pseudo-Byronic Vampyre merely shows how Arnold, in other words, a layman of perfect little the ablest foreign judges are qualified culture, of much subtlety of thought, with to appreciate the niceties of style. Goethe's something of "distinction" of style, perfect acumen also appears at fault in his confi- tranquillity of nature, a keen eye for the dent ascription of Wolfe's "Burial of Sir physiognomy of faith, a sceptical intellect, John Moore," printed anonymously in and a spirit of strongly religious leanings. Medwin's Conversations, to Byron. He The author is not, however, a poet; but his speaks on this occasion contemptuously of social position in Siam is even higher than Shelley (with whose works he must have Mr. Arnold's in England, having been for been entirely unacquainted), fancying that many years that of Minister of Foreign Afhe had disparaged this fine poem. Medwin, fairs in Siam, from which he only retired however, only says that Shelley, after hear- two years ago when he lost his sight. Mr. ing it read aloud, observed that he should Alabaster appears to think that some of this have taken it for a first sketch by Campbell. gentleman's (Chao Phya Thipakon's) best Goethe probably knew nothing of Campbell, ideas on religious subjects may have been and was therefore unable to appreciate derived from the late King of Siam, who either the justice or the really compli- was 'the founder of a new school of Buddmentary character of the criticism. Med- hist thought," and who was in some sense a win's work was then the chief source of in- Buddhist Colenso, since "while himself a formation regarding Byron, and seems to monk, and eminent among monks for his have been eagerly perused at Weimar. knowledge of the Buddhist Scriptures, he Goethe characterizes Byron, as represented boldly preached against the canonicity of in it, very fairly, dwelling with indignant those of them" whose stories were opposed regret on the petty scandals and jealousies, to reason and to his knowledge of modern the waste and aimlessness, of his existence. science. But the late King seems to have In another place he says that Byron died at the right time. There was a flaw in his Greek enterprise from the first; it could not have ended well. committed none of his ideas to writing. His views survive, so far as they survive at all, only in what Mr. Alabaster calls" the less advanced ideas" of his minister. That minOn the whole, although this book cannot ister is, however, as it seems to us, a model be said to make any considerable addition of intellectual breadth and calm. Mr. Alato our knowledge of Goethe, it fulfils the baster says that all foreigners who consecond and hardly less important end of versed with Chao Phya Thipakon on politisimilar publications. The reader, if quali-cal business found him not only suave and fied to be a reader, cannot but experience the elevating and stimulating effect of intercourse with a great mind. From The Spectator. A BUDDHIST “MATTHEW ARNOLD." open to argument, but perfect in the courteous urbanity of his demeanour in such argument. "It was his wont when with those who could converse freely in Siamese, to end every official interview with a private discussion on some theological or transcendental subject, therein differing from all the other leading men of his country, whose thoughts and inquiries were always about material, mechanical, and practical subjects. MR. HENRY ALABASTER, the Interpreter For instance, if gunpowder was alluded to, to Her Majesty's Consulate-General in Si- he would expatiate on the advantages civiam, has just given us an exceedingly re-lized nations derived from it, or would specmarkable book, which all those who take the ulate on its combustion changing a solid least interest in the study of that most be- into a gas, while any other nobleman would wildering of all subjects, comparative relig- have discussed either the best proportion ions, will devour with the deepest interest. of its ingredients, or the best place to buy It is a translation,* with explanatory re- it, and the right price to pay for it." That marks, of a little work, "the first ever is a very pleasant picture. Perhaps it printed and published by a Siamese without would be unreasonable to expect that forforeign assistance," which we may best eign ministers so busy as Lord Palmerston, describe by saying that it reads like an es- Lord Russell, and Lord Clarendon, should say from the hand of a Buddhist Matthew have been in the habit of gliding into a con *The Modern Buddhist; being the Views of a Siamese Minister of State on His Own and Other Religions. Translated with Remarks by Henry Alabaster, Interpreter of H.B.M.'s Consulate in versation on transcendental science or the ology with Baron Brunow, or Count Apponyi, or Baron Bunsen before dismissing them. Such a habit speaks of the contemplative leisure and strange calm of the East. As Mr. Arnold tells us of the Roman times, I of St. Paul's belief which he considered to so is it now in the English, "The brooding East with awe beheld The Roman tempest swelled and swelled "The East bowed low before the blast She let the legions thunder past, be purely subsidiary), that 'Science " knows nothing of it, can neither prove it, nor disprove it, but simply ignores it, finding no evidence to sustain it in the present state of our knowledge. He insists at least as much as Mr. Arnold on the fruitfulness of scientific method. He gives the Buddhist legends concerning the origin of natural phenomena like rain, and heat, and fever, and so forth, from old books which he regards as uncanonical and not sanctioned by Buddha himself, remarking, with all the equanimity of an Essayist and Reviewer, that no one has verified or can verify such