TIEDEMANN, DIETRICH. 



TIEDGE, CHRISTOPH AUGUST. 



M 



the ancient and some modern languages. After a stay of two years 

 he entered the Athenaeum of Bremen. The system of education and 

 the distinguished masters of this institution had great influence on 

 young Tiedemann. It was here that ho first conceived a love for 

 philosophy and its history, and he began his philosophical studies by 

 reading tha works of Descartes, Locke, Helvetius, and Malebranche. 

 After spending eighteen months at Bremen, he entered the University 

 of Gottingen, with the intention of studying theology pursuant to his 

 father's wish ; but he continued the study of classical literature, 

 mathematics, and philosophy. The study of philosophy raised in his 

 mind strong doubts respecting certain main points of the Christian 

 religion, which he was unable to overcome, and this led him to aban- 

 don the study of theology. He now tried jurisprudence, but not- 

 withstanding the entreaties of his father to devote himself to somo 

 profession, he abandoned the study of the law also, and at last deter- 

 mined to follow his own inclinations, and to give himself up entirely 

 to philosophy and its history. His father, dissatisfied with his son's 

 conduct, refused to send him further means of subsistence. After 

 having spent two years and a half at Gottingen, Professor Eyring 

 proposed to him to take the place of tutor in a nobleman's family 

 in Livonia, which Tiedemann accepted very reluctantly. In 1769 he 

 entered his new situation, in which he remained four years, although 

 he was shut out from all means of prosecuting his own studies, aud 

 had to devote almost all his time to his pupils. Nevertheless, he 

 found time to write a little work on the origin of language, a favourite 

 topic with the philosophers of that time. It was published under the 

 title, ' Versuch eiuer Erkliirung des Ursprungs der Sprache,' 8vo, Riga, 

 1772. In the year following he returned to his native place, and after 

 having spent a year there in studying various subjects which he had 

 neglected in Livonia, he again went to Gottingen. His friend Meiuers, 

 who was now a professor in the university, introduced him to Heyne, 

 wljo immediately made him a member of the philological seminary. 

 The small income derived from this institution, and from private 

 instruction, together with what he got by writing, enabled him to live 

 in independence. His work on the Stoic philosophy appeared under 

 the title of 'System der Stoischeri Philosophic,' 8vo, Leipzig, 1776. 

 with a preface by Heyne, who had recommended the publication. In 

 this year Heyne was applied to in order to recommend a competent 

 person for the professorship of ancient literature at the Carolinum in 

 Cassel. Heyne recommended Tiedemann, and accepted the place for 

 him without telling him of it. Tiedemann was delighted with the 

 place, as it did not occupy too much of his time, and put him in con- 

 nection with some of the most distinguished men in Germany. The 

 study of philosophy .and its history was now prosecuted with fresh 

 zeal and vigour. The philosophical views which he had imbibed from 

 the authors whom he had most studied tended towards materialism ; 

 but his friend Tetens vigorously counteracted them, and at length 

 succeeded in turning his mind in a different direction. In the year 

 1786, when the Carolinum was broken up, Tiedemann was transferred 

 with the other professors to Marburg. Here he lectured at different 

 times on logic, metaphysics, the law of nature, on moral philosophy, 

 psychology, universal history, history of philosophy, and sometimes 

 also on some classical Greek writer. His lectures were very popular, 

 and his kind disposition made his hearers look upon him more as a 

 friend than as a master. Sometimes, especially during the last period 

 of his life, he did not conduct himself with the calmness and dignity 

 of a philosopher in combating the philosophy of Kant, to which he 

 was opposed. He died in the midst of literary undertakings, after a 

 short illness, on the 24th of May 1803. 



Tiedemanu was beloved aud esteemed by all who knew him. His 

 life was spent in intellectual occupations and bodily exercise, of which 

 he was very fond. His striking qualities were great self-control, 

 cheerfulness, and a total absence of all pretension to literary supe- 

 riority, although his works were extremely popular. Besides the works 

 already mentioned, the following deserve notice : ' Untersuchungen 

 iiber den Menscheu/ 3 \ola. 8vo, Leipzig, 1777, &c. ; ' Griechenlands 

 erste Philosopheu, oder Leben und Systeme des Orpheus, Pherecydes, 

 Thales, und Pythagoras,' 8vo, Leipzig, 1780 ; ' Hermes Triamegists 

 Poemander, oder von der gb'ttlichen Macht und Weishiet,' 8vo, Berlin 

 and Stettin, 1781. This work is a translation from the Greek of 

 Hermes Trismegistus. ' Geist der Speculativen Philosophic,' 6 vols. 

 8vo, Marburg, 1791-97. This work is a history of philosophy from the 

 time of Thales down to Leibnitz and Christian Wolff, and is still 

 useful for the materials which it contains. In style and arrangement 

 it is deficient, and the author did not possess that critical and profound 

 knowledge of philosophy which would have enabled him to perceive 

 the organic connection and the necessary succession of the various 

 philosophical systems. ' Theaetet, oder iiber das menschliche Wissen,' 

 8vo, Frankfurt, 1794; 'Handbuch der Psychologic.' This work was 

 edited after the author's death (8vo, Leipzig, 1804) by L. Wachler, 

 who has prefixed to it a biographical memoir of Tiedemann. Besides 

 these greater works, Tiedemann wrote numerous smaller treatises and 

 made many translations from the French : he also contributed papers 

 to several periodicals. He is the author of some Latin dissertations, 

 among which we may mention three programs : 'De Antiquis quibus- 

 dam Musei Fridericiani Simulacris,' 4to, Cassel, 1778-80 ; 'Dialogorum 

 Platonis Argumenta exposita et illustrata,' Svo, Bipont, 1786 ; 'Disser- 

 tatio de Qusestione : quse fuerit artium magicarum origo, quomodo 



illso ab Asico populis ad Gnccos atquo Romanes et ab his ad cteteras 

 gentes sint propagatao,' &c., 4to, Marburg, 1787. 



