George Eliot will probably always retain a high place among writers of fiction.  Her great power lies in the minute painting of character, chiefly among the lower middle classes, shopkeepers, tradesmen, and country folk of the Midlands, into whose thoughts and feelings she had an insight almost like divination, and of whose modes of expression she was complete mistress.  Her general view of life is pessimistic, relieved by a power of seizing the humorous elements in human stupidity and ill-doing.  There is also, however, much seriousness in her treatment of the phases of life upon which she touches, and few writers have brought out with greater power the hardening and degrading effects of continuance in evil courses, or the inevitable and irretrievable consequences of a wrong act.  Her descriptions of rural scenes have a singular charm.

Life, ed. by J.W.  Cross (1885-6).  Books on her by Oscar Browning, 1890, and Sir Leslie Stephen (Men of Letters), 1902.

EVELYN, JOHN (1620-1706).—­Diarist, and miscellaneous writer, was of an old Surrey family, and was ed. at a school at Lewes and at Oxf.  He travelled much on the Continent, seeing all that was best worth seeing in the way of galleries and collections, both public and private, of which he has given an interesting account in his Diary.  He was all his life a staunch Royalist, and joined the King as a volunteer in 1642, but soon after repaired again to the Continent.  After 1652 he was at home, settled at Sayes Court, near Deptford, where his gardens were famous.  After the Restoration he was employed in various matters by the Government, but his lofty and pure character was constantly offended by the manners of the Court.  In addition to his Diary, kept up from 1624-1706, and which is full of interesting details of public and private events, he wrote upon such subjects as plantations, Sylva (1664), gardening, Elysium Britannicum (unpub.), architecture, prevention of smoke in London, engraving, Sculptura (1662), and he was one of the founders of the Royal Society, of which he was for a time sec.  The dignity and purity of E’.s character stand forth in strong relief against the laxity of his times.

EWING, MRS. JULIANA HORATIA (GATTY) (1842-1885).—­Writer of children’s stories, dau. of Mrs. Alfred Gatty (q.v.), also a writer for children.  Among her tales, which have hardly been excelled in sympathetic insight into child-life, and still enjoy undiminished popularity, are:  A Flat Iron for a Farthing, Jackanapes, Jan of the Windmill, Mrs. Overtheway’s Remembrances, and The Story of a Short Life.

FABER, FREDERICK WILLIAM (1814-1863).—­Theologian and hymn-writer, was b. at Calverley, Yorkshire, and ed. at Harrow and Oxf., where he came under the influence of Newman, whom he followed into the Church of Rome.  He wrote various theological treatises, but has a place in literature for his hymns, which include The Pilgrims of the Night, My God how wonderful thou art, and Sweet Saviour, bless us ere we go.