Marie-Henri Ducrotay de Blainville. 199 
managed to derive advantage from it., He found in it the 
means of ascertaining all the assailable points of the ideas he 
promulgated ; all were promptly attacked by this severe an- 
tagonist, who seemed, by disputing with this great man, to 
take upon himself the task of the ancient priests, repeating 
daily to kings in the midst of their power, Forget not that 
you are men. 
In return for services so generously rendered, the master, 
judicious and skilful, neglected nothing to provide for the 
future comfort of his singular fellow-labourer. After hav- 
ing lectured for ten years in the Athenzeum, he asked M. de 
Blainville to take his place. At a later period he entrusted 
him with the supply of his chair, first in the College of France, 
then in the Museum; finally, when the Faculty of Sciences 
required a Professor of Anatomy and Zoology, he surrounded 
his candidate in the competition with all the means of suc- 
cess. M, de Blainville was appointed, and thus acquired, 
with independence, an entire liberty of opposition, of which 
he made ample use. 
- He had not deceived himself as to his vocation. It is 
particularly by his teaching that M. de Blainville has given 
eclat to his scientific career. He possessed in the highest 
degree that easy fluency and animated turn of speech, as 
well as dictatorial tone, which subjugate and attract the 
minds of an audience. To the judicious composure which 
scatters cautiously the germs of fruitful knowledge, he pre- 
ferred the bold forms of an elevated logic. He succeeded in 
inflaming young heads who would not otherwise, without 
some resentment, have manifested marks of warm sympathy 
with a disciple who sought his own elevation by contradict- 
ing a great master. And this master was still Cuvier not- 
withstanding, for whom the youth were so full of enthu- 
siasm, but in whom they attempted indirectly to blame the 
philosopher for being forgetful of a praiseworthy and inde- 
pendent simplicity. 
Such success was not calculated to set their intercourse on 
a more agreeable footing. After a sojourn of some months 
in England, M. de Blainville returned rich in scientific mat- 
ter. Still believing his just supremacy to be respected, 
