ANNALS - 



OF 



PHILOSOPHY. 



MAY, 1813^ 



Article I, 



Biographical Account of M. de Vourcroy, Bv Thomas 

 Thomson, M.D. F.R.S, 



Literary men mav be divided into three classes. Some 

 make a great figure during their life-time; but death erases their 

 names from the annals of science, and they sink into tiie grave 

 and obscurity at once. Such were Dr. Mead and Sir John Hill, 

 Some are little known during their life-time, and spend their 

 days in obscurity and penury ; but when death has once closed 

 the scene, their reputation rises untarnished by envy, and unsul- 

 lied by emulation, and flows on like a mighty river, the broader^ 

 and deeper, and greater, the farther it advances. Such, in some 

 respects, were Kepler and Scheele. Some are so unfortunate, 

 through imprudence, or a perverse train of circumstances, neither 

 to acquire reputation during their lives, nor after their death i 

 while their more fortunate contemporaries, with less labour, and 

 less merit, gather all the laurels which they bed earned. It 

 would be invidious to mention the names of any v/ho unfortu- 

 nately belong to this class ; but they will readily occur to every 

 one acquainted with the history of science. Every tyro in algebra 

 is familiar with Cardan's rules for the solution of cubic equations, 

 while the name of the real discoverer of these rules is scarcely 

 known, except to mathematical antiquaries. M. de Fourcroy^ 

 the subject of this article, made so conspicuous a figure during 

 his life-time, that it would by no means surprise us if he should 

 finally take his place among that class of literary men whom we 

 characterised in the first place : not that he wanted merit j iox it 

 is not so much merit, as a regard to distributive justice, which 

 leads to the classification. Who will be hardy enough to affirm 

 Vol. L N° V, X 



