FARADAY. 409 



These matters are touched upon with perfect can- 

 dour, and becoming consideration, in the volumes of 

 Dr. Bence Jones; but in ' society ' they are not always 

 so handled. Here a name of noble intellectual associ- 

 ations is surrounded by injurious rumours which I 

 would willingly scatter for ever. The pupil's magni- 

 tude, and the splendour of his position, are too great 

 and absolute to need as a foil the humiliation of his 

 master. Brothers in intellect, Davy and Faraday, how- 

 ever, could never have become brothers in feeling; their 

 characters were too unlike. Davy loved the pomp and 

 circumstance of fame; Faraday the inner consciousness 

 that he had fairly won renown. They were both proud 

 men. But with Davy pride projected itself into the 

 outer world; while with Faraday it became a steadying 

 and dignifying inward force. In one great particular 

 they agreed. Each of them could have turned his sci- 

 ence to immense commercial profit, but neither of 

 them did so. The noble excitement of research, and 

 the delight of discovery, constituted their reward. I 

 commend them to the reverence which great gifts 

 greatly exercised ought to inspire. They were both 

 ours; and through the coming centuries England will 

 be able to point with just pride to the possession of 

 such men. 



The first volume of the ' Life and Letters ' reveals 

 to us the youth who was to be father to the man. 

 Skilful, aspiring, resolute, he grew steadily in knowl- 

 edge and in power. Consciously or unconsciously, the 

 relation of Action to Reaction was ever present to 

 Faraday's mind. It had been fostered by his discovery 

 of Magnetic Rotations, and it planted in him more 



