heroes and hero worship-第21部分

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brief　in　comparison　to　an　unfathomable　heart…song　like　this：　　one　feels　as　if　it　might　survive；　still　of　importance　to　men；　when　these　had　all　sunk　into　new　irrecognizable　combinations；　and　had　ceased　individually　to　be。　　Europe　has　made　much；　great　cities；　great　empires；　encyclopaedias；　creeds；　bodies　of　opinion　and　practice：　　but　it　has　made　little　of　the　class　of　Dante's　Thought。　　Homer　yet　_is_　veritably　present　face　to　face　with　every　open　soul　of　us；　and　Greece；　where　is　_it_？　　Desolate　for　thousands　of　years；　away；　vanished；　a　bewildered　heap　of　stones　and　rubbish；　the　life　and　existence　of　it　all　gone。　　Like　a　dream；　like　the　dust　of　King　Agamemnon！　　Greece　was；　Greece；　except　in　the　_words_　it　spoke；　is　not。

The　uses　of　this　Dante？　　We　will　not　say　much　about　his　〃uses。〃　　A　human　soul　who　has　once　got　into　that　primal　element　of　_Song_；　and　sung　forth　fitly　somewhat　therefrom；　has　worked　in　the　_depths_　of　our　existence；　feeding　through　long　times　the　life…roots　of　all　excellent　human　things　whatsoever；in　a　way　that　〃utilities〃　will　not　succeed　well　in　calculating！　　We　will　not　estimate　the　Sun　by　the　quantity　of　gaslight　it　saves　us；　Dante　shall　be　invaluable；　or　of　no　value。　　One　remark　I　may　make：　　the　contrast　in　this　respect　between　the　Hero…Poet　and　the　Hero…Prophet。　　In　a　hundred　years；　Mahomet；　as　we　saw；　had　his　Arabians　at　Grenada　and　at　Delhi；　Dante's　Italians　seem　to　be　yet　very　much　where　they　were。　　Shall　we　say；　then；　Dante's　effect　on　the　world　was　small　in　comparison？　　Not　so：　　his　arena　is　far　more　restricted；　but　also　it　is　far　nobler；　clearer；perhaps　not　less　but　more　important。　　Mahomet　speaks　to　great　masses　of　men；　in　the　coarse　dialect　adapted　to　such；　a　dialect　filled　with　inconsistencies；　crudities；　follies：　　on　the　great　masses　alone　can　he　act；　and　there　with　good　and　with　evil　strangely　blended。　　Dante　speaks　to　the　noble；　the　pure　and　great；　in　all　times　and　places。　　Neither　does　he　grow　obsolete；　as　the　other　does。　　Dante　burns　as　a　pure　star；　fixed　there　in　the　firmament；　at　which　the　great　and　the　high　of　all　ages　kindle　themselves：　　he　is　the　possession　of　all　the　chosen　of　the　world　for　uncounted　time。　　Dante；　one　calculates；　may　long　survive　Mahomet。　　In　this　way　the　balance　may　be　made　straight　again。

But；　at　any　rate；　it　is　not　by　what　is　called　their　effect　on　the　world；　by　what　_we_　can　judge　of　their　effect　there；　that　a　man　and　his　work　are　measured。　　Effect？　　Influence？　　Utility？　　Let　a　man　_do_　his　work；　the　fruit　of　it　is　the　care　of　Another　than　he。　　It　will　grow　its　own　fruit；　and　whether　embodied　in　Caliph　Thrones　and　Arabian　Conquests；　so　that　it　〃fills　all　Morning　and　Evening　Newspapers；〃　and　all　Histories；　which　are　a　kind　of　distilled　Newspapers；　or　not　embodied　so　at　all；what　matters　that？　　That　is　not　the　real　fruit　of　it！　　The　Arabian　Caliph；　in　so　far　only　as　he　did　something；　was　something。　　If　the　great　Cause　of　Man；　and　Man's　work　in　God's　Earth；　got　no　furtherance　from　the　Arabian　Caliph；　then　no　matter　how　many　scimetars　he　drew；　how　many　gold　piasters　pocketed；　and　what　uproar　and　blaring　he　made　in　this　world；_he_　was　but　a　loud…sounding　inanity　and　futility；　at　bottom；　he　_was_　not　at　all。　　Let　us　honor　the　great　empire　of　_Silence_；　once　more！　　The　boundless　treasury　which　we　do　not　jingle　in　our　pockets；　or　count　up　and　present　before　men！　It　is　perhaps；　of　all　things；　the　usefulest　for　each　of　us　to　do；　in　these　loud　times。


