Biography of M. le Comte Lagrange. 403 



end of his life. Indeed, if we examine the whole of his 

 works, we shall find in them marks of the progress of the 

 science, but no indication of old age. He had undertaken, 

 at the latter period of his life, to give a new edition of the 

 Mecanique Anahjtique considerably augmented. He pub- 

 lished the first volume, in which, among other remarkable 

 additions, we admire his fine investigations of the most 

 general questions of astronomy and mechanics. He laboured 

 with the most indefatigable industry at the two remaining 

 volumes, in which he intended, it is said, to treat of the 

 great phenomena of the system of the world ; but this 

 labour hastened the period of his death. It is said, that 

 the manuscript of the second volume exists, written entirely 

 with his own hand. It is to be wished, for the good of the 

 sciences, that the publication of this precious monument 

 be committed to persons who will acquit themselves with 

 promptitude and fidelity. 



The character of the genius of Lagrange has been exactly 

 appreciated by a philosopher whose name in the sciences 

 has been long associated with his own. If we durst add 

 any thing to that judgment, it would be to confirm it, by 

 recalling to memory the impression made upon the mind 

 by the perusal of the works of Lagrange. It is not only 

 the pleasure that results from a clear and accurate arrange- 

 ment, it is a ray of light which darts upon the mind, 

 removes the obscurity from the most complicated objects, 

 and discovers to your astonished eyes the certain and direct 

 road which leads to the object that you wish to obtain. 

 When we have once read and understood a memoir of 

 Lagrange, we have never any occasion to recur to it again ; 

 we have learned the whole, and never can forget it. In 

 this generality of his views he rises above Euler. Euler, 

 indeed, possesses other advantages : in the immense variety 

 of his works, he lays open a multitude of extraordinary 

 means, and a fertility of invention, which nothing can stop. 

 Mathematicians, by reading him, learn all the secrets of the 

 science of mathematics; but M. de Lagrange alone can 

 offer them the model of that perfection, almost ideal, which 

 we ought to endeavour to attain. 



Notwithstanding what we have said, we should leave a 

 very imperfect character of Lagrange, if we did not notice 



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