all his might. At Leipzig, in such
press of business and interest,--judge by the following phenomenon, what
a clear-going soul this is, and how completely on a level with whatever
it may be that he is marching towards:--

"LEIPZIG, 15th OCTOBER, 1757 (Interview with Gottsched).--At 11 this
morning, Majesty came marching into Leipzig; multitudes of things to
settle there; things ready, things not yet ready, in view of the great
events ahead. Seeing that he would have time after dinner, he at once
sent for Professor Gottsched, a gigantic gentleman, Reigning King of
German Literature for the time being, to come to him at 3 P.M. Reigning
King at that time; since gone wholly to the Dustbins,--'Popular
Delusion,' as old Samuel defines it, having since awakened to itself,
with scornful ha-ha's upon its poor Gottsched, and rushed into other
roads worse and better; its poor Gottsched become a name now signifying
Pedantry, Stupidity, learned Inanity and the Worship of Colored Water,
to every German mind.

"At 3 precise, the portly old gentleman (towards sixty now, huge of
stature, with a shrieky voice, and speaks uncommonly fast) bowed himself
in; and a Colloquy ensued, on Literature and so forth, of the kind we
may conceive. Colloquy which had great fame in the world; Gottsched
himself having--such the inaccuracy of rumor and Dutch Newspapers, on
the matter--published authentic Report of it; [Next Year, in a principal
Leipzig Magazine, with name signed: given in _Helden-Geschichte,_ iv.
728-739 (with multifarious commentaries and flourishings, denoting an
attentive world). Nicolai, _Anekdoten,_ iii. 286-290.] now one of the
dullest bits of reading, and worth no man's bit of time. Colloquy which
lasted three hours, with the greatest vivacity on both sides; King
impugning, for one principal thing, the roughness of German speech;
Gottsched, in swift torrents (far too copious in such company), ready to
defend. 'Those consonants of ours,' said the King, 'they afflict one's
ear: what Names we have; all in mere K's and P's: KNAP-, KNIP-, KLOP-,
KROTZ-, KROK--;--your own Name, for example!'"--Yes, his own Name,
unmusical GottSCHED, and signifying God's-Damage (God's-SKAITH) withal.
"Husht, don't take a Holy Name in vain; call the man SCHED ('Damage'
by itself), can't we!" said a wit once. [Nicolai, _Anekdoten,_ iii.
287.]--"'Five consonants together, TTSCH, TTSCH, what a tone!' continued
the King. 'Hear, in contrast, the music of this