heroes and hero worship-第54节

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　true　fellow…soldiers；　dear　to　him　from　of　old：　　the　rigorous　Hutchinson；　cased　in　his　Republican　formula；　sullenly　goes　his　way。And　the　man's　head　now　white；　his　strong　arm　growing　weary　with　its　long　work！　I　think　always　too　of　his　poor　Mother；　now　very　old；　living　in　that　Palace　of　his；　a　right　brave　woman；　as　indeed　they　lived　all　an　honest　God…fearing　Household　there：　　if　she　heard　a　shot　go　off；　she　thought　it　was　her　son　killed。　　He　had　to　come　to　her　at　least　once　a　day；　that　she　might　see　with　her　own　eyes　that　he　was　yet　living。　　The　poor　old　Mother！What　had　this　man　gained；　what　had　he　gained？　　He　had　a　life　of　sore　strife　and　toil；　to　his　last　day。　　Fame；　ambition；　place　in　History？　　His　dead　body　was　hung　in　chains；　his　〃place　in　History；〃place　in　History　forsooth！has　been　a　place　of　ignominy；　accusation；　blackness　and　disgrace；　and　here；　this　day；　who　knows　if　it　is　not　rash　in　me　to　be　among　the　first　that　ever　ventured　to　pronounce　him　not　a　knave　and　liar；　but　a　genuinely　honest　man！　　Peace　to　him。　　Did　he　not；　in　spite　of　all；　accomplish　much　for　us？　　_We_　walk　smoothly　over　his　great　rough　heroic　life；　step　over　his　body　sunk　in　the　ditch　there。　　We　need　not　_spurn_　it；　as　we　step　on　it！Let　the　Hero　rest。　It　was　not　to　_men's_　judgment　that　he　appealed；　nor　have　men　judged　him　very　well。


Precisely　a　century　and　a　year　after　this　of　Puritanism　had　got　itself　hushed　up　into　decent　composure；　and　its　results　made　smooth；　in　1688；　there　broke　out　a　far　deeper　explosion；　much　more　difficult　to　hush　up；　known　to　all　mortals；　and　like　to　be　long　known；　by　the　name　of　French　Revolution。　　It　is　properly　the　third　and　final　act　of　Protestantism；　the　explosive　confused　return　of　mankind　to　Reality　and　Fact；　now　that　they　were　perishing　of　Semblance　and　Sham。　　We　call　our　English　Puritanism　the　second　act：　　〃Well　then；　the　Bible　is　true；　let　us　go　by　the　Bible！〃　　〃In　Church；〃　said　Luther；　〃In　Church　and　State；〃　said　Cromwell；　〃let　us　go　by　what　actually　_is_　God's　Truth。〃　　Men　have　to　return　to　reality；　they　cannot　live　on　semblance。　　The　French　Revolution；　or　third　act；　we　may　well　call　the　final　one；　for　lower　than　that　savage　_Sansculottism_　men　cannot　go。　　They　stand　there　on　the　nakedest　haggard　Fact；　undeniable　in　all　seasons　and　circumstances；　and　may　and　must　begin　again　confidently　to　build　up　from　that。　　The　French　explosion；　like　the　English　one；　got　its　King；who　had　no　Notary　parchment　to　show　for　himself。　　We　have　still　to　glance　for　a　moment　at　Napoleon；　our　second　modern　King。

