The German miscellany Author:August Gottlieb Meissner Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THIS NUT-SHELL. and almoft infinitely flcnder are the threads of the fpider, or the web of the filk worm; but much flighter, and infinitely more flender, a... more »re thofe threads by which the fates of mankind are fometimes connected, and fometimes entangled. This truth was long overlooked by our writers of novels'and romances ; and even now, that they have begun to obferve it, it cannot be wholly fu- perfluous, to relate the ftory of a young man, who was brought to infamy and rain—by a nut-JbelL Bendorf was a youth of ardour and fenllbility, With the pureft principles of religion and probity; the moft honourable of men towards his friend, nd ftill more honourable towards his miftrefs—for both of whom he would have facrificed, upon a proper occafion, both his fortune and his life. Though fevere and unmerciful to his own foibles, he was, alas, more obfequious than the fibres ivy, to thofe of the perfons to whom He was attached; and he was always attached to fome of either fex. He was now returned from the univerfity of Got- tifigen, with a head full of philofophyj and a heart ftill fuller of enthufiafm for all that was fair and good. The animated tone of his converfation, tha. original eaft of his words and behaviour, his freedom of thinking, and the boldnefs with which he ridiculed antiquated prejudices, aR thefe made him quickly taken notice of. Many men, and particu iarly old ones, fhook their heads at him in filence ;. others, and efpecially thofe who had hitherto given themfelves the example in matters of tafte, were loud in their cenfures of the noify fellow, not fa much becaufe he was ncify, as becaufe ha furpaf- fel them in reading and in fenfe; but there were ailb many who loved and encouraged him, and who whifpered foftly in his liftening ear; Bravo,, young man yo...« less