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LIX. Life of John Henry Lambert*. 



XF amongst the literati, whose merits in the sciences have 

 eternalized their name, those that have acquired their eru- 

 dition without the assistance of others, merely by dint of 

 their o\\ n exertions and industry, be in a superior deeree 

 entitled to the notice of the learned ; then the man of whose 

 hfe, character, and writings^ we are now going to give an 

 account, deserves undoubtedly, in preference to all others, 

 to be introduced to the acquaintance of our scientific read- 

 ers ; especially as he overcame the most arduous difficulties 

 merely through the unassisted application of his uncommon 

 irenms. 



Lambert was born August 29, 1728, at Miihlhausen, a 

 small confederate town m Sundgau. His father, Lucas 

 Lambert, whose ancestors had emigrated from France when 

 the edict of Nantes was recalled, was by trade a tailor, and 

 had great difficulty to maintain himself and his family by 

 means of his industry. His limited circumstances deter- 

 mined him to bring up his son for his own profession, and 

 to give him an education conformable to his future situation 

 in lite, without, however, totally neglecting the improve- 

 ment of his mind. He frequented the public school, at the 

 expense of the corporation, til! he was twelve years old, and 

 distinguished himself so eminently from the rest of his 

 school-fellows, that his father was at last, by the repeated 

 intercessions of his instructors, and his invincible aversion 

 from the trade for which he was intended, prevailed upon 

 to permit him to study theology. But being soon arrested 

 in the prosecution of his scientific career by a total want of 

 the requisite means, he was at length necessitated to assist 

 his fatlier in his profession. 



Whilst he was occupied in this manner, he read witli 

 imcommou eagerness all Latin books of which he could 

 obtain possession ; and happening in the course of his read- 

 ings to meet with an old work on mathematics, his decided, 

 predilection for this science manifested itself soon in a most 

 striking manner by the ardour with which he studied it, and 

 the complete knowledge he acquired by means of it of the 

 computation of almanacs, notwithstanding the numerous 

 errors he discovered in it, without being" able to correct 

 them. The occupations incunroent upon him in the day, 

 obliged him to devote great part of the nitdit to the prosecu- 



• Fri.m thf G rmav Mmeum, vol, i!i. 



tinii 



