heroes and hero worship-第23节

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s　of　his；　terrible　and　beautiful；　are　the　fruit　of　the　Christian　Meditation　of　all　the　good　men　who　had　gone　before　him。　Precious　they；　but　also　is　not　he　precious？　　Much；　had　not　he　spoken；　would　have　been　dumb；　not　dead；　yet　living　voiceless。

On　the　whole；　is　it　not　an　utterance；　this　mystic　Song；　at　once　of　one　of　the　greatest　human　souls；　and　of　the　highest　thing　that　Europe　had　hitherto　realized　for　itself？　　Christianism；　as　Dante　sings　it；　is　another　than　Paganism　in　the　rude　Norse　mind；　another　than　〃Bastard　Christianism〃　half…　articulately　spoken　in　the　Arab　Desert；　seven　hundred　years　before！The　noblest　_idea_　made　_real_　hitherto　among　men；　is　sung；　and　emblemed　forth　abidingly；　by　one　of　the　noblest　men。　　In　the　one　sense　and　in　the　other；　are　we　not　right　glad　to　possess　it？　　As　I　calculate；　it　may　last　yet　for　long　thousands　of　years。　　For　the　thing　that　is　uttered　from　the　inmost　parts　of　a　man's　soul；　differs　altogether　from　what　is　uttered　by　the　outer　part。　　The　outer　is　of　the　day；　under　the　empire　of　mode；　the　outer　passes　away；　in　swift　endless　changes；　the　inmost　is　the　same　yesterday；　to…day　and　forever。　　True　souls；　in　all　generations　of　the　world；　who　look　on　this　Dante；　will　find　a　brotherhood　in　him；　the　deep　sincerity　of　his　thoughts；　his　woes　and　hopes；　will　speak　likewise　to　their　sincerity；　they　will　feel　that　this　Dante　too　was　a　brother。　　Napoleon　in　Saint　Helena　is　charmed　with　the　genial　veracity　of　old　Homer。　　The　oldest　Hebrew　Prophet；　under　a　vesture　the　most　diverse　from　ours；　does　yet；　because　he　speaks　from　the　heart　of　man；　speak　to　all　men's　hearts。　　It　is　the　one　sole　secret　of　continuing　long　memorable。　　Dante；　for　depth　of　sincerity；　is　like　an　antique　Prophet　too；　his　words；　like　theirs；　come　from　his　very　heart。　　One　need　not　wonder　if　it　were　predicted　that　his　Poem　might　be　the　most　enduring　thing　our　Europe　has　yet　made；　for　nothing　so　endures　as　a　truly　spoken　word。　　All　cathedrals；　pontificalities；　brass　and　stone；　and　outer　arrangement　never　so　lasting；　are　brief　in　comparison　to　an　unfathomable　heart…song　like　this：　　one　feels　as　if　it　might　survive；　still　of　importance　to　men；　when　these　had　all　sunk　into　new　irrecognizable　combinations；　and　had　ceased　individually　to　be。　　Europe　has　made　much；　great　cities；　great　empires；　encyclopaedias；　creeds；　bodies　of　opinion　and　practice：　　but　it　has　made　little　of　the　class　of　Dante's　Thought。　　Homer　yet　_is_　veritably　present　face　to　face　with　every　open　soul　of　us；　and　Greece；　where　is　_it_？　　Desolate　for　thousands　of　years；　away；　vanished；　a　bewildered　heap　of　stones　and　rubbish；　the　life　and　existence　of　it　all　gone。　　Like　a　dream；　like　the　dust　of　King　Agamemnon！　　Greece　was；　Greece；　except　in　the　_words_　it　spoke；　is　not。

