CHAPTEE XV 



He had intellect to comprelieBd his highest duty dis 

 tinctly, and force of character to do it ; •which of us dare 

 ask for a higher summary of his life than that ? 



Such was Huxley's epitaph upon Henslow ; it was 

 the standard which he endeavoured to reach in his own 

 life. It is the expression of that passion for veracity 

 which was perhaps his strongest characteristic ; an 

 uncompromising passion for truth in thought, which 

 would admit no particle of seK-deception, no assertion 

 beyond what could be verified ; for truth in act, 

 perfect straightforwardness and sincerity, with com- 

 plete disregard of personal consequences for uttering 

 unpalatable fact. 



Truthfulness, in his eyes, was the cardinal virtue, 

 without which no stable society can exist. Convic- 

 tion, sincerity, he always respected, whether on his 

 own side or against him. Clever men, he would say, 

 are as common as blackberries ; the rare thing is to 

 find a good one. The lie from interested motives 

 was only more hateful to him than the lie from self- 

 delusion or foggy thinking. With this he classed 



365 



