262 SIR CHARLES LYELL. 



congratulated by his friends " in not looking elder 

 for his hard work," he said, " The way to do much 

 and not grow old is, to be moderate in not going 

 out, to work a few hours, or half-hours, at a time, 

 . . . and to go to bed at eleven o'clock." He 

 would not accept many invitations socially. "A 

 man should have some severity of character, and 

 be able to refuse invitations, etc.," he said. " The 

 fact is, that to become great in science, a man must 

 be nearly as devoted as a lawyer, and must have 

 more than mere talent. ... I think I never do so 

 much as when I have fought a battle not to go 

 out." Those who have written books will appreci- 

 ate this statement, and recall the many days when 

 they have closed the shutters and worked, though 

 they longed to be out-of-doors in the sunlight. 



In 1833, the year after his marriage, he gave by 

 invitation a course of seven lectures before the 

 Royal Institution, a high honor. In 1834, he 

 passed several months in Sweden, and wrote back 

 to his " dearest Mary," "I have been ten hours 

 without a word with my love, but thinking of her 

 more than half the time, and comforting myself 

 that she is less alone than I am." ... He kept a 

 journal for her of his daily work. 



" It is now twenty-five days that we have been 

 separated, and I have often thought of what you 

 said, that the active occupation in which I should 

 constantly be engaged would give me a great, 

 advantage over you. I trust, however, that you 

 also have been actively employed. At leisure 



