Life of John Coleridge Patteson : Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands — John Shaqi
Life of John Coleridge Patteson : Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian IslandsYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Religion
Life of John Coleridge Patteson : Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Missions -- Melanesia; Patteson, John Coleridge, 1827-1871
After this adventure, the party broke up, James Patteson returning
home with Mr. Hornby, while Coley, who hoped to obtain a Fellowship at
Merton, and wished in the meantime to learn German thoroughly in order
to study Hebrew by the light of German scholarship, repaired to Dresden
for the purpose; revelling, by the way, on the pictures and glass at
Munich, descriptions of which fill three or four letters. He remained
a month at Dresden, reading for an hour a day with a German master, and
spending many hours besides in study, recreating himself with German
newspapers at the cafe where he dined, and going to the play in the
evening to hear colloquialisms. The picture galleries were his daily
enjoyment, and he declared the Madonna di San Sisto fully equal to
his anticipations. There is that about the head of the Virgin which
I believe one sees in no other picture, a dignity and beauty with a
mixture of timidity quite indescribable.'
Returning home for Christmas, Coley started again in January 1851, in
charge of a pupil, the son of Lord John Thynne, with whom he was to go
through Italy. The journey was made by sea from Marseilles to Naples,
where the old regime was still in force. Shakespeare and Humboldt
were seized; and after several hours' detention on the score of the
suspicious nature of his literature, Mr. Patteson was asked for a bribe.
The climate was in itself a great charm to one always painfully
susceptible to cold; and, after duly dwelling on the marvels of Vesuvius
and Pompeii, the travellers went on to Rome. There the sculptures were
Coley's first delight, and he had the advantage of hints from Gibson on
the theory of his admiration, such as suited his love of analysis.
He poured forth descriptions of statues and pictures in his letters:
sometimes apologising.--'You must put up with a very stupid and
unintelligible sermon on art. The genius loci would move the very stones
to preach on such a theme. Again: The worst is, that I ought to have
months instead of days to see Rome in. I economise my time pretty well;
but yet I find every night that I can only do a little of what I propose
in the morning; and as for my Italian, an hour and a half a day is on
an average more than I give to it. I suffer a good deal from weakness in
the eyes; it prevents my working at night with comfort. I have a master
every other day. I tried to draw, but it hurt me so much after looking
about all day that I despair of doing anything, though I don't abandon
the idea altogether.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account