character-第68章

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so　few　men　of　genius　have　been　attracted　to　the　composition　of

works　of　this　kind。　　Great　works　of　fiction　abound；　but　great

biographies　may　be　counted　on　the　fingers。　　It　may　be　for　the　same

reason　that　a　great　painter　of　portraits；　the　late　John　Philip；

R。A。；　explained　his　preference　for　subject…painting；　because；　said

he；　〃Portrait…painting　does　not　pay。〃　　Biographic　portraiture

involves　laborious　investigation　and　careful　collection　of　facts；

judicious　rejection　and　skilful　condensation；　as　well　as　the　art

of　presenting　the　character　portrayed　in　the　most　attractive　and

lifelike　form；　whereas；　in　the　work　of　fiction；　the　writer's

imagination　is　free　to　create　and　to　portray　character；　without

being　trammelled　by　references；　or　held　down　by　the　actual　details

of　real　life。



There　is；　indeed；　no　want　among　us　of　ponderous　but　lifeless

memoirs；　many　of　them　little　better　than　inventories；　put　together

with　the　help　of　the　scissors　as　much　as　of　the　pen。　　What

Constable　said　of　the　portraits　of　an　inferior　artist〃He　takes

all　the　bones　and　brains　out　of　his　heads〃applies　to　a　large

class　of　portraiture；　written　as　well　as　painted。　　They　have　no

more　life　in　them　than　a　piece　of　waxwork；　or　a　clothes…dummy　at　a

tailor's　door。　　What　we　want　is　a　picture　of　a　man　as　he　lived；

and　lo！　we　have　an　exhibition　of　the　biographer　himself。　　We

expect　an　embalmed　heart；　and　we　find　only　clothes。



There　is　doubtless　as　high　art　displayed　in　painting　a　portrait　in

words；　as　there　is　in　painting　one　in　colours。　　To　do　either　well

requires　the　seeing　eye　and　the　skilful　pen　or　brush。　　A　common

artist　sees　only　the　features　of　a　face；　and　copies　them；　but　the

great　artist　sees　the　living　soul　shining　through　the　features；

and　places　it　on　the　canvas。　　Johnson　was　once　asked　to　assist　the

chaplain　of　a　deceased　bishop　in　writing　a　memoir　of　his　lordship；

but　when　he　proceeded　to　inquire　for　information；　the　chaplain

could　scarcely　tell　him　anything。　　Hence　Johnson　was　led　to

observe　that　〃few　people　who　have　lived　with　a　man　know　what　to

remark　about　him。〃



In　the　case　of　Johnson's　own　life；　it　was　the　seeing　eye　of

Boswell　that　enabled　him　to　note　and　treasure　up　those　minute

details　of　habit　and　conversation　in　which　so　much　of　the　interest

of　biography　consists。　　Boswell；　because　of　his　simple　love　and

admiration　of　his　hero；　succeeded　where　probably　greater　men　would

have　failed。　　He　descended　to　apparently　insignificant；　but　yet

most　characteristic；　particulars。　　Thus　he　apologizes　for

informing　the　reader　that　Johnson；　when　journeying；　〃carried　in

his　hand　a　large　English　oak…stick：〃　adding；　〃I　remember　Dr。　Adam

Smith；　in　his　rhetorical　lectures　at　Glasgow；　told　us　he　was　glad

to　know　that　Milton　wore　latchets　in　his　shoes　instead　of

buckles。〃　　Boswell　lets　us　know　how　Johnson　looked；　what　dress　he

wore；　what　was　his　talk；　what　were　his　prejudices。　　He　painted　him

with　all　his　scars；　and　a　wonderful　portrait　it　isperhaps　the

most　complete　picture　of　a　great　man　ever　limned　in　words。



But　for　the　accident　of　the　Scotch　advocate's　intimacy　with

Johnson；　and　his　devoted　admiration　of　him；　the　latter　would　not

probably　have　stood　nearly　so　high　in　literature　as　he　now　does。

It　is　in　the　pages　of　Boswell　that　Johnson　really　lives；　and　but

for　Boswell；　he　might　have　remained　little　more　than　a　name。

Others　there　are　who　have　bequeathed　great　works　to　posterity；　but

of　whose　lives　next　to　nothing　is　known。　　What　would　we　not　give

to　have　a　Boswell's　account　of　Shakspeare？　　We　positively　know

more　of　the　personal　history　of　Socrates；　of　Horace；　of　Cicero；　of

Augustine；　than　we　do　of　that　of　Shakspeare。　　We　do　not　know　what

was　his　religion；　what　were　his　politics；　what　were　his

experiences；　what　were　his　relations　to　his　contemporaries。　　The

men　of　his　own　time　do　not　seem　to　have　recognised　his　greatness；

and　Ben　Jonson；　the　court　poet；　whose　blank…verse　Shakspeare　was

