60RRES
653
GORRES
Einsiedler" and the " Heildelberger Jahrbiicher", the
official organ of tlie Romanticists. But the hostility
of the Protestants at Heidelberg, many of whom
turned against the Romanticists when the latterrecog-
nized and proclaimed the greatness and nobility of the
Catholic church, led Gorres to quit Heidelberg (180S),
and to return to his former position at Coblenz. He
now devoted himself to Germanic and mythological
studies, which enabled him to produce his work,
"Mythengeschichte der Asiatischen Welt" (2 vols.,
1810). The important political events of the follow-
ing years compelled him once more to enter the politi-
cal arena. In 1814 he founded the weekly "Der
Rheinische Merkur", in which he violently attacked
Napoleon, laboured for the advancement of Germany,
and pleaded for the restoration of the old German Em-
pire. Napoleon is said to have called this periodical the
fifth of the great powers that were allied against him.
Gorres at this period became superintendent of pub- lic instruction in the Rhine provinces. But his de- mand for the restoration of the old German Empire under the Emperor of Austria, and his courageous struggle on behalf of civil and political liberty, brought down upon him the hostility of the German princes, especiallv after the publication of his brochure: " Deutsihlan.ls Kiinftige Verfassung" (1816). The " Rheinische Merkur" was suppressed by the Prussian Government in 1810, and Gorres was dismissed from his post as superintendent of public instruction. He went back to Heidelberg, but in 1817 returned to Cob- lenz and founded a relief-society for the alleviation of distress in the Rhenish province. At the same time he continued his fearless work as a pamphleteer, as shown chiefly in his " Adresse der Stadt und Land- schaft Koblenz und ihre Uebergabe beim Fursten Har- denberg" (1818), and his brochure "Teutschland und die Revolution" (1819). The Prussian Government thereupon confiscated his papers and ordered his ar- rest. He escaped, however, to Frankfort, whence he made his way to Strasbiu'g. Here he remained, save for a visit to Switzerland in 1821 until the year 1827. His written defence " In Sachen der Rheinprovinz und in eigener Angelegenheit" (1821) was a brilliant \'in- dication of himself against the attitude of the Prussian Government. At the same time he addressed a warn- ing to the princes and nations of Europe, which was published the same year, "Europa und die Revolution". In the following year he published " Die Heilige Allienz und die Volkerauf dem Kongress von Verona" (1822).
Gorres meanwhile turned again to his scientific studies, which now led him to give more attention to religious matters. He published during his stay in Strasburg " Firdusis Heldenbuch von Iran", and was a contributor to the magazine "Der Katholik", which had been founded in Mayence by Raess and Weiss, and in 1824 transferred to Strasburg. He contributed numerous articles to this review, among others the paper "Der hi. Franziskus von Assisi, ein Trouba- dour" (1826; 2nded., Ratisbon, 1879), the preface to Diepenbrock's edition of the works of Heinrich Suso, besides a study on Swedenborg. In this way Gorres became more and more active as a champion and de- fender of religious interests.
Gorres's nomination by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to a professorship at the University of Alunich (1827) marked the opening of the last period of his life. His lectures attracted a numlier of distinguished students among whom we may mention Brunner, Haneberg, Sepp, Windischmann. But he became above all the head and front of a .society of distinguished Catholic gentlemen who came to Munich under the patronage of King Luihvig I and who worked for the renovation of spiritual life, for the liberty of the Church, and for all things of interest to the Catholic Faith. Among the most eminent members of this circle we find the names of Arndts, Cornelius, Dollinger, Mohler, Phillips, Ringseis, and Streber. At intervals Gorres was also
visited by political and religious leaders of Catholi-
cism, both in Germany and in other countries, among
them Brentano, Bohmer, Lacordaire, Lamennais, and
Montalembert. In Munich also he continued his fer-
tile and versatile literary activity. He pleaded for a
Christian interpretation of history in his " Grundlage,
Gliederung und Zeitenfolge der Weltgeschichte"
(1830. new ed., 1884;), and in the publication issued
under his direction since 1831, "Gott in der Ge-
sehichte, Bilder aus alien Jahrhunderten der Christ-
lichen Zeitrechnung". Other historical productions
of his pen at this period were: "Die Japhetiden und
ihre Gemeinsame Heimat Armenien" (1844), and
" Die drei Grundwurzeln des Keltischen Stammes in
Gallien und Lhre Einwanderung" (1845). He treated
political questions in the "Eos", a review founded by
Herbst in 1828. His work "Der Dom zu Koln und
das Munster zu Strassburg" (1842) properly belongs
to the history of art.
But what engrossed Gorres's attention above all since his stay in Strasburg was the study of mysticism. He carefully studied the mystical writers of the Mid- dle Ages, observed partly in person the phenomena connected with the oases of the ecstatic young women of that time (Maria of Mori and others), and strove to comprehend more thoroughly the nature of Christian mysticism, which stands in the strongest contrast to rationalism ami naturalism. These studies led to his writing his great work: "Die christliche Mystik" (4 vols., 1836-42; 2nd ed., 5 vols., 1879), which notwith- standing its lack of historical criticism, and in spite of many incorrect views in matters of philosophy antl theology, is a magnificent work. It proved a strong stimulant to Christian faith and dealt a decisive blow- to superficial rationalism in religious matters.
The religious difficulties in Prussia, in the thirties, which culminated in the arrest of the Archbishop of Cologne, Clement August (1837), recalled Gorres into the lists to champion once more the rights of the Church against the State. His" Athanasius" (1834), of which there appeared four editions that same j'ear, written in defence of the Archbishop of Cologne, who was persecuted for doing his duty, produced a pro- found impression and a vigorous movement on behalf of the Archbishop. This was soon followed by his "Die Triarier" (1838), in which he opposed H. Leo, P. Marheinecke, and K. Brimo, as the advocates of liberalism in science. After the settlement of the Cologne troubles he reviewed the conflict in his trea- tise: " Kirche und Staat nach Ablauf der Kcilner Ir- rung" (1842). This attack on the religious liberty and the religious interests of German Catholics led a number of Gorres's friends in Munich, with his assist- ance, to found the " Historisch-politische Blatter", a periodical, intended to defend the rights of Catholics and to maintain Catholic interests. It began to ap- pear in 1838, under the editorial management of Phil- Ups and of Guido Gorres, son of the great Gorres. He himself was a zealous contributor to this publication for the first ten years of its existence and until the close of his life. We find in the very first volume an interesting article by him, "Die Weltlage", while there is not one of the first twenty volumes which does not contain something from his gifted pen.
An important occasion once more led Gorres to come forward as the champion of Catholic life. In his "Die Wahlfahrt von Trier" (1845) he combated the schism of the so-called German Catholics, set on foot by Johannes Ronge on the occasion of the exhibition of the Holy Coat of Trier, in 1844. The evening of his life was painfully saddened by the Lola Montez epi- sode, in consequence of which several of the ablest Munich professors and Gorres's friends were dismissed from their chairs by King Ludwig I (1847). Gorres himself was not interfered with on this occasion. His \\Titings were published in a collected form: "Gesam- melte Werke, hg. von Marie
