eminent victorians-第39章

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special　stress　upon　his　presence　with　the　Imperial　forces　as　a　

pledge　of　its　fulfilment。　No　sooner；　however；　was　the　city　

surrendered　than　the　rebel　'Wangs'　were　assassinated。　In　his　

fury；　it　is　said　that　Gordon　searched　everywhere　for　Li　Hung　

Chang　with　a　loaded　pistol　in　his　hand。　He　was　convinced　of　the　

complicity　of　the　Governor；　who；　on　his　side；　denied　that　he　was　

responsible　for　what　had　happened。　'I　asked　him　why　I　should　

plot；　and　go　around　a　mountain；　when　a　mere　order；　written　with　

five　strokes　of　the　quill；　would　have　accomplished　the　same　

thing。　He　did　not　answer；　but　he　insulted　me；　and　said　he　would　

report　my　treachery；　as　he　called　it；　to　Shanghai　and　England。　

Let　him　do　so；　he　cannot　bring　the　crazy　Wangs　back。'　The　

agitated　Mandarin　hoped　to　placate　Gordon　by　a　large　gratuity　and



an　Imperial　medal；　but　the　plan　was　not　successful。　'General　

Gordon；'　he　writes；　'called　upon　me　in　his　angriest　mood。　He　

repeated　his　former　speeches　about　the　Wangs。　I　did　not　attempt　

to　argue　with　him。。。　He　refused　the　10；000　taels；　which　I　had　

ready　for　him；　and；　with　an　oath；　said　that　he　did　not　want　the　

Throne's　medal。　This　is　showing　the　greatest　disrespect。'



