第3章

Heine，aladoftwelve，wasalreadyenamouredofthegreatNapoleoniclegend。

TheforemostliterarycriticofthecenturywasrunningaboutthesandsofBoulogne，orperhapswanderingoftenalongtherampartsoftheoldtown，introspectiveeventhen，withsomethingofthatrareandinsatiablecuriositywhichweallnowrecogniseassodistinctiveofSainte-Beuve。Again，thegreatestcreativeliteraryartistofthecentury，inproseatanyrate，wasleadinganapparentlysomewhatindolentschoolboylifeatTours，undreamfulyetofenormousdebts，colossalundertakings，giganticfailures，andthe`ComedieHumaine’。Inart，SirHenryRaeburn，WilliamBlake，Flaxman，Canova，Thorwaldsen，Crome，SirThomasLawrence，Constable，SirDavidWilkie，andTurnerwereintheexerciseoftheirhappiestfaculties：

aswere，intheusageoftheirs，Beethoven，Weber，Schubert，Spohr，Donizetti，andBellini。

ItisnotinadvisedlythatImakethisspecificationofgreatnames，ofmenwhowereborncoincidentallywith，orwereinthebroadersensecontemporariesofRobertBrowning。Thereisnosuchthingasafortuitousbirth。Creationdoesnotoccurspontaneously，asinthatdrawingofDavidScott’swherefromthefootprintoftheOmnipotentspringhumanspiritsandfierystars。Literallyindeed，asagreatFrenchwriterhasindicated，amanisthechildofhistime。

Itisamatteroftencommenteduponbystudentsofliterature，thatgreatmendonotappearatthebeginning，butratherattheacmeofaperiod。

Theyarenottheflyingscudofthecomingwave，butthegleamingcrownofthatwaveitself。Theepochexpendsitselfinpreparationforthesegreatones。

IfNature’sfirstlawwerenotalawofexcess，theeconomyoflifewouldhavemeagreresults。IthinkitisTurgenievwhospeakssomewhereofherasagiganticTitan，workingingloomysilence，withthesamesavageintentnessuponasubtlertwistofaflea’sjointsasupontheDestiniesofMan。

Iftherebeamorefoolishcrythanthatpoetryisonthewane，itisthatthegreatdayshadpassedawayevenbeforeRobertBrowningandAlfredTennysonwereborn。ThewaywaspreparedforBrowning，asitwasforShakespeare：

asitis，beyonddoubt，forthenexthighpeerofthese。

Therewere`Roberts’amongthesonsoftheBrowningfamilyforatleastfourgenerations。Ithasbeenaffirmed，ondisputableauthority，thatthesurnameistheEnglishequivalentforBruning，andthatthefamilyisofTeutonicorigin。Possibly：butthisoriginistooremotetobeofanypracticalconcern。Browninghimself，itmaybeadded，toldMr。MoncureConwaythattheoriginalnamewasDeBruni。

Itisnotamatterofmuchimportance：thepoetwas，personallyandtoagreatextentinhisgenius，Anglo-Saxon。

Thoughthereareplausiblegroundsfortheassumption，Icanfindnothingtosubstantiatethecommonassertionthat，immediately，orremotely，hispeoplewereJews。*

*Fairlyconclusiveevidencetothecontrary，onthepaternalside，isaffordedinthefactthat，in1757，thepoet’sgreat-grandfathergaveoneofhissonsthebaptismalnameofChristian。

Dr。Furnivall’slatestresearchesprovethatthereisabsolutely“nogroundforsupposingthepresenceofanyJewishbloodinthepoet’sveins。“

AstoBrowning’sphysiognomyandpersonaltraits，thismuchmaybegranted：

ifthosewhoknewhimweretoldhewasaJewtheywouldnotbemuchsurprised。

Inhisexuberantvitality，inhissensuousloveofmusicandtheotherarts，inhiscombinedimaginativenessandshrewdnessofcommonsense，inhissuperficialexpansivenessandactualreticence，hewouldhavebeentypicalenoughofthepotentandartisticraceforwhomhehassooftenoflatebeenclaimed。