content　to　commit　to　memory　and　recite　as　an　actor；　stood　higher

in　popular　estimation。　　We　only　know　that　he　was　a　successful

theatrical　manager；　and　that　in　the　prime　of　life　he　retired　to

his　native　place；　where　he　died；　and　had　the　honours　of　a　village

funeral。　　The　greater　part　of　the　biography　which　has　been

constructed　respecting　him　has　been　the　result；　not　of

contemporary　observation　or　of　record；　but　of　inference。　　The　best

inner　biography　of　the　man　is　to　be　found　in　his　sonnets。



Men　do　not　always　take　an　accurate　measure　of　their

contemporaries。　　The　statesman；　the　general；　the　monarch　of　to…day

fills　all　eyes　and　ears；　though　to　the　next　generation　he　may　be

as　if　he　had　never　been。　　〃And　who　is　king　to…day？〃　the　painter

Greuze　would　ask　of　his　daughter；　during　the　throes　of　the　first

French　Revolution；　when　men；　great　for　the　time；　were　suddenly

thrown　to　the　surface；　and　as　suddenly　dropt　out　of　sight　again；

never　to　reappear。　　〃And　who　is　king　to…day？　　After　all；〃　Greuze

would　add；　〃Citizen　Homer　and　Citizen　Raphael　will　outlive　those

great　citizens　of　ours；　whose　names　I　have　never　before　heard　of。〃

Yet　of　the　personal　history　of　Homer　nothing　is　known；　and　of

Raphael　comparatively　little。　　Even　Plutarch；　who　wrote　the　lives

of　others：　so　well；　has　no　biography；　none　of　the　eminent　Roman

writers　who　were　his　contemporaries　having　so　much　as　mentioned

his　name。　　And　so　of　Correggio；　who　delineated　the　features　of

others　so　well；　there　is　not　known　to　exist　an　authentic　portrait。



There　have　been　men　who　greatly　influenced　the　life　of　their

time；　whose　reputation　has　been　much　greater　with　posterity

than　it　was　with　their　contemporaries。　　Of　Wickliffe；　the

patriarch　of　the　Reformation；　our　knowledge　is　extremely　small。

He　was　but　as　a　voice　crying　in　the　wilderness。　　We　do　not

really　know　who　was　the　author　of　'The　Imitation　of　Christ'

a　book　that　has　had　an　immense　circulation；　and　exercised

a　vast　religious　influence　in　all　Christian　countries。　　It

is　usually　attributed　to　Thomas　a　Kempis　but　there　is　reason

to　believe　that　he　was　merely　its　translator；　and　the　book　that

is　really　known　to　be　his；　（10）　is　in　all　respects　so　inferior；

that　it　is　difficult　to　believe　that　'The　Imitation'　proceeded

from　the　same　pen。　　It　is　considered　more　probable　that　the

real　author　was　John　Gerson；　Chancellor　of　the　University　of　Paris；

a　most　learned　and　devout　man；　who　died　in　1429。



Some　of　the　greatest　men　of　genius　have　had　the　shortest

biographies。　　Of　Plato；　one　of　the　great　fathers　of　moral

philosophy；　we　have　no　personal　account。　　If　he　had　wife　and

children；　we　hear　nothing　of　them。　　About　the　life　of　Aristotle

there　is　the　greatest　diversity　of　opinion。　　One　says　he　was　a

Jew；　another；　that　he　only　got　his　information　from　a　Jew：　one

says　he　kept　an　apothecary's　shop；　another；　that　he　was　only　the

son　of　a　physician：　one　alleges　that　he　was　an　atheist；　another；

that　he　was　a　Trinitarian；　and　so　forth。　　But　we　know　almost　as

little　with　respect　to　many　men　of　comparatively　modern　times。

Thus；　how　little　do　we　know　of　the　lives　of　Spenser；　author　of

'The　Faerie　Queen；'　and　of　Butler；　the　author　of　'Hudibras；'

beyond　the　fact　that　they　lived　in　comparative　obscurity；　and　died

in　extreme　poverty！　　How　little；　comparatively；　do　we　know　of　the

life　of　Jeremy　Taylor；　the　golden　preacher；　of　whom　we　should　like

to　have　known　so　much！



The　author　of　'Philip　Van　Artevelde'　has　said　that　〃the　world

knows　nothing　of　its　greatest　men。〃　　And　doubtless　oblivion　has

enwrapt　in　its　folds　many　great　men　who　have　done　great　deeds；　and

been　forgotten。　　Augustine　speaks　of　Romanianus　as　the　greatest

genius　that　ever　lived；　and　yet　we　know　nothing　of　him　but　his

name；　he　is　as　much　forgotten　as　the　builders　of　the　Pyramids。

Gordiani's　epitaph　was　written　in　five　languages；　yet　it　sufficed

not　to　rescue　him　from　oblivion。



Many；　indeed；　are　the　lives　worthy　of　record　that　have　remained

unwritten。