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CARL FREDERIC NORDENSKÖLD . 621
" the greatest good fortune that had happened to him during his
whole life." In 1777, when twenty -one years old, he became one of
the secretaries in the Department of the Exterior in Stockholm ; and
in 1781, he made the acquaintance of the Royal Librarian in Berlin,
Abbé Pernety ,34 who intended to publish some of the works of Sweden
borg in the French language, and to collect some particulars respect
ing his life. About the same time he became acquainted with the
Marquis de Thomé, concerning whom the “New Jerusalem Magazine,"
of 1790, says, that he is “a nobleman not less distinguished by his
profound erudition, than by his rank and birth .” The latter gentle
man employed himself likewise in translating the writings of Sweden
borg into French, and in a letter to Mr. Nordensköld, dated Paris,
August 11, 1783, he says, "I think I may promise that in about a
year’s time I may be able to make the journey to Sweden, when, with
the means which the Lord will put into our hands, we shall be able
not only to print all the manuscripts of Swedenborg, but also to
distribute them gratuitously, as well as all his other works.” There
can be no doubt, therefore, that Mr. Nordensköld was the "worthy
man,” at whose request Robsahm wrote his "Memoirs concerning
Swedenborg,” and respecting whom he says further in No. 50, “I
should not have written them down, if I had not been requested to
do so by the ’honourable gentleman’ whom I have mentioned in the
beginning of these anecdotes ; and if he had not intimated that they
would be made use of in enlightening humanity respecting Sweden
borg’s personal character, and indeed by a society whose purpose it
is to translate several of his writings into French.” As early as 1776,
Mr. Nordensköld had made a similar request to Dr. G. Beyer, who,
in sending him some particulars respecting Swedenborg in a letter
dated Gottenburg, March 23, 1776, said, "It would be very desirable,
indeed, if, as you suggest, anecdotes could be collected [respecting
Swedenborg ]. Such a collection might be made, if every one would
contribute what he knows for certain ." Nordensköld examined also
the wife of Swedenborg’s gardener, and collected particulars respect
ing her departed master from her lips. These particulars are contained
on pages 174, 175, and 182 of his work, “Considérations Générales
sur le Christianisme Actuel et la Lumière que M. E. Svédenborg
répand sur les Religions.” Of this work, which was printed by
Nordensköld at Rostock, in the grand-duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin,
in 1819, and which was confiscated by the authorities, there is only
one complete copy in existence, which is in the possession of his son
Dr. Otto von Nordensköld, Berlin, and two defective copies, one of
which is in the Royal Library in Stockholm , and the other in the
hands of the editor of the present Work .
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