(John le), a most celebrated writer and universal scholar, born at Geneva in 1657. After he had passed through the usual course of study at Geneva, and had lost his father in 1676, he went to France in 1678; but returning the year after, he was ordained with the general applause of all his examiners. In 1682, le Clerc visited England with a view to learning the language. He preached several times in the French churches. Clerc churches in London, and visited several bishops and men of learning; but the smoky air of the town not agreeing with his lungs, he returned to Holland within the year, where he at length settled. He preached before a synod held at Rotterdam by the remonstrants in 1684; and was admitted professor of philosophy, polite literature, and the Hebrew tongue, in their school at Amsterdam. The remainder of his life affords nothing but the history of his works, and of the controversies he was engaged in; but these would lead into too extensive a detail. He continued to read regular lectures; and because there was no single author full enough for his purpose, he drew up and published his Logic, Ontology, Pneumatology, and Natural Philosophy. He published Ars Critica; a Commentary on the Old Testament; a Compendium of Universal History; an Ecclesiastical History of the two first Centuries; a French Translation of the New Testament, &c. In 1686, he began, jointly with M. de la Crofe, his Bibliothèque Universelle et Historique, in imitation of other literary journals; which was continued to the year 1693, inclusive, in 26 vols. In 1703, he began his Bibliothèque Choiseul, and continued it to 1714, and then commenced another work on the same plan called Bibliothèque Ancienne et Moderne, which he continued to the year 1728; all of them justly deemed excellent flores of useful knowledge. In 1728, he was seized with a palsy and fever; and after spending the last five years of his life with little or no understanding, died in 1736.

Clerc (John le), called Chevalier, an eminent historical painter, was born at Nancy in 1587, but studied in Italy, where he resided for twenty years; and was a disciple of Carlo Venetiano, with whom he worked a long time, and whose style he so effectually studied and imitated, that several of the pictures which were finished by le Clerc were taken for the work of Venetiano. He was most highly esteemed at Venice for his extraordinary merit; and as a token of public respect, he was made a knight of St Mark. His freedom of hand was remarkable; he had a light pencil; and in his colouring he resembled his master. He died in 1633.

Clerc (Sebastian le), engraver and designer in ordinary to the French king, was born at Metz in 1647. After having learnt designing, he applied himself to mathematics, and was engineer to the marshal de la Ferté. He went to Paris in 1665, where he applied himself to designing and engraving with such success, that M. Colbert gave him a pension of 600 crowns. In 1672, he was admitted into the royal academy of painting and sculpture; and in 1680 was made professor of geometry and perspective in the same academy. He published, besides a great number of designs and prints, 1. A Treatise on theoretical and practical Geometry. 2. A Treatise on Architecture; and other works: and died in 1714.—He was an excellent artist, but chiefly in the petit style. His genius seldom exceeds the dimensions of six inches. Within those limits he could draw up 20,000 men with great dexterity. No artist except Callot and Della Bella could touch a small figure with so much spirit. His most esteemed prints are: 1. The passion of our Saviour, on 36 small plates, lengthwise, from his own compositions. The best impressions are without the borders. 2. The miracle of the feeding five thousand, a middling sized plate, lengthwise. In the first impressions, which are very rare, a town appears in the back-ground; in place of which a mountain is substituted in the common ones. 3. The elevation of the large stones used in building the front of the Louvre, a large plate, lengthwise. The first impressions are without the date 1677, which was afterwards added. 4. The academy of the sciences, a middling sized plate, lengthwise. The first impressions are before the skeleton of the stag and tortoise were added. The second impressions are before the shadow was enlarged at the bottom, towards the right hand side of the print. Both these impressions are very scarce. The first is rarely met with. This print was copied for Chambers's Dictionary. 5. The May of the Gobelins, a middling-sized plate, lengthwise. The first impression is before the woman was introduced, who goes the wheel of the coach. 6. The four conquests, large plates, lengthwise, representing the taking of Tournay, the taking of Doyav, the defeat of the comte de Marlin, and the Switzerland alliance. 7. The battles of Alexander, from Le Brun, six small long plates, including the title, which represents the picture gallery at the Gobelins. The first impressions of the tent of Darius, which plate makes part of this set, is distinguished by the shoulder of the woman, who is seated in the front, being without the shadow, which was afterwards added; for which reason they are called the prints with the naked shoulder. 8. The entry of Alexander into Babylon, a middling-sized plate, lengthwise. In the first impressions, the face of Alexander is seen in profile; in the second, it is a three quarter face, and therefore called the print with the head turned.

