66 cried out with great vehemence, "There is the friendly fpirit that "is come to converfe with me; look, and be convinced that "what I have faid is true." Manfo looked, not without fome furprife, but faw nothing except the funbeams which fhone through the window he was juft going to afk where the pretended fpirit was, when he was prevented by Taffo's fpeaking with great earneftnefs to fome imaginary being, fometimes putting queftions, and fometimes giving anfwers, in a manner fo pleafing, and with fuch elevation of expreffion, that Manfo had no defire to interrupt him; the converfation at last ended by the fuppofed departure of the fpirit; when Taffo, turning round to his friend, afked if his doubts were removed; to which he made no reply, being fo much amazed that he gladly waved all farther converfation on the fubject. Finding his law-fuit not likely to be foon determined, he went from Naples to Rome, where he continued about a year, in high favour with pope Sextus Quintus, and then went to Florence, at the preffing invitation of Ferdinando, grand duke of Tuscany, who had been cardinal at Rome when Tasso firft refided there. year Having spent about another at Florence, he returned again to Naples, taking Rome in his way; and the old prince of Conca being then dead, he accepted an apart ment in the palace of the young count of Paleno, who fucceeded him, and there applied himself to correct his Jerufalem Delivered, or rather to compofe a new work, which he called the Jerufalem Conquered. The young prince of Conca, knowing how frequently Taffo had eloped from his friends without warning, and being very anxious to keep poffeffion both of the poet and his work, caufed him to be very narrowly watched, which Taffo obferving, and being dif pleafed at it, found means to elude his diligence, and retired to his friend Manfo's, where, however, he still continued upon good terms with the prince of Conca. His Jerufalem Conquered was the Jerufalem Delivered altered, or rather new written, with a view to obviate the objections of the critics, by a conformity to their rules; and about this time, being now in his 48th year, he published his new and elaborate performance; but it ferved only to prove that the critics were miftaken, for it was received with much lefs approbation than that in which he had delivered himfelf up to the enthusiasm of his genius, and in a fhort time was almoft forgotten. It is faid, that he began a third correction of his poem, compounded partly of the Jerufalem Delivered, and partly of the Jerufalem Conquered; but this he never completed. Soon after the publication of his Jerufalem Conquered, Hippolito Aldrobandini fucceeded Sextus Quintus to the papacy, by the name of Clement the VIIIth; and his two nephews, Cynthio and Pietro Aldrobandini, were créated cardinals. Cynthio, who was a great patron of learning and genius, and had known Taflo when he laft refided at Rome, prevailed with him once more to leave his retreat at Naples, and live with him in that city. When Taflo fet out on this journey, the confines of the ecclefiaftical ftate being greatly infefted with C4 ban banditti, it was ufual for travellers to go together in large companies, for fecurity. Taffo therefore joined himself to one of thefe companies; but when they came within fight of Mola, a little town near Gaeta, they received ́ intelligence that Sciarra, a famous captain of robbers, was at hand with a body of men too numerous for them to refift. Taffo advised that they should continue their journey, and if they fhould be attacked, ftand refolutely upon their defence; but this was over-ruled; they threw themfelves for fafety into Mola, where they remained for fome time in a manner blocked up by the banditti; but their captain, Sciarra, hearing that Taffo was one of the company, sent a message to affure him that he might pafs in fafety, and offered himfelf to conduct him whereever he pleased. Taffo returned him thanks, but declined his offer, perhaps not thinking a man of his character could be fafely trufted; but Sciarra fent a fecond meffage, by which he informed Taffo, that, upon his account, he would withdraw his men, and leave the ways open. He accordingly did fo, and Taffo continuing his journey, arrived fafely at Rome, where he was graciously welcomed, not by the two cardinals only, but by their uncle the pope himself. Here he continued till his 50th year, and being thep again weary of his fituation, and defirous to profecute his law-fuit, he obtained permiffion to retire once more to Naples, where he took up his abode with the Benedictine fathers, in the convent of St. Severin. Cardinal Cynthio, however, found means to recal him again to Rome, after a very fhort abfence, by ha ving prevailed with the pope to con fer upon him the honour of being publicly and folemnly crowned with laurel in the capitol. He fet out from Naples to receive this honour, with a prefage that he fhould never return; and, in his way, ftopped at the monaftery of mount Caffino, to pay his devotions to the relicts of St. Benedict, for whom he had a particular ve peration; having fpent the festival of Chriftmas at