294* MEMOIRS OF 



him occasionally to consult ; and the Latin of 

 King James often excited a smile, which was a 

 desirable expression for the painter ; but unhap- 

 pily the engraver was not a faithful copyist, and 

 this published portrait is anything but a resem- 

 blance. 



A change of occupation was a relaxation to 

 M. Cuvier ; perhaps the greatest of all was con- 

 versation ; but tliere was yet a third, which was 

 to throw himself on a sofa, hide his eyes from 

 the light, and listen to the readings of his wife 

 and daughters, and, occasionally, that of M. 

 Laurillard. By these nightly readings, for they 

 only took place when he could not work any 

 longer, he became acquainted with the literature 

 of the whole civilised world; and no one was 

 better able to appreciate it, for he looked on it 

 as a picture of the human mind, and judged by 

 it of the state of civilisation in the country 

 where the various works were published. He 

 frequently thus renewed his acquaintance with 

 books read long before, in order to mark the 

 changes which had taken place in the lapse of 

 years ; and the number of volumes perused in 

 this way was immense, though the reading 

 seldom or never lasted more than two lioius. 

 There was yet another advantage which attended 



