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: but
BUFFON 177
have trained and bettered it
by reading the poets and orators,
and one is
mechanically led to imitate poetical cadence and
the turns of oratory. Now imitation never created anything;
hence this euphony of words forms neither the basis nor the
tone of style. It is, in fact, often found in writings devoid
of ideas.
The tone, which is
simply an agreement of the style with
the nature of the subject, should never be forced, but should
arise naturally from the very essence of the material, depending
to a large extent upon the generalization one has in
mind. If the author rises to the most inclusive ideas, and
if hi- subject
it -elf is
lofty, his tone will apparently rise
to the same height; and if while sustaining the tone at
"that altitude his genius proves copious enough to surround
each particular object with a brilliant light,
if the author can
unite beauty of color with vigor of design, if he can, in a word,
-ent each idea by a lively and well defined image, and
make of each sequence of ideas a picture that is harmonious
;etic, the tone will be not simply elevated but sublime.
Here, Gentlemen, the application would avail more
than the rule,
and illustration be more instructive than pre-
since I am not permitted to cite the sublime passages
that have so often transported me in reading your works,
I am forced to limit myself simply to reflections. The wellwritten
works are the only ones that will go down to posterity :
tlu- amount of knowledge in a book, the peculiarity of the
facts, the novelty even of the discoveries, are not Mire warrants
of immortality. If the works that contain these are
concerned with only minor object-;
if
they
are written without
taste, without nobility, without inspiration, they will
the knowl. .uid discoveries, being
K hcd, are passed on to others, and even gain intrinwhen
appropriated by more gifted hands. These