THEIR RESULT. 133

of that same all-perfect Being, deeply-rooted in hig
heart, struggled hard to persuade him that God
alone, and not His creatures, was worthy of his
researches, love, and attention.”

Who can wonder, after reading this truly sur-
prising account of Swammerdam’s labours, that his
health was irreparably injured, and that his mental
powers were enteebled? His temperament was
constitutionally of a melancholy cast, and he had
unhappily adopted the mystical views taught by
A. Bourignon. He conceived that it was his
duty to allow his mind no other occupation
than that of abstract devotion, and determined
that he would consecrate his thoughts entirely to
the love and adoration of the great Creator, to
whose honour alone, he publicly declared, he had
commenced and prosecuted his many and great
labours in the cultivation of natural history, from
which he now entirely desisted, in order to
devote all the little uncertain portion of life
that remained to the solemn exercises of de-
votion.

In order to procure himself a competent income,
he next resolved to sell his museum, which was
now become of great value, but could find no pur-
chaser. In this dilemma he applied to his former
friend M. Thevénot, hoping that, by his interven-
tion, the Grand Duke of Tuscany might be induced