His  poetical  writings. 
21 
the  aptness  of  the  illustration,  or  the  argumentative  skill  with 
which  the  whole  is  marshalled  and  presented.  As  a piece 
of  induction  the  memoir  is  a model  of  its  kind,  and  as  an 
exercise  in  ‘ the  scientific  use  of  the  imagination  ’ it  has  few 
equals.” ' 
It  is  necessary,  however,  to  take  account  of  those  side 
issues  of  chai'acter  which  exhibit  the  spirit  that  he  brought  to 
bear  upon  his  work.  His  great  success  in  life  was  attained 
by  an  union  of  genius,  brilliant  talents,  and  friendly  courtesy 
to  all  he  met.  This  is  an  almost  unique  instance  of  a scien- 
tific man  who  stood  at  the  head  of  his  own  special  study, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  able  to  hold  his  own  as  the  equal 
of  some  of  the  most  brilliant  literary  geniuses  that  have  ever 
lived. 
Dr.  Thorpe  in  his  admirable  life  of  Davy  styles  him  “poet 
and  philosopher.”  This  is  just,  but  we  must  take  the  title 
“ poet  ” in  its  widest  sense.  As  a writer  of  poetical  verse  he 
cannot  be  said  to  take  a high  place,  although  friends  of  such 
high  authority  as  Coleridge  and  Southey  said  that,  had  he 
devoted  his  life  to  the  study  of  the  art,  he  would  have  been  a 
great  poet.  He  was  a man  who  looked  at  the  world  with  the 
insight  of  the  poet,  a quality  which,  combined  with  the 
power  of  discovery  by  the  dry  light  of  science,  is  not  of 
frequent  occurrence. 
, Dr.  Paris  and  Dr.  Davy  both  printed  some  pleasing 
specimens  of  Davy’s  verse,  and  the  former  quotes  his  prologue 
to  the  Honep  Moon,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  on  Thursday, 
January  30,  1805,  with  the  following  anecdote  of  the 
chemist’s  remarkable  versatility  and  promptitude : “ A friend 
of  the  late  Mr.  Tobin  called  upon  him  at  the  Institution,  and 
found  him  deeply  engaged  in  the  laboratory.  Their  conversa- 
tion turned  upon  the  Honey  Moon,  which  was  to  be  brought 
out  on  the  following  evening.  No  sooner  had  Davy  heard 
that,  although  j>ressing  applications  had  been  made  to  several 
of  the  poets  of  the  day,  a [)rologue  had  not  been  written,  than 
he  instantly  quitted  the  laboratory,  and  in  two  hours  produced 
that  which  was  recited  on  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Bartley,  and 
printed  in  the  first  edition  of  the  comedy.”^ 
Southey  gave  evidence  of  his  belief  in  Davy’s  poetical 
powers  by  leaving  his  poem  of  “ Thalaba  ” with  him  to  revise 
and  publish  when  he  went  to  Portugal. 
’ Thorpe’s  iriimphry  Danj,  page  135. 
’ Paris’s  Life,  Vol.  1,  page  184. 
