in the principal Particulars of my Life, will remind me of all the Bleffings with which it has been crowned.

I was born at Berlin, the 31st of May, 1711; my Parents defigned me, for the Ministry, and whether they had inftilled into me a Liking of it, or it was the Gift of Nature, my firft Thoughts and Defires took a ftrong Turn that Way. In 1720, I was put to the French College, and, having, in 1725, gone through all its Forms, I for two Years attended M. la Croze, Profeffor of Philofophy. In 1727, I was admitted a Propofant; in 1729, a Candidate, and, in 1731, I was called to the Church of Brandenburg: Here I only staid a few Weeks, being removed to the Paftorfhip of the Church of Fredericftade at Berlin. ni ed yon set sometiske mod 1979 My Affiduity to qualify myself for that Station, which was the predominant Object on which I always kept my Eye, had not permitted me to turn afide to any other Studies, than thofe effential to my Profeffion; and, befides, little did I think that I fhould pass from that Profeffion to any other, and still lefs that I fhould weary the Prefs with my Productions.

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The firft Occafion which initiated me, as an Author, arofe from my Connections,'

* A young Divine licensed to preach.

in 1732, with the late Count de Manteuffel, whose Memory has received from the literary World the Elogiums due to his Love of Literature. He was then bufied in defending the Cause of his Mafter, Augulus II, King of Poland, against Stanislaus, Competitor for that Throne. The Elections were then at a Crifis, and Writings relative to them came out very thick. M. de Manteuffel condefcended to affociate me in a Task very foreign from my former Occupations. The Principal of our Pieces was intitled, A Series of Letters betwixt two Friends of different Sentiments, with Regard to the Diet of Election, and the Proclamations of Stanislaus Leczinsky and the Elector of Saxony, 1734, in Quarto.)

In this Element I did not continue long, though again brought back to it by other Circumftances, which I fhall mention in the Sequel: M. de Beaufobre, the, Father, was pleafed to make me the Offer of affifting him in the Bibliotheque Germanique, which had been begun, in 1720, by a Society ftyling themselves Anonyme, and under the Direction of M. Lenfant. My Quota was about a Third of each Volume, till, M. de Beaufobre dying in 1738, I continued in Partnership with M. de Mauclerc, each performing an equal Part; of this fecond very efteemable Friend I A 3

was

was deprived in 1742, and, for fome Time, the whole Work lay on me. The former Bibliotheque Germanique had feen its Period in Tome L, and had been fucceeded by the Journal Literaire d'Allemagne. Of thefe only four Parts appeared; after which, in Conjunction with M. de Perard, I began La Nouvelle Bibliotheque Germa nique. This Affociation having ceased at Tome V; I put my Name to Tome VI, for the three firft Months of 1750, and from that Time have regularly published four Parts every Year.

A Sicknefs, with which I was vifited in 1735, reduced me to a long State of Inactivity, but it was, indeed, this Illness and its Confequences which redoubled my Application for the Business of the Clofet; I now too fenfibly felt that my Constitution would not be equal to a juft Discharge of the Paftoral Duties, and thus was under a natural Neceffity of turning my Views towards Settlements of another Kind.

The Count de Manteuffel, wearied with the Embaraffments of Politics, had immerfed himself in Divinity and Philofophy, and fet me to work beyond my former Affiduity. I was quite overwhelmed with Tranflations, Prefaces, Expoftulations, and Remarks, all warmly afferting the Wolfian Philofophy against its Adverfaries.

In 1738, his late Majefty had given Orders for a French Tranflation of the Confiderations of M. Reinbeck on the Confeffion of Augfburg. The two eminent Perfons who had been appointed for the Execution of the Royal Order, took me as their Colleague, or, rather, did me the Honour of leaving the greatest Part of the Work to my Conduct. But the Demife of our Royal Patron put an End to the Work.

In 1737, the Profefforship of Eloquence, in the French College being vacant, my Vanity was pleafed in feeing myself a Profeffor where I had been a Scholar; and, in 1739, I was promoted to the Chair of Philofophy, which had been filled by my worthy Tutor M. la Croze, lately dead. On this I thought it my Duty to refign my Ecclefiaftical Preferment.

I was, as above is intimated, to have another Trial at Politics. This the late M. de Thulemeyer engaged me in; and it was from Regard to this Minifter, that I drew up a Piece with the Title of Correfpondence betwixt two Friends, the one a Pruffian, the other a Spaniard, on the Succeffion of Juliers.

In 1741, M. Baretier communicated to me the Memoirs relating to his Son fo famous for the unparallelled Precocity of his Genius. I agreed, at his Defire, to

digeft them, and this produced La Vie de M. Jean Philippe Baretier, &c.

By his Majesty's Order, I began a new weekly Paper, in Quarto, under the Title of Journal de Berlin, ou Nouvelles Politiques Literaires; the First appeared the 2d of July 1740. I was to receive the Articles of News immediately from the first Hand, but the War breaking out foon after closed up this Source, and I put an End to my Journal with the Year.

In 1742, I had begun a Philofophical Dictionary, and the Work was in confiderable Forwardness, when the Plan of Encyclopedie appeared; perfuaded that this vaft and noble Performance would abforb mine, I transmitted, to the Conductors of the Encyclopedie, my Manufcript, which amounted to eighteen hundred Folio Pages of common Writing Paper; and I have the Pleasure to find, that my Articles are made Ufe of, as the alphabetical Order introduces them.

On the Revival of the Royal Academy, in 1744, I was admitted a Member, and appointed Hiftoriographer in 1745; and, being, in 1748, honoured with the Poft of perpetual Secretary, I have, from that Time, digefted the Memoires de l'Academie. The firft Volume appeared in

I

1746;