Il possedait et
parlait avec une egale perfection quatre langues: le francais,
l'anglais, l'allemand, l'italien et passablement l'espagnol. Quand
il causait, la verve du vieillard brodait sur le canevas un peu
lourd de l'allemand ses brilliantes arabesques latines, grecques,
francaises, anglaises, italiennes. C'etait un entrain, une precision
et des sailles, une richesse de citations, une exactitude de details
qui faisait couler les heures; et quelquefois le petit cercle de ses
intimes l'ecoutait jusqu'a minuit, sans qu'un moment de fatigue se
fut peint sur ses traits ou que le feu de son regard se fut un
instant amorti. Sa parole nette et accentuee captivait l'auditoire:
elle peignait et analysait tout ensemble; une sensibilite delicate
en augmentait le feu; elle etait exacte et precise sur toutes sortes
de sujets."

Schopenhauer died on the 20th September 1860, in his seventy-third year,
peacefully, alone as he had lived, but not without warning. One day in
April, taking his usual brisk walk after dinner, he suffered from
palpitation of the heart, he could scarcely breathe. These symptoms
developed during the next few months, and Dr. Gwinner advised him to
discontinue his cold baths and to breakfast in bed; but Schopenhauer,
notwithstanding his early medical training, was little inclined to
follow medical advice. To Dr. Gwinner, on the evening of the 18th
September, when he expressed a hope that he might be able to go to
Italy, he said that it would be a pity if he died now, as he wished to
make several important additions to his _Parerga_; he spoke about his
works and of the warm recognition with which they had been welcomed in
the most remote places. Dr. Gwinner had never before found him so eager
and gentle, and left him reluctantly, without, however, the least
premonition that he had seen him for the last time. On the second
morning after this interview Schopenhauer got up as usual, and had his
cold bath and breakfast. His servant had opened the window to let in the
morning air and had then left him. A little later Dr. Gwinner arrived
and found him reclining in a corner of the sofa; his face wore its
customary expression; there was no sign of there having been any
struggle with death. There had been no struggle with death; he had died,
as he had hoped he would die, painlessly, easily.

In preparing the above notice the writer has to acknowledge her
indebtedne