selected prose of oscar wilde-第23章

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am　a　heretic；　and　believes　Pusey　is　still　alive。　　He　says　that　God

will　convert　England　on　account　of　England's　kindness　to　les　pretres

exiles　at　the　time　of　the　Revolution。　　It　is　to　be　the　reward　of

that　sea…lashed　island。



Stained　glass　windows　are　wanted　in　the　church；　he　has　only　six；

fourteen　more　are　needed。　　He　gets　them　at　300　francs12　poundsa

window　in　Paris。　　I　was　nearly　offering　half　a　dozen；　but　remembered

you；　and　so　only　gave　him　something　pour　les　pauvres。　　You　had　a

narrow　escape；　Robbie。　　You　should　be　thankful。



I　hope　the　40　pounds　is　on　its　way；　and　that　the　60　pounds　will

follow。　　I　am　going　to　hire　a　boat。　　It　will　save　walking　and　so　be

an　economy　in　the　end。　　Dear　Robbie；　I　must　start　well。　　If　the　life

of　St。　Francis　of　Assissi　awaits　me　I　shall　not　be　angry。　　Worse

things　might　happen。



Yours；



OSCAR。



…　Letter　to　Robert　Ross。







A　VISIT　TO　THE　POPE







c/o　COOK　&　SON；　PIAZZA　DI　SPAGNA；　ROME；

April　16th；　1900。



My　dear　Robbie；I　simply　cannot　write。　　It　is　too　horrid；　not　of

me；　but　to　me。　　It　is　a　mode　of　paralysisa　cacoethes　tacendithe

one　form　that　malady　takes　in　me。



Well；　all　passed　over　very　successfully。　　Palermo；　where　we　stayed

eight　days；　was　lovely。　　The　most　beautifully　situated　town　in　the

worldit　dreams　away　its　life　in　the　concha　d'oro；　the　exquisite

valley　that　lies　between　two　seas。　　The　lemon　groves　and　the　orange

gardens　were　so　entirely　perfect　that　I　became　quite　a　Pre…

Raphaelite；　and　loathed　the　ordinary　impressionists　whose　muddly

souls　and　blurred　intelligences　would　have　rendered；　but　by　mud　and

blur；　those　〃golden　lamps　hung　in　a　green　night〃　that　filled　me　with

such　joy。　　The　elaborate　and　exquisite　detail　of　the　true　Pre…

Raphaelite　is　the　compensation　they　offer　us　for　the　absence　of

motion；　literature　and　motion　being　the　only　arts　that　are　not

immobile。



Then　nowhere；　not　even　at　Ravenna；　have　I　seen　such　mosaics　as　in

the　Capella　Palatine；　which　from　pavement　to　domed　ceiling　is　all

gold：　　one　really　feels　as　if　one　was　sitting　in　the　heart　of　a

great　honey…comb　looking　at　angels　singing：　　and　LOOKING　at　angels；

or　indeed　at　people；　singing；　is　much　nicer　than　listening　to　them；

for　this　reason：　　the　great　artists　always　give　to　their　angels

lutes　without　strings；　pipes　without　vent…holes；　and　reeds　through

which　no　wind　can　wander　or　make　whistlings。



Monreale　you　have　heard　ofwith　its　cloisters　and　cathedral：　　we

often　drove　there。



I　also　made　great　friends　with　a　young　seminarist；　who　lived　in　the

cathedral　of　Palermohe　and　eleven　others；　in　little　rooms　beneath

the　roof；　like　birds。



Every　day　he　showed　me　all　over　the　cathedral；　I　knelt　before　the

huge　porphyry　sarcophagus　in　which　Frederick　the　Second　lies：　　it　is

a　sublime　bare　monstrous　thingblood…coloured；　and　held　up　by　lions

who　have　caught　some　of　the　rage　of　the　great　Emperor's　restless

soul。　　At　first　my　young　friend；　Giuseppe　Loverdi；　gave　me

information；　but　on　the　third　day　I　gave　information　to　him；　and　re…

wrote　history　as　usual；　and　told　him　all　about　the　supreme　King　and

his　Court　of　Poets；　and　the　terrible　book　that　he　never　wrote。　　His

reason　for　entering　the　church　was　singularly　mediaeval。　　I　asked

him　why　he　thought　of　becoming　a　clerico；　and　how。　　He　answered：

〃My　father　is　a　cook　and　most　poor；　and　we　are　many　at　home；　so　it

seemed　to　me　a　good　thing　that　there　should　be　in　so　small　a　house

as　ours；　one　mouth　less　to　feed；　for　though　I　am　slim；　I　eat　much；

too　much；　alas！　I　fear。〃



I　told　him　to　be　comforted；　because　God　used　poverty　often　as　a

means　of　bringing　people　to　Him；　and　used　riches　never；　or　rarely；

