THEIR RESULT. 133 



of that same all-perfect Being, deeply-rooted in his 

 heart, struggled hard to persuade him that God 

 alone, and not His creatures, was worthy of his 

 researches, love, and attention." 



Who can wonder, after reading this truly sur- 

 prising account of Swammerdam's labours, that his 

 health was irreparably injured, and that his mental 

 powers were enfeebled ? His temperament was 

 constitutionally of a melancholy cast, and he had 

 unhappily adopted the mystical views taught by 

 A. Bourignori. He conceived that it was his 

 duty to allow his mind no other occupation 

 than that of abstract devotion, and determined 

 that he would consecrate his thoughts entirely to 

 the love and adoration of the great Creator, to 

 whose honour alone, he publicly declared, he had 

 commenced and prosecuted his many and great 

 labours in the cultivation of natural history, from 

 which he now entirely desisted, in order to 

 devote all the little uncertain portion of life 

 that remained to the solemn exercises of 

 votiori. 



In order to procure himself a competent income, 

 he next resolved to sell his museum, which was 

 now become of great value, but could find no pur- 

 chaser. In this dilemma he applied to his former 

 friend M. Thevenot, hoping that, by his interven- 

 tion, the Grand Duke of Tuscany might be induced 



