Be it remembered, however, that such purport is here not so much evolved, as detected to lie ready for evolving. We are to guide our British Friends into the new Gold-country, and show them the mines; nowise to dig out and exhaust its wealth, which indeed remains15 for all time inexhaustible. Once there, let each dig for his own behoof, and enrich himself.
Neither, in so capricious inexpressible a Work as this of the Professor’s, can our course now more than formerly16 be straightforward17, step by step, but at best leap by leap. Significant Indications stand out here and there; which for the critical eye, that looks both widely and narrowly, shape themselves into some ground-scheme of a Whole: to select these with judgment18, so that a leap from one to the other be possible, and (in our old figure) by chaining them together, a passable Bridge be effected: this, as heretofore, continues our only method. Among such light-spots, the following, floating in much wild matter about Perfectibility, has seemed worth clutching at:—
“Perhaps the most remarkable19 incident in Modern History,” says Teufelsdrockh, “is not the Diet of Worms, still less the Battle of Austerlitz, Waterloo, Peterloo, or any other Battle; but an incident passed carelessly over by most Historians, and treated with some degree of ridicule20 by others: namely, George Fox’s making to himself a suit of Leather. This man, the first of the Quakers, and by trade a Shoemaker, was one of those, to whom, under ruder or purer form, the Divine Idea of the Universe is pleased to manifest itself; and, across all the hulls21 of Ignorance and earthly Degradation23, shine through, in unspeakable Awfulness, unspeakable Beauty, on their souls: who therefore are rightly accounted Prophets, God-possessed; or even Gods, as in some periods it has chanced. Sitting in his stall; working on tanned hides, amid pincers, paste-horns, rosin, swine-bristles, and a nameless flood of rubbish, this youth had, nevertheless, a Living Spirit belonging to him; also an antique Inspired Volume, through which, as through a window, it could look upwards24, and discern its celestial Home. The task of a daily pair of shoes, coupled even with some prospect25 of victuals26, and an honorable Mastership in Cordwainery, and perhaps the post of Thirdborough in his hundred, as the crown of long faithful sewing, — was nowise satisfaction enough to such a mind: but ever amid the boring and hammering came tones from that far country, came Splendors27 and Terrors; for this poor Cordwainer, as we said, was a Man; and the Temple of Immensity, wherein as Man he had been sent to minister, was full of holy mystery to him.
“The Clergy28 of the neighborhood, the ordained29 Watchers and Interpreters of that same holy mystery, listened with un-affected tedium30 to his consultations31, and advised him, as the solution of such doubts, to ‘drink beer, and dance with the girls.’ Blind leaders of the blind! For what end were their tithes32 levied33 and eaten; for what were their shovel-hats scooped34 out, and their surplices and cassock-aprons girt on; and such a church-repairing, and chaffering, and organing, and other racketing, held over that spot of God’s Earth, — if Man were but a Patent Digester, and the Belly35 with its adjuncts the grand Reality? Fox turned from them, with tears and a sacred scorn, back to his Leather-parings and his Bible. Mountains of encumbrance36, higher than AEtna, had been heaped over that Spirit: but it was a Spirit, and would not lie buried there. Through long days and nights of silent agony, it struggled and wrestled37, with a man’s force, to be free: how its prison-mountains heaved and swayed tumultuously, as the giant spirit shook them to this hand and that, and emerged into the light of Heaven! That Leicester shoe-shop, had men known it, was a holier place than any Vatican or Loretto-shrine. — ‘So bandaged, and hampered38, and hemmed39 in,’ groaned40 he, ‘with thousand requisitions, obligations, straps41, tatters, and tagrags, I can neither see nor move: not my own am I, but the World’s; and Time flies fast, and Heaven is high, and Hell is deep: Man! bethink thee, if thou hast power of Thought! Why not; what binds42 me here? Want, want! — Ha, of what? Will all the shoe-wages under the Moon ferry me across into that far Land of Light? Only Meditation43 can, and devout44 Prayer to God. I will to the woods: the hollow of a tree will lodge45 me, wild berries feed me; and for Clothes, cannot I stitch myself one perennial46 suit of Leather!’