As　Dante；　the　Italian　man；　was　sent　into　our　world　to　embody　musically　the　Religion　of　the　Middle　Ages；　the　Religion　of　our　Modern　Europe；　its　Inner　Life；　so　Shakspeare；　we　may　say；　embodies　for　us　the　Outer　Life　of　our　Europe　as　developed　then；　its　chivalries；　courtesies；　humors；　ambitions；　what　practical　way　of　thinking；　acting；　looking　at　the　world；　men　then　had。　As　in　Homer　we　may　still　construe　Old　Greece；　so　in　Shakspeare　and　Dante；　after　thousands　of　years；　what　our　modern　Europe　was；　in　Faith　and　in　Practice；　will　still　be　legible。　　Dante　has　given　us　the　Faith　or　soul；　Shakspeare；　in　a　not　less　noble　way；　has　given　us　the　Practice　or　body。　This　latter　also　we　were　to　have；　a　man　was　sent　for　it；　the　man　Shakspeare。　　Just　when　that　chivalry　way　of　life　had　reached　its　last　finish；　and　was　on　the　point　of　breaking　down　into　slow　or　swift　dissolution；　as　we　now　see　it　everywhere；　this　other　sovereign　Poet；　with　his　seeing　eye；　with　his　perennial　singing　voice；　was　sent　to　take　note　of　it；　to　give　long…enduring　record　of　it。　　Two　fit　men：　　Dante；　deep；　fierce　as　the　central　fire　of　the　world；　Shakspeare；　wide；　placid；　far…seeing；　as　the　Sun；　the　upper　light　of　the　world。　　Italy　produced　the　one　world…voice；　we　English　had　the　honor　of　producing　the　other。

Curious　enough　how；　as　it　were　by　mere　accident；　this　man　came　to　us。　　I　think　always；　so　great；　quiet；　complete　and　self…sufficing　is　this　Shakspeare；　had　the　Warwickshire　Squire　not　prosecuted　him　for　deer…stealing；　we　had　perhaps　never　heard　of　him　as　a　Poet！　　The　woods　and　skies；　the　rustic　Life　of　Man　in　Stratford　there；　had　been　enough　for　this　man！　　But　indeed　that　strange　outbudding　of　our　whole　English　Existence；　which　we　call　the　Elizabethan　Era；　did　not　it　too　come　as　of　its　own　accord？　　The　〃Tree　Igdrasil〃　buds　and　withers　by　its　own　laws；too　deep　for　our　scanning。　　Yet　it　does　bud　and　wither；　and　every　bough　and　leaf　of　it　is　there；　by　fixed　eternal　laws；　not　a　Sir　Thomas　Lucy　but　comes　at　the　hour　fit　for　him。　　Curious；　I　say；　and　not　sufficiently　considered：　　how　everything　does　co…operate　with　all；　not　a　leaf　rotting　on　the　highway　but　is　indissoluble　portion　of　solar　and　stellar　systems；　no　thought；　word　or　act　of　man　but　has　sprung　withal　out　of　all　men；　and　works　sooner　or　later；　recognizably　or　irrecognizable；　on　all　men！　　It　is　all　a　Tree：　　circulation　of　sap　and　influences；　mutual　communication　of　every　minutest　leaf　with　the　lowest　talon　of　a　root；　with　every　other　greatest　and　minutest　portion　of　the　whole。　　The　Tree　Igdrasil；　that　has　its　roots　down　in　the　Kingdoms　of　Hela　and　Death；　and　whose　boughs　overspread　the　highest　Heaven！

