heroes and hero worship-第49部分

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atent_　thought　and　valor；　content　to　lie　latent；　then　burst　out　as　in　blaze　of　Heaven's　lightning！　　Napoleon　lived　in　an　age　when　God　was　no　longer　believed；　the　meaning　of　all　Silence；　Latency；　was　thought　to　be　Nonentity：　　he　had　to　begin　not　out　of　the　Puritan　Bible；　but　out　of　poor　Sceptical　_Encyclopedies_。　　This　was　the　length　the　man　carried　it。　Meritorious　to　get　so　far。　　His　compact；　prompt；　every　way　articulate　character　is　in　itself　perhaps　small；　compared　with　our　great　chaotic　inarticulate　Cromwell's。　　Instead　of　〃dumb　Prophet　struggling　to　speak；〃　we　have　a　portentous　mixture　of　the　Quack　withal！　　Hume's　notion　of　the　Fanatic…Hypocrite；　with　such　truth　as　it　has；　will　apply　much　better　to　Napoleon　than　it　did　to　Cromwell；　to　Mahomet　or　the　like；where　indeed　taken　strictly　it　has　hardly　any　truth　at　all。　　An　element　of　blamable　ambition　shows　itself；　from　the　first；　in　this　man；　gets　the　victory　over　him　at　last；　and　involves　him　and　his　work　in　ruin。

〃False　as　a　bulletin〃　became　a　proverb　in　Napoleon's　time。　　He　makes　what　excuse　he　could　for　it：　　that　it　was　necessary　to　mislead　the　enemy；　to　keep　up　his　own　men's　courage；　and　so　forth。　　On　the　whole；　there　are　no　excuses。　　A　man　in　no　case　has　liberty　to　tell　lies。　　It　had　been；　in　the　long…run；　_better_　for　Napoleon　too　if　he　had　not　told　any。　　In　fact；　if　a　man　have　any　purpose　reaching　beyond　the　hour　and　day；　meant　to　be　found　extant　_next_　day；　what　good　can　it　ever　be　to　promulgate　lies？　　The　lies　are　found　out；　ruinous　penalty　is　exacted　for　them。　　No　man　will　believe　the　liar　next　time　even　when　he　speaks　truth；　when　it　is　of　the　last　importance　that　he　be　believed。　　The　old　cry　of　wolf！A　Lie　is　no…thing；　you　cannot　of　nothing　make　something；　you　make　_nothing_　at　last；　and　lose　your　labor　into　the　bargain。

Yet　Napoleon　_had_　a　sincerity：　　we　are　to　distinguish　between　what　is　superficial　and　what　is　fundamental　in　insincerity。　　Across　these　outer　manoeuverings　and　quackeries　of　his；　which　were　many　and　most　blamable；　let　us　discern　withal　that　the　man　had　a　certain　instinctive　ineradicable　feeling　for　reality；　and　did　base　himself　upon　fact；　so　long　as　he　had　any　basis。　　He　has　an　instinct　of　Nature　better　than　his　culture　was。　　His　_savans_；　Bourrienne　tells　us；　in　that　voyage　to　Egypt　were　one　evening　busily　occupied　arguing　that　there　could　be　no　God。　　They　had　proved　it；　to　their　satisfaction；　by　all　manner　of　logic。　　Napoleon　looking　up　into　the　stars；　answers；　〃Very　ingenious；　Messieurs：　　but　_who　made_　all　that？〃　　The　Atheistic　logic　runs　off　from　him　like　water；　the　great　Fact　stares　him　in　the　face：　　〃Who　made　all　that？〃　　So　too　in　Practice：　　he；　as　every　man　that　can　be　great；　or　have　victory　in　this　world；　sees；　through　all　entanglements；　the　practical　heart　of　the　matter；　drives　straight　towards　that。　　When　the　steward　of　his　Tuileries　Palace　was　exhibiting　the　new　upholstery；　with　praises；　and　demonstration　how　glorious　it　was；　and　how　cheap　withal；　Napoleon；　making　little　answer；　asked　for　a　pair　of　scissors；　clips　one　of　the　gold　tassels　from　a　window…curtain；　put　it　in　his　pocket；　and　walked　on。　　Some　days　afterwards；　he　produced　it　at　the　right　moment；　to　the　horror　of　his　upholstery　functionary；　it　was　not　gold　but　tinsel！　In　St。　Helena；　it　is　notable　how　he　still；　to　his　last　days；　insists　on　the　practical；　the　real。　　〃Why　talk　and　complain；　above　all；　why　quarrel　with　one　another？　　There　is　no　_result_　in　it；　it　comes　to　nothing　that　one　can　_do_。　　Say　nothing；　if　one　can　do　nothing！〃　　He　speaks　often　so；　to　his　poor　discontented　followers；　he　is　like　a　piece　of　silent　strength　in　the　middle　of　their　morbid　querulousness　there。

