biographical study of a. w. kinglake-第2节

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　　The　family　moved　in　　his　infancy　to　an　old…fashioned　handsome　〃Wilton　House；〃　adjoining　　closely　to　the　town；　but　standing　amid　spacious　park…like　grounds；　　and　inhabited　in　after　years　by　Kinglake's　younger　brother　　Hamilton；　who　succeeded　his　uncle　in　the　medical　profession；　and　　passed　away；　amid　deep　and　universal　regret；　in　1898。　　Here　during　　the　thirties　Sydney　Smith　was　a　frequent　and　a　welcome　visitor；　it　　was　in　answer　to　old　Mrs。　Kinglake　that　he　uttered　his　audacious　　MOT　on　being　asked　if　he　would　object；　as　a　neighbouring　clergyman　　had　done；　to　bury　a　Dissenter：　〃Not　bury　Dissenters？　　I　should　like　　to　be　burying　them　all　day！〃

Taunton　was　an　innutrient　foster…mother；　ARIDA　NUTRIX；　for　such　　young　lions　as　the　Kinglake　brood。　　Two　hundred　years　before　it　had　　been　a　prosperous　and　famous　place；　its　woollen　and　kersey　trades；　　with　the　population　they　supported；　ranking　it　as　eighth　in　order　　among　English　towns。　　Its　inhabitants　were　then　a　gallant　race；　　republican　in　politics；　Puritan　in　creed。　　Twice　besieged　by　Goring　　and　Lumford；　it　had　twice　repelled　the　Royalists　with　loss。　　It　was　　the　centre　of　Monmouth's　rebellion　and　of　Jeffrey's　vengeance；　the　　suburb　of　Tangier；　hard　by　its　ancient　castle；　still　recalls　the　　time　when　Colonel　Kirke　and　his　regiment　of　〃Lambs〃　were　quartered　　in　the　town。　　But　long　before　the　advent　of　the　Kinglakes　its　glory　　had　departed；　its　manufactures　had　died　out；　its　society　become　　Philistine　and　bourgeois　…　〃little　men　who　walk　in　narrow　ways〃　…　　while　from　pre…eminence　in　electoral　venality　among　English　　boroughs　it　was　saved　only　by　the　near　proximity　of　Bridgewater。　　A　　noted　statesman　who；　at　a　later　period；　represented　it　in　　Parliament；　used　to　say　that　by　only　one　family　besides　Dr。　　Hamilton　Kinglake's　could　he　be　received　with　any　sense　of　social　　or　intellectual　equality。

Not　much；　however；　of　Kinglake's　time　was　given　to　his　native　town：　　he　was　early　sent　to　the　Grammar　School　at　Ottery　St。　Mary's；　the　　〃Clavering〃　of　〃Pendennis；〃　whose　Dr。　Wapshot　was　George　Coleridge；　　brother　of　the　poet。　　He　was　wont　in　after　life　to　speak　of　this　　time　with　bitterness；　a　delicate　child；　he　was　starved　on　　insufficient　diet；　and　an　eloquent　passage　in　〃Eothen〃　depicts　his　　intellectual　fall　from　the　varied　interests　and　expanding　　enthusiasm　of　liberal　home　teaching　to　the　regulation　gerund…　grinding　and　Procrustean　discipline　of　school。　　〃The　dismal　change　　is　ordained；　and　then　…　thin　meagre　Latin　with　small　shreds　and　　patches　of　Greek；　is　thrown　like　a　pauper's　pall　over　all　your　　early　lore；　instead　of　sweet　knowledge；　vile；　monkish；　doggerel　　grammars　and　graduses；　dictionaries　and　lexicons；　and　horrible　odds　　and　ends　of　dead　languages　are　given　you　for　your　portion；　and　down　　you　fall；　from　Roman　story　to　a　three…inch　scrap　of　'Scriptores　　Romani；'　…　from　Greek　poetry；　down；　down　to　the　cold　rations　of　　'Poetae　Graeci；'　cut　up　by　commentators；　and　served　out　by　school…　masters！〃

