sartor resartus-第2章

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very　external　furtherance；　it　is　of　such　internal　quality　as　to　set　Neglect　at　defiance。。。。　　A　work；〃　concludes　the　well…nigh　enthusiastic　Reviewer；　〃interesting　alike　to　the　antiquary；　the　historian；　and　the　philosophic　thinker；　a　masterpiece　of　boldness；　lynx…eyed　acuteness；　and　rugged　independent　Germanism　and　Philanthropy　（_derber　Kerndeutschheit　und　Menschenliebe_）；　which　will　not；　assuredly；　pass　current　without　opposition　in　high　places；　but　must　and　will　exalt　the　almost　new　name　of　Teufelsdrockh　to　the　first　ranks　of　Philosophy；　in　our　German　Temple　of　Honor。〃

Mindful　of　old　friendship；　the　distinguished　Professor；　in　this　the　first　blaze　of　his　fame；　which　however　does　not　dazzle　him；　sends　hither　a　Presentation…copy　of　his　Book；　with　compliments　and　encomiums　which　modesty　forbids　the　present　Editor　to　rehearse；　yet　without　indicated　wish　or　hope　of　any　kind；　except　what　may　be　implied　in　the　concluding　phrase：　　_Mochte　es_　（this　remarkable　Treatise）　_auch　im　Brittischen　Boden　gedeihen_！


CHAPTER　II。　EDITORIAL　DIFFICULTIES。

If　for　a　speculative　man；　〃whose　seedfield；〃　in　the　sublime　words　of　the　Poet；　〃is　Time；〃　no　conquest　is　important　but　that　of　new　ideas；　then　might　the　arrival　of　Professor　Teufelsdrockh's　Book　be　marked　with　chalk　in　the　Editor's　calendar。　　It　is　indeed　an　〃extensive　Volume；〃　of　boundless；　almost　formless　contents；　a　very　Sea　of　Thought；　neither　calm　nor　clear；　if　you　will；　yet　wherein　the　toughest　pearl…diver　may　dive　to　his　utmost　depth；　and　return　not　only　with　sea…wreck　but　with　true　orients。

Directly　on　the　first　perusal；　almost　on　the　first　deliberate　inspection；　it　became　apparent　that　here　a　quite　new　Branch　of　Philosophy；　leading　to　as　yet　undescried　ulterior　results；　was　disclosed；　farther；　what　seemed　scarcely　less　interesting；　a　quite　new　human　Individuality；　an　almost　unexampled　personal　character；　that；　namely；　of　Professor　Teufelsdrockh　the　Discloser。　　Of　both　which　novelties；　as　far　as　might　be　possible；　we　resolved　to　master　the　significance。　　But　as　man　is　emphatically　a　proselytizing　creature；　no　sooner　was　such　mastery　even　fairly　attempted；　than　the　new　question　arose：　　How　might　this　acquired　good　be　imparted　to　others；　perhaps　in　equal　need　thereof；　how　could　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes；　and　the　Author　of　such　Philosophy；　be　brought　home；　in　any　measure；　to　the　business　and　bosoms　of　our　own　English　Nation？　　For　if　new…got　gold　is　said　to　burn　the　pockets　till　it　be　cast　forth　into　circulation；　much　more　may　new　truth。

Here；　however；　difficulties　occurred。　　The　first　thought　naturally　was　to　publish　Article　after　Article　on　this　remarkable　Volume；　in　such　widely　circulating　Critical　Journals　as　the　Editor　might　stand　connected　with；　or　by　money　or　love　procure　access　to。　　But；　on　the　other　hand；　was　it　not　clear　that　such　matter　as　must　here　be　revealed；　and　treated　of；　might　endanger　the　circulation　of　any　Journal　extant？　　If；　indeed；　all　party…divisions　in　the　State　could　have　been　abolished；　Whig；　Tory；　and　Radical；　embracing　in　discrepant　union；　and　all　the　Journals　of　the　Nation　could　have　been　jumbled　into　one　Journal；　and　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes　poured　forth　in　incessant　torrents　therefrom；　the　attempt　had　seemed　possible。　　But；　alas；　what　vehicle　of　that　sort　have　we；　except　_Fraser's　Magazine_？　　A　vehicle　all　strewed　（figuratively　speaking）　with　the　maddest　Waterloo…Crackers；　exploding　distractively　and　destructively；　wheresoever　the　mystified　passenger　stands　or　sits；　nay；　in　any　case；　understood　to　be；　of　late　years；　a　vehicle　full　to　overflowing；　and　inexorably　shut！　Besides；　to　state　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes　without　the　Philosopher；　the　ideas　of　Teufelsdrockh　without　something　of　his　personality；　was　it　not　to　insure　both　of　entire　misapprehension？　　Now　for　Biography；　had　it　been　otherwise　admissible；　there　were　no　adequate　documents；　no　hope　of　obtaining　such；　but　rather；　owing　to　circumstances；　a　special　despair。　Thus　did　the　Editor　see　himself；　for　the　while；　shut　out　from　all　public　utterance　of　these　extraordinary　Doctrines；　and　constrained　to　revolve　them；　not　without　disquietude；　in　the　dark　depths　of　his　own　mind。

