heroes and hero worship-第49节

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ut　cruelty；　with　deep　pity　rather：　　but　it　is　true　and　undeniable。　　Forsaken　there　of　all　but　the　_name_　of　Kingship；　he　still；　finding　himself　treated　with　outward　respect　as　a　King；　fancied　that　he　might　play　off　party　against　party；　and　smuggle　himself　into　his　old　power　by　deceiving　both。　　Alas；　they　both　_discovered_　that　he　was　deceiving　them。　　A　man　whose　_word_　will　not　inform　you　at　all　what　he　means　or　will　do；　is　not　a　man　you　can　bargain　with。　　You　must　get　out　of　that　man's　way；　or　put　him　out　of　yours！　　The　Presbyterians；　in　their　despair；　were　still　for　believing　Charles；　though　found　false；　unbelievable　again　and　again。　　Not　so　Cromwell：　　〃For　all　our　fighting；〃　says　he；　〃we　are　to　have　a　little　bit　of　paper？〃　　No！

In　fact；　everywhere　we　have　to　note　the　decisive　practical　_eye_　of　this　man；　how　he　drives　towards　the　practical　and　practicable；　has　a　genuine　insight　into　what　_is_　fact。　　Such　an　intellect；　I　maintain；　does　not　belong　to　a　false　man：　　the　false　man　sees　false　shows；　plausibilities；　expediences：　　the　true　man　is　needed　to　discern　even　practical　truth。　Cromwell's　advice　about　the　Parliament's　Army；　early　in　the　contest；　How　they　were　to　dismiss　their　city…tapsters；　flimsy　riotous　persons；　and　choose　substantial　yeomen；　whose　heart　was　in　the　work；　to　be　soldiers　for　them：　　this　is　advice　by　a　man　who　_saw_。　　Fact　answers；　if　you　see　into　Fact！　　Cromwell's　_Ironsides_　were　the　embodiment　of　this　insight　of　his；　men　fearing　God；　and　without　any　other　fear。　　No　more　conclusively　genuine　set　of　fighters　ever　trod　the　soil　of　England；　or　of　any　other　land。

Neither　will　we　blame　greatly　that　word　of　Cromwell's　to　them；　which　was　so　blamed：　　〃If　the　King　should　meet　me　in　battle；　I　would　kill　the　King。〃　Why　not？　　These　words　were　spoken　to　men　who　stood　as　before　a　Higher　than　Kings。　　They　had　set　more　than　their　own　lives　on　the　cast。　　The　Parliament　may　call　it；　in　official　language；　a　fighting　〃_for_　the　King；〃　but　we；　for　our　share；　cannot　understand　that。　　To　us　it　is　no　dilettante　work；　no　sleek　officiality；　it　is　sheer　rough　death　and　earnest。　　They　have　brought　it　to　the　calling…forth　of　War；　horrid　internecine　fight；　man　grappling　with　man　in　fire…eyed　rage；the　_infernal_　element　in　man　called　forth；　to　try　it　by　that！　　_Do_　that　therefore；　since　that　is　the　thing　to　be　done。The　successes　of　Cromwell　seem　to　me　a　very　natural　thing！　　Since　he　was　not　shot　in　battle；　they　were　an　inevitable　thing。　　That　such　a　man；　with　the　eye　to　see；　with　the　heart　to　dare；　should　advance；　from　post　to　post；　from　victory　to　victory；　till　the　Huntingdon　Farmer　became；　by　whatever　name　you　might　call　him；　the　acknowledged　Strongest　Man　in　England；　virtually　the　King　of　England；　requires　no　magic　to　explain　it！


