himself occafionally with writing little pieces, which he fent to a journal printed at Zurich under the title of the Monitor. As his pleasures were almost exclufively confined to his family and his study, he here contracted that real or fuppofed love for folitade, which gave fuch a colour to his writings, if not to his life. It seems, however, at first to have been rather forced than natural; and to have been the fplenetic resource of a man who was never well fatisfied with the obscurity of a fituation, which was by no means adequate to his talents and reputation. In this place, his years passed on usefully for the improvement of his mind: but, as it appears, not very happily. His natural sensibility, from a want of objects to divert it, preyed on itself; and he was rendered miferable by a thousand domestic cares and anxieties, which he would have felt much more lightly in the tumult of public life. He took, however, the best method in his power for relief, by employing his pen with affiduity on profeffional and literary topics. In 1754, he sent to the Physico-Medical fociety of Bafil a very good cafe of spasmodic quincy, together with fome observations on the hysteric tumors of Sydenham. In 1755 he compofed a short poem in German on the earthquake of Lisbon, which was much esteemed by adequate judges, and placed him among the earliest improvers of that language. In 1756 appeared his first essay on Solitude, a very short performance. Two years af terward, he began to enlarge its plan, and to collect materials for his more extended publication on this subject. He also formed the plan of his work on the Experience of Medicine, of which the first volume appeared in 1763. In 1758 he published his essay on National Pride, which passed with rapidity through several editions, and was tranflated into foreign languages, and much admired. In this performance is one of those predictions of an approaching revolution in Europe, which are to be found in various works of literature,-but, as M. TISSOT thinks, no where with more fagacity and exactness. "The universal spread of light and philosophy, the vices demonstrated in the existing mode of thinking, the attacks on received prejudices, all shew a boldness in opinion which announces a revolution; and this revolution will be happy if it be directed by political wisdom, and fubmiffion to the laws of the state: but, should it degenerate into criminal audacity, it will cost to some their property; to others, their liberty; to many, their life."

Notwithstanding a copious medical practice, now extended by many foreign confultations, and the literary employment of his leifure, Zimmerman's discontent with his situation was such that his friends, and particularly his present biographer, made various efforts to procure him a new establishment; none of which were as yet successful. It appears, indeed, that his own irresolution, and a

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kind of timidity which always adhered to him, were the principal obstacles in some instances. Meantime, however, he did not cease to lay the folid foundations of more entensive fame by profeffional writings. An epidemic fever, which reigned in Switzerland in the years 1763, 4, and 5, and which in the latter year changed to a dysentary, furnished him with a copious store of observations, and produced his Treatise on the Disentary, which gained him great reputation. This was the last confiderable medical work that he compofed, though he continued to write short pieces on occafional topics. It should not be omitted that his cordial friend, M. Tiffot, by addressing to him his own letters on the prevailing epidemic, contributed to extend his profeffional fame. At length, the vacant post of physician to the king of England at Hanover, which had been offered to M. Tissot, was by his interest procured for Zimmerman; and being accepted, he removed to Hanover in 1768.

This new fituation, however, was far from producing the acceffion of happiness which was expected from it.

In 1770, he had the misfortune of lofing his wife; a deprivation which touched him most sensibly; and at the fame time his own complaint grew worse. His friend Tifsot, advised him to seek the best chirurgical assistance, and perfuaded him, in 1771, to go to Berlin and put himself under the care of the celebrated Meckel. He was received into this surgeon's house, and an operation was performed which fucceeded. The time of his convalefcence was one of the most agreeable in his life. He made a number of acquaintances among diftinguished characters at Berlin, was presented to the king, and was honoured with particular notice from him.

His reception on his return to Hanover was equally pleasing. He now again plunged into business, and again domestic and pro. feffional cares brought on hypochondriacal complaints. In 1775, by way of vacation, he made a journey to Lausanne, where his daugh. ter was placed for education, and pasled five weeks with M. Tiffot.

