1 88 HEROES OF SCIENCE. 



salary given to him for it of two hundred guineas 

 a year. Although this sum was to be well earned, 

 and the secretary had to receive distinguished 

 foreigners at table, a fuss was made about it. 

 Cuvier, however, knew his own value, and insisted 

 on retaining it. The labourer is worthy of his hire, 

 and the sum was less than the salary of a first-class 

 clerk. A great Italian politician once said keep 

 the professors poor. Why ? Because he knew that 

 the diffusion of liberal knowledge would be fatal 

 to civil and military tyranny. However, Cuvier 

 gave up his school inspectorship and laboured on 

 at his favourite studies. He lost his father and 

 his brother's wife died leaving a child, so that 

 Cuvier and his brother were alone. Marriage be- 

 came a necessity for the rising man, and he was 

 attracted by a lady of great merit, who had 

 suffered both poverty and misfortune. Madame 

 Duvancel was the widow of an official who perished 

 on the scaffold in 1794, and she had some children 

 of her own. Cuvier had a great affection for her 

 and she made him happy, was a great companion, 

 and when he rose to his greatness, she was an 

 admirable helpmate. In 1808, as secretary to the 

 National Institute, Cuvier had to write a report 

 on the progress of the natural sciences from the 

 year 1789. A mere report was required, but 

 Cuvier was too thorough, and his essay was an 

 admirable and most lucid treatise. Napoleon, then 

 emperor, was greatly struck with it, and presented 

 the paper to the council of state. Some of the 



