study of the king james bible(钦印〈圣经〉研究)-第26部分
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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 Scott
no 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 would be helpless if we had not already
eliminated from our discussion everything but the works and writers of
pure literature。 The output of books has been so tremendous that it would
be impossible to analyze the influences which have made them。 There are
in this Victorian period at least twelve great English writers who must be
known； whose work affects the current of English literature。 Many other
names would need mention in any full history or any minute study； but it
is not harsh judgment to say that the main current of literature would be
the same without them。 A few of these lesser names will come to mind；
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and in the calling of them one realizes the influence； even on them； of the
English Bible。 Anthony Trollope wrote sixty volumes； the titles of most of
which are now popularly unknown。 He told George Eliot that it was not
brains that explained his writing so much； but rather wax which he put in
the seat of his chair； which held him down to his daily stint of work。 He
could boast； and it was worth the boasting； that he had never written a line
which a pure woman could not read without a blush。 His whole Framley
Parsonage series abounds in Bible references and allusions。 So Charlotte
Bronte is in English literature； and Jane Eyre does prove what she was
meant to prove； that a commonplace person can be made the heroine of a
novel； but on all Charlotte Bronte's work is the mark of the rectory in
which she grew up。 So Thomas Grey has left his 〃Elegy〃 and his 〃Hymn
to Adversity；〃 and some other writing which most of us have forgotten or
never knew。 Then there are Maria Edgeworth and Jane Austen。 We may
even remember that Macaulay thought Jane Austen could be compared
with Shakespeare； as； of course； she can be； since any one can be； but
neither of these good women has strongly affected the literary current。
Many others could be named； but English literature would be substantially
the same without them； and； though all might show Biblical influence；
they would not illustrate what we are trying to discover。 So we come；
without apology to the unnamed； to the twelve； without whom English
literature would be different。 This is the list in the order of the alphabet：
Matthew Arnold； Robert Browning （Mrs。 Browning being grouped as one
with him）； Carlyle； Dickens； George Eliot； Charles Kingsley； Macaulay；
Ruskin； Robert Louis Stevenson； Swinburne； Tennyson； and Thackeray。
＇1＇ Early Victorian Literature； p。 9
It is dangerous to make such a list； but it can be defended。 Literary
history would not be the same without any one of them； unless possibly
Swinburne； whose claim to place is rather by his work as critic than as
creator。 Nor is any name omitted whose introduction would change
literary history。
Benjamin Jowett thought Arnold too flippant on religious things to be
a real prophet。 At any rate； this much is true； that the books in which
Arnold dealt with the fundamentals of religion are his profoundest work。
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In his poetry the best piece of the whole is his 〃Rugby Chapel。〃 His
Religion and Dogma he himself calls an 〃essay toward a better
apprehension of the Bible。〃 All through he urges it as the one Book which
needs recovery。 〃All that the churches can say about the importance of the
Bible and its religion we concur in。〃 The book throughout is an effort to
justify his own faith in terms of the Bible。 The effort is sometimes
amusing； because it takes such a logical and verbal agility to go from one
to the other； but he is always at it。 He is afraid in his soul that England will
swing away from the Bible。 He fears it may come about through neglect of
the Bible on one hand； or through wrong teaching about it on the other。
Not in his ideas alone； but markedly in his style； Arnold has felt the
Biblical influence。 He came at a time when there was strong temptation to
fall into cumbrous German ways of speech。 Against that Arnold set a
simple phraseology； and he held out the English Bible constantly as a
model by which the men of England ought to learn to write。 He never
gained the simplicity of the old Hebrew sentence； and sometimes his
secondary clauses follow one another so rapidly that a reader is confused；
but his words as a whole are simple and direct。
There is no need of much word on the spell of the Bible over Robert
Browning and Mrs。 Browning。 It is not often that two singing… birds mate；
but these two sang in a key pitched for them by the Scripture as much as
by any one influence。 Many of their greatest poems have definite Biblical
themes。 In them and in others Biblical allusions are utterly bewildering to
men who do not know the Bible well。 For five years （1841…1846）
Browning's poems appeared under the title Bells and Pomegranates。
Scores of people wondered then； and wonder still； what 〃Pippa Passes〃
and 〃A Blot in the Scutcheon 〃 and the others have to do with such a title。
They have never thought； as Browning did； of the border of the beautiful
robe of the high priest described in the Book of Exodus。 The finest poem
of its length in the English language is Browning's 〃Saul〃； but it is only
the story of David driving the evil spirit from Saul； sweeping on to the
very coming of Christ。 〃The Death in the Desert〃 is the death of John； the
beloved disciple。 〃Karshish； the Arab Physician〃 tells in his own way of
the raising of Lazarus。 The text of 〃Caliban upon Setebos〃 is； 〃Thou
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thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself。〃 The text of
〃Cleon〃 is； 〃As certain of your own poets have said。〃 In 〃Fifine at the
Fair〃 the Cure expounds the experience of Jacob and his stone…pillow with
better insight than some better… known expositors show。 In 〃Pippa Passes；〃
when Bluphocks； the English vagabond； is introduced； Browning seems
to justify his appearance by the single foot…note： 〃He maketh His sun to
rise on the evil and on the good； and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust〃； and Mr。 Bluphocks shows himself amusingly familiar with Bible
facts and phrases。 Mr。 Sludge； 〃the Medium；〃 thinks the Bible says the
stars are 〃set for signs when we should shear sheep； sow corn； prune
trees；〃 and describes the skeptic in the magic circle of spiritual
〃investigators〃 as the 〃guest without the wedding…garb； the doubting
Thomas。〃 Some one has taken the trouble to count five hundred Biblical
phrases or allusions in 〃The Ring and the Book。〃 Mrs。 Browning's
〃'Drama of Exile〃 is the woman's side of the fall of Adam and Eve。 Ruskin
thought her 〃Aurora Leigh〃 the greatest poem the century had produced at
that time。 It abounds in Scriptural allusions。 Browning came by all this
naturally。 Raised in the Church by a father who 〃delighted to surround him
with books； notably old and rare Bibles；〃 and a mother Carlyle called 〃a
true type of a Scottish gentlewoman；〃 with all the skill in the Bible that
that implies； he never lost his sense of the majesty of the movement of
Scripture ideas and phrases。
We need spend little time in discussing the influence of the English
Bible on Thomas
