sartor resartus-第52节

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〃_Ew。　Wohlgeboren_　will　have　seen　from　the　Public　Prints；　with　what　affectionate　and　hitherto　fruitless　solicitude　Weissnichtwo　regards　the　disappearance　of　her　Sage。　　Might　but　the　united　voice　of　Germany　prevail　on　him　to　return；　nay　could　we　but　so　much　as　elucidate　for　ourselves　by　what　mystery　he　went　away！　　But；　alas；　old　Lieschen　experiences　or　affects　the　profoundest　deafness；　the　profoundest　ignorance：　　in　the　Wahngasse　all　lies　swept；　silent；　sealed　up；　the　Privy　Council　itself　can　hitherto　elicit　no　answer。

〃It　had　been　remarked　that　while　the　agitating　news　of　those　Parisian　Three　Days　flew　from　mouth　to　month；　and　dinned　every　ear　in　Weissnichtwo；　Herr　Teufelsdrockh　was　not　known；　at　the　_Gans_　or　elsewhere；　to　have　spoken；　for　a　whole　week；　any　syllable　except　once　these　three：　　_Es　geht　an_　（It　is　beginning）。　　Shortly　after；　as　_Ew。　Wohlgeboren_　knows；　was　the　public　tranquillity　here；　as　in　Berlin；　threatened　by　a　Sedition　of　the　Tailors。　Nor　did　there　want　Evil…wishers；　or　perhaps　mere　desperate　Alarmists；　who　asserted　that　the　closing　Chapter　of　the　Clothes…Volume　was　to　blame。　　In　this　appalling　crisis；　the　serenity　of　our　Philosopher　was　indescribable：　nay；　perhaps　through　one　humble　individual；　something　thereof　might　pass　into　the　_Rath_　（Council）　itself；　and　so　contribute　to　the　country's　deliverance。　　The　Tailors　are　now　entirely　pacificated。

〃To　neither　of　these　two　incidents　can　I　attribute　our　loss：　　yet　still　comes　there　the　shadow　of　a　suspicion　out　of　Paris　and　its　Politics。　　For　example；　when　the　_Saint…Simonian　Society_　transmitted　its　Propositions　hither；　and　the　whole　_Gans_　was　one　vast　cackle　of　laughter；　lamentation　and　astonishment；　our　Sage　sat　mute；　and　at　the　end　of　the　third　evening　said　merely：　　'Here　also　are　men　who　have　discovered；　not　without　amazement；　that　Man　is　still　Man；　of　which　high；　long…forgotten　Truth　you　already　see　them　make　a　false　application。'　　Since　then；　as　has　been　ascertained　by　examination　of　the　Post…Director；　there　passed　at　least　one　Letter　with　its　Answer　between　the　Messieurs　Bazard…Enfantin　and　our　Professor　himself；　of　what　tenor　can　now　only　be　conjectured。　　On　the　fifth　night　following；　he　was　seen　for　the　last　time！

〃Has　this　invaluable　man；　so　obnoxious　to　most　of　the　hostile　Sects　that　convulse　our　Era；　been　spirited　away　by　certain　of　their　emissaries；　or　did　he　go　forth　voluntarily　to　their　head…quarters　to　confer　with　them；　and　confront　them？　　Reason　we　have；　at　least　of　a　negative　sort；　to　believe　the　Lost　still　living；　our　widowed　heart　also　whispers　that　ere　long　he　will　himself　give　a　sign。　　Otherwise；　indeed；　his　archives　must；　one　day；　be　opened　by　Authority；　where　much；　perhaps　the　_Palingenesie_　itself；　is　thought　to　be　reposited。〃


Thus　far　the　Hofrath；　who　vanishes；　as　is　his　wont；　too　like　an　Ignis　Fatuus；　leaving　the　dark　still　darker。

