INTEKEST IN BUDDHISM 433 



Of his character and peculiar power of work he repeated 

 the impressions given in preceding letters, but added that when 

 Darwin claimed for himself only a fair share of ' invention,' 

 he meant the quality that Hooker would define as originality, 

 the exercise of imagination in critical experiments. And 

 referring to the reception of Darwin's Primula paper at the 

 Linnean, he told the story of how an ardent supporter of 

 Darwin's compared previous students of the flower to Peter 

 Bell with his view of ' A primrose by the river's brim.' On 

 being told of this, Darwin exclaimed : ' I would rather 

 have been the man who thought of that on the spur of the 

 moment than have written the paper that suggested it.' 



A sketch of his reading in these days shows among other 

 things the unending interest in Indian religions. 



To Lord Eedesdale 



January 25, 1899. 



I am glad that you have taken up Buddhism, a favourite 

 subject with Huxley and myself. I have a few good books 

 on the subject ; shall I send you a list of them ? You can 

 then have what you please of them. I regard the Essenes 

 as a branch of Buddhists, tinctured some with Greek, others 

 with Jewish ideas (Philosophy so called), and that Christ's 

 teaching was one outcome of the movement. I shall be glad 

 to know if you come across in your reading any rational 

 explanation of the identity in ritual ceremonies, offices, 

 vestments, &c., &c., &c., of the Buddhist and Eoman 

 Churches. I have proposed this question to many a learned 

 churchman on one hand, and Buddhist scholar on the other, 

 without obtaining the smallest satisfaction. That it was all 

 accidental is the answer I generally get, at which I scoff. 

 I have my own ideas on the subject, but do not suppose 

 they would be accepted without more evidence than I can 

 offer. My friend, Brian Hodgson, was an arch Buddhist 

 scholar, and we spent many a long evening in the Himalaya 

 over Buddhism ; but his knowledge was too profound to be 

 communicated intelligently to a novice. I have his works. 

 I fancy he did more by the collection of materials than by 

 his dissertations, to advance the study. 



My reading of late has been all but demoralising, for its 



