Sir Humphry Davy. 237 



the features of chemical science ; he had brought over to his own 

 views nearly the whole chemical world ; he had secured the homage 

 of many scientific bodies in different countries, and commanded uni- 

 versal admiration. If we look over the Philosophical Transactions, and 

 Scientific Journals from 1798 to 1812, the rapidity with which we find 

 his great achievements to have followed each other, reminds us of noth- 

 ing less than the victories of Alexander ; which, it will be recollected, 

 were gained within the same short period, and at nearly the same time 

 of life. Nor did the Macedonian distinguish his youth by more ex- 

 traordinary conquests over man, than our philosopher signalized his 

 by conquests over matter. Nor can we forbear to pursue the com- 

 parison, and remark, how transient were the monuments which the 

 hero erected for himself; — for how short a space he broke the 

 stream of time, which soon closed up again and flowed on as before, 

 while the achievements of the philosopher, developing as they do, the 

 immutable laws of nature, are alike imperishable, and bear in them- 

 selves the elements of immortality. It was therefore with universal 

 approbation, that the Prince Regent, now George IV, selected Mr. 

 Davy as the first subject to receive at his hands the honors of knight- 

 hood. 



Released now from the arduous duties of professor of Chemistry 

 at the Royal Institution, and having become the possessor at once of 

 an amiable lady and a large fortune,* he seems to have seated him- 

 self to take an account of his stock of science, and to digest plans 

 for a life of learned leisure. How far it proved to be the true otium 

 cum dignitate, his subsequent history will shew. His " Elements of 

 Chemical Philosophy" shortly appeared as the first fruits of this re- 

 tirement, purporting to be, as was supposed, f the first of a series 

 of volumes to embrace the entire philosophy of the science. Al- 

 though it advances no farther in the system, than to expound the 

 '"' laws of chemical changes," and to give the history of " undecom- 

 pounded bodies," which is all included in a small volume of less than 

 three hundred pages, yet it comprehends so much of chemical sci- 

 ence, that Dr. Ure acknowledges that much of the purely chemical 

 part of his dictionary, is derived from this work alone. | His "Lec- 



* Monthly Mag. I. 381. 



t Such was the expectation of Dr. Thomson, (Annals of Phil. I. 372,) who suppo- 

 ses the entire work cannot consist of less than five or six volumes. We are not in- 

 formed of the reason, why the author did not proceed with the work. 



i lire's Diet. Chem. Introduction. 



