In the mean time, Fichte resigned his professor ship at Jena, and repaired to Berlin, where he ex perienced a very flattering reception. Here his time was occupied in giving private lectures, and in composing his various writings. In 1800, he pub. lished a short treatise, entitled, The Exclusive Commercial State, containing one of those philoso phical systems of political economy from which the praise of ingenuity cannot be withheld; while, at the same time, the Most cursory view of the general principles on which it is founded must be sufficient to convince us that it could never be advantageously reduced to practice.
About this period, Fichte met with a formidable rival in Schelling, who had formerly been a warm partizan of the doctrine of science, but who now se parated from his master, and propounded a new me taphysical theory of his own, which soon acquired a large share of popularity at the German universities, especially at Jena. Fichte, indeed, endeavoured to modify his theory of the doctrine of science, and to present it to the world in a new and more 'attractive form; but he never again recovered the sway he had formerly held over the public mind. Meanwhile, his ardent wish to be again placed in an academical chair was at length gratified by M. de Hardenberg, who, in 1805, procured for him the appointment of ordinary professor of philosophy in the university of Erlangen. This appointment was aecompanied with the especial favour of being permitted to pass the winter at Berlin, in order to continue his lectures there. This state of amphibious professorship, as his friends used to call it in jest, did not last long. During the summer of 1805, he delivered at Erlan gen his celebrated lectures, on the Essence of the Literary Character (fiber das Wesen des Gekhrten). The following winter, he delivered to a numerous au dience the course which he afterwardspublished un der the title of Guide to a Happy Life. This was one of those publications in which he attempted to present his metaphysical doctrines to the public in all their sublimity, and, at the same time, with such clearness, as would make them intelligible to com mon readers.
The disasters which assailed the Prussian monar chy, in 1806, were attended with serious consequen ces to Fichte. Erlangen having ceased to be a Prus sian university, he did not await the entry of the French into Berlin, but fled to Koningsberg, and from thence to Riga. In the summer of 1807, he delivered a course of philosophical lectures at Kon ingsberg. The peace which ensued enabled him to
return to Berlin, where he pronounced his famous Oration. to the German Nation, which were enthu siastically read and applauded throughout all Ger many. When the University of Berlin was founded, he obtained, through the interest of M. de Hum boldt, the situation of rector, which secured to him an honourable revenue, while his rank, as first pro fessor of philosophy, gave him great academical in fluence. His health, however, had suffered consider ably from the shocks he had for some time expe rienced, and he found it necessary to have recourse to the waters of Bohemia, from which he derived great benefit. But his wife was attacked with a ner vous fever, in consequence of her attendance on the deserted sick; and although she recovered, Fichte, whose affection would not allow him to leave her for a moment, caught the infection, and died on the 29th of January 1814.
Fichte was small in stature, but stout and well formed; his countenance was expressive of' thought fulness and determination. In his intellectual char acter, genius was combined with inflexible firmness; and these qualities enabled him to surmount difficul ties which would have overwhelmed a less vigorous temperament. In other respects his dispositions were amiable, and his morals correct. It was in the academical chair that the genius of Fichte was manifested in its greatest splendour. It was said of him that he was born a professor; and there was, in deed, a charm in his manner of lecturing which had a powerful influence on the minds of his pupils, se veral of whom we have heard talk of him with en thusiasm. His fervid and brilliant eloquence, the clearness of his reasoning, and the simplicity and correctness of his language, seemed to diffuse a magic light and colouring over the darkest and most abstruse metaphysical problems. Those who were charmed with his eloquence, were easily convinced by his reasoning, and became willing converts to his doctrines. His writings, especially those works in which his peculiar doctrines are propounded in a systematic form, are by no means so attractive as his lectures appear to have been. On the contrary, notwithstanding a constant affectation of strict and simple reasoning, his propositions are enveloped in such a degree of transcendental obscurity, as ren ders it extremely difficult to comprehend either the basis or the scope of that system of doctrines which he labours to establish.