GOETHE'S FARBENLEHRE. 315 



incredible delusions. The colors of tempered steel, he says, and kin- 

 dred phenomena, may perhaps be quite conveniently deduced from the 

 action of turbid media. Polished steel powerfully reflects light, and 

 the coloring produced by heating may be regarded as a feeble turbidity, 

 which, acted upon by the polished surface behind, produces a bright 

 yellow. As the turbidity augments, this color becomes dense, until 

 finally it exhibits an intense ruby-red. Supposing this color to reach 

 its greatest proximity to darkness, the turbidity continuing to augment 

 as before, we shall have behind the turbid medium a dark background, 

 which appears first violet, then dark blue, and finally light blue, thus 

 completing the cycle of the phenomena. The mind that could offer 

 such an explanation as this must be qualitatively different from that of 

 the natural philosopher. 



The words " quite conveniently deduced," which I have italicized 

 in the last paragraph, are also used by Goethe in another place. When 

 the results of his experiments on prismatic colors had to be condensed 

 into one commanding inference, he enunciated it thus : " Und so las- 

 sen sich die Farben bei Gelegenheit der Refraction aus der Lehre von 

 den truben Mitteln gar bequem ableiten." This is the crown of his 

 edifice, and it seems a feeble ending to so much preparation. Kingsley 

 once suggested to Lewes that Goethe might have had a vague feeling 

 that his conclusions were not sound, and that he felt the jealousy in- 

 cident to imperfect conviction. The ring of conscious demonstration, 

 as it is understood by the man of science, is hardly to be found in the 

 words " gar bequem ableiten." They fall flaccid upon the ear in com- 

 parison with the mind-compelling Q. E. D. of Newton. 



Throughout the first 350 pages of his work, wherein he develops 

 and expounds his own theory, Goethe restrains himself with due dig- 

 nity. Here and there, there is a rumble of discontent against Newton, 

 but there is no sustained ill-temper or denunciation. After, however, 

 having unfolded his own views, he comes to what he calls the " un- 

 masking of the theory of Newton." Here Goethe deliberately for- 

 sakes the path of calm, objective research, and delivers himself over to 

 the guidance of his emotions. He immediately accuses Newton of 

 misusing, as an advocate, his method of exposition. He goes over the 

 propositions in Newton's " Optics " one by one, and makes even the in- 

 dividual words of the propositions the objects of criticism. He passes 

 on to Newton's experimental proofs, invoking, as he does so, the com- 

 plete attention of his readers, if they would be freed to all eternity 

 from the slavery of a doctrine which has imposed upon the world for 

 a hundred years. It might be thought that Goethe had given himself 

 but little trouble to understand the theorems of Newton and the ex- 

 periments on which they were based. But it would be unjust to 

 charge the poet with any want of diligence in this respect. He re- 

 peated Newton's experiments, and in almost every case obtained his 



