heroes and hero worship-第51节

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　seen　to　be　limited；　not　infinite　but　finite；　and　all　a　measurable　matter　_how_　it　went；he　had　been　content　to　plough　the　ground；　and　read　his　Bible。　　He　in　his　old　days　could　not　support　it　any　longer；　without　selling　himself　to　Falsehood；　that　he　might　ride　in　gilt　carriages　to　Whitehall；　and　have　clerks　with　bundles　of　papers　haunting　him；　〃Decide　this；　decide　that；〃　which　in　utmost　sorrow　of　heart　no　man　can　perfectly　decide！　　What　could　gilt　carriages　do　for　this　man？　　From　of　old；　was　there　not　in　his　life　a　weight　of　meaning；　a　terror　and　a　splendor　as　of　Heaven　itself？　　His　existence　there　as　man　set　him　beyond　the　need　of　gilding。　　Death；　Judgment　and　Eternity：　　these　already　lay　as　the　background　of　whatsoever　he　thought　or　did。　　All　his　life　lay　begirt　as　in　a　sea　of　nameless　Thoughts；　which　no　speech　of　a　mortal　could　name。　　God's　Word；　as　the　Puritan　prophets　of　that　time　had　read　it：　　this　was　great；　and　all　else　was　little　to　him。　　To　call　such　a　man　〃ambitious；〃　to　figure　him　as　the　prurient　wind…bag　described　above；　seems　to　me　the　poorest　solecism。　　Such　a　man　will　say：　　〃Keep　your　gilt　carriages　and　huzzaing　mobs；　keep　your　red…tape　clerks；　your　influentialities；　your　important　businesses。　　Leave　me　alone；　leave　me　alone；　there　is　_too　much　of　life_　in　me　already！〃　　Old　Samuel　Johnson；　the　greatest　soul　in　England　in　his　day；　was　not　ambitious。　　〃Corsica　Boswell〃　flaunted　at　public　shows　with　printed　ribbons　round　his　hat；　but　the　great　old　Samuel　stayed　at　home。　　The　world…wide　soul　wrapt　up　in　its　thoughts；　in　its　sorrows；what　could　paradings；　and　ribbons　in　the　hat；　do　for　it？

Ah　yes；　I　will　say　again：　　The　great　_silent_　men！　　Looking　round　on　the　noisy　inanity　of　the　world；　words　with　little　meaning；　actions　with　little　worth；　one　loves　to　reflect　on　the　great　Empire　of　_Silence_。　　The　noble　silent　men；　scattered　here　and　there；　each　in　his　department；　silently　thinking；　silently　working；　whom　no　Morning　Newspaper　makes　mention　of！　They　are　the　salt　of　the　Earth。　　A　country　that　has　none　or　few　of　these　is　in　a　bad　way。　　Like　a　forest　which　had　no　_roots_；　which　had　all　turned　into　leaves　and　boughs；which　must　soon　wither　and　be　no　forest。　　Woe　for　us　if　we　had　nothing　but　what　we　can　_show_；　or　speak。　　Silence；　the　great　Empire　of　Silence：　　higher　than　the　stars；　deeper　than　the　Kingdoms　of　Death！　　It　alone　is　great；　all　else　is　small。I　hope　we　English　will　long　maintain　our　_grand　talent　pour　le　silence_。　　Let　others　that　cannot　do　without　standing　on　barrel…heads；　to　spout；　and　be　seen　of　all　the　market…place；　cultivate　speech　exclusively；become　a　most　green　forest　without　roots！　　Solomon　says；　There　is　a　time　to　speak；　but　also　a　time　to　keep　silence。　　Of　some　great　silent　Samuel；　not　urged　to　writing；　as　old　Samuel　Johnson　says　he　was；　by　_want　of　money_；　and　nothing　other；　one　might　ask；　〃Why　do　not　you　too　get　up　and　speak；　promulgate　your　system；　found　your　sect？〃　　〃Truly；〃　he　will　answer；　〃I　am　_continent_　of　my　thought　hitherto；　happily　I　have　yet　had　the　ability　to　keep　it　in　me；　no　compulsion　strong　enough　to　speak　it。　　My　'system'　is　not　for　promulgation　first　of　all；　it　is　for　serving　myself　to　live　by。　　That　is　the　great　purpose　of　it　to　me。　　And　then　the　'honor'？　　Alas；　yes；but　as　Cato　said　of　the　statue：　　So　many　statues　in　that　Forum　of　yours；　may　it　not　be　better　if　they　ask；　Where　is　Cato's　statue？〃

