BUFFON. 145 



George Louis Lcclerc do Buffoii was born on 

 September 7th, 1707, at Montbard, in Burgundy. 

 He came of good family, and his father was coun- 

 cillor of the Burgundian parliament. His mother, 

 Anne Christine Mazlin, appears to have possessed 

 considerable natural gifts. She was also of good 

 family, and was remarkable, in those days, for the 

 elevation of her mind and strength of character. She 

 was a better parent than the father who, although 

 he was looked upon as a wonder in his province, in 

 consequence of his wasteful living and devotion to 

 feasts, balls, and concerts, was really only a person 

 of average merit. The mother was tenderly loved 

 by her son, but the father gave him some trouble 

 in after years, on account of his follies. Neverthe- 

 less, it adds to the interest and good example of 

 Buffon's character to learn that he did not care to 

 follow the agreeable life of his father, but that he 

 broke away from it and took to wisdom, although 

 having great property, he always lived and behaved 

 like a nobleman of wealth and mental distinction. 



Buffon was the oldest of five children, and the 

 rest were devoted by the parents to the priest- 

 hood, or to nunneries ; so it would appear that the 

 father not only followed the rule of the day, to 

 keep the property in the hands of the eldest son, 

 but to provide for the others in the cheapest pos- 

 sible manner. The young noble was in due course 

 sent to a school at Dijon kept by Jesuit fathers, the 

 best instructors in those days ; and report says that 

 the boy was fond of arithmetic and had a character 



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