510 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 
assailants has attempted to answer it. Some of them, 
indeed, rejoice over the ability displayed by Bishop Butler 
in rolling back the difficulty on his opponent; and they 
even imagine that it is the bishop's own argument that is 
there employed. But the raising of a new difficulty does 
not abolish does not even lessen -the old one, and the 
argument of the Lucretian remains untouched by anything 
the bishop has said or can say. 
And here it may be permitted me to add a word to an im- 
portant controversy now going on: and which turns on the 
question: Do states of consciousness enter as links into the 
chain of antecedence and sequence, which give rise to 
bodily actions, and to other states of consciousness; or are 
they merely by-products, which are not essential to the 
physical processes going on in the brain? Speaking for 
myself, it is certain that I have no power of imagining 
states of consciousness, interposed between the molecules 
of the brain, and influencing the transference of motion 
among the molecules. The thought " eludes all mental 
presentation;" and hence the logic seems of iron strength 
which claims for the brain an automatic action, unin- 
fluenced by states of consciousness. But it is, I believe, 
admitted by those who hold the automaton-theory, that 
states of consciousness are produced by the marshaling of 
the molecules of the brain: and this production of con- 
sciousness by molecular motion is to me quite as incon- 
ceivable on mechanical principles as the production of 
molecular motion by consciousness. If, therefore, I reject 
one result, I must reject both. I, however, reject neither, 
and thus stand in the presence of two Incomprehensihles, 
instead of one Incomprehensible. While accepting fear- 
lessly the facts of materialism dwelt upon in these pages, I 
bow my head in the dust before that mystery of mind, 
which has hitherto defied its own penetrative power, and 
which may ultimately, resolve itself into a demonstrable 
impossibility of self-penetration. 
But the secret is an open one the practical monitions 
are plain enough, which declare that on our dealings with 
matter depend our weal and woe, physical and moral. 
The state of mind which rebels against the recognition of 
the claims of " materialism" is not unknown tome. I 
can remember a time when I regarded my body as a weed, 
