eminent victorians-第22节

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VIII



IN　1875；　Manning's　labours　received　their　final　reward：　he　was

made　a　Cardinal。　His　long　and　strange　career；　with　its　high

hopes；　its　bitter　disappointments；　its　struggles；　its

renunciations；　had　come　at　last　to　fruition　in　a　Princedom　of　the

Church。　'Ask　in　faith　and　in　perfect　confidence；'　he　himself　once

wrote；　and　God　will　give　us　what　we　ask。　You　may　say；　〃But　do　you

mean　that　He　will　give　us　the　very　thing？〃　That；　God　has　not

said。　God　has　said　that　He　will　give　you　whatsoever　you　ask；　but

the　form　in　which　it　will　come；　and　the　time　in　which　He　will

give　it；　He　keeps　in　His　own　power。　Sometimes　our　prayers　are

answered　in　the　very　things　which　we　put　from　us；　sometimes　it

may　be　a　chastisement；　or　a　loss；　or　a　visitation　against　which

our　hearts　rise；　and　we　seem　to　see　that　God　has　not　only

forgotten　us；　but　has　begun　to　deal　with　us　in　severity。　Those

very　things　are　the　answers　to　our　prayers。　He　knows　what　we

desire；　and　He　gives　us　the　things　for　which　we　ask；　but　in　the

form

which　His　own　Divine　Wisdom　sees　to　be　best。'



