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content　to　commit　to　memory　and　recite　as　an　actor；　stood　higher

in　popular　estimation。　　We　only　know　that　he　was　a　successful

theatrical　manager；　and　that　in　the　prime　of　life　he　retired　to

his　native　place；　where　he　died；　and　had　the　honours　of　a　village

funeral。　　The　greater　part　of　the　biography　which　has　been

constructed　respecting　him　has　been　the　result；　not　of

contemporary　observation　or　of　record；　but　of　inference。　　The　best

inner　biography　of　the　man　is　to　be　found　in　his　sonnets。



Men　do　not　always　take　an　accurate　measure　of　their

contemporaries。　　The　statesman；　the　general；　the　monarch　of　to…day

fills　all　eyes　and　ears；　though　to　the　next　generation　he　may　be

as　if　he　had　never　been。　　〃And　who　is　king　to…day？〃　the　painter

Greuze　would　ask　of　his　daughter；　during　the　throes　of　the　first

French　Revolution；　when　men；　great　for　the　time；　were　suddenly

thrown　to　the　surface；　and　as　suddenly　dropt　out　of　sight　again；

never　to　reappear。　　〃And　who　is　king　to…day？　　After　all；〃　Greuze

would　add；　〃Citizen　Homer　and　Citizen　Raphael　will　outlive　those

great　citizens　of　ours；　whose　names　I　have　never　before　heard　of。〃

Yet　of　the　personal　history　of　Homer　nothing　is　known；　and　of

Raphael　comparatively　little。　　Even　Plutarch；　who　wrote　the　lives

of　others：　so　well；　has　no　biography；　none　of　the　eminent　Roman

writers　who　were　his　contemporaries　having　so　much　as　mentioned

his　name。　　And　so　of　Correggio；　who　delineated　the　features　of

others　so　well；　there　is　not　known　to　exist　an　authentic　portrait。



There　have　been　men　who　greatly　influenced　the　life　of　their

time；　whose　reputation　has　been　much　greater　with　posterity

than　it　was　with　their　contemporaries。　　Of　Wickliffe；　the

patriarch　of　the　Reformation；　our　knowledge　is　extremely　small。

He　was　but　as　a　voice　crying　in　the　wilderness。　　We　do　not

really　know　who　was　the　author　of　'The　Imitation　of　Christ'

a　book　that　has　had　an　immense　circulation；　and　exercised

a　vast　religious　influence　in　all　Christian　countries。　　It

is　usually　attributed　to　Thomas　a　Kempis　but　there　is　reason

to　believe　that　he　was　merely　its　translator；　and　the　book　that

is　really　known　to　be　his；　（10）　is　in　all　respects　so　inferior；

that　it　is　difficult　to　believe　that　'The　Imitation'　proceeded

from　the　same　pen。　　It　is　considered　more　probable　that　the

real　author　was　John　Gerson；　Chancellor　of　the　University　of　Paris；

a　most　learned　and　devout　man；　who　died　in　1429。



Some　of　the　greatest　men　of　genius　have　had　the　shortest

biographies。　　Of　Plato；　one　of　the　great　fathers　of　moral

philosophy；　we　have　no　personal　account。　　If　he　had　wife　and

children；　we　hear　nothing　of　them。　　About　the　life　of　Aristotle

there　is　the　greatest　diversity　of　opinion。　　One　says　he　was　a

Jew；　another；　that　he　only　got　his　information　from　a　Jew：　one

says　he　kept　an　apothecary's　shop；　another；　that　he　was　only　the

son　of　a　physician：　one　alleges　that　he　was　an　atheist；　another；

that　he　was　a　Trinitarian；　and　so　forth。　　But　we　know　almost　as

little　with　respect　to　many　men　of　comparatively　modern　times。

Thus；　how　little　do　we　know　of　the　lives　of　Spenser；　author　of

'The　Faerie　Queen；'　and　of　Butler；　the　author　of　'Hudibras；'

beyond　the　fact　that　they　lived　in　comparative　obscurity；　and　died

in　extreme　poverty！　　How　little；　comparatively；　do　we　know　of　the

life　of　Jeremy　Taylor；　the　golden　preacher；　of　whom　we　should　like

to　have　known　so　much！



The　author　of　'Philip　Van　Artevelde'　has　said　that　〃the　world

knows　nothing　of　its　greatest　men。〃　　And　doubtless　oblivion　has

enwrapt　in　its　folds　many　great　men　who　have　done　great　deeds；　and

been　forgotten。　　Augustine　speaks　of　Romanianus　as　the　greatest

genius　that　ever　lived；　and　yet　we　know　nothing　of　him　but　his

name；　he　is　as　much　forgotten　as　the　builders　of　the　Pyramids。

Gordiani's　epitaph　was　written　in　five　languages；　yet　it　sufficed

not　to　rescue　him　from　oblivion。



Many；　indeed；　are　the　lives　worthy　of　record　that　have　remained

unwritten。　　Men　who　have　written　books　have　been　the　most

fortunate　in　this　respect；　because　they　possess　an　attraction　for

literary　men　which　those　whose　lives　have　been　embodied　in　deeds

do　not　possess。　　Thus　there　have　been　lives　written　of　Poets

Laureate　who　were　mere　men　of　their　time；　and　of　their　time　only。

Dr。　Johnson　includes　some　of　them　in　his　'Lives　of　the　Poets；'

