heroes and hero worship-第24部分

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r　combination　of　Parliaments；　can　dethrone！　　This　King　Shakspeare；　does　not　he　shine；　in　crowned　sovereignty；　over　us　all；　as　the　noblest；　gentlest；　yet　strongest　of　rallying…signs；　indestructible；　really　more　valuable　in　that　point　of　view　than　any　other　means　or　appliance　whatsoever？　　We　can　fancy　him　as　radiant　aloft　over　all　the　Nations　of　Englishmen；　a　thousand　years　hence。　　From　Paramatta；　from　New　York；　wheresoever；　under　what　sort　of　Parish…Constable　soever；　English　men　and　women　are；　they　will　say　to　one　another：　　〃Yes；　this　Shakspeare　is　ours；　we　produced　him；　we　speak　and　think　by　him；　we　are　of　one　blood　and　kind　with　him。〃　　The　most　common…sense　politician；　too；　if　he　pleases；　may　think　of　that。

Yes；　truly；　it　is　a　great　thing　for　a　Nation　that　it　get　an　articulate　voice；　that　it　produce　a　man　who　will　speak　forth　melodiously　what　the　heart　of　it　means！　　Italy；　for　example；　poor　Italy　lies　dismembered；　scattered　asunder；　not　appearing　in　any　protocol　or　treaty　as　a　unity　at　all；　yet　the　noble　Italy　is　actually　_one_：　　Italy　produced　its　Dante；　Italy　can　speak！　　The　Czar　of　all　the　Russias；　he　is　strong　with　so　many　bayonets；　Cossacks　and　cannons；　and　does　a　great　feat　in　keeping　such　a　tract　of　Earth　politically　together；　but　he　cannot　yet　speak。　　Something　great　in　him；　but　it　is　a　dumb　greatness。　　He　has　had　no　voice　of　genius；　to　be　heard　of　all　men　and　times。　　He　must　learn　to　speak。　　He　is　a　great　dumb　monster　hitherto。　　His　cannons　and　Cossacks　will　all　have　rusted　into　nonentity；　while　that　Dante's　voice　is　still　audible。　　The　Nation　that　has　a　Dante　is　bound　together　as　no　dumb　Russia　can　be。We　must　here　end　what　we　had　to　say　of　the　_Hero…Poet_。


＇May　15；　1840。＇　LECTURE　IV。　THE　HERO　AS　PRIEST。　　LUTHER；　REFORMATION：　　KNOX；　PURITANISM。

Our　present　discourse　is　to　be　of　the　Great　Man　as　Priest。　　We　have　repeatedly　endeavored　to　explain　that　all　sorts　of　Heroes　are　intrinsically　of　the　same　material；　that　given　a　great　soul；　open　to　the　Divine　Significance　of　Life；　then　there　is　given　a　man　fit　to　speak　of　this；　to　sing　of　this；　to　fight　and　work　for　this；　in　a　great；　victorious；　enduring　manner；　there　is　given　a　Hero；the　outward　shape　of　whom　will　depend　on　the　time　and　the　environment　he　finds　himself　in。　　The　Priest　too；　as　I　understand　it；　is　a　kind　of　Prophet；　in　him　too　there　is　required　to　be　a　light　of　inspiration；　as　we　must　name　it。　　He　presides　over　the　worship　of　the　people；　is　the　Uniter　of　them　with　the　Unseen　Holy。　　He　is　the　spiritual　Captain　of　the　people；　as　the　Prophet　is　their　spiritual　King　with　many　captains：　　he　guides　them　heavenward；　by　wise　guidance　through　this　Earth　and　its　work。　　The　ideal　of　him　is；　that　he　too　be　what　we　can　call　a　voice　from　the　unseen　Heaven；　interpreting；　even　as　the　Prophet　did；　and　in　a　more　familiar　manner　unfolding　the　same　to　men。　　The　unseen　Heaven；the　〃open　secret　of　the　Universe；〃which　so　few　have　an　eye　for！　He　is　the　Prophet　shorn　of　his　more　awful　splendor；　burning　with　mild　equable　radiance；　as　the　enlightener　of　daily　life。　　This；　I　say；　is　the　ideal　of　a　Priest。　　So　in　old　times；　so　in　these；　and　in　all　times。　　One　knows　very　well　that；　in　reducing　ideals　to　practice；　great　latitude　of　tolerance　is　needful；　very　great。　　But　a　Priest　who　is　not　this　at　all；　who　does　not　any　longer　aim　or　try　to　be　this；　is　a　characterof　whom　we　had　rather　not　speak　in　this　place。

