90 
into the use of the word because I found it in that part of Dr. Newmans 
essay to which I was referring. It seems to me, however, to he one of the 
characteristics of great men, that they are able to form 3«^ts °n data 
which would suggest little or nothing to ordinary minds. Of this there are 
many recorded instances. How this is done is a mysteiy which we cannot 
penetrate. We know, however, that absolute mastery of a subject enables 
us in some degree to approximate towards it. If we call it a power of pro- 
found insight, it explains little. Probably mental processes take pkce 
which leave no trace in the memory. There is no doubt that great con- 
versance with a subject enables one to pass through a succession of judgments 
and to draw conclusions which to others seem incomprehensible 
Kev. G. Henslow.— Amongst the writers who have dealt with that point 
are Robertson, of Brighton, and the author of Ecce Homo. . 
Mr. Reddie.— I hardly think such authorities can carry great weight with 
us. They are both sceptics. Robertson gave several hints for the Essay* 
and Reviews, and the character of Ecce Homo is well known. 
Mr. Henslow— It is only a question of fact. 
]y[ r j> ow But these are mere subordinate matters, about which I did. 
not care one way or the other. With regard to those points, upon which 
I may say our religious and philosophical certainties rest, if Dr. Newman is- 
right in his main principles, we have little to do but to turn sceptics. I 
am very sorry to be obliged to come to that conclusion. There is one- 
remark of Mr. Reddie’s with which I wholly disagree— as to the judgment 
of style In the case I mentioned I should be positively sure that Lord 
Macaulay did not write the Rambler; but perhaps Mr. Reddie has not 
studied critically the evidence which style furnishes to diversity or identity ot 
authorship. It is a difficult question to know how we form that judgment j 
but there are diversities of style which make you feel sure that one boo - 
could not have been written by a certain author. What do you think on the 
point, Dr. Thornton ? 
The Chairman.— No doubt there are certain differences of style which are 
easily detected. For instance, one would not think that the Facetim of 
Hierocles was written by Thucydides. . 
Mr Row.— No ; of course not. The Rambler is full of Latmisms, 
whereas Macaulay’s writings contain a great amount of Saxon, and there are 
few styles which are more widely different. Mr. Reddie seemed to argue 
that there were no metaphysical difficulties in the summation of an infinite 
series When I wrote that, I had in my eye many other mathematical opera- 
tions, and I maintain that the square root of a minus quantity does include 
certain metaphysical difficulties. I do not say that j ^thematrca 1 ques- 
tions involve this difficulty, but some do. Take the differential and the 
integral calculus ; there are metaphysical difficulties there, as also in many 
other cases. But I will not further occupy your time. 
Dr. Rigs.— I f Mr. Reddie would favour us with a paper upon Dr. New- 
man’s work, but deprived of such mathematical matters, I thmk he wou 0 
good service. 
The Meeting was then adjourned. 
