Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Roskild. He dabbled alfo in phyLic. He was fond of being confulted, and readily gave his advice and medicines gratis to thofe who confulted him. He invented an elixir, which he calls an infallible cure for epidemic diforders, of which he has published the recipe in a letter to the emperor Rhodolph.

"He was a good mechanic. He poffeffed feveral automates, and took great delight in fhowing them to the peasants, and was always pleafed if they took them for fpirits.

"He was no lefs fond of being confulted as a fortune-teller, and willingly encouraged an opinion, that his knowledge of the heavenly bodies enabled him to obferve horofcopes, and foretel events. Many traditional fables of his predictions have been handed down to pofterity, which fhew his pronenefs to judicial aftrology, and the weakness of those who believed his predictions.

"In many inftances aftrological predictions, by alarming, occafion the event which they foretel, and have thus gained a falfe credit from the weak or the unwary. Thus Tycho Brahe's aftrological predictions proved fatal to the emperor Rhodolph the Second: for, being informed by Tycho, that a star which prefided at his nativity threatened him with fome finifter defigns to his prejudice, from his relations, he was thrown into fuch a panic, that he did not venture to quit his palace, or appear before any perfon; and, as the conduct of his brother Matthias confirmed the aftrologer's informations, he fell at laft a prey to his grief, and died 8th of January 112, aged fifty-nine years.

"At Uranienburgh Tycho Brahe had feveral contrivances calculated to deceive and aftonish those who came to vifit and confult him. Among others, feveral bells, com

municating with the rooms in the upper ftory, inhabited by his fcholars, the handles of which were concealed in his own apartments.

"Frequently, when company was with him, he would pretend to want fomething, and having fecretly pulled the tell, would cry out " Come hither Peter, come hither Christian,” and pleased to observe the astonishment of the company, who not hearing the bells, were furprized at the appearance of the perfon who was thus fummoned.

"He was no lefs devoted to the ftudy of chymistry than to aftronomy, and expended as much on the terreftrial aftronomy, as he ftyles it, as on the celestial. He left, indeed, no writings upon that science, although it feems to have been his intention to have given to the public a felection of his experiments, which he had made with fo much labour and expence; yet he adds, in the true cant of alchymy, "On confideration, and by the advice of the most illuftrious as well as the moft learned men, he thought it improper to unfold the fecrets of the art to the vulgar, as few people were capable of ufing its myfteries to advantage, and without detriment."

"His foibles were as prominent as his virtue and capacity. He was of a morofe and unbending difpofition, indulged himself in too great freedom of fpeech, but while he rallied others was not pleased to be rallied himself.

"He was greatly addicted to judicial aftrology, and prone to a credulityand fuperftition below his learnning and judgment. If he met an old woman in going out of his houfe, he would inftantly return home; and confidered an hare as an ill omen. While he lived at Uranienburgh he had a fool, whofe name was Sep, who was accustomed during dinner to fit at

his feet, and whom he used to feed with his own hand. This man was continually uttering incoherent expreffions, which Tycho obferved and noted down, from a perfuafion that the mind, in a state of emotion, was capable of predicting future events; and he even believed, if any inhabitant of the ifland was taken ill, that this madman could predict whether he fhould live or die. He maintained, that the cabala and magic, if

they did not act to the offence of God or man, could lay open many abftrufe things by figures, images, and marks.

"But to turn from the unfavourable to the brighter parts of his character, we may affent to the truth of the following eulogium given by his panegyrift; that to him his ftudies were life; meditation his delight; fcience riches; virtue nobility; and religion his conftant direction *."

Ipfi vita studia erant; deliciæ vero meditatie; divitiæ fcientiæ; virtus nobilitas; religio directio.-Oratio Funebris.

SHORT ACCOUNT of the celebrated SCHEELE.

[ocr errors]

[From the fame Work. ]

HARLES William Scheele, the fon of a tradefman, was born at Stralfund, in December 1742. He received the earlieft rudiments of education at a private fchool, and afterwards in the feminary of that town. Having at a very early age expreffed a frong defire to follow the profeffion of an apothecary, he was bound apprentice to Mr. Bauch, of Gotheborg, with whom he continued till 1765. There he laid the foundation of his chymical knowlege. He was remarkably quiet and ferious, extremely attentive to the medical and chymical preparations, and ufed afterwards to repeat the procefs in his own apartments. He feems to have been firft excited to the ftudy of chymiftry, by the perufal of Neuman's chymiftry, recommended by Grunberg, an apprentice in the fame fhop. He alfo met with Lemerie and Stahl's works, and Kenckell's Laboratory, which feems to have been his favourite book.

