BORN. 



727 



Born. court chamber in the department of the mines and 

 "v - ' mint. 



The accident \ hich he had met with at Felso- 

 banya now began to produce the most dangerous 

 symptoms. He was attacked with the most excru- 

 ciating colics, and having, in one of his paroxysms of 

 pain, swallowed an immense quantity of opium, a le- 

 thargy was brought on, which lasted 24 hours. The 

 disease now attacked his lower extremities ; his feet 

 withered by degrees, and he was unable to walk du- 

 ring the rest of his life. 



It was about this time that the freemasons, for- 

 ..\king the dark mysteries of their order, began to 

 diffuse that light which had hitherto shone in their 

 own lodges, and to take an active part in reforming 

 the abuses and corruptions of society ; and Born took 

 an active and prominent part in all their measures. 

 It is impossible to form any idea of a German lodge 

 from those in our own country. The most distin- 

 guished literary characters frequented these meetings ; 

 and, instead of being regaled with good fare for their 

 appetites, they were instructed by dissertations on his- 

 tory, ethics, and moral philosophy, or on the r.ncient 

 ani modern mysteries of the association. The cor- 

 ruptions of the Romish church, and the exactions of 

 arbitrary power, were among the evils which this so- 

 ciety pretended to discuss and reform. Into such 

 societies a few desperate individuals may have gained 

 admission) who were the enemies of all government 

 and of all religion ; but these men never directed the fo- 

 reign lodges, and it never was the object of the German 

 masons to overturn either the church or the state. In 

 the reign of Maria Theresa, these meetings were dis- 

 couraged ; b ut, upon the accession of Joseph II. the free- 

 masons received complete toleration, and Baron Born 

 founded at Vienna the lodge called the 'True Concord. 

 The dissertations which were read at the lodges were 

 afterwards published in the Journal sur Freymaurer, 

 or, Diary for Freemasons, and were also the foun- 

 dation or another periodical work, entitled, Physicd- 

 lische Arbeilcn der eintrachtigen Freunde in U'ien 

 nfgesammelt von Born. Vienn. 1783-7 ; which was 

 -conducted by Baron Born and some of the other 

 brethren of the order. 



Born was also admitted a member of the Society 

 of the Illuminati ; and such was his zeal for the in- 

 stitution, that, when the elector of Bavaria ordered 

 all in his service to renounce the order, Born sent 

 back to the academy at Munich the diploma which 

 he received when admitted among its members. 



In the year 178.''!, when the emperor was making 

 some reforms in the church, Born published a singular 

 work entitled Monachologia ; which is a severe satire 

 on the monks, whom he describes in the technical lan- 

 guage of natural history. This production is so full 

 of admirable satire, that we cannot resist the tempta- 

 tion of laying before our readers the description of 

 an animal, which, in the course of a few years, may 

 be completely extinct. 



MoN'ACHlS. 



Descriptio. Animal avarum,fcelidum, immundum, 

 siticulosum, iners, inediam potitts tolerans quant la- 



borem ; vivunt e rapina et questu ; mundum sui tan- 

 tum causa creatum esse predicant ; colunt clandesti- 

 ne, nuptias non celebrant, fcetus exponunt ; in pro- 

 priam speciem saviunt, et host em ex insidiis aggre- 

 diuntttr. 



Usus. Terras pondus inutile. Fruges consiomre 

 nati. 



In his description of the Dominicans, the same just 

 and severe raillery is happily employed. 



Eximio olfactu pollet, vinuni et hceresin e longin- 

 quo odorat. Esurit semper polyphagus. Juniores 

 Jame probantur. Veterani, relegate omni cura et oc- 

 cupatione, gulie indulgent, cibis succulentis nutriuntur, 

 molliter cubanl, tepide quicscunt, somnum protrahunt, 

 et ex suis duvta curaut, ut esca umnes in adipern. 

 transeat, lardumque adipiscuutur : hinc abdomen pro- 

 lixum passim prcB se Jerunt, scnes ventricosi maxima 

 estimantur, Sec. 



The justness of this satire was universally felt ; and 

 such was the sensation which it excited, that the 

 archbishop of Vienna complained to the empercr, 

 who replied, that the attack was made only upon the 

 idle and useless part of the order. Being thus sup- 

 ported by Joseph, he published another satire, enti- 

 tled, Defensio Fhysiophili, which was followed by hsa 

 Anatomia Monachi. His satirical powers were lik- 

 wise displayed upon Father Hell, the astronomer, 

 who was a great enemy to the free- masons. 



The Emperor Joseph at last withdrew his support 

 from the reforming free-masons, and checked them 

 with such restrictions, that they found it necessary 

 to dissolve the society. The influence of Born, how- 

 ever, was not diminished. H-J great skill in minera- 

 logy and metallurgy raised hiin high in public opi- 

 nion, and was of great service to his country. Though 

 the use of quicksilver, in extracting the precious me- 

 tals from their ore3, was long known, yet Baron 

 Born was the first person who introduced it on a 

 great scale. At the desire of the emperor, an expe- 

 riment was made on a large quantity of ore at Schem- 

 niz, in presence of some of the first chemists and me- 

 tallurgists in Europe. The success of the experi- 

 ment, and the approbation which he received, indu- 

 ced him, in 1786, to publish his treatise on the Pro- 

 cess of Amalgamation, illustrated by engravings of 

 the necessary instruments and machinery. * This pro- 

 cess was ordered by the emperor to be adopted in the 

 Hungarian mines, and Born was remunerated for his 

 discovery with one-third of the savings during teu 

 years, and with 4 per cent, of this third part for the 

 next twenty years. The success of this plan excited 

 the jealousy of his enemies, who exerted every nerve 

 in frustrating hi3 views, and in defrauding him of his 

 just reward. Besides the works which we have men- 

 tioned, Born published, in 1790, in 2 vols, his Cata- 

 logue methodique raisonnce, of Miss Raab's collection 

 or fossils. He began a Latin work, entitled, Fasti 

 Lcopoldini, or a History of the Reign of Leopold II. 

 and also a Treatise on Mineralogy ; but he was sud- 

 denly seized in the midst of these occupations with 

 violent spasms and cold, which put an .end to his ex. 

 istence, on the 28th of July 1791. 



llorn. 



This work was translated into English by H. I'.. R.i^pe in 1791, in 4io, under the tit!c of " Baron Horn's new process oi 

 Amalgamation of ( [l?r Ore*, and otbei Mixture*," 



