william ewart gladstone-第10章

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work；　which；　considering　the　abstruse　nature　of　the　subjects　to
which　most　of　it　is　related；　would　have　been　creditable　to　the
diligence　of　a　German　professor　sitting　alone　in　his　study。　　As　to
the　merits　of　the　work　there　has　been　some　controversy。　　Mankind　are
slow　to　credit　the　same　person　with　eminence　in　various　fields。
When　they　read　the　prose　of　a　great　poet；　they　try　it　by　severer
tests　than　would　be　applied　to　other　prose…writers。　　When　a　painter
wins　fame　by　his　portraits　or　his　landscapes；　they　are　apt　to
discourage　any　other　kind　of　painting　he　may　attempt。　　So　Mr。
Gladstone's　reputation　as　an　orator　stood　in　his　own　light　when　he
appeared　as　an　author。　　He　was　read　with　avidity　by　thousands　who
would　not　have　looked　at　the　article　or　book　had　it　borne　any　other
name；　but　he　was　judged　by　the　standard；　not　of　his　finest　printed
speeches；　for　his　speeches　were　seldom　models　of　composition；　but
rather　by　that　of　the　impression　which　his　speeches　made　on　those
who　heard　them。　　Since　his　warmest　admirers　could　not　claim　for　him
as　a　writer　of　prose　any　such　pre…eminence　as　belonged　to　him　as　a
speaker；　it　followed　that　his　written　work　was　not　duly　appreciated。
Had　he　been　a　writer　and　nothing　else；　he　would　have　been　famous　and
powerful　by　his　pen。

He　might；　however；　have　failed　to　secure　a　place　in　the　front　rank。
His　style　was　forcible；　copious；　rich　with　various　knowledge；　warm
with　the　ardor　of　his　nature。　　But　it　had　three　serious　defects。　　It
was　diffuse；　apt　to　pursue　a　topic　into　details；　when　these　might
have　been　left　to　the　reader's　own　reflection。　　It　was　redundant；
employing　more　words　than　were　needed　to　convey　the　substance。　　It
was　unchastened；　indulging　too　freely　in　tropes　and　metaphors；　in
quotations　and　adapted　phrases　even　when　the　quotation　added　nothing
to　the　sense；　but　was　due　merely　to　some　association　in　his　own
mind。　　Thus　it　seldom　reached　a　high　level　of　purity　and　grace；　and
though　one　might　excuse　its　faults　as　natural　to　the　work　of　a　swift
and　busy　man；　they　were　sufficient　to　prevent　readers　from　deriving
much　pleasure　from　the　mere　form　and　dress　of　his　thoughts。
Nevertheless　there　are　passages；　and　not　a　few　passages；　both　in　the
books　and　in　the　articles；　of　rare　merit；　among　which　may　be　cited
（not　as　exceptionally　good；　but　as　typical　of　his　strong　points）　the
striking　picture　of　his　own　youthful　feeling　toward　the　Church　of
England　contained　in　the　　〃Chapter　of　Autobiography；〃　and　the
refined　criticism　of　〃Robert　Elsmere；〃　published　in　1888。　　Almost
the　last　thing　he　wrote；　a　pamphlet　on　the　Greek　and　Cretan
question；　published　in　the　spring　of　1897；　has　all　the　force　and
cogency　of　his　best　days。　　Two　things　were　never　wanting　to　him：
vigor　of　expression　and　an　admirable　command　of　appropriate　words。

