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firft conjecture ; for Defcartes, defiring that he might be heard, 

 after having with difficulty obtained filence, fpoke in the follow- 

 ing words ; " I need not mention to you the indignities offered to 

 the whole French nation, and to me in particular, by the author 

 of the Mufenm : mall my ingenious hypothefes be deftroyed by 

 Newton, whofe low genius was obliged to depend entirely on expe- 

 riment for his reputation ? This tedious circumfpect manner of 

 philofophifmg may fuit well with the phlegmatic temper of an 

 Englilhman, but let the French vivacity and genius never 

 be reproached with having had recourfe to fuch low and mecha- 

 nical means of difcovering truth. I would dwell longer on this, 

 but refentment will not fuffer me ; my advice however is, that 

 we immediately take fignal vengeance on the author of our dif- 

 grace. The Englifh, as they are fo deeply concerned, will un- 

 doubtedly fupport him with all their force ; therefore let us im- 

 mediately make choice of a general, and difpofe of our ftrength 

 in fuch a manner as to execute our defigii in fpite of oppofition. 

 Believe me, we cannot fail of fuccefs, for I will engage that our 

 engineers mail play fuch quantities of materia fubtilis upon them, 

 that they mall dread us as much, as Nature does a vacuum" 

 When he had ended, the French by their fhouts approved of his 

 propofal ; but then, every one thinking that he had the jufteft 

 pretentions to the command, there arofe a^ fecond eonfufion of 

 voices, each author proclaiming his own deferts to the aflembly. 

 This continued for a confiderable time : many at laft finding that 

 there would, be no end of this difYeniion, unlefs they agreed to 

 fix upon fome perfon of diftinguifhed merit, Racine, with the 

 confent of the major part of the afiembly, propofed Boi- 

 leau. What induced them to make choice of him for. this im- 

 portant charge was, that he had compofed fome excellent rules 

 for military difcipline, which,, if they ftrictly adhered to, they 

 3 could: 



