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 the Cornell University Library. 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924050442098 
 
CORNELL UNIVERSHY LIBRARY 
 
 924 050 442 098 
 
WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
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WILLIAM F. MOULTOK 
 
 A MEMOIR 
 
 BY 
 
 W. FIDDIAN MOULTON 
 
 WITH A CHAPTER ON BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES HOPE MOULTON 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 1 
 
 E. P. BUTTON AND CO. 
 
 31 WEST TWENTY-THIRB STREET 
 1899 
 
To Our Odother 
 
PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 Only a few words are needed to explain the respective 
 shares of my brother, and myself in this volume. He 
 contributes the whole of Chapter V, dealing with 
 Dr. Moulton's Biblical work and certain of his opinions ; 
 and here and there are paragraphs which he has added. 
 For the scheme of the hook and for the remainder of its 
 contents he has incurred no responsibility, beyond the 
 point of having read it in manuscript and proof. 
 
 Those who have assisted, by the loan of letters and in 
 other ways, are far too numerous to mention by name, 
 and I must take this opportunity of thanking them together 
 for having thus made this volume possible. My special 
 thanks are due to the Bishop of Durham ; to the Rev. 
 G. G. Findlay, of Headingley College ; to Mrs. Milligan ; 
 to Mrs. Hort ; to my late colleagues at The Leys, Mr. E. E. 
 Kellett and Mr. St. y. B. Wynne-Willson — now of Rugby — 
 for numerous suggestions ; and, above all, to my valued 
 friend the Rev. W. Blackburn FitzGerald, who, amid 
 
10 PREFATORY NOTE 
 
 the stress of an exceptionally busy life, read most of the 
 book in manuscript and all of it in proof, and to whose 
 taste and care it must be ascribed that there are not 
 more faults in its execution. 
 
 W. FIDDIAN MOULTON. 
 
 Heaiingley: August i8gg. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP, PAGE 
 
 I. EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES I3 
 
 IL RICHMOND 46 
 
 III. NEW TESTAMENT REVISION QO 
 
 IV. THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL HZ 
 
 V. BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 181 
 
 VI. PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE . 238 
 
 VII. FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 253 
 
 VIII, CLOSING YEARS ........ 279 
 
 INDEX ... 293 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 
 
 It was in the minister's house in Leek, Staffordshire, that 
 William Fiddian Moulton was born on March 14, 1835, his 
 father, the Rev. James Egan Moulton, having been appointed 
 to that Circuit at the London Conference of 1833. He came 
 of a stock which in all its branches had been thoroughly 
 permeated with the evangelical fervour of the Wesleyan 
 movement, and he entered this world not only a child of the 
 manse but a hereditary Methodist, bound to his Church by 
 innumerable hallowed associations in the lives of those who 
 had been before him. 
 
 The family history may be said to commence with John 
 Bakewell, an intimate friend of Mr. Wesley, and well 
 known to the Churches of all lands as the author of 
 the hymn, " Hail, Thou once despised Jesus I " He preached 
 for seventy-five years, beginning as an evangelist in 
 Derbyshire, his native county, in 1744, five years before 
 he became associated with the Wesleys. A few years later 
 he moved to Greenwich, where he opened a school, and in 
 this he was greatly assisted by his clever daughter, Maria, 
 who had a remarkable knowledge of Latin, Greek, and 
 Hebrew. One of his assistant masters was a Mr. James 
 Egan, of Limerick, afterwards LL.D. of Dublin, and recipient 
 of the gold medal of a learned society for a dissertation 
 
14 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 upon the best method of teaching Greek. This association 
 of Maria Bakewell and James Egan in educational work, 
 behind which lay a strong similarity of taste and talent, 
 ripened as might be expected into affection, and they became 
 engaged. Very shortly after this took place Mr. John Wesley, 
 who was a frequent visitor at Mr. Bakewell's house, said to 
 him, "Let the young people marry; hand the school over 
 to them, and go thou and preach the Gospel." Mr. Wesley's 
 word was law in those days, and what he advised — or rather 
 commanded — was done. John Bakewell gave himself up 
 to preaching, and James Egan and Maria Bakewell were 
 married. 
 
 It is a loss to the Church that no memorial has been 
 preserved of John Bakewell, " a long-tried, exemplary and 
 laborious servant of God " ; for, from his having been 
 acquainted with, and in a measure mixed up with Methodism 
 almost from its very commencement, much that is interesting 
 might have been detailed. His modesty, however, prevented 
 him from preserving any account of the events of his life, 
 and he was unwilling that any one else should record them. 
 
 " His granddaughter occasionally attempted to draw from him 
 a few particulars, but when he perceived that her object was to 
 commit them to writing he stopped and became less communica- 
 tive, and on his dying bed he extorted a promise from my father, 
 whom he had appointed his executor, that nothing should be said 
 respecting him after his death. He died in March 1819, aged 
 ninety-eight, retaining all his faculties to the very last." * 
 
 The Egans lived to bring up a large family, but of these 
 only two need be mentioned here. One of the daughters 
 married the Rev. William Moulton (the grandfather of the 
 
 * "Memoir of the Rev. William Moulton," by his son, Rev. James 
 Egan Moulton, Weshyan Methodist Magazine, Nov, 1837. 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 15 
 
 future Headmaster of The Leys School), who was a frequent 
 visitor to the Egans' house owing to Greenwich being then 
 one of the preaching places "in the London circuit." 
 Another daughter, who remained unmarried, settled in 
 Worcester and opened there a preparatory school for boys, 
 whither at the age of eight, or less, William Fiddian 
 Moulton went to receive his first initiation into scholarship 
 at the hands of his great-aunt. She was a woman of great 
 mental activity and width of reading, and an excellent 
 classical scholar, whilst her physical vitality must have been 
 extraordinary, for she lived on into her hundredth year, only 
 passing away four or five years ago, in spite of having, at 
 the age of eighty, fallen downstairs and broken her thigh, an 
 accident which permanently crippled her. As was the case 
 with her grandfather, she retained her faculties to the last. 
 
 The Rev. William Moulton, who married the elder 
 Miss Egan, was not a Methodist by descent. His parents 
 were firmly attached to the Church of England, and did not 
 regard with favour young William's strong disposition to 
 join the Wesleyan Society, his father telling him curtly that 
 he would change his mind very soon, and then his parents 
 would be ashamed "to have a son that was a turn-coat." 
 But Robert Moulton, for all his real goodness and strict 
 uprightness, was here face to face with a phenomenon which 
 he had not the requisite perception to understand. Living 
 in the cold respectability of the Established Church of the 
 eighteenth century, he was one of those many godly men 
 who looked with disfavour and distrust upon the violent 
 cataclysms which accompanied the preaching of the Wesleys 
 and their associates, and who had not learned the nature 
 and the obligation of the New Birth. William Moulton was 
 not the victim of a whim or a mere well-meaning emotion. 
 He had casually entered a Methodist chapel, and what he 
 
1 6 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 heard there came home to him with such force that he went 
 frequently. On one occasion Mr. George Walker — a man 
 who was thought very highly of among the Methodists of 
 the later decades of the last century — was preaching, and 
 young Moulton was so much impressed that, on learning 
 that Mr. Walker was a class-leader among the Methodists, 
 he then and there formed the resolution to join his class. 
 Whilst under the spiritual care of this good man, he was led 
 to see more clearly his need of salvation, and after a few 
 months, during the Watch-night service of 1786, he entered 
 into the " liberty of the children of God." On the death of 
 the leader of the class, William Moulton was asked to take 
 his place, a strong testimony to his stability of character 
 and judgment in speaking of the things of God, for it was a 
 most unusual thing in those days to appoint as leader one so 
 young. But the choice was fully justified by events : in 
 time he had the joy of welcoming to his class his father and 
 mother, who at first had been pained and perplexed by his 
 departure from the Church of England, but had afterwards 
 seen in it the leading of the Spirit of God. This position he 
 continued to occupy till 1794, and only left it tft enter upon 
 the work of the ministry to which he felt himself called. 
 
 In 1 801 he was appointed to City Road, London, and had 
 for one year the high privilege— for he always spoke of it 
 as such — of living in the same house with the Rev. Joseph 
 Benson, who was then the Superintendent of the Circuit ; 
 and the influence of that intercourse contributed greatly to 
 the enrichment of his ministry. It was largely instrumental 
 in maturing his ideas and developing the same insight into 
 Scripture which characterised his son, James Egan, and in 
 a higher degree his grandson, William Fiddian. It was 
 often his lot to preach in the presence of that master of expo- 
 sition, and at first he came to those appointments in fear and 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 17 
 
 trembling, but he subsequently found out what thousands of 
 young preachers have found out since his time, that it is the 
 truly small, not the truly great, who are to be feared as critics. 
 Mr. Benson's comments, so far from being a terror to his 
 young colleague, became an inspiration, for it was all so 
 kindly done that adverse criticism lost its power to depress, 
 and words of commendation, coming from such a quarter, 
 were an unspeakable source of encouragement. 
 
 Very many of the Rev. William Moulton's characteristics 
 reappeared later in his grandson. He was pre-eminently a 
 man of peace, and he was unceasingly thankful that in no 
 Circuit in which he laboured had he been so unhappy as to 
 witness a division in the Society. But this love of peace did 
 not result, as often it does, in weakness and indecision : on 
 the contrary, he seems to have been a man of great firmness 
 and determination of conduct. In the execution of what he 
 regarded as his duty he was inflexible, and manifested a 
 sublime disregard for unpleasant consequences. His firm- 
 ness and palpable sincerity won for him the respect even of 
 those who differed from him ; while on his side he contributed 
 a disposition. to make allowances for those whose intentions 
 were good, even when their actions were indefensible, and 
 also a wondrously forgiving spirit whereby he disarmed and 
 converted into friends persons who under slightly different 
 treatment would have been made into determined opponents. 
 Another notable characteristic, which will also re-appear over 
 and over again in this volume as manifested in his grandson, 
 was his truly catholic spirit. He had the gift of uniting 
 with a firm allegiance to his own Church a close attachment 
 to those whose opinions upon ecclesiastical matters widely 
 differed from his own ; and such was his freedom from narrow 
 contentiousness that during his residence at Grantham the 
 vicar of Welby, in that neighbourhood, would accompany 
 
 B 
 
1 8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 him frequently when he went to preach in the villages around, 
 and the friendship thus generated lasted long after his removal 
 from the Circuit. At Leicester he was intimate with Robert 
 Hall, who used to speak to him in terms of high estimation 
 concerning many features of the Methodist system — a dispo- 
 sition which was far rarer then than now. 
 
 William Moulton's family was large enough to tax the 
 resources of any minister, especially in times when the 
 financial position of the ministry was lower than it is to-day; 
 and the fact that Mrs. Moulton reared a large family so well 
 upon so little is a powerful testimony to her capacity and 
 patience. There were fifteen children born to them, though 
 three died in early childhood, and three more before they 
 grew up. But it will be easily understood that for the remain- 
 ing nine there would be little in the way of the luxuries of 
 life, and what they were to be in the future would, they knew, 
 depend upon their own endeavour : their father would have 
 nothing to bequeath to them beyond an honoured name and 
 a perfect example. William, the eldest child, was a lad of 
 extraordinary promise, and tales concerning his gifts lived 
 on for years at Woodhouse Grove School, of which he was 
 head-boy. He however died at sixteen. 
 
 James Egan Moulton, the father of William Fiddian Moulton, 
 went to Old Kingswood School — Wesley's foundation for the 
 sons of preachers — at eight years of age. He stayed there for 
 seven years, having received the " extra year " for his attain- 
 ments and good behaviour — fourteen being the normal limit of 
 age. In the recently published "History of Kingswood School " 
 his name appears first in the first prize list of the school. He 
 then stayed for another seven years as a master — (a master 
 at fifteen 1 ) — until he left the school to enter the ministry, 
 whither he was shortly followed by the two brothers next to 
 him in age — John Bakewell and Ebenezer. The former died 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 19 
 
 of influenza only seven years after he entered upon the work : 
 he was a brilliant preacher of the evangelistic type, and early 
 wore himself out by his ceaseless labours. But the latter 
 continued in active service almost up to the time of his death 
 in 1885. "He was firm in Methodist doctrine and polity : 
 was meek, gentle, loving and unselfish. His mind was weU 
 stored, and his preaching was impressive, instructive and 
 edifying. He greatly excelled as a pastor, and won the 
 hearts of the people of his charge." * James Egan Moulton, 
 to judge from all accounts, was a great favourite among 
 the boys, and must have had the gift — ^which afterwards 
 was conspicuously manifest in his son — of making his 
 teaching interesting : indeed a late Governor of the school 
 used to assert that in his time it was said that the boys " would 
 rather do sums with Mr. Moulton than play," which, if true, 
 points to a woeful course of degeneration in the species since 
 that day. 
 
 But whether or not his power of imparting knowledge 
 reached that almost unthinkable height, he was certainly a 
 great student, remarkable both for the thoroughness of his 
 knowledge and for its extraordinary breadth. He was a 
 mathematician above the average; he had an extensive 
 knowledge of Greek and Latin authors, and he " could read 
 Hebrew like a Jew." There still remains in the memory of 
 his eldest surviving son t the vivid recollection of seeing his 
 father do three things at the same time. 
 
 " One day, while he was Chairman of the Northampton District, 
 he was making up his schedules ; at the same time he was reading 
 a Latin author with Richard,i and a Greek author with John.ll 
 
 * " Minutes of Conference," 1885. 
 
 t Rev. Dr. James Egan Moulton, Principal of Newington College, 
 Sydney, N.S.W. ; Ex-President New South Wales Conference. 
 t Dr. R. G. Moulton, Professor of Literature in English, Chicago, U.S.A. 
 II J. Fletcher Moulton, Q.C., F.R.S., M.P. 
 
20 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Now he would be adding up a column, muttering ' I must write 
 to that brother,' and in the next breath : ' Get on, John, what are 
 you stopping for?'— 'Can't find a nominative case, papa!'— 
 •Look about three lines down, so and so.'—' Oh, yes ! ' and John 
 would construe. Then it was Richard's turn, and at every sign 
 of hesitation his father would suggest the missing adjective or 
 verb, or whatever it might be. All the while the adding up of 
 columns was going on, and the muttered praises or objurgations 
 on the brethren." 
 
 In face of such testimony to the orderliness of his mind it 
 is not surprising to learn from Dr. Benjamin Gregory, who 
 knew him well, that quite early in his ministerial life he 
 acquired the title of " Arrangement Moulton " because of 
 his instinct for order and administration. Nor will those 
 who knew the inner life at the Leys School fail to see that 
 this gift with many others passed from the father to the son. 
 
 In the case of the Moulton family there seemed but one 
 natural field for the exercise of such talents. Not that other 
 vocations in life were under-rated in the matter of their 
 capacity for Christian service, but it seemed so natural to 
 offer the best to the Lord if by an inward call He signified 
 His willingness to accept the offering. James Egan Moulton 
 entered the ministry in 1828, and remained in Circuit work 
 until, in 1864, he was obliged to retire, worn out by service. 
 He settled in Cambridge, where he died in June 1866. Dr. 
 Gregory said of him : 
 
 " His cheerfulness was radiant, and most healthfully catching ; 
 and being broadly built and blessed with a steady flow of spirits, he 
 seemed likely to enjoy a long and energetic ministerial career. . » . 
 He was a thorough Methodist preacher, lively, spiritual, energetic, 
 indefatigable. . . . He was one of the very few men who have had 
 much to do with tutorship who betrayed nothing of the pedagogue 
 in after life." 
 
 So it was that in this home the sons grew up to see in 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 21 
 
 religion an all-pervading, illuminating, gladdening influence, 
 and to find in the Methodist ministry a vocation of which 
 no man had need to be ashamed, second to none for its 
 opportunities of doing and receiving good. 
 
 But no consideration of the formative influences in the life 
 of William Fiddian Moulton would be complete without 
 reference to his mother, Catharine Fiddian, daughter of 
 Mr. William Fiddian, a brass-founder in Birmingham. Her 
 father was Circuit Steward, and consequently saw a great 
 deal of the Methodist preachers, especially the younger ones, 
 who would usually stay at their house. Whether it was of 
 the men themselves that she formed a bad opinion — it could 
 hardly be that — or whether it was the laborious lives they 
 had to lead, at any rate she was often heard to say that she 
 "would never marry a Methodist preacher — never!" But 
 in spite of all these brave words, when James Egan Moulton 
 came to the house her woman's heart capitulated. They 
 formed a remarkable pair ; for, great as were his attainments 
 and intellectual powers, she was quite his equal, though her 
 gifts had the distinctive colouring of a woman's nature. She 
 had a fine mind, and great powers of conversation, when she 
 chose to use them, but she was a thorough woman according 
 to the ideal of fifty years ago. She went as near to wor- 
 shipping her husband as so saintly a woman could go, and 
 her tender love for her children, her considerateness, her 
 strong, wise counsel, left an absolutely indelible impression 
 upon the minds and hearts of those who knew her 
 best. 
 
 But it was not so much her intellectual as her moral gifts 
 which made her what she was to her children. The con- 
 sciousness that with this intellectuality there were associated 
 strong living sympathy and a passion for godliness made the 
 relations between them peculiarly close and tender, and made 
 
22 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 her an ideal counsellor in times of trouble and perplexity. 
 The following extract from a letter written to her husband 
 after her death by her brother, the Rev. Samuel Fiddian, 
 embodies the main features of her character : 
 
 " From the first she manifested unwavering decision and spirit 
 of activity in the service of her Lord. Her energy of mind in 
 pursuing such labours of love as were opened to her by the 
 providence and Church of God often disturbed her health. Her 
 spirit, always ardent, found a genial atmosphere in the service of 
 Christ and the Church, too stimulating perhaps for the mortal 
 frame. Her sympathy was lively and large. A large-hearted 
 sympathy I consider one of her prominent features, and one which 
 gave her great influence for good. In those days she was punctual 
 in the use of the means of grace, public and private. Distance, 
 weather, engagements, would not hinder her from her attendance 
 at the class meeting, the preaching of the Word, &c. From the 
 character of her home and her early piety, all her views and habits 
 were formed according to the Word of God. For twenty-nine 
 years we have been separated, with but few opportunities of 
 personal intercourse, and a very scanty correspondence (through 
 the numerous and weighty engagements of both parties), but that 
 correspondence has always been such as feeds piety, and tends to 
 prepare for that world of glory in which she is now found." 
 
 But if the relations between the mother and all the chil- 
 dren were close and tender, between her and her eldest son 
 William there was an especially close tie. She leaned on him 
 in everything, while at the same time he was ever looking up 
 to her for guidance. One of the most characteristic of her 
 letters was written to him within three hours of her death in 
 September 1855 — for the mother died with almost the same 
 tragic suddenness as the son. It reveals a woman of an essen- 
 tially spiritual mind, and although she had an undisguised 
 dread of sudden death, she was undoubtedly ready for the 
 great change whenever it should come. 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 23 
 
 " Guernsey, Sept. 2, 1835. 
 
 " My very dear William, — It would afford me much pleasure 
 if I could just now enjoy some spiritual converse with you, being 
 deprived of public ordinances through indisposition of body; 
 but as this cannot be done I write to beg you will pray more 
 frequently for me, and, if time and other duties will permit, you 
 will write to me and say something that shall tend to my spiritual 
 profit. The older I grow the more I feel that there is nothing 
 worth a thought beneath but how I might escape the death that 
 never dies. And yet I was never more occupied in the discharge 
 of lawful duties than at the present time. Do you try to join me 
 at the throne of grace, the first thing after dinner, for the spiritual 
 welfare of our family. You are our eldest, and we look to you for 
 help and counsel in reference to our dear children, and I am quite 
 sure you do help us to carry our burden. May the Lord reward 
 you for this labour of love. 
 
 " Papa was five weeks at Conference in consequence of his being 
 made chairman of the district : business required it. Since his 
 return he has had so many extra duties to attend to that letter- 
 writing has been out of the question. It would have cheered you 
 to have seen how well he looked. A. has been my nurse, as you 
 will perceive by the enclosed letters that aunt is in England. I 
 was poorly before she went, but we hoped it would pass oflf in a 
 few days, but this has not been the case, though we hope I shall 
 now soon be better. Do not say anything to aunt about it if you 
 should write. 
 
 " O my dear William, whatever else you neglect let God be 
 sought and loved. May you and I be more determined to let 
 religion be our first aim. ,There are many young people that are 
 seeking the Lord ; O may they be faithful. I perceive in reading 
 and conversing in reference to the cause of God that one of the 
 greatest stumbhng-blocks in the way of our salvation is ' pride.' 
 To possess a humble mind is of the greatest advantage to the 
 Christian. May you and I follow on to know the Lord. I want 
 a stronger faith. Do unite with me where this inestimable blessing 
 may be possessed. Papa joins with me in much love and 
 " Believe me to be, your own dear mamma, 
 
 " C. MOULTON." 
 
24 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Cast very much in the same mould was her brother Samuel, 
 mentioned above. For fifty-four years a Wesleyan minister, 
 he was highly prized as a friend and counsellor, and when 
 he died in 1880 it was left on record concerning him that " in 
 times of strife he was very useful in preventing mischief and 
 in healing wounded spirits," His three sons, Samuel, 
 William and James — the two last of whom occupied high 
 positions in the Indian Civil Service — were marked through- 
 out their Cambridge University career, and subsequently, by 
 their strong and unswerving loyalty to the Church of their 
 fathers. 
 
 The boyhood of William Fiddian Moulton was, so far as 
 one can judge from the scanty records of it, in great measure 
 unlike that of most young lads. I should have said totally 
 unlike, were it not for a story which the Rev. N. Curnock, 
 the Editor of the Methodist Recorder, tells concerning that 
 period. Mr. Curnock's father followed the Rev. J. E. Moulton 
 in the Wednesbury Circuit, and on their arrival the Circuit 
 Stewards apologised to Mrs. Curnock for the condition in 
 which they feared she would find the crockeryware of the 
 house. The previous minister, they said, had a little boy — 
 he could then have been only three or four years old — who 
 had a mischievous habit of smashing the crockery. It 
 would appear that the boy thus worked off his allotted 
 portion of original sin before he went to school. At 
 any rate, if the reminiscences of those who knew him 
 during his school-days are to be trusted, he seems to 
 have given the impression of being a portentously serious 
 young person. He showed from the first a passion 
 for study such as rarely embarrasses preceptors in these 
 days, and the pleasures of crockery-smashing gave place 
 to the more constructive delights of reading and music. 
 Unlike other boys of his age he took no interest in 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 25 
 
 sports, so far as practical participation was concerned, 
 and while other boys were in the playground enjoying 
 themselves in their way, he would be deriving his delight 
 poring over some solid volume in a retired nook. From 
 all that he used to say in later years it is safe to infer, 
 however, that this total abstinence from games was not 
 of choice but of necessity, for his sight — though good — 
 was so short that from the age of eleven he was com- 
 pelled to wear glasses. He was wont to regret bitterly, 
 in conversation with his boys at Cambridge, that his de- 
 ficiencies in the matter of eyesight had prevented his ever 
 playing cricket, for that was a game for which he was 
 wont to show at all times the greatest enthusiasm. This 
 abstention from games, combined with an increasing eager- 
 ness in acquiring knowledge, marked him off from other boys 
 both at school and at home. Not that he was unloving or 
 unsympathetic in the home ; far from it ; but his disposition 
 and tastes were those of one who was mature, rather than of 
 a schoolboy, and all his brothers and sisters were accustomed 
 to class him not with themselves — although the differences 
 of age were not conspicuously great — but with their father 
 and mother. One day they came to their aunt Sarah with 
 the piteous appeal, " Wasn't William ever naughty ? It 
 would make us feel,;so much nearer to him if he had been 
 naughty like us." After thinking for a long time she said, 
 "Yes: he once flew into a violent passion!" Horrible 
 thought, that a violent passion should be welcomed as a sign 
 of grace 1 Still, there is no denying that it was so, for it 
 seemed to bring their brother within, just within, their own 
 world. 
 
 At the early age usual in those Spartan days he went to 
 Woodhouse Grove School, near Leeds, one of the two 
 branches of the institution founded by John Wesley for the 
 
z6 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 education of his preachers' sons. The rigours of school life 
 in those days may be well seen in some of the following 
 reminiscences which forty years later he supplied for Mr. J. 
 T. Slugg's memorials of the School, after the concentration 
 of the whole foundation at Bath. It may be observed before 
 giving these quotations that he was a very delicate little boy, 
 " hardly expected to live to manhood " and suffering greatly 
 from asthma. On one occasion he was so ill that his father 
 was sent for as " he was believed to be dying." Happily, on 
 his arrival he found the invalid in the playground. With 
 such a constitution, however, one almost wonders that 
 the boy survived some of the experiences described below. 
 Dr. Moulton says : 
 
 " The first and most painful incident in my Grove life was 
 the death of four of my schoolfellows, three from brain fever 
 and one from typhus. I have no doubt that the small 
 ill-ventilated dormitories of that time were responsible for 
 this terrible mortality. The food supplied to us (1846 to 
 1850) was homely but generally wholesome. Our greatest 
 hardship was being compelled to eat puddings which had 
 been ' turned ' during thundery weather. The badly cooked 
 rice, which was our substitute for potatoes during the Irish 
 famine of '48, was another grievance." 
 
 Another old Grove boy describes the rice as "either 
 boiled very dry and then anointed with a thin unguent 
 composed of treacle and warm water, or else baked in huge 
 black tins, in which it looked as if it had been trodden under 
 foot of men. Breakfast consisted of a thick slice of dry 
 bread and about half a pint of skimmed milk, occasionally 
 sour, and sometimes slightly warmed in winter. Supper 
 was an exact repetition of breakfast. Butter, tea and coffee 
 we never saw." 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 27 
 
 " I am often struck with the remembrance of our isolation 
 from the world in which the stirring events of that time 
 were happening. A newspaper seldom reached us, and the 
 French Revolution was little more than a rumour. I do 
 remember that the cholera panic of '49 extended to us, even 
 in the absence of newspapers, and a grim memory it is." 
 
 On the subject of holidays and the management of the 
 clothes and pocket-money. Dr. Moulton says : 
 
 " Our holidays were certainly few and far between. One 
 whole holiday in the year, signalised by an excursion into the 
 country to the Chevin, was about the only opportunity we 
 had of seeing anything outside the school premises. Our mode 
 of obtaining a half-holiday was peculiar. We formed a ring 
 in the playground, holding hands and singing the National 
 Anthem. If, after waiting some time, the Governor did not 
 come out, attracted by our singing, we sent a deputation to 
 him with our request. He would then come out and say he 
 would talk it over with the Headmaster, which we knew 
 meant a favourable answer. On Saturday afternoons, at 
 what was called ' court,' the pocket-money was given out, 
 nominally three halfpence per week. The amount was 
 reduced to a penny by a tax levied for the Missionary 
 Society. Besides this, the Missionary collector came round 
 to extract voluntary (!) subscriptions. Then there were 
 fines to pay, and we were expected to 'give something in 
 class. At the same time, the Governor, who took all our 
 loose cash into his hands when we came to school, told us 
 we^ ought never to be without sixpence in our pockets I 
 Another comic reminiscence is of the way in which our 
 wardrobe was provided. An important functionary living 
 on the premises was the tailor, who had our cloth clothes in 
 his charge. When an accident in the playground made 
 
28 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 repairs necessary, we had to apply to him — Greenwood was 
 his name — for an exchange of garments. The fit and quality 
 of the substitute depended very much on Greenwood's 
 partiality for the applicant, and boys were therefore anxious 
 to be on good terms with him. He had a thirst for know- 
 ledge, and I was fortunate enough to win his favour and a 
 good fit by teaching him a little Hebrew." 
 
 "Of the Circuit and local preachers of that time," Dr. 
 Moulton says, " I have a lively remembrance : of good Mr. S. 
 who proved that the Church meant a company of believers, 
 and not a building, by quoting that ' the Church fell on Paul's 
 neck and kissed him,' gravely adding that he would not have 
 liked a steeple to fall on his neck 1 Of another who, anxious 
 to obtain an influence over the boys, began by inviting them 
 to tea, but soon gave it up because they ate so much ! Of a 
 local preacher who often impressed upon us that ' every tub 
 must stand on its own bottom,' which the Headmaster would 
 translate, with a view to further emphasising, into 'every 
 cask must rest on its own foundation.' For a short time we 
 were happy enough to have in the Circuit James H. Rigg, 
 who used to delight us with his graphic expositions of the 
 parables and miracles; but he was considered by the 
 authorities far too good for us, and, to our great disgust, he 
 was soon removed to what was considered a more important 
 sphere! The Headmaster during my residence at the 
 Grove was Mr. Grear, who had also been my father's 
 Headmaster at Kingswood. He was a good classic within 
 a moderate range — knew next to no composition, though 
 good at translation — and was weak in mathematics. It is 
 true, as you heard, that my father kept me supplied with 
 mathematical work from home. Of the other masters I 
 remember especially Mr. Joseph Frankland (afterwards in 
 our ministry), a very fine man whom I greatly respected; 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 29 
 
 when I entered the school he it was who first infected me 
 with his own great enthusiasm for the Greek Testament. 
 He was, in all his work, an admirable teacher. The first 
 sixpence I ever earned was when Mr. Frankland offered that 
 reward (as much as six weeks' pocket-money !) to any boy 
 who could give the derivation of the Latin word exulto. 
 This reminds me of a reward that was offered, but not given. 
 The Rev. Charles Prest offered a prize for the best analysis 
 of the Third Catechism. One or two of us got it up very 
 carefully, but by that time Mr. Prest had forgotten all 
 about it ! " 
 
 It is needless to say that he did well at Woodhouse Grove 
 and rose to the top of the school before he left it at the age 
 of fifteen. But according to Judge Waddy, whose close 
 acquaintance with him dates from this early period, when he 
 left Woodhouse Grove for Wesley College, Sheffield, he was 
 a boy possessed of an infinite capacity for taking pains, rather 
 than of startling talents, and he certainly was not the prodigy 
 which his father's brother William had been. But from first 
 to last thoroughness was always more characteristic of him 
 than brilliance, and perhaps it is not unreasonable to believe 
 that if he had been a prodigy at school he would not have 
 been in after years the sound and accurate scholar he 
 became. In 1850 he went to Wesley College, then under 
 the rule of the Rev. Dr. Waddy, the distinguished father of 
 His Honour Judge Waddy, and his three years there were 
 eventful for him in every way. At first he was a pupil, and 
 it was from Wesley College that he matriculated— sixth in 
 Honours— at London University. Some have been surprised 
 to find that he failed to reach the highest place, which was 
 reached later by his brothers John and Richard, but it must 
 be remembered that in the interval which separated his 
 
30 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 matriculation from theirs the opportunities of good schooling 
 open to sons of ministers underwent considerable changes 
 for the better. Probably Wesley College was at that time 
 better staffed than any other school that was open to them, 
 but Dr. Moulton often told in later years how he had been 
 compelled to store up his difficulties in mathematics until the 
 outside examiner, who came once a year, should arrive to 
 solve them for him. Of course at this time he was disposed 
 to specialise in mathematics, and the difficulties would be 
 very far from being ordinary schoolboy difficulties, but it 
 points to his having pursued his studies under disadvantages 
 •which did not exist to embarrass his younger brothers. 
 What continued to astonish all those who came in contact 
 with him was his voracity in the matter of knowledge. 
 Nothing seemed to lie altogether outside his acquaintance : 
 Hebrew, chemistry, practical mechanics, and music — 
 theoretical and practical — were his favourite studies, but very 
 far from being his only ones. His love for music was a life- 
 long characteristic. When home from school at the age of 
 ten he was full pf musical enthusiasm, and would often be 
 found singing to an accompaniment on a make-believe organ 
 constructed with books on a table, pianos being not so 
 commonly found in the houses of Methodist preachers then 
 as they are now. At thirteen he was a fair player on the 
 organ : at Wesley College he was the regular organist, and 
 right through life the sound of an organ was a pleasure to 
 him. 
 
 But the event of events for fcim during his Wesley College 
 life was his conversion. Some of those who watched the 
 quiet, studious, upright lad might think that no radical change 
 was needed there, but that was very far from being his own 
 estimate of himself and his needs. " I have sinned against 
 the clearest light," he moaned to his friend S. D. Waddy, the 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 31 
 
 Governor's son, who was at his side trying to lead him to the 
 Saviour. Such outbursts of penitence and self-abasement 
 can surprise no one who has watched or thought upon these 
 matters. They are the gracious penalty incident upon a high 
 ideal of holiness, and how gracious they are only Gk)d's saints 
 can fully know. While the crowd scoffs at these expressions 
 as unreal, while weaker disciples look upon them with wonder 
 and longing, God's best and most beloved children will con- 
 tinue to tell us that such moments of self-abasement are 
 those which herald the brightest days. 
 
 It was so with W. F. Moulton. Such a seeker could not 
 fail to find, and what he found, after two years of seeking, 
 was a light which transfigured everything, duties and pleasures, 
 present and future. 
 
 " It was that which gave a purpose to everything he afterwards 
 did — point to his studies, strength to his mind, and, above all, 
 that concentration of thought, purpose and energy which was seen 
 throughout his subsequent career. His mental training became 
 a very different one from that which was apparently mapped out 
 for him by his own inclination and ambition." * 
 
 He left Wesley College in 1853 to take a mastership in a 
 private school in Devonport, whence after one year he went 
 as Mathematical Master to Queen's College, Taunton, where he 
 stayed until he entered the ministry. 
 
 His life at Taunton served as a fine apprenticeship to the 
 life of unremitting toil which was to come. For to master as 
 to boy school-life forty years ago lacked most of the infiuences 
 and circumstances which make it so attractive to the one and 
 so joyous to the other to-day, and Mr. Moulton's life at Taun- 
 ton was only typical of what hundreds of young men were 
 going through at the same time. The teaching hours were 
 
 * Judge Waddy at City Road, March 21, 1898. 
 
32 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 from 6.30 to 7.30, 9.0 to 12.30 (with an interval ofa quarter of 
 an hour at ii.o) and from 2.30 to 4.0 except on Wednesdays 
 and Saturdays. But this by no means completed the master's 
 work. Half his time, outside of school hours, he was " on 
 duty," either in the schoolroom or the playground or the 
 dormitories ; and added to this was the great testing-time of 
 evening school, from 7 to 8, when all were assembled in the 
 large schoolroom, a duty which fell to senior members of the 
 staff. Being a junior master Mr. Moulton probably escaped 
 this duty, but the fact remains that, with the exception 
 of that one hour, from 6 a.m to 9 p.m. he had no time to 
 himself. 
 
 It was after such a day as this that he betook himself to 
 his studies in his bedroom, for junior masters there did not 
 enjoy the luxury of private rooms. There was no fire, and 
 very little heat found its way into those rooms. He stood 
 at his chest of drawers with his gown over his shoulders, 
 and when at 10.30 the gas was turned off, he lit his candle 
 and went on working at higher mathematics until midnight. 
 It was not unsanetified ambition that made him put forth such 
 prodigious efforts. When one of his most intimate friends, 
 the Rev. A. J. French, expostulated with him about his 
 manner of life and playfully twitted him on his desire to be 
 superior to other men, he replied, " I don't care at all about 
 being superior, but I should like to be equal." Side by side, 
 moreover, with this perfectly worthy but human sentiment 
 there was the higher purpose, the divine influence that so 
 completely transfigured his life. Worldly ambition was 
 crushed within him at his conversion, and now wherever he 
 was and upon whatever task he was engaged, his work had a 
 new interest for him by reason of the new purpose and motive- 
 power which had entered his life : what was to him before a 
 delight now became — without losing in the slightest degree 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 33 
 
 its attractiveness — a solemn trust as well. " It is my duty," 
 he said, " to become all that I may become." 
 
 The only period of his life at which he kept a journal was 
 during the four years at Taunton, and in that journal are to 
 be found the few self-revealing utterances among the records 
 of his life. And because they are so full of self-revelations 
 they have their place here. Utterances of this kind receive, 
 as a rule, scant appreciation from the world at large, which 
 is wont to write down self-depreciation as cant, or as gene- 
 rated by the love of praise. But no one of spiritual insight 
 and experience will be guilty of such injustice. The more 
 real and genuine a man's religion, the more clearly does he 
 see the fulness of the glory to which he is called ; and, against 
 that background, his own shortcomings loom ever larger and 
 more terrible, until he feels himself in very truth " the chief 
 of sinners." That it was so with Mr. Moulton will be seen 
 from the following extracts from his journal, scattered over 
 the period between May 1854, and December 1857. 
 
 "May 19, 1854.— This is the anniversary of my spiritual 
 birth. Three years to-day, between twelve and one in the 
 morning, I found peace with God. Thanks be unto Him for 
 His unspeakable gift ! Oh that I were more devoted to Him ! 
 I have given way to-day to rather unkind language to the 
 boys and have not constantly had God's honour before me in 
 the work I have had to do." 
 
 "I have not been gentle and patient enough with the boys. 
 Oh that God would enable me to do something, actively or 
 passively, for them ! I trust I am willing to follow the 
 leadings of Providence as regards the future, but I need to 
 be more alive to His claims in the present, in the work of 
 each day." 
 
3+ WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 " I have not shown sufficient gentleness to-day. I do not 
 
 wear a winning demeanour. Spoke to ; should have 
 
 done so before. May He who is my only hope make me 
 useful ! " 
 
 " Was enabled to speak to one who once ran well. By 
 God's grace I will be one of those who win souls ; but to 
 this end I must strive against sin myself : 
 
 " I. Let me study God's Word more thoroughly and more 
 practically. 
 
 " 2. Attend more resolutely to early morning prayer — 
 prayer which orings past, present, and future to God. 
 
 " 3. Practise self-examination more. I have a sermon to 
 make for the i8th [eight days after]. Let me begin at once 
 and seek to receive a special blessing whilst studying it. . . . 
 Oh for a tender conscience 1 " 
 
 To those who knew the Dr. Moulton of The Leys the 
 constant references to " temper " and " harshness," and the 
 entry " Oh that I could draw more and drive less I " are 
 almost incredible, and can only be explained by taking 
 account of a conscience scrupulously — at times almost 
 morbidly — exacting. 
 
 " I have been assisted this evening with the boys. I 
 wonder I have never thought of reading to them before. I 
 read extracts from Wesley's life and interested them. I had 
 prayed for guidance, and acknowledge this as an answer to 
 prayer. I shall, I expect, have much to try me to-morrow, 
 for I am on full duty. Let me therefore prepare. . . . 
 
 "4. By watching against my temper. 
 
 "5. By guarding against self-indulgence — staying up 
 late to read. I must be in bed by half-past ten and rise 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 35 
 
 not later than half-past five. I think I have been more 
 preserved from levity than before." 
 
 "Let me not talk to others yet about my thinking of 
 preaching, and wishing to be a missionary, but let me live 
 more like a servant of God and seek His guidance." 
 
 As surprising as the references to " temper " and " harsh- 
 ness " are those to "trifling"— "This habit of trifling will 
 ruin me if I do not overcome it " — and to " love of praise." If 
 ever the latter was a snare to him in early life, the snare was 
 broken before his entry into the ministry. So genuine was 
 his sense of unworthiness that praise became to him positive 
 pain. He would walk out of the room rather than hear a 
 laudatory passage about himself, and to the day of his death 
 it was with the greatest difficulty that he could be induced 
 to listen to letters of congratulation on the various honours 
 conferred upon him. He would hear with joy and gratitude 
 of the affection of his friends, but not their praise of himself. 
 
 It was during this period that he first began to preach. 
 With what searchings of heart and self-humiliation he would 
 approach the task may be inferred from the passages quoted 
 above from his diary, and also from the following letter, 
 written to his sister : 
 
 "Taunton, Ang. 12, 1856. 
 
 " My dear Lizzie, — I hope Annie will not be hurt at my not 
 writing to her. I know it is her turn to hear, but I have 
 something to tell you. ... I promised to tell you when I 
 began to preach. Accordingly, though of course the others 
 must know, I write to tell you first. Last Sunday I began. 
 I preached three times and had altogether about ten miles to 
 walk ; I think you will agree with me that I had enough for 
 a first time. I had consented to take this appointment at 
 
36 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Mr. Sibly's request about a week before. One of the local 
 preachers is out of town, and some one had told Mr. S. 
 that I had begun to preach. To my surprise one evening he 
 mentioned it to me and asked me whether I would begin. 
 After some consideration I consented, thinking that, perhaps, 
 his asking me was an indication that I ought to make up my 
 mind. I ' got on ' much better than I deserved, and enjoyed 
 the day. In the morning I had the honour of preaching at a 
 desk where Mr. Wesley and Dr. Coke had stood : indeed. 
 Dr. Coke preached his trial sermon in that village. In the 
 afternoon and evening I was at a place called North Curry. 
 I did not ' stick fast ' : in the afternoon I did not feel quite 
 at home, but enjoyed the morning and evening services. I 
 feel thankful for the assistance that was granted me, and for 
 the happiness I experienced. How far I may continue I do 
 not know, but suppose it probable that I shall, if spared, try 
 again. I trust divine direction will be granted me, and that 
 my path will ever be made plain. . . . With kindest love to 
 Aunt, and you all. 
 
 " I remain, your affectionate brother, 
 
 " William." 
 
 In his journal he thus describes this " opening of his 
 commission " : 
 
 " I have ventured to begin to preach. My congregation 
 assembled in a room in the house of one of our friends, and 
 I preached to them from the first clause of Isaiah lii. i, an 
 exhortation more applicable to myself, probably, than to any 
 member of my congregation. I entered on the service with 
 trepidation, but was assisted throughout by a sense of God's 
 presence. At the evening service (at North Curry) I felt 
 but little embarrassment in applying another exhortation, 
 • Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.' Altogether I have 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 37 
 
 reason to be thankful for the help afforded me. I know not 
 whether I shall repeat the attempt." 
 
 He did repeat the attempt, and fairly soon too. His 
 ministrations seem to have been thoroughly acceptable to the 
 societies in these villages, for, under September 18, there is 
 an entry : 
 
 "Sept. 18, 1856. — I was asked to preach at the same 
 places (Knapp and North Curry) on Sunday, but as two 
 new sermons would have been required, I only consented in 
 case no other arrangement could be made. Happily for me 
 and for the friends at these places other aid was secured ; 
 and I went, at the Superintendent's request, to Wrantage 
 and Hatch Beauchamp. I had a hot dusty walk of six 
 miles, and the morning congregation, consisting largely of 
 children, were mostly asleep. I made my first collection — 
 two and tenpence ! From Wrantage I had a delightful walk 
 to Hatch. Most of the land near belongs to our principal 
 friend there. Less than two years ago he was butler to the 
 Squire, and twice I had taken tea with him in the butler's 
 room at Hatch Court. On the sudden death of the Squire 
 it was found that almost all the property, which was very 
 considerable, was left to the butler. He is now the Squire, 
 and this time when I took tea with him at the Court it was 
 not in the butler's room. Of the services I can only say 
 how I wish I could believe that any good was done ; but I 
 do not live what I preach, so how can I expect it ? If I 
 continue preaching I shall find Hessel's Life very useful. I 
 am specially impressed by the chapter in which he represents 
 what should be the feelings of a minister when about to 
 engage in divine services." 
 
 Some of the entries which follow are of peculiar interest 
 
38 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 because they reveal the conflicts in his own mind concerning 
 his future work — a problem which lie approached with a 
 characteristic singleness of aim and disregard of personal 
 advantage : 
 
 *^ Nov. 13, 1856. — I have been strongly advised by friends 
 whose judgment I trust, to enter the Indian Civil Service, 
 and I cannot help feeling more — shall I say curiosity about 
 the future than ever before. I feel as if I had not yet found 
 my life-work but were on the point of doing so. And then 
 comes the sense of my unfitness for everything. How I 
 should enjoy a year given entirely to study, so that I might 
 repair some of my defects; but that idea is altogether 
 Utopian. No, I must endeavour by increased diligence to 
 acquire habits which will prepare me for a life of study. A 
 mind rightly prepared will be ever learning. Whether the 
 ministry will be my ultimate destination I cannot tell. To' 
 think of it appears presumption. Its mental associations, the 
 studies most naturally connected with it are, it is true, what 
 I prefer to all others. This, if I were so unfortunate as to 
 belong to a less enlightened Church than our own, would pro- 
 bably decide the point ; but we do not regard our personal 
 tastes as a sufficient call to so sacred an ofiSce : and in the 
 most important qualifications, the discipline and culture of 
 the heart and soul, I am indeed found wanting. On the 
 Sabbath, while endeavouring to set forth that heavenly life 
 which so feebly animates mine, I feel a spark of zeal ; but 
 the crowded occupations of the week come and deaden it, 
 and then who would recognise in me the preacher of the 
 Sunday ? Oh that I could awake and put on strength — the 
 strength which comes alone from Him to whose service I 
 would offer a wholly consecrated life ! Last Sunday I 
 preached at the small village of Buckland St. Mary in a farm- 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 39 
 
 house kitchen. My congregation in the morning numbered 
 seven, in the afternoon twelve. I felt more freedom than 
 ever before, and also greatly enjoyed meeting a class — for the 
 first time in my life I " 
 
 As yet Mr. Moulton was only "on trial " as a local preacher: 
 before he could be accepted "upon full plan" he had to 
 preach before another local preacher who would report to the 
 Local Preachers' Meeting concerning the sermon, at which 
 meeting also he would be questioned by the Superintendent 
 Minister upon Christian doctrine. This seems to have taken 
 place at the June meeting in 1857. 
 
 "Plymouth, June 18, 1857. — At last the College half-year 
 has come to an end, and I am able to take a little rest, 
 or rather a change of work. I have preached my 'Trial 
 Sermon' and been recommended by the Local Preachers' 
 Meeting ; though one member challenged my orthodoxy, as I 
 judge (through what I happened to observe) owing to his 
 having been asleep (a most natural state, by-the-bye, under 
 such a discourse) at the time I used a certain important ' if.' 
 Since this ordeal I have preached in Stonehouse Chapel, the 
 largest to which I have ever been sent. I felt so little, but 
 as my sermon drew to a conclusion the size of the chapel 
 looked considerably less. Some of my friends seem to take 
 it for granted that I should enter the ministry, but I greatly 
 fear shaping my course myself, either by the expectations of 
 others or by my own wishes, instead of being led by the 
 Spirit. As the time for decision draws nearer I feel increas- 
 ingly anxious, but the anxiety is only that I may know what 
 is my right path. I wish I could tell what amount of con- 
 viction constitutes a 'a call.' I believe different persons are 
 differently influenced by the Holy Spirit. Certainly what 
 we understand by the * Witness of the Spirit ' differs in its 
 
40 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 character greatly. Some have an overwhelming flood of 
 light and happiness and can no more doubt of their acceptance 
 than of their existence. To others the same Spirit speaks 
 with a still, small voice. For my own part I have never 
 looked for nor experienced manifestations of the former kind : 
 if I had considered these the only genuine ones I should have 
 been in continual darkness. So with regard to a call to the 
 highest of all offices. Some feel * Woe is me if I preach not 
 the Gospel,' and almost audibly the voice of God seems to 
 them to send them forth into His service. But, reasoning 
 from analogy, is it right to expect this in all cases ? I think 
 not, but I cannot feel sure what is the leading of Providence." 
 
 Two or three other entries during the later months of 1857 
 are interesting in various ways. He was slowly nearing a 
 decision as to his life work. 
 
 " Oct. 3, 1857. — H.'s book is very good as far as it goes, 
 but it does not touch on that which interests me most — the 
 question of discrepancies in points olfact which are met with 
 in the Gospels. By-the-bye, I have ventured to write on this 
 subject to the clergyman, Mr. EUicott,* whose former letters 
 have helped me so much, and he answered me very promptly 
 in his own kind and instructive way." 
 
 "Oct. 30, 1857. — I was much affected at hearing that a 
 member of my congregation on Sunday had died very suddenly 
 the next morning whilst going about his ordinary business. 
 Though usually an attendant at his parish church he came to 
 our service ; God applied the Word to his heart and he was 
 moved to earnest prayer and penitence. I do not know more 
 than this, but I am feeling deeply what an effect this solemn 
 event should have on my ministry henceforth." 
 
 • The present Bishop of Gloucester. 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 41 
 
 "Nov. II, 1857. — The morning (6 to 7) was so fine that 
 the Headmaster has been sending some of the senior boys to 
 the Observatory, where I have, of course, had to do the 
 honours of the new telescope, as I do also on every fine 
 evening. It is a great enjoyment, and all the more so in this 
 harassing uncertainty as to the future : it seems to remind me 
 that I may well commit my ' ways into His hands, to His 
 sure truth and tender care who heaven and earth commands.' 
 I scarcely understand this prolonged indecision about the 
 ministry ; but I am sure that I am only waiting for some clear 
 indication of God's will. How awful it would be to make any 
 mistake about that 1 " 
 
 It was during these quiet years at Taunton that the name 
 of W. F. Moulton gradually began to become known outside 
 the circle of his own acquaintances owing to his successes at 
 London University. Having matriculated at sixteen — the 
 earliest age possible — and taken his B.A. degree at the age 
 of nineteen in 1854, he, two years later, took his M.A. 
 Mathematics still continued to be his favourite study, as may 
 be seen from the fact that when he graduated in 1854 it was 
 with mathematical honours, and when he took his Master's 
 degree he was awarded the gold medal for mathematics and 
 natural philosophy. Indeed, so brilhant was his work on 
 this last occasion that the examiner, Professor Gerrard, urged 
 him to go up to Cambridge, and encouraged him to do so by 
 adding that he believed he would become Senior Wrangler. 
 A comparison of the lists of the medal-winners at the London 
 M.A. examination with the lists at Cambridge render it per- 
 fectly possible, to say the least of it, that the Professor's 
 augury would have proved correct. Out of the twenty-four 
 gold medallists in mathematics in London, seven have been 
 Senior Wranglers, three more have been Smith's Prizemen, 
 
4» WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 and three others have been second, third, and fourth respec- 
 tively, while of the remainder the great part did not come up 
 to Cambridge at all. It was a tempting prospect from many 
 points of view, for no one could have entered into the best 
 spirit of a great university more thoroughly than he would 
 have done. 
 
 But he refused to entertain the idea. There was slowly 
 but surely forming in his mind an ideal compared with which 
 the highest academic glory seemed poor and mean, and it 
 was to Christian service, not to intellectual distinction, that 
 he was looking to satisfy the aspirations of his soul. 
 
 The commencement of 1858 marks the end of this period 
 of doubt and uncertainty, and a final committal of himself to 
 the work which he viewed with such reverent awe. 
 
 "Jan. 20, 1858. — I have entered on what I cannot but regard 
 as probably my last half-year at Taunton. I feel how more 
 than ever important it is, therefore, that all my actions should 
 be animated with a new life which may react on the boys 
 around me ; but I also feel increasingly how far removed is a 
 thoroughly consistent life from an unstable nature like mine. 
 Shall I ever attain to it ? I am almost in despair as I review 
 the past year with its sins and follies and lost opportunities, 
 and can only cry to God to ' hide this self from me ' : 'In 
 all things nothing may I see, nothing desire or seek, but Thee I ' 
 
 "March 22, 1858. — I have at last come to a decided con- 
 viction that it is my duty to offer myself at the next District 
 Meeting as a candidate for the ministry. Not that I have 
 even now any overwhelming influence in that directipn, but I 
 seem to myself to be more evidently moved of God, and I am 
 firmly persuaded that if I am mistaken some indication will be 
 given me between this time and Conference. I have therefore 
 to-day sent in my resignation to the College Directors. 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 43 
 
 Whether my offer should be for the home or foreign work I 
 do not yet see. I still think that the oifer should be unre- 
 stricted, in the absence of special reasons tending in one 
 direction or the other. The question is, are there such reasons 
 in my case ? I feel as if I were lacking in nearly all the 
 qualities and faculties specially needed in a missionary, and 
 my friends think that I could be more useful in the home 
 work. But all I desire is that I may be led, and not left to 
 my own inclinations." 
 
 The resolve to enter the Church of his fathers caused him 
 to apply himself with redoubled energy to the particular 
 studies he had taken up. 
 
 On Dec. 10, 1856, he had written in his journal : 
 
 " I have set German before me as the main subject of study 
 during the coming vacation. This I have resumed with 
 special reference to Biblical studies. It is my desire, what- 
 ever may be my destination ultimately, to apply myself as 
 fully as I can to the science of Biblical interpretation. But 
 that is a very wide field. I have had no fresh thoughts of 
 India. If I ever should go there I should wish it to be in 
 the capacity of a missionary, rather than in the service of the 
 Government." 
 
 His favourite study of mathematics was laid aside, and all 
 his energies were turned towards those studies which were 
 the most calculated to fit him for the lofty calling which he was 
 to follow. To the end of his life he never lost his love for 
 mathematics, chemistry and natural philosophy, and he 
 always rejoiced when opportunities for teaching them came in 
 his way, but henceforth Hebrew, New Testament Greek and 
 other studies bearing upon Biblical questions became his 
 chief occupation. And such were his powers of acquisition 
 
44 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 that when in i860 — two years after entering the ministry — he 
 took the Scripture examination at London University he 
 swept the board there, as he had done previously in mathe- 
 matics. He was the only candidate who ever took a first 
 class in all the four subjects — Hebrew Text of the Old 
 Testament, Greek Text of the New Testament, Evidences of 
 the Christian Religion, and Scripture History. In the first 
 three subjects he carried off" the University prizes, and in the 
 Calendar of the University there will be seen against his name 
 a special mark of distinction never given before or since. 
 Thus was he equipping himself for the career of Biblical study 
 which not only made his reputation — to him that would be a 
 matter of very small moment — but also enabled him to be the 
 helper and guide of all those who sought his advice in their 
 perplexities concerning the Word of God. 
 
 The brilliance of Mr. Moulton's record at London University 
 did not relieve him from the necessity of passing through 
 every one of the tests with which the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Church safeguards the entrance to her ministry. After his 
 acceptance by the Quarterly Meeting of his own Circuit in 
 March 1858 he went before the May District Meeting of the 
 Exeter District, where he was examined in Christian doctrine 
 vivd voce and preached a trial sermon. Concerning this he 
 writes : 
 
 "May 29, 1858.— Last Wednesday week Fletcher * and I 
 left Taunton for the District Meeting at Dunster. My des- 
 tination was Watchett on the coast. Here I had to preach 
 my trial sermon at 6 o'clock in the morning before three 
 rather formidable judges. I felt very uncomfortable. How- 
 ever they gave me a favourable report — more so than I 
 deserved. Then came the examination — lasting more than 
 
 • The Rev. George Fletcher, the present Governor of Richmond College. 
 
EARLY YEARS AND INFLUENCES 45 
 
 two hours — before about thirty ministers. The questions 
 were very minute and searching, but I enjoyed the time very 
 much (barring the physical strain of standing so long in a 
 small and rather crowded room) and learnt a good deal from 
 the examination." 
 
 Having been unanimously sent forward by the authorities 
 of his Circuit and his District he came before what is known 
 as the " July Committee," representing the Connexion as a 
 whole. There he was examined again in Doctrine both 
 vivd voce and on paper, and was also tested as to physical 
 soundness by a medical specialist. The marks he received 
 on every test were the very highest possible, and the Con- 
 ference accepted him for " Home, Immediate," — that is to say. 
 Home work as distinct from Foreign and without a prelimi- 
 nary three years at College, which was deemed unnecessary 
 in his case. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 RICHMOND 
 
 The offer of such a man for the ministry of his Church could 
 not fail to arouse special interest throughout the brotherhood 
 of ministers and the Church at large. But the enthusiasm with 
 which he was received never turned his head. Writing to 
 his father he says, " I did see the complimentary paragraph 
 referred to ; but who that knows anything of Biblical criticism 
 could suppress a smile at any young man's being spoken of as 
 having ' made considerable attainments in it ' ? If the writer 
 had referred only to my love of such studies he would have 
 been correct." From the standpoint of intellectual gifts he 
 was a great addition to the Church's teachers and preachers. 
 A superficial observer might be tempted to form an unjust 
 inference concerning the scholarship of the Wesleyan 
 ministry of those days from the absence of those "decorations" 
 upon which the outside world sets so great a store. It is 
 perfectly true that far fewer of the ministers of the Wesleyan 
 Connexion possessed University degrees forty years ago than 
 now, but it would be most unjust to infer from that fact a 
 lower standard of culture and scholarship. With few 
 advantages of study outside the Connexional colleges, and 
 with incomes which debarred them from extensive purchases 
 in the way of books, that generation of Wesleyan ministers 
 attained a standard of scholarship and manifested an origi- 
 
RICHMOND 47 
 
 nality of thought which this more fortunate age cannot afford 
 to belittle. In the absence of external aids men were thrown 
 back upon their own resources of mind, and these were not 
 found wanting. In connection with this subject it must 
 further be remembered that throughout the first half of this 
 century the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were 
 closed to Nonconformists ; that when they were opened it 
 was with manifest reluctance, and Nonconformists continued 
 to be shut out from the most coveted prizes. Even to-day 
 it is impossible for a Nonconformist to obtain a degree in 
 Divinity at any English University 1 
 
 Apart from his own talents Mr. Moulton was welcomed 
 into the brotherhood for the sake of his ancestry. He had 
 behind him an honoured line of Methodist preachers, and it 
 was with unfeigned pleasure and thankfulness that the men 
 who had known the earlier Moultons and had valued their 
 services, saw this one — bidding fair to be the most brilliant 
 of them all — follow in the footsteps of his fathers. The 
 various examinations incident upon entrance into the 
 Wesleyan ministry presented no serious difficulty to one 
 who had won such triumphs at London. "W. F. M. had 
 no marks lower than the highest; your nephew's modesty 
 appears equal to his ability," wrote M. C. Taylor to the 
 Rev. Ebenezer Moulton. 
 
