126 BAILLY. 



I have discovered that Sedaine made a counterpart of 

 it. The author of Richard Cceur de Lion and of The 

 Deserter said, 



" Style is nothing, or next to it ! " 



Place this heresy, in imagination, under the eyes of 

 the immortal writer, whose days and nights were passed 

 in polishing his style, and if you then ask me why he 

 detested Sedaine, I shall have a right to answer : You do 

 not know the human heart. 



Bailly firmly resisted the imperious solicitations of his 

 former patron, and refused even to absent himself from 

 the Academy on the day of the nomination. He did not 

 hesitate to sacrifice the attractions and advantages of an 

 illustrious friendship to the performance of a duty ; he 

 answered to him who wanted to be master, "I will be 

 free." Honour be to him ! 



The example of Bailly warns timid men never to listen 

 to mere entreaties, whatever may be their source ; not to 

 yield but to good arguments. Those who have thought 

 so little of their own tranquillity as to do any more in 

 academical elections than to give a silent and secret vote, 

 will see on their part, in the noble and painful resistance 

 of an honest man, how culpable they become in trying to 

 substitute authority for persuasion, in wishing to subject 

 conscience to gratitude. 



On the occurrence of a similar discord, the astronomer 

 Lemonnier, of the Academy of Sciences, said one day to 

 Lalande, his fellow-academician and former pupil, " I en- 

 join you not to put your foot again within my door during 

 the semi-revolution of the lunar orbital nodes." Calcula- 

 tion shows this to be nine years. Lalande submitted to 

 the punishment with a truly astronomical punctuality ; 



