A.Exactlywhatdoyoumeanbystyle？
B.Questionsonsentencestructure.
1.Fromanygivenessay，grouptogethersentenceswhicharelong，short，loose，periodic，balanced，simple，compound;notethosepeculiar，foranyreason，toHuxley.
2.Stevensonsays，\"Theoneruleistobeinfinitelyvarious;tointerest，todisappoint，tosurpriseandstilltogratify;tobeeverchanging，asitwere，thestitch，andyetstilltogivetheeffectofingeniousneatness.\"
DoHuxley’ssentencesconformtoStevenson’srule？CompareHuxley’ssentenceswithStevenson’sforvarietyinform.Isthereanyreasonforthedifferencebetweentheformofthetwowriters？
3.DoesthisquotationfromPater’sessayonStyledescribeHuxley’ssentences？\"Theblithe，crispsentence，decisiveasachild’sexpressionofitsneeds，mayalternatewiththelong—
contending，victoriouslyintricatesentence;thesentence，bornwiththeintegrityofasingleword，relievingthesortofsentenceinwhich，ifyoulookclosely，youcanseecontrivance，muchadjustment，tobringahighlyqualifiedmatterintocompassatoneview.\"
4.HowdoHuxley’ssentencescomparewiththoseofRuskin，orwiththoseofanyauthorrecentlystudied？
5.AreHuxley’ssentencesmusical？Howdoesanauthormakehissentencesmusical？
C.Questionsonwords.
1.Doyoufindevidenceofexactness，aqualitywhichHuxleysaidhelaboredfor？
2.Arethewordsgeneralorspecificincharacter？
3.HowdoesHuxleymakehissubject—matterattractive？
4.FromwhatsourcesdoesHuxleyderivehiswords？Aretheyevery—
daywords，ormorescholarlyincharacter？
5.Doyoufindanyfigures？Arethesemainlyornamentalordotheyre—enforcethethought？
8.Aretheremanyallusionsandquotations？Canyoueasilyrecognizethesource？
7.PatersaysinhisessayonStylethattheliteraryartist\"begetsavocabularyfaithfultothecolouringofhisownspirit，andinthestrictestsenseoriginal.\"DoyoufindthatHuxley’svocabularysuggeststheman？
8.DoesHuxleyseemtosearchfor\"thesmooth，orwinsome，orforcibleword，assuch，orquitesimplyandhonestly，fortheword’sadjustmenttoitsmeaning\"？
9.Makeoutalistofthewordsandpropernamesinanygivenessaywhicharenotfamiliartoyou;writeouttheexplanationoftheseintheformofnotesgivinganyinformationwhichisinterestingandrelevant.
D.Generalquestionsonstyle.
1.HowisHuxley’sstyleadaptedtothesubject—matter？
2.Canyouexplainthedifferenceinstyleofthedifferentessaysbythedifferenceinpurpose？
3.CompareHuxley’swayofsayingthingswithsomeotherauthor’swayofsayingthings.
4.Huxleysaysofhisessaystoworkingmen，\"IonlywishIhadhadthesensetoanticipatetherunthesehavehadhereandabroad，andIwouldhaverevisedthemproperly.Astheystandtheyareterribilyintherough，fromaliterarypointofview.\"
Doyoufindevidencesofroughness？
THOMASHENRYHUXLEY
AUTOBIOGRAPHY[1]
AndwhenIconsider，inoneview，themanythingswhichI
haveuponmyhands，Ifeeltheburlesqueofbeingemployedinthismanneratmytimeoflife.But，inanotherview，andtakinginallcircumstances，thesethings，astriflingastheymayappear，nolessthanthingsofgreaterimportance，seemtobeputuponmetodo.——BishopButlertotheDuchessofSomerset.
The\"manythings\"towhichtheDuchess’scorrespondenthererefersaretherepairsandimprovementsoftheepiscopalseatatAuckland.
Idoubtifthegreatapologist，greaterinnothingthaninthesimpledignityofhischaracter，wouldhaveconsideredthewritinganaccountofhimselfasathingwhichcouldbeputuponhimtodowhatevercircumstancesmightbetakenin.Butthegoodbishoplivedinanagewhenamanmightwritebooksandyetbepermittedtokeephisprivateexistencetohimself;inthepre—Boswellian[2]
epoch，whenthegermofthephotographerlayconcealedinthedistantfuture，andtheinterviewerwhopervadesouragewasanunforeseen，indeedunimaginable，birthoftime.
Atpresent，themostconvincedbelieverintheaphorism\"Benequilatuit，benevixit，\"[3]isnotalwaysabletoactuptoit.Animportunatepersoninformshimthathisportraitisabouttobepublishedandwillbeaccompaniedbyabiographywhichtheimportunatepersonproposestowrite.Thesuffererknowswhatthatmeans;eitherheundertakestorevisethe\"biography\"orhedoesnot.Intheformercase，hemakeshimselfresponsible;inthelatter，heallowsthepublicationofamassofmoreorlessfulsomeinaccuraciesforwhichhewillbeheldresponsiblebythosewhoarefamiliarwiththeprevalentartofself—advertisement.Onthewhole，itmaybebettertogetoverthe\"burlesqueofbeingemployedinthismanner\"anddothethinghimself.
Itwasbyreflectionsofthiskindthat，someyearsago，Iwasledtowriteandpermitthepublicationofthesubjoinedsketch.