 At the Hull Conference of 1858 he was warmly accepted 
 as a candidate, though, as may be inferred from what has 
 already been said, he had to pass through his four years of 
 probation, prior to ordination, just like any other man. 
 Among his fellow candidates that year may be mentioned 
 the Revs. Walford Green, W. L. Watkinson and Dr. H. J. 
 Pope, all of whom — like himself — have occupied the 
 Presidential chair of the Conference. At that Conference 
 there was an animated discussion as to whether Mr. Moulton 
 
48 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 should go into Circuit work or be appointed as tutor at one 
 of the Institutions where men were being trained for the 
 home and foreign work. In the first draft of the " stations " 
 he was put down for Blackburn, and the Rev. John Bedford, 
 who was then chairman of the Manchester and Bolton 
 District, made a vigorous attempt to retain him ; but the 
 Rev. Benjamin Hellier strongly — and in the end success- 
 fully — contended that his right position would be that of a 
 teacher, and he was appointed to the post of Assistant 
 Tutor at Richmond College. In after life Mr. Hellier often 
 declared that he considered that to be the best day's work 
 he had ever done. Here he stayed for sixteen years, ten 
 years as Assistant Tutor and six as Classical Tutor, and the 
 importance of this period cannot possibly be over-rated for 
 their influence upon his character and work. 
 
 Richmond College is so exceedingly familiar to Wesleyans 
 that it requires some effort for the biographer to pull up and 
 remind himself that not all the readers of this narrative will 
 know their way about it. Some account must therefore be 
 ventured of the scenes amid which Mr. Moulton laboured 
 during the years that had most to do with forming his 
 thought and winning his reputation. The College was one 
 of three, since increased to four, which together make up 
 what Methodists know as the Theological Institution. To 
 one branch or other of the Institution are sent the candidates 
 for the ministry who have been accepted by the Conference, 
 unless there are special reasons — such as those exemplified 
 at the close of the previous chapter — which justify sending 
 them out at once into the work. It must be remembered 
 that, apart from an examination evidencing a respectable 
 general education, these men have so far been tested and 
 approved as preachers, and preachers only. That is to say, 
 they have already evidenced to the successive bodies 
 
RICHMOND 49 
 
 appointed to test them that they believe themselves called of 
 God to preach the Gospel, and that God has owned their 
 work so far by awakening sinners under their message. They 
 have served at least a year as local preachers, and have been 
 recommended by their Circuit Quarterly Meeting. They 
 have preached trial sermons, ministers being appointed to 
 attend and hear them. They have stood up before the 
 Synod of their District — including all the ministers resident 
 in an area corresponding roughly in size with an Anglican 
 diocese — and given an account of their conversion and their 
 call to preach, being then orally examined in the elements 
 of scriptural theology, especially as interpreted in John 
 Wesley's Sermons and Notes on the New Testament, which 
 form the doctrinal standards of Methodism. On their 
 impressions and on the reports from the superintendent 
 minister of the candidate's Circuit the members of the Synod 
 base their vote, and the successful candidates pass on to 
 fresh tests. A written sermon, a second trial sermon in 
 public, a written theological examination, a searching medical 
 test, and then another oral examination before a select com- 
 mittee, sitting in two sections, at Richmond and at one of 
 the northern colleges, complete the round of inquiry by 
 which the Church endeavours to make as sure as possible of 
 genuine promise and a real divine call in those for whose 
 future she now becomes responsible. Conference, in this as 
 in everything the final authority, deals with the report of 
 this " July Committee," and occasionally accepts a candidate 
 who passed his Synod but was not recommended by the 
 Committee ; in general, however, it accepts the Committee's 
 findings. It has seemed well to give this detailed account, 
 even at some risk of repetition, for the benefit of those who 
 might fail otherwise to understand what material a tutor has 
 to deal with. Rightly or wrongly, the Church which John 
 
 D 
 
so WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Wesley organised has always regarded the Christian 
 ministry, clerical or lay, as an order of prophets, called of 
 God to give His message ; and those who are set apart 
 to give their whole time to the work are trained on the 
 intellectual side when it has been ascertained, so far 
 as fallible human judgment can ascertain, that they are 
 truly sent forth by the Head of the Church to speak for 
 Him. 
 
 The young ministers who were allocated to Richmond 
 College were, as already mentioned, for some years exclu- 
 sively those designated for the foreign work. They 
 began their three years' course at very different levels. 
 Many of them were ministers' sons, trained at the splendid 
 school which John Wesley established for his preachers' 
 children, where the joint stimulus of inherited habits and of 
 honourable poverty secured from the great majority of the 
 boys a vigorous use of the educational advantages given 
 them. Others of the students, like prophets and apostles of 
 old, were called from the fishing boat, the field or the counter. 
 Some seventy men, standing in such widely different posi- 
 tions as to intellectual training, were in the hands of the 
 Classical Tutor and his Assistant to mould to the best advan- 
 tage. The Theological Tutor of course took them all in his 
 special subjects, and the Governor lectured to them in 
 Methodist polity and the administration of the Church they 
 were about to serve, besides meeting them weekly in the 
 "Society Class." Their colleagues on the "classical" side 
 — we shall see later how much the term implied — had to 
 sort the men out, teach Hebrew and classics and subjects for 
 University examinations to those who were advanced 
 enough, and on the other hand laboriously train in plain 
 English subjects and the Greek Testament some whose 
 education had been very elementary. For this herculean 
 
RICHMOND SI 
 
 task, an impossible task but for the men's eagerness to learn, 
 the Tutors had the use of four long mornings a week, involv- 
 ing generally some five hours' teaching per diem, besides 
 being constantly accessible to guide and advise their students. 
 Monday and Saturday were necessarily days on which the 
 students were left to themselves, for most of them were preach- 
 ing at a distance on the Sunday. It need not be added that 
 the teacher's work was not over when he left the class-room. 
 The study up in the tower, where on a chilly winter's morn- 
 ing the Assistant Tutor would strike half a gross of matches* 
 to light his fire for three or four quiet hours before breakfast ; 
 the little house a quarter of a mile away to which he moved on 
 his marriage ; and the house in the College grounds in which 
 he spent as Classical Tutor the last six of his sixteen years at 
 Richmond — all alike were far from being the retreats of 
 learned leisure. The students were always very much at 
 home there, and many were the troubles lightened and diffi- 
 culties relieved by confidential talks within those walls. 
 Such features of Mr. Moulton's work did not grow lighter 
 when he moved out of the College and gave the students two 
 sympathetic friends instead of one. 
 
 But we are allowing this general survey to anticipate 
 events. We can hardly pass on, though, without a word 
 more about the kind of life lived in the stately buildings on 
 the top of famous Richmond Hill. A very healthy and 
 delightful life it was, as the memories of many who read 
 these pages will abundantly testify. Young men with plenty 
 of innocent high spirits, unsubdued by any foolish asceticism 
 on the part of their superiors, and kept within limits by a 
 sound public opinion which rarely went astray — coald any 
 teacher wish for pupils more to his heart ? What Richmond 
 
 * Matches in those days were a new invention. Mr. Moulton counted 
 eighty-three failures one morning. 
 
52 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 man will ever forget the sacred associations of chapel and 
 hall and class-rooms, of the rows of little plainly furnished 
 studies, or of the entrance hall where the majestic and 
 inspiring figure of John Wesley from time to time looked 
 down on his followers met together under his out- 
 stretched hand of blessing, to bid farewell in song to com- 
 rades departing for the uttermost parts of the earth ? 
 Into all these scenes of college life William Fiddian Moulton 
 entered with all his heart. To make the picture complete, 
 another side must be mentioned, into which his wishes entered 
 more fully than his powers could do. " It is credibly 
 reported " — shade of the Founder ! — " that the boys did 
 play," not at Kingswood only, but even at the Institution, 
 from which such trifling might surely have been excluded ! 
 By way of compounding with conscience, the authorities 
 insisted on ministerial garments. Shirt-sleeves and an 
 occasional silk hat formed a remarkable costume for football. 
 One day in the year was, if I remember rightly, sacrificed 
 to secularism in the shape of the unseemly white flannel — 
 the day when the Freshmen played the Second and Third 
 Years at cricket. But lest the successful bowler or batsman 
 should be exalted overmuch, the game was thoughtfully 
 reduced to a matter of chance by a pitch on the slope of a 
 hill, upon which no money had been diverted from Foreign 
 Missions to provide even moderately level turf. Perhaps 
 after all the game was none the less enjoyed, by the athlete 
 who scored, or by the short-sighted Tutor who watched with 
 keen interest the only kind of pursuit for which Nature had 
 not fitted him. 
 
 Richmond was strongly staffed at that time. When 
 Mr. Moulton first went to the College the Rev. Alfred 
 Barrett* was Governor; the Rev. Thomas Jackson, Theo- 
 * Father of Mrs. Hugh Price Hughes. 
 
RICHMOND 53 
 
 logical Tutor — the Rev. John Lomas succeeding him in 
 i86i; and the Rev. Benjamin Hellier, Classical Tutor. 
 
 Readers of a later age will be unable to realise all that 
 these names implied to their own generation, but by those 
 who came under their personal influence and whose ministry 
 was enriched by their teaching, these men will never be for- 
 gotten. Here is the estimate formed of the staff by one who 
 was under them : 
 
 " He [Dr. Moulton] was associated with a remarkable group of 
 men — Alfred Barrett, high-minded, of never-failing though some- 
 what laboured courtesy, and saintly with a touch of the old 
 sadness and asceticism ; Benjamin Hellier, deliberate, abstracted, 
 blunt without rudeness, careful in judgment, quaint in speech, 
 encyclopaedic in knowledge ; John Lomas, with clean-shaven 
 chin, arch and ruddy features, dome-like head, tufted and flanked 
 with wisps of fine white hair, perhaps the most original theologian 
 Methodism has had, and with a splendour of thought and diction 
 quivering at intervals through his lectures glorious as the pulses 
 of the northern lights j and youngest of all, William Fiddian 
 Moulton, the equal in character of his remarkable colleagues, and 
 quite outstripping them in the latest methods of scholarship." * 
 
 Thus Mr. Moulton's earliest ministerial relations were with 
 men whose example would lead him not to make a bid for 
 popular honours, but to do his present duty, and find his 
 reward in the consciousness of doing it well. Between him 
 and Mr. Hellier the intimacy grew very close, and the 
 friendship begun in Richmond days continued, unbroken in 
 spite of removals — for Mr. Hellier went to Headingley in 
 1868, and Mr. Moulton to Cambridge in 1875 — up to the time 
 of Mr. Hellier's death in 1888. Day after day at Richmond 
 Mr. Hellier and Mr. Moulton would be seen out walking 
 together, the only form of exercise in which throughout his 
 
 * Rev. T. G. Selby in British Weekly, Feb. 10, 1898. 
 
54 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 life Mr. Moulton ever indulged. One would fain know what 
 occupied their thoughts as they walked and talked by the 
 way ; but of one thing we may speak with confidence, that 
 Mr. Hellier's calm and unprejudiced attitude towards the 
 questions he approached could not fail to influence the 
 younger man, and was, in all probability, to no small extent 
 instrumental in developing that fairness of mind and relia- 
 bility of judgment which afterwards characterised him. 
 
 At one time, shortly after entering the ministry, Mr. 
 Moulton's thoughts were strongly turned towards the 
 mission field. It was never his habit to choose his own 
 path, and the fact that those whose authority he acknow- 
 ledged in his Church marked out a certain course for him 
 would be to him sufficient reason for accepting it without 
 question. Still, he made it no secret that if the Conference 
 had thought fit to send him to China instead of keeping him 
 at Richmond he would have accepted the appointment with 
 the deepest joy. When the Rev. Josiah Cox came home 
 from China on furlough he found in Mr. Moulton, whom he 
 met at Richmond, one who had a fervent and intelligent 
 sympathy with his work jhid the needs of China. Mr. Cox 
 enlarged upon the necessity of supplying to China a new 
 system of education and a Christian literature, and expressed 
 his heartfelt desire that the Methodist Church should take 
 some snare in this great duty. After a while, in quiet but 
 earnest tones, Mr. Moulton said, "Well, Mr. Cox, I have 
 often thought of our China mission, and if the Missionary 
 Committee could deem me suitable I should think it an 
 honour to receive an appointment to China." " May I tell 
 them this?" asked Mr. Cox. "You may, and from me," 
 was the reply. Mr. Cox quickly reported this to Dr. Hoole, 
 the senior secretary. "Well," said the Doctor, "we may 
 thank God for this at all events, and I shall gladly talk it 
 
RICHMOND 55 
 
 over with my colleagues." When Mr. Cox next was in Dr. 
 Hoole's room his first question was, "What about Mr. 
 Moulton's joining our Mission?" He answered, "We 
 secretaries have talked it over carefully. We are grateful to 
 Mr. Moulton for his offer, but we all think that he will do 
 more for the mission cause by training men for service than 
 by going out to the foreign field himself." 
 
 The fact that Richmond was, during Mr. Moulton's time, 
 mainly a college for training men for the foreign field gave 
 to the teaching staff of that institution an unrivalled oppor- 
 tunity for influencing the Biblical thought of their Church. 
 Their instruction would bear fruit not only in the expositions 
 given from hundreds of pulpits at home but also in the 
 formation of vernacular versions in foreign mission stations, 
 and Mr. Moulton, for one, feeling this great responsibility, 
 bent every effort to make the Scriptures live in the minds 
 of his pupils, and to instil into them sound principles of 
 exegesis. And he had his reward, whether he was conscious 
 of it during his lifetime or not, for from all quarters of the 
 globe have come letters breathing the deepest affection and 
 expressing fervid gratitude for what he did for the writers in 
 first launching them out on the field of Biblical study. And 
 one of the most brilliant of those pupils — the Rev. Henry 
 Haigh — has, during the last twelve months, returned to the 
 Mysore district, in face of serious warnings from medical 
 specialists, for the sole purpose of completing the translation 
 of the New Testament into the vernacular which he com- 
 menced before he left India three years ago. Writing 
 concerning Mr. Moulton's influence on Richmond men Mr. 
 Haigh says : 
 
 "But it was in his Greek Testament classes that he always seemed 
 to me to be greatest. It was there that I first learned the mean- 
 ing and began to realise the possibilities of exegesis, and scores of 
 
56 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 others will say the same. The New Testament became a new 
 book to us as he discoursed upon the Greek text before us. He 
 dealt delightfully with the significance of single words; he dis- 
 played to us the suggestions that were involved in cases and 
 tenses and prepositions ; and he insisted most strongly of all on 
 our following and stating to ourselves precisely the course of 
 thought of the writer. I can conceive no higher training for 
 preachers than those classes gave. Possible sermons seemed to 
 appeal to us frequently and clamorously as he expounded. Ay, 
 and more than that : they were often occasions of the highest 
 value, for ' did not our hearts burn within us ' as he spoke ? Time 
 and again in those classes he glowed as he unfolded to us the 
 fullest significance of the words before us. He was in his element, 
 and for the time was tutor and prophet in one." * 
 
 Among others who studied under him at Richmond may 
 be mentioned the Rev. Dr. H. W. Watkins, Archdeacon of 
 Northumberland; the Rev. Dr. T. Bowman Stephenson, 
 President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1891 ; and the 
 Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, M.A., whose Presidential year has 
 recently closed. 
 
 With Mr. Hughes, in his Richmond days and ever since. 
 Dr. Moulton's relations were very close, and more than once 
 the mediation of the Assistant Tutor saved the student from 
 the wrath of the more conservative authorities. On one 
 occasion tutor and student were, so to speak, in disgrace 
 together — though no sane man to-day would apply the term 
 " disgrace " to the situation. When the question of nation- 
 alising the Universities was before Parliament the Liberation 
 Society sent to Mr. Hughes — with prophetic instinct recog- 
 nising in him a likely champion — a petition -form, with the 
 request that he would get the tutors and students to petition 
 Parliament in favour of that instalment of justice. The only 
 tutors who consented to sign were Mr. Hellier and Mr. 
 
 * Leys Fortnightly, In Memoriam, p. 8. 
 
RICHMOND 57 
 
 Moulton. Even Mr. Barrett hesitated, although of course 
 his personal sympathies were with the movement. As two 
 of the tutors actually signed Mr. Hughes described it as " A 
 Petition of Tutors and Students at the College." Mr. Lomas 
 was indignant with Mr. Hughes for thus describing the 
 petition, and was not appeased when it was pointed out to 
 him that what was said was not " the Tutors," but " Tutors." 
 As for Mr. Moulton, when the Theological Institution 
 Committee next met a prominent lay member moved a vote 
 of censure upon him for his audacity. I am disposed to 
 think that the matter went no further from want of a 
 seconder, and I only mention the incident as a striking 
 evidence of the change that has taken place in opinion during 
 the last thirty years. 
 
 Another occasion on which Mr. Moulton championed 
 Mr. Hughes was when an attempt was made to put him 
 back two years because he had said, as chairman of the 
 Richmond Students' Missionary Meeting, that he thought 
 the Conference had made a great mistake in deciding that 
 Richmond should be an exclusively Missionary College — a 
 view in which the Connexion has since concurred by reversing 
 the policy. Mr. Moulton had never fully approved of that 
 policy, and his views on it were well known, although of 
 course he fully submitted to the decision of the Conference. 
 When the matter came up in the May meeting of the Second 
 London District, Dr. Osborn, who was in the chair, brought 
 a severe indictment against Mr. Hughes for presuming to 
 criticise the action of Conference, and urged that he should 
 be punished by the loss of two years, that is to say, by the 
 addition of two years to his period of probation. Mr. Moulton 
 then rose and moved as an amendment that, under all the 
 circumstances, in view of Mr. Hughes's uniform good conduct 
 as a student and of his acknowledgment of the impropriety 
 
58 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of his action in thus criticising the Conference, no further 
 action should be taken. This wise and merciful course was 
 supported by the venerable Thomas Jackson, formerly 
 Theological Tutor at Richmond and twice President of the 
 Conference, and was carried by a large majority. 
 
 From the fact that he was assistant to the Classical Tutor 
 and then Classical Tutor himself, it must not be inferred that 
 he was only concerned with the teaching of classics. From 
 what has been said concerning the organisation of the 
 Wesleyan Colleges it will be seen that the Governor — well, is 
 the Governor and has pastoral oversight of the students and 
 instructs them in Church Polity, &c. ; that the Theological 
 Tutor is responsible for the department of Theology and, in 
 part, for Church History; and that all other subjects — 
 Hebrew, Greek Testament, Latin and Greek authors, Eng- 
 lish, Mathematics, &c. — fall to the Classical Tutor and his 
 assistant. And if this was the ordinary sphere of labour of 
 that office it will easily be understood that during Mr. 
 Moulton's occupancy it tended to widen rather than contract. 
 A week's work with him would comprise reading Mathe- 
 matics and the Aj'ax of Sophocles with Mr. Hugh Price 
 Hughes for his London degree, teaching Hebrew to the first 
 year's men, Greek Testament to almost all, and lecturing on 
 Animal Physiology, Chemistry and Physics. To this fairly 
 wide round of work there was occasionally added another, 
 wholly diverse piece of voluntary service — the examination 
 of a class of students in the theory of Music. At that time 
 Mr, Heath Mills— the present Director of Music at the West 
 Central Mission in London — was organist of the College 
 chapel at Richmond, and also the conductor of the singing 
 class at the College. Mr. Mills speedily found that in Mr. 
 Moulton he had a hearty sympathiser in all his efforts to 
 improve the music, and not infrequently Mr. Moulton took 
 
RICHMOND 59 
 
 the organ when Mr. Mills was absent. Of course it will be 
 readily understood that amid their more pressing duties the 
 students had not the time to make an exhaustive study of 
 the subject, but Mr. Moulton felt that Mr. Mills was perfectly 
 right in his desire to associate with the singing class some 
 amount of instruction in the theory of music, and gave 
 him every assistance that was in his power. I have before 
 me an examination paper which Mr. Moulton set to this 
 class upon " Harmony up to the chord of the dominant 
 seventh." 
 
 It is not, I think, claiming too much for him to say that 
 Mr. Moulton's influence upon Richmond students was far- 
 reaching and unique; nor is it difficult to arrive at an 
 explanation of this influence. It arose from his perfect 
 accessibility as well as his freedom from self-consciousness. 
 He was amongst the students rather as an elder brother, 
 seeking to help his younger brethren to enter upon the 
 inheritance that belonged to them; and how much they 
 appreciated his co-operation and counsel is revealed by their 
 loving remembrance of him. Like all who are truly great 
 he was tolerant and patient of those who were slow and dull 
 of understanding, and if ever he was roused to speak stern 
 words of rebuke it was when he encountered indolence or 
 failure on the part of one from whom he felt he had a right 
 to expect better things, 
 
 " Towards conscientious mediocrity he was very indulgent, and 
 he sometimes made himself the pw otector of persecuted weakness 
 with a magnanimity that prompted the question, Is the scholar in 
 him sleeping, or walking, or hunting, or on a journey? The 
 accurate and painstaking studies in his Greek Testament classes 
 were a revelation to men who had got a smattering of classics in 
 the private middle-class schools of thirty years ago, and who had 
 come into college feeling fairly well satisfied with their equipment 
 
6o WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of working theology. The union of candour, reverence, and free 
 and enthusiastic research in his temper broadened his students, 
 without either making them prigs or tempting them to reckless 
 delight in shocking old-fashioned orthodoxy. The extreme 
 humility of this man, who was at once a great scholar and a 
 notable saint, was pathetic and almost incongruous." * 
 
 Some of his letters during his early days at Richmond are 
 interesting for their revelation of his inner self. 
 
 " Sept. 9, 1858. — I am most comfortable and like all my work. 
 But whether it will suit me as well to be here as it would 
 have done to be in a Circuit I do not know. It requires 
 more vigilance to keep earnest and zealous, for I have a great 
 tendency to regard study as the chief thing and to forget 
 the other work to which I am called. On Sunday I had 
 much freedom and happiness whilst preaching from my 
 favourite text — Matthew xi. 28 — but I was haunted, as I so 
 often am, by the fear that I was to some extent preaching self 
 instead of Christ Jesus the Lord only and altogether. 
 
 " After the morning service (at Greenwich) two ladies asked 
 me if I did not remember them in Wales, mistaking me for 
 my father whom they knew more than twenty-seven years 
 ago 1 A few yards from the chapel gates another lady 
 claimed acquaintance dating from twenty years since at Boston 
 where she had heard me (that is, my father) preach I Surely 
 this is a presage that ' venerable ' is to be one of my titles ! " 
 
 "Jan. 14, 1859. — I had a very happy Sunday at Croydon, 
 and after the evening service in the prayer-meeting several 
 entered into new life. There was no excitement or manifesta- 
 tion of strong feeling, but God was evidently working with 
 us. May He help me to work with Him more earnestly ! " 
 
 * Rev. T, G. Selby in British Weekly, Feb. 10, 1898. 
 
RICHMOND 6 1 
 
 "Jan. 21, 1859. — At the College chapel last Sunday I felt 
 as I always do there, fettered from beginning to end. If I 
 had no more freedom elsewhere I think I should feel it my 
 duty to give up attempting to preach. At the same time I 
 feel that I ought to care less about personal comfort and be 
 willing to suffer anything if I may but be useful." 
 
 "June 2^, 1859. — I am near the close of my first year's 
 work here, but the present time is specially full of labour 
 and also of anxiety about the work. For the first time some 
 of our students are taking the London Matriculation examina- 
 tion, and my work for and with them is now continuous from 
 5 A.M. to 10 P.M., saving meal times. I am greatly troubled 
 because, having to preach Sunday School sermons next 
 Sunday, I have yet had no time for special preparation owing 
 to this extra pressure. But God knows all my difficulties, and 
 I have strong confidence that He will not let the services suffer 
 through what I could not avoid. It is when I have been idle 
 that I have no right to expect help." 
 
 "Sept. 1859. — On my way back to Richmond I had the 
 delight of calling at Taunton, where the boys gave me a noisy 
 welcome, and my old friends the Masters were kindness 
 itself. Now we are in the full tide of work here, and after my 
 classes are over I may be seen daily in the library surrounded 
 by musty, dusty volumes, counting, measuring shelves, 
 calculating the average breadth of octavos and of duodecimos, 
 and trying to solve the problem of stowage. For we are to 
 have Mr. Jackson's library (bought by Mr. Heald's donation 
 of a thousand pounds), and when these 7SCX3 additional 
 volumes are arranged in our noble room it will be worthy of 
 the College and of Methodism. Then there is the work of 
 making the catalogue ; so there is no danger of my not having 
 enough to do. On Sunday, for once, I was ' nowhere,' 
 that is, I was here, and greatly did I enjoy the privilege of 
 
62 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 hearing Mr. Barrett preach twice. Next Sunday, alas! 
 I have to preach at Brixton Hill, where several of our ' great 
 men ' live ; and oh how I dread having them in my congrega- 
 tion ! I could wish my Sunday work were always in village 
 chapels, as it used to be at Taunton ; for I always feel most 
 at home amongst plain ' homely ' people." 
 
 Over and over again there appear references to such 
 nervousness in preaching as took away all joy and satisfac- 
 tion in the work. "The College chapel again, with neither 
 power nor pleasure in the services, and with a paralysing 
 weight on both brain and heart." 
 
 • • ■ • 
 
 " I was at Blackheath on Sunday. I always enjoy every- 
 thing there except the preaching, in which I feel ' bound 
 hand and foot.' Shall I ever overcome this distressing 
 nervousness, I wonder ? " 
 
 "Jan. 31, i860. — I am still haunted at times by the fear 
 that I am not in my right place — that I have never really 
 been called of God to the work of the ministry. A clouded 
 mind and a cold heart afflict me, but I take refuge in a 
 personal Saviour, and redemption in Him is all my hope. 
 On Sunday I had an experience which will live long in my 
 memory. I had to preach at the College chapel, and never 
 was I so much cast down at the prospect. I doubted whether 
 I ought to attempt to preach at all. In the morning service 
 my worst fears seemed realised : memory, mind and feeling 
 deserted me, and I had to repeat sentences from sheer 
 inability to grasp what should come next. After this terrible 
 experience I felt as if it would be impossible to face the 
 evening service, and in an agony of prayer I laid the whole 
 matter before God. The answer was an overwhelming 
 
RICHMOND 63 
 
 sense of the presence of Jesus. I went to the service in a 
 state of mind which was neither faith nor joy, nor love, 
 consciously, but just this sense of my Saviour's nearness, so 
 that I could think of nothing but Him. It remained with 
 me all through the service, and for the first time in the 
 College chapel I had no sense of nervous embarrassment. 
 One of the students, a warm-hearted Irishman, told me 
 afterwards that he had gone to the service under circum- 
 stances of peculiar depression, and the sermon had brought 
 him just the message he needed. This and my own personal 
 experience have greatly cheered and encouraged me. The 
 Lord hath been mindful of me, and now I dare to hope that 
 He will bless even my ministry." 
 
 At this period his spare time was very fully occupied 
 with preparing for the Scripture Knowledge Examination at 
 London University. His letters contain many references to 
 this work : 
 
 " Richmond, June 28, i860. — The vacation is at hand, and 
 now I really must get seriously to work for my London exa- 
 mination. The knowledge of Scripture which it requires 
 I covet exceedingly. But it is impossible to get anything 
 done whilst the College work is going on. Examinations 
 have been in full swing lately, and my share has been the 
 superintendence and arrangement of all the written part — 
 theological and classical. Humble though it has been in 
 quality, it has involved a very large amount of work. 
 Yesterday, for example, I was ' about ' from half-past four 
 in the morning till eleven at night, without a moment's 
 leisure except at meals. I was very thankful for a day's 
 rest on Sunday, and for the refreshment which two sermons 
 from Mr. Hellier gave me." 
 
64 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 "July 13, i860. — I am at last able to give five or six hours 
 a day to my London work, and am specially engaged just now 
 on questions affecting the authorship, date, sources, &c., of the 
 Books of the Bible. I enjoy these studies more than I can 
 express. If God continue health and opportunity I shall 
 make a thorough acquaintance with His Word my chief aim. 
 For though this particular work concerns only the outward 
 form, surely the casket which was thought worthy of con- 
 taining the jewel from heaven is worth the minutest exami- 
 nation which can be given to it I I am only beginning to 
 learn how much there is to learn in this field." 
 
 "Nov. 5, i860. — This is my last week before the examina- 
 tion, and I seem to have almost everything still to do. 
 Failure (that is, a Second Class) is almost certain, but the 
 advantages I have gained from the work are worth far more 
 than the prize, though as that takes the form of valuable 
 books I cannot feel indifferent to it." 
 
 How completely he had under-estimated his own achieve- 
 ments is shown by the following extract : 
 
 "Nov. 20, i860. — To my intense surprise the Examiners 
 have marked the result,, ' Specially distinguished as having 
 passed in the First Class in each of the subjects.' That I 
 have succeeded so much better than I had expected is, I feel, 
 due to the special help — the coUectedness of mind, for 
 instance — given me at the time of the examination. I had 
 felt more than usually able to leave myself and the issue in 
 God's hands, and so I was kept from distracting thoughts. 
 If any one has cause for gratitude for countless mercies, / 
 have. Now I have to think of Sunday's work at West- 
 minster, which I dread even more than usual, perhaps partly 
 because I am physically very weary. Please tell Mr. H. 
 that I will gladly take all his work during the vacation. I 
 
RICHMOND 6s 
 
 should be very sorry to take my ease when he will injure 
 himself if he cannot get rest." 
 
 It was at this time that he made his first visits to Oxford 
 and Cambridge, which interested him greatly, as might be 
 expected. The account of the Cambridge visit is mostly 
 taken up with comments upon the interpolations in the 
 Codex Bezae, which is one of the treasures of the University 
 library, but he was not so altogether absorbed in things 
 academic as to fail to be impressed also with the kitchens at 
 St. John's College. So far as one brief visit to each Uni- 
 versity town could give him any preferences he seemed to 
 prefer Cambridge, which was just as it should be, in view of 
 future events. 
 
 One passage in a letter at this time will be distinctly 
 humorous to Methodists : 
 
 " I have had another interesting interview with Mr. Arthur. 
 By the way, he read us a slip from a Philadelphia news- 
 paper, in which ' Adam Bede ' is attributed to ' the Rev. 
 W. Arthur, D.D., the author of that wonderful tale (1) ' The 
 Tongue of Fire /'" 
 
 It is to be regretted that no diary of any sort is available 
 for the greater portion of his life, and that from 1858 onwards 
 there are no records of any kind concerning his daily work, 
 except such as are afforded by his letters to his future wife. 
 
 This will perhaps be the most fitting stage at which to 
 revert to earlier years and give a glance at some intensely 
 personal matters, destined as they were to colour his whole 
 life. 
 
 In September 1853 his father had moved into a new 
 sphere of labour, the Guernsey Circuit, and three months 
 
66 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 afterwards William, a boy of eighteen, came home for the 
 holidays from his humble duties in the private school at 
 Devonport. Those were momentous holidays for him, for 
 they witnessed the first meeting with his future wife. A 
 biography which deals summarily with such a history as 
 that which opens here must indeed be wanting ; and yet it 
 seems almost impossible to write the record now. What 
 that union was to him can only be imagined by those who 
 have dipped into letters which display the whole man as 
 nothing else can do, from ardent youth to age in which 
 the lover was lover still. The gracious, tender, strong and 
 chivalrous nature, which even outsiders were able to 
 appreciate so highly, showed itself to his wife in forms too 
 sacred to reveal. It is hard to tell what he gave her : it is 
 harder still to tell what he received, under the eyes of one 
 who will suffer no fit tribute to gifts worthy even of him. 
 Suffice it to say that in the house of God that Christmas 
 time WiUiam Fiddian Moulton first saw one who was to be 
 his right hand in all his labour and his very heart through 
 all his life. 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Hope had settled in Guernsey as a 
 supernumerary seven years before this point in our story. 
 His ancestry had not been in the same " apostolical succes- 
 sion " which the Moultons had enjoyed ; but he had shown 
 the strength of his devotion to the work of the Methodist 
 ministry by relinquishing for it a fine position in the family 
 bank at Liverpool, to take up a career that meant a life of 
 comparative poverty to the end. He rose to an honoured 
 position in the Church of his choice, becoming General 
 Secretary for Home Missions ; and he retired to Guernsey 
 with shattered health after leading a forlorn hope in Canter- 
 bury, where he saved Methodism from collapse at the cost of 
 his own life. He died a year after he reached the peaceful 
 
RICHMOND 67 
 
 island home, in the sixty-third year of his age and the 
 fortieth of his ministry. Those very figures were destined 
 to reappear in the epitaph of the distinguished son-in-law 
 whom he never knew. The widow was living in a charm- 
 ing little house, high up on the hill, which looked out, over 
 its big garden, to the blue waters and picturesque islands of 
 the English Channel and the dim French coast beyond. 
 The place was a paradise, but life had been very sad in that 
 little home during the six years since Mr. Hope died. His 
 youngest child, her mother's only daughter, left fatherless at 
 an age when most little girls have few ideas beyond their 
 dolls, became nurse and secretary to the widow, who was 
 nearly blind. Her two elder brothers, away at Kingswood 
 School, and afterwards at their work as students in London 
 hospitals, seldom disturbed the solitude of the young girl's 
 life. It was a strange providence which cut childhood short 
 at the age of eight, and selected letter-writing as an employ- 
 ment for one who through twenty-three years of later life 
 was to write letters often for seven or eight hours a day ! 
 
 The motherly instinct of Mrs. Moulton was not slow to 
 divine the feelings which very soon developed in her son's 
 mind, if indeed she had not foreseen them before the day 
 when she brought him to make the acquaintance of his 
 destined bride. She was not to see the fulfilment of her 
 hopes in a formal engagement, which took place in July 
 1856, the earliest time at which the age of the young couple 
 made it possible. Ten months before that event the idolised 
 mother had been cut off by sudden death, an end she had 
 often prayed to be spared, little realising that her own 
 experience and her son's would show how God in special 
 mercy to His children sometimes visits them in a form from 
 which they have asked to be delivered. 
 
 It was two years before William Fiddian Moulton offered 
 
68 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 for the ministry : he had not indeed at this time even begun 
 to preach. The engagement therefore was necessarily a 
 long one, for the paternal laws of the Wesleyan Church 
 most wisely decree that marriage must not precede ordina- 
 tion. Two years he waited as a schoolmaster, the regu- 
 lation four years more as a " Probationer," serving his 
 diaconate at Richmond, as already described ; and then, on 
 August 14, 1862, the love-story entered on a new phase 
 with the simple marriage service in Hanley Wesleyan 
 Chapel. The way the six years' engagement was spent 
 was thoroughly characteristic. Love was " a liberal educa- 
 tion" in more ways than one. Their letters were com- 
 posed on principles not likely to become popular among 
 lovers. Systematic study of literary, scientific, and theo- 
 logical subjects was pursued even during the brief periods 
 when vivd voce discussion was possible, and kept up in a 
 correspondence which ranged over spiritual experience, 
 comments on public as well as private events, and lengthy 
 question and answer on topics suggested by the books they 
 studied together. Had there been in later and busier life 
 adequate motive to enforce letter-writing on this scale, the 
 present biography would have been incomparably the richer 
 for it. 
 
 There may be those who in reading this description of a 
 long series of love-letters will think that such topics must 
 necessarily have crowded out the sentiment which usually 
 dominates that form of composition. It is not possible to 
 refute this by quotation; but as in all essential features 
 William Fiddian Moulton was at sixty-one what he was at 
 twenty-one, only more so, this part of his biography may be 
 fitly summed up in his own words. On Oct. 8, 1896, after 
 having sent grateful letters to his doctor and nurse, as it 
 was the first anniversary of an illness during which he had 
 
RICHMOND 69 
 
 owed much to their skill and kindness, he thus addresses 
 
 his wife : 
 
 " But to my ' other self,' the soul 
 Of all my life holds dear, my spring 
 Of hope, joy, strength, how can I bring 
 Thanks for a. part, who owe the whok ? " 
 
 How far he was from desiring to shape his own'course, 
 and how willing he was to leave himself unreservedly in the 
 hands of the leaders of the Church whose ministry he had 
 entered, is illustrated by the following letter to Mrs. Hope 
 concerning the future. There was then a strong conviction 
 in the minds of the ministers — which has since hardened 
 into a positive rule — that every man should have a period of 
 Circuit work before being sent to a fixed post; and Mr. 
 Moulton, knowing this to be the case, had been perfectly 
 prepared to leave Richmond after his ordination. To his 
 su^jrise — ^probably, also, to his great gratification — the Insti- 
 tution Committee strongly recommended his being continued 
 in his present post. 
 
 " Richmond, Nov. 27 [1861]. 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Hope, — I have been for some days 
 wanting to pay you a visit now that you are left alone, but 
 I have been hindered from day to day. I cannot write more 
 than a few lines to-day, but I will not disappoint myself any 
 longer. You have heard all the news I could send, I have 
 little doubt. The most important, so far as I am concerned, 
 is the conversation which took place in our committee last 
 week. I did not expect that the subject would be brought 
 forward for some time to come, much less that the opinion in 
 favour of my remaining here would be so general. I knew 
 that there would be some supporters of the proposition, but 
 felt sure that Dr. Osborn and one or two others would think 
 the other course [going into Circuit work] best for me. 
 
70 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 As far as I know my own mind I can say I had no expecta- 
 tion at all of either result ; nor was I desirous of remaining 
 unless those who know best what will be beneficial for me 
 should so appoint. As it is, I trust the hand of Providence 
 is guiding ; I desire no more. Of course the matter is not 
 settled. It is so uncertain what means of increasing the 
 accommodation for the candidates will be tried, that no definite 
 arrangement could be made. However, it is most probable 
 that Richmond will be Hannah's home for a time, if you will 
 trust her to my care. I was going to say ' give her up,' but 
 I do not mean all that these words might imply. I do not 
 want you to ' give her up ' but to come with her, and with me 
 — if I may look so far into the future as to talk in this way. 
 You know how gladly I shall hear of your finally making up 
 your mind to this. I hope it is made up already, and that I 
 am writing in ignorance only. Only let me have the hope of 
 showing you practically my gratitude for the many happy 
 days I have spent under your roof; my gratitude for the 
 treasure I have received from you, through the goodness of 
 my Heavenly Father, no words or deeds of mine can ever 
 show. My time has come to an end, and I am afraid my 
 visit has not been a very profitable one. It is a great 
 pleasure, however, to me to break in at all on your lone- 
 liness, and remind you that there is one who hopes soon to 
 subscribe himself 
 
 " Your affectionate son, 
 
 "Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
 From his letters to Miss Hope during his last year of 
 probation the question of their future home is scarcely 
 ever absent, though, as indicated already, he absolutely 
 refrained from forming any plans and, indeed, in this case, 
 would have been greatly perplexed if he had been called upon 
 to choose for himself. 
 
RICHMOND 71 
 
 ' Oct. 14, 1 86 1. — I had to preach in the north of London 
 yesterday, and as the superintendent had again forgotten to 
 provide a home for me I had again to walk there and back. 
 But the three and twenty miles really did me good, and I 
 was able to preach with all the more energy because of the 
 exercise. If only I could feel that God used me to bring His 
 light to one dark soul 1 But though in everything else He 
 graciously grants me the desire of my heart, He seems to 
 leave me to mourn and lament over the barrenness of my 
 ministry. I cannot wonder at it, for never was any man less 
 worthy of those showers of blessing which attend the minis- 
 trations of His more faithful servants." 
 
 "Nov. 8, 1861. — For a solitary life mine is a very happy 
 one. My work with the students is an increasing delight to 
 me, and I am beginning to feel how hard it will be to leave 
 them, as leave them I suppose I must in eight months' time." 
 
 "Nov. 21, 1861. — ^At the Local Committee held yesterday, 
 it was proposed and resolved to recommend to the General 
 Committee that I should remain here after Conference. The 
 only objection was raised by Dr. Osborn, who thought it 
 inconsistent to ordain a man for the work of the ministry 
 and then not appoint him to the ministerial office. The 
 others of course contended that it would be an appointment 
 to the ministerial office. Mr. Boyce said I was predestined 
 to be a tutor and they must not resist fate, if a man were 
 unhappy enough to be so fated I I don't intend to fix my 
 mind on this prospect ; I have never even gone so far as to 
 desire it without a reservation ; but I shall be very thankful 
 to remain at Richmond if that be God's will. I cannot think 
 of the future without an overwhelming sense of our own 
 ignorance and short-sightedness and of the uncertainty of all 
 things. I would, therefore, walk the more humbly, meekly, 
 submissively, by my Shepherd's side. I have had an en- 
 
72 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 couraging letter from about the services at which 
 
 I had feared were specially unfruitful. They speak of much 
 good done and ask me to give them two Sundays instead of 
 one in the next quarter. I trust I may accept this as a token 
 that God does condescend to use me, in spite of so much 
 unfaithfulness. For the third time in three months I had to 
 walk twenty-three miles on Sunday, preaching three times ; 
 but I am all the better for it." 
 
 "March 21, 1862. — I am alarmed at the amount of work 
 to be got through before the May District Meeting. I have 
 hardly been able to touch my preparation for the examination 
 then, being specially occupied with work for my classes. 
 My class in Hebrews is going through the Epistle again for 
 a more thorough study of certain portions. I have given 
 nearly the whole of this week, in my private work, to the 
 quotations from the Old Testament in the first chapter : they 
 are tough morsels, and I cannot do anything else till I get 
 more light on these. I only hope I shall not be censured for 
 idleness if I am found unprepared in the subjects assigned 
 for May I " 
 
 " April 2, 1 862. — I have recovered my voice, after losing 
 it for a few days, and have been talking for five consecutive 
 hours. If you could have looked into my class-room you 
 would not have thought the talker devoid of energy, or his 
 work devoid of interest — to him, I mean. We were taking 
 up the train of argument in Hebrews ii. This class in 
 Hebrews interests me intensely : it is my first essay in the 
 interpretation of Scripture, and I love the work. The students, 
 whose kindness to me through all these years has been great 
 and uniform, have just done another kind thing. They came 
 to the resolution to present a document to the General Com- 
 mittee expressive of their earnest wish and opinion that I 
 should not be removed from Richmond. I find that they 
 
RICHMOND 73 
 
 have been (wisely, as I think) advised not to address the 
 Committee, but they have laid their views fully before Mr. 
 Barrett and Mr. Hellier, who will represent them. I mention 
 this matter because it is so helpful and encouraging to me in 
 my work." 
 
 " May lo, 1862. — ^These words from Mr. Hellier fell on 
 my astonished ears last evening : ' Your re-appointment was 
 unanimously recommended by the General Committee.' Well, 
 I am thankful I had not to choose : I durst not ; but I will 
 dare to accept this decision as the voice of Providence. 
 When I got back to the College I had such an ovation from 
 the students as I never had in my life before — bells being 
 rung all over the place, &c. &c. It is deeply humbling to see 
 how kindly they all receive the decision. May God make me 
 more thankful for His abounding mercies ! " 
 
 Mr. Moulton was ordained at the Conference of -1862 in 
 Camborne, and among those who joined the President — the 
 Rev. Charles Prest — ^in this solemn service, and whose hands 
 were laid upon the head of the candidate, was Mr. Moulton's 
 father. But ordination, which in the case of the average man 
 in the Methodist ministry marks his emancipation from 
 tutelage and examinations, and his admission into the full 
 privileges and responsibilities of the brotherhood, made little 
 or no alteration in Mr. Moulton's position at Richmond. 
 Although he had for his iirst four years at the College been a 
 probationer, subject to precisely the same discipline and 
 training as other probationers, it had never occurred to those 
 around him to regard him as such, except when engaged in 
 solemnly supervising him at his yearly examinations — a 
 situation the humour of which would certainly not be lost 
 upon Mr. Hellier, for one. His attainments, his character, 
 his easy and natural modesty had all resulted in his being 
 
74 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 received on equal terms by all his colleagues, so much his 
 seniors, and ordination, in that direction, could confer nothing 
 upon him beyond, perhaps, a share in the administration of 
 the College. 
 
 Of the years that followed no consecutive narrative can 
 be given. The dictum " Happy is the nation that has no 
 history" has an element of truth in it also when applied 
 to private life, and to a man of Mr. Moulton's tastes it was 
 no privation to be far from the excitements of publicity. 
 Supremely happy in his home and in his work, he desired 
 nothing better than to stay at home and work with and for 
 hio students. All the week he taught, along the lines of the 
 varied curriculum sketched above ; twice, at least, every 
 Sunday he preached, sometimes walking more than twenty 
 miles for his appointments, owing to his unwillingness to lose 
 Saturday evening and Monday morning for work, and a still 
 greater unwillingness to use the railway on Sunday. 
 
 With what a sense of solemn responsibility he viewed his 
 duties, and how earnestly he strove to bring home to his men 
 their responsibility and duty, not so much to their tutors as 
 to their Church and their God, is revealed with great vivid- 
 ness in an address which he wrote for the Jubilee celebration 
 in connection with another of the Wesleyan Colleges — at 
 Didsbury, near Manchester — and which although written 
 nearly twenty years after he left Richmond, nevertheless 
 embodies the ideals and gives expression to the desires of 
 that period of his life. Owing to illness the address was never 
 delivered. 
 
 " Here the newly welcomed brother, who too often has had 
 to snatch knowledge as he could as he passed along the road 
 of life, found for the first time that the privilege of learning 
 was his sacred duty, opened his mind to understand by degrees 
 
RICHMOND 75 
 
 how wide was the realm of knowledge, how holy were the 
 fruits if plucked by hallowed hands. Where the response 
 to the Church's action was fully made, there awoke an eager 
 desire for sacred learning. The zeal of the Lord's house 
 consumed the follower of the Lord. Unspeakably sad has it 
 been when men have been blind to privileges offered, and 
 have slighted the gifts held out in the beUef that wide know- 
 ledge is not needed for the minister of Gbd. Varied must 
 be the talents, diversified the special capacities of those whom 
 the Church calls, recognising in its firm conviction the 
 higher call from above. But may the Church we love ever 
 exercise the power of banishing every idler, every careless 
 man from the courts in which is sought fitness to do the 
 service of the sanctuary 1 " 
 
 In another passage in the same address he makes a power- 
 ful plea for wide culture and earnest study as invaluable 
 elements in the usefulness of the Christian minister. During 
 those twenty years he had been brought into contact — partly 
 through his responsibility for the examination of " preachers 
 on trial " for the ministry — with some men who were disposed 
 to undervalue such aids, and express irritation at being com- 
 pelled to give to study time which might otherwise have been 
 given to what they called " religious work." This heresy he 
 always earnestly strove to eradicate. No man formed a more 
 generous estimate of the homely, untutored genius of men 
 like the late Rev. Peter Mackenzie, but he would be no party 
 to encouraging others to deviate through idleness into what 
 with Mr. Mackenzie was natural and inevitable : 
 
 " The man who is absorbed in work, for whom to live as a 
 Christian is well-nigh all that is possible, may — if he must — 
 content himself with the few great Christian doctrines, feeding, 
 living, growing upon simple food. But those who may and 
 
76 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 can, musi advance Christian thought. God has bound the 
 world in a unity, set one thing over against another. The 
 growth of knowledge of all kinds conditions and guides the 
 advance of biblical and theological knowledge. There is a 
 sense, well known to every one, in which the truth has been 
 once and for all delivered to us. We shall no more change 
 our fundamental views of truth than we shall alter our 
 alphabet. But the completeness of divine truth will be 
 brought to view by the completing of all surrounding truth. 
 No scientific discovery, no historic discovery can be without 
 its effect. A majestic temple is rising to the glory of God, 
 its Architect and Builder. He alone knows its plan, though 
 the great outlines were long since revealed, and have been 
 wonderingly gazed on by multitudes. Where it is incom- 
 plete He only knows. He has servants who are the builders 
 of His house. Not with their own materials. They have 
 tried this. The perfection of the form has been for a time 
 marred by the specious constructions which have hidden the 
 true outline. But a divine power has ejected the human 
 accretion which has remained long enough to reveal its 
 earthly source. Meanwhile a wealth of material is being 
 brought in, now here, now there, sometimes in small portions, 
 minute fragments, sometimes in great masses. The material 
 comes by the living force implanted by Him whose eye is 
 ever on His house. The builders are learning their lesson 
 better day by day. It is theirs to take what He gives, not to 
 question or doubt, not to reject what seems inappropriate in 
 form or character. Each portion supplied has its fit place. 
 Where is that place? Here something has been piously, 
 though mistakenly, put in, which on trial yields and comes 
 out, so that the opening reveals the fit place for a living 
 stone of truth. It is God's building 1 Ye are God's fellow 
 workers 1 " 
 
RICHMOND 77 
 
 Although the above formed part rather of an address for a 
 reunion than a sermon, it is nevertheless characteristic of his 
 manner of exposition in the pulpit. He loved thus to play 
 round the pregnant sayings of Apostle or Evangelist, 
 adopting their figures and extending their applications to 
 present and personal needs. Thus, on this occasion, after 
 revealing all that lay hid in Paul's image of the buildings, 
 casting aside image and parable, he addressed himself to the 
 living duty and responsibility of those before him : 
 
 " Ye can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. 
 Against the truth we may work, and we may delay the hour 
 when the truth shall become visible, delay the blessed 
 revelation to this or that beholder. But our efforts, however 
 well-intentioned, in their blindness will fail — thank God for 
 that. Morning and evening let us offer our thanksgiving 
 that our blundering cannot defeat God's end. But in our 
 thanksgiving let us work with fear and trembling. We may 
 defraudiour brother of his due : we may show a distorted 
 image to the friend closest at hand. All will be set right, 
 save the injury to the brother defrauded, the injury to our- 
 selves if it is through pride or prejudice or wilfulness or 
 conceit that we have missed our work. For the truth, oh 
 how much may we do 1 To bring forward the day in which 
 truth — some new fragment of truth which being deftly 
 inserted may reveal the exquisite symmetry of truth — may 
 be seen^and acknowledged. To take away barriers which 
 have prevented less favoured brethren from catching the 
 right view. To open a glimpse of some part of the 
 magnificent fabric, not before clearly seen. . . . All true 
 knowledge is from above. Let us train ourselves to receive 
 all knowledge. Let us resolutely sever knowledge supplied 
 from the motives, lives, faults of those who furnish it. Let 
 
78 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 us never work in fear or panic, except the fear of personal 
 unfaithfulness. Let the virulence of the assault led by those 
 who ' think they know ' cause us to redouble our energy. 
 Let us seek to learn rather than to controvert, but let 
 controversy be in love. Let all work of searching, guarding, 
 resisting be iv ayavy, ev Xpiarif. Let us examine all our 
 views of truth ; mingled with the true and the unchangeable 
 may be something of the unreal and the perishable." 
 
 This last paragraph is wonderfully characteristic of his 
 disposition. He never feared the Higher Criticism, for his 
 faith told him that God's Word would stand it all — and more. 
 
 In this Richmond life there were, for all its quietness, some 
 incidents which call for notice, one of them being a railway 
 accident under specially pathetic circumstances. He was on 
 his way from Richmond to Cambridge to attend his father's 
 funeral, and no small alarm was caused by his non-appearance. 
 The following letter to his step-mother tells the whole 
 story : 
 
 "July 2, 1866. 
 
 " I earnestly wish I had asked you to telegraph this even- 
 ing to say how you are : I feel so much anxiety and 
 doubt. This has been a day never to be forgotten by any 
 of us. Its own mournful duty was enough to give it this 
 character : it is very sad that so much has been added 
 to this, to increase the trouble which already was too great. 
 When you would first hear of our accident and what the first 
 news would be are questions that continually present them- 
 selves. I left King's Cross this morning at half-past nine, 
 reached Hitchin at 10.15, and was due at Cambridge at 11. 10. 
 About half an hour after leaving Hitchin, without warning, 
 the carriages began to jolt violently and to jump rather than 
 roll along, and the air was positively darkened by showers 
 
RICHMOND 79 
 
 of earth : it was like the sudden outburst of a terrible storm. 
 That there was something seriously wrong was dear at once, 
 but what, there was no means of knowing. The suspense of 
 those awful seconds, when it seemed impossible to do any- 
 thing but hold one's breath and wait, I shall never forget. 
 The carriages were soon brought to a stand-still by ploughing 
 up the ground, and all of us rushed to the doors. The first 
 object we saw was the engine lying on its side in a field and 
 turned the opposite way to that in which we had been 
 travelling. The rails, we found, at some distance from the 
 spot of the accident, were in a very bad state, badly joined 
 and ballasted. The engine had left the rails, had turned over 
 a break-van next to it in which were several railway work- 
 men, and then had fallen over into the adjoining field. Had 
 not the coupling-chains broken, it is fearful to think what 
 might have resulted. The actual result was very sad. One 
 of the men on the engine was killed on the spot : the other 
 lingered about a quarter of an hour. No other lives were 
 lost, thank God 1 but seven of the workmen were badly 
 (though I trust not dangerously) injured. Poor fellows 1 
 they bore their sufferings nobly. I wish I had time to write 
 a full description of all that followed : it will never be effaced 
 from my memory. I felt quite helpless through inability to 
 telegraph. I saw it would be of no use to think of going on : 
 the mournful duties for which I had come would be performed 
 long before I could reach you : I could not have arrived until 
 after three. My dread was lest the news should in any way 
 reach H. ... As it was, I only just saved this catastrophe. 
 She was in the town this afternoon, and was just going into 
 the station to procure a time-table when I met her. She 
 would almost certainly have bought an evening paper, and 
 the Evening Standard had a paragraph headed 'Accident 
 on the Great Northern Railway.' ... Ah ! what cause of 
 
8o WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 thankfulness have 1 1 I felt ashamed and humbled that there 
 was so little feeling of gratitude in my heart, when I per- 
 ceived from what peril I had been so mercifully delivered. 
 A clergyman amongst the passengers read a most appro- 
 priate selection of prayers (some from the Burial Service, 
 some from the Office for the Sick, and the General Thanks- 
 giving). God grant we all may show our gratitude in our 
 lives I From Royston I rode in a dog-cart to Hitchin, 
 paying £i for the journey of fourteen miles. I reached 
 home soon after five and was able to break the news to 
 H. . .' . " 
 
 Strange to say, this accident, though sufHciently alarming 
 at the time, gave him no fear of railway travelling, and when, 
 some twenty-five years later, frequent journeys to London 
 became necessary, it was by the Great Northern route, in 
 preference to the Great Eastern, that he invariably travelled, 
 although it landed him further from his usual destination, 
 the Mission House. One effect of the accident and only 
 one remained. At thirty-one his hair was grey. 
 
 If it were asked what Mr. Moulton was thinking about 
 during these Richmond years, it would not be conveying a 
 false impression to reply — the Bible, nothing more. It was, 
 indeed, Biblical work, in one form or another, which practi- 
 cally received all his serious thought ; and throughout his 
 life, notwithstanding the remarkable breadth of his interests, 
 and his intimate acquaintance with almost every branch of 
 scholarship, no work ever went forth from his pen that was not 
 concerned with the Bible in one phase or other. Of these 
 works the one by which Mr. Moulton was chiefly known and 
 which first revealed him as an independent scholar of con- 
 spicuous ability, was his edition of Winer's " Grammar of 
 
RICHMOND 8 1 
 
 New Testament Greek."* In the course of his Bible studies 
 he had been greatly impressed by the want of a reliable and 
 scholarly work on New Testament Greek in the English 
 language. It is very doubtful whether this at all embar- 
 rassed him personally, for he had an excellent knowledge of 
 German, and could use Winer in the original, but for the 
 English reader there was only Masson's translation, which 
 was felt by all scholars to be very unsatisfactory. So 
 strongly was he impressed with this want that he wrote to 
 Mr. Ellicott — now Bishop of Gloucester, then Lady Margaret 
 Professor of Divinity at Cambridge — on the subject, for 
 Mr. Ellicott had recently published commentaries on the 
 Epistles to the Galatians and the Ephesians which had 
 attracted very considerable notice, and if any man was 
 likely to know of the existence of works on New Testa- 
 ment Greek it was he. For months no reply came, and 
 Mr. Moulton reproached himself for having thus intruded — 
 he a young and unknown man — upon a man in Mr. EUicott's 
 position. Then a reply came, full of apologies for delay, 
 full of guidance and light upon the particular difficulties 
 which Mr. Moulton had raised, and the correspondence thus 
 opened became steady and intimate. Mr. Ellicott discerned 
 in his young correspondent — for when this acquaintance first 
 began Mr. Moulton could not have been more than twenty- 
 four or twenty-five years of age — a scholar of remarkable 
 discernment and promise, and Mr. Moulton was encouraged 
 beyond measure by the kindly interest of his distinguished 
 friend, who, in 1863, was appointed Bishop of the then 
 undivided See of Gloucester and Bristol. In the course of 
 
 * It has been thought most convenient to reserve the critical treatment 
 of all Dr. Moulton's Biblical work to be given in a chapter by itself, by one 
 better fitted to form an estimate of his father's results. Here his work in 
 this field will only be regarded as one of many episodes in his life. 
 
