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ment of his obligations, to that writer, in the following words:—“ As soon as any produc- “ tion of art is completed, and exhibited to “ public view, it becomes the painter, inva- “ riably, to retire behind the screen ; I step “ thither, and am silent; yet I ardently wish “ to return my warmest thanks to the worthy “ Baden,* for the attention he has bestowed “ on my essay. He, one of our ablest con- “ noisseurs, and our first grammarian, finds w the diction in this piece, as pure and cor- “ rect as if written by a native.* This part “ of the public applause I dedicate to the * Professor of eloquence at the university of Copen­ hagen; a gentleman, whose writings, particularly his Trans­ lation of Tacitus, have every where established the cele­ brity of his name. * I am born a Danish subject, though not literally a Dane. The language certainly forms a strong tie between citizen and citizen. But is the enjoyment of a common government nothing at all? Since the year 1784, I have pursued, with indefatigable perseverance, the study of my second vernacular tongue. Am I not, then, as much a Dane as a boy of fifteen, who is born with the necessity of learning the language from his mother or nurse ?