1614.] M. Lagrange. 405 



was employed at such a task, " so much the better," he would say, 

 " 1 had begun it, now it will be unnecessary for me to finish it," 

 But lie merely changed tlie object of his studies. Metapbysics, the 

 liistory of human nature, that of different religions, the general 

 theory of languages, medicine, botany, divided his leisure hours. 

 When the conversation turned upon subjects with which it was 

 supposed he was unacquainted, we were struck by an unexpected 

 observation, a fine thought, a profound view, which excited long 

 reflections. Surrounded by dieniists who were rclbrming the tiieory 

 and even the language of the science, he made hiinself acquainted 

 with their discoveries, wiiich gave to facts formerly isolated that 

 connection wbich distinguishes the ditferent parts of mathematics. 

 He undertook to make himself acquainted with this branch of 

 knowledge, which formerly appeared to him so obscure, but which 

 he found on trial as easy us algebra. People have been surprized 

 at this compaiison, and have thought that it could come from no 

 one else than Lagrange. It appears to us as siniple as just ; but it 

 must be taken in its true sense. Algebra, which presents so many 

 insoluble problems, so many difficuhies against which Lagrange 

 himself struggled in vain, could not in that sense appear to him an 

 easy i.tudy. But he compares the new elements of chemistry with 

 those of algebra. Tlicy constituted a body, they were intelligible, 

 they oilered more certainty, they resembled algebra, which in the 

 part of it that is complete presents nothing ditlicult to conceive, no 

 truth to which we may not arrive by the most palpaljle reasoning. 

 The commencement of the science of chemistry a])pcared to liim 

 to offer the same advantages, perhaps with somewliat less stability 

 and certainty ; but, like algebra, it has no doubt also it? difficulties, 

 its paradoxes, which will require, to explain them, much sagacity, 

 reflection, and time. It has likewise its probltims which never will 

 be resolved. 



In this philosophic repose he continued till the Revolution, with- 

 out adding any thing to his mathematical discoveries, or even 

 opening his Mecanique Analytique, which had been published for 

 two years. 



Tiie Revolution gave philosopliers an opportunity of making a 

 great and difficult innovation : the establishment of a system of 

 weigiits and measures founded on nature, and perfectly analogous to 

 our scale of numbers. Lagrange was one of the commissioners 

 v/liom the Academy charged with that task. He was one of its 

 keenest pronioiers. IJe wished to see the decimal system in all its 

 purity. He was provoked at the complaisance of Borda, who got 

 quarters of the metre made. He tlunight the objection of little 

 imjioriance which was drawn against the system from the small 

 number of divisors that its base attbrded. lie regretted tliat it was 

 not a prime innnber, as 11, which would have given the same de- 

 nominator to all the fractions. 'J'liis itica perhaps will be regarded 

 as one of those exaggerations, which are liazarded by men of the 

 bcit understandings, in the iicai of dispute. But he uientiuncd thu 



