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ion　and　silence　are　a　part　of　their　material；　the　story…teller　or　the　playwright　can　make　of　words　a　background　and　definition　for　deeds；　a　framework　for　those　silences　that　are　more　telling　than　any　speech。　　Here　lies　an　escape　from　the　poverty　of　content　and　method　to　which　self…portraiture　and　self…expression　are　liable；　and　therefore　are　epic　and　drama　rated　above　all　other　kinds　of　poetry。　The　greater　force　of　the　objective　treatment　is　witnessed　by　many　essayists　and　lyrical　poets；　whose　ambition　has　led　them；　sooner　or　later；　to　attempt　the　novel　or　the　play。　　There　are　weaknesses　inherent　in　all　direct　self…revelation；　the　thing；　perhaps；　is　greatly　said；　yet　there　is　no　great　occasion　for　the　saying　of　it；　a　fine　reticence　is　observed；　but　it　is；　after　all；　an　easy　reticence；　with　none　of　the　dramatic　splendours　of　reticence　on　the　rack。　　In　the　midst　of　his　pleasant　confidences　the　essayist　is　brought　up　short　by　the　question；　〃Why　must　you　still　be　talking？〃　Even　the　passionate　lyric　feels　the　need　of　external　authorisation；　and　some　of　the　finest　of　lyrical　poems；　like　the　Willow　Song　of　Desdemona；　or　Wordsworth's　SOLITARY　REAPER；　are　cast　in　a　dramatic　mould；　that　beauty　of　diction　may　be　vitalised　by　an　imagined　situation。　　More　than　others　the　dramatic　art　is　an　enemy　to　the　desultory　and　the　superfluous；　sooner　than　others　it　will　cast　away　all　formal　grace　of　expression　that　it　may　come　home　more　directly　to　the　business　and　bosoms　of　men。　　Its　great　power　and　scope　are　shown　well　in　this；　that　it　can　find　high　uses　for　the　commonest　stuff　of　daily　speech　and　the　emptiest　phrases　of　daily　intercourse。

Simplicity　and　strength；　then；　the　vigorous　realistic　quality　of　impromptu　utterance；　and　an　immediate　relation　with　the　elementary　facts　of　life；　are　literary　excellences　best　known　in　the　drama；　and　in　its　modern　fellow　and　rival；　the　novel。　　The　dramatist　and　novelist　create　their　own　characters；　set　their　own　scenes；　lay　their　own　plots；　and　when　all　has　been　thus　prepared；　the　right　word　is　born　in　the　purple；　an　inheritor　of　great　opportunities；　all　its　virtues　magnified　by　the　glamour　of　its　high　estate。　Writers　on　philosophy；　morals；　or　aesthetics；　critics；　essayists；　and　dealers　in　soliloquy　generally；　cannot　hope；　with　their　slighter　means；　to　attain　to　comparable　effects。　　They　work　at　two　removes　from　life；　the　terms　that　they　handle　are　surrounded　by　the　vapours　of　discussion；　and　are　rewarded　by　no　instinctive　response。　Simplicity；　in　its　most　regarded　sense；　is　often　beyond　their　reach；　the　matter　of　their　discourse　is　intricate；　and　the　most　they　can　do　is　to　employ　patience；　care；　and　economy　of　labour；　the　meaning　of　their　words　is　not　obvious；　and　they　must　go　aside　to　define　it。　　The　strength　of　their　writing　has　limits　set　for　it　by　the　nature　of　the　chosen　task；　and　any　transgression　of　these　limits　is　punished　by　a　fall　into　sheer　violence。　　All　writing　partakes　of　the　quality　of　the　drama；　there　is　always　a　situation　involved；　the　relation；　namely；　between　the　speaker　and　the　hearer。　A　gentleman　in　black；　expounding　his　views；　or　narrating　his　autobiography　to　the　first　comer；　can　expect　no　such　warmth　of　response　as　greets　the　dying　speech　of　the　baffled　patriot；　yet　he　too　may　take　account　of　the　reasons　that　prompt　speech；　may　display　sympathy　and　tact；　and　avoid　the　faults　of　senility。　　The　only　character　that　can　lend　strength　to　his　words　is　his　own；　and　he　sketches　it　while　he　states　his　opinions；　the　only　attitude　that　can　ennoble　his　sayings　is　implied　in　the　very　arguments　he　uses。　Who　does　not　know　the　curious　blank　effect　of　eloquence　overstrained　or　out　of　place？　　The　phrasing　may　be　exquisite；　the　thought　well…knit；　the　emotion　genuine；　yet　all　is；　as　it　were；　dumb…show　where　no　community　of　feeling　exists　between　the　speaker　and　his　audience。　　A　similar　false　note　is　struck　by　any　speaker　or　writer　who　misapprehends　his　position　or　forgets　his　disqualifications；　by　newspaper　writers　using　language　that　is　seemly　only　in　one　who　stakes　his　life　on　his　words；　by　preachers　exceeding　the　license　of　fallibility；　by　moralists　condemning　frailty；　by　speculative　traders　deprecating　frank　ways　of　hazard；　by　Satan　rebuking　sin。

〃How　many　things　are　there；〃　exclaims　the　wise　Verulam；　〃which　a　man　cannot；　with　any　face　or　comeliness；　say　or　do　himself！　　A　man's　person　hath　many　proper　relations　which　he　cannot　put　off。　　A　man　cannot　speak　to　his　son　but　as　a　father；　to　his　wife；　but　as　a　husband；　to　his　enemy　but　upon　terms；　whereas　a　friend　may　speak　as　the　case　requires；　and　not　as　it　sorteth　with　the　person。〃　　The　like　〃proper　relations〃　govern　writers；　even　where　their　audience　is　unknown　to　them。　　It　has　often　been　remarked　how　few　are　the　story…tellers　who　can　introduce　themselves；　so　much　as　by　a　passing　reflection　or　sentiment；　without　a　discordant　effect。　　The　friend　who　saves　the　situation　is　found　in　one　and　another　of　the　creatures　of　their　art。

