heroes and hero worship-第32节

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here　the　true　heart　of　the　matter　lies；　and　to　plant　himself　courageously　on　that；　as　a　strong　true　man；　that　other　true　men　may　rally　round　him　there。　　He　will　not　continue　leader　of　men　otherwise。　Luther's　clear　deep　force　of　judgment；　his　force　of　all　sorts；　of　_silence_；　of　tolerance　and　moderation；　among　others；　are　very　notable　in　these　circumstances。

Tolerance；　I　say；　a　very　genuine　kind　of　tolerance：　　he　distinguishes　what　is　essential；　and　what　is　not；　the　unessential　may　go　very　much　as　it　will。　A　complaint　comes　to　him　that　such　and　such　a　Reformed　Preacher　〃will　not　preach　without　a　cassock。〃　　Well；　answers　Luther；　what　harm　will　a　cassock　do　the　man？　　〃Let　him　have　a　cassock　to　preach　in；　let　him　have　three　cassocks　if　he　find　benefit　in　them！〃　　His　conduct　in　the　matter　of　Karlstadt's　wild　image…breaking；　of　the　Anabaptists；　of　the　Peasants'　War；　shows　a　noble　strength；　very　different　from　spasmodic　violence。　　With　sure　prompt　insight　he　discriminates　what　is　what：　　a　strong　just　man；　he　speaks　forth　what　is　the　wise　course；　and　all　men　follow　him　in　that。　　Luther's　Written　Works　give　similar　testimony　of　him。　　The　dialect　of　these　speculations　is　now　grown　obsolete　for　us；　but　one　still　reads　them　with　a　singular　attraction。　　And　indeed　the　mere　grammatical　diction　is　still　legible　enough；　Luther's　merit　in　literary　history　is　of　the　greatest：　　his　dialect　became　the　language　of　all　writing。　　They　are　not　well　written；　these　Four…and…twenty　Quartos　of　his；　written　hastily；　with　quite　other　than　literary　objects。　　But　in　no　Books　have　I　found　a　more　robust；　genuine；　I　will　say　noble　faculty　of　a　man　than　in　these。　　A　rugged　honesty；　homeliness；　simplicity；　a　rugged　sterling　sense　and　strength。　　He　dashes　out　illumination　from　him；　his　smiting　idiomatic　phrases　seem　to　cleave　into　the　very　secret　of　the　matter。　　Good　humor　too；　nay　tender　affection；　nobleness　and　depth：　　this　man　could　have　been　a　Poet　too！　　He　had　to　_work_　an　Epic　Poem；　not　write　one。　　I　call　him　a　great　Thinker；　as　indeed　his　greatness　of　heart　already　betokens　that。

Richter　says　of　Luther's　words；　〃His　words　are　half…battles。〃　　They　may　be　called　so。　　The　essential　quality　of　him　was；　that　he　could　fight　and　conquer；　that　he　was　a　right　piece　of　human　Valor。　　No　more　valiant　man；　no　mortal　heart　to　be　called　_braver_；　that　one　has　record　of；　ever　lived　in　that　Teutonic　Kindred；　whose　character　is　valor。　　His　defiance　of　the　〃Devils〃　in　Worms　was　not　a　mere　boast；　as　the　like　might　be　if　now　spoken。　It　was　a　faith　of　Luther's　that　there　were　Devils；　spiritual　denizens　of　the　Pit；　continually　besetting　men。　　Many　times；　in　his　writings；　this　turns　up；　and　a　most　small　sneer　has　been　grounded　on　it　by　some。　　In　the　room　of　the　Wartburg　where　he　sat　translating　the　Bible；　they　still　show　you　a　black　spot　on　the　wall；　the　strange　memorial　of　one　of　these　conflicts。　　Luther　sat　translating　one　of　the　Psalms；　he　was　worn　down　with　long　labor；　with　sickness；　abstinence　from　food：　　there　rose　before　him　some　hideous　indefinable　Image；　which　he　took　for　the　Evil　One；　to　forbid　his　work：　　Luther　started　up；　with　fiend…defiance；　flung　his　inkstand　at　the　spectre；　and　it　disappeared！　　The　spot　still　remains　there；　a　curious　monument　of　several　things。　　Any　apothecary's　apprentice　can　now　tell　us　what　we　are　to　think　of　this　apparition；　in　a　scientific　sense：　　but　the　man's　heart　that　dare　rise　defiant；　face　to　face；　against　Hell　itself；　can　give　no　higher　proof　of　fearlessness。　　The　thing　he　will　quail　before　exists　not　on　this　Earth　or　under　it。Fearless　enough！　　〃The　Devil　is　aware；〃　writes　he　on　one　occasion；　〃that　this　does　not　proceed　out　of　fear　in　me。　　I　have　seen　and　defied　innumerable　Devils。　　Duke　George；〃　of　Leipzig；　a　great　enemy　of　his；　〃Duke　George　is　not　equal　to　one　Devil；〃far　short　of　a　Devil！　　〃If　I　had　business　at　Leipzig；　I　would　ride　into　Leipzig；　though　it　rained　Duke　Georges　for　nine　days　running。〃　　What　a　reservoir　of　Dukes　to　ride　into！

