STUDY I. 



25 



the fublime La Fontaine, at the time fhe infpired 

 him to compofe thefe verfes. If thefe fables were 

 not the hiftory of men, they would be, to me, at 

 lead a fupplement to that of animals. Philofo- 

 phers of name, unfaithful to the teftimony of their 

 reafon and confcience, have dared to reprefent 

 thern as mere machines. They afcribe to them 

 blind inftinds, which regulate, in a manner per- 

 fedly uniform, all their adions, without paffion, 

 without will, without choice, and even without 

 any degree of fenlibility. I one day exprefled my 

 aftoniQiment at this to J. J. Roujjeau ; and faid to 

 Jiim, it feemed exceedingly ftrange, that men of 

 genius fhould maintain a pofition fo extravagant. 

 He very fagely replied, The Jolution is this^ When 

 Man begins to reafon, he ceafes to feel. 



In order to confute the opinions of fuch Philo- 

 fophers, I Ihall have recourfe, not to thofe animals 

 whofe fagacity and induftry excite our admiration, 

 fuch as the beaver, the bee, the ant, &c. I (hall 

 produce only one example, taken from the clafs of 

 thofe which are moft indocile, fuch as fiflies, and 

 fliall feled it from among a fpecies, governed by 

 an inftind the moft impetuous and the mofi: flupid, 

 which is gluttony. 



The fhark is a fifli fo voracious, that he will not 

 only devour his own fpecies^ when preffed by hun- 

 ger. 



