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[ IN N A V ON BARNHELM SOLDIER ’S FORTU NE BY G OTTHOLD EPHRAIM LESSING TRANSLATED BY D TT HELLE PH . O O R , PRO FESSOR OF THE GERMA A D N LAN GU GE AN LITERATU RE, WASHI NGTON U NIV ERSITY, ST. LOU IS YORK HENRY HOLT AND mu L D GENEVIEVE , A Y WATSON T OKEN from Saxony? Landlord. A sin? The Lord forbidl that w ould be a PREFAC E Although M inna van Bamhelm ranks undis putedly as the most perfect comedy in the r r German language, it has he etofo e failed to receive from translators into English the rever ential consideration to which as a great classic i n i Th re n rk s ri t is duly e t tled . e p se t wo t ves t i ea s r e r ns i n owards the d l of a pe f ct t a lat o . N o time or labor has been spared to reproduce with the utmost accuracy the spirit as well as the l r e ri ina s r s n i ette of th o g l, by c upulou atte t on b nd nin no s a e oth to style a to mea g. At t g of the work has it been forgotten that the play was couched by its author in the German dic ti n th i een en r nor on th r o of e e ght th c tu y ; , e othe n i r r n n ha d, has ts su p isi g esse tial modemness b r r r i n is e a e . The ans a n in ee d g d d t l t o , accord gly, has endeavored to combine with complete piety text the fullest ossible regard for the in e i E i i in er r t gr ty of ngl sh diom oth wo ds, to mitigate extreme linguistic fidelity before the superior claim of practical and artistic consid er i n be sai i n at o s . ’It may d w thout u due self complacency that the occasional deviations from absolute literalness are in no case brought V PREFAC E ’ about by mi sapprehension of Lessing s ow n lan guage . The translator has derived much benefit fron ri es n and as i t n va ous sourc of cou sel s s a ce . Th r the s en s in one his ass wo k of tud t of cl es, i] r s essi e ears ffere numer s seve al ucc v y , o d ou help ful suggestions for which he wishes to expres his sincere thanks to past and present member of German 1 1 at Washington U niversity For loyal assistance in the sifting of a great mas of material he is greatly indebted to Miss N esta T m s s all his anks re l M . ho p on. Mo t of th a du Pr to his colleague ofessor Gam ett G . Sedgew ic] for invaluable service rendered by a keen] : critical examination of the entire translati0 1 and for the resultant improvement both in re spect of accuracy and of fluency . '1'r E O o HELL R . Washington U niversity, March, 1 91 7. INTRODUC TION and sw eeping power as beneficial as they were f r unlooked o . Yet the peculiar significance of Lessing in that new era ofa ffluence will be more suitably in r s dicated th ough another ymbol . His prime function may be likened to the work of the mint : Lessing is the receiver of the golden treasures transmitted by the past and he it 1 8 that passes n all not n i h has them o to future , but u t l e made h m r his ow n i and ar n t e t uly , l quefied h de ed them ni e r s h in e n again by u qu p oce ses of t e t llect, a d put on the new product the unmistakable stamp whi ch confers worth and credit in the modern world . G o E rai essin rn an ar 22 tthold ph m L g, bo J u y , 1 2 in th n 7 9 , e small Saxonian tow of Kamenz, “ came of ministerial stoc and w as hims elf in f r dest ed or the minist y, largely on account of the extraordinary mental faculties which he r n in r displayed almost f om infa cy . His dust y and acquisitive zeal were served by an ln tellect as bright as steel and an infallible mem r . rse i e G did n o y Of cou , l ttl otthold ot escape the priggishness natural in a true en r di th m r x ont o e. e a e a e si en f p g At tu g of , wh in for a r rai he w as not n en pos g po t t, co t t r n i to nu se an ope fol o in his lap ; he must, r in on i bi me r m besides, ecl e a p le of g volu s f o INTR ODUC TION h a rn i r r res ma in ken h t e p te al l b a y, p u bly to of is bookish leanings . He w as twelve years of age when receivedas n i r n th m ‘ a be efic a y i to e fa ous Farstenschule, D name for St. A ra issen. rin th fiv d f , at Me u g e e years of residence there he distinguished him self so greatly both by ability andby application to the routine of the classroom and to self culture that the headmaster not ineptly com pared him to a horse that required double ra i n Th e t o s. e curriculum of thos days w as hardly calculated to satisfy the needs of a mind so ’ r n rs i it s n L sin ale t a d ve at le . But w a you g es g s good fortune to find at this formative peri od of life a wise guide and counsellor in one of hi s r Th si es teachers, Professo Klimm. e occa on do ’ not permit an inspection bf Lessing s earliest s i in n ma ma i s a s r e m tud es . Lat a d the t c b o b d ost hi of s time and interest . N or have w e time to pass in review the first ’ products of the earnest young student s scientific r ffi and poetical endeavo . Su ce it to say with re ar the rmer a his ri in s e in g d to fo th t w t g v ced, as ni hin h as a whole, an to s g familiarity with t e “ ’ 1 T ere w ere t ree suc rince s sc ools in Sa on so h h h p h x y, called because they w ere founded by Duke Maurice of Saxony : 1 4 mm o n Meissen and Pforta, opened in 5 3, and Gri a, pe ed in 1 550. INTRODUC TION “ me a si a e la i n se a s and t p hy c l sp cut o s of tho d y , that they show also to a marked degree the wonderful expository power and the command of r sim e and r i e a clea , m, fo c bl style which eventually made of him the most formidable opponent of every false pretense andof any half r i in un er the fla s i n h t uth sa l g d g of c e ce . As to is b innin s in the s ri i r r n eg g t ctly l te a y field, you g Lessing w as especially prolific in dramatic sc s i his r i hemes, de p te utte gnorance of the theatre and his extremely slight acquaintance wi i h th life tself. However, t e schooldays saw but one of the proj ected plays completed : 1 D der Die w hr Fr amon, O a e eundschaft. ’ Th e events of the seven years w ar shortened ’ Gotthold s term of preparation for the univer A r e i erin L in sity . fte d l v g a at valedictory r n th a ema i s h add ess, O e M th t c of t e Barba ’’ ri n r h r a s, and after unde going t e g eater agony of a retort m German verse by a fellow graduate “ On the Mathematical Attainments of (mi r e dicta! nse s L ssin r abil ) I ct , e g w as g ad ted n 0 1 4 h i ua , Ju e 3 , 7 6, in t e e ghteenth year n a er he m ri l L i Soo ft that at cu ated at e psic, which city w as at that time the nearest German 1 Damon or True Frien s i .
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