CLOOTS, Wits, Jean Baptiste von, Prus sian baron, well known during the Revolu tionary scenes in France under the appellation of Anarchist Cloots: b. Gnadenthal, near Cleves, 24 June 1755; d. 24 March 1794. He be came possessed of a considerable fortune, which he partly dissipated through misconduct. He was educated in France and traveled in differ ent parts of Europe and formed an acquaint ance with many eminent individuals, among whom was the celebrated Edmund Burke. At the age of 21 he returned to France and pub lished an attack on revealed religion entitled 'Certitude des preuves du Mohametisme.> The first work in which he distinguished him self was the ridiculous masquerade called the 'Embassy of the Human Race,' partly con trived by the Duke de Liancourt. On 19 June 1790, Cloots presented himself at the bar of the National Assembly, accompanied by a considerable number of enthusiastic followers from the slums of Paris dressed to represent the various nationalities, English, German, Italian, Spanish and others. He described him self as the orator of the human race and de manded the right of confederation, which was granted him. To show his democratic spirit he abandoned his title and rank (but not his income). At the bar of the Assembly, 21 April 1792, he made a strange speech, in which he recommended a declaration of war against the king of Hungary and Bohemia, proposed that the Assembly should form itself into a diet dur ing a year, and finished by offering a patriotic gift of 12,000 livres. On 12 August he went
to congratulate the Legislative Assembly on the occurrences of the preceding 10th, and offered to raise a Prussian legion, to be called the Vandal Legion. The 27th of the same month he advised the assembly to set a price on the heads of the king of Prussia and the duke of Brunswick, praised the action of John J. Ankarstrcrm, the assassin of the king of Sweden, and, among other absurd expressions, he said, °My heart is French and my soul is sansculotte? He displayed no less hatred to Christianity than to royalty. In September 1792 he was nominated deputy from the depart ment of the Oise to the national convention, in which he voted for the death of Louis XVI sin the name of the human race.* He became an object of suspicion to Robespierre and his party, was arrested and condemned to death. He published several works, the chief of which are 'L'Orateur du genre humain' (1791); 'Base constitutionelle de la republique du genre humain' (1793). Consult Avenel, 'Ana charsis Cloots, l'orateur du genre humain' (Paris 1865); Bax, 'Outlines from a New Standpoint' (London 1891).