 F 
 
82 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 this correspondence, Mr. Ellicott had admitted that he had 
 at one time hoped to translate Winer himself, and bring it 
 up to the requirements of modern students, but that the 
 other claims upon his time were so numerous and imperative 
 that he felt that the idea must be abandoned. Yet the work 
 ought to be done': would Mr. Moulton undertake it ? 
 
 The work thus started remained to be the first charge 
 upon Mr. Moulton's attention — after, of course, the perform- 
 ance of his tutorial duties— up to 1870, when it was published. 
 Were this merely a translation of a German book, the time 
 spent upon it might well be considered excessive ; but those 
 who know Mr. Moulton's edition will not require to be told 
 that it is very far from being a mere translation, and those 
 competent to judge in such matters have declared the notes, 
 &c., contributed by the translator to be equal in value to the 
 body of the work. By the Reviews the book was almost 
 uniformly well received, the significance of the almost being 
 clear from what will follow later. As typical of the pre- 
 vailing view as to the work a few lines may be quoted from 
 the review in the British Quarterly, then in the able hands of 
 Dr. Allon and Dr. H. R. Reynolds. 
 
 " Messrs. Clark are often exceedingly happy in the date of 
 their publications, and this is specially the case in reference to 
 the present volume. Now that the necessity for revising our 
 Authorised Version of Scripture has taken such firm hold of public 
 attention, nothing could have been more desirable than that the 
 standard work of Winer should be easily, and in the most satis- 
 factory form, accessible to all Biblical students in our country. 
 This desideratum is admirably supplied by the work now before 
 us. Mr. Moulton has succeeded in conveying very clearly and 
 accurately the meaning of the original to English readers — in 
 many passages a far from easy task. But he has done much more 
 than simply give a good translation of Winer. Though the 
 Grammatik has long been recognised as the most scientific and 
 
RICHMOND 83 
 
 exhaustive treatise on the Grammar of the New Testament in any 
 language, we have only to remember that the sixth and last 
 edition* was published as long ago as 1855, to feel that it must 
 in several respects be below the present standard of Biblical 
 knowledge. But by the large additions which in the shape of 
 notes Mr. Moulton has made to the original, everything lacking 
 has been supplied. The work, indeed, reflects the greatest credit on 
 Mr. Moulton both as translator and editor, and bears equal 
 evidence of his learning and judgment. As constant though 
 cautious use must be made of Winer in that authoritative revision 
 of the EngUsh New Testament which cannot be much longer 
 deferred, we rejoice to be able to point to this work as presenting 
 a thoroughly good translation of the German treatise, and at the 
 same time containing much valuable original matter." 
 
 The one discordant note was struck by the Athenceum, 
 which contained a review so full of vulgar abuse and mean 
 insinuations that no explanation save that of personal 
 vindictiveness seems admissible, and that is the more strange 
 in face of the fact that the reviewer and his victim had not 
 then — and never had afterwards, I believe — any personal 
 acquaintance with each other. But whatever was the motive 
 there was no mistaking the virulence of the attack. 
 
 " The translator's notes seem to be of small value ; he cannot 
 distinguish good scholars, whose authority is worthy of respect, 
 from those who should not be quoted. He properly refers to 
 Dr. Donaldson : why to Dean Alford and Bishop EUicott ? , . . 
 The translation as a whole is scarcely satisfactory because the 
 author does not always understand the original, and takes liberties 
 with it which we do not approve. . . . We regret that the trans- 
 lation should have fallen into the hands of one who seems to be 
 but a crude scholar. . . . Trifling observations only increase the 
 size of the volume." 
 
 * Last during Winer's lifetime The seventh was published after his 
 death by Dr. Lunemann. 
 
84 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 To this ill-natured and most unfair attack Dr. Geden 
 replied in the Watchman with great warmth and at great 
 length, showing conclusively that the reviewer had not 
 taken the trouble to read the Preface in which Mr. Moulton 
 answered beforehand the objections that he brought. In 
 the Athenaeum, on his own account, Mr. Moulton replied to 
 the attack in a characteristically calm letter. 
 
 To the Editor of the Athen^um. 
 
 "Richmond, May i6, 1870. 
 
 " Sir, — I appeal to your sense of justice to reply to some 
 remarks contained in your number of May 14 in a review of 
 my translation of Winer's Grammar. 
 
 "Your reviewer after mentioning that the translation is 
 not made from the last edition published in 1867 after 
 Winer's death, asks, ' Why was a prior one chosen ? Did 
 the translator not know it ? ' If he had read my Preface he 
 would have learned that I had carefully examined Dr. Liine- 
 mann's edition and had good reasons for not using it. Your 
 reviewer finds fault with me for omitting to notice a change 
 of opinion on the part of Tischendorf, and to inform the 
 reader that his ' seventh edition has what Winer thinks the 
 right thing.' The critic has himself overlooked the fact that 
 Tischendorf has again altered his view, and has in his 
 eighth edition returned to the reading of which Winer is 
 speaking. 
 
 "As the remaining strictures in the review relate to matters 
 of opinion rather than of fact, I have no right to refer to 
 them in these columns. 
 
 "W,F. Moulton." 
 
 He could afford to possess his soul in peace, even in spite 
 of the Athenceum, for from all those for whose good opinion 
 
RICHMOND 85 
 
 he cared most he received cordial appreciation, among them 
 being Bishop EUicott, Dr. Plumptre, Dr. (afterwards Bishop) 
 Barry, and Dr. F. W. Gotch. The letter from the last-named 
 — who afterwards was invited to join the Old Testament 
 Revision Committee — may be quoted : 
 
 " Bristol, May 30, 1870. 
 
 " My dear Sir, — I am reminded by two circumstances of my 
 negligence in not having acknowledged before your kindness in 
 forwarding to me a copy of your very valuable translation of 
 Winer's Grammar. One is the notices of it in the Athenceum 
 which I hope will not disturb you. The assumption of infallibility 
 which marks them indicates clearly enough the writer. Dr. 
 Davidson* has changed his printed opinions more frequently 
 than any critic that could be named, and yet for the time they 
 have been beyond all question. He is always in the right. The 
 other is that I find your name included in the Revision Com- 
 mittee of the A. v., and I heartily congratulate you thereon. 
 
 "I have tested your translation by comparing it with many 
 
 passages I had marked long ago in Masson's translation^ and I 
 
 have found in every instance that you have corrected his blunders. 
 
 I cannot help wishing that you had warned young scholars 
 
 against Masson's book. It was a disgrace to the publishers, from 
 
 which you have amply relieved them, and it would have been only 
 
 justice to yourself to claim that credit. 
 
 " Yours very sincerely, 
 
 "F.W. Gotch." 
 " Rev. W. F. MotJLTON." 
 
 But Mr. Moulton had his revenge upon his critic — a 
 revenge such as his soul loved. Many years after, when the 
 critic had fallen upon evil times and his victim was held in 
 honour by many of the great and wise of all communions, 
 Dr. Moulton's name appeared with others at the foot of a 
 petition to the First Lord of the Treasury — at that time 
 
 * The late Dr. Samuel Davidson, the writer of the Athenawm review. 
 
86 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Mr. Gladstone — praying that a Civil Service Pension should 
 be granted to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Davidson, on account of 
 his services to BibUcal criticism. This was granted in 1893. 
 Winer once out of hand, Mr. Moulton turned to another 
 very similar task, the preparation of an Expositor's Greek 
 Testament. The correspondence with the publishers and 
 with Bishop EUicott shows how high an estimate had been 
 formed of his ability by workers in that field of learning. The 
 work, however, came to nothing for reasons which will soon 
 be obvious, but one or two of the letters that passed are 
 Tjirorthy of notice : 
 
 "Jl/a»'fA28[i87o]. 
 
 " My dear Sir, — After a careful consideration of the pro- 
 posal contained in your note of the 2nd inst. I have resolved 
 to attempt the work. I think I mentioned to you that I 
 called on Dr. Angus about a fortnight since, and had some 
 conversation with him on the subject of his letters to 
 you. ... I have since sought advice in one or two quarters 
 in regard to the existence of the want of which Dr. A. spoke 
 and the general possibility of the scheme. Bishop EUicott's 
 I enclose in copy. (It goes beyond the subject on which I 
 had written, but you will, I have no doubt, be interested in the 
 latest news on the ' Revision ' question.) The Bishop very 
 kindly offers further counsel, though I had, of course, merely 
 asked his opinion as to the desirableness of undertaking the 
 work. 
 
 " The plan naturally embraces the formation of a critical 
 text, and the preparation of critical, grammatical and exe- 
 getical notes. The text in the body of the page will be the 
 Textus Receptus; below this, or in the margin, will stand the 
 readings which are preferred to those in the text. Below 
 these must stand the authorities for the changes made; 
 besides referring to MSS. versions and patristic quotations, 
 
RICHMOND 87 
 
 it will be desirable to specify which of our leading editors 
 agree in the reading adopted. The notes will occupy the 
 lowest part of the page. They should give results through- 
 out, with an abstract of the chief arguments pro and con in 
 controverted passages, and systematic references to the chief 
 helps possessed by the student (grammars, dictionaries, &c.). 
 It will only be by means of great care in condensation that 
 the work can be brought within the compass of an octavo 
 volume, even of good size. The references will help towards 
 economising space, but it will not do to make the student 
 entirely dependent on the possession of the work to which 
 reference is made : general results must be given through- 
 out. ... I feel that the amount of labour involved in 
 carrying out this scheme will be extremely great. If the 
 work is to be worth anything, there must be the working of 
 an independent judgment from beginning to end, and you 
 know even better than I do that pains and time — out of 
 proportion to the apparent result — are required for this. . . . 
 As to terms, I should very much prefer your suggesting what 
 seems reasonable to you. — ^With very kind regards, 
 " I remain, my dear sir, 
 
 " Yours most truly, 
 "T. Clark, Esq." " Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
 Writing again a few months later, he says : 
 
 "Now as to the Greek 'Testament. You will remember 
 that the arrangement was that a specimen page should be 
 circulated some time about September. I should be very 
 glad if you would kindly consent to delay this for a time. 
 Since we spoke of this last, the work of Revision has come 
 upon me, and I need not say has occupied very much time. 
 I do not think anything could have been more serviceable 
 for the work I have undertaken (the Greek Testament) than 
 
88 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 the Revision work. I shall be able to make all preparations 
 for the one serve for the other also ; and I am sure the 
 ultimate advantage which your undertaking will reap will be 
 very great. I feel, however, that I ought to wait a little be- 
 fore committing myself to anything like a specimen. The 
 whole of my time will be given up to the two undertakings, 
 which as I have said are really one, and I hope before long 
 to be able to tell you of considerable progress in direct 
 preparation for the Greek Testament. I merely wish to say 
 December or January instead of September." 
 
 Bishop EUicott's, referred to above, is interesting on 
 several grounds : 
 
 " I just find your welcome note. I at once answer it, though 
 shortly, by strongly advising you to undertake the work. Dean 
 Alford's volume is very deficient. I quite agree as to the Textus 
 Receptus being the edition from which to vary. I will gladly look 
 over with you, when you get a chapter or two done, the work in 
 MS., and give you the best hints I am able. If I had not been 
 the hardworked man I am I should have myself tried my hand at 
 this. I therefore really feel a kind of personal pleasure in en- 
 couraging you to undertake it. I go down, till a fortnight after 
 Easter, next week. After Easter I shall be quite at your disposal 
 for conference. Perhaps by that time you will have broken a little 
 ground. 
 
 " I am delighted to tell you that our Revision matters are going 
 on famously. A large Committee of Convocation met to-day — 
 Bishop of Winchester in the chair. We agreed to recommend 
 that Revision be attempted and that Convocation appoint a 
 Committee to attempt the work, who are to recruit themselves 
 .with scholars, without any reference to religious opinions. I thus 
 have very great hope that ere very long we shall have the pleasure 
 of welcoming you to the common board. The Government 
 will not hear of a Royal Commission, but will not at all obstruct 
 Convocation taking — as it now will be compelled to do — the 
 initiative." 
 
RICHMOND 89 
 
 The several references already made to the Revision of 
 the New Testament bring us to the threshold of one of the 
 most important undertakings of Dr. Moulton's life, and one 
 that was equally far-reaching in its effect upon his public 
 career and his private friendships. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 
 
 That so much attention should be given here to the 
 question of the Revision of the Authorised Version of the 
 New Testament Scriptures will surprise no one who knew 
 Dr. Moulton intimately. So close was his connection with 
 the work and his fellow workers upon it, and so jealously did 
 he defend it against all assaults, that to have done otherwise 
 would have been to give a most imperfect representation 
 of his life and ideas. The genesis of the impulse towards 
 Revision need not be sought for here : it is sufficient to note 
 that in the early part of 1870 the matter was brought before 
 the Upper House of Convocation for the Province of 
 Canterbury by the Bishop of Winchester. It is not unjust 
 to Dr. Wilberforce to say that the position which he occupied 
 on that occasion was that of the spokesman of others rather 
 than that of a man moving in obedience to his own convic- 
 tions. He had enough scholarship to appreciate the arguments 
 of others, but his own pre-eminent strength lay in wholly 
 different directions. He had a remarkable, almost a unique 
 hold upon the country, and those who were earnestly bent 
 upon Revision were glad to secure as their champion one 
 whose words would carry so great weight outside. His motion 
 for the appointment of a committee was seconded by the 
 Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol (Dr. EUicott), who had from 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 91 
 
 the first been the prime mover in the matter, and who, owing 
 to his knowledge of the subject, was mainly engaged in 
 selecting the scholars who were proposed to Convocation 
 as the future Revisers. Among the original resolutions 
 of the committee appointed by Convocation were the 
 following : 
 
 III. That the Company for the Revision of the Authorised Ver- 
 sion of the New Testament consist of the Bishops of Winchester, 
 Gloucester and Bristol, and Salisbury [WUberforce, Ellicott, and 
 Moberly] and of the following members from the Lower House : 
 the Prolocutor of Convocation [Bickersteth], the Deans of Canter- 
 bury and Westminster [Alford and Stanley] and Canon Blakesley. 
 
 IV. That the following scholars and divines be invited to join 
 the New Testament Company : 
 
 Dr. Angus. Professor Moulton. 
 The Archbishop of Dublin Dr. J. H. Newman. 
 
 (Dr. R. C. Trench). Professor Newth. 
 
 Dr. Eadie. Dr. A. Roberts. 
 
 Rev. F. J. A. Hort. Rev. G. Vance Smith. 
 
 Rev. W. G. Humphry. Dr. Scott. 
 
 Canon Kennedy. Rev. F. H. A. Scrivener. 
 
 Archdeacon Lee. Dr. Vaughan. 
 
 Dr. Lightfoot. Canon Westcott. 
 
 Professor Milligan. Dr. Tregelles. 
 
 Of these Dr. (afterwards Cardinal) Newman declined the 
 work in a friendly letter to Dr. Ellicott, and Dr. Tregelles 
 also drew back. On the other hand, invitations were after- 
 wards sent to and accepted by Archdeacon Palmer, Dr. David 
 Brown, the Bishop of St. Andrews (Christopher Wordsworth), 
 and Dean Merivale. 
 
 The proposal to revise the Authorised Version was received 
 in the country with very various feelings, and it must be 
 admitted that for every one who thankfully welcomed the 
 prospect of a version more truly representing the original 
 
AUTOGRAPH LIST OF 
 
 L^ y. ^^*«w=<E^/4^ -e**:^ ^fy^^A^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^' ^. ^/^^^-^^ 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISERS 
 
 V 
 
 ^ » 
 
 (Mr./^ 
 
 
94 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 and the meaning of the writers, there would be ten who 
 would view with suspicion or indignation such " tampering 
 with God's Word," or, at best, regarded the matter with in- 
 difference, and considered the benefits to be not great enough 
 to warrant the efforts necessary for their attainment. It 
 would be useless to try to enumerate the various pleas 
 brought forward against the project : a very slight knowledge 
 of human nature will enable the reader to imagine what they 
 were bound to be, in the nature of the case, while the 
 " critical " indictment against the Revisers — e.g., the lucubra- 
 tions of Dean Burgon — is dealt with elsewhere. One plea calls 
 for notice here, partly because of its complete falsification in 
 fact — the fear that in some way or other it would emphasise 
 the division in the Churches. It is amusing — or is it 
 pathetic ? — to note how various were the forms that this 
 idea took in different minds. The Nonconformists made it 
 very clear that a version prepared exclusively by Anglicans 
 would be received with suspicion, and there is no reason to 
 beheve that such a scheme was ever entertained. The 
 Methodist Recorder (then edited by Dr. Punshon and Mr. 
 Wiseman), a fairly typical religious newspaper, was 
 perfectly content with the Authorised Version, and saw in its 
 imagination horrible struggles of Presbyterians, Congrega- 
 tionalists. Baptists and Anglicans to impress their own 
 particular notions upon the translation. And on the top of 
 them all came Archdeacon Denison, who after his own charac- 
 teristic and vigorous manner declared at Cambridge that he 
 would have nothing to do with a work that was the joint 
 product of the efforts of schismatics, heretics and infidels — 
 presumably Mr. Moulton, a Wesleyan ; Dr. Angus, a Baptist ; 
 and Mr. Vance Smith, a Unitarian. 
 
 This same attitude towards the proposed Revision finds 
 yet more expUcit expression in the letter in which Canon 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 95 
 
 Jebb declined to take part in the work — a letter which he 
 afterwards sent to the public press. After expressing his 
 conviction that in the Authorised Version we possessed the 
 most perfect ever known in the Church of God, he proceeded 
 along a line of argument which few men would have the 
 audacity to use, in public, to-day : 
 
 "Besides this I am fully persuaded that this most religious 
 work ought not to have been committed by Convocation to any 
 but members of the Church of England ; and according to the 
 almost invariable precedents of past time to her ordained 
 ministers — those to whom the keeping and interpretation of God's 
 Word is specially intrusted, according to the will, as I believe, of 
 Christ Himself. . . . And now I perceive, with great grief and 
 alarm, the fulfilment of that which I apprehended from the begin- 
 ning — that is, the estaiblishment of a virtual equality, in the prose- 
 cution of a matter so very sacred, between the members of our 
 Church and those extern to her communion. It seems to be in 
 effect declared that her maintenance of true Catholic doctrine, by 
 which I mean the faith once delivered to the Saints, has no 
 necessary connection with sacred philology, which is an essential 
 element of exegesis. I can hardly hope for God's blessing upon 
 the adoption of a version, should that ever come to completion, 
 constituted upon principles so repugnant to the ancient methods 
 of the Church." 
 
 For sheer intolerance this would be hard to beat. 
 
 The fear, however, as to the possibility of a disintegrating 
 influence being generated was not altogether absent from 
 the minds of others than newspaper editors, as is shown by 
 thejfollowing letter from one who was afterwards a Reviser, 
 and one most closely associated with that field of study : 
 
 " St. Gerrans Rectory, Grampound, 
 "February 17, 1870, 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I hardly know how to thank you enough for your 
 kind present of the new translation of Winer, which I shall value 
 
96 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 very highly on your account. I am glad" if my labours have been 
 
 of use to you in your Biblical studies. 
 
 " I am afraid that the Bishop of Winchester is hardly aware of 
 
 the difficulties practically attending a revision even of the N. T. 
 
 portion of our English version of Scripture ; but it is an object we 
 
 could all wish to accomplish if it were possible without adding 
 
 one more to our sad divisions. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 "Yours truly obliged, 
 
 "F. H. Scrivener." 
 " The Rev. W. F. MonLTON." 
 
 How earnestly Mr. Moulton desired that the Revised 
 Version should be received without prejudice, on its own 
 merits in the interests of truth, may be seen in a lengthy 
 letter which he wrote to the Rev. C. O. Eldridge, who was 
 preparing some lectures on the subject, and who applied to 
 him for some information : 
 
 "Helensborgh, April 15, 1875. 
 
 " Dear Mr. Eldridge, — . . . Let me say how pleased I am 
 that you are taking up the subject. It is most desirable that 
 this work of preparation should go on. Do not give your 
 audience the impression that the changes will be few. There 
 is no doubt that the number will be great, but many altera- 
 tions will be detected only by actual comparison. Rendered 
 necessary by consistency or faithfulness — real improvements 
 as we trust — these changes will not be observed by the 
 hearer, unless he be minutely acquainted with the Authorised 
 Version. Of course there will be changes which all will 
 observe at once, but the number of these will be much 
 smaller, 
 
 "There is one class of changes which will be of the 
 greatest importance in the New Testament, but will be found 
 in the New Testament only : I refer to those which result 
 from changes in the original text. This part of the subject it 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 97 
 
 is difficult to make perfectly plain to an ordinary audience, 
 but it is of the greatest moment. Have you seen the second 
 edition of Westcott's 'History of the English Bible'? In 
 a note added to his Preface he (the highest authority on 
 such a subject) expresses the firmest conviction that at no 
 previous revision has the original text been so carefully and 
 candidly examined. I am doing injustice to his words in 
 speaking of a ' conviction.' The science of textual criticism 
 did not exist in 161 1, and therefore we can hardly institute 
 a comparison. Dr. Westcott's words are most valuable as 
 bearing testimony to the carefulness with which this subject 
 is treated in our Company. Many of the most startling 
 changes will result from the necessary alterations in the 
 Greek text — alterations required on all principles of evidence. 
 We are fortunate in having very able representatives of 
 difierent schools of textual criticism on our Company. 
 Whilst, however, the actual number of changes will be great 
 there is the strongest desire to retain the same character of 
 language and style — to change, not by the introduction of 
 modernisms, but in such a way (wherever possible) as the 
 Revisers of 161 1 would have changed had they wished 
 to express our Anews. ... I do not think the N. T. 
 can be finished earlier than 1879. ^^^ greater portion of 
 the O. T. is easier, but some parts will be found extremely 
 difficult. I should not wonder if the finale were as late as 
 1881. 
 
 " There is no reason to fear an ecclesiastical tinge. The 
 closeness of our union, the freedom from all stiffness, is 
 very remarkable : in this there is cause for the most devout 
 thankfulness. I have hardly, if ever, known an instance in 
 all our deliberations in which the prejudices of a single 
 member can be said to have prevailed over his scholarship. 
 Of course there are points in which scholarship is in doubt : 
 
 G 
 
98 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 where two opinions are possible from the mere scholar's 
 
 point of view, a man's opinion will naturally coincide with 
 
 his ecclesiastical leanings, if they can touch the questions. 
 
 As to the result, however, I think there need be no fear. 
 
 " I have not the power to speak about particular passages. 
 
 As we have as yet no results — for the first revision is purely 
 
 provisional, and much will be altered at our second revision — 
 
 we are most anxious to keep from the public all immature 
 
 statements. You will see the wisdom of this course, and 
 
 that I am absolutely bound. ... I am writing in haste, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " Wm. F. Moulton. 
 "Rev. C. O. Eldridge, B.A. 
 
 "P.S. — You will see that the really conservative and 
 cautious policy is not to make so few changes that another 
 revision will be called for in a few years, but to try to do the 
 work thoroughly and set the matter at rest for a considerable 
 time." 
 
 Feeling as he did about the work, it will be easily under- 
 stood that his anger burned against those who, in public or 
 in private, attacked or belittled it. He was not easily moved 
 to indignation, but one of the things which would always 
 rouse him was a reference to Spurgeon's very shallow 
 criticism, viz., that the Revisers may have had a thorough 
 knowledge of Greek, but that they did not know English. 
 On one occasion a distinguished prelate of the Established 
 Church, who had at a dinner-party given expression to 
 that criticism, forgetting that he was speaking to a Reviser, 
 was quietly but severely dealt with — to the amusement of 
 the other guests, who had designedly led the Bishop into the 
 trap. To Dr. Moulton any such light words seemed to 
 betray a want of appreciation of the unique character of the 
 
NEW TESTAMElSrtr REVISION 99 
 
 Bible, which demanded that first and foremost there should 
 be an absolute and unswerving fidelity to truth, at all costs. 
 And when it came to specific cases where, as in the first 
 verse of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the new version did 
 not possess the sonorous majesty of the old, he was always 
 ready to prove that the change was not due to pedantry, 
 but that it revealed more distinctly the teaching of the 
 passage. 
 
 His jealousy for the honour of the Revised Version was 
 shared by his fellow Revisers, and the savage attacks made 
 by Dean Burgon in the Quarterly Review stirred within them 
 much indignation, and at times caused them considerable 
 anxiety. The grounds of that attack are dealt with in a later 
 chapter, but the fact belongs to this narrative. Dr. Moulton 
 was perhaps unduly sanguine as to the speedy success of the 
 work ; and its comparatively slow progress, the bitter attacks 
 from its enemies, and the seeming indifference of the nation 
 as a whole, depressed him greatly. Dr. EUicott was less 
 hopeful of immediate victory over ignorance and prejudice, 
 and he gave it as his own personal opinion that twenty-five 
 years would pass before the new version would come to be 
 recognised as the version. Recent proceedings in Convo- 
 cation suggest that the Bishop's estimate may not prove 
 very wide of the mark. Writing to Dr. Moulton in 
 December 1881 he says: 
 
 " I do, indeed, feel greatly your kindness in sending me the 
 third edition of your admirable book [Winer]. I use it ex- 
 clusively, and make from it all my references (I am slowly, alas ! 
 doing I Corinthians) and feel proud by your kindness to be 
 connected with so accurate a work. 
 
 " Our great undertaking is doing well, but the 36,000 corrections 
 tell against us with many. I doubt if it will be regularly used in 
 public in the Church of England at least in my time, but this I 
 never expected. In the future truth must prevail over prejudice. 
 
100 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 No words can express my utter contempt for Burgon's Quarterly 
 Review article." 
 
 Two months later he again writes : 
 
 " My dear Dr. Moulton,— I thank you particularly for send- 
 ing me the summary.* I know its importance, and watched with 
 interest the discussion when the Revised Version was adopted as 
 the source for quotations. 
 
 "I am not easy about that first shameless review in the 
 Quarterly. It has produced far more effect in the provinces than 
 you, living in the higher atmosphere of the Universities, might 
 think. It has not convinced, but it has made men doubtful. 
 Archdeacon Palmer, Dean Scott, and our Oxford Press friends 
 think it ought to be answered by a counter-article (say in the 
 Edinburgh). I rather agree. Dr. Hort, however, and — I believe 
 — also the Bishop of Durham [Lightfoot], think otherwise. At 
 present, at any rate, we are not making much way. 
 
 " Very faithfully yours, 
 
 " C. J. Gloucester and Bristol," 
 
 How keenly Dr. Moulton felt the injustice of Dean 
 Burgon's attack is seen from the following letter to Dr. 
 Hort: 
 
 "The inclosed letters are interesting, and I should like 
 you to see them soon ; though very possibly you may by 
 this time have heard from the writers. Bishop Lightfoot's 
 is in answer to a letter which I had the presumption to 
 write. Being obliged to intrude on his attention with 
 Apocrypha matters I ventured to beg that he would write a 
 few pages in reply to Dean Burgon's first article. I thought 
 that he — well known as a textual , critic and yet not, like 
 yourself, directly assailed — could do more than others for 
 the good cause. 
 
 • Summary of Christian Doctrine in form of Catechism, as used by the 
 Wesleyans. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION loi 
 
 "I do very strongly hold that the article should be 
 answered. I have thought so for several weeks, and Arch- 
 deacon Palmer's letter expresses exactly, I think, the 
 conviction to which I have been brought. I care less for 
 the second article. But there are so few who have really 
 studied textual criticism that many well-disposed, intelligent, 
 earnest readers are confounded as they follow Dean Burgon's 
 audacious and apparently learned paragraphs. I think they 
 will be badly used if the antidote is not supplied : how or 
 by whom, it is very hard to suggest." 
 
 Side by side, however, with indignation there was present 
 in Dr. Moulton's mind a degree of amusement as he watched 
 the Dean at war with modern scholarship. He read with 
 enjoyment a paragraph — in the Leeds Mercury, I believe — 
 describing the lucubrations of the worthy ecclesiastic : 
 
 " A great deal of feeling has been excited, and has found ex- 
 pression in some newspapers, about the form in which the revised 
 Bible is offered to the public. It appears to some that the 
 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have taken an unfair ad- 
 vantage of their monopoly to present to the public what it will 
 undoubtedly buy with eagerness, in most inconvenient and need- 
 lessly expensive shape. But this annoyance is nothing to the 
 indignation of Dean Burgon, who seems to consider it a personal 
 insult to himself that the two Testaments are bound together. 
 He writes to the Guardian last week in a fine frenzy. Why this 
 phenomenon of ' a dead body lashed to a living one ' ? Is it not 
 known to all the world that the doughty Dean has thrice slain the 
 slain (in his own estimation) and for ever demolished the claims 
 of the revised New Testament ? How can any dare to consider 
 that it possesses even a faint chance of life ? In a series of what 
 would be called in any one but a dignitary of the Church impudent 
 assumptions, the Dean pours forth a goodly array of ecclesiastical 
 Billingsgate. ' That most unfortunate production,' ' the grossest 
 literary imposture of the age,' ' insufferable pedantry,' ' impertinent 
 
102 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 priggishness,' these are but specimens of the flowers of language 
 in which the Dean of Chichester allows himself to indulge in his 
 fear lest his late assault upon the work of the New Testament 
 Revisers should be seen to be what scholars already know it to be 
 — utterly futile. The editor of the Guardian mildly remarks in 
 an appended note, ' The Dean of Chichester speaks as a judge- 
 in his own cause.' But not even in his own cause can Dr. 
 Burgon speak as a judge : he speaks,' rather as an Old Bailey 
 advocate." 
 
 The whimsicality of the situation evoked from Dr. Moulton 
 a jeu d'esprit which was only written down under pressure 
 from his wife, and which he little thought would ever appear 
 in print : it gives, however, a side of his nature which is not 
 over-represented in these pages. 
 
 "Who killed the New Version ?" 
 
 " I," said the Dean : 
 
 " With my satire so keen, 
 
 / killed the New Version." 
 
 "Who saw it die?" 
 " I," said the Quarterly 
 (With the vision of prophecy), 
 " I saw it die." 
 
 " Who the death certified ? " 
 " I," said the Doctor dread, 
 " Saw 'twas as good as dead : 
 I the death certified." 
 
 " And why did you kill it ? " 
 " I abhor it, I do ! 
 'TIS Dissenting ! 'tis new ! 
 And that's why I killed it." 
 
 " Who'll make its shroud ? " 
 " Leaves of my book, I wis. 
 Amply suffice for this : 
 I'll make its shroud." 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 103 
 
 "Who'U toll the bell?" 
 " I," shouted Chichester, 
 " / will make sich a stir ! 
 I'll toll the bell!" 
 
 " Who'll dig its grave ? ' 
 " I," said Burgonius, 
 With laughter demonious : 
 "Fve dug its grave ! " 
 
 " Who'll kill its mate?" 
 "I," said the same critic : 
 " With my vapour mephitic 
 I'll kill its mate ! " 
 
 " And what will you do if the innocent fowl 
 
 Is nothing the worse 
 
 For the terrible curse ? " 
 
 " Why, I'll write to the Guardian and — howl." 
 
 To Dr. Moulton the years spent upon the Revision 
 remained, to the very last, amongst the most hallowed 
 memories of his life, and the same is in all probability true 
 of the other Revisers also. It is not too much to say that 
 they all felt it to be a foretaste of that final " Reunion of the 
 Churches," when differences would be seen to be infinitely 
 small in the clear light of the Eternal City. So far from " our 
 sad divisions " being thereby accentuated, as Dr. Scrivener 
 feared would be the case, the Revision was a great power in 
 promoting brotherliness and mutual understanding. 
 
 " In the precious work in which we are engaged together it is 
 by no means the least point of thankfulness that we meet so many 
 men who, though outwardly divided in communion, are of one 
 heart and mind in love of our Lord and devotion to His Word. 
 May He grant that what I believe to be deep and real inward 
 communion may also lead to such outward communion as may 
 lead ' the world to believe ' in the divine mission of the Son." * 
 
 * Bishop of Salisbury (Dr. Moberly) to Mr. Moulton, Mar. 15, 1873. 
 
104 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 " To hear the word of God anxiously, seriously, and learnedly 
 expounded in deep consultation by men of different minds and 
 training would have been (and so far as I was present was) of 
 more benefit to me than I can express. And I also feel that the 
 companionship and brotherly feeling that, as far as I have seen, 
 always reigned among us, was in itself a great blessing of God 
 upon ourselves and our work. . . . The feeling of brotherhood 
 remains and will surely never be lost." * 
 
 And to these testimonies of Bishop Moberly's may be 
 added another from one, than whom no man has more right 
 to speak, and whose words carry weight with men of all 
 communions to-day — the Bishop of Durham : 
 
 " None of us can count up what he owes to the meetings in the 
 Jerusalem Chamber. From the first I felt that the Revision itself 
 would not be the greatest result of the gathering. May our com- 
 mon work be fruitful for each one of us, and for the whole Church 
 in ways which we cannot yet foresee." t 
 
 In the light of such words as these surely Dr. Moulton was 
 justified in claiming, as he did claim at a Home Reunion 
 meeting at the Church House during the Lambeth Conference 
 of 1897, that the meetings of the Revision Committee had 
 proved a positive power in drawing Christian men nearer to 
 each other and had effected some degree of practical Reunion 
 work. 
 
 His edition of Winer and his part in the revision of the 
 New Testament did much to bring Mr. Moulton to the front 
 among Biblical students. At the Wesleyan Conference of 
 1872 he was elected to a place in the "Legal Hundred," in 
 theory the Senate of Methodism. So far as practical power 
 is concerned the members of the " Hundred " stand just 
 where their other brethren stand, for their right to ratify 
 
 * Bishop of Salisbury to Dr. Moulton, Dec. 21, 1880. 
 t Prof. Westcott to Dr. Moulton, Dec. 20, 1580. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 105 
 
 the acts of the Conference is only a formality ; but the 
 distinction is much coveted as being a sign of the confidence 
 of the brotherhood, and I believe that Dr. Moulton and Dr. 
 Punshon share the special distinction of having been the 
 only ministers ever elected at the earliest possible age. He 
 was nominated by the Rev. Dr. Osborn, the Theological 
 Tutor at Richmond. 
 
 Two years later he received from the University of Edin- 
 burgh the degree of Doctor of Divinity, being the first 
 Methodist minister upon whom any British University con- 
 ferred that distinction. 
 
 In 1873 he applied for and obtained the vacant examiner- 
 ship at London University in the Hebrew text of the Old 
 Testament, the Greek text of the New Testament, the Evi- 
 dences of the Christian Religion and Scripture History, and 
 the incident is of interest on account of the testimonials 
 which he presented with his application, which show in a 
 most unmistakable manner his position in the estimation 
 of Biblical scholars. The list of names by itself is no 
 mean tribute to the worth of the young Methodist minister 
 of thirty-eight years of age, containing as it did those of 
 the Bishops of Gloucester and Salisbury, the Deans of 
 Westminster and Rochester, Dr. C. J. Vaughan, Dr. West- 
 cott, Dr. Lightfoot, Dr. B. H. Kennedy, Dr. Alfred Barry, 
 Dr. E. H. Plumptre, F. J. A. Hort, F. A. Paley, Dr. Angus, 
 and others. Some of the testimonials themselves may with- 
 out impropriety be admitted here. 
 
 Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Lightfoot wrote : 
 
 " I should find it difficult to name any one more competent to 
 undertake the work. The accuracy and thoroughness of his 
 scholarship is marvellous, and to this he adds a fairness and 
 patience of judgment in estimating the merits of men that will be 
 invaluable in an examiner." 
 
io6 WILLIAM P. MOULTON 
 
 Dr. C. J. Vaughan wrote : 
 
 " No one can have been associated with him as I have been 
 without forming a very high opinion both of his character and 
 ability.- The extent and accuracy of his learning, the readiness 
 and persuasiveness of his speech, the singular justice and impar- 
 tiality of his judgment, and the humility, delicacy, and courtesy 
 of his dealings with others, are points in him which have won the 
 esteem and respect of us all." 
 
 Two more testimonies from distinguished colleagues could 
 not fail to carry weight : 
 
 " Deanery, Westminster. 
 
 " I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the qualifica- 
 tions of Professor Moulton for the office of Examiner in Scripture 
 in the University of London. I have seen him constantly in the 
 work of the revision of the Authorised Version, and have been 
 always impressed by his exactness of knowledge, impartiality 
 of judgment, as also by the modesty and moderation of his 
 views. 
 
 "A.P.Stanley." 
 "March 21, 1872." 
 
 "Jerusalem Chamber, 
 " March zi. 
 " It is with much pleasure that I recommend my friend and 
 colleague. Rev. W. F. Moulton, to the favourable consideration 
 of the Senate of the University of London. Professor Moulton 
 is a sound scholar, intimately acquainted with Scriptural exegesis, 
 and in every respect highly qualified for the position which he is 
 seeking. He is one of the most valuable members of our New 
 Testament Company for the Revision of the Scriptures, and in 
 his candidature will, I am sure, carry with him the good wishes of 
 us all. 
 
 " C. J. Gloucester and Bristol." 
 
 I have left until last what is, especially in the light of future 
 intercourse, the most interesting of all these tributes, that 
 from the present Bishop of Durham, at that time Canon of 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 107 
 
 Peterborough and Regius Professor of Divinity at Cam- 
 bridge : 
 
 "Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 
 "Professor Moulton informs me that he intends to offer 
 himself as a candidate for a Scriptural Examinership in the 
 University of London. It seems almost superfluous to add any 
 testimony to that which the electors will have before them in 
 Professor Moulton's edition of Winer's Grammar of the New 
 Testament. The additions which he has made to that book must 
 rank, as far as I can judge, equal to any work which has been 
 done either in^England or in Germany on the grammatical criti- 
 cism of the New Testament, both for width of reading, and for 
 deUcacy and exactness of scholarship. But as it has been my 
 privilege to be associated with Professor Moulton in the work of 
 the revision of the New Testament, I may be allowed to add that 
 the remarkable firmness and accuracy of criticism which that work 
 exhibits in the region of grammar, extends also to Professor 
 Moulton's treatment of questions of interpretation and textual 
 criticism j and I believe that I express the opinion of the whole 
 company of revisers in saying that no one has rendered more im- 
 portant services to the Revision than Professor Moulton. I should 
 not speak of Professor Moulton's unwearied patience and devotion 
 to labour, if these qualities were not necessary to a good examiner, 
 and yet not always found in scholars of his power. Indeed, I can 
 say without reserve that I should think the University of London 
 fortunate in securing his assistance, and confidently believe that 
 his influence would render most important services to the study 
 of Holy Scripture in that body. 
 
 " Brooke F. Westcott, D.D." 
 
 Dr. Westcott's judgment was not at fault in this matter, 
 for time only deepened and strengthened the qualities in 
 Dr. Moulton which had evoked such warm praise while he 
 was still a young man, and the beautiful appreciation which, 
 twenty-five years later, the Bishop wrote of his departed 
 friend was little else than the above testimonial illuminated 
 
io8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 with a fuller knowledge and transfused with a deeper 
 affection : 
 
 " What can I say ? The last of those with whom I have been 
 closely united in a great part of my life's work has been called 
 away, and I, the oldest of them all, am left. 
 
 " It was my happiness to make Dr. Moulton's acquaintance in 
 the revision of the New Testament in 1870. By a fortunate 
 chance I sat next to him at our first meeting, and kept the same 
 place during the whole work. He had already established his 
 reputation by his masterly edition of Winer. Close and constant 
 intercourse increased my admiration for his learning and scholar- 
 ship, and to this was added a personal affection which has grown 
 deeper through all the years that have followed. 
 
 " When the revision of the New Testament was completed in 
 1880 the revision of the books of the Apocrypha was assigned to 
 second companies formed from the whole body of revisers. One 
 of these to which 2 Maccabees and Wisdom was committed met 
 at Cambridge, and from the spring of 1881 to the spring of i8go 
 Dr. Hort, Dr. Moulton, and myself — for we alone of the Company 
 were able to meet — met week by week in Dr. Moulton's study at 
 The Leys, and there are no hours on which I look back with more 
 gratitude or which were more instructive. 
 
 " I have worked with other scholars whose attainments were 
 as consummate as Dr. Moulton's, and who were bolder and more 
 adventurous, but I have never known one more alert or of more 
 balanced judgment. Dr. Moulton seemed to me to take an im- 
 partial account of every element in a critical problem, and to 
 strive with unwearying patience to give it just weight. He had an 
 eye for the truth from his single-mindedness, and I was always 
 seriously unhappy when, on rare occasions, I was unable to accept 
 his conclusions. If I may venture to mark one characteristic of 
 Dr. Moulton which always touched me most deeply, it was his 
 spirit of absolute self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness. He was 
 wholly unaffected by the thought of recognition or recompense. 
 No labour was too great if he could contribute anything to the 
 completeness of another's work. The sense of thoroughness in 
 the work itself was his reward, though the workman was unnoticed. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION 109 
 
 It was in vain to protest, as I often did, against what I held to be 
 an excess of care in the fulfilment of his share in our common 
 task. He could not be satisfied with anything which he felt able 
 to improve or to make more sure. One signal fruit of such loving, 
 patient, and minute labour, in which even I could not blame his 
 untiring and scrupulous care, will, I trust, soon enrich the student 
 of Holy Scripture. About a fortnight ago he wrote to me, ' I 
 hope in a few weeks to be able to tell you that the marginal 
 references to the New Testament are complete. The Old Testa- 
 ment also (and Apocrypha) may be spoken of very hopefully.' 
 Even in their original form these references were an invaluable 
 commentary, and through them I believe that Dr. Moulton will 
 lead many generations of students to recognise with a personal 
 conviction the unity and the variety of the Bible. No memorial 
 of his life could be more appropriate or, I think, more welcome to 
 himself. 
 
 " I have been blessed beyond most men in my friends, and I 
 reckon it among my greatest happinesses that I have numbered 
 Dr. Moulton and Dr. Dale among them.* 
 
 " B. F. DUNELM." 
 
 Between these two expressions of esteem and affection 
 there flowed twenty-five years of close and valued friendship. 
 In 1875 Dr. Moulton's removal to Cambridge made the 
 opportunities for intercourse more frequent, but Dr. West- 
 cott's departure for Durham in 1890 did not cause any break 
 in the intimacy, for he was one of the very few friends 
 with whom Dr. Moulton carried on what might be called a 
 correspondence. On New Year's Day, on Dr. Westcott's 
 birthday, and on special occasions of various kinds Dr. 
 Moulton would write to his friend, and the letters are full of 
 the regard bred of perfect understanding and sympathy. Of 
 these more will be said later, but one may be quoted here. 
 On hearing of Dr. Westcott's appointment to Durham he 
 
 wrote: 
 
 * Methodist Times, Feb. 10, 1898. 
 
no WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 '• Brighton, 
 
 "Mar, 13, 1890. 
 
 " My dear Prof. Westcott, — I hope I am not wrong in 
 clinging for a little to the old familiar designation. You will 
 forgive me if I say that, to-day, the thought of any other 
 makes me feel too keenly how much my world of the last 
 twenty years has lost. 
 
 " The note which, with a kindness all your own, you sent 
 last evening to The Leys did not reach me here until I had 
 seen the morning papers with their one piece of overwhelm- 
 ing intelligence. I had ventured from the first to think of 
 you as Dr. Lightfoot's successor ; but I had been so positively 
 assured (on what seemed almost the highest authority) that 
 you had declined the offer, that all fear and trouble had passed 
 away from my mind. But I have no right to write in this 
 selfish strain, though it is impossible for me to say how deep 
 is my sense of personal loss. That the needs of Durham are 
 thus wisely and most generously met I have never doubted ; 
 but what help can come to Cambridge at this critical moment 
 I cannot imagine. 
 
 "It is a great joy to think that you will be given up 
 to no one See, but that the great Church of England will 
 gain by our great loss. You will forgive me if I let my 
 thoughts pass outside the boundary of that Church, and 
 if I refer for a moment to my constant longing desire 
 that, in some way, the real unity of very many who 
 cannot show themselves externally united may be made 
 manifest. 
 
 " The words I write seem to me as I write them very stiff 
 and formal : they are the poor expression of deep feeling. 
 It will be my daily prayer that you may be enabled to 
 accomplish all that is in your heart for the Church and for 
 the world. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT REVISION iii 
 
 " With renewed and warmest thanks for all the kindness 
 and help of the last twenty years. 
 
 " I remain, dear Dr. Westcott, 
 
 " Yours affectionately and gratefully, 
 
 " Wm. F. Moulton." 
 "The Lord Bishop (designate) of Durham.'' 
 
 The Revision did much to make Dr. Moulton's reputation : 
 it did even more to make his friendships. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 
 
 For several years previous to the final removal of University 
 Tests in 1871, the question of higher education for the sons 
 of Methodist laymen had been exercising the minds of some 
 leading men in the Methodist Church. So far as it is 
 possible to trace to its source a movement such as this it 
 will not be far wrong to say that the man to whom was due 
 the first initiation of the scheme which gave birth to the 
 Leys School was Mr. Henry French, of Taunton, who 
 . succeeded Dr. Moulton as Mathematical Master at Taunton 
 College, and whose son, Mr. C. H. French, has been Mathe- 
 matical Master at The Leys for over fifteen years. In 1868 
 Lord Taunton visited Taunton, and gave the results of the 
 Endowed Schools Commission, claiming all the property 
 and influence of those schools for the Church of England as 
 spheres of Anglican teaching. Mr. Henry French was present, 
 and was so much impressed with the poverty of Methodism 
 in the matter of higher education as compared with the 
 Establishment, that he wrote a series of letters to the Watch- 
 man — then the leading Methodist weekly — strongly urging 
 the importance of facing the question if we were to have any 
 chance of retaining the youth of our congregations. He wrote 
 some fourteen letters in all, and whatever else they achieved 
 they attracted the notice and won the eager approval of the man 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 113 
 
 in Methodism who was best able to bring the ideas contained 
 in the letters forcibly before the Connexion — the Rev. 
 William Arthur, then at the height of his influence, an 
 influence which never waned until ill-health compelled him 
 to withdraw from the councils of his Church, and constrained 
 the Church to be content with a memory which was an 
 inspiration, in place of a presence which was a power. 
 
 The removal of the Tests from the Universities gave an 
 immense impetus to the movement which had been gradually 
 gaining force in the intervening years. The question had 
 come down "from the study to the street," and was 
 now a matter of practical politics : " How can we secure 
 for the sons of Methodism the advantages of the ancient 
 Universities, without endangering their attachment to the 
 Church of their fathers ? " The Conference of 1871 
 appointed a committee, of which Dr. Moulton was convener, 
 to consider what steps should be taken in the direction of 
 availing themselves of the altered circumstances. At this 
 time the Rev. Thomas Adams — brother of the late Professor 
 J. C. Adams, the astronomer — was superintendent of the 
 Cambridge Circuit, and he wrote an earnest letter to Mr. 
 French asking him to come to Cambridge. Mr. French had in 
 his own mind fixed upon Oxford as the more suitable place 
 for the new departure, whatever form it might take; but 
 Mr. Adams completely convinced him of the stronger case 
 for Cambridge, especially as a leading Wesleyan in Cam- 
 bridge, Mr. Robert Sayle, had the disposal of a fine site in 
 the best part of the town, which he was willing to sell for 
 ;^i4,ooo, conditionally on its being used for Methodist 
 educational purposes. Having thus won over Mr. French, 
 Mr. Adams set about interesting the leading laymen of 
 Methodism in the matter, Mr. Sayle meantime consenting to 
 hold the land until the next Conference. Among others. 
 
114 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 Mr. Adams approached Mr. T. P. Bunting, and no account, 
 however brief, of the Leys scheme would be adequate that 
 did not acknowledge the debt due to Mr. Bunting for his 
 wise counsel and brilliant advocacy. He was a true friend 
 to Dr. Moulton and to the school to the day of his death. 
 When he came over and saw the site he declared, in his 
 own characteristic way, that it was "mere bribery and 
 corruption to show them such an estate." At the Conference 
 of 1872 a Committee was appointed to look into the question, 
 associating with themselves a number of influential laymen, 
 and when in March 1873 the President, the Rev. Luke 
 Wiseman, visited Taunton he asked Mr. French to draw 
 up a statement and proposals. Meanwhile nine gentlemen — 
 the Rev. William Arthur, Sir Francis Lycett, Messrs. 
 William McArthur, M.P., Alex. McArthur, J. S. Budgett, 
 James Heald, R. Haworth, W. Mewburn, and John Chubb — 
 generously agreed to take over the estate as trustees, until 
 it should have been decided whether the property could be 
 used for such an object as Mr. Sayle had described. 
 
 The estate was formally conveyed to these gentlemen for 
 ;£■ 14,000, on the condition that if by September 1874 no 
 scheme should be devised by the Connexion for making 
 it available for educational purposes, it should revert to 
 Mr. Sayle on his repayment of the purchase-money. 
 
 When first it was resolved that something must be done 
 in this matter of Methodist higher education there was 
 considerable difference of opinion as to what form the effort 
 should take. Some were in favour of a school, some of a 
 Methodist Hostel in connection with the University. The 
 decision in favour of a school was arrived at by the Com- 
 mittee appointed in 1872, of which Dr. Moulton was secretary, 
 and in the report which he drew up for the Conference of 
 1873 there are embodied the results of very careful inquiries 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 115 
 
 which he had made concerning principles of management, 
 fees, &c., from the Headmasters of other PubHc Schools in 
 the country, designed to be a guide to the Conference in 
 considering the recommendation of its Committee — that a 
 Methodist Public School should be founded at Cambridge. 
 
 This brief outline of the foundation of the institution with 
 which Dr. Moulton was associated for the greater portion of 
 his life, must here suffice. Mention has been already made 
 of those who first launched the scheme : to those must be 
 added the names of Mr. Percy Bunting, Secretary of the 
 Governing Body from the first, and of Mr. H. J. Atkinson, 
 the Treasurer and Vice-Chairman for the first ten years. It 
 was Mr. Bunting who first intimated to Dr. Moulton that 
 it was to him that the Committee looked to fill the post 
 of Headmaster of the school that was to be — a prospect of 
 which Dr. Moulton had not the faintest anticipation when he 
 presented the Committee's report to Conference. It was 
 with Mr. Bunting that he visited other Public Schools in 
 order to compare systems of management ; and, indeed, 
 throughout his life at The Leys there was no one among the 
 Governors with whom Dr. Moulton was more personally 
 intimate, nor was there any one upon whose judgment he 
 placed more reliance. The names of others, many of them 
 Old Leysians, who have unselfishly laboured for the School, 
 must be left to the historian of the School in some future 
 day. 
 
 The Wesleyan Conference in 1874 assembled at Cam- 
 borne — a strangely out of the way spot, it may seem, for 
 some of the distances to be travelled by its members were 
 very great. Indeed, at Plymouth station Dr. Moulton fell in 
 with one of his old Richmond men, the Rev. T. H. Horrell, 
 who was onT;his way from Lerwick in the Shetland Isles to 
 
ii6 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 attend the Conference ! This is not the place in which to 
 discuss the administrative policy of a Church : suffice it to say 
 that experience has shown it to be a wise policy to locate 
 the annual Conference in as many diiferent centres of 
 Methodist activity as is compatible with the practical dif- 
 ficulty of providing for so large a number of guests for a 
 period of three weeks. The visit of the Conference gives a 
 natural stimulus to the Methodist life of the town it visits, 
 especially in the case of provincial towns, and the rota of some 
 fifteen towns relieves the administrators of any one district 
 from what would otherwise be the heavy burden of making 
 the necessary arrangements year after year. The Con- 
 ference had only once before met at Camborne, in 1862 ; but 
 it was not without hallowed recollections of that Conference 
 town that Dr. Moulton travelled to this, the second Camborne 
 Conference. It was at the first that he had been ordained, 
 and, with the plain but solemn and impressive ceremonies of 
 the Wesleyan Church, admitted into " full connexion " with 
 the brotherhood. That Conference had marked one epoch in 
 his life ; this was to mark another. 
 
 When the question of the proposed school at Cambridge 
 was brought up and the time arrived for designating a Head- 
 master, Mr. Arthur, acting as spokesman for the Committee, 
 took a determined line : 
 
 " I must say for the Committee that after looking round and 
 round for a man that could do the work, with the qualifications 
 in view, first, that he must be a man in whom Methodists would 
 have thorough Methodist confidence ; and, secondly, a scholar 
 such as would command the respect of the University and the 
 country, the feeling is on the part of everybody that we are shut 
 up to one man : that without any of us knowing it Providence 
 seems to have been taking that man quietly, step by step, out 
 from the common level of Methodist preachers by one indication 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 117 
 
 after another, just marking him out to us, so that when the time 
 came you should all say. This is the man." 
 
 So strong an appeal coming from such a man carried 
 the Conference. There had never been any opposition 
 in the form of the proposal of any other name : the only 
 doubt in the minds of his brethren was as to whether 
 Dr. Moulton's withdrawal from Richmond would not involve 
 a loss which would more than counterbalance the good 
 achievable at Cambridge. Many of his wisest brethren were 
 far from satisfied upon this point. Some seemed never to 
 become wholly reconciled to the appointment, and when about 
 ten years later a proposal was made to appoint him to fill 
 the post of Theological Tutor at Richmond vacated by 
 Dr. Osborn's retirement, many earnestly desired that the 
 change might take place. 
 
 And how was the designation viewed by the one primarily 
 concerned ? That he sought it no one will for a moment 
 imagine, but it is equally true that until a few weeks before 
 the proposal to the Conference he had no suspicion of what 
 was contemplated. In his speech in Conference the previous 
 year at Newcastle, when presenting the report of the Com- 
 mittee of which he had been convener, he laid down that the 
 experience of all first-grade schools was that the Headmaster 
 made or marred the school : " the post," he urged, " must be 
 made attractive enough to secure the services of a first-class 
 man." It was only characteristic of him that he should have 
 been thus unconscious that it was upon him that there rested 
 the desire of his Israel, and that when sought for he should 
 have been found hidden amid the stuff. A month or two 
 after Conference he wrote to Dr. Westcott : 
 
 " You may have seen what a change has come over me 
 since we last met. . . . For myself I shall go as a matter of 
 
ii8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 obedience. I don't think I am the man for such responsi- 
 bilities, and no allurement would have induced me to under- 
 take them. Now, however, I am pledged, not indeed to 
 succeed, but to do my best." 
 
 But " going as a matter of obedience " did not stifle pangs, 
 or silence fears. The appointment to Cambridge involved 
 for him a complete change in his manner of life, and, it must 
 be added, the sacrifice of much that was congenial and helpful 
 to him. His relations with his students had been peculiarly 
 close and tender, the work at Richmond was in every way 
 suited to his tastes, and was not of a character which shut 
 him out from participation in the connexional life of Methodism, 
 or from close attendance at the meetings of the Revision 
 Company. Now everything was to be changed. He was 
 now to go to work with which he was perfectly unfamiliar, 
 in that, over and above the teaching, there was the responsi- 
 bility of management, and that of a new institution with no 
 precedents to guide him. Instead of dealing with men who 
 had to be trained and inspired, but the root-principles of 
 whose characters were strongly formed, he was now to be 
 responsible for the moulding of young lives at their most 
 impressionable period, and when the impulses received 
 towards good or evil would determine in no small degree 
 the character of future years. And with this keen apprecia- 
 tion of the exacting nature of the new call he realised that 
 everything else would have to be subordinated to its claims, 
 even if not absolutely relinquished, and, in particular, that 
 he would have little opportunity of giving to the Revision 
 the close attention which he had given up to this point. Is 
 it to be wondered at that at first he shrank from the proposal, 
 feeling himself to be altogether insufficient for so great a 
 task? 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 119 
 
 But as was his wont in all such matters he preferred 
 to trust to the guidance of Providence as expressed in 
 the decisions of his Church. As it was not at his own ini- 
 tiative that he went to Richmond in the first instance, so 
 it was not by his own desire that he left it. Had he consulted 
 his own wishes and tastes he would have unquestionably 
 stayed where he was, both from love of Richmond and 
 from fear of the new responsibilities ; but it never occurred 
 to him to look at it from that standpoint. His brethren 
 designated him and he went — in January 1875. 
 
 The story of the Richmond life cannot be closed without 
 some reference to joys and sorrows in his home. Two sons 
 were born there to him, and when they were emerging from 
 early childhood the happiness of the home was complete 
 with the birth of a little daughter. This was in September 
 1870; but the months of joy in the newly-won treasure were 
 destined to be brief. In March 1871 Mrs. Moulton's mother, 
 who had lived with them from the beginning of their married 
 life, and to whom Mr. Moulton had been the tenderest of 
 sons, passed peacefully away in her chair, in fulness of years 
 that had known much change and sorrow. A month later 
 the little one, after a short, sharp illness of a few hours, was 
 taken away in her seventh month of life. The name of the 
 lost bairn was rarely indeed heard from the parents' lips in 
 later days ; but the wound was one that never healed. 
 Those who in the last three years of Dr. Moulton's life 
 watched the peculiar tenderness he showed to his little grand- 
 daughter were not slow to divine some of the thoughts she 
 brought up from depths that had lain unstirred but un- 
 changed for twenty-five years. 
 
