Page:The Hunterian oration, for the year 1819.djvu/68

64 ought to have restrained him. In my next lectures, which were designed more fully to explain Mr. Hunter’s opinions, by showing the manner in vrhich he had deduced them from the consideration of all the vital processes, I carefully concealed Mr. Lawrence from public view, by arguing against a party, by contending against opinions and not against persons: nor did I ever mention his name or words but in order to induce others to suppose that we did not differ in sentiments. The sentence to which I allude ran thus: “Comparative anatomy, also, as my brother Professor very judiciously observed in his introductory lectures, furnishes abundant arguments to the natural theologian, by the evidences it affords of design, and of the adaptation of means to ends.” When, however, I perceived that he was hurt by these lectures, I assured him that I did not mean personally to allude to him, and after consideration added, neither could I conceive how he could suppose that I did, unless indeed by identifying himself with those writers from whose works he had copied. I offered also to expunge the sentence above quoted. He