II 



Literary Ambitions 23 



of natural history led him into the company of many 

 of the most eminent scientific men of his day. In 

 1856 he was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society, 

 for his investigations into the structure of some of 

 the lower forms of animal life ; and he was a fellow 

 of the Royal Microscopical Society from the date of 

 its foundation. 



German literature had for him always an intense 

 charm; in 1857 he amused himself by making a 

 translation of four of the Novellen of Paul Heyse, 

 which were published under the title of Four Phases 

 of LovBy and he also commenced a translation of 

 the poems and prose works of Heinrich Heine, for 

 whom he ever had a great admiration. 



Charles Kingsley was then at the very zenith of 

 his reputation as a writer of romance. Alton Locke, 

 Two Years Ago, and Westivard Ho ! were enthralling 

 the minds of the reading public, and George was not 

 unnaturally fired with the ambition of rivalling the 

 magnificent success of his ' big brother,' as he used 

 to call him, or at least of winning some modicum of 

 fame in a similar way. Writing in 1857 to Mr. 

 Daniel Macmillan, he said : ' I feel very much inclined 

 to make a venture in the everyday life of the time 

 of Charles II. ; with such a command of books of 

 every sort and description as I have at the Bridge- 

 water Library, I cannot help thinking that I might 

 work up a very tolerable piece d'essai. I am certain 

 that I could write with much greater freedom if I 

 escaped the danger of people crying out " That's me ! 



