ELOQE ON BUFFON. 51 



other object of curiosity than their productions and 

 their discoveries ; no other hope of distinction, than that 

 which cannot be arrested from talents acquired by long 

 continued labours. But what do I say ? Even tyranny 

 itself, as blind as it is inconstant, thought to conceal 

 from the people its weakness and injustice, by turning 

 their attention to another object, even to that philo- 

 sophy which ought to have overthrown it ; and the 

 sciences derived this advantage from the common servi- 

 tude, that no division among the nations, united under 

 the same chain, brought any opposition to their pro- 

 gress. 



To these advantages, which Buffon owed to the times 

 in which he wrote, were joined others even more im- 

 portant, which were peculiar to himself; for that happy 

 facility which men of science enjoyed for bringing their 

 observations and discoveries to a common centre, might 

 have been rendered unavailing for the perfection of his 

 work, if the pretensions, jealousy, and hatred, of too 

 frequent occurrence among them, had been opposed to 

 the union of their knowledge and talents. But Buffon 

 knew well how to subdue these passions, so fatal to 

 every kind of success in great undertakings. The ascen- 

 dency of his genius subjected all other minds to his, 

 and brought, so to speak, under his direction, all those 

 who had cultivated any one department of knowledge 

 relating to his subject. His name, alone, was enough 

 to check the factious in literature ; and those who, as 

 philosophers, sometimes refused to acknowledge him as 



