res　pleased　thee；　still　was　it　not　_a　Fleet_；　sailing　in　prescribed　track；　for　fixed　objects；　above　all；　in　combination；　wherein；　by　mutual　guidance；　by　all　manner　of　loans　and　borrowings；　each　could　manifoldly　aid　the　other？　　How　wilt　thou　sail　in　unknown　seas；　and　for　thyself　find　that　shorter　Northwest　Passage　to　thy　fair　Spice…country　of　a　Nowhere？A　solitary　rover；　on　such　a　voyage；　with　such　nautical　tactics；　will　meet　with　adventures。　　Nay；　as　we　forthwith　discover；　a　certain　Calypso…Island　detains　him　at　the　very　outset；　and　as　it　were　falsifies　and　oversets　his　whole　reckoning。
  〃If　in　youth；〃　writes　he　once；　〃the　Universe　is　majestically　unveiling；　and　everywhere　Heaven　revealing　itself　on　Earth；　nowhere　to　the　Young　Man　does　this　Heaven　on　Earth　so　immediately　reveal　itself　as　in　the　Young　Maiden。　Strangely　enough；　in　this　strange　life　of　ours；　it　has　been　so　appointed。　On　the　whole；　as　I　have　often　said；　a　Person　（_Personlichkeit_）　is　ever　holy　to　us；　a　certain　orthodox　Anthropomorphism　connects　my　_Me_　with　all　_Thees_　in　bonds　of　Love：　　but　it　is　in　this　approximation　of　the　Like　and　Unlike；　that　such　heavenly　attraction；　as　between　Negative　and　Positive；　first　burns　out　into　a　flame。　　Is　the　pitifullest　mortal　Person；　think　you；　indifferent　to　us？　　Is　it　not　rather　our　heartfelt　wish　to　be　made　one　with　him；　to　unite　him　to　us；　by　gratitude；　by　admiration；　even　by　fear；　or　failing　all　these；　unite　ourselves　to　him？　　But　how　much　more；　in　this　case　of　the　Like…Unlike！　　Here　is　conceded　us　the　higher　mystic　possibility　of　such　a　union；　the　highest　in　our　Earth；　thus；　in　the　conducting　medium　of　Fantasy；　flames　forth　that　fire…development　of　the　universal　Spiritual　Electricity；　which；　as　unfolded　between　man　and　woman；　we　first　emphatically　denominate　LOVE。
  〃In　every　well…conditioned　stripling；　as　I　conjecture；　there　already　blooms　a　certain　prospective　Paradise；　cheered　by　some　fairest　Eve；　nor；　in　the　stately　vistas；　and　flowerage　and　foliage　of　that　Garden；　is　a　Tree　of　Knowledge；　beautiful　and　awful　in　the　midst　thereof；　wanting。　　Perhaps　too　the　whole　is　but　the　lovelier；　if　Cherubim　and　a　Flaming　Sword　divide　it　from　all　footsteps　of　men；　and　grant　him；　the　imaginative　stripling；　only　the　view；　not　the　entrance。　　Happy　season　of　virtuous　youth；　when　shame　is　still　an　impassable　celestial　barrier；　and　the　sacred　air…cities　of　Hope　have　not　shrunk　into　the　mean　clay…hamlets　of　Reality；　and　man；　by　his　nature；　is　yet　infinite　and　free！
  〃As　for　our　young　Forlorn；〃　continues　Teufelsdrockh　evidently　meaning　himself；　〃in　his　secluded　way　of　life；　and　with　his　glowing　Fantasy；　the　more　fiery　that　it　burnt　under　cover；　as　in　a　reverberating　furnace；　his　feeling　towards　the　Queens　of　this　Earth　was；　and　indeed　is；　altogether　unspeakable。　　A　visible　Divinity　dwelt　in　them；　to　our　young　Friend　all　women　were　holy；　were　heavenly。　　As　yet　he　but　saw　them　flitting　past；　in　their　many…colored　angel…plumage；　or　hovering　mute　and　inaccessible　on　the　outskirts　of　_AEsthetic　Tea_：　　all　of　air　they　were；　all　Soul　and　Form；　so　lovely；　like　mysterious　priestesses；　in　whose　hand　was　the　invisible　Jacob's…ladder；　whereby　man　might　mount　into　very　Heaven。　　That　he；　our　poor　Friend；　should　ever　win　for　himself　one　of　these　Gracefuls　（_Holden_）_Ach　Gott_！　　how　could　he　hope　it；　should　he　not　have　died　under　it？　　There　was　a　certain　delirious　vertigo　in　the　thought。
