112 THE REIGN OF LAW. 



which arise in minds finely organised, brought 

 into close relations with the mind of Nature, and 

 highly trained in the exercise of speculative 

 thought. They guessed the truth before they 

 proved it to be true ; and those guesses had 

 their origin in Abstract Ideas of the mind which 

 turned out to be ideas really embodied in the 

 Order of the Universe. So constantly has this 

 recurred in the history of Science, that as Dr 

 Whewell says, it is not to be considered as an 

 exception, but as the rule.* 



And now having traced the various senses in 

 which Law is used, we can form some estimate on 

 the value of those conclusions of which some men 

 are so boastful and of which other men are so 

 much afraid. We can see how much and how 

 little is really meant when it is said that Law can 

 be traced in all things, and all things can be traced 

 to Law. It is a great mistake to suppose that, 



* Whewell's History of the Inductive Sciences, 2d ed., vol. i. p. 

 434. Speaking of Copernicus, Dr Whewell says, in another place, 

 — " It is manifest that in this, as in other cases of discovery, a clear 

 and steady possession of abstract Ideas, and an aptitude in compre- 

 hending real Facts under these general conceptions, must have been 

 leading characters in the Discoverer's mind." — Vol. i., p. 389. 



