CHARACTERS. 



749 



to the palatine schools at Milan, 

 a id resided with those of his order 

 at the college uf ijrera, where he 

 furnished, mostly at his own ex- 

 pence, an observatory, of which 

 hegot the direction. But he was still 

 doomed to experience mortilication. 

 Some young Jesuits, who acted as 

 his assistants, formed a conspiracy, 

 and, by their artful representations, 

 prevailed with the (TOTernment to 

 exclude his favourite pupil and 

 friend from holding a charge of 

 trust. This intelligence was com- 

 municated to him at the baths of 

 Albano, and filled him with grief 

 and indignation. He complained 

 to Prince Kaunitz, but implored his 

 protection iji vain. To the governor 

 of Milan he wrote, that he would 

 not return, unless things were Re- 

 stored to their former footing. lie 

 retired to Venice, where, having 

 staid ten months in fruitless expec- 

 tation of redress, he m-cditated 

 spending the remainder of his days 

 in honourable retirement, at his na- 

 tive city of Hagusa. But, while he 

 waited for the opportunity of a 

 vessel to convey him thither, he re. 

 ccived the afilicfing news of the 

 suppression of his order in Italy; 

 he renounced his scheme, and seem- 

 ed quite uncertain what step he 

 should take. Having come into the 

 Tu>-can territory, he listenwl to the 

 counsels and solicitation of Fa- 

 broni, who held forth the prospect 

 of a handsome appointment in the 

 Lyceum of Pisa. In the mean time 

 he accepted the invitation of La 

 15ord, Chaniberlain to Louis XV. 

 and accompanied him to Paris. 

 Ihrongh the intlucnce of that fa- 

 vourite, heobtaincd the most liberal 

 patronage from the French mo- 

 narch ; he was naturalised, received 

 two pensions, amounting to 8.000 

 2 



livres, or 3331. and had an office 

 expressly created for him, with the 

 title of " Director of Optics for the 

 Marine." Boscovich might now 

 appear to have attained the pinnacle 

 of fortune and glory ; but Paris 

 was no longer for him the theatr* 

 of applause, and his ardent temper 

 became soured by the malign breath 

 of jealousy and neglect. Such ex- 

 traordinary favour bestowed on a 

 foreigner, could not fail to excite the 

 envy of the scuvans, who considered 

 him as rewarded greatly beyond his 

 true merit. The freedom of his 

 language gave offence, his perpe- 

 tual egotism became disgusting, and 

 his repetition of barbarous Latin 

 epigrams, was most grating to Pari- 

 sian ears. Besides, the name of a 

 priest and a Jesuit did not now com- 

 mand respect ; and the sentiments 

 of austere devotion, which he pub- 

 licly professed, had grown unfa- 

 shionable, and were regarded as 

 scarcely befitting the character of a 

 philosopher. Mirabeau, in his let- 

 ters from Prussia, mentions Bosco- 

 vich with a degree of slight, bor- 

 dering on contempt, and warmly 

 recoujmends it to his court, to in- 

 vite from Berlin the celebrated La- 

 grange, a mathematician of the very 

 highest order, and blessed with the 

 n)i!dest disposition. 



But the geometer of Ragnsa was 

 not idle. He applied assiduously 

 to the improvement of astronomy 

 and optics, and his diligence was 

 evinced by a series of valuable me- 

 moirs, lie revised and extended 

 his former ideas, and struck out 

 new paths of discovery. His solu- 

 tion of the problem to determine the 

 orbit of a comet from three observa- 

 tions, is remarkable for its elegant 

 simplicity ; being derived from the 

 mer8 elementary principles of trlgo- 



Tionjetrr • 



