essays and lectures-第18章

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of　Greek　manuscripts　were　blotted　out；　the　splendours　of　a　new

method　were　unfolded　to　the　world；　and　out　of　the　melancholy　sea　of

mediaevalism　rose　the　free　spirit　of　man　in　all　that　splendour　of

glad　adolescence；　when　the　bodily　powers　seem　quickened　by　a　new

vitality；　when　the　eye　sees　more　clearly　than　its　wont　and　the　mind

apprehends　what　was　beforetime　hidden　from　it。　　To　herald　the

opening　of　the　sixteenth　century；　from　the　little　Venetian　printing

press　came　forth　all　the　great　authors　of　antiquity；　each　bearing

on　the　title…page　the　words　＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be

reproduced＇；　words　which　may　serve　to　remind　us　with　what　wondrous

prescience　Polybius　saw　the　world's　fate　when　he　foretold　the

material　sovereignty　of　Roman　institutions　and　exemplified　in

himself　the　intellectual　empire　of　Greece。



The　course　of　the　study　of　the　spirit　of　historical　criticism　has

not　been　a　profitless　investigation　into　modes　and　forms　of　thought

now　antiquated　and　of　no　account。　　The　only　spirit　which　is

entirely　removed　from　us　is　the　mediaeval；　the　Greek　spirit　is

essentially　modern。　　The　introduction　of　the　comparative　method　of

research　which　has　forced　history　to　disclose　its　secrets　belongs

in　a　measure　to　us。　　Ours；　too；　is　a　more　scientific　knowledge　of

philology　and　the　method　of　survival。　　Nor　did　the　ancients　know

anything　of　the　doctrine　of　averages　or　of　crucial　instances；　both

of　which　methods　have　proved　of　such　importance　in　modern

criticism；　the　one　adding　a　most　important　proof　of　the　statical

elements　of　history；　and　exemplifying　the　influences　of　all

physical　surroundings　on　the　life　of　man；　the　other；　as　in　the

single　instance　of　the　Moulin　Quignon　skull；　serving　to　create　a

whole　new　science　of　prehistoric　archaeology　and　to　bring　us　back

to　a　time　when　man　was　coeval　with　the　stone　age；　the　mammoth　and

the　woolly　rhinoceros。　　But；　except　these；　we　have　added　no　new

canon　or　method　to　the　science　of　historical　criticism。　　Across　the

drear　waste　of　a　thousand　years　the　Greek　and　the　modern　spirit

join　hands。



In　the　torch　race　which　the　Greek　boys　ran　from　the　Cerameician

field　of　death　to　the　home　of　the　goddess　of　Wisdom；　not　merely　he

who　first　reached　the　goal　but　he　also　who　first　started　with　the

torch　aflame　received　a　prize。　　In　the　Lampadephoria　of

civilisation　and　free　thought　let　us　not　forget　to　render　due　meed

of　honour　to　those　who　first　lit　that　sacred　flame；　the　increasing

splendour　of　which　lights　our　footsteps　to　the　far…off　divine　event

of　the　attainment　of　perfect　truth。









THE　ENGLISH　RENAISSANCE　OF　ART









AMONG　the　many　debts　which　we　owe　to　the　supreme　aesthetic　faculty

of　Goethe　is　that　he　was　the　first　to　teach　us　to　define　beauty　in

terms　the　most　concrete　possible；　to　realise　it；　I　mean；　always　in

its　special　manifestations。　　So；　in　the　lecture　which　I　have　the

honour　to　deliver　before　you；　I　will　not　try　to　give　you　any

abstract　definition　of　beauty　…　any　such　universal　formula　for　it

as　was　sought　for　by　the　philosophy　of　the　eighteenth　century　…

still　less　to　communicate　to　you　that　which　in　its　essence　is

incommunicable；　the　virtue　by　which　a　particular　picture　or　poem

affects　us　with　a　unique　and　special　joy；　but　rather　to　point　out

to　you　the　general　ideas　which　characterise　the　great　English

Renaissance　of　Art　in　this　century；　to　discover　their　source；　as

far　as　that　is　possible；　and　to　estimate　their　future　as　far　as

that　is　possible。



I　call　it　our　English　Renaissance　because　it　is　indeed　a　sort　of

new　birth　of　the　spirit　of　man；　like　the　great　Italian　Renaissance

of　the　fifteenth　century；　in　its　desire　for　a　more　gracious　and

comely　way　of　life；　its　passion　for　physical　beauty；　its　exclusive

attention　to　form；　its　seeking　for　new　subjects　for　poetry；　new

forms　of　art；　new　intellectual　and　imaginative　enjoyments：　　and　I

call　it　our　romantic　movement　because　it　is　our　most　recent

