12 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



the pupils arrived in the amphitheatre, when M. Ilassen- 

 fratz called to M. Leboullenger, who came to the board. 



" M. Leboullenger," said the professor to him, " you 

 have seen the moon ? " " No, sir." " How, sir ! you 

 say that you have never seen the moon ? " "I can only 

 repeat my answer no, sir." Beside himself, and seeing 

 his prey escape him, by means of this unexpected answer, 

 M. Hassenfratz addressed himself to the inspector charged 

 with the observance of order that day, and said to him, 

 " Sir, there is M. Leboullenger, who pretends never to 

 have seen the moon." "What would you wish me to 

 do ? " stoically replied M. Le Brun. Repulsed on this 

 side, the professor turned once more towards M. Leboul- 

 lenger, who remained calm and earnest in the midst of 

 the unspeakable amusement of the whole amphitheatre, 

 and cried out with undisguised anger, " You persist in 

 maintaining that you have never seen the moon ? " 

 " Sir," returned the pupil, " I should deceive you if I 

 told you that I had not heard it spoken of, but I have 

 never seen it." " Sir, return to your place." 



After this scene, M. Hassenfratz was but a professor 

 in name ; his teaching could no longer be of any use. 



At the commencement of the second year, I was ap- 

 pointed " chef de brigade" Hatchette had been professor 

 of hydrography at Collioure ; his friends from Roussillon 

 recommended me to him. He received me with great 

 kindness, and even gave me a room in his lodgings. It 

 was there that I had the pleasure of making Poisson's 

 acquaintance, who lived next to us. Every evening the 

 great geometer entered my room, and we passed entire 

 hours in conversing on politics and mathematics, which 

 is certainly not quite the same thing. 



In the course of 1804, the school was a prey to politi- 



