54 MEMOIR OF BARON IIALLEU. 



yet the contagion was always afresh introduced from 

 France, where no adequate means had hitherto heen 

 taken to arrest it ; and tfc then exhibited the ne- 

 cessity of certain preventive methods, which soon 

 afterwards being employed in concert by Hungary, 

 Belgium, Switzerland, and France, were crowned 

 with success. 



By way of relaxation, and for his amusement, 

 Haller, in 1772-4, committed to writing his thoughts 

 upon the best form of the three different kinds of 

 government. He published them as Romances in 

 three volumes, which were severally entitled Usong, 

 Alfred, and Fabius and Cato. The two former were 

 immediately translated into French, and they all 

 demonstrate the author's acquaintance at once with 

 history and politics. If any one, misled by their 

 popular appellation, were to expect only light reading 

 and amusement, he would be surprised to discover 

 in them deep views of the sagest administration, 

 stern political truths, which were easily propounded 

 under a slight disguise, and especially an elucidation 

 of the omnipotence of morality and the laws. About 

 this period he also contributed many articles to the 

 supplement of Le Dictionaire Encyclopedique ; and, 

 as would appear from a review of the German jour- 

 nals, published, chiefly at Gottingen, as many as 

 fifteen hundred communications*. 



Haller's next important literary labours were the 



* In the " Conversations Lexicon," the number is stated 

 at twelve thousand, which we should think is an evident 

 mistake. We follow Vicq d'Azyr. 