Clerc (George le) count de Buffon, a celebrated naturalist, was born at Montbard, in Burgundy, the 7th of September 1707; his father was a counsellor of the parliament of Dijon, and the son was destined to the same office, if science had not drawn him away from the law. He studied at Dijon; and his eager activity, his acuteness, penetration, and robust constitution, fitted him to pursue business and pleasure with equal ardour. His early passion was for astronomy, and the young Le Clerc was never without Euclid in his pocket. At the age of twenty, he went with an English nobleman and his governor to Italy; but he overlooked the choicest remains of art, and, amidst the ruins of an elegant and luxurious people, he first felt the charms of natural history, whose zealous and successful admirer he afterwards proved. On his return to France, he fought, on some occasional quarrel, with an Englishman, whom he wounded, and was obliged to retire to Paris. He there translated Newton's Fluxions, from the Latin, and Hales's Statics from the English, into the French language. He afterwards came to England, at the age of twenty-five; and this journey concluded his travels: he staid here about three months. At the age of twenty-one, he succeeded to the estate of his mother, which was valued at about 300,000 livres (above 12,000 pounds sterling); and he was one of those whose easy and affluent circumstances urge on literary pursuits, and clear the path of some of its thorns. Perhaps this was the period of his retirement to Montbard, where he spent much time, and where his leisure was little interrupted: while in the capital, his office of intendant of the king's garden and cabinet engaged much of his time. He loved much company, and was partial to the fair; but he loved glory more. He spent 14 hours every day in study; and, when we examine the extent of his knowledge, and the number of his works, we wonder at his having executed so much even in this time. At five in the morning he retired to a pavilion in his vast gardens, and he was then inaccessible. This was, as prince Henry of Prussia called it, the cradle of natural history; but she was indifferently accommodated. The walls were naked, an old writing-table, with pen, ink, and paper, and an elbow chair of black leather, were the only furniture of his study. His manuscripts were in a cabinet in another building, and he went occasionally from one to the other. The eras of Buffon's works are pretty well known. When each was finished, it was put aside, in order that he might forget it, and he then returned to it—with the severity of a critic. He was anxious to have it peripetuous; and if those to whom he read his works hesitated a moment, he changed the passage. The works of others he at last read like Magiabechi, the titles, the contents, and the most interesting parts; but he read M. Neckar's Compte Rendu, and the Administration of the Finances, at length: he spoke of them also with no little enthusiasm. His favourite authors were Fenelon, Montesquieu, and Richardson.

M. de Buffon's conversation was unadorned, rarely animated, but sometimes very cheerful. He was exact in his dress, particularly in dressing his hair. He sat long at table, and then seemed at his ease. His conversation was, at this time, unembarrassed, and his guests had frequently occasion to notice some happy turn of phrase, or some deep reflection. His complaisance was very considerable: he loved praise, and even praised himself; but it was with so much frankness, and with so little contempt of others, that it was never disagreeable. Indeed, when we consider the extent of his reputation, the credit of his works, and the attention with which they were always received, we do not wonder that he was sensible of his own value. It would perhaps have displayed a stronger mind to have concealed it. His father lived to 93, and almost adored his son; his grandfather to 87; and the subject of the present article exceeded only 80. He died in April 1788. Fifty-five stones were found in his bladder; but if he had consented to the operation, he might probably have lived longer. One son remains; who near a high tower in the gardens of Montbard has placed a low column, with the following inscription:

Excelle Turri Humilis Columna, Parenti suo Fil. Buffon.