728 THE DRAMA 



But in spite of all this, there is, perhaps, not one of Ibsen's works 

 which the serious student of the social plays can less afford to ignore 

 than the " Emperor and Galilsean," for here, if anywhere, Ibsen sets 

 forth his formal creed. 



Julian perceives rightly enough that the official Christianity of his 

 day is hollow and hypocritical. It does not make men spiritual, but 

 it lays a ban upon their earthly enjoyments, and corrupts and corrodes 

 them. It has quenched the beauty of the old pagan religion of joy, 

 and has planted in its place a grovelling religion of superstition, of 

 fear, of bargaining, and of treachery. 



But now that it has once come and has made the old religion wither, 

 as under a blight, it is vain to endeavor to recover that old religion 

 again. A man may seek relief from the present by transporting him- 

 self into the past, but he cannot bring back the past into the present 

 and make it live again. 



When Julian has been crowning his brow with vine-leaves, and seek- 

 ing the fresh life of joy and freedom that reigned of old, and has then 

 fallen into a conversation that stirs in his heart thoughts of the pas- 

 sionate earnestness of the early Christian spirit, he cries out that the 

 only real life is to be found in the fire of martyrdom and the crown 

 of thorns ; and as he strikes his hand upon his brow, it falls upon the 

 vine'crown ! Sadly he removes it and gazes on it, then flings it away 

 with the bitter cry, " The new truth is true no more, and the ancient 

 beauty is no longer beautiful ! " 



And yet he perpetually strives to recover that ancient beauty, 

 though he feels that it is now hateful. As he rides through the streets 

 in Bacchic triumph with the panther skin thrown over his shoulders 

 and the wild chorus of revellers round him, he tries to imagine that 

 he is restoring ancient beauty; but no sooner is he alone than he feels 

 the hideous hollowness of the whole thing. Is a band of drunkards 

 and harlots paid to sport in the streets, while the abashed or amused 

 crowd stares in bewilderment, or raises a mercenary shout to please 

 the Emperor, a shout with no joy, no conviction, no ring in it is 

 this beautiful ? 



Beautiful ? Nay, he cries out for a bath, a bath for the body ana 

 the soul, to wash away the stench of it ! 



And thus in the war of philosophy against superstition, of tolera- 

 tion against fanaticism, of beauty and freedom against anxious ear- 

 nestness, he has changed sides without knowing it. He finds himself 

 engaged in a crusade against luxury, worldliness, and indifference. 

 He strives to lay a new consecration upon men, instead of leading 

 them back into frank and free enjoyment of life. The Galilaean has 

 laid a spell upon the world, and his foe can no more escape it than his 

 followers can. 



It i? clear enough, then, where Julian is wrong. But what would 



