New-York tribune., 1897-01-31

temporaries. and he dealt even more judiciousy
with the memoirs Gibbon had written no less
than six autobiographical sketches. apparently
he,nr unable to satisfy himself with any OF
them Lord Sheffield went to work and produceo
a composite Of the six which has been CLASSICAL
for hundred years.
II he has seemed loyal editor h'ther'o' s'i"
more loyal must he seem in the light OF 'hese
pew documents. To collate them, page py page
with the well-known autobiography Is c"i'u
,oted 70 make the reader dizzy, but the labor is
well repaid 1t reveals Lord Shefneid ioio"ihe
his friends narrative in the spirit OF an eider
hrother or even of a father. correcting or sup
nressjng every passage which might seem IN
d,screet He had TO consider the susceptibiltes
q, neonle mentioned In the memoirs. many OF
whom were still living at the. time OF their
nuhl;cation He appears to have considered s''ii
moro the reputation Of his friend for stateiihess
~ manner for delcacy Of taste. He wouio not
allow him to set forth a single tnought "'"oh
might have struck the reader OK that oay 10
lacking in decorum. For example ne was VIII
ing that Gbbon should say that ne was 'oo
young at the time Of his mothers deatn 10 rear
too b,s loss but he considered this enough Ihe
h,re nenci, was inexorably passed through the
following passage: "As had seldom enjoyed 'he
smiles Of maternal tenderness. she was la'ne
The object OF my respect than OF my love
can hear Lord Sheffield murmurlng that =
not reemly to speak In this fash'oh "a o
,,oror. Again he expunges the observation tna'
.;he tears Of son are seldom ias'ihs' anu
,,r,bsr surmise that few. perhaps, are 'he
.,.r,mn,, r,,o after the expiration OF some
months or years. would sincereN ieJ'' "
resurrection OF their parents
rho ,,ho,a yalua Of these six autoblosrap'iee
ras {, ,heir revelation Of thoughts in Glpoo"
,,a which he was candid enough about pu'
,vh,cn j,rred upon his friends ear as h'ue 'oo
unconventional to he brought out into the saiisi
light Of public print. 1T was the fashoh III "e
late eighteenth century. al least III d Se~ ~
considerable stratum Of society. 10 presei'e
dc,nearor Of elegance and composure 'hous" INV
world threatened to come to an eno '"en "'is"
he dissolute and women frivc'ous' pu' he''"e'
.rer cared n forget what they owed TO them-
solves as members OF the fashionaoie "oi'u'
C;ibhon was of this mind Lord Sheffield was
,uoa,, ~ q graater degree He had heard too
many distinguished people speak enthusias''cai-
,v about Venice TO allow Gibbon. after his death
IN go on record as having found disgust as well
"a astonishment in the spectacle presented oy
that city Some days of disgust is only no"
restored to the text Then he Is cautious apou'
Tho rnl,aous feelings OF the reader. He VIII not
admir- the description of Milan Cathedral as IAN
unfinished monument OF Gothic superstition ana
wealth" He is solicitous as to the tempers Oh
those men with whom Gibbon was associated IN
the militia. and refuses to risk provocation by
printing that they "were alike deficient IN the
knowledge of scholars and the manners OF gen.
tlemen" He is loyal to Mile. Curchod' more
loyaI by far than Gibbon. for he suppresses
he
Young Iady's parents encouraged the engagement
from rnercenary motives: and he fatty dscoun-
tanances the gossipy and even spteful lines IN
n.hich his friend declares that "the Duchess OF
Grafton fnow Lady Ossory) has often toid NE
that she had nearly engaged Mile. Curcnod as
q governess" Finally ne keeps vigilant guard
of Gibbons diction The most striking instance
Of his good judgment in this direction occurs IN
the following passage, referring to the histori-
ans boyhood: in my childish balance pre-
sumed 70 weigh the systems of Scalger and
Tetavus. of Marsham and Newton. which
could seldom Study in the originals; and my sleep
has been disturbed by the difficulty Of reconcil-
ing the Septuagnt with the Hebrew computa-
ton" In the memoir, Gbbon wrote it. there
follows after the semi-colon. ''the Dynastes Of
Assyria and Egypt were my top and cricket
ball" figure obviously out of-asey with the rest
Of the passage.
As Lord Sheffield was so good editor. why
should the delicate poise of his volumes be dis
turbed? Since he performed his task in man
ner To make Gibbon respected-and at the same
time was perfectly just, perfectly honest-the
,publication OF things he rejected seems at first
glance he OF little service to Gibbon. OF little
value TO his students. The three books before
JUS make no profound changes In the accepted
conception of his character. In fact. they make
c.,;O, cbo Put hav
enrich our knowledge. They may not transform
Gibbon. but they deepen certain essential lines
In his portrait ntensifying sense of what
the man behind his dignity and orotund
artifcality Through every touch Of frankness
which Lord Sheffield excised we now come closer
TO his friend and see with greater clearness what
a self-contained little animal he was. The
phrase is not irreverent. The better Gibbon is
understood as a man the more material he is
iseen TO be. the more luxurious and selfish A
tareful perusal of his various autobiographies
does nothing to expand the most ardent Glib
bonites ideal OF the historian. The greatness
Of the mans mind remains undmnshed The
history renders this side of him secure against
all the personal revelations that could possibly
he made. But the nobility Of his soul is not SO
safe. He may have had deep feeling for his
relatives and friends. In one instance especially
he gave tangible evidence Of the tenacity Of his
affection. The death Of Lady Sheffield less than
q year before his own brought him post haste
from Lausanne to England. He was himself
tormented by gout. the condition Of Europe was
anything but favorable to travel Nevertheless
he hastened to reach his widowed friend. Yet
this deed Is the only one recorded In his auto
biographies or correspondence In which he seems
to have acted with truly genuine emotion.
Gibbon was born to be the historian Of 1.-The
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" and
nothing else could seriously engage his sympa-
thies He wrote copiousy to his stepmother.
and invariably with protestations OF tender feel
ing. He was considerate Of her In the financial
transactions which involved them both Eut II