Gordon　resigned　his　command；　and　it　was　only　with　the　utmost　

reluctance　that　he　agreed　at　last　to　resume　it。　An　arduous　and　

terrible　series　of　operations　followed；　but　they　were　successful；



and　by　June；　1864；　the　Ever　Victorious　Army；　having　accomplished　

its　task；　was　disbanded。　The　Imperial　forces　now　closed　round　

Nankin；　the　last　hopes　of　the　Tien　Wang　had　vanished。　In　the　

recesses　of　his　seraglio；　the　Celestial　King；　judging　that　the　

time　had　come　for　the　conclusion　of　his　mission；　swallowed　gold　

leaf　until　he　ascended　to　Heaven。　In　July；　Nankin　was　taken；　the　

remaining　chiefs　were　executed；　and　the　rebellion　was　at　an　end。　

The　Chinese　Government　gave　Gordon　the　highest　rank　in　its　

military　hierarchy；　and　invested　him　with　the　yellow　jacket　and　

the　peacock's　feather。　He　rejected　an　enormous　offer　of　money；　

but　he　could　not　refuse　a　great　gold　medal；　specially　struck　in　

his　honour　by　order　of　the　Emperor。　At　the　end　of　the　year　he　

returned　to　England；　where　the　conqueror　of　the　Taipings　was　made



a　Companion　of　the　Bath。



That　the　English　authorities　should　have　seen　fit　to　recognise　

Gordon's　services　by　the　reward　usually　reserved　for　industrious　

clerks　was　typical　of　their　attitude　towards　him　until　the　very　

end　of　his　career。　Perhaps　if　he　had　been　ready　to　make　the　most　

of　the　wave　of　popularity　which　greeted　him　on　his　returnif　he　

had　advertised　his　fame　and；　amid　high　circles；　played　the　part　

of　Chinese　Gordon　in　a　becoming　manner　the　results　would　have　

been　different。　But　he　was　by　nature　farouche；　his　soul　revolted　

against　dinner　parties　and　stiff　shirts；　and　the　presence　of　

ladies　especially　of　fashionable　ladies　filled　him　with　

uneasiness。　He　had；　besides；　a　deeper　dread　of　the　world's　

contaminations。　And　so；　when　he　was　appointed　to　Gravesend　to　

supervise　the　erection　of　a　system　of　forts　at　the　mouth　of　the　

Thames；　he　remained　there　quietly　for　six　years；　and　at　last　was　

almost　forgotten。　The　forts；　which　were　extremely　expensive　and　

quite　useless；　occupied　his　working　hours；　his　leisure　he　devoted



to　acts　of　charity　and　to　religious　contemplation。　The

neighbourhood　

was　a　poverty…stricken　one；　and　the　kind　Colonel；　with　his

tripping　

step　and　simple　manner；　was　soon　a　familiar　figure　in　it；

chatting　

with　the　seamen；　taking　provisions　to　starving　families；　or

visiting　

some　bedridden　old　woman　to　light　her　fire。　He　was　particularly

fond　

of　boys。　Ragged　street　arabs　and　rough　sailor…lads　crowded　about

him。　

They　were　made　free　of　his　house　and　garden；　they　visited　him　in

the　

evenings　for　lessons　and　advice；　he　helped　them；　found　them

employment；　

corresponded　with　them　when　they　went　out　into　the　world。　They　

were；　he　said；　his　Wangs。　It　was　only　by　a　singular　austerity　of　

living　that　he　was　able　to　afford　such　a　variety　of　charitable　

expenses。　The　easy　luxuries　of　his　class　and　station　were　unknown



to　him：　his　clothes　verged　upon　the　shabby；　and　his　frugal　meals　

were　eaten　at　a　table　with　a　drawer；　into　which　the　loaf　and　

plate　were　quickly　swept　at　the　approach　of　his　poor　visitors。　

Special　occasions　demanded　special　sacrifices。　When；　during　the　

Lancashire　famine；　a　public　subscription　was　opened；　finding　

that　he　had　no　ready　money；　he　remembered　his　Chinese　medal；　

and；　after　effacing　the　inscription；　dispatched　it　as　an　

anonymous　gift。



Except　for　his　boys　and　his　paupers；　he　lived　alone。　In　his　

solitude；　he　ruminated　upon　the　mysteries　of　the　universe；　and　

those　religious　tendencies；　which　had　already　shown　themselves；　

now　became　a　fixed　and　dominating　factor　in　his　life。　His　reading



was　confined　almost　entirely　to　the　Bible；　but　the　Bible　he　read　

and　re…read　with　an　untiring；　unending　assiduity。　There；　he　

was　convinced；　all　truth　was　to　be　found；　and　he　was　equally　

convinced　that　he　could　find　it。　The　doubts　of　philosophers；　the　

investigations　of　commentators；　the　smiles　of　men　of　the　world；　

the　dogmas　of　Churches　such　things　meant　nothing　to　the

Colonel。　

Two　facts　alone　were　evident：　there　was　the　Bible；　and　there　was　

himself；　and　all　that　remained　to　be　done　was　for　him　to　discover



what　were　the　Bible's　instructions；　and　to　act　accordingly。　In　

order　to　make　this　discovery　it　was　only　necessary　for　him　to　

read　the　Bible　over　and　over　again；　and　therefore；　for　the　rest　

of　his　life；　he　did　so。



The　faith　that　he　evolved　was　mystical　and　fatalistic；　it　was　

also　highly　unconventional。　His　creed；　based　upon　the　narrow　

foundations　of　Jewish　Scripture；　eked　out　occasionally　by　some　

English　evangelical　manual；　was　yet　wide　enough　to　ignore　every　

doctrinal　difference；　and　even；　at　moments；　to　transcend　the　

bounds　of　Christianity　itself。　The　just　man　was　he　who　submitted　

to　the　Will　of　God；　and　the　Will　of　God；　inscrutable　and　

absolute；　could　be　served　aright　only　by　those　who　turned　away　

from　earthly　desires　and　temporal　temptations；　to　rest　themselves



whole…heartedly　upon　the　in…dwelling　Spirit。　Human　beings　were　

the　transitory　embodiments　of　souls　who　had　existed　through　an　

infinite　past；　and　would　continue　to　exist　through　an　infinite　

future。　



The　world　was　vanity；　the　flesh　was　dust　and　ashes。　'A　man；'

