THE WONDERS OF THE SHORE. 153 
what answer shall we make? We see tissues divide, 
cells develop, processes go on—but How and Why? 
These are but phenomena; but what are phenomena 
save effects? Causes, it may be, of other effects; but 
still effects of other causes. And why does the cause 
cause that effect? Why should it not cause some- 
thing else? Why should it cause anything at all? 
Because it obeys a law. But why does it obey the 
law? and how does it obey the law? And, after all, 
what isa law? <A mere custom of Nature. We see 
the same phenomenon happen a great many times ; 
and we infer from thence that it has a custom 
of happening; and therefore we call it a law: but 
we have not seen the law; all we have seen is the 
phenomenon which we suppose to indicate the law. 
We have seen things fall: but we never saw a little 
flying thing pulling them down, with “ gravitation ” 
labelled on its back; and the question, why things 
fall, and how, is just where it was before Newton 
was born, and is likely to remain there. All we 
can say is, that Nature has her customs, and that 
other customs ensue, when those customs appear: 
