heroes and hero worship-第44节

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_；　superiority　of　vision。　　The　thing　that　he　says　is　worth　remembering。　　It　is　a　flash　of　insight　into　some　object　or　other：　　so　do　both　these　men　speak。　　The　same　raging　passions；　capable　too　in　both　of　manifesting　themselves　as　the　tenderest　noble　affections。　　Wit；　wild　laughter；　energy；　directness；　sincerity：　　these　were　in　both。　　The　types　of　the　two　men　are　not　dissimilar。　　Burns　too　could　have　governed；　debated　in　National　Assemblies；　politicized；　as　few　could。　　Alas；　the　courage　which　had　to　exhibit　itself　in　capture　of　smuggling　schooners　in　the　Solway　Frith；　in　keeping　_silence_　over　so　much；　where　no　good　speech；　but　only　inarticulate　rage　was　possible：　　this　might　have　bellowed　forth　Ushers　de　Breze　and　the　like；　and　made　itself　visible　to　all　men；　in　managing　of　kingdoms；　in　ruling　of　great　ever…memorable　epochs！　　But　they　said　to　him　reprovingly；　his　Official　Superiors　said；　and　wrote：　　〃You　are　to　work；　not　think。〃　　Of　your　_thinking…faculty_；　the　greatest　in　this　land；　we　have　no　need；　you　are　to　gauge　beer　there；　for　that　only　are　you　wanted。　　Very　notable；and　worth　mentioning；　though　we　know　what　is　to　be　said　and　answered！　　As　if　Thought；　Power　of　Thinking；　were　not；　at　all　times；　in　all　places　and　situations　of　the　world；　precisely　the　thing　that　was　wanted。　　The　fatal　man；　is　he　not　always　the　unthinking　man；　the　man　who　cannot　think　and　_see_；　but　only　grope；　and　hallucinate；　and　_mis_see　the　nature　of　the　thing　he　works　with？　　He　mis…sees　it；　mis_takes_　it　as　we　say；　takes　it　for　one　thing；　and　it　_is_　another　thing；and　leaves　him　standing　like　a　Futility　there！　　He　is　the　fatal　man；　unutterably　fatal；　put　in　the　high　places　of　men。〃Why　complain　of　this？〃　say　some：　〃Strength　is　mournfully　denied　its　arena；　that　was　true　from　of　old。〃　Doubtless；　and　the　worse　for　the　_arena_；　answer　I！　　_Complaining_　profits　little；　stating　of　the　truth　may　profit。　　That　a　Europe；　with　its　French　Revolution　just　breaking　out；　finds　no　need　of　a　Burns　except　for　gauging　beer；is　a　thing　I；　for　one；　cannot　_rejoice_　at！

Once　more　we　have　to　say　here；　that　the　chief　quality　of　Burns　is　the　_sincerity_　of　him。　　So　in　his　Poetry；　so　in　his　Life。　　The　song　he　sings　is　not　of　fantasticalities；　it　is　of　a　thing　felt；　really　there；　the　prime　merit　of　this；　as　of　all　in　him；　and　of　his　Life　generally；　is　truth。　　The　Life　of　Burns　is　what　we　may　call　a　great　tragic　sincerity。　　A　sort　of　savage　sincerity；not　cruel；　far　from　that；　but　wild；　wrestling　naked　with　the　truth　of　things。　　In　that　sense；　there　is　something　of　the　savage　in　all　great　men。

