" 
1805.] 
premature fame ; his refearches might be 
faid to conititute rather the amu(ement 
than the bufinefs of his life. He dedicated 
a certain portion of his time to the perufal, 
in Conjunétion with his wife, of romances, 
tales, and other light works ; even the mof 
frivolous produétions of the day were read 
by him, and this he termed putting his 
midd under regimen: mettre fon efprit a 
sa diete. 
Doubtlefs, this uniform plan of con-— 
duét, and uninterrupted flow of health, 
tended greatly to produce that amenity of 
manners which rendered his company fo 
agreeable; but yet another trait in his 
character. which had no lefs a fhare in pro- 
ducing that effeét, and which ftruck all 
thofe who frequented his company, was 
the good opinion which he entertained of 
mankind ; an opinion probably derived 
from the conftant abfiraétion of his mind, 
and want of intercourfe with fociety. In 
bim this fentiment was carried to an af- 
tonifhing degree; for although extremely 
alive to error, he yet appeared to have no 
conception of a falfehood, and always ex- 
perienced a frefh fhock whenever intrigues, 
and felf-intereft, concealed under f{pecious 
appearances, were unveiled to his view, 
Whether thisignorance was natural to him, 
or whether he voluntarily relinquithed the 
itudy of mankind, in order to fpare him- 
felf thofe uneafy feelings experienced by 
every ingenuous mind from too much in- 
tercouile with the world; this dilpofition 
at Jeaft diffuied over his converfation an 
air of good-nature and benevolence, fo 
much the more pleafing from being con- 
trafted with the wit aod ingenuity which 
he exercifed in mere matters of argumen- 
tation. It was only neceffary to know; 
in order to love him; and never did any 
man receive more numerous proofs of af- 
feCtion and refpe& from others, at every 
period of his life, and under all the differ- 
ent forms of government, which fo rapidly 
fucceeded each other in France. 
He has been acculed of having received 
homage unworthy of him, and odious by 
the characters of thofe who gave it; but, 
it ought not to be forgotten, that to judge 
of political charaéiers by their own dif- 
courfes, and never to afcribe to them any 
other motives than thofe which they them- 
felves exprefled, was a confequence of the 
fyftem he had adepted ; a fyfiem, doubt- 
Jefs extvemely hazardous, but which we 
have too much forfaken at the prefent 
day. 
finother feature of his charaéter, which 
fiill further contributed to, thefe odious- 
imputations of pufillanimity or egotifm, 
Memoirs of MM. Daubenton. 
47 
thrown out againft him in various publi- 
cations, but which, however, were far 
from being proved, was his perfect obedi- 
ence to the law, without any confideration 
of juftice. This fubmiffion to human 
laws was, however, merely of the fame 
kind as that which he paid to the laws of 
nature; and he permitted himfelf no more 
to murmur againft thofe which deprived 
him of fortune, or rational liberty, than 
again thofe phyfical laws which might 
caufe his members to become diftorted by 
the gout, 
It has been affirmed, that he contem- 
plated the arthritic nodes of his fingers 
with the fame frigid indifference as he 
would have viewed the tuberofities of a 
tree; and that, indeed, was literally true. 
But although the maintenance of his 
tranquillity might have been the motive of 
fome of his actions, fhould not the rational 
ufe he made of that tranquillity fufficiently 
abfolve him? Can the man who has un- 
foldcd fo many of the fecrets of nature, 
who has laid the foundation of almoft a 
new fcience, who has bequeathed to his 
country a fruitfal fource of induftry, who 
has reared one of the moft important mo- 
numents of the fciences, and formed fo 
many intelligent pupils, among whom are 
to be found many who already occupy the 
firft ranks in f{cience; can fuch a man 
fiand in need of any jufiification for wifely 
employing all the means he poffeffed to 
promote the interefis of his country and 
humanity ? 
The univerfal approbation teftified by 
his fellow citizens fufficiently refutes the 
accufations thrown out againft him by his 
enemies. He terminated his ufeful career, 
in the moft glorious manner, when receive, 
ing the mo folemn proofs of their efteem 3 
and we have to regret that his days were 
peroaps abridged by the exercife of thofe 
funétions to which he was called by the 
voice of a grateful people. — | 
Named a member of the Confervative 
Senate, Daubenton was anxious to fulfil 
his new duties as he had formerly fulfilled 
ail thofe with which he was charged; he 
was forced to make fome change in his 
vfual drefs, and the weather being ex- 
tremely rigorous, the firft time he alhfted 
at the fitting of that body, of which he 
had become a member, he was ftruck with 
an apoplexy, and fell fenfelefs into the arms 
of his colleagues; the moft prompt mears 
were employed to afford him relief, but he 
only recovered his recollection for a fhort 
period, during whica ke evinced the fame . 
charaéter as that be had uniformly difpliy- 
ed throughout life. | 
Tranquilly 
