第5章

allpoliticalwriting，withVoltaireandWebster。

NearthatsamefieldmustliemanyofthoseessaysincriticismofwhichProfessorDowdenspeaks。Thiswhichweomit，thisliteratureofknowledge，ispowerfulliterature，thoughitsmainpurposeisnottomove，buttoteach。

Weareonlyreducingourfieldsothatwecansurveyit。Forourusesjustnowweshallfindpureliteraturetakingthethreestandardforms:thepoem，theessay，andthestory。ItistheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonthislargefieldofliteraturewhichwearetoobserve。

Justforsafety"ssake，acceptanothernarrowingofthefield。TheeffectoftheBibleanditsreligiousteaching，onthewriterhimselfisaseparatestudy，andisforthemostpartleftoutofconsideration。ItsoundscorrectwhenMiltonsays:"HewhowouldnotbefrustrateofhisPowertowritewelloughthimselftobeatruepoem。"ButthereisMiltonhimselftodealwith；irreproachableinmorals，thereareyettheunhappyyearsofhisyoungwifetotroubleus，andtherewerehisdaughters，whowerenotatpeacewithhim，andwhomaftertheirserviceinhisblindnessheyetstigmatizesinhiswillas"undutifulchildren。"Then，ifyouthinkofShelleyorByron，youaretroubledbytheirlives；orevenCarlyle，theverymasteroftheVictorianera——onewouldnotliketoscanhislifeaccordingtothelawsoftruepoetry。

ThenthereisColeridge，fallingapreytoopiumuntil，asyearscame，conscienceandwillseemedtogo。OnlyaveryardentScotwillfeelthathecandefendRobertBurnsatallpoints，andwewouldbestrangeAmericansifwefeltthatEdgarAllenPoewasamodelofpropriety。Thatisalargeandinterestingfield，buttheBibleseemseventogainpowerasabook-makingbookwhenitlaysholdonthebook-makingproclivitiesofmenwhoarenotpreparedtoyieldtoitspersonalpower。Theymaygetawayfromitasreligion；theydonotgetawayfromitasliterature。

ThefirstandmostnotablefactregardingtheinfluenceoftheBibleonEnglishliteratureistheremarkableextentofthatinfluence。Itisliterallyeverywhere。IfeveryBibleinanyconsiderablecityweredestroyed，theBookcouldberestoredinallitsessentialpartsfromthequotationsontheshelvesofthecitypubliclibrary。Thereareworks，coveringalmostallthegreatliterarywriters，devotedespeciallytoshowinghowmuchtheBiblehasinfluencedthem。

TheliteraryeffectoftheKingJamesversionatfirstwaslessthanitssocialeffect；butinthatveryfactliesastrikingliteraryinfluence。

ForalongtimeitformedvirtuallythewholeliteraturewhichwasreadilyaccessibletoordinaryEnglishmen。Wegetourphrasesfromathousandbooks。Thecommontalkofanintelligentmanshowstheeffectofmanyauthorsuponhisthinking。Ourfathersgottheirphrasesfromonegreatbook。Theirwritingandtheirspeakingshowtheeffectofthatbook。

Itisastudybyitself，andyetitistruethatworldliteratureis，asProfessorMoultonputsit，theautobiographyofcivilization。"Anationalliteratureisareflectionofthenationalhistory。"

Booksasbooksreflecttheirauthors。Asliteraturetheyreflectthepublicopinionwhichgivesthemindorsement。When，therefore，publicopinion:keepsaliveacertaingroupofbooks，thereistestimonynotsimplytothosebooks，buttothepublicopinionwhichhaspreservedthem。Thehistoryofpopularestimatesofliteratureisitselfmostinteresting。Ontheotherhand，somewritershavebeenamusinglyoverestimated。

NodoubtEdwardFitzgerald，whogaveusthe"RubaiyatofOmarKhayyam"didsomeotherdesirablework；butProfessorMoultonquotesthisparagraphfromapopularlifeofFitzgerald，publishedinDublin:"NotGreeceofoldinherpalmiestdays——theGreeceofHomerandDemosthenes，ofEschylus，Euripides，andSophocles，ofPericles，Leonidas，andAlcibiades，ofSocrates，Plato，andAristotle，ofSolonandLycurgus，ofApellesandPraxiteles——noteventhisGreece，prolificasshewasinsagesandheroes，canboastsuchalengthybead-rollasIrelandcanofnamesimmortalinhistory!"