Iwasbornabouteighto’clockinthemorningonthe4thofMay，1825，atEaling，whichwas，atthattime，asquietalittlecountryvillageascouldbefoundwithinahalf—a—dozenmilesofHydeParkCorner.NowitisasuburbofLondonwith，Ibelieve，30，000
inhabitants.Myfatherwasoneofthemastersinalargesemi—
publicschoolwhichatonetimehadahighreputation.Iamnotawarethatanyportentsprecededmyarrivalinthisworld，but，inmychildhood，IrememberhearingatraditionalaccountofthemannerinwhichIlostthechanceofanendowmentofgreatpracticalvalue.Thewindowsofmymother’sroomwereopen，inconsequenceoftheunusualwarmthoftheweather.Forthesamereason，probably，aneighbouringbeehivehadswarmed，andthenewcolony，pitchingonthewindow—sill，wasmakingitswayintotheroomwhenthehorrifiednurseshutdownthesash.Ifthatwell—
meaningwomanhadonlyabstainedfromherill—timedinterference，theswarmmighthavesettledonmylips，andIshouldhavebeenendowedwiththatmellifluouseloquencewhich，inthiscountry，leadsfarmoresurelythanworth，capacity，orhonestwork，tothehighestplacesinChurchandState.Buttheopportunitywaslost，andIhavebeenobligedtocontentmyselfthroughlifewithsayingwhatImeanintheplainestofplainlanguage，thanwhich，I
suppose，thereisnohabitmoreruinoustoaman’sprospectsofadvancement.
WhyIwaschristenedThomasHenryIdonotknow;butitisacuriouschancethatmyparentsshouldhavefixedformyusualdenominationuponthenameofthatparticularApostlewithwhomI
havealwaysfeltmostsympathy.PhysicallyandmentallyIamthesonofmymothersocompletely——evendowntopeculiarmovementsofthehands，whichmadetheirappearanceinmeasIreachedtheageshehadwhenInoticedthem——thatIcanhardlyfindanytraceofmyfatherinmyself，exceptaninbornfacultyfordrawing，whichunfortunately，inmycase，hasneverbeencultivated，ahottemper，andthatamountoftenacityofpurposewhichunfriendlyobserverssometimescallobstinacy.
Mymotherwasaslenderbrunette，ofanemotionalandenergetictemperament，andpossessedofthemostpiercingblackeyesIeversawinawoman’shead.Withnomoreeducationthanotherwomenofthemiddleclassesinherday，shehadanexcellentmentalcapacity.Hermostdistinguishingcharacteristic，however，wasrapidityofthought.Ifoneventuredtosuggestshehadnottakenmuchtimetoarriveatanyconclusion，shewouldsay，\"Icannothelpit，thingsflashacrossme.\"Thatpeculiarityhasbeenpassedontomeinfullstrength;ithasoftenstoodmeingoodstead;ithassometimesplayedmesadtricks，andithasalwaysbeenadanger.But，afterall，ifmytimeweretocomeoveragain，thereisnothingIwouldlesswillinglypartwiththanmyinheritanceofmotherwit.
Ihavenexttonothingtosayaboutmychildhood.Inlateryearsmymother，lookingatmealmostreproachfully，wouldsometimessay，\"Ah！youweresuchaprettyboy！\"whenceIhadnodifficultyinconcludingthatIhadnotfulfilledmyearlypromiseinthematteroflooks.Infact，IhaveadistinctrecollectionofcertaincurlsofwhichIwasvain，andofaconvictionthatIcloselyresembledthathandsome，courtlygentleman，SirHerbertOakley，whowasvicarofourparish，andwhowasasagodtouscountryfolk，becausehewasoccasionallyvisitedbythethenPrinceGeorgeofCambridge.[4]
Irememberturningmypinaforewrongsideforwardsinordertorepresentasurplice，andpreachingtomymother’smaidsinthekitchenasnearlyaspossibleinSirHerbert’smanneroneSundaymorningwhentherestofthefamilywereatchurch.ThatistheearliestindicationIcancalltomindofthestrongclericalaffinitieswhichmyfriendMr.HerbertSpencer[5]hasalwaysascribedtome，thoughIfancytheyhaveforthemostpartremainedinalatentstate.
Myregularschooltrainingwasofthebriefest，perhapsfortunately，forthoughmywayoflifehasmademeacquaintedwithallsortsandconditionsofmen，fromthehighesttothelowest，I
deliberatelyaffirmthatthesocietyIfellintoatschoolwastheworstIhaveeverknown.Weboyswereaveragelads，withmuchthesameinherentcapacityforgoodandevilasanyothers;butthepeoplewhoweresetoveruscaredaboutasmuchforourintellectualandmoralwelfareasiftheywerebaby—farmers.Wewerelefttotheoperationofthestruggleforexistenceamongourselves，andbullyingwastheleastoftheillpracticescurrentamongus.AlmosttheonlycheerfulreminiscenceinconnectionwiththeplacewhicharisesinmymindisthatofabattleIhadwithoneofmyclassmates，whohadbulliedmeuntilIcouldstanditnolonger.Iwasaveryslightlad，buttherewasawild—catelementinmewhich，whenroused，madeupforlackofweight，andIlickedmyadversaryeffectually.However，oneofmyfirstexperiencesoftheextremelyrough—and—readynatureofjustice，asexhibitedbythecourseofthingsingeneral，aroseoutofthefactthatI——thevictor——hadablackeye，whilehe——thevanquished——hadnone，sothatIgotintodisgraceandhedidnot.Wemadeitup，andthereafterIwasunmolested.OneofthegreatestshocksIeverreceivedinmylifewastobetoldadozenyearsafterwardsbythegroomwhobroughtmemyhorseinastable—yardinSydneythathewasmyquondamantagonist.Hehadalongstoryoffamilymisfortunetoaccountforhisposition，butatthattimeitwasnecessarytodealverycautiouslywithmysteriousstrangersinNewSouthWales，andoninquiryIfoundthattheunfortunateyoungmanhadnotonlybeen\"sentout，\"buthadundergonemorethanonecolonialconviction.
