Darwin’s Claim to Descent 169 
occurred to me, in 1837, that something might perhaps be 
made out on this question by patiently accumulating and 
reflecting upon all sorts of facts which could possibly have 
any bearing on it. After five years’ work I allowed myself 
to speculate upon the ‘subject, and drew up some short 
notes ; these I enlarged in 1844* into a sketch of the con- 
clusions which then seemed to me probable. From that 
period to the present day I have steadily pursued the same 
object. I hope I may be excused these personal details, as 
I give them to show that I have not been hasty in coming 
to a decision.” 
This is bland, but peremptory. Mr. Darwin implies that 
the mere asking of the question how species has come about 
opened up a field into which speculation itself had hardly 
yet ventured to intrude. It was the mystery of mysteries ; 
one of our greatest philosophers had said so; not one little 
feeble ray of light had ever yet been thrown upon it. Mr. 
Darwin knew all this, and was appalled at the greatness of. 
‘the task that lay before him ; still, after he had pondered on 
what he had seen in South America, it really did occur to 
him, that if he was very very patient, and went on reflecting 
for years and years longer, upon all sorts of facts, good, bad, 
and indifferent, which could possibly have any bearing on 
the subject—and what fact might not possibly have some 
bearing ?—-well, something, as against the nothing that 
had been made out hitherto, might by some faint far-away 
possibility be one day dimly seem. It was only what he had 
seen in South America that made all this occur tohim. He 
had never seen anything about descent with modification 
in any book, nor heard any one talk about it as having 
been put forward by other people ; if he had, he would, of 
course, have been the first to say so; he was not as other 
philosophers are ; so the mountain went on for years and 
years gestating, but still there was no labour. 
* It should be remembered this was the year in which the 
 Vestiges of Creation ’’ appeared. 
