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tients whose cases were dangerous, or when I read to him the confultations I received on the moft difficult cafes, I always found in him the greateft fagacity in difcovering the caufes and explaining the fymptoms, great accuracy in form ing the indications, and exquifite judgment in the choice of remedies; he prefcribed very few, but made ufe only of fuch as were efficacious. In thort, I foon perceived him to be an upright, virtuous, honeft man; and his ftay here was much shorter than I could have wifhed it. He took away with him his daughter, who was poffeffed of all the qualities neceffary to juftify the extreme tendernefs of a father, whofe happiness The would have been, had not her health received a ftroke from extreme grief a fhort time after the left Laufanne, from which it never recovered, which threw her into a decline for five years, and was during all that time the occafion of the keeneft fenfations of grief to M. Zimmerman, who had at that epoch another subject of uneasiness, perhaps ftill more diftrefting, the ftate into which his fon had fallen. "This young gentleman had been subject from early youth to a fpecies of eruption called the tetter or ringworm, which chiefly affected the head, the face, and behind the ears. While it was out, the child was very well, gay, and fenfible; but no fooner did it ftrike in again, than he became weak, his talents difappeared, and he fell into a melancholic apathy, rare at that age. This alternation of health and illness continued till his father fent him to Goettingen at the clofe of the year 1772, when he had the fatisfaction to learn that his whole fyftem was abfolutely changed; he recovered his gaiety and difplayed great talents. From

Goettingen he went to Strafburg, where, incited by a friend, who like hirfelf was full of genius and emulation, but who enjoyed an excellent ftate of health, he gave himself up to a study too laborious for nerves naturally weak, and which were at that time affected with regret at leaving Goettingen: he again fell into the moft profound melancholy, and wrote to his father, intreating him more earneftly to difpenfe with his travels to France, Holland, and England, than another would have done for permiflion to make fuch a tour. A fhort time aftewards, about the end. of December 1777, he entirely loft his fenfes."

"For near twenty years he has been a perfect imbecile, happily exempt from all pain and grief, in a good air, and with an excellent man, where M. Hotze placed him, and where he wants for nothing.

"M. Zimmerman, already wounded by this misfortune, had the additional mifery of feeing the fatal ftroke approach that was to fnatch his amiable daughter from him. She died in the fummer of 1781. Mrs. de Doering, indeed, remained, but even the was going to leave him: a new employment called her husband elsewhere, and the faw clearly that the only means of faving I. Zimmerman would be to unite him to a companion who fhould be worthy of him. This companion was the daughter of M. de Bergèr, physician to the king at Luneburg, and brother of Baron de Berger, of whom I have already fpoken. The marriage did not take place till beginning of October 1782.

1 Mrs. Doering that has made this choice for me, and I bleis God for it every day of my life. I fhould wound the modefty of Mrs. Zimmermau if I were to infert here the character

he

he fent me of her, feveral years after they had been married."

"It was at this period that he refumed his great work on Solitude,' which was his favourite performance, near thirty years after he published his firft effay. It is in four volumes; the two firft of which appeared in 1784, and the two laft in 1786. There is a tranflation of it, or rather of part of it, in French, in one fmall volume 8vo."

come and pafs a few months in the fummer at St. Petersburg, because the wished to be perfonally ac quainted with him. His letter to the emprefs was full of expreffions of gratitude; but he wrote to M. de Groffe that he feared he could not undertake the journey without endangering his health, though if her majefty continued to defire it, he would undertake it. The emprefs difpenfed with it in the moft gracious manner by writ ing to him, that she did not with his health fhould fuffer on atcount of the pleasure the should

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correfpondence lafted fix years, till the commencement of 1791, when the empress dropped it all at once. The ordinary fubjects of their letters were politics, literature, and philofophy. All those of the emprefs contain the moft elevat

"His work upon Solitude was received with great éclat, not only in Germany, but wherever German is read, and procured him a corre-experience from the journey. This fpondence which gratified him extremely; I mean that of the emprefs of Ruffia, to whom the book had been fent without his know ledge it was not indeed to be expected that he fhould think of of fering to fuch a fovereign a work which fo well paints the happinefsed fentiments, and every mark of to be enjoyed in retirement from the world. That princefs, however, was fo well pleafed with it, that the determined herself to fend her thanks to the author. The 26th of January 1780, a courier from M. de Groffe, envoy from Ruffia to Hamburgh, brought M. Zimmerman a small box containing a ring fet with diamonds of extraordinary fize and beauty, with a golden medal, bearing on fide the figure of the emprefs, and on the other the happy reform of the Ruffian monarchy. That princefs had alfo added a note in her own handwriting, containing these remarkable words: To M. Zimmerman, Counsellor of State, and Phyfi'cian of his Britannic Majefty, to thank him for the excellent precepts he has given mankind in his book upon Solitude.' This note was accompanied by a letter from M. de Groffe, who propofed to him, by defire of the emprefs, to

