Had he sat down to write the narrative of these years at an earlier period of his life--after his return, say, from his Italian journey--we may conceive that in his then anti-Christian spirit he would have put these early religious experiences in a somewhat different light, and would hardly have assigned to them the same importance.

But when he actually addressed himself to tell the story of his development, he had passed out of his anti-Christian phase, and was fully convinced of the importance of religion in human culture.

Regarding this portion of his Autobiography, as regarding others, we may have our doubts as to how far his record is coloured by his opinions when he wrote it.

Yet, after every reserve, there can be no question that religion engaged both his intellect and his emotions as a boy; and the fact is conclusive that religious instincts were not left out of his nature.[11] [Footnote 11: With reference to what he says of his Biblical studies he wrote as follows to a correspondent (January 30th, 1812) [Transcriber's Note: corrected error "1912"]: "Dass Sie meine asiatischen Weltanfaenge so freundlich aufnehmen, ist mir von grossem Wert.

Es schlingt sich die daher fuer mich gewonnene Kultur durch mein ganzes Leben...."] There was nothing in the influence of his home that was specially fitted to awaken religious feeling or to occasion abnormal spiritual experiences.