But"thiswasforIrishconsumption。"Andpopularopinionandevencriticalopinionhassometimesgonefarastrayinitsdestructivetendency。TherewereauthoritativecriticswhodeclaredthatWordsworth，Shelley，andColeridgewrote"unintelligiblenonsense。"GeorgeMeredith"sstyle，especiallyinhispoetry，wascountedsobadthatit——wasnotworthreading。

WeareallnearenoughtheBrowningepochtorecallhowtheobscurityofhisstyleimpressedsomeandoppressedothers。AlfredAustin，in1869，saidthat"Mr。Tennysonhasnosoundpretensionstobecalledagreatpoet。"

Contemporarypublicopinionisseldomafinalgaugeofstrengthforapieceofliterature。Ittakesthetestoftime。Howmanybookswehaveseencomeonthestageandthenpassoffagain!Yetthebooksthathavestayedonthestagehavebeenkepttherebypublicopinionexpressingitselfinthelongrun。ThesocialinfluenceoftheKingJamesversion，creatingapublictasteforcertaintypesofliterature，tendedtoproducethematonce。

EnglishliteratureinthesethreehundredyearshasfoundintheBiblethreeinfluentialelements:style，language，andmaterial。

First，thestyleoftheKingJamesversionhasinfluencedEnglishliteraturemarkedly。ProfessorGardineropensoneofhisessayswiththedictumthat"inallstudyofEnglishliterature，iftherebeanyoneaxiomwhichmaybeacceptedwithoutquestion，itisthattheultimatestandardofEnglishprosestyleissetbytheKingJamesversionoftheBible。"[1]Youalmostmeasurethestrengthofwritingbyitsagreementwiththepredominanttraitsofthisversion。

Carlyle"sweakestworksarethosethatlosethehonestsimplicityofitsstyleinaforcedturgidityandaffectedroughness。HisHeroesandHeroWorshiporhisFrenchRevolutionshowshisdistinctivestyle，andyetshowstheinfluenceofthissimplerstyle，whilehisFredericktheGreatisalmostimpossiblebecausehehasgivenfullplaytohisbrokenanddisconnectedsentences。Ontheotherhand，Macaulayfailsusmostinhisstrivingforeffect，makingnicebalanceofsentences，straininghis"either-or，"

orhis"while-one-was-doing-this-the-other-was-

doing-that。"Thenhissentencesgrowinvolved，andhisparagraphslengthen，andheswingsawayfromthestyleoftheKingJamesversion。

"OnecansaythatifanywritingdepartsveryfarfromthecharacteristicsoftheEnglishBibleitisnotgoodEnglishwriting。"

[1]AtlanticMonthly，May，1900，p。684。

ThesecondelementwhichEnglishliteraturefindsintheBibleisitsLANGUAGE。ThewordsoftheBiblearethefamiliaronesoftheEnglishtongue，andhavebeenkeptfamiliarbytheuseoftheBible。Theresultisthat"thepathofliteratureliesparalleltothatofreligion。Theyareoldanddearcompanions，brethrenindeedofoneblood；notalwaysagreeing，tobesure；

squabblingratherintruebrotherlyfashionnowandthen；occasionallyfallingoutveryseriouslyandbitterly；butstillinterdependentandnecessarytoeachother。"[1]YearsagoawriterremarkedthateverystudentofEnglishliterature，orofEnglishspeech，findsthreeworksorsubjectsreferredto，orquotedfrom，morefrequentlythanothers。ThesearetheBible，talesofGreekandRomanmythology，andAesop"sFables。Ofthesethree，certainlytheBiblefurnishesthelargestnumberofreferences。Thereisreasonforthat。Awriterwantsanaudience。Veryfewmencanclaimtobeindependentofthepublicforwhichtheywrite。ThereisnothingthepublicwillbemoreapttounderstandandappreciatequicklythanapassingreferencetotheEnglishBible。SoitcomesaboutthatwhenDickensisdescribingtheinjusticeoftheMurdstonestolittleDavidCopperfield，hecanputthewholematterbeforeusinaparenthesis:

"ThoughtherewasOneoncewhosetachildinthemidstofthedisciples。"Dickensknewthathisreaderswouldatoncecatchthemeaningofthatreference，andwouldfeelthecontrastbetweenthescenehewasdescribingandthatsimplescene。TakeanyofthegreatbooksofliteratureandblackoutthephraseswhichmanifestlycomedirectlyfromtheEnglishBible，andyouwouldmarkthembeyondrecovery。

[1]Chapman，EnglishLiteratureinAccountwithReligion。

ButEnglishliteraturehasfoundmoreofitsmaterialintheBiblethananythingelse。Ithaslookedthereforitscharacters，itsillustrations，itssubject-matter。Weshallsee，asweconsiderindividualwriters，howmanyoftheirtitlesandcompleteworksaresuggestedbytheBible。

ItisinterestingtoseehowoneideaoftheScripturewillappearandreappearamongmanywriters。Takeoneillustration。TheFauststoryisanefforttomakeconcreteoneverseofScripture:

"Whatshallitprofitamanifheshallgainthewholeworldandlosehisownsoul?"