legends, while the fact that vapour exhales from rivers and the sea, and rises into the cooler regions of the atmosphere, where it is condensed into water and forms clouds, And so it seems to be still. The Siamese Minister, gives audience to these restless, pushing strangers, and hears from them all sorts of bizarre arguments. Some of them (missionaries of the go-a-head type) tell him, for instance, with a bitter irony on themselves of which they are quite unconscious, "It does at times please God to accede to the requests of those who pray to- and again, that poisonous gases rise from Him; a remarkable instance of which is marshes and find their way through the that Europeans and Americans have more lungs of animals into the blood, where they excellent arts than any other people. Have create fever, this is matter of experimental they not steamboats, and railways, and tel- verification. He is, therefore, a complete egraphs, and weapons of war superior to sceptic as to the "personal" origin of natuany others in the world? Are not the na- ral phenomena, and a keen believer in that tions which do not worship Christ compara- theory of causation which is content with tively ignorant?" (p. 31-2.) But Chao unconditional antecedents, and tries to penPhya Thipakon only listens to such state-etrate no further. On the other hand, he is ments inpatient deep disdain," and answers calmly,There are many in Europe who do not believe in God, but are indifferent, yet have subtle and expanded intellects, and are great philosophers and politicians. How is it that God grants to those men who do not believe in Him the same intelligence He grants to those who do?" And the bustling missionary who has used 80 gross and unspiritual a fallacy by way of religious argument, replies in a pet at the end of the discussion, If any man spake like this in European countries he would be put in prison," whereupon Chao Phya Thipakon calmly but shrewdly invites "particular attention to this statement." He was clearly a great deal too many for the sort of missionary who tried to instruct him. But we must give some account of this remarkable man's positive religious thought. He divides the religions of the world into those whose adherents do or do not believe in the existence of beings who can help them, and in the efficacy of prayer and intercession; the former (including all the forms of Christianity and Brahminism) he calls Brahmanyang; the latter, those of the type of Buddhism, which reject practical results from prayer or intercession, he calls Samanyang; and he intimates, with regard to the belief of the Brahminical and Christian thinkers in prayer and intercession (just as Mr. Arnold intimated of those parts very anxious to explain away the apparent indifference of Buddha to false theories of origin and cause, and his silence as to the true. His reverence for the founder of his faith is so deep that he is most anxious to defend him from any charge of ignorance or error. As a critic, he is not destructive, like Dr. Colenso, but decidedly conservative. He speaks of the relation of science to Buddha's teachings just as we now speak of the relation of science to the inspiration of the Bible. "Those who have studied Pali know that the Lord taught concerning the nature of life and the nature of good and evil, but never discourses about cosmography [? cosmogony]. It is probable that he knew the truth, but his knowledge being opposed to the ideas of the "Traiphoom" which everyone then believed in, he said nothing about it. For if he had taught that the world was a revolving globe, contrary to the traditions of the people who believed it to be flat, they would not have believed him. . . and they, disagreeing with him, might have used towards him evil language and incurred sin. Besides, if he had attacked these old traditions he would have stirred up enmity and lost the time he had for teaching all living beings. . . . Had the Lord Buddha taught cosmography as it is taught in the "Traiphoom," he would not have been omniscient, but by refraining from a subject which men of science were certain eventu ally to ascertain the truth of, he showed its being "praised by wise men," as well as his omniscience." Chao Phya Thipakon, to judge whether a man is wise partly by his therefore, though so keen an adherent of praising an action that is right. This may Scientific method, is disposed, like Mr. Ar- be reasoning in a circle, but it is good nold, to be as conservative as may be in the moral logic, for all that. As to the moral spirit of his biblical criticism. He prefers ends of life, in our Buddhist's view they to insist on the truth which remains, and are universal benevolence and kindness to takes no delight in adding to the number of all the animated creation, freedom from all conjectural errors in the religious tradi- passion, and perfect veracity; and all tions which he acknowledges. this in motive, rather even than in external seeming. There is, of course the radical Buddhist confusion between perfect serenity and perfect inactivity. The highest state is conceived of as attained through pure goodwill to all, and yet as being a still, passionless, changeless abyss of silence and identity of thought. The good-will the benevolence of which the Buddhist makes so much, he yet subordinates to the tranquillity of a fixed dream, instead of subordinating divine serenity to love, like the Christian. But perhaps the most curious part of our Buddhist's creed is his belief in a law of inevitable moral causation, linking together guilt and pain, goodness and happiness, which he attributes to no personal will or thought at all, but only to the constitution of the universe, -or what he calls Kam, — i.e., moral neceissity. Our