inst a ruler in one of the bailiwicks, who had abused his powers, and
perhaps personally insulted the two friends. The peasantry, it seems,
conceiving themselves oppressed by their superior, complained and
petitioned; the petitions were read by young Fuseli and his companion,
who, stung with indignation at the tale of tyranny disclosed, expressed
their feelings in a satire, which made a great stir in the city. Threats
were publicly used against the authors, who were guessed at, but not
known; upon which they distributed placards in every direction, offering
to prove before a tribunal the accusations they had made. Nay, Fuseli
actually appeared before the magistrates--named the offender
boldly--arraigned him with great vehemence and eloquence, and was
applauded by all and answered by none. Pamphlets and accusations were
probably uncommon things in Zurich; in some other countries they would
have dropped from the author's hands harmless or unheeded; but the
united labors of Fuseli and Lavater drove the unjust magistrate into
exile, and procured remuneration to those who had suffered.

FUSELI'S TRAVELS, AND HIS LITERARY DISTINCTION.

Fuseli early gained a reputation for scholarship, poetry, and painting.
He possessed such extraordinary powers of memory, that when he read a
book once, he thoroughly comprehended its contents; and he not only
wrote in Latin and Greek, but spoke them with the fluency of his native
tongue. He acquired such a perfect knowledge of the several modern
languages of Europe, especially of the English, French, and Italian,
that it was indifferent to him which he spoke or wrote, except that when
he wished to express himself with most power, he said he preferred the
German. After having obtained the degree of Master of Arts from the
college at Zurich, Fuseli bade farewell to his father's house, and
traveled in company with Lavater to Berlin, where he placed himself
under the care of Sulzer, author of the "Lexicon of the Fine Arts." His
talents and learning obtained him the friendship of several
distinguished men, and his acquaintance with English poetry induced
Professor Sulzer to select him as one well qualified for opening a
communication between the literature of Germany and that of England. Sir
Andrew Mitchell, British ambassador at the Prussian court, was
consulted; and pleased with his lively genius, and his translations and
drawings from Macbeth and Lear, he received Fuseli with much kindness,
a