sartor resartus-第8节

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viduals；　and　says　to　them；　_Make　this　nation　toil　for　us；　bleed　for　us；　hunger　and；　sorrow　and　sin　for　us_；　and　they　do　it。〃


CHAPTER　VI。　APRONS。

One　of　the　most　unsatisfactory　Sections　in　the　whole　Volume　is　that　on　_Aprons_。　　What　though　stout　old　Gao；　the　Persian　Blacksmith；　〃whose　Apron；　now　indeed　hidden　under　jewels；　because　raised　in　revolt　which　proved　successful；　is　still　the　royal　standard　of　that　country；〃　what　though　John　Knox's　Daughter；　〃who　threatened　Sovereign　Majesty　that　she　would　catch　her　husband's　head　in　her　Apron；　rather　than　he　should　lie　and　be　a　bishop；〃　what　though　the　Landgravine　Elizabeth；　with　many　other　Apron　worthies；figure　here？　　An　idle　wire…drawing　spirit；　sometimes　even　a　tone　of　levity；　approaching　to　conventional　satire；　is　too　clearly　discernible。　What；　for　example；　are　we　to　make　of　such　sentences　as　the　following？

〃Aprons　are　Defences；　against　injury　to　cleanliness；　to　safety；　to　modesty；　sometimes　to　roguery。　　From　the　thin　slip　of　notched　silk　（as　it　were；　the　emblem　and　beatified　ghost　of　an　Apron）；　which　some　highest…bred　housewife；　sitting　at　Nurnberg　Work…boxes　and　Toy…boxes；　has　gracefully　fastened　on；　to　the　thick…tanned　hide；　girt　round　him　with　thongs；　wherein　the　Builder　builds；　and　at　evening　sticks　his　trowel；　or　to　those　jingling　sheet…iron　Aprons；　wherein　your　otherwise　half…naked　Vulcans　hammer　and　smelt　in　their　smelt…furnace；is　there　not　range　enough　in　the　fashion　and　uses　of　this　Vestment？　　How　much　has　been　concealed；　how　much　has　been　defended　in　Aprons！　　Nay；　rightly　considered；　what　is　your　whole　Military　and　Police　Establishment；　charged　at　uncalculated　millions；　but　a　huge　scarlet…colored；　iron…fastened　Apron；　wherein　Society　works　（uneasily　enough）；　guarding　itself　from　some　soil　and　stithy…sparks；　in　this　Devil's…smithy　（_Teufels…schmiede_）　of　a　world？　　But　of　all　Aprons　the　most　puzzling　to　me　hitherto　has　been　the　Episcopal　or　Cassock。　　Wherein　consists　the　usefulness　of　this　Apron？　　The　Overseer　（_Episcopus_）　of　Souls；　I　notice；　has　tucked　in　the　corner　of　it；　as　if　his　day's　work　were　done：　　what　does　he　shadow　forth　thereby？〃　&c。　&c。

Or　again；　has　it　often　been　the　lot　of　our　readers　to　read　such　stuff　as　we　shall　now　quote？

〃I　consider　those　printed　Paper　Aprons；　worn　by　the　Parisian　Cooks；　as　a　new　vent；　though　a　slight　one；　for　Typography；　therefore　as　an　encouragement　to　modern　Literature；　and　deserving　of　approval：　　nor　is　it　without　satisfaction　that　I　hear　of　a　celebrated　London　Firm　having　in　view　to　introduce　the　same　fashion；　with　important　extensions；　in　England。〃We　who　are　on　the　spot　hear　of　no　such　thing；　and　indeed　have　reason　to　be　thankful　that　hitherto　there　are　other　vents　for　our　Literature；　exuberant　as　it　is。Teufelsdrockh　continues：　　〃If　such　supply　of　printed　Paper　should　rise　so　far　as　to　choke　up　the　highways　and　public　thoroughfares；　new　means　must　of　necessity　be　had　recourse　to。　　In　a　world　existing　by　Industry；　we　grudge　to　employ　fire　as　a　destroying　element；　and　not　as　a　creating　one。　　However；　Heaven　is　omnipotent；　and　will　find　us　an　outlet。　In　the　mean　while；　is　it　not　beautiful　to　see　five　million　quintals　of　Rags　picked　annually　from　the　Laystall；　and　annually；　after　being　macerated；　hot…pressed；　printed　on；　and　sold；returned　thither；　filling　so　many　hungry　mouths　by　the　way？　　Thus　is　the　Laystall；　especially　with　its　Rags　or　Clothes…rubbish；　the　grand　Electric　Battery；　and　Fountain…of…motion；　from　which　and　to　which　the　Social　Activities　（like　vitreous　and　resinous　Electricities）　circulate；　in　larger　or　smaller　circles；　through　the　mighty；　billowy；　storm…tost　chaos　of　Life；　which　they　keep　alive！〃Such　passages　fill　us；　who　love　the　man；　and　partly　esteem　him；　with　a　very　mixed　feeling。

