phoses。　　The　withered　leaf　is　not　dead　and　lost；　there　are　Forces　in　it　and　around　it；　though　working　in　inverse　order；　else　how　could　it　rot？　　Despise　not　the　rag　from　which　man　makes　Paper；　or　the　litter　from　which　the　earth　makes　Corn。　　Rightly　viewed　no　meanest　object　is　insignificant；　all　objects　are　as　windows；　through　which　the　philosophic　eye　looks　into　Infinitude　itself。〃
  Again；　leaving　that　wondrous　Schwarzwald　Smithy…Altar；　what　vacant；　high…sailing　air…ships　are　these；　and　whither　will　they　sail　with　us？
  〃All　visible　things　are　emblems；　what　thou　seest　is　not　there　on　its　own　account；　strictly　taken；　is　not　there　at　all：　　Matter　exists　only　spiritually；　and　to　represent　some　Idea；　and　_body_　it　forth。　　Hence　Clothes；　as　despicable　as　we　think　them；　are　so　unspeakably　significant。　Clothes；　from　the　King's　mantle　downwards；　are　emblematic；　not　of　want　only；　but　of　a　manifold　cunning　Victory　over　Want。　　On　the　other　hand；　all　Emblematic　things　are　properly　Clothes；　thought…woven　or　hand…woven：　　must　not　the　Imagination　weave　Garments；　visible　Bodies；　wherein　the　else　invisible　creations　and　inspirations　of　our　Reason　are；　like　Spirits；　revealed；　and　first　become　all…powerful；　the　rather　if；　as　we　often　see；　the　Hand　too　aid　her；　and　（by　wool　Clothes　or　otherwise）　reveal　such　even　to　the　outward　eye？
  〃Men　are　properly　said　to　be　clothed　with　Authority；　clothed　with　Beauty；　with　Curses；　and　the　like。　　Nay；　if　you　consider　it；　what　is　Man　himself；　and　his　whole　terrestrial　Life；　but　an　Emblem；　a　Clothing　or　visible　Garment　for　that　divine　ME　of　his；　cast　hither；　like　a　light…particle；　down　from　Heaven？　　Thus　is　he　said　also　to　be　clothed　with　a　Body。
  〃Language　is　called　the　Garment　of　Thought：　　however；　it　should　rather　be；　Language　is　the　Flesh…Garment；　the　Body；　of　Thought。　　I　said　that　Imagination　wove　this　Flesh…Garment；　and　does　not　she？　　Metaphors　are　her　stuff：　　examine　Language；　what；　if　you　except　some　few　primitive　elements　（of　natural　sound）；　what　is　it　all　but　Metaphors；　recognized　as　such；　or　no　longer　recognized；　still　fluid　and　florid；　or　now　solid…grown　and　colorless？　　If　those　same　primitive　elements　are　the　osseous　fixtures　in　the　Flesh…Garment；　Language；then　are　Metaphors　its　muscles　and　tissues　and　living　integuments。　　An　unmetaphorical　style　you　shall　in　vain　seek　for：　　is　not　your　very　_Attention_　a　_Stretching…to_？　　The　difference　lies　here：　　some　styles　are　lean；　adust；　wiry；　the　muscle　itself　seems　osseous；　some　are　even　quite　pallid；　hunger…bitten　and　dead…looking；　while　others　again　glow　in　the　flush　of　health　and　vigorous　self…growth；　sometimes　（as　in　my　own　case）　not　without　an　apoplectic　tendency。　　Moreover；　there　are　sham　Metaphors；　which　overhanging　that　same　Thought's…Body　（best　naked）；　and　deceptively　bedizening；　or　bolstering　it　out；　may　be　called　its　false　stuffings；　superfluous　show…cloaks　（_Putz…Mantel_）；　and　tawdry　woollen　rags：　　whereof　he　that　runs　and　reads　may　gather　whole　hampers；and　burn　them。〃
  Than　which　paragraph　on　Metaphors　did　the　reader　ever　chance　to　see　a　more　surprisingly　metaphorical？　　However；　that　is　not　our　chief　grievance；　the　Professor　continues：
