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or　ill　or　indifferently；　without　losing　more　than　a　little　of　their　virtue。　　Do　they　impress　the　eye　by　opening　before　it　a　prospect　of　vast　extent；　peopled　by　vague　shapes？　　On　the　contrary；　the　visual　embodiment　of　the　ideas　suggested　kills　the　sense　of　the　passage；　by　lowering　the　cope　of　the　starry　heavens　to　the　measure　of　a　poplar…tree。　　Death　and　life；　height　and　depth；　are　conceived　by　the　apostle；　and　creation　thrown　in　like　a　trinket；　only　that　they　may　lend　emphasis　to　the　denial　that　is　the　soul　of　his　purpose。　　Other　arts　can　affirm；　or　seem　to　affirm；　with　all　due　wealth　of　circumstance　and　detail；　they　can　heighten　their　affirmation　by　the　modesty　of　reserve；　the　surprises　of　a　studied　brevity；　and　the　erasure　of　all　impertinence；　literature　alone　can　deny；　and　honour　the　denial　with　the　last　resources　of　a　power　that　has　the　universe　for　its　treasury。　　It　is　this　negative　capability　of　words；　their　privative　force；　whereby　they　can　impress　the　minds　with　a　sense　of　〃vacuity；　darkness；　solitude；　and　silence；〃　that　Burke　celebrates　in　the　fine　treatise　of　his　younger　days。　　In　such　a　phrase　as　〃the　angel　of　the　Lord〃　language　mocks　the　positive　rivalry　of　the　pictorial　art；　which　can　offer　only　the　poor　pretence　of　an　equivalent　in　a　young　man　painted　with　wings。　　But　the　difference　between　the　two　arts　is　even　better　marked　in　the　matter　of　negative　suggestion；　it　is　instanced　by　Burke　from　the　noble　passage　where　Virgil　describes　the　descent　of　AEneas　and　the　Sibyl　to　the　shades　of　the　nether　world。　　Here　are　amassed　all　〃the　images　of　a　tremendous　dignity〃　that　the　poet　could　forge　from　the　sublime　of　denial。　　The　two　most　famous　lines　are　a　procession　of　negatives：…


Ibant　obscuri　sola　sub　nocte　per　umbram；　Perque　domos　Ditis　vacuas　et　inania　regna。


Through　hollow　kingdoms；　emptied　of　the　day；　And　dim；　deserted　courts　where　Dis　bears　sway；　Night…foundered；　and　uncertain　of　the　path；　Darkling　they　took　their　solitary　way。


Here　is　the　secret　of　some　of　the　cardinal　effects　of　literature；　strong　epithets　like　〃lonely；〃　〃supreme；〃　〃invisible；〃　〃eternal；〃　〃inexorable；〃　with　the　substantives　that　belong　to　them；　borrow　their　force　from　the　vastness　of　what　they　deny。　　And　not　these　alone；　but　many　other　words；　less　indebted　to　logic　for　the　magnificence　of　reach　that　it　can　lend；　bring　before　the　mind　no　picture；　but　a　dim　emotional　framework。　　Such　words　as　〃ominous；〃　〃fantastic；〃　〃attenuated；〃　〃bewildered；〃　〃justification；〃　are　atmospheric　rather　than　pictorial；　they　infect　the　soul　with　the　passion…laden　air　that　rises　from　humanity。　　It　is　precisely　in　his　dealings　with　words　like　these；　〃heated　originally　by　the　breath　of　others；〃　that　a　poet's　fine　sense　and　knowledge　most　avail　him。　The　company　a　word　has　kept；　its　history；　faculties；　and　predilections；　endear　or　discommend　it　to　his　instinct。　　How　hardly　will　poetry　consent　to　employ　such　words　as　〃congratulation〃　or　〃philanthropist；〃　…　words　of　good　origin；　but　tainted　by　long　immersion　in　fraudulent　rejoicings　and　pallid；　comfortable；　theoretic　loves。　　How　eagerly　will　the　poetic　imagination　seize　on　a　word　like　〃control；〃　which　gives　scope　by　its　very　vagueness；　and　is　fettered　by　no　partiality　of　association。　　All　words；　the　weak　and　the　strong；　the　definite　and　the　vague；　have　their　offices　to　perform　in　language；　but　the　loftiest　purposes　of　poetry　are　seldom　served　by　those　explicit　hard　words　which；　like　tiresome　explanatory　persons；　say　all　that　they　mean。　　Only　in　the　focus　and　centre　of　man's　knowledge　is　there　place　for　the　hammer…blows　of　affirmation；　the　rest　is　a　flickering　world　of　hints　and　half…　lights；　echoes　and　suggestions；　to　be　come　at　in　the　dusk　or　not　at　all。

The　combination　of　these　powers　in　words；　of　song　and　image　and　meaning；　has　given　us　the　supreme　passages　of　our　romantic　poetry。　In　Shakespeare's　work；　especially；　the　union　of　vivid　definite　presentment　with　immense　reach　of　metaphysical　suggestion　seems　to　intertwine　the　roots　of　the　universe　with　the　particular　fact；　tempting　the　mind　to　explore　that　other　side　of　the　idea　presented　to　it；　the　side　turned　away　from　it；　and　held　by　something　behind。


It　will　have　blood；　they　say　blood　win　have　blood：　Stones　have　been　known　to　move　and　trees　to　speak；　Augurs　and　understood　relations　have　By　maggot…pies　and　choughs　and　rooks　brought　forth　The　secret'st　man　of　blood。


This　meeting　of　concrete　and　abstract；　of　sense　and　thought；　keeps　the　eye　travelling　along　the　utmost　skyline　of　speculation；　where　the　heavens　are　interfused　with　the　earth。　　In　short；　the　third　and　greatest　virtue　of　words　is　no　other　than　the　virtue　that　belongs　to　the　weapons　of　thought；　…　a　deep；　wide；　questioning　thought　that　discovers　analogies　and　pierces　behind　things　to　a　half…perceived　unity　of　law　and　essence。　　In　the　employ　of　keen　insight；　high　feeling；　and　deep　thinking；　language　comes　by　its　own；　the　prettinesses　that　may　be　imposed　on　a　passive　material　are　as　nothing　to　the　splendour　and　grace　that　transfigure　even　the　meanest　instrument　when　it　is　wielded　by　the　energy　of　thinking　purpose。　　The　contempt　that　is　cast；　by　the　vulgar　phrase；　on　〃mere　words〃　bears　witness　to　the　rarity　of　this　serious　consummation。　Yet　by　words　the　world　was　shaped　out　of　chaos；　by　words　the　Christian　religion　was　established　among　mankind。　　Are　these　terrific　engines　fit　play…things　for　the　idle　humours　of　a　sick　child？

And　now　it　begins　to　be　apparent　that　no　adequate　description　of　the　art　of　language　can　be　drawn　from　the　technical　terminology　of　the　other　arts；　which；　like　proud　debtors；　would　gladly　pledge　their　substance　to　repay　an　obligation　that　they　cannot　disclaim。　Let　one　more　attempt　to　supply　literature　with　a　parallel　be　quoted　from　the　works　of　a　writer　on　style；　whose　high　merit　it　is　that　he　never　loses　sight；　either　in　theory　or　in　practice；　of　the　fundamental　conditions　proper　to　the　craft　of　letters。　　Robert　Louis　Stevenson；　pondering　words　long　and　lovingly；　was　impressed　by　their　crabbed　individuality；　and　sought　to　elucidate　the　laws　of　their　arrangement　by　a　reference　to　the　principles　of　architecture。　〃The　sister　arts；〃　he　says；　〃enjoy　the　use　of　a　plastic　and　ductile　material；　like　the　modeller's　clay；　literature　alone　is　condemned　to　work　in　mosaic　with　finite　and　quite　rigid　words。　　You　have　seen　those　blocks；　dear　to　the　nursery：　　this　one　a　pillar；　that　a　pediment；　a　third　a　window　or　a　vase。　　It　is　with　blocks　of　just　such　arbitrary　size　and　figure　that　the　literary　architect　is　condemned　to　design　the　palace　of　his　art。　　Nor　is　this　all；　for　since　these　blocks　or　words　are　the　acknowledged　currency　of　our　daily　affairs；　there　are　here　possible　none　of　those　suppressions　by　which　other　arts　obtain　relief；　continuity；　and　vigour：　　no　hieroglyphic　touch；　no　smoothed　impasto；　no　inscrutable　shadow；　as　in　painting；　no　blank　wall；　as　in　architecture；　but　every　word；　phrase；　sentence；　and　paragraph　must　move　in　a　logical　progression；　and　convey　a　definite　conventional　import。〃

It　is　an　acute　comparison；　happily　indicative　of　the　morose　angularity　that　words　offer　to　whoso　handles　them；　admirably　insistent　on　the　chief　of　the　incommodities　imposed　upon　the　writer；　the　necessity；　at　all　times　and　at　all　costs；　to　mean　something。　　The　boon　of　the　recurring　monotonous　expanse；　that　an　apprentice　may　fill；　the　breathing…space　of　restful　mechanical　repetition；　are　denied　to　the　writer；　who　must　needs　shoulder　the　hod　himself；　and　lay　on　the　mortar；　in　ever　varying　patterns；　with　his　own　trowel。　　This　is　indeed　the　ordeal　of　the　master；　the　canker…worm　of　the　penny…a…liner；　who；　poor　fellow；　means　nothing；　and　spends　his　life　in　the　vain　effort　to　get　words　to　do　the　same。　But　if　in　this　respect　architecture　and　literature　are　confessed　to　differ；　there　remains　the　likeness　that　Mr。　Stevenson　detects　in　the　building　materials　of　the　two　arts；　those　blocks　of　〃arbitrary　size　and　figure；　finite　and　quite　rigid。〃　　There　is　truth　enough　in　the　comparison　to　make　it　illuminative；　but　he　would　be　a　rash　dialectician　who　should　attempt　to　draw　from　it；　by　way　of　inference；　a　philosophy　of　letters。　　Words　are　piled　on　words；　and　bricks　on　bricks；　but　of　the　two　you　are　invited　to　think　words　the　more　intractable。　　Truly；　it　was　a　man　of　letters　who　said　it；　avenging　himself　on　his　profession　for　the　never…ending　toil　it　imposed；　by　miscalling　it；　with　grim　pleasantry；　the　architecture　of　the　nursery。　　Finite　and　quite　rigid　words　are　not；　in　any　sense　that　holds　good　of　bricks。　　They　move　and　change；　they　wax　and　wane；　they　wither　and　burgeon；　from　age　to　age；　from　place　to　place；　from　mouth　to　mouth；　they　are　never　at　a　stay。　　They　take　on　colour；　intensity；　and　vivacity　from　the　infection　of　neighbourhood；　the　same　word　is　of　several　shapes　and　diverse　imports　in　one　and　the　same　sentence；　they　depend　on　the　building　that　they　compose　for　the　very　chemistry　of　the　stuff　that　composes　them。　　The　same　epithet　is　used　in　the　phrases　〃a　fine　day〃　and　〃fine　irony；〃　in　〃fair　trade〃　and　〃a　fair　goddess。〃　　Were　different　symbols　to　be　invented　for　these　sundry　meanings　the　art　of　literature　would　perish。　　For　words　carry　with　them　all　the　meanings　they　have　worn；　and　the　writer　shall　be　j