ne cour criminelle, ou parmi les vagabonds qui mendient aux
portes des prisons. A d'autres moments, elle avait la mansuetude
triste des vieux saints sur les images slavonnes.

And here is what De Voguee says of the writings of this semi-lunatic man
of genius:

Psychologue incomparable, des qu'il etudie des ames noires ou
blessees, dramaturge habile, mais borne aux scenes d'effroi et de
pitie.... Selon qu'on est plus touche par tel ou tel exces de son
talent, on peut l'appeler avec justice un philosophe, un apotre, un
aliene, le consolateur des affliges ou le bourreau des esprits
tranquilles, le Jeremie de bagne ou le Shakespeare de la maison des
fous; toutes ces appellations seront meritees; prise isolement,
aucune ne sera suffisante.

There is manifestly much which is deeply interesting, and also much
which is really lovable in the Russian national character. It must,
however, be singularly mournful and unpleasant to pass through life
burdened with the reflection that it would have been better not to have
been born, albeit such sentiments are not altogether inconsistent with
the power of deriving a certain amount of enjoyment from living. It was
that pleasure-loving old cynic, Madame du Deffand, who said: "Il n'y a
qu'un seul malheur, celui d'etre ne." Nevertheless, the avowed
joyousness bred by the laughing tides and purple skies of Greece is
certainly more conducive to human happiness, though at times even
Greeks, such as Theognis and Palladas, lapsed into a morbid pessimism
comparable to that of Tolstoy. Metrodorus, however, more fully
represented the true Greek spirit when he sang, "All things are good in
life" ([Greek: panta gar esthla bio]). The Roman pagan, Juvenal, gave a
fairly satisfactory answer to the question, "Nil ergo optabunt
homines?" whilst the Christian holds out hopes of that compensation in
the next world for the afflictions of the present, which the sombre and
despondent Russian philosopher, determined that we shall not find
enjoyment in either world, denies to his morose and grief-stricken
followers.

X

THE WRITING OF HISTORY[76]

_"The Spectator," April 26, 1913_

What are the purposes of history, and in what spirit should it be
written? Such, in effect, are the questions which Mr. Gooch propounds in
this very interesting volume. He wisely abstains from giving any
dogmatic answers to these questions, but in a work which shows ma