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    of . those he sojourns with ; and his poems he considers like the foreign wares which the importer is permittee ! , by all needful explanation of their ases and nature , and even by his own encomiums ,, to recommend to his countrymen . This is performed in the Commentary , in which we shall accompany him . He commences by remarking that it was his practice early in life to send his works into the world without preface or explanation : that in consequence it was not till the second or third generation had

    sprung up , that their appreciation indemnified him for the ignorant misapprehensions of his earliest readers ; but that , advanced in life as he then was , and desirous of immediate effect ,, he found it necessary to explain his object . Then follow a succession of chapters , short but pregnant with seminal thoughts , which he hoped in vain to develope at some future time , and which we shall shortly indicate : — The Hebrews . —He takes occasion to acknowledge his

    obligations to Herder and Eichorn ; he remarks on the naif character of the earliest poetry of all nations , of which Ruth is a curious specimen ; and notices the inimitable graces , the tenderness , and deep passion of the Song of Solomon . The Arabs . —He contrasts with the Hebrew poems the ferocious character of the Arabian poets , and inserts a metrical translation of a poet of the age and in the spirit of Mahomet . He then passes over to the ancient Persians , among whom

    Zoroaster was the first to embody a pure religion of nature in an elaborate cultus . We regret the want of space for the translation of a very curious characteristic : and we can only in like manner refer to the chapters entitled Government and History , in which the author contrasts the wrcplastic character of the oriental religions with the Greek mythology , and deduces the origin of absolute governments from the right to declare war .

    Mahomet . —The prophet was accustomed vehemently to protest against being deemed a poet , on which our author remarks , that the poet and prophet are inspired by the same God , but that the poet wastes his gift in enjoyment for the production of enjoynaent toothers , and of honour for himself ; while the prophet , having a definite object , pursues that by the simplest means ; he has a doctrine to spread which the world are bound to believe , and which , therefore , must be monotonous . A summary of the

    Koran is comprised in the assertion of its truth , the obligation to believe , the fixing of the times for prayer , the injunction of the duty of almsgiving , and the assurance of future life . As to the unbelievers , it is of no consequence whether you admonish them or not : they will , at all events , not believe : God has sealed up their ears and hearts . * A closer specification pf commands and prohibitions , fabulous histories respecting the Jewish and Christian religions , amplifications of all sorts , infinite tautologies and repetitions form the mass of this holy book , which as often a §

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    606 Goethe ' s Works . .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1832, page 506, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1818/page/2/