The　uses　of　this　Dante？　　We　will　not　say　much　about　his　〃uses。〃　　A　human　soul　who　has　once　got　into　that　primal　element　of　_Song_；　and　sung　forth　fitly　somewhat　therefrom；　has　worked　in　the　_depths_　of　our　existence；　feeding　through　long　times　the　life…roots　of　all　excellent　human　things　whatsoever；in　a　way　that　〃utilities〃　will　not　succeed　well　in　calculating！　　We　will　not　estimate　the　Sun　by　the　quantity　of　gaslight　it　saves　us；　Dante　shall　be　invaluable；　or　of　no　value。　　One　remark　I　may　make：　　the　contrast　in　this　respect　between　the　Hero…Poet　and　the　Hero…Prophet。　　In　a　hundred　years；　Mahomet；　as　we　saw；　had　his　Arabians　at　Grenada　and　at　Delhi；　Dante's　Italians　seem　to　be　yet　very　much　where　they　were。　　Shall　we　say；　then；　Dante's　effect　on　the　world　was　small　in　comparison？　　Not　so：　　his　arena　is　far　more　restricted；　but　also　it　is　far　nobler；　clearer；perhaps　not　less　but　more　important。　　Mahomet　speaks　to　great　masses　of　men；　in　the　coarse　dialect　adapted　to　such；　a　dialect　filled　with　inconsistencies；　crudities；　follies：　　on　the　great　masses　alone　can　he　act；　and　there　with　good　and　with　evil　strangely　blended。　　Dante　speaks　to　the　noble；　the　pure　and　great；　in　all　times　and　places。　　Neither　does　he　grow　obsolete；　as　the　other　does。　　Dante　burns　as　a　pure　star；　fixed　there　in　the　firmament；　at　which　the　great　and　the　high　of　all　ages　kindle　themselves：　　he　is　the　possession　of　all　the　chosen　of　the　world　for　uncounted　time。　　Dante；　one　calculates；　may　long　survive　Mahomet。　　In　this　way　the　balance　may　be　made　straight　again。

But；　at　any　rate；　it　is　not　by　what　is　called　their　effect　on　the　world；　by　what　_we_　can　judge　of　their　effect　there；　that　a　man　and　his　work　are　measured。　　Effect？　　Influence？　　Utility？　　Let　a　man　_do_　his　work；　the　fruit　of　it　is　the　care　of　Another　than　he。　　It　will　grow　its　own　fruit；　and　whether　embodied　in　Caliph　Thrones　and　Arabian　Conquests；　so　that　it　〃fills　all　Morning　and　Evening　Newspapers；〃　and　all　Histories；　which　are　a　kind　of　distilled　Newspapers；　or　not　embodied　so　at　all；what　matters　that？　　That　is　not　the　real　fruit　of　it！　　The　Arabian　Caliph；　in　so　far　only　as　he　did　something；　was　something。　　If　the　great　Cause　of　Man；　and　Man's　work　in　God's　Earth；　got　no　furtherance　from　the　Arabian　Caliph；　then　no　matter　how　many　scimetars　he　drew；　how　many　gold　piasters　pocketed；　and　what　uproar　and　blaring　he　made　in　this　world；_he_　was　but　a　loud…sounding　inanity　and　futility；　at　bottom；　he　_was_　not　at　all。　　Let　us　honor　the　great　empire　of　_Silence_；　once　more！　　The　boundless　treasury　which　we　do　not　jingle　in　our　pockets；　or　count　up　and　present　before　men！　It　is　perhaps；　of　all　things；　the　usefulest　for　each　of　us　to　do；　in　these　loud　times。


As　Dante；　the　Italian　man；　was　sent　into　our　world　to　embody　musically　the　Religion　of　the　Middle　Ages；　the　Religion　of　our　Modern　Europe；　its　Inner　Life；　so　Shakspeare；　we　may　say；　embodies　for　us　the　Outer　Life　of　our　Europe　as　developed　then；　its　chivalries；　courtesies；　humors；　ambitions；　what　practical　way　of　thinking；　acting；　looking　at　the　world；　men　then　had。　As　in　Homer　we　may　still　construe　Old　Greece；　so　in　Shakspeare　and　Dante；　after　thousands　of　years；　what　our　modern　Europe　was；　in　Faith　and　in　Practice；　will　still　be　legible。　　Dante　has　given　us　the　Faith　or　soul；　Shakspeare；　in　a　not　less　noble　way；　has　given　us　the　Practice　or　body。　This　latter　also　we　were　to　have；　a　man　was　sent　for　it；　the　man　Shakspeare。　　Just　when　that　chivalry　way　of　life　had　reached　its　last　finish；　and　was　on　the　point　of　breaking　down　into　slow　or　swift　dissolution；　as　we　now　see　it　everywhere；　this　other　sovereign　Poet；　with　his　seeing　eye；　with　his　perennial　singing　voice；　was　sent　to　take　note　of　it；　to　give　long…enduring　record　of　it。　　Two　fit　men：　　Dante；　deep；　fierce　as　the　central　fire　of　the　world；　Shakspeare；　wide；　placid；　far…seeing；　as　the　Sun；　the　upper　light　of　the　world。　　Italy　produced　the　one　world…voice；　we　English　had　the　honor　of　producing　the　other。

