the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第28章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


a　marvellous　power　of　saying　nothing　in　language　which　left　on　his　audience　the　impression　that　he　had　said　a　great　deal。　　He　was　at　once　the　only　man　who　could　open　a　budget　without　notes；　and　the　only　man　who；　as　Windham　said；　could　speak　that　most　elaborately　evasive　and　unmeaning　of　human　compositions；　a　King's　speech；　without　premeditation。　The　effect　of　oratory　will　always　to　a　great　extent　depend　on　the　character　of　the　orator。　　There　perhaps　never　were　two　speakers　whose　eloquence　had　more　of　what　may　be　called　the　race；　more　of　the　flavour　imparted　by　moral　qualities；　than　Fox　and　Pitt。　　The　speeches　of　Fox　owe　a　great　part　of　their　charm　to　that　warmth　and　softness　of　heart；　that　sympathy　with　human　suffering；　that　admiration　for　everything　great　and　beautiful；　and　that　hatred　of　cruelty　and　injustice；　which　interest　and　delight　us　even　in　the　most　defective　reports。　　No　person；　on　the　other　hand；　could　hear　Pitt　without　perceiving　him　to　be　a　man　of　high；　intrepid；　and　commanding　spirit；　proudly　conscious　of　his　own　rectitude　and　of　his　own　intellectual　superiority；　incapable　of　the　low　vices　of　fear　and　envy；　but　too　prone　to　feel　and　to　show　disdain。　　Pride；　indeed；　pervaded　the　whole　man；　was　written　in　the　harsh；　rigid　lines　of　his　face；　was　marked　by　the　way　in　which　he　walked；　in　which　he　sate；　in　which　he　stood；　and；　above　all；　in　which　he　bowed。　　Such　pride；　of　course；　inflicted　many　wounds。　　It　may　confidently　be　affirmed　that　there　cannot　be　found；　in　all　the　ten　thousand　invectives　written　against　Fox；　a　word　indicating　that　his　demeanour　had　ever　made　a　single　personal　enemy。　　On　the　other　hand；　several　men　of　note　who　had　been　partial　to　Pitt；　and　who　to　the　last　continued　to　approve　his　public　conduct　and　to　support　his　administration；　Cumberland；　for　example；　Boswell；　and　Matthias；　were　so　much　irritated　by　the　contempt　with　which　he　treated　them；　that　they　complained　in　print　of　their　wrongs。　　But　his　pride；　though　it　made　him　bitterly　disliked　by　individuals；　inspired　the　great　body　of　his　followers　in　Parliament　and　throughout　the　country　with　respect　and　confidence。　　They　took　him　at　his　own　valuation。　　They　saw　that　his　self…esteem　was　not　that　of　an　upstart；　who　was　drunk　with　good　luck　and　with　applause；　and　who；　if　fortune　turned；　would　sink　from　arrogance　into　abject　humility。　　It　was　that　of　the　magnanimous　man　so　finely　described　by　Aristotle　in　the　Ethics；　of　the　man　who　thinks　himself　worthy　of　great　things；　being　in　truth　worthy。　　It　sprang　from　a　consciousness　of　great　powers　and　great　virtues；　and　was　never　so　conspicuously　displayed　as　in　the　midst　of　difficulties　and　dangers　which　would　have　unnerved　and　bowed　down　any　ordinary　mind。　　It　was　closely　connected；　too；　with　an　ambition　which　had　no　mixture　of　low　cupidity。　　There　was　something　noble　in　the　cynical　disdain　with　which　the　mighty　minister　scattered　riches　and　titles　to　right　and　left　among　those　who　valued　them；　while　he　spurned　them　out　of　his　own　way。　　Poor　himself；　he　was　surrounded　by　friends　on　whom　he　had　bestowed　three　thousand；　six　thousand；　ten　thousand　a　year。　　Plain　Mister　himself；　he　had　made　more　lords　than　any　three　ministers　that　had　preceded　him。　　The　garter；　for　which　the　first　dukes　in　the　kingdom　were　contending；　was　repeatedly　offered　to　him；　and　offered　in　vain。　The　correctness　of　his　private　life　added　much　to　the　dignity　of　his　public　character。　　In　the　relations　of　son；　brother；　uncle；　master；　friend；　his　conduct　was　exemplary。　　In　the　small　circle　of　his　intimate　associates；　he　was　amiable；　affectionate；　even　playful。　　They　loved　him　sincerely；　they　regretted　him　long；　and　they　would　hardly　admit　that　he　who　was　so　kind　and　gentle　with　them　could　be　stern　and　haughty　with　others。　　He　indulged；　indeed；　somewhat　too　freely　in　wine；　which　he　had　early　been　directed　to　take　as　a　medicine；　and　which　use　had　made　a　necessary　of　life　to　him。　　But　it　was　very　seldom　that　any　indication　of　undue　excess　could　be　detected　in　his　tones　or　gestures；　and；　in　truth；　two　bottles　of　port　were　little　more　to　him　than　two　dishes　of　tea。　　He　had；　when　he　was　first　introduced　into　the　clubs　of　Saint　James's　Street；　shown　a　strong　taste　for　play；　but　he　had　the　prudence　and　the　resolution　to　stop　before　this　taste　had　acquired　the　strength　of　habit。　　From　the　passion　which　generally　exercises　the　most　tyrannical　dominion　over　the　young　he　possessed　an　immunity；　which　is　probably　to　be　ascribed　partly　to　his　temperament　and　partly　to　his　situation。　　His　constitution　was　feeble；　he　was　very　shy；　and　he　was　very　busy。　　