AsIgrewolder，mygreatdesirewastobeamechanicalengineer，butthefateswereagainstthisand，whileveryyoung，Icommencedthestudyofmedicineunderamedicalbrother—in—law.But，thoughtheInstituteofMechanicalEngineerswouldcertainlynotownme，I
amnotsurethatIhavenotallalongbeenasortofmechanicalengineerinpartibusinfidelium.[6]IamnowoccasionallyhorrifiedtothinkhowverylittleIeverkneworcaredaboutmedicineastheartofhealing.Theonlypartofmyprofessionalcoursewhichreallyanddeeplyinterestedmewasphysiology，whichisthemechanicalengineeringoflivingmachines;and，notwithstandingthatnaturalsciencehasbeenmyproperbusiness，Iamafraidthereisverylittleofthegenuinenaturalistinme.Inevercollectedanything，andspeciesworkwasalwaysaburdentome;whatIcaredforwasthearchitecturalandengineeringpartofthebusiness，theworkingoutofthewonderfulunityofplaninthethousandsandthousandsofdiverselivingconstructions，andthemodificationsofsimilarapparatusestoservediverseends.TheextraordinaryattractionIfelttowardsthestudyoftheintricaciesoflivingstructurenearlyprovedfataltomeattheoutset.Iwasamereboy——Ithinkbetweenthirteenandfourteenyearsofage——whenIwastakenbysomeolderstudentfriendsofminetothefirstpost—
mortemexaminationIeverattended.AllmylifeIhavebeenmostunfortunatelysensitivetothedisagreeableswhichattendanatomicalpursuits，butonthisoccasionmycuriosityoverpoweredallotherfeelings，andIspenttwoorthreehoursingratifyingit.Ididnotcutmyself，andnoneoftheordinarysymptomsofdissection—poisonsupervened，butpoisonedIwassomehow，andI
remembersinkingintoastrangestateofapathy.Bywayofalastchance，Iwassenttothecareofsomegood，kindpeople，friendsofmyfather’s，wholivedinafarmhouseintheheartofWarwickshire.Irememberstaggeringfrommybedtothewindowonthebrightspringmorningaftermyarrival，andthrowingopenthecasement.Lifeseemedtocomebackonthewingsofthebreeze，andtothisdaythefaintodorofwood—smoke，likethatwhichfloatedacrossthefarm—yardintheearlymorning，isasgoodtomeasthe\"sweetsouthuponabedofviolets.\"[7]Isoonrecovered，butforyearsIsufferedfromoccasionalparoxysmsofinternalpain，andfromthattimemyconstantfriend，hypochondriacaldyspepsia，commencedhishalfcenturyofco—tenancyofmyfleshlytabernacle.
Lookingbackonmy\"Lehrjahre，\"[8]IamsorrytosaythatIdonotthinkthatanyaccountofmydoingsasastudentwouldtendtoedification.Infact，Ishoulddistinctlywarningenuousyouthtoavoidimitatingmyexample.Iworkedextremelyhardwhenitpleasedme，andwhenitdidnot——whichwasaveryfrequentcase——I
wasextremelyidle（unlessmakingcaricaturesofone’spastorsandmastersistobecalledabranchofindustry），orelsewastedmyenergiesinwrongdirections.IreadeverythingIcouldlayhandsupon，includingnovels，andtookupallsortsofpursuitstodropthemagainquiteasspeedily.Nodoubtitwasverylargelymyownfault，buttheonlyinstructionfromwhichIeverobtainedthepropereffectofeducationwasthatwhichIreceivedfromMr.
WhartonJones，whowasthelectureronphysiologyattheCharingCrossSchoolofMedicine.Theextentandprecisionofhisknowledgeimpressedmegreatly，andthesevereexactnessofhismethodoflecturingwasquitetomytaste.IdonotknowthatI
haveeverfeltsomuchrespectforanybodyasateacherbeforeorsince.Iworkedhardtoobtainhisapprobation，andhewasextremelykindandhelpfultotheyoungsterwho，Iamafraid，tookupmoreofhistimethanhehadanyrighttodo.Itwashewhosuggestedthepublicationofmyfirstscientificpaper——averylittleone——intheMedicalGazetteof1845，andmostkindlycorrectedtheliteraryfaultswhichaboundedinit，shortasitwas;foratthattime，andformanyyearsafterwards，Idetestedthetroubleofwriting，andwouldtakenopainsoverit.
Itwasintheearlyspringof1846，that，havingfinishedmyobligatorymedicalstudiesandpassedthefirstM.D.examinationattheLondonUniversity，——thoughIwasstilltooyoungtoqualifyattheCollegeofSurgeons，——Iwastalkingtoafellow—student（thepresenteminentphysician，SirJosephFayrer），andwonderingwhatI
shoulddotomeettheimperativenecessityforearningmyownbread，whenmyfriendsuggestedthatIshouldwritetoSirWilliamBurnett，atthattimeDirector—GeneralfortheMedicalServiceoftheNavy，foranappointment.Ithoughtthisratherastrongthingtodo，asSirWilliamwaspersonallyunknowntome，butmycheeryfriendwouldnotlistentomyscruples，soIwenttomylodgingsandwrotethebestletterIcoulddevise.AfewdaysafterwardsI
receivedtheusualofficialcircularacknowledgment，butatthebottomtherewaswrittenaninstructiontocallatSomersetHouseonsuchaday.Ithoughtthatlookedlikebusiness，soattheappointedtimeIcalledandsentinmycard，whileIwaitedinSirWilliam’sante—room.Hewasatall，shrewd—lookingoldgentleman，withabroadScotchaccent——andIthinkIseehimnowasheenteredwithmycardinhishand.Thefirstthinghedidwastoreturnit，withthefrugalreminderthatIshouldprobablyfinditusefulonsomeotheroccasion.ThesecondwastoaskwhetherIwasanIrishman.Isupposetheairofmodestyaboutmyappealmusthavestruckhim.IsatisfiedtheDirector—GeneralthatIwasEnglishtothebackbone，andhemadesomeinquiriesastomystudentcareer，finallydesiringmetoholdmyselfreadyforexamination.Havingpassedthis，IwasinHerMajesty’sService，andenteredonthebooksofNelson’s[9]oldship，theVictory，fordutyatHaslarHospital，aboutacoupleofmonthsafterImademyapplication.
