JOHANN NIKOLAUS

G6TZ (1721-1781)  , German poet, was born at Worms on the 9th of July 1721 . He studied theology at Halle (1739—1742), where he became intimate with the poets Johann W . L . Gleim and Johann Peter Uz, acted for some years as military chaplain, and afterwards filled various other ecclesiastical offices . He died at Winterburg on the 4th of November 1781 . The writings of Gotz consist of a number of short lyrics and several translations, of which the best is a rendering of Anacreon . His original compositions are light, lively and sparkling, and are animated rather by French wit than by German depth of sentiment . The best known of his poems is Die Madcheninsel, an elegy which met with the warm approval of Frederick the Great . Gotz's Vermischte Gedichte were published with biography by K . W . Ramler (Mannheim, 1785; new ed., 1807), and a collection of his poems, dating from the years 1745-17q65, has been edited by C . Schiiddeko f in the Deutsche Literaturdenkmale des 18. and rq .

Jahrhunderts (1893) . See also Briefe von and an J . N . Gotz, edited by C . Schuddekopf (1893) .