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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 Ruf fia when writing his treatife on Solitude.'. In 1791 he received fome very preffing letters from M. Hoffman, a man of great learning, and profeffor of eloquence at Vienna, who appeared very zealous for the cause of good order, propofed 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 fupprefling thefe new revolutionifts. In a fhort time M. Hoffman informed him that the emperor (Leopold II.) patronifed his journal, and was determined to exert his utmoft authority to crush the league. Thus informed of the fentiments of this prince, M. Zim merman thought it proper to addrefs to him a memorial, in which he explained all he knew of the ` principles of the feet, and the danger of it, with the best 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 Ratisbon 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 pleafure which he experienced from the emperor's letter. To form a juft idea of this pleasure, it is neceffary to imagine that we behold a man very induf trioufly and almoft folely employed for feveral years paft, in difcovering the fources, expofing the dan ger, and endeavouring to point out expedients to prevent the dreadful confequences of a fcourge falien 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 perseverance, but who at laft fees the greatest 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 after having participated with Ms Zimmerman in his gratification, let us conceive what he felt when, a few days after, he was informed of the unexpected death of the emperor, accompanied with very myfterious circumftances. It is eafy to imagine what a fevere ftroke this fudden death of his patron mat 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 first work of the kind that had opposed the

torrent;

torrent: they fucceeded in depriving him of his profefforthip, 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 publifhed fref pamphlets; to fome of thefe 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 ftyle, 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 pleafure, if he does not put his name at full length to his works. In 1792 he inferted in M. Hoffman's journal fome fheets 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 repre-, fent M. Zimmerman's memoir as a fcandalous libel, and commenced an action for damages against him. The caufe was delayed for a long time, and was not tried tili 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 be had certainly proved the baron to be a dangerous man, &c. but that nevertheless he should apologize for

1797.

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

"Deeply impreffed with the importance of his caufe, Zimmerman gave himself up to labours that rapidly deftroyed his health; not only in as much as an unremitted occupation of the mind hurts it more than any thing elfe, but allo 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 wrile before he began vifits, and in the evening, after having finished the profeffional business 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 repofe it required; he bore up. however, very well for feveral years; and on the 4th of October 1794, he wrote me a letter in which there is the fame ftrength of expreflion, the fame juftaefs of thought, and the fame precifion of arrangement,, as in thofe preceding: he there clearly pointed out the progrefs of the fociety, which became daily more dangerous: She is mistrefs of almost every prefs, of every book, feller, of every German journal,

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nion of his life, without knowing where to direct his courfe, or where to find a bed to die on.' The invafion of the electorate, the facking of Hanover, and the neceffity of abandoning it, was certainly at that time to be feared, if the negotiation had not saved what the armies did not defend: but Zimmerman's manner of exprefling his fears announced the greatest depreffion. I faw therein a mind whofe fprings began to fail, and which dared no longer fay, as it could have juftly done, I carry every thing with me.' I neglected nothing in order to raife his fpirits, and entreated him to come to me with his wife, to a country that was his own, where he would have remained in the most perfect fecurity, and enjoyed all the fweets of peace and friendship. He answered me in December, and one part of his letter refembled thofe of other times; but melancholy was ftill more ftrongly marked, and the illnefs of his wife, which he unfortunately thought more ferious than it really was, evidently oppreffed him he had been obliged to take three days to write me details which at another time would not have occupied him an hour, and he concluded his letter with, I conjure you perhaps for the last time,&c. The idea that he should write no more to his friend (and unfortunately the event juftified him), the difficulty of writing a few pages, the ftill fixed idea of being forced to leave Hanover, although the face of affairs had entirely changed; all, all indicated the lofs I was about to fuftain.

"From the month of November he had loft his fleep, his appetite, his ftrength, and became fenfibly thinner; and this state of decline continued to increafe. In January he was ftill able to make a few vi

fits in his carriage; but he frequently fainted on the stairs: it was painful for him to write a prefcription: he fometimes complained of a confufion in his head, and he at length gave over all bufinefs. This was at first taken for an effect of hypochondria, but it was foon perceived, that his deep melancholy had deftroyed the chain of his ideas. What has happened to fo many men of genius betell him. One ftrong idea mafters every other, and fubdues the mind that is no longer able either to drive it away, or to lofe fight of it. Preferving all his prefence of mind, all his perfpicuity, and juftnefs of thought on other fubjects, but no longer defirous of occupying himself with them, no longer capable of any bufinefs, nor of giving advice, but with pain, be had unceasingly before his eyes the enemy plundering his houfe, as Pafcal always faw a globe of fire near him, Bonnet his friend robbing him, and Spinello the devil oppofite to him. In February he commenced taking medicines, which were ei ther prefcribed by himself or by the phyficians whom he confulted: at the beginning of March he defired my advice; but he was no longer able himself to defcribe his disorder, and his wife wrote me the account of it. I answered her immedi ately; but of what avail can be the directions of an absent physician in a

diforder whofe progrefs is rapid, when there must neceffarily be an interim of near a month between the advice afked, and the directions received? His health decayed fo faft, that M. Wichman, who at tended him, thought a journey and change of air would now be the beft remedy. Eutin, a place in the duchy of Holftein, was fixed upon for his refidence. In going through Luneburgh on his way thither, M. Lentin, one of the phyficians in