So　that　Teufelsdrockh's　public　History　were　not　done；　then；　or　reduced　to　an　even；　unromantic　tenor；　nay；　perhaps　the　better　part　thereof　were　only　beginning？　　We　stand　in　a　region　of　conjectures；　where　substance　has　melted　into　shadow；　and　one　cannot　be　distinguished　from　the　other。　　May　Time；　which　solves　or　suppresses　all　problems；　throw　glad　light　on　this　also！　Our　own　private　conjecture；　now　amounting　almost　to　certainty；　is　that；　safe…moored　in　some　stillest　obscurity；　not　to　lie　always　still；　Teufelsdrockh；　is　actually　in　London！

Here；　however；　can　the　present　Editor；　with　an　ambrosial　joy　as　of　over…weariness　falling　into　sleep；　lay　down　his　pen。　　Well　does　he　know；　if　human　testimony　be　worth　aught；　that　to　innumerable　British　readers　likewise；　this　is　a　satisfying　consummation；　that　innumerable　British　readers　consider　him；　during　these　current　months；　but　as　an　uneasy　interruption　to　their　ways　of　thought　and　digestion；　and　indicate　so　much；　not　without　a　certain　irritancy　and　even　spoken　invective。　　For　which；　as　for　other　mercies；　ought　not　he　to　thank　the　Upper　Powers？　　To　one　and　all　of　you；　O　irritated　readers；　he；　with　outstretched　arms　and　open　heart；　will　wave　a　kind　farewell。　　Thou　too；　miraculous　Entity；　who　namest　thyself　YORKE　and　OLIVER；　and　with　thy　vivacities　and　genialities；　with　thy　all　too　Irish　mirth　and　madness；　and　odor　of　palled　punch；　makest　such　strange　work；　farewell；　long　as　thou　canst；　_fare…well_！　　Have　we　not；　in　the　course　of　Eternity；　travelled　some　months　of　our　Life…journey　in　partial　sight　of　one　another；　have　we　not　existed　together；　though　in　a　state　of　quarrel？


APPENDIX。

This　questionable　little　Book　was　undoubtedly　written　among　the　mountain　solitudes；　in　1831；　but；　owing　to　impediments　natural　and　accidental；　could　not；　for　seven　years　more；　appear　as　a　Volume　in　England；and　had　at　last　to　clip　itself　in　pieces；　and　be　content　to　struggle　out；　bit　by　bit；　in　some　courageous　_Magazine_　that　offered。　　Whereby　now；　to　certain　idly　curious　readers；　and　even　to　myself　till　I　make　study；　the　insignificant　but　at　last　irritating　question；　What　its　real　history　and　chronology　are；　is；　if　not　insoluble；　considerably　involved　in　haze。

To　the　first　English　Edition；　1838；　which　an　American；　or　two　American　had　now　opened　the　way　for；　there　was　slightingly　prefixed；　under　the　title；　〃_Testimonies　of　Authors_；〃　some　straggle　of　real　documents；　which；　now　that　I　find　it　again；　sets　the　matter　into　clear　light　and　sequence：and　shall　here；　for　removal　of　idle　stumbling…blocks　and　nugatory　guessings　from　the　path　of　every　reader；　be　reprinted　as　it　stood。　　（_Author's　Note；　of_　1868。）


TESTIMONIES　OF　AUTHORS。

I。　　HIGHEST　CLASS；　BOOKSELLER'S　TASTER。

_Taster　to　Bookseller_。〃　The　Author　of　_Teufelsdrockh_　is　a　person　of　talent；　his　work　displays　here　and　there　some　felicity　of　thought　and　expression；　considerable　fancy　and　knowledge：　　but　whether　or　not　it　would　take　with　the　public　seems　doubtful。　　For　a　_jeu　d'esprit_　of　that　kind　it　is　too　long；　it　would　have　suited　better　as　an　essay　or　article　than　as　a　volume。　　The　Author　has　no　great　tact；　his　wit　is　frequently　heavy；　and　reminds　one　of　the　German　Baron　who　took　to　leaping　on　tables　and　answered　that　he　was　learning　to　be　lively。　　_Is_　the　work　a　translation？〃

