heroes and hero worship-第42部分

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Order_？　　The　carpenter　finds　rough　trees；　shapes　them；　constrains　them　into　square　fitness；　into　purpose　and　use。　　We　are　all　born　enemies　of　Disorder：　　it　is　tragical　for　us　all　to　be　concerned　in　image…breaking　and　down…pulling；　for　the　Great　Man；　_more_　a　man　than　we；　it　is　doubly　tragical。

Thus　too　all　human　things；　maddest　French　Sansculottisms；　do　and　must　work　towards　Order。　　I　say；　there　is　not　a　_man_　in　them；　raging　in　the　thickest　of　the　madness；　but　is　impelled　withal；　at　all　moments；　towards　Order。　　His　very　life　means　that；　Disorder　is　dissolution；　death。　　No　chaos　but　it　seeks　a　_centre_　to　revolve　round。　　While　man　is　man；　some　Cromwell　or　Napoleon　is　the　necessary　finish　of　a　Sansculottism。Curious：　　in　those　days　when　Hero…worship　was　the　most　incredible　thing　to　every　one；　how　it　does　come　out　nevertheless；　and　assert　itself　practically；　in　a　way　which　all　have　to　credit。　　Divine　_right_；　take　it　on　the　great　scale；　is　found　to　mean　divine　_might_　withal！　　While　old　false　Formulas　are　getting　trampled　everywhere　into　destruction；　new　genuine　Substances　unexpectedly　unfold　themselves　indestructible。　　In　rebellious　ages；　when　Kingship　itself　seems　dead　and　abolished；　Cromwell；　Napoleon　step　forth　again　as　Kings。　The　history　of　these　men　is　what　we　have　now　to　look　at；　as　our　last　phasis　of　Heroism。　　The　old　ages　are　brought　back　to　us；　the　manner　in　which　Kings　were　made；　and　Kingship　itself　first　took　rise；　is　again　exhibited　in　the　history　of　these　Two。


We　have　had　many　civil　wars　in　England；　wars　of　Red　and　White　Roses；　wars　of　Simon　de　Montfort；　wars　enough；　which　are　not　very　memorable。　　But　that　war　of　the　Puritans　has　a　significance　which　belongs　to　no　one　of　the　others。　　Trusting　to　your　candor；　which　will　suggest　on　the　other　side　what　I　have　not　room　to　say；　I　will　call　it　a　section　once　more　of　that　great　universal　war　which　alone　makes　up　the　true　History　of　the　World；the　war　of　Belief　against　Unbelief！　　The　struggle　of　men　intent　on　the　real　essence　of　things；　against　men　intent　on　the　semblances　and　forms　of　things。　　The　Puritans；　to　many；　seem　mere　savage　Iconoclasts；　fierce　destroyers　of　Forms；　but　it　were　more　just　to　call　them　haters　of　_untrue_　Forms。　　I　hope　we　know　how　to　respect　Laud　and　his　King　as　well　as　them。　　Poor　Laud　seems　to　me　to　have　been　weak　and　ill…starred；　not　dishonest　an　unfortunate　Pedant　rather　than　anything　worse。　　His　〃Dreams〃　and　superstitions；　at　which　they　laugh　so；　have　an　affectionate；　lovable　kind　of　character。　　He　is　like　a　College…Tutor；　whose　whole　world　is　forms；　College…rules；　whose　notion　is　that　these　are　the　life　and　safety　of　the　world。　　He　is　placed　suddenly；　with　that　unalterable　luckless　notion　of　his；　at　the　head　not　of　a　College　but　of　a　Nation；　to　regulate　the　most　complex　deep…reaching　interests　of　men。　　He　thinks　they　ought　to　go　by　the　old　decent　regulations；　nay　that　their　salvation　will　lie　in　extending　and　improving　these。　　Like　a　weak　man；　he　drives　with　spasmodic　vehemence　towards　his　purpose；　cramps　himself　to　it；　heeding　no　voice　of　prudence；　no　cry　of　pity：　　He　will　have　his　College…rules　obeyed　by　his　Collegians；　that　first；　and　till　that；　nothing。　　He　is　an　ill…starred　Pedant；　as　I　said。　　He　would　have　it　the　world　was　a　College　of　that　kind；　and　the　world　was　_not_　that。　Alas；　was　not　his　doom　stern　enough？　　Whatever　wrongs　he　did；　were　they　not　all　frightfully　avenged　on　him？

