John Stuart Mill: A Criticism with Personal Recollections

CONVERSATIONS WITH GROTE.
so, after the volumes were out. But Grote was never satisfied
if we parted without coming across some question in meta
physics or philosophy. Although his time was mainly given to
the History, he always refreshed his mind at intervals with
some philosophic reading or meditation, and had generally a
nut to crack when we came together. Plato and Aristotle were
never long out of his hands ; he was also an assiduous reader
of all works on science, especially if they involved the method
of science ;
but the book that was now oftenest in his hands in
the intervals of work, was Mill s Logic. I doubt if any living
man conned and thumbed the book as he did.
"
John
83
Mill s
Logic" I remember his saying, "is the best book in my
library
"
; he had not the same high opinion of any of Mill s
other books. He was himself one of nature s logicians ; he was
a thorough-going upholder of the Experience-philosophy, and
Mill s Logic completely satisfied him on this head. Often and
often did he recur to the arguments in favour of d priori truth,
and he was usually full of fresh and ingenious turns of reply.
It was only in Mill that he could find a talker to his mind in
this region, as in philosophy generally. Equally intense was
his devotion to Utility as the basis of Morals, and still more
varied was his elucidation and defence of the principle; on
that topic also he had few that he could declare his whole mind
to, and this was another bond of attraction to Mill. Towards
himself, on the other side, Mill had an almost filial affection,
and generally gave him the earliest intimation of his own plans;
but much as he loved Grote s company, his movements were
under the control of a still greater power. Notwithstanding ,
their wide agreement and numerous bonds of sympathy from
this cause as well as from long intimacy, Grote had always a
certain misgiving as to his persistence in the true faith. He
"
would say to me, Much as I admire John Mill, my admiration
"
is always mixed with fear ; meaning
that he never knew what
unexpected turn Mill might take. This I regarded as an exag
geration due, in the first instance, to Grote s gloomy tempera-