r. f. murray-his poems with a memoir-第3节

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Presbyterian　and　Episcopalian　Churches；　and　is　glad　to　preach　in　a

Presbyterian　Church；　as　he　did　this　morning。　　How　the　aforesaid

Union　is　to　be　brought　about；　I'm　sure　I　don't　know；　for　I　am　pretty

certain　that　the　Episcopalians　won't　give　up　their　bishops；　and　the

Presbyterians　won't　have　them　on　any　account。　　However；　that's

neither　here　nor　thereat　least　it　does　not　affect　the　fact　that

Wordsworth　is　a　first…rate　man；　and　a　fine　preacher。　　I　dare　say　you

know　he　is　a　nephew　or　grand…nephew　of　the　Poet。　　He　is　a　most

venerable　old　man；　and　worth　looking　at；　merely　for　his　exterior。

He　is　so　feeble　with　age　that　he　can　with　difficulty　climb　the　three

short　steps　that　lead　into　the　pulpit；　but；　once　in　the　pulpit；　it

is　another　thing。　　There　is　no　feebleness　when　he　begins　to　preach。

He　is　one　of　the　last　voices　of　the　old　orthodox　school；　and　I　wish

there　were　hundreds　like　him。　　If　ever　a　man　believed　in　his

message；　Wordsworth　does。　　And　though　I　cannot　follow　him　in　his

veneration　for　the　Thirty…nine　Articles；　the　way　in　which　he　does

makes　me　half　wish　I　could。　。　。　。　It　was　full　of　wisdom　and　the

beauty　of　holiness；　which　even　I；　poor　sceptic　and　outcast；　could

recognise　and　appreciate。　　After　all；　he　didn't　get　it　from　the

Articles；　but　from　his　own　human　heart；　which；　he　told　us；　was

deceitful　and　desperately　wicked。



‘Confound　it；　how　stupid　we　all　are！　　Episcopalians；　Presbyterians；

Unitarians；　Agnostics；　the　whole　lot　of　us。　　We　all　believe　the　same

things；　to　a　great　extent；　but　we　must　keep　wrangling　about　the　data

from　which　we　infer　these　beliefs　。　。　。　I　believe　a　great　deal　that

he　does；　but　I　certainly　don't　act　up　to　my　belief　as　he　does　to

his。'





