UTILITY OF HYPOTHESES. 181 



Statements one by one, to try whether they can be 

 reconciled with that provisional theory, or what 

 additions or corrections it requires to make it 

 square with them. In this way .... we arrive, by 

 means of hypotheses, at conclusions not hypothe- 

 tical."* It was with the design of thus giving a 

 direction to inquiry, and leading to views of na- 

 ture previously little thought of, but unspeakably 

 grander than those commonly entertained, that, 

 too eager for truth to regard my own imperfections, 

 I ventured upon my late speculation. A\Tien an 

 ordinary" reader judges of it, let him remember 

 that the question lies, not between two philoso- 

 phical theories, but between a theory resting 

 on much scientific evidence and in conformity 

 with all besides of nature which has been ascer- 

 tained — ^which may therefore be called a pJiihso- 

 phical theory — ^between this, I say, and a suppo- 

 sitioJi tchick does not even pretend to have a sinjle 

 scientific fact for its basis, which on the contrary 

 slights science and sets it aside, seeking for 

 miracle instead of cause, — thus, in a manner, pre- 

 cluding itself from all title to appear before the 

 tribunals of philosophy, — a mere prejudice, in 

 short, of the unenlightened intellect, which has 

 nothing but priority in its favour, in which respect 

 * Mill's System of Ixjgic. 



