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and all the other little disciple dogs joining in the fray! I
must say it makes one prefer Buddha, quietly sitting under
a bo-tree, or Jesus, telling his disciples little Sunday stories,
peacefully, and without any mental fireworks. No, there’s
something wrong with the mental life, radically. It’s rooted
in spite and envy, envy and spite. Ye shall know the tree by
its fruit.’
’I don’t think we’re altogether so spiteful,’ protested Clif-
ford.
’My dear Clifford, think of the way we talk each other
over, all of us. I’m rather worse than anybody else, myself.
Because I infinitely prefer the spontaneous spite to the con-
cocted sugaries; now they ARE poison; when I begin saying
what a fine fellow Clifford is, etc., etc., then poor Clifford is
to be pitied. For God’s sake, all of you, say spiteful things
about me, then I shall know I mean something to you. Don’t
say sugaries, or I’m done.’
’Oh, but I do think we honestly like one another,’ said
Hammond.
’I tell you we must...we say such spiteful things to one an-
other, about one another, behind our backs! I’m the worst.’
’And I do think you confuse the mental life with the
critical activity. I agree with you, Socrates gave the critical
activity a grand start, but he did more than that,’ said Char-
lie May, rather magisterially. The cronies had such a curious
pomposity under their assumed modesty. It was all so EX
CATHEDRA, and it all pretended to be so humble.
Dukes refused to be drawn about Socrates.
’That’s quite true, criticism and knowledge are not the

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