ties,--did not die, but did
worse; went into hopeless idiotcy, and so lived for many years.
Zimmermann, being dreadfully miserable, hypochondriac, what not, "his
friends," he himself passive, it would seem, "managed to get a young
Wife for him;" thirty years younger than he,--whose performances,
however, in this difficult post, are praised.

Lastly, not many months ago (Leipzig, 1785), the big FINAL edition of
"SOLITUDE" (four volumes) has come out; to the joy and enthusiasm of all
philanthropic-philosophic and other circulating-library creatures:--a
Copy of which came, by course of nature, not by Zimmermann's help, into
the hands of Catharine of Russia. Sublime imperial Letter thereupon,
with 'valuable diamond ring;' invitation to come to Petersburg, with
charges borne (declined, on account of health); to be imperial Physician
(likewise declined);--in fine, continued Correspondence with Catharine
(trying enough for a vain head), and Knighthood of the Order of St.
Wladimir,--so that, at least, Doctor Zimmermann is RITTER Zimmermann
henceforth. And now, here has come his new Visit to Friedrich the
Great;--which, with the issues it had, and the tempestuous cloud of
tumid speculations and chaotic writings it involved him in, quite upset
the poor Ritter Doctor; so that, hypochondrias deepening to the abysmal,
his fine intellect sank altogether,--and only Death, which happily
followed soon, could disimprison him. At this moment, there is in
Zimmermann a worse "Dropsy" of the spiritual kind, than this of the
physical, which he has come in relief of!

Excerpts of those Zimmermann DIALOGUES lie copiously round me, ready
long ago,--nay, I understand there is, or was, an English TRANSLATION of
the whole of them, better or worse, for behoof of the curious:--but
on serious consideration now, I have to decide, That they are but as
a Scene of clowns in the Elder Dramatists; which, even were it NOT
overdone as it is, cannot be admitted in this place, and is plainly
impertinent in the Tragedy that is being acted here. Something of Farce
will often enough, in this irreverent world, intrude itself on the most
solemn Tragedy; but, in pity even to the Farce, there ought at least to
be closed doors kept between them.

Enough for us to say, That Ritter Zimmermann--who is a Physician and a
Man of Literary Genius, and should not have become a Tragic Zany--did,
with unspeakable emotions, terrors, prayers to Heaven, and paroxysms
of his own r