allpoliticalwriting，withVoltaireandWebster。
NearthatsamefieldmustliemanyofthoseessaysincriticismofwhichProfessorDowdenspeaks。Thiswhichweomit，thisliteratureofknowledge，ispowerfulliterature，thoughitsmainpurposeisnottomove，buttoteach。
Weareonlyreducingourfieldsothatwecansurveyit。Forourusesjustnowweshallfindpureliteraturetakingthethreestandardforms:thepoem，theessay，andthestory。ItistheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonthislargefieldofliteraturewhichwearetoobserve。
Justforsafety'ssake，acceptanothernarrowingofthefield。TheeffectoftheBibleanditsreligiousteaching，onthewriterhimselfisaseparatestudy，andisforthemostpartleftoutofconsideration。ItsoundscorrectwhenMiltonsays:"HewhowouldnotbefrustrateofhisPowertowritewelloughthimselftobeatruepoem。"ButthereisMiltonhimselftodealwith；irreproachableinmorals，thereareyettheunhappyyearsofhisyoungwifetotroubleus，andtherewerehisdaughters，whowerenotatpeacewithhim，andwhomaftertheirserviceinhisblindnessheyetstigmatizesinhiswillas"undutifulchildren。"Then，ifyouthinkofShelleyorByron，youaretroubledbytheirlives；orevenCarlyle，theverymasteroftheVictorianera——onewouldnotliketoscanhislifeaccordingtothelawsoftruepoetry。
ThenthereisColeridge，fallingapreytoopiumuntil，asyearscame，conscienceandwillseemedtogo。OnlyaveryardentScotwillfeelthathecandefendRobertBurnsatallpoints，andwewouldbestrangeAmericansifwefeltthatEdgarAllenPoewasamodelofpropriety。Thatisalargeandinterestingfield，buttheBibleseemseventogainpowerasabook-makingbookwhenitlaysholdonthebook-makingproclivitiesofmenwhoarenotpreparedtoyieldtoitspersonalpower。Theymaygetawayfromitasreligion；theydonotgetawayfromitasliterature。
ThefirstandmostnotablefactregardingtheinfluenceoftheBibleonEnglishliteratureistheremarkableextentofthatinfluence。Itisliterallyeverywhere。IfeveryBibleinanyconsiderablecityweredestroyed，theBookcouldberestoredinallitsessentialpartsfromthequotationsontheshelvesofthecitypubliclibrary。Thereareworks，coveringalmostallthegreatliterarywriters，devotedespeciallytoshowinghowmuchtheBiblehasinfluencedthem。
TheliteraryeffectoftheKingJamesversionatfirstwaslessthanitssocialeffect；butinthatveryfactliesastrikingliteraryinfluence。
ForalongtimeitformedvirtuallythewholeliteraturewhichwasreadilyaccessibletoordinaryEnglishmen。Wegetourphrasesfromathousandbooks。Thecommontalkofanintelligentmanshowstheeffectofmanyauthorsuponhisthinking。Ourfathersgottheirphrasesfromonegreatbook。Theirwritingandtheirspeakingshowtheeffectofthatbook。
Itisastudybyitself，andyetitistruethatworldliteratureis，asProfessorMoultonputsit，theautobiographyofcivilization。"Anationalliteratureisareflectionofthenationalhistory。"
Booksasbooksreflecttheirauthors。Asliteraturetheyreflectthepublicopinionwhichgivesthemindorsement。When，therefore，publicopinion:keepsaliveacertaingroupofbooks，thereistestimonynotsimplytothosebooks，buttothepublicopinionwhichhaspreservedthem。Thehistoryofpopularestimatesofliteratureisitselfmostinteresting。Ontheotherhand，somewritershavebeenamusinglyoverestimated。
NodoubtEdwardFitzgerald，whogaveusthe"RubaiyatofOmarKhayyam"didsomeotherdesirablework；butProfessorMoultonquotesthisparagraphfromapopularlifeofFitzgerald，publishedinDublin:"NotGreeceofoldinherpalmiestdays——theGreeceofHomerandDemosthenes，ofEschylus，Euripides，andSophocles，ofPericles，Leonidas，andAlcibiades，ofSocrates，Plato，andAristotle，ofSolonandLycurgus，ofApellesandPraxiteles——noteventhisGreece，prolificasshewasinsagesandheroes，canboastsuchalengthybead-rollasIrelandcanofnamesimmortalinhistory!"
