and the rest there present, he rode forward. His infectious enemy lay couching the ground, who, knowing his death to draw near, made such a yelling noise, as if the element had burst with thunder; and spying the champion, he ran with such fury against him, as if he would have devoured both man and horse. But the champion, being quick and nimble, gave the dragon such way, that he missed him, and with his sting ran full two feet into the earth. Recovering, he turned again with such rage upon St. George that he had almost borne his horse over and over, but, having no stay of his strength, fell with his back downward upon the ground, and his feet upward. Whereat the champion, taking advantage, kept him still down with his horse standing upon him, with his lance goring him through in divers parts of the body. The dragon being no sooner slain but Saint George likewise took his death's wound, by the deep strokes of the dragon's sting, and bled in such abundance that his strength began to enfeeble and grow weak. Yet valiantly returned the victor to the city of Coventry, where his three sons with the whole inhabitants stood without the gates. But what with the abundance of blood that issued from his deep wounds, and the long bleeding without stopping the same, he was forced in his sons' arms to yield up his breath. All the land from king to shepherd mourned for him for the space of a month. The king of this country ordained forever after to be kept a solemn procession about the king's court upon the 23d day of April, naming it St. George's Day, upon which day he was most solemnly interred in the city where he was born. GOETHE'S FIRST TASTE OF SHAKESPEARE. (From the “Autobiography.”) [JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE was born August 28, 1749; went to Leipsic University in 1759; shortly after began to write dramas and songs; in 1771 took a doctor's degree at Strasburg and became an advocate at Frankfort; wrote "Götz von Berlichingen" in 1771, as also the "Wanderer" and "The Wanderer's Storm Song"; settled in Wetzlar for law practice in 1772, but had to fly on account of a love intrigue; in 1773 wrote "Prometheus," some farce satires, the comedy "Erwin and Elmira," and began "Faust"; "The Sorrows of Young Werther" and "Clavigo" in 1774; in 1775 settled in Weimar, became a privy councilor to the duke, and most useful public official; studied and made valuable discoveries in natural science; began "Wilhelm Meister's Appren ticeship" in 1777; wrote "Iphigenia" in prose 1779, in verse 1786; completed "Egmont " in 1787, and "Tasso" in 1789; was director of the court theater at Weimar, 1791; 1794-1805 was associated with Schiller, and they conducted the literary review Horen together; he finished "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" in 1796, "Hermann and Dorothea," 1797, "Elective Affinities," 1809, "Doctrine of Color," 1810, and his autobiography "Fancy and Truth," 1811. In 1815 he issued the "Divan of East and West," a volume of poems; in 1821 "Wilhelm Meister's Wanderjähre," a mélange of various pieces put together by his secretary. In 1831 he finished the second part of "Faust." He died March 22, 1832.] THUS, on the very borders of France, we had at once got rid and clear of everything French about us. The French way of life we found too defined and genteel, their poetry cold, their criticism annihilating, their philosophy abstruse, and yet insufficient, so that we were on the point of resigning ourselves to rude nature, at least by way of experiment, if another influence had not for a long time prepared us for higher and freer views of the world, and intellectual enjoyments, as true as they were poetical, and swayed us, first moderately and secretly, but afterwards with more and more openness and force. I need scarcely say that Shakespeare is intended; and having once said this, no more need be added. Shakespeare has been acknowledged by the Germans, more by them than by other nations, perhaps even more than by his own. We have richly bestowed on him all that justice, fairness, and forbearance which we refuse to ourselves. Eminent men have occupied themselves in showing his talents in the most favorable light; and I have always readily subscribed to what has been said to his honor, in his favor, or even by way of excuse for him. The influence of this extraordinary mind upon me has been already shown; an attempt has been made with respect to his works, which has received approbation; and therefore this general statement may suffice for the moment. At present I will only show more clearly the manner in which I became acquainted with him. It happened pretty soon at Leipzig, through Dodd's "Beauties of Shakespeare." Whatever may be said against such collections, which give authors in a fragmentary form, they nevertheless produce many good effects. We are not always so collected and so ready that we can take in a whole work according to its merits. Do we not, in a book, mark passages which have an immediate reference to ourselves? Young people especially, who are wanting in a thorough cultivation, are laudably excited by |