 Before plunging into the full stream of his busy Ufe at 
 Cambridge there are only due some words in grateful recog- 
 
120 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 nition of the cordiality of his reception there from the very 
 first. He was leaving behind him in Richmond his many 
 well-tried friends, and he had come into a new land, where he 
 knew but few, and where the very nature of his undertaking 
 could not be expected to facilitate the making of a position 
 for himself in a University town. But from the first day of 
 his life in Cambridge to the last he never experienced any- 
 thing but the most perfect kindness and courtesy from all 
 the leaders of the University ; and it was no small sign of 
 their good-will that after two years' residence in Cambridge 
 the University conferred upon him an Honorary M. A. degree, 
 at that time the rarest of its degrees, held only by eight 
 before himself. The cordiality manifested towards him in 
 the Senate House that day showed that his scholarship and 
 his personality had won for him an established place in the 
 esteem of a University which only a few years before had 
 still been practically closed to Nonconformists like himself. 
 
 His entrance into this new sphere of life was of course 
 made the easier and more pleasant by the strong friendship 
 which had sprung up between him and the Cambridge mem- 
 bers of the Revision Company, especially Dr. Westcott and 
 Dr. Hort, and the prospect of closer association with them 
 was to him one of the few positive attractions of the new 
 state of things as compared with the old. "The most 
 pleasant thought I have," he writes to Dr. Hort in October 
 1874, "is of those whom I may now hope to see more 
 frequently — not once a month only." 
 
 And Dr. Hort, writing shortly after the designation was 
 made, welcomed him with a warmth which made it impossible 
 for him to regard himself as among strangers. 
 
 " Ever since I read the reports of Conference (confused and 
 ex parte as they evidently were) I have been rejoicing to think 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 121 
 
 that you will soon be taking up your home among us. Whether 
 indeed the step was a wise one on the part of the Conference I 
 could not help having misgivings. Setting aside the original 
 question about having a school at Cambridge, I should have 
 thought it would have been of paramount importance to keep you 
 at Richmond. At all events that is the view which a Churchman 
 may be pardoned for taking. But it is evident that many not 
 obvious considerations were at work, and these are matters on 
 which a bystander may easily go wrong. About the gain to our- 
 selves and to Cambridge there can be no doubt at all." 
 
 The task which he went to take up was far from being an 
 easy one, for it was nothing else than to create that most 
 highly sensitised of all institutions — a Public School — ^having 
 himself enjoyed no personal experience of Public School life 
 cither as boy or master, and at the same time possessed with 
 the consciousness that it was " in the power of the Head- 
 master to make or mar the school." How far the scheme 
 upon which the Leys School was framed was of his 
 ■devising — that is to say, how far he impressed his own 
 individuality upon the committee of which he was convener 
 and spokesman — ^will never be known for a certainty, but 
 many of their collective utterances seem to betray their 
 origin, and the dominating ideas which governed the minds 
 of those with whom he worked in the matter were without 
 ■doubt the same as those which he had formed in his own 
 mind. Three of these fundamental principles were : 
 
 (i.) Everything was to be of the best quality. Although 
 the financial embarrassments which beset a new, unendowed 
 school often thwarted him in the pursuit of his full purpose 
 in this matter, he nevertheless throughout his whole life 
 resolutely set his face against any economies which might 
 have the effect of starving the school, with the inevitable 
 result that he always took the extra weight upon himself. 
 
122 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 (ii.) Religion should not be merely one of many elements 
 of school life, but the underlying principle of them all. How 
 this was manifested in his administration! at The Leys will 
 be seen at a later stage. 
 
 (iii.) Although a Methodist school it must be free from a 
 narrowly sectarian character ; and so it was and so it is still. 
 The Wesleyan chapel was attended, there were two " society 
 classes " in the school — of course perfectly voluntary — the 
 majority of preachers and speakers to the school were 
 Wesleyans, and yet there was nothing to make the father of 
 a boy belonging to another communion apprehensive lest his 
 son's loyalty to his own Church should be undermined. 
 And this was as Dr. Moulton wished it to be. 
 
 The fifteen years which passed between his removal to 
 Cambridge and his appointment to the Presidency of the 
 Wesleyan Conference in 1890 were years which may be 
 summed up briefly in Keble's familiar phrase — " the trivial 
 round, the common task." It will be easily realised that 
 years thus spent present considerable difficulties to one who 
 desires to construct a narrative, for they lack the objective 
 events upon which such a narrative is most naturally based. 
 However it is only in a sense that these years were 
 uneventful. None of those who, in any capacity, came in 
 contact with Dr. Moulton at The Leys would be disposed to 
 regard them so ; and though the full history of those years 
 never will or ought to be written, those who could write 
 pages of that history are not likely to forget it, unwritten 
 though it be. 
 
 Dr. Moulton was never one who loved publicity. Whilst 
 he was a Richmond tutor, within easy reach of London, he 
 was seldom seen upon a public platform, and very rarely 
 spoke in the Conference. When in later years he was 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 123 
 
 dragged into publicity, much against his inclinations, he 
 gave in — as he was wont to give in — to the desires of others, 
 and proceeded to show his marvellous power of adapting 
 himself to altered circumstances. But that was, as yet, in 
 the distant future. For the present his paramount duty lay 
 at home, and he gave to his new charge unwearying 
 care and attention. He realised that at that stage every 
 detail was of importance, and attention to detail was only to 
 be guaranteed by his constant presence on the spot. Hence 
 for years he was but seldom away from the school during 
 term-time, and on Sunday only twice in fifteen years. 
 
 It is not too much to say that these years of comparative 
 retirement from public life constitute the most fruitful period 
 of his life. It was throughout marked by unremitting personal 
 influence — powerful yet tender — unbroken by the absences 
 and distractions incident upon public work and leadership. 
 His election to the Presidency not only involved a temporary 
 break in the continuity of his school activity, but completely 
 altered the course of it for the remaining years of his life : 
 and for this reason these years, forming as they do an easily 
 isolated period, are treated here by themselves, according to 
 their subjective characteristics rather than their chronological 
 sequence. What was Dr. Moulton doing during these fifteen 
 years? What was he thinking of? What were his ideals ? 
 Such are the questions to which some answer will be 
 given — incomplete it must be — in the following pages. 
 
 From the very first it was his deep desire to establish 
 between himself and his boys a relation of close friendship, 
 to exist side by side with the more official relations. It is 
 probable that nothing at The Leys would have so thoroughly 
 astonished the typical Public School boy as the relations 
 between the headmaster and his school. To those 
 accustomed to regard the headmaster as a far-off potentate, 
 
124 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 whose personal dealings with the rank and file of the school 
 are confined to a few — usually painful — interviews, nothing 
 would seem stranger than the spectacle of a headmaster 
 accessible at all times to everybody, concerning himself with 
 all the trifling details of an individual schoolboy's life, even 
 to the point of occasionally teaching little boys of ten years 
 of age Latin and arithmetic. Yet so it was, and — what 
 might astonish him still more — there resulted from these 
 intimate relations no loss of dignity. Some may be dis- 
 posed to regard such tasks as involving a great waste of 
 time to a scholar of Dr. Moulton's calibre, but it is suiBcient 
 for us that he regarded it as no waste. And in one notable 
 respect his policy in this matter left its mark upon the school 
 as a whole. Where the headmaster taught the youngest 
 and most ignorant it was impossible for the senior boy to 
 regard the junior as beneath his notice ; and thus it came 
 to pass that at The Leys there was practically unknown that 
 proud superiority which characterises — often to a painful 
 degree — the relations between boys of the same Public 
 School, and which forbids the inferior to speak to his 
 superior unless he is first spoken to. It was impossible 
 there because the headmaster was " among them as one 
 that served." 
 
 How this characteristic of Dr. Moulton's dealings with his 
 boys struck them is reflected in the following letter written 
 by an Old Leysian in South Africa to his father in England : 
 
 " I don't think enough stress has been laid on his great friend- 
 liness with the boys, and his art of putting at their ease the 
 youngest as well as the oldest boys in the school. I think, 
 judging from my own experience, that no small boy at The Leys 
 was ever afraid of the Doctor. Of course, if you had done wrong 
 and were expecting the merited reward, you had some inward 
 tremors ; but in any small difficulty, if you wanted advice, there 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 125 
 
 was no fear that he would not understand. And it was really 
 wonderful, however busy he might be (and few of us ever realised 
 how busy he was) he was always ready to give you the few minutes 
 necessary, and to say all that needed saying, without the least 
 appearance of hurry or desire to get rid of you. 
 
 " What the loss of him will be to the school no one can 
 imagine ; to every one of the boys it will be irreparable. I 
 cannot think what the school without the Doctor will be like. 
 I remember once when he was ill for three months, and there 
 was a talk of his retiring, how anxiously every one awaited news 
 of his recovery, and how when he came back the fellows cheered 
 him, and went about looking as pleased as if they themselves had 
 pulled through an illness. So few men are able to be so utterly 
 sympathetic and to possess so immense a dignity. The dignity 
 was seldom brought forward as a weapon, but it was very 
 imposing on occasions. 
 
 "Speaking of his sympathy reminds me of an instance of it 
 which I experienced. When I first went to the school I was 
 placed in a form in which the boys were all years older than 
 myself and very much bigger. Just before Christmas when 
 exams, were on we were down for vivd voce with the Doctor in 
 Greek. As the time approached I was in great trepidation, for 
 besides being the youngest I was by far the naughtiest boy of 
 the lot, and I thought any shortcomings of mine would indeed 
 be visited. The awful moment arrived and we were seated round 
 the Doctor and construing had commenced. As my turn came 
 nearer my mouth became drier and my book shook in my 
 hands. At last the Doctor called my name, but not a word 
 would come, and I vainly attempted, with all eyes upon me, to 
 make a start. The Doctor called my name again and flien 
 looked up, and I suppose saw what was the matter, for he began 
 at once to tell us some most interesting things about the finding 
 of some old manuscripts of the book we were reading. I became 
 interested, and forgot the ordeal, so that when he finished speak- 
 ing and said : ' Now ' I took my piece with ease and fair 
 
 correctness. I never forgot that. The task of those who have to 
 choose his successor will be only less hard than that of the 
 successor himself." 
 
126 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 This disposition was very far from being a mere emotion 
 of friendliness and sympathy. It was that, but it was much 
 more than that : it was part of a theory of education with 
 him — if so hard a term may with any fitness be used to 
 denote what was so essentially tender. His views upon 
 teaching are found expressed with great clearness in the 
 Valedictory Address which as President of the Conference 
 he delivered to the students of the Wesleyan Training 
 Colleges for Teachers in December 1890, and as the address 
 embodies the experience and the principles of the fifteen 
 years with which we are now concerned, it will not be out of 
 place to introduce it here. It is, of course, far too long to 
 quote in full ; neither is that desirable, for it was naturally 
 shaped in great measure by the needs of his particular 
 audience, but in it there are set forth the principles which 
 guided him and which made him what he was. 
 
 In his theory of teaching the individual loomed large ; no 
 one was more ready to give free play to individual talents, 
 and no one was less disposed to treat a class as though it 
 were all of a piece throughout.- 
 
 " Do not think that this sphere affords no scope for dis- 
 covery — for discoveries of great importance. True, your aim 
 is mainly practical in that you are working upon the minds 
 and hearts of individual boys and girls. But if you give 
 your whole soul to this practical work you may by this very 
 means enlarge the boundaries of the science of practical 
 education. The best methods of teaching may be evolved 
 by the theorist in his study, but they are more likely to be 
 discovered by the thoughtful and devoted teacher by means 
 of his daily practice. If you seek to make the work of 
 every day as perfect as it is in your power to make 
 it, the systematised results of your experience will bear 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 127 
 
 high value and may modify and correct many a theoretical 
 precept." 
 
 And because he thus looked at the individual rather than 
 at the class as a whole, he was well acquainted with that 
 familiar problem the dull boy, for no teacher could possibly 
 be long oblivious of the fact that mediocrity is the rule 
 and ability the exception. But the dull boy interested 
 Dr. Moulton. He would maintain that the dull boy was the 
 teacher's opportunity : 
 
 " It is hard for man wholly to spoil the Creator's handi- 
 work. The old broken-down mechanic who turned school- 
 master, if he were honest and his aim good, was often saved 
 from distorting the growth of mind by letting it alone. 
 Where a boy of power and promise came under his guidance 
 he could at least put the necessary tools into the boy's hand ; 
 and though the teacher himself could use them with little skill 
 the pupil might work wonders. Give the boy-sculptor a 
 knife and piece of wood, and he will astonish you with his 
 creations. 
 
 "Under any system quick intellectual energy will defy 
 repressive influences. But what of those who are naturally 
 dull and apathetic, whose powers develop late, whose force 
 has at last to pierce through the barriers of timidity and 
 self-distrust — of those whose dislike of real work is so 
 great that they will bear any burden of mechanical repeti- 
 tion and learning by rote rather than put forth the least 
 eflbrt of intellect? What of the wasted time, perverted 
 habits, ruined powers which belonged to such a system as 
 once prevailed ? The triumph of teaching is won in the 
 field of mediocrity. The teacher who does not lay siege to 
 the common and apparently irresponsive mind is shirking his 
 most important work." 
 
iz8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 And should any one be disposed to ask, " Is it worth 
 while?" he was ready with an impassioned defence of the 
 position that it is always worth while to do the best of 
 which you are capable in any field of labour, and especially 
 where it is a matter of influencing the minds and characters 
 of others, quite apart from the consideration of tangible 
 result and fruit. 
 
 " But perhaps another disturbing thought arises, a doubt 
 to which you hardly dare give expression : ' Can this work 
 of ours claim service such as this? Is it high enough, 
 engrossing enough, to warrant the sacrifice of other ambi- 
 tions, so that the powers of a lifetime may be concentrated 
 on this one object ? ' Can you really doubt it ? You may 
 indeed demur, with reason, if an estimate of your profes- 
 sional work is to be derived from the practice of some who 
 claim the name of teacher. To test the memory of a number 
 of boys and girls, to talk upon a subject with one eye on the 
 text-book and the other on the class, to dictate rules of 
 arithmetic and rules of thumb generally, ignoring explana- 
 tions and principles ; such work as this hardly comes under 
 the head of skilled labour at all. If there were room for a 
 class of slaves in the republic of teachers we might relegate 
 them to such tasks as these. But this is not the occupation 
 to which you are giving your lives. Some of these elements 
 may enter into and be combined with your work, but only as 
 the dull clay may be informed with a living spirit. Your 
 ideal is to train completely, so far as in you lies, during the 
 most important period of youthful life, the mind of man 
 made in the image of God. On this mind you may impress 
 a character which will abide for all future time." 
 
 He was not the one to entertain an exaggerated opinion 
 concerning the value of examinations, for he saw very clearly 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 129 
 
 their perils : nevertheless he used them freely, failing any 
 better means of testing work, and all the higher boys were 
 each year prepared for external examinations on account of 
 the definiteness which it gave to their work : 
 
 " You will not be allowed the privilege of choice, but it 
 lies with yourselves whether the examiner or inspector is to 
 be one who mends or who mars your work. For my own 
 part I am a hearty believer in the examination system 
 properly limited and controlled. But just as it is true that 
 the man who aims most at grace of movement will very 
 probably be least graceful, and the man who is most anxious 
 about commending himself to others will often be least 
 acceptable, so in many cases will undue solicitude about 
 examination results defeat its own end. The constant aim 
 of the examination system should ever be to discover and 
 reward thoroughness of education, and to distinguish well- 
 groimded training from that forcing system which seeks to 
 accomplish the work of years in as many months. The 
 teacher who day by day aims at the most skilful and thorough 
 instruction need not live in fear of inspector or examiner. 
 But in any case, to quote Dr. Westcott's words, 'Do not 
 allow measurable technical results to modify your own ideal, 
 still less to shape it.' " 
 
 But if a teacher is to teach with effect he must be con- 
 stantly taking in knowledge at the same time, or else the 
 want of freshness will very soon be manifest to pupils. This 
 familiar but much neglected truth he enforced with great 
 earnestness : 
 
 "Would you maintain the freshness of your teaching, 
 keep up your own study. Be ever adding to your stores of 
 knowledge. Pluck fruit for your pupils from the boughs of 
 
130 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 a living tree, and do not give them the preserved apples of 
 last year's growth. . . . We spoil our work, exhibit it as 
 dead, not living, as soon as we consciously and intentionally 
 satisfy ourselves with stores gathered in the past, instead 
 of striving to exhibit everything as seen by the light of the 
 present." 
 
 But behind all these theories as to the best means of 
 teaching there lay a principle greater and deeper than mere 
 educational efficiency. The ultimate source of the dignity 
 of the teacher's life was to him the example and the spirit of 
 Christ, as affording a raison d'etre for the career, such as 
 could not be furnished by any consideration of worldly 
 benefit, but only by what was supernatural. 
 
 " I do believe that no one has yet found out the limits to 
 the influence of those who by the Spirit of Christ are enabled 
 consistently, watchfully, trustingly to train young people 
 committed to their care. The responsibility is grave, but 
 the reward of success is infinitely great. You will need to 
 hold yourselves in complete control by a power not your 
 own; but even should all efforts to reach the children's 
 hearts prove abortive, you will find your recompense in the 
 training and development of your own character. The 
 discipline is severe ; mistakes may be serious, more serious 
 than in the world of men and women. But let not this 
 thought cast you down : if a vivid impression is once made 
 by the general tenor of your action, a slip need not bring 
 disaster. The Lord whom you serve is able to hold you 
 up, and He will make you to stand. Yours will be the hfe 
 of those who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for 
 glory, honour and immortality : to you is held out the prize 
 of eternal life." 
 
 All these principles find their expression in his actual 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 131 
 
 administration at The Leys ; and because he thus highly 
 rated his privilege, and viewed his powers as a sacred trust 
 to be used for the benefit of the weak and ignorant, it was 
 given to him to influence individual lives beyond the lot of 
 most men and in those lives to rear for himself an undying 
 memorial. 
 
 To give any adequate picture of the numerous and varied 
 duties which were crowded into every day of that busy life 
 is perfectly impossible, for a mere record in words could 
 convey no adequate impression of the stress and strain of it 
 all — ^which could only be realised by those who saw it for 
 themselves. All that can be attempted here is to note the 
 outstanding characteristics of Dr. Moulton's life and adminis- 
 tration at the time when he was most uninterruptedly 
 engaged upon his work at The Leys. 
 
 For several years it was his custom to conduct Morning 
 and Evening Prayers with the boys, and even after the 
 appointment of a second minister he continued to go in once 
 a day at least. This he did partly that he might bring 
 home to the boys his sense of the obligation of thus recog- 
 nising religion in the life of every day : if they saw him 
 regard such acts of worship as of sufficient importance to 
 draw him away from his pressing duties, they would — he 
 hoped — be drawn by his example in the same direction. 
 But there was another reason why he always preferred to 
 conduct prayers himself, even when he could have asked 
 another to do it for him. Reference has already been made 
 to his accessibility to his boys as one of his dominating 
 characteristics, and the conduct of Morning and Evening 
 Prayers gave him perhaps his best opportunities of coming 
 into close contact with them. Indeed, after Prayers there 
 was almost invariably something of the nature of a levee. 
 Sometimes there might be a group — the prefects, or a 
 
132 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 particular form — .to be interviewed, but always there were 
 individuals who desired to see him or whom he desired to 
 see, and these cases were intensely varied, for no details did 
 he consider unworthy of his personal attention. There 
 would be boys to be dealt with who were under discipline ; 
 inquiries to be made concerning detriments ; requests to be 
 considered for release from certain subjects of instruction in 
 order that special attention might be given to other subjects ; 
 boys to be quietly but firmly reproved for not writing letters 
 home — and indeed any boys who had to ask or be asked 
 concerning any matter of great or small importance. To 
 him there were no matters of small importance, because so 
 often something that was in itself trifling served to give him 
 an insight into the individual character. 
 
 But it must not be thought that this accessibility was only 
 a thing of times and seasons and conditions. The occasions 
 above referred to were only the occasions most convenient 
 for him to see them : they could see him at any time, for at 
 no time did he ever consent to put up " engaged " outside his 
 study dobr except when busy with Dr. Westcott and Dr. 
 Hort upon the Revision work. Even his meals were not 
 free from interruption ; he had an acute sense of hearing, and 
 if he heard a footstep across the entrance-hall which separated 
 the dining-room from the library he would insist upon 
 jumping up and going out to see who wanted him and why. 
 These interrupted meals became a painful feature of his 
 everyday life, for it required no great perception to realise 
 that the effect must be serious detriment to health. In reply, 
 however, to all entreaties that he should fix regular times 
 in the day during which alone he would be accessible to 
 boys, he always shook his head, saying that then " they might 
 hesitate about coming " to him " at some time when they 
 were in special need." This will tell its own tale and reveal its 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 133 
 
 own truth. Behind this attitude to a detail of school life and 
 work there lay a principle, a dominating trait of character 
 which resulted in a life of complete self-abnegation and self- 
 surrender for the welfare of others. 
 
 His conception of discipline was largely shaped by the same 
 root principle which gave rise to his accessibility — ^that is to 
 say, his reliance upon personal intercourse and influence. 
 He always went upon the principle of trusting boys to the 
 full, as being the only way of training them to be worthy of 
 trust. Consequently he allowed a very large degree of 
 freedom, and had sufficient faith to believe that this course 
 would be justified in the result. Lying as it does upon the 
 borderland between town and country. The Leys gives equal 
 facilities for boys to go in either direction, and with the 
 exception of certain obviously necessary restrictions no 
 obstacles were placed in their way, the country being per- 
 fectly open to them every afternoon, and the town only 
 debarred to them on market-days. The responsibility of 
 seeing that rules were kept out of school hours was laid 
 largely upon the prefects, and few features of Dr. Moulton's 
 administration were more noticeable than his treatment of 
 his prefects. 
 
 It was very far from being merely a desire to economise 
 the time of the masters, and to save them from the weary, 
 ungrateful task of perpetual surveillance out of school, that he 
 cast the major portion of the responsibility during play hours 
 upon the prefects. Just as he considered that the only way 
 to train boys to make a right use of freedom was to give it 
 them and train them in it, so he held most strongly that if a 
 boy was to be trained into a man capable of exercising 
 authority and commanding confidence, a commencement must 
 be made at school in the day of small things. He had no 
 
134 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 fixed rule which guided him in the choice of his prefects ; 
 there was no form the entrance to which carried with it the 
 prefectorial status — as is so often the case in Public Schools — 
 nor did proficiency in games constitute in his opinion an 
 effective claim. When a boy in the upper portion of the 
 school seemed to him to be well fitted for the post and likely 
 to do good service, he appointed him. Consequently, it is 
 perhaps not saying too much to suggest that his disposition 
 would lead him not to wait until a boy was qualified for 
 exercising authority before giving it to him, but — granted 
 previous good conduct and a certain status in the school — 
 to give it to him and trust him to show himself worthy 
 of it. Acting upon this principle he gave to his prefects 
 great privileges and considerable independence and liberty, 
 and the result was a high standard of conscientiousness 
 and a strong sense of duty and responsibility in matters 
 concerning the welfare of the school. An eminent Public 
 School headmaster had expressed the opinion to Dr. Moulton 
 that it was impossible to "grow " a prefect of any high order 
 in less than five years, but it did not turn out so at The Leys. 
 Dr. Moulton succeeded at once, and some of his best prefects 
 were among the first. 
 
 The secret of his success in this matter as in others was 
 his own personal influence upon the individual. Knowing 
 that confidence breeds honour, he gave his confidence freely 
 and frankly, and he was rarely deceived. He had a high 
 ideal of what a prefect ought to be, but that did not make him 
 harsh and ungenerous in his estimates of their actual achieve- 
 ment. A late senior prefect at The Leys said of him that " no 
 prefect could ever complain that the Doctor's opinion of him 
 was lower than his merits : far otherwise was the case, and 
 it were no mean ambition to desire to be even what he 
 believed us to be. He was ever ready to praise, slow to 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 135 
 
 blame, ever willing — ^nay, eager — to question anything rather 
 than a prefect's devotion to duty." 
 
 Of course his confidence was from time to time abused : 
 no one will require to be told that who knows anything about 
 boys. But failure with individuals never made him entertain 
 doubts as to the soundness of the principle as a whole, and 
 more than once his gentleness won over those whom stern 
 repression would have driven into utter rebelliousness of 
 disposition. He could be stern and could punish with a 
 heavy hand, but it was not to him "the more excellent 
 way." 
 
 To corporal punishment he had an intense aversion. 
 While admitting its occasional necessity he wished it to be 
 reduced to a minimum, and therefore retained it in his own 
 hands. The following letter, which he wrote to each one 
 of his masters in 1897, reveals the strength of his feehng 
 upon the matter : 
 
 " Dear Mr. , — It has come to my knowledge (from a 
 
 source outside the school) that rumour represents caning as 
 practised by the masters. If this is the case, if any kind of 
 corporal punishment is inflicted, I am sure that this must have 
 resulted from some misapprehension of my views and wishes 
 on the subject, or some misunderstanding of words I may 
 have used. My convictions are stronger than they ever were 
 as to the general undesirableness of corporal punishment and 
 the necessity of retaining in my own hands the infliction of 
 such punishment when it is required. 
 
 " I am writing to every member of the staff, partly because 
 I am (and wish to be) in ignorance as to what may have 
 occurred in the past; but especially because any general 
 communication would be less consistent with the intimate 
 relations which I hold and trust always to hold with colleagues 
 
1 36 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 to whom I am so much indebted and whose friendship I so 
 
 highly value. 
 
 " I am, yours most truly, 
 
 " William F. Moulton." 
 
 The closing words of this letter express no mere conven- 
 tional regard and esteem. There always existed between 
 Dr. Moulton and his staff the closest personal intimacy which 
 entered into matters of private interest far removed from 
 official relations. In the resolution of the Masters' Meeting 
 at the time of his death there is to be felt an intimacy more 
 close than is usual between the headmaster and his col- 
 leagues : 
 
 " They remember with heartfelt gratitude his unfailing courtesy, 
 his ever-ready sympathy, and his boundless consideration for them. 
 Their relations with him will be one of the most sacred memories 
 of their lives. In him they have lost a chief who was before all 
 things a friend, who made their sorrows and their joys his own, 
 who ever watched with friendly eye over their interests, on whose 
 fatherly affection they could always depend, who stimulated their 
 eflForts and put heart into their work, who by the beauty of his 
 character, and the constant exercise of his untold kindness, bound 
 them to him by ties that death cannot sever." 
 
 On one of the very rare occasions when he referred to the 
 possibility of his leaving the school, he said : " When I leave 
 The Leys the parting from the masters will be very hard." 
 The sentiment was a natural one on his lips, but the words 
 came home with a strange force to the minds of those who 
 heard them when, a few hours later, the news came that he 
 had passed away. 
 
 The relations between the headmaster and his staff were 
 closely connected with one feature of the school constitution 
 which demands explanation. In the course of his careful 
 preliminary inquiries at older Public Schools he fixed on the 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 137 
 
 model of Marlborough as the most satisfactory. There were 
 to be no " houses," in the common sense, separate boarding- 
 houses at which assistant masters took the main responsi- 
 bility of the boys' daily life. He was convinced that the 
 headmaster must bear the full responsibility for the whole 
 school. On the other hand, he fully approved of a modified 
 system which would secure the advantages of a healthy house 
 rivalry in the school games. Houses were accordingly 
 established at The Leys, in each of which about forty boys 
 slept, with two resident masters in charge of them. There 
 were, of course, specially close relations between the house 
 masters and their boys, and the resident masters took in turn 
 as " Master of the week " a general responsibility for the 
 management of school routine as a whole. But the head- 
 master was constantly in touch with all the boys, and the 
 trifles to which he gave personal attention would considerably 
 surprise those Public School boys whose ideal of a head- 
 master is that of an Olympian Jove sitting beside his nectar, 
 careless of mankind below the Sixth Form. The system, 
 of course, involved peculiarly close intercourse between 
 Dr. Moulton and his colleagues. Every boy's character 
 and every boy's work passed under review in conversation 
 between them ; and it was this intimate collaboration which 
 produced a personal friendship of rare warmth and depth. 
 
 A Head so accessible, and so closely connected with the 
 details of school management, might very easily have caused 
 dangerous friction in most parts of the machine. But 
 while it was always understood that Dr. Moulton decided 
 everything, it was also understood that he courted the freest 
 expressions of opinion from those associated with him. 
 There were matters of policy on which many members of the 
 staff differed from their chief ; and their existence is worthy 
 of remark partly from its relation to this personal friend- 
 
138 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 ship and partly as showing Dr. Moulton's attitude towards 
 the staff. At the Masters' Meeting he was never present. 
 Two or three times a term he would ask the whole staff to 
 meet him, but the ordinary weekly Masters' Meeting he 
 designedly from the first left free to discuss all matters con- 
 cerning the administration of the school, without the restraint 
 which his presence would inevitably have placed upon them. 
 From this meeting he was ever ready to receive suggestions, 
 and the mere fact of a recommendation coming with the whole 
 weight of the opinions of the staff behind it influenced him 
 greatly in his action, though he never bound himself to carry 
 out such recommendations, and the whole responsibility of 
 action he, of course, took upon himself. In short, on the 
 one side there was an autocrat — in theory — who, however, 
 freely sought advice and accepted suggestions from his 
 ministers : on the other there were ministers to whom was 
 given the utmost freedom of criticism, and who carried out 
 with the fullest loyalty the policy of their chief, even when 
 they dissented from it in their own private judgment. One 
 element in the formation of this happy relation must be noted 
 before passing on. Dr. Moulton was master of every subject 
 that was taught, and the fact that he could speak as an 
 expert on classics, chemistry, higher mathematics, modern 
 languages, &c., to the masters in charge of these departments, 
 immensely strengthened his position in their esteem. 
 
 To return to matters of discipline, personal remonstrances 
 and exhortations played a far more prominent part in his 
 system than punishment. When a boy seemed to be getting 
 somewhat out of hand or otherwise unsatisfactory Dr. 
 Moulton would send for him, and after remonstrating with 
 him would give him a " conduct card " to be signed by every 
 master in whose class he should be for the week, and to 
 be brought to him for inspection at the close of each day. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 139 
 
 Twice a term he received from every master a brief estimate — 
 denoted by a letter of the alphabet — of the conduct and 
 diligence of every boy, and at the end of the term he invited 
 each master to send him detailed reports — popularly known 
 amongst us as "epigrams" — concerning any boys whose 
 conduct called for special attention, favourable or unfavour- 
 able. These reports, combined with his own impressions 
 gathered from personal contact with boys, and also with 
 constant interviews with masters concerning individual 
 cases, gave him a very distinct and adequate knowledge of 
 his boys; but the system involved a great expenditure of 
 time, day by day, altogether apart from the framing of the 
 reports to be sent home to the parents. It would have 
 been simpler for him to have thrashed offenders and thus 
 have done with them at once, but this would have involved a 
 surrender of principle which would have left him an essentially 
 difiierent man. 
 
 His own forms were usually — with the exception of those 
 in Greek Testament, Chaucer, occasionally Sixth Form Greek, 
 &c. — entered upon the work card as " Examinations." His 
 object was by this means to have every boy before him once 
 a week that he might have an opportunity of testing his work 
 in various subjects, as well as of coming into personal 
 contact with each one. The subjects taken from week to 
 week would differ widely, and frequently within the borders 
 of one form there would be several different papers being 
 taken at the same time. For these examinations did not 
 rank with others or with the ordinary term work : they were 
 only designed to give the headmaster some personal know- 
 ledge of his boys' work ; and save in times of exceptional 
 pressure, when he fell into arrears in marking them, they 
 served their purpose well. Another characteristic feature of 
 
14° WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 his management of the school was the existence of what 
 were known as " special cases," the term denoting boys who, 
 during any particular period, were doing work different from 
 that of their form. 
 
 "His aim was that every master should teach what he was 
 best fitted for, and that every boy should learn that which he was 
 most capable of. It was an attempt to adopt the University 
 system of private tuition as closely as the circumstances of a 
 school permit. The most impossible demands of the most un- 
 reasonable parents, the faintest trace of an inclination on the part 
 of the most unpromising boy, were all considered with minute 
 care. If it were in any way feasible the boy became a ' special 
 case' and school routine was broken through for his peculiar 
 benefit. Dr. Moulton was width itself in his ideas of education. 
 The Leys had a well- organised modern side before many old- 
 established schools had done discussing whether they should have 
 one or not, and in science teaching it has long had splendid 
 advantages." * 
 
 This is not the place for discussing the system itself — a 
 system which was probably peculiar to The Leys — from the 
 educational standpoint : the only thing that is of importance 
 here is the bare fact that Dr. Moulton showed himself very 
 averse to the ordinary practice of forcing all boys along the 
 same curriculum, and was willing to make numerous 
 modifications to suit the needs and meet the wishes of 
 individuals. This must not be taken to infer a willingness 
 to accommodate himself to every individual whim : he would 
 entertain no request that did not come from the boy's parents, 
 and even then he did not bind himself to acquiesce in the 
 request if his own personal judgment leaned strongly in the 
 opposite direction. In most cases the modification took the 
 form of release from Latin and the substitution of some other 
 
 * A. I. Tillyard, M.A., late Classical Master at The Leys, in West 
 Cambs Free Churchman. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 141 
 
 subject in the case of those who were destined for 
 commercial life. The extra labour involved for Dr. Moulton 
 and for his invaluable colleague, Mr. T. Pearson Walker, who 
 arranged the details of this complicated system, was 
 enormous, but he always felt it his duty and privilege to do 
 the very best in his power for the boys entrusted to him, 
 however great might be the personal labour entailed. 
 
 One type of " special case " may be mentioned as one in 
 which Dr. Moulton took exceptional interest. Ever since 
 1887 there has been at The Leys an unbroken succession of 
 Japanese boys. To place them in an ordinary form, at any 
 rate at first, with their defective knowledge of English, 
 would have been useless and absurd, so they were dealt with 
 separately, and a considerable portion of their training 
 Dr. Moulton took into his own hands. It was to him an 
 intensely interesting experience to watch the new ideas 
 gradually dawning upon these Eastern minds, and it was 
 with great reluctance when owing to the press of public work 
 he felt compelled to hand this over to others. 
 
 The pressure of his work, bad as it was at best, was ren- 
 dered more serious by its being, in a sense, a seven days' 
 pressure only too often. Of course the form it took on 
 Sundays was different from that of the rest of the week, but the 
 fact remains that Sunday was far from being to Dr. Moulton 
 a day of rest. As already mentioned in the account of the 
 Leys Scheme, religion — as embodied in worship and in 
 definite instruction — pervaded his mind and coloured all his 
 plans, and Scripture classes on Sunday always formed a 
 conspicuous feature of the system. For years he took all 
 these classes himself; there might be eight of them, ranging 
 from an advanced Greek Testament class to a class of little 
 fellows to whom even the simplest passages of Scripture 
 
142 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 would need to be explained. He would take them all, and 
 possibly his two " society " classes as well, if he had been 
 compelled to miss them during the week. To lay too much 
 stress upon the burdensome character of his Sunday work 
 would, however, cause misapprehension. Indeed, it may be 
 doubted whether the word "burden" could ever be with 
 propriety used of his Scripture teaching, for with so living a 
 voice did the Bible speak to him that he " lost the duty in 
 the joy " of expounding it. Nevertheless, the physical strain 
 of a Sunday thus spent after a week of stress could not fail 
 to be detrimental to health, and it was with great relief that 
 his family saw a considerable portion of this Sunday work 
 handed over to the assistant chaplain, the Rev. Edward 
 Brentnall, who was appointed in 1883. Yet it was with un- 
 feigned reluctance that Dr. Moulton thus gave up piece after 
 piece of this Scriptural teaching on the Sunday ; and until, in 
 1890, his public engagements made it impossible, he would 
 arrange that those classes whose Bible work did not come 
 before him on the Sunday should do so during the week. 
 
 It is not an easy task to make the average schoolboy take 
 kindly to the Bible as an instruction book in class, and those 
 who have tried will probably have realised that one reason 
 lies in the unsuitability of the vast majority of Bible text- 
 books. Written in most cases by those who have had no 
 experience in this difficult work, they fail to grip the imagi- 
 nation and enlist the sympathy of young people, and as an 
 inevitable result the Bible is written down as a dull, un- 
 interesting book. In his own classes Dr. Moulton discarded 
 text-books, even when the boys possessed them to help them 
 in the preparation of their lessons: taking the plain text 
 itself, he would expound it out of the fulness of his know- 
 ledge and the insight of his sympathy, until all would admit 
 that the Bible could be made interesting, and that even 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 143 
 
 Greek particles in Gospel or Epistle had reasons for 
 existence. 
 
 The question as to the best method of teaching Scripture 
 to boys seems early to have exercised his mind. As far back 
 as April 1861 we find him writing to his old friend Mr. 
 Edward Rush upon this matter, in reply to a query put 
 to him : 
 
 " I don't think I would use a text-book but the Bible for 
 the Scripture studies. ... I think you will find it better to 
 get one or two books for yourself, and not put them into the 
 hands of the boys. I believe more interest will be felt in the 
 study, to say nothing of the advantage which they will 
 receive from forming the habit of studying the Scriptures 
 carefully. My idea is this: let the Scripture History be 
 made as much like other history as possible ; treat a reign 
 under various heads — civil affairs, wars, intercourse with 
 neighbouring states, &c. — i.e., let the questions be carefully 
 framed under these heads, but let the boys have the work of 
 collecting the information from the Bible itself. ... I would 
 attach great importance to geography. I believe when a 
 decent knowledge of Scripture geography is gained, the 
 history is almost sure to follow, and that the disgraceful 
 amount of ignorance of the history which we meet with arises 
 from the very loose ideas most people have of the situations 
 of places named. I would require all important places 
 found ; perhaps an introductory lesson or two on Scripture 
 geography would be best." 
 
 Before this letter comes to a close he is giving a detailed 
 inventory of the necessary equipment for a chemical labora- 
 tory ! Some years later he writes at great length to the Rev. 
 G. G. Findlay upon the same subject of the Bible in schools. 
 For years he had been pledged to write two or three volumes 
 
144 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 for the " Cambridge Bible for Schools," and it was with the 
 keenest regret that he saw the project recede further and 
 further into the region of things desirable but unattainable. 
 
 " I have clung," he writes to Dr. Westcott, in March 1889, 
 " to the hope of doing something in the enterprise which has 
 from the first interested me so deeply. Whenever I have 
 offered to withdraw, the Dean* has been good enough to 
 express a wish that I should still keep the work in view. 
 Had I known that the delay would be so great I should have 
 retired long since. I fear my fate now is to cause embarrass- 
 ment rather than give help to my friends. But other duties 
 are inexorable." 
 
 Finding himself utterly unable to get clear of school work 
 suiBciently to enable him to touch the work, he suggested 
 the name of Prof. Findlay as one well fitted for the task — 
 the editing of Thessalonians. "Prof. Findlay," he wrote, "is 
 one of the very best students of the Greek Testament whom I 
 know, and especially a most earnest and thoughtful student of 
 St. Paul." His suggestion was accepted and the following year 
 he was frequently in correspondence with his friend upon this 
 matter, and the letters are of more than personal interest 
 because of what they reveal of his views on Bible study. 
 Writing to Mr. Findlay in August 1890, he says : 
 
 " My own experience with schoolboys would lead me to 
 lay down special lines. I have not thought out any plan 
 fully — such a matter solvitur ambulando — but I will put down 
 what has been in my mind, just as it occurs to my memory. 
 I should make historical colouring as strong as possible (with- 
 out exaggeration), neglecting no opportunity of showing con- 
 nection between topics, phrases, &c., and the circumstances 
 
 * Dr. Perowne, now Bishop of Worcester. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 145 
 
 of Paul's visit, the history and condition of Thessalonica, &c. 
 I fear there is not much to be gathered, but investigation a la 
 Lightfoot must reveal some of the thoughts and influences 
 present to St. Paul and his readers. All this is as familiar 
 as possible to you ; I should apologise for mentioning it, but 
 that I want to plead for frequent and full historical references, 
 in the interest of boys. I don't think boys will ever look up 
 and look into a long string of references to texts of Scripture, 
 so invaluable to the maturer student. I would urge, there- 
 fore, that the one or two most important verses referred to 
 should be written out in full, the others . . . added (as mere 
 references) for the sake of completeness, and on the chance 
 of their being used. 
 
 " I venture to plead for paraphrases of difficult verses, 
 and for longer and connected statements generally, as opposed 
 to a larger number of short notes on little points. ... I find 
 boys enter well into such matters as synonjons, but the force 
 of particles, &c., needs to be brought out in detail to be clearly 
 understood. It is of course with imperfectly developed in- 
 terest and a shrinking from steady thought that we have to 
 deal.' 
 
 There follows a passage most thoroughly characteristic of 
 his style of treating those who came to him for advice : 
 
 " Having written thus much I wonder what you will think 
 of all this. How can I inflict on you this string of remarks, 
 mistaken, obvious, half true, as they may be ? I feel half 
 inclined to tear up the sheets, and save myself from even the 
 appearance of dictating to you what should be done. But I 
 am sure you will not misunderstand me, and at all events I 
 can do no harm. 
 
 " You move every day in a very different world, and the 
 level to be aimed at for (advanced) schoolboys is not the 
 
146 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 same as the level for theological students, for even those 
 students who know much less Greek bring to their work 
 many other qualities which schoolboys have not. I am 
 dissatisfied with much of the work in the C. B. S., judged 
 by this standard (C. B. for schools), and it is perhaps well to 
 deliver one's soul. I think it would be a grand thing to 
 really hit the mark in notes on St. Paul for a thoughtful and 
 well-intentioned schoolboy. You will do it." 
 
 Another letter written to Mr. Findlay about the same time 
 may be quoted as well. For Mr. Findlay's scholarship Dr. 
 Moulton ever had the profoundest respect ; the intimacy 
 between them — despite a considerable disparity of age — was 
 close and affectionate, and in a letter written to him just a 
 month before he died he inscribed himself "yours in an 
 affection that never changes." The letter — the earlier part 
 of which is quoted elsewhere in this volume — is self-revealing 
 beyond most of his letters : 
 
 " I am sorry to have caused you embarrassment. But I 
 cannot help feeling very strongly that on you, my friend, 
 rests the burden of proof, and not on me. Must we not say, 
 to begin with, the natural assumption is that, in a passage of 
 mixed ' I ' and * we,' * there is the ordinary significance in 
 the change from one to the other? I could understand 
 without the slightest difficulty a continuous we = l. I can 
 imagine the combination of a ' veiled ' andj;an ' emphasised ' 
 personality; but I hold that such an explanation in any 
 passage (of combined ' I ' and ' we ') must be that to which 
 we come at last, when other explanations seem to involve 
 still greater difficulty. For myself (writing however, at a 
 distance from books, and having no Concordance to consult), 
 
 * In St, Paul's Epistles. This letter, like the last, refers to Mr. Findlay's 
 book on Thessalonims. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 147 
 
 I should suggest that St. Paul's heart-hunger for fellowship 
 leads him where he can to associate others with himself, 
 even somewhat beyond the limits which beforehand we might 
 expect ; but I shall be greatly surprised if a ' we ' passage is 
 pointed out in which there may not easily have been in his 
 mind a real association of this kind, a real plurality. . . . 
 
 "By no means could I consent to a footnote indicating 
 dissent. My dissent is nothing. I do care very much about 
 persuading you ; but that is all. The suggestion makes me 
 feel as if I were really embarrassing you. If I thought you 
 felt bound to alter a single word, except where I am so 
 fortunate as to win your assent, I should not dare to write 
 at all. I have written simply and sans f agon because I have 
 fully trusted to your laying aside whatever your judgment 
 did not approve. . . ." 
 
 Some surprise may have been felt at the absence of 
 references in this narrative to Dr. Moulton's preaching. As 
 a matter of fact during these years he preached singularly 
 little, at any rate during term time. He shrank from 
 preaching to the congregation which contained his own boys 
 side by side with a general congregation, for he felt, more 
 than any other preachers from that pulpit, the responsibility 
 of the position and the diflBculty of so preaching as to meet 
 the needs of the two elements. And as during these years 
 there was no separate school service Sunday by Sunday he 
 preached seldom. It was, however, his custom to keep the 
 boys at home upon the last Sunday evening of the term, and 
 preach to them by themselves, not even the masters being 
 present. The infrequency of these services, together with 
 the solemnity which naturally — even to a schoolboy — ^belongs 
 to the closing of an epoch of life, lent force to the tender 
 appeals of one they knew and loved so well, and many Old 
 
148 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Leysians would mention those services as among the most 
 abiding of the religious influences of their early life. 
 
 One feature of his daily work remains yet to be noticed, 
 and that by no means the least important: I mean his 
 correspondence. Every day there would come to him, in 
 his double capacity of "director of studies" and "acting 
 parent," multitudes of letters each of which required personal 
 attention. In addition to this there was for many years^ 
 until the school secretary took a great part of this work off 
 his hands — a mass of letters to be answered dealing with 
 financial matters, concerning either the general financial 
 working of the institution or the accounts of the individual 
 boys, which often necessitated hours of inquiry and pages 
 of explanation. And then over and above all the rest there 
 was his private correspondence, heavy and varied. In 
 dealing with the school correspondence he was assisted, to 
 a degree only appreciated by those who knew his home life, 
 by his wife. How much she did for her husband's school in 
 this and other matters will never be known, but several 
 hours of letter-writing a day for twenty-three years repre- 
 sents one element of her contribution to his success. 
 
 But the activities outlined above and essentially bound up 
 with his position at The Leys by no means represent the sum 
 total of the work which he crowded into these busy years, 
 and some of these outside interests call for at least a few 
 words of mention. From a comparatively early period of 
 his residence in Cambridge he had been associated with the 
 work of the Philological Society as a member of the council. 
 For some years he had been an active member, but as the 
 work at The Leys became more and more severe and 
 engrossing he was compelled to look on from a distance. 
 This inability to do any active service for the Society made 
 him uneasy as to whether he ought not to surrender his 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 149 
 
 place on the council to some member better able to give 
 time and attention to the work. Unwilling to remain in 
 what might seem to be a false position, unwilling also to 
 take a step which might be construed to imply lack of 
 interest, he wrote frankly to Dr. Hort — as he was wont to 
 do upon personal matters such as this — to ask his advice, he 
 being another member of the council. 
 
 "Jan. 23 [1886]. 
 
 "Dear Dr. Hort, — I am sure you will allow me once 
 more to consult you on a matter of private interest. 
 
 " I recently received from Mr. Verrall an earnest request 
 for a paper for the Philological Society; and it was with 
 much regret that I told him I had no chance of writing any- 
 thing at present. Dr. Jackson's observation this afternoon 
 showed a strong wish to place upon the council those who 
 can give such help as this to the Society. You know how 
 completely my time is mortgaged, so that, even if I could 
 think a piece of my work worthy of coming before the 
 Philological Society, I am and shall for a long time be 
 unable to make the attempt. Under these circumstances, I 
 think I ought to resign my place on the council. I do not 
 wish to take this step without advice, and I know you will 
 beheve in the simplicity of my motives in asking this advice 
 from you. I can do council work, and I am strongly attached 
 to the Society, but I am keeping other names from the Ust, 
 and I strongly suspect that the secretaries and president — 
 from public considerations entirely — ^must object to the 
 presence on the council of one who has not written in the 
 Journals and is not likely to write for a long time to come. 
 I have not mentioned the subject to any one. 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " Yours most truly, 
 
 " Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
ISO WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Dr. Hort's reply was evidently reassuring, for he retained 
 his place upon the council. 
 
 Another piece of outside work, in which Dr. Moulton was 
 associated with Dr. Hort, and to which he gave unremitting 
 care, was the Perse School for Girls. Every one who knows 
 Cambridge will be familiar with the Grammar School upon 
 the foundation of Dr. Perse. Quite recently a girls' school 
 was instituted upon the same foundation, and the Board 
 of Managers included some of the leading men in the 
 University. Partly because of his practical experience in 
 school management, partly, maybe, because the presence 
 upon the Board of so well trusted a Nonconformist would 
 allay any fears that might exist lest the school should be 
 exclusively and aggressively Anglican in its management, 
 Dr. Moulton was invited to become a Manager. The post 
 was by no means a merely nominal one. As one of the most 
 active members of the House Committee, he watched care- 
 fully over every detail of management, with the result that 
 amongst his numerous letters to Dr. Hort — mostly concerned 
 with matters of Biblical exegesis or textual criticism — there 
 are to be found notes of a very different type : " Does Mrs. 
 Hort know of any one who would serve well as caretaker ? " 
 " I am sorry there is some dissatisfaction about the shed ; I 
 know the form of the roof has been mentioned, and no 
 exception was taken at the time." 
 
 Nor was he by any means behindhand in the matters of 
 his own Church. Although the fact that the Conference 
 always commenced before the school term finished prevented 
 anjrthing like regular attendance on his part, he was never 
 out of touch with the Methodist life of the country, and to 
 Methodism in Cambridge he was always a pillar of strength, 
 helping generously both with counsel and in other ways the 
 various schemes upon which the Circuit embarked. During 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 151 
 
 all these years the Cambridge Circuit belonged to the First 
 London District, and therefore was not the centre of influence 
 and strength which it became when, in 1892, it and Ipswich 
 were taken away from London and added to the old Norwich 
 and Lynn District, which was henceforth to be known as the 
 East Anglia District. It was always his desire to make 
 The Leys a rallying point for the Methodism of the Uni- 
 versity, jind he laid himself out to help in any way possible 
 the successive generations of undergraduates. Once a term 
 for many years he would, whenever possible, invite all the 
 Wesleyan men in the University to The Leys on a Saturday 
 evening, usually to meet some leading minister who might be 
 preaching in the town on the Sunday. Every week for years 
 he met a society class almost exclusively composed of Uni- 
 versity men, and he took a warm and active interest in the 
 Wesley Society, which met on Sunday evenings during term 
 time, partly for social intercourse, partly for the reading and 
 discussion of papers. But behind these general and visible 
 manifestations of friendliness there lay a ministration of 
 encouragement, counsel and inspiration which has no records 
 save in the memories of those for whom it was performed. 
 Let one of the Cambridge men of this period speak for 
 himself, and for others like himself: 
 
 " I have held my pen over the page for long moments seeking 
 for words in which to frame my tribute to his memory. Ever since 
 I heard [of his death] I have been living over again the days in 
 which the greatness and the beauty of his life first won me and 
 made me something more than his pupil, something more even 
 than his friend. I see myself again a poor, almost friendless under- 
 graduate, utterly unprepared for the world of University life into 
 which I had been thrown, too poor to enter into that life, and 
 quivering with a sensitiveness that resented even the recognition 
 of my poverty. 
 
 " Do you think that I shall ever forget the grace with which he 
 
IS2 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 stopped to concern himself with my doings and prospects ? There 
 is only one source for such perfect grace as his. . . . His help 
 was unstinted, but he always made me half think that I was help- 
 ing him, until at last he wrought that work which must always 
 surely be the greatest that we can do for our fellow men — taught 
 me to believe in myself, gave me the gift of self-respect." 
 
 One branch of work in his Church which he took in 
 hand early in his career and continued to superintend up 
 to the time of his death was the training of the young 
 ministers during the stage of their four years' probation. 
 Feeling strongly as he did the need of a well-educated 
 ministry, and knowing also how much incitement to study 
 and guidance in it were required by young men situated as 
 they were, he thought no trouble too great to be expended to 
 this end. And how much work it involved few ever knew 
 outside his own home. ' Not only was there the scheme of 
 study to be compiled for the four years, and examiners to be 
 found for the various subjects, but there were emergencies 
 and irregularities to be met, and these constituted an enor- 
 mous addition to the labour. When the time for examination 
 came near he received letters every day asking for a 
 postponement either of one paper or all, sometimes on the 
 ground of sickness, sometimes on account of especial pressure 
 of Circuit work, or some other reason, good, bad, or indifferent. 
 Every such postponement meant the making of a fresh 
 examination paper, and arrangements with the superintendent 
 of the Circuit for a new examination; and although he 
 received valuable assistance from his two colleagues in this 
 department, the greater portion of the extra work entailed by 
 second examinations fell upon him, if for no other reason 
 than this — that he was the only one available who could at a 
 moment's notice set an adequate paper upon Hebrew or 
 Methodist Polity, Church History or Dogmatic Theology, 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 153 
 
 Apologetics or Philosophy. Had it been paid work he 
 would have felt more at liberty to ask for assistance, but all 
 the work for the probationers' examinations being gratuitous, 
 he felt scruples about asking his brethren to undertake the 
 re-examinations without being able to offer them any re- 
 muneration ; so he in most cases did the work himself. It 
 may be asked why he so readily consented to postpone, or 
 why he did not excuse altogether when the candidate was 
 absolutely unable to take the examination. His sympathy 
 with less gifted men working under difficulties inclined him 
 to the former; his strong sense of the importance of the 
 mental discipline forbade the latter; and he would have 
 considered his own ease dearly bought at the cost of harsh- 
 ness to a brother or treachery to his own convictions. To 
 make the conditions as favourable as possible, consistently 
 with the accomplishment of the work, was his constant aim, 
 and those best fitted to judge would say that he succeeded. 
 
 One letter — to the Rev. J. Whitehead Clegg — may be 
 quoted as typical of the correspondence which passed be- 
 tween him and the probationers, and as peculiarly charac- 
 teristic of his tone : 
 
 " Oct. 5, 1892. 
 
 "Dear Mr. Clegg, — I am always delighted to give what- 
 ever help I can. We have always avoided specifying one 
 particular text-book, for various reasons. One of these was 
 our wish to save the purse of probationers, mentioning 
 several good books any one of which, if thoroughly studied, 
 would lead to good results. If I give you any counsel now, 
 I cannot be sure that the examiner's questions will carry 
 out my suggestions. But I will gladly say what I think. 
 On St. John you have admirable works. I have no doubt 
 that Westcott is best, but probably you will find it easier to 
 take Plummer as your text-book and start from a knowledge 
 
154 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of that. But your store is so rich that one hesitates to leave 
 out any one of the four works. On Psalms, Delitzsch is of 
 first-rate value. I do not know that you need any other 
 book at all. Perowne is very attractive and useful, but you 
 probably will not need it. Still, an examiner may, and 
 probably will, have it in his hands. If you like, I will lend 
 you Perowne for a fortnight, when you have got up Delitzsch. 
 You 'have many things to say on this subject, but' you 
 ' forbear.' Why so ? I shall be very glad to hear from you, 
 and will do anything in my power to serve you. 
 " With kindest regards, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
 How tenderly he dealt with those who were weak will be 
 seen from the following letter to a superintendent minister 
 concerning his colleague : 
 
 "If you have seen your colleague Mr. during the last 
 
 few days, you will have heard that he sent to me a very 
 desponding letter about two subjects in his examination. I 
 returned an answer of sympathy, for his letter deeply dis- 
 tressed me ; but I was perplexed as to what could be 
 done. . . . Any difficulty, short of injustice [to others], 
 seems to me smaller than the risk of paining a man who has 
 honestly done his very best. I think that the risk of injustice 
 to others will be minimised if I make inquiries in all cases of 
 failure, and try to avoid casting censure at the District 
 Synod upon those who have worked really hard." 
 
 Not all the letters he received on this subject were as 
 congenial as Mr. Clegg's had been. While some of the 
 men appreciated his efforts on their behalf, others did not ; 
 together with letters appreciative and grateful there were 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 155 
 
 those that were — otherwise, and sometimes he would be 
 thoroughly disheartened and depressed by a harsh, unintelli- 
 gent criticism in the Conference on the part of some older 
 man from whom better things might have been expected. 
 But he never turned aside from what he conceived to be his 
 duty in the matter, and trusted for his vindication to the 
 future. 
 
 It has always been urged in favour of the scholastic pro- 
 fession that, whatever are its drawbacks, it has this in its 
 favour, that the schoolmaster has holidays which he can rely 
 on and which are of a length to make business men and 
 others envious. This is undoubtedly true of assistant 
 masters, it may be true of some headmasters, but it was 
 very far from being true of Dr. Moulton. What were 
 euphemistically styled his " holidays " differed from the rest 
 of his life by the change of work rather than by cessation 
 of work. By reason of his overpowering conscientiousness 
 he felt himself bound to give to every parent an exhaustive 
 statement once a year as to the position of their boy and 
 the work which he had done. In addition to this, there were 
 the terminal reports of conduct, diligence and punctuality, 
 wherein the "good on the whole," "fair," "excellent," as 
 the case might be, were the result of days of hard labour, 
 and patient comparison of masters' reports, &c. All this 
 work broke into the vacation, and in the summer the vaca- 
 tion would often be halfway through before he got fairly 
 clear of all that belonged to the reports; and then he felt 
 free — to give his time to the Marginal References of the 
 New Testament, to the Apocrypha, or to some other private 
 work that had been crying for attention all through the term 
 and had been unable to make itself heard. Thus, when he 
 went to Scotland or elsewhere for , his " holiday " he would 
 go accompanied by books in such numbers that on one 
 
156 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 occasion the excess luggage of the family reached ISCXD lbs., 
 despite the fact that several boxes had been sent on before- 
 hand by goods train! And during his " holiday " he could 
 rarely be induced to lay aside his work for a whole day 
 to take an excursion: as a general rule he would work 
 all the morning and all the evening, allowing himself only 
 the afternoon for recreation. These being the conditions 
 under which he lived and worked one is led to wonder, not 
 that he left so little published work, but that he left anything 
 at all ; not that he succumbed in the end to the strain and 
 stress, but that the catastrophe did not come sooner than 
 it did. 
 
