204 Biographical Notice of 
to introduce himself; for the confusion was general, and if it 
was difficult to find a seat, it was not less so to find a place 
for it. At last, after the good fortune of getting installed, 
if, in the ardour of study, a volume required to be sought for, 
it was usually necessary to draw it from the base of a moun- 
tain whose general overthrow amounted, in this chaos, to a 
real cataclysm, which, considering that it was so frequent, 
was not on that account attended with less confusion. 
If an adventurous visitor, after a long parley, reached the 
inviolable asylum, while still upon the threshold, and without 
any movement indicating that his presence had been observ- 
ed, a grave and sonorous voice was heard with the invariable 
question, ‘‘ Whatis there here for your use, sir?” Sometimes 
the stranger, on the first appearance of things, became dis- 
concerted, not supposing that there could be an itinerary for 
such a labyrinth as he saw before him, or not having sufficiently 
foreseen how painful it is for a deep thinker to have the 
course of his ideas deranged. In such a case he had to seek 
for safety in a quick retreat, and thereby excuse his impru- 
dence. If, on the contrary, the first words that escaped the 
disturber announced a person worthy of a learned conversa- 
tion, M. de Blainville, immediately raising his head, and 
divesting himself of the thoughts that occupied him, employ- 
ed all the advantages which his ready eloquence put at the 
service of great knowledge to delight his auditor. If the 
latter, pleased with his courtesy, prolonged his visit, he ex- 
posed himself after his departure to the risk of eliciting from 
the Jaborious savant the exclamation, ‘ Again another hour 
lost!” 
But was it an old pupil that came to receive knowledge 
from his master? He might confidently surmount every ob- 
stacle—the kindest reception awaited him; for if M. de 
Blainville, as a true gentleman, required his pupils to render 
him complete faith and homage, it was with sincere and al- 
most paternal affection that he regarded them in return. 
It was from this sanctuary of study, that, after having 
been a long time enclosed, as poets tell us Minerva was in 
the brain of Jupiter, afterwards emerged in complete armour 
a ae = 
