udy of poetry first as
an amusement, but later more seriously, and chose Nature as his
theme, not only because her beauty moved him, but as a means 'whereby
man might enjoy a permissible pleasure and be edified at the same
time.'

So I resolved to sing the praises of the Creator to the best of
my powers, and felt the more bound to do it, because I held that
such great and almost inexcusable neglect and ingratitude was a
wrong to the Creator, and unbecoming in Christendom. I therefore
composed different pieces, chiefly in Spring, and tried my best
to describe the beauties of Nature, in order, through my own
pleasure, to rekindle the praise of the wise Creator in myself
and others, and this led at last to the first part of my
_Irdisches Vergnuegen_. (1721.)

His evidence from animal and plant life for the teleological argument
is very laughable; take, for example, the often-quoted chamois:

The fat is good for phthisis, the gall for the face, chamois
flesh is good to eat, and its blood cures vertigo--the skin is no
less useful. Doth not the love as well as the wisdom and
almightiness of the Creator shine forth from this animal?

For the rest, the following lines from _Irdisches Vergnuegen in Gott_
will serve to give an idea of his style; they certainly do honour to
his laborious attempt to miss none of the charms of the wood:

Lately as I sat on the green grass
Shaded by a lime tree, and read,
I raised my eyes by chance and saw
Different trees here and there, some far, some near,
Some half, some all in light, and some in shade,
Their boughs bowed down by leaves.
I saw how beautifully both air and flowery mead
Were crowned and adorned.
To describe the green grace
And the landscape it makes so sweet,
And at the same time prolong my pleasure,
I took pencil and paper
And tried to describe the beautiful trees in rhyme,
To the glory of God their Creator.
Of all the beauty the world lays before our eyes,
There certainly is none which does not pale
Beside green boughs,
Nothing to compare for pure beauty with a wood.
The green roofing overhead
Makes me feel young again;
It hangs there, a living tapestry,
To the glory of God and our delight....
Beyond many trees that lay in shade
I often saw one in full light;
A human eye would scarce believe
How sweetly twilight, light and darkness
Meet side by side in leafy t