But"thiswasforIrishconsumption。"Andpopularopinionandevencriticalopinionhassometimesgonefarastrayinitsdestructivetendency。TherewereauthoritativecriticswhodeclaredthatWordsworth，Shelley，andColeridgewrote"unintelligiblenonsense。"GeorgeMeredith'sstyle，especiallyinhispoetry，wascountedsobadthatit——wasnotworthreading。
WeareallnearenoughtheBrowningepochtorecallhowtheobscurityofhisstyleimpressedsomeandoppressedothers。AlfredAustin，in1869，saidthat"Mr。Tennysonhasnosoundpretensionstobecalledagreatpoet。"
Contemporarypublicopinionisseldomafinalgaugeofstrengthforapieceofliterature。Ittakesthetestoftime。Howmanybookswehaveseencomeonthestageandthenpassoffagain!Yetthebooksthathavestayedonthestagehavebeenkepttherebypublicopinionexpressingitselfinthelongrun。ThesocialinfluenceoftheKingJamesversion，creatingapublictasteforcertaintypesofliterature，tendedtoproducethematonce。
EnglishliteratureinthesethreehundredyearshasfoundintheBiblethreeinfluentialelements:style，language，andmaterial。
First，thestyleoftheKingJamesversionhasinfluencedEnglishliteraturemarkedly。ProfessorGardineropensoneofhisessayswiththedictumthat"inallstudyofEnglishliterature，iftherebeanyoneaxiomwhichmaybeacceptedwithoutquestion，itisthattheultimatestandardofEnglishprosestyleissetbytheKingJamesversionoftheBible。"[1]Youalmostmeasurethestrengthofwritingbyitsagreementwiththepredominanttraitsofthisversion。
Carlyle'sweakestworksarethosethatlosethehonestsimplicityofitsstyleinaforcedturgidityandaffectedroughness。HisHeroesandHeroWorshiporhisFrenchRevolutionshowshisdistinctivestyle，andyetshowstheinfluenceofthissimplerstyle，whilehisFredericktheGreatisalmostimpossiblebecausehehasgivenfullplaytohisbrokenanddisconnectedsentences。Ontheotherhand，Macaulayfailsusmostinhisstrivingforeffect，makingnicebalanceofsentences，straininghis"either-or，"
orhis"while-one-was-doing-this-the-other-was-
doing-that。"Thenhissentencesgrowinvolved，andhisparagraphslengthen，andheswingsawayfromthestyleoftheKingJamesversion。
"OnecansaythatifanywritingdepartsveryfarfromthecharacteristicsoftheEnglishBibleitisnotgoodEnglishwriting。"
[1]AtlanticMonthly，May，1900，p。684。
ThesecondelementwhichEnglishliteraturefindsintheBibleisitsLANGUAGE。ThewordsoftheBiblearethefamiliaronesoftheEnglishtongue，andhavebeenkeptfamiliarbytheuseoftheBible。Theresultisthat"thepathofliteratureliesparalleltothatofreligion。Theyareoldanddearcompanions，brethrenindeedofoneblood；notalwaysagreeing，tobesure；
squabblingratherintruebrotherlyfashionnowandthen；occasionallyfallingoutveryseriouslyandbitterly；butstillinterdependentandnecessarytoeachother。"[1]YearsagoawriterremarkedthateverystudentofEnglishliterature，orofEnglishspeech，findsthreeworksorsubjectsreferredto，orquotedfrom，morefrequentlythanothers。ThesearetheBible，talesofGreekandRomanmythology，andAesop'sFables。Ofthesethree，certainlytheBiblefurnishesthelargestnumberofreferences。Thereisreasonforthat。Awriterwantsanaudience。Veryfewmencanclaimtobeindependentofthepublicforwhichtheywrite。ThereisnothingthepublicwillbemoreapttounderstandandappreciatequicklythanapassingreferencetotheEnglishBible。SoitcomesaboutthatwhenDickensisdescribingtheinjusticeoftheMurdstonestolittleDavidCopperfield，hecanputthewholematterbeforeusinaparenthesis:
"ThoughtherewasOneoncewhosetachildinthemidstofthedisciples。"Dickensknewthathisreaderswouldatoncecatchthemeaningofthatreference，andwouldfeelthecontrastbetweenthescenehewasdescribingandthatsimplescene。TakeanyofthegreatbooksofliteratureandblackoutthephraseswhichmanifestlycomedirectlyfromtheEnglishBible，andyouwouldmarkthembeyondrecovery。
[1]Chapman，EnglishLiteratureinAccountwithReligion。
ButEnglishliteraturehasfoundmoreofitsmaterialintheBiblethananythingelse。Ithaslookedthereforitscharacters，itsillustrations，itssubject-matter。Weshallsee，asweconsiderindividualwriters，howmanyoftheirtitlesandcompleteworksaresuggestedbytheBible。
ItisinterestingtoseehowoneideaoftheScripturewillappearandreappearamongmanywriters。Takeoneillustration。TheFauststoryisanefforttomakeconcreteoneverseofScripture:
"Whatshallitprofitamanifheshallgainthewholeworldandlosehisownsoul?"