And　accordingly　was　there　not　what　we　can　call　a　_faith_　in　him；　genuine　so　far　as　it　went？　　That　this　new　enormous　Democracy　asserting　itself　here　in　the　French　Revolution　is　an　unsuppressible　Fact；　which　the　whole　world；　with　its　old　forces　and　institutions；　cannot　put　down；　this　was　a　true　insight　of　his；　and　took　his　conscience　and　enthusiasm　along　with　it；a　_faith_。　　And　did　he　not　interpret　the　dim　purport　of　it　well？　　〃_La　carriere　ouverte　aux　talens_；　The　implements　to　him　who　can　handle　them：〃　this　actually　is　the　truth；　and　even　the　whole　truth；　it　includes　whatever　the　French　Revolution　or　any　Revolution；　could　mean。　　Napoleon；　in　his　first　period；　was　a　true　Democrat。　　And　yet　by　the　nature　of　him；　fostered　too　by　his　military　trade；　he　knew　that　Democracy；　if　it　were　a　true　thing　at　all；　could　not　be　an　anarchy：　　the　man　had　a　heart…hatred　for　anarchy。　On　that　Twentieth　of　June　（1792）；　Bourrienne　and　he　sat　in　a　coffee…house；　as　the　mob　rolled　by：　　Napoleon　expresses　the　deepest　contempt　for　persons　in　authority　that　they　do　not　restrain　this　rabble。　　On　the　Tenth　of　August　he　wonders　why　there　is　no　man　to　command　these　poor　Swiss；　they　would　conquer　if　there　were。　　Such　a　faith　in　Democracy；　yet　hatred　of　anarchy；　it　is　that　carries　Napoleon　through　all　his　great　work。　　Through　his　brilliant　Italian　Campaigns；　onwards　to　the　Peace　of　Leoben；　one　would　say；　his　inspiration　is：　　〃Triumph　to　the　French　Revolution；　assertion　of　it　against　these　Austrian　Simulacra　that　pretend　to　call　it　a　Simulacrum！〃　Withal；　however；　he　feels；　and　has　a　right　to　feel；　how　necessary　a　strong　Authority　is；　how　the　Revolution　cannot　prosper　or　last　without　such。　　To　bridle　in　that　great　devouring；　self…devouring　French　Revolution；　to　_tame_　it；　so　that　its　intrinsic　purpose　can　be　made　good；　that　it　may　become　_organic_；　and　be　able　to　live　among　other　organisms　and　_formed_　things；　not　as　a　wasting　destruction　alone：　　is　not　this　still　what　he　partly　aimed　at；　as　the　true　purport　of　his　life；　nay　what　he　actually　managed　to　do？　Through　Wagrams；　Austerlitzes；　triumph　after　triumph；he　triumphed　so　far。　There　was　an　eye　to　see　in　this　man；　a　soul　to　dare　and　do。　　He　rose　naturally　to　be　the　King。　　All　men　saw　that　he　_was_　such。　　The　common　soldiers　used　to　say　on　the　march：　　〃These　babbling　_Avocats_；　up　at　Paris；　all　talk　and　no　work！　　What　wonder　it　runs　all　wrong？　　We　shall　have　to　go　and　put　our　_Petit　Caporal_　there！〃　　They　went；　and　put　him　there；　they　and　France　at　large。　　Chief…consulship；　Emperorship；　victory　over　Europe；till　the　poor　Lieutenant　of　_La　Fere_；　not　unnaturally；　might　seem　to　himself　the　greatest　of　all　men　that　had　been　in　the　world　for　some　ages。

