ne。　　Meanwhile；　the　question　of　questions　were：　　What　specially　is　a　Miracle？　　To　that　Dutch　King　of　Siam；　an　icicle　had　been　a　miracle；　whoso　had　carried　with　him　an　air…pump；　and　vial　of　vitriolic　ether；　might　have　worked　a　miracle。　　To　my　Horse；　again；　who　unhappily　is　still　more　unscientific；　do　not　I　work　a　miracle；　and　magical　'_Open　sesame_！_'_　every　time　I　please　to　pay　twopence；　and　open　for　him　an　impassable　_Schlagbaum_；　or　shut　Turnpike？
  〃'But　is　not　a　real　Miracle　simply　a　violation　of　the　Laws　of　Nature？'　ask　several。　　Whom　I　answer　by　this　new　question：　　What　are　the　Laws　of　Nature？　To　me　perhaps　the　rising　of　one　from　the　dead　were　no　violation　of　these　Laws；　but　a　confirmation；　were　some　far　deeper　Law；　now　first　penetrated　into；　and　by　Spiritual　Force；　even　as　the　rest　have　all　been；　brought　to　bear　on　us　with　its　Material　Force。
  〃Here　too　may　some　inquire；　not　without　astonishment：　　On　what　ground　shall　one；　that　can　make　Iron　swim；　come　and　declare　that　therefore　he　can　teach　Religion？　　To　us；　truly；　of　the　Nineteenth　Century；　such　declaration　were　inept　enough；　which　nevertheless　to　our　fathers；　of　the　First　Century；　was　full　of　meaning。
  〃'But　is　it　not　the　deepest　Law　of　Nature　that　she　be　constant？'　cries　an　illuminated　class：　　'Is　not　the　Machine　of　the　Universe　fixed　to　move　by　unalterable　rules？'　　Probable　enough；　good　friends：　　nay　I；　too；　must　believe　that　the　God；　whom　ancient　inspired　men　assert　to　be　'without　variableness　or　shadow　of　turning；'　does　indeed　never　change；　that　Nature；　that　the　Universe；　which　no　one　whom　it　so　pleases　can　be　prevented　from　calling　a　Machine；　does　move　by　the　most　unalterable　rules。　　And　now　of　you；　too；　I　make　the　old　inquiry：　　What　those　same　unalterable　rules；　forming　the　complete　Statute…Book　of　Nature；　may　possibly　be？
  〃They　stand　written　in　our　Works　of　Science；　say　you；　in　the　accumulated　records　of　Man's　Experience？Was　Man　with　his　Experience　present　at　the　Creation；　then；　to　see　how　it　all　went　on？　　Have　any　deepest　scientific　individuals　yet　dived　down　to　the　foundations　of　the　Universe；　and　gauged　everything　there？　　Did　the　Maker　take　them　into　His　counsel；　that　they　read　His　ground…plan　of　the　incomprehensible　All；　and　can　say；　This　stands　marked　therein；　and　no　more　than　this？　　Alas；　not　in　anywise！　　These　scientific　individuals　have　been　nowhere　but　where　we　also　are；　have　seen　some　hand　breadths　deeper　than　we　see　into　the　Deep　that　is　infinite；　without　bottom　as　without　shore。
  〃Laplace's　Book　on　the　Stars；　wherein　he　exhibits　that　certain　Planets；　with　their　Satellites；　gyrate　round　our　worthy　Sun；　at　a　rate　and　in　a　course；　which；　by　greatest　good　fortune；　he　and　the　like　of　him　have　succeeded　in　detecting；is　to　me　as　precious　as　to　another。　　But　is　this　what　thou　namest　'Mechanism　of　the　Heavens；'　and　'System　of　the　World；'　this；　wherein　Sirius　and　the　Pleiades；　and　all　Herschel's　Fifteen　thousand　Suns　per　minute；　being　left　out；　some　paltry　handful　of　Moons；　and　inert　Balls；　had　beenlooked　at；　nick…named；　and　marked　in　the　Zodiacal　Way…bill；　so　that　we　can　now　prate　of　their　Whereabout；　their　How；　their　Why；　their　What；　being　hid　from　us；　as　in　the　signless　Inane？
