MIISAUS, JOITANN KARL AUGUST, a German writer, b. in 1737 at Jena, where he studied theology. was nominated to a country church, but prevented from entering upon the cure committed to him in consequence of the opposition of the peasantry of the par ish, who refused to receive him ou the ground that he had been once seen to dance. In 1763 he received the appointment of tutor to the pages at the ducal court, and in 1770 he became professor at the Weimar gymnasium. His first literary production, which appeared in 1760, was a parody of Riehardson's Sir Charles Grandison, which was at that time extravagantly admired in Germany. The success of this satirical squib was complete; but as literary fame did not bring with it a corresponding amount of pecuni ary reward, Musitus was compelled to gain his living by other means than writing; and an interval of more than 18 years elapsed before he found leisure to reappear as an author. In 1778 he published Jris Physiounoinischen ReLsen, in which he endeavored, by a good-natured yet striking satire, to counteract the absurd uses to which the Germans of his day had turned Lavater's system. This, like his previous work, was pre-eminently successful; and, encouraged by the marks of popular favor with which it was received, he bad aside his incognito. and continued to devote himself to authorship. In 1782
appeared his charming version of German folk-lore, under the title of Vollzsalcirehin der Deutsehen, which professed to be merely a collection of popular tales, noted down from the lips of illiterate old country people; but these tales were tinctured with such a blend ing of genial quaint fancy, and strong sense, that they have become a classical work of their kind, populararnong persons of every age and class: Hissatirieal sketches, entitled Freund Heins Erseheinungen in Eulbein's _Hanier (Winterthur, 1785), maintained his reputation as one of the sprightliest and most genial satirists of his country. Under the name of Sehellenberg, he began a course of tales, Streualedern (Berl. 1787), which, however, he did not live to complete. He died in 1787. His Moralise/le Kinderkluppe• appeared the year after his death, while his other posthumous writings were edited iu 1701, with an interesting notice of the author, by his relative and pupil, A. V. Kotzebue. 31u.saus's style was at once correct and elegant., adapting itself with singular flexibility to the various subjects which he handled; while the unaffected geniality and frank lov ing nature which are reflected iu all he wrote, have deservedly made him one of the most popular writers of his day in Germany.