an amiable mind,' Phyfic was never once mentioned; but the often faid to him, and feemed to with him to fay in public, that her health was good, and did not coft her thirty fols a year. She, however, caufed it be proposed to him, without appearing in it herself, to eftablifh himself at St. Petersburg as her firft phyfician; and he was of fered a falary of 10,000 roubles. When he had refufed the offer, the defired him to procure young phy ficians and furgeons for her armies, and for thofe towns of the empire that were in want of them: feveral of thofe he fent have become rich and happy; and, in gratitude for the fervice he had rendered the ftate, the fent to him the cross of the order of Wladomir; another time the fent him two elegant golden medals, ftruck in honour of M. Morloff, upon account of the plague at Mofcow, and the deftruc tion of the Turkish fleet.

In the journey which Zim merman made to Berlin he had a long audience with the king at Potzdam; of which audience he narrated the principal circumstances to a friend, who seems to have communicated his letter to fome inconfiderate perfon, and it was published mutilated and falfified, without the knowledge of the author; who, however, had it printed again after his journey to Potzdam in 1786."

M. Zimmerman arrived at Potzdam on the 23d June, and remained there till the 11th July; he immediately perceived that there were no hopes of restoring the king; and he took care not to fatigue an irritable and weakened body by active remedies, that would have augmented its weakness, and occafioned violent fymptoms, without producing any poffible good effect. Upon his return to Hanover he gave a hiftory of his journey, which is replete with interefting facts, and is till read with pleafure. Of this performance there are two French translations."

"In 1788, when the king of England was ill, the Hanoverian miniftry fent him to Holland, that he might be nearer London, in cafe his prefence fhould become neceffary there. He remained at the Hague ten days, and did not leave. it till all danger was over. To be invited by one king who knew mankind fo well; to be fent by a reiniftry, who for twenty years had witneffed his ability, into Hand, to be there ready to fuccour another king attended by phyficians of the firft reputation, afforded new and ftriking teftimonies to his reputation as a medical man; flattered him extremely, and made him feel that delightful fenfation which is naturally confequent on public efteem. He was beloved, and enjoyed the confidence of the prince

and town to which he had devoted himfelf, as well as of all the north of Europe."

"It was precifely at this epoch that a train of troubles began which had two different canfes, and which embittered the latter years of this excellent man's life.

"His letter upon his prefentation to the king in 1771 had been criticifed with the greatest severity, and the gentleman who caufed it to be printed without the author's confent certainly did wrong. His account of his journey in 1786, which it was natural enough to publish, but which contained feveral epifodes, and among them one upon the Irreligion of the People of Berlin, which irritated, or ferved as a pretext to perfons who wifhed to be irritated, was still more feverely fcrutinized. Fickle minds are difpleafed when they can only fmile and fhut the book. This was a caufe of trouble to him; but did not prevent him from employing himfelf upon other works, of which the fame hero was the object. He forgot that to write the hiftory of a king during the life of his cotemporaries is to write it too foon, and that thofe only who never knew, are permitted to praise him."

"The fecond caufe of his vexations at this time was his love for religion, humanity, and good order; and it was this that inflicted the mortal stroke."

[Dr. Tiffot, in this part of his work, details Dr. Zimmerman's account of the fecret order of the Illuminated: a fect, the object of which, he had perfuaded himfelt, was to destroy the Chriftian religion, and to overthrow every throne and every government.]

"A correfpondence foon com. menced between M. Zimmerman and a great number of perfons who

faw and thought as he did; but, although this correfpondence gave him infinite fatisfaction, it neverthelefs impaired his force.

"Among thefe correfpondents he met with one of whom he no more thought while writing the Memoirs of Frederic,' than he had thought of the emprefs of Ruffia when writing his treatife on Solitude. In 1791 he received fome very pretling letters from M. Hoffman, a man of great learning, and professor of eloquence at Vienna, who appeared very zealous for the caufe of good order, proprofed establishing a journal for its defence, and requefted directions, advice, and materials. M. Zimmerman was very punctual in anfwering him; and in feveral letters hinted at means to be employed by the princes for fuppreffing thefe new revolutionists. In a fhort time M. Hoffman informed him that the emperor (Leopold II.) patronifed his journal, and was determined to exert his utmost authority to crufh the league. Thus informed of the fentiments of this prince, M. Zimmerman thought it proper to addrefs to him a memorial, in which he explained all he knew of the principles of the fect, and the danger of it, with the beft methods of preventing its fatal confequences. This memorial was prefented the beginning of February, and on the 28th he received a letter in which the emperor teftified his approbation of the work, and prefented him with a mark of his gratitude: it was a box fet in diamonds, with his cypher. A letter from the perfon whom he had employed to prefent his work, and with whom the emperor had converfed concerning it, entered into very minute details relative to the intentions of that prince, and declared that Leopold was refolved immediately to em

ploy the measures which he (M. Zimmerman) had recommended; and farther, that in order to extend their influence the affair fhould be reprefented to the diet of Ratubon as an object which demanded the moft ferious deliberation."

