1800.] 
that the book which infpired him with the 
love of natural hiftory by reading it, was 
the moft proper to give birth to it in the 
minds of his difciples. 
He tranflated it into Italian and enrich- 
- ed it with notes; he added a preface to it, 
wherein he pointed out the fudjeéts of the 
vegetable and animal ceconomy, which in 
an efpecial manner deferved the attention 
of his pupils : 
to them the means of fucceeding in their 
refearches. Jt was thus he at firft devoted 
himfelf to the pleafing employment of in- 
ftructor of his countrymen, and that he be- 
came the model of thofe who were defirous 
of inftruéting ufefully. He publifhed the 
firft volume of his tranflation in.176g, and 
the fecond in 1770. 
The connexion of SFALLANZANI with 
Bonnet had an-influence upon his genius, 
which bent to the fevere method of the 
philofopher of Geneva. He prided him- 
felf in being his pupil, and he unceafingly 
meditated upon his admirable writings; 
and thus it was that he became defirous of 
feeking in nature for the proofs of Bon- 
net’s opinion upon the generation of or- 
ganized bodies, and that this charming 
fubjeét fixed his attention for a long time. 
He publifhed, in 1776, the two frft 
volumes of his Opufcoli di Fifica Animale e 
Vegetabile : they are the explanation of a 
part of the Microfcopic Obfervations, 
which had already appeared. 
If the art to ebferve be the moft dificult, 
it is neverthelefs the moft neceffary of all 
the arts; but it fuppofes every quality, 
every talent: 
believes himfelf more or lefs confummate 
therein, yet it is obvious that only great 
men have exercifed it ina diftinguifhed 
manner. Genius alone fixes the objetis 
worthy of regard ; that alone direéts the 
fenfes to the ebfcurities which it is necef- 
fary to diffipate; it watches over them to 
prevent error; it animates them to follow 
by the f{cent, as it were, that which they 
have but a diftant view of: it takes off 
" the veil which covers what we are looking 
after; it fupports the patience which waits 
the moment for gratifying the ficht in the 
midit of obitacles multiplying one upon 
another: in fhort, it is genius that con- 
centrates the attention upon an object, 
which communicates that energy to bim 
for imagining, that fagacity for difcover- 
ing, that promptnefs for perceiving, with- 
) but which we fee only one fide of truth, 
when we do not happen to let it efcape 
altogether. But this is not all; for after 
nature has been read with precifion, it is 
neceffary to Spaaa uct with fidelity ; toe 
MONTHLY MAG, 1 57e 
ai 


and fometimes pointing out 
and further, though each, 
Life and Labours of Spallanzani. co. QB 
analyfe by the thought the phenomena ana- 
tomifed by the fenfes; to confider of the 
fpecies by obferving the individual, and to 
anticipate the general propofitions by con- 
fidering the unconneéted facts.. Here, 
prudence and circumfpection will not al- 
ways fecure us againft error, if an ardent 
love for the truth does not affay obferva— 
tions and their confequences in its crucible. 
and thereby reduce every thing to (corte 
which 1s not truth. 
Such was SPALLANZANL in all his re- ~ 
fearches ; fuch we fee him in all his wri- 
tings. Occupi ied by the great phenome- 
non of generation, he examined ene opinion 
of Needham to demonftrate’ its want of 
foundation: the latter, not latis ed with 
the microfcopic obfervations of SPALLAN- 
ZANI, which weakened the imagined ve- 
getative force to put the matterin motion, 
challenged the profeffor of Reggio toa 
reperulal of what he had written; but he 
proved to the other, that we in common 
practice always fee that which has been 
well obferved, but that we never again fee 
that which we have been contented with 
tmagining we faw. 
I make no renvarle on the fevere logic 
and amiable politenefs of SPALLANZANI 
in his refutation, or the art with which he 
demonftrates to Needham the caufes of 
his error; but it will always be underftood 
with pleafure, that the animalculz of in- 
fufions are produced by germs, that there 
are fome of them which defy, like certain 
epgs and feeds, the moft exceffivecold, as 
wellas the heat of boiling water. On this 
occafion he treats on the influence of cold 
upon animals, and proves that the lethargic 
numbnefs of fome, during winter, does 
not depend upon the impreffion the blood 
may receive from it, fince a frog, deprived 
of his blood, becomes lethargic when he 
is reduced tothe fame cold ftate by an im- 
merfion in ice, and fwims as before when 
reftored to warmth. Inthe fame manner, 
he fhews that odours, various liquors, 
the vacum, act upon animalcule as upon 
other animals, that they are oviparous 
viviparous, and hermaphrodite: Thus, 
in running over thefe diftant regions of 
nature with this illuftrious traveller, we 
are always meeting with new facts, pro- 
found remarks, precious details, and fome 
curious anecdotes; in fhort, an univerfal 
hiftory of thofe beings which are the moft 
numerous of the globe, although their 
exiftence is fcarcely fufpeéted, and whofe 
organization is in many refpetts different 
from that of known animals. 
The fecond, volume cy ans Oe ei a 




