pen,pencil and poison-第6节

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That　he　had　a　sincere　love　of　art　and　nature　seems　to　me　quite

certain。　　There　is　no　essential　incongruity　between　crime　and

culture。　　We　cannot　re…write　the　whole　of　history　for　the　purpose

of　gratifying　our　moral　sense　of　what　should　be。



Of　course；　he　is　far　too　close　to　our　own　time　for　us　to　be　able　to

form　any　purely　artistic　judgment　about　him。　　It　is　impossible　not

to　feel　a　strong　prejudice　against　a　man　who　might　have　poisoned

Lord　Tennyson；　or　Mr。　Gladstone；　or　the　Master　of　Balliol。　　But　had

the　man　worn　a　costume　and　spoken　a　language　different　from　our

own；　had　he　lived　in　imperial　Rome；　or　at　the　time　of　the　Italian

Renaissance；　or　in　Spain　in　the　seventeenth　century；　or　in　any　land

or　any　century　but　this　century　and　this　land；　we　would　be　quite

able　to　arrive　at　a　perfectly　unprejudiced　estimate　of　his　position

and　value。　　I　know　that　there　are　many　historians；　or　at　least

writers　on　historical　subjects；　who　still　think　it　necessary　to

apply　moral　judgments　to　history；　and　who　distribute　their　praise

or　blame　with　the　solemn　complacency　of　a　successful　schoolmaster。

This；　however；　is　a　foolish　habit；　and　merely　shows　that　the　moral

instinct　can　be　brought　to　such　a　pitch　of　perfection　that　it　will

make　its　appearance　wherever　it　is　not　required。　　Nobody　with　the

true　historical　sense　ever　dreams　of　blaming　Nero；　or　scolding

Tiberius；　or　censuring　Caesar　Borgia。　　These　personages　have　become

like　the　puppets　of　a　play。　　They　may　fill　us　with　terror；　or

horror；　or　wonder；　but　they　do　not　harm　us。　　They　are　not　in

immediate　relation　to　us。　　We　have　nothing　to　fear　from　them。　　They

have　passed　into　the　sphere　of　art　and　science；　and　neither　art　nor

science　knows　anything　of　moral　approval　or　disapproval。　　And　so　it

may　be　some　day　with　Charles　Lamb's　friend。　　At　present　I　feel　that

he　is　just　a　little　too　modern　to　be　treated　in　that　fine　spirit　of

disinterested　curiosity　to　which　we　owe　so　many　charming　studies　of

the　great　criminals　of　the　Italian　Renaissance　from　the　pens　of　Mr。

John　Addington　Symonds；　Miss　A。　Mary　F。　Robinson；　Miss　Vernon　Lee；

and　other　distinguished　writers。　　However；　Art　has　not　forgotten

him。　　He　is　the　hero　of　Dickens's　HUNTED　DOWN；　the　Varney　of

Bulwer's　LUCRETIA；　and　it　is　gratifying　to　note　that　fiction　has

paid　some　homage　to　one　who　was　so　powerful　with　'pen；　pencil　and

poison。'　　To　be　suggestive　for　fiction　is　to　be　of　more　importance

than　a　fact。