the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第23部分

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〃This　is　true；〃　said　Mr　Cowley；　〃yet　these　admonitions　are　not　less　needful　to　subjects　than　to　sovereigns。〃

〃Surely；〃　said　Mr　Milton；　〃and；　that　I　may　end　this　long　debate　with　a　few　words　in　which　we　shall　both　agree；　I　hold　that；　as　freedom　is　the　only　safeguard　of　governments；　so　are　order　and　moderation　generally　necessary　to　preserve　freedom。　　Even　the　vainest　opinions　of　men　are　not　to　be　outraged　by　those　who　propose　to　themselves　the　happiness　of　men　for　their　end；　and　who　must　work　with　the　passions　of　men　for　their　means。　　The　blind　reverence　for　things　ancient　is　indeed　so　foolish　that　it　might　make　a　wise　man　laugh；　if　it　were　not　also　sometimes　so　mischievous　that　it　would　rather　make　a　good　man　weep。　　Yet；　since　it　may　not　be　wholly　cured　it　must　be　discreetly　indulged；　and　therefore　those　who　would　amend　evil　laws　should　consider　rather　how　much　it　may　be　safe　to　spare；　than　how　much　it　may　be　possible　to　change。　　Have　you　not　heard　that　men　who　have　been　shut　up　for　many　years　in　dungeons　shrink　if　they　see　the　light；　and　fall　down　if　their　irons　be　struck　off？　　And　so；　when　nations　have　long　been　in　the　house　of　bondage；　the　chains　which　have　crippled　them　are　necessary　to　support　them；　the　darkness　which　hath　weakened　their　sight　is　necessary　to　preserve　it。　　Therefore　release　them　not　too　rashly；　lest　they　curse　their　freedom　and　pine　for　their　prison。

〃I　think　indeed　that　the　renowned　Parliament；　of　which　we　have　talked　so　much；　did　show；　until　it　became　subject　to　the　soldiers；　a　singular　and　admirable　moderation；　in　such　times　scarcely　to　be　hoped；　and　most　worthy　to　be　an　example　to　all　that　shall　come　after。　　But　on　this　argument　I　have　said　enough：　and　I　will　therefore　only　pray　to　Almighty　God　that　those　who　shall；　in　future　times　stand　forth　in　defence　of　our　liberties；　as　well　civil　as　religious；　may　adorn　the　good　cause　by　mercy；　prudence；　and　soberness；　to　the　glory　of　his　name　and　the　happiness　and　honour　of　the　English　people。〃

And　so　ended　that　discourse；　and　not　long　after　we　were　set　on　shore　again　at　the　Temple　Gardens；　and　there　parted　company：　　and　the　same　evening　I　took　notes　of　what　had　been　said；　which　I　have　here　more　fully　set　down；　from　regard　both　to　the　fame　of　the　men；　and　the　importance　of　the　subject…matter。

。。。


ON　THE　ATHENIAN　ORATORS。

（August　1824。）

〃To　the　famous　orators　repair；　Those　ancient；　whose　resistless　eloquence　Wielded　at　will　that　fierce　democratie；　Shook　the　arsenal；　and　fulmined　over　Greece　To　Macedon　and　Artaxerxes'　throne。〃Milton。

The　celebrity　of　the　great　classical　writers　is　confined　within　no　limits；　except　those　which　separate　civilised　from　savage　man。　Their　works　are　the　common　property　of　every　polished　nation。　They　have　furnished　subjects　for　the　painter；　and　models　for　the　poet。　　In　the　minds　of　the　educated　classes　throughout　Europe；　their　names　are　indissolubly　associated　with　the　endearing　recollections　of　childhood；the　old　school…room；the　dog…eared　grammar；the　first　prize；the　tears　so　often　shed　and　so　quickly　dried。　　So　great　is　the　veneration　with　which　they　are　regarded；　that　even　the　editors　and　commentators　who　perform　the　lowest　menial　offices　to　their　memory；　are　considered；　like　the　equerries　and　chamberlains　of　sovereign　princes；　as　entitled　to　a　high　rank　in　the　table　of　literary　precedence。　　It　is；　therefore；　somewhat　singular　that　their　productions　should　so　rarely　have　been　examined　on　just　and　philosophical　principles　of　criticism。