It　is　meritorious　to　insist　on　forms；　Religion　and　all　else　naturally　clothes　itself　in　forms。　　Everywhere　the　_formed_　world　is　the　only　habitable　one。　　The　naked　formlessness　of　Puritanism　is　not　the　thing　I　praise　in　the　Puritans；　it　is　the　thing　I　pity；praising　only　the　spirit　which　had　rendered　that　inevitable！　　All　substances　clothe　themselves　in　forms：　　but　there　are　suitable　true　forms；　and　then　there　are　untrue　unsuitable。　　As　the　briefest　definition；　one　might　say；　Forms　which　_grow_　round　a　substance；　if　we　rightly　understand　that；　will　correspond　to　the　real　nature　and　purport　of　it；　will　be　true；　good；　forms　which　are　consciously　_put_　round　a　substance；　bad。　　I　invite　you　to　reflect　on　this。　It　distinguishes　true　from　false　in　Ceremonial　Form；　earnest　solemnity　from　empty　pageant；　in　all　human　things。

There　must　be　a　veracity；　a　natural　spontaneity　in　forms。　　In　the　commonest　meeting　of　men；　a　person　making；　what　we　call；　〃set　speeches；〃　is　not　he　an　offence？　　In　the　mere　drawing…room；　whatsoever　courtesies　you　see　to　be　grimaces；　prompted　by　no　spontaneous　reality　within；　are　a　thing　you　wish　to　get　away　from。　　But　suppose　now　it　were　some　matter　of　vital　concernment；　some　transcendent　matter　（as　Divine　Worship　is）；　about　which　your　whole　soul；　struck　dumb　with　its　excess　of　feeling；　knew　not　how　to　_form_　itself　into　utterance　at　all；　and　preferred　formless　silence　to　any　utterance　there　possible；what　should　we　say　of　a　man　coming　forward　to　represent　or　utter　it　for　you　in　the　way　of　upholsterer…mummery？　　Such　a　man；let　him　depart　swiftly；　if　he　love　himself！　　You　have　lost　your　only　son；　are　mute；　struck　down；　without　even　tears：　　an　importunate　man　importunately　offers　to　celebrate　Funeral　Games　for　him　in　the　manner　of　the　Greeks！　　Such　mummery　is　not　only　not　to　be　accepted；it　is　hateful；　unendurable。　　It　is　what　the　old　Prophets　called　〃Idolatry；〃　worshipping　of　hollow　_shows_；　what　all　earnest　men　do　and　will　reject。　　We　can　partly　understand　what　those　poor　Puritans　meant。　　Laud　dedicating　that　St。　Catherine　Creed's　Church；　in　the　manner　we　have　it　described；　with　his　multiplied　ceremonial　bowings；　gesticulations；　exclamations：　　surely　it　is　rather　the　rigorous　formal　Pedant；　intent　on　his　〃College…rules；〃　than　the　earnest　Prophet　intent　on　the　essence　of　the　matter！

Puritanism　found　_such_　forms　insupportable；　trampled　on　such　forms；we　have　to　excuse　it　for　saying；　No　form　at　all　rather　than　such！　　It　stood　preaching　in　its　bare　pulpit；　with　nothing　but　the　Bible　in　its　hand。　　Nay；　a　man　preaching　from　his　earnest　_soul_　into　the　earnest　_souls_　of　men：　is　not　this　virtually　the　essence　of　all　Churches　whatsoever？　　The　nakedest；　savagest　reality；　I　say；　is　preferable　to　any　semblance；　however　dignified。　　Besides；　it　will　clothe　itself　with　_due_　semblance　by　and　by；　if　it　be　real。　　No　fear　of　that；　actually　no　fear　at　all。　　Given　the　living　_man_；　there　will　be　found　_clothes_　for　him；　he　will　find　himself　clothes。　But　the　suit…of…clothes　pretending　that　_it_　is　both　clothes　and　man！　　We　cannot　〃fight　the　French〃　by　three　hundred　thousand　red　uniforms；　there　must　be　_men_　in　the　inside　of　them！　　Semblance；　I　assert；　must　actually　_not_　divorce　itself　from　Reality。　　If　Semblance　do；why　then　there　must　be　men　found　to　rebel　against　Semblance；　for　it　has　become　a　lie！　　These　two　Antagonisms　at　war　here；　in　the　case　of　Laud　and　the　Puritans；　are　as　old　nearly　as　the　world。　　They　went　to　fierce　battle　over　England　in　that　age；　and　fought　out　their　confused　controversy　to　a　certain　length；　with　many　results　for　all　of　us。


