character-第86章

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perishing　in　the　snowit　might　be　after　he　had　solved　the　long…

sought　problem　of　the　North…west　Passageare　among　the　most

melancholy　events　in　the　history　of　enterprise　and　genius。



The　case　of　Flinders　the　navigator；　who　suffered　a　six　years'

imprisonment　in　the　Isle　of　France；　was　one　of　peculiar　hardship。

In　1801；　he　set　sail　from　England　in　the　INVESTIGATOR；　on　a　voyage

of　discovery　and　survey；　provided　with　a　French　pass；　requiring

all　French　governors　（notwithstanding　that　England　and　France　were

at　war）　to　give　him　protection　and　succour　in　the　sacred　name　of

science。　　In　the　course　of　his　voyage　he　surveyed　great　part　of

Australia；　Van　Diemen's　Land；　and　the　neighbouring　islands。　　The

INVESTIGATOR；　being　found　leaky　and　rotten；　was　condemned；　and　the

navigator　embarked　as　passenger　in　the　PORPOISE　for　England；　to

lay　the　results　of　his　three　years'　labours　before　the　Admiralty。

On　the　voyage　home　the　PORPOISE　was　wrecked　on　a　reef　in　the　South

Seas；　and　Flinders；　with　part　of　the　crew；　in　an　open　boat；　made

for　Port　Jackson；　which　they　safely　reached；　though　distant　from

the　scene　of　the　wreck　not　less　than　750　miles。　　There　he　procured

a　small　schooner；　the　CUMBERLAND；　no　larger　than　a　Gravesend

sailing…boat；　and　returned　for　the　remainder　of　the　crew；　who　had

been　left　on　the　reef。　　Having　rescued　them；　he　set　sail　for

England；　making　for　the　Isle　of　France；　which　the　CUMBERLAND

reached　in　a　sinking　condition；　being　a　wretched　little　craft

badly　found。　　To　his　surprise；　he　was　made　a　prisoner　with　all　his

crew；　and　thrown　into　prison；　where　he　was　treated　with　brutal

harshness；　his　French　pass　proving　no　protection　to　him。　　What

aggravated　the　horrors　of　Flinders'　confinement　was；　that　he　knew

that　Baudin；　the　French　navigator；　whom　he　had　encountered　while

making　his　survey　of　the　Australian　coasts；　would　reach　Europe

first；　and　claim　the　merit　of　all　the　discoveries　he　had　made。　　It

turned　out　as　he　had　expected；　and　while　Flinders　was　still

imprisoned　in　the　Isle　of　France；　the　French　Atlas　of　the　new

discoveries　was　published；　all　the　points　named　by　Flinders　and

his　precursors　being　named　afresh。　　Flinders　was　at　length

liberated；　after　six　years'　imprisonment；　his　health　completely

broken；　but　he　continued　correcting　his　maps；　and　writing　out

his　descriptions　to　the　last。　He　only　lived　long　enough　to

correct　his　final　sheet　for　the　press；　and　died　on　the　very

day　that　his　work　was　published！



Courageous　men　have　often　turned　enforced　solitude　to　account　in

executing　works　of　great　pith　and　moment。　　It　is　in　solitude　that

the　passion　for　spiritual　perfection　best　nurses　itself。　　The　soul

communes　with　itself　in　loneliness　until　its　energy　often　becomes

intense。　　But　whether　a　man　profits　by　solitude　or　not　will　mainly

depend　upon　his　own　temperament；　training；　and　character。　　While；

in　a　large…natured　man；　solitude　will　make　the　pure　heart　purer；

in　the　small…natured　man　it　will　only　serve　to　make　the　hard　heart

still　harder：　for　though　solitude　may　be　the　nurse　of　great

spirits；　it　is　the　torment　of　small　ones。



It　was　in　prison　that　Boetius　wrote　his　'Consolations　of

Philosophy；'　and　Grotius　his　'Commentary　on　St。　Matthew；'　regarded

as　his　masterwork　in　Biblical　Criticism。　　Buchanan　composed　his

beautiful　'Paraphrases　on　the　Psalms'　while　imprisoned　in　the　cell

of　a　Portuguese　monastery。　　Campanella；　the　Italian　patriot　monk；

suspected　of　treason；　was　immured　for　twenty…seven　years　in　a

Neapolitan　dungeon；　during　which；　deprived　of　the　sun's　light；　he

sought　higher　light；　and　there　created　his　'Civitas　Solis；'　which

has　been　so　often　reprinted　and　reproduced　in　translations　in　most

European　languages。　　During　his　thirteen　years'　imprisonment　in

the　Tower；　Raleigh　wrote　his　'History　of　the　World；'　a　project　of

vast　extent；　of　which　he　was　only　able　to　finish　the　first　five

books。　　Luther　occupied　his　prison　hours　in　the　Castle　of　Wartburg

