queen victoria-第49部分

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tion　should　be　sufficient。　Each　paper　was　read　aloud　to　her；　and　she　said　at　the　end　〃Approved。〃　Often；　for　hours　at　a　time；　she　would　sit；　with　Albert's　bust　in　front　of　her；　while　the　word　〃Approved〃　issued　at　intervals　from　her　lips。　The　word　came　forth　with　a　majestic　sonority；　for　her　voice　nowhow　changed　from　the　silvery　treble　of　her　girlhoodwas　a　contralto；　full　and　strong。

IV

The　final　years　were　years　of　apotheosis。　In　the　dazzled　imagination　of　her　subjects　Victoria　soared　aloft　towards　the　regions　of　divinity　through　a　nimbus　of　purest　glory。　Criticism　fell　dumb；　deficiencies　which；　twenty　years　earlier；　would　have　been　universally　admitted；　were　now　as　universally　ignored。　That　the　nation's　idol　was　a　very　incomplete　representative　of　the　nation　was　a　circumstance　that　was　hardly　noticed；　and　yet　it　was　conspicuously　true。　For　the　vast　changes　which；　out　of　the　England　of　1837；　had　produced　the　England　of　1897；　seemed　scarcely　to　have　touched　the　Queen。　The　immense　industrial　development　of　the　period；　the　significance　of　which　had　been　so　thoroughly　understood　by　Albert；　meant　little　indeed　to　Victoria。　The　amazing　scientific　movement；　which　Albert　had　appreciated　no　less；　left　Victoria　perfectly　cold。　Her　conception　of　the　universe；　and　of　man's　place　in　it；　and　of　the　stupendous　problems　of　nature　and　philosophy　remained；　throughout　her　life；　entirely　unchanged。　Her　religion　was　the　religion　which　she　had　learnt　from　the　Baroness　Lehzen　and　the　Duchess　of　Kent。　Here；　too；　it　might　have　been　supposed　that　Albert's　views　might　have　influenced　her。　For　Albert；　in　matters　of　religion；　was　advanced。　Disbelieving　altogether　in　evil　spirits；　he　had　had　his　doubts　about　the　miracle　of　the　Gaderene　Swine。　Stockmar；　even；　had　thrown　out；　in　a　remarkable　memorandum　on　the　education　of　the　Prince　of　Wales；　the　suggestion　that　while　the　child　〃must　unquestionably　be　brought　up　in　the　creed　of　the　Church　of　England；〃　it　might　nevertheless　be　in　accordance　with　the　spirit　of　the　times　to　exclude　from　his　religious　training　the　inculcation　of　a　belief　in　〃the　supernatural　doctrines　of　Christianity。〃　This；　however；　would　have　been　going　too　far；　and　all　the　royal　children　were　brought　up　in　complete　orthodoxy。　Anything　else　would　have　grieved　Victoria；　though　her　own　conceptions　of　the　orthodox　were　not　very　precise。　But　her　nature；　in　which　imagination　and　subtlety　held　so　small　a　place；　made　her　instinctively　recoil　from　the　intricate　ecstasies　of　High　Anglicanism；　and　she　seemed　to　feel　most　at　home　in　the　simple　faith　of　the　Presbyterian　Church　of　Scotland。　This　was　what　might　have　been　expected；　for　Lehzen　was　the　daughter　of　a　Lutheran　pastor；　and　the　Lutherans　and　the　Presbyterians　have　much　in　common。　For　many　years　Dr。　Norman　Macleod；　an　innocent　Scotch　minister；　was　her　principal　spiritual　adviser；　and；　when　he　was　taken　from　her；　she　drew　much　comfort　from　quiet　chats　about　life　and　death　with　the　cottagers　at　Balmoral。　Her　piety；　absolutely　genuine；　found　what　it　wanted　in　the　sober　exhortations　of　old　John　Grant　and　the　devout　saws　of　Mrs。　P。　Farquharson。　They　possessed　the　qualities；　which；　as　a　child　of　fourteen；　she　had　so　sincerely　admired　in　the　Bishop　of　Chester's　〃Exposition　of　the　Gospel　of　St。　Matthew；〃　they　were　〃just　plain　and　comprehensible　and　full　of　truth　and　good　feeling。〃　The　Queen；　who　gave　her　name　to　the　Age　of　Mill　and　of　Darwin；　never　got　any　further　than　that。

From　the　social　movements　of　her　time　Victoria　was　equally　remote。　Towards　the　smallest　no　less　than　towards　the　greatest　changes　she　remained　inflexible。　During　her　youth　and　middle　age　smoking　had　been　forbidden　in　polite　society；　and　so　long　as　she　lived　she　would　not　withdraw　her　anathema　against　it。　Kings　might　protest；　bishops　and　ambassadors；　invited　to　Windsor；　might　be　reduced；　in　the　privacy　of　their　bedrooms；　to　lie　full…length　upon　the　floor　and　smoke　up　the　chimneythe　interdict　continued！　It　might　have　been　supposed　that　a　female　sovereign　would　have　lent　her　countenance　to　one　of　the　most　vital　of　all　the　reforms　to　which　her　epoch　gave　birththe　emancipation　of　womenbut；　on　the　contrary；　the　mere　mention　of　such　a　proposal　sent　the　blood　rushing　to　her　head。　In　1870；　her　eye　having　fallen　upon　the　report　of　a　meeting　in　favour　of　Women's　Suffrage；　she　wrote　to　Mr。　Martin　in　royal　rage〃The　Queen　is　most　anxious　to　enlist　everyone　who　can　speak　or　write　to　join　in　checking　this　mad；　wicked　folly　of　'Woman's　Rights；'　with　all　its　attendant　horrors；　on　which　her　poor　feeble　sex　is　bent；　forgetting　every　sense　of　womanly　feeling　and　propriety。　Ladyought　to　get　a　GOOD　WHIPPING。　It　is　a　subject　which　makes　the　Queen　so　furious　that　she　cannot　contain　herself。　God　created　men　and　women　differentthen　let　them　remain　each　in　their　own　position。　Tennyson　has　some　beautiful　lines　on　the　difference　of　men　and　women　in　'The　Princess。'　Woman　would　become　the　most　hateful；　heartless；　and　disgusting　of　human　beings　were　she　allowed　to　unsex　herself；　and　where　would　be　the　protection　which　man　was　intended　to　give　the　weaker　sex？　The　Queen　is　sure　that　Mrs。　Martin　agrees　with　her。〃　The　argument　was　irrefutable；　Mrs。　Martin　agreed；　and　yet　the　canker　spread。

In　another　direction　Victoria's　comprehension　of　the　spirit　of　her　age　has　been　constantly　asserted。　It　was　for　long　the　custom　for　courtly　historians　and　polite　politicians　to　compliment　the　Queen　upon　the　correctness　of　her　attitude　towards　the　Constitution。　But　such　praises　seem　hardly　to　be　justified　by　the　facts。　In　her　later　years　Victoria　more　than　once　alluded　with　regret　to　her　conduct　during　the　Bedchamber　crisis；　and　let　it　be　understood　that　she　had　grown　wiser　since。　Yet　in　truth　it　is　difficult　to　trace　any　fundamental　change　either　in　her　theory　or　her　practice　in　constitutional　matters　throughout　her　life。　The　same　despotic　and　personal　spirit　which　led　her　to　break　off　the　negotiations　with　Peel　is　equally　visible　in　her　animosity　towards　Palmerston；　in　her　threats　of　abdication　to　Disraeli；　and　in　her　desire　to　prosecute　the　Duke　of　Westminster　for　attending　a　meeting　upon　Bulgarian　atrocities。　The　complex　and　delicate　principles　of　the　Constitution　cannot　be　said　to　have　come　within　the　compass　of　her　mental　faculties；　and　in　the　actual　developments　which　it　underwent　during　her　reign　she　played　a　passive　part。　From　1840　to　1861　the　power　of　the　Crown　steadily　increased　in　England；　from　1861　to　1901　it　steadily　declined。　The　first　process　was　due　to　the　influence　of　the　Prince　Consort；　the　second　to　that　of　a　series　of　great　Ministers。　During　the　first　Victoria　was　in　effect　a　mere　accessory；　during　the　second　the　threads　of　power；　which　Albert　had　so　laboriously　collected；　inevitably　fell　from　her　hands　into　the　vigorous　grasp　of　Mr。　Gladstone；　Lord　Beaconsfield；　and　Lord　Salisbury。　Perhaps；　absorbed　as　she　was　in　routine；　and　difficult　as　she　found　it　to　distinguish　at　all　clearly　between　the　trivial　and　the　essential；　she　was　only　dimly　aware　of　what　was　happening。　Yet；　at　the　end　of　her　reign；　the　Crown　was　weaker　than　at　any　other　time　in　English　history。　Paradoxically　enough；　Victoria　received　the　highest　eulogiums　for　assenting　to　a　political　evolution；　which；　had　she　completely　realised　its　import；　would　have　filled　her　with　supreme　displeasure。

Nevertheless　it　must　not　be　supposed　that　she　was　a　second　George　III。　Her　desire　to　impose　her　will；　vehement　as　it　was；　and　unlimited　by　any　principle；　was　yet　checked　by　a　certain　shrewdness。　She　might　oppose　her　Ministers　with　extraordinary　violence；　she　might　remain　utterly　impervious　to　arguments　and　supplications；　the　pertinacity　of　her　resolution　might　seem　to　be　unconquerable；　but；　at　the　very　last　moment　of　all；　her　obstinacy　would　give　way。　Her　innate　respect　and　capacity　for　business；　and　perhaps；　too；　the　memory　of　Albert's　scrupulous　avoidance　of　extreme　courses；　prevented　her　from　ever　entering　an　impasse。　By　instinct　she　understood　when　the　facts　were　too　much　for　her；　and　to　them　she　invariably　yielded。　After　all；　what　else　could　she　do？

But　if；　in　all　these　ways；　the　Queen　and　her　epoch　were　profoundly　separated；　the　points　of　contact　between　them　also　were　not　few。　Victoria　understood　very　well　the　meaning　and　the　attractions　of　power　and　property；　and　in　such　learning　the　English　nation；　too；　had　grown　to　be　more　and　more　proficient。　During　the　last　fifteen　years　of　the　reignfor　the　short　Liberal　Administration　of　1892　was　a　mere　interlude　imperialism　was　the　dominant　creed　of　the　country。　It　was　Victoria's　as　well。　In　this　direction；　if　in　no　other；　she　had　allowed　her　mind　to　develop。　Under　Disraeli's　tutelage　the　British　Dominions　over　the　seas　had　come　to　mean　much　more　to　her　than　ever　before；　and；　in　particular；　she　had　grown　enamoured　of　the　East。　The　thought　of　India　fascinated　her；　she　set　to；　and　learnt　a　little　Hindustani；　she　engaged　some　Indian　servants；　who　became　her　inseparable　attendants；　and　one　of　whom；　Munshi　Abdul　Karim；　eventually　almost　succeeded　to　the　position　which　had　once　been　John　Brown's。　At　the　same　time；　the　imperialist　temper　of　the　nation　invested　her　office　with　a　new　significance　exactly　harmonising　with　her　own　inmost　proclivities。　The　English　polity　was　in　the　main　a　common…sense　structure；　but　there　was　always　a　corner　in　it　where　common…sense　could　not　enterwhere；　somehow　or　other；　the　ordinary　measurements　were　not　applicable　and　the　ordinary　rules　did　not　apply。　So　our　ancestors　had　laid　it　down；　giving　scope；　in　their　wisdom；　to　that　mystical　element　which；　as　it　seems；　can　never　quite　be　eradicated　from　the　affairs　of　men。　Naturally　it　was　in　the　Crown　that　the　mysticism　of　the　English　polity　was　concentratedthe　Crown；　with　its　venerable　antiquity；　its　sacred　associations；　its　imposing　spectacular　array。　But；　for　nearly　two　centuries；　common…sense　had　been　predominant　in　the　great　building；　and　the　little；　unexplored；　inexplicable　corner　had　attracted　small　attention。　Then；　with　the　rise　of　imperialism；　there　was　a　change。　For　imperialism　is　a　faith　as　well　as　a　business；　as　it　grew；　the　mysticism　in　English　public　life　grew　with　it；　and　simultaneously　a　new　importance　began　to　attach　to　the　Crown。　The　need　for　a　symbola　symbol　of　England's　might；　of　Engl