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that distinguished artist, Veith, who has married a relative of F. Schlegel's; as also the learned Dr. William von Schütz, who had been intimately acquainted with him from his youth. From these eminent men I learned interesting particulars respecting the subject of the preceding memoir.

I said once to Dr. Windischmann, "I thought there was in Frederick Schlegel stuff enough to produce two or three great geniuses.' "You are right," he replied. His last works, "The Philosophy of Life," "The Philosophy of History," and "The Philosophy of Language,” were only the prelude, or the porch, to a vaster system of philosophy. Of this I have discovered the traces in his papers, which have been confided to my care. Years ago, when I wrote to him, that the world was looking for some other great work from his hands, he replied: "I am working under ground." "The truth of this remark," continued Dr. Windischmann, "I now perceive."

I knew only one eminent man, who though a great admirer of the æsthetic and historical works of F. Schlegel, yet underrated his metaphysical writings. This was a Catholic theologian, distinguished for his great dialectic skill, and whose favourite philosopher was our countryman, Duns Scotus, the Doctor subtilis of the Middle Age. Now the talent of dialectic ratiocination was the least conspicuous of F. Schlegel's intellectual qualities. This was, perhaps, the only gift, which Nature had dealt out with a more niggard hand to her much-favoured child. For this great writer, whose works are a vast repertory of thoughts, hints, perceptions, and views, on aesthetics, history, theology, and metaphysics-whose memory was stored with the riches of all climes, whose imagination was so vigorous, whose understanding was profound even to mystical intuition-this great writer seemed not to possess the power of constructing a philosophical system, fastened and bound in by a long chain of reasoning. Hence he has not founded a metaphysical school. And in the philosophic contest, which for

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the last twenty-five years has been going on in Ger many a contest which, on the part of the Pantheistic Hegel and his followers, as well as of their Christian adversaries, has been conducted in rigid dialectic forms his influence has, consequently, been less perceptible. But in opposition to the opinion adverted to above, we may cite the authority of the most philosophic spirits of Germany-Staudenmaier (another eminent Catholic divine), Molitor, Windischmann, Papst, and others, who have rendered full justice to the richness, variety, and depth of F. Schlegel's metaphysical views. Had his genius been more dialectic, it would, probably, have been less flexible, less plastic, and less universal; for, in man's limited capacity, there are some talents which seem mutually incompatible. But if less distinguished for logical precision, he has, like his brother, never been surpassed in the art of rhetorical method or arrangement.

In the foregoing memoir his poetry was not sufficiently appreciated. His religious poems, above all, are particularly beautiful, and are marked by that earnest, thoughtful tone, which runs through all his compositions.

In respect to his personal life, I have one mistake to correct. It was not in the year 1805, but in 1808, that F. Schlegel was received into the bosom of the Catholic Church. Prior to taking this important step, he devoted, says Professor Windischmann,* days and nights to the study of the Fathers. In his early days, when he professed philosophy at the University of Jena, and enjoyed the society of a circle of most distinguished men, composed of his brother, Novalis, Tieck, Ritter, Fichte, Schelling, Schleiermacher, and occasionally Göthe; he was frequently questioned as to his religious opinions, but he invariably replied, "my answer is not yet ready." On one occasion he declared in a letter to a friend; "I regard the Catholic Church as the greatest historical authority on the earth." Vague, undefined, and unsettled as were his

* See the interesting introduction he prefixed to F. Schlegel's posthumous works, published in 1837. 2 vols, Bonn. 1837.

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religious principles in early life, and led away as he then was by the pleasures of the world, still his strong love for Plato the most orthodox of heathens,―his fervid passion for Art in all her forms—his spirit of historical research, which acted as a counterpoise to his metaphysical speculations; lastly, his eminent sobriety of judgment, served to guard him not only against the vulgar rationalism, but against those more seductive errors of a subtle Pantheism, which then fascinated many of the eminent men with whom he associated. Though he then delighted in the writings of that extraordinary mystic, Jacob Behmen, he knew, as his early philosophical lectures show, how to distinguish what was sound and excellent in them from what was erroneous and dangerous.

One of the most amiable traits in this great man's character, and which he shared with his illustrious friend, Count Stolberg, was an unfailing sweetness of charity. A harsh, intemperate, acrimonious zeal was not only abhorrent from his nature, but was regarded by him as most detrimental to the best interests of religion.

Great as was the influence of his writings over the godless generation, in which his destiny was cast, that influence is likely to increase in the better times that have succeeded; and the homage which he wrung from many a reluctant contemporary, will be cheerfully and spontaneously accorded to him by an unanimous posterity

October, 30th, 1845.

THE

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

THE most important subject, and the first problem of philosophy, is the restoration in man of the lost image of God; so far as this relates to science.

Should this restoration in the internal consciousness be fully understood, and really brought about, the object of pure philosophy is attained.

To point out historically in reference to the whole human race, and in the outward conduct and experience of life, the progress of this restoration in the various periods of the world, constitutes the object of the "Philosophy of History."

In this way, we shall clearly see how, in the first ages of the world, the original word of Divine revelation formed the firm central point of faith for the future reunion of the dispersed race of man; how later, amid the various power, intellectual as well as political, which, in the middle period of the world, all-ruling nations exerted on their times according to the measure allotted to them, it was alone the power of eternal love in the Christian religion which truly emancipated and redeemed mankind: and how, lastly, the pure light of this Divine truth, universally diffused through the world, and through all science the term of all Christian hope, and Divine promise, whose fulfilment is reserved for the last period of consummation-crowns in conclusion the progress of

this restoration.

b

Why the progress of this restoration in human history, according to the word, the power, and the light of God, as well as the struggle against all that was opposed to this Divine principle in humanity, can be clearly described and pointed out only by a vivid sketch of the different nations, and particular periods of the world; I have alleged the reasons in various passages of the present work. With this view, I have, for the purpose of my present undertaking, availed myself, as far as these discoveries lay within my reach, of the rich acquisitions which the recent historical researches of the last ten years have furnished for the better understanding of the primitive world, its spirit, its languages, and its monuments. Besides the well-known names mentioned with gratitude in the text, of Champollion, Abel Remusat, Colebrooke, my brother, Augustus William Von Schlegel, the two Barons Humboldt; and for what relates to Natural History, G. H. Schubert; I have to name with the utmost commendation for the section on China, "Windischmann's Philosophy;" and for what relates to the Hebrew Traditions, drawn from the esoteric doctrines and other Jewish sources of information, which are here most copiously used, I have been much indebted to a very valuable work which appeared at Frankfort, 1827, entitled, "The Philosophy of Tradition," and which reflects the highest honour on its anonymous author.* To these I might add the names of Niebuhr, and Raumer; but in the later periods of history we are not so much concerned about new researches on certain special points as about a right comparison of things already known, and a just conception of the whole. In the "Philosophy of History," historical events can and ought to be not so much matter of discussion, as matter for example and illustration; and if on those points, where the researches of the learned into antiquity are as yet incomplete, any historical particulars

*The author is now known to be Professor Molitor. The second part of this work has just appeared in Germany.-Trans.