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manner　in　which　he　assisted　a　supposed　lady　in　crossing　Fleet

Street。　　He　gave　her　his　arm；　and　led　her　across；　not　observing

that　she　was　in　liquor　at　the　time。　　But　the　spirit　of　the　act　was

not　the　less　kind　on　that　account。　　On　the　other　hand；　the　conduct

of　the　bookseller　on　whom　Johnson　once　called　to　solicit

employment；　and　who；　regarding　his　athletic　but　uncouth　person；

told　him　he　had　better　〃go　buy　a　porter's　knot　and　carry　trunks；〃

in　howsoever　bland　tones　the　advice　might　have　been　communicated；

was　simply　brutal。



While　captiousness　of　manner；　and　the　habit　of　disputing　and

contradicting　everything　said；　is　chilling　and　repulsive；　the

opposite　habit　of　assenting　to；　and　sympathising　with；　every

statement　made；　or　emotion　expressed；　is　almost　equally

disagreeable。　　It　is　unmanly；　and　is　felt　to　be　dishonest。　〃It　may

seem　difficult；〃　says　Richard　Sharp；　〃to　steer　always　between

bluntness　and　plain…dealing；　between　giving　merited　praise　and

lavishing　indiscriminate　flattery；　but　it　is　very　easygood…

humour；　kindheartedness；　and　perfect　simplicity；　being　all　that

are　requisite　to　do　what　is　right　in　the　right　way。〃　（3）



At　the　same　time；　many　are　unpolitenot　because　they　mean　to　be

so；　but　because　they　are　awkward；　and　perhaps　know　no　better。

Thus；　when　Gibbon　had　published　the　second　and　third　volumes　of

his　'Decline　and　Fall；'　the　Duke　of　Cumberland　met　him　one　day；

and　accosted　him　with；　〃How　do　you　do；　Mr。　Gibbon？　　I　see　you

are　always　AT　IT　in　the　old　waySCRIBBLE；　SCRIBBLE；　SCRIBBLE！〃

The　Duke　probably　intended　to　pay　the　author　a　compliment；

but　did　not　know　how　better　to　do　it；　than　in　this　blunt　and

apparently　rude　way。



Again；　many　persons　are　thought　to　be　stiff；　reserved；　and　proud；

when　they　are　only　shy。　　Shyness　is　characteristic　of　most　people

of　Teutonic　race。　　It　has　been　styled　〃the　English　mania；〃　but　it

pervades；　to　a　greater　or　less　degree；　all　the　Northern　nations。

The　ordinary　Englishman；　when　he　travels　abroad；　carries　his

shyness　with　him。　　He　is　stiff；　awkward；　ungraceful；

undemonstrative；　and　apparently　unsympathetic；　and　though　he　may

assume　a　brusqueness　of　manner；　the　shyness　is　there；　and　cannot

be　wholly　concealed。　　The　naturally　graceful　and　intensely　social

French　cannot　understand　such　a　character；　and　the　Englishman　is

their　standing　jokethe　subject　of　their　most　ludicrous

caricatures。　　George　Sand　attributes　the　rigidity　of　the　natives

of　Albion　to　a　stock　of　FLUIDE　BRITANNIQUE　which　they　carry　about

with　them；　that　renders　them　impassive　under　all　circumstances；

and　〃as　impervious　to　the　atmosphere　of　the　regions　they　traverse

as　a　mouse　in　the　centre　of　an　exhausted　receiver。〃　（4）



The　average　Frenchman　or　Irishman　excels　the　average　Englishman；

German；　or　American　in　courtesy　and　ease　of　manner；　simply　because

it　is　his　nature。　　They　are　more　social　and　less　self…dependent

than　men　of　Teutonic　origin；　more　demonstrative　and　less　reticent；

they　are　more　communicative；　conversational；　and　freer　in　their

intercourse　with　each　other　in　all　respects；　whilst　men　of　German

race　are　comparatively　stiff；　reserved；　shy；　and　awkward。　　At　the

same　time；　a　people　may　exhibit　ease；　gaiety；　and　sprightliness　of

character；　and　yet　possess　no　deeper　qualities　calculated　to

inspire　respect。　　They　may　have　every　grace　of　manner；　and　yet　be

heartless；　frivolous；　selfish。　　The　character　may　be　on　the

surface　only；　and　without　any　solid　qualities　for　a　foundation。



There　can　be　no　doubt　as　to　which　of　the　two　sorts　of　peoplethe

easy　and　graceful；　or　the　stiff　and　awkwardit　is　most　agreeable

to　meet；　either　in　business；　in　society；　or　in　the　casual

intercourse　of　life。　　Which　make　the　fastest　friends；　the　truest

men　of　their　word；　the　most　conscientious　performers　of　their

duty；　is　an　entirely　different　matter。



The　dry　GAUCHE　Englishmanto　use　the　French　phrase；　L'ANGLAIS

EMPETREis　certainly　a　somewhat　disagreeable　person　to　meet　at

first。　He　looks　as　if　he　had　swallowed　a　poker。　　He　is　shy

himself；　and　the　cause　of　shyness　in　others。　　He　is　stiff；　not

because　he　is　proud；　but　because　he　is　shy；　and　he　cannot　shake　it

off；　even　if　he　would。　　Indeed；　we　should　not　be　surprised　to　find

that　even　the　clever　writer　who　describes　the　English　Philistine

in　all　his　enormity　of　awkward　manner　and　absence　of　grace；　were

himself　as　shy　as　a　bat。



When　two　shy　men　meet；　they　seem　like　a　couple　of　icicles。　　They