In　the　age　which　directly　followed　that　of　the　Puritans；　their　cause　or　themselves　were　little　likely　to　have　justice　done　them。　　Charles　Second　and　his　Rochesters　were　not　the　kind　of　men　you　would　set　to　judge　what　the　worth　or　meaning　of　such　men　might　have　been。　　That　there　could　be　any　faith　or　truth　in　the　life　of　a　man；　was　what　these　poor　Rochesters；　and　the　age　they　ushered　in；　had　forgotten。　　Puritanism　was　hung　on　gibbets；like　the　bones　of　the　leading　Puritans。　　Its　work　nevertheless　went　on　accomplishing　itself。　　All　true　work　of　a　man；　hang　the　author　of　it　on　what　gibbet　you　like；　must　and　will　accomplish　itself。　　We　have　our　_Habeas…Corpus_；　our　free　Representation　of　the　People；　acknowledgment；　wide　as　the　world；　that　all　men　are；　or　else　must；　shall；　and　will　become；　what　we　call　_free_　men；men　with　their　life　grounded　on　reality　and　justice；　not　on　tradition；　which　has　become　unjust　and　a　chimera！　　This　in　part；　and　much　besides　this；　was　the　work　of　the　Puritans。

And　indeed；　as　these　things　became　gradually　manifest；　the　character　of　the　Puritans　began　to　clear　itself。　　Their　memories　were；　one　after　another；　taken　_down_　from　the　gibbet；　nay　a　certain　portion　of　them　are　now；　in　these　days；　as　good　as　canonized。　　Eliot；　Hampden；　Pym；　nay　Ludlow；　Hutchinson；　Vane　himself；　are　admitted　to　be　a　kind　of　Heroes；　political　Conscript　Fathers；　to　whom　in　no　small　degree　we　owe　what　makes　us　a　free　England：　　it　would　not　be　safe　for　anybody　to　designate　these　men　as　wicked　now。　　Few　Puritans　of　note　but　find　their　apologists　somewhere；　and　have　a　certain　reverence　paid　them　by　earnest　men。　　One　Puritan；　I　think；　and　almost　he　alone；　our　poor　Cromwell；　seems　to　hang　yet　on　the　gibbet；　and　find　no　hearty　apologist　anywhere。　　Him　neither　saint　nor　sinner　will　acquit　of　great　wickedness。　　A　man　of　ability；　infinite　talent；　courage；　and　so　forth：　　but　he　betrayed　the　Cause。　　Selfish　ambition；　dishonesty；　duplicity；　a　fierce；　coarse；　hypocritical　_Tartuffe_；　turning　all　that　noble　Struggle　for　constitutional　Liberty　into　a　sorry　farce　played　for　his　own　benefit：　　this　and　worse　is　the　character　they　give　of　Cromwell。　　And　then　there　come　contrasts　with　Washington　and　others；　above　all；　with　these　noble　Pyms　and　Hampdens；　whose　noble　work　he　stole　for　himself；　and　ruined　into　a　futility　and　deformity。

This　view　of　Cromwell　seems　to　me　the　not　unnatural　product　of　a　century　like　the　Eighteenth。　　As　we　said　of　the　Valet；　so　of　the　Sceptic：　　He　does　not　know　a　Hero　when　he　sees　him！　　The　Valet　expected　purple　mantles；　gilt　sceptres；　bodyguards　and　flourishes　of　trumpets：　　the　Sceptic　of　the　Eighteenth　century　looks　for　regulated　respectable　Formulas；　〃Principles；〃　or　what　else　he　may　call　them；　a　style　of　speech　and　conduct　which　has　got　to　seem　〃respectable；〃　which　can　plead　for　itself　in　a　handsome　articulate　manner；　and　gain　the　suffrages　of　an　enlightened　sceptical　Eighteenth　century！　　It　is；　at　bottom；　the　same　thing　that　both　the　Valet　and　he　expect：　　the　garnitures　of　some　_acknowledged_　royalty；　which　_then_　they　will　acknowledge！　　The　King　coming　to　them　in　the　rugged　_un_formulistic　state　shall　be　no　King。

For　my　own　share；　far　be　it　from　me　to　say　or　insinuate　a　word　of　disparagement　against　such　cha