500 
education. He abounds with ‘paren- 
thefes, exclamations, and digreffions.” 
“¢ I defired him to fayour me with his 
leading ideas concerning ftyle. ‘* Thefe 
(fays he} you will find in the differtation 
J read before the academy. 1 thall give 
you them in a few words: two thinvs 
are effential to fiyle, conception and 
expreffion ; the firft is the refult of pa- 
tient reflection. The fubjeét muft be 
carefully examined and weighed for a 
confiderable time. It will gradually 
develope "itieli(; “nay, it iS felt dike 7a 
gentle flroke of eleétricity: it affe€ls the 
head, and warms the heart, This is the 
moment of genus. “The work now be- 
comes pleafant; fo pleafant, that I have 
been occupied twelve, fourteen hours 
fucceflively, a ftranger to every other 
pleafure. The defire of fame itfelf 
could not have made me fo affiduous; 
fame, when obiained, may be confidered 
as the offspring of this pleafing eagernefs, 
but do you with to increafe this fatisfac- 
tion by deriving it from: an original 
fource > When you intend to write upon 
any fubjeét, draw every thing from your 
own reflections; confult’ no author until 
you find that your own ftock of ideas is 
exhaufted. This has always been my 
plan; and, in this method, | have con- 
fulted authors with pleafure. You will 
generally find yourfelf their equal; 
fometimes their fuperior. You criticife, 
you anticipate, and: perufe with a pleafing 
rapidity ; with refpeét to expreffion, 
fome image fhould always, if poflible, 
be conneéied with the thought, or con- 
ception. Some comparifon is often ne- 
ceffary to arreft and fix the idea, and 
this muft be moulded and fhapen until it 
acquires the precife form you with. It 
is not always proper to ufe the firft word 
that prefents itfelf, as it will probably be 
too common and familiar, but felecét fome 
other, that approaches the neareft to it. 
When you compofe, always refpeét the 
firft f{uggeftion 3 this is generally the beft. 
Lay atide your compofition for a few 
days; our natures make nothing perfect 
at the firft inftant; they work flowly, 
and acquire new vigour by repofe. Let 
‘one particular fubjeét engage your atten- 
tion, without diftraéting your thoughts 
with a diverfity.” 
““ Upon afking him, what is the beft 
preparative to becoming a good writer ? 
he anfwered, ** Read the beft authors, but 
read thofe of different taftes, and in dif- 
ferent branches of literature: for, as 
Cicero obferves, they have a certain 
relation to each other; and one fcience 
Memoirs of the Chevalier de Buffon. 
{ Sup, 
frequently illucidates another. Publica- 
tions in which the different branches of 
knowledge are thoroughly inveftigated 
are fcarce. Perhaps they do not exceed 
fifty, as thofe are abundantly fufficient 
to occupy the mind.” He particularly 
recommended the production of thofe 
who were the moft eminent for their 
genius. ‘¢ Thefe (fays he) are only few 
in number: the works of NewrTon, 
Bacon, LEIBNITZ, MOoNTESQUIEU, 
and My own. Newron difcovered a 
very important firft principle, but he 
waited his life in calculation: to demon- 
{trate it; and his ftyle is not improving.” 
Burron had a higher opinion of Leib- 
nitz than of Bacon. ‘*‘ The firft (he faid) 
manifefted the ftrongeft marks of genius 
in every fubject he treated, whereas the 
difcoveries of Bacon were fimply the 
refult of profound thought.” He praifed 
the genius of Montefquieu but not his 
ftyle, which is frequently abrupt, pom- 
pous, and much too laconic. “I have 
thoroughly ftudied the man (fays he) as 
his imperfe¢tions in compofition may be 
afcribed to his natural charaéter. The 
prefident was almoft blind, and he was fo 
much ina hurry, that he frequently for- 
got what he was geing to fay, which 
brought him into the habit of exprefling 
his ideas as concife as poflible.” 
‘‘ Our philofopher frequently fpoke 
with rapture of the pleafures derived 
from literature. Ue had never been 
fond of fociety. He had often fought 
the company of learned men, expeéting 
to derive fome advantage from their 
converfation : but exclufive of a hint or 
two, which he occafionally colleéted, he 
found that the evenings fpent in their 
company were wafted. To work was 
become to him an habit indifpenfably 
neceflary, as he hoped to live two or 
three years longer to be indulged in it. 
He was not afraid of death, and was 
confoled by the thought that his name 
would never die. He felt himfelf fully 
recompenfed for all his labours by the 
re{peét which Europe had paid to his 
talents; and by the flattering letters he 
had received from the moft exalted per- 
fonages. As the old gentleman was 
mentioning thefe circumftances, he open- 
ed his efcrutoire, and fhowed me a letter 
from Prince Henry, replete with refpeét 
and veneration ; and alfo feveral written 
by the Emprefs of Ruffia herfelf; they 
abounded with wit, and the high com- 
pliments fhe paid our philofopher, mani- 
‘feftly delighted him, as they plainly in-- 
dicated that fhe had thoroughly ac 
Lis 
