268 Britain's Heritage of Science 



of genius, industry, and unswerving veracity, who earned 

 his place among the most famous men of the age by sheer 

 native power, in the teeth of a gale of popular prejudice, 

 and uncheered by a sign of favour or appreciation from 

 the official fountains of honour; as one who, in spite of 

 an acute sensitiveness to praise and blame, and notwith- 

 standing provocations which might have excused any 

 outbreak, kept himself clear of all envy, hatred, malice, 

 nor dealt otherwise than fairly and justly with the 

 unfairness and injustice which was showered upon him; 

 while, to the end of his days, he was ready to listen 

 with patience and respect to the most insignificant of 

 reasonable objectors." 



Although the Darwin family trace their ancestry to about 

 the year 1500, we need not, here, go further back than 

 Charles's grandfather, Erasmus (1731-1802). This distin- 

 guished physician, the author of the " Loves of the Plants " 

 and of " Zoonomia," transmitted to his grandson his bene- 

 volent and sympathetic character and a remarkable charm 

 of manner, as well as his great stature. 



In many respects Erasmus Darwin was in advance of 

 his times. He was, for instance, a great advocate of temper- 

 ance, and Mr. Lucas has lately reminded us of his inhuman 

 advice : "If you must drink wine, let it be home-made," 

 surely the shortest cut to total abstinence yet devised by 

 the wit of man. 



He wrote innumerable verses in the somewhat stilted 

 style of the period. They were immensely admired by his 

 contemporaries, and Cowper, who could have had little or 

 no sympathy with most of Darwin's views, wrote in 

 conjunction with Halley a poem in his honour which 

 begins : 



"No envy mingles with our praise, 



Tho' could our hearts repine 

 At any poet's happier lays, 



They would, they must, be thine." 



The third son of Erasmus, Robert Waring Darwin, was 

 the father of Charles. Like his father, he was a physician, 

 and for many years he enjoyed a large practice at Shrewsbury. 

 He married Susannah, the daughter of his father's friend, 



