heroes and hero worship-第43部分

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For　my　own　share；　far　be　it　from　me　to　say　or　insinuate　a　word　of　disparagement　against　such　characters　as　Hampden；　Elliot；　Pym；　whom　I　believe　to　have　been　right　worthy　and　useful　men。　　I　have　read　diligently　what　books　and　documents　about　them　I　could　come　at；with　the　honestest　wish　to　admire；　to　love　and　worship　them　like　Heroes；　but　I　am　sorry　to　say；　if　the　real　truth　must　be　told；　with　very　indifferent　success！　　At　bottom；　I　found　that　it　would　not　do。　　They　are　very　noble　men；　these；　step　along　in　their　stately　way；　with　their　measured　euphemisms；　philosophies；　parliamentary　eloquences；　Ship…moneys；　_Monarchies　of　Man_；　a　most　constitutional；　unblamable；　dignified　set　of　men。　　But　the　heart　remains　cold　before　them；　the　fancy　alone　endeavors　to　get　up　some　worship　of　them。　What　man's　heart　does；　in　reality；　break　forth　into　any　fire　of　brotherly　love　for　these　men？　　They　are　become　dreadfully　dull　men！　　One　breaks　down　often　enough　in　the　constitutional　eloquence　of　the　admirable　Pym；　with　his　〃seventhly　and　lastly。〃　　You　find　that　it　may　be　the　admirablest　thing　in　the　world；　but　that　it　is　heavy；heavy　as　lead；　barren　as　brick…clay；　that；　in　a　word；　for　you　there　is　little　or　nothing　now　surviving　there！　One　leaves　all　these　Nobilities　standing　in　their　niches　of　honor：　　the　rugged　outcast　Cromwell；　he　is　the　man　of　them　all　in　whom　one　still　finds　human　stuff。　　The　great　savage　_Baresark_：　　he　could　write　no　euphemistic　_Monarchy　of　Man_；　did　not　speak；　did　not　work　with　glib　regularity；　had　no　straight　story　to　tell　for　himself　anywhere。　　But　he　stood　bare；　not　cased　in　euphemistic　coat…of…mail；　he　grappled　like　a　giant；　face　to　face；　heart　to　heart；　with　the　naked　truth　of　things！　　That；　after　all；　is　the　sort　of　man　for　one。　　I　plead　guilty　to　valuing　such　a　man　beyond　all　other　sorts　of　men。　　Smooth…shaven　Respectabilities　not　a　few　one　finds；　that　are　not　good　for　much。　　Small　thanks　to　a　man　for　keeping　his　hands　clean；　who　would　not　touch　the　work　but　with　gloves　on！

Neither；　on　the　whole；　does　this　constitutional　tolerance　of　the　Eighteenth　century　for　the　other　happier　Puritans　seem　to　be　a　very　great　matter。　　One　might　say；　it　is　but　a　piece　of　Formulism　and　Scepticism；　like　the　rest。　They　tell　us；　It　was　a　sorrowful　thing　to　consider　that　the　foundation　of　our　English　Liberties　should　have　been　laid　by　〃Superstition。〃　　These　Puritans　came　forward　with　Calvinistic　incredible　Creeds；　Anti…Laudisms；　Westminster　Confessions；　demanding；　chiefly　of　all；　that　they　should　have　liberty　to　_worship_　in　their　own　way。　　Liberty　to　_tax_　themselves：　　that　was　the　thing　they　should　have　demanded！　　It　was　Superstition；　Fanaticism；　disgraceful　ignorance　of　Constitutional　Philosophy　to　insist　on　the　other　thing！Liberty　to　_tax_　oneself？　　Not　to　pay　out　money　from　your　pocket　except　on　reason　shown？　　No　century；　I　think；　but　a　rather　barren　one　would　have　fixed　on　that　as　the　first　right　of　man！　　I　should　say；　on　the　contrary；　A　just　man　will　generally　have　better　cause　than　_money_　in　what　shape　soever；　before　deciding　to　revolt　against　his　Government。　　Ours　is　a　most　confused　world；　in　which　a　good　man　will　be　thankful　to　see　any　kind　of　Government　maintain　itself　in　a　not　insupportable　manner：　　and　here　in　England；　to　this　hour；　if　he　is　not　ready　to　pay　a　great　many　taxes　which　he　can　see　very　small　reason　in；　it　will　not　go　well　with　him；　I　think！　　He　must　try　some　other　climate　than　this。　　Tax…gatherer？　　Money？　　He　will　say：　〃Take　my　money；　since　you　_can_；　and　it　is　so　desirable　to　you；　take　it；and　take　yourself　away　with　it；　and　leave　me　alone　to　my　work　here。　　I　am　still　here；　can　still　work；　after　all　the　money　you　have　taken　from　me！〃　But　if　they　come　to　him；　and　say；　〃Acknowledge　a　Lie；　pretend　to　say　you　are　worshipping　God；　when　you　are　not　doing　it：　　believe　not　the　thing　that　you　find　true；　but　the　thing　that　I　find；　or　pretend　to　find　true！〃　　He　will　answer：　　〃No；　by　God's　help；　no！　　You　may　take　my　purse；　but　I　cannot　have　my　moral　Self　annihilated。　　The　purse　is　any　Highwayman's　who　might　meet　me　with　a　loaded　pistol：　　but　the　Self　is　mine　and　God　my　Maker's；　it　is　not　yours；　and　I　will　resist　you　to　the　death；　and　revolt　against　you；　and；　on　the　whole；　front　all　manner　of　extremities；　accusations　and　confusions；　in　defence　of　that！〃

