100 PROSERPINA. 



May we call these a glorious apparel, as we may 

 the glowing of an alpine rose ■? 



You will find on reflection, and find more con- 

 vincingly the more accurately you reflect, that there 

 is an absolute sense attached to such words as ' de- 

 cent,' ' honourable,' ' glorious,' or ' Kakos,' contrary to 

 another absolute sense in the words ' indecent,' 

 ' shameful,' ' vile,' or ' aio-^po?.' 



And that there is every degree of these absolute 

 qualities visible in living creatures ; and that the 

 divinity of the Mind of man is in its essential dis- 

 cernment of what is koXov from what is alcr^pov, 

 and in his preference of the kind of creatures which 

 are decent, to those which are indecent ; and of 

 the kinds of thoughts, in himself, which are noble, 

 to those which are vile. 



4. When therefore I said that Mr. Darwin, and his 

 school,* had no conception of the real meaning of 

 the word ' proper,' I meant that they conceived the 

 qualities of things only as their ' properties,' but 

 not as their ' becomingnesses ; ' and seeing that dirt 

 is proper to a swine, malice to a monkey, poison to 

 a nettle, and folly to a fool, they called a nettle 

 but a nettle, and the faults of fools but folly ; and 

 never saw the difference between ugliness and beauty 



* Of Vespertilian science generally, compare ' Eagle's Nest,' pp. 25. and 

 179 (of the " Revised Series," and pp. 28, 206-7 of tne small edition) 



