Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/262

 248 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1758.

diftridl to receive the excife of the place, for which few are allowed more than one crown, and none more than three. Mr. Chriftian Gothold Hi^ffman, who is chief commifTary of Drefden and the vil- lage? adjacent, when he was au- diting the accounts of fome of ihefe peafants in 1753, was told that there was one Jofm Ludwig among them, a llrange man ; who, though he was very poor and had a family, was yet continually reading in books, and very often flood the greateil part of the night at his door, gazing at the (lars.

Thisaccountraiffd M.Hoffman's curiofity, and he ordered the roan to be brought before him. Hoff- man, who expected fomeching in the man's appearance that corre- fponded with a mind fuperior to his i^ation, was greatly furprifed to fee ihe moft ruflic boor he had ever beheld. His hair hung over his forehead down to his eye?, his afpedt was fordid and llupid, and his manner was, in every refpect, that of a plodding ignorant clown. Mr. Hoffman, after contemplating this unpromifing appearance, con- cluded, that as the fuppofed fupe- yioriiy of this man was of the intel- leftual kind, it would certainly ap- pear when he fpoke ; but even in this experiment he was alfo difap- pointed. He afKcd him, if what his neighbours had faid of his read- ing and fludying was true? and the man bluntly and coarfely replied, that i read and iludied ? If I have lludiej, I have ftudied for myfelf, and 1 don't dcfire that you or any body elfe fliould know any thing of the matter." Hoifman, however, continued the ' converfation, not- withllanding his difappointment, and alked feveral auellions con-
 * ' What neighbour has told vou

cerning arithmetic and the firfl rudiments of allronomy j to which he now expe(fted vague and con- fufed replies. But in this too he had formed an erroneous prog- noftic ; for Hoffman was (truck not only with aflonifhment but confufion, to hear fuch definitions and explications as would have done honour to a regular academi- cian in a public examination.

Mr. Hoffman, after this con ver- fation, prevailed on the peafant to flay fome time at his houfe, that he might further gratify his curiofity at fuch times as would be moll con- venient. In their fubfequent con- ^ ferences he propofed to his gueft m the mofl: abflrafted and embarraf- fing queftions, which were always anfwered with the utmofl readinefs and precifion. The account which this extraordinary perfon gives of himfelf and his acquifjtions, is as follows :

John Ludwig was born the 24th of February, 1715, in the village of CofTe-daude, and was, among other poor children of the village, fent very young to fchool. The Bi- ble, which was the book by which he was taught to read, gave him fo much pleafure, that he conceiv- ed the moft eager defire to read others, which, however, he had no opportunity to get into his pof- fefTion. In about a year his mafter began to teach him to write, but this exercife was rather irkfome than pleafing atfirft ; but when the UtO: difncuhy was furmounted, he applied to ic with great alacrity, efpecially as books were put into his hand to copy as an exercife ; and he employed himfelf almofl night and day, not in conyingpar' ticu'ar pafTages only, but in form- ing coliedtions of fentences, or events that were conuefted with

each