Gotheborg, and ferved different apothecaries; firft, Karlstroem, of Malmoe; fecondly, Scharenberg, of Stockholm; and, in 1773, obtained an appointment with Loock of Upfala.

"At Upfala he increafed his knowledge by forming an acquaintance with the learned men of the univerfity, particularly the ftri&test friendflip with profeffor Bergman, and by having free access to the public laboratory.

"In 1775, he was appointed by the medical college apothecary at Kioping, where he finished his days.

"The reader will find, in Wells's Chemifche Annalen for 1787, a lift of the works and principal difcoveries of Scheele; alfo in the Gentleman's Magazine for April, 1789.

"His character as a chymift, is fufficiently known by his great and numerous difcoveries in that fcience.

"Scheele had ftruggled during "In 1765, he de arted from his whole life againft narrow circum

stances;

stances; and when appointed apothecary of Kioping," he involved himfelf in debt in order to purchafe the ftock which had belonged to his predeceffor. He had been for fome time engaged to marry his predeceffor's widow; but waited until he had discharged his debts, and had collected a moderate provilion for her in cafe of his death. He had fcarcely effected his purpofe, and received the offer of an annuity of 300l. per annum, if he would fettle in England, which would have afforded him more leifure, and a fufficient income to purfue his chy. mical difcoveries, when his health declined. His diforder began with an inflammation in his eyes, arifing probably from the intenfe zeal with which he carried on his chymical experiments, and ended in a total debility, which hurried him to the grave on the 21ft day of May, 1786, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. Two days before his death, he was married to the perfon to whom he had been fo long betrothed, and left her the little money he had been able to fave.

"The union of virtue and knowledge is doubly meritorious; and it is a pleafing fatisfaction to add, that the morals of Scheele were ftrict, and his conduct as irreproachable as his morals in all feafons of life.

"Scheele had neither time nor in. clination to form common acquaintances; for moft of the hours which he could fpare from his fhop and the duties of his office, he employed in his laboratory and library; but he was greatly attached to a few congenial friends, and fond of converfing with them on fubjects of chymistry. He was to them extremely open, and

of a communicative difpofition, never in the leaft defirous of withholding his information, or concealing his difcoveries.

"Before he adopted any opinion, he was particularly cautious; but when he had once formed it, he was decifive, and defended it with firmnefs, yet without heat. He was, however, always open to conviction; and more than once retracted his opinion, whenever he was convinced by argument or experiment.

"Scheele understood no other languages but the Latin, German, and Swedish; fo that he had not the advantage of being benefited by the early intelligence of difcoveries made by foreigners, and was forced to wait until the information was conveyed to him in the flow and uncertain channel of tranflation. Even his acquaintance with the Swedish was not fufficient to write the treatifes he fent to the Swedish academy of fciences in that tongue, but he was accuftomed to compofe them in German, from whence they were tranflated into Swedish.

"When we confider the number and accuracy of Scheele's experiments, we fhould naturally prefume that his chymical apparatus was very complete, and his laboratory large. On the contrary, his laboratory was extremely confined, and his appara tus extremely inconvenient, owing, probably, to the fcantiness of his circumftances.

"If he made fuch important and accurate difcoveries with a fcanty and inconvenient apparatus, and without any afliftance, what would he have done, if his circumstances and his fituation had been diffe rent?"

FIOGRA

BIOGRAPHICAL ANECDOTES of ERNEST JOHN BİRON, DUKE of COURLAND.

[From the fame Work.]

"Efcended from a family of made of his favour, was to obtain the

RNEST John Biron was de- vourite. The first use which he

mean extraction. His grandfather, whose name was Buren, or Bieren, was head groom to James the Third, duke of Courland, and obtained from his master the prefent of a fmall eftate in land. His fon accompanied prince Alexander, youngeft fon of the duke of Courland, in a campaign into Hungary against the Turks, in quality of groom of his horfe, and with the rank of lieutenant. Prince Alexander being killed before Buda, in 1686, Biron returned into Courland, and was appointed master huntsman to the duke.

"Erneft John, his fecond fon, was born in 1687, received the early part of this education in Courland, and was fent to the univerfity of Konigsbergh in Pruffia, where he continued until fome youthful imprudences compelled him to retire.

