biographical study of a. w. kinglake- 第1部分

Biographical　Study　of　A。　W。　Kinglake

by　Rev。　W。　Tcikwell



　PREFACE



IT　is　just　eleven　years　since　Kinglake　passed　away；　and　his　life　　has　not　yet　been　separately　memorialized。　　A　few　years　more；　and　　the　personal　side　of　him　would　be　irrecoverable；　though　by　　personality；　no　less　than　by　authorship；　he　made　his　contemporary　　mark。　　When　a　tomb　has　been　closed　for　centuries；　the　effaced　　lineaments　of　its　tenant　can　be　re…coloured　only　by　the　idealizing　　hand　of　genius；　as　Scott　drew　Claverhouse；　and　Carlyle　drew　　Cromwell。　　But；　to　the　biographer　of　the　lately　dead；　men　have　a　　right　to　say；　as　Saul　said　to　the　Witch　of　Endor；　〃Call　up　Samuel！〃　　　In　your　study　of　a　life　so　recent　as　Kinglake's；　give　us；　if　you　　choose；　some　critical　synopsis　of　his　monumental　writings；　some　　salvage　from　his　ephemeral　and　scattered　papers；　trace　so　much　of　　his　youthful　training　as　shaped　the　development　of　his　character；　

depict；　with　wise　restraint；　his　political　and　public　life：　but　　also；　and　above　all；　re…clothe　him　〃in　his　habit　as　he　lived；〃　as　　friends　and　associates　knew　him；　recover　his　traits　of　voice　and　　manner；　his　conversational　wit　or　wisdom；　epigram　or　paradox；　his　　explosions　of　sarcasm　and　his　eccentricities　of　reserve；　his　words　　of　winningness　and　acts　of　kindness：　and；　since　one　half　of　his　　life　was　social；　introduce　us　to　the　companions　who　shared　his　　lighter　hour　and　evoked　his　finer　fancies；　take　us　to　the　Athenaeum　　〃Corner；〃　or　to　Holland　House；　and　flash　on　us　at　least　a　glimpse　　of　the　brilliant　men　and　women　who　formed　the　setting　to　his　　sparkle；　〃DIC　IN　AMICITIAM　COEANT　ET　FOEDERA　JUNGANT。〃

This　I　have　endeavoured　to　do；　with　such　aid　as　I　could　command　　from　his　few　remaining　contemporaries。　　His　letters　to　his　family　　were　destroyed　by　his　own　desire；　on　those　written　to　Madame　　Novikoff　no　such　embargo　was　laid；　nor　does　she　believe　that　it　was　　intended。　　I　have　used　these　sparingly；　and　all　extracts　from　them　　have　been　subjected　to　her　censorship。　　If　the　result　is　not　Attic　　in　salt；　it　is　at　any　rate　Roman　in　brevity。　　I　send　it　forth　with　　John　Bunyan's　homely　aspiration：


And　may　its　buyer　have　no　cause　to　say；　His　money　is　but　lost　or　thrown　away。



CHAPTER　I　…　EARLY　YEARS



THE　fourth　decade　of　the　deceased　century　dawned　on　a　procession　of　　Oriental　pilgrims；　variously　qualified　or　disqualified　to　hold　the　　gorgeous　East　in　fee；　who；　with　BAKSHISH　in　their　purses；　a　theory　　in　their　brains；　an　unfilled　diary…book　in　their　portmanteaus；　　sought　out　the　Holy　Land；　the　Sinai　peninsula；　the　valley　of　the　　Nile；　sometimes　even　Armenia　and　the　Monte　Santo；　and　returned　home　　to　emit　their　illustrated　and　mapped　octavos。　　We　have　the　type　　delineated　admiringly　in　Miss　Yonge's　〃Heartsease；〃　（1）　bitterly　in　　Miss　Skene's　〃Use　and　Abuse；〃　facetiously　in　the　Clarence　Bulbul　of　　〃Our　Street。〃　　〃Hang　it！　has　not　everybody　written　an　Eastern　book？　　　I　should　like　to　meet　anybody　in　society　now　who　has　not　been　up　to　　the　Second　Cataract。　　My　Lord　Castleroyal　has　done　one　…　an　honest　　one；　my　Lord　Youngent　another　…　an　amusing　one；　my　Lord　Woolsey　　another　…　a　pious　one；　there　is　the　'Cutlet　and　the　Cabob'　…　a　　sentimental　one；　Timbuctoothen　…　a　humorous　one。〃　　Lord　Carlisle's　　honesty；　Lord　Nugent's　fun；　Lord　Lindsay's　piety；　failed　to　float　　their　books。　　Miss　Martineau；　clear；　frank；　unemotional　Curzon；　　fuddling　the　Levantine　monks　with　rosoglio　that　he　might　fleece　　them　of　their　treasured　hereditary　manuscripts；　even　Eliot　　Warburton's　power；　colouring；　play　of　fancy；　have　yielded　to　the　　mobility　of　Time。　　Two　alone　out　of　the　gallant　company　maintain　　their　vogue　to…day：　Stanley's　〃Sinai　and　Palestine；〃　as　a　Fifth　　Gospel；　an　inspired　Scripture　Gazetteer；　and　〃Eothen；〃　as　a　　literary　gem　of　purest　ray　serene。

