r. f. murray-第4章

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　We　attended　the　lectures　in　the　University；　we　distinguished　ourselves　no　more　than　Murray　would　have　approved　of；　and　many　of　us　have　remained　united　by　friendship　through　half　a　lifetime。

It　was　a　pleasant　existence；　and　the　perfume　of　buds　and　flowers　in　the　old　gardens；　hard　by　those　where　John　Knox　sat　and　talked　with　James　Melville　and　our　other　predecessors　at　St。　Leonard's；　is　fragrant　in　our　memories。　　It　was　pleasant；　but　St。　Leonard's　Hall　has　ceased　to　be；　and　the　life　there　was　not　the　life　of　the　free　and　hardy　bunk…dwellers。　　Whoso　pined　for　such　dissipated　pleasures　as　the　chill　and　dark　streets　of　St。　Andrews　offer　to　the　gay　and　rousing　blade；　was　not　encouraged。　　We　were　very　strictly　‘gated；'　though　the　whole　society　once　got　out　of　window；　and；　by　way　of　protest；　made　a　moonlight　march　into　the　country。　　We　attended　‘gaudeamuses'　and　solatiaUniversity　suppersbut　little；　indeed；　he　who　writes　does　not　remember　any　such　diversions　of　boys　who　beat　the　floor；　and　break　the　glass。　　To　plant　the　standard　of　cricket　in　the　remoter　gardens　of　our　country；　in　a　region　devastated　by　golf；　was　our　ambition；　and　here　we　had　no　assistance　at　all　from　the　University。　　It　was　chiefly　at　lecture；　at　football　on　the　links；　and　in　the　debating　societies　that　we　met　our　fellow…students；　like　the　celebrated　starling；　‘we　could　not　get　out；'　except　to　permitted　dinners　and　evening　parties。　　Consequently　one　could　only　sketch　student　life　with　a　hand　faltering　and　untrained。　　It　was　very　different　with　Murray　and　his　friends。　　They　were　their　own　masters；　could　sit　up　to　all　hours；　smoking；　talking；　and；　I　dare　say；　drinking。　　As　I　gather　from　his　letters；　Murray　drank　nothing　stronger　than　water。　　There　was　a　certain　kind　of　humour　in　drink；　he　said；　but　he　thought　it　was　chiefly　obvious　to　the　sober　spectator。　　As　the　sober　spectator；　he　sang　of　violent　delights　which　have　violent　ends。　　He　may　best　be　left　to　illustrate　student　life　for　himself。　　The　‘waster'　of　whom　he　chants　is　the　slang　name　borne　by　the　local　fast　man。


THE　WASTER　SINGING　AT　MIDNIGHT。　AFTER　LONGFELLOW。

Loud　he　sang　the　song　Ta　Phershon　For　his　personal　diversion；　Sang　the　chorus　U…pi…dee；　Sang　about　the　Barley　Bree。

In　that　hour　when　all　is　quiet　Sang　he　songs　of　noise　and　riot；　In　a　voice　so　loud　and　queer　That　I　wakened　up　to　hear。

Songs　that　distantly　resembled　Those　one　hears　from　men　assembled　In　the　old　Cross　Keys　Hotel；　Only　sung　not　half　so　well。

For　the　time　of　this　ecstatic　Amateur　was　most　erratic；　And　he　only　hit　the　key　Once　in　every　melody。

If　〃he　wot　prigs　wot　isn't　his'n　Ven　he's　cotched　is　sent　to　prison；〃　He　who　murders　sleep　might　well　Adorn　a　solitary　cell。

But；　if　no　obliging　peeler　Will　arrest　this　midnight　squealer；　My　own　peculiar　arm　of　might　Must　undertake　the　job　to…night。


The　following　fragment　is　but　doubtfully　autobiographical。　　‘The　swift　four…wheeler'　seldom　devastates　the　streets　where；　of　old；　the　Archbishop's　jackmen　sliced　Presbyterian　professors　with　the　claymore；　as　James　Melville　tells　us：…


TO　NUMBER　27x。

Beloved　Peeler！　friend　and　guide　And　guard　of　many　a　midnight　reeler；　None　worthier；　though　the　world　is　wide；　Beloved　Peeler。

Thou　from　before　the　swift　four…wheeler　Didst　pluck　me；　and　didst　thrust　aside　A　strongly　built　provision…dealer

Who　menaced　me　with　blows；　and　cried　‘Come　on！　come　on！'　　O　Paian；　Healer；　Then　but　for　thee　I　must　have　died；　Beloved　Peeler！


The　following　presentiment；　though　he　was　no　‘waster；'　may　very　well　have　been　his　own。　　He　was　only　half　Scotch；　and　not　at　all　metaphysical：…


THE　WASTER'S　PRESENTIMENT

I　shall　be　spun。　　There　is　a　voice　within　Which　tells　me　plainly　I　am　all　undone；　For　though　I　toil　not；　neither　do　I　spin；　I　shall　be　spun。

April　approaches。　　I　have　not　begun　Schwegler　or　Mackintosh；　nor　will　begin　Those　lucid　works　till　April　21。

So　my　degree　I　do　not　hope　to　win；　For　not　by　ways　like　mine　degrees　are　won；　And　though；　to　please　my　uncle；　I　go　in；　I　shall　be　spun。


Here　we　must　quote；　from　The　Scarlet　Gown；　one　of　his　most　tender　pieces　of　affectionate　praise　bestowed　on　his　favourite　city：…


