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entered；　then　to　Florence　I　shall　never　return。〃　　His　enemies

remaining　implacable；　Dante；　after　a　banishment　of　twenty　years；

died　in　exile。　　They　even　pursued　him　after　death；　when　his

book；　'De　Monarchia；'　was　publicly　burnt　at　Bologna　by　order

of　the　Papal　Legate。



Camoens　also　wrote　his　great　poems　mostly　in　banishment。　　Tired　of

solitude　at　Santarem；　he　joined　an　expedition　against　the　Moors；

in　which　he　distinguished　himself　by　his　bravery。　　He　lost　an　eye

when　boarding　an　enemy's　ship　in　a　sea…fight。　　At　Goa；　in　the　East

Indies；　he　witnessed　with　indignation　the　cruelty　practised　by　the

Portuguese　on　the　natives；　and　expostulated　with　the　governor

against　it。　　He　was　in　consequence　banished　from　the　settlement；

and　sent　to　China。　　In　the　course　of　his　subsequent　adventures　and

misfortunes；　Camoens　suffered　shipwreck；　escaping　only　with　his

life　and　the　manuscript　of　his　'Lusiad。'　Persecution　and　hardship

seemed　everywhere　to　pursue　him。　　At　Macao　he　was　thrown　into

prison。　　Escaping　from　it；　he　set　sail　for　Lisbon；　where　he

arrived；　after　sixteen　years'　absence；　poor　and　friendless。　　His

'Lusiad；'　which　was　shortly　after　published；　brought　him　much

fame；　but　no　money。　　But　for　his　old　Indian　slave　Antonio；　who

begged　for　his　master　in　the　streets；　Camoens　must　have　perished。

（5）　　As　it　was；　he　died　in　a　public　almshouse；　worn　out　by　disease

and　hardship。　　An　inscription　was　placed　over　his　grave：〃Here

lies　Luis　de　Camoens：　he　excelled　all　the　poets　of　his　time：　he

lived　poor　and　miserable；　and　he　died　so；　MDLXXIX。〃　　This　record；

disgraceful　but　truthful；　has　since　been　removed；　and　a　lying　and

pompous　epitaph；　in　honour　of　the　great　national　poet　of　Portugal；

has　been　substituted　in　its　stead。



Even　Michael　Angelo　was　exposed；　during　the　greater　part　of　his

life；　to　the　persecutions　of　the　enviousvulgar　nobles；　vulgar

priests；　and　sordid　men　of　every　degree；　who　could　neither

sympathise　with　him；　nor　comprehend　his　genius。　　When　Paul　IV。

condemned　some　of　his　work　in　'The　Last　Judgment；'　the　artist

observed　that　〃The　Pope　would　do　better　to　occupy　himself　with

correcting　the　disorders　and　indecencies　which　disgrace　the　world；

than　with　any　such　hypercriticisms　upon　his　art。〃



Tasso　also　was　the　victim　of　almost　continual　persecution　and

calumny。　　After　lying　in　a　madhouse　for　seven　years；　he　became　a

wanderer　over　Italy；　and　when　on　his　deathbed；　he　wrote：　〃I　will

not　complain　of　the　malignity　of　fortune；　because　I　do　not　choose

to　speak　of　the　ingratitude　of　men　who　have　succeeded　in　dragging

me　to　the　tomb　of　a　mendicant〃



But　Time　brings　about　strange　revenges。　　The　persecutors　and　the

persecuted　often　change　places；　it　is　the　latter　who　are　great

the　former　who　are　infamous。　　Even　the　names　of　the　persecutors

would　probably　long　ago　have　been　forgotten；　but　for　their

connection　with　the　history　of　the　men　whom　they　have　persecuted。

Thus；　who　would　now　have　known　of　Duke　Alfonso　of　Ferrara；　but　for

his　imprisonment　of　Tasso？　　Or；　who　would　have　heard　of　the

existence　of　the　Grand　Duke　of　Wurtemburg　of　some　ninety　years

back；　but　for　his　petty　persecution　of　Schiller？



Science　also　has　had　its　martyrs；　who　have　fought　their　way　to

light　through　difficulty；　persecution；　and　suffering。　　We　need　not

refer　again　to　the　cases　of　Bruno；　Galileo；　and　others；　（6）

persecuted　because　of　the　supposed　heterodoxy　of　their　views。　　But

there　have　been　other　unfortunates　amongst　men　of　science；　whose

genius　has　been　unable　to　save　them　from　the　fury　of　their

enemies。　　Thus　Bailly；　the　celebrated　French　astronomer　（who　had

been　mayor　of　Paris）；　and　Lavoisier；　the　great　chemist；　were　both

guillotined　in　the　first　French　Revolution。　　When　the　latter；

after　being　sentenced　to　death　by　the　Commune；　asked　for　a　few

days'　respite；　to　enable　him　to　ascertain　the　result　of　some

experiments　he　had　made　during　his　confinement；　the　tribunal

refused　his　appeal；　and　ordered　him　for　immediate　executionone

of　the　judges　saying；　that　〃the　Republic　had　no　need　of

philosophers。〃　　In　England　also；　about　the　same　time；　Dr。

Priestley；　the　father　of　modern　chemistry；　had　his　house　burnt

over　his　head；　and　his　library　destroyed；　amidst　shouts　of　〃No

philosophers！〃　and　he　fled　from　his　native　country　to　lay　his

bones　in　a　foreign　land。



The　work　of　some　of　the　greatest　discoverers　has　been　done　in　the

midst　of　persecution；　difficulty；　and　suffering。　　Columbus；　who

