The UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE for SEPTEMBER, 1796. 153

MEMOIRS of the LIFE and WRITINGS of the celebrated Baron PUFENDORFF: With his Portrait, elegantly engraved by Baker, from an Original Painting by Vander Gucht.

SAMUEL PUFENDORFF,

a cele- ed worth, was requifite to obtain them. After a refidence of some time at Leipsick, he went to the university of Jena, where he united the study of the mathematics, and of the philofophy of Descartes, to that of the law of nations. In the year 1658, he returned to Leipfick, with a view to obtain some employment there, worthy of his literary acquifitions. At this time, however, one of his brothers, Ifaac Pufendorff, who was then in the service of Charles X, king of Sweden, as chancellor of the duchies of Bremen and Verden, advised him, in the course of their correspondence, not to settle in his native foil, but to imitate his example, by seeking his fortune in a foreign country. Purfuant to this advice, Pufendorff accept

brated German writer, was born in the year 1631, at Fleb, a village near Chemnitz, in the margravate of. Meissen and electorate of Saxony. His father, Elias Pufendorff, was descended from a Lutheran family, and was the officiating minister of Fleb. Discovering in his fon an early attachment to letters, he sent him first to the provincial school at Grimm, and, afterward, to the university of Leipfick. His own circumstances, indeed, were not equal to the expences of educating his son at these places; but they were defrayed by the munificence of a Saxon nobleman, who had observed with admiration the promising talents of young Pufendorff. In both these feats of literature the aspiring pupil made a surprising progress in his stu-ed the place of governor to the son of

dies. His father, intending him for the ministry, had directed him to de* vote himself principally to the study of theology: but the inclinations of our youthful student were attached to a very different object-the study of the law of nations, and that of the Germanic conftitution, or the knowledge of the rights of the empire over the different sovereignties and states of which it is composed, and of the rights of those sovereignties and states with respect to each other. He confidered this study as necessary, in order to qualify himself, in time, for some posts of honour and emolument in one of the courts of Germany; for it is well known, that the several princes who compose the Germanic body have no other minifters of state than men of letters, whom they style counsellors, and whose principal study is that of the Germanic constitution. He was encouraged, moreover, to aspire to fome situations of this kind, as no moral prostitution, nor degradation of character, nor any recommendation but that of intrinfic and diftinguith VOL. XCIX,

Coyet, a Swedish nobleman, then ambassador from the king of Sweden to the court of Denmark. He went accordingly to Copenhagen; but the war between the two courts, which had just been terminated by the treaty of Roschild, being rekindled soon after, he was suddenly arrested and con fined, together with the whole family of the ambassador, who escaped im prisonment himself by being engaged, at that period, in a tour through Swe den.

During his confinement at Copen hagen, which lasted eight months, Pufendorff was neither allowed the use of books, nor permitted to fee any person. He endeavoured, therefore, to amuse himself, by meditating on what he had read in Grotius' treatife De Jure Belli & Pacis,' and in the political writings of Hobbes. He drew up a concise system of what he thought best in them, treating the subject in such a manner as to be justly entitled to the merit of originality; and many subjects of discussion were added, which had not been noticed by those learned

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1694, created him a baron: but he did not enjoy this honour long; for he died, the same year, at Berlin, of a mortification in one of his toes, occasioned by cutting the nail.

This great and excellent man was as much distinguished by the purity of his morals and the rectitude of his conduct, as he was by the superiority of his talents and the celebrity of his numerous writings. Beside the Elementa Jurisprudentiæ Universalis,' already mentioned, he published, in 1667, I. De Statu Germanici Imperii,' under the name of Severini di Mozambano, with a dedication to his brother Haac Pufendorff, whom he styles Lelio fignor di Trezolani. Pufendorff sent it, the year before, to his brother, then ambaffador from the

