riumphant I should be;--but it does not.' For this atrocious
wish, I must add, he apologises amply in a later letter. It is merely a
passing velleity. In truth it represents his version of Carlyle's
doctrine about the superiority of silence to speech, or rather of the
active to the contemplative life. The career of a great conqueror, a
great legislator, a man who in any capacity has moulded the doctrines of
the race, had a charm for his imagination which he could not find in the
pleasant idlers, who beguile our leisure by singing songs and telling
stories.

Men who affect the religions of mankind belong rather to the active than
the contemplative class. Nobody could estimate more highly the
importance of philosophical speculations upon the great problems of
life. To write a book which should effectively present his own answer to
those problems was his permanent ambition. Even in going to India, he
said, he had been moved partly by the desire of qualifying himself by
fresh experience for such a work, which had been consciously before him
ever since he left college. He was never able to carry out the plan
which was very frequently in his thoughts. Certain articles, however,
written about this time, sufficiently indicate his general conclusions,
and I therefore shall here give some account of them. They were all more
or less connected with that curious body called the 'Metaphysical
Society.'

A description of this institution was given in the 'Nineteenth Century'
for August 1885 by Mr. R. H. Hutton, who represents the discussions by
an imaginary conversation between the chief debaters. Mr. Knowles
prefixed a brief historical account. The Society was founded in
consequence of a conversation between Tennyson and Mr. Knowles, and held
its first meeting on April 21, 1869. Fitzjames joined it after his
return from India. The scheme of the founders was to provide an arena in
which the most important religious problems should be discussed with the
same freedom with which other problems are, or ought to be discussed in
the learned and scientific societies. Perhaps some light might be thrown
upon the question whether we have immortal souls, in which Tennyson was
much interested. Many very distinguished men became members, and after a
friendly dinner discussed papers which had been circulated for
consideration. Cardinal Manning, W. G. Ward, and Father Dalgairns were
the chief representatives of Catholicism; Professors Huxley, Tynda