So　had　it　lasted　for　some　months；　and　now　the　Volume　on　Clothes；　read　and　again　read；　was　in　several　points　becoming　lucid　and　lucent；　the　personality　of　its　Author　more　and　more　surprising；　but；　in　spite　of　all　that　memory　and　conjecture　could　do；　more　and　more　enigmatic；　whereby　the　old　disquietude　seemed　fast　settling　into　fixed　discontent；when　altogether　unexpectedly　arrives　a　Letter　from　Herr　Hofrath　Heuschrecke；　our　Professor's　chief　friend　and　associate　in　Weissnichtwo；　with　whom　we　had　not　previously　corresponded。　　The　Hofrath；　after　much　quite　extraneous　matter；　began　dilating　largely　on　the　〃agitation　and　attention〃　which　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes　was　exciting　in　its　own　German　Republic　of　Letters；　on　the　deep　significance　and　tendency　of　his　Friend's　Volume；　and　then；　at　length；　with　great　circumlocution；　hinted　at　the　practicability　of　conveying　〃some　knowledge　of　it；　and　of　him；　to　England；　and　through　England　to　the　distant　West：〃　　a　work　on　Professor　Teufelsdrockh　〃were　undoubtedly　welcome　to　the　_Family_；　the　_National_；　or　any　other　of　those　patriotic　_Libraries_；　at　present　the　glory　of　British　Literature；〃　might　work　revolutions　in　Thought；　and　so　forth；in　conclusion；　intimating　not　obscurely；　that　should　the　present　Editor　feel　disposed　to　undertake　a　Biography　of　Teufelsdrockh；　he；　Hofrath　Heuschrecke；　had　it　in　his　power　to　furnish　the　requisite　Documents。

As　in　some　chemical　mixture；　that　has　stood　long　evaporating；　but　would　not　crystallize；　instantly　when　the　wire　or　other　fixed　substance　is　introduced；　crystallization　commences；　and　rapidly　proceeds　till　the　whole　is　finished；　so　was　it　with　the　Editor's　mind　and　this　offer　of　Heuschrecke's。　　Form　rose　out　of　void　solution　and　discontinuity；　like　united　itself　with　like　in　definite　arrangement：　　and　soon　either　in　actual　vision　and　possession；　or　in　fixed　reasonable　hope；　the　image　of　the　whole　Enterprise　had　shaped　itself；　so　to　speak；　into　a　solid　mass。　　Cautiously　yet　courageously；　through　the　twopenny　post；　application　to　the　famed　redoubtable　OLIVER　YORKE　was　now　made：　　an　interview；　interviews　with　that　singular　man　have　taken　place；　with　more　of　assurance　on　our　side；　with　less　of　satire　（at　least　of　open　satire）　on　his；　than　we　anticipated；　for　the　rest；　with　such　issue　as　is　now　visible。　　As　to　those　same　〃patriotic　_Libraries_；〃　the　Hofrath's　counsel　could　only　be　viewed　with　silent　amazement；　but　with　his　offer　of　Documents　we　joyfully　and　almost　instantaneously　closed。　　Thus；　too；　in　the　sure　expectation　of　these；　we　already　see　our　task　begun；　and　this　our　_Sartor　Resartus_；　which　is　properly　a　〃Life　and　Opinions　of　Herr　Teufelsdrockh；〃　hourly　advancing。


Of　our　fitness　for　the　Enterprise；　to　which　we　have　such　title　and　vocation；　it　were　perhaps　uninteresting　to　say　more。　　Let　the　British　reader　study　and　enjoy；　in　simplicity　of　heart；　what　is　here　presented　him；　and　with　whatever　metaphysical　acumen　and　talent　for　meditation　he　is　possessed　of。　　Let　him　strive　to　keep　a　free；　open　sense；　cleared　from　the　mists　of　prejudice；　above　all　from　the　paralysis　of　cant；　and　directed　rather　to　the　Book　itself　than　to　the　Editor　of　the　Book。　　Who　or　what　such　Editor　may　be；　must　remain　conjectural；　and　even　insignificant：*　it　is　a　voice　publishing　tidings　of　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes；　undoubtedly　a　Spirit　addressing　Spirits：　　whoso　hath　ears；　let　him　hear。

*With　us　even　he　still　communicates　in　some　sort　of　mask；　or　muffler；　and；　we　have　reason　to　think；　under　a　feigned　name！O。　Y。

On　one　other　point　the　Editor　thinks　it　needful　to　give　warning：　　namely；　that　he　is　animated　with　a　true　though　perhaps　a　feeble　attachment　to　the　Institutions　of　our　Ancestors；　and　minded　to　defend　these；　according　to　ability；　at　all　hazards；　nay；　it　was　partly　with　a　view　to　such　defence　that　he　engaged　in　this　undertaking。　　To　stem；　or　if　that　be　impossible；　profitably　to　divert　the　current　of　Innovation；　such　a　Volume　as　Teufelsdrockh's；　if　cunningly　planted　down；　were　no　despicable　pile；　or　floodgate；　in　the　logical　wear。

For　the　rest；　be　it　nowise　app