I had always revered the great man; but my desire to make his closer acquaintance had only become more intense since his theological controversies, and after I had read his Parable. It was my good fortune that Allwill aroused his interest, that he sent me some friendly messages, at first through travellers, and finally, that he wrote to me in 1779. I replied that I was planning a journey in the following spring which would take me through Wolfenbüttel, where I longed to conjure up through him the spirits of several wise men whose views on certain things I was unable to determine.

My journey duly took place, and on the afternoon of 5 July [1780] I first held Lessing in my arms.

On that same day, we discussed many important matters; we also discussed people – moral and immoral, atheists, deists, and Christians.

On the following morning, Lessing came into my room before I had finished some letters I was writing. I gave him various items from my note-case to occupy him until I was ready. As he handed them back, he asked me whether I had anything else for him to read. ‘Yes!’, I said as I sealed the letters. ‘There's another poem here. – Since you have given offence on various occasions, you might as well be offended for once yourself.’ …