“Sir,—­In the Appendix to an English work lately translated into German and published at Leipsic, a judgment of yours upon English poetry is quoted as follows:  ’That in English poetry, great genius, universal power, a feeling of profundity, with sufficient tenderness and force, are to be found; but that altogether these do not constitute poets,’ &c. &c.

“I regret to see a great man falling into a great mistake.  This opinion of yours only proves that the ’Dictionary of ten thousand living English Authors’ has not been translated into German.  You will have read, in your friend Schlegel’s version, the dialogue in Macbeth—­

          “’There are ten thousand!
        Macbeth. Geese, villain?
        Answer. Authors, sir.’

Now, of these ‘ten thousand authors,’ there are actually nineteen hundred and eighty-seven poets, all alive at this moment, whatever their works may be, as their booksellers well know; and amongst these there are several who possess a far greater reputation than mine, although considerably less than yours.  It is owing to this neglect on the part of your German translators that you are not aware of the works of * * *.

     “There is also another, named * * * *

     “I mention these poets by way of sample to enlighten you.  They form
     but two bricks of our Babel, (WINDSOR bricks, by the way,) but may
     serve for a specimen of the building.

“It is, moreover, asserted that ’the predominant character of the whole body of the present English poetry is a disgust and contempt for life.’  But I rather suspect that, by one single work of prose, you yourself have excited a greater contempt for life than all the English volumes of poesy that ever were written.  Madame de Stael says, that ’Werther has occasioned more suicides than the most beautiful woman;’ and I really believe that he has put more individuals out of this world than Napoleon himself, except in the way of his profession.  Perhaps, Illustrious Sir, the acrimonious judgment passed by a celebrated northern journal upon you in particular, and the Germans in general, has rather indisposed you towards English poetry as well as criticism.  But you must not regard our critics, who are at bottom good-natured fellows, considering their two professions,—­taking up the law in court, and laying it down out of it.  No one can more lament their hasty and unfair judgment, in your particular, than I do; and I so expressed myself to your friend Schlegel, in 1816, at Coppet.

“In behalf of my ‘ten thousand’ living brethren, and of myself, I have thus far taken notice of an opinion expressed with regard to ‘English poetry’ in general, and which merited notice, because it was YOURS.

“My principal object in addressing you was to testify my sincere respect and admiration