ABSTRACT
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a man of outstanding talent might sometimes achieve success even if his origins were humble, but he stood a much better chance of success if from birth he was assured of nancial security and a good social position. e Darwins were blessed with both security and position. ey had no need of patronage. eir exceptional talents were free to blossom in whatever sphere of endeavour they chose, their comfortable well-regulated lives being disrupted only by ill health and, occasionally, by an untimely death.
