1. 1862. Ich will sie, etc. Saladin is not qnite snre whether his sister listens; he intends, therefore, to take her by surprise (belau- schen), and in case he ünds that his conjectnre is right, he will leam from her whether he has played his part well.
Sechster Auftritt.
1. 1866. Ich bin auf, etc., i.e. he expected a demand for money.
1. 1 868. Baar (or bar) and blank, when referring to money or coins, denote * ready * or * cash.* When used figuratively, as in the present instance, they may generally be rendered by 'piain ' and 'pnre ' respec- tively.
1. 1870. In ancient times the pieces of precious metals which were nsed as coins were weighed, as is still the cnstom at the gold diggings of California, Australia, etc., where gold dnst is nsed as a medium of payment.
1. 1871, etc. The 'modern coins' do not pass as 'legal tender*so much in consequence of their intrinsic value, as on acconnt of the ofhcial stamp which they bear; they need, therefore, merely be counted on the * board ' or * counter.'
1. 1874. The Omission of the def. art. in phrases like in Sack or in Kopf streichen is of frequent occurrence in familiär speech, and not unnsnal in higher diction.
1. 1875, "Wer ist denn, etc. This qaestion can only be interpreted in the sense that the ' common ' Jew would consider truth as some- thing marketable.
1. 1881. The phrase mit der Thüre ins Haus stürzen (or fahren; fallen), lit. to ' msh ' (or ' fall ') with the door into a house, denotes idiomatically ' to come out with anything abruptly * or * precipitately.* 204 NATHAN DER WEISE. [U. i885-i9i4, The simile of the entrance at the door is kept np in the next danse, viz. any one who comes as a friend first knocks at the door and listens (hört). Nathan*s snspicion as to the Snltan's object had evidently been aronsed by the snddenness of his Strange demand.
1. 1885. The nonn Stock, lit. ' stem/ is nsed in German componnd terms to denote ' thoronghness,* indicating at the same time a shade of intolerance or prejndice towards others, as here: ein Stookjude, ' a thoroQgh-going * or rather ' orthodox Jew.'
1. 1888. The exclamation: Das war'al (for which we might expect the pres. tense: Das ist^s 1) refers to the expedient which Nathan had devised in order to get ont of his difficnlty.
1. 1889. The yerb abspeisen, to feed^ is nsed 6guratiyely for 'to satisfy '; ' to quiet.* Siebenter Anftritt.
1. 189T. Saladin is now made qnite snre that Sittah is not listening; hence his assertion ' that the coast was clear.* 1. 1892. Zu Bande sein is often nsed instead of su Ende sein.
I. 1894. Möcht' auch doch, oh^ would that, Nathan, being abont to proclaim a great trnth, is natnrally desirous that the whole world conld hear his conversation with the Sultan.
II. 1898-99. The words seem to contain an indirect intimidation. Iieib und, etc., say body and saui (* life and limb *), Hfe and proper ty.
1. 1900. Nathan is above all a practica! man and devoid of all high-flown enthnsiasm. He will, therefore, only proclaim the tmth when it is actually needful and at the same time nsefnl.
1. 1901. Lessing had noted it down among his Notes on the present drama: Unter den Titeln deren sich Saladin bediente, war auch Bes- serer der Welt und des Gesetus — Cp. Marin's *Hist. de Saladin,' iL lao.
1. 1908. Ja, gut erzählen, etc. This assertion seems to be a personal allusion. In a letter to Ramler (Feb. 1 779) Lessing says, with reference to the foUowing * parable of the three rings ': Mich verlangt, wie Sie mit der Erzählung zufrieden sein werden, die mir wirklich am sauersten geworden ist (E.-M. xü 631).
1. 1911. Vor grauen, etc., 'in days of yore,' or literally *in grey antiqnity.* Some editions have in for im Osten.
1. 1914. The 'predons* or 'oriental opal* exhibits (spielt) a beantiful play of brilliant colonrs, and is highly valned for setting in oinaments, snch as rings, etc.
II. i9i5-aoa8.] NOTES. ACT III, SC. J. 265 1. 19 15. Vor Gott, etc. Cp. 'in fiivonr with God and men/ St Luke ii. 53.
1. 19 16. Wer Stands here sabstantively for denjenigen welcher.