But　at　this　point；　I　think；　the　fatal　charlatan…element　got　the　upper　hand。　He　apostatized　from　his　old　faith　in　Facts；　took　to　believing　in　Semblances；　strove　to　connect　himself　with　Austrian　Dynasties；　Popedoms；　with　the　old　false　Feudalities　which　he　once　saw　clearly　to　be　false；considered　that　_he_　would　found　〃his　Dynasty〃　and　so　forth；　that　the　enormous　French　Revolution　meant　only　that！　　The　man　was　〃given　up　to　strong　delusion；　that　he　should　believe　a　lie；〃　a　fearful　but　most　sure　thing。　　He　did　not　know　true　from　false　now　when　he　looked　at　them；the　fearfulest　penalty　a　man　pays　for　yielding　to　untruth　of　heart。　　_Self_　and　false　ambition　had　now　become　his　god：　　self…deception　once　yielded　to；　_all_　other　deceptions　follow　naturally　more　and　more。　　What　a　paltry　patchwork　of　theatrical　paper…mantles；　tinsel　and　mummery；　had　this　man　wrapt　his　own　great　reality　in；　thinking　to　make　it　more　real　thereby！　　His　hollow　_Pope's…Concordat_；　pretending　to　be　a　re…establishment　of　Catholicism；　felt　by　himself　to　be　the　method　of　extirpating　it；　〃_la　vaccine　de　la　religion_：〃　　his　ceremonial　Coronations；　consecrations　by　the　old　Italian　Chimera　in　Notre…Dame；〃wanting　nothing　to　complete　the　pomp　of　it；〃　as　Augereau　said；　〃nothing　but　the　half…million　of　men　who　had　died　to　put　an　end　to　all　that〃！　　Cromwell's　Inauguration　was　by　the　Sword　and　Bible；　what　we　must　call　a　genuinely　_true_　one。　　Sword　and　Bible　were　borne　before　him；　without　any　chimera：　　were　not　these　the　_real_　emblems　of　Puritanism；　its　true　decoration　and　insignia？　　It　had　used　them　both　in　a　very　real　manner；　and　pretended　to　stand　by　them　now！　　But　this　poor　Napoleon　mistook：　　he　believed　too　much　in　the　_Dupability_　of　men；　saw　no　fact　deeper　in　man　than　Hunger　and　this！　　He　was　mistaken。　　Like　a　man　that　should　build　upon　cloud；　his　house　and　he　fall　down　in　confused　wreck；　and　depart　out　of　the　world。

Alas；　in　all　of　us　this　charlatan…element　exists；　and　_might_　be　developed；　were　the　temptation　strong　enough。　　〃Lead　us　not　into　temptation〃！　　But　it　is　fatal；　I　say；　that　it　_be_　developed。　　The　thing　into　which　it　enters　as　a　cognizable　ingredient　is　doomed　to　be　altogether　transitory；　and；　however　huge　it　may　_look_；　is　in　itself　small。　　Napoleon's　working；　accordingly；　what　was　it　with　all　the　noise　it　made？　　A　flash　as　of　gunpowder　wide…spread；　a　blazing…up　as　of　dry　heath。　　For　an　hour　the　whole　Universe　seems　wrapt　in　smoke　and　flame；　but　only　for　an　hour。　　It　goes　out：　　the　Universe　with　its　old　mountains　and　streams；　its　stars　above　and　kind　soil　beneath；　is　still　there。

The　Duke　of　Weimar　told　his　friends　always；　To　be　of　courage；　this　Napoleonism　was　_unjust_；　a　falsehood；　and　could　not　last。　　It　is　true　doctrine。　　The　heavier　this　Napoleon　trampled　on　the　world；　holding　it　tyrannously　down；　the　fiercer　would　the　world's　recoil　against　him　be；　one　day。　　Injustice　pays　itself　with　frightful　compound…interest。　　I　am　not　sure　but　he　had　better　have　lost　his　best　park　of　artillery；　or　had　his　best　regiment　drowned　in　the　sea；　than　shot　that　poor　German　Bookseller；　Palm！　　It　was　a　palpable　tyrannous　murderous　injustice；　which　no　man；　let　him　paint　an　inch　thick；　could　make　out　to　be　other。　　It　burnt　deep　into　the　hearts　of　men；　it　and　the　like　of　it；　suppressed　fire　flashed　in　the　eyes　of　men；　as　they　thought　of　it；waiting　their　day！　　Which　day　_came_：　Germany　rose　round　him。What　Napoleon　_did_　will　in　the　long…run　amount　to　what　he　did　justly；　what　Nature　with　her　laws　will　sanction。　　To　what　of　reality　was　in　him；　to　that　and　nothing　more。　　The　rest　was　all　smoke　and　waste。　　_La　carriere　ouverte　aux　talens_：　　that　great　true　Message；　which　has　yet　to　articulate　and　fulfil　itself　everywhere；　he　left　in　a　most　inarticulate　state。　　He　was　a　great　_ebauche_；　a　rude…draught　never　completed；　as　indeed　what　great　man　is　other？　　Left　in　_too_　rude　a　state；　alas！

His　notions