study of the king james bible(钦印〈圣经〉研究)-第20章
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Macaulay fails us most in his striving for effect； making nice balance of
sentences； straining his 〃either…or；〃 or his 〃while…one…was…doing…this…the…
other…was… doing…that。〃 Then his sentences grow involved； and his
paragraphs lengthen； and he swings away from the style of the King James
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version。 〃One can say that if any writing departs very far from the
characteristics of the English Bible it is not good English writing。〃
＇1＇ Atlantic Monthly； May； 1900； p。 684。
The second element which English literature finds in the Bible is its
LANGUAGE。 The words of the Bible are the familiar ones of the English
tongue； and have been kept familiar by the use of the Bible。 The result is
that 〃the path of literature lies parallel to that of religion。 They are old and
dear companions； brethren indeed of one blood； not always agreeing； to be
sure； squabbling rather in true brotherly fashion now and then；
occasionally falling out very seriously and bitterly； but still interdependent
and necessary to each other。〃＇1＇ Years ago a writer remarked that every
student of English literature； or of English speech； finds three works or
subjects referred to； or quoted from； more frequently than others。 These
are the Bible； tales of Greek and Roman mythology； and Aesop's Fables。
Of these three； certainly the Bible furnishes the largest number of
references。 There is reason for that。 A writer wants an audience。 Very few
men can claim to be independent of the public for which they write。 There
is nothing the public will be more apt to understand and appreciate quickly
than a passing reference to the English Bible。 So it comes about that when
Dickens is describing the injustice of the Murdstones to little David
Copperfield； he can put the whole matter before us in a parenthesis：
〃Though there was One once who set a child in the midst of the disciples。〃
Dickens knew that his readers would at once catch the meaning of that
reference； and would feel the contrast between the scene he was describing
and that simple scene。 Take any of the great books of literature and black
out the phrases which manifestly come directly from the English Bible；
and you would mark them beyond recovery。
＇1＇ Chapman； English Literature in Account with Religion。
But English literature has found more of its material in the Bible than
anything else。 It has looked there for its characters； its illustrations； its
subject…matter。 We shall see； as we consider individual writers； how many
of their titles and complete works are suggested by the Bible。 It is
interesting to see how one idea of the Scripture will appear and reappear
among many writers。 Take one illustration。 The Faust story is an effort to
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make concrete one verse of Scripture： 〃What shall it profit a man if he
shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul？〃 Professor Moulton
reminds us that the Faust legend appeared first in the Middle Ages。 In
early English； Marlowe has it； Calderon put it into Spanish； the most
familiar form of it is Goethe's； while Philip Bailey has called his account
of it Festus。 In each of those forms the same idea occurs。 A man sells his
soul to the devil for the gaining of what is to him the world。 That is one of
a good many ideas which the Bible has given to literature。 The prodigal
son has been another prolific source of literary writing。 The guiding star is
another。 Others will readily come to mind。
With that simple background let our minds move down the course of
literary history。 Style； language； materialwe will easily think how much
of each the Bible has given to all our great writers if their names are only
mentioned。 There are four groups of these writers。
1。 The Jacobean； who wrote when and just after our version was made。
2。 The Georgian； who graced the reigns of the kings whose name the
period bears。
3。 The Victorian。
4。 The American。
There is an attractive fifth group comprising our present…day workers
in the realm of pure literature； but we must omit them and give our
attention to names that are starred。
It is familiar that in the time of Elizabeth； 〃England became a nest of
singing birds。〃 In the fifty years after the first English theater was erected；
the middle of Elizabeth's reign； fifty dramatic poets appeared； many of the
first order。 Some were distinctly irreligious； as were many of the people
whose lives they touched。 Such men as Ford； Marlowe； Massinger；
Webster； Beaumont； and Fletcher stand like a chorus around Shakespeare
and Ben Jonson as leaders。 As Taine puts it： 〃They sing the same piece