MyofficialchiefatHaslarwasaveryremarkableperson，thelateSirJohnRichardson，anexcellentnaturalist，andfar—famedasanindomitableArctictraveller.Hewasasilent，reservedman，outsidethecircleofhisfamilyandintimates;and，havingafullshareofyouthfulvanity，Iwasextremelydisgustedtofindthat\"OldJohn，\"asweirreverentyoungsterscalledhim，tooknottheslightestnoticeofmyworshipfulselfeitherthefirsttimeI
attendedhim，asitwasmydutytodo，orforsomeweeksafterwards.Iamafraidtothinkofthelengthstowhichmytonguemayhaverunonthesubjectofthechurlishnessofthechief，whowas，intruth，oneofthekindest—heartedandmostconsiderateofmen.Butoneday，asIwascrossingthehospitalsquare，SirJohnstoppedme，andheapedcoalsoffireonmyheadbytellingmethathehadtriedtogetmeoneoftheresidentappointments，muchcovetedbytheassistantsurgeons，butthattheAdmiraltyhadputinanotherman.\"However，\"saidhe，\"ImeantokeepyouheretillIcangetyousomethingyouwilllike，\"andturneduponhisheelwithoutwaitingforthethanksIstammeredout.ThatexplainedhowitwasIhadnotbeenpackedofftotheWestCoastofAfricalikesomeofmyjuniors，andwhy，eventually，IremainedaltogethersevenmonthsatHaslar.
Afteralonginterval，duringwhich\"OldJohn\"ignoredmyexistencealmostascompletelyasbefore，hestoppedmeagainaswemetinacasualway，anddescribingtheserviceonwhichtheRattlesnakewaslikelytobeemployed，saidthatCaptainOwenStanley，whowastocommandtheship，hadaskedhimtorecommendanassistantsurgeonwhoknewsomethingofscience;wouldIlikethat？OfcourseI
jumpedattheoffer.\"Verywell，Igiveyouleave;gotoLondonatonceandseeCaptainStanley.\"Iwent，sawmyfuturecommander，whowasveryciviltome，andpromisedtoaskthatIshouldbeappointedtohisship，asinduetimeIwas.Itisasingularthingthat，duringthefewmonthsofmystayatHaslar，IhadamongmymessmatestwofutureDirectors—GeneraloftheMedicalServiceoftheNavy（SirAlexanderArmstrongandSirJohnWatt—Reid），withthepresentPresidentoftheCollegeofPhysiciansandmykindestofdoctors，SirAndrewClark.
LifeonboardHerMajesty’sshipinthosedayswasaverydifferentaffairfromwhatitisnow，andourswasexceptionallyrough，aswewereoftenmanymonthswithoutreceivinglettersorseeinganycivilisedpeoplebutourselves.Inexchange，wehadtheinterestofbeingaboutthelastvoyagers，Isuppose，towhomitcouldbepossibletomeetwithpeoplewhoknewnothingoffire—arms——aswedidonthesouthcoastofNewGuinea——andofmakingacquaintancewithavarietyofinterestingsavageandsemi—civilisedpeople.
But，apartfromexperienceofthiskindandtheopportunitiesofferedforscientificwork，tome，personally，thecruisewasextremelyvaluable.Itwasgoodformetoliveundersharpdiscipline;tobedownontherealitiesofexistencebylivingonbarenecessaries;tofindouthowextremelywellworthlivinglifeseemedtobewhenonewokeupfromanight’srestonasoftplank，withtheskyforcanopyandcocoaandweevillybiscuitthesoleprospectforbreakfast;and，moreespecially，tolearntoworkforthesakeofwhatIgotformyselfoutofit，evenifitallwenttothebottomandIalongwithit.Mybrotherofficerswereasgoodfellowsassailorsoughttobeandgenerallyare，but，naturally，theyneitherknewnorcaredanythingaboutmypursuits，norunderstoodwhyIshouldbesozealousinpursuitoftheobjectswhichmyfriends，themiddies，[10]christened\"Buffons，\"afterthetitleconspicuousonavolumeoftheSuitesaBuffon，[11]whichstoodonmyshelfinthechartroom.
Duringthefouryearsofourabsence，Isenthomecommunicationaftercommunicationtothe\"LinneanSociety，\"[12]withthesameresultasthatobtainedbyNoahwhenhesenttheravenoutofhisark.
Tiredatlastofhearingnothingaboutthem，Ideterminedtodoordie，andin1849IdrewupamoreelaboratepaperandforwardedittotheRoyalSociety.[13]Thiswasmydove，ifIhadonlyknownit.
Butowingtothemovementsoftheship，IheardnothingofthateitheruntilmyreturntoEnglandinthelatterendoftheyear1850，whenIfoundthatitwasprintedandpublished，andthatahugepacketofseparatecopiesawaitedme.WhenIhearsomeofmyyoungfriendscomplainofwantofsympathyandencouragement，Iaminclinedtothinkthatmynavallifewasnottheleastvaluablepartofmyeducation.
