the new machiavelli-第77章

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curious　and　interested　about　life；　wary　beneath　a　pleasing　

franknessand　I　tormented　my　brain　to　get　to　the　bottom　of　him。　　

For　a　long　time　he　was　the　most　powerful　man　in　England　under　the　

throne；　he　had　the　Lords　in　his　hand；　and　a　great　majority　in　the　

Commons；　and　the　discontents　and　intrigues　that　are　the　concomitants　

of　an　overwhelming　party　advantage　broke　against　him　as　waves　break　

against　a　cliff。　　He　foresaw　so　far　in　these　matters　that　it　seemed　

he　scarcely　troubled　to　foresee。　　He　brought　political　art　to　the　

last　triumph　of　naturalness。　　Always　for　me　he　has　been　the　typical　

aristocrat；　so　typical　and　above　the　mere　forms　of　aristocracy；　that　

he　remained　a　commoner　to　the　end　of　his　days。



I　had　met　him　at　the　beginning　of　my　career；　he　read　some　early　

papers　of　mine；　and　asked　to　see　me；　and　I　conceived　a　flattered　

liking　for　him　that　strengthened　to　a　very　strong　feeling　indeed。　　

He　seemed　to　me　to　stand　alone　without　an　equal；　the　greatest　man　in　

British　political　life。　　Some　men　one　sees　through　and　understands；　

some　one　cannot　see　into　or　round　because　they　are　of　opaque　clay；　

but　about　Evesham　I　had　a　sense　of　things　hidden　as　it　were　by　depth　

and　mists；　because　he　was　so　big　and　atmospheric　a　personality。　　No　

other　contemporary　has　had　that　effect　upon　me。　　I've　sat　beside　him　

at　dinners；　stayed　in　houses　with　himhe　was　in　the　big　house　party　

at　Champneystalked　to　him；　sounded　him；　watching　him　as　I　sat　

beside　him。　　I　could　talk　to　him　with　extraordinary　freedom　and　a　

rare　sense　of　being　understood。　　Other　men　have　to　be　treated　in　a　

special　manner；　approached　through　their　own　mental　dialect；　

flattered　by　a　minute　regard　for　what　they　have　said　and　done。　　

Evesham　was　as　widely　and　charitably　receptive　as　any　man　I　have　

ever　met。　　The　common　politicians　beside　him　seemed　like　rows　of　

stuffy　little　rooms　looking　out　upon　the　sea。



And　what　was　he　up　to？　　What　did　HE　think　we　were　doing　with　

Mankind？　　That　I　thought　worth　knowing。



I　remember　his　talking　on　one　occasion　at　the　Hartsteins'；　at　a　

dinner　so　tremendously　floriferous　and　equipped　that　we　were　almost　

forced　into　duologues；　about　the　possible　common　constructive　

purpose　in　politics。



〃I　feel　so　much；〃　he　said；　〃that　the　best　people　in　every　party　

converge。　　We　don't　differ　at　Westminster　as　they　do　in　the　country　

towns。　　There's　a　sort　of　extending　common　policy　that　goes　on　under　

every　government；　because　on　the　whole　it's　the　right　thing　to　do；　

and　people　know　it。　　Things　that　used　to　be　matters　of　opinion　

become　matters　of　scienceand　cease　to　be　party　questions。〃



He　instanced　education。



〃Apart；〃　said　I；　〃from　the　religious　question。〃



〃Apart　from　the　religious　question。〃



He　dropped　that　aspect　with　an　easy　grace；　and　went　on　with　his　

general　theme　that　political　conflict　was　the　outcome　of　

uncertainty。　　〃Directly　you　get　a　thing　established；　so　that　people　

can　say；　'Now　this　is　Right；'　with　the　same　conviction　that　people　

can　say　water　is　a　combination　of　oxygen　and　hydrogen；　there's　no　

more　to　be　said。　　The　thing　has　to　be　done。　。　。　。〃　



And　to　put　against　this　effect　of　Evesham；　broad　and　humanely　

tolerant；　posing　as　the　minister　of　a　steadily　developing　

constructive　conviction；　there　are　other　memories。



Have　I　not　seen　him　in　the　House；　persistent；　persuasive；　

indefatigable；　and　by　all　my　standards　wickedly　perverse；　leaning　

over　the　table　with　those　insistent　movements　of　his　hand　upon　it；　

or　swaying　forward　with　a　grip　upon　his　coat　lapel；　fighting　with　a　

diabolical　skill　to　preserve　what　are　in　effect　religious　tests；　

tests　he　must　have　known　would　outrage　and　humiliate　and　injure　the　

consciences　of　a　quarterand　that　perhaps　the　best　quarterof　the　

youngsters　who　come　to　the　work　of　elementary　education？



In　playing　for　points　in　the　game　of　party　advantage　Evesham　

