335 



from his criticism, censure his poems, or dispute his philoso- 

 phy, — must still be regarded as one of the foremost literary men 

 in the world. And when we come to consider what the other 

 candidate, who is now proposed for election, has done in spite 

 of the obstacles raised up by a natural infirmity, we must feel 

 constrained to double the praise which his literary works might 

 extort from us. Early in life deprived by accident of the sight 

 of one eye, and scarcely able to make any use of the other for 

 many years, this persevering scholar procured from the Royal 

 Archives of Madrid the immense mass of MSS. collected by 

 Munoz, the historiographer of the Indies, and with the help 

 of a secretary, whom he employed to read the documents aloud, 

 he extracted from them the materials necessary for the com- 

 position of his Histories of the Conquest of Mexico and Peru. 

 Then, blind as he was, he dictated, and even partly wrote, the 

 works which have charmed and instructed so many of those 

 whom I address. Though he afterwards obtained a partial 

 recovery of sight, it was so incomplete that he must be num- 

 bered amongst the great blind authors of the world, — with 

 Homer, Milton, and the learned author of the Conquest of 

 England by the Normans, another blind historian of our own 

 time. These are the names recommended by the Council ; and 

 though other deserving names may suggest themselves to the 

 minds of some of you, I trust that the Academy will consider 

 that the choice of the Council has been made with due delibe- 

 ration. I hope, too, that the Members will pardon my own 

 imperfect advocacy of the claims of the candidates ; and if, 

 while endeavouring to support them, I have said a word that 

 can militate to their prejudice, I beg that you will allow the 

 very names to plead for themselves, and will vote in accord- 

 ance with the merits of the distinguished men who bear them." 



The President said he thought the Meeting would agree 

 with him that the apology which the Secretary had made for his 

 advocacy was one wholly unnecessary ; and that he should be 