For　those　who　must　play　their　own　part　the　effort　to　conceal　themselves　is　of　no　avail。　　The　implicit　attitude　of　a　writer　makes　itself　felt；　an　undue　swelling　of　his　subject　to　heroic　dimensions；　an　unwarrantable　assumption　of　sympathy；　a　tendency　to　truck　with　friends　or　with　enemies　by　the　way；　are　all　possible　indications　of　weakness；　which　move　even　the　least　skilled　of　readers　to　discount　what　is　said；　as　they　catch　here　and　there　a　glimpse　of　the　old　pot…companion；　or　the　young　dandy；　behind　the　imposing　literary　mask。　　Strong　writers　are　those　who；　with　every　reserve　of　power；　seek　no　exhibition　of　strength。　　It　is　as　if　language　could　not　come　by　its　full　meaning　save　on　the　lips　of　those　who　regard　it　as　an　evil　necessity。　　Every　word　is　torn　from　them；　as　from　a　reluctant　witness。　　They　come　to　speech　as　to　a　last　resort；　when　all　other　ways　have　failed。　　The　bane　of　a　literary　education　is　that　it　induces　talkativeness；　and　an　overweening　confidence　in　words。　　But　those　whose　words　are　stark　and　terrible　seem　almost　to　despise　words。

With　words　literature　begins；　and　to　words　it　must　return。　Coloured　by　the　neighbourhood　of　silence；　solemnised　by　thought　or　steeled　by　action；　words　are　still　its　only　means　of　rising　above　words。　　〃ACCEDAT　VERBUM　AD　ELEMENTUM；〃　said　St。　Ambrose；　〃ET　FIAT　SACRAMENTUM。〃　　So　the　elementary　passions；　pity　and　love；　wrath　and　terror；　are　not　in　themselves　poetical；　they　must　be　wrought　upon　by　the　word　to　become　poetry。　　In　no　other　way　can　suffering　be　transformed　to　pathos；　or　horror　reach　its　apotheosis　in　tragedy。

When　all　has　been　said；　there　remains　a　residue　capable　of　no　formal　explanation。　　Language；　this　array　of　conventional　symbols　loosely　strung　together；　and　blown　about　by　every　wandering　breath；　is　miraculously　vital　and　expressive；　justifying　not　a　few　of　the　myriad　superstitions　that　have　always　attached　to　its　use。　　The　same　words　are　free　to　all；　yet　no　wealth　or　distinction　of　vocabulary　is　needed　for　a　group　of　words　to　take　the　stamp　of　an　individual　mind　and　character。　　〃As　a　quality　of　style〃　says　Mr。　Pater；　〃soul　is　a　fact。〃　　To　resolve　how　words；　like　bodies；　become　transparent　when　they　are　inhabited　by　that　luminous　reality；　is　a　higher　pitch　than　metaphysic　wit　can　fly。　　Ardent　persuasion　and　deep　feeling　enkindle　words；　so　that　the　weakest　take　on　glory。　The　humblest　and　most　despised　of　common　phrases　may　be　the　chosen　vessel　for　the　next　avatar　of　the　spirit。　　It　is　the　old　problem；　to　be　met　only　by　the　old　solution　of　the　Platonist；　that


Soul　is　form；　and　doth　the　body　make。


The　soul　is　able　to　inform　language　by　some　strange　means　other　than　the　choice　and　arrangement　of　words　and　phrases。　　Real　novelty　of　vocabulary　is　impossible；　in　the　matter　of　language　we　lead　a　parasitical　existence；　and　are　always　quoting。　　Quotations；　conscious　or　unconscious；　vary　in　kind　according　as　the　mind　is　active　to　work　upon　them　and　make　them　its　own。　　In　its　grossest　and　most　servile　form　quotation　is　a　lazy　folly；　a　thought　has　received　some　signal　or　notorious　expression；　and　as　often　as　the　old　sense；　or　something　like　it；　recurs；　the　old　phrase　rises　to　the　lips。　　This　degenerates　to　simple　phrase…mongering；　and　those　who　practise　it　are　not　vigilantly　jealous　of　their　meaning。　　Such　an　expression　as　〃fine　by　degrees　and　beautifully　less〃　is　often　no　more　than　a　bloated　equivalent　for　a　single　word　…　say　〃diminishing〃　or　〃shrinking。〃　　Quotations　like　this　are　the　warts　and　excremental　parts　of　language；　the　borrowings　of　good　writers　are　never　thus　superfluous；　their　quotations　are　appropriations。　Whether　it　be　by　some　witty　turn　given　to　a　well…known　line；　by　an　original　setting　for　an　old　saw；　or　by　a　new　and　unlooked…for　analogy；　the　stamp　of　the　borrower　is　put　upon　the　goods　he　borrows；　and　he　becomes　part　owner。　　Plagiarism　is　a　crime　only　where　writing　is　a　trade；　expression　need　never　be　bound　by　the　law　of　copyright　while　it　follows　thought；　for　thought；　as　some　great　thinker　has　observed；　is　free。　　The　words　were　once　Shakespeare's；　if　only　you　can　feel　them　as　he　did；　they　are　yours　now　no　less　than　his。　　The　best　quotations；　the　best　translations；　the　best　thefts；　are　all　equally　new　and　original　works。　　From　quotation；　at　least；　there　is　no　esca