The sun., 1908-08-23
THE sum SUNDAY. AUGUST 2s. 19os.'

labor-indeed. OF overelaboration. Some
| Of the sentences have TO be reread care
fully before the meaning can be grasped.
| Mr.. Wright would say that 1T 10 indeed
not az builder OF sentences, but as 90
lecter and manipulation OF words that Pater
| exoels. The words and phrases are quietly
and asthetically beautiful and the Ian
| guage is nlarvellously fitted to the thought;
but while the jewels are all OF price the
design OF which they form part 10 some
| times unhandsoms and often bewildsring.'
The original Of 1Marius, the Epicurean.
was Richard G. jackson. q young scholar
whom In the spring Of 1877 Pater met IN
Canon Liddon's rooms at Christ's Church.
Mr.. jackson. born in 1851. is. We are told. OF
| noble lineage. being descended from the
| ancient Earls Of Norfolk. At the age OF IL
he could reoite the whole Of the Book Of
Psalms and much Of Dante's inferno. =
At the age Of 20 jackson was an authority
! on poetry. sculpture, painting and music.
Il am dumfoundedl exclaimed Pater ex-
oitedly after q chat with him. Il will write
book about YOU" He did. For months
Pater could never separate himself from
jackson. and piled him with thousands OF
questions. One day Pater. after producing
a number Of little squares Of white paper
on which he had been making notes. said to
jackson: "See, told you I would write
book about you, and now I have sucked
your veins dry I will Begin Some time.
however, was to elapse before the plan was
carried out. Pater spent the summer OF
1882 in Cornwall, and on his return said to
jackson: II have made some progress
with my 'Marius,' the setting Of which is
to be ancient Rome In the time Of Marcus
Aurelius. Similar studies-suggested by
the changes Of the soul-have occupied the
| minds of scholars in all ages; but mine will,
think, have a SAVIOR. bouquet Of Its own. :
It only remained for him to 60 to Rome
to obtain local color. To Rome therefore
Pater went. and having surrendered HIM
self to the influences Of "moldering plinths.
vague entablatures" and shattered oor-
nicee,' he returned to England and pro-
oeeded hotfoot with his project.
v.
Pater's book, 'Marius, the Epioureen.
was published in February. 1886. 1t is
perfectly true. as the present biogapher
comedies. that he who goes to 1t for a story
will be grievously disappointed. Plot there
is none. It IL the history Of the progress
less Of man than of q mind-the mind to
! considerable extent Of his friend Rich-
ard @. jackson. AL the notes required for
the descriptive portions Of "Marfus.' In
Guiding the accounts Of Marcus Aureius.
| Lucian and Apuleius. were. taken from
books in Mr.. Jaolkson's library at Gros-
venor Park. for Pater had no scarce and
curious books Of his own. whereas Mr.. jack
son possessod. and still possesses. one Of the
finest private libraries In England.
1t will be recalled by readers Of the book
that at Rome Marius Is thrown into the
! company Of the stoical and noble minded
Emperor Marcus Aurelius. and finds gods
! whom no man can number. The old Olym-
plans had formidable rivals in host Of
new duties introduced from other lands.
Eventually he becomes acquainted with
a society Of Christians whose sincerity and
the beauty OF whose religion make an in
delible impression on him. He does not
become Christian. however. for though
| he diesin the midst Of persecution 1t Ii not
for his religious principles. but In an at
tempt to save from death a Christian friend.
Those who buried him. nevertheless, held his
death. according to their generous view Of
the matter. to have been Of the nature Of a
martrydom. and so ends what has been
] called Pater's apology for his own life.
Mr.. jackson has observed that 1T Ia
curious that the later days Of Paters
own life bore a remarkable resemblance
to the latter days Of Marius; for Pater
though drawn moro and more to religion
| could never truthfully be said to have be-
come Christian what inquired a
friend Of him. was your object in writing
'Marius'?' -To SHOW replied Pater. -the
necessity Of religion There are. Of course.
many passages In -Marius" of remarkable
beauty, the finest perhaps being Marius s
soliloquy as he crosses the Campagna and
the account Of the service in st. Caecilia e
! house and of the death Of Marius. AS the
present biographer says. however. one is
struck not so much by particular scenes as
by the extraordinary care lavished upon
the book as a whole-every sentence, per-
! haps every word Of which had been
carefully weighed. 1t has the finish OF an
exquisitely wrought alabaster vase.
Between March. 1885, and the spring of
1887 Pater was engaged upon q series Of
delicate sketches, subsequently issued in
book form as Imaginary Portraits. title
derived apparently from Landor's 'Imagi-
nary Conversations. Mr.. Gosse and Mr..
Arthur Symons concur in the opinion that
one of these imaginary portraits. 'Denys
rAuxerrois. displays the peculiarities of
Pater's style with more concentrated splen-
dor than any other Of his writings. which
is the best Of your books?' some one onoe
inquired OF Pater. Imaginary Portraits.
| he answered.
In 1889 Pater brought out in Maemalan's
Magazine five instalments Of q story named
.Gaston de Latour.- which was intended
to be a parallel study to 'Marius.' Mr..
Wright considers this fragmentary story
one OF the most beautiful OF Pater's works.
1t is scarcely story. however. but rather
a disquisition on Ronsard. Montaigne and
Bruno. their doings and tenets-the career
OF the hero being mere thread.
In December. 1888. Pater's article on
Style appeared In the Fortniohty Revisv.
Discussing Pater's own style and testing
| It by the canons he himself laid down, Mr..
Wright expresses the opinion that -at his
best he Is superb In some Of his writ
ings 1t is possible to point to sentence after
sentence. paragraph after paragraph. Of sur