ON IMMOKTALITY. 159 



remain unaffected by any future qualifications or correc- 

 tions that may be made in that theory. 



That man is an animal is the great and special 

 discovery of natural science in our generation. He is 

 only an animal, though the highest of the animals, who 

 has been raised to his pre-eminence partly by the long- 

 continued favour of fortune, partly by his own efforts, 

 but not by any means by special creation or special 

 favour shown him after his supposed creation. He but 

 started his career with a slightly better capital of physical 

 and mental endowment than any of his original com- 

 petitors, and this slight mental advantage it was which, 

 supplemented by a long run of good fortune, enabled him 

 at length so far to surpass all the rest, that he actually 

 came in time to believe he was of an infinitely superior 

 nature to any of them. 



He had far surpassed the lower animals in the race ; 

 he had conquered them, and subjected some to his service; 

 and as he was really ignorant of his true origin, and also 

 as his naturally vain and presumptuous disposition had 

 been further stimulated by his successful career, he 

 began, after the manner of parvenus, to take on grand 

 airs, and at length succeeded in persuading himself that 

 he had a far other and nobler origin than his humbler 

 brute brethren, and was made of more ethereal elements 

 than entered into their composition ; that he was entitled 

 to another life succeeding this ; and finally, as the climax 

 of madness and presumption, to a never-ending life. As 

 Alexander, drunk with the fumes of flattery and pride, 

 assumed the god, and suffered divine honours to be paid 

 to him by the priests in Egypt, so our poor presumptuous 

 man at last persuaded himself that he was a god, for 

 to such a height does the belief in a life interminable 

 virtually amount. 



