452 DAVY. 



fame which he thus acquired would have been of 

 limited extent and of short duration, had his reliance 

 only been upon the fickle multitude whom such quali- 

 ties can please. The first consequences of his success 

 in the line of mere exhibition were unfavourable, and 

 threatened to be fatal ; for he was led away by the 

 plaudits of fashion, and must needs join in its frothy, 

 feeble current. For a while he is remarked to have 

 shown the incongruous combination of science and 

 fashion, which form a most imperfect union, and pro- 

 duce a compound of no valuable qualities, somewhat 

 resembling the nitrous gas on which he experimented 

 earlier in life, having an intoxicating effect on the 

 party tasting it, and a ludicrous one on all beholders. 

 They who have recorded this transformation, while 

 they lament the substitution of anything for " the 

 natural candour and warmth of feeling which had 

 singularly won upon the acquaintance of his early life," 

 add most justly that the weakness which they describe 

 never " cooled his regard for his family and former 

 friends." I can vouch for the change, which was 

 merely superficial, being of very short duration ; and 

 it is pleasing to add that, even while it lasted, there 

 was none of that most offensive of all the effects pro- 

 duced by such a transition state to be found in his con- 

 versation ; he never for a moment appeared to be 

 ashamed of his great vocation, nor to shun the fullest 

 discussion of the subject on ? which he was at home, 

 in order to deal with topics to which he was of neces- 

 sity a stranger. I am speaking, too, of his habits long 

 before his great discoveries ; there would have been 

 little ground for praise, any more than for wonder, 



