A STUDY OF BRITISH GENIUS. 379 



have anything whatever to do with them or their work and the active 

 infliction of physical torture and death. There is, however, at least one 

 form of persecution, very definite in character, which it is easy to 

 estimate, since the national biographers have probably in few cases 

 passed it over. I refer to imprisonment. I find that over 14 per cent, 

 of these 902 eminent persons were imprisoned, once or oftener, for 

 periods of varying length, while many others only escaped imprison- 

 ment by voluntary exile. It is true that the causes of imprisonment 

 were various, but even imprisonment for debt may usually be taken to 

 indicate an anomalous lack of adjustment to the social environment. 

 The man of genius is an abnormal being, thus arousing the instinctive 

 hostility of society, which by every means seeks to put him out of the 

 way. 



It will be seen that the various personal traits noted in this sec- 

 tion, while completing our picture of British persons of genius, may 

 be linked on at various points to other traits we have previously noted. 

 It only remains to gather together the various threads we have traced 

 and to ascertain how far they may be harmoniously woven into a com- 

 plete whole. 



