30 CARNOT. 



perpetual movements would no more comprehend the 

 work of Carnot, than the discoverers of the quadrature 

 of the circle or the trisection of the angle understand the 

 geometry of Euclid.* Science is not needed by them ; 

 they owe their discovery to a sudden supernatural inspi- 

 ration. Moreover, nothing discourages them, nothing un- 

 deceives them ; take, for example, that artist, otherwise 

 highly estimable, who, without perceiving any thing inno- 

 cently burlesque in the terms of his request, begged me 

 to go and see ^^wliy all his perpetual movements had 

 stopped.'^ 



CARNOT A POLITICIAN AND ONE OF THE JUDGES OF 

 LOUIS XVI. 



Carnot was one of the first officers of the French army 

 that loyally and enthusiastically embraced the regenera- 

 tive views of the National Assembly. Nevertheless, the 

 annals of the Revolution only commence making mention 

 of him in 1791. 



Certain writers wrongly take the spirit of proselytism 

 as the just measure of the sincerity of political convic- 

 tions ; they do not understand how a retired and studious 

 life may ally itself to a profound desire for social reforms ; 

 Carnot's two years of inaction seem to them quite a phe- 

 nomenon. Now, guess how they deemed it advisable to 

 explain it. They place our member amongst the emigres 

 of Coblentz ; thus his republican tendencies would only 

 date from the period at which he furtively reentered 

 France. I will not oflfend you. Gentlemen, by refuting 

 such a ridiculous supposition. 



In 1791 Carnot was in garrison at Saint-Omer, and 



* Not quite a just comparison. There is no reason why these geo- 

 metric feats must be impossible, as is the case with perpetual motion. 

 — Translator. 



