第5章

allpoliticalwriting，withVoltaireandWebster。 NearthatsamefieldmustliemanyofthoseessaysincriticismofwhichProfessorDowdenspeaks。Thiswhichweomit，thisliteratureofknowledge，ispowerfulliterature，thoughitsmainpurposeisnottomove，buttoteach。 Weareonlyreducingourfieldsothatwecansurveyit。Forourusesjustnowweshallfindpureliteraturetakingthethreestandardforms:thepoem，theessay，andthestory。ItistheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonthislargefieldofliteraturewhichwearetoobserve。 Justforsafety\'ssake，acceptanothernarrowingofthefield。TheeffectoftheBibleanditsreligiousteaching，onthewriterhimselfisaseparatestudy，andisforthemostpartleftoutofconsideration。ItsoundscorrectwhenMiltonsays:\"HewhowouldnotbefrustrateofhisPowertowritewelloughthimselftobeatruepoem。\"ButthereisMiltonhimselftodealwith；irreproachableinmorals，thereareyettheunhappyyearsofhisyoungwifetotroubleus，andtherewerehisdaughters，whowerenotatpeacewithhim，andwhomaftertheirserviceinhisblindnessheyetstigmatizesinhiswillas\"undutifulchildren。\"Then，ifyouthinkofShelleyorByron，youaretroubledbytheirlives；orevenCarlyle，theverymasteroftheVictorianera——onewouldnotliketoscanhislifeaccordingtothelawsoftruepoetry。 ThenthereisColeridge，fallingapreytoopiumuntil，asyearscame，conscienceandwillseemedtogo。OnlyaveryardentScotwillfeelthathecandefendRobertBurnsatallpoints，andwewouldbestrangeAmericansifwefeltthatEdgarAllenPoewasamodelofpropriety。Thatisalargeandinterestingfield，buttheBibleseemseventogainpowerasabook-makingbookwhenitlaysholdonthebook-makingproclivitiesofmenwhoarenotpreparedtoyieldtoitspersonalpower。Theymaygetawayfromitasreligion；theydonotgetawayfromitasliterature。 ThefirstandmostnotablefactregardingtheinfluenceoftheBibleonEnglishliteratureistheremarkableextentofthatinfluence。Itisliterallyeverywhere。IfeveryBibleinanyconsiderablecityweredestroyed，theBookcouldberestoredinallitsessentialpartsfromthequotationsontheshelvesofthecitypubliclibrary。Thereareworks，coveringalmostallthegreatliterarywriters，devotedespeciallytoshowinghowmuchtheBiblehasinfluencedthem。 TheliteraryeffectoftheKingJamesversionatfirstwaslessthanitssocialeffect；butinthatveryfactliesastrikingliteraryinfluence。 ForalongtimeitformedvirtuallythewholeliteraturewhichwasreadilyaccessibletoordinaryEnglishmen。Wegetourphrasesfromathousandbooks。Thecommontalkofanintelligentmanshowstheeffectofmanyauthorsuponhisthinking。Ourfathersgottheirphrasesfromonegreatbook。Theirwritingandtheirspeakingshowtheeffectofthatbook。 Itisastudybyitself，andyetitistruethatworldliteratureis，asProfessorMoultonputsit，theautobiographyofcivilization。\"Anationalliteratureisareflectionofthenationalhistory。\" Booksasbooksreflecttheirauthors。Asliteraturetheyreflectthepublicopinionwhichgivesthemindorsement。When，therefore，publicopinion:keepsaliveacertaingroupofbooks，thereistestimonynotsimplytothosebooks，buttothepublicopinionwhichhaspreservedthem。Thehistoryofpopularestimatesofliteratureisitselfmostinteresting。Ontheotherhand，somewritershavebeenamusinglyoverestimated。 NodoubtEdwardFitzgerald，whogaveusthe\"RubaiyatofOmarKhayyam\"didsomeotherdesirablework；butProfessorMoultonquotesthisparagraphfromapopularlifeofFitzgerald，publishedinDublin:\"NotGreeceofoldinherpalmiestdays——theGreeceofHomerandDemosthenes，ofEschylus，Euripides，andSophocles，ofPericles，Leonidas，andAlcibiades，ofSocrates，Plato，andAristotle，ofSolonandLycurgus，ofApellesandPraxiteles——noteventhisGreece，prolificasshewasinsagesandheroes，canboastsuchalengthybead-rollasIrelandcanofnamesimmortalinhistory!\" But\"thiswasforIrishconsumption。\"Andpopularopinionandevencriticalopinionhassometimesgonefarastrayinitsdestructivetendency。TherewereauthoritativecriticswhodeclaredthatWordsworth，Shelley，andColeridgewrote\"unintelligiblenonsense。\"GeorgeMeredith\'sstyle，especiallyinhispoetry，wascountedsobadthatit——wasnotworthreading。 WeareallnearenoughtheBrowningepochtorecallhowtheobscurityofhisstyleimpressedsomeandoppressedothers。