sartor resartus-第58章

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；　in　a　Life　like　our　Professor's；　where　so　much　bountifully　given　by　Nature　had　in　Practice　failed　and　misgone；　Literature　also　would　never　rightly　prosper：　　that　striving　with　his　characteristic　vehemence　to　paint　this　and　the　other　Picture；　and　ever　without　success；　he　at　last　desperately　dashes　his　sponge；　full　of　all　colors；　against　the　canvas；　to　try　whether　it　will　paint　Foam？　　With　all　his　stillness；　there　were　perhaps　in　Teufelsdrockh　desperation　enough　for　this。

A　second　conjecture　we　hazard　with　even　less　warranty。　　It　is；　that　Teufelsdrockh；　is　not　without　some　touch　of　the　universal　feeling；　a　wish　to　proselytize。　　How　often　already　have　we　paused；　uncertain　whether　the　basis　of　this　so　enigmatic　nature　were　really　Stoicism　and　Despair；　or　Love　and　Hope　only　seared　into　the　figure　of　these！　　Remarkable；　moreover；　is　this　saying　of　his：　　〃How　were　Friendship　possible？　　In　mutual　devotedness　to　the　Good　and　True：　　otherwise　impossible；　except　as　Armed　Neutrality；　or　hollow　Commercial　League。　　A　man；　be　the　Heavens　ever　praised；　is　sufficient　for　himself；　yet　were　ten　men；　united　in　Love；　capable　of　being　and　of　doing　what　ten　thousand　singly　would　fail　in。　　Infinite　is　the　help　man　can　yield　to　man。〃　　And　now　in　conjunction　therewith　consider　this　other：　　〃It　is　the　Night　of　the　World；　and　still　long　till　it　be　Day：　　we　wander　amid　the　glimmer　of　smoking　ruins；　and　the　Sun　and　the　Stars　of　Heaven　are　as　if　blotted　out　for　a　season；　and　two　immeasurable　Phantoms；　HYPOCRISY　and　ATHEISM；　with　the　Ghoul；　SENSUALITY；　stalk　abroad　over　the　Earth；　and　call　it　theirs：　　well　at　ease　are　the　Sleepers　for　whom　Existence　is　a　shallow　Dream。〃

But　what　of　the　awe…struck　Wakeful　who　find　it　a　Reality？　　Should　not　these　unite；　since　even　an　authentic　Spectre　is　not　visible　to　Two？In　which　case　were　this　Enormous　Clothes…Volume　properly　an　enormous　Pitch…pan；　which　our　Teufelsdrockh　in　his　lone　watch…tower　had　kindled；　that　it　might　flame　far　and　wide　through　the　Night；　and　many　a　disconsolately　wandering　spirit　be　guided　thither　to　a　Brother's　bosom！We　say　as　before；　with　all　his　malign　Indifference；　who　knows　what　mad　Hopes　this　man　may　harbor？

Meanwhile　there　is　one　fact　to　be　stated　here；　which　harmonizes　ill　with　such　conjecture；　and；　indeed；　were　Teufelsdrockh　made　like　other　men；　might　as　good　as　altogether　subvert　it。　　Namely；　that　while　the　Beacon…fire　blazed　its　brightest；　the　Watchman　had　quitted　it；　that　no　pilgrim　could　now　ask　him：　　Watchman；　what　of　the　Night？　　Professor　Teufelsdrockh；　be　it　known；　is　no　longer　visibly　present　at　Weissnichtwo；　but　again　to　all　appearance　lost　in　space！　　Some　time　ago；　the　Hofrath　Heuschrecke　was　pleased　to　favor　us　with　another　copious　Epistle；　wherein　much　is　said　about　the　〃Population…Institute；〃　much　repeated　in　praise　of　the　Paper…bag　Documents；　the　hieroglyphic　nature　of　which　our　Hofrath　still　seems　not　to　have　surmised；　and；　lastly；　the　strangest　occurrence　communicated；　to　us　for　the　first　time；　in　the　following　paragraph：

〃_Ew。　Wohlgeboren_　will　have　seen　from　the　Public　Prints；　with　what　affectionate　and　hitherto　fruitless　solicitude　Weissnichtwo　regards　the　disappearance　of　her　Sage。　　Might　but　the　united　voice　of　Germany　prevail　on　him　to　return；　nay　could　we　but　so　much　as　elucidate　for　ourselves　by　what　mystery　he　went　away！　　But；　alas；　old　Lieschen　experiences　or　affects　the　profoundest　deafness；　the　profoundest　ignorance：　　in　the　Wahngasse　all　lies　swept；　silent；　sealed　up；　the　Privy　Council　itself　can　hitherto　elicit　no　answer。

〃It　had　been　remarked　that　while　the　agitating　news　of　those　Parisian　Three　Days　flew　from　mouth　to　month；　and　dinned　every　ear　in　Weissnichtwo；　Herr　Teufelsdrockh　was　not　known；　at　the　_Gans_　or　elsewhere；　to　have　spoken；　for　a　whole　week；　any　syllable　except　once　these　three：　　_Es　geht　an_　（It　is　beginning）。　　Shortly　after；　as　_Ew。　Wohlgeboren_　knows；　was　the　public　tranquillity　here；　as　in　Berlin；　threatened　by　a　Sedition　of　the　Tailors。　Nor　did　there　want　Evil…wishers；　or　perhaps　mere　desperate　Alarmists；　who　asserted　that　the　closing　Chapter　of　the　Clothes…Volume　was　to　blame。　　In　this　appalling　crisis；　the　serenity　of　our　Philosopher　was　indescribable：　nay；　perhaps　through　one　humble　individual；　something　thereof　might　pass　into　the　_Rath_　（Council）　itself；　and　so　contribute　to　the　country's　deliverance。　　The　Tailors　are　now　entirely　pacificated。

