470 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP, xix 



" Materialism and Morality," in which you and I are 

 dealt with after the ordinary fashion popular with the 

 theologians, who practically say, " You shall be material- 

 ists whether you like it or not." I should not be sorry 

 if you yielded to those promptings of your combative 

 instinct. Now that you are a man of leisure there is no 

 reason why you should not undertake any amount of 

 fighting, providing always that you can find foemen 

 worthy of your steel 



I remember that last year you found intellectual war- 

 fare good for your health, so I have no qualms of 

 conscience in making the suggestion. 



To this he replies on the 7th : 



Your stimulation of my combative instincts is down- 

 right wicked. I will not look at the Fortnightly article 

 lest I succumb to temptation. At least not yet. The 

 truth is that these cursed irons of mine, that have 

 always given me so much trouble, will put themselves 

 in the fire, when I am not thinking about them. There 

 are three or four already. 



On November 21 Mr. Spencer sends him more 

 proofs of his autobiography, dealing with his early 

 life : 



See what it is to be known as an omnivorous reader 

 you get no mercy shown you. A man who is ready 

 for anything, from a fairy tale to a volume of meta- 

 physics, is naturally one who will make nothing of a 

 fragment of a friend's autobiography ! 



To this he replies on the 25th : 



4 MARLBOROUGH PLACE, 



Nov. 25, 1886. 



MY DEAR SPENCER In spite of all prohibition I 

 must write to you about two things. First, as to the 