writers. Amufement was his only object, at first, in writing this work; but being at the Hague, about two years afterward, he shewed the manuscript to a friend, who advised him to revise and publish it. This he did, at the Hague, in 1660, under the title of Elementorum Jurisprudentiæ Univerfalis Libri Duo;' and it gave rise, in the sequel, to his celebrated work, **De Jure Nature & Gentium.' He acquired such reputation by this his first essay, the Elements of universal Jurisprudence, that Charles-Lewis, elector palatine, not only wrote a letter of thanks to him immediately, but invited him to the university of Heidelberg, which he was defirous of restoring to its pristine luftre; and he there founded, in his favour, a professorship of the law of nature and court of Sweden to that of France, in nations, which was the first of the order to have it printed in that kingkind in Germany; many having been fince established in imitation of it. The elector engaged him also to allot some portion of his time to the instruction of the electoral prince, his fon. Pufendorff continued at Heidelberg till the year 1670, when Charles XI, king of Sweden, having founded a univerfity at Lunden, fent for him to be professor there; and thither, to the great regret of the elector palatine, he went the fame year, and was installed profeffor of the law of nature and nations. From this period his reputation greatly increased, not only on account of the success of his lectures, but of the many valuable works he published. Some years after, the king of Sweden fent for him to Stockholm, and appointed him his historiographer, and one of his counsellors. In 1678, the elector of Brandenburg obtained the permiflion of the king of Sweden, for Fufendorff to reside in Berlin, in order to write the history of Frederic William, the great elector. He granted him the fame titles of historiographer and privy-counsellor which he had in Sweden, with a confiderable salary. The king of Sweden, moreover, continued to give him marks of his favour, and, in

dom. His brother offered it to a bookfeller, who fubmitted it to the judgment of Mezeray, the celebrated hiftorian. Mezeray thought it worth printing, yet refused the formality of his approbation, on account of fome passages contrary to the interefts of France, and of others in which the priests and monks were feverely treated. Ifaac Pufendorff, therefore, sent it to Geneva, where it was printed in duodecimo. The design of the author was to prove, that Germany was a kind of republic, the constituent members of which being ill-proportioned, formed a monstrous whole. It met with great oppofition; was condemned, feized, and prohibited in many parts of Germany; and written against immediately by several learned civilians. It went, however, through many editions, and was tranflated into several languages. II. De Jure Naturæ & Gentium, 4to. This is our author's greatest work; and it has met with universal approbation. It is, indeed, a well-digested body of the law of nature and nations, and, in the estimation of many good judges, preferable to Grotius' treatife De Jure Belli & Pacis; the same subjects being treated by Pufendorff, in a more extensive, as well as more me- cafioned, in the 18th volume of the thodical manner. It was printed for Memoires du P. Niceron.' III. De the first time, in German, at Leyden, Officio Hominis & Civis juxta Legem in 1672. A fecond edition of it ap- Naturalem,' 1673, 8vo. This is a peared, in 1684, at Francfort, aug very clear and methodical abridge. mented by one fourth. In 1706, it ment of the great work we have just was tranflated into French, by John mentioned. IV. An Introduction to Barbeyrac, who wrote large notes, the History of Europe, 1682; with and an introductory discourse to it. a Continuation, 1686; and an AdIn 1708, it was traslated into English, dition, 1699; in High Dutch; afterwith Barbeyrac's notes, by Dr. Bafil ward tranflated into Latin, French, Kennet, and others. The fourth and and English. V. A History of Swefifth editions of the English translation den, from the Expedition of Gustavus have Barbeyrac's Introductory Dif- Adolphus into Germany to the Abdicourse, which are not in the three cation of Queen Christina; a very former. It was likewise reprinted in exact and curious work, in Latin. Latin, at Francfort, in 1744, in two volumes, 4to. This work, however, was not without many censurers, the moft furious of whom was Nicholas Beckman, his colleague in the university of Lunden. Against these he very ably defended himself in several publications. The reader may find an ample detail of this controversy, and of the violent proceedings it oc

VI. The Hutory of King Charles Gustavus, 2 vol. folio, in Latin; and VII. The History of the Elector Frederick William the Great, two vol, folio, in Latin. He likewise published An Historical Description of the Politics of the Papal Empire, in German, and a few other works of less importance.

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A MODEST DEFENCE OF LEGACY-HUNTERS.

Sir,

To the Editor of the Universal Magazine.