Napoleon　does　by　no　means　seem　to　me　so　great　a　man　as　Cromwell。　　His　enormous　victories　which　reached　over　all　Europe；　while　Cromwell　abode　mainly　in　our　little　England；　are　but　as　the　high　_stilts_　on　which　the　man　is　seen　standing；　the　stature　of　the　man　is　not　altered　thereby。　　I　find　in　him　no　such　_sincerity_　as　in　Cromwell；　only　a　far　inferior　sort。　　No　silent　walking；　through　long　years；　with　the　Awful　Unnamable　of　this　Universe；　〃walking　with　God；〃　as　he　called　it；　and　faith　and　strength　in　that　alone：　　_latent_　thought　and　valor；　content　to　lie　latent；　then　burst　out　as　in　blaze　of　Heaven's　lightning！　　Napoleon　lived　in　an　age　when　God　was　no　longer　believed；　the　meaning　of　all　Silence；　Latency；　was　thought　to　be　Nonentity：　　he　had　to　begin　not　out　of　the　Puritan　Bible；　but　out　of　poor　Sceptical　_Encyclopedies_。　　This　was　the　length　the　man　carried　it。　Meritorious　to　get　so　far。　　His　compact；　prompt；　every　way　articulate　character　is　in　itself　perhaps　small；　compared　with　our　great　chaotic　inarticulate　Cromwell's。　　Instead　of　〃dumb　Prophet　struggling　to　speak；〃　we　have　a　portentous　mixture　of　the　Quack　withal！　　Hume's　notion　of　the　Fanatic…Hypocrite；　with　such　truth　as　it　has；　will　apply　much　better　to　Napoleon　than　it　did　to　Cromwell；　to　Mahomet　or　the　like；where　indeed　taken　strictly　it　has　hardly　any　truth　at　all。　　An　element　of　blamable　ambition　shows　itself；　from　the　first；　in　this　man；　gets　the　victory　over　him　at　last；　and　involves　him　and　his　work　in　ruin。

〃False　as　a　bulletin〃　became　a　proverb　in　Napoleon's　time。　　He　makes　what　excuse　he　could　for　it：　　that　it　was　necessary　to　mislead　the　enemy；　to　keep　up　his　own　men's　courage；　and　so　forth。　　On　the　whole；　there　are　no　excuses。　　A　man　in　no　case　has　liberty　to　tell　lies。　　It　had　been；　in　the　long…run；　_better_　for　Napoleon　too　if　he　had　not　told　any。　　In　fact；　if　a　man　have　any　purpose　reaching　beyond　the　hour　and　day；　meant　to　be　found　extant　_next_　day；　what　good　can　it　ever　be　to　promulgate　lies？　　The　lies　are　found　out；　ruinous　penalty　is　exacted　for　them。　　No　man　will　believe　the　liar　next　time　even　when　he　speaks　truth；　when　it　is　of　the　last　importance　that　he　be　believed。　　The　old　cry　of　wolf！A　Lie　is　no…thing；　you　cannot　of　nothing　make　something；　you　make　_nothing_　at　last；　and　lose　your　labor　into　the　bargain。

Yet　Napoleon　_had_　a　sincerity：　　we　are　to　distinguish　between　what　is　superficial　and　what　is　fundamental　in　insincerity。　　Across　these　outer　manoeuverings　and　quackeries　of　his；　which　were　many　and　most　blamable；　let　us　discern　withal　that　the　man　had　a　certain　instinctive　ineradicable　feeling　for　reality；　and　did　base　himself　upon　fact；　so　long　as　he　had　any　basis。　　He　has　an　instinct　of　Nature　better　than　his　culture　was。　　His　_savans_；　Bourrienne　tells　us；　in　that　voyage　to　Egypt　were　one　evening　busily　occupied　arguing　that　there　could　be　no　God。　　They　had　proved　it；　to　their　satisfaction；　by　all　manner　of　logic。　　Napoleon　looking　up　into　the　stars；　answers；　〃Very　ingenious；　Messieurs：　　but　_who　made_　all　that？〃　　The　Atheistic　logic　runs　off　from　him　like　water；　the　great　Fact　stares　him　in　the　face：　　〃Who　made　all　that？〃　　So　too　in　Practice：　　he；　as　every　man　that　can　be　great；　or　have　victory　in　this　world；　sees；　through　all　entanglements；　the　practical　heart　of　the　matter；　drives　straight　towards　that。　　When　the　steward　of　his　Tuileries　Palace　was　exhibiting　the　new　upholstery；　with　praises；　and　demonstration　how　glorious　it　was；　and　how　cheap　withal；　Napoleon；　making　little　answer；　asked　for　a　pair　of　scissors；　clips　one　of　the　gold　tassels　from　a　window…curtain；　put　it　in　his　pocket；　and　walked　on。　　Some　days　afterwards；　he　produced　it　at　the　right　moment；　to　the　horror　of　his　upholstery　functionary；　it　was　not　gold　but　tinsel！　In　St。　Helena；　it　is　notable　how　he　still；　to　his　last　days；　insists　on　the　practical；　the　real。　　〃Why　talk　and　complain；　above　all；　why　quarrel　with　one　another？　　There　is　no　_result_　in　it；　it　comes　to　nothing　that　one　can　_do_。　　Say　nothing；　if　one　can　do　nothing！〃　　He　speaks　often　so；　to　his　poor　discontented　followers；　he　is　like　a　piece　of　silent　strength　in　the　middle　of　their　morbid　querulousness　there。