1. 1926. For in Kraft, which lit corresponds to the English * in ▼irtne (of)/ we now use the piep, kraft only.
1. 1936. The attribnte ergiesaend, which Stands for sich ergie- 8send(e8), is here veiy appropriately chosen to ezpress the ' overflow ' of patemal afifection on the part of the father.
1. 1940, etc. Das ging nun, etc., i.e. this pions weakness went on, jnst as long as it conld go on, nntil the honr of death approached.
L 1944. The fonn Was bu thun reminds ns of the French pte faire?
1* 1955. In Du hörst doch, the yerb hören is nsed in the sense of suhören, < to listen (attentively).* 1. 1956. Saladin begins to feel what Nathan is aiming at, bnt not yet fnlly seeing the drift of bis meaning, he impatiently nrges him on to finish bis fable.
1. 1957. The cort qnestion Wird's is nsed in German elliptically for: Wird es bald geschehen P Will it soon be done?
1. i960. Fürst is here nsed in the primary sense of ' first,' or 'chief.'
1. 196 a. War nicht erweislich, conld not be proved; was not piovable.
1. 1973. Certain victnals are prohibited to the Jews, and the Mns- snlmans are forbidden the enjoyment of pork and wine.
1. 1974. Eztemally the yarions creeds can be distingnished, bnt not logically or morally as regards their * gronnds.* 1. 1976. Und Geschichte, etc., i.e. all history, whether written or handed down by tradition, can only be received on ' tmst and ÜEUth.* 1. 1980. DocÄi^ here and in the next two clanses, ' snrely.* 1. 1983. Die uns nie, etc. This would seem to be an indirect alln- sion to Nathan's relation to Recha.
1. 2006. Bezeihen is the older, and perhaps more correct, form for the now coirent seihen, to accnse.
I. 201 1. Zur Stelle schaffen, to prodnce; to bring forwaid.
II. 2015-28. None of the three brothers seems to haye wom the ring with that fnll confidence in its latent power which made the pos- sessor beloved by God and men, perhaps because each of them was shaken in bis implicit tmst by the claims of the other two. The con- seqnence was that all the three rings reacted only inwardly and had no ontward efifect, and thns the original, tme ring conld no longer be detected.
1. 2036, etc. These lines contain an indirect plea for religions tolerance.
1. 2041, etc. iraohelfem, to strive zealously; to Imitate; onbe- stoohen, nnbiasssed. Um die IT^ette streben, to vie with each other.
1. 2045. Komme dieser Kraft, etc. i.e. let every one suppoit that power with gentleness, cordial complaisance, etc.
1. 2053. Sprechen, here elliptical for das XTrtheil spreehen« 1. 2055. Sich fahlen, in the sense of 'to feel '; ' to be conscions of,' may be nsed both with the snpine or with the infinitive alone.
1. 2061. Und weiter hätte, etc. The conditional mood is often nsed in German interrogative sentences, more especially when the answer is expected to be in the affirmative, as is the case here, Nathan having been * prepared for a demand for money.* Cp. l. 1866.
1. 2070. The clause TT^o sicher damit hin, is elliptical and denotes • where to place it safely.'
1. 2077. Freierdings, for freier Dinge, 'of one^s own aecord,*is a Word coined by Lessing in analogy with allerdings, i.e. aller I>inge.
1. 2078. Ich bin ihn werth, here * I deserve it.* l. 2080. Das Nämliche, etc. I.e. to seek the same thing of him which he oHered.
An is here used as a simple prep. and not as a prefix to suchen; which latter expression is happily chosen, as a middle term between bitten and verlangen. Cp. the clause sucht Ihr was an ihn in Schiller*s ' Wilhelm Teil,' 1. 2691.
1. 2081. So 'war' uns, etc. namely, both of them wonld be relieved from care.
l. 2083. Here again the Speaker shows great tact by emplo3dng the neutral word schicken instead of leihen or borgen.
l. 2084. Das macht, that is caused by; that is due to. Nathan has here ingeniously carried out his intention to seize the first opportunity of lecalling the Templar to the memory of Saladin.
l. 2085. Die Post, for 'amount,' or 'sum of money,* is the older and more correct form for the now nsaal der Posten; it being derived from the Italian ' la posta.* 1. 2093. So weisst Du nicht, etc., i.e. how large a measnre of Saladin*s grace to the Templar had flowed to him through the latter.