together； and at times the chorus is equal to the solo； but only at times。〃＇1＇
Cultured people to…day know the names of most of these writers； but not
much else； and it does not heavily serve our argument to say that they felt
the Puritan influence； but they all did feel it either directly or by reaction。
＇1＇ History of English Literature； chap。 iii。
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Edmund Spenser and his friend； Sir Philip Sidney； had closed their
work before the King James version appeared； yet the Faerie Queene in its
religious theory is Puritan to the core； and Sidney is best remembered by
his paraphrases of Scripture。 The influence of both was even greater in the
Jacobean than in their own period。
It is hardly fair even to note the Elizabethan Shakespeare as under the
influence of the King James version。 The Bible influenced him markedly；
but it was the Genevan version prepared during the exile of the scholars
under Bloody Mary； or the Bishops' Bible prepared under Elizabeth。 Those
versions were familiar as household facts to him。 〃No writer has
assimilated the thoughts and reproduced the words of Holy Scripture more
copiously than Shakespeare。〃 Dr。 Furnivall says that 〃he is saturated with
the Bible story；〃 and a century ago Capel Lloft said quaintly that
Shakespeare 〃had deeply imbibed the Scriptures。〃 But the King James
version appeared only five years before his death； and it is in some sense
fairer to say that Shakespeare and the King James version are formed by
the same influence as to their English style。 The Bishop of St。 Andrews
even devotes the first part of his book on Shakespeare and the Bible to a
study of parallels between the two in peculiar forms of speech； and thinks
it 〃probable that our translators of 1611 owed as much to Shakespeare as；
or rather far more than； he owed to them。〃＇1＇ It is generally agreed that
only two of his works were written after our version appeared。 Several
other writers have devoted separate volumes to noting the frequent use by
Shakespeare of Biblical phrases and allusions and characters taken from
early versions。 It is a very tempting field； and we pass it by only because it
is hardly in the range of the study we are now making。
＇1＇ Wordsworth； Shakespeare's Knowledge and Use of the Bible； p。 9。
When； however； we come to John Milton （1608…1674）； we remember
he was only three years old when our version was issued； that when at
fifteen； an undergraduate in Cambridge； he made his first paraphrases；
casting two of the Psalms into meter； the version he used was this familiar
one。 A biographer says he began the day always with the reading of
Scripture and kept his memory deeply charged with its phrases。 In later
life the morning chapter was generally from the Hebrew； and was followed
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by an hour of silence for meditation； an exercise whose influence no man's
style could escape。 As a writer he moved steadily toward the Scripture and
the religious teaching which it brought his age。 His earlier writing is a
group of poems largely secular； which yet show in phrases and expressions
much of the influence of his boyhood study of the Bible； as well as the
familiar use of mythology。 The memorial poem 〃Lycidas；〃 for example；
contains the much…quoted reference to Peter and his two keys
〃Last came and last did go The pilot of the Galilean lake； Two
massy keys he bore of metals twain； （The golden opes； the iron shuts
amain）。〃
But after these poems came the period of his prose； the work which
he supposed was the abiding work of his life。 George William Curtis told a
friend that our civil war changed his own literary style： 〃That roused me to
see that I had no right to spend my life in literary leisure。 I felt that I must
throw myself into the struggle for freedom and the Union。 I began to
lecture and to write。 The style took care of itself。 But I fancy it is more
solid than it was thirty years ago。〃 That is what happened to Milton when
the protectorate came。＇1＇ It made his style more solid。 He did not mean to
live as a poet。 He felt that his best energies were being put into his essays
in defense of liberty； on the freedom of the press and on the justice of the
beheading of Charles； in which service he sacrificed his sight。 All of it is
shot through with Scripture quotations and arguments； and some of it； at
least； is in the very spirit of Scripture。 The plea for larger freedom of
divorce issued plainly from his own bitter experience； but his main
argument roots in a few Bible texts taken out of their connection and urged
with no shadow of question of their authority。 Indeed； when he comes to
his more religious essays； his heavy argument is that there should be no
religion permitted in England which is not draw
