"Letters upon the Latest Literature," known as his Literatur briefe.
Dissertations upon fable, led also to Lessing's "Fables," produced
in this period of his life.

In 1760 Lessing was tempted by scarcity of income to serve as a
Government secretary at Breslau. He held that office for five
years, and then again returned to his old work in Berlin. During
the five years in Breslau, Lessing had completed his play of "Minna
von Barnhelm," and the greatest of his critical works, "Laocoon," a
treatise on the "Boundary Lines of Painting and Poetry." All that
he might then have saved from his earnings went to the buying of
books and to the relief of the burdens in the Camenz parsonage. At
Berlin the office of Royal Librarian became vacant. The claims of
Lessing were urged, but Frederick appointed an insignificant
Frenchman. In 1767 Lessing was called to aid an unsuccessful
attempt to establish a National Theatre in Hamburg.

Other troubles followed. Lessing gave his heart to a widow, Eva
Konig, and was betrothed to her. But the involvements of her
worldly affairs, and of his, delayed the marriage for six years. To
secure fixed income he took a poor office as Librarian at
Wolfenbuttel. In his first year at Wolfenbuttel, he wrote his play
of "Emilia Galotti." Then came a long-desired journey to Italy; but
it came in inconvenient form, for it had to be made with Prince
Leopold, of Brunswick, hurriedly, for the sake of money, at the time
when Lessing was at last able to marry.

The wife, long waited for, and deeply loved, died at the birth of
her first child. This was in January, 1778, when Lessing's age was
49. Very soon afterwards he was attacked by a Pastor Goeze, in