The　belief　‘up　to'　which　Murray　lived　was；　if　it　may　be　judged　by

its　fruits；　that　of　a　Christian　man。　　But；　in　this　age；　we　do　find

the　most　exemplary　Christian　conduct　in　some　who　have　discarded

dogma　and　resigned　hope。　　Probably　Murray　would　not　the　less　have

regarded　these　persons　as　Christians。　　If　we　must　make　a　choice；　it

is　better　to　have　love　and　charity　without　belief；　than　belief　of

the　most　intense　kind；　accompanied　by　such　love　and　charity　as　John

Knox　bore　to　all　who　differed　from　him　about　a　mass　or　a　chasuble；　a

priest　or　a　presbyter。　　This　letter；　illustrative　of　the　effect　of

cathedral　services　on　a　young　Unitarian；　is　taken　out　of　its　proper

chronological　place。



From　Canterbury　Mr。　Murray　went　to　Ilminster　in　Somerset。　　Here

Robert　attended　the　Grammar　School；　in　1879　he　went　to　the　Grammar

School　of　Crewkerne。　　In　1881　he　entered　at　the　University　of　St。

Andrews；　with　a　scholarship　won　as　an　external　student　of　Manchester

New　College。　　This　he　resigned　not　long　after；　as　he　had　abandoned

the　idea　of　becoming　a　Unitarian　minister。



No　longer　a　schoolboy；　he　was　now　a　Bejant　（bec　jaune？）；　to　use　the

old　Scotch　term　for　‘freshman。'　　He　liked　the　picturesque　word；　and

opposed　the　introduction　of　‘freshman。'　　Indeed　he　liked　all　things

old；　and；　as　a　senior　man；　was　a　supporter　of　ancient　customs　and　of

esprit　de　corps　in　college。　　He　fell　in　love　for　life　with　that　old

and　grey　enchantress；　the　city　of　St。　Margaret；　of　Cardinal　Beaton；

of　Knox　and　Andrew　Melville；　of　Archbishop　Sharp；　and　Samuel

Rutherford。　　The　nature　of　life　and　education　in　a　Scottish

university　is　now；　probably；　better　understood　in　England　than　it

used　to　be。　　Of　the　Scottish　universities；　St。　Andrews　varies　least；

though　it　varies　much；　from　Oxford　and　Cambridge。　　Unlike　the

others；　Aberdeen；　Glasgow；　and　Edinburgh；　the　United　College　of　St。

Leonard　and　St。　Salvator　is　not　lost　in　a　large　town。　　The　College

and　the　Divinity　Hall　of　St。　Mary's　are　a　survival　from　the　Middle

Ages。　　The　University　itself　arose　from　a　voluntary　association　of

the　learned　in　1410。　　Privileges　were　conferred　on　this　association

by　Bishop　Wardlaw　in　1411。　　It　was　intended　as　a　bulwark　against

Lollard　ideas。　　In　1413　the　Antipope　Benedict　XIII。；　to　whom

Scotland　then　adhered；　granted　six　bulls　of　confirmation　to　the　new

University。　　Not　till　1430　did　Bishop　Wardlaw　give　a　building　in

South　Street；　the　Paedagogium。　　St。　Salvator's　College　was　founded

by　Bishop　Kennedy　（1440…1466）：　　it　was　confirmed　by　Pius　II。　in

1458。　　Kennedy　endowed　his　foundation　richly　with　plate　（a　silver

mace　is　still　extant）　and　with　gorgeous　furniture　and　cloth　of　gold。

St。　Leonard's　was　founded　by　Prior　Hepburn　in　1512。　　Of　St。

Salvator's　the　ancient　chapel　still　remains；　and　is　in　use。　　St。

Leonard's　was　merged　with　St。　Salvator's　in　the　last　century：　　its

chapel　is　now　roofless；　some　of　the　old　buildings　remain；　much

modernised；　but　on　the　south　side　fronting　the　gardens　they　are

still　picturesque。　　Both　Colleges　were；　originally；　places　of

residence　for　the　students；　as　at　Oxford　and　Cambridge；　and　the

discipline；　especially　at　St。　Leonard's；　was　rather　monastic。　　The

Reformation　caused　violent　changes；　all　through　these　troubled　ages

the　new　doctrines；　and　then　the　violent　Presbyterian　pretensions　to

clerical　influence　in　politics；　and　the　Covenant　and　the　Restoration

and　Revolution；　kept　busy　the　dwellers　in　what　should　have　been

‘quiet　collegiate　cloisters。'　　St。　Leonard's　was　more　extreme；　on

Knox's　side；　than　St。　Salvator's；　but　was　also　more　devoted　to　King

James　in　1715。　　From　St。　Andrews　Simon　Lovat　went　to　lead　his

abominable　old　father's　clan；　on　the　Prince　Regent's　side；　in　1745。

Golf　and　archery；　since　the　Reformation　at　least；　were　the　chief

recreations　of　the　students；　and　the　archery　medals　bear　all　the

noblest　names　of　the　North；　including　those　of　Argyll　and　the　great

Marquis　of　Montrose。　　Early　in　the　present　century　the　old　ruinous

college　buildings　of　St。　Salvator's　ceased　to　be　habitable；　except

by　a　ghost！　　There　is　another　spectre　of　a　noisy　sort　in　St。

Leonard's。　　The　new　buildings　are　mere　sets　of　class…rooms；　the

students　live　where　they　please；　generally　in　lodgings；　which　they

modestly　call　bunks。　　There　is　a　hall　for　dinners　in　common；　it　is

part　of　the　buildings　of　the　Union；　a　new　hall　added　to　an　ancient

house。



It　was　thus　to　a　university　with　ancient　associations；　with　a

religio　loci；　and　with　more　united　and　harmonious　student…life　than

is　customary　in　Scotland；　that　Murray　came　in　1881。　　How　clearly　his

biographer　remembers　coming　to　the　same　place；　twenty　years　earlier！

how　vivid　is　his　memory　of　quaint　streets；　grey　towers；　and　the

North　Sea　breaking　in　heavy　rollers　on　the　little　pier！



Though；　like　a　descendant　of　Archbishop　Sharp；　and　a　winner　of　the

archery　medal；　I　boast　myself　Sancti　Leonardi　alumnus　addictissimus；

I　am　unable　to　give　a　description；　at　first　hand；　of　student　life　in

St。　Andrews。　　In　my　time；　a　small　set　of　‘men'　lived　together　in

what　was　then　St。　Leonard's　Hall。　　The　buildings　that　remain　on　the

site　of　Prior　Hepburn's　foundation；　or　some　of　them；　were　turned

into　a　hall；　where　we　lived　together；　not　scattered　in　bunks。　　The

existence　was　mainly　like　that　of　pupils　of　a　private　tutor；　seven…

eighths　of　private　tutor　to　one…eighth　of　a　college　in　the　English

universities。　　We　attended　the　lectures　in　the　University；　we

distinguished　ourselves　no　more　than　Murray　would　have　approved　of；

and　many　of　us　have　remained　united　by　friendship　through　half　a

lifetime。



It　was　a　pleasant　existence；　and　the　perfume　of　buds　and　flowers　in

the　old　gardens；　hard　by　those　where　John　Knox　sat　and　talked　with

James　Melville　and　our　other　predecessors　at　St。　Leonard's；　is

fragrant　in　our　memories。　　It　was　pleasant；　but　St。　Leonard's　Hall

has　ceased　to　be；　and　the　life　there　was　not　the　life　of　the　free

and　hardy　bunk…dwellers。　　Whoso　pined　for　such　dissipated　pleasures

as　the　chill　and　dark　streets　of　St。　Andrews　offer　to　the　gay　and

rousing　blade；　was　not　encouraged。　　We　were　very　strictly　‘gated；'

though　the　whole　society　once　got　out　of　window；　and；　by　way　of

protest；　made　a　moonlight　march　into　the　country。　　We　attended

‘gaudeamuses'　and　solatiaUniversity　suppersbut　little；　indeed；

he　who　writes　does　not　remember　any　such　diversions　of　boys　who　beat

the　floor；　and　break　the　glass。　　To　plant　the　standard　of　cricket　in

the　remoter　gardens　of　our　country；　in　a　region　devastated　by　golf；

was　our　ambition；　and　here　we　had　no　assistance　at　all　from　the

University。　　It　was　chiefly　at　lecture；　at　football　on　the　links；

and　in　the　debating　societies　that　we　met　our　fellow…students；　like

the　celebrated　starling；　‘we　could　not　get　out；'　except　to　permitted

dinners　and　evening　parties。　　Consequently　one　could　only　sketch

student　life　with　a　hand　faltering　and　untrained。　　It　was　very

different　with　Murray　and　his　friends。　　They　were　their　own　masters；

could　sit　up　to　all　hours；　smoking；　talking；　and；　I　dare　say；

drinking。　　As　I　gather　from　his　letters；　Murray　drank　nothing

stronger　than　water。　　There　was　a　certain　kind　of　humour　in　drink；

he　said；　but　he　thought　it　wa