Wolfgang grew up in a wholesome atmosphere of comfort and refinement.
He never knew the tonic bitterness of poverty. On the other hand, he
was never spoiled by his advantages; to his dying day he disliked
luxury. At home under private tutors the boy studied Latin, French,
and English, and picked up a little Italian by overhearing his
sister's lessons. In 1758 Frankfurt was occupied by a French army, and
a French playhouse was set going for the diversion of the officers. In
the interest of his French Wolfgang was allowed to go to the theatre,
and he made such rapid progress that he was soon studying the dramatic
unities as expounded by Corneille and actually trying to write a
French play. Withal he was left much to himself, so that he had time
to explore Frankfurt to his heart's content.

[Illustration: JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE _From the painting by C.
Jäger_]

He was much in contact with people of the humbler sort and learned to
like their racy dialect. He penetrated into the ghetto and learned the
jargon of the Jews. He even attacked biblical Hebrew, being led
thereto by his great love of the Old Testament.

It was his boyish ambition to become a great poet. His favorite
amusement was a puppet-show, for which he invented elaborate plays.
From his tenth year on he wrote a great deal of verse, early acquiring
technical facility and local renown and coming to regard himself as a
"thunderer." He attempted a polyglot novel, also a biblical tale on
the subject of Joseph, which he destroyed on observing that the hero
did nothing but pray and weep. When he was ready for the university he
wished to go to Göttingen to study the old humanities, but his father
was bent on making a lawyer of him. So it came about that some ten