432 LESSONS FEOM NATUKE. [CHAP. XIV. 



surprise that trie regular teaching of theology adopted this 

 view, which was maintained by a complete consensus of 

 authorities. Of these I purposely chose but a few telling 

 ones as types; and, amongst the rest, Suarez, who, without 

 any doubt, and as I shall proceed to demonstrate more at 

 length, is a thorough -going supporter of it. 



Professor Huxley has quite misapprehended* my meaning, 

 Another hence the disappointment he speaks of. What he 

 tension. did not find, I never said was to be found. What 

 he actually did find is what everybody knew before, but is a 

 matter totally different from and utterly irrelevant to the 

 point I maintained. 



My critic fails to distinguish between the question as to 

 the nature of creation as an act, and that concerning the fact 

 of creation. 



Now, what my intention was is plainly shown by the words 

 I used. I said : &quot; Considering how extremely recent are 

 these biological speculations, it might hardly be expected a 

 priori that writers of earlier ages should have given ex 

 pression to doctrines harmonizing in any degree with such 

 very modern views ; nevertheless, this is certainly the case.&quot; 

 And so it is. 



Of Suarez I said, he opposes those who maintain the 

 absolute creation of substantial forms, and he distinctly 

 asserts derivative (potential) creation. And this is true. 



Although Professor Huxley has conveyed the impression 

 that I adduced Suarez as a witness to evolution, I cannot 

 think he intended so to do. He surely could not have 

 imagined me so absurd as to maintain that ancient writers 

 held that modern view ; to attribute to them the holding of 



* Not only this, but he has even misrepresented my words. He says 

 (p. 445): &quot;According to Mr. Mivart, tiie greatest and most orthodox au 

 thorities upon matters of Catholic doctrine agree in distinctly asserting 

 derivative creation or evolution &quot; as if &quot; derivative creation &quot; and 

 &quot; evolution &quot; were the same thing. Having thus made me enunciate what I 

 never thought of, consequences are deduced which, of course, are not of my 

 deducing. Derivative or potential creation such authorities do assert : evolu 

 tion of species, however, was no more thought of in their days than the 

 electric telegraph. 



