CORRESPONDENCE, 1867-70. 385 



must be found in the assumed necessity of appeal to God to know 1869. 

 what is good. And if it come to that I wait for further infor- 

 mation as to how the appeal is made. If man be to settle morals 

 his own way, I would not bind myself to his law ; for though I do 

 not go quite the length and all the strength of St. Paul, I am 

 clearly of opinion that the heart of man is as deceitful as most 

 things, and is very much, not a little, wicked. 



But further, supposing the intermediates could fraternise 

 with the extremes, could the extremes fraternise with one another ? 

 This is the old difficulty of compromise, under which many an 

 attempt at political and religious concentration has failed. We 

 know that if A and B coincide with C they coincide with one 

 another ; but if A and B should happen to be within x feet of C, 

 all we can positively affirm is that they are within 2x feet of one 

 another. And x may do where 2x will not. These are the first 

 things which strike an old thinker on the subject, who does not 

 feel equal to more than two sheets. There may be comfort in 

 the Scotch proverb that those who pluck at a gown of gold may 

 get a sleeve of it. In the meanwhile the name is too bold. * Free ' 

 ( Christian ' ' Union ' ! Until you tell us how free and how 

 Christian you mean to be, no one can tell how united you will 

 become. 



You have your sand, and you aspire to make rope. Michael 

 Scott's devils failed, but they did not know that a very easy pro- 

 cess would make their sand ropes into glass, which makes very 

 good thread. What have you got to mix with your sand ? That 

 is what I am curious to see. But the attempt is praiseworthy, 

 and must be most useful in any case of result. 



Yours sincerely, 



A. DE MORGAN. 



To Sir Frederick Pollock. 

 [Not in his own handwriting.] 



91 Adelaide Road, June 13, 1869. 



MY DEAR SIR FREDERICK, I should have said, till now, that 

 it would have been your business to receive me when I got to 

 the gate of the other world, but now I hold it not so sure. I 

 had an attack of congestion of the brain on Wednesday, which 

 kept me several hours in a condition of which I had after- 

 wards no recollection. I think I may put this against your 

 greater age, and consider myself as a candidate of equal preten- 



C C 



