CHARACTERS. 
ing some verses of Thomas on the 
immortality of the soul. ‘‘ Pardieu, 
{said he), religion would be a no- 
ble present, if all that were true.” 
He criticised these lines severely : 
he is inexorable as to style, and 
does not love poetry. ‘* Never 
write verses, (said he), I could have 
made them as well as others ; but 
I soon abandoned a course in which 
reason marches in fetters: she has 
chains enough already, without 
looking about for new ones.’ 
Buffon willingly quits his Sraunds, 
and walks about the village with his 
son among the peasantry. At these 
times he always appears ina laced” 
coat. Heisasticklerabout dress, and 
scolds his son for wearing a frock- 
coat. I was aware of this, and had 
taken care to arrive in an embroi- 
dered waistcoat 2nd laced clothes. 
My precaution succeeded wonder- 
fully ; he shewed me repeatedly to 
hisson. ‘*There’sa gentleman for 
you!” He loves to be called mon- 
sieur le Comte. 
After having risen from dinner, 
he pays little attention either to 
his family or his guests. He sleeps 
for an hour in his room, then takes 
a walk alone; after. which he wiil 
perhaps come in and convers:, or 
git at his desk and look over papers 
that are brought for his opinion. 
He has lived thus these fifty years. 
To some one who expressed usto- 
nishment at his great reputation, 
he replicd, ‘* Have not I passed 
fifty ycars at my desk ?’’ At nine 
he goes to bed. 
He is at present afflicted with the 
stone, which suspends his employ- 
ments. While I was at his house 
he ‘had acute pains, shut himself 
apin his chamber, would scarcely 
see his son, and not hisrsister. He 
admitted me repeatedly. His hair 
was always drest; and he retained 
[345 
his fine calm look. He complained 
mildly of his ill health, and bore 
his pangs with a smile. He open- 
ed his whole soul to me: made me 
read to him the treatise on the 
Icadstone, and, as he listened, would 
reform the phrases. Sometimes he 
would send for a volume of his 
works, and request me to read alond 
the finer efforts of style; such as 
the soliloquy of the first man, the 
description of an Arabian desert in 
the article « -amel, and a still finer 
picce of painting (in his opinion) 
in the article Kamichi. Sometimes 
he would explain to me his system 
of the formation of the universe, 
the genesis of beings, the internal 
mouids, &c. Sometimes he would 
recite whole pages of his composi- 
tions; tor he knows them aimost 
all by heart. He listens gladly to 
objettions, discusses them, and sur- 
renders to them when his judgment 
is convinced. 
Of natural history and of style 
he loves to taik, especially of the 
latter.’ No one better understands 
the theory cf style, unless it be 
Beccaria, who d:d not possess the 
practice. ‘© The style is the man, 
(said he); our poets have no style; 
they are coerced by the rules of 
metre, which makes slaves » of 
them.”?  ‘* How do you like 
Thomas ??? I asked. ‘* Pretty well, 
(said he), but he is stiff and bloat. 
ed.’?. * And Rousseau??? ‘ His 
style is better: but he has all the 
faults of bad education, interjec- 
tion, exclamation, interrogation for 
ever.” Favour me>with your 
leading ideas on style.”? ** ‘They are 
recorded in my discourse at the aca. 
demy :~—however, .two things form 
style, invention and expression, -In- 
vention depends on patience; contem. 
plate yoursubjeftlong: it will gra- 
dually unrol and unfold—tiila sort of 
' electric 
