heroes and hero worship-第35节

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ssign　to　the　Scotch　at　present：　　a　certain　sardonic　taciturnity　is　in　him；　insight　enough；　and　a　stouter　heart　than　he　himself　knows　of。　　He　has　the　power　of　holding　his　peace　over　many　things　which　do　not　vitally　concern　him；〃They？　what　are　they？〃　　But　the　thing　which　does　vitally　concern　him；　that　thing　he　will　speak　of；　and　in　a　tone　the　whole　world　shall　be　made　to　hear：　　all　the　more　emphatic　for　his　long　silence。

This　Prophet　of　the　Scotch　is　to　me　no　hateful　man！He　had　a　sore　fight　of　an　existence；　wrestling　with　Popes　and　Principalities；　in　defeat；　contention；　life…long　struggle；　rowing　as　a　galley…slave；　wandering　as　an　exile。　　A　sore　fight：　　but　he　won　it。　　〃Have　you　hope？〃　they　asked　him　in　his　last　moment；　when　he　could　no　longer　speak。　　He　lifted　his　finger；　〃pointed　upwards　with　his　finger；〃　and　so　died。　　Honor　to　him！　　His　works　have　not　died。　　The　letter　of　his　work　dies；　as　of　all　men's；　but　the　spirit　of　it　never。

One　word　more　as　to　the　letter　of　Knox's　work。　　The　unforgivable　offence　in　him　is；　that　he　wished　to　set　up　Priests　over　the　head　of　Kings。　　In　other　words；　he　strove　to　make　the　Government　of　Scotland　a　_Theocracy_。　　This　indeed　is　properly　the　sum　of　his　offences；　the　essential　sin；　for　which　what　pardon　can　there　be？　　It　is　most　true；　he　did；　at　bottom；　consciously　or　unconsciously；　mean　a　Theocracy；　or　Government　of　God。　　He　did　mean　that　Kings　and　Prime　Ministers；　and　all　manner　of　persons；　in　public　or　private；　diplomatizing　or　whatever　else　they　might　be　doing；　should　walk　according　to　the　Gospel　of　Christ；　and　understand　that　this　was　their　Law；　supreme　over　all　laws。　　He　hoped　once　to　see　such　a　thing　realized；　and　the　Petition；　_Thy　Kingdom　come_；　no　longer　an　empty　word。　　He　was　sore　grieved　when　he　saw　greedy　worldly　Barons　clutch　hold　of　the　Church's　property；　when　he　expostulated　that　it　was　not　secular　property；　that　it　was　spiritual　property；　and　should　be　turned　to　_true_　churchly　uses；　education；　schools；　worship；and　the　Regent　Murray　had　to　answer；　with　a　shrug　of　the　shoulders；　〃It　is　a　devout　imagination！〃　　This　was　Knox's　scheme　of　right　and　truth；　this　he　zealously　endeavored　after；　to　realize　it。　　If　we　think　his　scheme　of　truth　was　too　narrow；　was　not　true；　we　may　rejoice　that　he　could　not　realize　it；　that　it　remained　after　two　centuries　of　effort；　unrealizable；　and　is　a　〃devout　imagination〃　still。　　But　how　shall　we　blame　_him_　for　struggling　to　realize　it？　　Theocracy；　Government　of　God；　is　precisely　the　thing　to　be　struggled　for！　　All　Prophets；　zealous　Priests；　are　there　for　that　purpose。　　Hildebrand　wished　a　Theocracy；　Cromwell　wished　it；　fought　for　it；　Mahomet　attained　it。　　Nay；　is　it　not　what　all　zealous　men；　whether　called　Priests；　Prophets；　or　whatsoever　else　called；　do　essentially　wish；　and　must　wish？　　That　right　and　truth；　or　God's　Law；　reign　supreme　among　men；　this　is　the　Heavenly　Ideal　（well　named　in　Knox's　time；　and　namable　in　all　times；　a　revealed　〃Will　of　God〃）　towards　which　the　Reformer　will　insist　that　all　be　more　and　more　approximated。　　All　true　Reformers；　as　I　said；　are　by　the　nature　of　them　Priests；　and　strive　for　a　Theocracy。

