‘I perceive’, said the Countess, ‘that philosophy is now become very mechanical.’ ‘So mechanical’, said I, ‘that I fear we shall quickly be ashamed of it: they will have the World to be in great what a watch is in little; which is very regular and depends only upon the just disposing of the several parts of the movement. But pray tell me, Madam, had you not formerly a more sublime Idea of the Universe?’ We have now passed the mechanical phase of religious teaching and are come to a time when it is easy to be ashamed or at least timid about religion. And the one leads to the other. So soon as religion is reduced to a code of rules and embargoes adherence to any religious sect ceases to have any more significance than affiliation to a golf club.