Farther　down　we　meet　with　this：　　〃The　Journalists　are　now　the　true　Kings　and　Clergy：　　henceforth　Historians；　unless　they　are　fools；　must　write　not　of　Bourbon　Dynasties；　and　Tudors　and　Hapsburgs；　but　of　Stamped　Broad…sheet　Dynasties；　and　quite　new　successive　Names；　according　as　this　or　the　other　Able　Editor；　or　Combination　of　Able　Editors；　gains　the　world's　ear。　　Of　the　British　Newspaper　Press；　perhaps　the　most　important　of　all；　and　wonderful　enough　in　its　secret　constitution　and　procedure；　a　valuable　descriptive　History　already　exists；　in　that　language；　under　the　title　of　_Satan's　Invisible　World　Displayed_；　which；　however；　by　search　in　all　the　Weissnichtwo　Libraries；　I　have　not　yet　succeeded　in　procuring　（_vermochte　night　aufzutreiben_）。〃

Thus　does　the　good　Homer　not　only　nod；　but　snore。　　Thus　does　Teufelsdrockh；　wandering　in　regions　where　he　had　little　business；　confound　the　old　authentic　Presbyterian　Witchfinder　with　a　new；　spurious；　imaginary　Historian　of　the　_Brittische　Journalistik_；　and　so　stumble　on　perhaps　the　most　egregious　blunder　in　Modern　Literature！


CHAPTER　VII。　MISCELLANEOUS…HISTORICAL。

Happier　is　our　Professor；　and　more　purely　scientific　and　historic；　when　he　reaches　the　Middle　Ages　in　Europe；　and　down　to　the　end　of　the　Seventeenth　Century；　the　true　era　of　extravagance　in　Costume。　　It　is　here　that　the　Antiquary　and　Student　of　Modes　comes　upon　his　richest　harvest。　Fantastic　garbs；　beggaring　all　fancy　of　a　Teniers　or　a　Callot；　succeed　each　other；　like　monster　devouring　monster　in　a　Dream。　　The　whole　too　in　brief　authentic　strokes；　and　touched　not　seldom　with　that　breath　of　genius　which　makes　even　old　raiment　live。　　Indeed；　so　learned；　precise；　graphical；　and　every　way　interesting　have　we　found　these　Chapters；　that　it　may　be　thrown　out　as　a　pertinent　question　for　parties　concerned；　Whether　or　not　a　good　English　Translation　thereof　might　henceforth　be　profitably　incorporated　with　Mr。　Merrick's　valuable　Work　_On　Ancient　Armor_？　　Take；　by　way　of　example；　the　following　sketch；　as　authority　for　which　Paulinus's　_Zeitkurzende　Lust_　（ii。　678）　is；　with　seeming　confidence；　referred　to：