M. Zimmerman was unhappy in the fate of his children. His amiable daughter, whom he most tenderly loved, fell into a lingering malady foon after she left Lausanne, which continued for five years, and then carried her off:--while his fon, who was from infancy troubled with an acrid humour, after various viciffitudes of nervous affections fettled in perfect idiocy; in which state he has now remained twenty years. To alleviate these distresses, a second marriage properly occurred to the minds of his friends, and they chose for him a most suitable companion, in the daughter of M. de Berger, king's physician at Lunenberg. The union took place in 1782, and proved the greatest charm and fupport of all his remaining life. His lady was thirty years younger than him, but she perfectly accommodated herself to his tafte, and induced him to cultivate society abroad and at home more than he had hitherto done. About this time, he employed himself in completing his fa vorite work on Solitude; which, at the distance of thirty years from

the publication of the first essay on the subject, appeared in its new form in the years 1784, 1786, in 4 vols. His ideas of folitude had probably been softened by so long an intercourse with the world; and as he now defined it, "that state of the foul in which it abandons itself freely to its reflections," it was not necessary to become either a monk or an anchorite in order to partake of its benefits. Had it not been presented under so accommodating a form, a philofopher might have fmiled at the circumstance of a recommendation of folitude, from a court physician, becoming the favorite work of one of the most splendid and ambitious of crowned heads. The Emprefs of Russia sent her express thanks to the author for the pleafure which she had derived from the work, accompanied with a magnificent present, and commenced with him a regular correfpondence, which fubfifted with great freedom on her part till 1792; when the fuddenly dropped it. She also gave him an invitation to fettle at Petersburgh as her first physician; and, on his declining the offer, she requested his recommendation of medical practitioners for her towns and armies, and conferred on him the order of Wladomir.

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One of the most distinguished incidents of his life was the summons which he received to attend the great Frederic in his last illness, in 1786. It was at once evident that there was no room for the exercise of his medical skill: but he improved the opportunity which he thus enjoyed of confidential intercourse with that illuftrious character, whose mental faculties were pre-eminent to the last; and he derived from it the materials of an interesting narrative, which he afterward published. The partiality of this prince in his favour naturally difpofed him to a reciprocal good opinion of the monarch; and in 1788 he published a Defence of Frederick the Great against the Count de Maribeau; which, in 1790, was followed by Fragments on Frederick the Great, in 3 vols. 12mo. All his publica tions relative to this king gave offence to many individuals, and subjected him to severe criticism; which he felt with more fenfibility than confifted with his peace of mind. His religious and political opinions, likewife, in his latter years, began to be in wide contradiction with the principles that were affiduoufly propagated all over Europe; and this added perpetual fuel to his irritability. The society of the Illuminated, coalefced with that of Free-Masons, rofe about this time in Germany, and excited the most violent commotions among men of letters and reflection. It was supposed to have in view nothing less than the abolition of christianity, and the fubverfion of all constituted authorities; and while its partizans expected from it the most beneficial reforms of every kind, its opponents dreaded from it every mischief that could poffibly happen to mankind. Zimmerman, who is r ted by his friend as a hunter af fects, was

among the first who took alarm at this formidable association. His regard for religion and focial order, and perhaps his connexions with crowned heads, caused him to fee in the most obnoxious light all the principles of these new philosophers. He attacked them with vigour, formed counter-associations with other men of letters, and at length took a step which we leave his friends to justify, that of addrefling to the Emperor Leopold a memoir, painting in the strongeft colouring the pernicious maxims of the fect, and suggesting the means of fuppreffing it; means which we understand to have depended on the decisive interference of civil authority. Leopold, was well inclined to fuch meafures, received his memoir very gracioufly, and fent him a letter and splendid present in return: but his death, foon afterward, deprived the cause of its most powerful protecter. M. Zimmerman, however, in conjunction with M. Hoffman of Vienna, who had instituted a periodical work on the old principle, did not relax in their zeal. They attacked and were attacked in turn; and Zimmerman, unfortunately, embroiled himself with the courts of law by a paper published in Hoffman's Journal, intitled the Baron de Knigge unmasked as an illuminate, democrate and feducer of the people. As this charge was in part founded on a work not openly avowed by the Baron, a process was instituted against Zimmerman as a libeller, and he was unable to exculpate himself. This state of warfare may well be imagined to be extremely unfriendly to an irritable system of nerves; and the agitation of the Doctor's mind was farther increased by his personal fears on the approach of the French towards the electorate of Hanover, in 1794. The idea of becoming a poor emigrant perpetually haunted him, nor could the negotiation that fecured the country restore him to tranquility.