Luther　and　Knox　were　by　express　vocation　Priests；　and　did　faithfully　perform　that　function　in　its　common　sense。　　Yet　it　will　suit　us　better　here　to　consider　them　chiefly　in　their　historical　character；　rather　as　Reformers　than　Priests。　　There　have　been　other　Priests　perhaps　equally　notable；　in　calmer　times；　for　doing　faithfully　the　office　of　a　Leader　of　Worship；　bringing　down；　by　faithful　heroism　in　that　kind；　a　light　from　Heaven　into　the　daily　life　of　their　people；　leading　them　forward；　as　under　God's　guidance；　in　the　way　wherein　they　were　to　go。　　But　when　this　same　_way_　was　a　rough　one；　of　battle；　confusion　and　danger；　the　spiritual　Captain；　who　led　through　that；　becomes；　especially　to　us　who　live　under　the　fruit　of　his　leading；　more　notable　than　any　other。　　He　is　the　warfaring　and　battling　Priest；　who　led　his　people；　not　to　quiet　faithful　labor　as　in　smooth　times；　but　to　faithful　valorous　conflict；　in　times　all　violent；　dismembered：　　a　more　perilous　service；　and　a　more　memorable　one；　be　it　higher　or　not。　These　two　men　we　will　account　our　best　Priests；　inasmuch　as　they　were　our　best　Reformers。　　Nay　I　may　ask；　Is　not　every　true　Reformer；　by　the　nature　of　him；　a　_Priest_　first　of　all？　　He　appeals　to　Heaven's　invisible　justice　against　Earth's　visible　force；　knows　that　it；　the　invisible；　is　strong　and　alone　strong。　　He　is　a　believer　in　the　divine　truth　of　things；　a　_seer_；　seeing　through　the　shows　of　things；　a　worshipper；　in　one　way　or　the　other；　of　the　divine　truth　of　things；　a　Priest；　that　is。　　If　he　be　not　first　a　Priest；　he　will　never　be　good　for　much　as　a　Reformer。

Thus　then；　as　we　have　seen　Great　Men；　in　various　situations；　building　up　Religions；　heroic　Forms　of　human　Existence　in　this　world；　Theories　of　Life　worthy　to　be　sung　by　a　Dante；　Practices　of　Life　by　a　Shakspeare；we　are　now　to　see　the　reverse　process；　which　also　is　necessary；　which　also　may　be　carried　on　in　the　Heroic　manner。　　Curious　how　this　should　be　necessary：　yet　necessary　it　is。　　The　mild　shining　of　the　Poet's　light　has　to　give　place　to　the　fierce　lightning　of　the　Reformer：　　unfortunately　the　Reformer　too　is　a　personage　that　cannot　fail　in　History！　　The　Poet　indeed；　with　his　mildness；　what　is　he　but　the　product　and　ultimate　adjustment　of　Reform；　or　Prophecy；　with　its　fierceness？　　No　wild　Saint　Dominics　and　Thebaid　Eremites；　there　had　been　no　melodious　Dante；　rough　Practical　Endeavor；　Scandinavian　and　other；　from　Odin　to　Walter　Raleigh；　from　Ulfila　to　Cranmer；　enabled　Shakspeare　to　speak。　　Nay　the　finished　Poet；　I　remark　sometimes；　is　a　symptom　that　his　epoch　itself　has　reached　perfection　and　is　finished；　that　before　long　there　will　be　a　new　epoch；　new　Reformers　needed。

Doubtless　it　were　finer；　could　we　go　along　always　in　the　way　of　_music_；　be　tamed　and　taught　by　our　Poets；　as　the　rude　creatures　were　by　their　Orpheus　of　old。　　Or　failing　this　rhythmic　_musical_　way；　how　good　were　it　could　we　get　so　much　as　into　the　_equable_　way；　I　mean；　if　_peaceable_　Priests；　reforming　from　day　to　day；　would　always　suffice　us！　　But　it　is　not　so；　even　this　latter　has　not　yet　been　realized。　　Alas；　the　battling　Reformer　too　is；　from　time　to　time；　a　needful　and　inevitable　phenomenon。　　Obstructions　are　never　wanting：　　the　very　things　that　were　once　indispensable　furtherances　become　obstructions；　and　need　to　be　shaken　off；　and　left　behind　us；a　business　often　of　enormous　difficulty。　　It　is　notable　enough；　surely；　how　a　Theorem　or　spiritual　Representation；　so　we　may　call　it；　which　once　took　in　the　whole　Universe；　and　was　completely　satisfactory　in　all　parts　of　it　to　the　highly　discursive　acute　intellect　of　Dante；　one　of　the　greatest　in　the　world；had　in　the　course　of　another　century　become　dubitable　to　common　intellects；　become　deniable；　and　is　now；　to　every　one　of　us；　flatly　incredible；　obsolete　as　Odin's　Theorem！　　To　Dante；　human　Existence；　and　God's　ways　with　men；　were　all　well　represented　by　those　_Malebolges_；　_Purgatorios_；　to　Luther　not　well。　　How　was　this？　　Why　could　not　Dante's　Catholicism　continue；　but　Luther's　Protestantism　must　needs　follow？　　Alas；　nothing　will　_continue_。

