AN APOLOGUE OF CORPOREAL AND COSMICAL INFINITY. 635 
tial particulars, the following paper is a faithful record and transcript of what 
passed. 
Some years ago it happened that, one bright spring morning, I took a long 
walk with a geologically-minded friend, whom his acquaintances, not altogether 
without reason, charged with a tendency to over-refinement in speculation. The 
air was lucid and balmy, the fresh foliage of the young year glistened aud shim¬ 
mered in the light breeze, and, as his spirits rose beneath the exhilarating influ¬ 
ences of the day, my monologistic companion waxed more and more earnest and 
eloquent. Time sped quickly, and a third part of our journey had been plea¬ 
santly accomplished, when we entered upon the chequered shade of a long reach 
of road, lined on either side with tall trees, its grassy margin studded at inter¬ 
vals with heaps of stone, intended for road metal. As these heaps proved to be 
highly fossil if erous, I did not wonder that my companion made frequent pauses, 
and much use of his hammer. But I did wonder w r hen, after having spoken to 
him several times and received no answer, I looked to see how he was engaged, 
and found him earnestly contemplating a fragment about the size of an egg, 
which he held in his hand. Upon getting no reply to my fourth question, I 
ventured to touch him on the shoulder; whereon he started, drew a deep breath, 
as of relief, and came out of his reverie. 
“ What have you there that is so interesting?” said I; “for, to me, it appears 
nothing but an ordinary stone.” 
“ That is because you behold it only with the eyes of the flesh,” he replied. 
“ If you could put off your fleshly robes, and regard it with the far-reaching 
insight of the intellectual vision, in this simple stone you would see a perfect 
microcosm, an apt epitome of the macrocosm of which you and I have the pri¬ 
vilege to be two units.” 
“ But since, unfortunately, I am only of the earth, earthy,” I answered, “it 
is impossible for me to adopt your exalted suggestion, and I must remain con¬ 
tented to see in a stone only a stone.” 
“ Not so,” he rejoined. “ Only place yourself under my guidance for half an 
hour, and, with your own help, 1 think I shall be able to show you what I my¬ 
self have been seeing during the past minutes.” 
I perceived now that I was fairly committed to one of my friend’s speculative 
lectures; and, in order to fulfil comfortably one of the most graceful offices of 
friendship, viz. that of an attentive and appreciative listener, I at once pro¬ 
ceeded to light a cigar, and, under its soothing influence, composed myself to 
listen ; which I did the less unwillingly, as we now had before us the tamest and 
least interesting portion of our journey. 
“You observe,” he commenced, “that this fragment of stone consists of nu¬ 
merous granules, of various irregular sizes and shapes, casually thrown together, 
and adhering with moderate tenacity.” 
I agreed that it was so. 
“ Now let us suppose,” he continued, “ that our visual powers become, mo¬ 
mently, more and more acute, and are steadily and continuously enlarging in 
compass, so that that, which just now was merely a small stone, swells and 
dilates before us till it is magnified into the proportions of an enormous mass, 
which fills the entire field of our enlarged vision.” 
“ I see nothing but this enormous body shutting out the entire firmament,” 
I assented. 
“ And do you not perceive,” he went on, “ that what before appeared to us as 
a solid substance, has now become a honeycombed mass, full of interstices ; that 
each granule has swelled into a distinct body, every one of these bodies again 
being composed of innumerable sub-granules?” 
I admitted that he pictured it exactly. 
“ We will next suppose,” he proceeded,—“ and this is the second scene of the 
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