390 Paris's Life of Sir Humphry Davy. 
engaged in useful trades or occupations. Indeed, except mere book learn- 
ing, no education is available for the promotion of science but what every 
man gives to himself; and it has been recently stated, with much truth, that 
Sir Isaac Newton was made the greatest of natural philosophers, not by 
Cambridge, but by himself; and it is even doubted whether he derived any 
substantial benefit from his university education, though Dr. Barrow was 
then one of the professors. 
With the domestic concerns or private foibles of men who have conferred 
an honour on their country, the public have nothing to do ; but, if allusions 
be made to them, we have a right to expect that the words should convey 
a correct representation of facts. The high praise bestowed on Lady Davy 
we fully believe to be justly merited : the very circumstance of her going to 
join her husband on his travels, during his last illness, would alone afford 
sufficient proof of this ; but while the biogr apher speaks of the “ inestimable 
treasure of van affectionate and exemp/ar y wife, and a congenial friend and 
companion,’ ’ does he not, by the mention of these qualities, excite recollec- 
tions which the best frente to the memery of this eminent philosopher 
would desire to be buried in oblivion ? The biographer, as well as the his- 
torian, who writes immediately after passing events, has sometimes a diffi- 
cult task to perform, if he departs from an unvaried and unmeaning strain 
of eulogy in describing his characters ; but he who undertakes to write the 
life of such a man as Sir Humphry Davy, should recollect that, if the task 
be well executed, he is not writing for the present age alone, but for poste- 
rity: and, if he descend to details of the philosopher’s family, and of his 
manners, habits, and opinions *, the only value such details can possess will 
be from their verisimilitude. "Indeed, without this verisimilitude, private 
biography, as is too frequently the case, is nothing but a “ cunningly devised 
fable,’ imtended to mislead, and not to instruct. We have been more 
copious in our remarks, because it is announced that the same gentleman 
who wrote the article of Sir Humphry Davy is preparing for publication a 
full life of this eminent philosopher. From the able and perspicuous sketch 
of his discoveries given in the Odituary, the writer has proved himself well 
qualified for the undertaking: we have no doubt that the work will be 
worthy, in this respect, of the subject ; and we should be sorry to see it dis- 
figured by any instances of bad taste or affectation. 
* Dr. Paris says something about the “ spawn of infidelity,” and seems to 
wish, by implication, te puff off Sir Humphry Davy’s piety: his real senti- 
ments on religious subjects were well known to his intimate friends. The 
inference which Dr. Paris would wish his readers to draw respecting the 
domestic life of the philosopher is, that Sir Humphry Davy and his lady 
lived in a state of the highest connubial felicity. On this subject he had 
done much better to have maintained silence. — L. H. 
Davy “ hearing, while at Gottenberg, that Berzelius was in the south of 
Sweden, he wrote him, desiring he would not leave Helsingborg till a cer- 
tain day, where he would meet him. Accordingly, Berzelius, with Orsted, 
and, I believe, Brongniart, were there at the time, and waited two days 
beyond it; till the two latter lost patience, and set off; and Berzelius had 
his horses in his carriage when news was brought that the Englishman had 
arrived: and, when they met, Davy’s excuse was, ‘ that he had found such 
capital fishing by the way, that he could not think of leaving it? The waiting 
and the excuse, conjoined with the hauteur which, in later life, made Davy 
forget most of his old friends, and his old friends dislike him, were sufficient 
to create an unfriendly feeling: so, after spending four hours together, they 
parted. ‘ Any degree or mark of respect I was disposed to give him, as a 
great philosopher,’ said Berzelius : ‘but it was a pity to see a mind like his 
stoop to the demand of deference as a man of the world.” (Johnston, in 
Brewster's Journal, April, 1830. p 205.) 