  〃System　of　Nature！　　To　the　wisest　man；　wide　as　is　his　vision；　Nature　remains　of　quite　_infinite_　depth；　of　quite　infinite　expansion；　and　all　Experience　thereof　limits　itself　to　some　few　computed　centuries　and　measured　square…miles。　　The　course　of　Nature's　phases；　on　this　our　little　fraction　of　a　Planet；　is　partially　known　to　us：　　but　who　knows　what　deeper　courses　these　depend　on；　what　infinitely　larger　Cycle　（of　causes）　our　little　Epicycle　revolves　on？　　To　the　Minnow　every　cranny　and　pebble；　and　quality　and　accident；　of　its　little　native　Creek　may　have　become　familiar：　but　does　the　Minnow　understand　the　Ocean　Tides　and　periodic　Currents；　the　Trade…winds；　and　Monsoons；　and　Moon's　Eclipses；　by　all　which　the　condition　of　its　little　Creek　is　regulated；　and　may；　from　time　to　time　（unmiraculously　enough）；　be　quite　overset　and　reversed？　　Such　a　minnow　is　Man；　his　Creek　this　Planet　Earth；　his　Ocean　the　immeasurable　All；　his　Monsoons　and　periodic　Currents　the　mysterious　Course　of　Providence　through　AEons　of　AEons。
  〃We　speak　of　the　Volume　of　Nature：　　and　truly　a　Volume　it　is；whose　Author　and　Writer　is　God。　　To　read　it！　　Dost　thou；　does　man；　so　much　as　well　know　the　Alphabet　thereof？　　With　its　Words；　Sentences；　and　grand　descriptive　Pages；　poetical　and　philosophical；　spread　out　through　Solar　Systems；　and　Thousands　of　Years；　we　shall　not　try　thee。　　It　is　a　Volume　written　in　celestial　hieroglyphs；　in　the　true　Sacred…writing；　of　which　even　Prophets　are　happy　that　they　can　read　here　a　line　and　there　a　line。　　As　for　your　Institutes；　and　Academies　of　Science；　they　strive　bravely；　and；　from　amid　the　thick…crowded；　inextricably　intertwisted　hieroglyphic　writing；　pick　out；　by　dexterous　combination；　some　Letters　in　the　vulgar　Character；　and　therefrom　put　together　this　and　the　other　economic　Recipe；　of　high　avail　in　Practice。　　That　Nature　is　more　than　some　boundless　Volume　of　such　Recipes；　or　huge；　well…nigh　inexhaustible　Domestic…Cookery　Book；　of　which　the　whole　secret　will　in　this　manner　one　day　evolve　itself；　the　fewest　dream。
  〃Custom；〃　continues　the　Professor；　〃doth　make　dotards　of　us　all。　　Consider　well；　thou　wilt　find　that　Custom　is　the　greatest　of　Weavers；　and　weaves　air…raiment　for　all　the　Spirits　of　the　Universe；　whereby　indeed　these　dwell　with　us　visibly；　as　ministering　servants；　in　our　houses　and　workshops；　but　their　spiritual　nature　becomes；　to　the　most；　forever　hidden。　　Philosophy　complains　that　Custom　has　hoodwinked　us；　from　the　first；　that　we　do　everything　by　Custom；　even　Believe　by　it；　that　our　very　Axioms；　let　us　boast　of　Free…thinking　as　we　may；　are　oftenest　simply　such　Beliefs　as　we　have　never　heard　questioned。　　Nay；　what　is　Philosophy　throughout　but　a　continual　battle　against　Custom；　an　ever…renewed　effort　to　_transcend_　the　sphere　of　blind　Custom；　and　so　become　Transcendental？