The　ancient　writers　themselves　afford　us　but　little　assistance。　When　they　particularise；　they　are　commonly　trivial：　　when　they　would　generalise；　they　become　indistinct。　　An　exception　must；　indeed；　be　made　in　favour　of　Aristotle。　　Both　in　analysis　and　in　combination；　that　great　man　was　without　a　rival。　　No　philosopher　has　ever　possessed；　in　an　equal　degree；　the　talent　either　of　separating　established　systems　into　their　primary　elements；　or　of　connecting　detached　phenomena　in　harmonious　systems。　　He　was　the　great　fashioner　of　the　intellectual　chaos；　he　changed　its　darkness　into　light；　and　its　discord　into　order。　　He　brought　to　literary　researches　the　same　vigour　and　amplitude　of　mind　to　which　both　physical　and　metaphysical　science　are　so　greatly　indebted。　　His　fundamental　principles　of　criticism　are　excellent。　To　cite　only　a　single　instance：the　doctrine　which　he　established；　that　poetry　is　an　imitative　art；　when　justly　understood；　is　to　the　critic　what　the　compass　is　to　the　navigator。　　With　it　he　may　venture　upon　the　most　extensive　excursions。　　Without　it　he　must　creep　cautiously　along　the　coast；　or　lose　himself　in　a　trackless　expanse；　and　trust；　at　best；　to　the　guidance　of　an　occasional　star。　　It　is　a　discovery　which　changes　a　caprice　into　a　science。

The　general　propositions　of　Aristotle　are　valuable。　　But　the　merit　of　the　superstructure　bears　no　proportion　to　that　of　the　foundation。　　This　is　partly　to　be　ascribed　to　the　character　of　the　philosopher；　who；　though　qualified　to　do　all　that　could　be　done　by　the　resolving　and　combining　powers　of　the　understanding；　seems　not　to　have　possessed　much　of　sensibility　or　imagination。　Partly；　also；　it　may　be　attributed　to　the　deficiency　of　materials。　　The　great　works　of　genius　which　then　existed　were　not　either　sufficiently　numerous　or　sufficiently　varied　to　enable　any　man　to　form　a　perfect　code　of　literature。　　To　require　that　a　critic　should　conceive　classes　of　composition　which　had　never　existed；　and　then　investigate　their　principles；　would　be　as　unreasonable　as　the　demand　of　Nebuchadnezzar；　who　expected　his　magicians　first　to　tell　him　his　dream　and　then　to　interpret　it。

With　all　his　deficiencies；　Aristotle　was　the　most　enlightened　and　profound　critic　of　antiquity。　　Dionysius　was　far　from　possessing　the　same　exquisite　subtilty；　or　the　same　vast　comprehension。　　But　he　had　access　to　a　much　greater　number　of　specimens；　and　he　had　devoted　himself；　as　it　appears；　more　exclusively　to　the　study　of　elegant　literature。　　His　peculiar　judgments　are　of　more　value　than　his　general　principles。　　He　is　only　the　historian　of　literature。　　Aristotle　is　its　philosopher。

Quintilian　applied　to　general　literature　the　same　principles　by　which　he　had　been　accustomed　to　judge　of　the　declamations　of　his　pupils。　　He　looks　for　nothing　but　rhetoric；　and　rhetoric　not　of　the　highest　order。　　He　speaks　coldly　of　the　incomparable　works　of　Aeschylus。　　He　admires；　beyond　expression；　those　inexhaustible　mines　of　common…places；　the　plays　of　Euripides。　　He　bestows　a　few　vague　words　on　the　poetical　character　of　Homer。　　He　then　proceeds　to　consider　him　merely　as　an　orator。　　An　orator　Homer　doubtless　was；　and　a　great　orator。　　But　surely　nothing　is　more　remarkable；　in　his　admirable　works；　than　the　art　with　which　his　oratorical　powers　are　made　subservient　to　the　purposes　of　poetry。　　Nor　can　I　think　Quintilian　a　great　critic　in　his　own　province。　　Just　as　are　many　of　his　remarks；　beautiful　as　are　many　of　his　illustrations；　we　can　perpetually　detect　in　his　thoughts　that　flavour　which　the　soil　of　despotism　generally　communicates　to　all　the　fruits　of　genius。　　Eloquence　was；　in　his　time；　little　more　than　a　condiment　which　served　to　stimulate　in　a　despot　the　jaded　appetite　for　panegyric；　an　amusement　for　the　travelled　nobles　and　the　blue…　stocking　matrons　of　Rome。　　It　is；　therefore；　with　him；　rather　a　sport　than　a　war；　it　is　a　contest　of　foils；　not　of　swords。　　He　appears　to　think　more　of　the　grace　of　the　attitude　than　of　the　direction　and　vigour　of　the　thrust。　　It　must　be　acknowledged；　in　justice　to　Quintilian；　that　this　is　an　error　to　which　Cicero　has　too　often　given　the　sanction；　both　of　his　precept　and　of　his　example。

