第 28 节
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套牢 更新:2021-02-21 16:40 字数:9322
his moderately sized new soul; the old battle…harness of an Oliver Cromwell; an Edward Longshanks; a William Conqueror。 〃I; then; am the Ablest of English attainable Men? This English People; which has spread itself over all lands and seas; and achieved such works in the ages;which has done America; India; the Lancashire Cotton…trade; Bromwicham Iron…trade; Newton's Principia; Shakspeare's Dramas; and the British Constitution;the apex of all its intelligences and mighty instincts and dumb longings: it is I? William Conqueror's big gifts; and Edward's and Elizabeth's; Oliver's lightning soul; noble as Sinai and the thunders of the Lord: these are mine; I begin to perceive;to a certain extent。 These heroisms have I;though rather shy of exhibiting them。 These; and something withal of the huge beaver…faculty of our Arkwrights; Brindleys; touches too of the phoenix…melodies and _sunny_ heroisms of our Shakspeares; of our Singers; Sages and inspired Thinkers all this is in me; I will hope;though rather shy of exhibiting it on common occasions。 The Pattern Englishman; raised by solemn acclamation upon the bucklers of the English People; and saluted with universal 'God save THEE!'has now the honor to announce himself。 After fifteen hundred years of constitutional study as to methods of raising on the bucklers; which is the operation of operations; the English People; surely pretty well skilled in it by this time; has raisedthe remarkable individual now addressing you。 The best…combined sample of whatsoever divine qualities are in this big People; the consummate flower of all that they have done and been; the ultimate product of the Destinies; and English man of men; arrived at last in the fulness of time; iswho think you? Ye worlds; the Ithuriel javelin by which; with all these heroisms and accumulated energies old and new; the English People means to smite and pierce; is this poor tailor's…bodkin; hardly adequate to bore an eylet…hole; who now has the honor to〃Good Heavens; if it were not that men generally are very much of the canary…bird; here; are reflections sufficient to annihilate any man; almost before starting!
But to us also it ought to be a very strange reflection! This; then; is the length we have brought it to; with our constitutioning; and ballot…boxing; and incessant talk and effort in every kind for so many centuries back; this? The golden flower of our grand alchemical projection; which has set the world in astonishment so long; and been the envy of surrounding nations; iswhat we here see。 To be governed by his Lordship; and guided through the undiscovered paths of Time by this respectable degree of human faculty。 With our utmost soul's travail we could discover; by the sublimest methods eulogized by all the world; no abler Englishman than this?
Really it should make us pause upon the said sublime methods; and ask ourselves very seriously; whether; notwithstanding the eulogy of all the world; they can be other than extremely astonishing methods; that require revisal and reconsideration very much indeed! For the kind of 〃man〃 we get to govern us; all conclusions whatsoever centre there; and likewise all manner of issues flow infallibly therefrom。 〃Ask well; who is your Chief Governor;〃 says one: 〃for around him men like to him will infallibly gather; and by degrees all the world will be made in his image。〃 〃He who is himself a noble man; has a chance to know the nobleness of men; he who is not; has none。 And as for the poor Public;alas; is not the kind of 'man' you set upon it the liveliest symbol of its and your veracity and victory and blessedness; or unveracity and misery and cursedness; the general summation and practical outcome of all else whatsoever in the Public and in you?〃
Time was when an incompetent Governor could not be permitted among men。 He was; and had to be; by one method or the other; clutched up from his place at the helm of affairs; and hurled down into the hold; perhaps even overboard; if he could not really steer。 And we call those ages barbarous; because they shuddered to see a Phantasm at the helm of their affairs; an eyeless Pilot with constitutional spectacles; steering by the ear mainly? And we have changed all that; no…government is now the best; and a tailor's foreman; who gives no trouble; is preferable to any other for governing? My friends; such truly is the current idea; but you dreadfully mistake yourselves; and the fact is not such。 The fact; now beginning to disclose itself again in distressed Needlewomen; famishing Connaughts; revolting Colonies; and a general rapid advance towards Social Ruin; remains really what it always was; and will so remain!