What，however，ismosttothepointisthatneithertocuriousacquaintancesnortointimatefriends，neithertoJewsnorGentiles，didheeveradmitmorethanthathewasagoodProtestant，andsprungofaPuritanstock。Hewastolerantofallreligiousforms，butwithanaturalbiastowardsAnglicanEvangelicalism。

Inappearancetherewas，perhaps，somethingoftheSemiteinRobertBrowning：

yetthisisobservablebutslightlyintheportraitsofhimduringthelasttwentyyears，andscarcelyatallinthosewhichrepresenthimasayoungman。ItismostmarkedinthedrawingbyRudolfLehmann，representingBrowningattheageofforty-seven，wherehelooksoutuponuswithaphysiognomywhichis，atleast，asmuchdistinctivelyJewishasEnglish。Possiblythelargedarkeyes(sounlikebothincolourandshapewhattheywereinlaterlife)andcurvednoseandfulllips，withtheovalface，mayhavebeen，asitwere，seenjudaicallybytheartist。

Thesecharacteristics，again，aregreatlymodifiedinMr。Lehmann’ssubsequentportraitinoils。

Thepoet’spaternalgreat-grandfather，whowasowneroftheWoodyatesInn，intheparishofPentridge，inDorsetshire，claimedtocomeofgoodwest-countrystock。Browningbelieved，butalwaysconscientiouslymaintainedtherewasnoproofinsupportoftheassumption，thathewasadescendantoftheCaptainMicaiahBrowningwho，asMacaulayrelatesinhis`HistoryofEngland’，raisedthesiegeofDerryin1689

byspringingtheboomacrossLoughFoyle，andperishedintheact。

ThesameancestrallineissaidtocomprisetheCaptainBrowningwhocommandedtheship`TheHolyGhost’，whichconveyedHenryV。toFrancebeforehefoughttheBattleofAgincourt，andinrecognitionofwhoseservicestwowaves，saidtorepresentwavesofthesea，wereaddedtohiscoatofarms。

Itiscertainlyapointofsomeimportanceintheevidence，ashasbeenindicated，thatthesearmsweredisplayedbythegallantCaptainMicaiah，andarebornebythepresentfamily。

Thatthepoetwasapure-bredEnglishmaninthestrictestsense，however，ashascommonlybeenasserted，isnotthecase。

HismotherwasScottish，throughhermotherandbybirth，butherfatherwasthesonofaGermanfromHamburg，namedWiedemann，who，bytheway，inconnectionwithhisrelationshipasmaternalgrandfathertothepoet，itisinterestingtonote，wasanaccomplisheddraughtsmanandmusician。*

Browning’spaternalgrandmother，again，wasaCreole。AsMrs。Orrremarks，thispedigreethrowsavaluablelightonthevigourandvarietyofthepoet’sgenius。PossiblythemaincurrentofhisancestryisaslittlestrictlyEnglishasGerman。AfriendsendsmethefollowingparagraphfromaScottishpaper：“WhatoftheScottishBrownings？IhaditlongagofromoneofthenamethattheBrowningscameoriginallyfromAyrshire，andthatseveralfamiliesofthememigratedtotheNorthofIrelandduringthetimesoftheCovenanters。Thereis，moreover，asmalltownorvillageintheNorthofIrelandcalledBrowningstown。

MightnotthepoetberelatedtotheseScottishBrownings？“

*IthasfrequentlybeenstatedthatBrowning’smaternalgrandfather，Mr。Wiedemann，wasaJew。Mr。Wiedemann，thesonofaHamburgmerchant，wasasmallshipownerinDundee。Hadhe，orhisfather，beenSemitic，hewouldnothavebaptisedoneofhisdaughters`Christiana’。

