362 | 
him to Paris, in order to folicit their re- 
union with the French republic. But, in 
the courfe of his miffion, the city of 
Mentz was befieged and re-taken by the 
Pruffian troops. ‘This event occafioned 
. the lofs of all his property; and what 
was {till more difaftrous, that of his nu- 
inerous manufcripts, which fell into the 
hands of the prince of Pruffia. 2 
Let us now take a rapid examination 
of the private life of this remarkable man. 
He had conceived a very lively affection 
for a young woman, who poflefied extra- 
ordinary talents. Therefa Heyne, paf- 
fronately attached to celebrated names, 
confented to unite her fate with his. But, 
poffeffing one of thofe ingenuous charac- 
ters which are indignant at the very name 
of duty, and according to whom, the 
fecure laws of conjugal union conftitute 
rather the mythology than the virtué.of 
women, fhe herfelf was frank enough to 
acknowledge the errors of her imagiria- 
tion. A man is only celebrated. in the 
eyes of his miftrefs; he is not long fo in 
thofe of a wife, to whom vanity alone 
has dictated the nuptial oath. _ 
- The illuftrious rival of Cook, to the 
pift of loving, did not add that of pleaf- 
ing: if the one affords the promife of 
happinefs, the other beftcws and prolongs 
the reality. Their union was not un- 
clouded. Love, like the piety of the 
faithful, increafes in confequence of per- 
fecution and fufferings alone. Fortter, 
although fill attached to his wife, endea- 
voured to confole imfelf by means of oc- 
cafional amufements elfewhere; but the 
fenfes conftitute but the delirium, and not 
the reafon of the heart. Accordingly, 
the fole fatisfa¢tion worthy of him, was 
to refign himfelf to the natural moblenefs 
of his character: another was beloved, 
and fo far from being ignorant of it, 
Forfter defended the character of his 
Therela againft 2. crowd,whofe heads were 
empty enough to believe, that it is pofli- - 
Ble to coniole a paflionate max, by fpeak- 
mc ill of the objeft of his affections. 
Gejergus and juft from Jove, ftill more 
than from philofephy, the -hufband who 
teafes to pleaie, is no longer any thing 
elfe, according to him, than the aaulterer 
Of nature. In fhort, that fame fenfibility 
which had influenced his condu& durntg 
tue Whele courfe of his life, mfpired him 
with.one of thofe fiblime efforts, which 
cold minds can seither approve nor even. 
conceive... Fortter, accordingly, fet him- 
elf ferioufly about obtaining.a divorce, 
in order to enable Therefa Heyne to 
efpouie the man whom the preierred to-- 
1792, of our ftyles 
Account of George Forfter.....OriginalLetter. 
him. He made preparations, af she 
fame time, by the itudy of the Orientat 
languages, to undertake a jourhey te 
Thibet and Indoftan, in order to remove 
from that part ‘of the world, in whick 
both his heart and his perfon had expe- 
rienced fo fevere a fhoek. But the cha- 
grin occafioned by his misfortunes, joined 
to a fcorbutic affection, to which he had 
been long fubje&t, and vehich he had con- 
tracted at fea, during the voyage of cir= 
cumnavigation, abridged his life, and 
prevented him from realifing this double 
project. He died at Paris, at the age of 
39, on the 23d wventefe *, im the fecond 
year of the republic. 
No one ever profeffed more revolutionary 
principles.: Throwghout all his writings, 
we can every where perecive that love for 
humanity, without whieh, neither patri- 
otifm nor virtue canexift. But this love 
fer his equals was that of a great man; 
whofe genius émbraces the entire mafs of 
individual-interefts, and whofe foul is toe 
elevated to fall into that felfifh philan- 
thropy, which, by means of a reaction; 
bounded by perfonal intereft, would im- 
prifon the genius of public happinefs in 
the narrow cirele of a few individuals. 
His journey, undertaken fince the re- 
vohition, into Brabant, Holiand, along 
the’ borders of the Rhine, and through 
feveral countries lately conquered by the 
troops of the republic, having appeared 
to me, of alf the writings of Foriter, to 
be that in which this celebrated man has 
the mof difplayed the riches of his ima- 
gination, and his profound knowledge of 
politics; I thought it would be an acqui- 
{ition ‘to our literature '—The naturalift, 
the artift, and the legiflator, wil thete 
- difeever ufeful principles; and the philo- 
fopher, who potieffestenfibility, will with 
pieafure fee how his expanfive mind knew 
to embellith even the moft trifling occurs’ 
renees. Ph 
ee 
“ORIGINAL LETTERS. 
-Lerrer King James VE. of Scotland, to 
Queen ELIZABETH, on @ fcarcity Of . 
peafe and beans... 
| Ee excellent, rieht heich and 
-michtie princefle, our deireft fufter 
and coufing, in our, hartieft manner we 
commend us unto you. The great, and 
almaift univerfal, failzie of the peis and 
‘beanis within our realme, thir tua yeiris .— 
-bigane, occafiened by the continuanee of 
maittempeitous and unfeafenable wethery 

* This anfwers- to the 2gth ef Bebruarys 
fawia 
