a study of bible-第29部分

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its　influence　in　his　literary　work。

Of　Coleridge　less　needs　to　be　said；　because　we　think　of　him　so　much　in　terms　of　his　more　meditative　musings；　which　are　often　religious。　He　himself　tells　of　long　and　careful　rereadings　of　the　English　Bible　until　he　could　say：　In　the　Bible　〃there　is　more　that　finds　me　than　I　have　experienced　in　all　other　books　together；　the　words　of　the　Bible　find　me　at　greater　depths　of　my　being。〃　Of　course；　that　would　influence　his　writing；　and　it　did。　Even　in　the　〃Rime　of　the　Ancient　Mariner〃　much　of　the　phraseology　is　Scriptural。　When　the　albatross　drew　near；

　〃As　if　it　had　been　a　Christian　soul；　　We　hailed　it　in　God's　name。〃

When　the　mariner　slept　he　gave　praise　to　Mary；　Queen　of　Heaven。　He　sought　the　shriving　of　the　hermit…priest。　He　ends　the　story　because　he　hears　〃the　little　vesper　bell〃　which　bids　him　to　prayer。　When　you　read　his　〃Hymn　Before　Sunrise　in　the　Vale　of　Chamounix〃　you　find　yourself　reading　the　Nineteenth　Psalm。　He　calls　on　the　motionless　torrents　and　the　silent　cataracts　and　the　great　Mont　Blanc　itself　to　praise　God。　Coleridge　never　had　seen　Chamounix；　nor　Mont　Blanc；　nor　a　glacier；　but　he　knew　his　Bible。　So　he　has　his　Christmas　Carol　along　with　all　the　rest。　His　poem　of　the　Moors　after　the　Civil　War　under　Philip　II。　is　Scriptural　in　its　phraseology；　and　so　is　much　else　that　he　wrote。　Frankly　and　willingly　he　yielded　to　its　influence。　In　his　〃Table　Talk〃　he　often　refers　to　the　value　of　the　Bible　in　the　forming　of　literary　style。　Once　he　said：　〃Intense　study　of　the　Bible　will　keep　any　writer　from　being　vulgar　in　point　of　style。〃＇1＇


＇1＇　June　14；　1830。


The　very　mention　of　Coleridge　makes　one　think　of　Wordsworth。　They　had　a　Damon　and　Pythias　friendship。　The　Wordsworths　were　poor；　they　had　only　seventy　pounds　a　year；　and　they　were　not　ashamed。　Coleridge　called　them　the　happiest　family　he　ever　saw。　Wordsworth　was　not　narrowly　a　Christian　poet；　he　was　not　always　seeking　to　put　Christian　dogma　into　poetry；　but　throughout　he　was　expressing　the　Christian　spirit　which　he　had　learned　from　the　Bible。　His　poetry　was　one　long　protest　against　banishing　God　from　the　universe。　It　was　literally　true　of　him　that　〃the　meanest　flower　that　grows　can　give　thoughts　that　too　often　lie　too　deep　for　tears。〃　If　this　were　the　time　to　be　critical；　one　would　think　that　too　much　was　sometimes　made　of　very　minute　occurrences；　but　this　tendency　to　get　back　of　the　event　and　see　how　God　is　moving　is　learned　best　from　Scripture；　where　Wordsworth　himself　learned　it。　If　you　read　his　〃Intimations　of　Immortality；〃　or　the　〃Ode　to　Duty；〃　or　〃Tintern　Abbay；〃　or　even　the　rather　labored　〃Excursion；〃　you　find　yourself　under　the　Scriptural　influence。

There　remains　in　this　Georgian　group　the　great　prose　master；　Walter　Scott。　Mr。　Gladstone　said　he　thought　Scott　the　greatest　of　his　countrymen。　John　Morley　suggested　John　Knox　instead。　Mr。　Gladstone　replied：　〃No；　the　line　must　be　drawn　firmly　between　the　writer　and　the　man　of　actionno　comparison　there。〃＇1＇　He　went　on　to　say　that　Burns　is　very　fine　and　true；　no　doubt；　〃but　to　imagine　a　whole　group　of　characters；　to　marshal　them；　to　set　them　to　work；　and　to　sustain　the　action；　I　must　count　that　the　test　of　highest　and　most　diversified　quality。〃　All　who　are　fond　of　Scott　will　realize　how　constantly　the　scenes　which　he　is　describing　group　themselves　around　religious　observances；　how　often　men　are　held　in　check　from　deeds　of　violence　by　religious　conception。　Many　of　these　scenes　crystallize　around　a　Scriptural　event。　Scott's　boyhood　was　spent　in　scenes　that　reminded　him　of　the　power　the　Scripture　had。　He　was　drilled　from　his　childhood　in　the　knowledge　of　its　words　and　phrases；　and　while　his　writing　as　a　whole　shows　more　of　the　Old　Testament　influence　than　of　the　New；　even　in　his　style　he　is　strongly　under　Bible　influence。


