French occupation of Prussia,
he was taken prisoner, and though he was shortly afterwards released,
this imprisonment seems to have had a fatal effect upon a temperament
naturally morbid. In 1811, at Potsdam, he voluntarily terminated his
own existence, and that of an invalid lady of his acquaintance. His
works, which are somewhat numerous, consist of dramas and tales, and
are all distinguished by a sort of rugged power. Of his plays, the
most celebrated is the romantic drama, _Kaethchen von Heilbronn_, and of
his tales, the narrative of _Michael Kohlhaas_, contained in this
collection. A complete edition of his works was published at Berlin,
in 1821, by the indefatigable, Ludwig Tieck. The critical remarks
which he has made on _Kohlhaas_, may be extracted with profit.

"_Michael Kohlhaas_," says Tieck, "is unquestionably the most
remarkable of all Kleist's narratives, and if we see with what firmness
he sketches the various forms, how faithfully the events and feelings
are deduced from each other, with what steadiness the narrator
advances, step by step, we are tempted to believe that this style is
more suitable to the author, and that his talents might have shone
forth more brilliantly here than in the drama. Here, as in his plays,
we see, as in the form of a law-suit, the misfortune and the guilt of a
remarkable man unfolded before his eyes. Few writers understand how to
shake our hearts to the very depth, like Kleist, and this is precisely
because he goes to work with so steady a purpose, and consciously
avoids all soft sentimentality. The insulted and injured Kohlhaas
becomes unhappy;--nay, becomes a criminal through his misery and his
keen sense of justice, until he is called back from his career by the
revered Luther, and by his means obtains a hearing for his suit, so
that he can stand boldly forward. It is only by chance without any
fault on his own part, that he finds at Dresden, that his position has
grown more unfavourable. It is unnecessary to call attention to the
masterly hand which has portrayed all the characters from the prince
and Luther, down to the humblest menial, in such living colours, that
we seem to behold the realities themselves. Whether it was by
intention or unconsciously, the writer has made important deviations
from history. This might be excused on account of his leading motive,
and the admirable freshness of his colouring; but he is more culpable
for his incorrectness in the