But　now；　by　way　of　counterpoise　to　this　of　Silence；　let　me　say　that　there　are　two　kinds　of　ambition；　one　wholly　blamable；　the　other　laudable　and　inevitable。　　Nature　has　provided　that　the　great　silent　Samuel　shall　not　be　silent　too　long。　　The　selfish　wish　to　shine　over　others；　let　it　be　accounted　altogether　poor　and　miserable。　　〃Seekest　thou　great　things；　seek　them　not：〃　　this　is　most　true。　　And　yet；　I　say；　there　is　an　irrepressible　tendency　in　every　man　to　develop　himself　according　to　the　magnitude　which　Nature　has　made　him　of；　to　speak　out；　to　act　out；　what　nature　has　laid　in　him。　　This　is　proper；　fit；　inevitable；　nay　it　is　a　duty；　and　even　the　summary　of　duties　for　a　man。　　The　meaning　of　life　here　on　earth　might　be　defined　as　consisting　in　this：　　To　unfold　your　_self_；　to　work　what　thing　you　have　the　faculty　for。　　It　is　a　necessity　for　the　human　being；　the　first　law　of　our　existence。　　Coleridge　beautifully　remarks　that　the　infant　learns　to　_speak_　by　this　necessity　it　feels。We　will　say　therefore：　　To　decide　about　ambition；　whether　it　is　bad　or　not；　you　have　two　things　to　take　into　view。　　Not　the　coveting　of　the　place　alone；　but　the　fitness　of　the　man　for　the　place　withal：　　that　is　the　question。　　Perhaps　the　place　was　_his_；　perhaps　he　had　a　natural　right；　and　even　obligation；　to　seek　the　place！　Mirabeau's　ambition　to　be　Prime　Minister；　how　shall　we　blame　it；　if　he　were　〃the　only　man　in　France　that　could　have　done　any　good　there〃？　　Hopefuler　perhaps　had　he　not　so　clearly　_felt_　how　much　good　he　could　do！　　But　a　poor　Necker；　who　could　do　no　good；　and　had　even　felt　that　he　could　do　none；　yet　sitting　broken…hearted　because　they　had　flung　him　out；　and　he　was　now　quit　of　it；　well　might　Gibbon　mourn　over　him。Nature；　I　say；　has　provided　amply　that　the　silent　great　man　shall　strive　to　speak　withal；　_too_　amply；　rather！

Fancy；　for　example；　you　had　revealed　to　the　brave　old　Samuel　Johnson；　in　his　shrouded…up　existence；　that　it　was　possible　for　him　to　do　priceless　divine　work　for　his　country　and　the　whole　world。　　That　the　perfect　Heavenly　Law　might　be　made　Law　on　this　Earth；　that　the　prayer　he　prayed　daily；　〃Thy　kingdom　come；〃　was　at　length　to　be　fulfilled！　　If　you　had　convinced　his　judgment　of　this；　that　it　was　possible；　practicable；　that　he　the　mournful　silent　Samuel　was　called　to　take　a　part　in　it！　　Would　not　the　whole　soul　of　the　man　have　flamed　up　into　a　divine　clearness；　into　noble　utterance　and　determination　to　act；　casting　all　sorrows　and　misgivings　under　his　feet；　counting　all　affliction　and　contradiction　small；the　whole　dark　element　of　his　existence　blazing　into　articulate　radiance　of　light　and　lightning？　　It　were　a　true　ambition　this！　　And　think　now　how　it　actually　was　with　Cromwell。　　From　of　old；　the　sufferings　of　God's　Church；　true　zealous　Preachers　of　the　truth　flung　into　dungeons；　whips；　set　on　pillories；　their　ears　crops　off；　God's　Gospel…cause　trodden　under　foot　of　the　unworthy：　　all　this　had　lain　heavy　on　his　soul。　　Long　years　he　had　looked　upon　it；　in　silence；　in　prayer；　seeing　no　remedy　on　Earth；　trusting　well　that　a　remedy　in　Heaven's　goodness　would　come；that　such　a　course　was　false；　unjust；　and　could　not　last　forever。　　And　now　behold　the　dawn　of　it；　after　twelve　years　silent　waiting；　all　England　stirs　itself；　there　is　to　be　once　more　a　Parliament；　the　Right　will　get　a　voice　for　itself：　　inexpressible　well…grounded　hope　has　come　again　into　the　Earth。　　Was　not　such　a　Parliament　worth　being　a　member　of？　　Cromwell　threw　down　his　ploughs；　and　hastened　thither。

