AGNOSTICISM: A REJOINDER. 165 



body of truth ultimately established. If I cite Buffon, Linnaeus, 

 Lamarck, and Cuvier, as having each and all taken a leading share 

 in building up modern biology, the statement that every one of 

 these great naturalists disagreed with, and even more or less contra- 

 dicted, all the rest is quite true ; but the supposition that the lat- 

 ter assertion is in any way inconsistent with the former, would 

 betray a strange ignorance of the manner in which all true science 

 advances. 



Dr. Wace takes a great deal of trouble to make it appear that 

 I have desired to evade the real questions raised by his attack 

 upon me at the Church Congress. I assure the reverend principal 

 that in this, as in some other respects, he has entertained a very 

 erroneous conception of my intentions. Things would assume 

 more accurate proportions in Dr. Wace's mind if he would kindly 

 remember that it is just thirty years since ecclesiastical thunder- 

 bolts began to fly about my ears. I have had the " Lion and the 

 Bear " to deal with, and it is long since I got quite used to the 

 threatenings of episcopal Goliaths, whose crosiers were like unto 

 a weaver's beam. So that I almost think I might not have no- 

 ticed Dr. Wace's attack, personal as it was ; and although, as he 

 is good enough to tell us, separate copies are to be had for the 

 modest equivalent of twopence, as a matter of fact, it did not 

 come under my notice for a long time after it was made. May I 

 further venture to point out that (reckoning postage) the expen- 

 diture of twopence-halfpenny, or, at the most, threepence, would 

 have enabled Dr. Wace so far to comply with ordinary conven- 

 tions as to direct my attention to the fact that he had attacked 

 me before a meeting at which I was not present ? I really am 

 not responsible for the five months' neglect of which Dr. Wace 

 complains. Singularly enough, the Englishry who swarmed 

 about the Engadine, during the three months that I was being 

 brought back to life by the glorious air and perfect comfort of ' 

 the Maloja, did not, in my hearing, say anything about the im- 

 portant events which had taken place at the Church Congress ; 

 and I think I can venture to affirm that there was not a single 

 copy of Dr. Wace's pamphlet in any of the hotel libraries which 

 I rummaged in search of something more edifying than dull 

 English or questionable French novels. 



And now, having, as I hope, set myself right with the public 

 as regards the sins of commission and omission with which I have 

 been charged, I feel free to deal with matters to which time and 

 type may be more profitably devoted. 



The Bishop of Peterborough indulges in the anticipation that 

 Dr. Wace will succeed in showing me " that a scientist dealing 

 with questions of theology or biblical criticism may go quite 

 as far astray as theologians often do in dealing with questions 