At　Eton　…　under　Keate；　as　all　readers　of　〃Eothen〃　know　…　he　was　　contemporary　with　Gladstone；　Sir　F。　Hanmer；　Lords　Canning　and　　Dalhousie；　Selwyn；　Shadwell。　　He　wrote　in　the　〃Etonian；〃　created　　and　edited　by　Mackworth　Praed；　and　is　mentioned　in　Praed's　poem　on　　Surly　Hall　as


〃Kinglake；　dear　to　poetry；　And　dear　to　all　his　friends。〃


Dr。　Gatty　remembers　his　〃determined　pale　face〃；　thinks　that　he　made　　his　mark　on　the　river　rather　than　in　the　playing　fields；　being　a　　good　oar　and　swimmer。　　His　great　friend　at　school　was　Savile；　the　　〃Methley〃　of　his　travels；　who　became　successively　Lord　Pollington　　and　Earl　of　Mexborough。　　The　Homeric　lore　which　Methley　exhibited　　in　the　Troad；　is　curiously　illustrated　by　an　Eton　story；　that　in　a　　pugilistic　encounter　with　Hoseason；　afterwards　an　Indian　Cavalry　　officer；　while　the　latter　sate　between　the　rounds　upon　his　second's　　knee；　Savile　strutted　about　the　ring；　spouting　Homer。

Kinglake　entered　at　Trinity；　Cambridge；　in　1828；　among　an　　exceptionally　brilliant　set　…　Tennyson；　Arthur　Hallam；　John　　Sterling；　Trench；　Spedding；　Spring　Rice；　Charles　Buller；　Maurice；　　Monckton　Milnes；　J。　M。　Kemble；　Brookfield；　Thompson。　　With　none　of　　them　does　he　seem　in　his　undergraduate　days　to　have　been　intimate。　　　Probably　then；　as　afterwards；　he　shrank　from　CAMARADERIE；　shared　　Byron's　distaste　for　〃enthusymusy〃；　naturally　cynical　and　self…　contained；　was　repelled　by　the　spiritual　fervour；　incessant　logical　　collision；　aggressive　tilting　at　abuses　of　those　young　〃Apostles；〃　　already


〃Yearning　for　the　large　excitement　that　the　coming　years　would　　yield；　Eager…hearted　as　a　boy　when　first　he　leaves　his　father's　field；〃


waxing　ever　daily；　as　Sterling　exhorted；　〃in　religion　and　　radicalism。〃　　He　saw　life　differently；　more　practically；　if　more　　selfishly；　to　one　rhapsodizing　about　the　〃plain　living　and　high　　thinking〃　of　Wordsworth's　sonnet；　he　answered：　〃You　know　that　you　　prefer　dining　with　people　who　have　good　glass　and　china　and　plenty　　of　servants。〃　　For　Tennyson's　poetry　he　even　then　felt　admiration；　　quotes；　nay；　misquotes；　in　〃Eothen；〃　from　the　little　known　　〃Timbuctoo〃；　（3）　and　from　〃Locksley　Hall〃；　and　supplied　long　　afterwards　an　incident　adopted　by　Tennyson　in　〃Enoch　Arden；〃


〃Once　likewise　in　the　ringing　of　his　ears　Though　faintly；　merrily　…　far　and　far　away　…　He　heard　the　pealing　of　his　parish　bells；〃　（4）


from　his　own　experience　in　the　desert；　when　on　a　Sunday；　amid　　overpowering　heat　and　stillness；　he　heard　the　Marlen　bells　of　　Taunton　peal　for　morning　church。　（5）

