GEORGE BELL & SONS LONDON: YORK ST., COVENT GARDEN NEW YORK: 66 FIFTH AVENUE, AND CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL & CO. OF G. E. LESSING TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN EDITED BY ERNEST BELL, M.A. TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE COMEDIES LONDON GEORGE BELL & SONS 1902 PREFACE. Or the plays contained in this volume, the first five are here given to the English public for the first time; the other three have been translated before-the last of them several times. The translation here given of these three is based on that of the late Rev. J. J. Holroyd, the use of which has been kindly permitted by his representatives. This version, however, though it rendered the spirit of the original very successfully, did not claim to be literally accurate, and with a view to obtaining greater literalness, the pieces have been carefully compared with the original, and considerable alterations have been introduced. In the revision of Minna von Barnhelm' the editor has been aided by Professor Buchheim's excellent annotated edition, and would like here to express his thanks for several happy translations which he has adopted. |