The　strictness　of　his　morals　furnished　such　buffoons　as　Peter　Pindar　and　Captain　Morris　with　an　inexhaustible　theme　for　merriment　of　no　very　delicate　kind。　　But　the　great　body　of　the　middle　class　of　Englishmen　could　not　see　the　joke。　　They　warmly　praised　the　young　statesman　for　commanding　his　passions；　and　for　covering　his　frailties；　if　he　had　frailties；　with　decorous　obscurity；　and　would　have　been　very　far　indeed　from　thinking　better　of　him　if　he　had　vindicated　himself　from　the　taunts　of　his　enemies　by　taking　under　his　protection　a　Nancy　Parsons　or　a　Marianne　Clark。　No　part　of　the　immense　popularity　which　Pitt　long　enjoyed　is　to　be　attributed　to　the　eulogies　of　wits　and　poets。　　It　might　have　been　naturally　expected　that　a　man　of　genius；　of　learning；　of　taste；　an　orator　whose　diction　was　often　compared　to　that　of　Tully；　the　representative；　too；　of　a　great　university；　would　have　taken　a　peculiar　pleasure　in　befriending　eminent　writers；　to　whatever　political　party　they　might　have　belonged。　　The　love　of　literature　had　induced　Augustus　to　heap　benefits　on　Pompeians；　Somers　to　be　the　protector　of　nonjurors；　Harley　to　make　the　fortunes　of　Whigs。　　But　it　could　not　move　Pitt　to　show　any　favour　even　to　Pittites。　　He　was　doubtless　right　in　thinking　that；　in　general；　poetry；　history；　and　philosophy　ought　to　be　suffered；　like　calico　and　cutlery；　to　find　their　proper　price　in　the　market；　and　that　to　teach　men　of　letters　to　look　habitually　to　the　state　for　their　recompense　is　bad　for　the　state　and　bad　for　letters。　　Assuredly　nothing　can　be　more　absurd　or　mischievous　than　to　waste　the　public　money　in　bounties　for　the　purpose　of　inducing　people　who　ought　to　be　weighing　out　grocery　or　measuring　out　drapery　to　write　bad　or　middling　books。　　But；　though　the　sound　rule　is　that　authors　should　be　left　to　be　remunerated　by　their　readers；　there　will；　in　every　generation；　be　a　few　exceptions　to　this　rule。　　To　distinguish　these　special　cases　from　the　mass　is　an　employment　well　worthy　of　the　faculties　of　a　great　and　accomplished　ruler；　and　Pitt　would　assuredly　have　had　little　difficulty　in　finding　such　cases。　　While　he　was　in　power；　the　greatest　philologist　of　the　age；　his　own　contemporary　at　Cambridge；　was　reduced　to　earn　a　livelihood　by　the　lowest　literary　drudgery；　and　to　spend　in　writing　squibs　for　the　〃Morning　Chronicle〃　years　to　which　we　might　have　owed　an　all　but　perfect　text　of　the　whole　tragic　and　comic　drama　of　Athens。　　The　greatest　historian　of　the　age；　forced　by　poverty　to　leave　his　country；　completed　his　immortal　work　on　the　shores　of　Lake　Leman。　　The　political　heterodoxy　of　Porson；　and　the　religious　heterodoxy　of　Gibbon；　may　perhaps　be　pleaded　in　defence　of　the　minister　by　whom　those　eminent　men　were　neglected。　　But　there　were　other　cases　in　which　no　such　excuse　could　be　set　up。　　Scarcely　had　Pitt　obtained　possession　of　unbounded　power　when　an　aged　writer　of　the　highest　eminence；　who　had　made　very　little　by　his　writings；　and　who　was　sinking　into　the　grave　under　a　load　of　infirmities　and　sorrows；　wanted　five　or　six　hundred　pounds　to　enable　him；　during　the　winter　or　two　which　might　still　remain　to　him；　to　draw　his　breath　more　easily　in　the　soft　climate　of　Italy。　　Not　a　farthing　was　to　be　obtained；　and　before　Christmas　the　author　of　the　English　Dictionary　and　of　the　Lives　of　the　Poets　had　gasped　his　last　in　the　river　fog　and　coal　smoke　of　Fleet　Street。　　A　few　months　after　the　death　of　Johnson　appeared　the　Task；　incomparably　the　best　poem　that　any　Englishman　then　living　had　produceda　poem；　too；　which　could　hardly　fail　to　excite　in　a　well　constituted　mind　a　feeling　of　esteem　and　compassion　for　the　poet；　a　man　of　genius　and　virtue；　whose　means　were　scanty；　and　whom　the　most　cruel　of　all　the　calamities　incident　to　humanity　had　made　incapable　of　supporting　himself　by　vigorous　and　sustained　exertion。　　Nowhere　had　Chatham　been　praised　with　more　enthusiasm；　or　in　verse　more　worthy　of　the　subject；　than　in　the　Task。　　The　son　of　Chatham；　however；　contented　himself　with　reading　and　admiring　the　book；　and　left　the　author　to　starve。　　The　pension　which；　long　after；　enabled　poor　Cowper　to　close　his　melancholy　life；　unmolested　by　duns　and　bailiffs；　was　obtained　for　him　by　the　strenuous　kindness　of　Lord　Spencer。　　What　a　contrast　between　the　way　in　which　Pitt　acted　towards　Johnson　and　the　way　in　which　Lord　Grey　acted　towards　his　political　enemy　Scott；　when　Scott；　worn　out　by　misfortune　and　disease；　was　advised　to　try　the　effect　of　the　Italian　air！　　What　a　contrast　between　the　way　in　which　Pitt　acted　towards　Cowper　and　the　way　in　which　Burke；　a　poor　man　and　out　of　place；　acted　towards　Crabbe！　　Even　Dundas；　who　made　no　pretensions　to　literary　taste；　and　was