ProfessorMoultonremindsusthattheFaustlegendappearedfirstintheMiddleAges。InearlyEnglish，Marlowehasit，CalderonputitintoSpanish，themostfamiliarformofitisGoethe"s，whilePhilipBaileyhascalledhisaccountofitFestus。Ineachofthoseformsthesameideaoccurs。Amansellshissoultothedevilforthegainingofwhatistohimtheworld。ThatisoneofagoodmanyideaswhichtheBiblehasgiventoliterature。Theprodigalsonhasbeenanotherprolificsourceofliterarywriting。Theguidingstarisanother。Otherswillreadilycometomind。

Withthatsimplebackgroundletourmindsmovedownthecourseofliteraryhistory。Style，language，material——wewilleasilythinkhowmuchofeachtheBiblehasgiventoallourgreatwritersiftheirnamesareonlymentioned。Therearefourgroupsofthesewriters。

1。TheJacobean，whowrotewhenandjustafterourversionwasmade。

2。TheGeorgian，whogracedthereignsofthekingswhosenametheperiodbears。

3。TheVictorian。

4。TheAmerican。

Thereisanattractivefifthgroupcomprisingourpresent-dayworkersintherealmofpureliterature，butwemustomitthemandgiveourattentiontonamesthatarestarred。

ItisfamiliarthatinthetimeofElizabeth，"Englandbecameanestofsingingbirds。"InthefiftyyearsafterthefirstEnglishtheaterwaserected，themiddleofElizabeth"sreign，fiftydramaticpoetsappeared，manyofthefirstorder。Someweredistinctlyirreligious，asweremanyofthepeoplewhoselivestheytouched。

SuchmenasFord，Marlowe，Massinger，Webster，Beaumont，andFletcherstandlikeachorusaroundShakespeareandBenJonsonasleaders。

AsTaineputsit:"Theysingthesamepiecetogether，andattimesthechorusisequaltothesolo；butonlyattimes。"[1]Culturedpeopleto-dayknowthenamesofmostofthesewriters，butnotmuchelse，anditdoesnotheavilyserveourargumenttosaythattheyfeltthePuritaninfluence；buttheyalldidfeeliteitherdirectlyorbyreaction。

[1]HistoryofEnglishLiterature，chap。iii。

EdmundSpenserandhisfriend，SirPhilipSidney，hadclosedtheirworkbeforetheKingJamesversionappeared，yettheFaerieQueeneinitsreligioustheoryisPuritantothecore，andSidneyisbestrememberedbyhisparaphrasesofScripture。TheinfluenceofbothwasevengreaterintheJacobeanthanintheirownperiod。

ItishardlyfaireventonotetheElizabethanShakespeareasundertheinfluenceoftheKingJamesversion。TheBibleinfluencedhimmarkedly，butitwastheGenevanversionpreparedduringtheexileofthescholarsunderBloodyMary，ortheBishops"BiblepreparedunderElizabeth。Thoseversionswerefamiliarashouseholdfactstohim。"NowriterhasassimilatedthethoughtsandreproducedthewordsofHolyScripturemorecopiouslythanShakespeare。"Dr。Furnivallsaysthat"heissaturatedwiththeBiblestory，"andacenturyagoCapelLloftsaidquaintlythatShakespeare"haddeeplyimbibedtheScriptures。"ButtheKingJamesversionappearedonlyfiveyearsbeforehisdeath，anditisinsomesensefairertosaythatShakespeareandtheKingJamesversionareformedbythesameinfluenceastotheirEnglishstyle。TheBishopofSt。

AndrewsevendevotesthefirstpartofhisbookonShakespeareandtheBibletoastudyofparallelsbetweenthetwoinpeculiarformsofspeech，andthinksit"probablethatourtranslatorsof1611owedasmuchtoShakespeareas，orratherfarmorethan，heowedtothem。"[1]

Itisgenerallyagreedthatonlytwoofhisworkswerewrittenafterourversionappeared。SeveralotherwritershavedevotedseparatevolumestonotingthefrequentusebyShakespeareofBiblicalphrasesandallusionsandcharacterstakenfromearlyversions。Itisaverytemptingfield，andwepassitbyonlybecauseitishardlyintherangeofthestudywearenowmaking。

[1]Wordsworth，Shakespeare"sKnowledgeandUseoftheBible，p。

9。

When，however，wecometoJohnMilton(1608-1674)，werememberhewasonlythreeyearsoldwhenourversionwasissued；thatwhenatfifteen，anundergraduateinCambridge，hemadehisfirstparaphrases，castingtwoofthePsalmsintometer，theversionheusedwasthisfamiliarone。AbiographersayshebeganthedayalwayswiththereadingofScriptureandkepthismemorydeeplychargedwithitsphrases。

InlaterlifethemorningchapterwasgenerallyfromtheHebrew，andwasfollowedbyanhourofsilenceformeditation，anexercisewhoseinfluencenoman"sstylecouldescape。AsawriterhemovedsteadilytowardtheScriptureandthereligiousteachingwhichitbroughthisage。Hisearlierwritingisagroupofpoemslargelysecular，whichyetshowinphrasesandexpressionsmuchoftheinfluenceofhisboyhoodstudyoftheBible，aswellasthefamiliaruseofmythology。Thememorialpoem"Lycidas，"

forexample，containsthemuch-quotedreferencetoPeterandhistwokeys——

"LastcameandlastdidgoThepilotoftheGalileanlake；

Twomassykeysheboreofmetalstwain，(Thegoldenopes，theironshutsamain)。"