ThreeyearsaftermyreturnwereoccupiedbyabattlebetweenmyscientificfriendsontheonehandandtheAdmiraltyontheother，astowhetherthelatterought，oroughtnot，toactuptothespiritofapledgetheyhadgiventoencourageofficerswhohaddonescientificworkbycontributingtotheexpenseofpublishingmine.AtlasttheAdmiralty，gettingtired，Isuppose，cutshortthediscussionbyorderingmetojoinaship，whichthingI
declinedtodo，andasRastignac，[14]inthePereGoriot[15]saystoParis，IsaidtoLondon\"anousdeux.\"IdesiredtoobtainaProfessorshipofeitherPhysiologyorComparativeAnatomy，andasvacanciesoccurredIapplied，butinvain.Myfriend，ProfessorTyndall，[16]andIwerecandidatesatthesametime，hefortheChairofPhysicsandIforthatofNaturalHistoryintheUniversityofToronto，which，fortunately，asitturnedout，wouldnotlookateitherofus.Isayfortunately，notfromanylackofrespectforToronto，butbecauseIsoonmadeupmymindthatLondonwastheplaceforme，andhenceIhavesteadilydeclinedtheinducementstoleaveit，whichhaveatvarioustimesbeenoffered.Atlast，in1854，onthetranslationofmywarmfriendEdwardForbes，toEdinburgh，SirHenrydelaBeche，theDirector—GeneraloftheGeologicalSurvey，offeredmethepostForbesvacatedofPaleontologistandLectureronNaturalHistory.Irefusedtheformerpointblank，andacceptedthelatteronlyprovisionally，tellingSirHenrythatIdidnotcareforfossils，andthatI
shouldgiveupNaturalHistoryassoonasIcouldgetaphysiologicalpost.ButIheldtheofficeforthirty—oneyears，andalargepartofmyworkhasbeenpaleontological.
AtthattimeIdislikedpublicspeaking，andhadafirmconvictionthatIshouldbreakdowneverytimeIopenedmymouth.IbelieveI
hadeveryfaultaspeakercouldhave（excepttalkingatrandomorindulginginrhetoric），whenIspoketothefirstimportantaudienceIeveraddressed，onaFridayeveningattheRoyalInstitution，in1852.Yet，Imustconfesstohavingbeenguilty，malgremoi，ofasmuchpublicspeakingasmostofmycontemporaries，andforthelasttenyearsitceasedtobesomuchofabugbeartome.Iusedtopitymyselfforhavingtogothroughthistraining，butIamnowmoredisposedtocompassionatetheunfortunateaudiences，especiallymyeverfriendlyhearersattheRoyalInstitution，whowerethesubjectsofmyoratoricalexperiments.
Thelastthingthatitwouldbeproperformetodowouldbetospeakoftheworkofmylife，ortosayattheendofthedaywhetherIthinkIhaveearnedmywagesornot.Menaresaidtobepartialjudgesofthemselves.Youngmenmaybe，Idoubtifoldmenare.Lifeseemsterriblyforeshortenedastheylookbackandthemountaintheysetthemselvestoclimbinyouthturnsouttobeamerespurofimmeasurablyhigherrangeswhen，byfailingbreath，theyreachthetop.ButifImayspeakoftheobjectsIhavehadmoreorlessdefinitelyinviewsinceIbegantheascentofmyhillock，theyarebrieflythese：Topromotetheincreaseofnaturalknowledgeandtoforwardtheapplicationofscientificmethodsofinvestigationtoalltheproblemsoflifetothebestofmyability，intheconvictionwhichhasgrownwithmygrowthandstrengthenedwithmystrength，thatthereisnoalleviationforthesufferingsofmankindexceptveracityofthoughtandofaction，andtheresolutefacingoftheworldasitiswhenthegarmentofmake—
believebywhichpioushandshavehiddenitsuglierfeaturesisstrippedoff.
ItiswiththisintentthatIhavesubordinatedanyreasonable，orunreasonable，ambitionforscientificfamewhichImayhavepermittedmyselftoentertaintootherends;tothepopularizationofscience;tothedevelopmentandorganisationofscientificeducation;totheendlessseriesofbattlesandskirmishesoverevolution;andtountiringoppositiontothatecclesiasticalspirit，[17]thatclericalism，whichinEngland，aseverywhereelse，andtowhateverdenominationitmaybelong，isthedeadlyenemyofscience.
Instrivingfortheattainmentoftheseobjects，Ihavebeenbutoneamongmany，andIshallbewellcontenttoberemembered，orevennotremembered，assuch.Circumstances，amongwhichIamproudtoreckonthedevotedkindnessofmanyfriends，haveledtomyoccupationofvariousprominentpositions，amongwhichthePresidencyoftheRoyalSocietyisthehighest.Itwouldbemockmodestyonmypart，withtheseandotherscientifichonourswhichhavebeenbestoweduponme，topretendthatIhavenotsucceededinthecareerwhichIhavefollowed，ratherbecauseIwasdrivenintoitthanofmyownfreewill;butIamafraidIshouldnotcounteventhesethingsasmarksofsuccessifIcouldnothopethatI
hadsomewhathelpedthatmovementofopinionwhichhasbeencalledtheNewReformation.[18]
ONTHEADVISABLENESSOFIMPROVINGNATURALKNOWLEDGE[19]
Thistimetwohundredyearsago——inthebeginningofJanuary，1666——
thoseofourforefatherswhoinhabitedthisgreatandancientcity，tookbreathbetweentheshocksoftwofearfulcalamities：onenotquitepast，althoughitsfuryhadabated;theothertocome.
Withinafewyardsoftheveryspot[20]onwhichweareassembled，sothetraditionruns，thatpainfulanddeadlymalady，theplague，appearedinthelattermonthsof1664;and，thoughnonewvisitor，smotethepeopleofEngland，andespeciallyofhercapital，withaviolenceunknownbefore，inthecourseofthefollowingyear.Thehandofamasterhaspicturedwhathappenedinthosedismalmonths;
andinthattruestoffictions，TheHistoryofthePlagueYear，Defoe[21]showsdeath，witheveryaccompanimentofpainandterror，stalkingthroughthenarrowstreetsofoldLondon，andchangingtheirbusyhumintoasilencebrokenonlybythewailingofthemournersoffiftythousanddead;bythewofuldenunciationsandmadprayersoffanatics;andbythemadderyellsofdespairingprofligates.