  〃Thus　was　the　young　man；　if　all…sceptical　of　Demons　and　Angels　such　as　the　vulgar　had　once　believed　in；　nevertheless　not　unvisited　by　hosts　of　true　Sky…born；　who　visibly　and　audibly　hovered　round　him　wheresoever　he　went；　and　they　had　that　religious　worship　in　his　thought；　though　as　yet　it　was　by　their　mere　earthly　and　trivial　name　that　he　named　them。　　But　now；　if　on　a　soul　so　circumstanced；　some　actual　Air…maiden；　incorporated　into　tangibility　and　reality；　should　cast　any　electric　glance　of　kind　eyes；　saying　thereby；　'Thou　too　mayest　love　and　be　loved；'　and　so　kindle　him；good　Heaven；　what　a　volcanic；　earthquake…bringing；　all…consuming　fire　were　probably　kindled！〃
  Such　a　fire；　it　afterwards　appears；　did　actually　burst　forth；　with　explosions　more　or　less　Vesuvian；　in　the　inner　man　of　Herr　Diogenes；　as　indeed　how　could　it　fail？　　A　nature；　which；　in　his　own　figurative　style；　we　might　say；　had　now　not　a　little　carbonized　tinder；　of　Irritability；　with　so　much　nitre　of　latent　Passion；　and　sulphurous　Humor　enough；　the　whole　lying　in　such　hot　neighborhood；　close　by　〃a　reverberating　furnace　of　Fantasy：〃　have　we　not　here　the　components　of　driest　Gunpowder；　ready；　on　occasion　of　the　smallest　spark；　to　blaze　up？　　Neither；　in　this　our　Life…element；　are　sparks　anywhere　wanting。　　Without　doubt；　some　Angel；　whereof　so　many　hovered　round；　would　one　day；　leaving　〃the　outskirts　of　_AEsthetic　Tea_；〃　flit　higher；　and；　by　electric　Promethean　glance；　kindle　no　despicable　firework。　　Happy；　if　it　indeed　proved　a　Firework；　and　flamed　off　rocket…wise；　in　successive　beautiful　bursts　of　splendor；　each　growing　naturally　from　the　other；　through　the　several　stages　of　a　happy　Youthful　Love；　till　the　whole　were　safely　burnt　out；　and　the　young　soul　relieved　with　little　damage！　　Happy；　if　it　did　not　rather　prove　a　Conflagration　and　mad　Explosion；　painfully　lacerating　the　heart　itself；　nay　perhaps　bursting　the　heart　in　pieces　（which　were　Death）；　or　at　best；　bursting　the　thin　walls　of　your　〃reverberating　furnace；〃　so　that　it　rage　thenceforth　all　unchecked　among　the　contiguous　combustibles　（which　were　Madness）：　　till　of　the　so　fair　and　manifold　internal　world　of　our　Diogenes；　there　remained　Nothing；　or　only　the　〃crater　of　an　extinct　volcano〃！
  From　multifarious　Documents　in　this　Bag　_Capricornus_；　and　in　the　adjacent　ones　on　both　sides　thereof；　it　becomes　manifest　that　our　philosopher；　as　stoical　and　cynical　as　he　now　looks；　was　heartily　and　even　frantically　in　Love：　　here　therefore　may　our　old　doubts　whether　his　heart　were　of　stone　or　of　flesh　give　way。　　He　loved　once；　not　wisely　but　too　well。　　And　once　only：　for　as　your　Congreve　needs　a　new　case　or　wrappage　for　every　new　rocket；　so　each　human　heart　can　properly　exhibit　but　one　Love；　if　even　one；　the　〃First　Love　which　is　infinite〃　can　be　followed　by　no　second　like　unto　it。　　