114 THE DOCTRINE OF DESCENT. 
sooner perish than resign its place, was likewise in- 
stituted by him at the same time. 
Thus, in Goethe’s opinion, nature always makes use 
of the same parts. Nature is inexhaustible in the 
modification and realization of the archetype; but to 
that which has once attained realization cleaves the 
tenacious power of persistency, a vs centripeta, of which 
the profound basis is beyond the influence of anything 
external. Hence, if he speaks of daily completion and 
transformation by means of reproduction, he under- 
stands, with respect to the animal which has attained 
realization, merely that course of development or meta- 
morphosis which is an image of inexhaustible pheno- 
menal nature. The influences which Nature has exer- 
cised upon the parts, he pictures to himself as still 
present ; but of an actual transformation of existing 
species into new ones, such as is required by the modern 
Darwinian doctrine of Descent, Goethe does not speak 
at all. 
In his view, what was it, then, that was to be trans- 
formed? Surely not the archetype. He says, indeed, 
“Thus the eagle fashioned itself by the air for the 
air, by the mountain top for the mountain top. The 
mole fashions itself to the loose soil, the seal to the 
water, the bat to the air ;” and generally, “the animal is 
fashioned by circumstances to circumstances.” But the 
illustrations which he gives in the Sketch of A.D. 1796, 
show plainly that he thought, not of any transforma- 
tion of existing forms, but of mere modes of mani- 
festation of the type and archetype as they exist in 
given species. He then says, “The serpent stands 
high in organization. It has a decided head, with 