In　1898　a　reprint　of　the　first　edition　was　given　to　the　public；　　prefaced　by　a　brief　eulogium　of　the　book　and　a　slight　notice　of　the　　author。　　It　brought　to　the　writer　of　the　〃Introduction〃　not　only　　kind　and　indulgent　criticism；　but　valuable　corrections；　fresh　　facts；　clues　to　further　knowledge。　　These　last　have　been　carefully　　followed　out。　　The　unwary　statement　that　Kinglake　never　spoke　after　　his　first　failure　in　the　House　has　been　atoned　by　a　careful　study　　of　all　his　speeches　in　and　out　of　Parliament。　　His　reviews　in　the　　〃Quarterly〃　and　elsewhere　have　been　noted；　impressions　of　his　　manner　and　appearance　at　different　periods　of　his　life　have　been　　recovered　from　coaeval　acquaintances；　his　friend　Hayward's　Letters；　　the　numerous　allusions　in　Lord　Houghton's　Life；　Mrs。　Crosse's　　lively　chapters　in　〃Red　Letter　Days　of　my　Life；〃　Lady　Gregory's　　interesting　recollections　of　the　Athenaeum　Club　in　Blackwood　of　　December；　1895；　the　somewhat　slender　notice　in　the　〃Dictionary　of　　National　Biography；〃　have　all　been　carefully　digested。　　From　these；　　and；　as　will　be　seen；　from　other　sources；　the　present　Memoir　has　　been　compiled；　an　endeavour　…　SERA　TAMEN　…　to　lay　before　the　　countless　readers　and　admirers　of　his　books　a　fairly　adequate　　appreciation；　hitherto　unattempted；　of　their　author。

I　have　to　acknowledge　the　great　kindness　of　Canon　William　　Warburton；　who　examined　his　brother　Eliot's　diaries　on　my　behalf；　　obtained　information　from　Dean　Boyle　and　Sir　M。　Grant　Duff；　cleared　　up　for　me　not　a　few　obscure　allusions　in　the　〃Eothen〃　pages。　　My　　highly　valued　friend；　Mrs。　Hamilton　Kinglake；　of　Taunton；　his　　sister…in…law；　last　surviving　relative　of　his　own　generation；　has　　helped　me　with　facts　which　no　one　else　could　have　recalled。　　To　Mr。　　Estcott；　his　old　acquaintance　and　Somersetshire　neighbour；　I　am　　indebted　for　recollections　manifold　and　interesting；　but　above　all　　I　tender　thanks　to　Madame　Novikoff；　his　intimate　associate　and　　correspondent　during　the　last　twenty　years　of　his　life；　who　has　　supplemented　her　brilliant　sketch　of　him　in　〃La　Nouvelle　Revue〃　of　　1896　by　oral　and　written　information　lavish　in　quantity　and　of　　paramount　biographical　value。　　Kinglake's　external　life；　his　　literary　and　political　career；　his　speeches；　and　the　more　fugitive　　productions　of　his　pen；　were　recoverable　from　public　sources；　but　　his　personal　and　private　side；　as　it　showed　itself　to　the　few　close　　intimates　who　still　survive；　must　have　remained　to　myself　and　　others　meagre；　superficial；　disappointing；　without　Madame　　Novikoff's　unreserved　and　sympathetic　confidence。


