The Universal Magazine

They flattered him that he might yet ftruggle fome time against death;' but thefe fallacious hopes were foon blafted. Toward the end of autumn in the following year, his ftomach, whofe digeftion had long been difficult, now abfolutely refused its of fice: a fever feized him, and, his ftrength daily decreafing, he now began to think himlelf approaching his end. Undifturbed at his extreme imbecility, which would not even fuffer him to fit erect in bed, he yet received with pleasure, and at all times, fome of his moft intimate friends, with whom he converfed as ufual.

rom you. In your eyes, I am blameable for having reached my eightieth year: it is juft that I be condemned." He then defired an attorney to be procured, in order that he might complete his will, the rough draught of which had a long time lain in his port-folio. This act was performed in his own prefence. I was fummoned to attend the reading of it, and to fign it as a witnefs. After a pathetic exordium addreffed to God, he declared his fole legatee to be M. Verott, his antient friend, and his fucceffor in the Imperial cabinet of medals. He left alfo the 'revenue of twelve thoufand florins, which he had placed in the bank, to three poor girls of Vienna, who were to receive it annually. At the reading of this article he regarded me ftead-"The Poem of the Seafons, by M. de faftly, and laughing faid,--." There now! have I not often told you that I would do fomething for the pretty girls in my will? But of this my Bibi muft claim the glory, for it was the who nurtured in me thefe bene volent intentions." To thefe legacies he added a fecond to a widow at whofe houfe he had received his penfion after the death of the Baron de Pfutfchner, and alfo two others, one to his old fervant, and another to an adopted child, which the benevolence of its mafter had extracted from the streets.

Spite of the decifion of the faculty, a happy crifis, and the affiduous cares of the Emprefs Queen during his illnefs, inatched him from the arms of death; but, finding himfelf much weakened by the violence of his malady, the caufe of which yet fubfifted, he was unable perfectly to reeftablish his health, and he merely dragged on a miferable exiftence. Ever fummoning his courage and natural vivacity to his help, he again took the pen to write to his friends, and again emerged to behold them.

*It was thus he called Mademoifelle Anaftafie Socoloff, and all the female fex to whom, during his life, he bore any degree

of affection.

Seeing him a few days before his death with a book in his hand, I afked him what it was. He replied,

St. Lambert. Doubtlefs," continued he, "you are furprised to find a dying man thus occupied. I confefs myself, that a book of devotion would better fuit with my condition; but, fuffici ently overwhelmed with anxiety, I fhould be unable to fupport ferious reading; hence I difpenfe with it. Befides, I have communed with myfelf, and, taking an impartial retrofpect of the actions of my life, I find my intentions ever to have been just and equitable: with regard to invo luntary errors infeparabie from human weakness, I know that God will pardon them, and I repofe without fear in his divine mercy." This perfect tranquility of mind, attendant only upon innocence and candour, never once quitted him to his laft breath. He died the 3d of November 1775, in the eighty-first year of his age. May his afhes repofe in peace, and may pofterity, the test of real merit, remember for ever a man, who, emerging from nothingness, to which his birth feemed to have condemned him, opened to himself a road, and conquered difficulties which the perfeverance of genius alone could overcome and avoid.

The perfon of Duval was rather above the middle fize; the features

of his countenance, were regular: they bore the ftamp of his frank and loyal character. His eyes full of fire, and a front deeply furrowed between the eye-brows, gave him an animated and serious appearance, which might deceive at first fight, but which, in converfation, became foftened by a fonorous voice, whofe foft and attracting inflexions difplayed at once all the fenfibility and benevolence of his heart. His walk was negligent, and the movement of his feet perfectly refembled that of a countryman. He had never in his life accustomed himself to thofe quick and elegant pofitions which fet off the natural graces, give confidence to deportment, and in which the greater or lefs juftnefs of proportion often fupplies the place of merit in the world. Faithful to his rural manners, he was careless as to pleafing by extrinfic elegance. His whole drefs was perfectly confiftent with this tafte for fimplicity: a round wig negligently curled, a fuit of deep brown cloth, a common linen fhirt ornamented with courfe cambrick, black woollen flockings, and very thick fhoes with iron buckles, was the whole of his attire during the year.

any

Nor was

Ever accustomed from his infancy to regulate his wardrobe by the strict eft neceffity, and difdaining the caprices of fashion, he never made change, always wearing the fuit to which he was accuftomed, and fubftituting another of the fame colour when that was worn out. his furniture lefs fimple, not betraying the fmalleft traces of luxury or eafe. A bed fomething refembling a truckle-bed, ftraw chairs, fome old cupboards, and fheives covered with linen curtains, behind which were placed partly his books, and partly his utenfils, were the whole which compofed his little household.

