BARON CUVIER. 271 



in making Latin themes and verses, and in read-; 

 ing the New Testament in Greek." At the 

 moment of entering the academy, he was igno- 

 rant of German ; but, as we have already seen, 

 in less than a year, he secured the prize for 

 that tongue. He always retained the faculty 

 of speaking this language, to which he added 

 Italian, in both of which he conversed fluently. 

 He read several others, and, among them, En- 

 glish ; his inability to speak which, I have often 

 heard him regret. He was accused of knowino; 

 more of it than he chose to own ; but there could 

 be no motive for concealing what would have 

 afforded him pleasure to make use of j besides 

 which, he has often tried to put little sentences 

 together in jest, and ask if they were right. If 

 a reply was given in the affirmative, he would 

 threaten to begin in earnest one day, and proba-* 

 bly would have performed his intention, had not 

 his daughters always acted as able interpreters 

 in this respect. His knowledge of the dead lan- 

 guages was not only a source of exquisite enjoy- 

 ment to him, but was absolutely necessary to his 

 profound researches. He seldom alluded to 

 Greek or Latin authors in conversation, but 

 there was a classical precision and elegance of 

 expression, even in his ordinary discourse, which 

 can scarcely be acquired by other means than the 