Buddhist thinkers teadily rejects the notion that this law of moral necessity is due to a moral being, to any absolute Mind and Will; and yet he reasons: "If we were to believe that death is annihilation, we should be at a loss to account for the existence of mankind," as if a law of fatal necessity, due to no free divine Will, could possibly render Such being our author's attitude towards Science, what is, according to him, the spiritual essence of Faith? He illustrates it by a report which he admits having modified in form (in order to express better his own religious view), of a dialogue of Buddha's with some of his disciples who asked to be told the true religion, that they might be relieved from doubt. In this dialogue Buddha is supposed to have begun by warning them what not to believe in. They are not to believe in anything on mere assertion; nor to have faith in traditions; nor in the opinion of the many; nor in the mere written statement of an old sage"; nor in the more remarkable impressions which flash across their Own minds; nor in guesses; nor in suitability or analogy, such as believing there must be walls of the world, because you see water in a basin ; nor in the truth of that to which they have been accustomed; nor because a person of power or weight makes an assertion; nor because a person of rank does so; nor because one who has been their teacher and master does so. "I tell you all," said Buddha, "that you must of your own selves know that this account," in our human sense, of any is evil, this is punishable, this is censured by disposition that might be included in it. wise men, belief in this will bring no advan- Keen and penetrating as our Buddhist tage to one, but will cause sorrow." And thinker is, there are not a few of these untill they know these things of their own conscious moral inconsistencies in his creed. knowledge they are not to believe them. His system really is Atheism coupled with They are to ask their own hearts if "ab- the belief that man by holiness and purity, sence of covetousness Alopho, absence of and the action of the law of an inevitable passion, Atoso, absence of folly, Amoho, moral necessity, may himself attain to apothare profitable or not," and on the assurance eosis, may reach the state of changeless of their own hearts that they are, they are eternal divine tranquillity ("Nirvan,' to believe that it is good to cultivate these "Nigban," or as the Siamese seem to call it virtues. Yet it is remarkable enough that "Nippen "), to which Buddha has already while appearing to protest against belief on attained. It is, indeed, a strange system authority, this passage really carefully in this, in which apotheosis approaches so cludes provision for a certain kind of au- closely to our conception of vacancy, and, thority. It enumerates as one of the re- on the other hand, à mere chain of moral sults of which intimate personal experience cause and effect which is carefully denied can assure men, the knowledge whether all personal origin or significance, apor not certain virtues or vices are praised or proaches so nearly to our conception of blamed by wise men." That is, ordinary God. men are supposed to be able to recognize "wise men "" as surely as they can recognize good and evil; and are supposed to judge whether an action is right partly by As a proof of the "distinction" of thought by which Chao Phya Thipakon seems to us to be marked, take the following sentence: "Also there are those who having listened His all too human creeds, and scan Simply the way divine." to teaching are enlightened, and see clearly¦ that form and name are not realities, and must be considered as sorrows, and that there We hardly think either the German or the is no help to be had from any one, but English poet has the advantage over the that good and evil are the result of merit Buddhist thinker there in the form of exand demerit." We do not agree with that, but it reminds us of a passage in Faust, and of two verses of Mr. Arnold's, to neither of which we may safely assume that Chao Phya had access: — "Gefuhl ist alles; Name ist Schall und Rauch Umnebelnd Himmelsgluth: " "Feeling is all in all, Name is but sound and smoke, Darkening the glow of Heaven." And as to the latter clause of the extract, hear Mr. Arnold: : "From David's lips this word did roll, No man can save his brother's soul, pression. The translator, Mr. Alabaster, to whom we are greatly indebted for this truly remarkable little book, concludes his very sympathetic criticism with the remark that the proof of Buddhism "rests on the assumptions that the reason of man is his surest guide, and that the law of nature is perfect justice. To the disproof of these assumptions, we recommend the attention of those missionaries who wish to convert Buddhists." We should say, on the contrary, that almost every page of this remarkable book contains some implicit or explicit confession that the reason of man tends to transcendental beliefs which are beyond and above reason; and that the law of nature is only "perfect justice" on conditions which virtually assume it, on grounds quite beyond the ken of human observation, to be identical with the law of God. SPRING. COME back, O Spring of Earth! We long for the light of love and mirth We long for the soft moss-rose, For a fresh green on the leaves, For the sunny bank where the daffodil blows, And the swallow in the eaves; We are tired of the Winter's gloom, Of the snow-flake cold and pale; And we long for the orchard's crown of bloom Come back, O Spring of youth! We long for the light of joy and truth, Of those blue eternal skies That gilded the dullest and meanest things We are tired of the ceaseless beat Of waves on a weary shore, Of the clash of