study of the king james bible(钦印〈圣经〉研究)-第24章
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meant to prove； that a commonplace person can be made the heroine of a
novel； but on all Charlotte Bronte's work is the mark of the rectory in
which she grew up。 So Thomas Grey has left his 〃Elegy〃 and his 〃Hymn
to Adversity；〃 and some other writing which most of us have forgotten or
never knew。 Then there are Maria Edgeworth and Jane Austen。 We may
even remember that Macaulay thought Jane Austen could be compared
with Shakespeare； as； of course； she can be； since any one can be； but
neither of these good women has strongly affected the literary current。
Many others could be named； but English literature would be substantially
the same without them； and； though all might show Biblical influence；
they would not illustrate what we are trying to discover。 So we come；
without apology to the unnamed； to the twelve； without whom English
literature would be different。 This is the list in the order of the alphabet：
Matthew Arnold； Robert Browning （Mrs。 Browning being grouped as one
with him）； Carlyle； Dickens； George Eliot； Charles Kingsley； Macaulay；
Ruskin； Robert Louis Stevenson； Swinburne； Tennyson； and Thackeray。
＇1＇ Early Victorian Literature； p。 9
It is dangerous to make such a list； but it can be defended。 Literary
history would not be the same without any one of them； unless possibly
Swinburne； whose claim to place is rather by his work as critic than as
creator。 Nor is any name omitted whose introduction would change
literary history。
Benjamin Jowett thought Arnold too flippant on religious things to be
a real prophet。 At any rate； this much is true； that the books in which
Arnold dealt with the fundamentals of religion are his profoundest work。
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In his poetry the best piece of the whole is his 〃Rugby Chapel。〃 His
Religion and Dogma he himself calls an 〃essay toward a better
apprehension of the Bible。〃 All through he urges it as the one Book which
needs recovery。 〃All that the churches can say about the importance of the
Bible and its religion we concur in。〃 The book throughout is an effort to
justify his own faith in terms of the Bible。 The effort is sometimes
amusing； because it takes such a logical and verbal agility to go from one
to the other； but he is always at it。 He is afraid in his soul that England will
swing away from the Bible。 He fears it may come about through neglect of
the Bible on one hand； or through wrong teaching about it on the other。
Not in his ideas alone； but markedly in his style； Arnold has felt the
Biblical influence。 He came at a time when there was strong temptation to
fall into cumbrous German ways of speech。 Against that Arnold set a
simple phraseology； and he held out the English Bible constantly as a
model by which the men of England ought to learn to write。 He never
gained the simplicity of the old Hebrew sentence； and sometimes his
secondary clauses follow one another so rapidly that a reader is confused；
but his words as a whole are simple and direct。
There is no need of much word on the spell of the Bible over Robert
Browning and Mrs。 Browning。 It is not often that two singing… birds mate；
but these two sang in a key pitched for them by the Scripture as much as
by any one influence。 Many of their greatest poems have definite Biblical
themes。 In them and in others Biblical allusions are utterly bewildering to
men who do not know the Bible well。 For five years （1841…1846）
Browning's poems appeared under the title Bells and Pomegranates。
Scores of people wondered then； and wonder still； what 〃Pippa Passes〃
and 〃A Blot in the Scutcheon 〃 and the others have to do with such a title。
They have never thought； as Browning did； of the border of the beautiful
robe of the high priest described in the Book of Exodus。 The finest poem
of its length in the English language is Browning's 〃Saul〃； but it is only
the story of David driving the evil spirit from Saul； sweeping on to the
very coming of Christ。 〃The Death in the Desert〃 is the death of John； the
beloved disciple。 〃Karshish； the Arab Physician〃 tells in his own way of
the raising of Lazarus。 The text of 〃Caliban upon Setebos〃 is； 〃Thou
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thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself。〃 The text of
〃Cleon〃 is； 〃As certain of your own poets have said。〃 In 〃Fifine at the
Fair〃 the Cure expounds the experience of Jacob and his stone…pillow with
better insight than some better… known expositors show。 In 〃Pippa Passes；〃
when Bluphocks； the English vagabond； is introduced； Browning seems
