S24 
MICHAELIS. 
dent ef the Academy of Infcriptions at Paris, in 1764, 
and afterwards of being elected one of the eight foreign 
members of that inftitution. 
In the year 1760, the profefior gave great offence to 
thofe of the clergy who ftyled themfelves orthodox, by 
publifhing his “ Compendium of dogmatic Theology,” 
confiding of doftrinal lectures which he had delivered by 
fpecial licence from the government. Shortly after this, 
Michaelis fhowed his zeal for the interelts of fcience and 
literature, by darting the projedt of fending a midion of 
learned men into Egypt and Arabia, for the purpofe of 
obtaining fuch information concerning the adtual date of 
thofe countries, as might ferve to throw light on geogra¬ 
phy, natural liidory, philology, and biblical learning. 
His fird idea of fuch a midion he communicated by letter 
to the privy-counfellor Berndorf, who laid it before his 
fovereign Frederic V. king of Denmark. That monarch 
was fo well fatisfied of the benefits which might refult 
from the undertaking, that he determined to fupport the 
expenfe of it; and committed to Michaelis the manage¬ 
ment of the deiign, together with the nomination of pro¬ 
per travellers, and the care of drawing up their inltruc- 
tions. The perfons whom he feledted were Von Haven, 
Porlkal, and Niebuhr, whofe proceedings have been com¬ 
municated to the public ; and, though the fruits of them 
■were not fully reaped, they were not unproductive of va¬ 
luable accedions to our dores of curious and ufeful in¬ 
formation. For the incredible zeal and diligence which 
our author difcovered in the preparations for this bold and 
commendable adventure, the king of Denmark recom- 
penfed him with a prefent of four hundred ducats, and 
other proofs of his royal favour. 
Upon the death of Gefnerin 1761, Michaelis fucceeded 
liim in the odice Of librarian to the Royal Society of Got¬ 
tingen, and was the means of introducing regulations 
•which proved highly beneficial to that inditution ; but he 
did not retain tnis filtration above twelve months, being 
•nominated, indead of it, to the place of diredtor, with the 
felary for life of the pod which he religned. Two years 
'afterwards he was tempted to remove to Berlin, by ho¬ 
nourable and lucrative offers made him in a letter from 
Potfidam by Guifcard, or Quintus Icilius, in the name of 
the king of Praflia; but his attachment to Gottingen de¬ 
termined him to decline them, without any profpedt of 
equivalent advantages. In the fummer of 1766, he had 
an interelting viiit paid to him at Gottingen by his friend 
fir John Pringle, whom he had known m England, ac¬ 
companied by the celebrated Dr. Benjamin Franklin. 
With the fird, who Was a zealous and confcientious ad¬ 
vocate for religion, he afterwards correfponded on the 
fiubjedt of the leprofy fpoken of in the books of Mofes, 
.and on that of Daniel’s prophecy of the feventy weeks. 
The latter fubjedt was difcufied in the letters which pafi'ed 
between them during the year 1771, and was particularly 
examined by our profell'or. This correlpondence was 
printed at London by fir John Pringle, in 1773, under the 
title of “ Joan. Dav. Michaelis, Prof. Ord. Philof. et Soc. 
Reg. Scient. Gottingeniis Collegia;, Epiltola; de LXX. 
Hebdomalibus Danielis, ad D. Joan. Pringle, Baronet- 
turn 5 primo privatim mittae, nunc vero utriufque Con- 
fienfu publice editse,” odtavo. With Franklin, among 
other topics of dilcourfe, he converted on the relative 
iituation of the colonies and the mother-country ; the fe¬ 
rrous differences which then exifted between them ; and 
the probable ifi’ue of a rupture, Ihould it unhappily take 
place. On the fubjedt lad mentioned, Michaelis con¬ 
curred in opinion with the mifguided datelinen in our 
own country, who conceived it impolfible for America to 
oppofe -a fuccefsful relidance to the deets and armies of 
Great Britain. 
