sartor resartus-第40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！


Palladium。〃　　Does　Teufelsdrockh　mean；　then；　to　give　himself　out　as　the　originator　of　that　so　notable　_Eigenthums…conservirende_　（〃Owndom…conserving〃）　_Gesellschaft_；　and　if　so；　what；　in　the　Devil's　name；　is　it？　　He　again　hints：　　〃At　a　time　when　the　divine　Commandment；　_Thou　shalt　not　steal_；　wherein　truly；　if　well　understood；　is　comprised　the　whole　Hebrew　Decalogue；　with　Solon's　and　Lycurgrus's　Constitutions；　Justinian's　Pandects；　the　Code　Napoleon；　and　all　Codes；　Catechisms；　Divinities；　Moralities　whatsoever；　that　man　has　hitherto　devised　（and　enforced　with　Altar…fire　and　Gallows…ropes）　for　his　social　guidance：　　at　a　time；　I　say；　when　this　divine　Commandment　has　all　but　faded　away　from　the　general　remembrance；　and；　with　little　disguise；　a　new　opposite　Commandment；　_Thou　shalt　steal_；　is　everywhere　promulgated；it　perhaps　behooved；　in　this　universal　dotage　and　deliration；　the　sound　portion　of　mankind　to　bestir　themselves　and　rally。　　When　the　widest　and　wildest　violations　of　that　divine　right　of　Property；　the　only　divine　right　now　extant　or　conceivable；　are　sanctioned　and　recommended　by　a　vicious　Press；　and　the　world　has　lived　to　hear　it　asserted　that　_we　have　no　Property　in　our　very　Bodies；　but　only　an　accidental　Possession　and　Life…rent_；　what　is　the　issue　to　be　looked　for？　　Hangmen　and　Catchpoles　may；　by　their　noose…gins　and　baited　fall…traps；　keep　down　the　smaller　sort　of　vermin；　but　what；　except　perhaps　some　such　Universal　Association；　can　protect　us　against　whole　meat…devouring　and　man…devouring　hosts　of　Boa…constrictors。　　If；　therefore；　the　more　sequestered　Thinker　have　wondered；　in　his　privacy；　from　what　hand　that　perhaps　not　ill…written　_Program_　in　the　Public　Journals；　with　its　high　_Prize…Questions_　and　so　liberal　_Prizes_；　could　have　proceeded；let　him　now　cease　such　wonder；　and；　with　undivided　faculty；　betake　himself　to　the　_Concurrenz_　（Competition）。〃

We　ask：　　Has　this　same　〃perhaps　not　ill…written　_Program_；〃　or　any　other　authentic　Transaction　of　that　Property…conserving　Society；　fallen　under　the　eye　of　the　British　Reader；　in　any　Journal　foreign　or　domestic？　　If　so；　what　are　those　_Prize…Questions_；　what　are　the　terms　of　Competition；　and　when　and　where？　　No　printed　Newspaper…leaf；　no　farther　light　of　any　sort；　to　be　met　with　in　these　Paper…bags！　　Or　is　the　whole　business　one　other　of　those　whimsicalities　and　perverse　inexplicabilities；　whereby　Herr　Teufelsdrockh；　meaning　much　or　nothing；　is　pleased　so　often　to　play　fast…and…loose　with　us？


Here；　indeed；　at　length；　must　the　Editor　give　utterance　to　a　painful　suspicion；　which；　through　late　Chapters；　has　begun　to　haunt　him；　paralyzing　any　little　enthusiasm　that　might　still　have　rendered　his　thorny　Biographical　task　a　labor　of　love。　　It　is　a　suspicion　grounded　perhaps　on　trifles；　yet　confirmed　almost　into　certainty　by　the　more　and　more　discernible　humoristico…satirical　tendency　of　Teufelsdrockh；　in　whom　underground　humors　and　intricate　sardonic　rogueries；　wheel　within　wheel；　defy　all　reckoning：　　a　suspicion；　in　one　word；　that　these　Autobiographical　Documents　are　partly　a　mystification！　　What　if　many　a　so…called　Fact　were　little　better　than　a　Fiction；　if　here　we　had　no　direct　Camera…obscura　Picture　of　the　Professor's　History；　but　only　some　more　or　less　fantastic　Adumbration；　symbolically；　perhaps　significantly　enough；　shadowing　forth　the　same！　　Our　theory　begins　to　be　that；　in　receiving　as　literally　authentic　what　was　but　hieroglyphically　so；　Hofrath　Heuschrecke；　whom　in　that　case　we　scruple　not　to　name　Hofrath　Nose…of…Wax；　was　made　a　fool　of；　and　set　adrift　to　make　fools　of　others。　　Could　it　be　expected；　indeed；　that　a　man　so　known　for　impenetrable　reticence　as　Teufelsdrockh　would　all　at　once　frankly　unlock　his　private　citadel　to　an　English　Editor　and　a　German　Hofrath；　and　not　rather　deceptively　_in_lock　both　Editor　and　Hofrath　in　the　labyrinthic　tortuosities　and　covered…ways　of　said　citadel　（having　enticed　them　thither）；　to　see；　in　his　half…devilish　way；　how　the　fools　would　look？

