kon Deutscher Dichter und Prosaisten_
(Leipzig, 1807), ii. 54-68 (Gellert).]

A man of some real intellect and melody; some, by no means much; who was
of amiable meek demeanor; studious to offend nobody, and to do whatever
good he could by the established methods;--and who, what was the great
secret of his success, was of orthodoxy perfect and eminent. Whom,
accordingly, the whole world, polite Saxon orthodox world, hailed as
its Evangelist and Trismegistus. Essentially a commonplace man; but who
employed himself in beautifying and illuminating the commonplace of his
clay and generation:--infinitely to the satisfaction of said generation.
"How charming that you should make thinkable to us, make vocal, musical
and comfortably certain, what we were all inclined to think; you
creature plainly divine!" And the homages to Gellert were unlimited and
continual, not pleasant all of them to an idlish man in weak health.

Mitchell and Quintus Icilius, who are often urging on the King that a
new German Literature is springing up, of far more importance than the
King thinks, have spoken much to him of Gellert the Trismegistus;--and
at length, in the course of a ten days from Friedrich's arrival here,
actual Interview ensues. The DIALOGUE, though it is but dull and watery
to a modern palate, shall be given entire, for the sake of one of the
Interlocutors. The Report of it, gleaned gradually from Gellert himself,
and printed, not long afterwards, from his manuscripts or those of
others, is to be taken as perfectly faithful. Gellert, writing to his
inquiring Friend Rabener (a then celebrated Berlin Wit), describes, from
Leipzig, "29th January, 1760," or about six weeks after the event: "How,
one day about the middle of December, Quintus Icilius suddenly came
to my poor lodging here, to carry me to the King." Am too ill to go.
Quintus will excuse me to-day; but will return to-morrow, when no excuse
shall avail. Did go accordingly next day, Thursday, 18th December,
4 o'clock of the afternoon; and continued till a quarter to 6. "Had
nothing of fear in speaking to the King. Recited my MALER ZU ATHEN."
King said, at parting, he would send for me again. "The English
Ambassador [Mitchell], an excellent man, was probably the cause of the
King's wish to see me.... The King spoke sometimes German, sometimes
French; I mostly German." [_Gellert's Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle
Lucius, herausgegeben von F. A. Ebert_ (Leipzig, 1823), pp. 629, 631.]
A