In　whatever　set　he　may　have　lived　he　made　his　mark　at　Cambridge。　　　Lord　Houghton　remembered　him　as　an　orator　at　the　Union；　and　　speaking　to　Cambridge　undergraduates　fifty　years　later；　after　　enumerating　the　giants　of　his　student　days；　Macaulay；　Praed；　　Buller；　Sterling；　Merivale；　he　goes　on　to　say：　〃there；　too；　were　　Kemble　and　Kinglake；　the　historian　of　our　earliest　civilization　and　　of　our　latest　war；　Kemble　as　interesting　an　individual　as　ever　was　　portrayed　by　the　dramatic　genius　of　his　own　race；　Kinglake；　as　bold　　a　man…at…arms　in　literature　as　ever　confronted　public　opinion。〃　　We　　know；　too；　that　not　many　years　after　leaving　Cambridge　he　received；　　and　refused；　a　solicitation　to　stand　as　Liberal　representative　of　　the　University　in　Parliament。　　He　was；　in　fact；　as　far　as　any　of　　his　contemporaries　from　acquiescing　in　social　conventionalisms　and　　shams。　　To　the　end　of　his　life　he　chafed　at　such　restraint：　〃when　　pressed　to　stay　in　country　houses；〃　he　writes　in　1872；　〃I　have　had　　the　frankness　to　say　that　I　have　not　discipline　enough。〃　　　Repeatedly　he　speaks　with　loathing　of　the　〃stale　civilization；〃　the　　〃utter　respectability；〃　of　European　life；　（6）　longed　with　all　his　　soul　for　the　excitement　and　stir　of　soldiership；　from　which　his　　shortsightedness　debarred　him；　（7）　rushed　off　again　and　again　into　　foreign　travel；　set　out　immediately　on　leaving　Cambridge；　in　1834；　　for　his　first　Eastern　tour；　〃to　fortify　himself　for　the　business　of　　life。〃　　Methley　joined　him　at　Hamburg；　and　they　travelled　by　　Berlin；　Dresden；　Prague；　Vienna；　to　Semlin；　where　his　book　begins。　　　Lord　Pollington's　health　broke　down；　and　he　remained　to　winter　at　　Corfu；　while　Kinglake　pursued　his　way　alone；　returning　to　England　　in　October；　1835。　（8）　　On　his　return　he　read　for　the　Chancery　Bar　　along　with　his　friend　Eliot　Warburton；　under　Bryan　Procter；　a　　Commissioner　of　Lunacy；　better　known　by　his　poet…name；　Barry　　Cornwall；　his　acquaintance　with　both　husband　and　wife　ripening　into　　lifelong　friendship。　　Mrs。　Procter　is　the　〃Lady　of　Bitterness；〃　　cited　in　the　〃Eothen〃　Preface。　　As　Anne　Skepper；　before　her　　marriage；　she　was　much　admired　by　Carlyle；　〃a　brisk　witty　prettyish　　clear　eyed　sharp　tongued　young　lady〃；　and　was　the　intimate；　among　　many；　especially　of　Thackeray　and　Browning。　　In　epigrammatic　power　　she　resembled　Kinglake；　but　while　his　acrid　sayings　were　emitted　　with　gentlest　aspect　and　with　softest　speech；　while；　like　Byron's　　Lambro：


〃he　was　the　mildest　mannered　man　That　ever　scuttled　ship　or　cut　a　throat；　With　such　true　breeding　of　a　gentleman；　You　never　could　divine　his　real　thought；〃


her　sarcasms　rang　out　with　a　resonant　clearness　that　enforced　and　　aggravated　their　severity。　　That　two　persons　so　strongly　resembling　　each　other　in　capacity　for　rival　exhibition；　or　for　mutual　　exasperation；　should　have　maintained　so　firm　a　friendship；　often　　surprised　their　acquaintance；　she　explained　it　by　saying　that　she　　and　Kinglake　sharpened　one　another　like　two　knives；　that；　in　the　　words　of　Petruchio；


〃Where　two　raging　fires　meet　together；　They　do　consume　the　thing　that　feeds　their　fury。〃


Crabb　Robinson；　stung　by　her　in　a　tender　place；　his　boastful　　iterative　monologues　on　Weimar　and　on　Goethe；　said　that　of　all　men　　Procter　ought　to　escape　purgatory　after　death；　having　tasted　its　　fulness　here　through　living　so　many　years　with　Mrs。　Procter；　〃the　　husbands　of　the　talkative　have　great　reward　hereafter；〃　said　　Rudyard　Kipling's　Lama。　　And　I　have　been　told　by　those　who　knew　the　　pair　that　there　was　truth　as　well　as　irritation　in　the　taunt。　　〃A　　graceful　Preface　to　'Eothen；'〃　wrote　to　me　a　now　famous　lady　who　as　　a　girl　had　known　Mrs。　Procter　well；　〃made　friendly　company　　yesterday