“Historical Oil-painting,” continues Teufelsdrockh, “is one of the Arts I never practiced; therefore shall I not decide whether this subject were easy of execution on the canvas. Yet often has it seemed to me as if such first outflashing of man’s Freewill, to lighten, more and more into Day, the Chaotic47 Night that threatened to engulf48 him in its hindrances49 and its horrors, were properly the only grandeur50 there is in History. Let some living Angelo or Rosa, with seeing eye and understanding heart, picture George Fox on that morning, when he spreads out his cutting-board for the last time, and cuts cowhides by unwonted patterns, and stitches them together into one continuous all-including Case, the farewell service of his awl51! Stitch away, thou noble Fox: every prick52 of that little instrument is pricking53 into the heart of Slavery, and World-worship, and the Mammon-god. Thy elbows jerk, as in strong swimmer-strokes, and every stroke is bearing thee across the Prison-ditch, within which Vanity holds her Workhouse and Ragfair, into lands of true Liberty; were the work done, there is in broad Europe one Free Man, and thou art he!
“Thus from the lowest depth there is a path to the loftiest height; and for the Poor also a Gospel has been published. Surely if, as D’Alembert asserts, my illustrious namesake, Diogenes, was the greatest man of Antiquity54, only that he wanted Decency55, then by stronger reason is George Fox the greatest of the Moderns, and greater than Diogenes himself: for he too stands on the adamantine basis of his Manhood, casting aside all props56 and shoars; yet not, in half-savage Pride, undervaluing the Earth; valuing it rather, as a place to yield him warmth and food, he looks Heavenward from his Earth, and dwells in an element of Mercy and Worship, with a still Strength, such as the Cynic’s Tub did nowise witness. Great, truly, was that Tub; a temple from which man’s dignity and divinity was scornfully preached abroad: but greater is the Leather Hull22, for the same sermon was preached there, and not in Scorn but in Love.”
George Fox’s “perennial suit,” with all that it held, has been worn quite into ashes for nigh two centuries: why, in a discussion on the Perfectibility of Society, reproduce it now? Not out of blind sectarian partisanship57: Teufelsdrockh, himself is no Quaker; with all his pacific tendencies, did not we see him, in that scene at the North Cape58, with the Archangel Smuggler59, exhibit fire-arms?
For us, aware of his deep Sansculottism, there is more meant in this passage than meets the ear. At the same time, who can avoid smiling at the earnestness and Boeotian simplicity60 (if indeed there be not an underhand satire61 in it), with which that “Incident” is here brought forward; and, in the Professor’s ambiguous way, as clearly perhaps as he durst in Weissnichtwo, recommended to imitation! Does Teufelsdrockh anticipate that, in this age of refinement62, any considerable class of the community, by way of testifying against the “Mammon-god,” and escaping from what he calls “Vanity’s Workhouse and Ragfair,” where doubtless some of them are toiled63 and whipped and hoodwinked sufficiently64, — will sheathe65 themselves in close-fitting cases of Leather? The idea is ridiculous in the extreme. Will Majesty66 lay aside its robes of state, and Beauty its frills and train-gowns, for a second skin of tanned hide? By which change Huddersfield and Manchester, and Coventry and Paisley, and the Fancy–Bazaar, were reduced to hungry solitudes67; and only Day and Martin could profit. For neither would Teufelsdrockh’s mad daydream68, here as we presume covertly69 intended, of levelling Society (levelling it indeed with a vengeance70, into one huge drowned marsh71!), and so attaining72 the political effects of Nudity without its frigorific or other consequences, — be thereby realized. Would not the rich man purchase a waterproof73 suit of Russia Leather; and the high-born Belle74 step forth75 in red or azure76 morocco, lined with shamoy: the black cowhide being left to the Drudges77 and Gibeonites of the world; and so all the old Distinctions be re-established?
Or has the Professor his own deeper intention; and laughs in his sleeve at our strictures and glosses78, which indeed are but a part thereof?
