Fabre's Writings 



From the very beginning of his great en- 

 tomological work Fabre sought to free 

 himself from another reproach, which 

 wounded him to the quick, because it struck 

 at his fidelity to his chosen study, and, what 

 is more, to scientific truth : 



Others again have reproached me with my style, 

 which has not the solemnity, nay, better, the dry- 

 ness of the schools. They fear lest a page that is 

 read without fatigue should not always be the ex- 

 pression of the truth. Were I to take their word 

 for it, we are profound only on condition of being 

 obsccire. Come here, one and all of you — ^you, the 

 sting-bearers, and you, the wing-cased armour-clads 

 — take up my defence and bear witness in my fa- 

 vour. Tell of the intimate terms on which I live 

 with you, of the patience with which I observe you, 

 of the care with which I record your actions. Your 

 evidence is unanimous: yes, my pages, though they 

 bristle not with hollow formulae nor learned smat- 

 terings, are the exact narrative of facts observed, 

 neither more nor less; and whoso cares to question 

 you in his turn will obtain the same replies. 



And then, my dear insects, if you cannot convince 

 those good people, because you do not carry the 

 weight of tedium, I, in my turn, will say to them: 



" You rip up the animal and I study it alive ; you 

 turn it into an object of horror and pity, whereas I 

 cause it to be loved ; you labour in a torture-cham- 

 ber and dissecting-room, I make my observations 



