Johann Peter Uz [pp. 35-37]

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
expressed by the, writer, be paraphrased thus: "In consequence of the king of Prussia who, by the bye bad
invaded Saxony, &c., thie Aulic council vote(d his conduct to be a brach of the public peae." If the piaaphrase is.ie1 leise, it is the nonsense of the original.
"3. The seteary wearin:t a s w ord and unifrm, was
a CirtClustlance whlilch added greatly to his nati t'al awlwardness. (,\)tiees of Mir. Hutmie.'
The meanini expressed by thc w ords is that the
Secretary (wvlto hIappene1d indeed to w ear a swcord and
uniform,) was 1himi1self the c'i r c umsnc e wihli added to
his osw n natural asklrwoardniess.'Tlhe fact intenidired to he
communi icated is that his wearii,g,a sioeid, 4-c. was that
circulistaiec."
"If alny one can doubt the jsts'ice of thjese strictures,
he may bring them to a very simple and decisive test, by
su1bstituting pronouns for nouns in each of tile passages
cited. Titus: The possession of one's goods is olterced by
hit taking themt into his uwn custodwy." "The ilic
council voted the kiig's cotidt,ct to be a breach of the
puttlic peace, in consequence of him ins ardin' Sixony.
" Le wearing a sword a nd uniform, was a cireiiiinstance
wshicht added to his ooaturtal atvhwivardnecs,.'"
This awkward usage has since the year ISIS been,received svittt stch eeneral favor, that it is impossblie to go
through a book of any considertable size w itthouit nicetin,iv with it. The last boaltI have read, Ci, lt. Basil
Hall's Schlop an fer!, aloou wit isc vs.t i S ere
are a fewv:
"As dim'ilties mightt anise bowecvcr on tte score of
her being a Protestant, or froom the ca stle heinig 1o longer
in the possession of the fatily, she thought it prudent,."
&c %~. Prge 43.
"IInstoad of the estate being put up for public sac, it
was quietly arranged thait the next hils, tisw o he cvs,
should come at once into possession1." Pae 47.
"All the Germ an wasodd sno w th at 0 fir'om S"'itay
being kelat holy as respects travellini, it i oi"vers,ally
selected as the fittest day ina the a whol w ee Kar tlhat
purpose." Page 118.
"Old Joseph, however, who was a good Catholic,
thinking I suppose it might do no harns to give lis mis
tress's soul a elnisee, took advanitage of mv barck' beiti"
turned, and s tuck a lighted caindle into the oti l:idy's
hand a fw ailocinutes lefore stte brcathetdi he' Itt.'" Pi,
192.
JOHANN PETER UZ.
BY MRS. E. F. ELSETT.
Some account of this clever wri'er, and of tils aoriks,
so little knoonvi in this country, mly not bt as ce!~ome
to the readers of this Magazine. He wais born at Aispachi, on the third of October 1720. his fitter, whom
be lost early, was a goldsmith, and suip ortcd Ilioself
by his trade; yet notwvitlthtatailg the o i hu' e origin
and occupation of his parents, the stilrjet cof o'r articl
was educa.tcd ivith care, and osanifeste d, even in clildhood, his disposition to painting andI paetry. The talent
for paintiong,;tideed, a-as hereditary in his fi ly
many of his relations being eminent rists, and his
brotlher devoted to it as a profession. To tl,e tas,te of
the future author for this art, and its cultivation, was
doubtless owing his sensibility to the beautiful in the
oaitttral world. He was designert for the law, and studiled under cmint'tctt professors, liistory and hl losoply
forosing also a part of his stndies; but in poetry he
wvas his own teacher, at least lie drew in struction for
Iimisclffinom the rilct fountaits of iaotiquity. Ainacreon
an11( IHotrace were constantly in his hands; ie amused
his lcisctrc hours by translating feagnacots from Homer
and Piidar, and took an active part i0 the tratislation
of Anaecrcon lay a gifted coutitryman. This joint versifon as prilted, but without lhis knowled C, in 1746.
Three years after, lie published a small collection of
lyrics, alhich lie had previously subt'mittcd to the judgmleint of his fi'iend Gleins. In tlte elaborate biography
prefixed to his a worlks, an amusing accoutit is given of
his platoneic attacltmeit to the sister of an intimate
"i'cieid, a,id the letters and poems arilessecd to the oh'ect of' his love, till her fitial osacriage aaitit aioter.
Uz himself never mairried; perhtapis on accoutot of his
early disappointmsent, ttiough his ona0 excuse was that
lie w as unable to otaititain a wife till too old to get one.
H-e afterwards formed a sentimental fi'iendship for a
lady, wshboos lie celebrates in his poems utider the name
of Cliloe.
Iii Untolsild, lie composed his best produttctiotns; several pioetical letters, odes and sonos, and the " Sire' dt's
Liebetrsa oiet," a osock heroic poem in fottr cantos, which
has teet praised by contenspornay critics as a most
v5aluabIe addit1ion to German0 literature. The letters
are on various sntijt'iccts, and tiddritessed to different individLals. ThIe didactic poem, ")ie Kititit stetsfi-ohlich
s1, "l it'," r iot' it i n I 1 0, h a s s t r i k in g p a s s a g e s, wtic h
t'ccotii' etict moderation in (1 sines, ad set forth the
pleascures of koolcdge, aid the advanttages of patience
and confidence in the provieisce of God, and a belie(f
in the immortality of the sottl, as so many mnit' ss of
promoting the happiness of this life. Harmonioits an0(
poetical expression, itnitecl with trthttl and vigor, is
uinaonimously accorded to the compositions of Uz. His
best poems are of an instructive and philosophical cast,
and if they ivant the brilliant fancy anct captivating
imery of other writers, they posss sol'id (merit enough4
to entitle their authort to the gratitudet and veneration
of his countrymen.
The death of this poet, calm and quiet as his life,
took place on the twelfth of May 1796.
Tite Victory of COtpid, (Dec Sieg des Liebesgottes) his
principal poenm, is analogaous in design and in style to
Popse's Rape of the Ltock, tiough not, as was erroneotisly stated by the pubisiher in onc edition, an avowed
intitati 0 of thit tproduction. Its descriptions are picturesoie and its satire is happy. ('upid is represented as
iniccoscd by the coldness of Selioda, a rural mnaiden,
is Itt, protectcd fr'om the sltafts of the boy-god by an
attt'ndant spsrite, has lt"l pt'csumption to dify his powerc.
The fair coqutette has two lovers in 1her train, who,
toortified lby hcr insensibility to their devotion, preferitheir tcoimplaints agtainsi hir to Losve hiiaself. Cupid
resolvcs to vaoqttishi the lady, svho has the boldness to
resist his swvay, onil for this stiptrpos enters Lesbia's
gar tden in pttrsuitt of her, where lie finds lier with a
outmerotis comapany. HIls arrowss are turned aside from
her liie ast by the swatehfol spirit, wvio is meant to per'sonate the vanity of awnnan;3 and thte offcndcd deity is
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