Butafterthesepoemscametheperiodofhisprose，theworkwhichhesupposedwastheabidingworkofhislife。GeorgeWilliamCurtistoldafriendthatourcivilwarchangedhisownliterarystyle:"ThatrousedmetoseethatI

hadnorighttospendmylifeinliteraryleisure。

IfeltthatImustthrowmyselfintothestruggleforfreedomandtheUnion。Ibegantolectureandtowrite。Thestyletookcareofitself。

ButIfancyitismoresolidthanitwasthirtyyearsago。"ThatiswhathappenedtoMiltonwhentheprotectoratecame。[1]Itmadehisstylemoresolid。Hedidnotmeantoliveasapoet。

Hefeltthathisbestenergieswerebeingputintohisessaysindefenseofliberty，onthefreedomofthepressandonthejusticeofthebeheadingofCharles，inwhichservicehesacrificedhissight。AllofitisshotthroughwithScripturequotationsandarguments，andsomeofit，atleast，isintheveryspiritofScripture。Thepleaforlargerfreedomofdivorceissuedplainlyfromhisownbitterexperience；buthismainargumentrootsinafewBibletextstakenoutoftheirconnectionandurgedwithnoshadowofquestionoftheirauthority。Indeed，whenhecomestohismorereligiousessays，hisheavyargumentisthatthereshouldbenoreligionpermittedinEnglandwhichisnotdrawndirectlyfromtheBible；which，therefore，heurgesmustbecommonpropertyforallthepeople。

Thereisacuriousbitofevidencethatthemenofhisowntimedidnotrealizehispowerasapoet。InPierreBayle"scriticalsurveyoftheliteratureofthetime，hecallsMilton"thefamousapologistfortheexecutionofCharlesI。，"who"meddledinpoetryandseveralofwhosepoemssawthelightduringhislifeorafterhisdeath!"Forallthat，Miltonwasonlyworkingontowardhisrealpower，andhispowerwastobeshowninhisservicetoreligion。Histhreegreatpoems，intheorderoftheirvalue，are，ofcourse，"ParadiseLost，""SamsonAgonistes，"

and"ParadiseRegained。"WhoeverknowsanythingofMiltonknowsthesethreeandknowstheyareScripturalfromfirsttolastinphrase，inallusion，and，inpartatleast，inidea。Thereisnottimeforextendedillustration。Oneinstancemaystandforall，whichshallillustratehowMilton"smindwaslikeagardenwheretheseedsofScripturecametoflowerandfruit。HewilltakeonephrasefromtheBibleandletitgrowtoapagein"ParadiseLost。"Hereisanillustrationwhichcomesreadilytohand。IntheGenesisitissaidthat"thespiritofGodmovedonthefaceofthewaters。"Theverbsuggeststheideaofbrooding。Thereisonlyoneotherpossiblereference(Psalmxxiv:9。)

whichisincludedinthisstatementwhichMiltonmakesoutofthatbriefwordintheGenesis:

"OnthewaterycalmHisbroadeningwingstheSpiritofGodoutspread，Andvitalvirtueinfused，andvitalwarmthThroughoutthefluidmass，butdownwardpurgedTheblacktartareouscoldinfernaldregs，Adversetolife；thenformed，thencon-globed，Likethingstolike；theresttoseveralplaceDisparted，andbetweenspunouttheair——

Andearthself-balancedonhercenterswung。"

[1]Strong，TheTheologyofthePoets。

AnyonefamiliarwithMiltonwillrecognizethatasatypicalinstanceofthewayinwhichaseedideafromtheScripturecomestoflowerandfruitinhim。TheresultisthatmorepeoplehavetheirideasaboutheavenandhellfromMiltonthanfromtheBible，thoughtheydonotknowit。

ItseemshardlyfairtouseJohnBunyan(1628-1688)asanillustrationoftheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonliterature，becausehischiefworkiscomposedsolargelyinthelanguageofScripture。Pilgrim"sProgressisthemostwidelyreadbookintheEnglishlanguageaftertheBible。Itsphrases，itsnames，itsmatterareeitherdirectlyorindirectlytakenfromtheBible。Ithasgivenusalonglistofphraseswhicharepartofourliteraryandreligiouscapital。Thackeraytookthemottoofoneofhisbest-knownbooksfromtheBible；butthetitle，VanityFair，comesfromPilgrim"sProgress。

Whenadiscouragedmansaysheis"inthesloughofdespond，"hequotesBunyan；andwhenapopularevangelisttellsthepeoplethattheburdenofsinwillrollawayiftheylookatthecross，"accordingtotheBible，"heoughttosayaccordingtoBunyan。ButallthiswasonlytheoutcomeofthefamiliarityofBunyanwiththeScripture。Itwasalmostallhedidknowinaliteraryway。Macaulaysaysthat"heknewnolanguagebuttheEnglishasitwasspokenbythecommonpeople；hehadstudiednogreatmodelofcomposition，withtheexceptionofournobletranslationoftheBible。