such　as　Edmund　Smith　and　others；　whose　poems　are　now　no　longer

known。　　The　lives　of　some　men　of　letterssuch　as　Goldsmith；

Swift；　Sterne；　and　Steelehave　been　written　again　and　again；

whilst　great　men　of　action；　men　of　science；　and　men　of　industry；

are　left　without　a　record。　（11）



We　have　said　that　a　man　may　be　known　by　the　company　he　keeps　in

his　books。　　Let　us　mention　a　few　of　the　favourites　of　the　best…

known　men。　　Plutarch's　admirers　have　already　been　referred　to。

Montaigne　also　has　been　the　companion　of　most　meditative　men。

Although　Shakspeare　must　have　studied　Plutarch　carefully；　inasmuch

as　he　copied　from　him　freely；　even　to　his　very　words；　it　is

remarkable　that　Montaigne　is　the　only　book　which　we　certainly　know

to　have　been　in　the　poet's　library；　one　of　Shakspeare's　existing

autographs　having　been　found　in　a　copy　of　Florio's　translation　of

'The　Essays；'　which　also　contains；　on　the　flyleaf；　the　autograph

of　Ben　Jonson。



Milton's　favourite　books　were　Homer；　Ovid；　and　Euripides。　　The

latter　book　was　also　the　favourite　of　Charles　James　Fox；　who

regarded　the　study　of　it　as　especially　useful　to　a　public　speaker。

On　the　other　hand；　Pitt　took　especial　delight　in　Miltonwhom　Fox

did　not　appreciatetaking　pleasure　in　reciting；　from　'Paradise

Lost；'　the　grand　speech　of　Belial　before　the　assembled　powers　of

Pandemonium。　　Another　of　Pitt's　；favourite　books　was　Newton's

'Principia。'　Again；　the　Earl　of　Chatham's　favourite　book　was

'Barrow's　Sermons；'　which　he　read　so　often　as　to　be　able　to　repeat

them　from　memory；　while　Burke's　companions　were　Demosthenes；

Milton；　Bolingbroke；　and　Young's　'Night　Thoughts。'



Curran's　favourite　was　Homer；　which　he　read　through　once　a　year。

Virgil　was　another　of　his　favourites；　his　biographer；　Phillips；

saying　that　he　once　saw　him　reading　the　'Aeneid'　in　the　cabin

of　a　Holyhead　packet；　while　every　one　about　him　was　prostrate

by　seasickness。



Of　the　poets；　Dante's　favourite　was　Virgil；　Corneille's　was　Lucan；

Schiller's　was　Shakspeare；　Gray's　was　Spenser；　whilst　Coleridge

admired　Collins　and　Bowles。　　Dante　himself　was　a　favourite　with

most　great　poets；　from　Chaucer　to　Byron　and　Tennyson。　　Lord

Brougham；　Macaulay；　and　Carlyle　have　alike　admired　and　eulogized

the　great　Italian。　　The　former　advised　the　students　at　Glasgow

that；　next　to　Demosthenes；　the　study　of　Dante　was　the　best

preparative　for　the　eloquence　of　the　pulpit　or　the　bar。　　Robert

Hall　sought　relief　in　Dante　from　the　racking　pains　of　spinal

disease；　and　Sydney　Smith　took　to　the　same　poet　for　comfort　and

solace　in　his　old　age。　　It　was　characteristic　of　Goethe　that　his

favourite　book　should　have　been　Spinoza's　'Ethics；'　in　which　he

said　he　had　found　a　peace　and　consolation　such　as　he　had　been　able

to　find　in　no　other　work。　（12）



Barrow's　favourite　was　St。　Chrysostom；　Bossuet's　was　Homer。

Bunyan's　was　the　old　legend　of　Sir　Bevis　of　Southampton；　which　in

all　probability　gave　him　the　first　idea　of　his　'Pilgrim's

Progress。'　One　of　the　best　prelates　that　ever　sat　on　the　English

bench；　Dr。　John　Sharp；　said〃Shakspeare　and　the　Bible　have　made

me　Archbishop　of　York。〃　　The　two　books　which　most　impressed　John

Wesley　when　a　young　man；　were　'The　Imitation　of　Christ'　and　Jeremy

Taylor's　'Holy　Living　and　Dying。'　Yet　Wesley　was　accustomed　to

caution　his　young　friends　against　overmuch　reading。　　〃Beware　you

be　not　swallowed　up　in　books；〃　he　would　say　to　them；　〃an　ounce　of

love　is　worth　a　pound　of　knowledge。〃



Wesley's　own　Life　has　been　a　great　favourite　with　many　thoughtful

readers。　　Coleridge　says；　in　his　preface　to　Southey's　'Life　of

Wesley；'　that　it　was　more　often　in　his　hands　than　any　other　in　his

ragged　book…regiment。　　〃To　this　work；　and　to　the　Life　of　Richard

Baxter；〃　he　says；　〃I　was　used　to　resort　whenever　sickness　and

languor　made　me　feel　the　want　of　an　old　friend　of　whose　company　I

could　never　be　tired。　　How　many　and　many　an　hour　of　self…oblivion

do　I　owe　to　this　Life　of　Wesley；　and　how　often　have　I　argued　with

it；　questioned；　remonstrated；　been　peevish；　and　asked　pardon；　then

again　listened；　and　cried；　'Right！　Excellent！'　and　in　yet　heavier

hours　entreated　it；　as　it　were；　to　continue　talking　to　me；　for

that　I　heard　and　listened；　and　was　soothed；　though　I　could

make　no　reply！〃　（13）



Soumet　had　only　a　very　few　hooks　in　his　library；　but　they　were　of

the　bestHomer；　Virgil；　Dante；　Camoens；　Tasso；　and　Milton。　　De

Quincey's　favourite　few　were　Donne；　Chillingworth；　Jeremy　Taylor；

Milton；　South；　Barrow；　and　Sir　Thomas　Browne。　　He　described　these

writers　as　〃a　pleiad　or　constel