Men have very much forgotten it at present; and only here a man and there a man begins again to bethink himself of it: but all men will gradually get reminded of it; perhaps terribly to their cost; and the sooner they all lay it to heart again; I think it will be the better。 For in spite of our oblivion of it; the thing remains forever true; nor is there any Constitution or body of Constitutions; were they clothed with never such venerabilities and general acceptabilities; that avails to deliver a Nation from the consequences of forgetting it。 Nature; I assure you; does forevermore remember it; and a hundred British Constitutions are but as a hundred cobwebs between her and the penalty she levies for forgetting it。 Tell me what kind of man governs a People; you tell me; with much exactness; what the net sum…total of social worth in that People has for some time been。 Whether _they_ have loved the phylacteries or the eternal noblenesses; whether they have been struggling heavenward like eagles; brothers of the radiances; or groping owl…like with horn…eyed diligence; catching mice and balances at their banker's;poor devils; you will see it all in that one fact。 A fact long prepared beforehand; which; if it is a peaceably received one; must have been acquiesced in; judged to be 〃best;〃 by the poor mousing owls; intent only to have a large balance at their banker's and keep a whole skin。
Such sordid populations; which were long blind to Heaven's light; are getting themselves burnt up rapidly; in these days; by street…insurrection and Hell…fire;as is indeed inevitable; my esteemed M'Croudy! Light; accept the blessed light; if you will have it when Heaven vouchsafes。 You refuse? You prefer Delolme on the British Constitution; the Gospel according to M'Croudy; and a good balance at your banker's? Very well: the 〃light〃 is more and more withdrawn; and for some time you have a general dusk; very favorable for catching mice; and the opulent owlery is very 〃happy;〃 and well…off at its banker's;and furthermore; by due sequence; infallible as the foundations of the Universe and Nature's oldest law; the light _returns_ on you; condensed; this time; into _lightning_; which there is not any skin whatever too thick for taking in!
'April 15; 1850。' No。 IV。 THE NEW DOWNING STREET。
In looking at this wreck of Governments in all European countries; there is one consideration that suggests itself; sadly elucidative of our modern epoch。 These Governments; we may be well assured; have gone to anarchy for this one reason inclusive of every other whatsoever; That they were not wise enough; that the spiritual talent embarked in them; the virtue; heroism; intellect; or by whatever other synonyms we designate it; was not adequate;probably had long been inadequate; and so in its dim helplessness had suffered; or perhaps invited falsity to introduce itself; had suffered injustices; and solecisms; and contradictions of the Divine Fact; to accumulate in more than tolerable measure; whereupon said Governments were overset; and declared before all creatures to be too false。
This is a reflection sad but important to the modern Governments now fallen anarchic; That they had not spiritual talent enough。 And if this is so; then surely the question; How these Governments came to sink for _want_ of intellect? is a rather interesting one。 Intellect; in some measure; is born into every Century; and the Nineteenth flatters itself that it is rather distinguished that way! What had become of this celebrated Nineteenth Century's intellect? Surely some of it existed; and was 〃developed〃 withal;nay in the 〃undeveloped;〃 unconscious; or inarticulate state; it is not dead; but alive and at work; if mutely not less beneficently; some think even more so! And yet Governments; it would appear; could by no means get enough of it; almost none of it came their way: what had become of it? Truly there must be something very questionable; either in the intellect of this celebrated Century; or in the methods Governments now have of supplying their wants from the same。 One or other of two grand fundamental shortcomings; in regard to intellect or human enlightenment; is very visible in this enlightened Century of ours; for it has now become the most anarchic of Centuries; that is to say; has fallen practically into such Egyptian darkness that it cannot grope its way at all!
Nay I rather think both of these shortcomings; fatal deficits both; are chargeable upon us; and it is the joint harvest of both that we are now reaping with such havoc to o