TH HE poffeffion of riches, however bly presume, if we confider the real it may be despised by philoso- character of legacy-hunters, we friall phers, and railed at by poets, is at- be able to make great allowances for tended at least with one advantage. them, and to place their skill and conIf riches cannot procure real friend- duct in a more favourable point of ship, they procure something which view. My poor abilities may, perso nearly resembles it, as to answer haps, be unequal to the tak; but I most of the purposes of declining have been induced to attempt it, with years, namely, respectful attention, a view to serve several very worthy

watchful folicitude, anticipating kindness, and tender compassion. These sensibilities go a great way to soften the il's of age and decay, and are particularly eminent in a class of compaffionate people, known by the name of legacy-hunters.

Legacy-hunters have not been treated with justice by writers in general; they have been represented as mean spirited, hypocritical, and avaricious; vices fufficient to overwhelm any character, and to put us out of conceit with mankind in general. But I hum

persons of my acquaintance, who have been, or are now pursuing this poftinumous road to riches.

And firit then, fir, let me advance, that legacy-hunters deserve great credit from having overcome the fears of death, even in their nearest relatives. They are not like the giddy and thoughtless part of mankind, afraid to look upon affliction, to view the faint glimmering of the lamp of life, or the mortal wound. They do not fly from the fick room to the haunts of pleasure and merriment, nor do they

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turn off by a laugh the sufferings of ish disposition, perhaps too of rude. the diseased, or the groans of the dy- and uncouth manners, all at once to ing. No: they look upon these ob- put on the appearance of kindness, jects, so terrifying to the giddy and compaffion, and disinterested sympathe gay, with a calm ferenity; they thy? To some, indeed, the old difwatch the last agony with a tender fo-pofition may appear peeping through licitude, and catch the last sigh with anxious expectation. They go to the house of mourning rather than to the house of mirth, knowing that, in a little time, all tears will be wiped from the'r eyes, and that they shall rejoice over the happy flate of their dear departed brother, who is gone to a better place, while they are left to struggle with the temptations he has left behind.

this new disguise; but if the afflicted are deceived, if they receive all the comfort from it they could wish, if they are foothed and pleased, all the effect of the most fincere compassion is obtained. There can be no merit in expreffing the pity we feel, because it is impossible to conceal it, the heart will swell and the eye be suffused with tears; but to express the pity we do not feel, to pay the most tender attentions, without the smallest esteem or regard, to mourn a pang only because it is not the last, and shed a tear from a dry eye, or heave a figh from a contented bofom, I think, fir, you will allow that this is merit indeed. It shows that legacy-hunters are the greateft tragedians of the age, and indeed, I have often wondered that some of my acquaintance have not taken to the stage as a profession. Had they done so, I scruple not to say that the laurels of a Garrick or a Siddons, would have withered, and their reputations have funk before performers of fo much more diftinguished merit in the affumption of the tender passions.

Secondly, Sir, legacy-hunters derive great merit from having gained fo complete a mastery over their passions and affections, as to be able to devote themfelves to the service of the aged and infirm, and with Job-like patience, to bear with all their unevenness of temper, and that peevisiness which is almost inseparable from a flate of fuffering. While others fly from the caprice of old age, and the murmurs of disease, they apply every alleviating comfort, pour forth the tender strains of sympathy, anticipate the smallest wishes of the afflicted, and Jessen his pain by respectful attention. They seem to feel so much themselves, as to divert the patient from his suf- In the fourth place, fir, the merit

ferings, and he thinks sickness rather a bleffing, fince it has called forth such tenderness even from those of whom he expected fo little, whom he had seen so seldom, as to be little acquainted with them, and who had come so many, perhaps, hundreds of miles, purely to watch with, fit up with, and nurse a poor old, helpless, and dying man..

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Thirdly, If it should be objected that this is but the show of compassion and not the reality, which I grant in fome cases may happen, yet we ought to confider that what we take, by this argument, from the fincerity of legacy-hunters, we grant to their genius. Is it an easy matter for a man of a callous mind, and of a felf

of legacy-hunters may be appreciated by the patience which they exercise often for a feries of years. I have hitherto confidered them as having gained their point by a short attend. ance on the object of expectation, but fuch occurrences are not frequent. The more common case is that they linger out days, months, and years of constant affiduity and perfevering at tention, to be rewarded at last for all their labours and sufferings. During this period of probation, how many untoward accidents have happened to alarm their fears, and dissipate their hopes! Is it an uncle? He may marry his maid, and blast all their expectations. Is it a maiden aunt? A regiment of dragoons may be quartered