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That he had a sincere love of art and nature seems to me quite
certain。 There is no essential incongruity between crime and
culture。 We cannot re…write the whole of history for the purpose
of gratifying our moral sense of what should be。
Of course； he is far too close to our own time for us to be able to
form any purely artistic judgment about him。 It is impossible not
to feel a strong prejudice against a man who might have poisoned
Lord Tennyson； or Mr。 Gladstone； or the Master of Balliol。 But had
the man worn a costume and spoken a language different from our
own； had he lived in imperial Rome； or at the time of the Italian
Renaissance； or in Spain in the seventeenth century； or in any land
or any century but this century and this land； we would be quite
able to arrive at a perfectly unprejudiced estimate of his position
and value。 I know that there are many historians； or at least
writers on historical subjects； who still think it necessary to
apply moral judgments to history； and who distribute their praise
or blame with the solemn complacency of a successful schoolmaster。
This； however； is a foolish habit； and merely shows that the moral
instinct can be brought to such a pitch of perfection that it will
make its appearance wherever it is not required。 Nobody with the
true historical sense ever dreams of blaming Nero； or scolding
Tiberius； or censuring Caesar Borgia。 These personages have become
like the puppets of a play。 They may fill us with terror； or
horror； or wonder； but they do not harm us。 They are not in
immediate relation to us。 We have nothing to fear from them。 They
have passed into the sphere of art and science； and neither art nor
science knows anything of moral approval or disapproval。 And so it
may be some day with Charles Lamb's friend。 At present I feel that
he is just a little too modern to be treated in that fine spirit of
disinterested curiosity to which we owe so many charming studies of
the great criminals of the Italian Renaissance from the pens of Mr。
John Addington Symonds； Miss A。 Mary F。 Robinson； Miss Vernon Lee；
and other distinguished writers。 However； Art has not forgotten
him。 He is the hero of Dickens's HUNTED DOWN； the Varney of
Bulwer's LUCRETIA； and it is gratifying to note that fiction has
paid some homage to one who was so powerful with 'pen； pencil and
poison。' To be suggestive for fiction is to be of more importance
than a fact。