There　was　one　to　whom　Manning's　elevation　would　no　doubt　have

given　a　peculiar　satisfactionhis　old　friend　Monsignor　Talbot。

But　this　was　not　to　be。　That　industrious　worker　in　the　cause　of

Rome　had　been　removed　some　years　previously　to　a　sequestered　home

at　Passy；　whose　padded　walls　were　impervious　to　the　rumours　of

the　outer　world。　Pius　IX　had　been　much　afflicted　by　this

unfortunate　event；　he　had　not　been　able　to　resign　himself　to　the

loss　of　his　secretary；　and　he　had　given　orders　that　Monsignor

Talbot's　apartment　in　the　Vatican　should　be　preserved　precisely

as　he　had　left　it；　in　case　of　his　return。　But　Monsignor　Talbot

never　returned。　Manning's　feelings　upon　the　subject　appear　to

have　been　less　tender　than　the　Pope's。　In　all　his　letters；　in　all

his　papers；　in　all　his　biographical　memoranda；　not　a　word　of

allusion　is　to　be　found　to　the　misfortune；　nor　to　the　death；　of

the　most　loyal　of　his　adherents。　Monsignor　Talbot's　name

disappears　suddenly　and　for　ever　like　a　stone　cast　into　the

waters。



Manning　was　now　an　old　man；　and　his　outward　form　had　assumed　that

appearance　of　austere　asceticism　which　is；　perhaps；　the　one　thing

immediately　suggested　by　his　name　to　the　ordinary　Englishman。　The

spare　and　stately　form；　the　head　massive；　emaciated；　terrible

with　the　great　nose；　the　glittering　eyes；　and　the　mouth　drawn

back　and　compressed　into　the　grim　rigidities　of　age；　self…

mortification；　and　authoritysuch　is　the　vision　that　still

lingers　in　the　public　mind　the　vision　which；　actual　and

palpable

like　some　embodied　memory　of　the　Middle　Ages；　used　to　pass　and

repass；　less　than　a　generation　since；　through　the　streets　of

London。　For　the　activities　of　this　extraordinary　figure　were

great　and　varied。　He　ruled　his　diocese　with　the　despotic　zeal　of

a　born　administrator。　He　threw　himself　into　social　work　of　every

kind；　he　organised　charities；　he　lectured　on　temperance；　he

delivered　innumerable　sermons；　he　produced　an　unending　series　of

devotional　books。　And　he　brooked　no　brother　near　the　throne：

Newman　languished　in　Birmingham；　and　even　the　Jesuits　trembled

and　obeyed。



Nor　was　it　only　among　his　own　community　that　his　energy　and　his

experience　found　scope。　He　gradually　came　to　play　an　important

part　in　public　affairs；　upon　questions　of　labour；　poverty；　and

education。　He　sat　on　Royal　Commissions　and　corresponded　with

Cabinet　Ministers。　At　last；　no　philanthropic　meeting　at　the

Guildhall　was　considered　complete　without　the　presence　of

Cardinal　Manning。　A　special　degree　of　precedence　was　accorded　to

him。　Though　the　rank　of　a　Cardinal…Archbishop　is　officially

unknown　in　England；　his　name　appeared　in　public　documents　as　a

token；　it　must　be　supposed；　of　personal　consideration　above　the

names　of　peers　and　bishops；　and　immediately　below　that　of　the

Prince　of　Wales。



In　his　private　life　he　was　secluded。　The　ambiguities　of　his

social　position；　and　his　desire　to　maintain　intact　the　peculiar

eminence　of　his　office；　combined　to　hold　him　aloof　from　the

ordinary　gatherings　of　society；　though　on　the　rare　occasions　of

his　appearance　among　fashionable　and　exalted　persons；　he　carried

all　before　him。　His　favourite　haunt　was　the　Athenaeum　Club；　where

he　sat　scanning　the　newspapers；　or　conversing　with　the　old

friends　of　former　days。　He　was　a　member；　too；　of　that

distinguished　body；　the　Metaphysical　Society；　which　met　once　a

month　during　the　palmy　years　of　the　seventies　to　discuss；　in

strict　privacy；　the　fundamental　problems　of　the　destiny　of　man。



After　a　comfortable　dinner　at　the　Grosvenor　Hotel；　the　Society；

which　included　Professor　Huxley　and　Professor　Tyndall；　Mr。　John

Morley　and　Sir　James　Stephen；　the　Duke　of　Argyll；　Lord　Tennyson；

and　Dean　Church；　would　gather　around　to　hear　and　discuss　a　paper

read　by　one　of　the　members　upon　such　questions　as：　'What　is

death？'　'Is　God　unknowable？'　or　'The　nature　of　the　Moral

Principle'。　Sometimes；　however；　the　speculations　of　the　Society

ranged　in　other　directions。　'I　think　the　paper　that　interested　me

most　of　all　that　were　ever　read　at　our　meetings；'　says　Sir

Mountstuart　Elphinstone　Grant…Duff；　'was　one　on　〃Wherein　consists

the　special　beauty　of　imperfection　and　decay？〃　in　which　were

propounded　the　questions　〃Are　not　ruins　recognised　and　felt　to　be

more　beautiful　than　perfect　structures？　Why　are　they　so？　Ought

they　to　be　so？'　'　Unfortunately；　however；　the　answers　given　to

these　questions　by　the　Metaphysical　Society　have　not　been

recorded　for　the　instruction　of　mankind。



Manning　read　several　papers；　and　Professor　Huxley　and　Mr。　John

Morley　listened　with　attention　while　he　expressed　his　views　upon

'The　Soul　before　and　after　Death'；　or　explained　why　it　is　'That

legitimate　Authority　is　an　Evidence　of　Truth'。　Yet；　somehow　or

other；　his　Eminence　never　felt　quite　at　ease　in　these　assemblies；

he　was　more　at　home　with　audiences　of　a　different　kind；　and　we

must　look　in　other　directions　for　the　free　and　full　manifestation

of　his　speculative　gifts。



In　a　series　of　lectures；　for　instance；　delivered　in　1861it　was

the　first　year　of　the　unification　of　Italy　upon　'The　Present

Crisis

of　the　Holy　See；　tested　by　prophecy'；　we　catch　some　glimpses　of

the

kind　of　problems　which　were　truly　congenial　to　his　mind。　'In　the

following

pages；'　he　said；　'I　have　endeavoured；　but　for　so　great　a　subject

most

insufficiently；　to　show　that　what　is　passing　in　our　times　is　the

prelude　of　the　antichristian　period　of　the　final　dethronement　of

Christendom；　and　of　the　restoration　of　society　without　God　in

the　world。'　'My　intention　is；'　he　continued；　'to　examine　the

present　relation　of　the　Church　to　the　civil　powers　of　the　world

by　the　light　of　a　prophecy　recorded　by　St　Paul。'　This　prophecy　（2

Thess。　ii　3　to　11）　is　concerned　with　the　coming　of　the

Antichrist；

and　the　greater　part　of　the　lectures　is　devoted　to　a　minute

examination　of　this　subject。　There　is　no　passage　in　Scripture；

Manning　pointed　out；　relating　to　the　coming　of　Christ　more

explicit　and　express　than　those　foretelling　Antichrist；　it

therefore　behoved　the　faithful　to　consider　the　matter　more　fully

than　they　are　wont　to　do。　In　the　first　place；　Antichrist　is　a

person。　'To　deny　the　personality　of　Antichrist　is　to　deny　the

plain　testimony　of　Holy　Scripture。'　And　we　must　remember　that　'it

is　a　law　of　Holy　Scripture　that　when　persons　are　prophesied　of；

persons　appear'。



Again；　there　was　every　reason　to　believe　that　Antichrist；　when　he

did

appear；　would　turn　out　to　be　a　Jew。　'Such　was　the　opinion　of　St。

Irenaeus；　St。　Jerome；　and　of　the　author　of　the　work　De

Consummatione

Mundi；　ascribed　to　St。　Hippolytus；　and　of　a　writer　of　a

Commentary

on　the　Epistle　to　the　Thessalonians；　ascribed　to　St。　Ambrose；　of

many

others；　who　said　that　he　will　be　of　the　tribe　of　Dan：　as；　for

instance；

St。　Gregory　the　Great；　Theodoret；　Aretas　of　Caesarea；　and　many

more。　Such

also　is　the　opinion　of　Bellarmine；　who　calls　it　certain。　Lessius

affirms　that

the　Fathers；　with　unanimous　consent；　teach　as　undoubted　that

Antichrist　will　be　a　Jew。　Ribera　repeats　the　same　opinion；　and

adds　that　Aretas；　St。　Bede；　Haymo；　St。　Anselm；　and　Rupert　affirm

that　for　this　reason　the　tribe　of　Dan　is　not　numbered　among　those

who　are　sealed　in　the　Apocalypse。。。　　　Now；　I　think　no　one　can

consider　the　dispersion　and　providential　preservation　of　the　Jews

among　all　the　nations　of　the　world　and　the　indestructible

vitality　of　their　race　without　believing　that　they　are　reserved

for　some　future　action　of　His　judgment　and　Grace。　And　this　is

foretold　again　and　again　in　the　New　Testament。'



'Our　Lord；'　continued　Manning；　widening　the　sweep　of　his

speculations；　'has　said　of　these　latter　times：　〃There　shall　arise

false　Christs　and　false　prophets；　insomuch　as　to　deceive　even

the　elect〃；　that　is；　they　shall　not　be　deceived；　but　those　who

have　lost　faith　in