380 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797. 
by adequate judges, and placed him 
among the earlieft improvers of that 
Ianguage. In 1756 appeared his 
firft Effay on Solitude: a very fhort 
performance. Two years after- 
ward, he began to enlarge its plan, 
and to colleé materials for his more 
extended publication on this fub- 
jea. He alfo formed the plan of 
his work on the Experience of 
Medicine, of which the firft volume 
appeared in 1763. In 1758 he 
publifhed his Effay on National 
Pride, which paffed with rapidity 
through feveral editions, and was 
tranflated into foreign languages, | 
and much admired. In this per- 
formance is one of thofe predictions 
of an approaching revolution in 
Europe, which are to be found in 
various. works of literature—but, 
as M. Tiffot thinks, nowhere with 
more fagacity and exactnefs. “ The 
univerfal fpread of light and philo- 
fophy, the vices demonftrated in 
the exifting mode of thinking, the 
attacks on received prejudices, all 
thew a boldnefs in opinion which 
announces a revolution; and this 
revolution will be happy if it be 
directed by political wifdom and 
fubmiffion to the laws of the ftate: 
but, fhould it degenerate into cri- 
minal audacity, it will coit to fome 
their property, to others their li- 
berty, to many their life.” 
Notwithftanding a copious medi- 
cal practice, now extended by many 
foreign confultations, and the liter- 
ary employment of his le’fure, Zim- 
merman’s difcontent with his fitua- 
tion was fuch, that his friends, and 
particularly his prefent Liographer, 
made various efforts to procure him 
anew eftablifhment; none of which 
were as yet fuccefsful. 1i appears, 
indeed, that his own irrefolution, 
and a kind of timidity which always 
adhered to him, were the principal 
obftacles in fome inftances. Mean- 
time, however, he did not ceafe to 
lay the folid foundations of more 
extenfive fame by profeffional writ- 
ings. An epidemic fever, which 
reigned in Switzerland in the years 
1763, 4, and 5, and which in the 
latter year changed to a dyfentery, 
furnifhed him with a copious ftore 
of obfervations, and produced his 
Treatife on the Dyfentery, which 
gained him great reputation. This 
was the lait confiderable medical 
work that he compofed, though he 
continued to write fhort pieces on 
occafional topics. It fhould not 
be omitted that his cordial friend, 
_M. Tiffot, by addreffing to him his 
ewn letters on the prevailing epi- 
demic, contributed to extend his 
profeffional fame. At length, the 
vacant poft of Phyfician to the 
King of England at Hanover, which 
had been offered to M. Tiffot, was 
by his intereft procured for Zim- 
merman ; and beirg accepted, he 
removed to Hanover in 1768. 
This new fituation, however, was 
far from producing the acceffion of 
happinefs which was expected from 
if. 
A few days after his arrival, he 
joft the lord of the regency who 
was moft attached to him. The 
diforder, of which he firft felt the 
commencement while he refided 
at Brug *, conftantly increafed, 
and was accompanied with acute 
pains, which fometimes rendered 
irkfome the execution of his duty. 
The jealoufy of a colleague, now 
dead, caufed hima number of thofe 
flight irritations which he would 
% This appears to have been a fpecies of hernia. 
aot 