"M. Zimmerman was, without doubt, much flattered by receiving marks of approbation from fo enlightened a judge; but this circumftance conftituted but a small portion of the pleasure which he experienced from the emperor's let ter. To form a juft idea of this pleasure, it is neceflary to imagine that we behold a man very induf triously and almoft folely employed for feveral years paft, in difcovering the fources, expofing the danger, and endeavouring to point out expedients to prevent the dreadful confequences of a fcourge fallen on the earth, of which he had already feen millions of victims, and the ravages of which extended with aftonishing rapidity; who had not till then had the leaft fuccefs, who had made a multitude of enemies by his courage and perfeverance, but who at laft fees the greateft monarch in Europe adopt his ideas, thank him for his zeal, approve his measures, and put his own hand to the execution of the work. But atter having participated with M. Zimmerman in his gratification, let us conceive what he felt when, a few days after, he was informed of the unexpected death of the em per accompanied with very myfterious circumftances. It is eafy to imagine what a fevere ftroke this fudden death of his patron must have inflicted upon his fufceptible mind.

"M. Hoffman, having loft his protector, was perfecuted by his enemies, who compelled him to abandon his journal, the firft work of the kind that Nad oppofed the

torrent:

torrent: they fucceeded in depriving him of his profefforfhip, and obliged him to quit Vienna; but they could not prevent his continuing to write with the fame courage and zeal.

M. Zimmerman foon recover ed from the dejection into which this event had thrown him, and redoubled his activity: he extended his correfpondence; and published fresh pamphlets; to fome of these he affixed his name, but thought it unneceffary to do fo to all: many were known by the energy of his thoughts, and the luftre of his style, the characters of which are equivalent to a fignature with fuch readers as know what ftyle is: but unfortunately these characters are not admitted as evidence before tribunals; and M. Zimmerman had a very vexatious lawfuit, in confequence of not having remembered that a man may difavow his writings at his pleasure, if he does not put his name at full length to his works. In 1792 he inferted in M. Hoffman's journal fome sheets entitled Baron de Knigge unveiled • as an Illuminate, Democrat, and • Seducer of the People;' and proved his affertions by the baron's own writings.

"Among the works which he quoted, one was anonymous, which rendered it very difficult to prove the author: the baron availed himfelf of this circumftance to reprefent M. Zimmerman's memoir as a fcandalous libel, and commenced an action for damages against him. The cause was delayed for a long time, and was not tried till February 1795, a period when my friend was not only too weak to defend it, but even to intereft himself about it. It was decided, that he had certainly proved the baron to be a dangerous man, &c. but that nevertheless he should apologife for 1797.

having publickly infulted him, unlefs he could prove that the anony mous pamphlet came from him, though his name was not affixed."

"Deeply impreffed with the importance of his caufe, Zimmerman gave himfelf up to labours that rapidly deftroyed his health; not only in as much as an unremit ted occupation of the mind hurts it more than any thing elfe, but alfo because when he was employed in any work his manner of living was changed in a very prejudicial manner: he rofe very early in the morning, and wrote a long while before he began vifits, and in the evening, after having finished the profeffional bufinefs of the day, inftead of eafing and diverting his mind in fociety, he again went to work, and remained at it frequently till a very late hour. His mind was thus in continual action, and his body had not the repose it re quired; he bore up, however, very well for feveral years; and, on the 4th October 1794, he wrote me a letter in which there is the fame ftrength of expreffion, the fame juftnefs of thought, and the fame precision of arrangement, as in thofe preceding: he there clearly pointed out the progrefs of the fociety, which became daily more dangerous: She is mistress of almoft every prefs, of every bookfeller, of every German journal, and of all the courts. The cau'fes of the difafters of this laft campaign are the fame as thofe of the events at Châlons in 1762. This letter alfo contained the most lively expreffions of his joy at hearing of my cure; yet there was one fentence bearing traces of the most profound melancholy, which gave me the greatest pain: I run a rifk yet of becoming this year a poor emigrant, forced to abandon his houfe with the dear compaC 'nion

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