I　do　not　make　much　of　〃Progress　of　the　Species；〃　as　handled　in　these　times　of　ours；　nor　do　I　think　you　would　care　to　hear　much　about　it。　　The　talk　on　that　subject　is　too　often　of　the　most　extravagant；　confused　sort。　　Yet　I　may　say；　the　fact　itself　seems　certain　enough；　nay　we　can　trace　out　the　inevitable　necessity　of　it　in　the　nature　of　things。　　Every　man；　as　I　have　stated　somewhere；　is　not　only　a　learner　but　a　doer：　　he　learns　with　the　mind　given　him　what　has　been；　but　with　the　same　mind　he　discovers　farther；　he　invents　and　devises　somewhat　of　his　own。　　Absolutely　without　originality　there　is　no　man。　　No　man　whatever　believes；　or　can　believe；　exactly　what　his　grandfather　believed：　　he　enlarges　somewhat；　by　fresh　discovery；　his　view　of　the　Universe；　and　consequently　his　Theorem　of　the　Universe；which　is　an　_infinite_　Universe；　and　can　never　be　embraced　wholly　or　finally　by　any　view　or　Theorem；　in　any　conceivable　enlargement：　　he　enlarges　somewhat；　I　say；　finds　somewhat　that　was　credible　to　his　grandfather　incredible　to　him；　false　to　him；　inconsistent　with　some　new　thing　he　has　discovered　or　observed。　　It　is　the　history　of　every　man；　and　in　the　history　of　Mankind　we　see　it　summed　up　into　great　historical　amounts；revolutions；　new　epochs。　Dante's　Mountain　of　Purgatory　does　_not_　stand　〃in　the　ocean　of　the　other　Hemisphere；〃　when　Columbus　has　once　sailed　thither！　　Men　find　no　such　thing　extant　in　the　other　Hemisphere。　　It　is　not　there。　　It　must　cease　to　be　believed　to　be　there。　　So　with　all　beliefs　whatsoever　in　this　world；all　Systems　of　Belief；　and　Systems　of　Practice　that　spring　from　these。

If　we　add　now　the　melancholy　fact；　that　when　Belief　waxes　uncertain；　Practice　too　becomes　unsound；　and　errors；　injustices　and　miseries　everywhere　more　and　more　prevail；　we　shall　see　material　enough　for　revolution。　　At　all　turns；　a　man　who　will　_do_　faithfully；　needs　to　believe　firmly。　　If　he　have　to　ask　at　every　turn　the　world's　suffrage；　if　he　cannot　dispense　with　the　world's　suffrage；　and　make　his　own　suffrage　serve；　he　is　a　poor　eye…servant；　the　work　committed　to　him　will　be　_mis_done。　　Every　such　man　is　a　daily　contributor　to　the　inevitable　downfall。　　Whatsoever　work　he　does；　dishonestly；　with　an　eye　to　the　outward　look　of　it；　is　a　new　offence；　parent　of　new　misery　to　somebody　or　other。　　Offences　accumulate　till　they　become　insupportable；　and　are　then　violently　burst　through；　cleared　off　as　by　explosion。　　Dante's　sublime　Catholicism；　incredible　now　in　theory；　and　defaced　still　worse　by　faithless；　doubting　and　dishonest　practice；　has　to　be　torn　asunder　by　a　Luther；　Shakspeare's　noble　Feudalism；　as　beautiful　as　it　once　looked　and　was；　has　to　end　in　a　French　Revolution。　The　accumulation　of　offences　is；　as　we　say；　too　literally　_exploded_；　blasted　asunder　volcanically；　a