And　accordingly　was　there　not　what　we　can　call　a　_faith_　in　him；　genuine　so　far　as　it　went？　　That　this　new　enormous　Democracy　asserting　itself　here　in　the　French　Revolution　is　an　unsuppressible　Fact；　which　the　whole　world；　with　its　old　forces　and　institutions；　cannot　put　down；　this　was　a　true　insight　of　his；　and　took　his　conscience　and　enthusiasm　along　with　it；a　_faith_。　　And　did　he　not　interpret　the　dim　purport　of　it　well？　　〃_La　carriere　ouverte　aux　talens_；　The　implements　to　him　who　can　handle　them：〃　this　actually　is　the　truth；　and　even　the　whole　truth；　it　includes　whatever　the　French　Revolution　or　any　Revolution；　could　mean。　　Napoleon；　in　his　first　period；　was　a　true　Democrat。　　And　yet　by　the　nature　of　him；　fostered　too　by　his　military　trade；　he　knew　that　Democracy；　if　it　were　a　true　thing　at　all；　could　not　be　an　anarchy：　　the　man　had　a　heart…hatred　for　anarchy。　On　that　Twentieth　of　June　（1792）；　Bourrienne　and　he　sat　in　a　coffee…house；　as　the　mob　rolled　by：　　Napoleon　expresses　the　deepest　contempt　for　persons　in　authority　that　they　do　not　restrain　this　rabble。　　On　the　Tenth　of　August　he　wonders　why　there　is　no　man　to　command　these　poor　Swiss；　they　would　conquer　if　there　were。　　Such　a　faith　in　Democracy；　yet　hatred　of　anarchy；　it　is　that　carries　Napoleon　through　all　his　great　work。　　Through　his　brilliant　Italian　Campaigns；　onwards　to　the　Peace　of　Leoben；　one　would　say；　his　inspiration　is：　　〃Triumph　to　the　French　Revolution；　assertion　of　it　against　these　Austrian　Simulacra　that　pretend　to　call　it　a　Simulacrum！〃　Withal；　however；　he　feels；　and　has　a　right　to　feel；　how　necessary　a　strong　Authority　is；　how　the　Revolution　cannot　prosper　or　last　without　such。　　To　bridle　in　that　great　devouring；　self…devouring　French　Revolution；　to　_tame_　it；　so　that　its　intrinsic　purpose　can　be　made　good；　that　it　may　become　_organic_；　and　be　able　to　live　among　other　organisms　and　_formed_　things；　not　as　a　wasting　destruction　alone：　　is　not　this　still　what　he　partly　aimed　at；　as　the　true　purport　of　his　life；　nay　what　he　actually　managed　to　do？　Through　Wagrams；　Austerlitzes；　triumph　after　triumph；he　triumphed　so　far。　There　was　an　eye　to　see　in　this　man；　a　soul　to　dare　and　do。　　He　rose　naturally　to　be　the　King。　　All　men　saw　that　he　_was_　such。　　The　common　soldiers　used　to　say　on　the　march：　　〃These　babbling　_Avocats_；　up　at　Paris；　all　talk　and　no　work！　　What　wonder　it　runs　all　wrong？　　We　shall　have　to　go　and　put　our　_Petit　Caporal_　there！〃　　They　went；　and　put　him　there；　they　and　France　at　large。　　Chief…consulship；　Emperorship