94 SCIENCE AND PSEUDO-SCIENCE III 



a sort of chartered libertines, whose divagations 

 are not to be taken seriously. And I am well 

 assured that the distinguished divine, to whom the 

 sermon is attributed, is the last person who would 

 desire to avail himself of the dishonouring pro- 

 tection which has been superfluously thrown over 

 him. 



So much for the lecture on propriety. But the 

 Duke of Argyll, to whom the hortatory style 

 seems to come naturally, does me the honour to 

 make my sayings the subjects of a series of other 

 admonitions, some on philosophical, some on 

 geological, some on biological topics. I can but, 

 rejoice that the Duke's authority in these matters 

 is not always employed to show that I am ignorant 

 of them ; on the contrary, I meet with an amount 

 of agreement, even of approbation, for which I 

 proffer such gratitude as may be due, even if 

 that gratitude is sometimes almost overshadowed 

 by surprise. 



I am unfeignedly astonished to find that the 

 Duke of Argyll, who professes to intervene on 

 behalf of the preacher, does really, like another 

 Balaam, bless me altogether in respect of the 

 main issue. 



I denied the justice of the preacher's ascription 

 to men of science of the doctrine that miracles 

 are incredible, because they are violations of 

 natural law ; and the Duke of Argyll says that he 

 believes my "denial to be well-founded. The 



