CHARACTERS. 



747 



his mind, the beautiful and harmo- 

 nious episodes of the Botanic Gar- 

 den, while driving in his chariot, on 

 visits to his country patients. 



This important operation of mea- 

 suring two degrees on the surface of 

 Italy, is elaborately described by 

 Boscovich, in a quarto volume, 

 written in his usual diffuse manner, 

 and full of illustration and minute 

 details. But the book is rendered 

 the more valuable by the addition 

 of several opuscules, or detached 

 essays, relating to the subject, and 

 which display great ingenuity con- 

 joined with the finest geometric taste. 

 AVe may instance, in particular, the 

 discourse on the rectification of in- 

 struments, the elegant synthetical 

 investigation of the figure of the 

 earth, deduced both from the law 

 of attraction, and from the actual 

 measurement of degrees, and the nice 

 remarks concerning the curve and 

 the conditions of permament stabili- 

 ty. This labt tract gave occasion, 

 however, to some strictures from 

 D'Alcnibert, to which Boscovich 

 replied, in a note annexed to the 

 French edition of his works. 



The arduous service which Bos- 

 covich had now performed was but 

 poorly rewarded. From the Pope 

 he only received a hundred sequins, 

 or about lorty-five pounds sterling, 

 a gold box,(and abundance of praise). 

 He now rasumed the charge of the 

 mathematical school, and, besides, 

 discharged faithfully the public du- 

 ties of religion which are enjoined 

 his order. A tritling circumstance 

 will mark the warmth of his temper, 

 and his love of precedence. He had 

 recourse to the authority of cardinal 

 Valenti. to obtain admission into 

 the oratory of Caravita, from which 

 his absence excluded him, and which 

 yet did aflord only the benefit of a 



free, but frugal supper. In presid- 

 ing at that social repast, the philo- 

 sopher relaxed from the severity of 

 his studies, and shone by his varied, 

 his lively, and fluent conversation. 

 He lived in habits of intimacy with 

 his colleagues, and especially with 

 his compatriot,Benedict Stay, known 

 to the learned world by an excellent 

 didactic poem, entitled, " Philoso- 

 " phia Rccentior," and which he 

 elucidated by notes, containing, in 

 a very neat compressed form, the 

 elements of mechanics. 



At this time a dispute arose be- 

 tween the little republic of Lucca, 

 and the government of Tuscany, on 

 the subject of draining a lake. A 

 congress of mathematicians was call- 

 ed, and Boscovich repaired to the 

 scene of contention, in order to d&. 

 fend the rights of the petty state. 

 Having waited three months in vain, 

 expecting the commissioners, and 

 amnsed with repeated hollow pro- 

 mises, he thought it better for the in- 

 terest of his constituents, to proceed 

 at once to the court of Vienna, which 

 then supremely directed the afl'air8^ 

 of Italy. The flames of war had been 

 recently kindled on the continent of 

 Europe, and Boscovich, like a true 

 courtier, took occasion to celebrate 

 the first successes of the Austrian 

 arms, io a poem, of which the first 

 book was presented to the empress 

 Theresa ; but the military genius of 

 Frederick the great of Prussia soon 

 turned the scale of fortune, and our 

 poet was reduced to silence. More 

 honourably did he employ some k'i- 

 surc in the composition of his im- 

 mortal work, — " Theoria philoso- 

 " phix' natiiralis rcducta ad niiicam 

 " legem virinm in nntura exis(en> 

 " lium," printed at Vienna, in the 

 year, 1758. This he drew up, it is 

 alledgedj in the very short space of 



thirtji- 