Truly　it　is　a　sad　thing　for　a　people；　as　for　a　man；　to　fall　into　Scepticism；　into　dilettantism；　insincerity；　not　to　know　Sincerity　when　they　see　it。　　For　this　world；　and　for　all　worlds；　what　curse　is　so　fatal？　　The　heart　lying　dead；　the　eye　cannot　see。　　What　intellect　remains　is　merely　the　_vulpine_　intellect。　　That　a　true　_King_　be　sent　them　is　of　small　use；　they　do　not　know　him　when　sent。　　They　say　scornfully；　Is　this　your　King？　　The　Hero　wastes　his　heroic　faculty　in　bootless　contradiction　from　the　unworthy；　and　can　accomplish　little。　　For　himself　he　does　accomplish　a　heroic　life；　which　is　much；　which　is　all；　but　for　the　world　he　accomplishes　comparatively　nothing。　　The　wild　rude　Sincerity；　direct　from　Nature；　is　not　glib　in　answering　from　the　witness…box：　　in　your　small…debt　_pie…powder_　court；　he　is　scouted　as　a　counterfeit。　　The　vulpine　intellect　〃detects〃　him。　　For　being　a　man　worth　any　thousand　men；　the　response　your　Knox；　your　Cromwell　gets；　is　an　argument　for　two　centuries　whether　he　was　a　man　at　all。　　God's　greatest　gift　to　this　Earth　is　sneeringly　flung　away。　　The　miraculous　talisman　is　a　paltry　plated　coin；　not　fit　to　pass　in　the　shops　as　a　common　guinea。

Lamentable　this！　　I　say；　this　must　be　remedied。　　Till　this　be　remedied　in　some　measure；　there　is　nothing　remedied。　　〃Detect　quacks〃？　　Yes　do；　for　Heaven's　sake；　but　know　withal　the　men　that　are　to　be　trusted！　　Till　we　know　that；　what　is　all　our　knowledge；　how　shall　we　even　so　much　as　〃detect〃？　　For　the　vulpine　sharpness；　which　considers　itself　to　be　knowledge；　and　〃detects〃　in　that　fashion；　is　far　mistaken。　　Dupes　indeed　are　many：　　but；　of　all　_dupes_；　there　is　none　so　fatally　situated　as　he　who　lives　in　undue　terror　of　being　duped。　　The　world　does　exist；　the　world　has　truth　in　it；　or　it　would　not　exist！　　First　recognize　what　is　true；　we　shall　_then_　discern　what　is　false；　and　properly　never　till　then。

〃Know　the　men　that　are　to　be　trusted：〃　　alas；　this　is　yet；　in　these　days；　very　far　from　us。　　The　sincere　alone　can　recognize　sincerity。　　Not　a　Hero　only　is　needed；　but　a　world　fit　for　him；　a　world　not　of　_Valets_；the　Hero　comes　almost　in　vain　to　it　otherwise！　　Yes；　it　is　far　from　us：　　but　it　must　come；　thank　God；　it　is　visibly　coming。　　Till　it　do　come；　what　have　we？　Ballot…boxes；　suffrages；　French　Revolutions：if　we　are　as　Valets；　and　do　not　know　the　Hero　when　we　see　him；　what　good　are　all　these？　　A　heroic　Cromwell　comes；　and　for　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　he　cannot　have　a　vote　from　us。　　Why；　the　insincere；　unbelieving　world　is　the　_natural　property_　of　the　Quack；　and　of　the　Father　of　quacks　and　quackeries！　　Misery；　confusion；　unveracity　are　alone　possible　there。　　By　ballot…boxes　we　alter　the　_figure_　of　our　Quack；　but　the　substance　of　him　continues。　　The　Valet…World　_has_　to　be　governed　by　the　Sham…Hero；　by　the　King　merely　_dressed_　in　King…gear。　　It　is　his；　he　is　its！　　In　brief；　one　of　two　things：　　We　shall　either　learn　to　know　a　Hero；　a　true　Governor　and　Captain；　somewhat　better；　when　we　see　him；　or　else　go　on　to　be　forever　governed　by　the　Unheroic；had　we　ballot…boxes　clattering　at　every　street…corner；　there　were　no　remedy　in　these。

