5^10 Biographical Memoir ofDr Priestley. 



cutions. A populace, enraged by the false reports of his ene- 

 mies, destroyed in a single day the fruit of the whole labour of 

 his life ; and it was only by banishing himself from his native 

 country, that he escaped the fury of his persecutors. But 

 when his fellow-citizens seemed to abandon him, several nations 

 hastened to offer him an honourable asylum ; and, at this very 

 moment, when, in a country at war with his, the principal lite- 

 rary institution of France pays through me the last and melan- 

 choly tribute which it owes to all its members, I see in this as- 

 sembly several of those whom he has combated, joining as it 

 were their voice to mine, and, by their generous concurrence, 

 completing his triumph. 



Science and philosophy have nothing to fear from their blind 

 enemies, so long as such a reward awaits the man who may have 

 enlarged the noble edifice of human knowledge; so long as in 

 thus serving humanity in general, genius may burst the shackles 

 of local relations ; so long, in fine, as the developement of new 

 truths may induce us to pardon in their discoverer whatever 

 there may otherwise be in his opinions that is whimsical, extra- 

 ordinary, or perhaps even dangerous ; for I ought not to con- 

 ceal from you, that there are of all these kinds among the opi- 

 nions of Priestley. 



In fact, his history will disclose to you, as it were, two diffe- 

 rent, I might almost say opposite, characters. The one, a cir- 

 cumspect natural philosopher, examines only the objects that 

 come under the empire of experience, employs in his progress a 

 cautious and rigorous logic, — allows himself to cherish neither 

 theories nor prejudices, — seeks only after the truth, whatever it 

 may be, and almost always discovers and establishes it in the 

 most solid and brilliant manner. The other, a rash theologian, 

 handles with audacious boldness the most mysterious ques-; 

 tions, — contemns the Mief of ages, — ^rejects the most revered, 

 authorities, — comes into the lists with preconceived opinions, — ^ 

 seeks to maintain rather than examine them, — and, in order to 

 support them, plunges himself into the most contradictory hy-J 

 potheses. 



The first tranquilly delivers over his discoveries to the exa- 

 mination of the learned. They are established without difficul- 

 ty, and procure for him an unchallenged reputation, The lat-l 