1.2105. Iieidensohaft is here used in the sense of 'impulse*; U.aio7.] NOTES. ACT Illy SC. J. «67 *feeling.* The saying contaioed in lines 3104-6 forms an excellent counterpart to Schiller's well-known verses — Das eben ist der Fluch der bösen That^ Dost sie fortzeugend immer Böses musz gebären l. 3107. In expressing the hope that the other matter is settled, Nathan allndeSi of course, to the offer he had made to Saladin.
The aboye celebrated ' parable of the three rings ' is founded on a Story in Boccaccio's *Decamerone* (Giomata Prima, Novella III), which is related 'in order to show how a man can extricate himself from great perils by intelligence.* The tale, which bears the title of ' The Jew Melchisedech by means of a story abont three rings averts a danger prepared for him by Saladin,' rans thus ^:— > Saladin, who had from a humble man become by his braveiy Sultan of Babylon and won great victories over Saracens and Christians, having sp«nt all his treasnre in divers wars and by a great display of magni6cence, once required, in conscquence of some sudden incident, a considerable amount of money, without knowing whence to procure it as suddenly as required. In this emergency he remembered a wealthy Jew, nanied Melchisedech, who lent out money at interest, in Alexandria, and it occurred to him that be might help him, if he chose to do to. The Jew was, however, so avaricious, that Saladin was sure he would not do it of his own accord, and he did not like to eniploy force. But as the case was urgent, and the Sultan was bent on finding lome means of making the Jew help him, he devised a plan to compel him under some plausible pre- text. He therefore sent for the Jew, and having received him very affably, he made him sit down by his side, and then said to him: ' Worthy man, I have heard from many persons that you are extremely wise and very well versed in religious matters, I should, therefore, like to know which of the three religions you consider the true one, the Jewish, the Saracen, or the Christian? ' The Jew, who was indeed a wise man, perceived too well that Saladin intended to trap him in his own words in order to involve him in some trouble, and he thought he could not exalt any of the three religions above the others without Saladin's attaining his end. Therefore, as it seemed to him that he was in need of an answer by which he could not be caught, he strained his ingenuity, and having suddenly conceived a reply, he said; ^ I considered it advisable to give here, in füll, the source of Lessing's celebrated * Parable of the Three Rings,' instead of inserting it in the Intro- daction, as the perusal of the latter should be Icft tili after the reading of the drama. In making the English version I have endeavoured to render the Italian original, as far as possible, with literal faithfulness.
268 NATHAN DER WEISS.
' Sire, yon hzvt put to me a critical question, and in order to teil yon what 1 think of it, I must relate to you the foUowing short story. I have often heard, if I rightly remember, that there was once a distinguished and wealthy man who possessed, among other highly valuable jewels in bis treasury, a most beautiful and precious ring, and being desirous of singling it out by some special distinction, and of preserving it for ever among bis descendants on account of its value and beauty, he ordained tbat the one of his sons to whom he should leave the ring thould be considered as bis heir, and be respected and bonoured as the head of the family. He to whom the ring had thus been left gave Orders to the same effect to his descendants, and made the same provision as his predecessor. In short the ring thus went from band to band in long succession until at last it came into the hands of one who had three handsome and virtuous sons, all of whom were ▼ery obedient to him, and all of whom be therefore cherished with eqnal love. Now the young men, to whom the usage connected with the ring was known, being each of them desirous of special distinction, severally implored the father in his old age as well as they could, to leave them the ring on his death. The good man who loved all three alike, not being able to select the one to whom he would prefer to leave it, tbought, as he had promised it to each of them, to satisfy all three. He therefore had two other rings made secretly by a skilful artist, which were so much like the first, that he himself who had got them made, scarcely knew which was the true one. When on the point of death he secretly gave a ring to each of his sons. After the death of thetr father each of them claimed both the estate and the precedence before his brothers; and each of them denying it to the other two, produced bis ring as a proof tbat he had a right to do so. Now the rings being so much like one anotber, that it was impossible to know which was the true one, the question which was the real heir of the father remained pending, and is still pending tbis very day. And the same thing I have to teil you, O prince, of the three religions given by God the Father to three peoples, about which you question me: each of them believes itself to be in possession of His iuheritance, His true creed, and His commandments; but which has really got them is still undecided, as was the case with the rings.* Saladin perceived that the Jew had very ingeniously understood how to eztricate himself from the snare which he had laid for bim, and therefore he resolved to disclose to bim his embarrassment and to see whether be could serve bim, and in doing so, he informed the Jew what be had intended to do if be had not answered bim so discreetly. The Jew now supplied Saladin of his own accord with the amount which he required, and Saladin afterwards paid bim back in füll. He also made great presents to the Jew, always treated him as a friend, and kept bim at his side in a high and honourable position\ ^ See on the origin and bearing of the * Parable of the Three Rings,* tho Critical Introduction, IL an 1-3 1530 NOTES. ACT III^ SC. 8. 269 Achter Auftritt.
