4. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 
From this moment I abandoned the classes of the cen- 
tral school, where I was taught to admire Corneille, 
Racine, La Fontaine, Moliere, and attended only the 
mathematical course. This course was entrusted to a re- 
tired ecclesiastic, the Abbé Verdier, a very respectable 
man, but whose knowledge went no further than the ele- 
mentary course of La Caille. I saw at a glance that M. 
Verdier’s lessons would not be sufficient to secure my ad- 
mission to the Polytechnic School; I therefore decided - 
on studying by myself the newest works, which I sent for 
from Paris. These were those of Legendre, Lacroix, 
and Garnier. In going through these works I often met 
with difficulties which exceeded my powers; happily, 
strange though it be, and perhaps without example in all 
the rest of France, there was a proprietor at Estagel, M. 
Raynal, who made the study of the higher mathematics 
his recreation. It was in his kitchen, whilst giving 
orders to numerous domestics for the labours of the next 
day, that M. Raynal read with advantage the “ Hydraulic 
Architecture ” of Prony, the “ Mécanique Analytique,” 
and the “ Mécanique Céleste.” This excellent man often 
gave me useful advice; but I must say that I found my 
real master in the cover of M. Garnier’s “Treatise on 
Algebra.” This cover consisted of a printed leaf, on the 
outside of which blue paper was pasted. The reading of 
the page not covered made me desirous to know what the 
blue paper hid from me. I took off this paper carefully, 
having first damped it, and was able to read underneath 
it the advice given by d’Alembert to a young man who 
communicated to him the difficulties which he met with 
in his studies: “ Go on, sir, go on, and conviction will 
come to you.” 
This gave me a gleam of light; instead of persisting 