A　DECEMBER　DAY

Blue；　blue　is　the　sea　to…day；　Warmly　the　light　Sleeps　on　St。　Andrews　Bay　…　Blue；　fringed　with　white。

That's　no　December　sky！　Surely　‘tis　June　Holds　now　her　state　on　high；　Queen　of　the　noon。

Only　the　tree…tops　bare　Crowning　the　hill；　Clear…cut　in　perfect　air；　Warn　us　that　still

Winter；　the　aged　chief；　Mighty　in　power；　Exiles　the　tender　leaf；　Exiles　the　flower。

Is　there　a　heart　to…day；　A　heart　that　grieves　For　flowers　that　fade　away；　For　fallen　leaves？

Oh；　not　in　leaves　or　flowers　Endures　the　charm　That　clothes　those　naked　towers　With　love…light　warm。

O　dear　St。　Andrews　Bay；　Winter　or　Spring　Gives　not　nor　takes　away　Memories　that　cling

All　round　thy　girdling　reefs；　That　walk　thy　shore；　Memories　of　joys　and　griefs　Ours　evermore。

‘I　have　NOT　worked　for　my　classes　this　session；'　he　writes　（1884）；　‘and　shall　not　take　any　places。'　　The　five　or　six　most　distinguished　pupils　used；　at　least　in　my　time；　to　receive　prize…books　decorated　with　the　University's　arms。　　These　prize…men；　no　doubt；　held　the　‘places'　alluded　to　by　Murray。　　If　HE　was　idle；　‘I　speak　of　him　but　brotherly；'　having　never　held　any　‘place'　but　that　of　second　to　Mr。　Wallace；　now　Professor　of　Moral　Philosophy　at　Oxford；　in　the　Greek　Class　（Mr。　Sellar's）。　　Why　was　one　so　idle；　in　Latin　（Mr。　Shairp）；　in　Morals　（Mr。　Ferrier）；　in　Logic　（Mr。　Veitch）？　but　Logic　was　unintelligible。

‘I　must　confess；'　remarks　Murray；　in　a　similar　spirit　of　pensive　regret；　‘that　I　have　not　had　any　ambition　to　distinguish　myself　either　in　Knight's　（Moral　Philosophy）　or　in　Butler's。'　｛1｝

Murray　then　speaks　with　some　acrimony　about　earnest　students；　whose　motive；　he　thinks；　is　a　small　ambition。　　But　surely　a　man　may　be　fond　of　metaphysics　for　the　sweet　sake　of　Queen　Entelechy；　and；　moreover；　these　students　looked　forward　to　days　in　which　real　work　would　bear　fruit。

‘You　must　grind　up　the　opinions　of　Plato；　Aristotle；　and　a　lot　of　other　men；　concerning　things　about　which　they　knew　nothing；　and　we　know　nothing；　taking　these　opinions　at　second　or　third　hand；　and　never　looking　into　the　works　of　these　men；　for　to　a　man　who　wants　to　take　a　place；　there　is　no　time　for　anything　of　that　sort。'

Why　not？　　The　philosophers　ought　to　be　read　in　their　own　language；　as　they　are　now　read。　　The　remarks　on　the　most　fairy　of　philosophersPlato；　on　the　greatest　of　all　minds；　that　of　Aristotle；　are　boyish。　　Again　‘I　speak　but　brotherly；'　remembering　an　old　St。　Leonard's　essay　in　which　Virgil　was　called　‘the　furtive　Mantuan；'　and　another；　devoted　to　ridicule　of　Euripides。　　But　Plato　and　Aristotle　we　never　blasphemed。

Murray　adds　that　he　thinks；　next　year；　of　taking　the　highest　Greek　Class；　and　English　Literature。　　In　the　latter；　under　Mr。　Baynes；　he　took　the　first　place；　which　he　mentions　casually　to　Mrs。　Murray　about　a　year　after　date：…


‘A　sweet　life　and　an　idle　He　lives　from　year　to　year；　Unknowing　bit　or　bridle；　There　are　no　Proctors　here。'


In　Greek；　despite　his　enthusiastic　admiration　of　the　professor；　Mr。　Campbell；　he　did　not　much　enjoy　himself：…


‘Thrice　happy　are　those　Who　ne'er　heard　of　Greek　Prose　…　Or　Greek　Poetry　either；　as　far　as　that　goes；　For　Liddell　and　Scott　Shall　cumber　them　not；　Nor　Sargent　nor　Sidgwick　shall　break　their　repose。

But　I；　late　at　night；　By　the　very　bad　light　Of　very　bad　gas；　must　painfully　write　Some　stuff　that　a　Greek　With　his　delicate　cheek　Would　smile　at　as　‘barbarous'faith；　he　well　might。

*　*　*　*　*

So　away　with　Greek　Prose；　The　source　of　my　woes！　（This　metre's　too　tough；　I　must　draw　to　a　close。）　May　Sargent　be　drowned　In　the　ocean　profound；　And　Sidgwick　be　food　for　the　carrion　crows！'


Greek　prose　is　a　stubborn　thing；　and　the　biographer　remembers　being　told　that　his　was　‘the　best；　with　the　worst　mistakes'；　also　frequently　by　Mr。　Sellar；　that　it　was　‘bald。'　　But　Greek　prose　is　splendid　practice；　and　no　less　good　practice　is　Greek　and　Latin　verse。　　These　exercises；　so　much　sneered　at；　are　the　Dwellers　on　the　Threshold　of　the　life　of　letters。　　They　are　haunting　forms　of　fear；　but　they　have　to　be　wrest