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than the perfons publicly appointed to conduct them, who are fometimes utterly at a lofs to conceive what it is that impedes the effects of their measures.

"After that time M. Zimmerman had many offers, which, without being objects of great import ance, proved how much confidence was repofed in him. One of these was made him by Count Stadion, who, after having been prime minifter to the elector of Mentz, had retired to Varrhaufen, a fine feat in Suabia; where he defired to have his advice and his fociety, and for which he promised him an agree. able house and a confiderable falary. Zimmerman did not like the idea of leaving a place which he found too fmali, for one still fmalier, and refufed the count's offer. He was the fame year invited by the city of Orbe; and the wifdom of the members at the head of the municipality made the invitation as honourable as if it had come from fome great court: for courts not unfrequently call upon a cele brated, in preference to a capable man; but the heads of the town, if they are men of enlightened understandings, will never make choice of a phyfician, unless he be one to whom the health of the citizens may be entrusted with fafety.

"In November 1764, the counts of Mnizech, who were at Berne, having received a commiffion to find out a librarian for the king, to which poft very agreeable and advantageous conditions were attached, thought, from feveral converfations they had had with M. Zin.merman, and from his work on National Pride, which evinced extensive knowledge, that the poft would fuit him, and they in confequence made him an offer of it. Zimmerman did not at first

refufe this offer; but in his anfwer he informed them of the great regret he should feel in embracing a profeffion that would oblige him to give up his own; the negocia tion continued for fome months, and at laft, on the first of April 1765, he abfolutely declined the engagement.

"In 1761 he became a member of the Patriotic Society of Schintznach, originally projected and arranged by M. Hirzel, at that time a physician, and now counsellor of ftare at Zurich, and by the late M. J. Ifelin, fecretary of state at Bale, two of those men in whose names Switzerland will for ever glory, and which had for its object to connect together the diftinguished men of each canton; to produce a general spirit of patriotism; to form an exact representation of Switzerland, according to fuch defigns as the best informed men in each province could give; to perfuade the whole country that it formed but one family, and that in whatever part of the canton a Switzer fhould find himself, it should be to him as a home; in a word, to maintain a perpetual, an indiffoluble friendship, love,

union, and concord.' Zimmerman was the common friend of the two founders, and the first perfon to whom they communicated the plan. It met with his warmest approbation; and he became one of the nine members who met at Schintznach in May 1761, and never failed to attend the meetings during the time he remained in Switzerland.

"The meeting of 1764, when M. Hirzel was prefident, was the first that was very numerous; he was extremely well received, and very happy there. The first letter that he wrote to me after his return to Brug, wherein he speaks princi

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pally of his converfations with M. Hirzel and Gefner the poet, as well as that which I received from him in 1775, foon after he had been with the famous Schonpach, breathe an air of the utmost gaiety, and are full of that kind of writing which the English call humour; of which other nations have fo little knowledge, that they have not even a term of language by which to exprefs it.

"In 1765 he was fent for to Soleure, to attend one of the priù cipal women in that city; and no fooner was he known than he was earnestly requested to settle there. The late Advoyer Glutz, a man of great merit, with whom he became acquainted at Schintznach, and who was afterwards one of the chiefs of the state, made the propofition to the council, which was firft to take cognizance of it; and it was agreed to. But this council was not abfolute; and those whom the measure difpleafed artfully interpofed religion as an obftacle in the way. They asked, Would a proteftant phyfician inform the fick of their danger foon enough • to enable them to attend to their fpecial affairs; and would they not run the risk of dying with ' out confeffion, without the holy facrament, and without the ex❝treme unction? This objection fucceeded, as indeed it could not fail, and the propofal was rejected in the grand council.

"However agreeable to M. Zimmerman an establishment might have been, in a city where he had found many very diftinguished men of genius and character, and an amiable and polite fociety, he laughed extremely on hearing, fome time afterwards, that they had chofen a brother Jefuit apothe cary.”

