the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第8节

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nts　seemed　childish　or　sinful；　are　said　to　have　begged　with　their　dying　breath　that　their　coffins　might　be　placed　as　near　as　possible　to　the　office　of　the　author　of　the　〃Pilgrim's　Progress。〃　The　fame　of　Bunyan　during　his　life；　and　during　the　century　which　followed　his　death；　was　indeed　great；　but　was　almost　entirely　confined　to　religious　families　of　the　middle　and　lower　classes。　　Very　seldom　was　he　during　that　time　mentioned　with　respect　by　any　writer　of　great　literary　eminence。　　Young　coupled　his　prose　with　the　poetry　of　the　wretched　D'Urfey。　　In　the　Spiritual　Quixote；　the　adventures　of　Christian　are　ranked　with　those　of　Jack　the　Giant…Killer　and　John　Hickathrift。　　Cowper　ventured　to　praise　the　great　allegorist；　but　did　not　venture　to　name　him。　　It　is　a　significant　circumstance　that；　till　a　recent　period；　all　the　numerous　editions　of　the　〃Pilgrim's　Progress〃　were　evidently　meant　for　the　cottage　and　the　servants'　hall。　　The　paper；　the　printing；　the　plates；　were　all　of　the　meanest　description。　　In　general；　when　the　educated　minority　and　the　common　people　differ　about　the　merit　of　a　book；　the　opinion　of　the　educated　minority　finally　prevails。　　The　〃Pilgrim's　Progress〃　is　perhaps　the　only　book　about　which；　after　the　lapse　of　a　hundred　years；　the　educated　minority　has　come　over　to　the　opinion　of　the　common　people。　The　attempts　which　have　been　made　to　improve　and　to　imitate　this　book　are　not　to　be　numbered。　　It　has　been　done　into　verse：　　it　has　been　done　into　modern　English。　　〃The　Pilgrimage　of　Tender　Conscience；〃　　〃The　Pilgrimage　of　Good　Intent；〃　　〃The　Pilgrimage　of　Seek　Truth；〃　　〃The　Pilgrimage　of　Theophilus；〃　　〃The　Infant　Pilgrim；〃　　〃The　Hindoo　Pilgrim；〃　are　among　the　many　feeble　copies　of　the　great　original。　　But　the　peculiar　glory　of　Bunyan　is　that　those　who　most　hated　his　doctrines　have　tried　to　borrow　the　help　of　his　genius。　　A　Catholic　version　of　his　parable　may　be　seen　with　the　head　of　the　Virgin　in　the　title…page。　　On　the　other　hand；　those　Antinomians　for　whom　his　Calvinism　is　not　strong　enough　may　study　the　pilgrimage　of　Hephzibah；　in　which　nothing　will　be　found　which　can　be　construed　into　an　admission　of　free　agency　and　universal　redemption。　　But　the　most　extraordinary　of　all　the　acts　of　Vandalism　by　which　a　fine　work　of　art　was　ever　defaced　was　committed　so　late　as　the　year　1853。　　It　was　determined　to　transform　the　〃Pilgrim's　Progress〃　into　a　Tractarian　book。　　The　task　was　not　easy：　　for　it　was　necessary　to　make　the　two　sacraments　the　most　prominent　objects　in　the　allegory；　and　of　all　Christian　theologians；　avowed　Quakers　excepted；　Bunyan　was　the　one　in　whose　system　the　sacraments　held　the　least　prominent　place。　　However；　the　Wicket　Gate　became　a　type　of　Baptism；　and　the　House　Beautiful　of　the　Eucharist。　　The　effect　of　this　change　is　such　as　assuredly　the　ingenious　person　who　made　it　never　contemplated。　　For；　as　not　a　single　pilgrim　passes　through　the　Wicket　Gate　in　infancy；　and　as　Faithful　hurries　past　the　House　Beautiful　without　stopping；　the　lesson　which　the　fable　in　its　altered　shape　teaches；　is　that　none　but　adults　ought　to　be　baptised；　and　that　the　Eucharist　may　safely　be　neglected。　　