Butofthathisknowledgewassuchthathemighthavebeencalledalivingconcordance。"[1]

[1]HistoryofEngland，vol。III。，p。220。

Afterthesethree——Shakespeare，Milton，andBunyan——thereappearedanotherthree，verymuchtheirinferiorsandhavingmuchlessinfluenceonliteraryhistory。ImeanDryden，Addison，andPope。ItisnotnecessarytocredittheScripturewithmuchofDryden"sspirit，norwithmuchofhisstyle，andcertainlynotwithhisattitudetowardhisfellows；butitisaconstantsurpriseinreadingDrydentodiscoverhowfamiliarhewaswiththeKingJamesversion。

WalterScottinsiststhatDrydenwasatheartserious，that"hisindelicacywasliketheforcedimpudenceofabashfulman。"Thatisgenerousjudgment。Butthereisthistobesaid:ashegrowsmoreserioushefallsmoreintoBiblewords。Ifhewritesapoliticalpamphlethecallsit"AbsalomandAhithophel。"

InitheholdsthemenofthedayuptoscornunderBiblenames。TheyareZimriandShimei，andthelike。Whenheisfallingintobitterestsatire，hiswritingaboundsintheseBiblicalallusionswhichcouldbemadeonlybyonewhowasveryfamiliarwiththeBook。Quotationscannotbeabundant，ofcourse，butthereisagreatdealofthissortofthing:

"Sinking，helefthisdruggetrobebehind，Borneupwardbyasubterraneanwind，Themantlefelltotheyoungprophet"spart，Withdoubleportionofhisfather"sart。"

InhisEpistlesthereismuchofthesamesort。

WhenhewritestoCongrevehespeaksofthefathers，andsays:

"Their"swasthegiantracebeforetheflood。"

Fartheronhesays:

"Ourbuilderswerewithwantofgeniuscurst，Thesecondtemplewasnotlikethefirst。"

NowDrydenmayhavebeen，asMacaulaysaid，an"illustriousrenegade，"butallhiswritingshowstheinfluenceofthelanguageandtheideasoftheKingJamesversion。Wheneverwesingthe"VeniCreator"wesingJohnDryden。

SowesingAddisonintheparaphraseofScripture，whichHaydn"smusichasmadefamiliar:

"Thespaciousfirmamentonhigh，Withalltheblueetherealsky。"

WhileDrydenyieldedtohistimes，Addisondidnot，andtheSpectatorbecamenotonlyaliterarybutamoralpower。Intheefforttomakeitsohewasthrownbackonthelargestmoralinfluenceoftheday，theBible，andthroughouttheSpectatorandthroughallofAddison"swritingyoufindonallproperoccasionstheBiblepressedtothefront。HereagainTaineputsitstrikingly:"Itisnosmallthingtomakemoralityfashionable；Addisondidit，anditremainsfashionable。"

Ifwespeakofsinging，wemayrememberthatwesingthehymnofevenpoorlittledwarfedinvalidAlexanderPope。HewasborntheyearBunyandied，bornatcross-purposeswiththeworld。Hecouldwriteabittersatire，likethe"Dunciad"；hecouldgivetheworldTheIliadandTheOdysseyinsuchEnglishthatweknowthemfarbetterthanintheGreekofHomer；

butinthoseraremomentswhenhewasathisbetterselfhewouldwritehisgreaterpoem，"TheMessiah"，inwhichthemovementofScriptureisoutlinedasitcouldbeonlybyonewhoknewtheEnglishBible。Andwhenwesing——

"Rise，crownedwithlight，imperialSalem，rise"——

itisworthwhiletorealizethatthevoicethatfirstsungitwasthatoftheirritablelittlepoetwhofoundsomeofhisscantcomfortinthegrandwordsandphrasesandideasofourEnglishBible。

Withthesesix——Shakespeare，Milton，Bunyan，Dryden，Addison，andPope——thecourseoftheJacobeanliteratureissufficientlymeasured。

Therearemanylessernames，butthesearetheoneswhichmadeitanepochinliterature，andtheseareattheirbestunderthepoweroftheBible。

IntheGeorgiangroupweneedtocallonlyfivegreatnameswhichhavehadcreativeinfluenceinliterature。Ordinarycultureinliteraturewillincludesomeacquaintancewitheachofthem。IntheorderoftheirdeaththeyareShelley(1829。)，Byron(1824)，Coleridge(1831)，WalterScott(1832)，andWordsworth(1850)。

Thelastlongoutlivedtheothers；buthebelongswiththem，becausehewasbornearlierthananyotherinthegroupanddidhischiefworkintheirtimeandbeforethelatergroupappeared。ExceptWordsworth，alltheseweregonebeforeQueenVictoriacametothethronein1837。Threeothernamescouldbecalled:

Keats，RobertBurns，andCharlesLamb。Allwouldillustratewhatwearestudying。KeatsleastofallandBurnsmost。TheyareomittedherenotbecausetheydidnotfeeltheinfluenceoftheEnglishBible，notbecausetheydonotconstantlyshowitsinfluence，butbecausetheyarenotsocreativeastheothers；theyhavenotsoinfluencedthecurrentofliterature。Atanyrate，thefivenamedwillrepresentworthilyandwithsufficientcompletenesstheGeorgianperiodofEnglishliterature。

NothingcouldrevealmoreclearlythanthislisthowwearedistinguishingtheBibleasliteraturefromtheBibleasanauthoritativebookinmorals。OnewouldmuchdisliketocredittheBiblewithanypartofthepersonallifeofShelleyorByron。Theywerefriends；they，weregeniuses；buttheywerebothbadlyafflictedwithcommonmoralleprosy。Itisplayingwithmoralstoexcuseeitherofthembecausehewasagenius。Nothinginthegeniusofeitherdemandedorwasservedbythecourseofcheapimmoralitywhichbothpractised。ItwasnotbecauseShelleywasageniusthathemarriedHarrietWestbrook，thenranawaywithMaryGodwin，thentriedtogetthetwotobecomefriendsandneighborsuntilhisownwifecommittedsuicide；itwasnothisgeniusthatmadehimyieldtotheinfluenceofEmiliaVivianiandwriteherthepoem"Epipsychidion，"tellingherandtheworldthathe"wasneverattachedtothatgreatsectwhobelievedthateachoneshouldselectoutofthecrowdamistressorafriend"andlettherestgo。Thatwasnotgenius，thatwasjustcommonpassion；andourdivorcecourtsarefullofShelleysofthattype。

SoByron"spersonalimmoralityisnottobeexplainednorexcusedonthegroundofhisgenius。ItwasnotgeniusthatledhimsoastrayinEnglandthathiswifehadtodivorcehim，andthatpublicopiniondrovehimoutoftheland。ItwasnothisgeniusthatsenthimtovisitShelleyandhismistressatLakeGenevaandseducetheirguest，sothatsheborehimadaughter，thoughshewasneverhiswife。ItwasnotgeniusthatmadehimpickupstillanothercompanionoutofseveralinItalyandlivewithherinimmoralrelation。InthenameofcommondecencyletnoonestandupforShelleyandByronintheirpersonalcharacters!Therearenottwomorallaws，oneforgeniusesandoneforcommonpeople。Byron，atanyrate，wasneverdeceivedabouthimself，neverblamedhisgeniusnorhisconscienceforhiswrong。Thesearestrikinglinesin"ChildeHarold，"inwhichhedisclaimsallrighttosympathy，because，"ThethornswhichIhavereapedareofthetreeIplanted，——theyhavetornmeandIbleed。

Ishouldhaveknownwhatfruitwouldspringfromsuchatree。"

Shelley"swifewouldnotsaythatforhim。

"InallShelleydid，"shesays，"heatthetimeofdoingitbelievedhimselfjustifiedtohisownconscience。"Well，somuchtheworseforShelley!Geniusesarenottheonlymenwhocanfindgoodreasonfordoingwhattheywanttodo。OneofShelley"scriticssuggeststhatthetroublewashisintroductionintopersonalconductoftheimaginationwhichheoughttohavesavedforhiswriting。PerhapswemightexplainByron"smisconductbyremindingourselvesofhisclub-foot，andapplyingonecodeofmoralstomenwithclub-feetandanothertomenwithnormalfeet。

IfwespeakoftheinfluenceoftheBibleonthesemen，itmustbeontheirliterarywork；

andwhenwefinditthere，itbecomespeculiarmarkofitspower。Theyhadlittlesenseofitasmorallaw。Theirconsciencesapproveditandcondemnedthemselves，orelsetheirdelicateliterarytastesenseditasabookofpower。

ThisisnotablytrueofShelley。WhenhewasstillastudentinOxfordhecommittedhimselftotheopinionofanotherwriter，that"themindcannotbelieveintheexistenceofGod。"Hetriestoworkthatoutfullyinhisnoteson"QueenMab。"Whenhewashardlyyetofagehehimselfwrotethat"ThegeniusofhumanhappinessmustteareveryleaffromtheaccursedBookofGod，eremancanreadtheinscriptiononitsheart。"HeoncesaidthathishighestdesirewasthatthereshouldbeamonumenttohimselfsomewhereintheAlpswhichshouldbeonlyagreatstonewithitsfacesmoothedandthisshortinscriptioncutinit，"PercyByssheShelley，Atheist。"

