“A man’s mind must be continually expanding and shrinking between the whole human horizon and the horizon of an object-glass”

“A man’s mind must be continually expanding and shrinking between the whole human horizon and the horizon of an object-glass” names the double movement Lydgate considers essential to inquiry: widening attention to the human whole, then narrowing it to exact observation. The expression also acquires an ironic force when the narrative recalls it during a conversation in which Lydgate’s expansive talk seems less like scientific work than a defense against personal disclosure.

The Intellectual Principle

Lydgate’s maxim balances two scales of thought. The “whole human horizon” suggests the breadth needed to understand human life, while the “horizon of an object-glass” evokes concentrated investigation of a particular scientific object. The mind must continually pass between them; neither general vision nor close scrutiny alone is presented as sufficient. The paired verbs, “expanding and shrinking,” make inquiry an active alternation rather than a settled position.

Its Context in Lydgate’s Work

The expression is recalled by Mr. Farebrother as one of Lydgate’s own standards for patient, uninterrupted research. Yet, on the evening Farebrother visits him, Lydgate advances arguments about biological views without offering the definite results or evidence that would mark sustained investigation. The contrast distinguishes talking about inquiry from the methodical work Lydgate had insisted it required.

Personal and Narrative Irony

In that conversation, Lydgate’s wide-ranging discussion appears to Farebrother to serve the purpose of resisting any personal bearing. Later, when Lydgate sits silent after asking Rosamond to play music, Farebrother notices a strange light in his eyes and wonders whether he may have taken an opiate or be troubled by medical worries. He does not recognize the strain in Lydgate’s marriage, which he assumes is delightful. The maxim’s movement between the human whole and the narrow object-glass thus resonates with a gap in Farebrother’s understanding: he can observe signs of distress, but cannot yet see their intimate cause.