He　spoke　there；rugged　bursts　of　earnestness；　of　a　self…seen　truth；　where　we　get　a　glimpse　of　them。　　He　worked　there；　he　fought　and　strove；　like　a　strong　true　giant　of　a　man；　through　cannon…tumult　and　all　else；on　and　on；　till　the　Cause　_triumphed_；　its　once　so　formidable　enemies　all　swept　from　before　it；　and　the　dawn　of　hope　had　become　clear　light　of　victory　and　certainty。　　That　_he_　stood　there　as　the　strongest　soul　of　England；　the　undisputed　Hero　of　all　England；what　of　this？　　It　was　possible　that　the　Law　of　Christ's　Gospel　could　now　establish　itself　in　the　world！　　The　Theocracy　which　John　Knox　in　his　pulpit　might　dream　of　as　a　〃devout　imagination；〃　this　practical　man；　experienced　in　the　whole　chaos　of　most　rough　practice；　dared　to　consider　as　capable　of　being　_realized_。　　Those　that　were　highest　in　Christ's　Church；　the　devoutest　wisest　men；　were　to　rule　the　land：　　in　some　considerable　degree；　it　might　be　so　and　should　be　so。　　Was　it　not　_true_；　God's　truth？　　And　if　_true_；　was　it　not　then　the　very　thing　to　do？　　The　strongest　practical　intellect　in　England　dared　to　answer；　Yes！　　This　I　call　a　noble　true　purpose；　is　it　not；　in　its　own　dialect；　the　noblest　that　could　enter　into　the　heart　of　Statesman　or　man？　For　a　Knox　to　take　it　up　was　something；　but　for　a　Cromwell；　with　his　great　sound　sense　and　experience　of　what　our　world　_was_；History；　I　think；　shows　it　only　this　once　in　such　a　degree。　　I　account　it　the　culminating　point　of　Protestantism；　the　most　heroic　phasis　that　〃Faith　in　the　Bible〃　was　appointed　to　exhibit　here　below。　　Fancy　it：　　that　it　were　made　manifest　to　one　of　us；　how　we　could　make　the　Right　supremely　victorious　over　Wrong；　and　all　that　we　had　longed　and　prayed　for；　as　the　highest　good　to　England　and　all　lands；　an　attainable　fact！

Well；　I　must　say；　the　_vulpine_　intellect；　with　its　knowingness；　its　alertness　and　expertness　in　〃detecting　hypocrites；〃　seems　to　me　a　rather　sorry　business。　　We　have　had　but　one　such　Statesman　in　England；　one　man；　that　I　can　get　sight　of；　who　ever　had　in　the　heart　of　him　any　such　purpose　at　all。　　One　man；　in　the　course　of　fifteen　hundred　years；　and　this　was　his　welcome。　　He　had　adherents　by　the　hundred　or　the　ten；　opponents　by　the　million。　　Had　England　rallied　all　round　him；why；　then；　England　might　have　been　a　_Christian_　land！　　As　it　is；　vulpine　knowingness　sits　yet　at　its　hopeles