ItwouldseemthatwhateverShelleydrewofstrengthorinspirationfromtheBiblewouldbebywayofreaction；butitisnotso。Howeverhemayhavehatedthe"accursedBookofGod，"

hiswifetellsinhernoteon"TheRevoltofIslam"

thatShelley"debatedwhetherheshoulddevotehimselftopoetryormetaphysics，"and，resolvingontheformer，he"educatedhimselfforit，engaginghimselfinthestudyofthepoetsofGreece，England，andItaly。Tothese，maybeadded，"shegoeson，"aconstantperusalofportionsoftheOldTestament，theBookofPsalms，Job，Isaiah，andothers，thesublimepoetryofwhichfilledhimwithdelight。"Notonlydidhecatchthespiritofthatpoetry，butitsphraseshauntedhismemory。Inhisbestprosework，whichhecalledADefenseofPoetry，thereisaninterestingrevelationoftheinfluenceofhisBiblereadinguponhim。Towardtheendoftheessaythesetwosentencesoccur:"Itisinconsistentwiththisdivisionofoursubjecttocitelivingpoets，butposterityhasdoneamplejusticetothegreatnamesnowreferredto。Theirerrorshavebeenweighedandfoundtohavebeendustinthebalance；iftheirsinsareasscarlet，theyarenowwhiteassnow；theyhavebeenwashedinthebloodofthemediatorandredeemer，Time。"Thereisnomoreeloquentpassageintheessaythantheoneofwhichthisispart，andyetitisfullofallusiontothisBookfromwhichallpagesmustbetorn!Evenin"QueenMab"hemakesAhasuerus，thewanderingJew，recounttheBiblestoryinsuchbroadoutlinesascouldbegivenonlybyamanwhowasfamiliarwithit。WhenShelleywasinItalyandthewordcametohimofthemassacreatManchester，hewrotehis"MasqueofAnarchy。"

Therearefewmoremelodiouslinesofhiswritingthanthosewhichoccurinthislongpoeminthesectionregardingfreedom。Fourofthoselinesareoftenquoted。TheyareattheveryheartofShelley"sbestwork。Addressingfreedom，hesays:

"Thouartlove:therichhavekissedThyfeet，and，likehimfollowingChrist，Gavetheirsubstancetothefree，Andthroughtheroughworldfollowthee。"

PageafterpageofShelleyrevealsthesehalf-

consciousreferencestotheBible。Thereweretwosourcesfromwhichhereceivedhispassionatedemocracy。OnewasthetreatmenthereceivedatEton，andlateratOxford；theotherishisfrequentreadingoftheEnglishBible，eventhoughhewasinthespiritofrebellionagainstmuchofitsteaching。InBrowning"sessayonShelley，hereachestheamazingconclusionthat"hadShelleylived，hewouldfinallyhaverangedhimselfwiththeChristians，"andseekstojustifyitbyshowingthathewasmovingstraighttowardthepositionsofPaulandofDavid。Someofusmaynotseesuchrapidapproach，butthatShelleyfeltthedrawingofGodintheuniverseisplainenough。

TheinfluenceoftheBibleisstillmoremarkedonByron。HespenthischildhoodyearsatAberdeen。TherehisnursetrainedhimintheBible；and，thoughhedidnotlivebyit，heneverlosthisloveforit，norhisknowledgeofit。Hetellsofhisownexperienceinthisway:

"Iamagreatreaderofthosebooks[theBible]，andhadreadthemthroughandthroughbeforeIwaseightyearsold；thatistosay，theOldTestament，fortheNewstruckmeasatask，buttheotherasapleasure。"[1]OneoftheearliestbitsofhisworkisaparaphraseofoneofthePsalms。Hisphysicalinfirmityputhimatoddswiththeworld，whilehisstrikingbeautydrewtohimacrowdofadmirerswhohelpedtopoisoneveryspringofhisgenius。Evenso，heheldhislovefortheBible。WhileShelleyoftenspokeofitincontempt，whilehepridedhimselfonhisdivergencefromthepathofitsteaching，Byronneverdid。Hewanderedfar，buthealwaysknewit；and，thoughhecouldhardlyfindtermstoexpresshiscontemptfortheChurch，thereisnolineofByron"swritingwhichisaslurattheBible。Ontheotherhand，muchofhisworkrevealsapassionforthebeautyofitaswellasitstruth。HismostmelodiouswritingisinthatgroupofHebrewmelodieswhichwerewrittentobesung。TheydemandfarmorethanapassingknowledgeoftheBiblebothfortheirwritingandtheirunderstanding。Thereisalonglistofthem，butnoonewithoutaknowledgeoftheBiblewouldhaveknownwhathemeantbyhispoem，"TheHarptheMonarchMinstrelSwept。""Jephtha"sDaughter"presumesuponaknowledgeoftheOldTestamentstorywhichwouldnotcometooneinapassingstudyoftheBible。"TheSongofSaulBeforehisLastBattle"andthepoemheaded"Saul"

couldnothavebeenwritten，norcantheybereadintelligentlybyanyonewhodoesnotknowhisBible。AmongByron"sdramas，twoofwhichhethoughtmost，were，"HeavenandEarth"

and"Cain。"WhenhewasaccusedofpervertingtheScripturein"Cain，"herepliedthathehadonlytakentheScriptureatitsfacevalue。

BothofthedramasarenotonlybuiltdirectlyoutofScripturalevents，butimplyafarwiderknowledgeofScripturethantheirmeretitlessuggest。

[1]Taine，EnglishLiterature，II。，279。

Therearestrikingreferencesinmanyotherpoems，eveninhisalmostvilepoem，"DonJuan。"Themostnotableinstanceisinthefifteenthcanto，whereheisspeakingofpersecutedsagesandtheselinesoccur:

"Wasitnotso，greatLocke?andgreaterBacon?

