第38章

Ineedhardlysaythatthecalmwasonlyonthesurface。Oldermen，whoknewmorethanundergraduateswerelikelytodo，musthaveseenthatthewaveofscepticismwhichhadalreadybrokenoverGermanywassettingtowardsourownshores，norwasitlong，indeed，beforeitreachedthem。Ernesthadhardlybeenordainedbeforethreeworksinquicksuccessionarrestedtheattentionevenofthosewhopaidleastheedtotheologicalcontroversy。Imean“EssaysandReviews。”

CharlesDarwin’s“OriginofSpecies。”andBishopColenso’s“CriticismsonthePentateuch。”

This，however，isadigression；ImustreverttotheonephaseofspiritualactivitywhichhadanylifeinitduringthetimeErnestwasatCambridge，thatistosay，totheremainsoftheEvangelicalawakeningofmorethanagenerationearlier，whichwasconnectedwiththenameofSimeon。

TherewerestillagoodmanySimeonites，orastheyweremorebrieflycalled“Sims。”inErnest’stime。Everycollegecontainedsomeofthem，buttheirheadquarterswereatCaius，whithertheywereattractedbyMrClaytonwhowasatthattimeseniortutor，andamongthesizarsofStJohn’s。

Behindthethenchapelofthislast-namedcollege，therewasa“labyrinth“(thiswasthenameitbore)ofdingy，tumble-downrooms，tenantedexclusivelybythepoorestundergraduates，whoweredependentuponsizarshipsandscholarshipsforthemeansoftakingtheirdegrees。Tomany，evenatStJohn’s，theexistenceandwhereaboutsofthelabyrinthinwhichthesizarschieflylivedwasunknown；somemeninErnest’stime，whohadroomsinthefirstcourt，hadneverfoundtheirwaythroughthesinuouspassagewhichledtoit。

Inthelabyrinththeredweltmenofallages，frommereladstogrey-hairedoldmenwhohadenteredlateinlife。Theywererarelyseenexceptinhallorchapeloratlecture，wheretheirmannersoffeeding，prayingandstudying，wereconsideredalikeobjectionable；

nooneknewwhencetheycame，whithertheywent，norwhattheydid，fortheynevershowedatcricketortheboats；theywereagloomy，seedy-lookingconferie，whohadaslittletogloryininclothesandmannersasinthefleshitself。

Ernestandhisfriendsusedtoconsiderthemselvesmarvelsofeconomyforgettingonwithsolittlemoney，butthegreaternumberofdwellersinthelabyrinthwouldhaveconsideredone-halfoftheirexpendituretobeanexceedingmeasureofaffluence，andsodoubtlessanydomestictyrannywhichhadbeenexperiencedbyErnestwasasmallthingtowhattheaverageJohniansizarhadhadtoputupwith。

Afewwouldatonceemergeonitsbeingfoundaftertheirfirstexaminationthattheywerelikelytobeornamentstothecollege；

thesewouldwinvaluablescholarshipsthatenabledthemtoliveinsomedegreeofcomfort，andwouldamalgamatewiththemorestudiousofthosewhowereinabettersocialposition，buteventhese，withfewexceptions，werelonginshakingofftheuncouthnesstheybroughtwiththemtotheUniversity，norwouldtheiroriginceasetobeeasilyrecognisabletilltheyhadbecomedonsandtutors。Ihaveseensomeofthesemenattainhighpositionintheworldofpoliticsorscience，andyetstillretainalookoflabyrinthandJohniansizarship。

Unprepossessingthen，infeature，gaitandmanners，unkemptandill-

dressedbeyondwhatcanbeeasilydescribed，thesepoorfellowsformedaclassapart，whosethoughtsandwayswerenotasthethoughtsandwaysofErnestandhisfriends，anditwasamongthemthatSimeonismchieflyflourished。

DestinedmostofthemfortheChurch(forinthosedays“holyorders“wereseldomheardof)，theSime