  〃Innumerable　are　the　illusions　and　legerdemain…tricks　of　Custom：　　but　of　all　these；　perhaps　the　cleverest　is　her　knack　of　persuading　us　that　the　Miraculous；　by　simple　repetition；　ceases　to　be　Miraculous。　　True；　it　is　by　this　means　we　live；　for　man　must　work　as　well　as　wonder：　　and　herein　is　Custom　so　far　a　kind　nurse；　guiding　him　to　his　true　benefit。　　But　she　is　a　fond　foolish　nurse；　or　rather　we　are　false　foolish　nurslings；　when；　in　our　resting　and　reflecting　hours；　we　prolong　the　same　deception。　　Am　I　to　view　the　Stupendous　with　stupid　indifference；　because　I　have　seen　it　twice；　or　two　hundred；　or　two　million　times？　　There　is　no　reason　in　Nature　or　in　Art　why　I　should：　　unless；　indeed；　I　am　a　mere　Work…Machine；　for　whom　the　divine　gift　of　Thought　were　no　other　than　the　terrestrial　gift　of　Steam　is　to　the　Steam…engine；　a　power　whereby　cotton　might　be　spun；　and　money　and　money's　worth　realized。
  〃Notable　enough　too；　here　as　elsewhere；　wilt　thou　find　the　potency　of　Names；　which　indeed　are　but　one　kind　of　such　custom…woven；　wonder…hiding　Garments。　　Witchcraft；　and　all　manner　of　Spectre…work；　and　Demonology；　we　have　now　named　Madness；　and　Diseases　of　the　Nerves。　　Seldom　reflecting　that　still　the　new　question　comes　upon　us：　　What　is　Madness；　what　are　Nerves？　Ever；　as　before；　does　Madness　remain　a　mysterious…terrific；　altogether　_infernal_　boiling…up　of　the　Nether　Chaotic　Deep；　through　this　fair…painted　Vision　of　Creation；　which　swims　thereon；　which　we　name　the　Real。　　Was　Luther's　Picture　of　the　Devil　less　a　Reality；　whether　it　were　formed　within　the　bodily　eye；　or　without　it？　　In　every　the　wisest　Soul　lies　a　whole　world　of　internal　Madness；　an　authentic　Demon…Empire；　out　of　which；　indeed；　his　world　of　Wisdom　has　been　creatively　built　together；　and　now　rests　there；　as　on　its　dark　foundations　does　a　habitable　flowery　Earth　rind。
  〃But　deepest　of　all　illusory　Appearances；　for　hiding　Wonder；　as　for　many　other　ends；　are　your　two　grand　fundamental　world…enveloping　Appearances；　SPACE　and　TIME。　　These；　as　spun　and　woven　for　us　from　before　Birth　itself；　to　clothe　our　celestial　ME　for　dwelling　here；　and　yet　to　blind　it；lie　all…embracing；　as　the　universal　canvas；　or　warp　and　woof；　whereby　all　minor　Illusions；　in　this　Phantasm　Existence；　weave　and　paint　themselves。　　In　vain；　while　here　on　Earth；　shall　you　endeavor　to　strip　them　off；　you　can；　at　best；　but　rend　them　asunder　for　moments；　and　look　through。
  〃Fortunatus　had　a　wishing　Hat；　which　when　he　put　on；　and　wished　himself　Anywhere；　behold　he　was　There。　　By　this　means　had　Fortunatus　triumphed　over　Space；　he　had　annihilated　Space；　for　him　there　was　no　Where；　but　all　was　Here。　　Were　a　Hatter　to　establish　himself；　in　the　Wahngasse　of　Weissnichtwo；　and　make　felts　of　this　sort　for　all　mankind；　what　a　world　we　should　have　of　it！　　Still　stranger；　should；　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　street；　another　Hatter　establish　himself；　and；　as　his　fellow…craftsman　made　Space…annihilating　Hats；　make　Time…annihilating！　　Of　both　would　I　purchase；　were　it　with　my　last　groschen；　but　chiefly　of　this　latter。　　To　clap　on　your　felt；　and；　simply　by　wishing　that　you　were　Anywhere；　straightway　to　be　_There_！　　Next　to　clap　on　your　other　felt；　and；　simply　by　wishing　that　you　were　_Anywhen_；