_Bookseller　to　Editor_。〃Allow　me　to　say　that　such　a　writer　requires　only　a　little　more　tact　to　produce　a　popular　as　well　as　an　able　work。　　Directly　on　receiving　your　permission；　I　sent　your　MS。　to　a　gentleman　in　the　highest　class　of　men　of　letters；　and　an　accomplished　German　scholar：　　I　now　enclose　you　his　opinion；　which；　you　may　rely　upon　it；　is　a　just　one；　and　I　have　too　high　an　opinion　of　your　good　sense　to〃　&c。　&c。_Ms。　　（penes　nos）；　London；　17th　September_；　1831。


II。　　CRITIC　OF　THE　SUN。

〃_Fraser's　Magazine_　exhibits　the　usual　brilliancy；　and　also　the〃　&c。

〃_Sartor　Resartus_　is　what　old　Dennis　used　to　call　'a　heap　of　clotted　nonsense；'　mixed　however；　here　and　there；　with　passages　marked　by　thought　and　striking　poetic　vigor。　　But　what　does　the　writer　mean　by　'Baphometic　fire…baptism'？　　Why　cannot　he　lay　aside　his　pedantry；　and　write　so　as　to　make　himself　generally　intelligible？　　We　quote　by　way　of　curiosity　a　sentence　from　the　_Sartor　Resartus_；　which　may　be　read　either　backwards　or　forwards；　for　it　is　equally　intelligible　either　way：　　indeed；　by　beginning　at　the　tail；　and　so　working　up　to　the　head；　we　think　the　reader　will　stand　the　fairest　chance　of　getting　at　its　meaning：　　'The　fire…baptized　soul；　long　so　scathed　and　thunder…riven；　here　feels　its　own　freedom；　which　feeling　is　its　Baphometic　baptism：　　the　citadel　of　its　whole　kingdom　it　has　thus　gained　by　assault；　and　will　keep　inexpugnable；　outwards　from　which　the　remaining　dominions；　not　indeed　without　hard　battering；　will　doubtless　by　degrees　be　conquered　and　pacificated。'　　Here　is　a〃。。。_Sun　Newspaper；　1st　April_；　1834。


III。　　NORTHAMERICAN　REVIEWER。

。。。　〃After　a　careful　survey　of　the　whole　ground；　our　belief　is　that　no　such　persons　as　Professors　Teufelsdrockh　or　Counsellor　Heuschrecke　ever　existed；　that　the　six　Paper…bags；　with　their　China…ink　inscriptions　and　multifarious　contents；　are　a　mere　figment　of　the　brain；　that　the　'present　Editor'　is　the　only　person　who　has　ever　written　upon　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes；　and　that　the　_Sartor　Resartus_　is　the　only　treatise　that　has　yet　appeared　upon　that　subject；in　short；　that　the　whole　account　of　the　origin　of　the　work　before　us；　which　the　supposed　Editor　relates　with　so　much　gravity；　and　of　which　we　have　given　a　brief　abstract；　is；　in　plain　English；　a　_hum_。

〃Without　troubling　our　readers　at　any　great　length　with　our　reasons　for　entertaining　these　suspicions；　we　may　remark；　that　the　absence　of　all　other　information　on　the　subject；　except　what　is　contained　in　the　work；　is　itself　a　fact　of　a　most　significant　character。　　The　whole　German　press；　as　well　as　the　particular　one　where　the　work　purports　to　have　been　printed；　seems　to　be　under　the　control　of　_Stillschweigen　and　Co。　_Silence　and　Company。　　If　the　Clothes…Philosophy　and　its　author　are　making　so　great　a　sensation　throughout　Germany　as　is　pretended；　how　happens　it　that　the　only　notice　we　have　of　the　fact　is　contained　in　a　few　numbers　of　a　monthly　Magazine　published　at　London！　　How　happens　it　that　no　intelligence　about　the　matter　has　come　out　directly　to　this