discovered　the　New　World　and　gave　it　as　a　heritage　to　the　Old；　was

in　his　lifetime　persecuted；　maligned；　and　plundered　by　those　whom

he　had　enriched。　　Mungo　Park's　drowning　agony　in　the　African　river

he　had　discovered；　but　which　he　was　not　to　live　to　describe；

Clapperton's　perishing　of　fever　on　the　banks　of　the　great　lake；　in

the　heart　of　the　same　continent；　which　was　afterwards　to　be

rediscovered　and　described　by　other　explorers；　Franklin's

perishing　in　the　snowit　might　be　after　he　had　solved　the　long…

sought　problem　of　the　North…west　Passageare　among　the　most

melancholy　events　in　the　history　of　enterprise　and　genius。



The　case　of　Flinders　the　navigator；　who　suffered　a　six　years'

imprisonment　in　the　Isle　of　France；　was　one　of　peculiar　hardship。

In　1801；　he　set　sail　from　England　in　the　INVESTIGATOR；　on　a　voyage

of　discovery　and　survey；　provided　with　a　French　pass；　requiring

all　French　governors　（notwithstanding　that　England　and　France　were

at　war）　to　give　him　protection　and　succour　in　the　sacred　name　of

science。　　In　the　course　of　his　voyage　he　surveyed　great　part　of

Australia；　Van　Diemen's　Land；　and　the　neighbouring　islands。　　The

INVESTIGATOR；　being　found　leaky　and　rotten；　was　condemned；　and　the

navigator　embarked　as　passenger　in　the　PORPOISE　for　England；　to

lay　the　results　of　his　three　years'　labours　before　the　Admiralty。

On　the　voyage　home　the　PORPOISE　was　wrecked　on　a　reef　in　the　South

Seas；　and　Flinders；　with　part　of　the　crew；　in　an　open　boat；　made

for　Port　Jackson；　which　they　safely　reached；　though　distant　from

the　scene　of　the　wreck　not　less　than　750　miles。　　There　he　procured

a　small　schooner；　the　CUMBERLAND；　no　larger　than　a　Gravesend

sailing…boat；　and　returned　for　the　remainder　of　the　crew；　who　had

been　left　on　the　reef。　　Having　rescued　them；　he　set　sail　for

England；　making　for　the　Isle　of　France；　which　the　CUMBERLAND

reached　in　a　sinking　condition；　being　a　wretched　little　craft

badly　found。　　To　his　surprise；　he　was　made　a　prisoner　with　all　his

crew；　and　thrown　into　prison；　where　he　was　treated　with　brutal

harshness；　his　French　pass　proving　no　protection　to　him。　　What

aggravated　the　horrors　of　Flinders'　confinement　was；　that　he　knew

that　Baudin；　the　French　navigator；　whom　he　had　encountered　while

making　his　survey　of　the　Australian　coasts；　would　reach　Europe

first；　and　claim　the　merit　of　all　the　discoveries　he　had　made。　　It

turned　out　as　he　had　expected；　and　while　Flinders　was　still

imprisoned　in　the　Isle　of　France；　the　French　Atlas　of　the　new

discoveries　was　published；　all　the　points　named　by　Flinders　and

his　precursors　being　named　afresh。　　Flinders　was　at　length

liberated；　after　six　years'　imprisonment；　his　health　completely

broken；　but　he　continued　correcting　his　maps；　and　writing　out

his　descriptions　to　the　last。　He　only　lived　long　enough　to

correct　his　final　sheet　for　the　press；　and　died　on　the　very

day　that　his　work　was　published！



Courageous　men　have　often　turned　enforced　solitude　to　account　in

executing　works　of　great　pith　and　moment。　　It　is　in　solitude　that

the　passion　for　spiritual　perfection　best　nurses　itself。　　The　soul

communes　with　itself　in　loneliness　until　its　energy　often　becomes

intense。　　But　whether　a　man　profits　by　solitude　or　not　will　mainly

depend　upon　his　own　temperament；　training；　and　character。　　While；

in　a　large…natured　man；　solitude　will　make　the　pure　heart　purer；

in　the　small…natured　man　it　will　only　serve　to　make　the　hard　heart

still　harder：　for　though　solitude　may　be　the　nurse　of　great

spirits；　it　is　the　torment　of　small　ones。



It　was　in　prison　that　Boetius　wrote　his　'Consolations　of

Philosophy；'　and　Grotius　his　'Commentary　on　St。　Matthew；'　regarded

as　his　masterwork　in　Biblical　Criticism。　　Buchanan　composed　his

beautiful　'Paraphrases　on　the　Psalms'　while　imprisoned　in　the　cell

of　a　Portuguese　monastery。　　Campanella；　the　Italian　patriot　monk；

suspected　of　treason；　was　immured　for　twenty…seven　years　in　a

Neapolitan　dungeon；　during　which；　deprived　of　the　sun's　light；　he

sought　higher　light；　and　there　created　his　'Civitas　Solis；'　which

has　been　so　often　reprinted　and　reproduced　in　translations　in　most

European　languages。　　During　his　thirteen　years'　imprisonment　in

the　Tower；　Raleigh　wrote　his　'History　of　the　World；'　a　project　of

vast　extent；　of　which　he　was　only　able　to　finish　the　first　five

books。　　Luther　occupied　his　prison　hours　in　the　Castle　of　Wartburg

in　translating　the　Bible；　and　in　writing　the　famous　tracts　and

treatises