in　translating　the　Bible；　and　in　writing　the　famous　tracts　and

treatises　with　which　he　inundated　all　Germany。



It　was　to　the　circumstance　of　John　Bunyan　having　been　cast　into

gaol　that　we　probably　owe　the　'Pilgrim's　Progress。'　　He　was　thus

driven　in　upon　himself；　having　no　opportunity　for　action；　his

active　mind　found　vent　in　earnest　thinking　and　meditation；　and

indeed；　after　his　enlargement；　his　life　as　an　author　virtually

ceased。　　His　'Grace　Abounding'　and　the　'Holy　War'　were　also

written　in　prison。　　Bunyan　lay　in　Bedford　Gaol；　with　a　few

intervals　of　precarious　liberty；　during　not　less　than　twelve

years；　（7）　and　it　was　most　probably　to　his　prolonged　imprisonment

that　we　owe　what　Macaulay　has　characterised　as　the　finest

allegory　in　the　world。



All　the　political　parties　of　the　times　in　which　Bunyan　lived；

imprisoned　their　opponents　when　they　had　the　opportunity　and　the

power。　　Bunyan's　prison　experiences　were　principally　in　the　time

of　Charles　II。　　But　in　the　preceding　reign　of　Charles　I。；　as　well

as　during　the　Commonwealth；　illustrious　prisoners　were　very

numerous。　　The　prisoners　of　the　former　included　Sir　John　Eliot；

Hampden；　Selden；　Prynne　（8）　（a　most　voluminous　prison…writer）；　and

many　more。　　It　was　while　under　strict　confinement　in　the　Tower；

that　Eliot　composed　his　noble　treatise；　'The　Monarchy　of　Man。'

George　Wither；　the　poet；　was　another　prisoner　of　Charles　the

First；　and　it　was　while　confined　in　the　Marshalsea　that　he　wrote

his　famous　'Satire　to　the　King。'　　At　the　Restoration　he　was　again

imprisoned　in　Newgate；　from　which　he　was　transferred　to　the　Tower；

and　he　is　supposed　by　some　to　have　died　there。



The　Commonwealth　also　had　its　prisoners。　　Sir　William　Davenant；

because　of　his　loyalty；　was　for　some　time　confined　a　prisoner　in

Cowes　Castle；　where　he　wrote　the　greater　part　of　his　poem　of

'Gondibert'：　and　it　is　said　that　his　life　was　saved　principally

through　the　generous　intercession　of　Milton。　　He　lived　to　repay

the　debt；　and　to　save　Milton's　life　when　〃Charles　enjoyed　his　own

again。〃　　Lovelace；　the　poet　and　cavalier；　was　also　imprisoned　by

the　Roundheads；　and　was　only　liberated　from　the　Gatehouse　on

giving　an　enormous　bail。　　Though　he　suffered　and　lost　all　for　the

Stuarts；　he　was　forgotten　by　them　at　the　Restoration；　and　died

in　extreme　poverty。



Besides　Wither　and　Bunyan；　Charles　II。　imprisoned　Baxter；

Harrington　（the　author　of　'Oceana'）；　Penn；　and　many　more。　　All

these　men　solaced　their　prison　hours　with　writing。　　Baxter　wrote

some　of　the　most　remarkable　passages　of　his　'Life　and　Times'　while

lying　in　the　King's　Bench　Prison；　and　Penn　wrote　his　'No　Cross　no

Crown'　while　imprisoned　in　the　Tower。　　In　the　reign　of　Queen　Anne；

Matthew　Prior　was　in　confinement　on　a　vamped…up　charge　of　treason

for　two　years；　during　which　he　wrote　his　'Alma；　or　Progress

of　the　Soul。'



Since　then；　political　prisoners　of　eminence　in　England　have　been

comparatively　few　in　number。　　Among　the　most　illustrious　were　De

Foe；　who；　besides　standing　three　times　in　the　pillory；　spent　much

of　his　time　in　prison；　writing　'Robinson　Crusoe'　there；　and　many

of　his　best　political　pamphlets。　　There　also　he　wrote　his　'Hymn　to

the　Pillory；'　and　corrected　for　the　press　a　collection　of　his

voluminous　writings。　（9）　　Smollett　wrote　his　'Sir　Lancelot

Greaves'　in　prison；　while　undergoing　confinement　for　libel。

Of　recent　prison…writers　in　England；　the　best　known　are　James

Montgomery；　who　wrote　his　first　volume　of　poems　while　a　prisoner

in　York　Castle；　and　Thomas　Cooper；　the　Chartist；　who　wrote　his

'Purgatory　of　Suicide'　in　Stafford　Gaol。



Silvio　Pellico　was　one　of　the　latest　and　most　illustrious　of　the

prison　writers　of　Italy。　　He　lay　confined　in　Austrian　gaols　for

ten　years；　eight　of　which　he　passed　in　the　Castle　of　Spielberg　in

Moravia。　　It　was　there　that　he　composed　his　charming　'Memoirs；'

the　only　materials　for　which　were　furnished　by　his　fresh　living

habit　of　observation；　and　out　of　even　the　transient　visits　of　his