In the year 1770, fome diderences having arifen be¬ 
tween our author and his colleagues in the Royal Society, 
fee religned the diredtorlhip, and withdrew his name from 
the lift of members. Jloweyer, before hig qcqiiie^iqn with 
that body was diffolved, he liad the fatisfadVion of over, 
coming the oppofition of Miinchaui'en and Tobias Mayer, 
againd his fending to England the lunar tables of the lat¬ 
ter, which had been read before the Society ; and alfo of 
obtaining for them the attention of the Englilh board of 
longitude, who voted a reward of three thouland pounds 
derling to be paid to that excellent adronomer, or rather 
to his heirs, as we have already mentioned under his ar¬ 
ticle. In 1775, our author’s well-eltabliflied reputation 
had fo far removed the prejudices againd him in Sweden, 
that count Hopkin, who eighteen years before had pro¬ 
hibited the ufe of his writings at Upfid, now prevailed 
upon the king of Sweden to confer on him the order of 
the Polar Star. Accordingly, our profefior was deco¬ 
rated with the enfigns of that order ; on which occalion 
he chofe for a motto to his arms, the words Libera Veritas. 
In 1782, his health was impaired by the attack of an in- 
fiuenza ; and dill more fo, two years afterwards, by a fie- 
vere fit of the gout attended with a bilious fever, from 
the effedts- of which he never entirely recovered. In 
1786, he was railed to the diltinguilhed rank of privy- 
counfellor of judice by the court of Hanover 5 in the fol¬ 
lowing year, the Academy of Infcriptions at Paris elected 
him a foreign member of that body ; it is to be obferved 
that only eight foreign members are admitted. In 1788 
he received his lad literary honour, by being chofen a 
member of the Royal Society of London. In the fummer 
of 1791, his drength was fo greatly diminidied, that after 
he had begun a courle of ledtures he was obliged to relin- 
quilh them. He continued his literary exertions, how¬ 
ever, as long as he was able; and a few weeks before his 
death, lhovved a friend feveral lheets, in manufeript, of 
annotations which he had lately written on the New Tef- 
tament. He expired on the twenty-lecond of Auguffc 
1791, in the feventy-fifth year of his age. He had been 
twice married, and had ten children, of whom only two 
fons and three daughters furvived him.—His elded fon, 
Chridian Friedr. Michaelis, was counlellor and lecturer 
on phylic at Marpurg in the landgraviate of Helfe, in the 
year 1801; and his younged Ion, Gottfried Philip Mi¬ 
chaelis, had alfo been educated to the medical profeifio*, 
and admitted to the degree of M. D. 
That the fubjedt of this article was a man of very ex- 
tenfive and profound erudition, as well as of extraordinary 
talents, which were not lefs brilliant than fiolicl, is evident 
by his writings, the honours which were paid to his me¬ 
rits, and the tedimony of his acquaintance and contem¬ 
poraries. His application and indudry were unwearied ; 
and his perleverance in luch purfuits as he conceived 
' might prove ufeful to the world, terminated only with 
the decleniion of his powers. His great critical know¬ 
ledge of the Hebrew language, in particular, which he 
difplayed in a new tranilation of the Bible, and Various 
other works, railed him to a degree of eminence almod un¬ 
known before in Germany; and his indefatigable labours 
were equalled only by his define of communicating the 
knowledge which he had acquired. In his office of pro- 
fefi'or, which he filled at Gottingen during the long pe¬ 
riod of forty-five years, he had an opportunity of dilpl'ay- 
ing his oratorical powers, which were very coniiderable. 
He was free from all pedantry, had an abundant lhare of 
humour, extenfive information, and a happy talent of ex- 
preding his fentimeirts without the lealt embarrafiinent. 
He would render the drielt fubjedts interelting, by his 
lively and ealy manner of delivery; and would often in¬ 
troduce into his lectures anecdotes and witticifms, which, 
however, it mull be confielitd, were rather calculated to 
arnule than to inltruct. It was not unufual with him to 
take this method of concluding his ledtures, when want 
of time had prevented him from preparing more impor¬ 
tant materials. His writings are diltinguilhed not only by 
various and fiolid learning, but by a profulion of ideas, 
extent of knowledge, brilliancy of expreilion, and a fre¬ 
quent VG.u of pleaiiuitry. At the fume time he cannot 
