heroes and hero worship-第9部分

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　Olaf。　　The　mythus　about　Thor　is　to　this　effect。　　King　Olaf；　the　Christian　Reform　King；　is　sailing　with　fit　escort　along　the　shore　of　Norway；　from　haven　to　haven；　dispensing　justice；　or　doing　other　royal　work：　　on　leaving　a　certain　haven；　it　is　found　that　a　stranger；　of　grave　eyes　and　aspect；　red　beard；　of　stately　robust　figure；　has　stept　in。　　The　courtiers　address　him；　his　answers　surprise　by　their　pertinency　and　depth：　　at　length　he　is　brought　to　the　King。　The　stranger's　conversation　here　is　not　less　remarkable；　as　they　sail　along　the　beautiful　shore；　but　after　some　time；　he　addresses　King　Olaf　thus：　　〃Yes；　King　Olaf；　it　is　all　beautiful；　with　the　sun　shining　on　it　there；　green；　fruitful；　a　right　fair　home　for　you；　and　many　a　sore　day　had　Thor；　many　a　wild　fight　with　the　rock　Jotuns；　before　he　could　make　it　so。　　And　now　you　seem　minded　to　put　away　Thor。　　King　Olaf；　have　a　care！〃　said　the　stranger；　drawing　down　his　brows；and　when　they　looked　again；　he　was　nowhere　to　be　found。This　is　the　last　appearance　of　Thor　on　the　stage　of　this　world！

Do　we　not　see　well　enough　how　the　Fable　might　arise；　without　unveracity　on　the　part　of　any　one？　　It　is　the　way　most　Gods　have　come　to　appear　among　men：　　thus；　if　in　Pindar's　time　〃Neptune　was　seen　once　at　the　Nemean　Games；〃　what　was　this　Neptune　too　but　a　〃stranger　of　noble　grave　aspect；〃fit　to　be　〃seen〃！　　There　is　something　pathetic；　tragic　for　me　in　this　last　voice　of　Paganism。　　Thor　is　vanished；　the　whole　Norse　world　has　vanished；　and　will　not　return　ever　again。　　In　like　fashion　to　that；　pass　away　the　highest　things。　　All　things　that　have　been　in　this　world；　all　things　that　are　or　will　be　in　it；　have　to　vanish：　　we　have　our　sad　farewell　to　give　them。

That　Norse　Religion；　a　rude　but　earnest；　sternly　impressive　_Consecration　of　Valor_　（so　we　may　define　it）；　sufficed　for　these　old　valiant　Northmen。　Consecration　of　Valor　is　not　a　bad　thing！　　We　will　take　it　for　good；　so　far　as　it　goes。　　Neither　is　there　no　use　in　_knowing_　something　about　this　old　Paganism　of　our　Fathers。　　Unconsciously；　and　combined　with　higher　things；　it　is　in　us　yet；　that　old　Faith　withal！　　To　know　it　consciously；　brings　us　into　closer　and　clearer　relation　with　the　Past；with　our　own　possessions　in　the　Past。　　For　the　whole　Past；　as　I　keep　repeating；　is　the　possession　of　the　Present；　the　Past　had　always　something　_true_；　and　is　a　precious　possession。　　In　a　different　time；　in　a　different　place；　it　is　always　some　other　_side_　of　our　common　Human　Nature　that　has　been　developing　itself。　The　actual　True　is　the　sum　of　all　these；　not　any　one　of　them　by　itself　constitutes　what　of　Human　Nature　is　hitherto　developed。　　Better　to　know　them　all　than　misknow　them。　　〃To　which　of　these　Three　Religions　do　you　specially　adhere？〃　inquires　Meister　of　his　Teacher。　　〃To　all　the　Three！〃　answers　the　other：　　〃To　all　the　Three；　for　they　by　their　union　first　constitute　the　True　Religion。〃


＇May　8；　1840。＇　LECTURE　II。　THE　HERO　AS　PROPHET。　　MAHOMET：　　ISLAM。

From　the　first　rude　times　of　Paganism　among　the　Scandinavians　in　the　North；　we　advance　to　a　very　different　epoch　of　religion；　among　a　very　different　people：　　Mahometanism　among　the　Arabs。　　A　great　change；　what　a　change　and　progress　is　indicated　here；　in　the　universal　condition　and　thoughts　of　men！

