and
it may be that his thorough knowledge of French aided him greatly in
making his English letters the masterpieces that they are. There was in
him, too, much of the Gallic temperament. Bachelor though he was, we
discover in him no moroseness, and see only the gay man of the world, who
knows how to enjoy life in a rational manner.

EDWARD GIBBON (England--1737-1794).

Born in 1737, Gibbon studied at Oxford, and at the age of fifteen became
so zealous a student of history that he undertook to write an account of
the reign of Sesostris. It was at Rome in 1764 that he conceived the idea
of writing a history of the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." The
entire work, however, was not finished until 1788. Five years previously
he had gone to Lausanne, in Switzerland, and there he stayed until he was
brought home to die.

A severe student, whose views about religion were the reverse of orthodox,
he was by nature much of a recluse and seems never to have shone in
society. Only one woman is known to have inspired a deeper feeling than
friendship, and the fates were against their marriage. The lady
subsequently became Mme. Necker. That Gibbon was sincerely attached to her
is certain, and that had it not been for untoward circumstances she would
have married him seems to be almost equally certain. Their paths in life,
however, were divided; her fate was to become a shining light in the
French capital and his was to spend the noon and evening of his life in
solitude at Lausanne.

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE (England--1540-1596).

A renowned man of action and a celibate was Francis Drake, the navigator
and discoverer. The sea was his mistress, and fighting the Spaniards was
his lifework. Queen Elizabeth crowned him with honors, and he repaid the
compliment by capturing stores of Spanish gold and taking possession of
California in her name. In 1595 he waged his last attack against the
Spanish colonies in America, which proved unsuccessful, and in which both
he and Sir John Hawkins died of fever.

Honored throughout England as a courtier and a seaman, Drake ever
maintained his high reputation. Constantly at sea, he had really no home
on land. No woman had a nest ready for him after his travels; no children
looked out for his home-returning ship. For fifty years he waged a good
fight against England's foes and then rested forever from his labors.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (Germany--1770-1827).

Great artists have much of the rec