"In 1714, he made his appearance at St. Petersburgh, and folicited the place of page to the princefs Charlotte, wife of the tzarovitch Alexey; but being contemptuously rejected as a perfon of mean extraction, retired to Mittau, and chanced to ingratiate himself with Count Beftuchef, mafter of the houfhold to Anne, widow of Frederic William duke of Courland, who refided at Mittau. Having through his means obtained the office of gentleman of the chamber, and being of a handsome figure and polite addrefs, he foon gained the good-will of the dutchefs, and became her chief fa

difgrace and removal of his benefactor Beftuchef. He foon gained fuch an entire afcendency over the affections of his mistress, that his will became her's, and the upstart favourite offended by his arrogance the whole body of the nobility of Courland.

"Having efpoufed Mademoiselle de Trenden, a lady of noble family, and maid of honour to the dutchefs, he endeavoured, by means of that alliance, and favour of his mistress, to be admitted into the body of the nobles; but his folicitations were rejected with great contempt.

"His afcendency over the duchefs, his fpirit of intrigue, and his extreme arrogance, were so notorious, that when Anne was declared sovereign of Ruffia, one of the articles propofed to her by the council of ftate at Mofcow, exprefsly ftipulated, that she should not bring Biron into Ruffia. She confented, but inftantly broke her word; for fhe had scarcely arrived at Moscow, before he made his appearance at her court.

"By his fecret advice, the empress formed a strong party among the Ruffian nobility, gained the guards, and brought about the revolution, which reftored to the crown defpotic authority.

"But when the whole plan was ripe for execution, Anne hesitated, and was alarmed, till Biron took her by the hand, and led her to the door of the apartment in which the council of ftate,fenate and principal nobili. ty were affembled; and fhe was declared abfolute fovereign.

"Within the space of a few months, Biron was appointed gentleman of the bed - chamber, knight of the order of St. Andrew, and lord high chamberlain, and, as Manftein fays, was omnipotent in the govern.. ment; for, during the whole reign of Anne, and fome weeks after her death, be ruled with defpotic fway the vaft empire of Ruflia.

"On the death of Ferdinand Ketler, in 1737, the emprefs difpatched general Bismarck, governor of Riga, to Mittau, at the head of a confiderable army. The nobles having af fembled in the cathedral, Bismarck furrounded the church with troops, and compelled them to elect for their fovereign the fame Biron whom they had refufed to admit into their corps. But his new dignity did not prevent him from keeping his poft of high chamberlain, and his wife that of first lady of the bed

chamber.

"Biron governed Courland with the fame defpotic fpirit with which he governed Ruffia; and the nobles, who had been accustomed to great freedom of debate in their diets, were fuddenly restrained. Thofe who ventured to oppofe his will, or to fpeak with their ufual freedom, were privately feized by perfons in mafks, forced into kibitkas, and conveyed to Siberia.

"Of a violent and fanguinary temper, Biron ruled Ruffia with the knout in his hand, and compelled his imperial mistress, who was naturally of a mild and merciful difpofition, to order acts of the most atrocious cruelty, though the oftentimes interceded, but in vain, with tears in her eyes, for the unhappy victims of his fufpicion and vengeance.

"The cruelties exercifed upon the most illuftrious perfons of the country almost exceed belief; and Manstein conjectures, that "during

the ten years in which Biron's power continued, above 20,000 perfons were fent to Siberia, of whom scarcely 5,000 were ever more heard of."

The violence of his temper would break forth in a manner most difrefpectful to the emprefs. Once in particular, while the duke of Bevern had an audience, Biron burst into the apartment without ceremony, theatening, with the most horrid imprecations, that he would no longer be vexed and tormented by her fervants, but would retire into Ćourland. Having uttered these words, he quitted the room, and fhut the door with great violence. The emprefs, in the highest confternation, lifted up her hands to heaven, then clafped them together, and being almoft ready to faint, the opened the window for fresh air. While fhe continued in this agitation, the dutchefs of Courland, accompani ed with her children, entered the nom, kneeled down, and entreated tie emprefs to forget and forgive the pifionate behaviour of her hufband. Ane in this, as in every other inftace, relented, and bore with his inolence.

His influence over his imperial mirefs was fuch, that during the fittag of the cabinet council, the used frecently to repair to an adjoining roon, in which her favourite remained, receive his advice, or rather his cders. She had no table of her own, but ufed to dine with his famil

"I knew only two languages, the Germn, and his native jargon fpoken i Courland; fo that he governe the extenfive empire of Ruffia, whout even understanding its languae. He even piqued himfelf on hi ignorance of that tongue, havingonce faid in the prefence of the emrefs Anne, that he would not len the Ruffian, because he

could

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »