a study of bible-第24节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


n　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　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　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。〃　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。　Even　Hypatia；　which　is　supposed　to　have　been　written　to　represent　entirely　pagan　surroundings；　is　full　of　Bible　phrases　and　ideas。

Lord　Macaulay　had　been　held　up　for　many　a　day　as　one　of　the　masters　of　style。　Such　great　writing　is　not　to　be　traced　to　any　one　influence。　It　could　not　have　been　easy　to　write　as　Macaulay　wrote。　Thackeray　may　have　exaggerated　in　saying　that　Macaulay　read　twenty　books　to　write　a　sentence；　and　traveled　a　hundred　miles　to　make　a　description；　but　all　his　writing　shows　the　power　of　taking　infinite　pains。　It　becomes　the　more　important；　therefore；　that　Macaulay　held　the　Bible　in　such　estimate　as　he　did。　〃In　calling　upon　Lady　Holland　one　day；　Lord　Macaulay　was　led　to　bring　the　attention　of　his　fair　hostess　to　the　fact　that　the　use　of　the　word　'talent'　to　mean　gifts　or　powers　of　the　mind；　as　when　we　speak　of　men　of　talent；　came　from　the　use　of　the　word　in　Christ's　parable　of　the　talents。　In　a　letter　to　his　sister　Hannah　he　describes　the　incident；　and　says　that　Lady　Holland　was　evidently　ignorant　of　the　parable。　'I　did　not　tell　her；'　he　adds；　'though　I　might　have　done　so；　that　a　person　who　professes　to　be　a　critic　in　the　delicacies　of　the　English　language　ought　to　have　the　Bible　at　his　fingers'　ends。'　〃　That　Macaulay　practised　his　own　preaching　you　would　quickly　find　by　referring　to　his　essays。　Take　three　sentences　from　the　Essay　on　Milton：　〃The　principles　of　liberty　were　the　scoff　of　every　growing　courtier；　and　the　Anathema　Maranatha　of　every　fawning　dean。　In　every　high　place　worship　was　paid　to　Charles　and　James；　Belial　and　Moloch；　and　England　propitiated　these　obscene　and　cruel　idols　with　the　blood　of　her　best　and　brightest　children。　Crime　succeeded　to　crime；　and　disgrace　to　disgrace；　until　the　race；　accursed　of　God　and　man；　was　a　second　time　driven　forth　to　wander　on　the　face　of　the　earth　and　to　be　a　by…word　and　a　shaking　of　the　head　to　the　nations。〃　In　three　sentences　here　are　six　allusions　to　Scripture。　In　that　same　essay；　in　the　paragraphs　on　the　Puritans；　the　allusions　are　a　multitude。　They　are　not　even　quoted。　They　are　taken　for　granted。　In　his　Essay　on　Machiavelli；　though　the　subject　does　not　suggest　it；　he　falls　into　Scriptural　phrases　over　and　over。　Listen　to　this；　〃A　time　was　at　hand　when　all　the　seven　vials　of　the　Apocalypse　were　to　be　poured　forth　and　shaken　out　over　those　pleasant　countries〃；　or　this；　〃All　the　curses　pronounced　of　old　against　Tyre　seemed　to　have　fallen　on　Venice。　Her　merchants　already　stood　afar　off　lamenting　for　their　great　city〃；　or　this；　〃In　the　energetic　language　of　the　prophet；　Machiavelli　was　mad　for　the　sight　of　his　eyes　which　he　saw。〃

And　if　Macaulay　is　baffling　in　the　abundance　of　material；　surely　John　Ruskin　is　worse。　Carlyle's　English　style　ran　into　excess　of　roughness；　Macaulay's　ran　into　excess　of　balance　and　delicacy。　John　Ruskin's　continued　to　be　the　smoothest；　easiest　style　in　our　English　literature。　He　also　was　a　Hebraic　sp