〃To　neither　of　these　two　incidents　can　I　attribute　our　loss：　　yet　still　comes　there　the　shadow　of　a　suspicion　out　of　Paris　and　its　Politics。　　For　example；　when　the　_Saint…Simonian　Society_　transmitted　its　Propositions　hither；　and　the　whole　_Gans_　was　one　vast　cackle　of　laughter；　lamentation　and　astonishment；　our　Sage　sat　mute；　and　at　the　end　of　the　third　evening　said　merely：　　'Here　also　are　men　who　have　discovered；　not　without　amazement；　that　Man　is　still　Man；　of　which　high；　long…forgotten　Truth　you　already　see　them　make　a　false　application。'　　Since　then；　as　has　been　ascertained　by　examination　of　the　Post…Director；　there　passed　at　least　one　Letter　with　its　Answer　between　the　Messieurs　Bazard…Enfantin　and　our　Professor　himself；　of　what　tenor　can　now　only　be　conjectured。　　On　the　fifth　night　following；　he　was　seen　for　the　last　time！

〃Has　this　invaluable　man；　so　obnoxious　to　most　of　the　hostile　Sects　that　convulse　our　Era；　been　spirited　away　by　certain　of　their　emissaries；　or　did　he　go　forth　voluntarily　to　their　head…quarters　to　confer　with　them；　and　confront　them？　　Reason　we　have；　at　least　of　a　negative　sort；　to　believe　the　Lost　still　living；　our　widowed　heart　also　whispers　that　ere　long　he　will　himself　give　a　sign。　　Otherwise；　indeed；　his　archives　must；　one　day；　be　opened　by　Authority；　where　much；　perhaps　the　_Palingenesie_　itself；　is　thought　to　be　reposited。〃


Thus　far　the　Hofrath；　who　vanishes；　as　is　his　wont；　too　like　an　Ignis　Fatuus；　leaving　the　dark　still　darker。

So　that　Teufelsdrockh's　public　History　were　not　done；　then；　or　reduced　to　an　even；　unromantic　tenor；　nay；　perhaps　the　better　part　thereof　were　only　beginning？　　We　stand　in　a　region　of　conjectures；　where　substance　has　melted　into　shadow；　and　one　cannot　be　distinguished　from　the　other。　　May　Time；　which　solves　or　suppresses　all　problems；　throw　glad　light　on　this　also！　Our　own　private　conjecture；　now　amounting　almost　to　certainty；　is　that；　safe…moored　in　some　stillest　obscurity；　not　to　lie　always　still；　Teufelsdrockh；　is　actually　in　London！

Here；　however；　can　the　present　Editor；　with　an　ambrosial　joy　as　of　over…weariness　falling　into　sleep；　lay　down　his　pen。　　Well　does　he　know；　if　human　testimony　be　worth　aught；　that　to　innumerable　British　readers　likewise；　this　is　a　satisfying　consummation；　that　innumerable　British　readers　consider　him；　during　these　current　months；　but　as　an　uneasy　interruption　to　their　ways　of　thought　and　digestion；　and　indicate　so　much；　not　without　a　certain　irritancy　and　even　spoken　invective。　　For　which；　as　for　other　mercies；　ought　not　he　to　thank　the　Upper　Powers？　　To　one　and　all　of　you；　O　irritated　readers；　he；　with　outstretched　arms　and　open　heart；　will　wave　a　kind　farewell。　　Thou　too；　miraculous　Entity；　who　namest　thyself　YORKE　and　OLIVER；　and　with　thy　vivacities　and　genialities；　with　thy　all　too　Irish　mirth　and　madness；　and　odor　of　palled　punch；　makest　such　strange　work；　farewell；　long　as　thou　canst；　_fare…well_！　　Have　we　not；　in　the　course　of　Eternity；　travelled　some　months　of　our　Life…journey　in　partial　sight　of　one　another；　have　we　not　existed　together；　though　in　a　state　of　quarrel？


APPENDIX。

This　questionable　little　Book　was　undoubtedly　written　among　the　mountain　solitudes；　in　1831；　but；　owing　to　impediments　natural　and　accidental；　could　not；　for　seven　years　more；　appear　as　a　Volume　in　England；and　had　at　last　to　clip　itself　in　pieces；　and　be　content　to　struggle　out；　bit　by　bit；　in　some　courageous　_Magazine_　that　offered。　　Whereby　now；　to　certain　idly　curious　readers；　and　even　to　myself　till　I　make　study；　the　insignificant　but　at　last　irritating　question；　What　its　real　history　and　chronology　are；　is；　if　not　insoluble；　considerably　involved　in　haze。

To　the　first　English　Edition；　1838；　which　an　American；　or　two　American　had　now　opened　the　way　for；　there　was　slightingly　prefixed；