132 EULOGY ON AMPERE. 



tlie rotatory drum received him, and lie would soon liave finished the 

 task if, wishing to complete the experiment, I had not caused him to be 

 removed in order to give the refractory dog a new trial. The refractory 

 dog, whose turn had noio come, obeyed the first signal of the cook, entered 

 the rustic turn-spit without resistance, and went to work like a squirrel in 

 its cage. 



''Does it not follow from this, my dear Ampere, that dogs can have 

 the consciousness of the just and tlie unjust, leading tliem to lay out a 

 rule for themselves, and to endure corporal punishment rather than 

 allow any violation of it?" 



Ampere's features so keenly expressed the interest he took in the 

 recital that you might have fancied he was about to exclaim with Lac- 

 tauce, " Except in matters of religion, the brute creation share all the 

 advantages of the human race." However, our associate did not press 

 the matter as far as the Christian Cicero. While modifying his former 

 views on instinct, he merely admitted that animated beings, taken in 

 the aggregate, exhibit every possible degree of intelligence, from the 

 lowest up to that which, to adopt the expression of Voltaire, might in- 

 spire with jealousy the familiars of Jove himseJf. 



1 shall not leave this subject without giving another example to show^ 

 in spite of his extreme animation in discussion in the liiain, how 

 true and tolerant Ampere was, and how free from the malevolent pas- 

 sions tUiit unconceived ideas and conceit usually bring in their train. 

 In some manuscript notes of a professor of Lyons, M. Bredin, with 

 whom Ampere studied the metaphysical doctrine of the absolute, I find 

 these exact words: '■'■Very animated discussions daily arose between us, 

 and in them originated that holy and indissoluble friendship ichich has so 

 firmly united us.''"' 



A writer of romance would fancy he was doing violence to proba- 

 bility by placing friendship among the possible consequences of heated 

 discussions. A presumption so unparalleled could only be tolerated in 

 the laud of fable. 



MATHEMATICAL LABORS OF AMPi:EE. 



Such a man as Ampere often puts the self-love of his biographer to a 

 severe trial. I was obliged just now to shrink from psychological 

 researches whose importance and depth I could not reach 5 and here 

 again I am forced to confess that an intelligible analysis, in common 

 language, of the works of our associate on pure mathematics, is beyond 

 my powers. Nevertheless, as in these works figure the memoirs 

 which, after the death of Lagrange in 1813, opened the doors of the 

 Academy to our friend, they ought ty be mentioned, if only by their 

 titles. 



The adventurous mind of Ampere was alwaj'S fond of questions that 

 the fruitless elforts of twenty centuries had pronounced insoluble ; he 

 was never happier, if I may be allowed the expression, than when 



