ULYSSES ALDROVANDI. 33 



the constitution of its luminaries and meteors, and 

 their different agencies upon terrestrial objects ; in 

 a word, he allowed nothing to escape him which 

 might in any way elucidate external nature/'* Arid, 

 lastly, in the more measured terms of Bayle, " His 

 cares, his labours, and his expenses, in Natural His- 

 tory were incredible. He travelled into the re- 

 motest countries without any other motive than that 

 of enquiring into their natural productions : mine- 

 rals, metals, plants, and animals, were all the ob- 

 jects of his regard."f 



Aldrovandi did not suffer any of his journies, or 

 the fruits of them, to be lost ; the whole of his col- 

 lections, transmitted from every quarter, being most 

 accurately examined, and deposited in his Museum. 

 We have seen above, that the reason which he 

 assigns for his 'travelling was, that he might be an 

 eye-witness of the interesting phenomena of which 

 he read; and might gain information with regard 

 both to the internal and external structure of the 

 objects of Natural History which he encountered. 

 Many investigations concerning that structure 

 could not of course be accomplished during the 

 hurry of a journey, and much, therefore, must 

 have been reserved for more elaborate examination 

 in the Museum. Nor did he work there alone. 

 Like a man of powerful mind, he instigated others to 

 their own improvement, and that of the science they 



* Acad. des Scien. &c. Loc. cit. 

 + Dictionnaire, &c. 



C 