In　some　sense　it　may　be　said　that　this　glorious　Elizabethan　Era　with　its　Shakspeare；　as　the　outcome　and　flowerage　of　all　which　had　preceded　it；　is　itself　attributable　to　the　Catholicism　of　the　Middle　Ages。　　The　Christian　Faith；　which　was　the　theme　of　Dante's　Song；　had　produced　this　Practical　Life　which　Shakspeare　was　to　sing。　　For　Religion　then；　as　it　now　and　always　is；　was　the　soul　of　Practice；　the　primary　vital　fact　in　men's　life。　　And　remark　here；　as　rather　curious；　that　Middle…Age　Catholicism　was　abolished；　so　far　as　Acts　of　Parliament　could　abolish　it；　before　Shakspeare；　the　noblest　product　of　it；　made　his　appearance。　　He　did　make　his　appearance　nevertheless。　　Nature　at　her　own　time；　with　Catholicism　or　what　else　might　be　necessary；　sent　him　forth；　taking　small　thought　of　Acts　of　Parliament。　King　Henrys；　Queen　Elizabeths　go　their　way；　and　Nature　too　goes　hers。　　Acts　of　Parliament；　on　the　whole；　are　small；　notwithstanding　the　noise　they　make。　　What　Act　of　Parliament；　debate　at　St。　Stephen's；　on　the　hustings　or　elsewhere；　was　it　that　brought　this　Shakspeare　into　being？　　No　dining　at　Freemason's　Tavern；　opening　subscription…lists；　selling　of　shares；　and　infinite　other　jangling　and　true　or　false　endeavoring！　　This　Elizabethan　Era；　and　all　its　nobleness　and　blessedness；　came　without　proclamation；　preparation　of　ours。　　Priceless　Shakspeare　was　the　free　gift　of　Nature；　given　altogether　silently；received　altogether　silently；　as　if　it　had　been　a　thing　of　little　account。　　And　yet；　very　literally；　it　is　a　priceless　thing。　　One　should　look　at　that　side　of　matters　too。

Of　this　Shakspeare　of　ours；　perhaps　the　opinion　one　sometimes　hears　a　little　idolatrously　expressed　is；　in　fact；　the　right　one；　I　think　the　best　judgment　not　of　this　country　only；　but　of　Europe　at　large；　is　slowly　pointing　to　the　conclusion；　that　Shakspeare　is　the　chief　of　all　Poets　hitherto；　the　greatest　intellect　who；　in　our　recorded　world；　has　left　record　of　himself　in　the　way　of　Literature。　　On　the　whole；　I　know　not　such　a　power　of　vision；　such　a　faculty　of　thought；　if　we　take　all　the　characters　of　it；　in　any　other　man。　　Such　a　calmness　of　depth；　placid　joyous　strength；　all　things　imaged　in　that　great　soul　of　his　so　true　and　clear；　as　in　a　tranquil　unfathomable　sea！　　It　has　been　said；　that　in　the　constructing　of　Shakspeare's　Dramas　there　is；　apart　from　all　other　〃faculties〃　as　they　are　called；　an　understanding　manifested；　equal　to　that　in　Bacon's　_Novum　Organum_　That　is　true；　and　it　is　not　a　truth　that　strikes　every　one。　　It　would　become　more　apparent　if　we　tried；　any　of　us　for　himself；　how；　out　of　Shakspeare's　dramatic　materials；　_we_　could　fashion　such　a　result！　　The　built　house　seems　all　so　fit；every　way　as　it　should　be；　as　if　it　came　there　by　its　own　law　and　the　nature　of　things；we　forget　the　rude　disorderly　quarry　it　was　shaped　from。　　The　very　perfection　of　the　house；　as　if　Nature　herself　had　made　it；　hides　the　builder's　merit。　　Perfect；　more　perfect　than　any　other　man；　we　may　call　Shakspeare　in　this：　　he　discerns；　knows　as　by　instinct；　what　condition　he　works　under；　what　his　materials　are；　what　his　own　force　and　its　relation　to　them　is。　　It　is　not　a　transitory　glance　of　insight　that　will　suffice；　it　is　deliberate　illumination　of　the　whole　matter；　it　is　a　calmly　_seeing_　eye；　a　great　intellect；　in　short。　　How　a　man；　of　some　wide　thing　that　he　has　witnessed；　will　construct　a　narrative；　what　kind　of　picture　and　delineation　he　will　give　of　it；is　the　best　measure　you　could　get　of　what　intellect　is　in　the　man。　　Which　circumstance　is　vital　and　shall　stand　prominent；　which　unessential；　fit　to　be　suppressed；　where　is　the　true　_beginning_；　the　true　sequence　and　ending？　　To　find　out　this；　you　task　the　whole　force　of　insight　that　is　in　the　man。　　He　must　_understand_　the　thing；　according　to　the　depth　of　his　understanding；　will　the　fitness　of　his　answer　be。　　You　will　try　him　so。　　Does　like　join　itself　to　like；　does　the　spirit　of　method　stir　in　that　confusion；　so　that　its　embroilment　becomes　order？　　Can　the　man　say；　_Fiat　lux_；　Let　there　be　light；　and　out　of　chaos　make　a　world？　　Precisely　as　there　is　light　in　himself；　will　he　accomplish　this。

Or　indeed　we　may　say　aga