whom

and weakness, increafed rapidly: he took fcarcely any nourishment, either on account of infurmountaable averfion, or because it was painful to him; or perhaps, as M. Wichman believed, because he imagined he had not a farthing left. Intense application, the troubles of his mind, his pains, want of fleep, and laftly (as I have just said), want of fufficient nourishment, had on him all the effects of time, and haftened old age: at fixty-fix he was in a state of complete decrepitude, and his body was become a perfect skeleton. He clearly forefaw the iflue of his diforder: and above fix weeks before his death he faid to the fame phyfician, I fhall die

whom he placed moft confidence, was confulted; but Zimmerman, who, though fo often uneafy on account of health, had, notwithstanding, had the wisdom to take few medicines, and who did not like them, always had a crowd of objections to make against the beft advice, and did nothing. Arrived at Eutin, an old acquaintance and his family lavished on him all the careffes of friendship. This reception highly pleafed him, and he grew rather better. M, Henfler came from Kiel to fee him, and gave him his advice, which was probably very good, but became ufelefs, as it was very irregularly followed. At last, after a refidence of three months, he defired to re-flowly, but very painfully;' and turn to Hanover, where he entered his house with the fame idea with which he had left it; he thought it plundered, and imagined himself totally ruined. I wrote to entreat him to go to Carlsbad; but he was no longer capable of bearing the journey. Difguft, want of fleep,

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fourteen hours before he expired, he faid,Leave me alone, I am dying. This must have been a sweet fenfation for a man in the midft of fo many incurable evils, and who had lived as he had done. This excellent man died on the 7th of October, 1795

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SKETCH of the LIFEandCHARACTER of WILLIAM,EARL OF MANSFIELD. [Extracted from the LIFE of that NOBLEMAN, by JOHN HOLLIDAY, of LINCOLN'S INN, Efq. &c.]

HE honourable William

"On the 2d of March, 1705,

"T Murray, afterwards earl of according to the computation of

Mansfield, was a younger fon and the eleventh child of David vifcount Stormont, who was the fifth viscount of the noble and illuftrious family of Murray.

'Sir William Murray of Tallibard, in the fhire of Perth, by Catharine his wife, daughter of Andrew lord Gray, had four fons; and fir Andrew Murray, the third fon, was the progenitor of viscount Stormont, the father of lord Mansfield.

time in Scotland, but in 1704 according to the legal computation of time in England, William, the fourth fon of lord Stormont, was born at Perth in North Britain.

"About the tender age of three years, he was removed to, and educated in, London; and confequently he had not, when an infant, imbibed any peculiarity of dialect, which could tend to decide that Perth had a fairer claim than Bath G2

to

to the honour of his birth. The year of his admiffion, as a king's fcholar at Westminster, appears to be 1719.

"When he was a Westminster fcholar, lady Kinnoul, in one of the vacations, invited him to her home, where obferving him with a pen in his hand, and feemingly thoughtful, fhe afked him if he was writing his theme, and what in plain English the theme was. The ichool-boy's fmart anfwer rather furprifed her ladyfhip: What is that to you?' She replied, "How can you be fo rude? I asked you very civilly a plain queftion; and did not expect from a school-boy fuch a pert antwer.' The reply was, Indeed, my lady, I can only anfwer once more, What is that to you?' In reality the theme was -Quid ad te-pertinet ?

"Whether the affinity in Scotch enunciation between Perth and Bath, or whether the inftructions fent with the honourable Mr. Murray for matriculation at Oxford were not written in a fair hand, the mistake of Bath for Perth was actually made; and, however fingular it may appear, candour must allow, that fuch a mistake might cafily happen.

"Be that as it may, the entry of his adimiffion as a ftudent of Chrift church, Oxford, of which a correct copy is fubjoined, is contrary to the real fact, refpecting the place of his birth.

Trin. Term. 1723, June 18.
Ad. Xti. Gul. Murray 18.
David f. Civ. Bath.
C. Som. V. Com. fil.

T. WENMAN, C. A. "Sir William Blackftone is faid to have mentioned this curious circumftance to the lord chief juftice of the king's bench, while he had the honour to fit with him in that court; when lord Mansfield an

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"Bifhop Newton, who was one of his cotemporaries at Westminster, bears this honourable teftimony to his fchool-fellow's early fame.

"During the time of his being at fchool, he gave early proofs of his uncommon abilities, not fo much in his poetry, as in his other exercises, and particularly in his declamations, which were fure tokens and prognofties of that eloquence which grew up to fuch ma turity and perfection at the bar, and in both houfes of parliament.

.“ At the election in May, 1723, when he was in the 19th year of his age, he had the honour of ftanding firit on the lift of those gentlemen who were fent to Oxford, and was accordingly entered of Chrift's Church on the 18th of June following.

"About four years afterwards, he was admitted to the degree of B. A.; and, on the death of George the firft, an elegant copy of Latin verfes, written by Mr. Murray, as one of the members of the Univerfity, was honoured with the first prize; and will probably be convincing to every claffical reader, that the great declaimer, or the younger Tully at Westminster, had either courted the mufes with uncommon fuccefs at Oxford, or that the learned prelate has depreciated the worth of Mr. Murray's Latin poetry."

"His oration in praife of Demofthenes prefented another early prefage of his rifing fame; a valuable fragment of which has been preserved."

"Lord Monboddo, in his excellent treatife of the Origin and Progrefs of Language, has paid fo juft a tribute of refpect to this fragment

of

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