I3<3 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



" it, both by his difcourfes and by his manners, 

 " was condemned by them to fwaliow poifon, con- 

 *' formably to the fentence of a court of juftice. 

 " His fublime difciple, Plato, was doomed to ila- 

 *' very, by order of the very Prince who protesfted 

 •' him ; and, before their time, PythagoraSy who 

 *' extended his humanity even to the brute crea- 

 ** tion, was burnt alive by tlie Crotonians : what 

 *' do I fay ? The greateft part of thefe illuftrious 

 " names have defcended to us, disfigured by fome 

 *' traits of fatire, which charadierize them j for, 

 " human ingratitude dehghts to lay hold on thefe : 

 *' if, however, among the crowd, the glory of any 

 " hath reached our ears, pure and untainted, they 

 " are thofe who have lived far from the fociety of 

 ♦* their contemporaries ; like thofe ftatues, which 

 *' are extraded entire, out of the fields of Greece 

 *' and Italy, and which, by being buried in the bo- 

 " fom of the earth, have efcaped the fury of the 

 *' barbarians. 



*' You fee, then, that, in order to acquire the 

 ** tempefluous glory of literary fame, it is neceffary 

 *' to exercife much virtue, and to be ready to fa- 

 *' crifice life itfelf. Befides, do you imagine, that 

 ** this glory interefts wealthy people in France ? 

 *' They greatly carefs literary men^ vvhofe learning 

 *' does not raife them to any dignity in their coun- 

 *' try, or to any fituation under government, nor 



'* procure 



