Again, to the same friend, he writes: "What? affirm you have little to say, and yet a philosopher? What a contradiction! What a paradox! 'tis a circumstance I till now had no idea of, nor shall I at any time allow you to advance it as a plea for not writing. A philosopher cannot fail to abound in subjects, and a philosopher can scarcely fail to have a plentiful flow of words, ideas, opinions, etc., etc., when engaged on them; at least, I never had reason to suppose you deficient there. Query by Abbott: 'Then pray, Mike, why have you not answered my last before now since subjects are so plentiful?' 'Tis neither more nor less, dear A., than a want of time. Time, sir, is all I require, and for time will I cry out most heartily. Oh that I could purchase at a cheap rate some of our modern gents' spare hours, nay, days; I think it would be a good bargain both for them and me. As for subjects, there is no want of them. I could converse with you, I will not say for ever, but for any finite length of time. Philosophy would furnish us with matter; and even now, though I have said _nothing_, yet the best part of a page is covered." A little later he writes, acknowledging a letter from his friend, a letter which found him paper-hanging--"but what a change of thought it occasioned; what a concussion, confusion, conglomeration; what a revolution of ideas it produced--oh! 'twas too much; away went cloths, shears, paper, paste, and brush, all--all was too little, all was too light to keep my thoughts from soaring high, connected close with thine." This letter, after referring to his friend's electrical experiments, he finishes somewhat sadly, "You know I shall shortly enter on the life of a journeyman, and then I suppose time will be more scarce than it is even now." Little did he dream how great a change in his prospects one short half year would make. [Illustration] FOOTNOTES: [1] Erasmus Darwin, author of _The Botanic Garden_, _Loves of the Plants_, etc., and grandfather of the more famous Charles Darwin. [2] It may be noted here that there are several spurious stories told of Faraday's first visit to the Institution and his introduction to Davy. The story as told here is as Faraday himself told it to Davy's biographer. [3] It is interesting to note that Sir Humphry Davy was only thirteen years the senior of Michael Faraday. [Illustration] CHAPTER II. THE TURNING POINT. "And Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying: 'Here is a story-book Thy Father has written for thee.' 'Come, wander with me,' she said, 'Into regions yet untrod; And read what is still unread In the manuscripts of God!'" LONGFELLOW.