At　the　same　time；　they　err　greatly　who　imagine　that　this　man's　courage　was　ferocity；　mere　coarse　disobedient　obstinacy　and　savagery；　as　many　do。　　Far　from　that。　　There　may　be　an　absence　of　fear　which　arises　from　the　absence　of　thought　or　affection；　from　the　presence　of　hatred　and　stupid　fury。　　We　do　not　value　the　courage　of　the　tiger　highly！　　With　Luther　it　was　far　otherwise；　no　accusation　could　be　more　unjust　than　this　of　mere　ferocious　violence　brought　against　him。　　A　most　gentle　heart　withal；　full　of　pity　and　love；　as　indeed　the　truly　valiant　heart　ever　is。　　The　tiger　before　a　_stronger_　foeflies：　　the　tiger　is　not　what　we　call　valiant；　only　fierce　and　cruel。　　I　know　few　things　more　touching　than　those　soft　breathings　of　affection；　soft　as　a　child's　or　a　mother's；　in　this　great　wild　heart　of　Luther。　　So　honest；　unadulterated　with　any　cant；　homely；　rude　in　their　utterance；　pure　as　water　welling　from　the　rock。　　What；　in　fact；　was　all　that　down…pressed　mood　of　despair　and　reprobation；　which　we　saw　in　his　youth；　but　the　outcome　of　pre…eminent　thoughtful　gentleness；　affections　too　keen　and　fine？　　It　is　the　course　such　men　as　the　poor　Poet　Cowper　fall　into。　　Luther　to　a　slight　observer　might　have　seemed　a　timid；　weak　man；　modesty；　affectionate　shrinking　tenderness　the　chief　distinction　of　him。　It　is　a　noble　valor　which　is　roused　in　a　heart　like　this；　once　stirred　up　into　defiance；　all　kindled　into　a　heavenly　blaze。

In　Luther's　_Table…Talk_；　a　posthumous　Book　of　anecdotes　and　sayings　collected　by　his　friends；　the　most　interesting　now　of　all　the　Books　proceeding　from　him；　we　have　many　beautiful　unconscious　displays　of　the　man；　and　what　sort　of　nature　he　had。　　His　behavior　at　the　death…bed　of　his　little　Daughter；　so　still；　so　great　and　loving；　is　among　the　most　affecting　things。　　He　is　resigned　that　his　little　Magdalene　should　die；　yet　longs　inexpressibly　that　she　might　live；follows；　in　awe…struck　thought；　the　flight　of　her　little　soul　through　those　unknown　realms。　　Awe…struck；　most　heartfelt；　we　can　see；　and　sincere；for　after　all　dogmatic　creeds　and　articles；　he　feels　what　nothing　it　is　that　we　know；　or　can　know：　　His　little　Magdalene　shall　be　with　God；　as　God　wills；　for　Luther　too　that　is　all；　_Islam_　is　all。