AlfredAustin，in1869，saidthat\"Mr。Tennysonhasnosoundpretensionstobecalledagreatpoet。\" Contemporarypublicopinionisseldomafinalgaugeofstrengthforapieceofliterature。Ittakesthetestoftime。Howmanybookswehaveseencomeonthestageandthenpassoffagain!Yetthebooksthathavestayedonthestagehavebeenkepttherebypublicopinionexpressingitselfinthelongrun。ThesocialinfluenceoftheKingJamesversion，creatingapublictasteforcertaintypesofliterature，tendedtoproducethematonce。 EnglishliteratureinthesethreehundredyearshasfoundintheBiblethreeinfluentialelements:style，language，andmaterial。 First，thestyleoftheKingJamesversionhasinfluencedEnglishliteraturemarkedly。ProfessorGardineropensoneofhisessayswiththedictumthat\"inallstudyofEnglishliterature，iftherebeanyoneaxiomwhichmaybeacceptedwithoutquestion，itisthattheultimatestandardofEnglishprosestyleissetbytheKingJamesversionoftheBible。\"[1]Youalmostmeasurethestrengthofwritingbyitsagreementwiththepredominanttraitsofthisversion。 Carlyle\'sweakestworksarethosethatlosethehonestsimplicityofitsstyleinaforcedturgidityandaffectedroughness。HisHeroesandHeroWorshiporhisFrenchRevolutionshowshisdistinctivestyle，andyetshowstheinfluenceofthissimplerstyle，whilehisFredericktheGreatisalmostimpossiblebecausehehasgivenfullplaytohisbrokenanddisconnectedsentences。Ontheotherhand，Macaulayfailsusmostinhisstrivingforeffect，makingnicebalanceofsentences，straininghis\"either-or，\" orhis\"while-one-was-doing-this-the-other-was- doing-that。\"Thenhissentencesgrowinvolved，andhisparagraphslengthen，andheswingsawayfromthestyleoftheKingJamesversion。 \"OnecansaythatifanywritingdepartsveryfarfromthecharacteristicsoftheEnglishBibleitisnotgoodEnglishwriting。\" [1]AtlanticMonthly，May，1900，p。684。 ThesecondelementwhichEnglishliteraturefindsintheBibleisitsLANGUAGE。ThewordsoftheBiblearethefamiliaronesoftheEnglishtongue，andhavebeenkeptfamiliarbytheuseoftheBible。Theresultisthat\"thepathofliteratureliesparalleltothatofreligion。Theyareoldanddearcompanions，brethrenindeedofoneblood；notalwaysagreeing，tobesure； squabblingratherintruebrotherlyfashionnowandthen；occasionallyfallingoutveryseriouslyandbitterly；butstillinterdependentandnecessarytoeachother。\"[1]YearsagoawriterremarkedthateverystudentofEnglishliterature，orofEnglishspeech，findsthreeworksorsubjectsreferredto，orquotedfrom，morefrequentlythanothers。ThesearetheBible，talesofGreekandRomanmythology，andAesop\'sFables。Ofthesethree，certainlytheBiblefurnishesthelargestnumberofreferences。Thereisreasonforthat。Awriterwantsanaudience。Veryfewmencanclaimtobeindependentofthepublicforwhichtheywrite。ThereisnothingthepublicwillbemoreapttounderstandandappreciatequicklythanapassingreferencetotheEnglishBible。SoitcomesaboutthatwhenDickensisdescribingtheinjusticeoftheMurdstonestolittleDavidCopperfield，hecanputthewholematterbeforeusinaparenthesis: \"ThoughtherewasOneoncewhosetachildinthemidstofthedisciples。\"Dickensknewthathisreaderswouldatoncecatchthemeaningofthatreference，andwouldfeelthecontrastbetweenthescenehewasdescribingandthatsimplescene。TakeanyofthegreatbooksofliteratureandblackoutthephraseswhichmanifestlycomedirectlyfromtheEnglishBible，andyouwouldmarkthembeyondrecovery。 [1]Chapman，EnglishLiteratureinAccountwithReligion。 ButEnglishliteraturehasfoundmoreofitsmaterialintheBiblethananythingelse。Ithaslookedthereforitscharacters，itsillustrations，itssubject-matter。Weshallsee，asweconsiderindividualwriters，howmanyoftheirtitlesandcompleteworksaresuggestedbytheBible。 ItisinterestingtoseehowoneideaoftheScripturewillappearandreappearamongmanywriters。Takeoneillustration。TheFauststoryisanefforttomakeconcreteoneverseofScripture: \"Whatshallitprofitamanifheshallgainthewholeworldandlosehisownsoul?\" ProfessorMoultonremindsusthattheFaustlegendappearedfirstintheMiddleAges。InearlyEnglish，Marlowehasit，CalderonputitintoSpanish，themostfamiliarformofitisGoethe\'s，whilePhilipBaileyhascalledhisaccountofitFestus。