the unseen world and other essays-第37章

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ial　imagination　had　spontaneously　fashioned　him。

Modern　psychology　has　demonstrated　that　this　is　the　way　in　which　the　creative　artistic　imagination　proceeds。　It　has　proved　that　a　vast　portion　of　all　our　thinking　goes　on　unconsciously；　and　that　the　results　may　arise　into　consciousness　piecemeal　and　gradually；　checking　each　other　as　they　come；　or　that　they　may　come　all　at　once；　with　all　the　completeness　and　definiteness　of　perceptions　presented　from　without。　The　former　is　the　case　with　the　critical；　and　the　latter　with　the　artistic　intellect。　And　this　we　recognize　imperfectly　when　we　talk　of　a　genius　being　〃inspired。〃　All　of　us　probably　have　these　two　kinds　of　imagination　to　a　certain　extent。　It　is　only　given　to　a　few　supremely　endowed　persons　like　Goethe　to　possess　them　both　to　an　eminent　degree。　Perhaps　of　no　other　man　can　it　be　said　that　he　was　a　poet　of　the　first　order；　and　as　great　a　critic　as　poet。

It　is　therefore　apt　to　be　a　barren　criticism　which　studies　the　works　of　creative　geniuses　in　order　to　ascertain　what　theory　lies　beneath　them。　How　many　systems　of　philosophy；　how　many　subtle　speculations；　have　we　not　seen　fathered　upon　Dante；　Cervantes；　Shakespeare；　and　Goethe！　Yet　their　works　are；　in　a　certain　sense；　greater　than　any　systems。　They　partake　of　the　infinite　complexity　and　variety　of　nature；　and　no　more　than　nature　itself　can　they　be　narrowed　down　to　the　limits　of　a　precise　formula。

Lessing　was　wont　to　disclaim　the　title　of　poet；　but；　as　Goethe　said；　his　immortal　works　refute　him。　He　had　not　only　poetical；　but　dramatic　genius；　and　his　〃Emilia　Galotti〃　has　kept　the　stage　until　to…day。　Nevertheless；　he　knew　well　what　he　meant　when　he　said　that　he　was　more　of　a　critic　than　a　poet。　His　genius　was　mainly　of　the　critical　order；　and　his　great　work；　〃Nathan　the　Wise；〃　was　certainly　constructed　rather　than　created。　It　was　intended　to　convey　a　doctrine；　and　was　carefully　shaped　for　the　purpose。　And　when　we　have　pronounced　it　the　greatest　of　all　poems　that　have　been　written　for　a　set　purpose；　and　admit　of　being　expressed　in　a　definite　formula；　we　have　classified　it　with　sufficient　accuracy。

For　an　analysis　of　the　characters　in　the　poem；　nothing　can　be　better　than　the　essay　by　Kuno　Fischer；　appended　to　the　present　volume。　The　work　of　translation　has　been　admirably　done；　and　thanks　are　due　to　Miss　Frothingham　for　her　reproduction　of　this　beautiful　poem。

　　　　　　June；　1868。


VIII。　HISTORICAL　DIFFICULTIES。＇29＇

＇29＇　Historical　Difficulties　and　Contested　Events。　By　Octave　Delepierre；　LL。　D。；　F。　S。　A。；　Secretary　of　Legation　to　the　King　of　the　Belgians。　8vo。　London：　Murray。　1868。