Hero…worship；Odin；　Burns？　　Well；　these　Men　of　Letters　too　were　not　without　a　kind　of　Hero…worship：　　but　what　a　strange　condition　has　that　got　into　now！　　The　waiters　and　ostlers　of　Scotch　inns；　prying　about　the　door；　eager　to　catch　any　word　that　fell　from　Burns；　were　doing　unconscious　reverence　to　the　Heroic。　　Johnson　had　his　Boswell　for　worshipper。　　Rousseau　had　worshippers　enough；　princes　calling　on　him　in　his　mean　garret；　the　great；　the　beautiful　doing　reverence　to　the　poor　moon…struck　man。　　For　himself　a　most　portentous　contradiction；　the　two　ends　of　his　life　not　to　be　brought　into　harmony。　　He　sits　at　the　tables　of　grandees；　and　has　to　copy　music　for　his　own　living。　　He　cannot　even　get　his　music　copied：　　〃By　dint　of　dining　out；〃　says　he；　〃I　run　the　risk　of　dying　by　starvation　at　home。〃　For　his　worshippers　too　a　most　questionable　thing！　　If　doing　Hero…worship　well　or　badly　be　the　test　of　vital　well…being　or　ill…being　to　a　generation；　can　we　say　that　_these_　generations　are　very　first…rate？And　yet　our　heroic　Men　of　Letters　do　teach；　govern；　are　kings；　priests；　or　what　you　like　to　call　them；　intrinsically　there　is　no　preventing　it　by　any　means　whatever。　　The　world　has　to　obey　him　who　thinks　and　sees　in　the　world。　　The　world　can　alter　the　manner　of　that；　can　either　have　it　as　blessed　continuous　summer　sunshine；　or　as　unblessed　black　thunder　and　tornado；with　unspeakable　difference　of　profit　for　the　world！　　The　manner　of　it　is　very　alterable；　the　matter　and　fact　of　it　is　not　alterable　by　any　power　under　the　sky。　　Light；　or；　failing　that；　lightning：　　the　world　can　take　its　choice。　　Not　whether　we　call　an　Odin　god；　prophet；　priest；　or　what　we　call　him；　but　whether　we　believe　the　word　he　tells　us：　　there　it　all　lies。　　If　it　be　a　true　word；　we　shall　have　to　believe　it；　believing　it；　we　shall　have　to　do　it。　　What　_name_　or　welcome　we　give　him　or　it；　is　a　point　that　concerns　ourselves　mainly。　　_It_；　the　new　Truth；　new　deeper　revealing　of　the　Secret　of　this　Universe；　is　verily　of　the　nature　of　a　message　from　on　high；　and　must　and　will　have　itself　obeyed。

My　last　remark　is　on　that　notablest　phasis　of　Burns's　history；his　visit　to　Edinburgh。　　Often　it　seems　to　me　as　if　his　demeanor　there　were　the　highest　proof　he　gave　of　what　a　fund　of　worth　and　genuine　manhood　was　in　him。　　If　we　think　of　it；　few　heavier　burdens　could　be　laid　on　the　strength　of　a　man。　　So　sudden；　all　common　_Lionism_。　　which　ruins　innumerable　men；　was　as　nothing　to　this。　　It　is　as　if　Napoleon　had　been　made　a　King　of；　not　gradually；　but　at　once　from　the　Artillery　Lieutenancy　in　the　Regiment　La　Fere。　　Burns；　still　only　in　his　twenty…seventh　year；　is　no　longer　even　a　ploughman；　he　is　flying　to　the　West　Indies　to　escape　disgrace　and　a　jail。　This　month　he　is　a　ruined　peasant；　his　wages　seven　pounds　a　year；　and　these　gone　from　him：　　next　month　he　is　in　the　blaze　of　rank　and　beauty；　handing　down　jewelled　Duchesses　to　dinner；　the　cynosure　of　all　eyes！　　Adversity　is　sometimes　hard　upon　a　man；　but　for　one　man　who　can　stand　prosperity；　there　are　a　hundred　that　will　stand　adversity。　　I　admire　much　the　way　in　which　Burns　met　all　this。　　Perhaps　no　man　one　could　point　out；　was　ever　so　sorely　tried；　and　so　little　forgot　himself。　　Tranquil；　unastonished；　not　abashed；　not　inflated；　neither　awkwardness　nor　affectation：　　he　feels　that　_he_　there　is　the　man　Robert　Burns；　that　the　〃rank　is　but　the　guinea…stamp；〃　that　the　celebrity　is　but　the　candle…light；　which　will　show　_what_　man；　not　in　the　least　make　him　a　better　or　other　man！　　Alas；　it　may　readily；　unless　he　look　to　it；　make　him　a　_worse_　man；　a　wretched　inflated　wind…bag；inflated　till　he　_burst_；　and　become　a　_dead_　lion；　for　whom；　as　some　one　has　said；　〃there　is　no　resurrection　of　the　body；〃　worse　than　a　living　dog！Burns　is　admirable　here。

