heroes and hero worship-第55节

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ral_　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　of　the　world；　as　he　expresses　them　there　at　St。　Helena；　are　almost　tragical　to　consider。　　He　seems　to　feel　the　most　unaffected　surprise　that　it　has　all　gone　so；　that　he　is　flung　out　on　the　rock　here；　and　the　World　is　still　moving　on　its　axis。　　France　is　great；　and　all…great：　　and　at　bottom；　he　is　France。　　England　itself；　he　says；　is　by　Nature　only　an　appendage　of　France；　〃another　Isle　of　Oleron　to　France。〃　　So　it　was　by　_Nature_；　by　Napoleon…Nature；　and　yet　look　how　in　factHERE　AM　I！　　He　cannot　understand　it：　　inconceivable　that　the　reality　has　not　corresponded　to　his　program　of　it；　that　France　was　not　all…great；　that　he　was　not　France。　　〃Strong　delusion；〃　that　he　should　believe　the　thing　to　be　which　_is_　not！　　The　compact；　clear…seeing；　decisive　Italian　nature　of　him；　strong；　genuine；　which　he　once　had；　has　enveloped　itself；　half…dissolved　itself；　in　a　turbid　atmosphere　of　French　fanfaronade。　　The　world　was　not　disposed　to　be　trodden　down　underfoot；　to　be　bound　into　masses；　and　built　together；　as　_he_　liked；　for　a　pedestal　to　France　and　him：　　the　world　had　quite　other　purposes　in　view！　　Napoleon's　astonishment　is　extreme。　　But　alas；　what　help　now？　　He　had　gone　that　way　of　his；　and　Nature　also　had　gone　her　way。　　Having　once　parted　with　Reality；　he　tumbles　helpless　in　Vacuity；　no　rescue　for　him。　　He　had　to　sink　there；　mournfully　as　man　seldom　did；　and　break　his　great　heart；　and　die；this　poor　Napoleon：　　a　great　implement　too　soon　wasted；　till　it　was　useless：　　our　last　Great　Man！

Our　last；　in　a　double　sense。　　For　here　finally　these　wide　roamings　of　ours　through　so　many　times　and　places；　in　search　and　study　of　Heroes；　are　to　terminate。　　I　am　sorry　for　it：　　there　was　pleasure　for　me　in　this　business；　if　also　much　pain。　　It　is　a　great　subject；　and　a　most　grave　and　wide　one；　this　which；　not　to　be　too　grave　about　it；　I　have　named　_Hero…worship_。　　It　enters　deeply；　as　I　think；　into　the　secret　of　Mankind's　ways　and　vitalest　interests　in　this　world；　and　is　well　worth　explaining　at　present。　　With　six　months；　instead　of　six　days；　we　might　have　done　better。　　I　promised　to　break　ground　on　it；　I　know　not　whether　I　have　even　managed　to　do　that。　　I　have　had　to　tear　it　up　in　the　rudest　manner　in　order　to　get　into　it　at　all。　Often　enough；　with　these　abrupt　utterances　thrown　out　isolated；　unexplained；　has　your　tolerance　been　put　to　the　trial。　　Tolerance；　patient　candor；　all…hoping　favor　and　kindness；　which　I　will　not　speak　of　at　present。　　The　accomplished　and　distinguished；　the　beautiful；　the　wise；　something　of　what　is　best　in　England；　have　listened　patiently　to　my　rude　words。　　With　many　feelings；　I　heartily　thank　you　all；　and　say；　Good　be　with　you　all！





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