memories and portraits-第9章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



craftsman　can　fail　to　see　how　much　the　one　must　have　tried　in　his　

time　to　imitate　the　other。　　Burns　is　the　very　type　of　a　prime　force　

in　letters：　he　was　of　all　men　the　most　imitative。　　Shakespeare　

himself；　the　imperial；　proceeds　directly　from　a　school。　　It　is　only　

from　a　school　that　we　can　expect　to　have　good　writers；　it　is　almost　

invariably　from　a　school　that　great　writers；　these　lawless　

exceptions；　issue。　　Nor　is　there　anything　here　that　should　astonish　

the　considerate。　　Before　he　can　tell　what　cadences　he　truly　

prefers；　the　student　should　have　tried　all　that　are　possible；　

before　he　can　choose　and　preserve　a　fitting　key　of　words；　he　should　

long　have　practised　the　literary　scales；　and　it　is　only　after　years　

of　such　gymnastic　that　he　can　sit　down　at　last；　legions　of　words　

swarming　to　his　call；　dozens　of　turns　of　phrase　simultaneously　

bidding　for　his　choice；　and　he　himself　knowing　what　he　wants　to　do　

and　（within　the　narrow　limit　of　a　man's　ability）　able　to　do　it。



And　it　is　the　great　point　of　these　imitations　that　there　still　

shines　beyond　the　student's　reach　his　inimitable　model。　　Let　him　

try　as　he　please；　he　is　still　sure　of　failure；　and　it　is　a　very　old　

and　a　very　true　saying　that　failure　is　the　only　highroad　to　

success。　　I　must　have　had　some　disposition　to　learn；　for　I　clear…

sightedly　condemned　my　own　performances。　　I　liked　doing　them　

indeed；　but　when　they　were　done；　I　could　see　they　were　rubbish。　　In　

consequence；　I　very　rarely　showed　them　even　to　my　friends；　and　such　

friends　as　I　chose　to　be　my　confidants　I　must　have　chosen　well；　for　

they　had　the　friendliness　to　be　quite　plain　with　me；　〃Padding；〃　

said　one。　　Another　wrote：　〃I　cannot　understand　why　you　do　lyrics　so　

badly。〃　　No　more　could　I！　　Thrice　I　put　myself　in　the　way　of　a　more　

authoritative　rebuff；　by　sending　a　paper　to　a　magazine。　　These　were　

returned；　and　I　was　not　surprised　nor　even　pained。　　If　they　had　not　

been　looked　at；　as　（like　all　amateurs）　I　suspected　was　the　case；　

there　was　no　good　in　repeating　the　experiment；　if　they　had　been　

looked　at　…　well；　then　I　had　not　yet　learned　to　write；　and　I　must　

keep　on　learning　and　living。　　Lastly；　I　had　a　piece　of　good　fortune　

which　is　the　occasion　of　this　paper；　and　by　which　I　was　able　to　see　

my　literature　in　print；　and　to　measure　experimentally　how　far　I　

stood　from　the　favour　of　the　public。





II





The　Speculative　Society　is　a　body　of　some　antiquity；　and　has　

counted　among　its　members　Scott；　Brougham；　Jeffrey；　Horner；　

Benjamin　Constant；　Robert　Emmet；　and　many　a　legal　and　local　

celebrity　besides。　　By　an　accident；　variously　explained；　it　has　its　

rooms　in　the　very　buildings　of　the　University　of　Edinburgh：　a　hall；　

Turkey…carpeted；　hung　with　pictures；　looking；　when　lighted　up　at　

night　with　fire　and　candle；　like　some　goodly　dining…room；　a　

passage…like　library；　walled　with　books　in　their　wire　cages；　and　a　

corridor　with　a　fireplace；　benches；　a　table；　many　prints　of　famous　

members；　and　a　mural　tablet　to　the　virtues　of　a　former　secretary。　　

Here　a　member　can　warm　himself　and　loaf　and　read；　here；　in　defiance　

of　Senatus…consults；　he　can　smoke。　　The　Senatus　looks　askance　at　

these　privileges；　looks　even　with　a　somewhat　vinegar　aspect　on　the　

whole　society；　which　argues　a　lack　of　proportion　in　the　learned　

mind；　for　the　world；　we　may　be　sure；　will　prize　far　higher　this　

haunt　of　dead　lions　than　all　the　living　dogs　of　the　professorate。



I　sat　one　December　morning　in　the　library　of　the　Speculative；　a　

very　humble…minded　youth；　though　it　was　a　virtue　I　never　had　much　

credit　for；　yet　proud　of　my　privileges　as　a　member　of　the　Spec。；　

proud　of　the　pipe　I　was　smoking　in　the　teeth　of　the　Senatus；　and　in　

particular；　proud　of　being　in　the　next　room　to　three　very　

distinguished　students；　who　were　then　conversing　beside　the　

corridor　fire。　　One　of　these　has　now　his　name　on　the　back　of　