L 3 T 1 1. Opferthler, simplj vtctim, and not, as it has been inteipreted, 'a wonnded victim escaped from the block/ 1. 3113. The figuratiye meaning of wit|;em, in the sense of to spy outf is borrowed from its primary use as a hunting term, yiz. to scent game.
I. 3117. The form auabeugen for ausbiegen, to ward off^ seems to have arisen from the second and third persons of the verb biegen, viz. beugst, beugt.
II. 3118-20. The Templar had anticipated the danger which threatened him from Recha, and therefore he was not eager to see her again. Cp. 11. 778 and 1325, notes.
11. 2123-34. The first Version of this Speech, which was mostly written in metrical form, contains the words: Sehn ist leiden; und — Entschlusz Ist tkun; so gut als thun, which explain the meaning of the present version, yiz. that the Templar acknowledges that he had not actually taken a resolution, which is tantamount to purpose and deed, bat he merely ' suffered,* i.e. he was a passive object.
The form litte for litt is here nsed in analogy with the former nsage of some streng verbs with the termination e in the first pers. sing, of the imperf. as ich sähe.
1. 3135. Verstrickt an Stands here for Terknüpft mit, tied to.
1. 3130, etc. The adv. freilich, which has been misunderstood or omitted by all translators, denotes here simply ' indeed.'
1. 3133, etc. Lessing here makes a playon the word gelobt. In this line it is nsed in the Biblical sense oipromised (p. p. of geloben), and in the next line in that oipraised (p. p, of loben).
1. 3135. 'Was will, etc. * What does my order want of me?'
1. 2140. 'Was jenem, etc. * What was prated into that.* 1. 3141, etc. Pur den väterlichen, etc., i^e. more fit for the patemal or native zone. These lines contain the first indicatlon that the Templar was aware of his oriental parentage.
1. 3145, etc. The somewhat pleonastic term, Märchen vorlügen, may be rendered by * to impose tales (on any one).* 1. 3148, etc. The Templar is aware of the fact that his Saracen father Assad had married a Christian. He had, therefore, actnally fallen by breaking the covenant of his creed, whilst his son was only on the yerge of stnmbling.
1. 3153. O an desseni etc. The enlightened views of Nathan inspire J 270 NATHAN DER WEISE. [U. «57-3210.
the Templar vith füll CQnfidence that he will do more than merely approve, he will actnally enconrage his action.
1. 2157. Gloht heitre Freude, 'radiant with joy.' Intransitive verbs are not unfreqnently nsed in German with a transitive meaning, as here: Freude glühet. Cp. the expression, Zorn, or Iiiebe blicken.
1. 2158. "Wer kam je, etc. This assertion is quite in accordance with the historical character of Saladin.
Neunter Auftritt.
1. 2 161. Ich ward im Hingehn, etc. Nathan dld not msh ofT to the Sultan in servile hnrry, and he actnally had first a quiet conversation vrith Al-Hafi (Act ii. Sc. 9). Cp. 1. 1733.
1. 2163. Stehen, nsed idiomatically for 'to be eqnal (to),' or 'to be a match (for),' is generally followed by the accnsative, as here» and sometimes by the dative, as: dem Manne stehen.
1. 2169. 80 gehn wir, we will go i.e. to the Sultan.
l. 2175. Zur Stelle, here for auf der Stelle.
1. 2182. Spatere Fesseln, i.e, the bonds of religion.
