M. l’Abbe Betencourt, aura dit a peu
    pres:  “Il mourra sans laisser d’eleve.”  M. Dibdin qui parle et entend
    fort bien le Francais, EST IL EXCUSABLE DE FAIRE MAL PARLER UN
    ACADEMICIEN FRANCAIS, et surtout de rendre vicieuses presque toutes
    les phrases qu’il veut citer textuellement?  L’exactitude!
    l’exactitude!  C’est la premiere vertu du bibliographe; on ne saurait
    trop le repeter a M. Dibdin.”  CRAPELET. vol. iv. 124.  Quaere tamen? 
    Ought not M. Crapelet to have said “il mourrira?” The sense implies
    the future tense:  But ... how inexpiable the offence of making a
    French Academician speak bad French!!—­as if every reader of common
    sense would not have given me, rather than the Abbe Betencourt,
    credit for this bad speaking?

[158] [In a short, and pleasing, memoir of him, in the Revue
    Encyclopedique, 115th livraison, p. 277, &c. it is well and
    pleasantly observed, that, “such was his abstraction from all
    surrounding objects and passing events, he could tell you who was
    Bishop of such a diocese, and who was Lord of such a fief, in the
    XIIth century, much more readily, and with greater chance of being
    correct, than he would, who was the living Minister of the Interior,
    or who was the then Prefect of the department of the Seine?” By the
    kindness of a common friend, I have it in my power to subjoin a
    fac-simile of the autograph of this venerable Departed:]

    [Autograph]

[159] The Thucydides was published first; in twelve volumes 8vo. 
    VOL.  II. 1807; with various readings, for the first time, from
    thirteen MSS. not before submitted to the public eye.  The French
    version, in four volumes, with the critical notes of the Editor, may
    be had separately.  The VELLUM 4to. copy of the Thucydides consists of
    fourteen volumes; but as the volumes are less bulky than those of the
    Xenophon, they may be reduced to seven.  The Xenophon was published
    in 1809, in seven volumes, 4to.  The Latin version is that of
    Leunclavius; the French version and critical notes are those of M.
    Gail.  The vellum copy, above alluded to, is divided into ten volumes;
    the tenth being an Atlas of fifty-four maps.  Some of these volumes are
    very bulky from the thickness of the vellum.

Upon this unique copy, M. Gail submitted to me, in writing, the following remarks.  “Of the Xenophon, two vellum copies were printed; but of these, one was sent to the father of the present King of Spain, and received by him in an incomplete state—­as the Spanish Ambassador told M. Gail:  only six volumes having reached the place of their destination.  The Editor undertakes to give authenticated attestations of this fact.”  “If,” say M. Gail’s written observations, “one considers that