8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



had studied in Legrange's " Fonctions Analytiques." 

 " Finally," said the examiner to me, " how do you de- 

 termine the tension of the various cords of which a 

 funicular machine is composed ? " I treated this prob- 

 lem according to the method expounded in the " Me- 

 canique Analytique." It was clear that Lagrange had 

 supplied all the resources of my examination. 



I had been two hours and a quarter at the board. 

 M. Monge, going from one extreme to the other, got up, 

 came and embraced me, and solemnly declared that I 

 should occupy the first place on his list. Shall I confess 

 it ? During the examination of my comrade I had heard 

 the Toulousian candidates uttering not very favourable 

 sarcasms on the pupils from Perpignan ; and it was 

 principally for the sake of reparation to my native town 

 that M. Monge's behaviour and declaration transported 

 me with joy. 



Having entered the Polytechnic School, at the end of 

 1803, I was placed in the excessively boisterous brigade 

 of the Gascons and Britons. I should have much liked 

 to study thoroughly physics and chemistry, of which I 

 did not even know the first rudiments ; but the behaviour 

 of my companions rarely left me any time for it. As 

 for analysis, I had already, before entering the Poly- 

 technic School, learnt much more than was required for 

 leaving it. 



I have just related the strange words which M. Monge, 

 junior, addressed to me at Toulouse in commencing my 

 examination for admission. Something analogous oc- 

 curred at the opening of my examination in mathematics 

 for passing from one division of the school to another. 

 The examiner, this time, was the illustrious geometer 

 Legendre, of whom, a few years after, I had the honour 

 of becoming the colleague and the friend. 