Ineachofthoseformsthesameideaoccurs。Amansellshissoultothedevilforthegainingofwhatistohimtheworld。ThatisoneofagoodmanyideaswhichtheBiblehasgiventoliterature。Theprodigalsonhasbeenanotherprolificsourceofliterarywriting。Theguidingstarisanother。Otherswillreadilycometomind。 Withthatsimplebackgroundletourmindsmovedownthecourseofliteraryhistory。Style，language，material——wewilleasilythinkhowmuchofeachtheBiblehasgiventoallourgreatwritersiftheirnamesareonlymentioned。Therearefourgroupsofthesewriters。 1。TheJacobean，whowrotewhenandjustafterourversionwasmade。 2。TheGeorgian，whogracedthereignsofthekingswhosenametheperiodbears。 3。TheVictorian。 4。TheAmerican。 Thereisanattractivefifthgroupcomprisingourpresent-dayworkersintherealmofpureliterature，butwemustomitthemandgiveourattentiontonamesthatarestarred。 ItisfamiliarthatinthetimeofElizabeth，\"Englandbecameanestofsingingbirds。\"InthefiftyyearsafterthefirstEnglishtheaterwaserected，themiddleofElizabeth\'sreign，fiftydramaticpoetsappeared，manyofthefirstorder。Someweredistinctlyirreligious，asweremanyofthepeoplewhoselivestheytouched。 SuchmenasFord，Marlowe，Massinger，Webster，Beaumont，andFletcherstandlikeachorusaroundShakespeareandBenJonsonasleaders。 AsTaineputsit:\"Theysingthesamepiecetogether，andattimesthechorusisequaltothesolo；butonlyattimes。\"[1]Culturedpeopleto-dayknowthenamesofmostofthesewriters，butnotmuchelse，anditdoesnotheavilyserveourargumenttosaythattheyfeltthePuritaninfluence；buttheyalldidfeeliteitherdirectlyorbyreaction。 [1]HistoryofEnglishLiterature，chap。iii。 EdmundSpenserandhisfriend，SirPhilipSidney，hadclosedtheirworkbeforetheKingJamesversionappeared，yettheFaerieQueeneinitsreligioustheoryisPuritantothecore，andSidneyisbestrememberedbyhisparaphrasesofScripture。TheinfluenceofbothwasevengreaterintheJacobeanthanintheirownperiod。 ItishardlyfaireventonotetheElizabethanShakespeareasundertheinfluenceoftheKingJamesversion。TheBibleinfluencedhimmarkedly，butitwastheGenevanversionpreparedduringtheexileofthescholarsunderBloodyMary，ortheBishops\'BiblepreparedunderElizabeth。Thoseversionswerefamiliarashouseholdfactstohim。\"NowriterhasassimilatedthethoughtsandreproducedthewordsofHolyScripturemorecopiouslythanShakespeare。\"Dr。Furnivallsaysthat\"heissaturatedwiththeBiblestory，\"andacenturyagoCapelLloftsaidquaintlythatShakespeare\"haddeeplyimbibedtheScriptures。\"ButtheKingJamesversionappearedonlyfiveyearsbeforehisdeath，anditisinsomesensefairertosaythatShakespeareandtheKingJamesversionareformedbythesameinfluenceastotheirEnglishstyle。TheBishopofSt。 AndrewsevendevotesthefirstpartofhisbookonShakespeareandtheBibletoastudyofparallelsbetweenthetwoinpeculiarformsofspeech，andthinksit\"probablethatourtranslatorsof1611owedasmuchtoShakespeareas，orratherfarmorethan，heowedtothem。\"[1] Itisgenerallyagreedthatonlytwoofhisworkswerewrittenafterourversionappeared。SeveralotherwritershavedevotedseparatevolumestonotingthefrequentusebyShakespeareofBiblicalphrasesandallusionsandcharacterstakenfromearlyversions。Itisaverytemptingfield，andwepassitbyonlybecauseitishardlyintherangeofthestudywearenowmaking。 [1]Wordsworth，Shakespeare\'sKnowledgeandUseoftheBible，p。 9。 When，however，wecometoJohnMilton(1608-1674)，werememberhewasonlythreeyearsoldwhenourversionwasissued；thatwhenatfifteen，anundergraduateinCambridge，hemadehisfirstparaphrases，castingtwoofthePsalmsintometer，theversionheusedwasthisfamiliarone。AbiographersayshebeganthedayalwayswiththereadingofScriptureandkepthismemorydeeplychargedwithitsphrases。 InlaterlifethemorningchapterwasgenerallyfromtheHebrew，andwasfollowedbyanhourofsilenceformeditation，anexercisewhoseinfluencenoman\'sstylecouldescape。AsawriterhemovedsteadilytowardtheScriptureandthereligiousteachingwhichitbroughthisage。Hisearlierwritingisagroupofpoemslargelysecular，whichyetshowinphrasesandexpressionsmuchoftheinfluenceofhisboyhoodstudyoftheBible，aswellasthefamiliaruseofmythology。