i88 9 CONTROVERSY WITH BISHOP MAGEE 241 



I am astonished at its meekness. Being reviled, I revile 

 not; not an exception, I believe, can be taken to the wording of 

 one of the venomous paragraphs in which the paper abounds. 

 And I perceive the truth of a profound reflection I have often 

 made, that reviling is often morally superior to not reviling. 



I give up Peterborough. His " Explanation ' : is neither 

 straightforward, nor courteous, nor prudent. Of which last 

 fact, it may be, he will be convinced when he reads my acknowl- 

 edgment of his favours, which is soft, not with the softness of 

 the answer which turneth away wrath, but with that of the 

 pillow which smothered Desdemona. Ever yours very faith- 

 fully, T. H. HUXLEY. 



I shall try to stand an hour or two of the Academy dinner, 

 and hope it won't knock me up. 



4 MARLBOROUGH PLACE, N.W., May 6, 1889. 



MY DEAR KNOWLES If I had not gone to the Academy din- 

 ner I might have kept my promise about sending you my paper 

 to-day. I indulged in no gastronomic indiscretions, and came 

 away after H.R.H.'s speech, but I w r as dead beat all yesterday, 

 nevertheless. 



We are off to Eastbourne, and I will send the MS. from 

 there; there is very little to do. 



Such a waste ! I shall have to omit a paragraph that was 

 really a masterpiece. 



For who should I come upon in one of the rooms but the 

 Bishop ! As we shook hands, he asked whether that was before 

 the fight or after ; and I answered, " A little of both." Then we 

 spoke our minds pretty plainly ; and then we agreed to bury the 

 hatchet.* 



So yesterday I tore up the paragraph. It was so appropriate 

 I could not even save it up for somebody else ! Ever yours, 



T. H. HUXLEY. 



3 JEVINGTON GARDENS, EASTBOURNE, 



May 22, 1889. 



MY DEAR KNOWLES I sent back my proof last evening. I 

 shall be in town Friday afternoon to Monday morning next, 

 having a lot of things to do. So you may as well let me see 

 a revise of the whole. Did you not say to me, " sitting by a 



* As he says (Coll. Ess. v. 210), this chance meeting ended "a tem- 

 porary misunderstanding with a man of rare ability, candour, and wit, 

 for whom I entertained a great liking and no less respect." 

 52 