1. 21 84. The gradation in the mode of address, from Junger Mann to Iiieber junger Mann and then to Lieber, lieber Freund, shows the sympathetic pity which Nathan feels for the Templar.
1. 2188. Beide refers here to Srkenntliohkeit and Liebe, and not, as has been erroneously assumed by the translators, to the Templar and Recha.
1. 2192. Mit Euem, etc. The Templar naturally assumed that the wishes of Nathan coincided with his own. Cp. 1. 1321, etc.
1. 2193. The Templar expresses the hope that Nathan will not misconstrue his own thoughts as uttered by the Speaker. Cp. on ver^ L 2198. Neubegier is not unfrequeptly used in poetry for Neugier.
Nathan, not heeding the curt Interruption of the Templar, calmly continues his speech.
1. 2206. O darum, oh as for that.
1. 2209. ^^ "^^^ Von, etc., i.e. he would then be akind of illegitimate child, or a bastard. The expressions Bastard and Bankert are Synonyms with a shade of difference; the former denoting a child whose mother was not of equal rank with the father. Cf. Lessing's Schriften, L.»sM, V. 346, etc.
1. 2210. Schlag here for Menschenschlag» race. Cp. the first speech of Edmund in * King Lear ' (Act i. Sc. 2).
n. 22II-2266. NOTES. ACT Illf SC. 9, lO. 271 I. 2311. BntlasBt mioli, etc., absolve me from producing my pedigree. The aristocratic, or rather mediaeval, term Ahnenprobe has no Single equivalent in English, nor perhaps in any other langnage. It denotes properly * proof of ancestry,' i.e. the proof that a person is descended from a certain number of nobles in succession. Such a proof ased to be required in order to show that a person was qualified for certain appointments or distinctions.
II. 2313-15. 19'icht zwar, etc. The Tcmplar, in the bittemess of bis mood, asserts that he does not absolve Nathan from proving bis ' pedigree/ becanse he has a doubt about it and wishes to spare him; for he is sure that he could attest ' every poiot * of bis pedigree as far back as Abraham, and from there upwards, i.e. to Adam, he himself knows it. The Templar's contempt of Jews here manifests itself again.
The expression Blatt vor (more modern für) Blatt, * leaf by leaf,' is quite in keeping with the term Stanunbaiuxii i.e. ancestral, or genealogical tree.
80 weiter, further on, i.e. as far as Adam.
Zehnter Auftritt.
1. 2238. Des Menschen Him, etc. i.e. the mind of man can as a rule grasp and hold so inBnitely much, but at times a mere trifle will entirely engross it; which State is * a bad one ' (taugt nichts), because one single stibject should never entirely fiU it 1. 3333. Die Seele, etc. The Speaker compares the snbject which entirely fills the mind of a man to ' fomenting matter ' (or * dough *) which is, however, soon * worked down ' or * kneaded through ' by the min d, thus giving to the subject-matter shape and form.
1. 3353. Versichert used formerly to be employed adverbially for sicherlich, snrely, certainly. See Sanders sud voce sichern.
L 2 2 56. Ein Gheheimnisz abfragen, * to get out a seciet by questioning.'
1. 2261, etc. The clause Das — wissen, for * which we often do not know ourselves that we possess * is put down by German commentators as undeutsch, on account of its being an ' accusative with an infinitive.' Sjmilar constructions have, however, been employed also by Goethe, Wieland and other great writers; and as they are at the same time terse and effective, they might be considered quite legitimate.
1. 2265. Heiszen is here used in the sense of ' to mean.' — For Knall und Fall, cp. 1. 1506, n, 1. 2366, etc. The idiomatic phrase Sioh aus dem Staube machen, for ' to mn away saddenly '; 'to decamp,* is derived from the flight of combatants nnder cover of tiie dost (Staub) raised on the field of battle.
SitBen lassen, rather famdiar for 'to leave (nnceremonioiisly) be- bind.'
1. aa^o, etc. The Inversion employed in Lehrt — kennen (by separating Gkeflattre from Vogel) is permissible in poetry only.
The form Gheflattre seems to be more expressive than the more nsnal, if less correct form Geflatter, flnttering.
L 3376, etc. Such erlassen, acqnit yon (of).