 In a life such as that of Dr. Moulton it is hard to draw a 
 distinct line of demarcation between his public and his 
 private life. He had no privacy, for he was at home to all 
 inquirers and they were so numerous as to form quite a 
 constituency : on the other hand his public life consisted in 
 a great degree of the personal influence exercised upon 
 individuals in private, rather than upon masses from public 
 platforms ; and thus it may be said that his private life was 
 public and his public life was private. Having, however, 
 sketched in outline the characteristics of these years mainly 
 in relation to his official position, I now turn to view these 
 same years from the standpoint of his own personality, 
 repeating the reminder already given that these years are 
 isolated not because he was in any way different then to 
 what he was later, but only because the comparative freedom 
 from ofificial engagements outside the school makes it the 
 more possible to obtain a clear view of his personal 
 characteristics. 
 
 Amid so many cares and occupations it might be thought 
 that Dr. Moulton would have no time or occasion for the 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 157 
 
 formation and cultivation of friendships, and would be too 
 much pre-occupied with his varied duties to manifest the 
 graces which belong to private life. But no impression could 
 be more remote from the actual fact. Partly in the course 
 of his work, partly in the interstices between the various 
 portions of his work, he managed to gather round him what 
 may without exaggeration be styled a unique company of 
 intimate friends, of every shade of opinion, and almost every 
 station of life ; and although he had no leisure for the social 
 intercourse which seems in our day to be so bound up with 
 the very idea of friendship, nevertheless there was at no 
 time any danger, so far as he was concerned, of friendships 
 lapsing through absence of opportunity to meet. The very 
 impossibility of personal intercourse, perhaps, led him the 
 more to bear about his friends in his thoughts. 
 
 As was to be expected, those with whom he was most 
 intimate were those who had been associated with him in 
 one or other of his various fields of work. Of one of these, 
 the Bishop of Durham, I have already spoken, and it was 
 with him that Dr. Moulton maintained the closest intimacy 
 of all. The fact of their belonging to different communions 
 never in any degree tended to set up a barrier between 
 them : indeed it is doubtful whether the thought of that 
 diJBFerence was present to their minds during their intercourse ; 
 and if at any time it was present it was accompanied by the 
 sense that their common work was in itself a foretaste of 
 Christian reunion, and afforded them the means by which the 
 " unity of the spirit " might be achieved. Thus when Dr. 
 Westcott was face to face with the colliery strike in his 
 diocese in 1892, and was striving to bring the parties inta 
 agreement, Dr. Moulton wrote : 
 
 " You will allow me to say how deeply I feel the difficultiea 
 
158 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of your present surroundings. Nothing has distressed me 
 more than the Durham strike : some of the features have 
 been to me appalling. I know so well how abhorrent to 
 you is this social war. May the effort of which you speak 
 be crowned with success ! And when, through God's 
 mercy, the strike shall be at an end, may it not be possible 
 to unite all Christians — Nonconformists as well as Church- 
 men — in steady work to guard against the recurrence of the 
 evil, to use all influence towards providing courts of 
 arbitration beforehand ? Will you be so good as to make 
 use of me if you think I can at any time be of service in 
 influencing my friends in the region around you ? * There 
 may at some time be an opening for private suggestion 
 where open speaking might be impossible. I need not say 
 that any words of yours would be safe with me." 
 
 After Dr. Westcott left Cambridge in 1890, Dr. Moulton 
 made a regular practice of writing to him, either on New 
 Year's Day or on his birthday a few days later, a letter of 
 pure friendship, from which all business was as a rule 
 banished. No one was more scrupulously careful about 
 details than Dr. Moulton, that he might not by inadvertence 
 wound tender susceptibilities, and I have known him 
 grievously distressed by the fear lest he had, through 
 ignorance, withheld from a Suffragan Bishop his rightful 
 title. But in his correspondence with Dr. Westcott the 
 more formal style of address gives place from the first to the 
 more intimate, the formal being reserved for the envelope, 
 and this was truly expressive of the relations between them. 
 In such a letter, for instance, as the following — one of the 
 birthday letters — dignified formalities would have been 
 almost incongruous : 
 
 * Probably a reference to the strength of Wesleyan Methodism in the 
 district of which Bishop Auckland is the centre. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 159 
 
 "Jan. 10, 1897, 
 
 "My dear Dr. Westcott,— This letter will, I believe, 
 reach you on your birthday. Some privileges which were 
 to me most precious have been taken away from me by the 
 call of Providence which placed you in the north, but I am 
 thankful to be able to join the wider fellowship of the 
 multitude of your grateful friends on such a day. That the 
 day itself may be blessed, that the year may be filled' with 
 blessing, all gifts of the past year renewed and fulfilled, and 
 that many years of successful work may follow, is our 
 fervent prayer. 
 
 " I have shrunk from writing to you during the year, in 
 spite of the unfailing welcome which you have given me 
 always. In the happy former times the delight of seeing 
 you was not joined with the shadow of the thought that you 
 could not respond without adding to difficulties which are 
 already, I fear, too many for your time and strength. The 
 arrival of your ' Charge ' three or four days since was a token 
 of fellowship which I prize more and more as years pass on. 
 I did not wish to offer my thanks until I had joined myself 
 to those who listened to their teacher and guardian, by 
 making the pages my own. It was not wise to write the 
 words which I have just written down. Nothing strikes me 
 more forcibly in these latest words of yours than the con- 
 centration of all their teaching in the one thought of present 
 and continuous action ; and your words are not ' made my 
 own ' until they are habitually worked out in life. 
 
 " I know the most welcome thanks I can give will be the 
 effort to take each portion of the teaching as a guide and 
 help in the life of this New Year. At every point as I have 
 read on I have responded to the truth and felt the importance 
 of your words. But though always rooted in the well- 
 known teaching which I have followed in your spoken and 
 
i6o WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 written words for many years, your ' Charge ' seems to move, 
 as it grows from point to point, in the atmosphere of the new 
 and changing present, and there is an ever-stimulating 
 guidance towards new development. I cannot always 
 discover what tendency, what experience, what peril of the 
 actual present ha s moulded the expression of your thought ; 
 but so much is clear, that the needs and possibilities of the 
 present are the unwritten commentary which experience 
 from day to day will make it possible, to supply in thought. 
 
 " I could write many words and ask many questions about 
 some points of practical moment ; but, as for your immediate 
 hearers, so also in my own life and work, each must in the 
 guidance of the Spirit find out for himself the right manner 
 of working towards the same ends. 
 
 "I have written so much in response to the 'Charge' 
 (though I have done scanty justice to the impression it has 
 made on my mind) that I cannot venture to touch on one 
 of the most striking experiences of the past year for me — 
 the new and expanded knowledge of Dr. Hort given by his 
 ' Life and Letters.' To you little would be in any respect 
 new ; but to me the book opened at many points a new world, 
 in regard to my real acquaintance with his life and thought. 
 
 " With warmest thanks for the ' Charge,' and gratitude for 
 
 its teaching, I remain, 
 
 " Always yours in true affection, 
 
 "Wm. F. Moulton." 
 " The Lord Bishop of Durham." 
 
 Inseparable from the name of Dr. Westcott is that of Dr. 
 Hort, and reference has already been made to the weekly 
 meetings at The Leys concerning the Revision of the 
 Apocrypha. In the case of Dr. Hort the intimacy was not 
 interfered with by removal to a distance, and moreover their 
 common interest in the management of the Perse School for 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL i6i 
 
 Girls brought them repeatedly together. But this very fact 
 renders it more difBcult to speak concerning their relations, 
 for their letters, when not concerned with matters of scholar- 
 ship, cover the whole area of school management and 
 instruction, from the kitchen to the kindergarten : matters 
 of more personal interest seem to have been reserved for 
 conversation. 
 
 In sending to Dr. Hort a copy of one of his few published 
 works, he writes : 
 
 "Dec. 20ih. 
 "Dear Dr, Hort, — The publisher has allowed Dr. 
 Milligan and myself to have a few copies of our notes on St. 
 John bound separately.* Will you give us the pleasure of 
 placing a copy on your shelves ? 
 
 " I cannot refrain from adding, in my own name and in 
 regard to my own share in the work, that it would be a relief 
 to me to think of the phrase I have accidentally used as literally 
 correct. I would gladly and gratefully place amongst your 
 books and Dr. Westcott's anything of mine, as a token of 
 indebtedness which no words can adequately express ; but 
 how much I shrink from placing my work before you it would 
 be hard for me to say. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " Most truly yours, 
 
 " Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
 The warmth of his feeling finds expression — so far as it can 
 in words — in his tribute to his friend at a meeting at Trinity 
 College Lodge, summoned to consider the best manner of 
 perpetuating Dr. Kort's memory : 
 
 * From Acts, with which it formed the second volume in Schafi's 
 ■" International Commentary on the New Testament." 
 
 L 
 
i6z WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 " I had not the early claim upon Dr. Hort which some of 
 those who have spoken possessed ; and the debt I owe to 
 him, greater than any words of mine can express, I acknow- 
 ledge with yet deeper gratitude than if I had been one of 
 those associated with his early days. My impression of his 
 life and work during the twenty-two years of close and 
 familiar fellowship is of one harmonious and beautiful whole. 
 It is a picture in which I can find no flaw. I can present to 
 myself no higher ideal of a generous and affectionate friend. 
 I have never seen any one who was more manifestly free from 
 all selfish aims and conditions." 
 
 " Happy they who have known such men, even when it is 
 no less a pain to think that on earth we shall hear their 
 voice no more." Thus wrote Dr. Milligan in the Expository 
 Times in January 1893 in regard to his " beloved friend, Dr. 
 Hort." Before the year was out Dr. Milligan had joined Dr. 
 Hort, and their common friend was borrowing these words 
 to use them of their author in the same Review. Between 
 Dr. Moulton and Dr. Milligan there lasted " a more than 
 brotherly union " for twenty-three years, and the inclusion 
 within one volume of the fruit of their joint minds is only a 
 fitting outward expression of the personal relations between 
 them. A great proportion of the correspondence between 
 them is concerned with matters of scholarship, but one letter — 
 written during the last year of Dr. Milligan's life, and eloquent 
 of many things — may be quoted : 
 
 "Feb. 1, 1893. 
 " Dear Dr. Milligan, — I am afraid it will seem strange to 
 you that a vacation has gone by without my writing a word. 
 Truth to tell you I have had no vacation. This does not 
 mean that I have been making up for lost time by doing 
 something towards fulfilling promises of private work; it 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 163 
 
 was school work that occupied almost all the time in Christmas 
 and New Year weeks. And now the deluge has come again. 
 One of my most cherished wishes was that I might have one 
 of the long talks on paper with you which I have enjoyed so 
 much. To-day before I could begin to lighten my load of 
 promise and wish towards you, there comes another mark of 
 your kind thoughtfulness and remembrance. I have only 
 just dipped into the volume * for ten minutes ; but I see it is 
 like yourself, and that means — along with all other qualities 
 which I will not specify to you — that it is full of interest for 
 me. It is not a volume that quenches one's thirst : the first 
 thought it excites is : ' How soon will the companion volume 
 come, that on St. John's Gospel ? ' I know that volume has 
 been longer still in thought and 'on the stocks'; and, in 
 your life of productiveness, it surely will not be slow in 
 appearing. 
 
 " I wish I had anything to offer from my own stock. My 
 life is busy enough, full of work which is, I hope, of some 
 use, and which certainly brings much happiness. I have had 
 a good deal more public work than I used to have ; and visits 
 to small country places, in which there is a remarkable up- 
 springing of life and power in our Church, have been a source 
 of great delight to me. But of study, thorough and consecu- 
 tive, I have had painfully little. The Revisionf work has, of 
 course, occupied much time, as its completion has been draw- 
 ing near. You will see the final results now very soon. 
 
 " This subject is boimd up with the one absorbing thought 
 of the last two months. During last summer I made a very 
 careful examination of Wisdom, to see what small points had 
 been overlooked or wrongly dealt with, and iii what way our 
 Greek text could be properly indicated. My sheets of results 
 
 * Presumably the " Discussions on the Apocalypse." 
 t Of the Apocrypha. 
 
164 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 I sent to Dr. Hort, and I received from him full replies. 
 Many of these were written during the calamitous visit to 
 Switzerland (July to September) which did so very much to 
 break down his strength. I don't think he felt at all the 
 pressure of such work as this, fragmentary and usually light 
 in character. His effort a little later to write the life of Dr. 
 Lightfoot for the ' Dictionary of National Biography ' — or 
 rather, I should say, the critical review of Dr. Lightfoot's 
 \york — he did certainly find very trying, in the midst of his 
 extreme weakness. 
 
 " I last saw him on November 2, soon after he had got 
 this work off his mind. He looked to me in a very promising 
 condition. He was very weak, no doubt, but it did not seem 
 to me that he needed more than quiet and rest. His face 
 had none of the anxious look I have so often seen, but was 
 really beautiful in its mingled placidity and sparkling light. 
 He talked confidently of lecturing in the spring in that room 
 (his drawing-room) in which we were talking together. The 
 last sheets he sent me were forwarded to me on November 12 : 
 in all respects the copious notes were like his best work ; 
 everything was clear, acute, thorough. And on November 30 
 he quietly passed away from us in sleep. Even now I 
 cannot realise that he is gone. The memory of his beautiful 
 character and inspiring example is so vividly present that he 
 seems near still. ... I saw Mrs. Hort this morning and 
 she asked me to select some volume for you from amongst 
 his books. She knows well what a place you held in his 
 heart, and wished some token to be in your hands. I thought 
 that, amongst the books from which I had to choose, one 
 that would interest you much was Denzinger's ' Ritus Orien- 
 talium.' I hope I have not mistaken what your wish would 
 be . . . You may wonder what made me think that a book 
 on this subject would specially interest you. With all my 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 165 
 
 knowledge of your many-sidedness I had not discovered your 
 deep appreciation of Christian antiquities, in this depart- 
 ment, until I heard of the Society* which you have formed 
 and of which you are President. The news of the sudden 
 development of this form of work took me altogether by 
 surprise, as I had not heard of any new movement with which 
 you were closely connected. What the Scottish Society will 
 do for the Church I cannot vaticinate : some of the rules and 
 principles are admirable, but several others will mean — what 
 the future may show that they mean. If you were not the 
 President — one with whom I have almost always found 
 myself in closest sympathy — I should be very anxious, not 
 because of what is said, but because of what seems to be 
 pointed to. ' Schism ' and ' sacrilege ' are sad words and 
 sadder things ; but what is indicated in this ' Constitution ' 
 by schism and sacrilege ? 
 
 " With warmest messages of affection to you all and many 
 thanks for the book, 
 
 " Yours as ever, 
 
 "W. F. MOULTON." 
 
 " Happy is it to have known such men ! " 
 
 Dr. Moulton's power of gathering round him men of various 
 creeds and opinions resulted from the catholicity of his tastes 
 and the breadth of his sympathies. His mind was, as it 
 were, a salon in which all types of thought met and ex- 
 changed courtesies without jostling or disturbance. In 
 almost every field of study he could find some feature of 
 absorbing interest, and in every man, however antagonistic 
 his views might be, he would seek for some point of agree- 
 ment. Some men who possess this faculty possess it by 
 virtue of the looseness of their convictions upon all subjects ; 
 * Scottish Church Society. 
 
1 66 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 it is the natural manifestation of dilettantism or latitudinari- 
 anism. But no such explanation could ever be given of Dr. 
 Moulton's catholicity. His years of intimate relations with 
 leaders of the Anglican Communion never tended for a moment 
 to weaken his devotion to his own, nor led him to underrate 
 the reality of the dividing lines between them, but where he 
 could he preferred to dwell upon their points of agreement. 
 And thus, wherever he went, whether among men of learning 
 or men of business, Anglicans or Nonconformists, all saw in 
 him one who was ready to sympathise with them in what was 
 best in their life and thought, and to give them credit for the 
 best motives of conduct. Such a one cannot fail to surround 
 himself with friends. " He held his place in the hearts of 
 his brethren chiefly because he had a heart." 
 
 This breadth of sympathy found expression in many ways, 
 some of which may be briefly noticed. First of all, there 
 was his interest, almost reaching to the point of a passion, 
 in all philanthropic and religious work. Even at the cost of 
 disturbing the ordinary course of school work, he would 
 frequently give up an evening to some missionary or other 
 worker, in the hope of his capturing the sympathies of the 
 boys at an early stage, and creating among them a living 
 interest in all that tended to the elevation of humanity and 
 the spread of Christian truth. Once every term, and often 
 more frequently than that, he would arrange for a Missionary 
 Meeting at the school, addressed by some returned missionary, 
 in many a case one of his old Richmond students ; and at 
 the present time some fruit of the missionary interest thus 
 awakened is to be seen in the part taken by four Old Leysians 
 in mission work in China. That China should be the field 
 to which the attention of the Leys Missionary Society has 
 especially been turned is to be explained firstly by the fact 
 that it was in great part owing to the influence of the late 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 167 
 
 Rev. David Hill that the Society came into existence, and 
 secondly that the bias towards China thus given by that hero 
 of modern missionary enterprise was thoroughly in accordance 
 with Dr. Moulton's own leanings towards that sphere of 
 work. To the last he was joint treasurer with Mr. J. R. Hill, 
 of York, of the Central China Lay Mission, and for this 
 agency the school contributed annually for the support of 
 an Evangelist in addition to its contributions towards the 
 general fund. A special interest therefore attaches to the 
 choice of a former Chinese Missionary, the biographer of the 
 Rev. David Hill and an old Leys Master, to succeed him in 
 the Headmastership when he laid down his charge and his 
 life together. 
 
 The Leysian Mission in London, in all the phases of its 
 work, was always sure of his hearty sympathy and support. 
 At least once a term he welcomed workers in the Mission to 
 speak to the boys about the work that was being done, and 
 for the last few years he was accustomed to allow the school 
 choir to go to London to give a concert at the Mission, his 
 motive being not so much the desire to provide entertain- 
 ment for the adherents of the Mission — since that cQuld be 
 achieved in other ways — but to quicken the interest felt by 
 the school in its own Mission by means of a personal 
 acquaintance with its conditions. And his conviction that 
 the crowded slums of great cities can only be reached by 
 those who will consent to go and live amongst those whom 
 they would serve, caused him to feel the deepest interest 
 in "Settlement" work, provided that — as at Bermondsey, 
 under the Rev, J. Scott Lidgett— the Gospel was made the 
 centre and soul of all that is done. From its very founda- 
 tion Dr. Moulton was in close touch with the Bermondsey 
 Settlement, The whole plan of the undertaking was the 
 subject of many a lengthy conference between him and Mr. 
 
1 68 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Lidgett before it was fairly launched, and since then I doubt 
 whether Mr. Lidgett ever took any step of importance with- 
 out consulting him upon it, or ever had a trouble without 
 sharing it with the one man most likely to enter into his 
 difficulties, and to give to him both sympathy and counsel. 
 
 The impressive words with which Mr, Lidgett, at the 
 opening of the Settlement, defined their purpose and aim, 
 breathe Dr. Moulton's spirit so truly that I quote them in 
 preference to enlarging, in any words of my own, upon his 
 attitude towards philanthropic endeavour : 
 
 "The reasons which have led us to build this House and 
 Institute are not sectarian. We are urged by Christian motives 
 to do what in us lies to bring together classes too much separated 
 by distance, by apparently conflicting interests, and by mis- 
 understanding ; to promote a fuller co-operation of all those who 
 care for the condition of the people, to proclaim the duty which 
 all privileges impose on those who enjoy them to serve the 
 common weal, and to help those who are gaining the blessings of 
 shorter hours of toil and better wages to obtain a growing share 
 in the highest good of life. For us everything that tends to per- 
 fect the spiritual, mental and physical powers of men and women, 
 and to bring about improved social relationship, is a good in itself 
 and part of the redeeming will of God. And we shall welcome 
 the counsel and help of all who, with us, seek the coming of the 
 kingdom of God, when His will shall be done on earth as it is 
 in heaven, as we shall be ready, according to our power, to render 
 assistance to them." 
 
 This breadth of interest and freedom from narrowness 
 of vision which found its highest expression in co-operation 
 with all types of philanthropic and religious workers was 
 equally manifest in his personal tastes, preferences and 
 habits. Probably few scholars have ever carried about with 
 them less of the musty atmosphere of the library, or have 
 been so genuinely interested in so many subjects, not only 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 169 
 
 of study, but also of surrounding life in general. The 
 breadth of his taste in reading was extraordinary. On 
 days in which he had been immersed for many hours in 
 matters of high scholarship or administration, he would turn 
 for refreshment in the late evening to one of Mr. Clark 
 Russell's sea stories, which were always great favourites with 
 him, and I believe that at any time he could have passed 
 with credit in an examination upon Dr. Conan Doyle's 
 " Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." This variety of taste in 
 reading he tried to instil — in many cases, it is to be feared, 
 with only indifferent success — into his boys by his choice of 
 books for the school librarj'. Tales of adventure, works on 
 history, biography, science, &c., all were represented in it, 
 in the hope that those who used it might be led to realise 
 that a healthy taste can admire and enjoy very varied types. 
 The nearest approach which he ever made to a feeling of 
 contempt was in the case of those men and women who 
 could only see beauty in the work of one school of writers, 
 painters or composers. The heavy pressure of his life 
 prevented his taking advantage of the many opportunities 
 afforded at Cambridge of hearing good music, but he never 
 lost his love of music, and he possessed a bass voice of 
 singular richness, which he used for solos only too seldom. 
 Occasionally it was possible to drag him away to an after- 
 noon performance of an oratorio or the like, and the four 
 works which stand out in my recollection as those which 
 most powerfully impressed him were the " Messiah," 
 "Elijah," Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," and Brahms's 
 "Requiem" — works representing substantially different 
 schools, and the last making no small demands upon the 
 attention and understanding of the hearer. 
 
 Towards sport he manifested the same spirit. Although, 
 as mentioned above, the shortness of his sight debarred him 
 
170 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 from every species of games, he entered most heartily into 
 the schoolboy spirit towards sports of all kinds. He valued 
 the school games because of their health-giving tendency 
 and because of their power of generating manliness, co- 
 operation and esprit de corps, and no headmaster could have 
 given greater facilities for the playing of matches. Football 
 he did not understand, but he believed strongly in its disci- 
 pline, and when conversation turned in his presence upon 
 the danger of Rugby football he would quietly reply, " One 
 thing is worse than football, and that is no football." For 
 cricket he had, however, a downright aflFection, extraordinary 
 in one who had never played the game. He was always 
 ready to talk to boys about cricket ; when there was a match 
 on the school ground he would manage to watch it for 
 some portion of the afternoon, if he had no engagement 
 elsewhere ; and by some means or other he kept himself 
 wonderfully well posted up in the cricket records of the 
 country as a whole. During August 1890, when he was 
 President of the Conference, he was travelling from York to 
 Scarborough a few days previous to the Scarborough Festival, 
 and found himself in a compartment with three other gentle- 
 men. It did not take him many minues to recognise one of the 
 trio as Dr. W. G. Grace, but the other two faces were strange 
 to him. However, although they never called each other by 
 their proper names, by the end of the journey he had satis- 
 fied himself that the other two were Mr. Gregor McGregor 
 and Mr. A. E. Stoddart, and on my giving descriptions of 
 these players to him on his return, we found that his surmise 
 had been correct. It would probably be safe to challenge 
 the whole platform of ex-Presidents of the Wesleyan Con- 
 ference to show equal knowledge in this department. 
 
 Akin to this catholicity of taste and interest, and born 
 of the same spiritual graces, was his generosity of conduct. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 171 
 
 as exemplified in his estimates of people and of things, his 
 lavish expenditure of time and trouble on behalf of those 
 who asked his assistance, and his ready response to any 
 appeal made to him for material aid in any way. Of sermons 
 he was the most indulgent critic, and it was very rarely that 
 he allowed himself to speak words of blame concerning a 
 preacher. His nature and disposition led him to be ever on 
 the watch for that which was helpful, and to dwell upon that, 
 rather than upon defects of thought and utterance, — after the 
 manner of One of whom legend reports that, when His atten- 
 tion was called to a dead dog lying in the wayside. He spake 
 no word of harshness and showed no gesture indicative of 
 loathing, but only said with loving tenderness, "See, its 
 teeth are like pearls I " 
 
 A story thoroughly characteristic of him is told by Mr. 
 Arthur Tillyard concerning a meeting at which he and 
 Dr. Moulton were present. There were three speakers. 
 Mr. A. was laboriously philosophical, but got into a 
 muddle ; Mr. B., who was much more of a philosopher, 
 only succeeded in being commonplace; Mr. C. spoke 
 naturally, unaffectedly and well. When all was over 
 Mr. Tillyard asked Dr. Moulton what he thought of the 
 speeches. "Well," replied the Doctor, "it seemed to me 
 that A. was above himself, that B. was below himself, and 
 that C. was himself." Many a young preacher, awed and 
 troubled at the thought of having to preach before the 
 great scholar, went away helped and encouraged by the 
 very experience which he had feared beforehand as an 
 ordeal. " How differently," he once said to a young minister 
 after service, " different minds deal with the same subject I 
 You brought out lessons this morning that had not occurred 
 to me before." It was characteristic of him and of his 
 temper, and when he felt that criticism of a destructive 
 
172 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 character was needed and would be helpful it took the form 
 of an exposition of truth rather than an indictment of error. 
 The same is true with respect to the numerous books which 
 were submitted to him in manuscript for his advice and 
 opinion upon them. 
 
 Reference has already been made to Dr. Moulton's close 
 relations with Professor Findlay, of Headingley College, and 
 no clearer view can be given of this phase of Dr. Moulton's 
 character than is given in two utterances of his : 
 
 " I have known no man in my time more just, in the largest 
 sense of that term, than Dr. Moulton was ; none more unflinching 
 in adherence to principle, more possessed by the sense of duty 
 to God and man, none more sensitively and accurately conscien- 
 tious, down to the smallest matters that touched his responsibility. 
 His subtle intelligence and eager activity of mind were always 
 bent in this direction. It was this indefatigable, incorruptible 
 loyalty to truth and conscience that gave all its vigour to his 
 character and that made him at once the fine and sure scholar and 
 the finished saint that we knew him to be. We may have known 
 men — a few — as keen and strenuous in loyalty as he, but scarcely 
 one besides in whom this consuming zeal for duty was so free 
 from harshness, from censoriousness and inconsiderateness 
 towards weaker men, from the least tinge of the pedantic in 
 scholarship or the pharisaic in morals. William Fiddian Moulton 
 was ' a righteous man ' who walked from his youth up ' in all the 
 commandments of the Lord blameless ' — a man with whom one 
 could never associate the idea of negligence, of moral laxity, of 
 double dealing, of compromise betraying truth. But his righteous- 
 ness was penetrated with a tender humanity shot through with all 
 manner of kindly sympajthies and winning afifections, felt alike by 
 young and old ; for it was the righteousness that is of God by 
 faith, the righteousness of a heart in which ' the love of Gkxi was 
 shed abroad by the Holy Ghost given unto him.' " * 
 
 * Memorial sermon preached before the Synod of the East Anglia Dis- 
 trict at Downham Market, May 1898. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 173 
 
 " His acquaintances would probably be unanimous in naming 
 Dr. Moulton as the man who, amongst all men known to them, 
 most excelled in the positive charity that ' believeth all things ' ; 
 with no blindness to evil or weakness of temper in dealing with it, 
 the rare insight was given him to perceive and elicit the best in 
 every one about him. How much his friends and scholars owe 
 to his faith in them — a moral cordial that aroused self-respect and 
 courage, that cheered and steadied them, and lifted them on as 
 with the grasp of a warm strong hand toward the realisation of 
 their true possibilities. To have one's work criticised by him was 
 a fine enjoyment. Not a fallacy remained undetected, not the 
 smallest point of error was slurred over ; your argument might be 
 torn to pieces, your ignorance stared you in the face ; and yet it 
 was all done with such modest and playful irony, with such an 
 ingenuity of kindness, with so perfect an avoidance of every 
 wounding suggestion, and so careful an appreciation of the 
 smallest fragment of merit, that censure became encouragement, 
 and you were taught to discover through failure the road to 
 success. There is no greater art in a teacher and guide of his 
 fellows than this." * 
 
 But for all this charity of temper, he could denounce, and 
 with terrible vehemence. I well remember going with 
 him in Scotland to hear one of the greatest of London 
 preachers — now passed away — ^and the sermon roused in 
 him such indignation that never from that time onwards did 
 he feel himself able to acquiesce in the popular estimate of 
 that preacher. But this was not because the sermon was 
 feeble ; rather because it was flippant and frivolous, and that 
 on the fourteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel, of all passages 
 in the New Testament I A feeble sermon he could put up 
 with and could extract from it some modicum of help, but 
 flippancy or pretentiousness he could never tolerate, and 
 these alone evoked from him hard words. 
 
 Although he had a very distinctive pulpit style of his own, 
 
 * Prot Findlay in British Weekly, Feb. 10, 1898. 
 
174 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 he was as catholic in his tastes in sermons as in reading. It 
 was his practice to give his boys the opportunity of hearing 
 the best preachers of his own Church, and where possible, of 
 other Churches also. Among those most welcome, not only 
 as friends but by reason of his high estimate of their 
 preaching, were men as unlike each other as the Rev. 
 Dr. Davison of Handsworth and the Rev. C. H. Kelly, and 
 neither of these was ever allowed to return home without 
 dates being fixed for future visits. At one time it was his 
 almost uniform practice to go for six weeks in the summer to 
 Scotland, and there he was often most fortunate in the 
 preachers who were within reach, especially at Skelmorlie in 
 Ayrshire, where he delighted greatly in the preaching of 
 the late Rev. John Boyd, of the United Presbyterian Church. 
 His own preaching was exclusively of the expository style. 
 Hardly ever did he leave exposition to deal with topics of the 
 day or the social problems of our great cities. He would 
 never blame those who did, who felt that they had a message 
 to deliver, and who only spoke that they might throw the 
 search-light of the Gospel upon dark places full of the habi- 
 tations of cruelty. He would never blame them, but he 
 never felt himself called to follow in their steps. He would 
 throw all his enthusiasm, all his lively faith into the exposi- 
 tion of the Word, and trust to the Holy Spirit of God to do 
 His work and apply the Word to the hearts of men. Among 
 his favourite hymns was W. M. Bunting's " Blest Spirit ! 
 from the Eternal Sire," and no words more truly represented 
 his own attitude to the Gospel message than these : 
 
 " Thou gaVst the Word, and must apply j 
 
 Thou know'st the Son, and must make known ; 
 In vain He died and rose on high, 
 
 And stoops beseeching from His throne, 
 Till Thou this alien heart prepare 
 And gain for Christ an entrance there." 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 175 
 
 And this mention of one favourite hymn suggests the ques- 
 tion of his general preferences in the matter of hymns. Here, 
 as elsewhere, he was free from exclusiveness, and could 
 heartily admire the modern, poetic, picturesque elements in 
 hymnology. But while appreciating their beauty, his own 
 tastes lay in another direction altogether. Left to follow 
 his own bent, he would turn rather to those hymns of rich 
 and deep experience which are contained in such abundance 
 in the Wesleyan hymn-book. Two immediately suggest 
 themselves as having been among those which he loved to 
 give out, "Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go," and "O Thou 
 that camest from above." It was the third verse of this 
 hymn which he singled out when asked to write his favourite 
 verse in a lady's album : 
 
 " Jesus, confirm my heart's desire 
 
 To work and speak and think for Thee : 
 Still let me guard the holy fire, 
 And still stir up Thy gift in me." 
 
 Within a month " death " had " the endless mercies sealed " 
 and made " the sacrifice complete." 
 
 But his generosity of temperament, which was so ready to 
 recognise and rejoice in varied types of excellence, was very 
 far from being confined to estimates. It would be impossible 
 to give any adequate idea of the extent to which his counsel 
 and assistance were asked for, often by complete strangers. 
 Almost at the same time he received requests from the 
 Government of Japan and from the directors of an Australian 
 college to nominate to positions of importance in scholastic 
 institutions. He would be applied to — sometimes by both 
 sides — to compose quarrels and arbitrate upon points in dis- 
 pute. But beyond all things his co-operation was solicited 
 in connection with manuscripts destined for publication. 
 Authors of books upon subjects as unlike as hymnology, 
 
176 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Latin grammar and the zoology of the Bible submitted 
 their manuscripts to him with the request that he would read 
 them and write introductions. This often involved him in 
 a vast amount of correspondence, for when he undertook to 
 read a manuscript he was never content to give to it less than 
 an exhaustive review. One work which he thus examined 
 before it was given to the world calls for special mention. 
 Writing in Nov. 1870, Dr. Westcott says : 
 
 " I have just been able to look through the valuable lists of 
 misprints which you have most kindly sent to me. The lists in- 
 clude many which I had failed to notice." 
 
 The work in question was the Westcott and Hort Greek 
 Testament, and it will be easily realised that it was no light 
 task to read such a work in proof. 
 
 To all whom he could thus in any way assist he was 
 ready to give liberally out of his storehouse of learning. 
 He would never ask himself whether they had a claim upon 
 him and upon his time : it was sufficient for him that they 
 wanted something that he could give them, and with tireless 
 energy he strove to serve them. But once let a young man 
 drop a hint concerning an inward call to the work of the 
 ministry, and that gave the applicant, in Dr. Moulton's 
 estimation, an intensified claim upon him. One such case — 
 typical of many others — was that of the Rev. J. H. Hodson. 
 As a boy he had heard the call of God to preach the Gospel. 
 Learning this, Mr. Moulton, as he was then, characteristically 
 undertook to guide his studies with a view to matriculation 
 at London University, preparatory to his becoming a candi- 
 date for the Wesleyan ministry. Twice a week and some- 
 times oftener he went to Mr. Moulton's house, although 
 first Winer and then the Revision, over and above his college 
 duties, caused his time to be very fully occupied. 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 177 
 
 " It was with much trepidation," he writes, " that I went for the 
 first time to submit my slender stbck of classical knowledge to 
 his inspection ; but his bright smile, his gentle manner, his com- 
 mendation where that was at all possible at once won my youth- 
 ful heart. Once in rendering a passage from Homer I mis- 
 translated a word. 'Are you sure that is correct?' he asked. 
 Probably with a little tone of over-confidence I replied : ' I believe 
 it is.' ' I think you are wrong,' he said, ' but we will look into 
 the matter.' Immediately he reached down Liddell and Scott, 
 and read out the meaning of the word. Of course I had made 
 a mistake, and, equally ' of course,' he knew that such was the fact, 
 but the modesty and gentleness of the correction inspired me to 
 try to imitate his spirit." 
 
 When one of his old boys was reading for his Tripos at 
 Cambridge, Dr. Moulton sent for him, and told him he should 
 like to read Anglo-Saxon with him " as a recreation," and he 
 actually gave him three evenings a week for some little time, 
 in the midst of all his over-pressure of work 1 This was 
 eminently characteristic of the close relations which he 
 maintained with Old Leysians. He never willingly let any 
 pass out of his remembrance, and nothing gave him greater 
 pleasure than to welcome them back to the school at any 
 and every time. They did not cease to be to him objects 
 of solicitous care because he was no longer immediately 
 responsible for them. To one of his most intimate friends in 
 the Wesleyan ministry he wrote : 
 
 " I am more thankful than I can say that so many of my 
 old boys are in your flock, or at all events in your neigh- 
 bourhood. I am going to ask you to let me send you a list 
 
 of all Old Leysians in . Some I fear are in rather 
 
 'slippery places' of various descriptions. You will see 
 them from another side, and in a different light, and you 
 will learn to know them better than I have ever done. The 
 
 M 
 
178 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 thought of them is associated for me with the painful con- 
 viction that I did for them very much less than might have been 
 done. I know well that my work here has been really un- 
 reachable, but it might have and ought to have been possible 
 for me to come nearer to its attainment. All the more 
 eagerly do I cling to the hope that your letter holds out to 
 me, that I may come nearer to them through you." 
 
 Of his general correspondence two illustrations may be 
 given to show upon what various questions his opinion would 
 be asked. The first was in reply to a query as to the lawful- 
 ness of cremation : 
 
 " I am perfectly sure that it cannot be wrong to decide in 
 favour of fire rather than earth for the earthly house of this 
 tabernacle, and thus literally follow many a martyr cremated 
 though not by voluntary choice. I have no doubt that even 
 in this last earthly concern revelation leaves us in freedom 
 to decide. But, for myself, I do not feel able to think, with 
 you, that in burial the body is ' still farther humbled.' A 
 restoration of the material frame to the material world is 
 not, as I venture to think, made higher or lower by the 
 process. If so, may I go a little beyond the question you ask ? 
 I would contend strongly for the lawfulness of cremation for 
 the Christian, and I could not say a word against a Christian's 
 conviction that it is his duty to brave prejudice for the sake 
 of helping a salutary reform. But if a conviction of duty 
 does not exist I would ask him to think of some considera- 
 tions which, though worth nothing as against duty, may 
 have some real force. I should not think it a light thing to 
 put aside all the tender associations of Christian burial, 
 consecrated more and more as succeeding ages multiply the 
 number, and as they come nearer and nearer to ourselves. 
 It is inevitable that the other choice should bring a shock 
 
THE MAKING OF A SCHOOL 179 
 
 to those who only associate cremation with the preferences 
 of Agnostics. I say this in full recognition of what I have 
 already said — that, as against a conviction of duty, such 
 arguments are not valid. We sxefree in the matter; but if 
 the individual conscience can accept this freedom and feel 
 no internal constraint, it may yet be according to the law of 
 love to avoid what would shock some fellow Christians." 
 
 The second was to one whose name has more than once 
 appeared in this volume, and who was trembling upon the 
 verge of the great unseen. 
 
 "Dee. 4, 1887. 
 
 " My very dear Friend, — I am ashamed to think how 
 poorly I have fulfilled — I should rather say, how far I have 
 been from fulfilling — my purpose of frequent writing. Your 
 faithful kindness has, I am sure, imputed the failure to its 
 true cause, but I am not the less grieved by the fact. The 
 term has been a time of unceasing work ; and when every 
 night finds one bankrupt, with heavy debts of work to 
 pay and the day's capital exhausted, then even the things 
 which one most desires to do must be let alone. 
 
 " It was a great delight to hear from you again, but it is 
 very painful to know that you are sufiering. I am thankful 
 to remember that your son's loving care and great skill are 
 watching over you. 
 
 " I have followed all the current of your thought with the 
 deepest interest, but I dare not call such mental conflicts by 
 the same names — I dare not, that is, see in them a proof 
 of want or weakness of faith. Is not a deeper, truer appre- 
 ciation of the great problem the only road to a deeper and 
 stronger faith than was possible before ? Is it not the fact 
 that our minds are often free from serious conflict only 
 because the hurry and strain of practical life makes true 
 
i8o WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 and earnest thought for the time almost impossible ? And 
 can trust become what trust should be whilst the mind is 
 kept from facing the difiSculties? ... I have held most 
 firmly to the thought that only rejection of the Saviour can 
 place a man among the lost. How the heathen abroad and 
 the heathen at home (as destitute of true knowledge of a 
 Saviour's offered love) are brought within the compass of 
 this test I know not, and it matters not that I do not know. 
 In the last moments of life all such are face to face with the 
 God of Love. 
 
 " But I am called away, and must break off abruptly, to 
 resume — when I can. You will, I know, forgive, and will 
 believe that I am always, 
 
 " Yours very affectionately, 
 
 "Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
 And as he gave himself and his time and his energy on 
 behalf of others, so did he give his possessions. In some 
 years he gave away fully half his income, and his magni- 
 ficent library was absolutely at the disposal of any one who 
 came to borrow of him. Considerate enough of others, he 
 never considered himself; and no small proportion of his 
 books he bought from a sense that they would be likely to 
 be of use to others. In December 1897 his wife said to 
 him, "Your book-bill is exceptionally large this term." 
 "Yes," was the reply, "there were a number of special 
 cases to be helped." 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS* 
 
 In this chapter a digression must be made from the regular 
 story of our father's life, to gather together some of the 
 main features of his scholarship and his opinions, and to 
 describe as far as possible the characteristics of his accom- 
 plished and his projected work. 
 
 The record will be almost exclusively a record of work 
 upon the Greek New Testament. This being so, it will be 
 advisable to show first that the specialist was such from 
 choice and not from necessity. Dr. Moulton's encyclopaedic 
 learning awed those who came into close contact with him. 
 Not that he paraded it ; he had a horror of expressing an 
 opinion on anything which he had not studied to the degree 
 his fastidious standard required. But his assistants and 
 other close friends used to be always whispering of some 
 new subject in which they had found the Doctor proficient. 
 
 A curious illustration may be mentioned in connection 
 with the little memoir which the boy editors of the school 
 magazine produced with loving care a fortnight after his 
 death. In the reminiscences of an Old Leysian, now a 
 missionary in China, there was a reference to the Doctor's 
 teaching Chaucer. The printer substituted Chinese, and 
 the master who was revising the proofs would have let it 
 
 * By James Hope Moulton. 
 
i82 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 stand; the mention of Chinese as taught to a future 
 missionary by Dr. Moulton hardly raised a feeling of 
 surprise. 
 
 As already narrated, he took his Master's degree in 
 mathematics with the highest honours at the only University 
 then open to a Nonconformist. At the same University 
 he was for four years Examiner in Hebrew. We have 
 some reason for believing that he read Arabic and Syriac. 
 In Classics, though he probably never himself had a teacher 
 for composition, he could teach with the best of Cambridge 
 scholars. Anglo-Saxon and English he taught with rare 
 appreciation. He used always to take the English subjects 
 with candidates for the London intermediate or final B.A. ; 
 and on at least two occasions he wrote out for pupils full 
 notes on an unedited book set, Chaucer's "Franklyn's 
 Tale " and Lyly's " Euphues." The latter cost him almost 
 as much labour as if he had been publishing an edition, 
 and it was undertaken for a single pupil. As for modern 
 languages, it may be mentioned that he took up Dante in 
 the original as a recreation while recovering from the pre- 
 monitory stroke of October 1895. He could read aloud 
 from Dutch, and when one of his boys was learning 
 Swedish he could not satisfy himself without following 
 his work to some extent. French and German, of course, 
 he knew thoroughly. There is at least one standard theo- 
 logical work widely used in this country, whose English 
 readers little suspect the unspeakable badness of its original 
 translation, and the unacknowledged labours by which 
 Dr. Moulton, to whom it was submitted in proof, rescued it 
 from general derision. How many other modern languages 
 he understood one would not venture to say. In philosophy 
 his knowledge was, characteristically enough, betrayed 
 only by his setting and marking the papers of any young 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 183 
 
 minister who took a philosophical subject for his probationers' 
 examination. 
 
 He was deeply interested in various branches of natural 
 science, especially chemistry, on the teaching of which he had 
 opinions evidently gained in practice. Music, and especially 
 that of Handel, Mozart and Mendelssohn, was always a delight 
 to him. In his earlier years he took the organ regularly at 
 the chapel services of Wesley College, Sheffield. A tune of 
 his, written for a favourite hymn of Charles Wesley's,* was 
 sung at his funeral ; nor is it the only composition standing to 
 his credit. English literature he had read widely, including 
 novels, which came to his relief when recovering from his too 
 frequent attacks of incapacitating headache. His brother 
 Richard, Professor of Literature in English at Chicago Uni- 
 versity, records that he himself " continually obtained infor- 
 mation from him as to authorities on the obscurer parts of 
 English and other literatures." He had a fine taste in poetry, 
 and a profound love of hymns — beyond all others the richly 
 spiritual and Scriptural hymns to be found in the " Poems of 
 John and Charles Wesley." His wide knowledge of hymno- 
 logy bore fruit in his labours in sub-committee with the late 
 Dr. Osborn, which culminated in the edition of "Weslej^s 
 Hymns" (1876), used by Wesleyan Methodists throughout 
 the kingdom as the regular hymnbook of the Church. In 
 the latest years of his life he was again at work on this 
 favourite subject, spending much time and labour over a 
 friend's elaborate commentary upon the Hymnbook. 
 
 This sketch of a polymath's wide range of interests, though 
 probably far from complete,t will serve in part to explain 
 
 * No. 674 in the " Wesleyan Hymnbook with Tunes." 
 
 t It does not, for instance, include an accomplishment like shorthand, 
 
 which his boys discovered he had found time to learn. Several of his 
 
 early MS. notes exhibit specimens. 
 
1 84 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 his success as a teacher. It is time to turn to that sphere of 
 study with which all his published work is concerned. His 
 " Winer," his little " History of the English Bible " and the 
 concise sketch of the same subject in the " Cambridge Com- 
 panion to the Bible," his commentaries on St. John and the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, and above all his work on the New 
 Testament Revision Company, with its corollaries the mar- 
 ginal references and revision of the Apocrypha, all belong 
 to the same field and may be considered as one whole. His 
 work will be most suitably characterised by following its 
 development in order of time. It was not a mere accident 
 that his first book was a grammar. Grammar was the basis 
 of all his work : his very sermons showed it, to those who 
 knew his methods. He had learnt in his earliest studies 
 how the great grammatical exegetes, Winer and Meyer, 
 had rescued Holy Scripture from principles of interpretation 
 which would conjure absolutely any desired meaning from 
 the text ; * and he set himself to teach students that minute 
 grammatical analysis is, in the words of Winer's title, a 
 "sure basis for New Testament exegesis." In taking up 
 this line he was following a deep-rooted instinct of his own. 
 He had taught himself Greek by thus analysing Thucydides ; 
 he took one book of the great writer and worked through it 
 with the resolve that nothing should escape his scrutiny. 
 In the poverty of helps the student of those days had to rely 
 mainly on himself, which, for those who could survive such a 
 discipline, was all the better. When, therefore, under Bishop 
 EUicott's encouragement, as described in an earlier chapter, 
 he took up the editing of Winer, he was on very congenial 
 and familiar ground. 
 
 The book is thoroughly characteristic of him. Winer's 
 own work is faithfully translated, with two or three trifling 
 * Compare his own words quoted below, p. 186, note. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 185 
 
 abridgments. The Editor's own additions, in which he has 
 collected the results of English and German research, accumu- 
 lated since Winer laid down his pen, are modestly stowed 
 away in foot-notes between square brackets. They are, 
 moreover, so much compressed that they would only occupy 
 some six score pages out of eight hundred were they restored 
 to large type. The book is accordingly disproportionate in 
 scale ; the record of the most recent research is given in the 
 fewest possible words and in an inconspicuous position, while 
 the advantages of space remain with Winer's original, much 
 of which his very success has rendered superfluous and out 
 of date. It was Dr. Moulton's settled purpose to rewrite the 
 book in a form more convenient to English students, with 
 large modifications and additions, gathered from the work of 
 thirty years. At the time of his death the plan had pro- 
 gressed so far that younger collaborators had been chosen 
 and had begun their work. 
 
 Of the labour lavished on this book a characteristic example 
 will be found in the Index to Texts. It would have been a 
 comparatively easy thing to record mechanically every page 
 on which successive verses of the New Testament were 
 mentioned. But this would often have merely confused the 
 student by sending him for help to pages where nothing 
 but the occurrence of a particular word is recorded. So he 
 carefully selected the really material quotations, and cata- 
 logued them in an index which fills over fifty columns, and 
 enables us to use the book as a complete grammatical com- 
 mentary. One may fairly calculate that sixpence an hour 
 for his work on the index alone would have made a hble 
 in the profits of the first edition. 
 
 It is happily unnecessary to dilate on the merits of the 
 "Winer."* From the first, English scholars have been 
 * See some notices above, pp. 82, 83. 
 
1 86 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 unanimous. Their verdict may be summed up in the graceful 
 words of Dr. Scrivener ("Introduction to the Criticism of 
 the N. T.," 3rd ed., p. 565): "Dr. Moulton's translation of 
 Winer ought to be in the hands of every student, and leaves 
 nothing to be regretted, except that accurate scholarship and 
 unsparing diligence should have been expended on improving 
 another man's work by one who is well able to produce a 
 better of his own." Dr. Westcott's tribute may be added, 
 from a letter written on the appearance of the second edition 
 (1876), after the book had been out of print for some time. 
 " You estimate your own work and the work of others by 
 such different standards that I should despair of making you 
 feel as I do. For the sake of students we can all rejoice 
 that your work, so long inaccessible, is now again within 
 reach of all." 
 
 It is not easy to describe in non-technical language the 
 standpoint of Dr. Moulton's magnum opus, but the description 
 concerns his principles of Bible study too closely to be left 
 alone. In the early years of this century "grammar" was 
 the science which enabled any word to be used for any other. 
 " Your father Abraham rejoiced that he should see my day " 
 was to be read " would have rejoiced if he had seen." And 
 since great dogmatic difficulties arose from the words "of 
 that day knoweth . . . not even the Son," the resources 01 
 " grammar " were equal to substituting " maketh known," on 
 the convincing ground that Hebrew possesses a conjugation 
 which would impart this causal meaning.* Winer and Meyer 
 changed all that. They demonstrated that the New Testa- 
 
 * Some words of Dr. Moulton's may be quoted on this point from a 
 letter to Mr. (now Sir Thomas) Clark, criticising one of Messrs. Clark's 
 translated commentaries : the date is May 20, 1871. " Nothing has pained 
 me so much as the translator's note on p. 198. He brings in, and fully 
 accepts, one of those monsters of interpretation which we are trying with 
 all our might to dismiss for ever into the regions of forgetfulness. I refer 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 187 
 
 ment writers had quite a remarkable gift for saying just what 
 they meant, and were less chargeable with slovenliness and 
 looseness of expression than even the much-lauded classical 
 authors themselves. They taught us to seek an intentional 
 difference of meaning when a different phrase was used, to 
 determine scientifically the relations of Greek and English 
 idiom, and so to interpret apparent anomalies as conveying 
 finer shades of thought, and bolder and richer meanings. 
 There was sometimes a danger lest too zealous students of 
 this school might ignore the changes which four centuries 
 had brought about in classical Greek, and seek for subtleties 
 where none were to be found ; though it cannot be said that 
 Winer himself risks this charge to any considerable extent. 
 In our own time the scientific study of all the periods lying 
 between the classical language and modern Greek has led to 
 something of a reaction against his severer canons. There 
 is a tendency to treat Biblical Greek as if it had travelled 
 the greater part of the distance between the classical and 
 modern speech, so that constructions which are now merely 
 commonplace must be denied life and vigour when occurring 
 in the New Testament. Side by side with this is the asser- 
 tion that when an Aramaic original is in question we must 
 decline to differentiate in Greek two constructions which 
 would be identical in the parent idiom. Dr. Moulton's views 
 avoided extremes in both directions. The use of modern 
 Greek was a feature of his grammar, and he would have 
 been most ready to use now the abundant researches in this 
 field which have been carried on during the last quarter of the 
 
 to the mixture of Hebrew ancj Greek — a Greek verb with the meaning of a 
 Hebrew modification or conjugation. In all seriousness, I say that this 
 single principle would make it possible to interpret the Epistle to the 
 Galatians as a treatise on magnetism. It does seem as if Bengel and Winer 
 and Meyer and many others must have lived in vain, when one sees such a 
 note as this." 
 
i88 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 century. But when it comes to crediting the New Testa- 
 ment writers with a language in which most of the niceties 
 of Greek have lost their clearness, and numerous locutions 
 of distinct theological importance reduced to equivalence, 
 he would cry halt.* His study of the sacred text had con- 
 vinced him that its language was still precise and careful, 
 however transitional the Greek might be. 
 
 The application of these principles to the great work of 
 Bible translation may with advantage be taken up at this 
 point. It has been often stated, last in the fascinating 
 biography of Dr. Moulton's venerable colleague and friend, 
 Dr. David Brown, that Dr. Moulton did not belong to the 
 conservative side of the Revision Company. He belonged 
 by close affinity of scholarship and principles to the 
 Cambridge school, the illustrious contingent of teachers from 
 the great University which adopted him while the Revision 
 was in progress, and would have owned him from the first 
 had her doors then been open to a Free Churchman. It is 
 frequently assumed that this school dominated the Company. 
 If it did, the majority which went with it fell very often 
 below the two-thirds necessary for carr3ring a change. It is 
 an instructive study to examine the marginal alternatives in 
 the Revised Version, where they differ from the Authorised 
 renderings or readings. The Revisers' Preface reminds us 
 that many of these may have commanded the votes of a 
 majority ; f and the study of published work by individual 
 
 * For some examples I may refer to a notice of Blass's " New Testament 
 Greek," in the Critical Review for April 1897. This article was carefully 
 read in proof by my father, and, I believe, fairly represents his opinions. 
 
 t The importance of this point makes a good opportunity for quoting 
 Dr. Moulton's own words, from his ' answer to a correspondent of the 
 Expository Times (see below, p. 217), who asked about the relative value of 
 text and margin in the R.V. He replied, " It is impossible to give any 
 general judgment on this question. But one consideration is of great im- 
 portance. It is well known that one rule of procedure by which the Com- 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 189 
 
 Revisers enables us to divine on which side some distin- 
 guished members were presumably found, except when they 
 may have thought it wiser not to press their preference. 
 
 The principles of this group are virtually described in 
 some sentences from Dr. Moulton's memorial sketch of Dr. 
 Milligan in the volume of the Expository Times referred to 
 above. Every word might be fitly transferred from his 
 subject to himself. 
 
 " If we may adopt terminology now familiar, Dr. Milligan 
 from first to last belonged emphatically to the ' Progressive ' 
 section of the Company. As was most natural (and, we will 
 add, most desirable) conservative instincts held great power 
 over many of the members, and appeared largely in our very 
 numerous discussions on points of detail. Yielding to none 
 in reverence for Holy Scripture, as the inheritance of learned 
 and unlettered alike in Christ's Church and Kingdom, Dr. 
 Milligan felt deeply and maintained strongly that such 
 reverence was most fitly shown by a strenuous effort to 
 make the English version a faithful and true presentation of 
 the meaning conveyed by the original text. He feared lest 
 the power of habit should lead him astray, and the witchery 
 of familiar words blind him as a translator to any intimation 
 
 panies of Revision were bound was, that the Authorised Version should in 
 no place be altered unless a majority consisting of at least two-thirds of 
 the members voting approved of the alteration. If, therefore, an alterna- 
 tive rendering which stands in the margin of the Revised Version agrees 
 with the Authorised Version, it is plain that in this instance as large a 
 proportion as two-thirds of the Revisers voting must have disapproved of 
 the rendering of the Authorised Version ; and hence the rendering which 
 stands in the text here carries great weight. If, on the other hand, the 
 marginal rendering differs from, and the text agrees with, the Authorised 
 Version, then it is possible — though by no means certain — that a majority 
 of the Company (though not the requisite two-thirds) may here have 
 disapproved of the Authorised Version, which, nevertheless, could not, 
 according to rule, be changed." 
 
190 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of the inspired writer's thought. Hence his very manner 
 and gesture, in the meetings of the Company, were those of 
 a student who, however thorough might have been his pre- 
 paratory labours, sought to look anew at each familiar 
 sentence in the concentrated light of the present moment 
 of investigation and debate. No reader of his various works 
 will be surprised to hear that many a particular which to 
 many might seem to be of smaller consequence, as belonging 
 to the colouring which cannot be transferred from language 
 to language rather than to substance and essential form, 
 appeared (and in many cases, as I think, rightly appeared) 
 to Dr. Milligan both interesting and important for our work 
 of translation." 
 
 Two specimens may be given to illustrate the position of 
 the section in the Company with which Dr. Moulton worked. 
 The Prologue of St. John's Gospel contains an unusually 
 large number of marginal alternatives, which we may find 
 discussed in the Commentary published by himself and Dr. 
 Milligan, and in that by Bishop Westcott. We can get 
 evidence as to Bishop Lightfoot's views on the most im- 
 portant points involved from scattered notes in various 
 works, and on questions affecting textual evidence we have 
 Dr. Hort's judgment in his " Two Dissertations," and in the 
 second volume of Westcott and Hort's Greek Testament. 
 The results may be stated thus. The two Commentaries, 
 representing three Revisers, agree in favour of the following 
 margins which desert the A. V. Through for by (ver. 3, lO, 
 and 17) : so also the American Revisers. Ver. 3, putting the 
 full stop after the first " made " (" That which hath been made 
 was life in him ") : here Lightfoot joins, but apparently not 
 Hort. Ver. 5, overcame for comprehended: Lightfoot dissents. 
 Ver. 13, begotten for bom. Ver. 14, tabernacled ior dwelt: so 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 191 
 
 also Lightfoot. Ver, 14, an only begotten from a father: 
 Westcott here does not speak expressly as to the first an. 
 Ver. 18, God only begotten: in this momentous reading the 
 three are joined by Hort and Lightfoot. It follows that 
 these three Revisers would have substituted the margin for 
 the text in nine cases out of fifteen. Of the other six, 
 three are literal renderings (given with " Gr."), which no one 
 would place in a translation. Two of the remainder affect 
 ver. 9, where both text and margin desert the A. V. On 
 the chief question, the linking of the word coming with light 
 instead of man, the three commentators go against the A. V. 
 and therefore favour the first margin rather than the second, 
 but they agree in preferring the new rendering of the R. V. 
 text, which keeps the ambiguity of the Greek. The only other 
 margin is the parenthesis " {this was he that said) " in ver. 15, 
 which is supported by Westcott and Hort's Greek text, 
 but with the other reading in the margin as nearly equal in 
 authority. It will be seen that in St. John's Prologue the 
 conservatives triumphed wherever there was a difference of 
 opinion ; but that the school represented by the five Revisers 
 named were united, in almost every case, on the defeated side. 
 The evidence of the First Revision, during which the two- 
 thirds rule did not apply, shows that they were in an actual 
 minority, except in the reading God only begotten (ver. 18), 
 and the rendering overcame (ver. 5). 
 