Once；　he　looks　out　from　his　solitary　Patmos；　the　Castle　of　Coburg；　in　the　middle　of　the　night：　　The　great　vault　of　Immensity；　long　flights　of　clouds　sailing　through　it；dumb；　gaunt；　huge：who　supports　all　that？　　〃None　ever　saw　the　pillars　of　it；　yet　it　is　supported。〃　　God　supports　it。　　We　must　know　that　God　is　great；　that　God　is　good；　and　trust；　where　we　cannot　see。Returning　home　from　Leipzig　once；　he　is　struck　by　the　beauty　of　the　harvest…fields：　　How　it　stands；　that　golden　yellow　corn；　on　its　fair　taper　stem；　its　golden　head　bent；　all　rich　and　waving　there；the　meek　Earth；　at　God's　kind　bidding；　has　produced　it　once　again；　the　bread　of　man！In　the　garden　at　Wittenberg　one　evening　at　sunset；　a　little　bird　has　perched　for　the　night：　　That　little　bird；　says　Luther；　above　it　are　the　stars　and　deep　Heaven　of　worlds；　yet　it　has　folded　its　little　wings；　gone　trustfully　to　rest　there　as　in　its　home：　　the　Maker　of　it　has　given　it　too　a　home！Neither　are　mirthful　turns　wanting：　　there　is　a　great　free　human　heart　in　this　man。　　The　common　speech　of　him　has　a　rugged　nobleness；　idiomatic；　expressive；　genuine；　gleams　here　and　there　with　beautiful　poetic　tints。　　One　feels　him　to　be　a　great　brother　man。　　His　love　of　Music；　indeed；　is　not　this；　as　it　were；　the　summary　of　all　these　affections　in　him？　　Many　a　wild　unutterability　he　spoke　forth　from　him　in　the　tones　of　his　flute。　　The　Devils　fled　from　his　flute；　he　says。　　Death…defiance　on　the　one　hand；　and　such　love　of　music　on　the　other；　I　could　call　these　the　two　opposite　poles　of　a　great　soul；　between　these　two　all　great　things　had　room。

Luther's　face　is　to　me　expressive　of　him；　in　Kranach's　best　portraits　I　find　the　true　Luther。　　A　rude　plebeian　face；　with　its　huge　crag…like　brows　and　bones；　the　emblem　of　rugged　energy；　at　first；　almost　a　repulsive　face。　Yet　in　the　eyes　especially　there　is　a　wild　silent　sorrow；　an　unnamable　melancholy；　the　element　of　all　gentle　and　fine　affections；　giving　to　the　rest　the　true　stamp　of　nobleness。　　Laughter　was　in　this　Luther；　as　we　said；　but　tears　also　were　there。　　Tears　also　were　appointed　him；　tears　and　hard　toil。　　The　basis　of　his　life　was　Sadness；　Earnestness。　　In　his　latter　days；　after　all　triumphs　and　victories；　he　expresses　himself　heartily　weary　of　living；　he　considers　that　God　alone　can　and　will　regulate　the　course　things　are　taking；　and　that　perhaps　the　Day　of　Judgment　is　not　far。　　As　for　him；　he　longs　for　one　thing：　　that　God　would　release　him　from　his　labor；　and　let　him　depart　and　be　at　rest。　　They　understand　little　of　the　man　who　cite　this　in　discredit　of　him！I　will　call　this　Luther　a　true　Great　Man；　great　in　intellect；　in　courage；　affection　and　integrity；　one　of　our　most　lovable　and　precious　men。　　Great；　not　as　a　hewn　obelisk；　but　as　an　Alpine　mountain；so　simple；　honest；　spontaneous；　not　setting　up　to　be　great　at　all；　there　for　quite　another　purpose　than　being　great！　　Ah　yes；　unsubduable　granite；　piercing　far　and　wide　into　the　Heavens；　yet　in　the　clefts　of　it　fountains；　green　beautiful　valleys　with　flowers！　　A　right