Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Nathan the Wise is a play published in 1779. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. Its performance was forbidden by the church during Lessing's lifetime,

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading …

Originally published in 1766, the Laocoön has been called the first extended attempt in modern times to define the distinctive spheres of art and poetry.