  〃Why　multiply　instances？　　It　is　written；　the　Heavens　and　the　Earth　shall　fade　away　like　a　Vesture；　which　indeed　they　are：　　the　Time…vesture　of　the　Eternal。　　Whatsoever　sensibly　exists；　whatsoever　represents　Spirit　to　Spirit；　is　properly　a　Clothing；　a　suit　of　Raiment；　put　on　for　a　season；　and　to　be　laid　off。　　Thus　in　this　one　pregnant　subject　of　CLOTHES；　rightly　understood；　is　included　all　that　men　have　thought；　dreamed；　done；　and　been：　the　whole　External　Universe　and　what　it　holds　is　but　Clothing；　and　the　essence　of　all　Science　lies　in　the　PHILOSOPHY　OF　CLOTHES。〃
  Towards　these　dim　infinitely　expanded　regions；　close…bordering　on　the　impalpable　Inane；　it　is　not　without　apprehension；　and　perpetual　difficulties；　that　the　Editor　sees　himself　journeying　and　struggling。　　Till　lately　a　cheerful　daystar　of　hope　hung　before　him；　in　the　expected　Aid　of　Hofrath　Heuschrecke；　which　daystar；　however；　melts　now；　not　into　the　red　of　morning；　but　into　a　vague；　gray　half…light；　uncertain　whether　dawn　of　day　or　dusk　of　utter　darkness。　　For　the　last　week；　these　so…called　Biographical　Documents　are　in　his　hand。　　By　the　kindness　of　a　Scottish　Hamburg　Merchant；　whose　name；　known　to　the　whole　mercantile　world；　he　must　not　mention；　but　whose　honorable　courtesy；　now　and　often　before　spontaneously　manifested　to　him；　a　mere　literary　stranger；　he　cannot　soon　forget；the　bulky　Weissnichtwo　Packet；　with　all　its　Custom…house　seals；　foreign　hieroglyphs；　and　miscellaneous　tokens　of　Travel；　arrived　here　in　perfect　safety；　and　free　of　cost。　The　reader　shall　now　fancy　with　what　hot　haste　it　was　broken　up；　with　what　breathless　expectation　glanced　over；　and；　alas；　with　what　unquiet　disappointment　it　has；　since　then；　been　often　thrown　down；　and　again　taken　up。
  Hofrath　Heuschrecke；　in　a　too　long…winded　Letter；　full　of　compliments；　Weissnichtwo　politics；　dinners；　dining　repartees；　and　other　ephemeral　trivialities；　proceeds　to　remind　us　of　what　we　knew　well　already：　　that　however　it　may　be　with　Metaphysics；　and　other　abstract　Science　originating　in　the　Head　（_Verstand_）　alone；　no　Life…Philosophy　（_Lebensphilosophie_）；　such　as　this　of　Clothes　pretends　to　be；　which　originates　equally　in　the　Character　（_Gemuth_）；　and　equally　speaks　thereto；　can　attain　its　significance　till　the　Character　itself　is　known　and　seen；　〃till　the　Author's　View　of　the　World　（_Weltansicht_）；　and　how　he　actively　and　passively　came　by　such　view；　are　clear：　　in　short　till　a　Biography　of　him　has　been　philosophico…poetically　written；　and　philosophico…poetically　read。。。。　　Nay；〃　adds　he；　〃were　the　speculative　scientific　Truth　even　known；　you　still；　in　this　inquiring　age；　ask　yourself；　Whence　came　it；　and　Why；　and　How？and　rest　not；　till；　if　no　better　may　be；　Fancy　have　shaped　out　an　answer；　and　either　in　the　authentic　lineaments　of　Fact；　or　the　forged　ones　of　Fiction；　a　complete　picture　and　Genetical　History　of　the　Man　and　his　spiritual　Endeavor　lies　before　you。　　But　why；〃　says　the　Hofrath；　and　indeed　say　we；　〃do　I　dilate　on　the　uses　of　our　Teufelsdrockh's　Biography？　　