«“ This holy father, who is prieft of 
Buffon, a village about two miles diftant 
from Montbart, 1s the father-confefior of 
the count, 1s conftantly with him, and 
terms himfelf the capuchin *of Buffon. 
He attempts to perfuade you that our 
_ philofopher intends to introduce him to 
the academy, where he will be treated 
with every mark of refpeét, and placed 
gm the chair of honcur, &c. Monf.: de 
Burrow has fpoken of him,as his friend, 
in the article of Sez, He is alfo his 
lackey. While the autoor of the Natural 
Hifiory walks foremoft with a dignified 
gait; his head elevated, f{carcely deigning 
to look upon the ground, abforbed in 
contemplation, like the portrait drawn 
in his Hiftory of Man (the model of 
which he indubitably took from himitelr) 
- with a cane in his right hand, and ‘his 
left repofing majeftically upon his hip; 
i have feen) father. fevativs walk, “or 
xather fop-after him, for he is lame, 
which renders his fubtilty fil more 
picturefque. In *the abfence of the 
domeftics, Iohave feen him hand over a 
towel tothe count, fet the dining table 
before him, and perform fuch like menial 
fervices. Burron rewards thefe atten- 
tions with, f thank you, my dear child. 
The fame perfonage is alfo the domeftic 
contefier of our piilofopher. IGNATIUS 
told me that the count, knowing that he 
was to preach at Moéntbort during Lent, 
fent for him-into his fady, and confefied 
to him in the fame apartment where he 
had developed the Prixczples of Material- 
ifm. He alfe communicates in the 
Chapel of ibe Glory every Whitfuntide. 
He regularly attends mafs on Sundays, 
unlefs prevented by indi{pofition, and as 
regularly diftributes to the- value of a 
Louis d’or-among the iurrounding men? 
dicants..: In the chapel are depofited the 
remains of his wife, whom he married 
from affection about forty-five yeais ago; 
and who always manifciled the greateft 
veneration for het--hufband, nctwith- 
fianding his many infidelities, of which 
fhe was not ignorant. ‘You will, doubt- 
lefs,-be furprifed at this account of our 
philofopher being fo attentive to the 
offices of religion; but he has himfelf 
afflured me, that he makes it an indil- 
enfible obligation to manifeft a ref{pec& 
‘for religion, which he confiders as effen- 
tially neceflary for the common people ; 
as every word uttered in fo {mall a 
town, is immediately circulated, the 
utmoft caution fhould be ufed not to 
let any thing efcape that fhight give 
offence. “I am convinced (fays he to me) 
498 Memoirs of the Chevalier de Buffan. “| "fF Sup. 
that you will “pay attention to- this 
prudential rule. It has been obferved 
‘by me in all my writings. T have pub- 
lifued the one after the other in fuch a 
manner, that men of vulgar capacities 
thould not be able to trace the chain of | 
my thoughts. I have always fpoken of 
the creator; but it is eafy te efface that 
word, and fubftitute in its place the 
powers of nature, which confift in the twe 
grand laws of attraétion and repulfion, 
When the Sorbonne become troublefome 
to me, I never feruple to give ‘them 
every fatisfaétion they require. ‘It is 
but a found, and mén are foclifh enough 
to- be contented with it. “Upon * this 
account, if I-were ill, end found my end 
approaching, | fhould not hefitate to re- 
ceive the facrament. This refpeét is due 
to the offices of religion; thofe who aét 
otberwife are imprudent and unwife. 
Popular opinions are not to be ridiculed, 
or oppofed, with open violenee, in the 
manner that VOLTAIse, DipERot, 
and Hetvertivs have done.’ This la& 
“was iny intimate friend, and has fre- 
quently’ vifired me at Montbart., J 
have repeatedly advifed him to ufe Gimi- 
Jar difcretion ; and, had he followed my 
advice, he would have been much hap. 
pier.”—“.My fir work (continues he) 
appeared at the fame time with L’ E/prit 
des Lois. MonTesquiev . and myfelf 
were tormented by the Sorboxne. The 
prefident was violent ;. What have you 
to anfzver for yourfelf, fays he to me. in an 
angry tone. Noziimg at all, was my-an- 
{wer ; and he was filenced, and perfectly 
thunderftruck at my indifferetice.”” 
“One evening, I read io BUFFON the 
vetfes 6f Tomas, on the immortality 
ofthe foul. “He finiled, “* Pardieu (lays 
he) relvion would be & valdabie gifiy if 
Olt this were true FP’ He criticifed the verfes 
feverely, but with ‘impartiality. © He is 
very rigorous re!peéting fiyle, and parti- 
cularly‘in poetry, againft which he is 
ftronely prejudiced. He maintatms that 
it is impoflible to write four lines of 
poetry in the French language, without 
a'treipafs againft propriety of expreiiion, 
or eccuracy of conception. ‘I once at- 
tempted poctry (fays he) but I foon re- 
hinquifhed a protetiton in which reafon is 
loaded with fetters.. She has too many 
of her own to fuffer additional. trammels.” 
“< This fubje& brings to my recolleétion 
another trait of vanity to which it gaye 
rife. Inthe morning of the day I refer 
to, Monf. Burron, under the pretext 
that his indifpofition would not permit 
him to look over his papers, defired me 
tQ 