displayed　at　times　a　quite　wicked　unscrupulousness　in　the　use　of　his　

subtle　mind。　　I　would　sit　on　the　Liberal　benches　and　watch　him；　and　

listen　to　his　urbane　voice；　fascinated　by　him。　　Did　he　really　care？　　

Did　anything　matter　to　him？　　And　if　it　really　mattered　nothing；　why　

did　he　trouble　to　serve　the　narrowness　and　passion　of　his　side？　　Or　

did　he　see　far　beyond　my　scope；　so　that　this　petty　iniquity　was　

justified　by　greater；　remoter　ends　of　which　I　had　no　intimation？



They　accused　him　of　nepotism。　　His　friends　and　family　were　certainly　

well　cared　for。　　In　private　life　he　was　full　of　an　affectionate　

intimacy；　he　pleased　by　being　charmed　and　pleased。　　One　might　think　

at　times　there　was　no　more　of　him　than　a　clever　man　happily　

circumstanced；　and　finding　an　interest　and　occupation　in　politics。　　

And　then　came　a　glimpse　of　thought；　of　imagination；　like　the　sight　

of　a　soaring　eagle　through　a　staircase　skylight。　　Oh；　beyond　

question　he　was　great！　　No　other　contemporary　politician　had　his　

quality。　　In　no　man　have　I　perceived　so　sympathetically　the　great　

contrast　between　warm；　personal　things　and　the　white　dream　of　

statecraft。　　Except　that　he　had　it　seemed　no　hot　passions；　but　only　

interests　and　fine　affections　and　indolences；　he　paralleled　the　

conflict　of　my　life。　　He　saw　and　thought　widely　and　deeply；　but　at　

times　it　seemed　to　me　his　greatness　stood　over　and　behind　the　

reality　of　his　life；　like　some　splendid　servant；　thinking　his　own　

thoughts；　who　waits　behind　a　lesser　master's　chair。　。　。　。







8





Of　course；　when　Evesham　talked　of　this　ideal　of　the　organised　state　

becoming　so　finely　true　to　practicability　and　so　clearly　stated　as　

to　have　the　compelling　conviction　of　physical　science；　he　spoke　

quite　after　my　heart。　　Had　he　really　embodied　the　attempt　to　realise　

that；　I　could　have　done　no　more　than　follow　him　blindly。　　But　

neither　he　nor　I　embodied　that；　and　there　lies　the　gist　of　my　story。　　

And　when　it　came　to　a　study　of　others　among　the　leading　Tories　and　

Imperialists　the　doubt　increased；　until　with　some　at　last　it　was　

possible　to　question　whether　they　had　any　imaginative　conception　of　

constructive　statecraft　at　all；　whether　they　didn't　opaquely　accept　

the　world　for　what　it　was；　and　set　themselves　single…mindedly　to　

make　a　place　for　themselves　and　cut　a　figure　in　it。



There　were　some　very　fine　personalities　among　them：　there　were　the　

great　peers　who　had　administered　Egypt；　India；　South　Africa；　

FramboyaCromer；　Kitchener；　Curzon；　Milner；　Gane；　for　example。　　So　

far　as　that　easier　task　of　holding　sword　and　scales　had　gone；　they　

had　shown　the　finest　qualities；　but　they　had　returned　to　the　

perplexing　and　exacting　problem　of　the　home　country；　a　little　

glorious；　a　little　too　simply　bold。　　They　wanted　to　arm　and　they　

wanted　to　educate；　but　the　habit　of　immediate　necessity　made　them　

far　more　eager　to　arm　than　to　educate；　and　their　experience　of　

heterogeneous　controls　made　them　overrate　the　need　for　obedience　in　

a　homogeneous　country。　　They　didn't　understand　raw　men；　ill…trained　

men；　uncertain　minds；　and　intelligent　women；　and　these　are　the　

things　that　matter　in　England。　。　。　。　　There　were　also　the　great　

business　adventurers；　from　Cranber　to　Cossington　（who　was　now　Lord　

Paddockhurst）。　　My　mind　remained　unsettled；　and　went　up　and　down　the　

scale　between　a　belief　in　their　far…sighted　purpose　and　the　

perception　of　crude　vanities；　coarse　ambitions；　vulgar　

competitiveness；　and　a　mere　habitual　persistence　in　the　pursuit　of　

gain。　　For　a　time　I　saw　a　good　deal　of　CossingtonI　wish　I　had　kept　

a　diary　of　his　talk　and　gestures；　to　mark　how　he　could　vary　from　day　

to　day　between　a　POSEUR；　a　smart　tradesman；　and　a　very　bold　and　

wide…thinking　political　schemer。　　He　had　a　vanity　of　sweeping　

actions；　motor　car　pounces；　Napoleonic　rushes；　that　led　to　violent　

ineffectual　changes　in　the　policy　of　his　papers；　and　a　haunting　

pursuit　by　parallel　columns　in　the　liberal　press　that　never　abashed　

him　in　the　slig