Thememorialpoem\"Lycidas，\" forexample，containsthemuch-quotedreferencetoPeterandhistwokeys—— \"LastcameandlastdidgoThepilotoftheGalileanlake； Twomassykeysheboreofmetalstwain，(Thegoldenopes，theironshutsamain)。\" Butafterthesepoemscametheperiodofhisprose，theworkwhichhesupposedwastheabidingworkofhislife。GeorgeWilliamCurtistoldafriendthatourcivilwarchangedhisownliterarystyle:\"ThatrousedmetoseethatI hadnorighttospendmylifeinliteraryleisure。 IfeltthatImustthrowmyselfintothestruggleforfreedomandtheUnion。Ibegantolectureandtowrite。Thestyletookcareofitself。 ButIfancyitismoresolidthanitwasthirtyyearsago。\"ThatiswhathappenedtoMiltonwhentheprotectoratecame。[1]Itmadehisstylemoresolid。Hedidnotmeantoliveasapoet。 Hefeltthathisbestenergieswerebeingputintohisessaysindefenseofliberty，onthefreedomofthepressandonthejusticeofthebeheadingofCharles，inwhichservicehesacrificedhissight。AllofitisshotthroughwithScripturequotationsandarguments，andsomeofit，atleast，isintheveryspiritofScripture。Thepleaforlargerfreedomofdivorceissuedplainlyfromhisownbitterexperience；buthismainargumentrootsinafewBibletextstakenoutoftheirconnectionandurgedwithnoshadowofquestionoftheirauthority。Indeed，whenhecomestohismorereligiousessays，hisheavyargumentisthatthereshouldbenoreligionpermittedinEnglandwhichisnotdrawndirectlyfromtheBible；which，therefore，heurgesmustbecommonpropertyforallthepeople。 Thereisacuriousbitofevidencethatthemenofhisowntimedidnotrealizehispowerasapoet。InPierreBayle\'scriticalsurveyoftheliteratureofthetime，hecallsMilton\"thefamousapologistfortheexecutionofCharlesI。，\"who\"meddledinpoetryandseveralofwhosepoemssawthelightduringhislifeorafterhisdeath!\"Forallthat，Miltonwasonlyworkingontowardhisrealpower，andhispowerwastobeshowninhisservicetoreligion。Histhreegreatpoems，intheorderoftheirvalue，are，ofcourse，\"ParadiseLost，\"\"SamsonAgonistes，\" and\"ParadiseRegained。\"WhoeverknowsanythingofMiltonknowsthesethreeandknowstheyareScripturalfromfirsttolastinphrase，inallusion，and，inpartatleast，inidea。Thereisnottimeforextendedillustration。Oneinstancemaystandforall，whichshallillustratehowMilton\'smindwaslikeagardenwheretheseedsofScripturecametoflowerandfruit。HewilltakeonephrasefromtheBibleandletitgrowtoapagein\"ParadiseLost。\"Hereisanillustrationwhichcomesreadilytohand。IntheGenesisitissaidthat\"thespiritofGodmovedonthefaceofthewaters。\"Theverbsuggeststheideaofbrooding。Thereisonlyoneotherpossiblereference(Psalmxxiv:9。) whichisincludedinthisstatementwhichMiltonmakesoutofthatbriefwordintheGenesis: \"OnthewaterycalmHisbroadeningwingstheSpiritofGodoutspread，Andvitalvirtueinfused，andvitalwarmthThroughoutthefluidmass，butdownwardpurgedTheblacktartareouscoldinfernaldregs，Adversetolife；thenformed，thencon-globed，Likethingstolike；theresttoseveralplaceDisparted，andbetweenspunouttheair—— Andearthself-balancedonhercenterswung。\" [1]Strong，TheTheologyofthePoets。 AnyonefamiliarwithMiltonwillrecognizethatasatypicalinstanceofthewayinwhichaseedideafromtheScripturecomestoflowerandfruitinhim。TheresultisthatmorepeoplehavetheirideasaboutheavenandhellfromMiltonthanfromtheBible，thoughtheydonotknowit。 ItseemshardlyfairtouseJohnBunyan(1628-1688)asanillustrationoftheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonliterature，becausehischiefworkiscomposedsolargelyinthelanguageofScripture。Pilgrim\'sProgressisthemostwidelyreadbookintheEnglishlanguageaftertheBible。Itsphrases，itsnames，itsmatterareeitherdirectlyorindirectlytakenfromtheBible。Ithasgivenusalonglistofphraseswhicharepartofourliteraryandreligiouscapital。Thackeraytookthemottoofoneofhisbest-knownbooksfromtheBible；butthetitle，VanityFair，comesfromPilgrim\'sProgress。 Whenadiscouragedmansaysheis\"inthesloughofdespond，\"hequotesBunyan；andwhenapopularevangelisttellsthepeoplethattheburdenofsinwillrollawayiftheylookatthecross，\"accordingtotheBible，\"heoughttosayaccordingtoBunyan。