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The LIFE of JOHN SWAMMERDAM. wii 
every thing he advanced. Such a fabrick had never been raifed before, yet 
it was raifed by him in fo mafterly a manner, that it might have ftood ages. 
But, O hard fate of induftry! after having been driven himfelf to offer his 
curiofities to fale more like a beggar that had nothing to give, than like a 
man who offered infinitely more than he afked, and this too without fuccefs ; 
his heirs, after his deceafe, made propofals of felling them all, his anatomical 
preparations, his infects, and his inftruments, for the trifling fum of five thou- 
fand florins, without finding any one intelligent enough to buy them for his 
own ufe, or generous enough to purchafe them for that of the public. Alas, 
what a lofs was this, neverto be repaired! Thefe wonders of art and nature, by 
being feparated and {cattered into different hands, loft all their value, to the 
irretrievable difhonour of an age, the moft remarkable of any that had as yet 
ever been for ftudies of this nature. As for you, my readers, I muft inform 
you of the obligations you owe, on the prefent occafion, to the great Gaubius, 
who from his fincere love to the republic of letters, tranflated all the works I 
now prefent you, from the original Dutch into Latin, that the curious of all 
nations might have the better chance of reading them ; and perhaps it would 
have been a hard matter, if not impoflible, to find another tranflator equal 
to the tafk. The fads I have here related are collected from the hiftory 
of the times, from a repeated perufal of Swammerdam’s works, and from 
the letters written or received by him. An accurate and well-digefted col- 
leGtion of all thefe papers fupplied me with materials for writing his life, and 
Tintend to depofit them all, as well as the original drawings made by his own 
hand in the moft elegant and mafterly manner, in the public library of the 
univerfity, there to remain as an eternal monument of our author’s merit, 
and of my exadtnefs and integrity in writing his life, and publifhing his 
labours; and; in fine, that fuch as take delight in things of this kind, may 
by this means have an eafy opportunity of fatisfying their curiofity. It was 
thus I acted in regard to the pofthumous works of the celebrated Vail- 
lant. Farewel reader. 
LeypeEn, 1775*36. 
HERMAN BOERHAAVE. 
