paper [_supra_ pp. 160-163]
leaves, I think, no doubt as to the category in which I rank it. For all
that, I think it would be not only unjust, but almost impertinent,
to refuse the name of science to the "Summa" of St. Thomas or to the
"Institutes" of Calvin.

In conclusion, I confess that my supposed "unjaded appetite" for the
sort of controversy in which it needed not Mr. Gladstone's express
declaration to tell us he is far better practised than I am (though
probably, without another express declaration, no one would have
suspected that his controversial fires are burning low) is already
satiated.

In "Elysium" we conduct scientific discussions in a different medium,
and we are liable to threatenings of asphyxia in that "atmosphere of
contention" in which Mr. Gladstone has been able to live, alert and
vigorous beyond the common race of men, as if it were purest mountain
air. I trust that he may long continue to seek truth, under the
difficult conditions he has chosen for the search, with unabated
energy--I had almost said fire--

May age not wither him, nor custom stale
His infinite variety.

But Elysium suits my less robust constitution better, and I beg leave to
retire thither, not sorry for my experience of the other region--no one
should regret experience--but determined not to repeat it, at any rate
in reference to the "plea for revelation."

NOTE ON THE PROPER SENSE OF THE "MOSAIC" NARRATIVE OF THE CREATION.

It has been objected to my argument from Leviticus (_supra_ p. 170) that
the Hebrew words translated by "creeping things" in Genesis i. 24
and Leviticus xi. 29, are different; namely, "reh-mes" in the former,
"sheh-retz" in the latter. The obvious reply to this objection is that
the question is not one of words but of the meaning of words. To borrow
an illustration from our own language, if "crawling things" had been
used by the translators in Genesis and "creeping things" in Leviticus,
it would not have been necessarily implied that they intended to denote
different groups of animals. "Sheh-retz" is employed in a wider sense
than "reh-mes." There are "sheh-retz" of the waters of the earth, of
the air, and of the land. Leviticus speaks of land reptiles, among other
animals, as "sheh-retz"; Genesis speaks of all creeping land animals,
among which land reptiles are necessarily included, as "reh-mes." Our
translators, therefore, have given the true sense when they render both
"sheh-retz" a