422 Prof. Wallace on the Invention of the Pantograph, 



clared farther, that in the drawing of any figure whatsoever, he 

 was so assured of accuracy, that he could pass at once from form- 

 ing the feet to represent the nose ; then, after producing the 

 hands, he could pass from them to delineate the eyes, or any 

 other part All these copies he asserted he could make either 

 equal to, greater, or less than the original ; which alone required 

 to be seen, but always most exactly true : he never looking at 

 the copy he made, although he could point out and designate 

 any part of it he pleased. 



" Upon hearing these particulars, and many more like them 

 which he told me, being inflamed with a desire to learn his in- 

 vention, I asked him to communicate it, promising to recompense 

 the benefit by disclosing to him some similar and equivalent 

 discoveries in the art of painting, which I thought were not com- 

 monly known. He replied, that he valued his invention so 

 highly, that so far from thinking that any thing comparable with 

 it existed, he did not believe that such could be even imagined ; 

 in fact, that it was not a human so much as a divine invention, 

 which he thought had been brought and disclosed to him by no 

 human efforts, but rather by some celestial genius. Therefore 

 he declared that he could not bring his mind to barter a secret 

 of that nature for any others whatsoever. 



" T begged that at least he would give me some specimen of 

 his art, by copying a picture before me. He replied, that to ex- 

 ercise his art before a bystander, was the same thing as teaching 

 it, for he that saw it practised could not fail to learn to imitate 

 it. 



" Confounded beyond belief at this assertion, I asked him se- 

 riously if he was advancing fables or facts, hyperboles or the na- 

 ked truth ? He declared that he said even less than truth war- 

 ranted. 



" Upon this I, more full of admiration than ever, again in- 

 quired, how, if the artist was guided by seeing the original only, 

 he could direct the copying pen or pencil without error ? He 