ProfessorMoultonremindsusthattheFaustlegendappearedfirstintheMiddleAges。InearlyEnglish，Marlowehasit，CalderonputitintoSpanish，themostfamiliarformofitisGoethe's，whilePhilipBaileyhascalledhisaccountofitFestus。Ineachofthoseformsthesameideaoccurs。Amansellshissoultothedevilforthegainingofwhatistohimtheworld。ThatisoneofagoodmanyideaswhichtheBiblehasgiventoliterature。Theprodigalsonhasbeenanotherprolificsourceofliterarywriting。Theguidingstarisanother。Otherswillreadilycometomind。
Withthatsimplebackgroundletourmindsmovedownthecourseofliteraryhistory。Style，language，material——wewilleasilythinkhowmuchofeachtheBiblehasgiventoallourgreatwritersiftheirnamesareonlymentioned。Therearefourgroupsofthesewriters。
1。TheJacobean，whowrotewhenandjustafterourversionwasmade。
2。TheGeorgian，whogracedthereignsofthekingswhosenametheperiodbears。
3。TheVictorian。
4。TheAmerican。
Thereisanattractivefifthgroupcomprisingourpresent-dayworkersintherealmofpureliterature，butwemustomitthemandgiveourattentiontonamesthatarestarred。
ItisfamiliarthatinthetimeofElizabeth，"Englandbecameanestofsingingbirds。"InthefiftyyearsafterthefirstEnglishtheaterwaserected，themiddleofElizabeth'sreign，fiftydramaticpoetsappeared，manyofthefirstorder。Someweredistinctlyirreligious，asweremanyofthepeoplewhoselivestheytouched。
SuchmenasFord，Marlowe，Massinger，Webster，Beaumont，andFletcherstandlikeachorusaroundShakespeareandBenJonsonasleaders。
AsTaineputsit:"Theysingthesamepiecetogether，andattimesthechorusisequaltothesolo；butonlyattimes。"[1]Culturedpeopleto-dayknowthenamesofmostofthesewriters，butnotmuchelse，anditdoesnotheavilyserveourargumenttosaythattheyfeltthePuritaninfluence；buttheyalldidfeeliteitherdirectlyorbyreaction。
[1]HistoryofEnglishLiterature，chap。iii。
EdmundSpenserandhisfriend，SirPhilipSidney，hadclosedtheirworkbeforetheKingJamesversionappeared，yettheFaerieQueeneinitsreligioustheoryisPuritantothecore，andSidneyisbestrememberedbyhisparaphrasesofScripture。TheinfluenceofbothwasevengreaterintheJacobeanthanintheirownperiod。
ItishardlyfaireventonotetheElizabethanShakespeareasundertheinfluenceoftheKingJamesversion。TheBibleinfluencedhimmarkedly，butitwastheGenevanversionpreparedduringtheexileofthescholarsunderBloodyMary，ortheBishops'BiblepreparedunderElizabeth。Thoseversionswerefamiliarashouseholdfactstohim。"NowriterhasassimilatedthethoughtsandreproducedthewordsofHolyScripturemorecopiouslythanShakespeare。"Dr。Furnivallsaysthat"heissaturatedwiththeBiblestory，"andacenturyagoCapelLloftsaidquaintlythatShakespeare"haddeeplyimbibedtheScriptures。"ButtheKingJamesversionappearedonlyfiveyearsbeforehisdeath，anditisinsomesensefairertosaythatShakespeareandtheKingJamesversionareformedbythesameinfluenceastotheirEnglishstyle。TheBishopofSt。
AndrewsevendevotesthefirstpartofhisbookonShakespeareandtheBibletoastudyofparallelsbetweenthetwoinpeculiarformsofspeech，andthinksit"probablethatourtranslatorsof1611owedasmuchtoShakespeareas，orratherfarmorethan，heowedtothem。"[1]
Itisgenerallyagreedthatonlytwoofhisworkswerewrittenafterourversionappeared。SeveralotherwritershavedevotedseparatevolumestonotingthefrequentusebyShakespeareofBiblicalphrasesandallusionsandcharacterstakenfromearlyversions。Itisaverytemptingfield，andwepassitbyonlybecauseitishardlyintherangeofthestudywearenowmaking。
[1]Wordsworth，Shakespeare'sKnowledgeandUseoftheBible，p。
9。
When，however，wecometoJohnMilton1608-1674，werememberhewasonlythreeyearsoldwhenourversionwasissued；thatwhenatfifteen，anundergraduateinCambridge，hemadehisfirstparaphrases，castingtwoofthePsalmsintometer，theversionheusedwasthisfamiliarone。AbiographersayshebeganthedayalwayswiththereadingofScriptureandkepthismemorydeeplychargedwithitsphrases。
InlaterlifethemorningchapterwasgenerallyfromtheHebrew，andwasfollowedbyanhourofsilenceformeditation，anexercisewhoseinfluencenoman'sstylecouldescape。AsawriterhemovedsteadilytowardtheScriptureandthereligiousteachingwhichitbroughthisage。Hisearlierwritingisagroupofpoemslargelysecular，whichyetshowinphrasesandexpressionsmuchoftheinfluenceofhisboyhoodstudyoftheBible，aswellasthefamiliaruseofmythology。Thememorialpoem"Lycidas，"
