Vademecum

Vademecum, commonly used abbreviated designation of a work of critical controversy by G. E. Lessing, the full title of which runs Ein Vademecum für den Herrn Sam. Gotth. Lange, Pastor in Laublingen, in diesem Taschenformate ausgefertiget von Gotth. Ephr. Lessing. It was published in 1754. Lessing had reviewed S. G. Lange's translation of Horace in 1753 and had taken umbrage at a personal innuendo in Lange's reply. The Vademecum, which remorselessly analyses Lange's Latinity, established Lessing's reputation as a formid-able literary controversialist. ‘Vademecum’ alludes to a sneer by Lange at the small format (12mo) of Lessing's Schriften (1753).