Curious　enough　how；　as　it　were　by　mere　accident；　this　man　came　to　us。　　I　think　always；　so　great；　quiet；　complete　and　self…sufficing　is　this　Shakspeare；　had　the　Warwickshire　Squire　not　prosecuted　him　for　deer…stealing；　we　had　perhaps　never　heard　of　him　as　a　Poet！　　The　woods　and　skies；　the　rustic　Life　of　Man　in　Stratford　there；　had　been　enough　for　this　man！　　But　indeed　that　strange　outbudding　of　our　whole　English　Existence；　which　we　call　the　Elizabethan　Era；　did　not　it　too　come　as　of　its　own　accord？　　The　〃Tree　Igdrasil〃　buds　and　withers　by　its　own　laws；too　deep　for　our　scanning。　　Yet　it　does　bud　and　wither；　and　every　bough　and　leaf　of　it　is　there；　by　fixed　eternal　laws；　not　a　Sir　Thomas　Lucy　but　comes　at　the　hour　fit　for　him。　　Curious；　I　say；　and　not　sufficiently　considered：　　how　everything　does　co…operate　with　all；　not　a　leaf　rotting　on　the　highway　but　is　indissoluble　portion　of　solar　and　stellar　systems；　no　thought；　word　or　act　of　man　but　has　sprung　withal　out　of　all　men；　and　works　sooner　or　later；　recognizably　or　irrecognizable；　on　all　men！　　It　is　all　a　Tree：　　circulation　of　sap　and　influences；　mutual　communication　of　every　minutest　leaf　with　the　lowest　talon　of　a　root；　with　every　other　greatest　and　minutest　portion　of　the　whole。　　The　Tree　Igdrasil；　that　has　its　roots　down　in　the　Kingdoms　of　Hela　and　Death；　and　whose　boughs　overspread　the　highest　Heaven！

In　some　sense　it　may　be　said　that　this　glorious　Elizabethan　Era　with　its　Shakspeare；　as　the　outcome　and　flowerage　of　all　which　had　preceded　it；　is　itself　attributable　to　the　Catholicism　of　the　Middle　Ages。　　The　Christian　Faith；　which　was　the　theme　of　Dante's　Song；　had　produced　this　Practical　Life　which　Shakspeare　was　to　sing。　　For　Religion　then；　as　it　now　and　always　is；　was　the　soul　of　Practice；　the　primary　vital　fact　in　men's　life。　　And　remark　here；　as　rather　curious；　that　Middle…Age　Catholicism　was　abolished；　so　far　as　Acts　of　Parliament　could　abolish　it；　before　Shakspeare；　the　noblest　product　of　it；　made　his　appearance。　　He　did　make　his　appearance　nevertheless。　　Nature　at　her　own　time；　with　Catholicism　or　what　else　might　be　necessary；　sent　him　forth；　taking　small　thought　of　Acts　of　Parliament。　King　Henrys；　Queen　Elizabeths　go　their　way；　and　Nature　too　goes　hers。　　Acts　of　Parliament；　on　the　whole；　are　small；　notwithstanding　the　noise　they　make。　　What　Act　of　Parliament；　debate　at　St。　Stephen's；　on　the　hustings　or　elsewhere；　was　it　that　brought　this　Shakspeare　into　being？　　No　dining　at　Freemason's　Tavern；　opening