The Henson Journals

[303]

Friday, September 8th, 1911. Stockholm.

I know my soul hath power to know all things,

Yet she is blind and ignorant in all:

I know I'm one of Nature's little kings,

Yet to the least and vilest things am thrall.

I know my life's a pain and but a span;

I know my sense is mock'd in everything;

And, to conclude, I know myself a Man –

Which is a proud and yet a wretched thing.

181. Sir John Davies 1569–1626.

Letters from Gow and Pearce arrived before breakfast. I learn from the latter that the Sees of Salisbury & Birmingham have gone the way of Oxford, though he names no names.

We spent the morning in the Northern Museum. There is an admirable collection of Royal Armour on the ground floor. The relics of Gustavus Adolphus are peculiarly interesting. These include his torn & tattered standard of 1626: his jerkin & leathern collar stained with the blood of wounds received at Dantsic on 24th May & 8th Aug.: 1627: his helmet (33 lbs. in weight): two embroidered horse–cloths with the Swedish arms & the initials G. A., Delft work of 1621: the horse he was riding when he fell at Lützen on 6th Nov: 1632: saddle, sword, & pistol used by the king at the battle; three blood–stained shirts & pair of stockings found by the king's body; state–armour carried to the Riddarholms–Kyrka [304] at the King's funeral on 22nd June 1634. If ever a Christian might rightly venerate holy relics, surely the Protestant is free in conscience to venerate these. I noticed on the helmet the marks of many sword–cuts: & that the King's own sword was deeply notched. The horse is a small bay. It was a solemn & moving reflection that one's eyes were looking on the very life's blood of that Hero. One felt again the thrill of anguish which passed through Protestant Europe when the fatal news was circulated that 'the Lion of the North' lay dead on the scene of his last victory. There are many relics of Charles XII – the toys of the royal child, & those more dangerous toys with which he played with such deadly earnestness in later life. We looked at the blue coat, yellow vest, yellow breaches, & top boots worn by the King when he fell at Frederikshald, Dec. 11th 1718, with the three–cornered hat pierced by the fatal bullet. The life of the Swedish peasants is fully illustrated by a great collection of furniture &c &c.

After lunch we went again to the Skansen. I took my camera & on paying 3 kr. received a card permitting me to use it. I took 12 photographs including two of the costumed officials. The impression made on us was much more satisfactory. Especially we saw to better advantage the elk, musk oxen, glutton, reindeer, beaver, & Esquimaux dogs. The view of Stockholm in the afternoon–sunlight was very fine. We visited also the Biological Museum, where [305] a very creditable panorama of stuffed Scandinavian Fauna is shown on payment of an admission fee of 1 kr: per person.

On our return to the Hotel I got hold of Wednesday's 'Times', & found the confirmation of my (v.p. 289) guess that Russell Wakefield would be Gore's successor at Birmingham. He is merely a pushing worldly politician without academic record or religious interests. His claims lie solely in the political sphere, where he has made himself very prominent as an ardent supporter of the social policy of the present Government. He will certainly bring no help whatever to the imperilled interest of clerical liberty: & as to the 'National Church' he will vote for its destruction as soon as the Government calls upon him to do so! It would seem that the Episcopal Appointments are suggested by the party whips. Any intention of liberalizing the Church religiously which Asquith may have entertained – & it is hard not to believe that he did entertain some such intention at the time when he offered me the Chair at Oxford – has vanished before the waxing heats of political controversy, & we have come now to naked political partisanship as the mainspring of his administration of the Crown patronage. The triumvirate – Talbot, Gore, Lang – are more firmly entrenched in power than ever as the result of the latest appointments. Pollock, Burge, & Wakefield must be religiously mere ciphers save where they are faithful echoes!

---