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560 
porary renunciation or qualification of his 
fentiments; but wherever a free declara- 
tion of bis opinions was not found agree-. 
able, he was careful never to appear.. He 
wifhed ig all his ations to fhew himéelf 
to the world fimply as he was, unvarnifh- 
ed by any falfe art. whatever ; and he 
even condemned the attempt to conceal 
one’s merit under a forbiddi g appearance. 
He had a high fenfe of his own dignity as 
an individual in the fcale of exiftence.— 
This made him fenfible of every thing 
that appeared like a flight in others, which 
he treated with a becoming referve and 
diftance. He had no lefs a refpec for 
every man as an independent and think- 
‘ing being, and evinced thefe fentiments by 
a re{pe&ttul deportment towards all. For 
‘merit under every form, and in every. per- 
fon, whether of his own or contrary fenti- 
‘ments, he teitified the moft unequivoca! 
efteem. i 
Every reader of Kant’s writings, who 
was not acquainted with him, would have 
been agreeably furprifed in finding the 
contraft between the deep and abftrufe 
thinker and the fociable and lively compa- 
nion. His mind was naturally chearful, 
and bent to conviviality. He viewed the 
world through the medium of his own 
happy temper, and found every thing 
around agreeable and alluring. The fo- 
ciability of his nature, equanimity of his 
difpofition, modefly of deportment, and 
refinement of charaéter, fitted fociety for 
him and him for foeiety. -He united in 
the happieft degree two qualities fo rarely 
combined in one perfon, the greateft acute- 
nefs of reafoning with thé polifh of the 
gentleman. He poffefled the happy talent 
of making every thing interefting upon 
which he fpoke, and of being able to 
{peak upon every fubjeét. He had a happy 
flow of words, and’ uttered them with to 
much delicacy and vivacity, that ail were 
pleafed to hear his converfation on every 
fubje&t. however unimportant. He was 
the life of every company where he was ; 
mirth and difcourfe never flagged in his 
prefence. He ftarted fubjeéis when ne- 
ceflary, and jefe others to purfue them ; 
. but he never monopolized the converfation 
to himfeif. He foilowed the-current of ge- 
neral will, and contributed to the amufe- 
raent of fociety in the way that it pre- 
{erihed ; and if by fi'ence he could afford 
an opportunity for others‘to offer their 
fentimeats, be! always preferred this to 
any aétive endeavours on his own part.— 
Mauch as he liked to converfe on matters 
ofphilofophy, he carefully avoided thefe 
tcpics in mixed’ companies. Here he lof 
ee : 
\ 
Memoirs of Tminazuel Kant. 
(May 1, 
the philofopher in the man of the world, 
and {poke with freedom on drefs, politics, 
public occurrences, or houfekeeping, as 
the males or females of the fociety. turned:. 
the difcourfe. — . 
We muit not forget to view Kant in 
anotiier relation, whici does honour to his 
heart: this was, his warm and fteady at. 
tachment asa friend. Profeffor Rhunken 
was the bofom friend of his youth. This 
friendthip was the offspring of congenial 
fentiment, and lafted till the death of the 
former. Theodor Gottlob von Hippel, 
fecretary at war to his Pruffian Ma- 
jefty in Konigfberg, a man well known 
for his literary performances, lived many 
years in the clofelt intercourfe with Kant ; 
as alfo the Generals Brunet, von Mayer, 
von Loffon. With Lambert, Sulzer, and 
Garve, he held a very interefting literary 
correfpondence. His neareft and deareft 
_ friend, however, was one Green, an En. 
glifh merchant, refiding at Konigfberg. 
Their friendfhip was occafioned by. the 
following fingular occurrence. Kant was 
expatiating once in a coffee-houlé, during 
the American war, with fome warmth, in 
favour of the Americans, and againft the 
Englifh, when a man fuddenly ftarted up, 
and deciared himfelf offended by the re- 
flections thrown on his country, and de- 
manded honourable fatistaétion. Kant, 
undifturbed by this ftrange mode of at- 
tack, continued to give acool but friking 
illuftration of his own fentiments in parti- 
cular reference to the cafe of the Englifh- 
man. His impreffive manner of reafon-, 
ing,. combined with his good-nature, had 
fuch an effe&t on Mr. Green (for that was 
the name of the gentleman), that he ac- 
knowledged the impropriety of his cwn 
conduét, and folicited Kant’s pardon, 
which was. immediately granted. Green 
attended Kant to his heufe; and from 
that hour a friendfhip was commenced, 
which terminated only with the death of — 
the former. Mr. Green was a whimfical 
— 
but well-informed man, poficfled of many _ 
excellent qualities of the head and heart. 
Kant found in him fo much folid intelleét, 
thet he never publiflied any thing without 
firtt fubmitting it to bis judgment. Nota 
fingle day pafled, from the commencement ~ 
of their acquaintance, in which they were 
not fevera! hours in each other’s com- 
pany. 
Kant was never married. 
originated, however, rather in the excels 
of his prudence, than from any diflike to 
marriage. di dee 
Kant was of a remarkable flender 
‘and | 
delicate make ; and his body was co ered 
~ path 
His celibacy 