Nobody　would　have　discovered　from　the　original　〃Pilgrim's　Progress〃　that　the　author　was　not　a　Paedobaptist。　　To　turn　his　book　into　a　book　against　Paedobaptism　was　an　achievement　reserved　for　an　Anglo…Catholic　divine。　　Such　blunders　must　necessarily　be　committed　by　every　man　who　mutilates　parts　of　a　great　work；　without　taking　a　comprehensive　view　of　the　whole。　。。。

OLIVER　GOLDSMITH。　（February　1856。）　Oliver　Goldsmith；　one　of　the　most　pleasing　English　writers　of　the　eighteenth　century。　　He　was　of　a　Protestant　and　Saxon　family　which　had　been　long　settled　in　Ireland；　and　which　had；　like　most　other　Protestant　and　Saxon　families；　been；　in　troubled　times；　harassed　and　put　in　fear　by　the　native　population。　　His　father；　Charles　Goldsmith；　studied　in　the　reign　of　Queen　Anne　at　the　diocesan　school　of　Elphin；　became　attached　to　the　daughter　of　the　schoolmaster；　married　her；　took　orders；　and　settled　at　a　place　called　Pallas　in　the　county　of　Longford。　　There　he　with　difficulty　supported　his　wife　and　children　on　what　he　could　earn；　partly　as　a　curate　and　partly　as　a　farmer。　At　Pallas　Oliver　Goldsmith　was　born　in　November　1728。　　That　spot　was　then；　for　all　practical　purposes；　almost　as　remote　from　the　busy　and　splendid　capital　in　which　his　later　years　were　passed；　as　any　clearing　in　Upper　Canada　or　any　sheep…walk　in　Australasia　now　is。　　Even　at　this　day　those　enthusiasts　who　venture　to　make　a　pilgrimage　to　the　birthplace　of　the　poet　are　forced　to　perform　the　latter　part　of　their　journey　on　foot。　　The　hamlet　lies　far　from　any　high　road；　on　a　dreary　plain　which；　in　wet　weather；　is　often　a　lake。　　The　lanes　would　break　any　jaunting　car　to　pieces；　and　there　are　ruts　and　sloughs　through　which　the　most　strongly　built　wheels　cannot　be　dragged。　While　Oliver　was　still　a　child；　his　father　was　presented　to　a　living　worth　about　200　pounds　a　year；　in　the　county　of　Westmeath。　　The　family　accordingly　quitted　their　cottage　in　the　wilderness　for　a　spacious　house　on　a　frequented　road；　near　the　village　of　Lissoy。　　Here　the　boy　was　taught　his　letters　by　a　maid…servant；　and　was　sent　in　his　seventh　year　to　a　village　school　kept　by　an　old　quartermaster　on　half…pay；　who　professed　to　teach　nothing　but　reading；　writing；　and　arithmetic；　but　who　had　an　inexhaustible　fund　of　stories　about　ghosts；　banshees；　and　fairies；　about　the　great　Rapparee　chiefs；　Baldearg　O'Donnell　and　galloping　Hogan；　and　about　the　exploits　of　Peterborough　and　Stanhope；　the　surprise　of　Monjuich；　and　the　glorious　disaster　of　Brihuega。　　This　man　must　have　been　of　the　Protestant　religion；　but　he　was　of　the　aboriginal　race；　and　not　only　spoke　the　Irish　language；　but　could　pour　forth　unpremeditated　Irish　verses。　　Oliver　early　became；　and　through　life　continued　to　be；　a　passionate　admirer　of　the　Irish　music；　and　especially　of　the　compositions　of　Carolan；　some　of　the　last　notes　of　whose　harp　he　heard。　　