IV. 1. Römische Geschichte. Von B. G. Niebuhr, Zweiter 2. Ueber die Entstehung, Entwickelung und Ausbildung des Bürgerrechts im alten Rom. Von Dr. W. Eisen- VI. Histoire du Droit Municipal en France, sous la Domina- VII. Souvenirs du Midi, ou l'Espagne telle qu'elle est sous ses Pouvoirs Réligieux et Monarchique. Par Rd. Faure. 149 VIII. Histoire Philosophique des Empereurs Romains, depuis X. 1. Bücherkunde der Sassisch-Niederdeutchen Sprache. 2. Reinecke de Fos fan Henrek fan Alkmer, upt nye utgegeven unde forklared dorg Dr. K. Scheller. Miscellaneous Literary Notices, No. XV., from Belgium, Denmark, THE FOREIGN QUARTERLY REVIEW. ART. I.-Adam Oehlenschläger's Schriften. Zum erstermale gesammelt als Ausgabe letzter hand. (The works of Adam Oehlenschläger. Collected for the First Time.) Bde. I.XVIII. 8vo. Leipsic. 1829, 1830. MANY of our readers are probably old enough to recollect the time when any adventurous person who had spoken gravely in company of Danish literature or Danish poetry, would have been looked upon as a literary Ferdinand Mendez Pinto, who was endeavouring, on the strength of having been beyond seas, to pass off the usual wonders of a traveller upon the public. Nay, it is not many years ago since a Frenchman, talking to a friend who had ventured to explore the savage regions of Germany, and naturally wishing to acquire some knowledge of the habits of the natives, asked him, "Les Allemands, est-ce qu'ils ont une langue?" "Nou,” replied the other," ils parlent seulement un patois; mais ils se comprennent entre eux!" Now certain it is, that the Danes too, as well as the Germans, contrive to understand each other pretty well; and what, perhaps, is more to our purpose, they are now beginning to be understood by Europe also: the names of their poets, their novelists and historians, are becoming less strange, if not absolutely familiar to our ears; and Danish literature is fast assuming a respectable, if not an elevated position on the field of European culture. We have already, in a general article on the subject of Danish poetry, alluded to the works of some of its most distinguished ornaments; we now propose to consider a little more in detail the literary life of its greatest dramatic poet-Adam Oehlenschläger. OEHLENSCHLÄGER was born in a suburb of Copenhagen on the 14th of November, 1779. His father held the situation of organist and steward at Friedricksberg, a royal country-seat in the neighbourhood. This residence, which had been built by Frederick IV. after his return from Italy, animated and gay with the pomp and bustle of the court in summer, was left in winter VOL. VIII. NO. XV. B |