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1 perverse | |
adj.刚愎的;坚持错误的,行为反常的 | |
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2 phenomena | |
n.现象 | |
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3 celestial | |
adj.天体的;天上的 | |
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4 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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5 mire | |
n.泥沼,泥泞;v.使...陷于泥泞,使...陷入困境 | |
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6 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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7 platonic | |
adj.精神的;柏拉图(哲学)的 | |
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8 rending | |
v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 );分裂;(因愤怒、痛苦等而)揪扯(衣服或头发等);(声音等)刺破 | |
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9 civilized | |
a.有教养的,文雅的 | |
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10 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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11 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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12 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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13 gist | |
n.要旨;梗概 | |
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14 purport | |
n.意义,要旨,大要;v.意味著,做为...要旨,要领是... | |
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15 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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16 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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17 straightforward | |
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的 | |
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18 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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19 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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20 ridicule | |
v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄 | |
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21 hulls | |
船体( hull的名词复数 ); 船身; 外壳; 豆荚 | |
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22 hull | |
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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23 degradation | |
n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变 | |
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24 upwards | |
adv.向上,在更高处...以上 | |
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25 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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26 victuals | |
n.食物;食品 | |
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27 splendors | |
n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 );壮丽;光辉;显赫 | |
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28 clergy | |
n.[总称]牧师,神职人员 | |
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29 ordained | |
v.任命(某人)为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 );授予(某人)圣职;(上帝、法律等)命令;判定 | |
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30 tedium | |
n.单调;烦闷 | |
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31 consultations | |
n.磋商(会议)( consultation的名词复数 );商讨会;协商会;查找 | |
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32 tithes | |
n.(宗教捐税)什一税,什一的教区税,小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
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33 levied | |
征(兵)( levy的过去式和过去分词 ); 索取; 发动(战争); 征税 | |
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34 scooped | |
v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 );(敏捷地)抱起;抢先获得;用铲[勺]等挖(洞等) | |
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35 belly | |
n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛 | |
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36 encumbrance | |
n.妨碍物,累赘 | |
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37 wrestled | |
v.(与某人)搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 );扭成一团;扭打;(与…)摔跤 | |
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38 hampered | |
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39 hemmed | |
缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 ); 包围 | |
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40 groaned | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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41 straps | |
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带 | |
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42 binds | |
v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 );装订;捆绑;(用长布条)缠绕 | |
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43 meditation | |
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录 | |
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44 devout | |
adj.虔诚的,虔敬的,衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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45 lodge | |
v.临时住宿,寄宿,寄存,容纳;n.传达室,小旅馆 | |
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46 perennial | |
adj.终年的;长久的 | |
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47 chaotic | |
adj.混沌的,一片混乱的,一团糟的 | |
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48 engulf | |
vt.吞没,吞食 | |
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49 hindrances | |
阻碍者( hindrance的名词复数 ); 障碍物; 受到妨碍的状态 | |
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50 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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51 awl | |
n.尖钻 | |
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52 prick | |
v.刺伤,刺痛,刺孔;n.刺伤,刺痛 | |
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53 pricking | |
刺,刺痕,刺痛感 | |
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54 antiquity | |
n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹 | |
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55 decency | |
n.体面,得体,合宜,正派,庄重 | |
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56 props | |
小道具; 支柱( prop的名词复数 ); 支持者; 道具; (橄榄球中的)支柱前锋 | |
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57 Partisanship | |
n. 党派性, 党派偏见 | |
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58 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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59 smuggler | |
n.走私者 | |
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60 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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61 satire | |
n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品 | |
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62 refinement | |
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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63 toiled | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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64 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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65 sheathe | |
v.(将刀剑)插入鞘;包,覆盖 | |
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66 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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67 solitudes | |
n.独居( solitude的名词复数 );孤独;荒僻的地方;人迹罕至的地方 | |
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68 daydream | |
v.做白日梦,幻想 | |
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69 covertly | |
adv.偷偷摸摸地 | |
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70 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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71 marsh | |
n.沼泽,湿地 | |
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72 attaining | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的现在分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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73 waterproof | |
n.防水材料;adj.防水的;v.使...能防水 | |
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74 belle | |
n.靓女 | |
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75 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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76 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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77 drudges | |
n.做苦工的人,劳碌的人( drudge的名词复数 ) | |
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78 glosses | |
n.(页末或书后的)注释( gloss的名词复数 );(表面的)光滑;虚假的外表;用以产生光泽的物质v.注解( gloss的第三人称单数 );掩饰(错误);粉饰;把…搪塞过去 | |
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