l book?--Not well written?

Pressed further upon this point, and as to whether the book he had in
mind was not of a certain tendency, Mr. Wilde declined with some warmth
to be cross-examined upon the work of another artist. It was, he said,
"an impertinence and a vulgarity." He admitted that he had in his mind a
French book entitled _A Rebours_. Mr. Carson wanted to elicit Mr.
Wilde's view as to the morality of that book, but Sir Edward Clarke
succeeded, on an appeal to the Judge, in stopping any further reference
to it.

Counsel then quoted another extract[37] from the _Lippincott_ version of
"Dorian Gray," in which the artist tells Dorian of the scandals about
him, and finally asks, "Why is your friendship so fateful to young men?"
Asked whether the passage in its ordinary meaning did not suggest a
certain charge, witness stated that it described Dorian Gray as a man of
very corrupt influence, though there was no statement as to the nature
of his influence. "But as a matter of fact," he added, "I do not think
that one person influences another, nor do I think there is any bad
influence in the world."

Counsel: A man never corrupts a youth?--I think not.

Nothing could corrupt him?--If you are talking of separate ages.

Mr. Carson: No, Sir, I am talking common sense.

Witness: I do not think one person influences another.

You do not think that flattering a young man, making love to him, in
fact, would be likely to corrupt him?--No.

On the assembling of the court on the following day, Mr. Wilde, who
arrived ten minutes late, after saying to the Judge, "My lord, pray
accept my apologies for being late in the witness-box," was examined by
Sir Edward Clarke. In reference to "Dorian Gray" the witness said: "Mr.
Walter Pater wrote me several letters about it, and in consequence of
what he said I modified one passage. The book was very widely reviewed,
among others by Mr. Pater himself. I wrote a reply to the review that
appeared in the _Scots Observer_."

The subject then dropped.

On the last day of Mr. Wilde's first trial at the Criminal Central
Court, May 1st, 1895, the Judge, Mr. Justice Charles, in his summing-up,
dealt with "the literary part of the case," and again "Dorian Gray" came
under consideration. The Judge said that a very large portion of the
evidence of Mr. Wilde at the trial of Lord Queensberry was devoted to
what Sir Edward Clarke had called "the literary part of the case." It
was attempted t