is willing fact, the other white goat was browsing on to be provost, they throw him into the sea; the plants. The calender invites the sharpbut what is their astonishment on their re- ers to join in his dinner, and ends by cheating turn at meeting their old enemy, whom they them of a large sum of money in exchange for the supposed miraculous goat. Finding wards inserted in the 'Legends and Stories the animal endowed with none of the pro- of Ireland' (1837). Little Fairly and Great perties they expected, they return to take Fairly were the sons of one man, by two revenge on the calender. He receives their wives; the latter inherited the estates, and reproaches with surprise, calls in his pre-lived with his mother in prosperity, while Littended servant, and asks why she neglected tle Fairly inherited only one cow, and dwelt to give them a particular direction relating with his mother in a rude hut. The elder to the goat, which he had forgotten, and she brother, who tyrannizes over the younger, makes an excuse. In a feigned passion he kills his cow. Little Fairly takes the hide stabs her in the belly, and she falls down to a fair, and by a trick sells it for a hundred covered with blood and apparently dead. guineas. On his return, he sends to ask for The three men are horror-struck at this his brother's scales to weigh his money; catastrophe; but the calender tells them not and the latter, in his curiosity to know why to be alarmed. He takes a horn out of a his brother wanted the scales, comes to the little casket, blows it over the body, and his hut, discovers his brother's riches, and mother, who only pretended to be killed, charges him with robbery. Little Fairly arises, and leaves the room unhurt. The tells him that the money was the proceeds three sharpers, in the sequel, buy the horn of his hide, an article which then fetched a for a great sum of money, return home and great price at the fair. Great Fairly was a sup with their wives; and, after supper, greedy man, and, resolved not to lose the anxious to try the virtues of the horn, they occasion, killed all the cattle on his estate pick a quarrel with the ladies, and cut their for the sake of their hides; but when he throats. The horn proves as great a failure came to the fair, instead of selling his meras the goat; and the police, who have been chandize, he was dreadfully beaten, in reattracted by the noise, force their way in, venge for the trick played by his brother. and seize two of the sharpers, who are As soon as he has recovered from the effects hanged for the murder; the third escapes. of his beating, he goes to his brother's hut, The latter, some time afterwards, meets and by accident kills Little Fairly's mother. with the calender, puts him in a sack, and Little Fairly turns this also to advantage, carries him off with the intention of throwing and obtains fifty guineas, which he reprehim into a deep river. But on his way he sents as having been the price given for his hears the approach of horsemen, and, fear-mother's body by the doctor in the neighing to be discovered, he throws the sack into bouring town. His avaricious brother immea hole beside the road, and rides off to a diately goes and kills his own mother, and distance. A butcher now arrives with a carries her body to the doctor, but narrowly flock of sheep, and, discovering the calender escapes being delivered to public justice for in the sack, proceeds to question him. The the murder. Great Fairly, in revenge, seizes calender says that he is confined there be- his brother, puts him in a sack, and carries cause he will not marry the cadi's daughter, him off, with the intention of throwing him a beautiful damsel, but who has been guilty into a bog. He stops at an inn on the way of an indiscretion. The butcher, allured by to drink, and leaves his brother in the sack, this prospect of advancement, agrees to take outside the door. A farmer passes by with his place in the sack, and the calender a herd of cattle, which he is persuaded to marches off with the sheep. The sharper give Little Fairly, to be allowed to take his then returns, and, in spite of the promises of place in the sack, and he is thrown into the the butcher to marry the cadi's daughter, bog. Great Fairly, on his return, meets his throws him into the river. But on his way brother with his cattle, and is informed that back, he is astonished to meet the calender he had found a country at the bottom of the with his sheep. The latter tells him, that bog, abounding in herds, and that when he when he reached the bottom of the river, had carried these home, he proposed to he found a good genius, who gave him return for more. Great Fairly, eager to be those sheep, and told him, that if he had before his brother, jumps into the bog, and been thrown further into the river, he would is drowned. have obtained a much larger flock. The We here find the same story, at three sharper, allured by the love of gain, allows widely different periods, and in different himself to be confined in a sack, and thrown countries-in Germany, in the eleventh or into the river. twelfth century, in France (if Gueulette's The third form of this story we owe to story be not taken from an Eastern collecour best of story-tellers, Samuel Lover. tion) in the eighteenth century, and in Most of our readers will remember the le- Ireland at the present day. The resemgend of Little Fairly,' first published in blance is too close to be accidental; it is the 'Dublin University Magazine,' and after-certain that neither of the two other writers could have been acquainted with the story | tress, it is difficult, notwithstanding the comof Unibos,' and we do not think it probable parative wisdom and vigour of Prussian adthat our friend Lover borrowed anything ministration, not to think of the state of from Gueulette. In fact, the Irish story Parisian literature before the Revolution, contains several incidents of resemblance to with the zest which it derived from occa'Unibos,' which are not found in the French. sional glimpses of the Bastile. As in the The story is not found in writing, in any doc- case of France too, the commencement of a ument which could have formed a medium new reign has given rise both to wider hopes of transmission. It must, therefore, have and to acuter feelings of disappointment in been preserved in all these countries tradi- the friends of innovation. The enlightened tionally. It is in this manner that the and educated sovereign, who was brought influence of the early popular literature has up at the feet of Humboldt, Savigny, and been continued down to the present time. Niebuhr, instructed in all the wisdom of the The fables and legends now current among Germans, might naturally be expected to be the peasantry, are the popular fictions of free from the narrow traditions of German the middle ages. despotism, and to share in the feelings of the extensive class of his subjects which stands on the same intellectual level with himself. The widest meaning has been given to his occasional expressions of liberalism, the bitterest reproaches directed against his ART. VI.-1. Geschichte der Politik, Cultur, alleged non-fulfilment of his promises. und Aufklärung der Achtzehnten Jahrhun- What his future intentions may be, as no derts. (History of Politics, Civilisation, person even in Prussia appears to know, we and the Progress of Enlightenment in the in England do not think it necessary to state Eighteenth Century.) Von BRUNO BAUER. with confidence. Without professing any 2 Bande. Charlottenburg: 1845. abstract admiration for representative go2. Deutsches Bürgerbuch für 1845, heraus-vernments in all times and places, we entergegeben von H. PUTTMAN. (German tain no doubt that a constitution resembling Citizen's Book for 1845.) Darmstadt: that of England, or perhaps that of France, is the only possible method of reconciling 3. Politische Gedichte aus Deutschland's the continuance of monarchy in Germany Neuzeit, herausgegeben und eingeleitet with the feelings and opinions of the people. von HERMANN MARGGRAFF. (Political The desire of a change is so strong, that if Poems of Modern Germany, edited by not gratified it must be repressed by force, H. MARGGRAFF, with an Introduction.) with the necessary result of falling back into Leipsig: 1843. obsolete despotism, or submitting to a total 4. Deutschland, ein Wintermärchen. (Ger- defeat. The question whether a sound and many, a Winter's Tale.) Von H. HEINE. lasting parliamentary system can be estaHamburg: 1844. blished, appears to us likely to depend in a 5. Deutsche Gassenlieder. (German Street great measure on the character of the king, Ballads.) Von HOFFMAN VON FALLERSLEBEN. Zürich und Winterthur: 1845. 6. Die Politische Wochenstube-Eine Komödie. (The Political Accouchement: a Comedy.) Von R. E. PRUTZ. 1845. and the result will decide hereafter whether he is a great sovereign, or merely an accomplished scholar and gentleman. Even a loyal and complimentary poet only defends the delay of concession against over-hasty agitators : It would have been easy to extend the list of books which we have prefixed to this arti-"In the North a star arises-it beams forth warm cle, but it is already heterogeneous enough Oh grief, the heavy sleepers said, how comes the and clearly: -in its range from the angry democracy of day so early! sleepless cried aloud. have been a thunder-cloud ?"* Bauer to the light and Epicurean sedition of Oh grief, how slow the sunshine dawns! the Heine. The opposition literature of the present day in Germany is not without in--Who thanks the light for being light, that might trinsic merit; but its principal interest arises from the wide-spread feeling of dissatisfaction which it indicates. When we see the Who indeed?