Longinus　seems　to　have　had　great　sensibility；　but　little　discrimination。　　He　gives　us　eloquent　sentences；　but　no　principles。　　It　was　happily　said　that　Montesquieu　ought　to　have　changed　the　name　of　his　book　from　〃L'Esprit　des　Lois〃　to　〃L'Esprit　sur　les　Lois〃。　　In　the　same　manner　the　philosopher　of　Palmyra　ought　to　have　entitled　his　famous　work；　not　〃Longinus　on　the　Sublime；〃　but　〃The　Sublimities　of　Longinus。〃　　The　origin　of　the　sublime　is　one　of　the　most　curious　and　interesting　subjects　of　inquiry　that　can　occupy　the　attention　of　a　critic。　　In　our　own　country　it　has　been　discussed；　with　great　ability；　and；　I　think；　with　very　little　success；　by　Burke　and　Dugald　Stuart。　　Longinus　dispenses　himself　from　all　investigations　of　this　nature；　by　telling　his　friend　Terentianus　that　he　already　knows　everything　that　can　be　said　upon　the　question。　　It　is　to　be　regretted　that　Terentianus　did　not　impart　some　of　his　knowledge　to　his　instructor：　　for　from　Longinus　we　learn　only　that　sublimity　means　heightor　elevation。　　（Akrotes　kai　exoche　tis　logon　esti　ta　uoe。）　　This　name；　so　commodiously　vague；　is　applied　indifferently　to　the　noble　prayer　of　Ajax　in　the　Iliad；　and　to　a　passage　of　Plato　about　the　human　body；　as　full　of　conceits　as　an　ode　of　Cowley。　　Having　no　fixed　standard；　Longinus　is　right　only　by　accident。　　He　is　rather　a　fancier　than　a　critic。

Modern　writers　have　been　prevented　by　many　causes　from　supplying　the　deficiencies　of　their　classical　predecessors。　　At　the　time　of　the　revival　of　literature；　no　man　could；　without　great　and　painful　labour；　acquire　an　accurate　and　elegant　knowledge　of　the　ancient　languages。　　And；　unfortunately；　those　grammatical　and　philological　studies；　without　which　it　was　impossible　to　understand　the　great　works　of　Athenian　and　Roman　genius；　have　a　tendency　to　contract　the　views　and　deaden　the　sensibility　of　those　who　follow　them　with　extreme　assiduity。　　A　powerful　mind；　which　has　been　long　employed　in　such　studies；　may　be　compared　to　the　gigantic　spirit　in　the　Arabian　tale；　who　was　persuaded　to　contract　himself　to　small　dimensions　in　order　to　enter　within　the　enchanted　vessel；　and；　when　his　prison　had　been　closed　upon　him；　found　himself　unable　to　escape　from　the　narrow　boundaries　to　the　measure　of　which　he　had　reduced　his　stature。　　When　the　means　have　long　been　the　objects　of　application；　they　are　naturally　substituted　for　the　end。　　It　was　said；　by　Eugene　of　Savoy；　that　the　greatest　generals　have　commonly　been　those　who　have　been　at　once　raised　to　command；　and　introduced　to　the　great　operations　of　war；　without　being　employed　in　the　petty　calculations　and　ma