In　more　recent　years；　accordingly；　the　Editor　of　these　Sheets　was　led　to　regard　Teufelsdrockh　as　a　man　not　only　who　would　never　wed；　but　who　would　never　even　flirt；　whom　the　grand…climacteric　itself；　and　_St。　Martin's　Summer_　of　incipient　Dotage；　would　crown　with　no　new　myrtle…garland。　　To　the　Professor；　women　are　henceforth　Pieces　of　Art；　of　Celestial　Art；　indeed；　which　celestial　pieces　he　glories　to　survey　in　galleries；　but　has　lost　thought　of　purchasing。
  Psychological　readers　are　not　without　curiosity　to　see　how　Teufelsdrockh　in　this　for　him　unexampled　predicament；　demeans　himself；　with　what　specialties　of　successive　configuration；　splendor　and　color；　his　Firework　blazes　off。　Small；　as　usual；　is　the　satisfaction　that　such　can　meet　with　here。　　From　amid　these　confused　masses　of　Eulogy　and　Elegy；　with　their　mad　Petrarchan　and　Werterean　ware　lying　madly　scattered　among　all　sorts　of　quite　extraneous　matter；　not　so　much　as　the　fair　one's　name　can　be　deciphered。　For；　without　doubt；　the　title　_Blumine_；　whereby　she　is　here　designated；　and　which　means　simply　Goddess　of　Flowers；　must　be　fictitious。　　Was　her　real　name　Flora；　then？　　But　what　was　her　surname；　or　had　she　none？　　Of　what　station　in　Life　was　she；　of　what　parentage；　fortune；　aspect？　　Specially；　by　what　Pre…established　Harmony　of　occurrences　did　the　Lover　and　the　Loved　meet　one　another　in　so　wide　a　world；　how　did　they　behave　in　such　meeting？　To　all　which　questions；　not　unessential　in　a　Biographic　work；　mere　Conjecture　must　for　most　part　return　answer。　　〃It　was　appointed；〃　says　our　Philosopher；　〃that　the　high　celestial　orbit　of　Blumine　should　intersect　the　low　sublunary　one　of　our　Forlorn；　that　he；　looking　in　her　empyrean　eyes；　should　fancy　the　upper　Sphere　of　Light　was　come　down　into　this　nether　sphere　of　Shadows；　and　finding　himself　mistaken；　make　noise　enough。〃
  We　seem　to　gather　that　she　was　young；　hazel…eyed；　beautiful；　and　some　one's　Cousin；　high…born；　and　of　high　spirit；　but　unhappily　dependent　and　insolvent；　living；　perhaps；　on　the　not　too　gracious　bounty　of　moneyed　relatives。　　But　how　came　〃the　Wanderer〃　into　her　circle？　　Was　it　by　the　humid　vehicle　of　_AEsthetic　Tea_；　or　by　the　arid　one　of　mere　Business？　　Was　it　on　the　hand　of　Herr　Towgood；　or　of　the　Gnadige　Frau；　who；　as　an　ornamental　Artist；　might　sometimes　like　to　promote　flirtation；　especially　for　young　cynical　Nondescripts？　　To　all　appearance；　it　was　chiefly　by　Accident；　and　the　grace　of　Nature。
  〃Thou　fair　Waldschloss；〃　writes　our　Autobiographer；　〃what　stranger　ever　saw　thee；　were　it　even　an　absolved　Auscultator；　officially　bearing　in　his　pocket　the　last　_Relatio　ex　Actis_　he　would　ever　write；　but　must　have　paused　to　wonder！　　Noble　Mansion！　　There　stoodest　thou；　in　deep　Mountain　Amphitheatre；　on　umbrageous　lawns；　in　thy　serene　solitude；　stately；　massive；　all　of　granite；　glittering　in　the　western　sunbeams；　like　a　palace　of　El　Dorado；　overlaid　with　precious　metal。　　Beautiful　rose　up；　in　wavy　curvature；　the　slope　of　thy　guardian　Hills；　of　the　greenest　was　their　sward；　em