published firft a pamphlet, intitled, "A Defence of Frederick the Great against the Count de Mirabeau:" and afterwards, in the year 1790, a work in three volumes octavo, intitled, "Select Views of the Life, Character and Reign of Frederick the Great, King of Pruffia." Thefe works, befides many strong political obfervations and anecdotes of particular characters, contained many fevere animadverfions on the irreligion which prevailed at Berlin, and drew down on the head of their author, all the rancour of private animofity and party spirit. Truth, however, was in general on his fide; and he ought to have treated the malevolent cenfures and illiberal attacks of his opponents, with the cold and filent contempt they deserved; but men of irritable nerves are apt to be deeply affected by trifles, and the virulence with which he was pursued on this occafion gave him much vexation.

The fecond caufe of his chagrin, at this period, arose from his ftrong attachment to the cause of religion, the interefts of human nature, and the danger

to

to which he faw all focial order was imminently expofed. It was the anxiety and mortification he experienced upon this occafion that gave the fatal blow to his declining health, and at length deprived him prematurely of his exiftence; for every thing that related to the happiness not merely of individuals, but of mankind in general, was extremely dear to him; and he might well exclaim,

Homo fum, nihil humani à me alienum puto.

Morality and politics, or thofe principles on which the happiness of private life and the fecurity of public order fo effentially depend, had ever been fubjects of his attention. The political productions of Montefquieu and Rouffeau, especially those two celebrated works, The Spirit of Laws, and The Social Contract, he had deeply ftudied; and his writings in general, but more particularly his works on National Pride and Solitude, demonstrate his conftant anxiety for the public welfare. The celebrity of Rousseau, and the prevailing propensity to follow his political tenets, caufed him to regret the many

erroneous

erroneous pofitions contained in The Social Contract, and induced him to refute those parts of it in which the author endeavours to fap the foundation of all religious principles. In compofing his Essay on Solitude, he was led to inquire into the rife, the progrefs, and the principles, of different religious fects, and to estimate their probable influence and effects upon governments; and he became firmly perfuaded, to use the expreffion of Tifot, that they are "the cuckow's eggs, which can never "be permitted to be hatched without en"dangering the public tranquillity." A new and extraordinary fociety had sprung up under his own obfervation, which engaged his whole attention, and which well merited that of the civilized world, fince it is now clear that the great object of it was no lefs than to abolifh all religion, to fubvert focial order, and to deftroy thereby the happinefs of mankind. This confederacy, which was denominated "The Secret Society of the Illuminated," had become extremely formidable in Germany; and Zimmerman, well acquaint

ed

ed with the pernicious tendency of its principles, earnestly endeavoured to oppose them, by interefting those whom it moft concerned to prevent their effects, The pretence of its members was the happinefs of the people; and, fuppofing this happiness to be incompatible with every fpecies of religion and civil eftablishment at prefent exifting, they cried with one voice," Let us deftroy them all, and raze their very foundations." It included, in fhort, among its dark defigns, the whole of the doctrine which the Jacobins of Paris have fince fo fatally put in practice; and it has been proved, by the most irrefragable documents,* that they not only maintained an intimate correfpondence together long before the revolution, but that the deftruction of the Chriftian religion, and the fubverfion of every throne, and of all governments, was, ever fince the year 1776, the fecret aim and fole object of thefe orders. They adopted, in short,

* See Memoirs for the Plenipotentiaries affembled at Soiffons, in which is demonstrated how prejudicial the Society of Jefuits is to Church and State.

fhort, that execrable obfervation known and celebrated in France, and generally attributed to Diderot: Mankind will "never be perfectly happy and free, until "the last of kings fhall be ftrangled with "the bowels of the last of priests." The fociety of the Illuminated was composed of five diftinct claffes of members, who were founded, prepared, and raised step by step, as they difcovered themselves worthy to be trufted with its mischievous myfteries. This mode of introduction, fo confonant to the nature of the affembly, was first fuggefted, in the year 1782, by Baron de Knigge; and, by the infinuating manners and captivating language. which the principal managers well knew how to use, the number of affiliated members increased from day to day. honeft men had grieved in filence, on perceiving the evils which were likely to refult from the baleful doctrines propagated, with equal art and industry, by this dangerous combination: but Zimmerman was the first who had the courage to unveil the dangerous principles of these new philofophers,

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