GreatSocrates?AndThouDivinerstill，Whoselotitisbymentobemistaken，AndThypurecreedmadesanctionofallill?

Redeemingworldstobebybigotsshaken，HowwasThytoilrewarded?"

InanoteonthispassageByronsays:"Asitisnecessaryinthesetimestoavoidambiguity，IsaythatImeanby"Divinerstill"Christ。IfeverGodwasman——ormanGod——Hewasboth。

IneverarraignedHiscreed，buttheuseorabuseofit。Mr。CanningonedayquotedChristianitytosanctionslavery，andMr。Wilberforcehadlittletosayinreply。AndwasChristcrucifiedthatblackmenmightbescourged?Ifso，Hehadbetterbeenbornamulatto，togivebothcolorsanequalchanceoffreedom，oratleastsalvation。"ByroncouldlivefarfromtheinfluenceoftheBibleinhispersonallife；butheneverescapeditsinfluenceinhisliterarywork。

OfColeridgelessneedstobesaid，becausewethinkofhimsomuchintermsofhismoremeditativemusings，whichareoftenreligious。

HehimselftellsoflongandcarefulrereadingsoftheEnglishBibleuntilhecouldsay:IntheBible"thereismorethatfindsmethanIhaveexperiencedinallotherbookstogether；thewordsoftheBiblefindmeatgreaterdepthsofmybeing。"Ofcourse，thatwouldinfluencehiswriting，anditdid。Eveninthe"RimeoftheAncientMariner"muchofthephraseologyisScriptural。Whenthealbatrossdrewnear，"AsifithadbeenaChristiansoul，WehaileditinGod"sname。"

WhenthemarinerslepthegavepraisetoMary，QueenofHeaven。Hesoughttheshrivingofthehermit-priest。Heendsthestorybecausehehears"thelittlevesperbell"whichbidshimtoprayer。Whenyoureadhis"HymnBeforeSunriseintheValeofChamounix"youfindyourselfreadingtheNineteenthPsalm。HecallsonthemotionlesstorrentsandthesilentcataractsandthegreatMontBlancitselftopraiseGod。ColeridgeneverhadseenChamounix，norMontBlanc，noraglacier，butheknewhisBible。SohehashisChristmasCarolalongwithalltherest。HispoemoftheMoorsaftertheCivilWarunderPhilipII。isScripturalinitsphraseology，andsoismuchelsethathewrote。

Franklyandwillinglyheyieldedtoitsinfluence。

Inhis"TableTalk"heoftenreferstothevalueoftheBibleintheformingofliterarystyle。Oncehesaid:"IntensestudyoftheBiblewillkeepanywriterfrombeingvulgarinpointofstyle。"[1]

[1]June14，1830。

TheverymentionofColeridgemakesonethinkofWordsworth。TheyhadaDamonandPythiasfriendship。TheWordsworthswerepoor；theyhadonlyseventypoundsayear，andtheywerenotashamed。Coleridgecalledthemthehappiestfamilyheeversaw。WordsworthwasnotnarrowlyaChristianpoet，hewasnotalwaysseekingtoputChristiandogmaintopoetry，butthroughouthewasexpressingtheChristianspiritwhichhehadlearnedfromtheBible。HispoetrywasonelongprotestagainstbanishingGodfromtheuniverse。Itwasliterallytrueofhimthat"themeanestflowerthatgrowscangivethoughtsthattoooftenlietoodeepfortears。"Ifthiswerethetimetobecritical，onewouldthinkthattoomuchwassometimesmadeofveryminuteoccurrences；butthistendencytogetbackoftheeventandseehowGodismovingislearnedbestfromScripture，whereWordsworthhimselflearnedit。Ifyoureadhis"IntimationsofImmortality，"orthe"OdetoDuty，"or"TinternAbbay，"oreventheratherlabored"Excursion，"youfindyourselfundertheScripturalinfluence。

ThereremainsinthisGeorgiangroupthegreatprosemaster，WalterScott。Mr。GladstonesaidhethoughtScottthegreatestofhiscountrymen。JohnMorleysuggestedJohnKnoxinstead。Mr。Gladstonereplied:"No，thelinemustbedrawnfirmlybetweenthewriterandthemanofaction——nocomparisonthere。"[1]HewentontosaythatBurnsisveryfineandtrue，nodoubt，"buttoimagineawholegroupofcharacters，tomarshalthem，tosetthemtowork，andtosustaintheaction，Imustcountthatthetestofhighestandmostdiversifiedquality。"AllwhoarefondofScottwillrealizehowconstantlythesceneswhichheisdescribinggroupthemselvesaroundreligiousobservances，howoftenmenareheldincheckfromdeedsofviolencebyreligiousconception。ManyofthesescenescrystallizearoundaScripturalevent。