Browning’sgreat-grandfather，asindicatedabove，wasasmallproprietorinDorsetshire。Hisson，whetherperforceorfromchoice，removedtoLondonwhenhewasayouth，andspeedilyobtainedaclerkshipintheBankofEngland，whereheremainedforfiftyyears，tillhewaspensionedoffin1821withover400Poundsayear。

Hediedin1833。Hiswife，towhomhewasmarriedinorabout1780，wasoneMargaretMorrisTittle，aCreole，bornintheWestIndies。

Herportrait，byWrightofDerby，usedtohanginthepoet’sdining-room。

Theyresided，Mr。R。BarrettBrowningtellsme，inBattersea，wherehisgrandfatherwastheirfirst-born。Thepaternalgrandfatherofthepoetdecidedthathisthreesons，Robert，WilliamShergold，andReuben，shouldgointobusiness，thetwoyoungerinLondon，theelderabroad。

Allthreebecameefficientfinancialclerks，andattainedtogoodpositionsandfairmeans。*Theeldest，Robert，wasamanofexceptionalpowers。

Hewasapoet，bothinsentimentandexpression；andheunderstood，aswellasenjoyed，theexcellentinart。Hewasascholar，too，inareputablefashion：notindifferenttowhathehadlearntinhisyouth，norheedlessofthehighopiniongenerallyentertainedforthegreatestwritersofantiquity，butwithaparticularcarehimselfforHoraceandAnacreon。Ashissononcetoldafriend，“Theoldgentleman’sbrainwasastorehouseofliteraryandphilosophicalantiquities。

Hewascompletelyversedinmediaevallegend，andseemedtohaveknownParacelsus，Faustus，andevenTalmudicpersonages，personally“

asignificantdetail，bytheway。Hewasfondofmetricalcomposition，andhiseaseandgraceintheuseoftheheroiccoupletweretheadmiration，notonlyofhisintellectualassociates，but，inlaterdays，ofhisson，whowaswonttoaffirm，certainlyinallseriousness，thatexpressionallyhisfatherwasafinerpoeticartistthanhimself。

SomeonehasrecordedofhimthathewasanauthorityontheLettersofJunius：fortunatelyhehadmoretangibleclaimsthanthistotheesteemofhisfellows。Itwashisboastthat，notwithstandingtheexigenciesofhisvocation，heknewasmuchofthehistoryofartasanyprofessionalcritic。Hisextrememodestyisdeduciblefromthisnaiveremark。Hewasanamateurartist，moreover，aswellaspoet，critic，andstudent。Ihaveseenseveralofhisdrawingswhicharepraiseworthy：hisstudiesinportraiture，particularly，areablytouched：and，asiswellknown，hehadanactivefacultyofpictorialcaricature。IntheintervalsofleisurewhichbesetthebestregulatedclerkhewasaddictedtomakingdrawingsofthehabitualvisitorstotheBankofEngland，inwhichhehadobtainedapostonhisreturn，in1803，fromtheWestIndies，andintheenjoymentofwhichheremainedtill1853，whenheretiredonasmallpension。Hissonhadanindependentincome，butwhetherfromabequest，orintheformofanallowancefromhisthenunmarriedUncleReuben，isuncertain。InthefirstyearofhismarriageMr。BrowningresidedinanoldhouseinSouthamptonStreet，Peckham，andtherethepoetwasborn。Thehousewaslongagopulleddown，andanotherbuiltonitssite。Mr。BrowningafterwardsremovedtoanotherdomicileinthesamePeckhamdistrict。Manyyearslater，heandhisfamilyleftCamberwellandresidedatHatcham，nearNewCross，wherehisbrothersandsisters(byhisfather’ssecondmarriage)lived。

TherewasastableattachedtotheHatchamhouse，andinitMr。ReubenBrowningkepthishorse，whichhelethispoet-nephewride，whilehehimselfwasathisdeskinRothschild’sbank。

Nodoubtthishorsewasthe`York’alludedtobythepoetintheletterquoted，asafootnote，atpage189[Chapter9]ofthisbook。