One only domeftic who had grown old in his fervice attended upon him; it was rather a reciprocation of good offices than the difference between

mafter and valet: incapable of commanding or exacting authoritatively from his fellow creatures, his orders were dictated with affability, and he even profcribed them to a finall number of objects. It was his pleafure to gratify himfelf, and to require auxiliar help only in cafes of indifpenfable neceffity. Accustomed to be alone at night, he regularly fent his fervant to his wife; preparing his own fupper in his chamber, and, making to this effect, a fire of fpirits of wine, with trevets on which he placed his faucepans. It was a high gratification to him thus to eat a difh of his making, and to partake it with a friend. I have often heard him fay, when I have been of thofe parties, that nothing made him retrace with fo much vivacity his youth, indigent and abandoned, as thus taking to himself the care of his little household.

He went to bed foon, and arose early in the morning: this cuftom, which he maintained fimilar to his paftoral life, fecured to him much time; this he invariably employed in extending his knowledge; facred and profane hiftory, natural hiftory, moral philofophy, and antiquities, were the parts to which he was attached by predilection. His library, though not extenfive, was compofed of choice and claffical books, and he retained none which he did not read. Never was man more eager after knowledge. A quick and eafy con ception, joined to a tenacious memory, facilitated his means of acquifition. Part of thefe vigorous faculties he might probably owe to thofe impediments which obftructed his firft outfet. Compelled to open to himfelf a painful road through the obfcurity of ignorance, and unable to walk, but, as it were, compelled to grope, his mind, habituated to continual efforts, became more active, more penetrating, and more just. He contracted the habit of proceeding with order and method in his refearches after truth; of proving clear and diftin&t ideas of every thing; of

comecting and reducing them, and, lattly, of affimilating them to principles. Not bigotted to his opinions, he willingly liftened to the advice of others, and adhered with perfeverance only to fuch truths as were irrefragable.

That noble impartiality and deliberation in the difcuffion of truth and falfehood was in him the confequence of a firm and vigorous character, which ever diftinguishes philofophy, and which, above all, guided him in the important object of religion. We can, without difficulty, imagine that a man, who from his youth was loft in the immenfity of the heavens, and to whom the calm and unwearied contemplation of the ftars had ferved as a ladder wherewith to exalt himself to the Supreme Being who governs the univerfe, fhould have the most august and sub. lime ideas of divinity. Thus, in deviating from the most refined principles of natural theology, he admitted nothing in the revelations but what was conformable to that bafis. All the minute practices of religion he prefcribed himself: a fierce adverfary against fanaticism and fuperftition, he conftituted the effence of the duties of a good chriftian in charity, and in that mutual indulgence which man fhould manifeft for man. The fimplicity of the primitive church was often the fubject of his difcourfe and regret. The chriftians in the time of the apostles, he would fay, were ftrangers to controverfy; but they knew how to love God and their neighbour.

To this first fundamental law he referred the true fpirit of religion. Hence he would that the bofom of the church fhould even tolerate diverfity of opinions, nor fupply a motive for feparation or fchifm. The pretended orthodoxy, the mother of intolerance and perfecutions, had, according to him, caufed more evils to mankind than the whole of their errors. Thus was he firmly perfuaded that these had never caufed fo many ravages, nor had been fo widely extended, had they not conftantly

endeavoured to oppofe and raze them at the expence of the liberty of confcience; a right which no man whatever can exercife against another. He alfo highly condemned thofe violences and fanguinary scenes with which European hiftory teems; forming the most ardent vows in favour of juft philofophy, whole progrefs alone, according to him, could ever cure mankind of that egregious deviation, and that frenzy of flaughter for their eternal welfare. These maxims, which are, in fact, those of every enlightened man of the prefent age, merited, however, to be related here, as they at leaft ferve to display the excellence of character and goodnefs of foul of their author.

The pupil of nature, Duval, had never been infected by corruption of manners; a thing we fo rarely efcape in fociety. Living in his retreat in the midst of the hermits, and his books, and never having been hurried away by the torrent of dangerous example, he ever preferved that perfect innocence of heart which a more diverfified and frequent intercourfe with men almost invariably vitiates. In the narrow circle of his wants, and exempt from ennui by felf-provided occupations, none of thofe trifling and dangerous impreffions which the luxury and profligacy of cities prefent in crowds to eager youth had ever engroffed either his fenfes or imagination: and when at the age of twenty-two, he, at length, by the decree of fate, abandoned his retreat, habit was already prepared to fuccour reason, and he cared not to change, in any one inftance, his primeval mode of living.