this place, he proceeded to Rome, where he arrived in the beginning of the year 1595, being thep about 51 years old: he was met at the entrance of the city by many prelates and perfons of diftinction, and was introduced by the two cardinals to the pope, who complimented him by faying, "That his merit would confer as much honour on the laurel he was about to receive, as the laurel had formerly conferred on others." Orders were immediately given to decorate not only the pope's palace, and the capitol, but all the principal ftreets through which the proceffion was to pafs: but Taflo, whether from an habitual dejection of mind, or a fecret fenfation of the firft approaches of a disease which he apprehended would be fatal, declared, that all these pompous preparations would be in vain; and being fhewn a fonnet that was compofed on the occafion, by Hercole Taffo, a relation, he replied by the following verfe of Seneca, was perfectly recovered, Taffo himfelf was taken ill. Though he was no more than fifty-one years of age, yet his ftudies and his misfortunes had brought on all the languor and infirmities of old age. Being now confirmed in the opinion that his end was near, he expreffed a defire of being removed to the monaftery of St. Onuphrius, and he was accordingly carried thither in cardinal Cynthio's coach, and received with the utmoft tenderness by the prior and brethren of that order. Many medicines were administered by the advice of the most eminent phyficians of Rome, but without effect; and a violent fever coming on, occafioned, as it is faid, by his having unadvisedly eaten fome milk, Ri naldini, who was phyfician to the pope, and Taffo's intimate friend, told him that his laft hour was at hand. Taflo received the informa tion with great compofure, and embracing Rinaldinį with great tendernefs, thanked him for it. He then looked upwards, and pronounced a fhort ejaculatory prayer, and from this time his mind feemed to be wholly difengaged from earthly things. He was conducted to the chapel of the monaftery by the brethren, where he received the facrament; and when he was brought back to his chamber, he was afked, where he wished to be interred? he answered, In the church of St. Onuphrius; and being defired to leave fome memorial of his will in writing, and to dictate fome epitaph to be engraven on his tomb, he fmiled and faid, That, as to the firft, he had but little to bequeath; and, as to the fecond, a plain ftone would fuffice to cover him. He did, however, make a will, by which he made 66 cardinal Cynthio his heir, and left his picture to Manfo his friend. On the 14th day of his fickness he received the extreme unction, and the pope's benediction, which was brought to him by cardinal Cynthio, and was a grace never conferred in this manner but upon perfons of the firft diftinction. Taflo was fenfible of the honour, and acknowledged it with great humility and devotion: This, fays he, is the crown I came to receive at Rome." The cardinal then asked him, if he had any other defire which his furvivors could fulfil; upon which he requested, that all the copies of his works might be collected and burnt; he know, he faid, that as they were numerous and widely dispersed, it would be difficult, but he trusted not altogether impracticable; in this ftrange requeft, in which it is difficult to fay whether vanity or humility had the greatest share, he perfifted with fo much earnestness, that the cardinal, unwilling to dif compofe him by a refufal, gave him fuch an answer as led him to believe it would be granted. Taflo then requefting the cardinal to leave him, he took his laft farewel of him with tears in his eyes, and left with him his confeffor and fome of the brethren of the monaftery. He furvived till the middle of the next day, the 25th of April, being the feftival of St. Mark, and then finding himself fainting, he embraced his crucifix, uttering thefe words, In manus tuas Domine-but expired before he could finish the fentence: he was buried the fame evening, without pomp, according to his defire, in the church of St. Onuphrius, and his body covered with a plain ftone; cardinal Cyn thio, whom he made his heir, always profeffing an intention of erecting a monument to his memory, but though he furvived many years, yet he died without putting it into execution. Manfo, to whom he left nothing but his picture, when he came, ten years after his death, and found not fo much as his name infcribed upon the stone that lay over him, would have taken upon himfelf the care of erecting a monu endowments of his mind, but it is faid of him, that there never was a fcholar more humble, a wit more devout, or a-man more amiable. Some account of the life of the celebrated French academift Monfieur DE REAUMUR. ment, but he was not permitted; RENE-Anthony Ferchault, lord however, he procured the words, Hic jacet Torquatus Taffus to be engraven on the stone that covered his grave. A ftately monument was at laft erected to his memory in the church where he was buried, by cardinal Bonifacio Bevilacqua, of an illuftrious family of Ferrara. He was tall and well fhaped, his complexion fair but