＇1＇　Morley；　Life　of　Gladstone；　vol。　iii；　p。　424。


The　preface　to　Guy　Mannering　tells　us　it　is　built　around　an　old　story　of　a　father　putting　a　lad　to　test　under　guidance　of　an　ancient　astrologer；　shutting　him　up　in　a　barren　room　to　be　tempted　by　the　Evil　One；　leaving　him　only　one　safeguard；　a　Bible；　lying　on　the　table　in　the　middle　of　the　room。　In　his　introduction　to　The　Heart　of　Midlothian；　Scott　makes　one　of　the　two　men　thrown　into　the　water　by　the　overturned　coach　remind　the　other　that　they　〃cannot　complain；　like　Cowley；　that　Gideon's　fleece　remains　dry　while　all　around　is　moist；　this　is　the　reverse　of　the　miracle。〃　A　little　later　a　speaker　describes　novels　as　the　Delilahs　that　seduce　wise　and　good　men　from　more　serious　reading。　In　the　dramatic　scene　when　Jeanie　Deans　faces　the　wretched　George　Staunton；　who　has　so　shamed　the　household；　she　exclaims：　〃O　sir；　did　the　Scripture　never　come　into　your　mind；　'Vengeance　is　mine；　and　I　will　repay　it？'　〃　〃Scripture！〃　he　sneers；　〃why　I　had　not　opened　a　Bible　for　five　years。〃　〃Wae's　me；　sir；〃　said　Jeanie〃and　a　minister's　son；　too！〃　Anthony　Foster；　in　Kenilworth；　looks　down　on　poor　Amy's　body　in　the　vault　into　which　she　has　fallen；　in　response　to　what　she　thought　was　Leicester's　whistle；　and　exclaims　to　Varney：　〃Oh；　if　there　be　judgment　in　heaven；　thou　hast　deserved　it；　and　will　meet　it！　Thou　hast　destroyed　her　by　means　of　her　best　affectionsit　is　the　seething　of　the　kid　in　the　mother's　milk！〃　And　when；　next　morning；　Varney　was　found　dead　of　the　secret　poison　and　with　a　sneering　sarcasm　on　his　ghastly　face；　Scott　dismisses　him　with　the　phrase：　〃The　wicked　man；　saith　the　Scripture；　hath　no　bonds　in　his　death。〃

His　characters　use　freely　the　familiar　Bible　events　and　phrases。　In　the　Fortunes　of　Nigel；　a　story　of　the　very　period　when　our　King　James　version　was　produced；　Hildebrod　declares　that　if　he　had　his　way　Captain　Peppercull　should　hang　as　high　as　Haman　ever　did。　In　Kenilworth；　when　Leicester　gives　Varney　his　signet…　ring；　he　says；　significantly：　〃What　thou　dost；　do　quickly。〃　Of　course；　Isaac；　the　Jew　in　Ivanhoe；　exclaims　frequently　in　Old　Testament　terms。　He　wishes　the　wheels　of　the　chariots　of　his　enemies　may　be　taken　off；　like　those　of　the　host　of　Pharoah；　that　they　may　drive　heavily。　He　expects　the　Palmer's　lance　to　be　as　powerful　as　the　rod　of　Moses；　and　so　on。

Scott　was　writing　of　the　period　when　men　stayed　themselves　with　Scripture；　and　his　men　are　all　sure　of　God　and　Satan　and　angels　and　judgment　and　all　eternal　things。　His　son…in…　law　vouches　for　the　old　story　that　when　Sir　Walter　was　on　his　death…bed　he　asked　Lockhart　to　read　him　something　from　the　Book；　and　when　Lockhart　asked；　〃What　book？〃　Scott　replied：　〃Why　do　you　ask？　There　is　but　one　book；　the　Bible。〃

All　this　is　scant　justice　to　the　Georgian　group；　but　it　may　give　a　hint　of　what　the　Bible　meant　even　at　that　period；　the　period　when　its　grip　on　men　was　most　lax　in　all　the　later　English　history。


It　is　in　the　Victorian　age　（1840…1900）　that　the　field　is　most　bewildering。　It　is　true；　as　Frederick　Harrison　says；　that　〃this　Victorian　age　has　no　Shakespeare　or　Milton；　no　Bacon　or　Hume；　no　Fielding　or　Scottno　supreme　master　in　poetry；　philosophy；　or　romance　whose　work　is　incorporated　with　the　thought　of　the　world；　who　is　destined　to　form　an　epoch；　to　endure　for　centuries。〃＇1＇　The　genius　of　the　period　is　more　scientific　than　literary；　yet　we　w