tongues and the tramp of feet, And the heart too dull to soar; And we long (in vain) for the sunlight sweet That is vanished for evermore. Come back, O Spring of Love! Come back to the heart grown cold; We long for the moon in the elm-tree grove And the autumn's noon of gold; We long for the evening hours When the rooks had gone to rest, And from myrtle scent of garden bowers We long for one hour to borrow The light of a time when all our sorrow With toil, and sin, and care; Come back, O Spring of Heaven! Come back to a world forlorn; We long for the twilight of earth's sad even To melt in a golden morn; We long for the mists to rise That hang o'er the good and true, And to walk by the palms of Paradise, Of earth and earthly things, Chambers' Journal, CHAPTER V. francs, to be deducted from the balance still remaining in Carlino's hands, the surplus, at a convenient moment, to be returned to Signor Giorgio. The contents of Madame Ferrolliet's packet we already know — a letter from the Baron to Madame Ferrolliet, and one from her to Carlino, with the banknote for a hundred francs intended for Carlino's journey. This note was nearly the cause of a disagreement between master and servant. Carlino returned it to the Baron, insisting that he had no right to it; the Baron, on his side, refusing to receive it. "It was meant for your journey. Have you not read my letter to Madame Ferrolliet? It belongs to you?" Carlino received this assertion on the horns of a dilemma. If it was for my journey, it is not needed, as here I am in Paris with my expenses defrayed by Signor Colletta; if you mean it as a present to me, I cannot accept it, for I have had no time to deserve it." "I decline being under an obligation to Signor Colletta," said the Baron. BRIMFUL of zeal, and of the best sort, as he was, Carlino soon found out that he had not too much of it to meet the exigencies of his situation. It took him a whole week to realize the entire helplessness of his master, and all the extent and continuity of the duties devolving upon him in consequence of this helplessness. Carlino had to get his master out of bed, to wash and dress him, to wheel him about the house, to feed him, to write his letters, to keep his accounts, to read aloud to him, to be ready at every call by day and by night, to soothe him when in pain, to cheer him when desponding, to entertain him when the time hung too heavily on his hands. For though the Baron's moral temperature had risen fifty per cent. in the calm atmosphere with which Carlino surrounded him, still the poor invalid would occasionally relapse into despondency, or break out into fits of impatience and ennui. To all this, however, and to keeping the apartment in order to boot, Carlino, by dint of method, activity, and good humour, found means to suffice single-handed - for the cook, an old termagant, would not give him the least assistance- - but naturally at the cost of not having a spare moment for himself, by which Mdlle. Victorine was a loser. The walks to the Luxembourg garden, the sauntering along the quays, were out of the question now; even the little chats indulged in with the door ajar, when either Victorine had to pass the first story on her way up or down, or when Carlino Carlino took it out of obedience, though went by the apartment of the Marquise on his he would have given much not to be way to his attic, even these were things of obliged to do so. Though Carlino was not the past not to be thought of in the pres-greedy of money, he understood the value ent. Victorine must be contented with a chance"good day," or a kind inquiry after her health sent throngh the concierge. Still it was a great comfort to have him under the same roof with her, to think of his being near while she waited the return of her mistress from ball or soirée, to watch in the dead stillness of the night any the least noise in the apartment below, and to say to herself, He has had a sound sleep," or, "He has had to get up, poor 66 19 soul! 66 You are under none," said Carlino. "Well then, nor to you," retorted the Baron, chafing. That is," he continued, checking himself, "no more than I can help." The Baron had controlled his temper at sight of a cloud overcasting Carlino's face. He added in a gentle tone, "You know that I am under more obligations to you than money can pay. Come, come, take it, if only not to pain me." of it, now especially that he had matrimony in view. His repugnance in this case had its rise in the feeling that he had really done nothing to earn this hundred francs, and in the misgiving that the Baron might fancy he did out of interested motives what he had the consciousness of doing from the promptings of his own heart. The Baron's all-absorbing preoccupation at this moment was his journey to Divonne. He could think and talk of nothing else. In course of time there came by post a He was never tired of demonstrating, scienpacket addressed to Carlino. It contained tifically, as he thought, book in hand, the Signor Colletta's answer to Carlino's last excellence of the water-cure system, the letter, and the often-mentioned letter from strengthening action of water upon the tisMadame Ferrolliet. Signor Colletta, hav-sues, the consequent rebound of the tissues ing first explained the delay of the enclosure, thanked and complimented Carlino on the speedy and happy issue of the business entrusted to his care, approved of his expenses, and begged him to accept, as a mark of the writer's satisfaction, a hundred upon the nerves, &c. Carlino wished for nothing better than to believe-and, indeed, the expounder's faith in his panacea was so entire that it communicated itself to the simple mind of the listener, with a reservation, however, in favour of the mud |