230 
ticular delight. He now perufed the pro- 
dudétions of Defeartes, Locke, Helvetius, 
Mallebranche, &e. but did not direét his 
attention jo mucn to the fyftems of thole 
philcfophers as to particular paflages 
which furnithed him with occafion ior far- 
ther reflection. Tiedemann has himfelf 
confeffzd that he likewife derived great 
benefit trom his connection with his fellow 
pupu, Mr. Meiners, of Gottingen, with 
whom afimilarity of purfuits and difpofi- 
tion had cicfely united him. Brucker’s 
Tnftitutiones biftoriae philofophice developed 
in Tiedemann’s mind that germ which 
afierwards brought forth fuch abundant 
fruit. 
After a flay of a year and a half at 
Bremen, Tiedemann went, in the fpring 
of 1767, te Gottingen, where heemploy- 
ed himieif with mathematics, claffic litera- 
ture, the fiudy of philofophy and its hit 
tory. In mathematics his inftryctor was 
Kaitner. But as many parts of the public 
leétuies were ob/cure to him, and he would 
not commit to memory any thing which 
his underftanding could not comprehend, 
he fiuded almoft entirely in private at 
Goitingen, and applied for intormation 
in every fubje& to the fources themfelves, 
About this time he alfo read with dili- 
gence Roilin’s Ancient Hiftory, and fome 
novels, fuch as Field:ng’s, Roufleau’s 
Werks, Pafeal’s Thoughs, &c. His in- 
tention to devote himfelf to the fludy of 
Givinity he renounced in confequence of 
many doubis which arcie in his mind on 
that head. He then turned his attention 
to the law, with which he was, however, 
foon difguited; and refigned himfelf entirely 
ta his predilection for philofophy and the 
hiftory of that feience. In order to culti- 
Vate 4 more intimate ecquaistance with 
tne ancient philofophers, he contiaualiy 
jought to acquire 2 perfect knowledge of 
the Greck language. 
Alter an agreeable refidence of three 
years and a haif at Gértingen, the late 
Proiefisr Eyring, of whom he and Meiners 
had received private inftiruétions in Greck, 
prapofed to Yiedemann the fituatjon of 
tutor toa Livonian nobleman. Notwith- 
flanding his reluctance to tear himfelf 
from the fciences, and trom that abundant 
tource ef improvement, the library of 
Goitingen, he accepted the propofal with 
joy, on account of his external circum- 
farces, and fearing the difpleafure ef his 
father becaule he had abandoned that ftu- 
dy by which he wasto have acquired pre- 
ferment. 
Accordingly, in the winter of 1769, he 
went to Livonia, aad there fpent nearly 
Memoir of Dietrich Tiedemann, 
(O&. 4, 
four years, amidft extreme fearcity of 
books, and without making any great pro- 
grefs himfelf, becaufe the performance of 
his duty to his young pupils deprived him 
of all opportunity for his own ftudies. As 
he had, befides, no profpeét of a future 
eftablifhment, he was defirous of returning 
to Germany, and communicated his with 
to his friend Meiners, who, about this 
time, was appointed profeffor at Goctingen, 
and who gave him good hopes. In 1772, 
he publifhed at Riga his Effay of an Ex- 
planation of the Origin of Language, and 
in 1773 returned to his native home, where 
he remained till the {pring of the year fol- 
lowing, in order to make himfelf acquaint- 
ed with the modern literature of his own 
country, to which during His refidence in 
Livonia he had become an utter ftranger. 
He then went a fecond time to Gottingen, 
where he formed an acquaintance with 
Heyne, by whom he was admitted a mem- 
ber of the Philological Seminary. The 
{mall -income which he received as a mem- 
ber-of that infitution, the private inftrue- 
tions in Latin, which he gave to fome of 
the fudents, and the profits of his literary 
labours, provided Tiedemann, who had 
been accuftomed to few wants, with a 
comfortable fubfttence. Heyne, con- 
vinced by varicus proofs, of Tiedemann’s 
fuperior talents, encouraged him to pub- 
lifh his excellent work, entitled, Syfiem 
of the Store Philofophy (Leipzig, 1776) and 
accompanied it with a preface. Tiede- 
maon’s leifure was now almoft entirely de- 
voted to fpeculative philofophy. 
About this period, an application was 
made to Heyne for a perfon to officiate as 
profeflor of the. Latin and Greek lan. 
guages in the Collegium Carolinum at 
Cafiel. He propofed Tiedemann for the’ 
fituaticn, to which the latter was accord- 
megly appointed. In the autumn of 1766, 
he went to Caffel to take pofleffion of his 
new poft, Though he was now feparated 
from Heyne, that venerable man con- 
tinued to be a true friend to Tiedemann, 
and fupplied him with numerous works 
from the copious library of Gottingen, and 
in return he never cealed to entertain the 
moft fincere love and efteem for Heyne. 
In his leifure hours, Tiedemann again 
applied himfclf with new zeal to the fiudy 
of philefophy and its hiftory. His fyftem 
now began to incline more and more to- 
wards materialifm ; and in this way of 
thinking, he would probably have long re- 
mained, had not chance, among various 
other ftrangers, likewife eonducted to 
Caffel, the acute Tetens, with whofe Ef 
fays he was already acquainted, and whofe. 
2 conves= 