But，aboutthistimein1666，thedeath—ratehadsunktonearlyitsordinaryamount;acaseofplagueoccurredonlyhereandthere，andtherichercitizenswhohadflownfromthepesthadreturnedtotheirdwellings.Theremnantofthepeoplebegantotoilattheaccustomedroundofduty，orofpleasure;andthestreamofcitylifebidfairtoflowbackalongitsoldbed，withrenewedanduninterruptedvigour.
Thenewlykindledhopewasdeceitful.Thegreatplague，indeed，returnednomore;butwhatithaddonefortheLondoners，thegreatfire，whichbrokeoutintheautumnof1666，didforLondon;and，inSeptemberofthatyear，aheapofashesandtheindestructibleenergyofthepeoplewereallthatremainedofthegloryoffive—
sixthsofthecitywithinthewalls.
Ourforefathershadtheirownwaysofaccountingforeachofthesecalamities.Theysubmittedtotheplagueinhumilityandinpenitence，fortheybelievedittobethejudgmentofGod.But，towardsthefiretheywerefuriouslyindignant，interpretingitastheeffectofthemaliceofman，——astheworkoftheRepublicans，orofthePapists，accordingastheirprepossessionsraninfavourofloyaltyorofPuritanism.
Itwould，Ifancy，havefaredbutillwithonewho，standingwhereInowstand，inwhatwasthenathicklypeopledandfashionablepartofLondon，shouldhavebroachedtoourancestorsthedoctrinewhichInowpropoundtoyou——thatalltheirhypotheseswerealikewrong;thattheplaguewasnomore，intheirsense，Divinejudgment，thanthefirewastheworkofanypolitical，orofanyreligioussect;butthattheywerethemselvestheauthorsofbothplagueandfire，andthattheymustlooktothemselvestopreventtherecurrenceofcalamities，toallappearancesopeculiarlybeyondthereachofhumancontrol——soevidentlytheresultofthewrathofGod，orofthecraftandsubtletyofanenemy.
Andonemaypicturetoone’sselfhowharmoniouslytheholycursingofthePuritanofthatdaywouldhavechimedinwiththeunholycursingandthecracklingwitoftheRochestersandSedleys，[22]andwiththerevilingsofthepoliticalfanatics，ifmyimaginaryplaindealerhadgoneontosaythat，ifthereturnofsuchmisfortuneswereeverrenderedimpossible，itwouldnotbeinvirtueofthevictoryofthefaithofLaud，[23]orofthatofMilton;and，aslittle，bythetriumphofrepublicanism，asbythatofmonarchy.
Butthattheonethingneedfulforcompassingthisendwas，thatthepeopleofEnglandshouldsecondtheeffortsofaninsignificantcorporation，theestablishmentofwhich，afewyearsbeforetheepochofthegreatplagueandthegreatfire，hadbeenaslittlenoticed，astheywereconspicuous.
Sometwentyyearsbeforetheoutbreakoftheplagueafewcalmandthoughtfulstudentsbandedthemselvestogetherforthepurpose，astheyphrasedit，of\"improvingnaturalknowledge.\"Theendstheyproposedtoattaincannotbestatedmoreclearlythaninthewordsofoneofthefoundersoftheorganisation：——
\"Ourbusinesswas（precludingmattersoftheologyandstateaffairs）todiscourseandconsiderofphilosophicalenquiries，andsuchasrelatedthereunto：——asPhysick，Anatomy，Geometry，Astronomy，Navigation，Staticks，Magneticks，Chymicks，Mechanicks，andNaturalExperiments;withthestateofthesestudiesandtheircultivationathomeandabroad.Wethendiscoursedofthecirculationoftheblood，thevalvesintheveins，thevenaelacteae，thelymphaticvessels，theCopernicanhypothesis，thenatureofcometsandnewstars，thesatellitesofJupiter，theovalshape（asitthenappeared）ofSaturn，thespotsonthesunanditsturningonitsownaxis，theinequalitiesandselenography[24]ofthemoon，theseveralphasesofVenusandMercury，theimprovementoftelescopesandgrindingofglassesforthatpurpose，theweightofair，thepossibilityorimpossibilityofvacuitiesandnature’sabhorrencethereof，theTorricellianexperiment[25]inquicksilver，thedescentofheavybodiesandthedegreeofaccelerationtherein，withdiversotherthingsoflikenature，someofwhichwerethenbutnewdiscoveries，andothersnotsogenerallyknownandembracedasnowtheyare;withotherthingsappertainingtowhathathbeencalledtheNewPhilosophy，whichfromthetimesofGalileoatFlorence，andSirFrancisBacon[26]（LordVerulam）inEngland，hathbeenmuchcultivatedinItaly，France，Germany，andotherpartsabroad，aswellaswithusinEngland.\"
ThelearnedDr.Wallis，[27]writingin1696，narratesinthesewords，whathappenedhalfacenturybefore，orabout1645.TheassociatesmetatOxford，intheroomsofDr.Wilkins，whowasdestinedtobecomeabishop;andsubsequentlycomingtogetherinLondon，theyattractedthenoticeoftheking.AnditisastrangeevidenceofthetasteforknowledgewhichthemostobviouslyworthlessoftheStuartssharedwithhisfatherandgrandfather，thatCharlestheSecondwasnotcontentwithsayingwittythingsabouthisphilosophers，butdidwisethingswithregardtothem.Forhenotonlybestoweduponthemsuchattentionashecouldsparefromhispoodlesandhismistresses，but，beinginhisusualstateofimpecuniosity，beggedforthemoftheDukeofOrmond;and，thatstepbeingwithouteffect，gavethemChelseaCollege，acharter，andamace：crowninghisfavoursinthebestwaytheycouldbecrowned，byburdeningthemnofurtherwithroyalpatronageorstateinterference.