1. 3386. The Templar shows himself here as a believer in diyine providence, bat not as a Christian.
1. 3388. O I das ist, etc. This exdamation is simply the solemn introdnction to the revelation of Daya, who attributes it to a miracle tliat the Templar has come for the salvation of Recha.
U. 3 389-91. This asseition finds its füll confirmation in the ' wonderfhl * fate which had befallen the Templar and Recha.
1. 3397. Hier Stands in the present combination for: 'in this world,' and dort for: 'in the world to come.* 11* 3303-3306. Soll schon müssen may be rendered by: 'will needs be obliged/ and musa in the foUowing Lines by the cognate: Unter Bauber, etc., who wonld deprive him of his liberty of action.
L 3309. TTnd er fiel, etc. The Templar having informed Daya that he had already 'touched that chord in Nathan,' she keeps np the musical simile by asking: whether he did not chime in? and the Templar continues it by replying that Nathan ' answered with a dis- cordant note.* 1. 3330. Dasz...doch corresponds in similar exdamations to the English: ah that l or: alas that / 1. 3333. Kurs und gut, here: quickly.
1. 3330. etc. Daya evidently expected an ontbnrst of joy on the part of the Templar. Instead of this he taunts her with the qnestion: whether the commnnication cost her much trouble? And he fdrther admonishes her 'not to be deterred by the extreme pains the com- mnnication cansed her.'
1. 3335, etc. Das freuet Such...nicht mehr, does not giTe yon greater joy.
L 3338. The Templar presnmes that Recha was conyerted to Christianity through the influence of Daya, i.e. that she was a Christian 'of her making.'
L 3339. So mag*8 gelten, so it— i.e. his tannt againsther— may pass.
11. 2347-3385.] NOTES, ACT IV, SC. I. 273 1. 2347. Supply hat before weinen maolien, which expression, by the way, is now more usual than weinen zu machen.
1. 235a, etc. The conj. eIb is not absolutely necessary in connection with the verb geboren. It has also been omitted in similar instances by Goethe.
IL 2358-62. In the bitterness of his mood the impetuous Templar charges Nathan with haying falsified the voice of nature by representing himself as the father of Recha, and with having * perverted ' (verlenken) the natural impulse of her heart which would have been toward Christianity.
1. 2368. Ich war' etc., I should die (with fright).
Des Todes sein is a predicative genitive which is nsed when the verb sein lefers to an abstract noun denoting the quality or State of the subject. Cp. Becker*s Schulgramm. § 229.
I. 2372. Aber lasst Euch, etc. Daya enjoins the Templar 'not to betray * to Nathan that he is aware of the secret conceming Recha*s birth; the revelation of which was only to * put on the screw,* i. e. to give the final impulse to the whole affair and thus to remove all the scruples of the Templar about Recha. Daya evidently has not the courage to confront Nathan, and seems therefore to suggest a secret flight to Europe.
VIEBTEB AUFZUa.
Erster Auftritt.
II. 2379-82. The Patriarch seems to have found fault with the Lay- brother on account of his ill-success with the Templar; and the unlucky messenger acknowledges that he was 'quite* (schon) right, for * in fact ' (freilich) he has as yet not achieved great success in his commissions.
The verb wollen is sometimes used in negative clauses, more es- pecially with verbs like glücken, gelingen, etc., to express emphatically that some action or occurrence, did not take place. As ä rule it may be left untranslated.
1. 2383. Auch is here used in the sense of aber, and fein (1. 2384) in that of * schlau.'
1. 2385, etc. The usual familiär phrases are: Die Nase in Alles stecken, to poke one's nose into everything; die Hand in Allem haben, to have a band in everything (to have a finger in every pie), The Lay-brother seems to use the diminutive form in order to express his contempt for meddling intrigues.
T I. 3387. loh fOr mich* I for my own persoii.,' 1. 2396, etc. The tenn sauer is used fignratively for ' hard'; ' loath- j some.' Verbunden war, was bound {to)t becanse bis order demands implicit obedience. Cp. with the present passage Act i Sc. 5.
L 2400, etc. Etwas rund von sich weisen, to lefiise anything flatly.
1. 2403. ITnn hat's dooh, etc. The Lay-brother believes that bis proposal on the part of the Patriarch ' has, i^er all, produced an efiect * on the Templar.