Though daily increafing his

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celebrity, M. Zimmerman was not the lefs unhappy; and perhaps his celebrity made him feel the more fenfibly, that the theatre on which he was placed was not capacious enough for the energies of his mind: to which may also be added another caufe of melancholy. He began to feel the first at tacks of that diforder, which afterwards, in the year 1771, obliged him to go to Berlin. The confi dent of all his complaints, I was continually occupied with the means of procuring for him a fituat on that might be more agreeable to him, a tafk by no means eafy. The fame difpofition of the nerves that makes us feel fo quickly the leaft trouble, and produces a defire of change, caufes alfo that irrefolution and timidity which makes all change alarming. Zimmerman's health has been be fore mentioned, but I muft speak of it again. It has fo great an inAnence over the manner of feeing, of judging, and of determining, that in many cafes man becomes inexplicable if it be not known. He would not permit me in 1766, when I wrote my letter of thanks to the king of Poland (who had done me the honour of naming me his chief physician), to mention him with M. Tralles as one of the two phyficians in whom I had the greatest confidence, and whom I confidered as moft worthy of that monarch's regard. M. Tralles refufed. M. Zimmerman was after. wards forry; but it was too late; the poft had been given away. The year following I was more fortu nate, and was able at laft to procure for him that place which he fo well filled during the laft twenty-feven years of his life. I am forry to mention myself so of ten; but I know not how entirely to feparate myfelf from the hif

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was not one in his neighbourhood and whom it was impoffible to know without esteeming.

in whom he had any confidence; I fhould have said to him, 'Come to me,' but how could I propofe a journey of two hundred leagues to a man to whom the least motion of a carriage was a torment? At laft, however, I advised, I preffed him to go to Berlin, to M. Meckel, who would be able to judge of his complaint, would fuperintend it, and would choose a fkilful furgeon to perform the operation, if it fhould be judged neceffary; and I conceived it to be fo. My folicita tions prevailed, and he arrived at Berlin on the 11th of June, 1771. M. Meckel received him as the best of brothers, and infifted on his living with him, where for five months he enjoyed every thing that could be agreeable in a most amiable family.

"The operation was performed on the 24th of June, by M. Smucker, and M. Meckel found the cafe fo interefting as to be induced to make it the fubject of a small work, which is full of new and useful remarks.

"As foon as he was fufficiently recovered to bear company, he profited of the fociety of the moft enlightened perfons of Berlin, not only of men of letters, but of the molt diftinguished perfonages of every defcription, and of the high eft rank. This was one of the happiest times of his life. He enjoyed the inexpreffible pleasure of a cure after a long and painful diforder, the charms of a delightful private fociety, the happinefs of being received with the utmost fatisfaction, and of becoming acquainted and connecting himfelf with the moft diftinguished men of letters in Germany. His moft intimate connexion was with M. Sulger, whom he had long admired,

"The reception he met with on his return to Hanover was alfo a fenfibe pleasure for him, and he hoped to enjoy at laft a good state of health; but the application that a crowd of confultations required foon deranged his nerves again; pains were felt in the part where the operation had been performed, and the hypochondria returned; befides, the education of his daugh ter, deprived of the care of her grandmother, who had not long furvived her daughter, gave him fome uneafinefs: he fent her to me in 1773, defiring me to fuperintend her progrefs; and fhe remained here two years, in the fame houfe with myfelf, under the care of two ladies of great merit.

"It was when he came here in 1775 to take her away, on which occafion he paffed five weeks with me, that I had for the first time the pleasure of feeing him, I will not fay of beginning to know him, for I found I knew him already; the friend speaking, recalled to me every inftant the friend writing, and perfectly refembled the portrait in my mind's eye.' I faw the man of genius, who inftantly perceives an object under every point of view, and whofe imagination enables him to prefent it under the most agreeable. His conversation was inftructive, brilliant, and interfperfed with a multitude of in terefting facts and pleasant stories: his phyfiognomy was always ani mated and expreffive: he fpoké with great precifion on every fubjects when he converfed upon me dicine, which was frequently the cafe, I obferved in him the moft profound principles and the cleareft understanding. When he accompanied me in my vifits to pa

ients whofe cafes were dangerous, or when I read to him the confultations I received on the moft difcult cafes, I always found in him the greatest fagacity in difcovering the causes 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 fhort, I foon perceived him to be an upright, virtuous, honest man; and his ftay here was much fhorter than I could have wifhed it. He took away with him his daughter, who was poffeffed of all the qualities neceffary to justify the extreme tendernefs of a father, whofe happiness the would have been, had not her health received a stroke 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 fubject of uneafinefs, perhaps ftill more diftreffing, the ftate into which his fon had fallen.

