ELOGE ON BTTFFON. 



this science, and that of nature became intelligible by 

 means of commentaries. So many ill-digested writings, 

 which men of science themselves perused with difficulty, 

 had not only to be read, but studied, by Buffon ; and 

 he required to mate himself acquainted with all that 

 men had thought up to his time, in order to mark, on 

 the same plan, the whole series of truths and errors. 

 But he was by no means one of those authors, whose 

 merit, confined to giving a faithful account of the ideas 

 or discoveries of their predecessors, obtains rather the 

 gratitude than the admiration of the public. 



Could a genius such as his undertake the troublesome 

 task of collecting all that others knew, if it had not 

 been for the purpose of adding to it all of which they 

 were ignorant ? It is in this respect, that we may say 

 his ambition was without bounds. He wished to be- 

 come acquainted with all that the earth encloses in its 

 bowels, to search the depths of the sea, to penetrate to 

 places where light never comes ; he wished to describe 

 all that the surface of the earth lays open to the sun ; 

 and, ascending in imagination to the celestial spaces, 

 to obtain a glimpse of the designs of the Supreme In- 

 telligence. But what do I say ? He was not content- 

 ed to unveil to men the secrets of the earth, the beauties 

 of nature, and the order of the universe; he even 

 aspired to the power of teaching us how these wonders 

 were produced ; how they will one day perish ; when 

 they were created, and what will still be their dura- 

 tion ; in a word every thing which the nmensity of 