History；　says　Sainte…Beuve；　is　in　great　part　a　set　of　fables　which　people　agree　to　believe　in。　And；　on　reading　books　like　the　present；　one　certainly　needs　a　good　deal　of　that　discipline　acquired　by　long　familiarity　with　vexed　historical　questions；　in　order　to　check　the　disposition　to　accept　the　great　critic's　ironical　remark　in　sober　earnest。　Much　of　what　is　currently　accredited　as　authentic　history　is　in　fact　a　mixture　of　flattery　and　calumny；　myth　and　fable。　Yet　in　this　set　of　fables；　whatever　may　have　been　the　case　in　past　times；　people　will　no　longer　agree　to　believe。　During　the　present　century　the　criticism　of　recorded　events　has　gone　far　toward　assuming　the　developed　and　systematized　aspect　of　a　science；　and　canons　of　belief　have　been　established。　which　it　is　not　safe　to　disregard。　Great　occurrences；　such　as　the　Trojan　War　and　the　Siege　of　Thebes；　not　long　ago　faithfully　described　by　all　historians　of　Greece；　have　been　found　to　be　part　of　the　common　mythical　heritage　of　the　Aryan　nations。　Achilleus　and　Helena；　Oidipous　and　Iokasta；　Oinone　and　Paris；　have　been　discovered　in　India　and　again　in　Scandinavia；　and　so　on；　until　their　nonentity　has　become　the　legitimate　inference　from　their　very　ubiquity。　Legislators　like　Romulus　and　Numa；　inventors　like　Kadmos；　have　evaporated　into　etymologies。　Whole　legions　of　heroes；　dynasties　of　kings；　and　adulteresses　as　many　as　Dante　saw　borne　on　the　whirlwind；　have　vanished　from　the　face　of　history；　and　terrible　has　been　the　havoc　in　the　opening　pages　of　our　chronological　tables。　Nor　is　it　primitive　history　alone　which　has　been　thus　metamorphosed。　Characters　unduly　exalted　or　defamed　by　party　spirit　are　daily　being　set　before　us　in　their　true；　or　at　least　in　a　truer；　light。　What　Mr。　Froude　has　done　for　Henry　VIII。　we　know；　and　he　might　have　done　more　if　he　had　not　tried　to　do　so　much。　Humpbacked　Richard　turns　out　to　have　been　one　of　the　handsomest　kings　that　ever　sat　on　the　throne　of　England。　Edward　I。；　in　his　dealings　with　Scotland；　is　seen　to　have　been　scrupulously　just；　while　the　dignity　of　the　patriot　hero　Wallace　has　been　somewhat　impaired。　Elizabeth　is　proved　to　have　befriended　the　false　Mary　Stuart　much　longer　than　was　consistent　with　her　personal　safety。　Eloquent　Cicero　has　been　held　up　as　an　object　of　contempt；　and　even　weighty　Tacitus　has　been　said　to　owe　much　of　his　reputation　to　his　ability　to　give　false　testimony　with　a　grave　face。　It　has　lately　been　suspected　that　gloomy　Tiberius；　apart　from　his　gloominess；　may　have　been　rather　a　good　fellow；　not　so　licentious　as　puritanical；　not　cruel　so　much　as　exceptionally　merciful；a　rare　general；　a　sagacious　statesman；　and　popular　to　boot　with　all　his　subjects　save　the　malignant　oligarchy　which　he　consistently　snubbed；　and　which　took　revenge　on　him　by　writing　his　life。　And；　to　crown　all；　even　Catiline；　abuser　of　our　patience；　seducer　of　vestal　nuns；　and　drinker　of　children's　blood；whose　very　name　suggests　murder；　incest；　and　robbery；even　Catiline　has　found　an　able　defender　in　Professor　Beesly。　It　is　claimed　that　Catiline　was　a　man　of　great　abilities　and　average　good　character；　a　well…calumniated　leader　of　the　Marian　party　which　Caesar　afterwards　led　to　victory；　and　that　his　famous　plot　for　burning　Rome　never　existed　save　in　the　unscrupulous　Ciceronian　fancy。　And　those　who　think　it　easy　to　refute　these　conclusions　of　Professor　Beesly　had　better　set　to　work　and　try　it。　Such　are　a　few　of　the　surprising　questions　opened　by　recent　historical　research；　and　in　the　face　of　them　the　public　is　quite　excusable　if　it　declares　itself　at　a　loss　what　to　believe。

These；　however；　are　cases　in　which　criticism　has　at　least　made　some　show　of　ascertaining　the　truth　and　detecting　the　causes　of　the　prevalent　misconception。　That　men　like　Catiline　and　Tiberius　should　have　had　their　characters　blackened　is　quite　easily　explicable。　President　Johnson　would　have　little　better　chance　of　obtaining　justice　at　the　hands　of　posterity；　if　the　most　widely　read　history　of　his　administration　should　happen　to　be　written　by　a　radical　member　of　the　Rump　Congress。　But　the　cases　which　Mr。　Delepierre　invites　us　to　contemplate　are　of　a　different　character。　They　come　neither　under　the　head　of　myths　nor　under　that　of　misrepresentations。　Some　of　them　are　truly　vexed　questions　which　it　may　perhaps　always　be　impossible　satisfactorily　to　solve。　Others　may　be　dealt　with　more　easily；　but　afford　no　clew　to　the　origin　of　the　popularly　received　error。　Let　us　briefly　examine　a　few　of　Mr。　Delepierre's　〃difficulties。〃　And　first；　because　simplest；　we　will　take　the　case　of　the　Alexandrian　Library。

Every　one　has　heard　how　Amrou；　after　his　conquest　of　Egypt；　sent　to　Caliph　Omar　to　know　what　should　be　done　with　the　Alexandrian　Library。　〃If　the　books　agree　with　the　Koran；〃　said　the　Caliph；　〃they　are　superfluous；　if　they　contradict　it；　they　are　damnable；　in　either　case；　destroy　them。〃　So　the　books　were　taken　and　used　to　light　the　fires　which　heated　water　for　the　baths；　and　so　vast　was　the　number　that；　used　in　this　way；　they　lasted　six　months！　All　this　happened　because　John　the　Grammarian　was　over…anxious　enough　to　request　that　the　books　might　be　preserved；　and　thus　drew　Amrou's　attention　to　them。　Great　has　been　the　obloquy　poured　upon　Omar　for　this　piece　of　vandalism；　and　loud　has　been　the　mourning　over　the　treasures　of　ancient　science　and　literature　supposed　to　have　been　irrecoverably　lost　in　this　ignominious　conflagration　Theologians；　Catholic　and　Protestant；　have　been　fond　of　quoting　it　as　an　instance　of　the　hostility　of　Mahometanism　to　knowledge；　and　we　have　even　heard　an　edifying　sermon　preached　about　it。