Thusitwasthatthehalf—dozenyoungmen，studiousofthe\"NewPhilosophy，\"[28]whometinoneanother’slodgingsinOxfordorinLondon，inthemiddleoftheseventeenthcentury，grewinnumericalandinrealstrength，until，initslatterpart，the\"RoyalSocietyfortheImprovementofNaturalKnowledge\"hadalreadybecomefamous，andhadacquiredaclaimuponthevenerationofEnglishmen，whichithaseversinceretained，astheprincipalfocusofscientificactivityinourislands，andthechiefchampionofthecauseitwasformedtosupport.
ItwasbytheaidoftheRoyalSociety[29]thatNewton[30]
publishedhisPrincipia.Ifallthebooksintheworld，exceptthePhilosophicalTransactions，[31]weredestroyed，itissafetosaythatthefoundationsofphysicalsciencewouldremainunshaken，andthatthevastintellectualprogressofthelasttwocenturieswouldbelargely，thoughincompletely，recorded.Norhaveanysignsofhaltingorofdecrepitudemanifestedthemselvesinourowntimes.
AsinDr.Wallis’sdays，sointhese，\"ourbusinessis，precludingtheologyandstateaffairs，todiscourseandconsiderofphilosophicalenquiries.\"Butour\"Mathematick\"isonewhichNewtonwouldhavetogotoschooltolearn;our\"Staticks，Mechanicks，Magneticks，Chymicks，andNaturalExperiments\"
constituteamassofphysicalandchemicalknowledge，aglimpseatwhichwouldcompensateGalileo[32]forthedoingsofascoreofinquisitorialcardinals;our\"Physick\"and\"Anatomy\"haveembracedsuchinfinitevarietiesofbeings，havelaidopensuchnewworldsintimeandspace，havegrappled，notunsuccessfully，withsuchcomplexproblems，thattheeyesofVesalius[33]andofHarvey[34]
mightbedazzledbythesightofthetreethathasgrownoutoftheirgrainofmustardseed.
Thefactisperhapsrathertoomuch，thantoolittle，forceduponone’snotice，nowadays，thatallthismarvellousintellectualgrowthhasanolesswonderfulexpressioninpracticallife;andthat，inthisrespect，ifinnoother，themovementsymbolisedbytheprogressoftheRoyalSocietystandswithoutaparallelinthehistoryofmankind.
Aseriesofvolumesasbulkyasthe\"TransactionsoftheRoyalSociety\"mightpossiblybefilledwiththesubtlespeculations[35]
oftheSchoolmen;[36]notimprobably，theobtainingamasteryovertheproductsofmediaevalthoughtmightnecessitateanevengreaterexpenditureoftimeandofenergythantheacquirementofthe\"NewPhilosophy\";butthoughsuchworkengrossedthebestintellectsofEuropeforalongertimethanhaselapsedsincethegreatfire，itseffectswere\"writinwater，\"[37]sofarasoursocialstateisconcerned.
Ontheotherhand，ifthenoblefirstPresidentoftheRoyalSocietycouldrevisittheupperairandoncemoregladdenhiseyeswithasightofthefamiliarmace，hewouldfindhimselfinthemidstofamaterialcivilisationmoredifferentfromthatofhisday，thanthatoftheseventeenthwasfromthatofthefirstcentury.AndifLordBrouncker’s[38]nativesagacityhadnotdesertedhisghost，hewouldneednolongreflectiontodiscoverthatallthesegreatships，theserailways，thesetelegraphs，thesefactories，theseprinting—presses，withoutwhichthewholefabricofmodernEnglishsocietywouldcollapseintoamassofstagnantandstarvingpauperism，——thatallthesepillarsofourStatearebuttheripplesandthebubblesuponthesurfaceofthatgreatspiritualstream，thespringsofwhichonly，heandhisfellowswereprivilegedtosee;andseeing，torecogniseasthatwhichitbehovedthemaboveallthingstokeeppureandundefiled.
Itmaynotbetoogreataflightofimaginationtoconceiveournoblerevenant[39]notforgetfulofthegreattroublesofhisownday，andanxioustoknowhowoftenLondonhadbeenburneddownsincehistimeandhowoftentheplaguehadcarriedoffitsthousands.Hewouldhavetolearnthat，althoughLondoncontainstenfoldtheinflammablematterthatitdidin1666;though，notcontentwithfillingourroomswithwoodworkandlightdraperies，wemustneedsleadinflammableandexplosivegasesintoeverycornerofourstreetsandhouses，weneverallowevenastreettoburndown.Andifheaskedhowthishadcomeabout，weshouldhavetoexplainthattheimprovementofnaturalknowledgehasfurnisheduswithdozensofmachinesforthrowingwateruponfires，anyoneofwhichwouldhavefurnishedtheingeniousMr.Hooke，thefirst\"curatorandexperimenter\"oftheRoyalSociety，withamplematerialsfordiscoursebeforehalfadozenmeetingsofthatbody;andthat，tosaytruth，exceptfortheprogressofnaturalknowledge，weshouldnothavebeenabletomakeeventhetoolsbywhichthesemachinesareconstructed.And，further，itwouldbenecessarytoadd，thatalthoughseverefiressometimesoccurandinflictgreatdamage，thelossisverygenerallycompensatedbysocieties，theoperationsofwhichhavebeenrenderedpossibleonlybytheprogressofnaturalknowledgeinthedirectionofmathematics，andtheaccumulationofwealthinvirtueofothernaturalknowledge.