 A letter from Dr. Moulton to Dr. Westcott, written while 
 the First Revision was in progress, gives a further illus- 
 tion of their common position. He describes the debate on 
 the rendering of irapaickrirog — how at first Comforter was 
 accepted, then Advocate tried and lost by one vote : finally. 
 Paraclete was carried by one vote. He himself decides for 
 Advocate (R. V. marg.) in his Commentary. Writing to a 
 Reviser during the early days of their work, he says : 
 
192 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 " I have lately been thinking anxiously about our treat-^ 
 ment of the passages in which this word occurs. I feared 
 we should hardly carry a change, and yet could not see how 
 Comforter could be allowed to stand." 
 
 Outvoted though he was on this and some other im- 
 portant points, he was yet able to write to Dr. Milligan 
 ultimately : " We have finished St. John in the Revision — 
 have lost very little indeed that is good." 
 
 It would be an interesting task to pursue this study 
 further, but we must not give more than a summary bearing 
 on Dr. Moulton's individual opinions. In his Commentary 
 on Hebrews (1879), there are over thirty places where he 
 agrees with the Revised Version margin against the Revised 
 Version and the Authorised Version text ; seventeen where 
 he stands with the two-thirds majority which effected a 
 change ; and about twenty-four where he apparently joined 
 the majority or large minority which resisted change. As 
 before, the only places quoted are those where division of 
 opinion in the Company was serious enough to find ex- 
 pression in marginal alternatives (not including those intro- 
 duced by "Gr."). In ten places both text and margin 
 differ from the Authorised Version, and in about as many 
 more Dr. Moulton's vote is not indicated with certainty. 
 It is significant that he is not once found to agree with the 
 Authorised Version where it supplies the Revised Version 
 margin.* 
 
 * One important passage might be mentioned in which he disagreed 
 with the two-thirds majority that changed the A.V. This was Phil. i. 22, 
 where he accepted the first margin (modified by the third) ; there were 
 presumably other cases. One or two interesting passages may be added 
 in which his view is not represented in either text or margin. In James i. 17 
 his "perfect lounty" may seem to some a better word than the Revisers' 
 "boon." In the same epistle, ch. v. 4, he translated (with Alford and 
 others) "the hire . . . which is kept back by fraud, crieth from your 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 193 
 
 Enough has been said to show that he was Httle influenced 
 by mere conservatism when engaged on the duty of trans- 
 lation. For him the jots and tittles of Scripture were crumbs 
 of bread from heaven ; and he had found these minutiae too 
 richly laden with messages from on high for him to fling 
 them away whenever reverent labour could gather them 
 up. In determining the text translated, his mind was 
 absolutely clear of prejudice. The best attested reading 
 must be found by evidence excluding subjective considera- 
 tions as much as possible, and then the meaning must be 
 patiently sought and represented in English. Shallow 
 critics would often declare that the resultant reading made 
 no sense — a favourite phrase with those judicial scholars 
 who do not care to take the trouble necessary for the 
 detection of what lies beneath the surface. His reply 
 would be a careful search which generally revealed a 
 subtler and more appropriate meaning than the obvious and 
 €asy corrections of later scribes. In textual criticism he 
 clung to the oldest documentary evidence even more strictly 
 than his friend Dr. Hort, in that he practically refused to 
 admit conjectural readings. Perhaps in this he will seem 
 old-fashioned to those who are bitten by the seductive 
 speculations which the revival of interest in the Western 
 Text has lately called forth. But when we remember how 
 small a proportion of the most brilliant conjectures find a 
 permanent place in the classical texts we read to-day, it is 
 impossible to doubt that the scholar who almost absolutely 
 refuses conjecture its part in New Testament criticism 
 
 coffers"; and in ch. v. 16 he took ivepyov/iiini as passive, "the inwrought 
 supplication." A more important difference from his colleagues concerns 
 the rendering testament for SiaO'^Kri, which he would not admit even in 
 Heb. ix. 16, 17. Here, as in so many other critical questions, he is in 
 independent agreement with his friend Bishop Westcott, who, in bis 
 " Hebrews " (1889), explains the passage in virtually the same way. 
 
 N 
 
19+ WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 stands generally on safe ground. Not that he was in- 
 sensible to the peculiar fascination of conjecture exercised 
 by a master. Often he would come out of his library after a 
 prolonged Apocrypha Revision session, gleefully retailing 
 some brilliant restoration which Dr. Hort's almost uncanny 
 insight had brought out. But that of course creates no pre- 
 sumption in favour of conjecture in the New Testament, 
 where witnesses are so abundant and so excellent. 
 
 The warm and effective support which he consistently 
 gave to the reforming school in matters of text makes it 
 desirable to spend a little more space on this side of the 
 Revisers' work. An interesting letter from Archdeacon 
 Palmer, written when Dean Burgon's Quarterly rhetoric was 
 still " tickling the ears of the groundlings," expresses the con- 
 viction of the most far-seeing Revisers that on this question 
 of text the Revised Version must ultimately stand or fall. 
 
 " If the public, or any large part of it," says Dr. Palmer, " goes 
 off with the idea that Burgon is substantially right about the 
 Greek Text, a very high shelf will be the inevitable home of our 
 Revision. . . . We shall live down all other criticisms. They 
 are, for the most part, mere ' flouts and gibes ' ; the other part of 
 them is founded upon more or less fair diversities of opinion on 
 points of grammatical exegesis, on which unanimity will never be 
 attained." 
 
 Dr. Palmer has passed to that serene realm from which 
 now nearly all the Revisers watch without anxiety the 
 progress of the truth on earth ; but there are signs that 
 survivors may well interpret as the fulfilment of his pro- 
 phecy. Dr. Moulton heartily agreed with it, as may be seen 
 from his letter to Dr. Hort,* when he forwarded to him Dr. 
 Palmer's opinion, and strongly urged that the Dean should 
 be answered. 
 
 * Pp. 100, lOI. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 195 
 
 The desiderated champion was not found, no one, at least, 
 to mat'-h the assailant in immediate popularity. But quiet 
 exposition like that of Bishop Westcott * has been producing 
 its natural effects ; and the fairness and common sense of the 
 public have apparently set down at its proper valuation the 
 arrogant conceit and the reckless mis-statements of fact and 
 imputations of motive f with which the Dean had attacked 
 the Revisers. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to state that the modicum of reason 
 and argument which diligent search may occasionally find 
 in the Quarterly articles was not rejected unheard in the 
 Jerusalem Chamber. A minority, led by the learned 
 Dr. Scrivener, secured for the " Received Text " much more 
 respectful treatment than the antiquity of its witnesses 
 warranted. It must not be supposed that this minority was 
 inclined to say ditto to the doughty Dean, or would have 
 found his advocacy other than an embarrassment. To quote 
 Dr. Palmer again, Dean Burgon " really involves his friends 
 Dr. Scrivener and Bishop Wordsworth of Lincoln J in one 
 ruin with us. It would be well that this were brought home 
 to the public, especially as his way of praising these two 
 might be taken to imply the contrary." We may fairly 
 assume that where there is no marginal note recording a 
 various reading, the Revisers were practicallyjUnanimous in 
 voting for a change. Certainly Dr. Scrivener would never have 
 been denied a refuge in the margin where he pressed for it. 
 We infer that in very many important passages Dr. Scrivener 
 allowed conservatism to yield to argument. That was not 
 Burgon's way. He settled his text first, and then sought for 
 
 * '■ Some I^essons of the Revised Version of the New Testament," 1897. 
 
 t A review of Burgon's " The Revision Revised," by Dr. Thayer, one of 
 the most distinguished of the American Revisers, gives chapter and verse 
 for each of these points in plenty. 
 
 X Not the Reviser, Charles Wordsworth, whose see was in Scotland. 
 
196 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 arguments, the poverty of which was veiled by a very effective 
 rhetoric. The " traditional " text for him is warranted by " the 
 Church " — and there's an end of the matter. To discover 
 " the Church " in matters of textual criticism was worthy of 
 his ingenuity and very characteristic of his school. 
 
 Dr. Moulton's objection to all the champions of the 
 " Received Text " would have been based mainly upon their 
 incurable subjectivity. Even in Dr. Scrivener's scholarship 
 the reader cannot get away from the consciousness that con- 
 servative sentiment carries inordinate weight. For example, 
 in discussing the Gloria he almost vies with Burgon in 
 strength of language, not against the insufHcient evidence 
 for the change — and, of course, in this place the evidence 
 is much less overwhelming than usual — but against the 
 marring of rhythm and sense. Dr. Hort's arrangement — 
 
 " Glory to God in the highest and upon earth ; 
 Peace among men of His good pleasure " — 
 
 he thinks sufficiently condemned by mentioning it. But two 
 can play at this game of subjective criticism, and when 
 scholars of equal learning find both rhythm and sense im- 
 proved by the change, we are thrown back on the evidence, 
 from which we ought never to have strayed. Dr. Moulton, 
 if a strong impression may be trusted, was decidedly in 
 favour of Hort's view. And if he had been asked what he 
 thought of " men of God's good pleasure," he would probably 
 have illuminated the phrase after his manner with a quotation 
 from Charles Wesley, interpreting the angels' song by refer- 
 ence to the 
 
 " well-beloved Son 
 In whom Thy smiling face we see, 
 In whom Thou art well pleased with me. ' 
 
 The text settled, there came the practical interpretation of 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 197 
 
 the instruction " to introduce as few alterations as possible, 
 consistently with faithfulness." It has been already shown 
 that " faithfulness " is a more exacting mistress for some 
 scholars than for others. But however determined Dr. 
 Moulton was to sacrifice no real, however minute, improve- 
 ment in obedience to this instruction, he did not advocate 
 change out of any failure to appreciate the Authorised 
 Version. On this point it will be well to quote his own words, 
 from his " History of the English Bible," published three 
 years before the Revised New Testament saw the light : 
 
 " It would be premature to speculate on the character of 
 the Revised Version, or on the reception which awaits it. On 
 one point, however, no apprehension will be entertained by 
 any who have studied the constitution of the companies or 
 the rules which guide their action. There will be no attempt 
 to introduce a new translation under the mask of revision. 
 The bond which has united the several versions which have 
 successively been given to the English people will not now 
 be broken. Amongst those who meet in the Jerusalem 
 Chamber are found some of the most careful students of our 
 early English Bibles ; and the labours of Tindale and Cover- 
 dale and their noble followers are never forgotten in the 
 discussions on the sacred text. In the last century the chief 
 aim of revisers may have been to depart as widely as 
 possible from the severe style and simple language of the 
 Authorised Version. The highest praise sought by any now 
 engaged in revision is that they may be held to have 
 removed the blemishes without impairing the excellence of 
 our revered English Bible." 
 
 This passage does not stand alone in the "History," 
 and its sentiment was repeated fourteen years later in the 
 compendious sketch of the same subject in the Cambridge 
 
198 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Companion. He is never weary of praising the splendid 
 qualities of Tindale's version, from which nearly ninety per 
 cent, of the Authorised New Testament is taken. In spite of 
 all the incurious criticism which has been lavished on the 
 Revisers' work, there is no doubt that the claim made by one 
 of the most radical of them, in the words quoted above, is 
 not only sincere but also justified by facts. The amount of 
 change — most of it necessitated by the discovery of Greek 
 manuscripts a thousand years older than those used by the 
 translators of i6i i — is a minimum ; and if the work had been 
 done by the small Cambridge Company which afterwards 
 translated Second Maccabees and Wisdom, future generations 
 would probably have regarded their larger changes as a 
 minimum also. This incursion into prophecy is suggested 
 by a conversation reported in Dr. David Brown's "Life." 
 Dr. Brown tells us : 
 
 " I said to my friend, Dr. Moulton, who voted for nearly all the 
 changes to which the minority objected, ' This version of ours 
 will never do ; the public will never take to it.' ' Oh yes, they 
 will ; only give them time to get accustomed to it.' ' They never 
 will,' was my answer ; and we now know who was right.'' 
 
 It is curious to notice how manifestly Dr. Brown's too 
 positive declaration is being disproved. The Revised 
 Version is already at least as favourably placed as the 
 Authorised was twenty years after its publication', "For 
 half a century the rival versions (Authorised and Genevan) 
 circulated side by side," says the "History" just referred to; 
 and the A. V. had its Burgon in a critic at least as learned, 
 and, within smaller compass, almost equally vitriolic. Dr. 
 Moulton was not much disturbed by criticism, whether that 
 of a learned Dean or that of another critic who rushed into 
 print with the naive admission that he knew no Greek. He 
 would tell with infinite relish a story of a rather different 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 199 
 
 kind of critic, a good old Methodist, who waxed warm in 
 the class-meeting about the Bible and the rumours he had 
 heard that we were to have a new Bible ! " We don't want 
 a new Bible ! The old Bible took my father to heaven, and 
 it'll take me. 
 
 Should all the forms that men devise 
 
 Assault my faith with treacherous art, 
 I'd call them vanity and lies 
 And bind Thy Gospel to my heart ! " 
 
 One kind of criticism he did chafe at. Dr. Field, a great 
 scholar who ought to have known better, called the version 
 "fifth-form English," and others sneered at the Revisers' 
 "pedantry." The ungrudging and unremunerated labours 
 of scholars, whose years of hard work had no other aim than 
 promoting the knowledge of God's Word, deserved less 
 ungracious treatment than these shallow sneers. Dr. Moulton 
 could understand the exaltation of euphony above accuracy 
 in men like Matthew Arnold, for whom the Bible was mainly 
 mere literature, but it was unintelligible in those who really 
 believed that the Book contained a divine revelation. Two 
 further remarks might be hazarded on the smart criticism 
 that the Revisers knew Greek very well, but did not know 
 their mother tongue. First, let any sane critic study the 
 English of the Book of Wisdom, as translated by the 
 ringleaders of those scholars whose " needless " alterations 
 "spoilt the music" of the Authorised New Testament. 
 Secondly, let any candid student listen to Dr. Moulton's 
 " Give them time." There are those who have used the 
 Revised New Testament exclusively in public and private 
 since it first appeared ; and if in common fairness readers 
 will give the Revision only half as long a trial, they will find 
 familiarity investing its English style with all the charm and 
 melody of which the Old Version is supposed to hold the 
 
loo WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 monopoly. It is flatly impossible for any one to judge the 
 Revisers' English fairly until their work has unconsciously 
 supplied him with his quotations — till the Old Version has 
 come to strike on the ear with a kind of novelty, and 
 hallowed associations are transferred to the new Bible, which 
 is nearest to the Bible. Generally speaking, such conditions 
 cannot be fulfilled in the first generation, and that is why 
 the Authorised Version still remains popular. But surely it 
 is a small thing to ask those who listen for a divine voice in 
 Scripture to let it speak to them in words chosen by the best 
 and most reverent scholarship of our time as most nearly 
 representing the meaning of the original. 
 
 A few words must be given at this point to one of the two 
 special functions which devolved upon Dr. Moulton during 
 the Revision, his responsibility for presenting the renderings 
 of the older English versions. The Revisers throughout paid 
 close attention to these, in order to keep up their principle of 
 continuity. Their English was to be of the same general 
 style as that which has for centuries been associated with 
 the English Bible, and they rigidly excluded even words 
 otherwise appropriate when they were likely to jar by their 
 modernity. Dr. Moulton made extensive studies in the Old 
 Versions for this purpose. A collation of the versions was 
 made by his wife, with the help of the junior members of the 
 family, who were privileged to assist in the Revision by 
 reading aloud from the old black-letter Bibles. The fruit of 
 his studies in this field appeared in a series of articles for 
 Dean Plumptre's " Bible Educator," which were reprinted in 
 the " History " already alluded to. Unpretentious as the little 
 book appears, there was a great amount of research involved 
 in it. Among the impressions brought away from the 
 reading of this deeply interesting history two may be specially 
 mentioned. One is the confirmation by further research of 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 201 
 
 the view urged by Dr. Westcott, that our English Bible is in 
 all its most essential features the work of one man. William 
 Tindale, indeed, played in England a part little less com- 
 manding than that of Martin Luther in Germany. The other 
 is the striking fact that in many of their best-abused emen- 
 dations the Revisers have only gone back to words and 
 phrases which were hallowed by English use before the 
 Authorised translators were born. 
 
 At an early period in their work the New Testament 
 Company arranged to issue a body of marginal references to 
 their work. The preparation of these was assigned to Drs. 
 Scrivener, Roberts, Vance Smith and Moulton. Practically 
 the work was done by the first and last named, though the 
 results were shown to the other two and discussions followed 
 on some general points.* Dr. Scrivener had already achieved 
 a monumental work in the " Cambridge Paragraph Bible," 
 with its elaborate system of references, and he supplied the 
 groundwork of those which were now attached to the Revised 
 Version. But as the work went on very large additions were 
 made by Dr. Moulton ; and when the whole was presented 
 to the Company not long before it broke up, the limits of 
 possible extension had been very nearly reached, especially 
 in St. John and the Epistles. The editors' conception of 
 what was possible and desirable had considerably enlarged 
 during the process ; and they had to present the Synoptic 
 Gospels ift a confessedly imperfect state, to be brought up to 
 the fuller standard by subsequent revision. That revision 
 
 * It should perhaps be remarked, in view of the prejudice roused in many 
 quarters by the inclusion of a Unitarian among the Revisers, that while 
 Dr. Vance Smith's opinions were always listened to and considered on 
 their merits, they were not allowed to modify either the translation or the 
 references in any point where doctrinal bias came in. The inclusion of a 
 Unitarian, like the invitation of a Roman Catholic (Dr. Newman), was 
 intended to secure the due consideration of every kind of opinion. 
 
202 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 has been going on ever since, and will have to be completed 
 by other hands. Dr. Scrivener, through failing health, did 
 comparatively little at the work after the Revision closed, and 
 his colleague, though he gave to it unremitting labour in 
 those parts of the vacations which were not mortgaged to 
 the School, had only finished St. John and the Acts when he 
 was called aside to prepare the abridged edition. The word 
 " finished " happily is one of variable meaning ; and though 
 Dr. Moulton would probably have taken months if not years 
 of unoccupied time to " finish " the whole New Testament up 
 to his own standard, it is not likely that want of fulness will 
 be complained of when those who have worked under him 
 transcribe and arrange on his lines the material he has left. 
 The plan of the work makes it too elaborate for any but real 
 students : those however who use it as it is meant to be 
 used, will find themselves placed as nearly as possible on 
 the level of readers of the Greek. The references in most 
 cases aim at being complete. Every example of a phrase 
 or word notable in theology or antiquities or history, or as a 
 mark of a writer's style, and every occurrence of a proper name 
 (except when very common), will be found collected at some 
 place to which all parallel places refer. Noteworthy com- 
 binations are collected, and the index letters set at each item 
 show the student exactly how far the reference carries. 
 Even words and phrases whose commonness defeats such 
 treatment are often brought in, when of sufficient importance, 
 by division among various parts of the New Testament. 
 Besides all this, there is, of course, the ordinary matter 
 expected in a set of marginal references, the marking of 
 parallel passages, allusions and quotations. Precision in the 
 notation is a constant aim. Two passages are rarely con- 
 nected directly unless the Greek is as close as the English : 
 where the similarity is general, the Greek expression differing. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 203 
 
 the symbol Cp. is used. Practically the work is a commen- 
 tary in small compass. Wherever it is possible to interpret 
 a passage by quoting a parallel, this is done. Both text and 
 margin are fairly dealt with, and various legitimate interpre- 
 tations are allowed a place when they lend themselves to this 
 mode of presentation. 
 
 It is impossible for any one who has not tried it to 
 imagine the labour involved in this minute and complicated 
 work. The extent of Dr. Moulton's revision may be read 
 between the lines of the following letter to Dr. Hort, written 
 in February 1892, ten years after the original references 
 might have been published : 
 
 " I havelnot recently touched on the question of marginal 
 references in any conversation with you, principally because 
 I have been so much troubled by the delay that, in spite of 
 all my eflforts, has taken place. You will remember that the 
 matter was left to Dr. Scrivener and myself. I found that 
 so much — so very much — was needed to bring up the Gospels 
 to the standard of the later books, that I worked (with Dr. 
 Scrivener's full approval) at these for a long period. These 
 have been completed, though St. John is not in print. But 
 my interruptions of the last two years have prevented me 
 from making any material advance. I think the whole can 
 be completed next year. I have in all devoted a very large 
 amount of time to the work ; and (except the small contri- 
 bution * to the forthcoming Cambridge ' Aids ') I have done 
 nothing in the way of private work to the neglect of this 
 work." 
 
 Perhaps a small specimen will indicate better than any 
 description what the student may expect when the toils of so 
 
 * " History of the English Bible," in the " Cambridge Companion to 
 the,Bible " (1893). 
 
204 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 many years are at length given to the world. The specimen 
 is taken almost at random from a part which Dr. Moulton 
 had " absolutely finished," to use the phrase we would often 
 repeat, with some idea that the repetition might perchance 
 act as a charm against the temptation to emend yet further. 
 
 ACTS XVI. 
 
 "' And he called for lights, and "sprang in, and, trembling for fear, 
 ^ bfell down before Paul and "Silas, and brought them out, and said, 
 21 sirs, * = what 'must I do eto be saved ? "'And they said, >>' Believe on 
 
 ■i the Lord Jesus, and * thou shalt be * saved, ■" thou and thy house. 
 '2 And they spake " the word of ^ the Lord unto him, i Some ancient antho- 
 
 ™ with all that were in his house. "ties read o God. 
 
 " Cf. Mark x. 50 ; ch, xiv. 14. ■■ Ch. x. 25. = See ch. xv. 22. ■■ Luke iii. 
 10, 12, 14 ; ch. ii. 37 ; xxii. 10. ° Cp. John vi. 28, 29. ' See ch. iv. 12. 
 6 Cf. ver. 17. ■" See ch. x. 43. ' Mark xvi. 16 ; Luke viii. 12 ; Rom. x. 
 9 ; I Cor. i. 21 ; Eph. ii. 8. Cp. John iii. 15, 16, 17 ; Heb. x. 39 ; James ii. 
 14. See Mark a. 52. J See ch. i. 21. * Ch. ii. 21, 47; xi. 14; xv. ±, 11. 
 See ch. iv. 12. ■» Ch. xi. 14. Cp. ver. 15. " See ch. xv. 33. ° See ch. xi. i. 
 
 This specimen, which is transcribed from MS. with one or 
 two alterations affecting only the form, is an average example 
 of the apparatus for Scripture study which this book will 
 provide. The reader will find in every passage quoted here 
 an index-letter standing at the word or words affected, which 
 sends him back to this passage and'incidentally shows the 
 precise nature of the link. When See is prefixed there will 
 be found at the place cited a collection of illustrative passages. 
 Since all these are implicitly cited here, we find that these 
 four verses of Acts xvi. are interpreted fpr the diligent 
 searcher of Scripture by reference to ninety-seven verfees ; 
 and even this does not include other collections included 
 (with " See ") in some of the collections directly referred to. 
 The preacher returning to this well-worn theme will surely 
 find in such material " things new and old " wherewith to 
 wing afresh the evangelic message. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 205 
 
 The specimen illustrates well the extent of Dr. Moulton's 
 revision. In the references as presented to the Revision 
 Company in 1880, this passage is equipped with only five 
 index letters instead of fourteen, which cite directly or 
 indirectly a total of twenty-eight verses. The disproportion 
 is, of course, greater than usual, for this is a passage richly 
 strewn with leading doctrinal phrases, which Dr. Moulton 
 was most anxious to treat as fully as space would permit. 
 The ordinary Authorised Version in its reference edition has 
 two index-letters in this section, citing seven verses. Dr. 
 Scrivener's Paragraph Bible has six letters, citing nearly 
 forty verses. These figures will not, of course, be taken as 
 intended to establish a numerical ratio between Dr. Moulton's 
 work and that of his predecessors, but they will serve to 
 indicate on how generous a scale this interpretation of Scrip- 
 ture by itself is planned. A little study of the specimen will 
 enable the reader to realise how slow a task it was. Take, 
 for instance, the evolution of a reference like " V for the con- 
 nection between faith and salvation. First came the decision 
 that it was desirable, then the investigation whether it was 
 mechanically possible. Where a subject was very wide this 
 involved making a big collection of passages, often with no 
 other result than a decision, after many trials, that the list 
 could not find room anywhere. The possibility once estab- 
 lished, the list of illustrative passages had to be laboriously 
 constructed and sifted, mostly with concordance, but also with 
 the aid of every available reference Bible and the best com- 
 mentaries. Then came the insertion of a cross-reference at 
 every passage which had thus been included in the collection. 
 And when this was done it was often found that the page was 
 over-burdened and the " fons " (as we called the collection) 
 must go elsewhere — which, of course, meant altering all the 
 cross-references. Purely mechanical work like this occupied 
 
2o6 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 a disproportionate amount of time, and yet it was work that 
 could not be delegated. A peculiarly trying variety came in 
 with the proof stage, for then the addition of a single new 
 reference would often involve the alteration of index letters 
 through several pages. It will easily be understood that a 
 single point would sometimes take up a whole morning, for 
 Dr. Moulton's extreme carefulness made him anything but a 
 rapid worker. It is characteristic of him that this work is 
 largely associated with his summer "holiday "in Scotland, 
 Devonshire, or Derbyshire, whither he would take his books 
 and work hard through sunny mornings, his family endeavour- 
 ing in vain to induce him to put away his work till sundown 
 or till a rainy day. 
 
 Dr. Moulton's hand in work of this kind is traceable in the 
 pages of one great achievement of scholarship which came 
 before the world about the same time as the Revised New 
 Testament. All Greek Testament students are gratefully 
 familiar with the uncial type in Westcott and Hort's text, 
 and with the appended list of Old Testament passages to 
 which that type refers the reader. " The list," the editors 
 tell us, "has had the benefit of a careful and thorough 
 examination by Dr. Moulton. We are much indebted to 
 him for the labour he has bestowed upon it, and also for 
 many excellent suggestions." It was the only evidence of 
 his labours in this field which he was destined to see in a 
 published book. In 1895 the University Presses determined 
 to issue a complete edition of the Revised Version with 
 marginal references, and he undertook to abridge for this 
 edition the work on which he had been engaged so long. 
 In these later years he seemed to get less and less time to 
 himself, and the necessity of early publication made it 
 clearer than ever that his part would not be ready unless he 
 secured further help. By a happy coincidence the Press 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 207 
 
 Syndics named another of his own old boys, the Rev. A. 
 W, Greenup,* who had already prepared the references for 
 the Pentateuch. He abridged and adapted for this purpose 
 Dr. Moulton's completed references on St. John and Acts, 
 and those on Romans to Revelation in the form in which 
 they had been presented to the Revisers seventeen years 
 before. The latter had received little beyond consequential 
 alterations in the interval ; but the scale in this part was 
 already so elaborate that Dr. Moulton had decided on making 
 very little addition. Meanwhile he himself took up St. 
 Matthew, the section which had suffered most from the 
 narrower view of possibilities at first entertained by him and 
 by Dr. Scrivener alike. In a series of sessions, painfully 
 limited by the accumulations of his public and private work, 
 as well as by school teaching, we managed to finish St. 
 Matthew, and St. Mark and St. Luke were left to be drafted 
 upon its model. Mr. Greenup, in the meantime, was pushing 
 ahead with a rapidity calculated to make a busy schoolmaster 
 envious, and Dr. Moulton had to defer to the proof stage the 
 revision of his work. When the proofs came, he went over 
 St. John, a sheet containing Ephesians and Philippians with 
 the end of Galatians and the beginning of Colossians, and 
 the early chapters of St. Matthew and Acts. Matt. i. r to ix. 25 
 was sent for revise on January 26, Acts i. i to x. 22 sent for 
 press on January 29, 1898. At Acts xiv. 2 there is a note in 
 his book, " Begin at top of this page," indicating that he had 
 made his preliminary collation up to that point. Alas ! it 
 was another who began at the top of that page the saddest 
 task of his life. But the amount of revision Dr. Moulton 
 had accomplished enabled him to record his great satisfac- 
 tion with the admirable way in which Mr. Greenup had done 
 his work, and at the same time to indicate the general 
 * Now Principal of St. John's Theological Hall, Highbury. 
 
2o8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 character of the improvements he would have introduced in 
 revision; so that ultimately his labours were presented 
 substantially as he would have wished. His thoughts were 
 busy with them to the very end. Memoranda, pencilled in a 
 strong firm hand on a letter of Mr. Greenup's, were written 
 to guide my answer just before he started for the walk in 
 the midst of which his Master called him. So, with a 
 diligence that shrank from no toil, the scholar strove to 
 " present himself approved to God, a workman that needed 
 not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth." 
 
 The edition just described was published in October 1898, 
 and it needs, therefore, nothing of the detailed account 
 necessary for the large work that is still incomplete. It is, 
 of course, very much less elaborate, as the book was severely 
 limited by considerations of space. Thus, in the four verses 
 given above, seven index letters disappear, and only twenty- 
 four of the ninety-seven parallels survive. Even thus the 
 page is nearly full, and the scale considerably in advance of 
 almost all existing works. The condensation has been 
 achieved mainly by sacrificing references bearing on words 
 apart from thoughts, and by abandoning the attempt to 
 make the lists of parallels complete. The larger Reference 
 New Testament will be a work entirely sui generis, and a 
 characteristic monument of the two Revisers to whom it is 
 due. 
 
 Last among the subsidiary labours connected with the 
 Revision comes the translation of the Apocrypha. The 
 Preface to this was put together by Dr. Moulton out of the 
 materials supplied by the four Committees which shared the 
 work. The dates given there show vividly what unlimited 
 pains were taken by the Cambridge Committee, to which fell 
 the Second Book of Maccabees and the Book of Wisdom. 
 During nine years Dr. Westcott and Dr. Hort came with 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 209 
 
 almost unfailing regularity to The Leys for weekly meetings 
 during Term. The secretary, Dr. Moulton, kept the minutes 
 with a scrupulous accuracy thoroughly characteristic of him. 
 Only once is the time of breaking up left out, and very 
 frequently this is given to the minute. Altogether there is a 
 record of 207 sessions, between March 3, 1881, and January 
 14, 1892, averaging just under 2f hours each. This is a 
 considerable time allowance for translating books which only 
 fill some seventy columns of print in a minion edition : it 
 works out at something like eight hours a column in actual 
 session, exclusive of all the time spent by the individual 
 scholars in private work and in correspondence together. 
 The meetings of the three Revisers came to a much regretted 
 end when, in 1890, Cambridge lost Dr. Westcott. The two 
 worked on, and the Bishop made time to join them by post. 
 From first to last it seems they spent five years and a half 
 on each of these Books. Second Maccabees seemed hardly 
 worth all that labour, as even Dr. Moulton was half con- 
 strained to confess ; but the work was a duty, and nothing 
 on earth could induce any of the triumvirate to bate one jot 
 of the claims their conscience made on their time. The 
 Book of Wisdom was a very different matter. The translators 
 lingered lovingly over a masterpiece which repaid them for 
 any amount of toil. Three times they went over it, and even 
 then there were points reserved. Dr. Hort worked at these 
 and left notes on them : before his colleagues could consider 
 these, the great scholar had passed away. Of the transla- 
 tion, as a proof that the art of writing English prose was 
 not finally lost after 161 1, one could find much to say. 
 But a less partial and more competent witness may be cited 
 in the Times reviewer, who in a long and discriminating 
 criticism of the Revised Apocrypha (December 1895) wrote 
 thus of the Cambridge Committee's work : 
 
210 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 " The result [on Wisdom] is worthy of the time and labour so 
 ungrudgingly bestowed upon the task by three of the greatest 
 Biblical scholars of the century, and stands out as the masterpiece 
 in the volume before us. Just as in the revision of the Old 
 Testament, one of the most difficult books — we mean the Book 
 of Job — is one of the most successful portions of the work, so the 
 difficulty of the Book of Wisdom seems to have put its revisers 
 on their mettle and challenged them to exert their full strength, 
 with the most felicitous results. ... It is difficult to make 
 choice of a passage for quotation where so many lie ready to 
 hand ; but the fine description of Wisdom in ch. vii. 22 strikes us 
 as a masterpiece in translation, vigorous, terse and faithful, in 
 contrast to the somewhat inexact and paraphrastic style of the 
 Authorised Version. . . . The version is sufficiently striking in 
 itself; but its real merits can only be appreciated after a careful 
 comparison of it with the original Greek and the Authorised 
 Version. ... Of the Second Book of Maccabees it is sufficient 
 to say that it was revised by the same company of scholars who 
 undertook the Book of Wisdom ; and presents the same charac- 
 teristic of strong and skilful work." 
 
 Dr. Moulton had not done with the Apocrypha when the 
 last reluctant touches had been laid upon the Book of 
 Wisdom. The whole Apocrypha had to be seen through the 
 press by somebody. Why the "somebody" for this no- 
 body's business was sought in the Secretary of the Com- 
 mittee which had worked the longest by several years, we 
 never quite understood : we vaguely connected it with a law 
 of nature by which our father was appointed residuary 
 legatee of all the work that went begging. This matter 
 proved no sinecure. The several Committees had in many 
 points adopted different procedure, and it was not always easy 
 to recover the necessary information in a case where perhaps 
 only one active member survived from a Committee which 
 had completed its task ten years before. Even then the 
 work was not over, for the Greek readings had to be pub- 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 211 
 
 lished, and the same inexorable law of nature marked him as 
 the man for this task also. The serious part of it was that 
 the readings underlying the Authorised Version had to be 
 ascertained before the Revisers' variants could be noted. 
 Thus the Aldine, Roman, and Complutensian texts of Second 
 Maccabees and Wisdom had to be collated for him, to afford 
 a basis for this investigation. He finished this part, and 
 would doubtless have proceeded in the same style with 
 the lists of readings supplied by the other Committees, but 
 the peremptory call of the Marginal References drew him 
 away. A note now appended to the Preface of the Apocrypha 
 states that this work is abandoned since his death. 
 
 Not much space can be given to Dr. Moulton's Commen- 
 taries, the external history of which is noted elsewhere. 
 That there are only two of them is, of course, the result of 
 his prodigal expenditure of time on the School. He was at 
 various periods under promise to write on books in most 
 parts of the Bible. Thus in the "Cambridge Bible for 
 Schools " he was pledged twenty years ago to edit Nahum, 
 Habakkuk, and Thessalonians. And after the last of these 
 had been reluctantly given up he was tempted by the promise 
 of a liberal time allowance to edit Wisdom in this series, 
 and Romans in the "Cambridge Greek Testament;" and one 
 at least of these promises was only dissolved by his death. 
 He undertook to write on Wisdom for the new "Bible 
 Dictionary," but the pressure of his work in the last year or 
 two reduced his characteristic hopefulness, and he was only 
 induced by the editor's kind persistence to leave his name a 
 little longer on the contributors' list. He said to me a few 
 weeks before he died that he did not expect he should ever 
 accomplish the work. The two Commentaries he did publish 
 were achieved in days which were presumably less over- 
 laden, though we did not think at the time that more could 
 
212 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 ever be forced into the day than he contrived when the 
 School was young. Probably he never enjoyed any work 
 quite so much as his labours on St. John's Gospel with his 
 dear friend Dr. Milligan. The Fourth Gospel to him was 
 always the very holy of holies in the temple of Scripture. 
 His very last public utterance, at the Cambridge Free Church 
 Council's "Quiet Day" on January 12, 1898, was an expo- 
 sition of the great seventeenth chapter. All we know about 
 the relative share taken by the two editors in the Com- 
 mentary is included in the short note prefacing the re-issue 
 of 1898. The feature which will most strike those who use 
 this book is its extraordinary minuteness. Every detail is 
 searched for a profound significance by methods built entirely 
 on the study of St. John's work as a whole. The authors 
 anticipated the complaint of over-subtlety which is Ukely to 
 be made by many who read their work. They deliberately 
 justify it in their Introduction, and express the confidence 
 that the Gospel will itself compel faithful students to find 
 even more in it than they have done. Of course in details it 
 does not follow that conviction will always be secured, nor, 
 indeed, that the editors themselves felt equal confidence in 
 interpretations originated by each in turn. Dr. Moulton 
 was sometimes asked whether he still held to some particular 
 point, and gave the reply that Dr. Milligan had suggested it, 
 and he himself was less in favour than he had been. But 
 though internal evidence may occasionally betray the one 
 author or the other to those who intimately know their 
 habits of thought, as surely as the pretty Scotticism 
 " awanting " indicates which of them drafted a page of the 
 Introduction, the general agreement was complete. It is not 
 a little remarkable that the same broad principles of interpre- 
 tation should be so evident in the great Commentary of 
 Dr. Westcott, which appeared as the last pages of their 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 213 
 
 work were being printed off. The agreement of three such 
 scholars may at least bespeak a respectful hearing for an 
 exegesis which will seem more and more reasonable as the 
 student pursues more closely the kind of reverent and 
 minute investigation from which they developed their prin- 
 ciples. Of Dr. Moulton's continued belief in the method there 
 is evidence in notes of a series of readings he gave in a 
 devotional Greek Testament class which he took with a few 
 University men between October 1885 and March 1887. We 
 met generally for an hour a week in full term, and he went 
 minutely over the Greek text from the twelfth to the end of 
 the sixteenth chapter, on which section of the Gospel there 
 are, therefore, indications of his views as they stood when 
 he had studied Dr. Westcott's great work. There is abso- 
 lutely no trace of a changed standpoint, only an increasingly 
 sober and balanced insight into language in which he was 
 convinced there was nothing accidental, nothing that was 
 not the product of the profoundest thought and the most 
 minutely careful expression to be found in literature. 
 
 It was in these oral expositions of Scripture that he was 
 seen at his very best. Speaking directly from the untrans- 
 lated words of inspiration, to those who knew the language 
 well enough to need no elementary explanations by the way, 
 and speaking under circumstances which enabled him to 
 ignore the ordinary conditions of public utterance, he thought 
 his way aloud through the sacred text, bringing out at every 
 turn fresh light even upon that which was most familiar. 
 We learnt that in one sense familiarity is a positive obstacle 
 to the study of Holy Writ, that only when familiar words and 
 cadences are put aside, and the most rigidly exact renderings 
 secured for the immediate purpose, can one become truly 
 receptive to meanings which lie behind the obvious.* 
 * Compare Dr. Moulton's own words quoted above, p. 189. 
 
214 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Memories of his exposition of the Feet-washing are specially 
 vivid. It seems peculiarly appropriate that at the end of his 
 exposition here is found a note, recalling the whole spirit of 
 his Winer, on the " wonderful adaptation of this New Testa- 
 ment Greek for the complete and exact reflection of deep 
 thought, the gain in distinctness and plainness which it 
 secures by being more analytic, as compared with the classical 
 idiom, framed to express ideas more neatly and compactly." 
 One more work remains to be mentioned, also on ground 
 which was later on to be occupied by a kindred spirit in 
 Dr. Westcott, who had written simultaneously on St. John's 
 Gospel, and preceded him on the History of the English 
 Bible. His exposition of Hebrews, in Bishop Ellicott's "New 
 Testament Commentary for English Readers," had an ad- 
 vantage which was denied the work on St. John, until the 
 posthumous re-issue of that work in a separate form. The 
 great name of the Editor, with the excellence of the com- 
 mentaries brought together by him, accounts for the large 
 circulatiqn of a work which has lately been republished in 
 sixpenny parts to reach a yet wider circle of readers. Severe 
 limitation of space, and the almost total exclusion of detailed 
 discussion on points of special difficulty, are drawbacks to be 
 set against the advantage of a larger public. Some points 
 have already bedn mentioned from the exegesis of this Epistle, 
 the only published example we have of Dr. Moulton's indi- 
 vidual exposition. His decision in favour of ApoUos as a 
 probable author has especial interest for those who like to 
 compare God's servants of to-day with predecessors who 
 showed gifts of a similar kind. The tablet which, on the 
 wall above the spot where he used to worship, recalls " the 
 letters of his name and the number of his years," applies 
 to him the words of St. Luke in introducing ApoUos, "A 
 learned man, and he was mighty in the Scriptures; and 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 215 
 
 being fervent in spirit he taught carefully the things con- 
 cerning Jesus." 
 
 As has been already implied, work done for other scholars 
 occupied a large amount of Dr. Moulton's time. Under this 
 head should really come one book which, by no wish of his, 
 bore his name. The need of a Concordance to the modern 
 critical texts of the Greek Testament had been borne in upon 
 him often enough in researches on grammar or marginal refer- 
 ences. It was Ukely therefore that he would encourage any 
 one who ventured to face the colossal labour involved. The 
 volunteer presented himself in the person of the Rev. A. S. 
 Geden, son of an Old Testament Reviser, and himself a 
 successor of Dr. Moulton's in the Classical Tutorship at 
 Richmond College. The guarantee of the Editor of Winer 
 induced Messrs. T. and T. Clark to confer yet another boon 
 on Biblical students by the publication of this extremely 
 costly worL Dr. Moulton had always intended to make this 
 guarantee eflfective by carrying out a rigid test ; but the proofs 
 had only just begun to come in — far too fast for him to keep 
 pace with them — when he was suddenly prostrated by the 
 stroke which warned him, all too ineffectually, that he must 
 learn how to rest awhile. In the inception of the work he had 
 helped with plentiful counsel; and now, when it proved impos- 
 sible to remove his name from a work for which he felt he had 
 not done enough, he was eager to do whatever he could upon 
 the final proofs, and accomplished much in the last stage. 
 
 It would be difficult, and hardly worth while,, to draw up a full 
 list of the books which he read in manuscript or in proof, and 
 enriched with his suggestions. Were such a list made out, 
 it would convey but a weak impression of the quantity of 
 labour he would gladly give to others. The grateful words 
 of his friend Mr. Scott Lidgett, in the Preface to his Fernley 
 Lecture on the Atonement (1897) are an expression of 
 
2i6 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 feelings shared by many. " To Dr. Moulton I am deeply 
 indebted for the care with which he read my manuscript^ 
 and for the invaluable suggestions he made. It is due to 
 his generous encouragement that I have been enabled to 
 complete the book at this time, and in its present form. At 
 every critical stage of my active life his guidance has been 
 unfailing, and by it, more than by any other human 
 influence, the course of my ministerial work has been 
 shaped." A few days after his death a letter arrived from 
 South Africa with a request that he would examine sheets 
 of a projected Biblical work which would be sent to him 
 every month till all were ready for press ; and the enclosure 
 of the first sheet illustrated how he had accustomed his 
 friends to take his help for granted. Some quotations have 
 already been made from the voluminous collection of letters 
 he wrote to Professor Findlay while studying his friend's 
 notes on Thessalonians in the "Cambridge Bible for 
 Schools." I cannot leave out here my own indebtedness, 
 for my experience better than anything else enables me to 
 understand how much this work for others meant. Even 
 letters to the newspapers were not too trivial for his careful 
 consideration ; and when it came to work on the Greek of 
 the New Testament, I am almost ashamed to think how much 
 of his precious time I absorbed. The knowledge, however, 
 that on many subjects I have his endorsement of opinions 
 originally evolved to a greater or less extent out of his 
 teaching, will be of great importance in any future efforts that 
 may be made to glean a little more of the rich harvest of his 
 mind. 
 
 The foregoing pages describe all the published work by 
 which he is known. Whether the addition of two or three 
 prefaces and occasional fragments would make it a complete 
 record of all that came from his pen, we can hardly tell. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 217 
 
 There is a posthumous paper of his on the Communion of 
 Saints, written in 1883, which was published in the London 
 Qttarterly Review for April 1 899. Twice he contributed to the 
 Expository Times, and the first of these contributions is only 
 an answer to a query about the margins of the R. V. (vol. v. 
 1894, p. 239), which is cited almost entire above.* The 
 other, in the same volume (p. 247), was a nine-column notice of 
 his dear friend and colleague, Dr. Milligan, from which have 
 been already cited some characteristic words. Allusion is 
 made elsewhere to most of the official utterances which may 
 be found reported in the Methodist papers of his Presidential 
 year. The mere attempt to catalogue these opera minora 
 demonstrates better than anything else how exclusively any 
 estimate of his scholarship must rest upon the works we 
 have been endeavouring to describe in detail. They would 
 make a poor show, certainly, if weighed in a grocer's scale 
 against the productions of many a scholar with half his 
 learning. But their quality will be a lasting memorial of the 
 busy teacher whose indomitable industry wrung time for 
 them out of a life always over-full. 
 
 From what Dr. Moulton wrote we turn to what he thought 
 on some of the subjects on which the readers of this book will 
 probably value his opinion. It is not an easy thing to define 
 these opinions of his where no written words survive to indi- 
 cate them; and readers are asked to remember throughout 
 that where quotations are not available, it may not always be 
 possible to detach his opinions from the writer's own. The 
 task is made harder by the insensible way in which he 
 moulded the views of those most in contact with him. We 
 never expected to hear an ipse dixit — there were few sub- 
 jects on which he thought himself qualified to pronounce one. 
 
 * P. 188, note. 
 
21 8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 When with the superb certainty which is the prerogative 
 of youth we laid down emphatic judgments on men and 
 things, his question was always whether we had studied the 
 subject. Sometimes we flattered ourselves we had, and the 
 query was somewhat disconcerting, though it was as far as 
 possible from wearing the guise of an extinguisher. He 
 would generally, like another Socrates, declare that he had 
 not studied the subject sufficiently to dogmatise upon it, 
 though a short conversation would reveal that if his study 
 had been scanty according to his ideas, it was twice as much 
 as would have sufficed to make most men very positive 
 indeed. If, therefore, we insensibly drifted into his views, 
 it was not because we bowed to his authority. His authority 
 convinced far less than his reasoning: if we accepted his 
 principles, it was because the results which flowed from 
 them were so convincing. His convictions on central truths 
 were solid as the rock, so solid that he did not seem to fight 
 •for them, as if he had some fear of their being overthrown : 
 rather he seemed to assume them, and to be concerned 
 only with demonstrating to others how reasonable they were. 
 It will be natural to begin with his views on subjects 
 Biblical and theological. What did he think of the Bible 
 itself ? Up to a certain point his opinions on problems raised 
 by criticism are clear enough, and might almost be deduced 
 without information from a good knowledge of his mind and 
 character. A combination of intense reverence with fearless 
 faith determined his attitude towards modern work on the 
 Bible. He was most anxious to defer as long as possible all 
 open strife within the Church upon these questions. " Give 
 them time " was here again his motto. Time would make 
 clearer how much of the new views is permanent, and how 
 far and in what direction the beliefs of the Church are 
 affected by them. To adopt the words of a letter to the 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 219 
 
 press which was submitted to him (in 1892) before publica- 
 tion, and very warmly endorsed : 
 
 " Criticism is only just coming into the position which Evolution 
 has long occupied in the minds of Christian thinkers. First con- 
 ceived to be fatal to any doctrine of the supernatural, it is now 
 almost a truism that Evolution, properly understood, leaves 
 Revelation just where it was, or, rather, arms it with new weapons. 
 Even so, Criticism is now being taken out of the hands of those 
 who deny the supernatural, and reverent Christian scholars are 
 showing that its best estabhshed results are perfectly consonant 
 with a firm and enlightened belief in inspiration." 
 
 In expressing his approval of this letter, Dr. Moulton 
 wrote : 
 
 " I sent your letter on without change. Except, indeed, 
 that I emphasised ^properly understood^ in your sentence on 
 Evolution. On this subject I think you judge the world by 
 yourself. I do not think you suspect how many are attracted 
 to full-blown evolution by their fancy that evolution elimi- 
 nates a Creator." 
 
 It was in fact reverence that he required, both in science 
 and in criticism, and when that was ensured he had no fear. 
 He was intensely anxious that the problems of the Old 
 Testament should be earnestly and systematically handled 
 by evangelical scholars. Writing to Professor Findlay on 
 questions affecting the Wesleyan Theological Colleges, 
 shortly before his Presidential year, he says : 
 
 " I want condensation, if possible, that we may do our 
 duty to the advancing currents of study and thought. How 
 shall we provide more and more for the combination of 
 research and thorough teaching ? Would it not be of price- 
 less value to have (through the plan of fewer and larger 
 Colleges and enlarged staff) one or two men of the calibre of 
 
220 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 our tutors set apart for Old Testament study just now? 
 Are we to wait for the Church of England, whose professors 
 may or may not have true evangelical belief and experience 
 joined with their scholarship, whose influence on half 
 England may be destroyed by their devotion to a sacerdotal 
 system ? " 
 
 His personal position is well summed up in a letter to 
 Dr. Milligan, dated March 20, 1892 : 
 
 " I have had many an anxious thought, since I saw you, 
 on the Old Testament critical theories. I am not anxious 
 for myself; though often puzzled, I can wait in absolute 
 confidence for more light and clearer vision. But I fear 
 many will, to their own great loss, feel the unsettling influ- 
 ences of the period of suspense. How is it with your world 
 of theological students ? " 
 
 From these indications it will be easily understood that Dr. 
 Moulton gave a cordial general welcome to the work of such 
 scholars as Dr. Driver and his own friend Dr. H. E. Ryle. 
 One of our cherished memories of summer holidays is that 
 of Sunday evenings in Devonshire, where no chapel service 
 could be reached, when he read us some of Driver's 
 " Sermons," published as a companion to the same writer's 
 masterly " Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testa- 
 ment." It is hard to say how far he accepted critical results 
 in detail. Some attempt to gather up obiter dicta will be 
 made below; but in general it is safe to assume that he 
 declined to express opinions as not having given the subject 
 sufficient study to satisfy his exacting standard. Some kinds 
 of criticism he disliked strongly — the arbitrary subjective 
 criticism which argues from personal intuitions as from 
 ascertained facts, or the arrogant a priori method which 
 starts from the denial of the miraculous, and then seeks 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 221 
 
 specious reasons for the support of a predetermined judg- 
 ment. He had a horror of the petitio prindpii, especially 
 when advanced in favour of what he himself believed. His 
 test of a new theory was not " To what does it lead ? " but 
 " Is it proved to be true ? " Hence blunders in matters of 
 fact, by partisan champions of orthodoxy, disturbed him far 
 more than any number of revolutionary hypotheses. A 
 vehement controversialist strove to support the Mosaic 
 authorship of Deuteronomy with an argument based on a 
 notorious blunder of the Authorised Version, and another in 
 a similar cause wrested Greek after a manner common a 
 century ago, but now happily obsolete. He was acutely 
 distressed ; the Truth was being wounded in the house of her 
 friends, where she could receive injuries severer than any 
 her foes could inflict. He had not a particle of the contro- 
 versialist in him. He was penetrated with St. John's great 
 teaching that the one duty of Truth's lovers is to witness, to 
 tell what they have seen and heard ; and to such a man the 
 one thing to be feared is not defeat in argument, but the 
 peril of being betrayed by carelessness or partisanship into 
 false witness, even in a matter where others might think 
 the error trifling. 
 
 The materials are too scanty for anything like an adequate 
 survey of Dr. Moulton's views on Old Testament difficulties, 
 but there is one instructive passage in a letter (December 
 1895) to Professor Findlay, when returning proofs of the 
 Preface to his friend's " Books of the Prophets." 
 
 " The only thought I miss here ... is one which it is not 
 easy to express, but which is important. I refer to the 
 difference between Eastern and Western notions of 'author- 
 ship.' Surely comparative evidence shows us that expanding 
 and explaining additions were not considered by Jewish 
 
222 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 editors as contravening faithfulness. If so, then the inclusion 
 of such additions with the original work is not always to be 
 looked on as a testimony from the editor that the work he 
 presents is vouched for by him as one and untouched. Even 
 then, as you say, an editor is ' not infalUble' in his judgment. 
 But if the principle [holds] of a different view of ' authorship,' 
 then what lies before us in the Hebrew texts is not neces- 
 sarily an editorial testimony (to unity) at all." 
 
 Apart from this quotation, there is hardly anything else on 
 the subject which can be given in his own words;* and in a 
 matter where so much depends on the wording of an opinion, 
 it is more than usually unfair to rely on recollections. He 
 would insist on the fragmentary character of the early narra- 
 tives, which left room for supplements we cannot attempt to 
 restore. He freely allowed for errors in transmission, 
 especially of numbers. And in many places he would 
 transfer a question to the interpreter's department, showing, 
 for instance, that the problem of Jonah is not whether the 
 events actually took place or not, but whether the author 
 originally meant his book to be history or allegory. In the 
 case of Jonah, though the conversation of which the drift is 
 given took place some eight years ago, it may be stated that 
 he did not at any rate reject the allegorical view, and that 
 he mentioned the history of the interpretation of Hosea 
 (i.-iii.) as to some extent parallel. 
 
 Dr. Moulton's qualifications as a peace-maker in this case, 
 
 * The following obiter dicta on points of this kind may be of interest. 
 Writing to Dr. MilUgan, he observes (on John xiii. i8) : "I think the' 
 Davidic authorship of the Psalm [xli.] probable enough to be referred to, is- 
 it not ? " Similarly in his Commentary on Hebrews he speaks of David in 
 connection with the eighth Psalm, and notes that " many of the arguments 
 urged against the possible reference [of Ps. xlv.] to Solomon have no great 
 weight " ; while he seems to lean to a post-exilic date for Pss. xxii. and 
 cxviii., and a time at any rate later than David for Ps. xcv. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 223 
 
 as in so many controversies, may be well seen from the notes 
 of an address delivered in 1892, before Canon Fremantle's 
 " Christian Conference." The rarity of impartial views 
 makes apology unnecessary if quotation is made where the 
 notes are full enough to permit it. He prefaces his " Thoughts 
 on Present Discontents " by speaking of the entire change in 
 the situation which had been brought in by the appearance 
 of a new spirit in Biblical criticism : 
 
 "As long as the Higher Criticism seemed to be in the 
 hands of extremists, there was little alarm. A criticism 
 which assumed as a postulate that all narratives of Scripture 
 which involved the miraculous were ipso facto stamped as 
 unhistorical, could be set aside at once, was set aside with 
 ease, by those who refused to make the assumption. But 
 the case is widely different when the Higher Criticism comes 
 in so as to sever men who have held and still hold in common 
 the great doctrines of the Christian religion. Those who 
 accept the newer teaching claim to have changed in no 
 essential point : their co-religionists declare that the change 
 annuls the earlier belief in doctrines admitted on both sides 
 to be of vital moment. Meanwhile, others who do not 
 carefully discriminate receive the impression that among 
 Christians there is hopeless difference of view, that nothing 
 is sure, that truth is unattainable ; and thus they drift away 
 from the Church and are lost to our sight. 
 
 " The controversy is raging fiercely. The combatants are 
 sincere and conscientious men. Each side believes that 
 great principles are at stake. Each is led to hurl epithets 
 at his opponents, to impugn motives, to suspect the existence 
 of principles not expressed ; and, though each may set out 
 with an acknowledgment of the Cl\ristian honour of his 
 antagonist, the end of the discussion finds a state of feeling 
 
224 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 widely diverse. This ought not so to be. Where is each 
 wrong?" he asks, "and how may we be kept from perpe- 
 tuating the blunders already made ? 
 
 " Not by belittling the controversy itself. We shall gain 
 nothing but shall lose infinitely by being insincere to our- 
 selves. The points at issue are of great moment, and neither 
 party can give way without clear conviction. It was said of 
 one great man, that when a difficulty was found in a doctrine, 
 his tendency was to say, 'Cannot we do without it?' I 
 dispute the justice in that particular case ; but there is such 
 a type of man. The arrogant dogmatist is unpleasant ; the 
 molluscous divine still more so. We cannot believe alike in 
 all points of Christian doctrine, and the recollection of 
 differences may well tone down the positiveness of our 
 language. But each one must be faithful to his own con- 
 victions of truth: earnest in search, candid and open-minded, 
 he must be firm when he has surveyed the ground and taken 
 his position — firm until convinced of error." 
 
 He proceeds to formulate his characteristic eirenicon : 
 
 " I do not plead for an india-rubber creed. But I do plead 
 that each side is bound to a frank recognition of, following a 
 heart's belief in, the Christian sincerity and devout earnestness 
 of the opposite side in the controversy. Surely even in 
 politics considerations of character may make our judgments 
 less severe. I may be unable to see how the Plan of Cam- 
 paign can for a moment be defended, or how any one can 
 extenuate the iniquity of a policy of coercion ; but if I 
 remember that my friend, whose tried character and firm 
 Christian principles make him a safe and trusted counsellor in 
 all points of ordinary life, takes a view diametrically opposed 
 to mine, may I not — am I not bound to — believe that there 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 225 
 
 cannot be such manifest and flagrant iniquity in either 
 measure as I might have been led to suppose, had I had 
 no evidence of this contrary belief? I am not a whit 
 relieved from the duty of trying to persuade my friend out 
 of his error, nor is he at liberty to leave me in my delusion. 
 But we are both relieved from the duty and possibility of 
 declaring the policy we respectively dislike to be bound up 
 with all kinds of terrible implications and to have solidarity 
 with every evil. 
 
 "Such recognition of Christian earnestness and fidelity 
 goes very far towards solving the problem that is before us 
 to-day. Each party has forgotten that the opposing hosts 
 stand face to face on the level plain. Each has rebuked the 
 other from a lofty height. Christian humility has been for- 
 gotten in the heat of warfare, and charity has fled wounded 
 out of the field." 
 
