100 Lagrange's Memoirs. 



other cause than the misfortunes that were believed ready to fall on 

 Prussia. M. Hertzberg was dead. M. Lagrange, now a Count, and 

 a French Senator, had no interest in dissembling truth. Thus we 

 must refer to his constant denials. 



The historian whom we have cited, was then misinformed. But 

 the spirit of reviling and of satire, which so justly made his work 

 suspicious, ought not to hinder us from quoting from it the lines 

 wherein he sets forth, with all the energy which is pecuhar to him, 

 his own opinion, which is that of all Europe, where he does justice 

 to M. Lagrange.* 



"11 me semble," these are his terms, " qui il y aurait ici en ce 

 moment une acquisition digne du roi de Frances. L'illustre La- 

 grange, le premier geometre qui ait paru depuis Newton, et que, 

 sous tous les rapportes de I'esprit et du genre, est I'homrae qui m'a 

 le plus etonnee ; Lagrange le plus sage et peut-etre le seul philoso- 

 phe vraiment pratique qui ait jamais existe recommandable par son 

 imperturbable sagesse, ses moeurs, sa conduite de tout genre, en un 

 mot, I'objet du plus tendre respect du petit nonibre d' hommes dont 

 il le laisse approcher, Lagrange est mecontent, tout le convie a se 

 retirer d' un pays ou rien n' absout du crime d'etre etranger, et oil 

 il ne supportera pas de n' etre pour ainsi dire qu' un objet de tole- 

 rance Le prince Cardito de CafFredo, ministre de Naples 



a Copenhague lui a ofFert les plus belles conditions de la part de 

 son souverain : le grand due, le roi de Sardaigne, 1' invitent vivement ; 

 mais toutes leurs propositions qui lui sont faites, pour attendre les 

 notres. J'ai oublie de vous dire que 1' ambassadeur, (de France,) 

 avait, a ma priere, addresse a M. de Vergennes la proposition 

 d' appeler M. Lagrange." 



The author whom we quote seemed to fear the opposition of M, 

 de Breteuil. According to Lagrange himself, it was the abbe Marie 

 who proposed him to M. de Breteuil ; and this minister, that on all 

 occasions met the wishes of the Academy of Sciences, favored this 

 demand, and caused him to be agreed upon by Louis XVI. 



The successor of Frederick, although moderately interested in the 

 sciences, yet had some scruple in letting go a savant whom his pre- 

 decessor had called, and whom he honored with peculiar esteem. 

 After some steps, Lagrange succeeded in being permitted to depart, 

 with the condition, however, that he would still give many memoirs 



* Secret History of the Court of Berlin, 1789. Tome II, p. 173, et suiv. 