Poor　Cromwell；great　Cromwell！　　The　inarticulate　Prophet；　Prophet　who　could　not　_speak_。　　Rude；　confused；　struggling　to　utter　himself；　with　his　savage　depth；　with　his　wild　sincerity；　and　he　looked　so　strange；　among　the　elegant　Euphemisms；　dainty　little　Falklands；　didactic　Chillingworths；　diplomatic　Clarendons！　　Consider　him。　　An　outer　hull　of　chaotic　confusion；　visions　of　the　Devil；　nervous　dreams；　almost　semi…madness；　and　yet　such　a　clear　determinate　man's…energy　working　in　the　heart　of　that。　　A　kind　of　chaotic　man。　　The　ray　as　of　pure　starlight　and　fire；　working　in　such　an　element　of　boundless　hypochondria；　unformed　black　of　darkness！　　And　yet　withal　this　hypochondria；　what　was　it　but　the　very　greatness　of　the　man？　The　depth　and　tenderness　of　his　wild　affections：　　the　quantity　of　_sympathy_　he　had　with　things；the　quantity　of　insight　he　would　yet　get　into　the　heart　of　things；　the　mastery　he　would　yet　get　over　things：　　this　was　his　hypochondria。　　The　man's　misery；　as　man's　misery　always　does；　came　of　his　greatness。　　Samuel　Johnson　too　is　that　kind　of　man。　Sorrow…stricken；　half…distracted；　the　wide　element　of　mournful　_black_　enveloping　him；wide　as　the　world。　　It　is　the　character　of　a　prophetic　man；　a　man　with　his　whole　soul　_seeing_；　and　struggling　to　see。

On　this　ground；　too；　I　explain　to　myself　Cromwell's　reputed　confusion　of　speech。　　To　himself　the　internal　meaning　was　sun…clear；　but　the　material　with　which　he　was　to　clothe　it　in　utterance　was　not　there。　　He　had　_lived_　silent；　a　great　unnamed　sea　of　Thought　round　him　all　his　days；　and　in　his　way　of　life　little　call　to　attempt　_naming_　or　uttering　that。　　With　his　sharp　power　of　vision；　resolute　power　of　action；　I　doubt　not　he　could　have　learned　to　write　Books　withal；　and　speak　fluently　enough；he　did　harder　things　than　writing　of　Books。　　This　kind　of　man　is　precisely　he　who　is　fit　for　doing　manfully　all　things　you　will　set　him　on　doing。　　Intellect　is　not　speaking　and　logicizing；　it　is　seeing　and　ascertaining。　　Virtue；　Virtues；　manhood；　_hero_hood；　is　not　fair…spoken　immaculate　regularity；　it　is　first　of　all；　what　the　Germans　well　name　it；　_Tugend_　（_Taugend_；　_dow_…ing　or　_Dough_…tinesS）；　Courage　and　the　Faculty　to　_do_。　　This　basis　of　the　matter　Cromwell　had　in　him。

One　understands　moreover　how；　though　he　could　not　speak　in　Parliament；　he　might　_preach_；　rhapsodic　preaching；　above　all；　how　he　might　be　great　in　extempore　prayer。　　These　are　the　free　outpouring　utterances　of　what　is　in　the　heart：　　method　is　not　required　in　them；　warmth；　depth；　sincerity　are　all　that　is　required。　　Cromwell's　habit　of　prayer　is　a　notable　feature　of　him。　　All　his　great　enterprises　were　commenced　with　prayer。　　In　dark　inextricable…looking　difficulties；　his　Officers　and　he　used　to　assemble；　and　pray　alternately；　for　hours；　for　days；　till　some　definite　resolution　rose　among　them；　some　〃door　of　hope；〃　as　they　would　name　it；　disclosed　itself。　　Consider　that。　　In　tears；　in　fervent　prayers；　and　cries　to　the　great　God；　to　have　pity　on　them；　to　make　His　light　shine　before　them。　They；　armed　Soldiers　of　Christ；　as　they　felt　themselves　to　be；　a　little　band　of　Christian　Brothers；　who　had　drawn　the　sword　against　a　great　black　devouring　world　not　Christian；　but　Mammonish；　Devilish；they　cried　to　God　in　their　straits；　in　their　extreme　need；　not　to　forsake　the　Cause　that　was　His。　　The　light　w