"This young gentleman had been fubject from early youth to a fpecies of eruption called the tetter or ringworm, which chiefly affected the head, the face, and be hind the ears. While it was our, 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 displayed great talents. From

Goettingen he went to Strafburg, where, incited by a friend, who like himself 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 earnestly to difpenfe with his travels to France, Holland, and England, than another would have done for permiffion to make fuch a tour. A fhort time afterwards, 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 she was going to leave him; a new employment called her husband elsewhere, and fhe faw clearly that the only means of faving M. Zimmerman would be to unite him to a companion who fhould be worthy of him. This companion was the daughter of M. de Berger, phyfician to the king at Luneburg, and brother of Baron de Berger, of whom 1 have already fpoken. The marriage did not take place till the beginning of October 1782. It is Mrs. Doering that has made this choice for me, and I blefs God for it every day of my life. I fhould wound the modefty of Mrs. Zimmerman if I were to infert here the character

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tory of a friend, in the greater part of the incidents of whofe life I have participated.

"Uncertain for fome time whe ther I fhould accept the appoint ment of chief phyfician to the king of England at Hanover, which had become vacant by the death of M. Werlhoff, I had inquired of M. Zimmerman what he would do in cafe it should be offered him, and I understood by his anfwer that he would accept it with pleasure. When I had refufed it notwithstand ing the intreaties of Haller, who, charged with the commiffion of offering it to me, had ufed his utmost endeavours to induce my acceptance of it, I propofed to him to recommend M. Zimmerman, who was influenced by none of thofe reasons that had induced me to decline it: Haller refused. I believe I have before mentioned that these two gentlemen were not fuch good friends as they ought always to have been; and all I could obtain of Haller was, to fay that I had thought of M. Zimmerman; and that was not fufficient. By directly thanking M. de Munchaufen, I thought I could mention him my. felf; it was eafy to fupport my recommendation by ftrong reafons; and befide this, I did not recommend a perfon wholly unknown. I alfo addreffed myself to the Baron de Waimoden, now field marfhal of the king's armies, who, though out of adminiftration, and non-refident at the time, had over public affairs all that influence which ability, perfonal confidera tion, and connexions with capable minifters, will always produce; laftly, I interested in his favour the Baron de Hochftetten, with whom I had the honour of being acquaint ed, and who was himself very inti mately connected with M. de Munchaufen, from whom I re

ceived the most polite and favourable answer poffible. My friend was appointed to the poft in the beginning of April 1768, and fet out for Hanover on the 11th of July following.

"I fondly hoped that his depar. ture would be the era of his entrance upon a more happy career, and felicitated myself as having contributed to his establishment: but I was foon fadly undeceived. The carriage in which himself and his family travelled was overturned at the gates of Hanover; his mother-in-law broke her leg; and this accident rendered unhappy the first moments of their abode. A few days after his arrival he lost the lord of the regency most attached to him. The diforder of which I have already mentioned that he had experienced the first attacks at Brug, continued to increase, and was accompanied with fuch acute pains as rendered the exercise of his duty fometimes painful to him. The jealoufy of a colleague, now no more, brought upon him a multitude of those trifling irritations which if he had enjoyed good health he would not have felt, but which the state of his nerves rendered almoft infupportable. Several perfons vainly confidered that he ought to do any thing to gain their good will, and wished to have him continually with them. • Women who have drank coffee with king 'George the Second perfuade them'felves that I ought to be as much at their command as I fhould have been at his.'-They wished to make him their flave, and that was a part for which he was not at all calculated. He knew it was for the diforder, and not for the patient, to regulate the number and the hours of the physician's vifits, and he always conducted himself upon this principle, but perfons

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