44 MEMOIR OF RONDELET. 



verse. Gesner, in his work on animals, which was 

 so far designed to be a compilation, inserted some 

 of Rondelet's articles entire, and copied his figures. 

 Rondelet has not escaped the charge of pla- 

 giarism ; but it rests on so slight a foundation, that 

 it would be unnecessary to allude to the subject, were 

 it not for the respectable parties by whom it has 

 been preferred. M. de Thou and Scaliger allege that 

 Rondelet derived his materials from a manuscript 

 of William Pellicier, Bishop of Montpellier, which 

 formed a commentary on Pliny's Natural History ; 

 and that these commentaries were afterwards either 

 lost or suppressed. But this is a mere assertion, 

 without the shadow of proof. Rondelet was well 

 known in his day to be a skilful and able naturalist, 

 and to devote his attention more particularly to the 

 history of fishes ; and there is nothing in his work 

 which one circumstanced as he was, was not perfectly 

 competent to produce. In absence of every thing 

 like probability, or evidence of any kind to the con- 

 trary, it is quite superfluous to vindicate his claim 

 to the undivided honour of the authorship. 