How　far　such　Ideals　can　ever　be　introduced　into　Practice；　and　at　what　point　our　impatience　with　their　non…introduction　ought　to　begin；　is　always　a　question。　　I　think　we　may　say　safely；　Let　them　introduce　themselves　as　far　as　they　can　contrive　to　do　it！　　If　they　are　the　true　faith　of　men；　all　men　ought　to　be　more　or　less　impatient　always　where　they　are　not　found　introduced。　　There　will　never　be　wanting　Regent　Murrays　enough　to　shrug　their　shoulders；　and　say；　〃A　devout　imagination！〃　　We　will　praise　the　Hero…priest　rather；　who　does　what　is　in　him　to　bring　them　in；　and　wears　out；　in　toil；　calumny；　contradiction；　a　noble　life；　to　make　a　God's　Kingdom　of　this　Earth。　　The　Earth　will　not　become　too　godlike！


＇May　19；　1840。＇　LECTURE　V。　THE　HERO　AS　MAN　OF　LETTERS。　　JOHNSON；　ROUSSEAU；　BURNS。

Hero…Gods；　Prophets；　Poets；　Priests　are　forms　of　Heroism　that　belong　to　the　old　ages；　make　their　appearance　in　the　remotest　times；　some　of　them　have　ceased　to　be　possible　long　since；　and　cannot　any　more　show　themselves　in　this　world。　　The　Hero　as　_Man　of　Letters_；　again；　of　which　class　we　are　to　speak　to…day；　is　altogether　a　product　of　these　new　ages；　and　so　long　as　the　wondrous　art　of　_Writing_；　or　of　Ready…writing　which　we　call　_Printing_；　subsists；　he　may　be　expected　to　continue；　as　one　of　the　main　forms　of　Heroism　for　all　future　ages。　　He　is；　in　various　respects；　a　very　singular　phenomenon。

He　is　new；　I　say；　he　has　hardly　lasted　above　a　century　in　the　world　yet。　Never；　till　about　a　hundred　years　ago；　was　there　seen　any　figure　of　a　Great　Soul　living　apart　in　that　anomalous　manner；　endeavoring　to　speak　forth　the　inspiration　that　was　in　him　by　Printed　Books；　and　find　place　and　subsistence　by　what　the　world　would　please　to　give　him　for　doing　that。　Much　had　been　sold　and　bought；　and　left　to　make　its　own　bargain　in　the　market…place；　but　the　inspired　wisdom　of　a　Heroic　Soul　never　till　then；　in　that　naked　manner。　　He；　with　his　copy…rights　and　copy…wrongs；　in　his　squalid　garret；　in　his　rusty　coat；　ruling　（for　this　is　what　he　does）；　from　his　grave；　after　death；　whole　nations　and　generations　who　would；　or　would　not；　give　him　bread　while　living；is　a　rather　curious　spectacle！　　Few　shapes　of　Heroism　can　be　more　unexpected。

Alas；　the　Hero　from　of　old　has　had　to　cramp　himself　into　strange　shapes：　the　world　knows　not　well　at　any　time　what　to　do　with　him；　so　foreign　is　his　aspect　in　the　world！　　It　seemed　absurd　to　us；　that　men；　in　their　rude　admiration；　should　take　some　wise　great　Odin　for　a　god；　and　worship　him　as　such；　some　wise　great　Mahomet　for　one　god…inspired；　and　religiously　follow　his　Law　for　twelve　centuries：　　but　that　a　wise　great　Johnson；　a　Burns；　a　Rousseau；　should　be　taken　for　some　idle　nondescript；　extant　in　the　world　to　amuse　idleness；　and　have　a　few　coins　and　applauses　thrown　him；　that　he　might　live　thereby；　_this_　perhaps；　as　before　hinted；　will　one　day　seem　a　still　absurder　phasis　of　things！Meanwhile；　since　it　is　the　spiritual　always　that　determines　the　material；　this　same　Man…of…Letters　Hero　must　be　regarded　as　our　most　important　modern　person。　　He；　such　as　he　may　be；　is　the　soul　of　all。　　What　he　teaches；　the　whole　world　will　do　and　make。　　The　world's　manner　of　dealing　with　him　is　the　most　significant　feature　of　the　world's　general　position。　　Looking　well　at　his　life；　we　may　get　a　glance；　as　deep　as　is　readily　possible　for　us；　into　the　life　of　those　singular　centuries　which　have　produced　him；　in　which　we　ourselves　live　and　work。

