No two men, indeed, could be more essentially antipathetic by nature than Herder and Goethe.

Their antagonism was clearly apparent during their intercourse in Strassburg, and in the end, after many years of uneasy relations, their alienation became complete.

Be it said that the traits in Herder which estranged Goethe from him were equally recognised and felt by others.

Naturally querulous, splenetic, and inconsiderate of others' feelings, the adverse circumstances of his early life had made him something of a Timon among his fellows.[74] His favourite author was Swift, and from this preference and from the peculiarities of his own temper he was known among his acquaintances as the "Dean." But there were sides to his nature which certainly did not exist in the "terrible" Dean.

Herder was an enthusiast for his own ideas, and these ideas were of a quality and range that marked him as one of the pioneers of his time.