Alexander　William　Kinglake　was　descended　from　an　old　Scottish　　stock；　the　Kinlochs；　who　migrated　to　England　with　King　James；　and　　whose　name　was　Anglicized　into　Kinglake。　　Later　on　we　find　them　　settled　on　a　considerable　estate　of　their　own　at　Saltmoor；　near　　Borobridge；　whence　towards　the　close　of　the　eighteenth　century　two　　brothers；　moving　southward；　made　their　home　in　Taunton　…　Robert　as　　a　physician；　William　as　a　solicitor　and　banker。　　Both　were　of　high　　repute；　both　begat　famous　sons。　　From　Robert　sprang　the　eminent　　Parliamentary　lawyer；　Serjeant　John　Kinglake；　at　one　time　a　　contemporary　with　Cockburn　and　Crowder　on　the　Western　Circuit；　and　　William　Chapman　Kinglake；　who　while　at　Trinity；　Cambridge；　won　the　　Latin　verse　prize；　〃Salix　Babylonica；〃　the　English　verse　prizes　on　　〃Byzantium〃　and　the　〃Taking　of　Jerusalem；〃　in　1830　and　1832。　　Of　　William's　sons　the　eldest　was　Alexander　William；　author　of　　〃Eothen；〃　the　youngest　Hamilton；　for　many　years　one　of　the　most　　distinguished　physicians　in　the　West　of　England。　　〃Eothen；〃　as　he　　came　to　be　called；　was　born　at　Taunton　on　the　5th　August；　1809；　at　　a　house　called　〃The　Lawn。〃　　His　father；　a　sturdy　Whig；　died　at　the　　age　of　ninety　through　injuries　received　in　the　hustings　crowd　of　a　　contested　election。　　His　mother　belonged　to　an　old　Somersetshire　　family；　the　Woodfordes　of　Castle　Cary。　　She；　too；　lived　to　a　great　　age；　a　slight；　neat　figure　in　dainty　dress；　full　of　antique　charm　　and　grace。　　As　a　girl　she　had　known　Lady　Hester　Stanhope；　who　lived　　with　her　grandmother；　Lady　Chatham；　at　Burton　Pynsent；　her　own　　father；　Dr。　Thomas　Woodforde；　being　Lady　Chatham's　medical　　attendant。　（2）　　The　future　prophetess　of　the　Lebanon　was　then　a　　wild　girl；　scouring　the　countryside　on　bare…backed　horses；　she　　showed　great　kindness　to　Mary　Woodforde；　afterwards　Kinglake's　　mother。　　It　was　as　his　mother's　son　that　she　received　him　long　　afterwards　at　Djoun。　　To　his　mother　Kinglake　was　passionately　　attached；　owed　to　her；　as　he　tells　us　in　〃Eothen；〃　his　home　in　the　　saddle　and　his　love　for　Homer。　　A　tradition　is　preserved　in　the　　family　that　on　the　day　of　her　funeral；　at　a　churchyard　five　miles　　away；　he　was　missed　from　the　household　group　reassembled　in　the　　mourning　home；　he　was　found　to　have　ordered　his　horse；　and　galloped　　back　in　the　darkness　to　his　mother's　grave。　　Forty　years　later　he　　writes　to　Alexander　Knox：　〃The　death　of　a　mother　has　an　almost　　magical　power　of　recalling　the　home　of　one's　childhood；　and　the　　almost　separate　world　that　rests　upon　affection。〃　　Of　his　two　　sisters；　one　was　well　read　and　agreeably　talkative；　noted　by　　Thackeray　as　the　cleverest　woman　he　had　ever　met；　the　other；　Mrs。　　Acton；　was　a　delightful　old　ESPRIT　FORT；　as　I　knew　her　in　the　　sixties；　〃pagan；　I　regret　to　say；〃　but　not　a　little　resembling　her　　brother　in　the　point　and　manner　of　her　wit。　　The　family　moved　in　　his　infancy　to　an　old…fashioned　handsome　〃Wilton　House；〃　adjoining　　closely　to　the　town；　but　standing　amid　spacious　park…like　grounds；　　and　inhabited　in　after　years　by　Kinglake's　younger　brother　　Hamilton；　who　succeeded　his　uncle　in　the　medical　profession；　and　　passed　away；　amid　deep　and　universal　regret；　in　1898。　　Here　during　　the　thirties　Sydney　Smith　was　a　frequent　and　a　welcome　visitor；　it　　was　in　answer　to　old　Mrs。　Kinglake　that　he　uttered　his　audacious　　MOT　on　being　asked　if　he　would　object；　as　a　neighbouring　clergyman　　had　done；　to　bury　a　Dissenter：　〃Not　bury　Dissenters？　　I　should　like　　to　be　burying　them　all　day！〃

Taunton　was　an　innutrient　foster…mother；　ARIDA　NUTRIX；　for　such　　young　lions　as　the　Kinglake　brood。　　Two　hundred　years　before　it　had　　been　a　prosperous　and　famous　place；　its　woollen　and　kersey　trades；　　with　the　population　they　supported；　ranking　it　as　eighth　in　order　　among　English　towns。　　Its　inhabitants　were　then　a　gallant　race；　　republican　in　politics；　Puritan　in　c