said, with perfect impartiality, to be the only distinguishing feature
of the style of the original edition of "Munchausen."

Curious as is this long history of literary misappropriation, the
chequered career of the rightful author, Rudolph Erich Raspe, offers a
chapter in biography which has quite as many points of singularity.

Born in Hanover in 1737, Raspe studied at the Universities of Göttingen
and Leipsic. He is stated also to have rendered some assistance to
a young nobleman in sowing his wild oats, a sequel to his university
course which may possibly help to explain his subsequent aberrations.
The connection cannot have lasted long, as in 1762, having already
obtained reputation as a student of natural history and antiquities,
he obtained a post as one of the clerks in the University Library at
Hanover.

No later than the following year contributions written in elegant
Latin are to be found attached to his name in the Leipsic _Nova Acta
Eruditorum_. In 1764 he alluded gracefully to the connection between
Hanover and England in a piece upon the birthday of Queen Charlotte, and
having been promoted secretary of the University Library at Göttingen,
the young savant commenced a translation of Leibniz's philosophical
works which was issued in Latin and French after the original MSS. in
the Royal Library at Hanover, with a preface by Raspe's old college
friend Kästner (Göttingen, 1765). At once a courtier, an antiquary,
and a philosopher, Raspe next sought to display his vocation for polite
letters, by publishing an ambitious allegorical poem of the age of
chivalry, entitled "Hermin and Gunilde," which was not only exceedingly
well reviewed, but received the honour of a parody entitled "Harlequin
and Columbine." He also wrote translations of several of the poems of