a miscellany of men-第25部分

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ristics；　which　would　attract　the　eyes　of　sociologists；　if　they　had　any　eyes。　　For　instance；　his　vocabulary　is　coarse　and　abusive；　in　marked　contrast　to　his　actual　spirit；　which　is　generally　patient　and　civil。　　He　has　an　odd　way　of　using　certain　words　of　really　horrible　meaning；　but　using　them　quite　innocently　and　without　the　most　distant　taint　of　the　evils　to　which　they　allude。　　He　is　rather　sentimental；　and；　like　most　sentimental　people；　not　devoid　of　snobbishness。　　At　the　same　time；　he　believes　the　ordinary　manly　commonplaces　of　freedom　and　fraternity　as　he　believes　most　of　the　decent　traditions　of　Christian　men：　he　finds　it　very　difficult　to　act　according　to　them；　but　this　difficulty　is　not　confined　to　him。　　He　has　a　strong　and　individual　sense　of　humour；　and　not　much　power　of　corporate　or　militant　action。　　He　is　not　a　Socialist。　　Finally；　he　bears　no　more　resemblance　to　a　Labour　Member　than　he　does　to　a　City　Alderman　or　a　Die…Hard　Duke。　This　is　the　Common　Labourer　of　England；　and　it　is　he　who　is　on　the　march　at　last。

See　this　man　in　your　mind　as　you　see　him　in　the　street；　realise　that　it　is　his　open　mind　we　wish　to　influence　or　his　empty　stomach　we　wish　to　cure；　and　then　consider　seriously　（if　you　can）　the　five　men；　including　two　of　his　own　alleged　oppressors；　who　were　summoned　as　a　Royal　Commission　to　consider　his　claims　when　he　or　his　sort　went　out　on　strike　upon　the　railways。　　I　knew　nothing　against；　indeed　I　knew　nothing　about；　any　of　the　gentlemen　then　summoned；　beyond　a　bare　introduction　to　Mr。　Henderson；　whom　I　liked；　but　whose　identity　I　was　in　no　danger　of　confusing　with　that　of　a　railway…porter。　　I　do　not　think　that　any　old　gentleman；　however　absent…minded；　would　be　likely　on　arriving　at　Euston；　let　us　say；　to　hand　his　Gladstone…bag　to　Mr。　Henderson　or　to　attempt　to　reward　that　politician　with　twopence。　　Of　the　others　I　can　only　judge　by　the　facts　about　their　status　as　set　forth　in　the　public　Press。　　The　Chairman；　Sir　David　Harrell；　appeared　to　be　an　ex…official　distinguished　in　（of　all　things　in　the　world）　the　Irish　Constabulary。　　I　have　no　earthly　reason　to　doubt　that　the　Chairman　meant　to　be　fair；　but　I　am　not　talking　about　what　men　mean　to　be；　but　about　what　they　are。　　The　police　in　Ireland　are　practically　an　army　of　occupation；　a　man　serving　in　them　or　directing　them　is　practically　a　soldier；　and；　of　course；　he　must　do　his　duty　as　such。　　But　it　seems　truly　extraordinary　to　select　as　one　likely　to　sympathise　with　the　democracy　of　England　a　man　whose　whole　business　in　life　it　has　been　to　govern　against　its　will　the　democracy　of　Ireland。　　What　should　we　say　if　Russian　strikers　were　offered　the　sympathetic　arbitration　of　the　head　of　the　Russian　Police　in　Finland　or　Poland？　　And　if　we　do　not　know　that　the　whole　civilised　world　sees　Ireland　with　Poland　as　a　typical　oppressed　nation；　it　is　time　we　did。　The　Chairman；　whatever　his　personal　virtues；　must　be　by　instinct　and　habit　akin　to　the　capitalists　in　the　dispute。　　Two　more　of　the　Commissioners　actually　were　the　capitalists　in　the　dispute。　　Then　came　Mr。　Henderson　（pushing　his　trolley　and　cheerily　crying；　〃By　your　leave。〃）；　and　then　another　less　known　gentleman　who　had　〃corresponded〃　with　the　Board　of　Trade；　and　had　thus　gained　some　strange　claim　to　represent　the　very　poor。

Now　people　like　this　might　quite　possibly　produce　a　rational　enough　report；　and　in　this　or　that　respect　even　improve　things。　　Men　of　that　kind　are　tolerably　kind；　tolerably　patriotic；　and　tolerably　business…like。　But　if　any　one　supposes　that　men　of　that　kind　can　conceivably　quiet　any　real　'quarrel　with　the　Man　of　the　Other　Kind；　the　man　whom　I　first　described；　it　is　frantic。　　The　common　worker　is　angry　exactly　because　he　has　found　out　that　all　these　boards　consist　of　the　same　well…dressed　Kind　of　Man；　whether　they　are　called　Governmental　or　Capitalist。　　If　any　one　hopes　that　he　will　reconcile　the　poor；　I　say；　as　I　said　at　the　beginning；　that　such　a　one　has　not　looked　on　the　light　of　day　or　dwelt　in　the　land　of　the　living。

But　I　do　not　criticise　such　a　Commission　except　for　one　most　practical　and　urgent　purpose。　　It　will　be　answered　to　me　that　the　first　Kind　of　Man　of　whom　I　spoke　could　not　really　be　on　boards　and　committees；　as　modern　England　is　managed。　　His　dirt；　though　necessary　and　honourable；　would　be　offensive：　his　speech；　though　rich　and　figurative；　would　be　almost　incomprehensible。　　Let　us　grant；　for　the　moment；　that　this　is　so。　　This　Kind　of　Man；　with　his　sooty　hair　or　sanguinary　adjectives；　cannot　be　represented　at　our　committees　of　arbitration。　　Therefore；　the　other　Kind　of　Man；　fairly　prosperous；　fairly　plausible；　at　home　at　least　with　the　middle　class；　capable　at　least　of　reaching　and　touching　the　upper　class；　he　must　remain　the　only　Kind　of　Man　for　such　councils。

Very　well。　　If　then；　you　give　at　any　future　time　any　kind　of　compulsory　powers　to　such　councils　to　prevent　strikes；　you　will　be　driving　the　first　Kind　of　Man　to　work　for　a　particular　master　as　much　as　if　you　drove　him　with　a　whip。



THE　MEDIAEVAL　VILLAIN


I　see　that　there　have　been　more　attempts　at　the　whitewashing　of　King　John。

But　the　gentleman　who　wrote　has　a　further　interest　in　the　matter；　for　he　believes　that　King　John　was　innocent；　not　only　on　this　point；　but　as　a　whole。　　He　thinks　King　John　has　been　very　badly　treated；　though　I　am　not　sure　whether　he　would　attribute　to　that　Plantagenet　a　saintly　merit　or　merely　a　humdrum　respectability。

I　sympathise　with　the　whitewashing　of　King　John；　merely　because　it　is　a　protest　against　our　waxwork　style　of　history。　　Everybody　is　in　a　particular　attitude；　with　particular　moral　attributes；　Rufus　is　always　hunting　and　Coeur…de…Lion　always　crusading；　Henry　VIII　always　marrying；　and　Charles　I　always　having　his　head　cut　off；　Alfred　rapidly　and　in　rotation　making　his　people's　clocks　and　spoiling　their　cakes；　and　King　John　pulling　out　Jews'　teeth　with　the　celerity　and　industry　of　an　American　dentist。　　Anything　is　good　that　shakes　all　this　stiff　simplification；　and　makes　us　remember　that　these　men　were　once　alive；　that　is；　mixed；　free；　flippant；　and　inconsistent。　　It　gives　the　mind　a　healthy　kick　to　know　that　Alfred　had　fits；　that　Charles　I　prevented　enclosures；　that　Rufus　was　really　interested　in　architecture；　that　Henry　VIII　was　really　interested　in　theology。

And　as　these　scraps　of　reality　can　startle　us　into　more　solid　imagination　of　events；　so　can　even　errors　and　exaggerations　if　they　are　on　the　right　side。　　It　does　some　good　to　call　Alfred　a　prig；　Charles　I　a　Puritan；　and　John　a　jolly　good　fellow；　if　this　makes　us　feel　that　they　were　people　whom　we　might　have　liked　or　disliked。　　I　do　not　myself　think　that　John　was　a　nice　gentleman；　but　for　all　that　the　popular　picture　of　him　is　all　wrong。　　Whether　he　had　any　generous　qualities　or　not；　he　had　what　commonly　makes　them　possible；　dare…devil　courage；　for　instance；　and　hot…　headed　decision。　　But；　above　all；　he　had　a　morality　which　he　broke；　but　which　we　misunderstand。

