HI LECTURES ON EVOLUTION 53 



light appeared ; that, on the second, the firma- 

 ment, or sky, separated the waters above, from 

 the waters beneath the firmament ; that, on the 

 third day, the waters drew away from the dry 

 land, and upon it a varied vegetable life, 

 similar to that which now exists, made its appear- 

 ance ; that the fourth day was signalised by the 

 apparition of the sun, the stars, the moon, and 

 the planets ; that, on the fifth day, aquatic animals 

 originated within the waters ; that, on the sixth 

 day, the earth gave rise to our four-footed terres- 

 trial creatures, and to all varieties of terrestrial 

 animals except birds, which had appeared on the 

 preceding day; and, finally, that man appeared 

 upon the earth, and the emergence of the universe 

 from chaos was finished. Milton tells us, without 

 the least ambiguity, what a spectator of these 

 marvellous occurrences would have witnessed. I 

 doubt not that his poem is familiar to all of you, 

 but I should like to recall one passage to your 

 minds, in order that I may be justified in what I 

 have said regarding the perfectly concrete, definite, 

 picture of the origin of the animal world which 

 Milton draws. He says : 



<u The sixth, and of creation last, arose 



With evening harps and matin, when God said, 

 ' Let the earth bring forth soul living in her kind, 

 Cattle and creeping things, and beast of the earth, 

 Each in their kind ! ' The earth obeyed, and, straight 

 Opening her fertile womb, teemed at a birth 

 Innurnerous living creatures, perfect forms, 



