Lewes  says  :  "  The  sensation  produced  by  Pope's  '  Dunciad '
and  Byron's  '  English  Bards  and  Scotch  Reviewers,'  was
mild  compared  with  the  sensation  produced  by  the  Xenien,
although  the  wit  and  sarcasm  of  the  latter  is  like  milk  and
water  compared  with  the  vitriol  of  the  '  Dunciad '  apd  the
'  English  Bards.'  "  Mr.  Lewes,  however,  hardly  appreciates
the  peculiar  sting  of  the  Xenien,  which  do  not  satirize  the
authors  as  individuals,  so  much  as  their  intellectual  peculi-
arities.
During  the  following  summer,  Goethe  wrote  "  Oberon  and
Titania's  Golden  Wedding"  —  not  in  its  present  form  —  and
sent  it  to  Schiller  for  the  Musenalmanach  of  1798,  as  a  con-
tinuation of  the  aggressive  movement.  Schiller,  writing  to
him  on  the  2d  of  October,  says  :  "  You  will  not  find  '  Obe-
ron's  Golden  Wedding'  in  the  collection  ;  I  have  omitted  it,
for  two  reasons.  First,  I  thought  it  might  be  well  to  abso-
lutely leave  out  of  this  number  of  the  Almanack  all  stings,
and  assume  a  harmless  air ;  and  then  I  was  not  willing  that
the  Golden  Wedding,  for  the  amplification  of  which  there  is
so  much  material,  should  be  limited  to  so  few  verses.  It  re-
mains to  us  for  next  year,  as  a  treasure  which  may  be  greatly
increased."


3i8  FAUST.