There is no exact Single eqmvalent in English, nor probably in any other langnage, for the verb nachwirken, which is properly a medical expression, denoting ' to prodnoe an after-effect*; * to operate.'
1. 2409. Wenn er unser, etc. By sparing the life of the Templar, Saladin had become, as it were, bis * goardian angel.' It may be that the present passage is a reminiscence of the fact that the Patriarch Heradins declared null and void the oath which Prince Balian had swom to Saladin, becanse the latter was an ' infidel.* Cp. Marinas Hist. de Saladin, iL 62, etc., Wilken*s Gesch. d. Kreuzzüge, üi. 2. 300, etc.
1. 241 1. Mit Fleisch und Blut, i.e. as a frail hnman being. Cp.
1. 2412. It is difficnlt to accoont for the use of wieder in this line, nnless we refer it to kommt.
L 2423. The nonn F&ffe, which has been nsed since the time of the Reformation as a term of contempt, might here perhaps best be rendered by monk, and pfäfllsch, in the next line, by monkish.
1. 2426. Weil er, etc. Dr. Niemeyer qnotes, in explanation of this passage, the well-kaown maxim, 'that the end jnstifies the means.' The priest can, therefore, act on bis own responsibility, and he need not consult a knight, as to whether any action is compatible with the dictates of chivalry.
1. 2434. Zudem, ioh seh', etc. The Templar thinks that religion is (like politics) a matter of party, and in the blindness of his passion he imagines that he is solely actnated by party-spirit.
1. 2437. XSiner Person or einer 8aohe die Stange halten, denotes *to take the part of (or *to snpport*) any person or canse.' The phrase is derived from tonmaments, at which every combatant, or wrestler, had a ' second,' who held over him, for protection, a poh (Stange) when he was bronght to the ground.
L 2438. Weil — sein. These words almost seem to be fonnded on the well-known saying, ' Whatever is, is right.* 11. 3441-43. The Templar now b^;ins to deliberate within himself what bis real object was; whether to obtain a peremptory command of the ecdesiastical aathorities, that Recha should be taJcen from Nathan, or a mere advice how to prooeed in the matter: and, if mere advice, is it to be an nnsophisticated, simple, or a Uamed advice, i.e. one foanded on doctrines.
1. 3453. HOrtl It mnst be assamed that the opening of a door leading to the doisteis is heard, and that the Patriarch then snddenly appean.
Zweiter Atiftritt.
The Patriarch of Jemsalem here introdnced is an historical personage. It was the notorions Heraclius, a native of Anvergne, who had made bis career by dint of a dishonourable patronage. AU historians agree that he was one of the greatest scandals in the Christian Church, and a disgrace to hnmanity. Marin says of him: La PaUstine qui avait iti U berceau de la religion.,, vii,., Vinf&me Heraclius — quel nom donner ä cet komme dont la memoire a iÜ rendue exicrable par les cris de tont V Orient i — dishonorer la Chaire Pairiarchale, par la conduite laplus dibordie» CitaU un Atvoergnac de mauvaises mcsurs et de bonne mine. (Hist. de Sal. i. 405, etc.) When Jerusalem was taken posses- sion of by Saladin, and the Christians were obliged to leave the city, they were headed by Heraclius. (Ibid. ii. 86.) This fact was, of conrse, well known to Lessing, who says himself in bis Colleäanea to the present drama: In dem Historischen...hcdfe ich mich über alle Chronologie hinweggesetzt,,. So hat der Patriarch Heraklius gewiss nicht in Jerusalem bleiben dürfen ^ nachdem Saladin es eingenom- men. Gleichwohl nahm ich ohne Bedenken ihn daselbst noch an, und bedaure, dasz er in meinem Stücke noch bei weitem nicht so schlecht erscheint f als in der Geschichte, 1. 2455. Lessing*s description of the Patriarch, * portly,' * ruddy,' and ' smiling/ fully tallies with the historical description of bis personal appearance.
1. 3457. The somewhat stilted ' official* expression sicli erbeben for sieh aufinacben, ' to set ont '; ' to proceed,* is here used to denote the stately pomp of the procession.
1. 3458. Wie sich, etc. Saladin was always dressed in simple gap* ments. Cp. L ^o, n, The negative adv. nicht is often nsed in German exclamations which are in general to be rendered in English affirmatively.