The　Hero　is　not　now　regarded　as　a　God　among　his　fellowmen；　but　as　one　God…inspired；　as　a　Prophet。　　It　is　the　second　phasis　of　Hero…worship：　　the　first　or　oldest；　we　may　say；　has　passed　away　without　return；　in　the　history　of　the　world　there　will　not　again　be　any　man；　never　so　great；　whom　his　fellowmen　will　take　for　a　god。　　Nay　we　might　rationally　ask；　Did　any　set　of　human　beings　ever　really　think　the　man　they　_saw_　there　standing　beside　them　a　god；　the　maker　of　this　world？　　Perhaps　not：　　it　was　usually　some　man　they　remembered；　or　_had_　seen。　　But　neither　can　this　any　more　be。　　The　Great　Man　is　not　recognized　henceforth　as　a　god　any　more。

It　was　a　rude　gross　error；　that　of　counting　the　Great　Man　a　god。　　Yet　let　us　say　that　it　is　at　all　times　difficult　to　know　_what_　he　is；　or　how　to　account　of　him　and　receive　him！　　The　most　significant　feature　in　the　history　of　an　epoch　is　the　manner　it　has　of　welcoming　a　Great　Man。　　Ever；　to　the　true　instincts　of　men；　there　is　something　godlike　in　him。　　Whether　they　shall　take　him　to　be　a　god；　to　be　a　prophet；　or　what　they　shall　take　him　to　be？　　that　is　ever　a　grand　question；　by　their　way　of　answering　that；　we　shall　see；　as　through　a　little　window；　into　the　very　heart　of　these　men's　spiritual　condition。　　For　at　bottom　the　Great　Man；　as　he　comes　from　the　hand　of　Nature；　is　ever　the　same　kind　of　thing：　　Odin；　Luther；　Johnson；　Burns；　I　hope　to　make　it　appear　that　these　are　all　originally　of　one　stuff；　that　only　by　the　world's　reception　of　them；　and　the　shapes　they　assume；　are　they　so　immeasurably　diverse。　　The　worship　of　Odin　astonishes　us；to　fall　prostrate　before　the　Great　Man；　into　_deliquium_　of　love　and　wonder　over　him；　and　feel　in　their　hearts　that　he　was　a　denizen　of　the　skies；　a　god！　This　was　imperfect　enough：　　but　to　welcome；　for　example；　a　Burns　as　we　did；　was　that　what　we　can　call　perfect？　　The　most　precious　gift　that　Heaven　can　give　to　the　Earth；　a　man　of　〃genius〃　as　we　call　it；　the　Soul　of　a　Man　actually　sent　down　from　the　skies　with　a　God's…message　to　us；this　we　waste　away　as　an　idle　artificial　firework；　sent　to　amuse　us　a　little；　and　sink　it　into　ashes；　wreck　and　ineffectuality：　　_such_　reception　of　a　Great　Man　I　do　not　call　very　perfect　either！　　Looking　into　the　heart　of　the　thing；　one　may　perhaps　call　that　of　Burns　a　still　uglier　phenomenon；　betokening　still　sadder　imperfections　in　mankind's　ways；　than　the　Scandinavian　method　itself！　　To　fall　into　mere　unreasoning　_deliquium_　of　love　and　admiration；　was　not　good；　but　such　unreasoning；　nay　irrational　supercilious　no…love　at　all　is　perhaps　still　worse！It　is　a　thing　forever　changing；　this　of　Hero…worship：　　different　in　each　age；　difficult　to　do　well　in　any　age。　　Indeed；　the　heart　of　the　whole　business　of　the　age；　one　may　say；　is　to　do　it　well。