Equally wife and moderate in all his defires, he fought only the confequent labour and relaxation. Economical of his time, contracting but few acquaintances, and avoiding in the midit of a great court the commerce of the great, he practifed without affectation thofe virtues not often found, and much less exacted from fuch as live in fituations fimilar to his frugal, fimple, and modeft, he trampled under foot the follies of

men, and all thofe trifling nothings which appear fo important to the greater part of them.

A profeffed enemy to luxury, and ever confining himself to mere neceffaries, he was certain of fuperfluity. He employed himself in folacing the unhappy; for the rude trials which he had fuftained in the early part of his life, far from hardening his heart, had rendered him more fenfible of the misfortunes of others. It was therefore conferring an actual obligation upon him to furnish him with occafions to exercife, and objects worthy of, his benevolence. Without repeating here the generofity with which he acted towards the hermits of St. Anne, it is enough to obferve that misfortune was a fufficient claim to excite his intereft, fo much fo, that it often prepoffeffed him in favour of those who poffeffed no other merit than being oppofite to him. If he found himfelfdeceived, his confolation was the reflection,-that it were better he fhoulderr thus ten times than lofe once the opportunity of conferring benefits juftly. Independent of his laudable actions and liberality, which he frequently difpenfed with no niggard hand, the good adminiftration of his finances enabled him alfo to fave fomething. It is even aftonishing, that, with a revenue of about two thousand florins, he fhould, at his death, leave more than twenty thoufand, which he difpofed of (as already feen) in a manner not lefs worthy of his heart.

The friend of man, he was attached to all thofe who contributed to their welfare, and eminently defpifed all thofe who oppofed good order, or who might injure the good of fociety. Calumny and adulation were among the predominant vices which he detefted moft; and he ever refented, as much as lay in his power, the injuries he fometimes faw committed beneath his obfervation by these two fcourges. A man in place having to the prejudice of another, made an unjust VOL. I.

report to the Emprefs Queen, he reproached his conduct in a letter conceived in the moft vigorous expreffions, and which concluded thus: "You fee, Sir, after all I have faid to you, that I am not the most humble, but the moft fincere of your fervants." If he abhorred flattery, he would not, nevertheless, that a juft tribute to merit fhould be withheld, himfelf being not indifferent to the fuffrages of authors; but without ever departing from that modefty, and that noble truft in his own ftrength, which advanced him to true perfection. His uprightness and integrity in the commerce of the world had often encountered duplicity and deceit, and he had contracted a kind of fcrupulous referve which was not natural to him. It was his custom closely to fearch and inspect a man, before he commenced any other proceedings; but, if once cemented in confidence or friendship with any one, his attachment refifted every trial.

In fact, to concentrate all in a few words, it may be faid, without exaggeration, that Duval was one of thofe extraordinary men, who to a juft and equitable fenfe, to a reafon nourished by ftudy and reflection, to profound and extenfive knowledge, joined fentiments and virtues which ought to endear him to mankind, and which wanted perhaps only to have been lefs confined to the obfcurity and filence of the clofet to have produced the greatest effects, and to have influenced, in a more eminent manner, the happiness of man.

But it is time to refign the pen, and leave to Duval the task of con

tinuing the important relation of his life; fuch parts as he has thought proper to give himself in his own papers.

Lorrain. The felicity of that State under the Reign of Duke Leopold. AFTER my departure from among the ploughmen, where I had began to reflect on the actions of men, the dreadful winter of 1709, followed by famine and all its attendant calamities, overtook me: and, as if thefe evils were not fufficient to fubdue me, I was furprised by another, which reduced me to the moft abject, wretched, and difgufting mifery, of which I bave more than once been tempted to fupprefs the recital; perfuaded that it is difficult to treat certain fubjects without exciting difguft and abhorrence. But, having a little reflected on this delicacy, it appeared that it fhould not prevent me from manifefting the lowest poffible state of mifery, and how Divine Providence fuftains in the greatest perils, and fnatches, as it were, from the arms of death, those who place all their confidence in his fupport. To give a juft idea of the winter alluded to, I will relate here the admirable defcrip tion which a Latin poet has given of it *. It is a perfect piece; and I

*Tefta dies aderat prifco fanctiffima

ritu