It　ought　to　be　added　that　Oliver；　though　by　birth　one　of　the　Englishry；　and　though　connected　by　numerous　ties　with　the　Established　Church；　never　showed　the　least　sign　of　that　contemptuous　antipathy　with　which；　in　his　days；　the　ruling　minority　in　Ireland　too　generally　regarded　the　subject　majority。　　So　far　indeed　was　he　from　sharing　in　the　opinions　and　feelings　of　the　caste　to　which　he　belonged；　that　he　conceived　an　aversion　to　the　Glorious　and　Immortal　Memory；　and；　even　when　George　the　Third　was　on　the　throne；　maintained　that　nothing　but　the　restoration　of　the　banished　dynasty　could　save　the　country。　From　the　humble　academy　kept　by　the　old　soldier　Goldsmith　was　removed　in　his　ninth　year。　　He　went　to　several　grammar　schools；　and　acquired　some　knowledge　of　the　ancient　languages。　　His　life　at　this　time　seems　to　have　been　far　from　happy。　　He　had；　as　appears　from　the　admirable　portrait　of　him　at　Knowle；　features　harsh　even　to　ugliness。　　The　small…pox　had　set　its　mark　on　him　with　more　than　usual　severity。　　His　stature　was　small；　and　his　limbs　ill　put　together。　　Among　boys　little　tenderness　is　shown　to　personal　defects；　and　the　ridicule　excited　by　poor　Oliver's　appearance　was　heightened　by　a　peculiar　simplicity　and　a　disposition　to　blunder　which　he　retained　to　the　last。　　He　became　the　common　butt　of　boys　and　masters；　was　pointed　at　as　a　fright　in　the　play…ground；　and　flogged　as　a　dunce　in　the　school…room。　　When　he　had　risen　to　eminence；　those　who　had　once　derided　him　ransacked　their　memory　for　the　events　of　his　early　years；　and　recited　repartees　and　couplets　which　had　dropped　from　him；　and　which；　though　little　noticed　at　the　time；　were　supposed；　a　quarter　of　a　century　later；　to　indicate　the　powers　which　produced　the　〃Vicar　of　Wakefield〃　and　the　〃Deserted　Village。〃　In　his　seventeenth　year　Oliver　went　up　to　Trinity　College；　Dublin；　as　a　sizar。　　The　sizars　paid　nothing　for　food　and　tuition；　and　very　little　for　lodging；　but　they　had　to　perform　some　menial　services　from　which　they　have　long　been　relieved。　　They　swept　the　court：　　they　carried　up　the　dinner　to　the　fellows'　table；　and　changed　the　plates　and　poured　out　the　ale　of　the　rulers　of　the　society。　　Goldsmith　was　quartered；　not　alone；　in　a　garret；　on　the　window　of　which　his　name；　scrawled　by　himself；　is　still　read　with　interest。　　（The　glass　on　which　the　name　is　written　has；　as　we　are　informed　by　a　writer　in　〃Notes　and　Queries〃　（2d。　S。　ix。　p。　91）；　been　inclosed　in　a　frame　and　deposited　in　the　Manuscript　Room　of　the　College　Library；　where　it　is　still　to　be　seen。）　　From　such　garrets　many　men　of　less　parts　than　his　have　made　their　way　to　the　woolsack　or　to　the　episcopal　bench。　　But　Goldsmith；　while　he　suffered　all　the　humiliations；　threw　away　all　the　advantages；　of　his　situation。　　He　neglected　the　studies　of　the　place；　stood　low　at　the　examinations；　was　turned　down　to　the　bottom　of　his　class　for　playing　the　buffoon　in　the　lecture…room；　was　severely　reprimanded　for　pumping　on　a　constable；　and　was　caned　by　a　brutal　tutor　for　giving　a　ball　in　the　attic　story　of　the　college　to　some　gay　youths　and　damsels　from　the　city。　While　Oliver　was　leading　at　Dublin　a　life　divided　between　squalid　distress　and　squalid　dissipation；　his　father　died；　leaving　a　mere　pittance。　　The　youth　obtained　his　bachelor'