forexample，containsthemuch-quotedreferencetoPeterandhistwokeys——
"LastcameandlastdidgoThepilotoftheGalileanlake；
Twomassykeysheboreofmetalstwain，Thegoldenopes，theironshutsamain。"
Butafterthesepoemscametheperiodofhisprose，theworkwhichhesupposedwastheabidingworkofhislife。GeorgeWilliamCurtistoldafriendthatourcivilwarchangedhisownliterarystyle:"ThatrousedmetoseethatI
hadnorighttospendmylifeinliteraryleisure。
IfeltthatImustthrowmyselfintothestruggleforfreedomandtheUnion。Ibegantolectureandtowrite。Thestyletookcareofitself。
ButIfancyitismoresolidthanitwasthirtyyearsago。"ThatiswhathappenedtoMiltonwhentheprotectoratecame。[1]Itmadehisstylemoresolid。Hedidnotmeantoliveasapoet。
Hefeltthathisbestenergieswerebeingputintohisessaysindefenseofliberty，onthefreedomofthepressandonthejusticeofthebeheadingofCharles，inwhichservicehesacrificedhissight。AllofitisshotthroughwithScripturequotationsandarguments，andsomeofit，atleast，isintheveryspiritofScripture。Thepleaforlargerfreedomofdivorceissuedplainlyfromhisownbitterexperience；buthismainargumentrootsinafewBibletextstakenoutoftheirconnectionandurgedwithnoshadowofquestionoftheirauthority。Indeed，whenhecomestohismorereligiousessays，hisheavyargumentisthatthereshouldbenoreligionpermittedinEnglandwhichisnotdrawndirectlyfromtheBible；which，therefore，heurgesmustbecommonpropertyforallthepeople。
Thereisacuriousbitofevidencethatthemenofhisowntimedidnotrealizehispowerasapoet。InPierreBayle'scriticalsurveyoftheliteratureofthetime，hecallsMilton"thefamousapologistfortheexecutionofCharlesI。，"who"meddledinpoetryandseveralofwhosepoemssawthelightduringhislifeorafterhisdeath!"Forallthat，Miltonwasonlyworkingontowardhisrealpower，andhispowerwastobeshowninhisservicetoreligion。Histhreegreatpoems，intheorderoftheirvalue，are，ofcourse，"ParadiseLost，""SamsonAgonistes，"
and"ParadiseRegained。"WhoeverknowsanythingofMiltonknowsthesethreeandknowstheyareScripturalfromfirsttolastinphrase，inallusion，and，inpartatleast，inidea。Thereisnottimeforextendedillustration。Oneinstancemaystandforall，whichshallillustratehowMilton'smindwaslikeagardenwheretheseedsofScripturecametoflowerandfruit。HewilltakeonephrasefromtheBibleandletitgrowtoapagein"ParadiseLost。"Hereisanillustrationwhichcomesreadilytohand。IntheGenesisitissaidthat"thespiritofGodmovedonthefaceofthewaters。"Theverbsuggeststheideaofbrooding。ThereisonlyoneotherpossiblereferencePsalmxxiv:9。
whichisincludedinthisstatementwhichMiltonmakesoutofthatbriefwordintheGenesis:
"OnthewaterycalmHisbroadeningwingstheSpiritofGodoutspread，Andvitalvirtueinfused，andvitalwarmthThroughoutthefluidmass，butdownwardpurgedTheblacktartareouscoldinfernaldregs，Adversetolife；thenformed，thencon-globed，Likethingstolike；theresttoseveralplaceDisparted，andbetweenspunouttheair——
Andearthself-balancedonhercenterswung。"
[1]Strong，TheTheologyofthePoets。
AnyonefamiliarwithMiltonwillrecognizethatasatypicalinstanceofthewayinwhichaseedideafromtheScripturecomestoflowerandfruitinhim。TheresultisthatmorepeoplehavetheirideasaboutheavenandhellfromMiltonthanfromtheBible，thoughtheydonotknowit。
ItseemshardlyfairtouseJohnBunyan1628-1688asanillustrationoftheinfluenceoftheEnglishBibleonliterature，becausehischiefworkiscomposedsolargelyinthelanguageofScripture。Pilgrim'sProgressisthemostwidelyreadbookintheEnglishlanguageaftertheBible。Itsphrases，itsnames，itsmatterareeitherdirectlyorindirectlytakenfromtheBible。Ithasgivenusalonglistofphraseswhicharepartofourliteraryandreligiouscapital。Thackeraytookthemottoofoneofhisbest-knownbooksfromtheBible；butthetitle，VanityFair，comesfromPilgrim'sProgress。
Whenadiscouragedmansaysheis"inthesloughofdespond，"hequotesBunyan；andwhenapopularevangelisttellsthepeoplethattheburdenofsinwillrollawayiftheylookatthecross，"accordingtotheBible，"heoughttosayaccordingtoBunyan。ButallthiswasonlytheoutcomeofthefamiliarityofBunyanwiththeScripture。Itwasalmostallhedidknowinaliteraryway。Macaulaysaysthat"heknewnolanguagebuttheEnglishasitwasspokenbythecommonpeople；hehadstudiednogreatmodelofcomposition，withtheexceptionofournobletranslationoftheBible。