 There follow impartial rebukes addressed to the extremists 
 on both sides : 
 
 " The advocates of the newer views have, in the nature of 
 things, begun the battle. They have been conscious of right 
 motives and of fidelity to truth. They have reached con- 
 clusions which difier widely from views in which they had 
 themselves been trained. In many cases the old opinions 
 as to authorship, date, integrity of books, as to character- 
 istics and developments of national institutions, as to order 
 of events and the internal spirit of history, have not been 
 resigned without a struggle. But in the bracing air of a 
 higher position they grow strong, ignore the past, forget their 
 own surprise and struggle, and, animated by the spirit of the 
 age, trusting the methods and the genius of the nineteenth 
 century, they bear upon their former companions with an 
 eagerness which verges on intolerance for any belief except 
 
 p 
 
226 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 their own. I have known one at least, who, having advanced 
 to a third stage, seemed to have little mercy or consideration 
 for those who held the opinions which he himself had held 
 but a few months before, when in the second stage of his 
 progress. This intolerance is very natural, but it is not the 
 less harmful. Nor is this the only point in which the 
 cnampions of the newer views have injured their cause. 
 
 "They have ascribed opposition met with to ignorance 
 and prejudice. They have ignored deep and solid learning, 
 and, still more, the tender and strong and reverent love of 
 the doctrines which seemed to be impugned. It is not given 
 to every one to move quickly. When a cherished belief in 
 what all upon the field agree to hold as fundamental truth 
 has for centuries seemed to carry with it certain consequent 
 beliefs, an attack on the latter seems to be an attack on the 
 former also. In the conflict the defenders of the complex 
 creed do not see that it is not indivisible. The vigour of the 
 attack prevents calmness of examination. The fear expressed 
 is real, the reverence real. And if the truth is with the new, 
 the defenders of the old will see that they have wrongly 
 joined together divine truth and human inference." 
 
 Noscitur a sociis is another principle explaining the alarm 
 produced by criticism : 
 
 " The assailants have often lost sight of the fact that the 
 views they advocate have been maintained by men who have 
 followed principles which they themselves in all sincerity 
 disclaim. A man who believes definite prediction impossible 
 must separate the two portions of Isaiah. Is it unnatural 
 for many to believe that those who divide Isaiah have been 
 more or less influenced by those who are repelled by a pre- 
 dictive element? The suspicion may be unjust; but is it 
 unnatural ? Those who would teach must be patient ; this 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 227 
 
 is a case in which the adage is true, that much will come to 
 the man who can wait. Respect for opponents, recognition 
 of their difGculties, trustful patience, would have warded off 
 many, most of the difEculties of which progressives com- 
 plain." 
 
 He then turns upon the conservatives : 
 
 "No less faulty have been the defenders of established 
 views. They have refused (practically) to believe in the 
 Christian fidelity of their foes. ' Infidel ' and ' rationalist ' 
 have been epithets ready to their hand, to hurl at those 
 whose conclusions were different from their own. Because 
 they could not see how newer theories could be harmonised 
 with a hearty belief in the inspiration of Scripture, they 
 accuse their opponents of giving up the inspired book. They 
 have practically forgotten that others equally with themselves 
 have maintained devoted and reverent loyalty to the Lord 
 Christ. They have ignored the love of truth which has com- 
 pelled their brethren to change their position. Whatsoever 
 is not of faith is sin in the Christian's conduct ; whatsoever 
 is not of faith is dead in the Christian's store of doctrine. 
 At all risks and hazards Christians must be faithful to the 
 truth, as it has shown itself to them. This is no argument 
 for rashness and readiness to innovate. But I have no right 
 to charge my Christian brother with a desire to unsettle the 
 faith of others when he promulgates new views of truth. 
 
 " These are the conclusions we draw as we watch the 
 battle. These conclusions must be our rule and guide when 
 we join one or the other side." 
 
 At this point the verbatim notes unfortunately come to an 
 end, and there is only a skeleton of the rest of the address. 
 The speaker urged that between such combatants the points 
 at issue were important but not vital, and that each side 
 
228 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 would influence the other, and probably find truth lying 
 between them : 
 
 " The old will not extinguish the new ; the new will not 
 escape modification through the influence of the old. So 
 much it is safe to predict, no more. I may have views as to 
 degree, but we are now impartially surveying both sides." 
 
 He goes on to show how great has been the gain from the 
 labours of criticism, which has sought to frame each divine 
 word in history, to catch the full adaptation and interpreta- 
 tion of God's message to the time, to trace the progress of 
 the divine life in the world, and to promote keen analysis 
 and close study of the Word. Let combatants from both 
 sides find common ground in the reverent study of the com- 
 paratively quiet places of Scripture, and so nurture their 
 faith. Such are the Old Testament Prophets, whom criticism 
 has brought out into bold relief — St. Paul, who has never 
 been so clearly seen as now — and St. John, with his message 
 than which nothing is more satisfying. So can devout 
 students realise more than ever the living power of Scripture, 
 and a time of peril be turned into a time of great gain. 
 
 Passing on to his own views on the general theory of 
 Scripture, it is almost superfluous to say that he did not hold 
 the doctrine of mechanical or verbal inspiration. Nor did he 
 ever declare in favour of inerrancy. But it would have been 
 hard to get him to acknowledge an error in a New Testament 
 writer as proved. His unwillingness does not seem to have 
 arisen from an a priori conviction that errors could not be ; 
 rather, minute study had convinced him that the documents 
 Vrere trustworthy, and if trifling discrepancies were pointed 
 out he would simply reply that completer knowledge of the 
 details might very well remove the contradiction. In the 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 229 
 
 Gospels he held the view that the Lord frequently repeated 
 identical teaching under different conditions, or repeated it 
 with designed alterations. His letters to Dr. Milligan during 
 the preparation of their work on St, John betray more than 
 once his anxiety not to let the general reader doubt the 
 perfect accuracy of the Apostle's report of his Master's 
 words. Thus, remarking on a draft of Dr. Milligan's which 
 he was returning, he writes : 
 
 "The sentence, '. . . not detailed precisely as he [St. 
 John] knew that they occurred,' is very ambiguous. I think 
 you mean only that the record is incomplete, selective; but 
 readers wiU understand you to mean altered. It is not 
 enough for me to think that the evangelist has caught the 
 ' dominating idea,' and has moulded the words accordingly : 
 I believe that (o) the resultant impression of the recorded 
 discourse is exactly that of the spoken words; (/3) the 
 recorded words are all actual words. . . . 
 
 " Have we not a persistent — which will seem a studious — 
 omission of the thought of inspiration? I know we are 
 compeUed to argue on lower ground, but we occupy higher 
 in our own convictions. All our annotations are pervaded 
 by the assumption of a spiritual influence enabling the 
 evangelist thus perfectly to record the words and deeds of 
 bis Master, and to present (as in the Prologue) the very 
 truth. I press for no more than a word or two, or a phrase 
 or two, that will show that we ourselves keep this truth 
 always before us, though in defensive warfare we must go to 
 other ground." 
 
 Closely akin to this is his treatment of the symbolism in 
 St. John. As any reader of Dr. Milligan's works on the 
 Apocalypse knows well, that great scholar was a constant 
 upholder of the symbolic method of interpretation. Here it 
 
230 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 would seem Dr. Moulton did not always go with him, partly 
 because he feared that the insistence upon symbolism might 
 make the reader suspicious as to the literal historicity of the 
 narrative. Thus, in a letter dated September 30, 1876: 
 
 " I have thought much on the hour question, and have 
 decided, for my part, that St. John does adopt a different 
 time-reckoning. You will not object? I accept the sym-» 
 holism, but as added to the historical statement" 
 
 On another occasion, arguing against what seemed an 
 undue pressure of the allegorical method in chapter zxi., he 
 writes: 
 
 " You expect the whole thickness of your spear to make 
 its way at once into the body you aim at. In other words, 
 I hope you will see it desirable to put the symbolical 
 treatment into one note, at the end of the narrative. I see 
 that you won't let ey^n me know what you make of the 153 ! 
 I cannot see that you conquer the difficulty of the ' fire of 
 coals.' I really want to have the symbolism of the Gospel 
 much more fully received. I have no right to set up my 
 convictions of prudence as infallible, and do not wish to do 
 so, but I am morally certain that a much more guileful 
 procedure is needed to accomplish our end ! " 
 
 Apparently this Pauline policy of taking the readers by 
 guile was adopted. They were not, however, asked to see in 
 153 a multiplication of mystic numbers. It may be added 
 here that in the exposition of Scripture neither Dr. Moulton 
 nor the fellow workers with whom he had most in common 
 were ever hampered by their theological or ecclesiastical 
 views. Those views were in each case conscientious deducr 
 tions from Scripture ; but, however strongly they held them, 
 they seem to have instinctively shrunk from allowing their 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 23 1 
 
 inferences to colour their translation or direct interpretation 
 of the sacred text. Dr. Milligan was a Calvinist, besides 
 being as much of a " High Churchman " as a Presbyterian 
 well could be ; but the difference in their standpoint did not 
 trouble the workers on St. John. Writing on St. John xii.. 
 Dr. Moulton says to his colleague : 
 
 " I am perhaps a little more sensitive as to verses 32, 33, 
 because some more hasty than thoughtful reviewer is sure to 
 discover some peculiarity owing to our * differing theological 
 systems ' ! Now we have never in the slightest degree 
 differed in any point of theology affecting our exegesis, and 
 we don't here. I only want the note to express unmistak- 
 ably the view we jointly hold." 
 
 To him, as to many of his colleagues on the Revision 
 Company, few memories of the meetings in the Jerusalem 
 Chamber were more precious than those which recalled the 
 absolute sinking of dogmatic and ecclesiastical differences in 
 the common inquiry into the meaning of the Divine Word. 
 
 This short sketch of his opinions on Biblical questions 
 may be fitly closed with an extract from one of the last 
 letters to Dr. Milligan, dated March 20, 1892, and written — 
 as the mere fact of its being dated is almost enough to show 
 — in a leisurely style very different from his usual hurried 
 and business-like compression : 
 
 "Dear Dr. Milligan, — Having written your name, I 
 linger, pen in hand, doubtful what to say next, a confession 
 that might seem not very complimentary to you I But as I 
 venture to think that — with a different application — Keble's 
 line of ' Hearts ' that ' are of each other sure ' may be claimed 
 by you and me, I shall not explain away my words. If 
 you were one of those painful individuals who keep letters 
 
2 32 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 received, and compare them, I fear there would be found a 
 distressing sameness in the early sentences of my letters. 
 And naturally. My love of writing to you never diminishes, 
 my whirl of engrossing occupations continually grows 
 giddier : what, then, can the result be but what it is ? Only 
 this time there is more to confess. In your goodness you 
 sent me a book, the thought of which as it was growing 
 into shape was often in my mind. I did not thank you at 
 once, and therefore waited till I could say I had finished the 
 reading of what you had written. But I haven't ! Now 
 then you will understand from what depths I write this 
 evening. I doubt whether I have ever lived so much with 
 you in thought as lately. Your new book fascinates me — 
 but more of this when I have been able to read the whole. 
 The subjects in the air are such as I should have been 
 thankful indeed to talk over with you, in walks such as I 
 delight to recollect in past times and to look forward to in 
 some quieter period of the future. You wrote about Schtlrer's 
 article on St John.* At first that seemed formidable, but 
 the adversary when faced seemed to me to lose all serious 
 power for mischief. The article strove to be fair, but was 
 not, as I think ; its strongest points owed their strength to a 
 (no doubt unconscious) exaggeration of difference and mini- 
 mising of agreement. The chief unfairness was shown, as I 
 think, in the ' Messiahship ' portion of his argument. But 
 the article f may seem ' ancient history ' now. Sanday's last 
 article, with its appendix from Hort, disturbs me much 
 more, though I have not had time to think of it very 
 carefully. I should like very much to know what you think 
 of the Johannine articles generally of the past eight months. 
 You speak of our divergence in Johannine criticism. Surely 
 that is very limited ? Does it go beyond this : You believe 
 * In the Contemporary Review, Sept. 1891. t Oct. 1891. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 233 
 
 that the Gospel .exhibits largely the ' subjectivity ' of the 
 Apostle John ; and I add to this that the Apostle John's whole 
 nature — ^he being what he was — could hardly fail to be 
 moulded by Him whom he of all the apostles best understood, 
 to whom he of all the apostles came nearest. It seems to me 
 that a high, deep, receptive nature could not live in close 
 contact with One whose unique greatness was appreciated 
 and felt without such a result. There must be four con- 
 ditions : appreciation, closeness of contact, receptivity, depth, 
 with a certain (natural, but quickened) sympathy and like- 
 ness. In which of the apostles were these in the same 
 degree, and which of these elements was wanting in St. John ? 
 This is the impression made on me ; and hence, whilst adding 
 to your view, I practically subtract largely, and see in the 
 Gospel — or think I see — as near an approach to a portraiture 
 by intrinsic light as I can conceive possible. I find the 
 impression confirmed by the results won through as exact a 
 following of words and phrases as I am capable of. Nothing 
 leaves on me so powerful an impression of perfection as does 
 the language of this Gospel. Just as you may intensify 
 microscopic power and only discover more wonders in 
 natural objects, so one learns more and more fully to place 
 confidence in all minutiae, humbly following each slight 
 variation, every new turn of expression, sure that the general 
 result will be to find harmony more and more visibly com- 
 plete. This conclusion has been forced on me — by the 
 process itself. In proportion as I have patiently and humbly 
 followed the letter, the spirit has seemed to reveal itself more 
 and more clearly. I am not doubting that much that I have 
 said applies to other Scripture, and that this is one part of its 
 self-evidencing power to man. But here, surely, we have the 
 highest degree. Tell me if you think I am wild and extra- 
 vagant in this. At all events, I believe your practice is on 
 
234 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 my side, whatever your theory may be. But I must not 
 
 weary you * It is terrible to think that Mrs. Moulton 
 
 and I have to leave in about three weeks for America. How 
 the intervening work is to be done I know not, and cannot 
 imagine. We hope to touch English ground again on 
 May 23. Is there any chance of our meeting in the summer ? 
 I doubt whether we shall get to Scotland, painful as it is to 
 me to say this. With warmest messages of affection to 
 
 ^ ' " Yours as ever, 
 
 "Wm. F. Moulton." 
 
 By a natural transition we turn to Dr. Moulton's ecclesi- 
 astical position. The warmth of his friendships outside his 
 own Church, and the eagerness with which he threw himself 
 into everything which brought Christians together, might 
 suggest that he was a latitudinarian in ecclesiastical questions, 
 disposed to spread out thin over other Churches the afiection 
 most men keep for their own. Nothing could be further 
 from the truth. He never forgot for an instant that he was 
 a Methodist preacher, and the son, grandson and great-great- 
 grandson of Methodist preachers. His loyalty to the Church 
 of his birth and his convictions was touching in its intensity. 
 The doctrines, the polity, the hagiography of Wesleyan 
 Methodism were shrined alike in his heart and in his head. 
 He trusted the disposal of his own services implicitly to his 
 brethren as to the voice of Providence for him, and never 
 allowed his own wishes to interfere in the least with their 
 decisions in his case. His influence in the Conference and 
 in committees was naturally very great, and was always a 
 moderating force, which by its quiet reasonableness and 
 absolute absence of partisanship told powerfuUy when keen 
 and eloquent debaters failed to win votes. In ecclesiastical 
 * Here come vrords cited above, pw aao. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 235 
 
 politics, as in everjrthing else, he was a strong Progressive, 
 but of so solid and cautious a kind that the stiflfest Conserva- 
 tives trusted and sometimes even followed him. 
 
 Dr. Moulton's differenaes from his friends in the Estab- 
 lished Church come out strongly in his views on the Christian 
 Ministry. It was to him no order, with sacramental functions 
 and dignity, presiding by divine right over the Church of 
 Christ. Rather was it an office, of immense importance, 
 transcending . other offices mainly because the Christian 
 minister gives the whole instead of a part of his time to 
 the work of the Church. The view is expressed in a letter 
 to Professor Findlay, which accompanied proofs of the latter's 
 Commentary on Ephesians. On ch. iv. 1 1 he observes : 
 
 " I fully agree with your exposition of and inferences from 
 fiixpt* But with one practical difference. I think you 
 overlook one most important difference between layman 
 and true cleric — that resulting from the complete devotion of 
 time, &c., possible and demanded in the case of the minister. 
 This does not touch the point you make (after St. Paul), 
 that the distinction is economic and temporary. But the 
 practical point is most important. How miserable a failure 
 then is a worldly-minded, business-absorbed minister ! " 
 
 His year of office as President of the Conference gave him 
 occasions for emphasising his lofty view of the responsibility 
 of the Christian minister. At the beginning, during the 
 session of the Bristol Conference of 1890, it was his duty 
 to hold what is known as the President's " private examina- 
 tion " of the candidates for ordination, who had been in the 
 work as probationers for four years, and were to be ordained 
 on the last day of July. He took us entirely by ourselves, and 
 none are likely to forget the solemnity, the sympathy and 
 * See Findlay's Ephesians (in "Expositor's Bible "), p. 245. 
 
236 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 the helpfulness of his words as he showed us how the familiar 
 precepts of John Wesley's "Twelve Rules of a Helper" 
 adapted themselves to the varied needs of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury. At the end of the year, at the Nottingham Conference of 
 1891, he gave the usual ex-President's Ordination Charge,* 
 portions of which are quoted elsewhere, showing how he 
 brought out and based on Scripture the general Free Church, 
 and especially the Wesleyan, view of the Church and the 
 Ministry. The Charge was a close exposition of 2 Corin- 
 thians iv. 1-6, and was thoroughly characteristic of his 
 method in preaching : the text was not a mere peg on which 
 to hang the preacher's own opinions, but a carefully selected 
 section to which the student brought his microscope, to find 
 in it the instruction needed for the occasion. But it was 
 not only instruction of which he was thinking. Behind the 
 teacher's enthusiasm lay the true Methodist preacher's thirst 
 for souls, which comes out intensely in words near the close, 
 worthy of being quoted to sum up a chapter dealing mostly 
 with the activities of the study. 
 
 "Your ministry leads you, brethren, into the midst of 
 these men, redeemed by your Saviour, but going to destruc- 
 tion. The final word of doom is not yet spoken. Our 
 Gospel may be seen by the darkening eye. But there is no 
 time to waste. The moments are precious. For the love of 
 Christ rescue the perishing ! In the sight of God seek those 
 who are lost, all but finally lost. And if you cannot — if in 
 the case of some your Gospel prove to have been altogether 
 veiled, oh may your mourning be mingled at least with one 
 assuaging thought, that your unfaithfulness did not cause 
 their ruin, that you have commended yourselves to every 
 man's conscience in the sight of God ! " 
 
 * " We Preach not Ourselves," London, C. H. Kelly, 1891. 
 
BIBLICAL WORK AND OPINIONS 237 
 
 There are other fields of knowledge and of life in which 
 Dr. Moulton's mind could be described with more or less 
 fulness from the recollections of those who knew him best. 
 But perhaps it is well to stop here. The words just quoted 
 take us into the centre of all his thoughts. It was not given 
 to him to plead with the masses in the crowded mission hall, 
 or in the streets and lanes of the city, like many of his 
 younger brethren whose privileges he would have envied, 
 had envy come near such a spirit. None the less was he 
 always a soul-winner, and every ambition was centred on 
 this. " He that is wise winneth souls," wins them for his 
 Master through winning them to himself. And few there 
 were who came in contact with him without his making an 
 absolute conquest of them. So it was that in teaching all 
 manner of " secular " subjects, in supervising the work and 
 play of his school, in counselling the industrious and disci- 
 plining the unruly, he " won " the souls which were uncon- 
 sciously prepared to yield not to the words but to the man 
 when he pleaded with them to accept the Lord who was all 
 in all to him. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 
 
 The President of the Wesleyan Conference occupies a post 
 which is in many respects unlike any other. It is an ofiSce 
 for which there is no nomination, unless it be the bare fact 
 of a minister's having received a substantial vote in the 
 previous year, neither is there any canvassing, beyond the 
 free discussion in conversation concerning the relative fitness 
 of leading ministers, nor, it may be added, any pecuniary 
 remuneration. Any member of the Legal Hundred — of 
 which in theory the Conference consists — is eligible for 
 election if he is present at the opening session, and all are 
 present unless detained by sickness or some other imperative 
 necessity. When he is elected, the position of the Wesleyan 
 President differs considerably from that of the Chairman of 
 the Congregational Union or of the Baptist Union, a differ- 
 ence arising from the fact that the Conference is legislative 
 and administrative and not merely deliberative. During his 
 year of office, from the close of the Conference to the election 
 of his successor at the next, he is the supreme executive 
 authority and not only exercises the influence which is his 
 by virtue of his personal worth, but also wields the concen- 
 trated authority of the Church, although it is open to him to 
 summon the ex-Presidents as a consultative body in cases 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 239 
 
 where he is unwilling to take upon himself the sole respon- 
 sibility for action. 
 
 It is not claiming too much to say that Dr. Moulton might 
 have been President earlier had he been free to take the 
 office. At a remarkably early age he had been elected into 
 the Legal Hundred in 1872, and several years before 1890 
 he had received so large a vote for the Presidency that the 
 Governors of the School, fearing the effect of his election 
 upon The Leys, requested ministers in the interests of the 
 School not to vote for him for some years. As it was, in 
 consequence of the School term continuing for some ten 
 days after the opening of the Conference, he was very rarely 
 in his place at the opening session. But if any one had 
 urged him to attend at the beginning so that he might be 
 eligible for election, he would with difficulty have been 
 brought to believe that his brethren wished to place him in 
 the chair. When he did attend the opening session at 
 Bristol in 1890, he was elected by a large and enthusiastic 
 vote. 
 
 How deeply he realised the responsibility of the post to 
 which his brethren had called him is shown by the words of 
 intense feeling with which he acknowledged the vote : 
 
 " I cannot forget words which were spoken by one whose 
 name is always deeply revered by me, and who nearly thirty 
 years ago was elected President of this Conference. He said 
 that it was not the thought of presiding over the Councils of 
 the Church or of guiding debates that overwhelmed him with 
 responsibility. All that he felt he could accomplish, but it 
 was the thought of being, for the time, at the head of a great 
 religious community, the thought that by some action or 
 omission on his part he might unfavourably influence religious 
 work, or lower the tone of religious experience and effort. I 
 
240 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 cannot join with Dr. Waddy in all these words. He was a 
 born leader of men and might fearlessly attempt work in the 
 presence of which I should feel but a little child. But I 
 have never been able to forget those last words. ... It is 
 very possible for the President to leave things undone, and I 
 ask your prayers that throughout this year, all through the 
 duties of the year, which have come upon me unsought — 
 forgive my saying so ; I mean only unsought in the sense 
 that I feel not only that no Methodist preacher would ever 
 seek a position like this, but that I know my own qualifica- 
 tions too well to wish to take up the great trouble and 
 terrible responsibility which your vote this morning has 
 imposed upon me — I beg that your prayers will be granted 
 me in order that I may be faithful to my duty. . . . The 
 world is watching us, brethren, and the world is right in 
 watching us. Assemblies of Christian ministers should 
 always be scrutinised. The world will speak of our theories, 
 and will wonder how far our practice aiid results will agree 
 with them. The world will call them our theories. We 
 take them as our faith. We take the Word of God as in- 
 tended to be the rule of man's life. What position do we 
 stand in this morning ? Well, may the world look upon us — 
 each one of us, I trust, a man in Christ ; each one of us 
 having claimed in prayer the fulfilment of the promise of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ; each one accustomed to believe from 
 day to day, and to act upon this belief, that the Great Head 
 of the Church has respect not to the Church as a whole only, 
 but to each individual man. I am putting aside all thought 
 of office in the Church. We are all here present before 
 God. Man looks upon us, but there is a greater than man 
 who looks upon us to see whether our result and practice 
 answer to the faith which we have professed. Oh ! brethren, 
 forgive me : I did not intend to do any more than to take up 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 241 
 
 ' the thoughts which I know are present in the minds of many, 
 but I have been overwhelmed with the thought, What Hmit 
 is there to that which we may hope if each one of us thus 
 stands related to the Living God, to the Saviour of Mankind. 
 What should our debates, our resolutions be? May God 
 grant that not one here may be a hindrance to the Spirit in 
 His great work! May our highest ambition be to be 
 ' vessels, instruments of grace ! ' May God help us ! " 
 
 The Bristol Conference was awaited with a considerable 
 degree of anxiety, for it was known that in the course of it 
 there would be reached the last stage of a controversy 
 which had been agitating the Connexion for many months. 
 This controversy is so recent that it is not in any degree 
 desirable to dwell upon it, neither indeed is it necessary 
 from our present standpoint, for in the controversy Dr. 
 Moulton took no active part whatever, and the only point at 
 which he touched it was that he was in the chair during its 
 final and perhaps most critical stage. Only this need be 
 said, that the fact of the chair being occupied by one who 
 could not possibly be regarded as a partisan of one side or 
 the other, and who was the trusted friend of the leaders on 
 both sides, gave a sense of confidence, and made for peace, 
 since more than once he was enabled to turn the debate 
 away from personal matters to questions of principle. 
 
 Three incidents of this Conference may be just mentioned 
 here on account of their personal interest to Dr. Moulton. 
 Among the ministers ordained at that Conference was 
 Dr. Moulton's eldest son. The Lecturer upon the Fernley 
 Trust, whose lecture is given during- the Conference, but 
 whose appointment is made about two years previously, 
 happened that year to be the Rev. Richard Green, Dr. 
 Moulton's cousin, and the subject — " The Mission of 
 
 Q 
 
242 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 Methodism" — had been suggested by him, Before the 
 Conference rose, Dr. Moulton had the pleasure of intro- 
 ducing his brother, the Rev, James Egan Moulton, of 
 Sydney, New South Wales, who had himself been President 
 of the New South Wales Conference, and who arrived in 
 England the day before the session closed. 
 
 Dr. Moulton's official sermon before the Conference was 
 so characteristic of his style of preaching that a portion of 
 it may find a fitting place here, especially as this volume 
 contains no sermon of his in full. Like so many of his 
 sermons, the text was taken from St, John's Gospel — the 
 Gospel over which he had pondered with more than usual 
 loving care — chap, xvi, ver, 23, 24. After expounding the 
 relation of these words to what had gone before, he said : 
 
 " All these questions show to us how ignorant were the 
 disciples in regard to the nature, the person, the work of 
 their Master. We speak freely of the ignorance of these 
 venerated men — men whom, in all ages. Christians have 
 delighted to honour. Granted that they were ' slow of heart' 
 to receive the Saviour's teaching ; granted that there were 
 many imperfections and defects ; yet in their case this igno- 
 rance was inevitable. The Saviour only at this time, one 
 might almost say, had begun to reveal to them the full 
 mystery of His will and purpose. The events which were 
 to follow speedily would bear their own witness. The 
 Saviour speaks of a time when all this ignorance shall have 
 passed away. In that day ye shall ask me no questions. The 
 day of which He speaks is the dispensation of the Holy 
 Spirit. From the Day of Pentecost the disciples understood 
 and knew, as they could never understand before, their one- 
 ness with their Lord and His oneness with the Eternal 
 Father. And that day, once begun, has not ended. It is 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 243 
 
 our privilege to live in the brightness of that day. Of the 
 glory of that day we were singing in the hymn with which this 
 service commenced [Hymn 197]. No shadow of darkness 
 comes over the brightness of that day. It will fade away in 
 the glory of eternity ; at its eventide will be its brightest light. 
 The glory, the especial glory of that day is that ignorance 
 shall have given place to knowledge. In that day ye shall 
 Qsk me no questions. 
 
 " But some will say, can this be true ? Is there no 
 ignorance now ? Do we not feel the mystery of the kingdom 
 of heaven — using the word in the sense most familiar to us 
 now ? Do we not feel the mysteriousness of the things of 
 God as it was never felt in the world before ? Is it not felt 
 by many that darkness rather than light prevails, even in 
 respect of the Saviour's purpose and work ? Can we under- 
 stand the fulness of His redemption ? Can we explain its 
 meaning ? Are not men searching in vain into the depths 
 of its philosophy ? Most true, brethren. The bright light 
 of science has seemed to deepen the darkness brooding over 
 many of God's revealed truths. Men are growing impatient. 
 On the one side they seem to have a full, bright light, and 
 they understand — as they persuade themselves, at all events. 
 They understand the subjects of their investigations fully, 
 through and through, and turn to truths which they cannot 
 themselves verify, and they are prone to say: It is the 
 shadow of darkness that has come over the world, not the 
 dawn of a new day — the revelation of how little man 
 knows, and how limited are his faculties. All this has truth 
 in it ; but it does not for a moment stand in conflict with 
 the words of the text» What is our Lord speaking of? 
 He is speaking of His work of saving men, of the way to 
 the Father. He is speaking of the revelation of the Father. 
 What Peter, and Thomas, and Philip, and Judas had been 
 
244 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 ignorant of was how they could see the Father ; how they 
 could come into the very presence of God ; how they could 
 live without the visible manifested presence of theif Master. 
 And I boldly affirm — and, brethren, your hearts bear 
 testimony to the words I speak — that it is the privilege of 
 the simplest disciple of Christ — we are not speaking of 
 those who are not disciples of Christ, of those who, either 
 through perplexity, or through unhappy training, or through 
 the temptation of the evil one, or from any cause whatever, 
 stand outside the circle in which the light of Christ shines, — 
 I say that for every humble disciple of Christ, who is 
 prepared to rest upon His words, ignorance, and embarrass- 
 ment, and perplexity, and doubt in regard to the great truths 
 of man's salvation are among the former things that have 
 passed away." 
 
 The strain and stress incident to the life of the President 
 of the Wesleyan Conference can only be adequately 
 appreciated by those who have been intimately associated 
 with occupants of that office. The responsibility which 
 rests upon him during the remainder of the year only differs 
 in kind from that of Conference time ; it is no less real : 
 and when, as in the case of Dr. Moulton, it was added to 
 the already existing and peculiarly exacting responsibilities 
 of a great school, the weight seemed almost overwhelming. 
 When we look back upon that year and review its tasks, the 
 whole stands out as a miracle of endurance. A brief sojourn 
 at Scarborough lost all the characteristics of a holiday by 
 reason of several lengthy journeys, of the official corre- 
 spondence belonging to the two positions which he held, and 
 of the shadow of the impending public utterances which it 
 would be his duty to deliver, but which were uncongenial to 
 him. Usually one of the earliest duties of the President 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 245 
 
 after the Conference has risen — and certainly the most thank- 
 less duty of the year — is the allocation of about sixty young 
 ministers on probation, known as the " President's List of 
 Reserve." These are lent to Circuits which are in difficulties 
 owing to the illness of a minister, or some such temporary 
 embarrassment, and some of the men on the List of Reserve 
 will have a nodding acquaintance with three or four Circuits 
 before their year is out. The difficulty to the President lies 
 in judging — at a time of great demand — between the various 
 claimants, and Circuits do not usually take with a good grace 
 the withdrawal of the " supply," neither are they disposed 
 to admit that any Circuit can possibly have a better claim 
 than they have. Hence the thanklessness of the President's 
 task. 
 
 When once the summer is over, and the world returns home 
 after its holiday, the President is, like the Apostle, "in 
 journeyings oft." During his year of office Dr. Moulton 
 travelled twenty-two thousand miles, which, after making 
 deductions for several short illnesses, leaves an average of 
 between five and six hundred per week. Some of the 
 President's visits are fixed items year after year; the majority 
 are services in connection with the openings of new chapels 
 or the anniversaries of old ones, and he will, in all probability, 
 during the first two months receive requests which more 
 than cover all the days of the year. Among the fixed items 
 of his programme may be mentioned the official visits to 
 Scotland, placed, unfortunately, at the end of October, to 
 Cornwall in February, and to the Irish Conference in June. 
 Dr. Moulton's visit to Ireland was further complicated by 
 the summoning, in hot haste, of the Education Committee 
 to meet in London to consider a new phase in educational 
 legislation that was imminent, and this necessitated his 
 travelling through from Dublin to London one night and 
 
246 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 back again the next night, all in the midst of a heavy pro- 
 gramme of public engagements. 
 
 On one of his visits to the West he was caught in the 
 extraordinary blizzard of March 1891. Writing about it to 
 his eldest son and his wife — whom he was unable to see 
 
 6wing to an invasion of mumps, he says : 
 
 "The Leys. 
 
 " Carissimi Mumpsimi, — I am here at last you see, and I 
 am very thankful to be none the worse for all the adventures. 
 I should not choose again to be stationary for five hours and 
 more between stations in a driving snowstorm, but it has 
 done me no harms When I did get to Taunton I was too 
 late for all engagements; and — cabs being invisible — I 
 trudged through the snow for three quarters of a mile, 
 asking my way to the chapel step by step, to find the 
 building dark and empty ! But all's well that end's well ! I 
 have only to regret missing Cottenham." 
 
 Within a fortnight he was again in the same neighbourhood, 
 
 and one of his letters to his son incidentally reveals another 
 
 experience to which the President — like other public men — 
 
 was liable : 
 
 " Dartmoor, 
 
 "March 30. 
 
 " Dearest James, — Do not too hastily conclude that * 
 
 has worked his will, and that having met him at Torquay, I 
 am now safely lodged in the convict prison, where, as he 
 pathetically says, there are many with less right than I could 
 claim. I am within six miles of the prison, but I am still 
 hoping that the attractive influence may not be powerful 
 enough to drag me within the walls. This region would be 
 breezy enough for you ; every lingering fragment of infection 
 
 * A lunatic who had deluged him and his predecessors with abusive'and 
 threatening letters. 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 247 
 
 would be blown, snowed, sleeted, rained and sunned away. 
 
 All these varieties of weather we have had : to-day is very 
 
 fine. The scenery is very 'broad' and wild. If it were 
 
 two months later, and in point of rest about four months 
 
 later, I could thoroughly enjoy the endless rambles attainable 
 
 here. ... I hope to have Saturday and Sunday at The Leys, 
 
 but I shall hardly get back on Thursday night. Your 
 
 mother will see you there, but I must stay in town. If 
 
 Census, or Probationers, or Leys should require attention 
 
 before Friday night, I could probably get back late on 
 
 Thursday. 
 
 " With much love to all, 
 
 " Your loving Father." 
 
 " Late " when it was a matter of coming from London did 
 not mean anything worse than arrival in Cambridge shortly 
 after eleven, but when travelling from the North or East 
 Anglia, it was his frequent custom to travel by the mail train 
 arriving at one o'clock, in order that he might reduce to a 
 minimum the naturally considerable periods of absence from 
 the School. The reason for his staying in town on the 
 journey referred to in the above letter is significant. While 
 President he inaugurated a weekly missionary prayer meet- 
 ing on Friday mornings, and he made a point of being 
 present himself, in the hope that others might be led to take 
 the same interest in it. Until his illness in 1895 he was 
 comparatively rarely absent, often making the journey from 
 Cambridge expressly on that account. 
 
 The centenary of the death of John Wesley falling as it 
 did on March 2, 1 891, it was natural that Dr. Moulton as 
 President should be the central figure at the series of 
 services at City Road, in which, throughout the week, the 
 Wesleyan Church reviewed the past in the interests of the 
 
H8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 future. The celebration was in every way worthy of the 
 occasion, and Dr. Moulton was wont to regard it as one 
 of the greatest privileges of his life that it had been his 
 lot to take part in it and be present at every session. 
 Among the preachers of the week were Dr. Dale, Principal 
 Rainy, and Dr. Clifford : every phase of Methodist activity 
 was dealt with by selected speakers, lay and ministerial ; and 
 at the unveiling of the Wesley statue a brilliant tribute was 
 paid to John Wesley by Archdeacon — now Dean — Farrar. 
 It was very far from being a Metropolitan festival. One 
 who was there described it aptly as "a kind of Feast 
 of Tabernacles. The tribes have come up to Zion in 
 force. Country Methodism from far and near crowds the 
 chapel yard every day. The talk is serious, as befits the 
 occasion : but with all the solemnity there is a great glad- 
 ness." 
 
 Dr. Moulton's own official sermon was given upon the 
 afternoon of the Centenary Day itself. He selected as his 
 text the thirteenth and fourteenth verses of the third chapter 
 of the Epistle to the Philippians, and the sermon dealt with 
 the identity of principle which actuated St. Paul and John 
 Wesley. 
 
 "Underlying and including all he planned and all he 
 accomplished, during half a century, is this one principle of 
 St. Paul. Looked at from any other point of view than one, 
 John Wesley's life was manifold, inconsistent, heterogeneous. 
 This simple clue leads through what some have regarded as 
 a labyrinth, this light shows harmony among actions appa- 
 rently discordant. No other principle than St. Paul's own 
 can make it possible for successors to continue his work ; 
 and hence the words we have been considering most fitly 
 suit the day which ends a hundred years of Methodist toil in 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE 249 
 
 the absence of its founder, and which begins a new era for 
 our Church." 
 
 An interesting passage views Wesley's Churchmanship 
 from this standpoint : 
 
 "All that he regarded as essential in the Church of 
 England commanded his reverent love. The Church Prayers 
 he found ' full of life.' Usages which, though not claiming 
 vital importance, his Church had inherited from primitive 
 times, were altogether to his taste, though, as his time and his 
 thoughts became absorbed in practical labour, we hear 
 little about most of them. Church seasons were times of 
 especial enjoyment to this loyal son. All Saints' Day lifted 
 his rapt soul into the joys of the Communion of Saints. To 
 such a man thus bound by ancestral ties, attached to the 
 Church in all the tastes and habits of his life, one with the 
 Church in the strongest convictions of his mature thought, 
 the very idea of desertion was intolerable ; and with all his 
 power, with words of the greatest vehemence, with reiterated 
 appeal, he cried out against separation. He was in his own 
 belief to the very last a true member of the Church of 
 England. And yet with an inconsistency which he acknow- 
 ledged, though he seems never to have deeply felt its force, 
 he broke through the most binding laws of the Church 
 he so much loved. . . . Though only a presbyter he had 
 presumed to ordain. Most unwillingly after long hesitation 
 did he come to this point, the crowning point of disunion. 
 The work of God required that men should be set apart to 
 help. Lay evangelists could accomplish very much, but 
 they could not furnish to the souls whom God had given 
 him all they needed. The Lord who had saved these souls 
 in myriads, and had prescribed the needed ministries of grace, 
 could not design that these ministries should be wanting. 
 
25° WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 John Wesley sought earnestly that the want might be 
 supplied according to the established usage of the Church ; 
 but he sought in vain. Still he was fainjto struggle on with 
 the small band of clergymen who lent their aid. But wider 
 claims pressed upon him, followers in distant lands had no 
 such provision as his flock at home possessed, and — lest 
 God's work should suffer — this loyal-hearted Churchman at 
 last passed the Rubicon, assumed what hitherto he had held 
 to be a bishop's right, and ordained pastors and superin- 
 tendents of the Church. The action brought him obloquy, 
 but there was no misgiving in his mind. He felt himself 
 linked with primitive times, but in such actions he offered in 
 sacrifice the instincts and habits of his life. To a man so 
 constituted the wrench was terrible. All these actions of 
 his were consistent in their inconsistency. ' This one thing I 
 do.* To spread scriptural holiness throughout the land was 
 the one object of his life ; whatever conflicted with this must 
 be thrust aside, whatever this entailed must be accepted as 
 ordained by God." 
 
 One thing and one only marred Dr. Moulton's perfect 
 satisfaction with the celebration, and that was the failure to 
 induce any of the Bishops to take part in the meetings. 
 Three letters from Dr. Hort to Dr. Westcott* show what 
 had been hoped for in that direction. 
 
 " Cambridge, October 2, i8go. 
 
 " Perhaps I may now venture to fulfil a promise made at The 
 Leys on Saturday, a wish having been hinted that there should be 
 no needless delay. 
 
 " Next year the Wesleyans hope to celebrate the Centenary of 
 John Wesley's death by a series of functions to be held in London. 
 One of these will have associated with it representatives of 
 
 * " Life and Letters of F. J. A. Hort," vol, ii. 426 sqq. 
 
PRESIDENT OF THE WESLEY AN CONFERENCE 251 
 
 the bodies which have split off from the original Connexion; 
 another representatives of the other Nonconformist denominations. 
 But they are specially anxious to have a gathering at which the 
 Church of England alone will be represented, in addition to their 
 own body ; and they hope that Wesley's peculiar position may 
 render this possible. The gathering will not be a religious service, 
 but a meeting with speeches — of course opened with prayer. The 
 place, however, will be City Road Chapel, and this was obviously 
 felt to be a possible difficulty. There is a strong wish that the 
 Church should, if possible, be represented by a Bishop ; and in- 
 comparably the most acceptable Bishop would be yourself. Of 
 course they wish to avoid refusals, and therefore private informa- 
 tion in advance as to the answer that would be given is greatly 
 desired. 
 
 " Evidently there is no risk that either answer would be mis- 
 understood, so far as responsible persons are concerned. As you 
 would anticipate, every word was full of careful and intelligent 
 delicacy. Of course, I spoke in perfect neutrality." 
 
 " Cambridge, Oct. 7, 1890. 
 
 " I feel strongly with you that, to choose my own words, we 
 must not recognise Separatism as a normal and permanent state 
 of things, though we may refuse to judge Separatists or Separatist 
 bodies, and may show such fellowship not only with individuals 
 but with bodies as does not compromise our reserved prerogative. 
 In practice it is not easy always to see what does or does not 
 fulfil this condition, , . , The sentences in your answer at Hull 
 which follow your reference to Moulton seem to me to say exactly 
 what ought to be thought and said by Churchmen just now. 
 Only I hope the Wesleyan authorities may be rightly interpreted 
 as not dissenting from them. But I do not forget that you have 
 had much better opportunities of judging." 
 
 " Cambridge, Oct. 10, 1890. 
 
 " The answer in itself could hardly be called a disappointment 
 to Moulton, for he said he was prepared for various reasons which 
 might lead to your refusal. But the true reason had never 
 occurred to him ; and he spoke of it as a bitter disappointment. 
 
252 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 evidently meaning, as regards the future generally, not the Wesley 
 Centenary. He had believed that you shared his view that a 
 plurality of independent Christian communities in the same 
 country is the ideal state of things, not merely a present necessity. 
 For your own view I referred him to your answer at Hull, which 
 expressly refused to surrender the hope that there might ulti- 
 mately be not unity only but some external unity. 
 
 " The whole incident is depressing. I had hoped for better 
 things from the middle-aged Wesleyans, and from their instrumen- 
 tality reaching beyond their own communion. Yet forces are at 
 work which forbid discouragement; and who can wonder if 
 Dissenters shrink from being merged in a body which they fear is 
 on the way to taking its doctrine of the Church from the Oxford 
 Tracts ? That natural fear is surely the deadliest hindrance to 
 reunion." 
 
 The above letters speak for themselves, and nothing more 
 need be said than to express agreement vdth Dr. Hort on 
 one statement of his. The whole incident is depressing. * 
 
 * Lest the above letters should give to Nonconformist readers the 
 impression that Dr. Hort was hard and unsympathetic towards their 
 position, I quote a portion of a letter written to Dr. Hatch in 1886 (" Life 
 and Letters," ii. 357). " I quite go with you in condemning the refusal of 
 fellowship to sister Churches merely because they make no use of some 
 element of organisation assumed to be jure divino essential. But it seems 
 to me that the rejection of theoretical and practical exclusiveness clears 
 the ground for the recognition of at least the possibility that other kinds of 
 (relative) jus divinum may be brought to light byhistory and experience. 
 In organisation, as in other things, all Churches have much I think to learn 
 from each other, the Church of England as much as any. It does not 
 follow that organisation ought to be everywhere identical. But it may well 
 turn out that there are some elements or principles of organisation which 
 cannot anywhere be cast aside without injury ; and at all events each 
 Church has need to ask how far its peculiarities may be mere gratuitous 
 defects, not right adaptations to its own special circumstances." 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 
 
 The Presidential year, as has been already pointed out, 
 made it perfectly impossible for Dr. Moulton to return to 
 the old life. For good or evil, he was now a public man, 
 and the tendency is invariably for a man who once gets into 
 the stream of public life to get sucked more and more into 
 the vortex. I say "for good or evil," because there was 
 really much to be said upon both sides. What has already 
 been said concerning the estimate which others formed of 
 him, reveal him as one eminently fitted to be a leader, by 
 virtue of the moderation and fairness of his judgment and 
 the width of his sympathies and interests. And on the purely 
 personal side there was an element of relief in being taken 
 away at intervals from conditions of life under which it was 
 a virtual impossibility for him to rely on hours of quiet 
 thought, free from all interruptions ; and his railway 
 journeys did give him that. But, on the other hand, he felt 
 that the interests of the School were in danger of suffering 
 through his absences, that he could not superintend details 
 and devote himself to serving the interests of each indi- 
 vidual boy as he had striven to do in the past. Thus 
 he always carried about with him the anxieties of the 
 School, and difHculties loomed larger the further the train 
 took him from the sphere of their solution, ■ Hence the 
 
254 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 mail-train journeys already referred to, and other similar 
 devices for minimising his absence from the School. All this 
 meant a sense of rush and of stress, and this it was — rather 
 than actual work — that told upon him in the end. To this 
 must be added, that he was always very sensitive to cold, 
 and the part first affected was almost invariably his throat. 
 Although his fine sonorous voice might suggest just the 
 contrary, a leading London surgeon told him he had the 
 smallest throat he had €ver examined, and throughout his 
 ministry this tended to give him trouble. At one time, for a 
 period of nearly a year, while at Richmond, he had been 
 unable to preach at all, and failure of voice, owing to cold, 
 was responsible for a large proportion of the occasions upon 
 which he was forced to break an engagement. 
 
 It was only natural that from this time he should be 
 drawn more closely into the affairs of the Church. Though 
 the overlapping of school term and Conference still prevented 
 his giving to the latter his continuous attention, he was 
 usually present at the opening session, even if that necesitated 
 travelling back to Cambridge during the night ; and during 
 the Leeds Conference of 1897 — the last which he attended 
 — he twice travelled from Cambridge and back again 
 during the first ten days. At Nottingham in 1 891 it was 
 necessary for him, as ex-President, to be present the whole 
 time, and he took a very active part in public business. 
 As already noted,* it fell to his lot to give the Ordination 
 Charge to those who came up for ordination at this Con- 
 ference, as also at the Irish Conference of the same year, 
 and it was a duty which he was pre-eminently well fitted to 
 perform, for it was ever his delight to expound the Scriptures, 
 and enforce their bearing upon ministerial ideals of to-day. 
 And after showing how " St. Paul, in defending his authority, 
 
 * P, 236, 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 255 
 
 was constrained to describe the ministry he had received," 
 he "welcomed" those before him "to this same ministry." 
 
 " It is an Apostolic ministry, possessing the same rights, 
 exercising the same functions, inheriting the same privileges, 
 encompassed by the same responsibilities as that ministry 
 (or service) of which Paul here speaks. The links which 
 connect you with St. Paul are not external. We have no 
 desire to trace an uninterrupted succession of ordaining 
 hands. The imposition of hands is but a symbol of the 
 choice of the Church and the prayers of the Church. The 
 Church to which you belong has been as truly marked out 
 by the Head of the Church as His own, as richly and 
 unmistakably crowned with His blessing as any Church in 
 the ages which have passed since Apostolic days. And 
 after using all means appointed in God's holy Word for 
 learning the will of God towards you, my brethren, after 
 seeking in all ways to test the reality of your conviction that 
 God has called you to His work, the Church has thus 
 solemnly set you apart for this office and ministry, in the 
 very act pleading with God that the grace of the Holy 
 Spirit, the Fount of all gifts for the ministry, may be yours. 
 Your Church follows St. Paul in all this teaching of his, 
 as he followed Christ his Lord. In forming our estimate 
 of qualifications for the ministry, we begin where he began. 
 Your hearts would glow within you as you heard St. Paul 
 go back to religious experience as first and foremost among 
 the marks of a Christian minister. 'God hath shined in 
 yoiu" hearts.' In you the creating Word has again said, 
 * Light shall shine out of darkness.' But with the ex- 
 perience came the call. You were enlightened, that through 
 you the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of 
 Jesus Christ may shed light far and wide. Thank God for 
 
2S6 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 this ! Let your thankfulness abound. Rejoice that through 
 you the heavenly light shall be diffused I But you cannot 
 shine if your own light be allowed to grow dim. It is not 
 the initial burst of light that will suffice for life-long 
 illuminating power. May your light shine more and more 
 unto the perfect day. To this end be watchful over your- 
 selves, be prayerful, be holy." 
 
 To the attainment of this end the first and foremost aid 
 must be the study of the Word of God. 
 
 " You will never fully know the harmony of all the parts of 
 the doctrine and the exquisite beauty of the light which 
 each several text of Scripture casts on every other in which 
 Christ is set forth. The combinations are endless. After 
 years of systematic study you may suddenly see the whole 
 page illumined by an unexpected ray. Do not be afraid of 
 noticing small changes of expression, minute variations of 
 language, especially in the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. 
 This blessed Word may be studied with a microscope as with 
 a telescope. But in each case the eye must be rightly 
 trained. Not every impression that is vivid is therefore 
 lasting. You may find it necessary to change your inter- 
 pretation. ' Day will teach day.' But the charm of deep 
 and loving study of Scripture will be ever deepening. 
 Difficulties will woo you on to more thorough search ; and if 
 you are walking in the light, and the Holy Spirit is your 
 guide, you will possess for yourselves ' the knowledge of 
 the glory of God in the face of Christ.' " 
 
 Dr. Moulton's disbelief in the dogmatism which would lay 
 down certain forms of organisation as necessary " not merely 
 to the bene esse but to the very esse of a Church," finds 
 powerful expression in his Charge : 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 257 
 
 " There are good men who would readily hide themselves 
 from view, but who magnify their ofHce. Their view of the 
 Christian ministry is such that they think themselves bound 
 in very duty and faithfulness to put themselves forward ; for 
 are they not the priests of God, mediators between God and 
 His people ? We know no such doctrine. We are saved 
 from all such temptations, the subtlety of which transforms 
 the very nature of men whom we should otherwise revere 
 and love. You will teach that there is no priest for men but 
 the One who is High Priest for ever, who, ' when He had 
 offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right 
 hand of God.' And yet that every man is a priest unto God, 
 each bearing his own responsibility, offering his own worship, 
 aided by you, it may well be, in every function of his spiritual 
 life, but never supplanted by you. You and your people 
 will stand side by side in relation to the High Priest and in 
 your own priestly duty. God keep us from the evil fasci- 
 nation of sacerdotal views ! As with the Sacraments, so 
 with the Christian ministry ; what are called ' high ' doctrines 
 are low and lowering. High Christian teaching is in the realm 
 of faith; once leave that region and you descend. Take 
 from the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper its exclusive con- 
 nection with faith, talk about the 'Real Presence' in any 
 sense beyond that of the vision vouchsafed to faith, and you 
 lose the essence of the Sacrament, you materialise the spiritual 
 gift. So is it with the office you have now received. It is 
 very alluring to hear of high powers conferred by due ordina- 
 tion, of the possibility of offering help to feeble men by 
 authoritative priestly acts; but we 'have not so learned 
 Christ.' The highest atmosphere, brethren, is that of self- 
 renunciation. We commend to you the more difficult task 
 when we take up St. Paul's words and press them home in 
 all their power: 'We proclaim not ourselves.' Do not 
 
 R 
 
2S8 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 think me uncharitable in these references to others. To his 
 own Master each man standeth or falleth. But our convic- 
 tions of truth — convictions which you hold, we believe, as 
 firmly as ourselves — exclude all such conceptions of the 
 Christian ministry, and regard them as dangerous to the life 
 of faith. . . . 
 
 " He is the Guide of His servants in the constitution and 
 arrangements of the Christian Church. It is our constant 
 belief that uniformity of external plan formed no part of the 
 design of the Author of the Church. Here the silence of 
 Scripture is eloquent. Had any one system been necessary, 
 the New Testament would have been found to contain its 
 outline and warrant. The essential principles are there, and 
 no one can doubt their presence. But we firmly believe it 
 is the duty of various communities of disciples — communities 
 differing in some degree in their views of certain truths, and 
 in their capacities for varied forms of Christian organisation 
 and effort — to invest these principles with different external 
 forms. The object of every Church arrangement is 
 to carry out the expressed will of Christ our Lord. We 
 seek to provide, in the best manner possible to us, for the 
 ministry of the Word, the administration of the Sacraments, 
 the fellowship of believers, the effective performance of all 
 kinds of evangelistic work and works of mercy, the training 
 of the young and of the ignorant, the faithful maintenance of 
 Christian discipline. For every part of this work we are 
 directly responsible to our Lord : 
 
 * Accept my hallowed labour now : 
 I do it unto Thee.' " ' 
 
 In the spring of 1892 he paid a hurried visit to America. 
 The (Ecumenical Conference of the Methodist Churches 
 of the world had been held in New York the pre- 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 259 
 
 vious autumn, and considerable disappointment had been 
 expressed on the other side of the Atlantic that Dr. 
 Moulton had been unable to go with the deputation 
 from England. This made it the harder for him to decline 
 when appointed to attend the Quadrennial General Con- 
 ference of American Methodism to be held in Omaha in 
 the spring of 1892. Only six weeks elapsed between his 
 leaving Cambridge and his return, and of these, three weeks 
 were in vacation time, which reduced his absence from the 
 School to very small dimensions. But if the direct encroach- 
 ment was slight, the indirect was considerable, for in New 
 York he caught scarlet fever, which after his return to 
 Cambridge involved isolation for several weeks. The visit 
 was full of interest to him, and he would often refer to it 
 afterwards with delight, but it is much to be regretted that 
 his devotion to the School prevented his making a stay long 
 enough to enable him to see the country and form an 
 estimate as to the working and characteristics of American 
 Methodism. 
 
 In the same year an alteration was made in one part 
 of the practical administration of Methodism, in which 
 Dr. Moulton took a keen interest. Hitherto Cambridge 
 had been an outlying portion of the First London District, 
 with the Norwich and Lynn District lying immediately to 
 the north of it. At the Conference of 1892 it was decided to 
 take Ipswich and Cambridge out of the First London, and 
 add them to Norwich and Lynn, which was henceforth to be 
 known as the East Anglia District. Dr. Moulton's position 
 as an ex-President would have made it seem natural that he 
 should be chairman of the newly formed District. But he 
 refused to consider the proposal, knowing full well the 
 splendid qualities of the Rev. John Gould, who was chair- 
 man of the old District, and has ever since been chairman 
 
26o WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of the new. However, he was always ready to help his 
 friend in the affairs of the District, and Mr. Gould invariably 
 asked him to conduct the oral examinations of the candidates 
 for the ministry at the May Synod, as also that of candidates 
 for ordination. His examinations were keenly relished by 
 the ministers, and (in after days) by the victims themselves, 
 who were put through a searching test, scrupulously fair 
 and kindly, eliciting knowledge as well as revealing ignorance. 
 His examinees usually found that a frank confession of 
 ignorance was better policy than the wrapping of it up in 
 irrelevancies. One candidate for ordination showed, in his 
 examination upon Wesley's works, an acquaintance with the 
 classics of Methodism which was more general than par- 
 ticular. Dr. Moulton asked him in his most engaging 
 manner what he regarded as the chief difficulties in the 
 study of Wesley. The unhappy candidate hazarded the 
 suggestion that the Latin quotations were an obstacle. 
 "Yes," said the inquisitor, "though the difficulty is dimi- 
 nished by the translations provided at the foot of the page." 
 One of the duties of the chairman of the District-^as 
 all Wesleyans will know full well — is to visit the " solitary 
 stations," i.e., the Circuits in which there is only one minister, 
 once a year, the occasion usually being the March Quarterly 
 Meeting. To one country Circuit in Norfolk Dr. Moulton 
 once went as substitute for Mr. Gould, and found himself 
 the guest of a genial, hospitable farmer who had enter- 
 tained Mr. Gould the previous year. Mr. Ckiuld, as might 
 be expected from a descendant of Jan Ridd, of Loma 
 Doone fame, is not altogether unacquainted with the appa- 
 ratus of a farm, and had been up betimes with his host, to 
 help him with ordinary routine duties. When Dr. Moulton 
 came, his host, evidently thinking that manual labour would 
 be a welcome change to one whose life was so largely spent 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 261 
 
 in the study, asked him what he would like to do in the 
 morning, and gave him the choice of working the chum, 
 going out with a gun, chopping firewood or riding round 
 the farm on horseback 1 Dr. Moulton had to plead his 
 utter innocence of all these accomplishments, and when 
 next he met Mr. Gould he told him that he had always 
 had his doubts as to his own fitness for the chairman- 
 ship, but that now he felt his unfitness to be proved to 
 demonstration. 
 
 In his relations with the members of other Churches he 
 always strove to promote a spirit of friendliness and co- 
 operation; and in Cambridge his influence was largely 
 instrumental in the formation of the Free Church Council, 
 of which he was President, and whose meetings he attended 
 with great regularity to the last. The passage quoted above 
 from his Ordination Charge shows him to have been no 
 believer in the possibility or desirability of corporate re- 
 union, but he always held that there was a large sphere of 
 Christian work in which the various Churches — including 
 the Anglican — could join hands if only they were willing to 
 do so, without in any degree sacrificing their own indi- 
 viduality. As early as 1872 he was in correspondence with 
 Bishop Ellicott upon the subject, and at Archbishop Tait's 
 request the Bishop met some of the leading Wesleyan 
 ministers, of whom Dr. Moulton was one, at Dr. Jobson's 
 house, in the hope that a frank interchange of opinion face 
 to face might achieve something in the direction of " unity of 
 the Spirit." And what he did then he continued to do 
 throughout his life. He used his unique position with 
 reference to Anglicans in the interests of reasonableness and 
 concord, and it is far from being the least of his achieve- 
 ments that through him many members of the Anglican 
 communion were led to form kinder and more just estimates 
 
262 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 of Nonconformity and Nonconformists than would otherwise 
 have been the case. 
 