so　Giuseppe　was　comforted；　and　I　gave　him　a　little　book　of　devotion；

very　pretty；　and　with　far　more　pictures　than　prayers　in　itso　of

great　service　to　Giuseppe　whose　eyes　are　beautiful。　　I　also　gave　him

many　lire；　and　prophesied　for　him　a　Cardinal's　hat；　if　he　remained

very　good　and　never　forgot　me。



At　Naples　we　stopped　three　days：　　most　of　my　friends　are；　as　you

know；　in　prison；　but　I　met　some　of　nice　memory。



We　came　to　Rome　on　Holy　Thursday。　　H…　left　on　Saturday　for　Gland

and　yesterday；　to　the　terror　of　Grissell　｛5｝　and　all　the　Papal

Court；　I　appeared　in　the　front　rank　of　the　pilgrims　in　the　Vatican；

and　got　the　blessing　of　the　Holy　Fathera　blessing　they　would　have

denied　me。



He　was　wonderful　as　he　was　carried　past　me　on　his　thronenot　of

flesh　and　blood；　but　a　white　soul　robed　in　white　and　an　artist　as

well　as　a　saintthe　only　instance　in　history；　if　the　newspapers　are

to　be　believed。　　I　have　seen　nothing　like　the　extraordinary　grace　of

his　gestures　as　he　rose；　from　moment　to　moment；　to　blesspossibly

the　pilgrims；　but　certainly　me。



Tree　should　see　him。　　It　is　his　only　chance。



I　was　deeply　impressed；　and　my　walking…stick　showed　signs　of

budding；　would　have　budded；　indeed；　only　at　the　door　of　the　Chapel

it　was　taken　from　me　by　the　Knave　of　Spades。　　This　strange

prohibition　is；　of　course；　in　honour　of　Tannhauser。



How　did　I　get　the　ticket？　　By　a　miracle；　of　course。　　I　thought　it

was　hopeless　and　made　no　effort　of　any　kind。　　On　Saturday　afternoon

at　five　o'clock　H…　and　I　went　to　have　tea　at　the　Hotel　de　l'Europe。

Suddenly；　as　I　was　eating　buttered　toast；　a　manor　what　seemed　to

be　onedressed　like　a　hotel　porter　entered　and　asked　me　would　I

like　to　see　the　Pope　on　Easter　Day。　　I　bowed　my　head　humbly　and　said

〃Non　sum　dignus；〃　or　words　to　that　effect。　　He　at　once　produced　a

ticket！



When　I　tell　you　that　his　countenance　was　of　supernatural　ugliness；

and　that　the　price　of　the　ticket　was　thirty　pieces　of　silver；　I　need

say　no　more。



An　equally　curious　thing　is　that　whenever　I　pass　the　hotel；　which　I

do　constantly；　I　see　the　same　man。　　Scientists　call　that　phenomenon

an　obsession　of　the　visual　nerve。　　You　and　I　know　better。



On　the　afternoon　of　Easter　Day　I　heard　Vespers　at　the　Lateran：

music　quite　lovely。　　At　the　close；　a　Bishop　in　red；　and　with　red

glovessuch　as　Pater　talks　of　in　Gaston　de　Latourcame　out　on　the

balcony　and　showed　us　the　Relics。　　He　was　swarthy；　and　wore　a　yellow

mitre。　　A　sinister　mediaeval　man；　but　superbly　Gothic；　just　like　the

bishops　carved　on　stalls　or　on　portals：　　and　when　one　thinks　that

once　people　mocked　at　stained…glass　attitudes！　they　are　the　only

attitudes　for　the　clothes。　　The　sight　of　the　Bishop；　whom　I　watched

with　fascination；　filled　me　with　the　great　sense　of　the　realism　of

Gothic　art。　　Neither　in　Greek　art　nor　in　Gothic　art　is　there　any

pose。　　Posing　was　invented　by　bad　portrait…painters；　and　the　first

person　who　posed　was　a　stock…broker；　and　he　has　gone　on　posing　ever

since。



I　send　you　a　photograph　I　took　on　Palm　Sunday　at　Palermo。　　Do　send

me　some　of　yours；　and　love　me　always；　and　try　to　read　this　letter。



Kindest　regards　to　your　dear　mother。



Always；



OSCAR。



…　Letter　to　Robert　Ross。







Footnotes：



｛1｝　　〃The　Influence　of　Pater　and　Matthew　Arnold　in　the　Prose…

Writings　of　Oscar　Wilde；〃　by　Ernst　Bendz。　　London：　　H。　Grevel　&　Co。；

1914。



｛2｝　　〃The　Eighteen　Nineties：　　A　Review　of　Art　and　Idea　at　the　Close

of　the　Nineteenth　Century；〃　by　Holbrook　Jackson。　　London：　　Grant

Richards　Ltd。；　1913。



｛3｝　Mortimer　Menpes。



｛4｝　　M。　Constant　Trop…Hardy；　died　at　Berneval；　March　2；　1898。



｛5｝　　Hartwell　de　la　Garde　Grissell；　a　Papal　Chamberlain。










End