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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 199
Philosophy
mental truths belonging to the Catechism under the veil
is at "bottom this : to set forth the chief funda
of some very abstract, abstruse and difficult, therefore
painfully wearisome formulas and sentences ;
however confused, intricate, strange
wherefore,
and eccentric the
matter may seem at first sight, these truths invariably
reveal themselves as its kernel. This proceeding may be
useful, though to me it is unknown. All I know is, that
philosophy,
i.e. the search after truth I mean the truth
KCIT e^o^v, by which the most sublime and important dis
closures, more precious than anything else to the human
race, are understood will never advance a step, nay, an
inch, by means of such manoeuvring, by which its course
is on the contrary impeded ; therefore I found out long
ago that University philosophy is the enemy of all genuine
philosophy. Now, this being the state of the case, when a
really honest philosophy arises, which seriously has truth
for its sole aim, must not these gentlemen
"
of the philo
sophical trade
"
feel as might stage-knights in paste-board
armour, were a knight suddenly to appear in the midst of
them clad in real armour, who made the stage-floor creak
under his ponderous tread ? Such philosophy as this must
therefore be bad and false and consequently places these
"of gentlemen
"
the trade under the painful obligation of
playing the part of him who, in order to appear what he
is not, cannot allow others to pass for what they really are.
Out of all this however there unrolls itself the amusing
spectacle we enjoy, when these gentlemen, now that ignoring
has unfortunately come to an end, after forty years, at
last begin to measure me by their own puny standard and
pass judgment upon me from the heights of their wisdom,
as though they were amply qualified to do so by their
office ; but they are most amusing of all when they assume
airs of superiority towards me.
Their abhorrence of Kant, though less openly expressed,