sidle　away　and　turn　their　backs　on　each　other　in　a　room；　or　when

travelling　creep　into　the　opposite　corners　of　a　railway…carriage。

When　shy　Englishmen　are　about　to　start　on　a　journey　by　railway；

they　walk　along　the　train；　to　discover　an　empty　compartment　in

which　to　bestow　themselves；　and　when　once　ensconced；　they　inwardly

hate　the　next　man　who　comes　in。　　So；　on　entering　the　dining…room

of　their　club；　each　shy　man　looks　out　for　an　unoccupied　table；

until　sometimesall　the　tables　in　the　room　are　occupied　by

single　diners。　　All　this　apparent　unsociableness　is　merely　shyness

the　national　characteristic　of　the　Englishman。



〃The　disciples　of　Confucius；〃　observes　Mr。　Arthur　Helps；　〃say　that

when　in　the　presence　of　the　prince；　his　manner　displayed

RESPECTFUL　UNEASINESS。　　There　could　hardly　be　given　any　two　words

which　more　fitly　describe　the　manner　of　most　Englishmen　when　in

society。〃　　Perhaps　it　is　due　to　this　feeling　that　Sir　Henry

Taylor；　in　his　'Statesman；'　recommends　that；　in　the　management　of

interviews；　the　minister　should　be　as　〃near　to　the　door〃　as

possible；　and；　instead　of　bowing　his　visitor　out；　that　he　should

take　refuge；　at　the　end　of　an　interview；　in　the　adjoining　room。

〃Timid　and　embarrassed　men；〃　he　says；　〃will　sit　as　if　they　were

rooted　to　the　spot；　when　they　are　conscious　that　they　have　to

traverse　the　length　of　a　room　in　their　retreat。　　In　every　case；　an

interview　will　find　a　more　easy　and　pleasing　termination　WHEN　THE

DOOR　IS　AT　HAND　as　the　last　words　are　spoken。〃　（5）



The　late　Prince　Albert；　one　of　the　gentlest　and　most　amiable；　was

also　one　of　the　most　retiring　of　men。　　He　struggled　much　against

his　sense　of　shyness；　but　was　never　able　either　to　conquer　or

conceal　it。　　His　biographer；　in　explaining　its　causes；　says：　〃It

was　the　shyness　of　a　very　delicate　nature；　that　is　not　sure　it

will　please；　and　is　without　the　confidence　and　the　vanity　which

often　go　to　form　characters　that　are　outwardly　more　genial。〃　（6）



But　the　Prince　shared　this　defect　with　some　of　the　greatest　of

Englishmen。　　Sir　Isaac　Newton　was　probably　the　shyest　man　of　his

age。　　He　kept　secret　for　a　time　some　of　his　greatest　discoveries；

for　fear　of　the　notoriety　they　might　bring　him。　　His　discovery　of

the　Binomial　Theorem　and　its　most　important　applications；　as　well

as　his　still　greater　discovery　of　the　Law　of　Gravitation；　were　not

published　for　years　after　they　were　made；　and　when　he　communicated

to　Collins　his　solution　of　the　theory　of　the　moon's　rotation　round

the　earth；　he　forbade　him　to　insert　his　name　in　connection　with

it　in　the　'Philosophical　Transactions；'　saying：　〃It　would；

perhaps；　increase　my　acquaintancethe　thing　which　I　chiefly

study　to　decline。〃



From　all　that　can　be　learnt　of　Shakspeare；　it　is　to　be　inferred

that　he　was　an　exceedingly　shy　man。　　The　manner　in　which　his　plays

were　sent　into　the　worldfor　it　is　not　known　that　he　edited　or

authorized　the　publication　of　a　single　one　of　themand　the　dates

at　which　they　respectively　appeared；　are　mere　matters　of

conjecture。　　His　appearance　in　his　own　plays　in　second　and　even

third…rate　partshis　indifference　to　reputation；　and　even　his

apparent　aversion　to　be　held　in　repute　by　his　contemporarieshis

disappearance　from　London　（the　seat　and　centre　of　English

histrionic　art）　so　soon　as　he　had　realised　a　moderate　competency

and　his　retirement　about　the　age　of　forty；　for　the　remainder　of

his　days；　to　a　life　of　obscurity　in　a　small　town　in　the　midland

countiesall　seem　to　unite　in　proving　the　shrinking　nature　of

the　man；　and　his　unconquerable　shyness。



It　is　also　probable　that；　besides　being　shyand　his　shyness　may；

like　that　of　Byron；　have　been　increased　by　his　limpShakspeare

did　not　possess　in　any　high　degree　the　gift　of　hope。　　It　is　a

remarkable　circumstance；　that　whilst　the　great　dramatist　has；　in

the　course　of　his　writings；　copiously　illustrated　all　other　gifts；

affections；　and　virtues；　the　passages　are　very　rare　in　which　Hope

is　mentioned；　and　then　it　is　usually　in　a　desponding　and

despairing　tone；　as　when　he　says：



　　　　　　〃The　miserable　hath　no　other　medicine；　But　only　Hope。〃



Many　of　his　sonnets　breathe　the　spirit　of　despair　and

hopelessness。　（7）　　He　laments　his　lameness；　（8）　apologizes　for　his

profession　as　an　actor；　（9）　expresses　his　〃fear　of　trust〃　in

himself；　and　his　hopeless；　perhaps　misplaced；　affection；　（10）

anticipates　a　〃coffin'd　doom；〃　and　utters　his　profoundly　pathetic

cry　〃for　restful　death。〃



It　might　na