We　have　chosen　Mahomet　not　as　the　most　eminent　Prophet；　but　as　the　one　we　are　freest　to　speak　of。　　He　is　by　no　means　the　truest　of　Prophets；　but　I　do　esteem　him　a　true　one。　　Farther；　as　there　is　no　danger　of　our　becoming；　any　of　us；　Mahometans；　I　mean　to　say　all　the　good　of　him　I　justly　can。　　It　is　the　way　to　get　at　his　secret：　　let　us　try　to　understand　what　_he_　meant　with　the　world；　what　the　world　meant　and　means　with　him；　will　then　be　a　more　answerable　question。　　Our　current　hypothesis　about　Mahomet；　that　he　was　a　scheming　Impostor；　a　Falsehood　incarnate；　that　his　religion　is　a　mere　mass　of　quackery　and　fatuity；　begins　really　to　be　now　untenable　to　any　one。　The　lies；　which　well…meaning　zeal　has　heaped　round　this　man；　are　disgraceful　to　ourselves　only。　　When　Pococke　inquired　of　Grotius；　Where　the　proof　was　of　that　story　of　the　pigeon；　trained　to　pick　peas　from　Mahomet's　ear；　and　pass　for　an　angel　dictating　to　him？　　Grotius　answered　that　there　was　no　proof！　　It　is　really　time　to　dismiss　all　that。　　The　word　this　man　spoke　has　been　the　life…guidance　now　of　a　hundred　and　eighty　millions　of　men　these　twelve　hundred　years。　　These　hundred　and　eighty　millions　were　made　by　God　as　well　as　we。　　A　greater　number　of　God's　creatures　believe　in　Mahomet's　word　at　this　hour；　than　in　any　other　word　whatever。　　Are　we　to　suppose　that　it　was　a　miserable　piece　of　spiritual　legerdemain；　this　which　so　many　creatures　of　the　Almighty　have　lived　by　and　died　by？　　I；　for　my　part；　cannot　form　any　such　supposition。　　I　will　believe　most　things　sooner　than　that。　　One　would　be　entirely　at　a　loss　what　to　think　of　this　world　at　all；　if　quackery　so　grew　and　were　sanctioned　here。

Alas；　such　theories　are　very　lamentable。　　If　we　would　attain　to　knowledge　of　anything　in　God's　true　Creation；　let　us　disbelieve　them　wholly！　　They　are　the　product　of　an　Age　of　Scepticism：　　they　indicate　the　saddest　spiritual　paralysis；　and　mere　death…life　of　the　souls　of　men：　　more　godless　theory；　I　think；　was　never　promulgated　in　this　Earth。　　A　false　man　found　a　religion？　　Why；　a　false　man　cannot　build　a　brick　house！　　If　he　do　not　know　and　follow　truly　the　properties　of　mortar；　burnt　clay　and　what　else　be　works　in；　it　is　no　house　that　he　makes；　but　a　rubbish…heap。　　It　will　not　stand　for　twelve　centuries；　to　lodge　a　hundred　and　eighty　millions；　it　will　fall　straightway。　　A　man　must　conform　himself　to　Nature's　laws；　_be_　verily　in　communion　with　Nature　and　the　truth　of　things；　or　Nature　will　answer　him；　No；　not　at　all！　　Speciosities　are　speciousah　me！a　Cagliostro；　many　Cagliostros；　prominent　world…leaders；　do　prosper　by　their　quackery；　for　a　day。　　It　is　like　a　forged　bank…note；　they　get　it　passed　out　of　_their_　worthless　hands：　　others；　not　they；　have　to　smart　for　it。　　Nature　bursts　up　in　fire…flames；　French　Revolutions　and　such　like；　proclaiming　with　terrible　veracity　that　forged　notes　are　forged。

But　of　a　Great　Man　especially；　of　him　I　will　venture　to　assert　that　it　is　incredible　he　should　have　been　other　than　true。　　It　seems　to　me　the　primary　foundation　of　him；　and　of　all　that　can　lie　in　him；　this。　　No　Mirabeau；　Napoleon；　Burns；　Cromwell；　no　man　adequate　to　do　anything；　but　is　first　of　all　in　right　earnest　about　it；　what　I　call　a　sincere　man。　　I　should　say　_sincerity_；　a　deep；　great；　genuine　sincerity；　is　the　first　characteristic　of　all　men　in　any　way　heroic。　　Not　the　sincerity　that　calls　itself　sincere；　ah　no；　that　is　a　very　poor　matter　indeed；a　shallow　braggart　conscious　sincerity；　oftenest　self…conceit　mainly。　　The　Great　Man's　sincerity　is　of　the　kind　he　cannot　speak　of；　is　not　conscious　of：　　nay；　I　suppose；　he　is　conscious　rather　of　insincerity；　for　what　man　can　walk　accurately　by　the　law　of　truth　for　one　day？　　No；　the　Great　Man　does　not　boast　himself　sincere；　far　from　that；　perhaps　does　not　ask　himself　if　he　is　so：　　I　would　say　rather；　his　sincerity　does　not　depend　on　himself；　he　cannot　help　being　sincere！　　The　great　Fact　of　Existence　is　great　to　him。　　Fly　as　he　will；　he　cannot　get　out　of　the　awful　presence　of　this　Reality。　　His　mind　is　so　made；　he　is　great　by　that；　first　of　all。　　Fearful　and　wonderful；　real　as　Life；　real　as　Death；　is　this　Universe　to　him。　　Though　all　men　should　forget　its　truth；　and　walk　in　a　vain　sh