112 
PROFESSOR OWEN 
CH. IV. 
State raised, if the other state which is stronger 
had not already taken possession of the mind, or 
driven the other out ; ’ and, having delivered this 
proposition, he illustrates it by something which 
once took place within himself when he went to 
see Mrs. Siddons act. He entered the theatre 
with the strong conviction that he should be very 
much affected and weep copiously ; but he found 
to his dismay that he had forgotten to bring a 
handkerchief, and the misery and anxiety that 
he was in, when he found he was without that 
requisite for drying up the eyes, and the feeling 
of horror lest he should cry under those circum- 
stances, so stopped up every tear that he not only 
did not cry, but actually could not do so. 
On December 1 2 Owen writes to his sister : 
‘ I have just finished my edition of Hunter’s MSS. : 
ft will come out, January, intwo vols. 8vo. 1 shall 
also then bring out my “ Memoir on the Mega- 
therium,” in 4to, with 27 large plates ! Messrs. 
Black write to say that they have only 100 left of 
“ Palaeontology,” and I am at work on a new edition. 
I enclose a syllabus of my next and last course of 
Fullerian Lecture.s. The matter of the Jermyn 
Street lectures is not yet settled, but I have 
spoken to Sir R. Murchison of my wish to give 
them up.’ 
On December 30 he writes again : ‘ On 
Christmas Day I lunched with Lord John Russell, 
and chatted awhile with him in his study at Pern- 