Of　one　fool；　however；　the　Herr　Professor　will　perhaps　find　himself　short。　On　a　small　slip；　formerly　thrown　aside　as　blank；　the　ink　being　all　but　invisible；　we　lately　noticed；　and　with　effort　decipher；　the　following：　〃What　are　your　historical　Facts；　still　more　your　biographical？　　Wilt　thou　know　a　Man；　above　all　a　Mankind；　by　stringing　together　bead…rolls　of　what　thou　namest　Facts？　　The　Man　is　the　spirit　he　worked　in；　not　what　he　did；　but　what　he　became。　　Facts　are　engraved　Hierograms；　for　which　the　fewest　have　the　key。　　And　then　how　your　Blockhead　（_Dummkopf_）　studies　not　their　Meaning；　but　simply　whether　they　are　well　or　ill　cut；　what　he　calls　Moral　or　Immoral！　　Still　worse　is　it　with　your　Bungler　（_Pfuscher_）：　　such　I　have　seen　reading　some　Rousseau；　with　pretences　of　interpretation；　and　mistaking　the　ill…cut　Serpent…of…Eternity　for　a　common　poisonous　reptile。〃　　Was　the　Professor　apprehensive　lest　an　Editor；　selected　as　the　present　boasts　himself；　might　mistake　the　Teufelsdrockh　Serpent…of…Eternity　in　like　manner？　　For　which　reason　it　was　to　be　altered；　not　without　underhand　satire；　into　a　plainer　Symbol？　　Or　is　this　merely　one　of　his　half…sophisms；　half…truisms；　which　if　he　can　but　set　on　the　back　of　a　Figure；　he　cares　not　whither　it　gallop？　　We　say　not　with　certainty；　and　indeed；　so　strange　is　the　Professor；　can　never　say。　　If　our　suspicion　be　wholly　unfounded；　let　his　own　questionable　ways；　not　our　necessary　circumspectness　bear　the　blame。

But　be　this　as　it　will；　the　somewhat　exasperated　and　indeed　exhausted　Editor　determines　here　to　shut　these　Paper…bags　for　the　present。　　Let　it　suffice　that　we　know　of　Teufelsdrockh；　so　far；　if　〃not　what　he　did；　yet　what　he　became：〃　　the　rather；　as　his　character　has　now　taken　its　ultimate　bent；　and　no　new　revolution；　of　importance；　is　to　be　looked　for。　　The　imprisoned　Chrysalis　is　now　a　winged　Psyche：　　and　such；　wheresoever　be　its　flight；　it　will　continue。　　To　trace　by　what　complex　gyrations　（flights　or　involuntary　waftings）　through　the　mere　external　Life…element；　Teufelsdrockh；　reaches　his　University　Professorship；　and　the　Psyche　clothes　herself　in　civic　Titles；　without　altering　her　now　fixed　nature；would　be　comparatively　an　unproductive　task；　were　we　even　unsuspicious　of　its　being；　for　us　at　least；　a　false　and　impossible　one。　　His　outward　Biography；　therefore；　which；　at　the　Blumine　Lover's…Leap；　we　saw　churned　utterly　into　spray…vapor；　may　hover　in　that　condition；　for　aught　that　concerns　us　here。　Enough　that　by　survey　of　certain　〃pools　and　plashes；〃　we　have　ascertained　its　general　direction；　do　we　not　already　know　that；　by　one　way　and　other；　it　_has_　long　since　rained　down　again　into　a　stream；　and　even　now；　at　Weissnichtwo；　flows　deep　and　still；　fraught　with　the　_Philosophy　of　Clothes_；　and　visible　to　whoso　will　cast　eye　thereon？　　Over　much　invaluable　matter；　that　lies　scattered；　like　jewels　among　quarry…rubbish；　in　those　Paper…catacombs；　we　may　have　occasion　to　glance　back；　and　somewhat　will　demand　insertion　at　the　right　place：　　meanwhile　be　our　tiresome　diggings　therein　suspended。

If　now；　before　reopening　the　great　_Clothes…Volume_；　we　ask　what　our　degree　of　progress；　during　these　Ten　Chapters；　has　been；　towards　right　understanding　of　the　_Clothes…Philosophy_；　let　not　our　discouragement　become　total。　　To　speak　in　that　old　figure　of　the　Hell…gate　Bridge　over　Chaos；　a　few　flying　pontoons　have　perhaps　been　added；　though　as　yet　they　drift　straggling　on　the　Flood；　how　far　they　will　reach；　when　once　the　chains　are　straightened　and　fastened；　can；　at　present；　only　be　matter　of　conjecture。

So　much　we　already　calculate：　　Through　many　a　little　loophole；　we　have　had　glimpses　into　the　internal　world　of　Teufelsdrockh；　his　strange　mystic；　almost　magic　Diagram　of　the　Universe；　and　how　it　was　gradually　drawn；　is　not　henceforth　altogether　dark　to　us。　　Those　mysterious　ideas　on　TIME；　which　merit　consideration；　and　are　not　wholly　unintelligible　with　such；　may　by　and　by　prove　significant。　　Still　more　may　his　somewhat　peculiar　view　of　Nature；　the　decisive　Oneness　he　ascribes　to　Nature。　　How　all　Nature　and　Life　are　but　one　_Garment_；　a　〃Living　Garment；〃　woven　and　ever　a…weaving　in　the　〃Loom　of　Time；　〃　is　not　here；　indeed；　the　outline　of　a　whole　_Clothes…Philosop