ButallthiswasonlytheoutcomeofthefamiliarityofBunyanwiththeScripture。Itwasalmostallhedidknowinaliteraryway。Macaulaysaysthat\"heknewnolanguagebuttheEnglishasitwasspokenbythecommonpeople；hehadstudiednogreatmodelofcomposition，withtheexceptionofournobletranslationoftheBible。 Butofthathisknowledgewassuchthathemighthavebeencalledalivingconcordance。\"[1] [1]HistoryofEngland，vol。III。，p。220。 Afterthesethree——Shakespeare，Milton，andBunyan——thereappearedanotherthree，verymuchtheirinferiorsandhavingmuchlessinfluenceonliteraryhistory。ImeanDryden，Addison，andPope。ItisnotnecessarytocredittheScripturewithmuchofDryden\'sspirit，norwithmuchofhisstyle，andcertainlynotwithhisattitudetowardhisfellows；butitisaconstantsurpriseinreadingDrydentodiscoverhowfamiliarhewaswiththeKingJamesversion。 WalterScottinsiststhatDrydenwasatheartserious，that\"hisindelicacywasliketheforcedimpudenceofabashfulman。\"Thatisgenerousjudgment。Butthereisthistobesaid:ashegrowsmoreserioushefallsmoreintoBiblewords。Ifhewritesapoliticalpamphlethecallsit\"AbsalomandAhithophel。\" InitheholdsthemenofthedayuptoscornunderBiblenames。TheyareZimriandShimei，andthelike。Whenheisfallingintobitterestsatire，hiswritingaboundsintheseBiblicalallusionswhichcouldbemadeonlybyonewhowasveryfamiliarwiththeBook。Quotationscannotbeabundant，ofcourse，butthereisagreatdealofthissortofthing: \"Sinking，helefthisdruggetrobebehind，Borneupwardbyasubterraneanwind，Themantlefelltotheyoungprophet\'spart，Withdoubleportionofhisfather\'sart。\" InhisEpistlesthereismuchofthesamesort。 WhenhewritestoCongrevehespeaksofthefathers，andsays: \"Their\'swasthegiantracebeforetheflood。\" Fartheronhesays: \"Ourbuilderswerewithwantofgeniuscurst，Thesecondtemplewasnotlikethefirst。\" NowDrydenmayhavebeen，asMacaulaysaid，an\"illustriousrenegade，\"butallhiswritingshowstheinfluenceofthelanguageandtheideasoftheKingJamesversion。Wheneverwesingthe\"VeniCreator\"wesingJohnDryden。 SowesingAddisonintheparaphraseofScripture，whichHaydn\'smusichasmadefamiliar: \"Thespaciousfirmamentonhigh，Withalltheblueetherealsky。\" WhileDrydenyieldedtohistimes，Addisondidnot，andtheSpectatorbecamenotonlyaliterarybutamoralpower。Intheefforttomakeitsohewasthrownbackonthelargestmoralinfluenceoftheday，theBible，andthroughouttheSpectatorandthroughallofAddison\'swritingyoufindonallproperoccasionstheBiblepressedtothefront。HereagainTaineputsitstrikingly:\"Itisnosmallthingtomakemoralityfashionable；Addisondidit，anditremainsfashionable。\" Ifwespeakofsinging，wemayrememberthatwesingthehymnofevenpoorlittledwarfedinvalidAlexanderPope。HewasborntheyearBunyandied，bornatcross-purposeswiththeworld。Hecouldwriteabittersatire，likethe\"Dunciad\"；hecouldgivetheworldTheIliadandTheOdysseyinsuchEnglishthatweknowthemfarbetterthanintheGreekofHomer； butinthoseraremomentswhenhewasathisbetterselfhewouldwritehisgreaterpoem，\"TheMessiah\"，inwhichthemovementofScriptureisoutlinedasitcouldbeonlybyonewhoknewtheEnglishBible。Andwhenwesing—— \"Rise，crownedwithlight，imperialSalem，rise\"—— itisworthwhiletorealizethatthevoicethatfirstsungitwasthatoftheirritablelittlepoetwhofoundsomeofhisscantcomfortinthegrandwordsandphrasesandideasofourEnglishBible。 Withthesesix——Shakespeare，Milton，Bunyan，Dryden，Addison，andPope——thecourseoftheJacobeanliteratureissufficientlymeasured。 Therearemanylessernames，butthesearetheoneswhichmadeitanepochinliterature，andtheseareattheirbestunderthepoweroftheBible。 IntheGeorgiangroupweneedtocallonlyfivegreatnameswhichhavehadcreativeinfluenceinliterature。Ordinarycultureinliteraturewillincludesomeacquaintancewitheachofthem。IntheorderoftheirdeaththeyareShelley(1829。)，Byron(1824)，Coleridge(1831)，WalterScott(1832)，andWordsworth(1850)。 Thelastlongoutlivedtheothers；buthebelongswiththem，becausehewasbornearlierthananyotherinthegroupanddidhischiefworkintheirtimeandbeforethelatergroupappeared。ExceptWordsworth，alltheseweregonebeforeQueenVictoriacametothethronein1837。Threeothernamescouldbecalled: Keats，RobertBurns，andCharlesLamb。