Butofthathisknowledgewassuchthathemighthavebeencalledalivingconcordance。"[1]
[1]HistoryofEngland，vol。III。，p。220。
Afterthesethree——Shakespeare，Milton，andBunyan——thereappearedanotherthree，verymuchtheirinferiorsandhavingmuchlessinfluenceonliteraryhistory。ImeanDryden，Addison，andPope。ItisnotnecessarytocredittheScripturewithmuchofDryden'sspirit，norwithmuchofhisstyle，andcertainlynotwithhisattitudetowardhisfellows；butitisaconstantsurpriseinreadingDrydentodiscoverhowfamiliarhewaswiththeKingJamesversion。
WalterScottinsiststhatDrydenwasatheartserious，that"hisindelicacywasliketheforcedimpudenceofabashfulman。"Thatisgenerousjudgment。Butthereisthistobesaid:ashegrowsmoreserioushefallsmoreintoBiblewords。Ifhewritesapoliticalpamphlethecallsit"AbsalomandAhithophel。"
InitheholdsthemenofthedayuptoscornunderBiblenames。TheyareZimriandShimei，andthelike。Whenheisfallingintobitterestsatire，hiswritingaboundsintheseBiblicalallusionswhichcouldbemadeonlybyonewhowasveryfamiliarwiththeBook。Quotationscannotbeabundant，ofcourse，butthereisagreatdealofthissortofthing:
"Sinking，helefthisdruggetrobebehind，Borneupwardbyasubterraneanwind，Themantlefelltotheyoungprophet'spart，Withdoubleportionofhisfather'sart。"
InhisEpistlesthereismuchofthesamesort。
WhenhewritestoCongrevehespeaksofthefathers，andsays:
"Their'swasthegiantracebeforetheflood。"
Fartheronhesays:
"Ourbuilderswerewithwantofgeniuscurst，Thesecondtemplewasnotlikethefirst。"
NowDrydenmayhavebeen，asMacaulaysaid，an"illustriousrenegade，"butallhiswritingshowstheinfluenceofthelanguageandtheideasoftheKingJamesversion。Wheneverwesingthe"VeniCreator"wesingJohnDryden。
SowesingAddisonintheparaphraseofScripture，whichHaydn'smusichasmadefamiliar:
"Thespaciousfirmamentonhigh，Withalltheblueetherealsky。"
WhileDrydenyieldedtohistimes，Addisondidnot，andtheSpectatorbecamenotonlyaliterarybutamoralpower。Intheefforttomakeitsohewasthrownbackonthelargestmoralinfluenceoftheday，theBible，andthroughouttheSpectatorandthroughallofAddison'swritingyoufindonallproperoccasionstheBiblepressedtothefront。HereagainTaineputsitstrikingly:"Itisnosmallthingtomakemoralityfashionable；Addisondidit，anditremainsfashionable。"
Ifwespeakofsinging，wemayrememberthatwesingthehymnofevenpoorlittledwarfedinvalidAlexanderPope。HewasborntheyearBunyandied，bornatcross-purposeswiththeworld。Hecouldwriteabittersatire，likethe"Dunciad"；hecouldgivetheworldTheIliadandTheOdysseyinsuchEnglishthatweknowthemfarbetterthanintheGreekofHomer；
butinthoseraremomentswhenhewasathisbetterselfhewouldwritehisgreaterpoem，"TheMessiah"，inwhichthemovementofScriptureisoutlinedasitcouldbeonlybyonewhoknewtheEnglishBible。Andwhenwesing——
"Rise，crownedwithlight，imperialSalem，rise"——
itisworthwhiletorealizethatthevoicethatfirstsungitwasthatoftheirritablelittlepoetwhofoundsomeofhisscantcomfortinthegrandwordsandphrasesandideasofourEnglishBible。
Withthesesix——Shakespeare，Milton，Bunyan，Dryden，Addison，andPope——thecourseoftheJacobeanliteratureissufficientlymeasured。
Therearemanylessernames，butthesearetheoneswhichmadeitanepochinliterature，andtheseareattheirbestunderthepoweroftheBible。
IntheGeorgiangroupweneedtocallonlyfivegreatnameswhichhavehadcreativeinfluenceinliterature。Ordinarycultureinliteraturewillincludesomeacquaintancewitheachofthem。IntheorderoftheirdeaththeyareShelley1829。，Byron1824，Coleridge1831，WalterScott1832，andWordsworth1850。
Thelastlongoutlivedtheothers；buthebelongswiththem，becausehewasbornearlierthananyotherinthegroupanddidhischiefworkintheirtimeandbeforethelatergroupappeared。ExceptWordsworth，alltheseweregonebeforeQueenVictoriacametothethronein1837。Threeothernamescouldbecalled:
Keats，RobertBurns，andCharlesLamb。Allwouldillustratewhatwearestudying。KeatsleastofallandBurnsmost。TheyareomittedherenotbecausetheydidnotfeeltheinfluenceoftheEnglishBible，notbecausetheydonotconstantlyshowitsinfluence，butbecausetheyarenotsocreativeastheothers；theyhavenotsoinfluencedthecurrentofliterature。Atanyrate，thefivenamedwillrepresentworthilyandwithsufficientcompletenesstheGeorgianperiodofEnglishliterature。
NothingcouldrevealmoreclearlythanthislisthowwearedistinguishingtheBibleasliteraturefromtheBibleasanauthoritativebookinmorals。OnewouldmuchdisliketocredittheBiblewithanypartofthepersonallifeofShelleyorByron。Theywerefriends；they，weregeniuses；buttheywerebothbadlyafflictedwithcommonmoralleprosy。Itisplayingwithmoralstoexcuseeitherofthembecausehewasagenius。Nothinginthegeniusofeitherdemandedorwasservedbythecourseofcheapimmoralitywhichbothpractised。ItwasnotbecauseShelleywasageniusthathemarriedHarrietWestbrook，thenranawaywithMaryGodwin，thentriedtogetthetwotobecomefriendsandneighborsuntilhisownwifecommittedsuicide；itwasnothisgeniusthatmadehimyieldtotheinfluenceofEmiliaVivianiandwriteherthepoem"Epipsychidion，"tellingherandtheworldthathe"wasneverattachedtothatgreatsectwhobelievedthateachoneshouldselectoutofthecrowdamistressorafriend"andlettherestgo。Thatwasnotgenius，thatwasjustcommonpassion；andourdivorcecourtsarefullofShelleysofthattype。
SoByron'spersonalimmoralityisnottobeexplainednorexcusedonthegroundofhisgenius。ItwasnotgeniusthatledhimsoastrayinEnglandthathiswifehadtodivorcehim，andthatpublicopiniondrovehimoutoftheland。ItwasnothisgeniusthatsenthimtovisitShelleyandhismistressatLakeGenevaandseducetheirguest，sothatsheborehimadaughter，thoughshewasneverhiswife。ItwasnotgeniusthatmadehimpickupstillanothercompanionoutofseveralinItalyandlivewithherinimmoralrelation。InthenameofcommondecencyletnoonestandupforShelleyandByronintheirpersonalcharacters!Therearenottwomorallaws，oneforgeniusesandoneforcommonpeople。Byron，atanyrate，wasneverdeceivedabouthimself，neverblamedhisgeniusnorhisconscienceforhiswrong。Thesearestrikinglinesin"ChildeHarold，"inwhichhedisclaimsallrighttosympathy，because，"ThethornswhichIhavereapedareofthetreeIplanted，——theyhavetornmeandIbleed。
Ishouldhaveknownwhatfruitwouldspringfromsuchatree。"
Shelley'swifewouldnotsaythatforhim。
"InallShelleydid，"shesays，"heatthetimeofdoingitbelievedhimselfjustifiedtohisownconscience。"Well，somuchtheworseforShelley!Geniusesarenottheonlymenwhocanfindgoodreasonfordoingwhattheywanttodo。OneofShelley'scriticssuggeststhatthetroublewashisintroductionintopersonalconductoftheimaginationwhichheoughttohavesavedforhiswriting。PerhapswemightexplainByron'smisconductbyremindingourselvesofhisclub-foot，andapplyingonecodeofmoralstomenwithclub-feetandanothertomenwithnormalfeet。
IfwespeakoftheinfluenceoftheBibleonthesemen，itmustbeontheirliterarywork；
andwhenwefinditthere，itbecomespeculiarmarkofitspower。Theyhadlittlesenseofitasmorallaw。Theirconsciencesapproveditandcondemnedthemselves，orelsetheirdelicateliterarytastesenseditasabookofpower。
ThisisnotablytrueofShelley。WhenhewasstillastudentinOxfordhecommittedhimselftotheopinionofanotherwriter，that"themindcannotbelieveintheexistenceofGod。"Hetriestoworkthatoutfullyinhisnoteson"QueenMab。"Whenhewashardlyyetofagehehimselfwrotethat"ThegeniusofhumanhappinessmustteareveryleaffromtheaccursedBookofGod，eremancanreadtheinscriptiononitsheart。"HeoncesaidthathishighestdesirewasthatthereshouldbeamonumenttohimselfsomewhereintheAlpswhichshouldbeonlyagreatstonewithitsfacesmoothedandthisshortinscriptioncutinit，"PercyByssheShelley，Atheist。"
ItwouldseemthatwhateverShelleydrewofstrengthorinspirationfromtheBiblewouldbebywayofreaction；butitisnotso。Howeverhemayhavehatedthe"accursedBookofGod，"
hiswifetellsinhernoteon"TheRevoltofIslam"
