iv DESCARTES' DISCOURSE ON METHOD 197 



" Very cowardly," you may say ; aud so it was. 

 But you must make allowance for the fact that, in 

 the seventeenth century, not only did heresy mean 

 possible burning, or imprisonment, but the very 

 suspicion of it destroyed a man's peace, and 

 rendered the calm pursuit of truth difficult or 

 impossible. I fancy that Descartes was a man to 

 care more about being worried and disturbed, 

 than about being burned outright ; and, like many 

 other men, sacrificed for the sake of peace and 

 quietness, what he would have stubbornly main- 

 tained against downright violence. However this 

 may be, let those who are sure they would have 

 done better throw stones at him. I have no 

 feelings but those of gratitude and reverence for 

 the man who did what he did, when he did ; and 

 a sort of shame that any one should repine against 

 taking a fair share of such treatment as the world 

 thought good enough for him. 



Finally, it occurs to me that, such being my 

 feeling about the matter, it may be useful to all 

 of us if I ask you, " What is yours ? Do you 

 think that the Christianity of the seventeenth 

 century looks nobler and more attractive for such 

 treatment of such a man ? " You will hardly 

 reply that it does. But if it does not, may it not 

 be well if all of you do what lies within your 

 power to prevent the Christianity of the nine- 

 teenth century from repeating the scandal ? 



There are one or two living men, who, a couple 



