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a student at Leipzig, Ranke had been a member of the philo- logical seminaries of Hermann and Beck.^ In these courses he became familiar with the methods of these eminent teachers in training students in independent work. Soon after he began his teaching at Berlin, in the summer of 1825, in accordance with a suggestion from his friend Karl von Raumer, the brother of the historian, Ranke announced that in the fall semester he would conduct a practice course (historische Uebungen).^ Karl von Raumer was then profes- sor of natural science at Erlangen and was a man ever active in elaborating successful methods of teaching. Ranke writes him, July 12, 1825, " I have profited by your advice and an- nounced ' historische Uebungen for next term.' " ^ That he carried out the project is confirmed by his own statement in 1837 : " It has been a delight to me since the beginning of my university activity to carry on historische Uebungen."* Owing to Ranke 's tour in Italy, the continuous life of the seminary did not begin until 1831. ^ The years next follow- ing were the most fruitful. Ranke set his students at work on the Middle Ages, the period on which he had prepared himself at Frankfort.^ Only those who expected to make history their profession were admitted to the course, and the members were taught method by his guidance without much theorizing. He allowed them free choice of subjects, but was always ready to suggest problems. His three injunc- tions were criticism, precision, penetration.^

Berlin, bat it exerted no snch influence as Banke's. Wilken is not mentioned in Ranke's letters.

1 Page 34 and Koechly, Gottfried Hermann, 257.

2 In the official Latin, " Exercitationes historicae."

3 Page 148.


 * Ranke, Werke, LII, 479.

5 Dove, in his sketch of Ranke in the Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, gives 1833 as the date of the starting of Ranke's seminar after his return ; but the evidence of Ranke's own words seems in favor of the date in the text, and Giesebrecht gives 1831. Gedachtnissrede auf Leopold von Ranke, 11.

8 Page 649.

7 The most interesting accounts of Ranke's seminary work are those given by himself in the preface to the JahrhUcher des Deutschen Retches unter dem Sachs-