pale; the hair of his head was of a chefnut colour, that of his beard fomewhat lighter, thick, and bufhy; his forehead was fquare and high, his head large, and the fore-part of it in the latter part of his life, bald; his eye-brows were dark, his eyes full, piercing, and of a clear blue; his nofe large, his lips thin, his teeth well fet and white, his neck well proportioned, his breaft full, his fhoulders broad, and all his limbs were more finewy than flefhy. His voice was ftrong, clear, and folemn; he fpoke with deliberation, and generally reiterated his laft words; he feldom laughed, and never to excefs; he was very expert in the exercises of the body. In his oratory he used little action, and pleafed rather by the beauty and force of his language, than by the graces of geflture and utterHis writings make it unneceffary to mention the natural ance. of Reaumur, was born at Rochelle in the year 1683: he learn ed grammar at the place of his birth, aad ftudied philofophy at the Jefuits college at Poitiers: in 1699 he went from thence to Bourges, at the invitation of an uncle, where he ftudied the civil law: in 1703 he went to Paris, and applied himfelf wholly to the mathematics and natural philofophy; and in 1708, being then only four-and-twenty years old, he was chosen a member of the royal academy of fciences of that city, and during that and the following year, he described a general method of finding and afcertaining all curves defcribed by the extremity of a right line, the other end of which is moved round a given curve, and by lines which fall upon a given curve under a certain angle greater or less than a right angle. Thefe are the only geometrical performances that he produced; in the year 1710, he read his obfervations upon the formation of shells, in which he proved that they grow not like the other parts of the ani mal body by expansion, but by the external addition of new parts. He alfo affigned the caufe of the variety, in point of colour, figure, and magnitude, which diftinguishes one fhell fhell from another. During the experiments which this enquiry led him to make upon fnails, he difcovered a very fingular infect which lives not only upon thefe animals, but burrows in their bodies, a fituation which he never leaves unless he is forced out of it by the fnail. This enquiry alfo gave occafion to M. Reaumur to account for the progreffive motion of teftaceous animals of different kinds, and to describe and explain an almoft endless variety of organs which the author of nature has adapted to that purpose. He produced alfo the fame year the natural hiftory of cobwebs. M. Bon, the firft prefident of the chamber of accounts at Montpelier, had fhewn that the webs, made by fpiders to depofit their eggs in, might be fpun into a kind of filk, applicable to useful purposes, but it was ftill neceffary to determine whether spiders could be bred in fufficient numbers without an expence too great for the undertaking to bear, and M. Reaumur foon found that M. Bon's discovery was a mere matter of curiofity, and that the commercial world could derive no advantage from these webs. It has been long known, that many marine animals adhere to folid bodies of various kinds, either by an attachment which continues during their existence, or which they can determine at pleasure; but how this attachment was formed, remained a fecret, till it was difcovered by M. Reaumur, to whofe enquiries we are indebted for our knowledge of many organs and materials adapted to that purpofe, of which we had no conception before. In the course of this enquiry, M. Reaumur difcovered a fifh different from that which furnished the ancients with their Tyrian dye, but which has the fame property in a yet greater degree: upon the fides of this fifh there are fmall grains, like those of a hard roe, which being broken, yield firft a fine full yellow colour, that upon being exposed for a few minutes to the air, becomes a beautiful purple. About the fame time M. Reaumur made a great variety of experiments, to difcover whether the ftrength of a cord was greater or lefs than the fum of the ftrength of the threads of which it confifts. It was generally believed that the ftrength of the cord was greater, but M. Reaumur's experiments proved it to be lefs, whence it neceffarily follows, that the lefs a cord differs from an affemblage of parallel threads, i. e. the lefs it is twifted, the ftronger it is.* It had been long afferted by those who lived on the fea coaft, or the banks of great rivers, that when craw-fif, crabs, and lobfters, happen to lofe a claw, nature produces another in its ftead. This, however, was difbelieved by all. but the vulgar, till M. Reaumur put the matter out of difpute, and traced the re-production through all its circumftances, which are even more fingular than the thing itself, M. Reau That mode of uniting various threads into a cord, is undoubtedly the best, which caufes the tensions of the threads to be equal in whatever direction the cord is ftrained; and this confideration is fufficient to render the common method of combining threads into cords by twisting, preferable to all others." |