Allwouldillustratewhatwearestudying。KeatsleastofallandBurnsmost。TheyareomittedherenotbecausetheydidnotfeeltheinfluenceoftheEnglishBible，notbecausetheydonotconstantlyshowitsinfluence，butbecausetheyarenotsocreativeastheothers；theyhavenotsoinfluencedthecurrentofliterature。Atanyrate，thefivenamedwillrepresentworthilyandwithsufficientcompletenesstheGeorgianperiodofEnglishliterature。 NothingcouldrevealmoreclearlythanthislisthowwearedistinguishingtheBibleasliteraturefromtheBibleasanauthoritativebookinmorals。OnewouldmuchdisliketocredittheBiblewithanypartofthepersonallifeofShelleyorByron。Theywerefriends；they，weregeniuses；buttheywerebothbadlyafflictedwithcommonmoralleprosy。Itisplayingwithmoralstoexcuseeitherofthembecausehewasagenius。Nothinginthegeniusofeitherdemandedorwasservedbythecourseofcheapimmoralitywhichbothpractised。ItwasnotbecauseShelleywasageniusthathemarriedHarrietWestbrook，thenranawaywithMaryGodwin，thentriedtogetthetwotobecomefriendsandneighborsuntilhisownwifecommittedsuicide；itwasnothisgeniusthatmadehimyieldtotheinfluenceofEmiliaVivianiandwriteherthepoem\"Epipsychidion，\"tellingherandtheworldthathe\"wasneverattachedtothatgreatsectwhobelievedthateachoneshouldselectoutofthecrowdamistressorafriend\"andlettherestgo。Thatwasnotgenius，thatwasjustcommonpassion；andourdivorcecourtsarefullofShelleysofthattype。 SoByron\'spersonalimmoralityisnottobeexplainednorexcusedonthegroundofhisgenius。ItwasnotgeniusthatledhimsoastrayinEnglandthathiswifehadtodivorcehim，andthatpublicopiniondrovehimoutoftheland。ItwasnothisgeniusthatsenthimtovisitShelleyandhismistressatLakeGenevaandseducetheirguest，sothatsheborehimadaughter，thoughshewasneverhiswife。ItwasnotgeniusthatmadehimpickupstillanothercompanionoutofseveralinItalyandlivewithherinimmoralrelation。InthenameofcommondecencyletnoonestandupforShelleyandByronintheirpersonalcharacters!Therearenottwomorallaws，oneforgeniusesandoneforcommonpeople。Byron，atanyrate，wasneverdeceivedabouthimself，neverblamedhisgeniusnorhisconscienceforhiswrong。Thesearestrikinglinesin\"ChildeHarold，\"inwhichhedisclaimsallrighttosympathy，because，\"ThethornswhichIhavereapedareofthetreeIplanted，——theyhavetornmeandIbleed。 Ishouldhaveknownwhatfruitwouldspringfromsuchatree。\" Shelley\'swifewouldnotsaythatforhim。 \"InallShelleydid，\"shesays，\"heatthetimeofdoingitbelievedhimselfjustifiedtohisownconscience。\"Well，somuchtheworseforShelley!Geniusesarenottheonlymenwhocanfindgoodreasonfordoingwhattheywanttodo。OneofShelley\'scriticssuggeststhatthetroublewashisintroductionintopersonalconductoftheimaginationwhichheoughttohavesavedforhiswriting。PerhapswemightexplainByron\'smisconductbyremindingourselvesofhisclub-foot，andapplyingonecodeofmoralstomenwithclub-feetandanothertomenwithnormalfeet。 IfwespeakoftheinfluenceoftheBibleonthesemen，itmustbeontheirliterarywork； andwhenwefinditthere，itbecomespeculiarmarkofitspower。Theyhadlittlesenseofitasmorallaw。Theirconsciencesapproveditandcondemnedthemselves，orelsetheirdelicateliterarytastesenseditasabookofpower。 ThisisnotablytrueofShelley。WhenhewasstillastudentinOxfordhecommittedhimselftotheopinionofanotherwriter，that\"themindcannotbelieveintheexistenceofGod。\"Hetriestoworkthatoutfullyinhisnoteson\"QueenMab。\"Whenhewashardlyyetofagehehimselfwrotethat\"ThegeniusofhumanhappinessmustteareveryleaffromtheaccursedBookofGod，eremancanreadtheinscriptiononitsheart。\"HeoncesaidthathishighestdesirewasthatthereshouldbeamonumenttohimselfsomewhereintheAlpswhichshouldbeonlyagreatstonewithitsfacesmoothedandthisshortinscriptioncutinit，\"PercyByssheShelley，Atheist。\" ItwouldseemthatwhateverShelleydrewofstrengthorinspirationfromtheBiblewouldbebywayofreaction；butitisnotso。Howeverhemayhavehatedthe\"accursedBookofGod，\" hiswifetellsinhernoteon\"TheRevoltofIslam\" thatShelley\"debatedwhetherheshoulddevotehimselftopoetryormetaphysics，\"and，resolvingontheformer，he\"educatedhimselfforit，engaginghimselfinthestudyofthepoetsofGreece，England，andItaly。