The Youth of Goethe | Page 3

the growth of his character, of his opinions, of his genius. And the
testimonies of his contemporaries are unanimous as to the unique
impression he made upon them. "He will always remain to me one of
the most extraordinary apparitions of my life," wrote one; and he
expressed the opinion of all who had the discernment to appreciate
originality of gifts and character. What they found unique in him was
inspiration, passion, a zest of life, at a pressure that foreshadowed
either a remarkable career or (at times his own dread) disaster.
It was said of Goethe in his latest years that the world would come to
believe that there had been, not one, but many Goethes; and, as we
follow him through the various stages of his youth, we receive the same
impression. It results from this manifoldness of his nature that he defies
every attempt to formulate his characteristics at any period of his life.
In the present study of him the object has been to let his own words and
actions speak for themselves; any conclusions that may be suggested,
the reader will thus have it in his own power to check.
After Goethe's own writings, the works to which I have been chiefly
indebted are Goethes Gespräche, Gesamtausgabe von Freiherrn v.
Biedermann, Leipzig, 1909-11 (5 vols.), in which are collected

references to Goethe by his contemporaries; and Der junge Goethe:
Neue Ausgabe in sechs Bänden, besorgt von Max Morris, Leipzig,
1910-12, containing the literary and artistic productions of Goethe
previous to his settlement in Weimar. The references throughout are to
the Weimar edition of Goethe's works. Except where otherwise
indicated, the author is responsible for the translations, both in prose
and verse.
I have cordially to express my gratitude to Dr. G. Schaaffs, Lecturer in
German in the University of St. Andrews, and to Mr. Frank C.
Nicholson, Librarian in the University of Edinburgh, for the trouble
they took in revising my proofs.
P.H.B.
Edinburgh.

THE YOUTH OF GOETHE
CHAPTER I
EARLY YEARS IN FRANKFORT
1749--1765
In his seventy-fifth year Goethe remarked to his secretary, Eckermann,
that he had always been regarded as one of fortune's chiefest favourites,
and he admitted the general truth of the impression, though with
significant reserves. "In truth," he added, "there has been nothing but
toil and trouble, and I can affirm that throughout my seventy-five years
I have not had a month's real freedom from care."[1] Goethe's
biographers are generally agreed that his good fortune began with his
birth, and that the circumstances of his childhood and boyhood were
eminently favourable for his future development. Yet Goethe himself
apparently did not, in his reserves, make an exception even in favour of
these early years; and, as we shall see, we have other evidence from his

own hand that these years were not years of unmingled happiness and
of entirely auspicious augury.
[Footnote 1: Gespräche mit Eckermann, January 27th, 1824.]
In one circumstance, at least, Goethe appears to have considered
himself well treated by destiny. From the vivid and sympathetic
description he has given of his native city of Frankfort-on-the-Main we
may infer that he considered himself fortunate in the place of his
birth.[2] It is concurrent testimony that, at the date of Goethe's birth, no
German city could have offered greater advantages for the early
discipline of one who was to be Germany's national poet. Its situation
was central, standing as it did on the border line between North and
South Germany. No German city had a more impressive historic past,
the memorials of which were visible in imposing architectural remains,
in customs, and institutions. It was in Frankfort that for generations the
German Emperors had received their crowns; and the spectacle of one
of these ceremonies remained a vivid memory in Goethe's mind
throughout his long life. For the man Goethe the actual present counted
for more than the most venerable past;[3] and, as a boy, he saw in
Frankfort not only the reminders of former generations, but the bustling
activities of a modern society. The spring and autumn fairs brought
traders from all parts of Germany and from the neighbouring countries;
and ships from every part of the globe deposited their miscellaneous
cargoes on the banks of the river Main. In the town itself there were
sights fitted to stir youthful imagination; and the surrounding country
presented a prospect of richness and variety in striking contrast to the
tame environs of Goethe's future home in Weimar. Dr. Arnold used to
say that he knew from his pupils' essays whether they had seen London
or the sea, because the sight of either of these objects seemed to suggest
a new measure of things. Frankfort, with its 30,000 inhabitants, with its
past memories and its bustling present, was at least on