The　mediaeval　mind　turned　centrally　upon　the　pivot　of　Free　Will。　　In　their　social　system　the　mediaevals　were　too　much　PARTI…PER…PALE；　as　their　heralds　would　say；　too　rigidly　cut　up　by　fences　and　quarterings　of　guild　or　degree。　　But　in　their　moral　philosophy　they　always　thought　of　man　as　standing　free　and　doubtful　at　the　cross…roads　in　a　forest。　　While　they　clad　and　bound　the　body　and　（to　some　extent）　the　mind　too　stiffly　and　quaintly　for　our　taste；　they　had　a　much　stronger　sense　than　we　have　of　the　freedom　of　the　soul。　　For　them　the　soul　always　hung　poised　like　an　eagle　in　the　heavens　of　liberty。　　Many　of　the　things　that　strike　a　modern　as　most　fantastic　came　from　their　keen　sense　of　the　power　of　choice。

For　instance；　the　greatest　of　the　Schoolmen　devotes　folios　to　the　minute　description　of　what　the　world　would　have　been　like　if　Adam　had　refused　the　apple；　what　kings；　laws；　babies；　animals；　planets　would　have　been　in　an　unfallen　world。　So　intensely　does　he　feel　that　Adam　might　have　decided　the　other　way　that　he　sees　a　complete　and　complex　vision　of　another　world；　a　world　that　now　can　never　be。

This　sense　of　the　stream　of　life　in　a　man　that　may　turn　either　way　can　be　felt　through　all　their　popular　ethics　in　legend；　chronicle；　and　ballad。　It　is　a　feeling　which　has　been　weakened　among　us　by　two　heavy　intellectual　forces。　　The　Calvinism　of　the　seventeenth　century　and　the　physical　science　of　the　nineteenth；　whatever　other　truths　they　may　have　taught；　have　darkened　this　liberty　with　a　sense　of　doom。　　We　think　of　bad　men　as　something　like　black　men；　a　separate　and　incurable　kind　of　people。　The　Byronic　spirit　was　really　a　sort　of　operatic　Calvinism。　　It　brought　the　villain　upon　the　stage；　the　lost　soul；　the　modern　version　of　King　John。　　But　the　contemporaries　of　King　John　did　not　feel　like　that　about　him；　even　when　they　detested　him。　　They　instinctively　felt　him　to　be　a　man　of　mixed　passions　like　themselves；　who　was　allowing　his　evil　passions　to　have　much　too　good　a　time　of　it。　　They　might　have　spoken　of　him　as　a　man　in　considerable　danger　of　going　to　hell；　but　they　would　have　not　talked　of　him　as　if　he　had　come　from　there。　　In　the　ballads　of　Percy　or　Robin　Hood　it　frequently　happens　that　the　King　comes　upon　the　scene；　and　his　ultimate　decision　makes　the　climax　of　the　tale。　　But　we　do　not　feel；　as　we　do　in　the　Byronic　or　modern　romance；　that　there　is　a　definite　stage　direction　〃Enter　Tyrant。〃　　Nor　do　we　behold　a　deus　ex　machina　who　is　certain　to　do　all　that　is　mild　and　just。　　The　King　in　the　ballad　is　in　a　state　of　virile　indecision。　Sometimes　he　will　pass　from　a　towering　passion　to　the　most　sweeping　magnanimity　and　friendliness；　sometimes　he　will　begin　an　act　of　vengeance　and　be　turned　from　it　by　a　jest。　　Yet　this　august　levity　is　not　moral　indifference；　it　is　moral　freedom。　　It　is　the　strong　sense　in　the　writer　that　the　King；　being　the　type　of　man　with　power；　will　probably　sometimes　use　it　badly　and　sometimes　well。　　In　this　sense　John　is　certainly　misrepresented；　for　he　is　pictured　as　something　that　none　of　his　own　friends　or　enemies　saw。　　In　that　sense　he　was　certainly　not　so　black　as　he　is　painted；　for　he　lived　in　a　world　where　every　one　was　piebald。

King　John　would　be　represented　in　a　modern　play　or　novel　as　a　kind　of　degenerate；　a　shiftyeyed　moral　ma