172 MEMOIRS OF 



here, in order to give an idea of their nature, 

 their variety, and their beauty. Continuing to 

 speak of M. de Buffon, M. Cuvier states, that, 

 gifted with the most ardent imagination, and 

 possessing a pen that was the echo of that ima- 

 gination, viewing nature m all its activity and 

 freshness, and deeply impressed with it as a 

 whole system of beauty and order, he required 

 some one to inspect the details, some one who 

 was gifted with the power of patient inves- 

 tigation, some one whose love of justice and 

 calm tone of mind would form a sort of coun- 

 ter-balance to his ardour, some one equally de- 

 voted to the cause, but at the same time modest 

 enough to play a secondary part, and leave him 

 in possession of the brilliant fame he coveted. 

 These requisites were all centred in Daubenton, 

 the companion of his youth. Both morally and 

 physically there was the strongest contrast be- 

 tween the two friends, and each was possessed 

 of those qualities which w^ere necessary to mo- 

 derate and improve the other. BufTon, com- 

 manding every thing, eager for immediate results, 

 and imperious by nature, was desirous of divin- 

 ing the truth, not of reaching it by patient in- 

 vestigation. His imagination at every instant 

 placed itself between him and nature, and his 