 And, as a natural result, those who yearned after reunion, 
 or at any rate co-operation, turned to him to find a willing 
 ally. The spirit breathing through the following letter from 
 Earl Nelson was one to which he would have eagerly 
 responded had it not come at a period when he was 
 peremptorily forbidden to do any public work : 
 
 " Trafalgar, Salisbury, Feb. 15, 1896. 
 
 "Dear Dr. Moulton, — Professor Mason has sent me yoirf 
 kind letter, and I beg your acceptance of our occasional paper on 
 the Langham Street Conference. I really think it must have done 
 some good to all of us : I know we made some real friends, and 
 removed on both sides many misunderstandings. 
 
 " The Conference came about at the instance of Dr. Paton of 
 Nottingham, and if you saw your way to ask for one with other 
 leading Wesleyans I should be pleased later on to consult you as 
 to the best men, and would do my best to get worthy and true 
 men to meet them. We wished entirely to exclude politics, and 
 it was treated as a private Conference in no way binding our 
 different communities; but after it was over we agreed that a 
 committee of our body should draw up for the approval of us all 
 a short outline of our work which might be made public. 
 
 "We had every reason to believe that we should be further 
 separated from the Congregationalists than any other Non^ 
 conformist bodies, and were agreeably surprised to find the 
 soundness of their teaching on the fundamental doctrines. And 
 I think at first they expected great antagonisms from the High, 
 Church views of many of our representatives, but we were all 
 agreeably surprised ; and I am sure we should attain to the same 
 spirit of brotherly love with those who sprang from us, and never 
 openly with desire seceded from us. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 
 " Nelson." 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 265 
 
 To these kindly overtures he could only reply with words 
 of S3rmpathy : 
 
 " I greatly regret that an attack of illness, which even now 
 compels me to write by another hand, has delayed my ac- 
 knowledgment of your Lordship's kind letter and enclosure. 
 I have read both with deep interest, and I should rejoice to 
 be able at once to respond with some practical suggestions. 
 Unfortunately I am under medical orders to take no part in 
 what may be called 'public affairs' throughout the year 
 1896. 
 
 " I must therefore be content to stand aside for the present 
 from a project which appeals to my warmest sympathy. I 
 have long felt that fellowship and co-operation in the service 
 of the one Father can only come through opportunities for 
 mutual acquaintance amongst those who have so many more 
 points of agreement than they themselves know ; and I am, 
 therefore, very thankful for your Lordship's effort to bring 
 leading members of the various religious communities into 
 friendly conference." 
 
 When invited to speak at the Church House upon Reunion, 
 during the Lambeth Conference of 1897, as already men- 
 tioned, he dwelt upon the work of the New Testament 
 Revision Committee as a force making for concord, quoting 
 with eager approval Dean Vaughan's declaration that he 
 would be disposed to give as the leading feature of the 
 Queen's reign " the approximation of man to man, class to 
 class, peer to peasant. Churchman to Nonconformist," to 
 which result no small impulse was given by the work of the 
 "Jerusalem Chamber, in which Churchmen and Noncon- 
 formists sat side by side for more than twelve years in the 
 microscopic study of the Word of God." 
 
 To Dean Vaughan as to Dr. Moulton the tendency in 
 
264 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 certain quarters of the Church of England towards increasing 
 exclusiveness and narrowness of vision was a great source 
 of grief and anxiety. Some manly outspoken words of the 
 Dean's in Convocation to that effect elicited from Dr. Moulton 
 a warm letter of thanks to which he replied : 
 
 " The Templb, June 7, 1887. 
 
 "Dear Dr. Moulton, — ^You little know how much your 
 words cheer me. I am in a small minority as usual. But I do 
 think it is the right side which protests against adding to the 
 Shibboleths. They may call themselves expressions of truth, but 
 they must act as fomenters of division. Each new Article makes 
 reunion more impossible. But I need not say this to you. You 
 feel it already and lament as I do the evident advance of the 
 clergy of the Church of England in a direction which, though it 
 may stop short of Rome, seems likely to take all of Rome except 
 its one redeeming feature, an external unity. I regret that I 
 am now so separated from that frequent intercourse with you 
 which during the eleven years that it lasted was so cheering and 
 so edifying. 
 
 " Ever faithfully yours, 
 
 " C. J. Vaughan." 
 
 Three years later Dr. Moulton asked the Dean to preach 
 the sermon at the Leys School Speech Day, and his reply 
 shows how glad he would have been to show his friendliness 
 in this manner if his health had permitted it : 
 
 " Llandaff, Jfan. 30, i8go. 
 
 " My dear Dr. Moulton, — I cannot tell you how much I 
 value, or how warmly I reciprocate the kind expressions of your 
 letter towards me. It must be quite needless for me to tell you 
 what was the impression made upon me, in those eleven years of 
 continued consultation, both by your infinite learning, beautiful 
 Scholarship, and even more by your unvarying courtesy and un- 
 provokable sweetness of temper. All this I venture for once to 
 say to you out of a full heart, by way of assuring you that I deeply 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 265 
 
 feel your present invitation, and that no slight reasons would avail 
 with me to make me turn aside from accepting it. But— a long 
 illness last year, and mere age (seventy-five this year if I Uve till 
 August) have led me to decline all temptations to outlying and 
 self-made exertion. Even my beloved Cambridge I have given 
 up as a select preacher, and I confine myself to my steady-going 
 and ordinary duties — my two churches and my little body of 
 students. Even these are sometimes a little too much for me. 
 I have said more than I ought perhaps to have troubled you with. 
 But I did not like even to seem to be indifferent to a request so 
 exceptional and so full of interest. With deep respect and 
 regard, 
 
 " Affectionately yours, 
 
 " C. J. Vaughan." 
 
 At the same time as he wrote the earlier of these 
 letters to Dean Vaughan he also wrote to Bishop Lightfoot 
 in the hope that he might feel able and willing to use his 
 unrivalled influence to foster more charity of judgment. The 
 blank non possumus of the Bishop's reply was a keen dis- 
 appointment to Dr. Moulton, and to the end of his life it was 
 an unsolved puzzle to him by what manner of reasoning men 
 of learning and piety argued themselves into positions which 
 to him seemed so utterly unscriptural. 
 
 " Few subjects have been as often in my thoughts for many 
 years past as the existence of the great gulf between the 
 Church of England and Nonconformity. I had fondly hoped 
 that the associations brought about by the Revision work 
 would be productive of good in this respect, but I fear that 
 little was accomplished in comparison with those sanguine 
 hopes. Dean Burgon and others have seized the opportunity 
 of emphasising the necessity of avoiding contact with Dis- 
 senters. The Disestablishment controversy has embittered 
 the relations between the two bodies, though some, like your 
 
z66 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 lordship, have taken advantage of the time of warfare to say 
 words of peace and healing. Canon Liddon at St. Paul's, 
 and the Bishop of Winchester in his correspondence with 
 Canon Wilkinson, have taken up such a position that Non- 
 conformists are driven into a state of hostility even when 
 peace is most eagerly desired. And lastly, the recent dis-' 
 cussions in the Lower House of Convocation have struck a 
 blow the effect of which can hardly be exaggerated. All this 
 of course is familiar to your Lordship, and if I venture to refer 
 to these circumstances it is only to ask whether it may be 
 possible to do something to counteract these evil influences. 
 I have very limited sympathy with several of the movements 
 of our time. Though a strong Liberal I have no bond of 
 union or agreement in opinion with the party of Disestab- 
 lishment. This fact makes it easier for me to plead that even 
 their offence is not unpardonable, as in very many cases 
 there is no real unfriendliness towards the Church of Eng- 
 land. I dread such efforts as those of through which 
 
 some approach to union might be gained, but at the cost of 
 much truth that we hold most dear. I do not desire inter- 
 change of pulpits, or indeed anything of the nature of formal 
 union, until indeed the external union has become the natural 
 expression of an internal oneness. But every day the bold- 
 ness of the enemies of Christianity is growing ; it is daily 
 asserted with increasing emphasis that modern thought is 
 separating itself from the most sacred Christian dogmas ; and 
 yet those to whom the one faith in the one Lord should be 
 a bond of union in His service are being more and more 
 widely severed. Will you forgive me if I say that I have 
 looked to your Lordship more than to any other man to bring 
 together those thus forced apart ? There is no one to whom' 
 Nonconformists would listen as they will to your Lordship.' 
 I can imagine that there may be difficulties in the way of the' 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 267 
 
 friendly utterances I have ventured to suggest. But possibly 
 an appeal from one in the Nonconformist ranks may furnish 
 an occasion such as your Lordship might desire." 
 
 Bishop Lightfoot replied as follows : 
 
 " It was a great comfort and satisfaction to me to receive your 
 letter, though its tone and purport are all that I should have 
 expected from you. I do not know how any overt act can be 
 taken. But we can at all events cherish kindly feelings which will 
 find expression in corresponding words, and look forward in hope 
 to the time when we may be one outwardly again. Between your- 
 selves and ourselves there is, so far as I know, only the question 
 of Church order which keeps us apart, and yet even I, whose 
 views are supposed to be very broad on this point, could not see 
 my way to waiving this for the sake of reunion. But even if 
 reunion is impossible (though why it should be I know not) 
 friendly appreciation and sympathy remain. These at least we 
 may cherish till God in His good time shall draw us together." 
 
 The same thoughts find expression in a letter M^hich he 
 writes to another one of the Bishops in his Presidential year, 
 and in which he protests against the unjust estimates so 
 often formed by Churchmen concerning Nonconformists : 
 
 " I feel constrained to write on a subject which is rarely 
 absent from my thought and which causes me the greatest 
 uneasiness and distress. I have marked the letter ' Private/ 
 partly because the official position which I hold is not con- 
 cerned : I am but writing as a private individual to one whom 
 I have learned to trust and love : and partly because I do 
 not ask for any reply unless the way is perfectly open. I 
 know the peculiar difficulties of a Bishop's position. I can 
 never doubt that your Lordship is unable to know of a serious 
 evil without striving at least to diminish it. 
 
 " In many parts — especially rural districts — of England 
 
a68 WILLIAM F. MOULTON , 
 
 Wesleyan Methodists are being forced into a position of direct 
 antagonism to the Church of England : and I cannot see how 
 any effort on our side can prevent this. Your Lordship has 
 probably seen Mr. Gace's Catechisms, in regard to which a 
 question was asked in the House of Commons a few weeks 
 since. These, I am assured, are used in a large number of 
 schools.* Children who are taught these Catechisms learn 
 that to join with Dissenters in worship is a sin — that no Dis- 
 senter can be a holy man — that those Dissenters who come 
 nearest to the Church are the most dangerous. There are 
 many villages where, at present, children are compelled to 
 attend the Church day-school, and I need say nothing as to 
 the war waged against Dissent in these places where such 
 teaching is given. Bishops — I have in thought especially the 
 Bishop of Carlisle f and the late Archbishop of York (Dr. 
 Magee) — have written or spoken very strong and bitter words 
 in regard to assaults made by Liberationist Dissenters on the 
 Church of England ; but surely no attack by Liberationists 
 can be more uncompromising and more bitter than that made 
 upon Nonconformists in Gace's Catechisms and (I believe) 
 others of the same kind. I am no Liberationist myself, but 
 I feel deeply the injustice done to Nonconformists by those 
 who have seemed to hold that all the hostility is on one side. 
 I do not know that the two Bishops whose names I have 
 mentioned gave any sanction to Mr. Gace's works ; but I 
 know certainly that several Bishops have had their attention 
 called to the Catechisms, and yet (as far as I know) they 
 have not been publicly condemned. But after all, these 
 
 * Dr. Moulton was perfectly aware that the copies would not be found 
 in the possession of the children, but the questions and answers taught by 
 the teacher were from Gace. Had he written three years later when he 
 had read " A Book for the Children of God," his indignation would have 
 been hotter still. 
 
 t Dr. Harvey Goodwin, 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 269 
 
 Catechisms are but an index of teaching which is rife, and 
 which drives us into hostility. 
 
 " Your Lordship will trust me when I disclaim entirely any 
 spirit of ecclesiastical jealousy or rivalry when I write thus. 
 For myself I could thankfully retire in this place or that 
 before another branch of the Christian Church were I able 
 to believe that duty and truth and the salvation of men would 
 not be compromised. But we Nonconformists can see no 
 essential difference between many extreme Anglicans and 
 Roman Catholics. We cannot rid ourselves of the con- 
 viction that we are able to discern the true doctrinal stand- 
 point of the Church of England, and that whatever serious 
 difierences may divide us from the Church of England, we are 
 immeasurably nearer to it in reality than these High Anglicans. 
 And yet we are (to a continually increasing extent) treated 
 as if our doctrinal agreement with the Church of England 
 were as nothing, as if the proscription of Nonconformists 
 were a sacred duty. 
 
 " Your Lordship will not for a moment misapprehend me. 
 I do not forget your own cordial words and actions in your 
 diocese, but it is not of any words or action on your Lord- 
 ship's part that I have been for a single moment complaining. 
 Indeed, complaint is far less in my thought than the wish 
 to avert a disaster. I venture to write as I am doing because 
 I know that the truth and love and kingdom of Christ are 
 with you supreme in all thought and all aims. I cannot see 
 my companions drifting against their will into strife and war, 
 without trying to put our diificulties before one whose desire 
 is to find a remedy for all the great evils of our day. 
 
 " We are not understood. It has not been our wish to be 
 foes of the Church of England. We do indeed hold our- 
 selves bound to oppose with all our power the characteristic 
 doctrines of extreme Anglicanism, as tending to hinder the 
 
270 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 faith of Christ, but we very thankfully recognise and bear 
 witness to the devotion and unwearied labours of many of 
 the very clergy whose teaching we deplore. 
 
 " I have throughout been speaking of Wesleyan Methodism, 
 but most of those who are known as Evangelical Noncon- 
 formists would say very nearly what I have said." 
 
 The last sentence of this letter contains the reason why so 
 much has been said about Dr. Moulton's relations with the 
 Church of England. In his letters to these Bishops he voiced 
 a great body of opinion in the Evangelical Free Churches, 
 but he was one of the few within whose power it lay to bring 
 this body of opinion under the notice of those in authority in 
 matters ecclesiastical, and moreover to do it without in any 
 way assuming the rdle of the spokesman of a hostile and 
 militant party. Others, agreeing with him in his indignation 
 at the existing state of things and the ecclesiastical theories 
 that are rife, might prefer a more aggressive policy and con- 
 sequently find themselves more in their element amid the 
 excitement of public meetings, of crowds roused to enthu- 
 siasm or indignation by the eloquence or invective of the 
 orator. For work of that sort Dr. Moulton had no fitness 
 and certainly no partiality. He left that to other men who 
 felt called to it, and himself pursued a quieter and less public 
 course. It is not a matter of concern here which is the 
 better means of attaining the common end. It is sufficient 
 that Dr. Moulton took one course and could not be imagined 
 taking the other. 
 
 One point more and one only need be noticed in this con- 
 nection. Dr. Moulton's breadth of view and judgment in 
 these matters was very far from being infected with latitudi- 
 narianism, and his firm and unhesitating allegiance to the 
 truths of revealed religion fixed a limit beyond which he 
 
FIVE YEARS QF PUBLIC LIFE 271 
 
 refused to go in the direction of concession. Writing in reply 
 to a request on behalf of the executive of the " Christian Con- 
 ference " that he would preside at a public meeting, he said : 
 
 " I have long been intending to write to you on the subject 
 of the Union, but in a busy life, such as mine has been, 
 especially of late, intentions are very slow in becoming any- 
 thing more substantial You may remember how warmly I 
 welcomed the proposal contained in the letter you wrote me 
 two years ago. All that I then felt and expressed I still feel. 
 Indeed, I long more and more for new and more powerful 
 means of manifesting the essential oneness of Christians of 
 different Churches. 
 
 " But there are differences which seem to me sufficient to 
 make even such a union as your admirable scheme sets forth 
 almost impossible. I know well that the word ' Unitarian- 
 ism ' includes a multitude of varying shades of doctrine, and 
 that the theological opinions of many noble men would be 
 described by this name. In the case of not a few of these, 
 the difference of view which separates them from Trinitarians 
 might be little more than a philosophical distinction ; but the 
 position of many others is so extreme that I do not see how 
 it is possible to unite with them in ' Christian Conferences * 
 without unfaithfulness to my deepest convictions in regard 
 to Christian truth. 
 
 " I fear that I am writing words which will cause dis- 
 appointment to one for whom I have cherished the strongest 
 feelings of respect, and with whose motives in the promotion 
 of these Conferences I sympathise with all my heart. In 
 the first instance I wrote impulsively, eagerly accepting what 
 seemed to me a very wise scheme for the establishment of 
 open Christian fellowship. It is to me a sad disappointment 
 that I must draw back." 
 
272 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 A department of public work with which in his later years 
 he was very closely identified and to which he gave much 
 time and thought, was the Royal Holloway College at Egham. 
 The founder had expressly laid down that the College was to 
 be unsectarian, but for several years all the Governors were 
 Churchmen, and the tone of the College had become such that 
 it was feared that it would lose the confidence of the Noncon* 
 formists of the country, as well as violate the condition of its 
 own foundation deed. To avert this danger it was arranged 
 that three Nonconformist Governors should be added to the 
 Board, one of whom was Dr. Moulton, and he was unweary- 
 ing in his devotion to the interests of the College. 
 
 It was his firm conviction that the intention of Mr. 
 Holloway would not be carried out unless there were ar- 
 rangements made for the holding of Nonconformist services 
 side by side with those of the Church of England. The 
 history of the struggle to win this concession is not public 
 property, and probably never will be, but — the Nonconformist 
 services now take place. But, it may be asked, at what cost 
 was the acquisition made ? What animosities were incurred 
 and how much bitterness generated ? One sentence from a 
 letter from Lord Thring — Dr. Moulton's supporter in this 
 just contention, although a strong Churchman — ^wiU answer 
 this question : 
 
 " As a Governor of Holloway College I cannot too strongly 
 insist on the loss we have sustained by his death. His wide 
 Christian sympathies, his absolute freedom from bitterness and 
 prejudice, made us all respect his opinion, and smoothed over 
 difficulties which necessarily occur in the transaction of business 
 conducted by a committee composed of men holding a variety of 
 opinions." 
 
 And a letter from Prince Christian, the chairman of the 
 Board, spoke of him in similar terms. It was a great achieve- 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 273 
 
 ment to win his point; but to win it from men naturally 
 predisposed against his contention, and to win it without 
 even a momentary loss of their friendship and esteem, was 
 an achievement to which few men could have attained. 
 
 In party politics Dr. Moulton never took any part. This 
 was by no means because he had no convictions. Right 
 through life he was an enthusiastic Gladstonian, and the 
 Home Rule proposals not only did not cause him to stumble, 
 but commended themselves to his sense of justice. .To all 
 who knew him personally his opinions were no secret what- 
 ever, and he uniformly voted Liberal in the elections for the 
 Borough of Cambridge. But he was never known to take 
 any public part in politics, partly on the ground that a minister 
 who gets drawn into political warfare runs a great risk of 
 having the fine edge worn off his ministrations ; and partly 
 because — especiallyin Methodism — the ministerwho identifies 
 himself in a militant manner with one party is certain to 
 alienate a proportionately great number belonging to the 
 other party, and thereby seriously to impair his usefulness. 
 Even when other ministers, who were opposed to Home 
 Rule, declared that the question was one of religion, and 
 therefore one upon which the ministry might and should 
 speak, he refused to be drawn into controversy, and 
 so far as anything public was concerned he held his 
 peace. 
 
 But he could not bring himself to respect the sophistry 
 that the Temperance question is merely a matter of party 
 politics. To him the moral interests at stake were too great 
 for him to regard it as such, and after being a passive abstainer 
 for the great majority of his life he threw himself into the 
 advocacy of total abstinence with all his characteristic enthu- 
 siasm during the closing years. In this sphere, as in that of 
 Christian Reunion, he owed his influence to his moderation 
 
 s 
 
274 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 and gentleness of spirit, which constituted him a thoroughly 
 '* safe " man to follow. In addition to being moderate he was 
 practical, and was eagerly on the look out for some reform 
 that could be achieved, even if it were only partial in its 
 extent. Had he lived to see Messrs. Rowntree and Sher- 
 well's book, he would have cordially endorsed their opinion 
 that the Temperance party had too long " wandered in the 
 wilderness of ineffectual protest," owing to its unwillingness 
 to accept half measures. Consequently, when the Rev. H. B. 
 Workman, who had been for some time in consultation upon 
 the matter with the Bishop of Chester, wrote to him con- 
 cerning possible Temperance legislation upon which all could 
 agree, he gladly fell in with the project. Writing to Mr, 
 Workman on March 22, 1895, he says: 
 
 " I am heart and soul a Liberal ; but I endorse every word 
 you use as to the vital importance of dragging Temperance 
 Reform out of the mass of party questions as soon as possible. 
 We are lowering the tone of Temperance friends who are 
 Conservatives by placing in their way political temptations. 
 When I say ' we,' I am not blaming Liberals for accepting 
 the great boon offered ; but I long for a healthier condition 
 of things. From what I have said you will be able to answer 
 freely for me as to what I think and what I am ready to do. 
 I hold myself in readiness to do 'the next thing,' whatever 
 that may be, in carrying out the wise plan sketched in your 
 letter." 
 
 One who felt as he did with reference to Christian Reunion 
 could not but rejoice at the suggestion — of Bishop Jayne, I 
 believe — that a private Conference should be summoned, 
 representative of men of all schools, to see how far those 
 schools would go together in the direction of Temperance 
 legislation. Even if such a Conference should achieve little 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 275 
 
 in the matter immediately in hand, he believed that nothing 
 but good could result from the mere association of its 
 members for a common end. He felt that, as things were, 
 statesmen would refuse to act because Temperance people 
 were so divided amongst themselves, while unofHcial persons 
 would be led, for the same reason, to regard the question as 
 purely academic. A definite pronouncement by some such 
 Round Table Conference would carry much weight, however 
 limited might be the sphere with which the pronouncement 
 was concerned. It was no small cause of satisfaction to him 
 that the idea commended itself strongly to Bishop Westcott, 
 who wrote : 
 
 " There are many things on which we are all agreed as good, 
 if not best, and the ruin of Temperance work has been its 
 intolerance." 
 
 Writing to Mr, Workman on September 17, Dr. Moulton 
 said: 
 
 " It is, I think, very important to show plainly that every 
 one is left at liberty to prefer his own matured plan of ultir 
 mate action on behalf of Temperance Reform : whatever he 
 may assent to in the Conference, he accepts without prejudice 
 to other measures of which he has, as an individual, approved. 
 Many who themselves desire the success of such a Bill as 
 was brought forward by the late Government, will gladly do 
 all in their power to induce the Churches to agree on mea- 
 sures of partial reform." 
 
 The whole enterprise was so entirely the result of the 
 private endeavours of a few individuals that their names 
 could not fail to be much in evidence in the matter. To Dr. 
 Moulton personally this was a source of uneasiness : he 
 was afraid of being thought to be pushing to the front, and 
 
276 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 occupying too prominent a place ; and, moreover, he felt the 
 necessity of guarding against the possible suspicion, among 
 those outside, that a small cliquehad " cooked" the programme 
 ' — to use his own words from a letter to Mr. Workman in 
 August : 
 
 "It seems to me impossible to think of entering on the 
 general meeting without some kind of suggested programme. 
 We can completely guard against the suspicion of having 
 ' cooked,' but we cannot do anything without some arrange- 
 ment beforehand. I should face the difficulty boldly : (i) 
 let some seven or eight sign the invitations; (2) let these 
 form themselves into a committee for the sole purpose of 
 preparing for the Conference ; (3) let these draw up a (ten- 
 tative) programme, or, if desirable, two alternative pro- 
 grammes, and send this (or these) round to all who have 
 accepted the invitation to meet on November 6, asking for 
 suggestions that may guide in framing the ultimate pro- 
 gramme. This will prevent the very least appearance of 
 ' cooking,* all having seen and having had an opportunity of 
 adding and subtracting. ... I do not see how any one can 
 suspect undue influence beforehand, as, from the nature of 
 the case, we are to meet in Conference in November, not in 
 favour of any one course of policy, but to ascertain by com- 
 parison of opinions what amount of combined action it may 
 seem possible to aim at." 
 
 In order to give the Conference as much of a broad re- 
 presentative character as was possible, it was determined 
 that certain leading men — the Bishop of Chester for the 
 Church of England, Dr. Mackennal and Dr. Clifford for the 
 Congregationalists and Baptists, and Dr. Moulton for the 
 Wesleyans — should sound members of their own Churches 
 and others as to their willingness to co-operate, and that a 
 
FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE 277 
 
 .preliminary meeting should be held in Manchester early in 
 October to draft the circular of invitation and the programme 
 
 .for the Conference. The letters received in reply to these 
 
 ( inquiries were cordial in their sympathy, but they can find no 
 place here — ^with one exception : 
 
 "Oct. 2, 1895. 
 " My dear Sir, — Rev. Dr. Paton of Nottbgham had already 
 written to me inviting my co-operation at the proposed Con- 
 
 . ference at London House on November 6. I heartily welcomed 
 the attempt to secure some line of common action, and assured 
 him accordingly of my williugness to attend. 
 
 " I ventured at the same time to express the hope that the 
 different Churches, in taking the initiative, would not forget the 
 equal moral interest in Temperance Reform felt by large numbers 
 of good citizens who stand out of all ecclesiastical connection. 
 The movement should not, I think, be thrown into a form which 
 seems to decline instead of inviting their sympathy. We need 
 for our Reform the collective moral enthusiasm of the national 
 
 , conscience ; and must beware of seeming to claim for ourselves 
 as ecclesiastical organisations a monopoly of righteousness. 
 
 " On this account I should gladly have seen, on the list of 
 conveners, a name or two representative only of personal character. 
 But at all events, in the ulterior invitation of fellowship in .action, 
 I trust that good citizenship alone, apart from churchmanship, 
 
 will be remembered. 
 
 " I remain, dear sir, 
 
 " Yours very truly, 
 " Rev. Dr. Moulton." "James Martineau." 
 
 The preliminary meeting was held at the Central Hall, 
 Manchester, on October 8. There were present the Bishops 
 of Chester and Manchester, Dr. Mackennal, Dr. John Watson, 
 Archdeacon Wilson, Dr. H. J. Pope, Rev. Charles Garrett, 
 Dr. Moulton, and Mr. Workman. The Bishop of London 
 (Dr. Temple) placed London House at the disposal of the 
 Conference, and November 6 was finally agreed upon as the 
 
278 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 date. The invitation circular which had been drafted by Dr» 
 Mouhon was approved, and went forth bearing the signatures 
 of the Bishops of Durham and Chester, Dr. Clifford, Dr. 
 Mackennal, Dr. Martineau, Dr. Moulton, Mr. James Paton 
 (Church of Scotland), and Dr. George Adam Smith. 
 
 As to the Conference itself, there is no reason, even at this 
 distance of time, to invade the " private and confidential " 
 character of the meeting upon which so much stress was laid 
 at the time. There was nothing strikingly novel in the reso- 
 lutions moved. Temperance reform was to move on the 
 lines of least resistance ; and Sunday Closing was to be the 
 first plank in the platform. What was novel was the spectacle 
 of Cardinal Vaughan, Dr. Donald Macleod and Mr. Hugh 
 Price Hughes speaking to the same motion under the presi- 
 dency of the Bishop of London. The result of a gathering 
 such as this must have been solid good : possibly the good 
 might have been greater if Dr. Moulton had been able to be 
 present, since he, possessing as he did the confidence of all 
 parties in the Conference, could have done much towards 
 carrying its results to a practical issue. But this was not 
 to be. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CLOSING YEARS 
 
 Dr. Moulton'^ participation in the project to which he 
 was so devoted came to a close at Manchester. He had 
 travelled up from Cambridge in the morning of Tuesday, 
 October 8 : on his arrival in Manchester he went straight 
 to a consultation with the Bishop of Chester, without taking 
 any food. Directly the meeting was over he snatched a 
 hurried meal and took the six o'clock train to London^ He 
 was taken ill at Crewe, where he found himself unable to 
 speak clearly ; and he travelled on, with an increasing sense 
 of something wrong, to the St. Pancras Hotel, where he had 
 engaged a room previously, in view of several engagements 
 in London for the next day. But, thinking that rest was 
 what he chiefly needed, he did not send for a doctor, but 
 retired at once. Sleep, however, did not come, and feeling 
 very ill he sent at about three o'clock a note to his 
 friend Dr. Howard Barrett, who lived within a short 
 distance of the hotel, and he came at once. He found 
 that a small blood-vessel had burst in the vicinity of the 
 brain, and that, although his speech was partially impaired, 
 there was no immediate danger, provided he was kept abso- 
 lutely free from anything that could excite him. Dr. Barrett 
 telegraphed to Mrs. Moulton to come up, and we found him 
 just like himself except for weakness and a difficulty in 
 
28o WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 articulation. One of his first remarks was characteristic of 
 the prevailing cheerfulness of his disposition, even in times 
 of sickness. " I was talking Temperance on Monday night 
 [at a large meeting in Cambridge], I was talking Temperance 
 all yesterday ; and here I am to-day talking like a drunken 
 man ! " 
 
 For a week he lay at the St. Pancras Hotel, until he was 
 well enough to be moved to Cambridge, whence, after a short 
 time, he went to Heme Bay that he might recruit his 
 strength in that invigorating air. Little by little he returned 
 to his accustomed tasks. In the middle of January he was 
 well enough to attend the Annual Old Leysian Conversazione 
 at the Hdtel M^tropole, and during the School term which 
 opened on the following day he gradually took up the less 
 exacting of his varied kinds of work. He never preached to 
 the School again, for his doctor feared the strain for him, and 
 with two or three exceptions he preached nowhere else either, 
 but the quieter work of teaching he could manage and enjoy. 
 In 1893 he had been appointed a Magistrate for the Borough 
 of Cambridge — an unusual position for a Nonconformist 
 minister to occupy — and he soon resumed his seat on the 
 bench each Wednesday morning. Within a few months of 
 his illness he was again at his place at Holloway : reference 
 has already been made to his speech at the Church House 
 during the Lambeth Conference of July 1897; and when 
 later in that year a personal friend and a member of his own 
 Church — Mr. S. R. Ginn — became Mayor of Cambridge, he 
 yielded to an earnest request that he should be his Chap- 
 lain, and when the Mayor and Corporation attended the 
 ■Hills' Road Chapel officially, he preached the sermon, upon 
 Psalm Ixxxvii. Finally, on January 12, 1898, he presided at 
 the morning meeting of the Free Church Council "Quiet 
 .'Day " and gave an exposition. 
 
CLOSING YEARS 281 
 
 But although he had so wonderfully rallied from a serious 
 illness, and although he had in some respects moderated his 
 activity, it is easy to see now that he was overtaxing his 
 strength. Owing to the financial embarrassments of the 
 School, he was often pressed to economise by a reduction of 
 the teaching staff. Rightly or wrongly, he did not see his 
 way to accomplish this except to a very partial extent, and 
 even this necessitated a choice between receding from his 
 principles on the one hand, and taking more upon himself 
 on the other. He chose the latter ; and thus, at a time when 
 increasing years, weaker health, and the greater claims of the 
 Churches all made greater freedom desirable, and indeed 
 essential, to his well-being, he was more than ever harassed 
 by petty cares and routine business. There could be but one 
 end to such a life of stress. 
 
 The end, when it did come, came with great suddenness. 
 On the Wednesday of what proved his last week of life, he 
 had olHciated at the marriage of an Old Leysian, Mr. G. W. 
 McArthur ; and on Thursday he had spoken at a meeting at the 
 Hotel M6tropole in connection with the effort that the Gover- 
 nors of the School were making to lighten the burden of the 
 debt which had so long hampered its operations.* Among 
 Other speakers were Mr. Asquith and the Attorney-General 
 (Sir Richard Webster), Mr. A. J. Balfour being prevented by 
 a family bereavement from fulfilling his promise to be present 
 also. The meeting was a pronounced success, and Dr. 
 Moulton came away more hopeful than he had been for 
 years as to the financial position of the School. On that 
 evening he met many Old Leysians, and that was to him 
 not only a pleasure, but a positive tonic. How little did he 
 * Since that time the major portion — ^^30,000 — of the debt has been 
 wiped out. What better memorial could be raised to him ! It must be ex- 
 plained that the debt was due to the entire absence of endowment, no money 
 ■being provided in the first instance except for the purchase of the land. 
 
282 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 and they imagine that this would be their last opportunity of 
 intercourse on earth, and that it would not be his to see the 
 final outcome of the enterprise concerning which they were 
 met together. 
 
 There was nothing in his outward demeanour or in the 
 state of his health which gave the slightest warning that the 
 end was near. All who came in contact with him during 
 those last few days of his life regarded him as being 
 singularly well, and on the Saturday morning — during which 
 he had four classes on his hands, owing to the absence of 
 two members of his staff — many noted a degree of brightness 
 unusual even in him. It was a last flicker, bright and 
 strong, ere the candle went right out. Whether he himself 
 had any premonition as to the future it is impossible to say, 
 for his exquisite consideration for those whom he knew to be 
 watching him with constant solicitude prevented any allusion 
 to such possibilities. There is no doubt that he felt the 
 change which had come over him in consequence of the first 
 slight stroke, a change which was manifested, among other 
 things, in a diminished power to keep several matters in 
 hand at the same time ; and he would know the tendency to 
 repetition in such disturbances^ the second being frequently 
 fatal. There certainly were utterances on his part which 
 seem to suggest a special sense of uncertainty as to the 
 future. When his sister made a reference to plans for the 
 summer, he replied, " I never make plans now." Only three 
 hours before his death he had gone through a list of the New 
 Testament Revisers, and, after reading an announcement of 
 the death of Dr. Newth, had remarked to his wife, " There 
 are only six of us left now," receiving the natural reply that 
 of these he was by far the youngest. That same day he had 
 used the phrase, " When I leave The Leys " — a most unusual 
 expression from his lips. After his death there was found in 
 
CLOSING YEARS 283 
 
 his purse a newspaper cutting containing the following lines 
 from Whittier,* which had evidently captivated him, and 
 which are indeed a beautiful expression of his spirit : 
 
 " Others shall sing the song, 
 Others shall right the wrong, 
 Finish what I begin, 
 And all I fail of win. 
 
 " What matter I or they, 
 Mine or another's day. 
 So the right word is said 
 And life the brighter made ? 
 
 " Hail to the coming singers ! 
 Hail to the brave light-bringers ! 
 Forward I reach, and share 
 All that they sing and dare. 
 * • ■ i 
 
 " I feel the earth move sunward, 
 I join the great march onward, 
 And take by faith, while living, 
 My freehold of thanksgiving." 
 
 In apparently good health, bright and cheerful, he walked 
 out early in the afternoon of Saturday, February 5, to 
 Newnham, to visit one of his assistant masters, Mr. G. E. 
 Green, who had been for some time ill. Mr. Green was, 
 unfortunately, too unwell to see him, but he stayed talking 
 for half an hour to his brother. Professor J. R. Green, and 
 Miss Green, and to them he seemed to be thoroughly himself. 
 On leaving the house he promised that when the patient was 
 well enough to return to his work at The Leys he would send 
 a cab for him, lest he should try his strength too much by 
 walking. These were his last words on earth, and they 
 
 * From " My Triumph." 
 
284 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 were words of consideration for others. On his way back he 
 was seen in Sidgwick Avenue, walking firmly, although the 
 end was so near. He crossed the portion of Coe Fen that 
 lies between Newnham Mill and the footbridge over the 
 upper river just behind The Leys, but that r'wtr he did not 
 cross. As he climbed the steps of the bridge he was seen to 
 falter, to grasp the rail for support, and to sit down upon one 
 of the topmost steps, as one might who was wearied with a 
 long walk. And so indeed, in another sense, it was. The 
 gardener of Clare College seeing him there, and thinking that 
 he was only exhausted and faint, offered to help him into the 
 cottage which stands at the foot of the bridge,* to which he 
 
 softly replied, "No, th . . ." Unconsciousness seems 
 
 to have supervened immediately on the loss of speech. 
 
 At the moment, a London physician. Dr. Arthur Davies, 
 happened to pass \ and recognising with the quick insight of 
 a skilled observer the extreme gravity of the case, he had 
 Dr. Moulton removed to the cottage, where a kindly woman 
 assisted the unknown doctor in rendering all the service 
 which the loving care of friends would fain have given. The 
 tidings of his illness speedily reached The Leys, and some of 
 his family and others were quickly on the spot, but only to 
 find life ebbing peacefully away, in total unconsciousness of 
 the " sadness of farewell." When his own medical attendants. 
 Professor Clifford AUbutt and Dr. A. C. Ingle, arrived, he had 
 already, within less than half an hour from the time of the 
 seizure, passed beyond the reach of human skill. 
 
 The funeral at Cambridge, on February 9, was the occasion 
 of a beautiful expression of the feelings of the esteem and 
 affection with which he was regarded on all sides. The 
 
 * Upon this cottage may be seen a memorial tablet, placed there by the 
 Free Church Council of Cambridge, and bearing an inscription written by 
 Dr. Rendel Harris. 
 
CLOSING YEARS 285 
 
 leaders of his own Church, his Old Boys, the University 
 beside which he had lived so long, the Corporation of the 
 Town to which he had been Chaplain, the Bench of Magis- 
 trates of which he had been a member, and numerous 
 Councils and Boards of Governors — all were fully repre- 
 sented, and the School Hall was filled to overflowing. Every 
 feature of the service was determined with exclusive 
 reference to his known preferences, even down to the 
 point of the introductory voluntary — Batiste's Andante in 
 E Minor, of which he was very fond. 
 
 The service was conducted by the President of Queens' 
 College, Professor Ryle. After the opening sentences, 
 Charles Wesley's hymn, "Jesus the first and last," was 
 sung to Dr. Moulton's own tune. There then followed 
 the reading of Psalm xc. in alternate verses, and the Lesson 
 ^— both from the Revised Version — after which Dr. Ryle gave 
 an address which took the form of an appreciation of Dr. 
 Moulton from the standpoint of the University : 
 
 " In deference to a request from those whose wishes at such a 
 time I could not disregard, I wish to say a few, a very few, words. 
 We whose work lies in this University, we whose home is in this 
 town, ever rejoiced to regard our dear friend who has been taken 
 from us, with honour, with admiration, and with deep affection. 
 He prosecuted the work of this great school with untiring 
 assiduity at the doors of our University. That University he 
 loved, and he warmly supported every endeavour for the deepen- 
 ing of its influence and for the extension of its studies. He was 
 privileged to be the intimate friend, the sympathetic fellow worker, 
 of those three great men whose names will ever be associated with 
 the fame of Biblical study in Cambridge during the latter part of 
 this century. We know that Dr. Moulton was worthy, both in 
 attainments and scholarship, in his genius for accuracy and in his ■ 
 zeal for knowledge, in the pure simplicity of his life, in the perfect 
 modesty and earnestness of his character, in the godly devotion 
 and true saintliness of his mind, to take rank among the greatest 
 
286 WILLIAM F, MOULTON 
 
 scholars in the British Isles whose lives have been nobly given to 
 the study of Holy Scripture. We shall ever associate his name 
 with those of his dear friends with whom he is in Christ now reunited. 
 To the names of Lightfoot and Hort and Milligan we add now 
 the name of Moulton. But one word more. He in his life here 
 ever sought to promote goodwill, to remove any shadow of mis- 
 understanding, to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
 peace. That was the fair and noble object towards which he 
 consistently directed his best efforts. To him belongs the Saviour's 
 benediction on the peacemakers : ' Blessed are the peacemakers, 
 for they shall be called the sons of God.' The memory of his life 
 and of his work should constrain us who remain behind to labour 
 yet more abundantly, following his example, and to exercise our- 
 selves more truly in the pure love and charity with which he served 
 his Master in heaven." 
 
 Another of his favourite hymns was then sung — " He is 
 gone ! beyond the skies "—written by his intimate friend the 
 late Dean Stanley — after which an address was given by the 
 Rev. Marshall Hartley, the Secretary of the Wesleyan Con-! 
 ference and a close friend of many years : 
 
 " I would far rather stand silent in the temple of sorrow to-day 
 than attempt by poor words to pay a last tribute to my friend. 
 But those whose wish at such a time is sacred have asked this at 
 my hand, and at least I may claim what fitness for the task may 
 be found in a reverent love, thirty years old, for the pure, the 
 modest, the learned, the devout man whose loss we mourn to-day.. 
 If my words be few it is not because they might not easily be 
 many, but because I know that is what he would wish. Himself 
 ever most generous in his estimation of others, and unstinting 
 in his recognition of their worth, he did not covet personal 
 praise, and would far rather commend another than be himself 
 commended. 
 
 " I do not pretend to be an impartial witness to-day. Too many 
 memories crowd my heart for that — too deep a sense of what I 
 personally owe to Dr. Moulton. I cannot attempt to estimate 
 
CLOSING YEARS 287 
 
 the great career now closed, so far as this poor world is concerned ; 
 you will be content with a few grateful words of love. 
 
 "My own intimacy with Dr. Moulton has been coeval with 
 my ministry. My first appointment was as his assistant at 
 Richmond College, and through all my subsequent life I have 
 felt the value of that early association. From him I learned the 
 sacredness of duty as well as the fascination of study ; in him I 
 saw the beauty of holiness as well as the charm of a most delightful 
 character. The circumstances of the time, both in his honourable 
 public position as one of the New Testament Revisers, and in 
 some particulars of his family life, combined to make his then 
 assistant perhaps more to him than is usually the case in that 
 relation, and at times I was all but an inmate of his home. And 
 it was then, as it was to the end, in his home that the beauty of 
 his character was most conspicuous. With what tender grace, 
 what true courtesy, he treated all around him ; how perfect was 
 his temper, how joyous his spirit, how delightful and helpful his 
 conversation ! In him was no ' sour godliness, repellent phari- 
 saism ; ' ' wit and humour and becoming mirth ' characterised his 
 intercourse with his friends, and, whilst always dignified, he was 
 never unapproachable. 
 
 " He was a man of beautiful and winning life as well as a 
 thinker of wide range and genuine culture ; a most sympathetic 
 and tender-hearted friend, as well as a brilliant scholar and cour- 
 teous gentleman ; and few, probably, had any idea of the infinite 
 trouble he habitually took to help all who sought his advice or 
 assistance in their studies or their fife-work, or of the number of 
 those whom, in their poverty or their perplexity, he regularly cared 
 for and reUeved. He was indeed 'asuccourer of many,' and 
 his principle in such matters seems to have been ' Do as much 
 good in the world as you can, and make as little noise about it as 
 you can.' No one could be admitted to Dr. Moulton's friendship 
 without being in every way the better for it — better for his sug- 
 gestive thought, for the stimulating intensity and force of his 
 intellect, his wide culture, his acquaintance with the libraries of 
 the rich and immortal past, and no less with all that is best in the 
 literature of our own day — better, too, for his healthy tone, his 
 lofty spirit, his deep and firm godliness. From first to last he was 
 
288 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 guided by an inner light which never led him astray, and he was 
 such a man as the Master must have loved and loves still. 
 
 " Dr. Moulton was a * simple ' man, in the lovely original mean- 
 ing of that word. That is to say, he was not complex, not 
 difficult to understand, a man whose ' eyes looked right on and his 
 eyelids straight before him,' — a man of pure purpose, plain mean- 
 ing, quietly calm, content within limitation, placid under difficulties, 
 — simple in the godly meaning which puts a man under the 
 shelter of the Almighty, enjoying the 'peace which passeth under- 
 standing,' the peace of the Son of God. 
 
 "His influence over young men, during the happy days he 
 spent in training them, was very marked and remarkable. In the 
 hundreds that passed through his classes and were afterwards 
 scattered over the wide reaches of the Church's service — not one 
 of ■ whom, by the way, so marvellous was his memory, he ever 
 seemed to forget — his ' sound ' is literally ' gone out into all the 
 earth, and his words unto the end of the world.' Verily his 
 ' works do follow ' him in the records of many a completed life, in 
 the service of many who still survive, and will follow him long, in 
 the great influence which for more than twenty years he has 
 asserted over the youth of this and other lands on the very spot 
 where we are assembled now. 
 
 " Dr. Moulton was at all times a prodigious worker. How he 
 got through all he did was a standing amazement to his friends, 
 and some of us have often envied his rare powers in this respect. 
 This is not the time or the place to speak in detail of the results 
 of his ceaseless activity — of his scholarly achievements, his bril- 
 liant abilities, or of the services he rendered to society at large, 
 and especially to the Church of his fathers and of his choice. 
 But a passing reference may well be made to his remarkable 
 cathoUcity, to which, indeed, this service is in a sense itself a tribute. 
 He spent much of his life in true reunion work, seeking to pro- 
 mote that Christian unity which rather depends upon the person 
 of the Shepherd and the nature of the sheep than upon the mere 
 construction of the fold. He cherished a deep and most catholic 
 sympathy with all good men, and with the splendid work done 
 by other Christian Churches than his own, and yet at the same 
 time his attachment to his own was peculiarly strong. Its 
 
CLOSING YEARS 289 
 
 doctnnes, its services, its customs, its hymns were all very dear 
 to him. 
 
 "We mourn to-day a foremost man of the Methodist Church, 
 a man of wide Christian sympathies as well as of deep convictions, 
 who, when elected President of our Conference a few years ago, 
 quickly endeared himself to the masses of our people, as he was 
 akeady endeared to the privileged few ; whose name will long be 
 held in all dear remembrance amongst us, and who will live in 
 many hearts though he is now withdrawn from our eyes by the 
 impenetrable light of eternity. I reverently bless God for the gift 
 of such a man and such a friend. Without pride, without envy, 
 without selfishness, moved by the noblest ambitions, responsive 
 ever to the touch of God, William Fiddian MouUon has fuiaied 
 well his course and is now with Christ. Those who feel this 
 blow most keenly will be — nay, are — supported by the true 
 sympathy, the earnest prayers of a sorrowing people round them, 
 and by the upholding strength of the ' everlasting arms.' Happy 
 they who, even in their grief, are consoled by memories such as 
 cluster thickly around the name of Dr. Moulton, by blessed hopes, 
 by the precious promises of God. 
 
 " In the circumstances of the death we cannot but acknowledge 
 much mercy. It is a bright cloud that has received him. No 
 suffering, no sadness of farewell, no lingering helpless decay, but 
 busy to the last, and then a sudden transition to where there is a 
 nobler and better work to do ! And having walked humbly with 
 the Master all his Ufe, he would feel no shrinking when at its 
 close that Master 'appeared in another form' unto him as he 
 * walked and went into the country.' " 
 
 At the conclusion- of Mr. Hartley's address, another hymn, 
 already referred to as a great favourite vrith Dr. Moulton, 
 
 was sung "O Thou who earnest from above" — ^and the 
 
 Rev. J. Scott Lidgett, of the Bermondsey Settlement, con- 
 cluded the service with prayer. The scene afterwards 
 in the grounds was singularly impressive. The large 
 quadrangle was hned with The Leys boys, and the procession 
 
290 WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 which followed the mourners to the Histon Road Ceme- 
 tery was upwards of half a mile in length, and included 
 the Mayor and Corporation, a large number of Heads of 
 Colleges, University Professors and others, past and present 
 Leys Masters, a strong contingent of Old Leysians from all 
 parts of the country, the School itself, and many private 
 friends. The service at the grave was conducted by the 
 Rev. John Gould, the Chairman of the East Anglia District, 
 and a valued friend of the family. 
 
 To attempt to record the many and beautiful apprecia- 
 tions — whether in public press and pulpit or in private 
 letters — which came literally from all parts of the world 
 and from all sorts and conditions of men, would be to 
 overweight this volume with sad regrets for a widespread 
 loss, or with thankful reminiscences of those very gifts 
 and graces which have here been portrayed. With one 
 of these, as perhaps summing up the thoughts of them 
 all, this memoir may fitly close. 
 
 MANIBUS DATE LILIA PLENIS.* 
 
 " Dear and true friend, so swiftly called away, 
 As weeping round thy open grave we stand, 
 The last sad unavailing rite we pay, 
 
 And scatter lilies with a trembling hand. 
 
 " Ashes to ashes, dust again to dust — 
 
 Yet while our heart with utter grief is torn, 
 We see more clear, with sure and certain trust 
 The breaking of the Resurrection morn. 
 
 * Written by Mr. E. E. Kellett, M.A., Assistant Master at The Leys, for 
 the Memorial number of the School magazine. 
 
CLOSING YEARS 291 
 
 " Dear to thee was the place where year by year 
 
 Thy work was wrought, thy noiseless path was trod ; 
 Yet was one mansion to thy heart more dear, 
 Nor will we grudge thee to that home of God. 
 
 "For, though thy labours in this tale are done," 
 There shall thy holy service know no rest ; 
 Nor, while the everlasting aeons run, 
 
 Shall cease thy eager striving for the best. 
 
 "The language of that other starry sphere 
 
 Will sound not in thy ears with foreign tone ; 
 For thou hadst caught its tender accents here, 
 And made, ' in part,' its mysteries thy own. 
 
 " Nigh all the deep and unexhausted store 
 
 Of human khowledge, new and old, was thine ; 
 But thou hadst learned a deeper, holier lore — 
 The secret of the blessed life divine. 
 
 " Nor, surely, hast thou taught us all in vain 
 The lesson of our common brotherhood ; 
 The art to sink the self, the scorn of gain. 
 The skill to draw to light the hidden good. 
 
 " Who ever from that gracious presence came 
 
 But raised in hope, in faith more pure and strong. 
 Stirred strangely to a higher, nobler aim. 
 
 Or wooed, he knew not how, from all things wrong? 
 
 "Serenely trustful in the might of good, 
 
 The baser rule of force thou didst disdain ; 
 Oft was the bad betrayed to better mood. 
 Oft the despairing drawn to hope again. 
 
 " Ah ! we must rise again our path to tread, 
 
 Aidless, alone, and smitten through the heart ; 
 The present dark, the future full of dread- 
 Yet shall we dare to choose the better part : 
 
29* WILLIAM F. MOULTON 
 
 " Like thee to do our duty day by day, 
 To follow good, unheedful of reward ; 
 Like thee unceasingly to work and pray, 
 And stand unshamed, at last, before our Lord." 
 
 In City Road Chapel, London, side by side with that of 
 Dr. Punshon, stands a fine bust of Dr. Moulton, by Mr. 
 Adams Acton, which was the gift of his brother ministers, 
 unveiled on July 7, 1899, by Sir Henry H. Fowler. Above 
 is the appropriate quotation (James iii. 13) : 
 
 EN nPAYTHTI 20*IA2. 
 
 Beneath, an inscription from the pen of Professor Findlay, 
 after reciting his various distinctions, proceeds : 
 
 "Beloved amongst his own people, honoured throughout the 
 Churches ; a scholar keen, exact, accomplished, eminently versed 
 in sacred Scripture ; a teacher who inspired love of learning and 
 love of all goodness ; a minister of Christ, humble, faithful, gentle 
 towards all, fervent in spirit, pure in heart, constant in labour and 
 prayer, an example to the flock, a good steward of the manifold 
 grace of God. 
 
 " By a swift and painless transition he passed into the Eternal 
 Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
 
INDEX 
 
 Apocrypha, Revision of the, ao8 
 
 sqq. 
 Arthur, Rev. W., 113, 116 
 
 Bakewell, John, 13, 14 
 Barrett, Rev. Alfred, 53, 73 
 Benson, Rev. Joseph, 16, 17 
 Brown, Rev. Dr. David, 188, 198 
 Burgon, Dean, gg sqq., 194 sqq. 
 
 Clegg, Rev. J. Whitehead, 153 
 Cox, Rev. Josiah, 54 
 Cumock, Rev. Nehemiah, 34 
 
 Davidson, Rev. Dr. Samuel, 85 
 
 Egan, Dr. James, 14 
 Eldridge, Rev. C. O., g6 
 Ellicott, Bishop, 40, 81, 88, go, 
 gg, 106, 261 
 
 FiDDiAN, Catherine, 31 sqq. 
 Fiddian, Samuel, aa, 34 
 Findlay, Professor, 143 sqq., 335, 
 
 3g3 
 French, Rev. Alfred J., 33 
 French, Henry, 113 
 
 GoTCH, Rev, Dr. F. W., 85 
 Gould, Rev. John, asg, ago 
 
 Greenup, Rev. A. W., 307 
 Gregory, Rev. Benjamin, ao 
 
 Haigh, Rev. Henry, 55 
 Hartley, Rev. Marshall, 386 
 Hellier, Rev. Benjamin, 48, 53, 
 
 73 
 HoUoway College, The Royal, 
 
 371 
 Hope, Rev. Samuel, 66 
 Hort, Rev. Dr., 130, 149, 150, 
 
 160-163, igo, ig3, ig6, 203, 3o8 
 
 sqq., 350 sqq. 
 Hughes, Rev. Hugh Price, 56- 
 
 58 
 
 Jayne, Bishop, 374 sqq. 
 Jebb, Canon, gs 
 
 Kellett, E. E., 390 
 
 Leys scheme, The, 113 sqq, 
 Lidgett, Rev. J. Scott, 167, 3go 
 Lightfoot, Bishop, 105, igi, 367 
 
 MiLLiGAN, Rev. Dr. William, 163 
 
 sqq., i8g, 333 n., 33g sqq. 
 Moberly, Bishop, 103, 104 
 Moulton ancestry, 13-31 
 Moulton, William F. : 
 School-days, 34 sqq. 
 
294 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Moulton, William F. : 
 
 Schoolmaster, 31 sqq. 
 
 Begins to preach, 35 
 
 London career, 41 
 
 Accepted for the ministry, 45 
 
 Richmond, 46 sqq. 
 
 Misionary enthusiasm, 54, 
 166 sqq. 
 
 Scriptural Examination at 
 London, 64 
 
 Marriage, 68 
 
 Ordination, 73 
 
 Railway accident, 78 
 
 Winer's Grammar, 81, 184 
 sqq. 
 
 Revision work, go-iii 
 
 Appointment to The Leys, 
 117 
 
 Honorary Degree at Cam- 
 bridge, 130 
 
 Methods and ideals of school 
 management, izi sqq. 
 
 Relations with his prefects, 
 
 133-135 
 Relations with his masters, 
 
 135-138 
 Views on Bible teaching in 
 
 schools, 141 sqq. 
 Correspondence, 148 
 Perse School for Girls, 150 
 Relations with Cambridge 
 
 Methodism, 150 
 Probationers' examinations, 
 
 152-155 
 " Holidays," 155 
 Friendships, 156 sqq. 
 Width of interest,i68,i8is}j. 
 Generosity of estimate, &c., 
 
 171 sqq. 
 Views on cremation, 178 
 Revisers' principles of action , 
 
 1S8 sqq. 
 
 Moulton, William F. : 
 
 Marginal references, 201 
 
 sqq, 
 Apocrypha revision, ao8 sqq. 
 Commentaries and other 
 
 published works, 210 sqq. 
 Attitude towards Biblical 
 
 criticism, 218 sqq. 
 Affection for Methodism, 
 
 234 sqq. 
 President of thp Wesleyan 
 
 Conference, 238 sqq. 
 Wesley Centenary, 247 sqq. 
 Ordination charge, 254-258 
 Visit to America, 258 
 Attitude towards Christian 
 
 reunion, 261 sqq. 
 Temperance work, 273 sqq. 
 Premonitory stroke, 279 
 Mayor's chaplain at Cam- 
 
 bridge, 280 
 Death, 284 
 Funeral, 285 sqq. 
 
 Nelson, Earl, 262 
 
 OsBORN, Rev. Dr. George, 57, 
 71. 105 
 
 Palmer, Archdeacon, 100, 101, 
 194 
 
 Revisers, Autographs of, 92, 
 
 93 
 Revision, New Testament, 90- 
 
 iir 
 Ryle, Rev. Dr. H. E., 285 
 
 Scrivener, Rev. Dr. F. H. A., 
 
 96, 195, 201 sqq, 
 Slugg, Rev. J. T., 26 
 Stanley, Dean, 106, 286 
 
INDEX 
 
 295 
 
 Taunton College, 31-41 
 Theological Institution, Life at 
 
 a, 48-53 
 Tillyard, Arthur I., 140, 171 
 
 Vaughan, Dean, 106, 263 sqq. 
 
 Waddy, Rev. Dr. S. D., 29, 240 
 Waddy, Judge, 29 
 
 Walker, George, 16 
 
 Wesley College, 29 
 
 Westcott, Bishop, 104-107 sqq., 
 117, 129, 157 sqq., 176, 190 sqq., 
 195, 208 sqq., 250 sqq., 275 
 
 Winer's Grammar, 80 sqq., 184 
 sqq. 
 
 Woodhouse Grove School, 25 
 
 Workman, Rev. H. B., 274 sqq.