76 EVOLUTION, OLD AND NEW. 



such a son, and who could retain that son's affection, 

 as it is well known that Buffon retained it, may not 

 perhaps always be strictly accurate, .but it will be as 

 well to pay attention to whatever he may think fit to 

 tell us. These are the only people whom it is worth 

 while to look to and study from. 



"Glory," said Buffon, after speaking of the hours 

 during which he had laboured, " glory comes always 

 after labour if she can and she generally can" But 

 in his case she could not well help herself. " He was 

 conspicuous," says M. Flourens, " for elevation and force 

 of character, for a love of greatness and true magni- 

 ficence in all he did. His great wealth, his handsome 

 person, and graceful manners seemed in correspondence 

 with the splendour of his genius, so that of all the gifts 

 which Fortune has it in her power to bestow she had 

 denied him nothing." 



Many of his epigrammatic sayings have passed into 

 proverbs : for example, that " genius is but a supreme 

 capacity for taking pains." Another and still more 

 celebrated passage shall be given in its entirety and 

 with its original setting. 



" Style," says Buffon, " is the only passport to pos- 

 terity. It is not range of information, nor mastery of 

 some little known branch of science, nor yet novelty of 

 matter that will ensure immortality. Works that 

 can claim all this will yet die if they are conversant 

 about trivial objects only, or written without taste, 

 genius and true nobility of mind ; for range of infor- 

 mation, knowledge of details, novelty of discovery are 

 of a volatile essence and fly off readily into other hands 



