BARON CUVIER. 261 



numerous circle, composed of men of all countries 

 and professions. But before I enter into these 

 details, I feel called on to refute, by a reference 

 to known facts, those accusations which have 

 but too often been brought against him. Men 

 rarely pardon superiority, even when (as in M, 

 Cuvier) it is exempt from all kinds of vanity; 

 still more rarely do they pardon those acquisi- 

 tions of rank and fortune which necessarily re- 

 sult from this superiority ; and the great number 

 of places held by M. Cuvier, caused him to be 

 accused of an ambition for power, by those who 

 reckoned his employments, without reckoning 

 his merits, or without recognising how useful his 

 talents were to France. 



In order to set aside this unjust charge, it 

 will be sufficient, here, to recall some of the 

 occurrences scattered through these pages ; and 

 w^hich lead me to affirm, that, so far from liaving 

 sought or solicited places, he nobly rejected 

 several which were offered to him. Twice, at 

 different periods, did he refuse the directorship 

 for life of the Museum of Natural History, and, 

 at another, to enter the ministry, — an advance- 

 ment which at that time no one thought of re- 

 pulsing ; and the greater number of tlie favours 

 conferred, reached him during his absence, and 



s 3 