Tothese，maybeadded，\"shegoeson，\"aconstantperusalofportionsoftheOldTestament，theBookofPsalms，Job，Isaiah，andothers，thesublimepoetryofwhichfilledhimwithdelight。\"Notonlydidhecatchthespiritofthatpoetry，butitsphraseshauntedhismemory。Inhisbestprosework，whichhecalledADefenseofPoetry，thereisaninterestingrevelationoftheinfluenceofhisBiblereadinguponhim。Towardtheendoftheessaythesetwosentencesoccur:\"Itisinconsistentwiththisdivisionofoursubjecttocitelivingpoets，butposterityhasdoneamplejusticetothegreatnamesnowreferredto。Theirerrorshavebeenweighedandfoundtohavebeendustinthebalance；iftheirsinsareasscarlet，theyarenowwhiteassnow；theyhavebeenwashedinthebloodofthemediatorandredeemer，Time。\"Thereisnomoreeloquentpassageintheessaythantheoneofwhichthisispart，andyetitisfullofallusiontothisBookfromwhichallpagesmustbetorn!Evenin\"QueenMab\"hemakesAhasuerus，thewanderingJew，recounttheBiblestoryinsuchbroadoutlinesascouldbegivenonlybyamanwhowasfamiliarwithit。WhenShelleywasinItalyandthewordcametohimofthemassacreatManchester，hewrotehis\"MasqueofAnarchy。\" Therearefewmoremelodiouslinesofhiswritingthanthosewhichoccurinthislongpoeminthesectionregardingfreedom。Fourofthoselinesareoftenquoted。TheyareattheveryheartofShelley\'sbestwork。Addressingfreedom，hesays: \"Thouartlove:therichhavekissedThyfeet，and，likehimfollowingChrist，Gavetheirsubstancetothefree，Andthroughtheroughworldfollowthee。\" PageafterpageofShelleyrevealsthesehalf- consciousreferencestotheBible。Thereweretwosourcesfromwhichhereceivedhispassionatedemocracy。OnewasthetreatmenthereceivedatEton，andlateratOxford；theotherishisfrequentreadingoftheEnglishBible，eventhoughhewasinthespiritofrebellionagainstmuchofitsteaching。InBrowning\'sessayonShelley，hereachestheamazingconclusionthat\"hadShelleylived，hewouldfinallyhaverangedhimselfwiththeChristians，\"andseekstojustifyitbyshowingthathewasmovingstraighttowardthepositionsofPaulandofDavid。Someofusmaynotseesuchrapidapproach，butthatShelleyfeltthedrawingofGodintheuniverseisplainenough。 TheinfluenceoftheBibleisstillmoremarkedonByron。HespenthischildhoodyearsatAberdeen。TherehisnursetrainedhimintheBible；and，thoughhedidnotlivebyit，heneverlosthisloveforit，norhisknowledgeofit。Hetellsofhisownexperienceinthisway: \"Iamagreatreaderofthosebooks[theBible]，andhadreadthemthroughandthroughbeforeIwaseightyearsold；thatistosay，theOldTestament，fortheNewstruckmeasatask，buttheotherasapleasure。\"[1]OneoftheearliestbitsofhisworkisaparaphraseofoneofthePsalms。Hisphysicalinfirmityputhimatoddswiththeworld，whilehisstrikingbeautydrewtohimacrowdofadmirerswhohelpedtopoisoneveryspringofhisgenius。Evenso，heheldhislovefortheBible。WhileShelleyoftenspokeofitincontempt，whilehepridedhimselfonhisdivergencefromthepathofitsteaching，Byronneverdid。Hewanderedfar，buthealwaysknewit；and，thoughhecouldhardlyfindtermstoexpresshiscontemptfortheChurch，thereisnolineofByron\'swritingwhichisaslurattheBible。Ontheotherhand，muchofhisworkrevealsapassionforthebeautyofitaswellasitstruth。HismostmelodiouswritingisinthatgroupofHebrewmelodieswhichwerewrittentobesung。TheydemandfarmorethanapassingknowledgeoftheBiblebothfortheirwritingandtheirunderstanding。Thereisalonglistofthem，butnoonewithoutaknowledgeoftheBiblewouldhaveknownwhathemeantbyhispoem，\"TheHarptheMonarchMinstrelSwept。\"\"Jephtha\'sDaughter\"presumesuponaknowledgeoftheOldTestamentstorywhichwouldnotcometooneinapassingstudyoftheBible。\"TheSongofSaulBeforehisLastBattle\"andthepoemheaded\"Saul\" couldnothavebeenwritten，norcantheybereadintelligentlybyanyonewhodoesnotknowhisBible。AmongByron\'sdramas，twoofwhichhethoughtmost，were，\"HeavenandEarth\" and\"Cain。\"WhenhewasaccusedofpervertingtheScripturein\"Cain，\"herepliedthathehadonlytakentheScriptureatitsfacevalue。 BothofthedramasarenotonlybuiltdirectlyoutofScripturalevents，butimplyafarwiderknowledgeofScripturethantheirmeretitlessuggest。 [1]Taine，EnglishLiterature，II。，279。 Therearestrikingreferencesinmanyotherpoems，eveninhisalmostvilepoem，\"DonJuan。\"Themostnotableinstanceisinthefifteenthcanto，whereheisspeakingofpersecutedsagesandtheselinesoccur: \"Wasitnotso，greatLocke?andgreaterBacon? GreatSocrates?AndThouDivinerstill，Whoselotitisbymentobemistaken，AndThypurecreedmadesanctionofallill? Redeemingworldstobebybigotsshaken，HowwasThytoilrewarded?\" InanoteonthispassageByronsays:\"Asitisnecessaryinthesetimestoavoidambiguity，IsaythatImeanby\'Divinerstill\'Christ。IfeverGodwasman——ormanGod——Hewasboth。 IneverarraignedHiscreed，buttheuseorabuseofit。Mr。CanningonedayquotedChristianitytosanctionslavery，andMr。Wilberforcehadlittletosayinreply。AndwasChristcrucifiedthatblackmenmightbescourged?Ifso，Hehadbetterbeenbornamulatto，togivebothcolorsanequalchanceoffreedom，oratleastsalvation。\"ByroncouldlivefarfromtheinfluenceoftheBibleinhispersonallife；butheneverescapeditsinfluenceinhisliterarywork。 OfColeridgelessneedstobesaid，becausewethinkofhimsomuchintermsofhismoremeditativemusings，whichareoftenreligious。 HehimselftellsoflongandcarefulrereadingsoftheEnglishBibleuntilhecouldsay:IntheBible\"thereismorethatfindsmethanIhaveexperiencedinallotherbookstogether；thewordsoftheBiblefindmeatgreaterdepthsofmybeing。\"Ofcourse，thatwouldinfluencehiswriting，anditdid。Eveninthe\"RimeoftheAncientMariner\"muchofthephraseologyisScriptural。Whenthealbatrossdrewnear，\"AsifithadbeenaChristiansoul，WehaileditinGod\'sname。\" WhenthemarinerslepthegavepraisetoMary，QueenofHeaven。Hesoughttheshrivingofthehermit-priest。Heendsthestorybecausehehears\"thelittlevesperbell\"whichbidshimtoprayer。Whenyoureadhis\"HymnBeforeSunriseintheValeofChamounix\"youfindyourselfreadingtheNineteenthPsalm。HecallsonthemotionlesstorrentsandthesilentcataractsandthegreatMontBlancitselftopraiseGod。ColeridgeneverhadseenChamounix，norMontBlanc，noraglacier，butheknewhisBible。SohehashisChristmasCarolalongwithalltherest。HispoemoftheMoorsaftertheCivilWarunderPhilipII。isScripturalinitsphraseology，andsoismuchelsethathewrote。 Franklyandwillinglyheyieldedtoitsinfluence。 Inhis\"TableTalk\"heoftenreferstothevalueoftheBibleintheformingofliterarystyle。Oncehesaid:\"IntensestudyoftheBiblewillkeepanywriterfrombeingvulgarinpointofstyle。\"[1] [1]June14，1830。 TheverymentionofColeridgemakesonethinkofWordsworth。TheyhadaDamonandPythiasfriendship。TheWordsworthswerepoor；theyhadonlyseventypoundsayear，andtheywerenotashamed。Coleridgecalledthemthehappiestfamilyheeversaw。WordsworthwasnotnarrowlyaChristianpoet，hewasnotalwaysseekingtoputChristiandogmaintopoetry，butthroughouthewasexpressingtheChristianspiritwhichhehadlearnedfromtheBible。HispoetrywasonelongprotestagainstbanishingGodfromtheuniverse。Itwasliterallytrueofhimthat\"themeanestflowerthatgrowscangivethoughtsthattoooftenlietoodeepfortears。\"Ifthiswerethetimetobecritical，onewouldthinkthattoomuchwassometimesmadeofveryminuteoccurrences；butthistendencytogetbackoftheeventandseehowGodismovingislearnedbestfromScripture，whereWordsworthhimselflearnedit。Ifyoureadhis\"IntimationsofImmortality，\"orthe\"OdetoDuty，\"or\"TinternAbbay，\"oreventheratherlabored\"Excursion，\"youfindyourselfundertheScripturalinfluence。 ThereremainsinthisGeorgiangroupthegreatprosemaster，WalterScott。Mr。GladstonesaidhethoughtScottthegreatestofhiscountrymen。JohnMorleysuggestedJohnKnoxinstead。Mr。Gladstonereplied:\"No，thelinemustbedrawnfirmlybetweenthewriterandthemanofaction——nocomparisonthere。\"[1]HewentontosaythatBurnsisveryfineandtrue，nodoubt，\"buttoimagineawholegroupofcharacters，tomarshalthem，tosetthemtowork，andtosustaintheaction，Imustcountthatthetestofhighestandmostdiversifiedquality。\"AllwhoarefondofScottwillrealizehowconstantlythesceneswhichheisdescribinggroupthemselvesaroundreligiousobservances，howoftenmenareheldincheckfromdeedsofviolencebyreligiousconception。ManyofthesescenescrystallizearoundaScripturalevent。