138 



ARE SOILS ENRICHED, IMPOVERISHED, PT. rii. 



contained in carbonic acid, water, and ammonia. 

 Throughout all organic nature, during life, combination 

 from the constituents of these three goes on, and after 

 death the decomposition of those combinations into the 

 constituents of these three : that is, carbonic acid, 

 water, and ammonia furnish the constituents from 

 which, by combination, result all the exquisite living 

 forms which we admire and love ; and into these three 

 those forms are by decomposition eventually resolved. 

 Throughout the realms of vitality the actual living are 

 the late dead freshly combined ; and from the decom- 

 position of one generation of plants and animals the 

 recomposition of another generation results.* 



In reference to the incombustible parts of the food 

 of plants, all will agree that these ashes of plants are 



* Pythagoras received doctrines very similar to these from 

 Egypt and India. Ovid describes them thus : — 

 ' Omnia mutantur ; nihil interit .... 

 H93C quoque non perstant quae nos elementa vocamns .... 



tamen omnia finnt 



Ex ipsis, et in ipsa cadunt .... 

 Nec species sua cuique manet, rerumqne novatrix 

 Ex aliis alias reparat Natnra figuras. 

 Nec perit in tanto quidquam (mihi credite) mnndo ; 

 Sed variat, faciemque no vat ; nasciqne vocatur, 

 Incipere esse aliud, quam quod fuit ante; morique, 

 Desinere illud idem.' 

 These are sublime doctrines as regards matter. So is the 

 ' morte carent animas,' as regards the soul. ' There is,' however, 

 ' but one step from the sublime to the ridiculous,' and alas ! that 

 the profound philosophers who held these doctrines should have 

 taken the one step beyond the transformation of matter to the 

 ridiculous belief in the transmigration of souls. 



