iSll.] M. Lagrange. 403 



doubts of the merit of the work, the bool^sellers were excusable in 

 hesitating to print a book, the sale of wliicli would probably be 

 confined to a small number of mathematicians disseminated through 

 Europe. Desain, who was the most enteipiizing of all those to 

 whom application was made, would not undertake to publish it, till 

 Marie entered into a formal engagement to take all the copies of 

 the edition which were not sold by a given time. To this first ser- 

 vice Marie added another, of which M. Lagrange was not less 

 sensible; he procured him an editor worthy of superintending the 

 publication of such a work. M. Legendre devoted the whole of 

 his time to the troublesome task of correcting the press, and was 

 repaid by the sentiment cf veneration for the author with which 

 he was penetrated; and by the thanks which he received from him 

 in a letter which I have had in ray possession, and which M. La- 

 grange had filled with expressions of his esteem and iiis gratitude. 



The book u-.is not yet published when the author came to settle 

 in Paris. Several causes determined him to take this step ; but we 

 must not giVc credit to all tliat have been stated. The death of 

 Frederick had occasioned great changes in Prussia, and still greater 

 were to be appreiicnded. Pliilosophcis were no longer so much 

 respected as formerly. It was natural for M. Lagrange again to 

 feel that desire which had formerly conducted him to Paris. These 

 causes, together with the publication of the Mccanique Analytique, 

 were sufficient. It is not necessary to add other causes, which 

 several pulilications that made their appearance in Germany, and 

 particularly tiio anonymous historian of the court of Berlin, have 

 noticed. We never, during a residence of 25 years in France, 

 heard M. Jy^giange prefer the slightest complaint against the 

 minister, who is accused in that publication of having disgusted 

 him by a treatment full of haughtiness and contempt, which out 

 of respect for himself it was impossible for M. Lagrange to over- 

 look. We might suspect that M. Lagrange had sufficient gene- 

 rosity to forget or pardon bad treatment, wliich he punished in the 

 only way worthy of himself, by leaving the country wliere his merit 

 was overlooked ; but when he was directly questioned on tiiat sub- 

 ject by a Member of the Institute (M. Burckhardi) he only gave 

 negative answers, and assigned no other motives than the niis- 

 fortuiifs which it was thought were about to fall upon Prussia. M. 

 de Ilertzberg was dead, and M. de Lagrange, a senator and comte 

 of the French empire, could have no interest in concealing tlie 

 truth. Hence we must consider his own statement as affording the 

 only true reasons. 



The historian therefore, whom we have quoted, has been ill- 

 informed. But the spirit oi calunmy and satire, which has so 

 justly rendered his work suspected, ought not to prevent us from 

 extracting from it the lines in which he explains, with that energy 

 which is p^culiaily his own, his opinion, which is that ot all 

 Europe, when he does justice to M. Lagrange. 



" I think," s.iys he, (^Hist. Secrette de la Cour de Berlin, 1789, 



■J c '-' 