expression　of　beauty。



It　has　been　described　as　a　mere　revival　of　Greek　modes　of　thought；

and　again　as　a　mere　revival　of　mediaeval　feeling。　　Rather　I　would

say　that　to　these　forms　of　the　human　spirit　it　has　added　whatever

of　artistic　value　the　intricacy　and　complexity　and　experience　of

modern　life　can　give：　　taking　from　the　one　its　clearness　of　vision

and　its　sustained　calm；　from　the　other　its　variety　of　expression

and　the　mystery　of　its　vision。　　For　what；　as　Goethe　said；　is　the

study　of　the　ancients　but　a　return　to　the　real　world　（for　that　is

what　they　did）；　and　what；　said　Mazzini；　is　mediaevalism　but

individuality？



It　is　really　from　the　union　of　Hellenism；　in　its　breadth；　its

sanity　of　purpose；　its　calm　possession　of　beauty；　with　the

adventive；　the　intensified　individualism；　the　passionate　colour　of

the　romantic　spirit；　that　springs　the　art　of　the　nineteenth　century

in　England；　as　from　the　marriage　of　Faust　and　Helen　of　Troy　sprang

the　beautiful　boy　Euphorion。



Such　expressions　as　'classical'　and　'romantic'　are；　it　is　true；

often　apt　to　become　the　mere　catchwords　of　schools。　　We　must　always

remember　that　art　has　only　one　sentence　to　utter：　　there　is　for　her

only　one　high　law；　the　law　of　form　or　harmony　…　yet　between　the

classical　and　romantic　spirit　we　may　say　that　there　lies　this

difference　at　least；　that　the　one　deals　with　the　type　and　the　other

with　the　exception。　　In　the　work　produced　under　the　modern　romantic

spirit　it　is　no　longer　the　permanent；　the　essential　truths　of　life

that　are　treated　of；　it　is　the　momentary　situation　of　the　one；　the

momentary　aspect　of　the　other　that　art　seeks　to　render。　　In

sculpture；　which　is　the　type　of　one　spirit；　the　subject

predominates　over　the　situation；　in　painting；　which　is　the　type　of

the　other；　the　situation　predominates　over　the　subject。



There　are　two　spirits；　then：　　the　Hellenic　spirit　and　the　spirit　of

romance　may　be　taken　as　forming　the　essential　elements　of　our

conscious　intellectual　tradition；　of　our　permanent　standard　of

taste。　　As　regards　their　origin；　in　art　as　in　politics　there　is　but

one　origin　for　all　revolutions；　a　desire　on　the　part　of　man　for　a

nobler　form　of　life；　for　a　freer　method　and　opportunity　of

expression。　　Yet；　I　think　that　in　estimating　the　sensuous　and

intellectual　spirit　which　presides　over　our　English　Renaissance；

any　attempt　to　isolate　it　in　any　way　from　in　the　progress　and

movement　and　social　life　of　the　age　that　has　produced　it　would　be

to　rob　it　of　its　true　vitality；　possibly　to　mistake　its　true

meaning。　　And　in　disengaging　from　the　pursuits　and　passions　of　this

crowded　modern　world　those　passions　and　pursuits　which　have　to　do

with　art　and　the　love　of　art；　we　must　take　into　account　many　great

events　of　history　which　seem　to　be　the　most　opposed　to　any　such

artistic　feeling。



Alien　then　from　any　wild；　political　passion；　or　from　the　harsh

voice　of　a　rude　people　in　revolt；　as　our　English　Renaissance　must

seem；　in　its　passionate　cult　of　pure　beauty；　its　flawless　devotion

to　form；　its　exclusive　and　sensitive　nature；　it　is　to　the　French

Revolution　that　we　must　look　for　the　most　primary　factor　of　its

production；　the　first　condition　of　its　birth：　　that　great

Revolution　of　which　we　are　all　the　children　though　the　voices　of

some　of　us　be　often　loud　against　it；　that　Revolution　to　which　at　a

time　when　even　such　spirits　as　Coleridge　and　Wordsworth　lost　heart

in　England；　noble　messages　of　love　blown　across　seas　came　from　your

young　Republic。



It　is　true　that　our　modern　sense　of　the　continuity　of　history　has

shown　us　that　neither　in　politics　nor　in　nature　are　there

revolutions　ever　but　evolutions　only；　and　that　the　prelude　to　that

wild　storm　which　swept　over　France　in　1789　and　made　every　king　in

Europe　tremble　for　his　throne；　was　first　sounded　in　literature

years　before　the　Bastille　fell　and　the　Palace　was　taken。　　The　way

for　those　red　scenes　by　Seine　and　Loire　was　paved　by　that　critical

spirit　of　Germany　and　England　which　a