thatShelley"debatedwhetherheshoulddevotehimselftopoetryormetaphysics，"and，resolvingontheformer，he"educatedhimselfforit，engaginghimselfinthestudyofthepoetsofGreece，England，andItaly。Tothese，maybeadded，"shegoeson，"aconstantperusalofportionsoftheOldTestament，theBookofPsalms，Job，Isaiah，andothers，thesublimepoetryofwhichfilledhimwithdelight。"Notonlydidhecatchthespiritofthatpoetry，butitsphraseshauntedhismemory。Inhisbestprosework，whichhecalledADefenseofPoetry，thereisaninterestingrevelationoftheinfluenceofhisBiblereadinguponhim。Towardtheendoftheessaythesetwosentencesoccur:"Itisinconsistentwiththisdivisionofoursubjecttocitelivingpoets，butposterityhasdoneamplejusticetothegreatnamesnowreferredto。Theirerrorshavebeenweighedandfoundtohavebeendustinthebalance；iftheirsinsareasscarlet，theyarenowwhiteassnow；theyhavebeenwashedinthebloodofthemediatorandredeemer，Time。"Thereisnomoreeloquentpassageintheessaythantheoneofwhichthisispart，andyetitisfullofallusiontothisBookfromwhichallpagesmustbetorn!Evenin"QueenMab"hemakesAhasuerus，thewanderingJew，recounttheBiblestoryinsuchbroadoutlinesascouldbegivenonlybyamanwhowasfamiliarwithit。WhenShelleywasinItalyandthewordcametohimofthemassacreatManchester，hewrotehis"MasqueofAnarchy。"
Therearefewmoremelodiouslinesofhiswritingthanthosewhichoccurinthislongpoeminthesectionregardingfreedom。Fourofthoselinesareoftenquoted。TheyareattheveryheartofShelley'sbestwork。Addressingfreedom，hesays:
"Thouartlove:therichhavekissedThyfeet，and，likehimfollowingChrist，Gavetheirsubstancetothefree，Andthroughtheroughworldfollowthee。"
PageafterpageofShelleyrevealsthesehalf-
consciousreferencestotheBible。Thereweretwosourcesfromwhichhereceivedhispassionatedemocracy。OnewasthetreatmenthereceivedatEton，andlateratOxford；theotherishisfrequentreadingoftheEnglishBible，eventhoughhewasinthespiritofrebellionagainstmuchofitsteaching。InBrowning'sessayonShelley，hereachestheamazingconclusionthat"hadShelleylived，hewouldfinallyhaverangedhimselfwiththeChristians，"andseekstojustifyitbyshowingthathewasmovingstraighttowardthepositionsofPaulandofDavid。Someofusmaynotseesuchrapidapproach，butthatShelleyfeltthedrawingofGodintheuniverseisplainenough。
TheinfluenceoftheBibleisstillmoremarkedonByron。HespenthischildhoodyearsatAberdeen。TherehisnursetrainedhimintheBible；and，thoughhedidnotlivebyit，heneverlosthisloveforit，norhisknowledgeofit。Hetellsofhisownexperienceinthisway:
"Iamagreatreaderofthosebooks[theBible]，andhadreadthemthroughandthroughbeforeIwaseightyearsold；thatistosay，theOldTestament，fortheNewstruckmeasatask，buttheotherasapleasure。"[1]OneoftheearliestbitsofhisworkisaparaphraseofoneofthePsalms。Hisphysicalinfirmityputhimatoddswiththeworld，whilehisstrikingbeautydrewtohimacrowdofadmirerswhohelpedtopoisoneveryspringofhisgenius。Evenso，heheldhislovefortheBible。WhileShelleyoftenspokeofitincontempt，whilehepridedhimselfonhisdivergencefromthepathofitsteaching，Byronneverdid。Hewanderedfar，buthealwaysknewit；and，thoughhecouldhardlyfindtermstoexpresshiscontemptfortheChurch，thereisnolineofByron'swritingwhichisaslurattheBible。Ontheotherhand，muchofhisworkrevealsapassionforthebeautyofitaswellasitstruth。HismostmelodiouswritingisinthatgroupofHebrewmelodieswhichwerewrittentobesung。TheydemandfarmorethanapassingknowledgeoftheBiblebothfortheirwritingandtheirunderstanding。Thereisalonglistofthem，butnoonewithoutaknowledgeoftheBiblewouldhaveknownwhathemeantbyhispoem，"TheHarptheMonarchMinstrelSwept。""Jephtha'sDaughter"presumesuponaknowledgeoftheOldTestamentstorywhichwouldnotcometooneinapassingstudyoftheBible。"TheSongofSaulBeforehisLastBattle"andthepoemheaded"Saul"
couldnothavebeenwritten，norcantheybereadintelligentlybyanyonewhodoesnotknowhisBible。AmongByron'sdramas，twoofwhichhethoughtmost，were，"HeavenandEarth"
and"Cain。"WhenhewasaccusedofpervertingtheScripturein"Cain，"herepliedthathehadonlytakentheScriptureatitsfacevalue。
BothofthedramasarenotonlybuiltdirectlyoutofScripturalevents，butimplyafarwiderknowledgeofScripturethantheirmeretitlessuggest。
[1]Taine，EnglishLiterature，II。，279。
Therearestrikingreferencesinmanyotherpoems，eveninhisalmostvilepoem，"DonJuan。"Themostnotableinstanceisinthefifteenthcanto，whereheisspeakingofpersecutedsagesandtheselinesoccur:
"Wasitnotso，greatLocke?andgreaterBacon?