(L. Wachler's Memoir of Tiedemann, in his Ilandbuch der Psycho- 

 log ie ; Creuzer, Memoria Diterici Tiedemanni, 4to, Marburg, 1803; 

 and Jorden, Lexikon Deutscher Dichter und Prosaitttn. voL v 

 pp. 76-86.) 



* TIEDEMANN, FRIEDRICH, a celebrated German anatomigt, was 

 the sou of the celebrated philosophical writer, Dietrich Tiedernunn, 

 and was born at Cassel on the 23rd of August 1781. He received hi* 

 early education at the gymnasium at Marburg, where he also com- 

 menced the study of anatomy and physiology, lie subsequently 

 studied in the hospitals of Bamberg and Wiirzburg, and took hia 

 degree in 1804. At this time he took up the study of phrenplogy, 

 and pursued it with great, earnestness. He visited Frankfurt, and 

 made the friendship of the celebrated Sommering. He also attended 

 a course of Schelling's lectures on natural philosophy at Wiirzburg, 

 and afterwards repaired to Paris. In 1805 he was appointed professor 

 of anatomy aud physiology at Landshut. Here he published his first 

 work on ' Zoology,' the first volume of which appeared in 1808 and the 

 third in 1810. In 1809 he also published a work on the ' Anatomy ot 

 the Heart of Fishes,' which was the result of a journey in Italy and the 

 Tyrol. In 1811 he published his ' Anatomy of the Flying Lizard or 

 Dragon.' In 1813 appeared an essay on the ' Anatomy of Headless 

 Monsters.' He obtained the prize offered by the Institute of France 

 in 1811 for the best essay on the 'Structure aud Relations of the 

 Radiate Animals.' In order to qualify himself for this work he made 

 a journey to the coas'- of the Adriatic. Thia essay was published in 

 1820. In 1816 he was called to the chair of comparative anatomy and 

 zoology at Heidelberg. In this position he not only gained a great 

 reputation as a teacher, but published a large number of works upon 

 human anatomy and zoology, which have contributed greatly to the 

 advancement of those sciences during the present century. Amongst 

 these the best known are his two great illustrated anatomical works 

 on the ' Nerves of the Uterus ' and the ' Arteries of the H,uman Body.' 

 These were published in folio in 1822. In the same year he also pub- 

 lished ' Plates of the Brain of Monkeys.' In 1830 he commenced the 

 publication of a ' Physiology of Man,' which was finished in 1836. As 

 a physiologist he devoted great attention to the physiology of digestion, 

 and in conjunction with Leopold Gmelin, professor of chemistry hi 

 Heidelberg, he made many original researches and observations on this 

 subject. In conjunction with L. C. Treviranus he edited five volumes 

 of the ' Zeitschrift fur Physiologic.' He has also published numerous 

 papers in journals, &c., both on anatomy and zoology, of great value. 

 In 1849 he retired from his chair at Heidelberg on the occasion of the 

 death of his eldest son, who was commander of the castle of Rastadt, 

 and who was condemned to death for having sided with the revolu- 

 tionary party. 



TIEDGE, CHRISTOPH AUGUST, 'The Nestor of German 

 Poetry,' and one who has now taken his place among the German 

 classics, was born at Gardelegen in Altmark, December 14th 1752. 

 His early prospects in life were by no means flattering, for the death 

 of his father (Conrector at the Magdeburg gymnasium), in 1772, left 

 him and a family of young children in a very destitute situation. He 

 completed however his legal studies at Halle; but notwithstanding 

 the favourable opinion his talents had acquired for him, he soon 

 abandoned the profession for which he had prepared himself, and in 

 1776, accepted the situation of private teacher in the Arnstadt family 

 at Elrich in Hohenstein. The choice he had made proved a fortunate 

 one, since it eventually led to connections and friendships that proved 

 very advantageous. The immediate result of the course he had 

 adopted was an intimacy with Gokmgk, Gleim, and other literary 

 persons of that day, including the Baroness von der Recke. The 

 friendships thus formed, laid the foundation of the prosperous and 

 unruffled tenour of his after-life. On quitting Elrich he was invited 

 by Gleim to reside with him at Halberstadt, which he continued to do 

 until 1792, when he became private secretary to Domherr von Stedern; 

 and though he died in the following year, Tiedge remained in tho 

 family upon the same footing during the life of Madame von Stedern, 

 who, at her death, in 1799, secured to him a handsome competency. 

 Being thus placed perfectly at ease in his circumstances, he travelled 

 through the north of Germany, and visited Berlin, where it was his 

 good fortune again to meet with Madame von der Recke, and tho 

 intimacy thus resumed continued for life. Though not in accordance 

 with the ordinary usages of society, it was as entirely free from the 

 slightest suspicion of impropriety, as was the similar domestication of 

 Cowper with Mrs. Unwin. This union, of a kind so exceedingly rare 

 that no name has been invented for it, was that of two noble and pure 

 minds, congenial in their tastes, and equally inspired with a feeling 

 for poetry and those pursuits which, while they refine, also elevate our 

 nature. The author of 'Urania' was as well shielded from scandal as 

 was the author of the ' Task ; ' for although very different in form, 

 the first-mentioned poem is, like the other, deeply tinged by religious 

 sentiment; and its merits were more immediately recognised, for it 

 went through several editions within a very short time from its first 

 appearance in 1801. 



In 1804 Tiedge and his female friend visited Italy, where they 

 remained about two years; and of this journey we have an account 

 from the pen of Madame von der Recke herself, 'Tagebuch eiuer 



