what he wrote that does not appeal in some way or other to
the sympathies of Englishmen.

In this translation it is purposed to include the most popular of his
works--the first two volumes comprising all the finished dramatic
pieces, whilst the third will contain the famous 'Laokoon,' and a large
portion of the 'Hamburg Dramaturgy' (here called 'Dramatic Notes'), and
some other smaller pieces.

The arrangement of the plays is as follows:--The first volume contains
the three tragedies and the "dramatic poem," 'Nathan the Wise.' This
last piece and 'Emilia Galotti' are translated by Mr. R. Dillon Boylan,
whose English versions of Schiller's 'Don Carlos,' Goethe's 'Wilhelm
Meister,' &c., had previously distinguished him in this path of
literature.

The second volume will be found to consist entirely of comedies,
arranged according to the date of composition; and as it happens that
all these comedies, with the exception of the last and best, 'Minna von
Barnhelm,' were written before he published any more serious dramatic
composition, we have, by reversing the order of the first two volumes,
an almost exactly chronological view of Lessing's dramatic work. The
later section of it has been placed at the commencement of the series,
simply because it was more convenient to include in it the introductory
notice which Miss Zimmern kindly consented to write.

York Street, Covent Garden.
_June_ 1878.

CONTENTS.

Memoir

Miss Sara Sampson

Philotas

Emilia Galotti

Nathan The Wise

LESSING.

Since Luther, Germany has produced no greater or better man than
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing; these two are Germany's pride and joy.

This is the witness of Heine, and with Goethe in memory, none would
pronounce the statement too bold. Luther and Lessing are Germany's
representative men; each inaugurates an epoch the very existence of
which would not have been possible without him. Nor is this the only
point of analogy. Lessing was the Luther of the eighteenth century.
Like Luther, Lessing is distinguished by earnestness, ardour, true
manliness, fierce hatred of dissimulation, largeness of mind, breadth,
and profundity of thought. Like Luther, he stands in history a massive
presence whereon the weak may lean. Like Luther, he led the vanguard of
reform in every department of human learning into which he penetrated.
Li