.... I would rather not enter as an arbitrator or judge into the matter, for I have of late been resigning all my functions as one incompetent to take up such matters, and the Royal Institution2, as well as the Trinity House3, have so far accepted them as to set me free from all anxiety of thought in respect to them. In fact, my memory is gone, and I am obliged to refrain from reading argumentative matter, or from judging of it. I am very thankful for their tenderness in the matter; and if it please Providence to continue me a year or two in this life, I hope to bear the decree patiently. My time for contending for temporal honours is at an end, whether it be for myself or others4.
Please cite as “Faraday4537,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday4537