CHARACTERS. 



745 



nuHjTj were successively delivered to 

 a crowded audience, at the annual 

 examination of liis school. These 

 treated on various difficult points 

 on geometry, astronomy and optics ; 

 on osculating circles, the nature of 

 infinitesimals, trajectories, the ine- 

 quality of gravity over the earth's 

 surface, the centre of magnitude, 

 the laws of bodies, living forces, the 

 flux and reflux of the sea, the an- 

 nual abberation of the fixed stars, 

 the limits of astronomical observa- 

 tions, the uses of lenses and dioptric 

 telescopes, and a new method of 

 employing the observation of the 

 phases in lunar eclipses, on the de- 

 tcrminntion of a planet's orbit by 

 help of catoptrics, and on the at. 

 mosphere of the moon, -which he 

 held to be very ditierent from that 

 of the earth, and more analogous to 

 water. In one of these dissertations 

 he pointed out a mistake of the fa- 

 mous Daniel Bemouilli, who had 

 hastily concluded, that the tides of 

 the atmosphere must rise higher, in 

 proportion to its rarity, than those 

 of the ocean ; in another he sheAved 

 that the question concerning tlie 

 measure of forces, which then so 

 vehemently agitated the scientific 

 world, as it generally happens, was 

 merely a dispute of words ; in a 

 third, he sketched the outlines of 

 that bold structure, which has ob- 

 tained such deserved celebrity among 

 the learned — his sublime theory of 

 the constitution of matter. 



While Boscovich was thus usefully 

 and honourably engaged in directing 

 the studies of youth, and enlighten- 

 ing the world by his elegant and in- 

 genious writings, the pleasure of his 

 conversation was eagerly courted at 

 Rome. In every house of note he 

 was always a most welcome guest, 

 ?ind he reigned in every society by 



the ascendancy of his talents. Be- 

 fore mixed companies he would free- 

 ly talk of his own speculations, 

 Avhich he had a singular felicity in 

 rendering intelligible and interesting 

 to the most ordinary minds ; and. 

 though, on these occasions, he was 

 not accustomed to conceal his inward 

 satisfaction, or decline bestowing 

 upon himself tlic merited encomiums, 

 these frequent sallies of vanity seem- 

 ed to flow mcfely from the warmtli 

 of liis character, and were effaced in 

 the general blazi^ of admiration en- 

 tertained for his superior talents. 

 Nor was his ambition confined with- 

 in the circle of abstract science; in- 

 dulging theexcursiveflights of fancy, 

 he often sacrificed to the muses. 11« 

 composed latin verses on a great va- 

 riety of subjects, and which, conse- 

 quently, possessed very different de- 

 grees of merit. Every occurrence, 

 he was ready to seize, whether pub- 

 lic or jirivate, serious or comic : 

 wars, iiuptinls, jocular anci domestic 

 incidents, were indiscriminately his^ 

 theme. He had a wonderful knack 

 in composing those verses, with a 

 memory not less astonishing for re- 

 taining them : and at the tables of 

 his friends, he took pleasure in re- 

 citing elaborate passages. Surround- 

 ed by his disciples and partial admi- 

 rers, the sort of idolatry which he 

 received, appears, however, to have 

 had rather an unfortunate effect on 

 his character, by tempting him to 

 overate the measure of his powers, 

 and extent of his attainments. Once, 

 and once only, he entered ^he listo 

 with his illustrious cotemporarics. 

 It was in answer to the question pro. 

 posed by the academy of sciences at 

 Paris, to determine the inequalities 

 produced by the mutual action of 

 Jupiter and Satnrn, especially near 

 the time of their conjunction. His 



memoir 