Really；　it　seems　to　me　the　one　reason　which　could　justify　revolting；　this　of　the　Puritans。　　It　has　been　the　soul　of　all　just　revolts　among　men。　　Not　_Hunger_　alone　produced　even　the　French　Revolution；　no；　but　the　feeling　of　the　insupportable　all…pervading　_Falsehood_　which　had　now　embodied　itself　in　Hunger；　in　universal　material　Scarcity　and　Nonentity；　and　thereby　become　_indisputably_　false　in　the　eyes　of　all！　　We　will　leave　the　Eighteenth　century　with　its　〃liberty　to　tax　itself。〃　　We　will　not　astonish　ourselves　that　the　meaning　of　such　men　as　the　Puritans　remained　dim　to　it。　　To　men　who　believe　in　no　reality　at　all；　how　shall　a　_real_　human　soul；　the　intensest　of　all　realities；　as　it　were　the　Voice　of　this　world's　Maker　still　speaking　to　us；be　intelligible？　　What　it　cannot　reduce　into　constitutional　doctrines　relative　to　〃taxing；〃　or　other　the　like　material　interest；　gross；　palpable　to　the　sense；　such　a　century　will　needs　reject　as　an　amorphous　heap　of　rubbish。　　Hampdens；　Pyms　and　Ship…money　will　be　the　theme　of　much　constitutional　eloquence；　striving　to　be　fervid；which　will　glitter；　if　not　as　fire　does；　then　as　ice　does：　　and　the　irreducible　Cromwell　will　remain　a　chaotic　mass　of　〃madness；〃　〃hypocrisy；〃　and　much　else。


From　of　old；　I　will　confess；　this　theory　of　Cromwell's　falsity　has　been　incredible　to　me。　　Nay　I　cannot　believe　the　like；　of　any　Great　Man　whatever。　　Multitudes　of　Great　Men　figure　in　History　as　false　selfish　men；　but　if　we　will　consider　it；　they　are　but　_figures_　for　us；　unintelligible　shadows；　we　do　not　see　into　them　as　men　that　could　have　existed　at　all。　　A　superficial　unbelieving　generation　only；　with　no　eye　but　for　the　surfaces　and　semblances　of　things；　could　form　such　notions　of　Great　Men。　　Can　a　great　soul　be　possible　without　a　_conscience_　in　it；　the　essence　of　all　_real_　souls；　great　or　small？No；　we　cannot　figure　Cromwell　as　a　Falsity　and　Fatuity；　the　longer　I　study　him　and　his　career；　I　believe　this　the　less。　　Why　should　we？　　There　is　no　evidence　of　it。　　Is　it　not　strange　that；　after　all　the　mountains　of　calumny　this　man　has　been　subject　to；　after　being　represented　as　the　very　prince　of　liars；　who　never；　or　hardly　ever；　spoke　truth；　but　always　some　cunning　counterfeit　of　truth；　there　should　not　yet　have　been　one　falsehood　brought　clearly　home　to　him？　　A　prince　of　liars；　and　no　lie　spoken　by　him。　　Not　one　that　I　could　yet　get　sight　of。　It　is　like　Pococke　asking　Grotius；　Where　is　your　_proof_　of　Mahomet's　Pigeon？　　No　proof！Let　us　leave　all　these　calumnious　chimeras；　as　chimeras　ought　to　be　left。　　They　are　not　portraits　of　the　man；　they　are　distracted　phantasms　of　him；　the　joint　product　of　hatred　and　darkness。