several　volumes；　and　his　voice；　I　learn；　is　influential　in　the　law　

courts。　　Of　the　death　of　the　second；　you　have　just　been　reading　

what　I　had　to　say。



And　the　third　also　has　escaped　out　of　that　battle　of　in　which　he　

fought　so　hard；　it　may　be　so　unwisely。　　They　were　all　three；　as　I　

have　said；　notable　students；　but　this　was　the　most　conspicuous。　　

Wealthy；　handsome；　ambitious；　adventurous；　diplomatic；　a　reader　of　

Balzac；　and　of　all　men　that　I　have　known；　the　most　like　to　one　of　

Balzac's　characters；　he　led　a　life；　and　was　attended　by　an　ill　

fortune；　that　could　be　properly　set　forth　only　in　the　COMEDIE　

HUMAINE。　　He　had　then　his　eye　on　Parliament；　and　soon　after　the　

time　of　which　I　write；　he　made　a　showy　speech　at　a　political　

dinner；　was　cried　up　to　heaven　next　day　in　the　COURANT；　and　the　day　

after　was　dashed　lower　than　earth　with　a　charge　of　plagiarism　in　

the　SCOTSMAN。　　Report　would　have　it　（I　daresay；　very　wrongly）　that　

he　was　betrayed　by　one　in　whom　he　particularly　trusted；　and　that　

the　author　of　the　charge　had　learned　its　truth　from　his　own　lips。　　

Thus；　at　least；　he　was　up　one　day　on　a　pinnacle；　admired　and　envied　

by　all；　and　the　next；　though　still　but　a　boy；　he　was　publicly　

disgraced。　　The　blow　would　have　broken　a　less　finely　tempered　

spirit；　and　even　him　I　suppose　it　rendered　reckless；　for　he　took　

flight　to　London；　and　there；　in　a　fast　club；　disposed　of　the　bulk　

of　his　considerable　patrimony　in　the　space　of　one　winter。　　For　

years　thereafter　he　lived　I　know　not　how；　always　well　dressed；　

always　in　good　hotels　and　good　society；　always　with　empty　pockets。　　

The　charm　of　his　manner　may　have　stood　him　in　good　stead；　but　

though　my　own　manners　are　very　agreeable；　I　have　never　found　in　

them　a　source　of　livelihood；　and　to　explain　the　miracle　of　his　

continued　existence；　I　must　fall　back　upon　the　theory　of　the　

philosopher；　that　in　his　case；　as　in　all　of　the　same　kind；　〃there　

was　a　suffering　relative　in　the　background。〃　　From　this　genteel　

eclipse　he　reappeared　upon　the　scene；　and　presently　sought　me　out　

in　the　character　of　a　generous　editor。　　It　is　in　this　part　that　I　

best　remember　him；　tall；　slender；　with　a　not　ungraceful　stoop；　

looking　quite　like　a　refined　gentleman；　and　quite　like　an　urbane　

adventurer；　smiling　with　an　engaging　ambiguity；　cocking　at　you　one　

peaked　eyebrow　with　a　great　appearance　of　finesse；　speaking　low　and　

sweet　and　thick；　with　a　touch　of　burr；　telling　strange　tales　with　

singular　deliberation　and；　to　a　patient　listener；　excellent　effect。　　

After　all　these　ups　and　downs；　he　seemed　still；　like　the　rich　

student　that　he　was　of　yore；　to　breathe　of　money；　seemed　still　

perfectly　sure　of　himself　and　certain　of　his　end。　　Yet　he　was　then　

upon　the　brink　of　his　last　overthrow。　　He　had　set　himself　to　found　

the　strangest　thing　in　our　society：　one　of　those　periodical　sheets　

from　which　men　suppose　themselves　to　learn　opinions；　in　which　young　

gentlemen　from　the　universities　are　encouraged；　at　so　much　a　line；　

to　garble　facts；　insult　foreign　nations　and　calumniate　private　

individuals；　and　which　are　now　the　source　of　glory；　so　that　if　a　

man's　name　be　often　enough　printed　there；　he　becomes　a　kind　of　

demigod；　and　people　will　pardon　him　when　he　talks　back　and　forth；　

as　they　do　for　Mr。　Gladstone；　and　crowd　him　to　suffocation　on　

railway　platforms；　as　they　did　the　other　day　to　General　Boulanger；　

and　buy　his　literary　works；　as　I　hope　you　have　just　done　for　me。　　

Our　fathers；　when　they　were　upon　some　great　enterprise；　would　

sacrifice　a　life；　building；　it　may　be；　a　favourite　slave　into　the　

foundations　of　their　palace。　　It　was　with　his　own　life　that　my　

companion　disarmed　the　envy　of　the　gods。　　He　fought　his　paper　

single…handed；　trusting　no　one；　for　he　was　something　of　a　cynic；　up　

early　and　down　late；　for　he　was　nothing　of　a　sluggard；　daily　ear…

wigging　influential　men；　for　he　was　a　master　of　ingratiation。　　In　

that　slender　and　silken　fellow　there　must　have　been　a　rare　vein　of　

courage；　that　he　should　thus　have　died　at　his　empl