Buttheplague？MyLordBrouncker’sobservationwouldnot，Ifear，leadhimtothinkthatEnglishmenofthenineteenthcenturyarepurerinlife，ormoreferventinreligiousfaith，thanthegenerationwhichcouldproduceaBoyle，[40]anEvelyn，[41]andaMilton.Hemightfindthemudofsocietyatthebottom，insteadofatthetop，butIfearthatthesumtotalwouldbeasdeservingofswiftjudgmentasatthetimeoftheRestoration.[42]Anditwouldbeourdutytoexplainoncemore，andthistimenotwithoutshame，thatwehavenoreasontobelievethatitistheimprovementofourfaith，northatofourmorals，whichkeepstheplaguefromourcity;but，again，thatitistheimprovementofournaturalknowledge.
Wehavelearnedthatpestilenceswillonlytakeuptheirabodeamongthosewhohavepreparedunsweptandungarnishedresidencesforthem.Theircitiesmusthavenarrow，unwateredstreets，foulwithaccumulatedgarbage.Theirhousesmustbeill—drained，ill—
lighted，ill—ventilated.Theirsubjectsmustbeill—washed，ill—
fed，ill—clothed.TheLondonof1665wassuchacity.ThecitiesoftheEast，whereplaguehasanenduringdwelling，aresuchcities.We，inlatertimes，havelearnedsomewhatofNature，andpartlyobeyher.Becauseofthispartialimprovementofournaturalknowledgeandofthatfractionalobedience，wehavenoplague;becausethatknowledgeisstillveryimperfectandthatobedienceyetincomplete，typhoidisourcompanionandcholeraourvisitor.Butitisnotpresumptuoustoexpressthebeliefthat，whenourknowledgeismorecompleteandourobediencetheexpressionofourknowledge，Londonwillcounthercenturiesoffreedomfromtyphoidandcholera，asshenowgratefullyreckonshertwohundredyearsofignoranceofthatplaguewhichswoopeduponherthriceinthefirsthalfoftheseventeenthcentury.
Surely，thereisnothingintheseexplanationswhichisnotfullyborneoutbythefacts？Surely，theprinciplesinvolvedinthemarenowadmittedamongthefixedbeliefsofallthinkingmen？
Surely，itistruethatourcountrymenarelesssubjecttofire，famine，pestilence，andalltheevilswhichresultfromawantofcommandoveranddueanticipationofthecourseofNature，thanwerethecountrymenofMilton;andhealth，wealth，andwell—beingaremoreabundantwithusthanwiththem？ButnolesscertainlyisthedifferenceduetotheimprovementofourknowledgeofNature，andtheextenttowhichthatimprovedknowledgehasbeenincorporatedwiththehouseholdwordsofmen，andhassuppliedthespringsoftheirdailyactions.
Grantingforamoment，then，thetruthofthatwhichthedepreciatorsofnaturalknowledgearesofondofurging，thatitsimprovementcanonlyaddtotheresourcesofourmaterialcivilisation;admittingittobepossiblethatthefoundersoftheRoyalSocietythemselveslookedfornototherrewardthanthis，I
cannotconfessthatIwasguiltyofexaggerationwhenIhinted，thattohimwhohadthegiftofdistinguishingbetweenprominenteventsandimportantevents，theoriginofacombinedeffortonthepartofmankindtoimprovenaturalknowledgemighthaveloomedlargerthanthePlagueandhaveoutshonetheglareoftheFire;asasomethingfraughtwithawealthofbeneficencetomankind，incomparisonwithwhichthedamagedonebythoseghastlyevilswouldshrinkintoinsignificance.
Itisverycertainthatforeveryvictimslainbytheplague，hundredsofmankindexistandfindafairshareofhappinessintheworldbytheaidofthespinningjenny.Andthegreatfire，atitsworst，couldnothaveburnedthesupplyofcoal，thedailyworkingofwhich，inthebowelsoftheearth，madepossiblebythesteampump，givesrisetoanamountofwealthtowhichthemillionslostinoldLondonarebutasanoldsong.
Butspinningjennyandsteampumpare，afterall，buttoys，possessinganaccidentalvalue;andnaturalknowledgecreatesmultitudesofmoresubtlecontrivances，thepraisesofwhichdonothappentobesungbecausetheyarenotdirectlyconvertibleintoinstrumentsforcreatingwealth.WhenIcontemplatenaturalknowledgesquanderingsuchgiftsamongmen，theonlyappropriatecomparisonIcanfindforheristolikenhertosuchapeasantwomanasoneseesintheAlps，stridingeverupward，heavilyburdened，andwithmindbentonlyonherhome;butyetwithouteffortandwithoutthought，knittingforherchildren.Nowstockingsaregoodandcomfortablethings，andthechildrenwillundoubtedlybemuchthebetterforthem;butsurelyitwouldbeshort—sighted，tosaytheleastofit，todepreciatethistoilingmotherasamerestocking—machine——amereproviderofphysicalcomforts？
However，thereareblindleadersoftheblind，andnotafewofthem，whotakethisviewofnaturalknowledge，andcanseenothinginthebountifulmotherofhumanitybutasortofcomfort—grindingmachine.Accordingtothem，theimprovementofnaturalknowledgealwayshasbeen，andalwaysmustbe，synonymouswithnomorethantheimprovementofthematerialresourcesandtheincreaseofthegratificationsofmen.
Naturalknowledgeis，intheireyes，norealmotherofmankind，bringingthemupwithkindness，and，ifneedbe，withsternness，inthewaytheyshouldgo，andinstructingtheminallthingsneedfulfortheirwelfare;butasortoffairygod—mother，readytofurnishherpetswithshoesofswiftness，swordsofsharpness，andomnipotentAladdin’slamps，[43]sothattheymayhavetelegraphstoSaturn，andseetheothersideofthemoon，andthankGodtheyarebetterthantheirbenightedancestors.