〃Did　we　behold　the　German　fashionable　dress　of　the　Fifteenth　Century；　we　might　smile；　as　perhaps　those　bygone　Germans；　were　they　to　rise　again；　and　see　our　haberdashery；　would　cross　themselves；　and　invoke　the　Virgin。　　But　happily　no　bygone　German；　or　man；　rises　again；　thus　the　Present　is　not　needlessly　trammelled　with　the　Past；　and　only　grows　out　of　it；　like　a　Tree；　whose　roots　are　not　intertangled　with　its　branches；　but　lie　peaceably　underground。　　Nay　it　is　very　mournful；　yet　not　useless；　to　see　and　know；　how　the　Greatest　and　Dearest；　in　a　short　while；　would　find　his　place　quite　filled　up　here；　and　no　room　for　him；　the　very　Napoleon；　the　very　Byron；　in　some　seven　years；　has　become　obsolete；　and　were　now　a　foreigner　to　his　Europe。　　Thus　is　the　Law　of　Progress　secured；　and　in　Clothes；　as　in　all　other　external　things　whatsoever；　no　fashion　will　continue。

〃Of　the　military　classes　in　those　old　times；　whose　buff…belts；　complicated　chains　and　gorgets；　huge　churn…boots；　and　other　riding　and　fighting　gear　have　been　bepainted　in　modern　Romance；　till　the　whole　has　acquired　somewhat　of　a　sign…post　character；I　shall　here　say　nothing：　　the　civil　and　pacific　classes；　less　touched　upon；　are　wonderful　enough　for　us。

〃Rich　men；　I　find；　have　_Teusinke_　＇a　perhaps　untranslatable　article＇；　also　a　silver　girdle；　whereat　hang　little　bells；　so　that　when　a　man　walks；　it　is　with　continual　jingling。　　Some　few；　of　musical　turn；　have　a　whole　chime　of　bells　（_Glockenspiel_）　fastened　there；　which；　especially　in　sudden　whirls；　and　the　other　accidents　of　walking；　has　a　grateful　effect。　　Observe　too　how　fond　they　are　of　peaks；　and　Gothic…arch　intersections。　　The　male　world　wears　peaked　caps；　an　ell　long；　which　hang　bobbing　over　the　side　（_schief_）：　　their　shoes　are　peaked　in　front；　also　to　the　length　of　an　ell；　and　laced　on　the　side　with　tags；　even　the　wooden　shoes　have　their　ell…long　noses：　　some　also　clap　bells　on　the　peak。　　Further；　according　to　my　authority；　the　men　have　breeches　without　seat　（_ohne　Gesass_）：　　these　they　fasten　peakwise　to　their　shirts；　and　the　long　round　doublet　must　overlap　them。

〃Rich　maidens；　again；　flit　abroad　in　gowns　scolloped　out　behind　and　before；　so　that　back　and　breast　are　almost　bare。　　Wives　of　quality；　on　the　other　hand；　have　train…gowns　four　or　five　ells　in　length；　which　trains　there　are　boys　to　carry。　　Brave　Cleopatras；　sailing　in　their　silk…cloth　Galley；　with　a　Cupid　for　steersman！　　Consider　their　welts；　a　handbreadth　thick；　which　waver　round　them　by　way　of　hem；　the　long　flood　of　silver　buttons；　or　rather　silver　shells；　from　throat　to　shoe；　wherewith　these　same　welt…gowns　are　buttoned。　　The　maidens　have　bound　silver　snoods　about　their　hair；　with　gold　spangles；　and　pendent　flames　（_Flammen_）；　that　is；　sparkling　hair…drops：　but　of　their　mother's　head…gear　who　shall　speak？　　Neither　in　love　of　grace　is　comfort　forgotten。　　In　winter　weather　you　behold　the　whole　fair　creation　（that　can　afford　it）　in　long　mantles；　with　skirts　wide　below；　and；　for　hem；　not　one　but　two　sufficient　hand…broad　welts；　all　ending　atop　in　a　thick　well…starched　Ruff；　some　twenty　inches　broad：　　these　are　their　Ruff…mantles　（_Kragenmantel_）。

〃As　yet　among　the　womankind　hoop…petticoats　are　not；　but　the　men　have　doublets　of　fustian；　under　which　lie　multiple　ruffs　of　cloth；　pasted　together　with　batter　（_mit　Teig　zusammengekleistert_）；　which　create　prot