GreatSocrates?AndThouDivinerstill，Whoselotitisbymentobemistaken，AndThypurecreedmadesanctionofallill?
Redeemingworldstobebybigotsshaken，HowwasThytoilrewarded?"
InanoteonthispassageByronsays:"Asitisnecessaryinthesetimestoavoidambiguity，IsaythatImeanby'Divinerstill'Christ。IfeverGodwasman——ormanGod——Hewasboth。
IneverarraignedHiscreed，buttheuseorabuseofit。Mr。CanningonedayquotedChristianitytosanctionslavery，andMr。Wilberforcehadlittletosayinreply。AndwasChristcrucifiedthatblackmenmightbescourged?Ifso，Hehadbetterbeenbornamulatto，togivebothcolorsanequalchanceoffreedom，oratleastsalvation。"ByroncouldlivefarfromtheinfluenceoftheBibleinhispersonallife；butheneverescapeditsinfluenceinhisliterarywork。
OfColeridgelessneedstobesaid，becausewethinkofhimsomuchintermsofhismoremeditativemusings，whichareoftenreligious。
HehimselftellsoflongandcarefulrereadingsoftheEnglishBibleuntilhecouldsay:IntheBible"thereismorethatfindsmethanIhaveexperiencedinallotherbookstogether；thewordsoftheBiblefindmeatgreaterdepthsofmybeing。"Ofcourse，thatwouldinfluencehiswriting，anditdid。Eveninthe"RimeoftheAncientMariner"muchofthephraseologyisScriptural。Whenthealbatrossdrewnear，"AsifithadbeenaChristiansoul，WehaileditinGod'sname。"
WhenthemarinerslepthegavepraisetoMary，QueenofHeaven。Hesoughttheshrivingofthehermit-priest。Heendsthestorybecausehehears"thelittlevesperbell"whichbidshimtoprayer。Whenyoureadhis"HymnBeforeSunriseintheValeofChamounix"youfindyourselfreadingtheNineteenthPsalm。HecallsonthemotionlesstorrentsandthesilentcataractsandthegreatMontBlancitselftopraiseGod。ColeridgeneverhadseenChamounix，norMontBlanc，noraglacier，butheknewhisBible。SohehashisChristmasCarolalongwithalltherest。HispoemoftheMoorsaftertheCivilWarunderPhilipII。isScripturalinitsphraseology，andsoismuchelsethathewrote。
Franklyandwillinglyheyieldedtoitsinfluence。
Inhis"TableTalk"heoftenreferstothevalueoftheBibleintheformingofliterarystyle。Oncehesaid:"IntensestudyoftheBiblewillkeepanywriterfrombeingvulgarinpointofstyle。"[1]
[1]June14，1830。
TheverymentionofColeridgemakesonethinkofWordsworth。TheyhadaDamonandPythiasfriendship。TheWordsworthswerepoor；theyhadonlyseventypoundsayear，andtheywerenotashamed。Coleridgecalledthemthehappiestfamilyheeversaw。WordsworthwasnotnarrowlyaChristianpoet，hewasnotalwaysseekingtoputChristiandogmaintopoetry，butthroughouthewasexpressingtheChristianspiritwhichhehadlearnedfromtheBible。HispoetrywasonelongprotestagainstbanishingGodfromtheuniverse。Itwasliterallytrueofhimthat"themeanestflowerthatgrowscangivethoughtsthattoooftenlietoodeepfortears。"Ifthiswerethetimetobecritical，onewouldthinkthattoomuchwassometimesmadeofveryminuteoccurrences；butthistendencytogetbackoftheeventandseehowGodismovingislearnedbestfromScripture，whereWordsworthhimselflearnedit。Ifyoureadhis"IntimationsofImmortality，"orthe"OdetoDuty，"or"TinternAbbay，"oreventheratherlabored"Excursion，"youfindyourselfundertheScripturalinfluence。
ThereremainsinthisGeorgiangroupthegreatprosemaster，WalterScott。Mr。GladstonesaidhethoughtScottthegreatestofhiscountrymen。JohnMorleysuggestedJohnKnoxinstead。Mr。Gladstonereplied:"No，thelinemustbedrawnfirmlybetweenthewriterandthemanofaction——nocomparisonthere。"[1]HewentontosaythatBurnsisveryfineandtrue，nodoubt，"buttoimagineawholegroupofcharacters，tomarshalthem，tosetthemtowork，andtosustaintheaction，Imustcountthatthetestofhighestandmostdiversifiedquality。"AllwhoarefondofScottwillrealizehowconstantlythesceneswhichheisdescribinggroupthemselvesaroundreligiousobservances，howoftenmenareheldincheckfromdeedsofviolencebyreligiousconception。ManyofthesescenescrystallizearoundaScripturalevent。