, an author famous for his extravagancies, and who styled himself
, an author famous for his extravagancies, and who styled himself in his writings Christianus Democritus, was born Aug. 10, 1672, at Frankenstein, near Darmstadt, where he commenced his studies.
He afterwards studied philosophy and theology at Giessen,
where he took his master’s degree in 1693. He began his
literary career by a controversy with the pietists, a sect
against which he declaimed publicly at Strasburg. Being
obliged, for some irregularities, to quit that city, he returned to Giessen, and shewed himself as zealous in behalf of pietism as he had been before in opposition to it.
Having failed in his views of getting a wife, and a professor’s chair, he threw off the mask, and openly attacked the
reformed religion, in his “Papismus Protestantium vapulans.
” This book having incensed the protestants against
him, he abandoned theology for chemistry; and gave out,
that, after a process of eight months, he had succeeded in
making a sufficient quantity of gold to enable him to keep
a country house, which he bought for 50,000 florins; but
he was at that time actually in the utmost indigence; and
could think of no better expedient for avoiding the pursuit of his creditors than by commencing his travels. After
having run over various countries, Berlin, Copenhagen,
Francfort, Leyden, Amsterdam, Altona, Hamburgh, and
having experienced the discipline of the prison in every
one, he was invited to Stockholm in 1727 to prescribe for
the king of Sweden. The clergy of that kingdom, pleased
with the hope of the king’s recovery, but unwilling to owe
it to a man that openly derided their religion, procured an
order for the medical alchemist to quit the kingdom.
Dippel returned to Germany, without having changed
either his opinions or his conduct. The report of his death
having been several times falsely propagated, he in 1733
published a sort of certificate, in which he affirmed that he
should not die till the year 180$; a prophecy which was
not fulfilled: for he was found dead in his bed at the castle
of Witgenstein, the 25th of April, 1734, at the age of 62.