SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER 
TO THE 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 


aa Se AT SR 
Wot KX. Vou: HT 

“ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
PARTICULARS IN THE PRIVATE LIFE 
OF THE CELEBRATED CHEVALIER 
DE BUFFON. . 
iZ is with great pleafure I perceive that 
_* you propofe to pay attention tothe ar- 
ticle of Biography in your excellent Mif- 
cellany. This ftudy, were amufement 
the only object, is inferior to none, and in 
“utility fuperior to mof. The information 
we obtuin concerning the private lives of 
perfons who have in any way attracted 
public notice, is not only very grateful to 
that curiofity which pleafes itfelf with 
every minutia that relates to men of dif- 
tinguifhed eminence; but this alone en- 
ables us to form juft ideas of their true 
charaéter, and to appreciate their real me- 
rit. This obfervation is peculiarly ap- 
plicable to literary charafters. When an 
author profeffedly becomes a candidate 
for renown, he is very careful to appear 
before the public in the full dréfs of his 
mind: his choiceft fentiments are cau- 
tioully {elected from the common ftock of 
his ideas; they are arranged in the beft 
poffible order, and fet off with every or- 
nament of language. He is anxious not 
to be furprifed off his guard, not to utter 
a fentence, or ufe a term that may have a 
tendency to fully his fame. It 1s alone, 
when we are able to attend the author 
in the fequeftered fcenes of life, and con- 
template the wadrefs of his mind, that we 
learn to know the man. Amidf the 
great. variety of human characters and 
motives of conduct, it muft neceffarily 
happen, that in fome cafes we fhall dif- 
cover a glaring contrariety between the 
author and the man, between his renown 
and his deferts : in fome we fhall difcover 
foibles, which may diminifh, but not de- 
ftroy, the {plendour of his reputation ; 
and in others, we behold a coincidence 
that charms. In al/, we learn to know 
the motives and {prings of aétion; and 
this knowledge, while it enables us to do 
ftriét juftice to the individual, greatly ex- 
MontTHry Mae. No. XIX. © 
tends our acquaintance with human nae 
ture itfelf. Where we are compelled to 
regret that our admiration has been im- 
properly placed, or lament the foibles 
which are fometimes to be found in per- 
fons of merited celebrity, yet we feel a 
fatisfaétion in the difcovery of truth; and 
notwithftanding more alloy may be blend- 
ed with the precious metal than had been 
imagined, yet we fhall learn to know the 
Intrinfic value of the coin, and appres. 
ciate it accordingly, 
Obfervations of this nature have doubt- 
lefs prefented themfelves to numbers up- 
on reading the life of our celebrated 
countryman, the late Dr. Johnfon. While 
we lament that fo many of his frail- 
ties have been drawn from obfcurity by 
the hand of friendfhip itfelf, yet we claim 
the communications concerning his private 
life as a valuable acquifition to our biogra- 
phical knowledge; and it is upon thefe 
principles that I fend you the following 
particulars concerning the private life of 
that great naturalift, and juftly admired 
author Je Chevalier de BUFFON. They: 
are taken from the account which Mon- 
fieur HERAULT-SECHELLES has given 
of his journey to Montéart, the country 
refidence of our philofopher, in the year 
1785. This gentleman, charmed with 
the works of Monfieur de Burron, felt 
an ardent defire to become perfonally ac- 
quainted with him; and this defire be- 
ing made known to M. Burron, he 
received from him a cordial invitation to 
Monteart. It is left to the reader to de- 
termine whether this enthufiaftic admirer 
of the philfopher has made the moft ge- 
nerous ufe of that gentleman’s hofpita- 
lity ; and whether in this inftance alfo a 
zeal to communicate, has not exceeded 
the bounds of friendfhip; the world is at 
leaft favoured, by this difpofition, with a 
literary curiofity, of which it would 
otherways have been deprived. The 
narrative may in fome cafes appear unne- 
ceffarily minute, but this is a pardonable 
38 faule 