The　great　Herr　Minister　von　Goethe　has　penetratingly　remarked　that　Man　is　properly　the　_only_　object　that　interests　man：'　　thus　I　too　have　noted；　that　in　Weissnichtwo　our　whole　conversation　is　little　or　nothing　else　but　Biography　or　Autobiography；　ever　humano…anecdotical　（_menschlich…anekdotisch_）。　　Biography　is　by　nature　the　most　universally　profitable；　universally　pleasant　of　all　things：　　especially　Biography　of　distinguished　individuals。
  〃By　this　time；　_mein　Verehrtester_　（my　Most　Esteemed）；〃　continues　he；　with　an　eloquence　which；　unless　the　words　be　purloined　from　Teufelsdrockh；　or　some　trick　of　his；　as　we　suspect；　is　well…nigh　unaccountable；　〃by　this　time　you　are　fairly　plunged　（_vertieft_）　in　that　mighty　forest　of　Clothes…Philosophy；　and　looking　round；　as　all　readers　do；　with　astonishment　enough。　　Such　portions　and　passages　as　you　have　already　mastered；　and　brought　to　paper；　could　not　but　awaken　a　strange　curiosity　touching　the　mind　they　issued　from；　the　perhaps　unparalleled　psychical　mechanism；　which　manufactured　such　matter；　and　emitted　it　to　the　light　of　day。　　Had　Teufelsdrockh　also　a　father　and　mother；　did　he；　at　one　time；　wear　drivel…bibs；　and　live　on　spoon…meat？　　Did　he　ever；　in　rapture　and　tears；　clasp　a　friend's　bosom　to　his；　looks　he　also　wistfully　into　the　long　burial…aisle　of　the　Past；　where　only　winds；　and　their　low　harsh　moan；　give　inarticulate　answer？　　Has　he　fought　duels；good　Heaven！　how　did　he　comport　himself　when　in　Love？　　By　what　singular　stair…steps；　in　short；　and　subterranean　passages；　and　sloughs　of　Despair；　and　steep　Pisgah　hills；　has　he　reached　this　wonderful　prophetic　Hebron　（a　true　Old…Clothes　Jewry）　where　he　now　dwells？
  〃To　all　these　natural　questions　the　voice　of　public　History　is　as　yet　silent。　　Certain　only　that　he　has　been；　and　is；　a　Pilgrim；　and　Traveller　from　a　far　Country；　more　or　less　footsore　and　travel…soiled；　has　parted　with　road…companions；　fallen　among　thieves；　been　poisoned　by　bad　cookery；　blistered　with　bug…bites；　nevertheless；　at　every　stage　（for　they　have　let　him　pass）；　has　had　the　Bill　to　discharge。　　But　the　whole　particulars　of　his　Route；　his　Weather…observations；　the　picturesque　Sketches　he　took；　though　all　regularly　jotted　down　（in　indelible　sympathetic…ink　by　an　invisible　interior　Penman）；　are　these　nowhere　forthcoming？　　Perhaps　quite　lost：　　one　other　leaf　of　that　mighty　Volume　（of　human　Memory）　left　to　fly　abroad；　unprinted；　unpublished；　unbound　up；　as　waste　paper；　and　to　rot；　the　sport　of　rainy　winds？
  〃No；　_verehrtester　Herr　Herausgeber_；　in　no　wise！　　I　here；　by　the　unexampled　favor　you　stand　in　with　our　Sage；　send　not　a　Biography　only；　but　an　Autobiography：　　at　least　the　materials　for　such；　wherefrom；　if　I　misreckon　not；　your　perspicacity　will　draw　fullest　insight：　　and　so　the　whole　Philosophy　and　Philosopher　of　Clothes　will　stand　clear　to　the　wondering　eyes　of　England；　nay　thence；　through　America；　through　Hindostan；　and　the　antipodal　New　Holland；　finally　conquer　（_einnehmen_）　great　part　of　this　terrestrial　Planet！〃
  And　now　let　the　sympathizing　reader　judge