to justify his appearance by the single foot…note： 〃He maketh His sun to
rise on the evil and on the good； and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust〃； and Mr。 Bluphocks shows himself amusingly familiar with Bible
facts and phrases。 Mr。 Sludge； 〃the Medium；〃 thinks the Bible says the
stars are 〃set for signs when we should shear sheep； sow corn； prune
trees；〃 and describes the skeptic in the magic circle of spiritual
〃investigators〃 as the 〃guest without the wedding…garb； the doubting
Thomas。〃 Some one has taken the trouble to count five hundred Biblical
phrases or allusions in 〃The Ring and the Book。〃 Mrs。 Browning's
〃'Drama of Exile〃 is the woman's side of the fall of Adam and Eve。 Ruskin
thought her 〃Aurora Leigh〃 the greatest poem the century had produced at
that time。 It abounds in Scriptural allusions。 Browning came by all this
naturally。 Raised in the Church by a father who 〃delighted to surround him
with books； notably old and rare Bibles；〃 and a mother Carlyle called 〃a
true type of a Scottish gentlewoman；〃 with all the skill in the Bible that
that implies； he never lost his sense of the majesty of the movement of
Scripture ideas and phrases。
We need spend little time in discussing the influence of the English
Bible on Thomas Carlyle。 He does not often use the Scripture for his main
theme； but he is constantly making Biblical allusions。 On a railway
journey when I was rereading Carlyle's Historical Sketches； I found a
direct Biblical reference for every five pages； and almost numberless
allusions beside。
The 〃Everlasting Yea；〃 of which he says much； he gets； as you at once
recognize； from the Scripture。 His 〃Heroes and Hero Worship〃 is based on
an idea of heroism which he learned from the Bible。 He is an Old
Testament prophet of present times； and； while he degenerated into a scold
before he was through with it； he yet spoke with the thunderous voice of a
true prophet； and much of the time in the language of the prophets。 Some
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one said once that the only real reverence Carlyle ever had was for the
person of Christ。 Certainly there is no note of sneer； but of the profoundest
regard for the teaching； the ideas and the history of the Scripture。
The name of Charles Dickens suggests a different atmosphere。 He is a
New Testament prophet。 Where Carlyle has caught the spirit of rugged
power in the Old Testament； Dickens has caught the sense of kindly love
in the New Testament。 Dickens's love for the child； the fact that he could
draw children as he could draw no one else and make them lovable；
suggests the value to him of those frequent references which he makes to
Christ setting a child in the midst of the disciples。 It is notable； too； how
often Dickens uses the great Scripture phrases for his most dramatic
climaxes。 There are not in literature many finer uses of Scripture than the
scene in Bleak House； where the poor waif Joe is dying； and while his
friend teaches him the Lord's Prayer he sees the light coming。 A Christmas
season without Dickens's Christmas Carol would be incomplete； but there
again is the Scripture idea pressed forward。
George Eliot surely； if any writer； was under the spell of the Scripture。
One of her critics calls her the historian of conscience。 All of her heroes
and heroines know the lash of the law。 She knows very little about the
New Testament； one would judge； but the one thing about which she has
no doubt is certainly the reign of moral law。 If a man will not yield to its
power； it will break him。 There is no such thing as breaking the moral law；
there is nothing but being broken by it。 Her characters are always quoting
the Bible。 They preach a great deal。 She tells that she herself wrote Dinah
Morris's sermon on the green with tears in her eyes。 She meant it all。
While her own religious faith was clouded； her finest characters are never
clouded in their religious faith； and she grounds their faith quite invariably
on their early training in the Scripture。 It is an interesting fact that George
Eliot has no principal story which has not in it a church； and a priest or a
preacher； with all that they involve。
Charles Kingsley is grouped hardly fairly in this list； because he was
himself a preacher； and naturally all his work would feel the power of the
Book； which he chiefly studied。 Professor Masson says that 〃there is not
one of his novels which has not the power of Christianity for its theme。〃
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No voice was raised more effectively for the beginning of the new social
era in England than his。 Alton Locke and Yeast are epoch… making books
in the life of the common people of England。
