HE1NSE, WILLIAM, was born at Langewiesen, near Ilmenau in Thuringia, in 1749. After through a course of legal studies at the University of Jena, he took up his residence at Erfurt, where, being encouraged to apply himself to literature by Wieland, he com menced his career as an author by a translation of Petronius (1773), which was quickly followed by Laidion, or the Eleusiniau Mysteries.' The choice he had shown in selecting the first-mentioned work, together with the fidelity with which he adhered to the original, and also many parts of the other, scandalised not only the public, but Wieland himself. His next productions were lose objectionable for their tendency, being a prose translation of Tasecis 'Jerusalem,' and another of Ariosto's 'Orlando,' both which ho is said to have executed during his residence in Italy (1780.83); but these tasks did not pre vent him from giving full scope to his unrestrained passion for enjoy ment, and with what license he abandoned himself to the gratifications which Italy—long the object of his wishes—presented to him, may smelly be inferred from his 'Ardinghollo; which may be considered in some degree as the record of his own feelings and opinions, and, while it gives us much eloquent and impassioned criticism on art, abounds not only with the most dissolute scenes, but with maxims immoral in the extreme. Fortunately the narrative and incidents are so inter
rupted by the dialogues and disquisitions on art, that the work can hardly be classed as a romance • fur moat of the scones and characters which belong to it as such are Calculated only to corrupt However, if we estimate the critic apart from the novelist, lieinse must be allowed to have here manifested an extraordinary sympathy for art ; and although some of his views of it may be erroneous, he is always original, forcible, and enthueinstic. His ' Dialogues ou Music' were not published till after his death, which happened on the 22nd of June 1803. Besides another romance, entitled Hildegard,' he con tributed a variety of articles to the 'Deutsche IiIercur,' and other periodicals, Including a critical account of the principal pictures of tho Dusseldorf Gallery, in a series of letters to Gleins. A complete edition of his works has been published in 10 vols. Svo, with a critical and biographical introduction by Lanbe.