And　yet；　alas；　as　I　have　observed　elsewhere；　these　Lion…hunters　were　the　ruin　and　death　of　Burns。　　It　was　they　that　rendered　it　impossible　for　him　to　live！　　They　gathered　round　him　in　his　Farm；　hindered　his　industry；　no　place　was　remote　enough　from　them。　　He　could　not　get　his　Lionism　forgotten；　honestly　as　he　was　disposed　to　do　so。　　He　falls　into　discontents；　into　miseries；　faults；　the　world　getting　ever　more　desolate　for　him；　health；　character；　peace　of　mind；　all　gone；solitary　enough　now。　　It　is　tragical　to　think　of！　　These　men　came　but　to　_see_　him；　it　was　out　of　no　sympathy　with　him；　nor　no　hatred　to　him。　　They　came　to　get　a　little　amusement；　they　got　their　amusement；and　the　Hero's　life　went　for　it！

Richter　says；　in　the　Island　of　Sumatra　there　is　a　kind　of　〃Light…chafers；〃　large　Fire…flies；　which　people　stick　upon　spits；　and　illuminate　the　ways　with　at　night。　　Persons　of　condition　can　thus　travel　with　a　pleasant　radiance；　which　they　much　admire。　　Great　honor　to　the　Fire…flies！　　But！


＇May　22；　1840。＇　LECTURE　VI。　THE　HERO　AS　KING。　　CROMWELL；　NAPOLEON：　　MODERN　REVOLUTIONISM。

We　come　now　to　the　last　form　of　Heroism；　that　which　we　call　Kingship。　　The　Commander　over　Men；　he　to　whose　will　our　wills　are　to　be　subordinated；　and　loyally　surrender　themselves；　and　find　their　welfare　in　doing　so；　may　be　reckoned　the　most　important　of　Great　Men。　　He　is　practically　the　summary　for　us　of　_all_　the　various　figures　of　Heroism；　Priest；　Teacher；　whatsoever　of　earthly　or　of　spiritual　dignity　we　can　fancy　to　reside　in　a　man；　embodies　itself　here；　to　_command_　over　us；　to　furnish　us　with　constant　practical　teaching；　to　tell　us　for　the　day　and　hour　what　we　are　to　_do_。　He　is　called　_Rex_；　Regulator；　_Roi_：　　our　own　name　is　still　better；　King；　_Konning_；　which　means　_Can_…ning；　Able…man。

Numerous　considerations；　pointing　towards　deep；　questionable；　and　indeed　unfathomable　regions；　present　themselves　here：　　on　the　most　of　which　we　must　resolutely　for　the　present　forbear　to　speak　at　all。　　As　Burke　said　that　perhaps　fair　_Trial　by　Jury_　was　the　soul　of　Government；　and　that　all　legislation；　administration；　parliamentary　debating；　and　the　rest　of　it；　went　on；　in　〃order　to　bring　twelve　impartial　men　into　a　jury…box；〃so；　by　much　stronger　reason；　may　I　say　here；　that　the　finding　of　your　_Ableman_　and　getting　him　invested　with　the　_symbols　of　ability_；　with　dignity；　worship　（_worth_…ship）；　royalty；　kinghood；　or　whatever　we　call　it；　so　that　_he_　may　actually　have　room　to　guide　according　to　his　faculty　of　doing　it；is　the　business；　well　or　ill　accomplished；　of　all　social　procedure　whatsoever　in　this　world！　　Hustings…speeches；　Parliamentary　motions；　Reform　Bills；　French　Revolutions；　all　mean　at　heart　this；　or　else　nothing。　　Find　in　any　country　the　Ablest　Man　that　exists　there；　raise　_him_　to　the　supreme　place；　and　loyally　reverence　him：　　you　have　a　perfect　government　for　that　country；　no　b