1. 2463. DaraiiB^ here indefinitely for aua dieser Person, or xather ans Ihm.
i*]6 NATHAN DER WEISE. [U. 2465-^511.
1. 2465. 'Wohl strengtliens here the notion of scäiwerlich, to sfaow the iraprobabflity that * something may yet come of him.' The import öf the next clause is, that the Templar is not sure whether he will not leave his order.
L 2469. Q-rünen is nsed in poetry for *to bloom.' It is hardly necessary to call special attention to the sanctimonions tenonr of the Patriärch's speech.
1. 2473. The mode of address dem Herrn is employed by the Patriarch more as a form of politeness than in a submissive tone; bnt it may nevertheless be rcndered according to 1. 540, «.
Mit dem, etc. It seems that the nnctuous suavity of the Patriarch has made the Templar withdraw from his declaration, * that the former would not be his man, if he required a connsel.'
1. 2481. The phrase ist zu sagen seems to be an Imitation of the "Fr. c^gsl ä dire, ' that is to say/ 1. 248t. Durch einen seiner, etc. The expression ISngel seems to be used here in accordance with the meaning of a * minister of the gospel.* Thus a77€Xoy is rendered in ApocaJypse (ii. i and iii. i. 7) by Sngel in German and by angd in English. At the same time it is not impossible that the Patriarch wished merely to overawe the Templar by that expression. In the foUowing lines the Speaker evidently allndes to the proposal he had made to the Templar through the Lay-brother, thinking he had now come to offer his Services.
1. 2487. "Willkür denotes here simply * will.* Thus Kant uses the expression freie "Willkür in the sense of * free will (of God).'
1. 2491. With the expression eitle Ehre the Patriarch alludes to the declaration of the Templar, that it was unwoithy of the members of his Order *to play the spy.' Cp. 1. 655, etc.
1. 2493. First the Patriarch made use of the stifif indefinite form: "Womit war*...zu dienen (1. 2472, etc.), and now he employs soinewhat more condescendingly, the pluralis majestaticus: unsem Bath.
1. 2495. Es sei corresponds here to the English 'wewill say*; or simply 'say.'
1. 2500. Und nun, etc., i. e. and now if any of ns (Christians) were informed.
1. 2502, etc. The Templar did not know himself how Recha got into the hands of Nathan.
1. 251 1. The Patriarch is not inclined to enter upon mere theoretical speculations; he wishes, therefore, first to know whether the Templar speaks of a real fact, or of a hypothesis devised (dichtet) hy him. His explanation of Faotum and H7pothe8e~-(like all half-scholars U. 2520-25.40.] NOTES. ACT IV, SC. %. ^7?
he is fond of nsing leamed expressions in familiär specch)-*shows chanurteristically bis estimate of the order of the Templars.
1. 2520. Spiel des Witses, ' a play of fancy.' Cp. the Fr. ' jeu d*csprit' 1. 2522. loh will...▼erwiesen haben, * I will once for all refer.* The Terb wollen, foUowed by haben in connection with a past par- tidple, ezpzesses a peremptory demand, as: loh will es gethan haben, *■ I demand that it shonld be done,* or ' I want it to be done.* 1. 2525, etc. The prize at shooting-matches nsed to be called das Beste, and in the coorse of time the phrase Jemand anm Besten haben was used in the signification of ' to consider any one as the prin- cipal object (prize) or aim of derisive remarks,* thus corresponding to the English ' to make any one the butt of ridicule,* i.e. to make game of any one^ 1. 2529. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem was formed in 481 AJX out of the andent Patriarchate of Antioch.
1. 2531. The expression f&rdorsamst meaning was meist su för- dern ist» i.e. *■ immediately *: * most speedUy,* belongs to the obsolescent (' offidal ') style in which Lessing makes the Patriarch speak.
1. 2534. Render bestimmen, by to assign and So, by indeed, 1' 35351 etc. Zwar, here infdct, The S3aionymoiis terms Soheiterhan- fen and Holzstosz may be rendered by *■ pile * and ' stake * respectively.
1. 2540. Baptism binds to the Church, hence Bem-^entreisat, ' teais from the bond (or ' commnnity ') of its baptism,*