Gordon　

wrote　to　his　sister；　'who　knows　not　the　secret；　who　has　not　the

in…dwelling　

of　God　revealed　to　him；　is　like　this＇picture　of　a　circle　with

Body　and　

Soul　written　within　it＇。　　He　takes　the　promises　and　curses　as

addressed　

to　him　as　one　man；　and　will　not　hear　of　there　being　any　birth

before　his　

natural　birth；　in　any　existence　except　with　the　body　he　is　in。

The　man　to　

whom　the　secret　（the　indwelling　of　God）　is　revealed　is　like　this：

＇picture　

of　a　circle　with　soul　and　body　enclosed　in　two　separate　circles＇。



He　applies　the　promises　to　one　and　the　curses　to　the　other；　if　

disobedient；　which　he　must　be；　except　the　soul　is　enabled　by　God　

to　rule。　He　then　sees　he　is　not　of　this　world；　for　when　he　speaks



of　himself　he　quite　disregards　the　body　his　soul　lives　in；　which　

is　earthly。'　Such　conceptions　are　familiar　enough　in　the　history　

of　religious　thought：　they　are　those　of　the　hermit　and　the　fakir；



and　it　might　have　been　expected　that；　when　once　they　had　taken　

hold　upon　his　mind；　Gordon　would　have　been　content　to　lay　aside　

the　activities　of　his　profession；　and　would　have　relapsed　at　last



into　the　complete　retirement　of　holy　meditation。　But　there　were　

other　elements　in　his　nature　which　urged　him　towards　a　very　

different　course。　He　was　no　simple　quietist。　He　was　an　English　

gentleman；　an　officer；　a　man　of　energy　and　action；　a　lover　of　

danger　and　the　audacities　that　defeat　danger；　a　passionate　

creature；　flowing　over　with　the　self…assertiveness　of　independent



judgment　and　the　arbitrary　temper　of　command。　



Whatever　he　might　find　in　his　pocket…Bible；　it　was　not　for　such

as　

he　to　dream　out　his　days　in　devout　obscurity。　But；　conveniently

enough；　

he　found　nothing　in　his　pocket…Bible　indicating　that　he　should。

What　

he　did　find　was　that　the　Will　of　God　was　inscrutable　and

absolute；　

that　it　was　man's　duty　to　follow　where　God's　hand　led；　and；　if　

God's　hand　led　towards　violent　excitements　and　extraordinary　

vicissitudes；　that　it　was　not　only　futile；　it　was　impious　to　

turn　another　way。　Fatalism　is　always　apt　to　be　a　double…edged　

philosophy；　for　while；　on　the　one　hand；　it　reveals　the　minutest　

occurrences　as　the　immutable　result　of　a　rigid　chain　of　

infinitely　predestined　causes；　on　the　other；　it　invests　the　

wildest　incoherences　of　conduct　or　of　circumstance　with　the　

sanctity　of　eternal　law。　And　Gordon's　fatalism　was　no　exception。　

The　same　doctrine　that　led　him　to　dally　with　omens；　to　search　for



prophetic　texts；　and　to　append；　in　brackets；　the　apotropaic　

initials　D。V。　after　every　statement　in　his　letters　implying　

futurity；　led　him　also　to　envisage　his　moods　and　his　desires；　his



passing　reckless　whims　and　his　deep　unconscious　instincts；　as　the



mysterious　manifestations　of　the　indwelling　God。　That　there　was　

danger　lurking　in　such　a　creed　he　was　very　well　aware。　The　

grosser　temptations　of　the　world　money　and　the　vulgar

attributes　

of　power　had；　indeed；　no　charms　for　him；　but　there　were　subtler



and　more　insinuating　allurements　which　it　was　not　so　easy　to　

resist。　More　than　one　observer　declared　that　ambition　was；　in　

reality；　the　essential　motive　in　his　life：　ambition；　neither　for　

wealth　nor　titles；　but　for　fame　and　influence；　for　the　swaying　of



multitudes；　and　for　that　kind　of　enlarged　and　intensified　

existence　'where　breath　breathes　most　even　in　the　mouths　of　men'。

　

Was　it　so？　In　the　depths　of　Gordon's　soul　there　were　intertwining



contradictions　intricate　recesses　where　egoism　and　renunciation



melted　into　one　another；　where　the　flesh　lost　itself　in　the　

spirit；　and　the　spirit　in　the　flesh。　What　was　the　Will　of　God？　

The　question；　which　first　became　insistent　during　his　retirement　

at　Gravesend；　never　afterwards　left　him；　it　might　almost　be　said　

that　he　spent　the　remainder　of　his　life　in　searching　for　the　

answer　to　it。　In　all　his　Odysseys；　in　all　his　strange　and　

agitated　adventures；　a　day　never　passed　on　which　he　neglected　the



voice　of　eternal　wisdom　as　it　spoke　through　the　words　of　Paul　or　

Solomon；　of　Jonah　or　Habakkuk。　He　opened　his　Bible；　he　read；　and　

then　he　noted　down　his　reflections　upon　scraps　of　paper；　which；　

periodically　pinned　together；　he　dispatched　to　one　or　other　of　

his　religious　friends；　and　particularly　his　sister　Augusta。　The　

published　extracts　from　these　voluminous　outpourings　lay　bare　the



inner　hist