a butterfly’s wings. 
*45 
“ My father was a Yorkshireman. Of this fact I am not a 
little proud, for it has not seldom been maintained that Yorkshire 
has yielded some of the most robust intellects which our country 
has ever known. He was residing at the time of my birth, in 
1743, at Peterborough, but was shortly after appointed to the 
important post of head master of King Edward’s School, at 
Giggleswick. Of this noteworthy establishment I could say 
much, for it was here that 1 first imbibed that love of learning, 
and especially of natural science, which influenced the whole 
tenour of my after life. In 1758 I was entered in Christ College, 
Cambridge, but my early student days were sadly misspent,” 
“Is it not a fact that you graduated b.a., coming on" as first 
wrangler in 1763, ? ’’enquired Darwin, who, having himself been 
a student of this college, had been interested in Paley’s career. 
“That is so,” replied the archdeacon. “I was then twenty 
years of age, and three years later, proceeded to take the degree 
of Master of Arts, whereupon I became a fellow and tutor of my 
college. I retained the tutorship for a period of ten years, having 
in 1767 taken holy orders. After a decade spent in lecturing to 
the students I married, gave up my fellowship, and went to re¬ 
side at Musgrave, in Westmorland. Henceforth my time was 
devoted to the Church.” 
“ We owe much to you, Sir,” I remarked, “ for the clear and 
forceful style in which you have presented your arguments in de¬ 
fence of the faith, for your logical mode of reasoning, and the 
clearness of your illustrations.” 
“ I must be allowed,” returned the divine, “ to make a remark 
or two respecting my works. The compliment you pay me, is 
quite undeserved. I do not claim to have been an original dis¬ 
coverer or thinker. Nearly the whole of my work was suggested 
by others, and in some instances I have been little more than 
interpreter of other men’s thoughts. I shall not need to tell you 
that, while I believe my work on Natural Theology , for which I 
was greatly indebted to a Dutch philosopher of the Seventeenth 
century—was exactly suited to the needs and spirit of the age in 
which I wrote, modern writers on teleology have shewn that my 
arguments must to a large extent be recast, if not indeed re¬ 
nounced. Against this I make no complaint. Every age views 
the facts and phenomena of life in a new and different light, and 
it would indeed be pitiful, if, as the unbeliever shifts his ground 
the champion of the truth, the Christian apologist, could not 
marshal his forces with sufficient skill to meet the enemy of the 
truth, and drive him from the field. But already I have said too 
much, and I shall gladly hear what my brethren have to say.” 
It was interesting, during dhis conversation, to observe the 
pleasant play of features, which my guests exhibited. Here was 
a distinguished trio of Cambridge men, Paley, Wordsworth, and 
Darwin. They were, it is true, never together at Cambridge as 
