THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. 219 



physical necessity, you say again. Yes, from physical 

 necessity as parent source and first, originating force, but 

 physical necessity at play with the infinitude of matter, 

 in the infinitude of space, throughout the infinitude of 

 time. Infinite streams, whose infinite lines infinitely 

 cross, calculable therefore only of the Infinite ! Calculable 

 at all, then Eeason qua Keason being as it is ? Are 

 there not Veritates ceternce the Atoms of Eeason the 

 very atoms of the Infinite itself and indestructible so ? 

 Of these, is not contingency one ? 



Survival of the Fittest ! Of two lions that fight, must 

 the strongest win ? How about a thorn, or a stone, 

 or an unlucky miss, and an unfortunate grapple, and a 

 fatal strain to say nothing of infinite contingencies of 

 rest and fatigue, of sleep, and food, and health, that pre- 

 cede ? Train two men alike that are already alike in 

 height, and weight, and measurable force; and 



" Doubtful it stood ; 



As two spent swimmers, that do cling together, 

 And choke their art "- 



will the result of a trial of naked strength between them 

 be always calculably so ? Or will incalculable contin- 

 gency intervene, and assure the victory to one of them, 

 that is indifferently either ? It is Ca?sar who says 

 (B. G. vii. 85) that in battle " exiguum loci ad declivitatem 

 fastigium habet magnum momentum," which means that 

 the advantage of the ground is determinative ; and we 

 may say it for lions and boxers as well as for armies. 

 We have in Homer (II. vi. 339), 1/1*17 8' eiratieiQcrat, 

 avSpas, for victory alternates to men. But it is 

 Thucydides that shuts up in a single word, irapdXoyov, 

 the whole matter of contingency in this element. In 

 fact, the TrapdXoyov TroXepov of Thucydides is " the 

 chance of war " which was as well known to Napoleon 