-If such gratitude is felt in numerous squibs and satires, many of them these days, we fear it must be to a star furpersonally directed against the king, which ther north still. It is only at Petersburg are current in Berlin, and hear that this volume of bad poetry has been suppressed, * Anastasius Grün (Count Alexander of Auersand that ambitious author confined in a for-perg) Nibelungen im Frack-Modern Nibelungen that Europe would feel surprise at seeing her success in promoting the idolatry of that anything but a thundercloud. celebrated rag. Herr Jesus Christus,' In the meantime, the stationary position prayed one of the votaries, der du gebeneof the king, and of many other German deiet wardst diesen heiligen Rock zu tragen' princes, who are probably waiting for his-a much bolder flight than the sanctificadecision, is involving him in serious difficul- tion of the altar by virtue of the gold upon ties, by the democratic direction which it it. gives to the tendencies of opposition writ- Formidable, however, as the growing ers. His supposed inclination to the his-resistance to religion and government is betorical or English system of reform, founded coming, the princes of Germany may yet on established privileges and customs, and find safety in its results, if they are willing recognizing the very state of things which to concede in time. The modern antirequires change, as having once been legi- religionists are no more successful than their timate, is rapidly becoming identified in predecessors in explaining away the basis of public opinion with the spirit of mere resist- religion, or supplying its place. The reliance; while progress and improvement are gious sects, with all their follies and contralooked for more and more in the abstract dictions, belong to the cause which will theories of right, in which French Jacobin- finally be victorious; and in the political ism is founded. There is also a wide-spread struggle, whoever succeeds, the anarchists repugnance to the religious dilettantism of must be defeated. The King of Prussia the king, whether exhibited in his visit to the can scarcely wish for better arguments in Catholic cathedral of Cologne, his support favcur of a firm and enlightened government, of the Anglican bishopric of Jerusalem, or than the declarations of some of his oppohis whimsical flirtation with a benevolent nents, that no reform can be useful which Quaker lady in London. The feelings of does not extend to the abolition of religion, the educated class in Germany on these of marriage, and of private property. Yet subjects, are very different from those to it does not follow that, unless he breaks up which we are accustomed in England. opposition by timely concession, and extends They dislike falsehood; happily we dislike the basis of government, the wildest docimpiety more; and if we sometimes feel trines will be harmless. The body of the our bile stirred by the saintly whisper of nation would no doubt dislike atheism and Oxford, or shudder at the long-drawn howl universal confiscation, if in operation, even of Exeter Hall, it is rather because we ob- more than despotism and bureaucratic adject to extremes, or because our own opi- ministration; but anarchy is at present an nions are in danger, than from the proselytizing abstraction, while bureaucracy meets them indignation against untruth, which seems to at every turn. It is written, that we fly be common in Germany. A dislike to hy- from evils that we feel, to those we know pocrisy easily extends itself to the forms of not of; and the longer the ultra-revoluwhich hypocrites make use, and we believe tionists are united in a common struggle that in a large class of the German commu- with the constitutional reformers, the better nity there is an antipathy to the established will be their chance of diffusing their princicreed, as determined as that which prevailed ples through the mass of the united party. sixty years ago in France, and far more At present, the bulk of the nation offers a deeply seated, as it depends less upon igno- weapon which may be grasped by the rance. The destructive party have the ad-j stronger and wiser of the combatants. vantage of intelligibility and clearness of purpose over rationalizing and sentimentalizing explainers-away of orthodoxy, and they despise in the pietists the same foibles of shallowness and effeminacy which are, to some extent, sources of influence to the pietist party in this country. Over the Catholic populace neither pietism nor impietism is likely to spread; but the feelings of malcontents towards the ancient Church can scarcely have been softened by the late marvellous exhibition of genuine Romish paganism, in the pilgrimage of hundreds of thousands to worship the holy coat at Treves. Indeed, the Father of lies himself must have envied his old acquaintance, the Mother of pious frauds, who sits on the Seven Hills, One of the minor tests of opinion is the disposition professed towards France. The feeling of nationality, which was roused to some extent in 1840, is the constant object of ridicule to the revolutionists, who look across the Rhine for sympathy and aid in propagating Jacobinism. In this case, therefore, as well as in the other, all the sound instincts of the nation may be secured on the side of the governments. The danger is, that princes will lean too much upon them, and make them ludicrous or odious, by associating the thought of external independence with that of internal servility. Religion, and morality, and national pride, are infallible resources to those who rely upon them honestly and without ulterior |