Looking　at　the　man's　life　with　our　own　eyes；　it　seems　to　me；　a　very　different　hypothesis　suggests　itself。　　What　little　we　know　of　his　earlier　obscure　years；　distorted　as　it　has　come　down　to　us；　does　it　not　all　betoken　an　earnest；　affectionate；　sincere　kind　of　man？　　His　nervous　melancholic　temperament　indicates　rather　a　seriousness　_too_　deep　for　him。　　Of　those　stories　of　〃Spectres；〃　of　the　white　Spectre　in　broad　daylight；　predicting　that　he　should　be　King　of　England；　we　are　not　bound　to　believe　much；probably　no　more　than　of　the　other　black　Spectre；　or　Devil　in　person；　to　whom　the　Officer　_saw_　him　sell　himself　before　Worcester　Fight！　But　the　mournful；　oversensitive；　hypochondriac　humor　of　Oliver；　in　his　young　years；　is　otherwise　indisputably　known。　　The　Huntingdon　Physician　told　Sir　Philip　Warwick　himself；　He　had　often　been　sent　for　at　midnight；　Mr。　Cromwell　was　full　of　hypochondria；　thought　himself　near　dying；　and　〃had　fancies　about　the　Town…cross。〃　　These　things　are　significant。　　Such　an　excitable　deep…feeling　nature；　in　that　rugged　stubborn　strength　of　his；　is　not　the　symptom　of　falsehood；　it　is　the　symptom　and　promise　of　quite　other　than　falsehood！

The　young　Oliver　is　sent　to　study　Law；　falls；　or　is　said　to　have　fallen；　for　a　little　period；　into　some　of　the　dissipations　of　youth；　but　if　so；　speedily　repents；　abandons　all　this：　　not　much　above　twenty；　he　is　married；　settled　as　an　altogether　grave　and　quiet　man。　　〃He　pays　back　what　money　he　had　won　at　gambling；〃　says　the　story；he　does　not　think　any　gain　of　that　kind　could　be　really　_his_。　　It　is　very　interesting；　very　natural；　this　〃conversion；〃　as　they　well　name　it；　this　awakening　of　a　great　true　soul　from　the　worldly　slough；　to　see　into　the　awful　_truth_　of　things；to　see　that　Time　and　its　shows　all　rested　on　Eternity；　and　this　poor　Earth　of　ours　was　the　threshold　either　of　Heaven　or　of　Hell！　　Oliver's　life　at　St。　Ives　and　Ely；　as　a　sober　industrious　Farmer；　is　it　not　altogether　as　that　of　a　true　and　devout　man？　　He　has　renounced　the　world　and　its　ways；　_its_　prizes　are　not　the　thing　that　can　enrich　him。　　He　tills　the　earth；　he　reads　his　Bible；　daily　assembles　his　servants　round　him　to　worship　God。　　He　comforts　persecuted　ministers；　is　fond　of　preachers；　nay　can　himself　preach；exhorts　his　neighbors　to　be　wise；　to　redeem　the　time。　　In　all　this　what　〃hypocrisy；〃　〃ambition；〃　〃cant；〃　or　other　falsity？　　The　man's　hopes；　I　do　believe；　were　fixed　on　the　other　Higher　World；　his　aim　to　get　well　_thither_；　by　walking　well　through　his　humble　course　in　_this_　world。　　He　courts　no　notice：　　what　could　notice　here　do　for　him？　　〃Ever　in　his　great　Taskmaster's　eye。〃

It　is　striking；　too；　how　he　comes　out　once　into　public　view；　he；　since　no　other　is　willing　to　come：　　in　resistance　to　a　public　grievance。　　I　mean；　in　that　matter　of　the　Bedford　Fens。　　No　one　else　will　go　to　law　with　Authority；　therefore　he　will。　　That　matter　once　settled；　he　returns　back　into　obscurity；　to　his　Bible　and　his　Plough。　　〃Gain　influence〃？　　His　influence　is　the　most　legitimate；　derived　from　personal　knowledge　of　him；　as　a　just；　religious；　reasonable　and　determined　man。　　In　this　way　he　has　lived　till　past　forty；　old　age　is　now　in　view　of　him；　and　the　earnest　portal　of　Death　and　Eternity；　it　was　at　this　point　that　he　suddenly　became