This notion impressed him so strongly, that his abstinence from food at last was partly attributed to his fear of poverty. He was worn away to a skeleton, became decrepid, and at fixty-fix died of old age. He expired October 7th, 1795.

T

SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS.

HIS eminent Artist was born at Plimpton St. Mary's, in Devonshire, in the year 1723. His father was a clergyman, and the intimate friend of that eminent Divine, Mr. Zachariah Mudge. Sir Joshua was very early in life fent to a grammarschool, where he made a good proficiency in Latin. He was ever of opinion, that his destination of mind to Painting was occafioned by the accidental perusal of Richardson's Treatise on that Art when he was very young.* Some Frontispieces to the Lives of Plutarch are still preferved by his relations, as specimens of his early pre

* See Johnson's Life of Milton.

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dilection for his art, and of the promise that he gave of being emi. nent in it. He became Pupil to Mr. Hudson the Painter in 174-, who, amongst other advice that he gave him, recommended him to copy Guerchino's drawings. This he did with such skill, that many of them are now preserved in the Cabinets of the curious in this country, as the originals of that very great master. About the year 1750 he went to Rome to profecute his studies, where he remained nearly two years, and employed himself rather in making studies from than in copying the works of the great Painters with which that illustrious Capital of Art abounds. Here he amused himself with painting Caricatures, particularly a very large one of all the English that were then at Rome, in the different attitudes of Raphael's celebrated School of Athens. He returned to England about the year 1752, and took a house in Newport-street, Leicesterfields; to which latter place he removed foon afterwards, and where he continued till the time of his death. Sir Joshua had fo little of the jealousy of his profeffion, that when, some time fince, a celebrated English Artist, on his arrival from Italy asked him where he should set up a house, Sir Joshua told him, that the next house to him was vacant, and that he had found the situation a very good one.

An ingenious Critic thus delineates Sir Joshua's profeffional char

acter:

"Sir Joshua Reynolds was, most assuredly, the best Portraitpainter that this age has produced. He possessed something original in his manner which diftinguished it from those Painters who preceded him. His colouring was excellent, and his distribution of light and shadow so generally judicious and varied, that it moft clearly shewed that it was not a mere trick of practice, but the result of principle. In History Painting his abilities were very re fpectable, and his invention and judgment were sufficient to have enabled him to have made a very dikinguished figure in that very ardous branch of his profession, if the exclufive taste of this country for Portraits had not discouraged him from cultivating a talent fo very unproductive and neglected. His drawing, though incorrect, had always fomething of grandeur in it."

To his own pictures might be well applied what he used to say respecting those of Rubens: "They resemble," said he, "a wellchofen nosegay, in which though the colours are fplendid and vivid, they are never glaring or oppreffive to the eye."

Sir Joshua wrote "Discourses delivered at the Royal Academy," 2 vols. 8vo. "Notes to Mr. Mason's Tranflation of Dufresnoy on Painting," 4to. Papers No. 76, 79, 82, in "The Idler," on the fubject of Painting, were also written by him; and he left behind him in manufcript some obfervations upon the pictures of Flanders and of Holland. Sir Joshua's views in art were always directed to something grand. He proposed to place his exquifite collection of foreign Pictures in the Lyceum, and to give Lectures upon them