His　writings　fall　into　three　classes：　　political；　theological；　and
literarythe　last　including；　and　indeed　chiefly　consisting　of；　his
books　and　articles　upon　Homer　and　the　Homeric　question。　　All　the
political　writings；　except　his　books　on　〃The　State　in　its　Relations
to　the　Church〃　and　〃Church　Principles　Considered　in　their　Results；〃
belong　to　the　class　of　occasional　literature；　being　pamphlets　or
articles　produced　with　a　view　to　some　current　crisis　or　controversy。
They　are　valuable　chiefly　as　proceeding　from　one　who　bore　a　leading
part　in　the　affairs　they　relate　to；　and　as　embodying　vividly　the
opinions　and　aspirations　of　the　moment；　less　frequently　in　respect
of　permanent　lessons　of　political　wisdom；　such　as　one　finds　in
Machiavelli　or　Tocqueville　or　Edmund　Burke。　　Like　Pitt　and　Peel；　Mr。
Gladstone　had　a　mind　which；　whatever　its　original　tendencies；　had
come　to　be　rather　practical　than　meditative。　　He　was　fond　of
generalizations　and　principles；　but　they　were　always　directly
related　to　the　questions　that　came　before　him　in　actual　politics；
and　the　number　of　general　maxims　or　illuminative　suggestions　to　be
found　in　his　writings　and　speeches　is　not　large　in　proportion　to
their　sustained　intellectual　vigor。　　Even　Disraeli；　though　his　views
were　often　fanciful　and　his　epigrams　often　forced；　gives　us　more
frequently　a　brilliant　（if　only　half　true）　historical　apercu；　or
throws　a　flash　of　light　into　some　corner　of　human　character。　　Of　the
theological　essays；　which　are　mainly　apologetic　and　concerned　with
the　authenticity　and　authority　of　Scripture；　it　is　enough　to　say
that　they　exhibit　the　same　general　characteristics　as　the　treatises
dealing　with　Homer；　which　were　the　most　serious　piece　of　work　that
proceeded　from　Mr。　Gladstone's　pen。　　These　Homeric　treatises　are　in
one　sense　worthless；　in　another　sense　admirable。　　Those　parts　of
them　which　deal　with　early　Greek　mythology　and　religion；　with
Homeric　geography　and　genealogy；　and　in　a　less　degree　with　the　use
of　Homeric　epithets；　have　been　condemned　by　the　unanimous　voice　of
scholars　as　fantastic。　　The　premises　are　assumed　without　sufficient
investigation；　while　the　reasonings　are　fine…drawn　and　flimsy。
Extraordinary　ingenuity　is　shown　in　piling　up　a　lofty　fabric；　but
the　foundation　is　of　sand；　and　the　edifice　has　hardly　a　solid　wall
or　beam　in　it。　　A　clever　conjecture　is　treated　as　a　fact；　an
inference　possible　but　represented　as　probable　is　drawn　from　this
conjecture；　a　second　inference　is　based　upon　the　first；　we　are　made
to　forget　that　the　probability　of　this　second　is　at　most　only　half
the　probability　of　the　first；　the　process　is　continued　in　the　same
way；　and　when　the　whole　superstructure　is　complete；　the　reader　is
provoked　to　perceive　how　much　dialectical　skill　has　been　wasted　upon
a　series　of　hypotheses　which　a　breath　of　common…sense　criticism
dissipates。　　If　one　is　asked　to　explain　the　weakness　in　this
particular　department　of　so　otherwise　strong　a　mind；　the　answer
would　seem　to　be　that　the　element　of　fancifulness　in　Mr。　Gladstone's
intellect；　and　his　tendency　to　mistake　mere　argumentation　for
verification；　were　checked　in　practical　politics　by　constant
intercourse　with　friends　and　colleagues　as　well　as　by　the　need　of
convincing　visible　audiences；　while　in　theological　or　historical
inquiries　his　ingenuity　roamed　with　a　dangerous　freedom　over　wide
plains　where　no　obstacles　checked　its　course。　　Something　may　also　be
due　to　the　fact　that　his　philosophical　and　historical　education　was
received　at　a　time　when　the　modern　critical　spirit　and　the　canons　it
recognizes　had　scarcely　begun　to　assert　themselves　at　Oxford。
Similar　defects　may　be　discerned　in　other　eminent　writers　of　his　own
and　preceding　generations　of　Oxford　men；　defects　which　persons　of
equal　or　even　inferior　power　in　later　generations　would　not　display。
In　some　of　these；　and　particularly　in　Cardinal　Newman；　the　contrast
between　dialectical　acumen；　coupled　with　surpassing　rhetorical
skill；　and　the　vitiation　of　the　argument　by　a　want　of　the　critical
faculty；　is　even　more　striking　than　in　Mr。　Gladstone's　case；　and　the
example　of　that　illustrious　man　suggests　that　the　dominance　of　the
theological　view　of　literary　and　historical　problems；　a　dominance
evident　in　Mr。　Gladstone；　counts　for　something　in　producing　the
phenomenon　noted。

With　these　deficiencies；　Mr。　Gladstone's　Homeric　work　had　the　great
merit　of　being　based　on　a　full　and　thorough　knowledge　of　the　Homeric
text。　　He　had　seen　that　Homer　is　not　only　a　poet；　but　an　〃historical
source〃　of　the　highest　value；　a　treasure…house　of　data　for　the　study
of　early　Greek　life　and　thought；　an　authority　all　the　more
trustworthy　because　an　unconscious　authority；　addressing　not
posterity　but　his　own　contemporaries。　　With　this　thorough　knowledge
of　the　matter　contained　in　the　poems；　Mr。　Gladstone　was　able　to
present　many　interesting　and　permanently　valuable　pictures　of　the
political　and　social　life　of　Homeric　Greece；　while　the　interspersed
literary　criticisms　are　often　subtle　and　suggestive；　erring；　when
they　do　err；　chiefly　through　what　may　be　called　the　over…earnestness
of　his　mind。　　He　sometimes　takes　the　poet　too　seriously；　he　is　apt
to　read　an　ethical　purpose　into　descriptive　or　dramatic　touches
which　are　merely　descriptive　or　dramatic。　　But　he　has　for　his　author
not　only　that　intense　sympathy　which　is　the　best　basis