There　are　genuine　Men　of　Letters；　and　not　genuine；　as　in　every　kind　there　is　a　genuine　and　a　spurious。　　If　_hero_　be　taken　to　mean　genuine；　then　I　say　the　Hero　as　Man　of　Letters　will　be　found　discharging　a　function　for　us　which　is　ever　honorable；　ever　the　highest；　and　was　once　well　known　to　be　the　highest。　　He　is　uttering　forth；　in　such　way　as　he　has；　the　inspired　soul　of　him；　all　that　a　man；　in　any　case；　can　do。　　I　say　_inspired_；　for　what　we　call　〃originality；〃　〃sincerity；〃　〃genius；〃　the　heroic　quality　we　have　no　good　name　for；　signifies　that。　　The　Hero　is　he　who　lives　in　the　inward　sphere　of　things；　in　the　True；　Divine　and　Eternal；　which　exists　always；　unseen　to　most；　under　the　Temporary；　Trivial：　　his　being　is　in　that；　he　declares　that　abroad；　by　act　or　speech　as　it　may　be　in　declaring　himself　abroad。　　His　life；　as　we　said　before；　is　a　piece　of　the　everlasting　heart　of　Nature　herself：　　all　men's　life　is；but　the　weak　many　know　not　the　fact；　and　are　untrue　to　it；　in　most　times；　the　strong　few　are　strong；　heroic；　perennial；　because　it　cannot　be　hidden　from　them。　　The　Man　of　Letters；　like　every　Hero；　is　there　to　proclaim　this　in　such　sort　as　he　can。　Intrinsically　it　is　the　same　function　which　the　old　generations　named　a　man　Prophet；　Priest；　Divinity　for　doing；　which　all　manner　of　Heroes；　by　speech　or　by　act；　are　sent　into　the　world　to　do。

Fichte　the　German　Philosopher　delivered；　some　forty　years　ago　at　Erlangen；　a　highly　remarkable　Course　of　Lectures　on　this　subject：　　〃_Ueber　das　Wesen　des　Gelehrten_；　On　the　Nature　of　the　Literary　Man。〃　　Fichte；　in　conformity　with　the　Transcendental　Philosophy；　of　which　he　was　a　distinguished　teacher；　declares　first：　　That　all　things　which　we　see　or　work　with　in　this　Earth；　especially　we　ourselves　and　all　persons；　are　as　a　kind　of　vesture　or　sensuous　Appearance：　　that　under　all　there　lies；　as　the　essence　of　them；　what　he　calls　the　〃Divine　Idea　of　the　World；〃　this　is　the　Reality　which　〃lies　at　the　bottom　of　all　Appearance。〃　　To　the　mass　of　men　no　such　Divine　Idea　is　recognizable　in　the　world；　they　live　merely；　says　Fichte；　among　the　superficialities；　practicalities　and　shows　of　the　world；　not　dreaming　that　there　is　anything　divine　under　them。　　But　the　Man　of　Letters　is　sent　hither　specially　that　he　may　discern　for　himself；　and　make　manifest　to　us；　this　same　Divine　Idea：　　in　every　new　generation　it　will　manifest　itself　in　a　new　dialect；　and　he　is　there　for　the　purpose　of　doing　that。　　Such　is　Fichte's　phraseology；　with　which　we　need　not　quarrel。　　It　is　his　way　of　naming　what　I　here；　by　other　words；　am　striving　imperfectly　to　name；　what　there　is　at　present　no　name　for：　　The　unspeaka