sartor resartus-第43章

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nce　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；　under　the　title；　〃_Testimonies　of　Authors_；〃　some　straggle　of　real　documents；　which；　now　that　I　find　it　again；　sets　the　matter　into　clear　light　and　sequence：and　shall　here；　for　removal　of　idle　stumbling…blocks　and　nugatory　guessings　from　the　path　of　every　reader；　be　reprinted　as　it　stood。　　（_Author's　Note；　of_　1868。）


TESTIMONIES　OF　AUTHORS。

I。　　HIGHEST　CLASS；　BOOKSELLER'S　TASTER。

_Taster　to　Bookseller_。〃　The　Author　of　_Teufelsdrockh_　is　a　person　of　talent；　his　work　displays　here　and　there　some　felicity　of　thought　and　expression；　considerable　fancy　and　knowledge：　　but　whether　or　not　it　would　take　with　the　public　seems　doubtful。　　For　a　_jeu　d'esprit_　of　that　kind　it　is　too　long；　it　would　have　suited　better　as　an　essay　or　article　than　as　a　volume。　　The　Author　has　no　great　tact；　his　wit　is　frequently　heavy；　and　reminds　one　of　the　German　Baron　who　took　to　leaping　on　tables　and　answered　that　he　was　learning　to　be　lively。　　_Is_　the　work　a　translation？〃

_Bookseller　to　Editor_。〃Allow　me　to　say　that　such　a　writer　requires　only　a　little　more　tact　to　produce　a　popular　as　well　as　an　able　work。　　Directly　on　receiving　your　permission；　I　sent　your　MS。　to　a　gentleman　in　the　highest　class　of　men　of　letters；　and　an　accomplished　German　scholar：　　I　now　enclose　you　his　opinion；　which；　you　may　rely　upon　it；　is　a　just　one；　and　I　have　too　high　an　opinion　of　your　good　sense　to〃　&c。　&c。_Ms。　　（penes　nos）；　London；　17th　September_；　1831。


II。　　CRITIC　OF　THE　SUN。

〃_Fraser's　Magazine_　exhibits　the　usual　brilliancy；　and　also　the〃　&c。

〃_Sartor　Resartus_　is　what　old　Dennis　used　to　call　'a　heap　of　clotted　nonsense；'　mixed　however；　here　and　there；　with　passages　marked　by　thought　and　striking　poetic　vigor。　　But　what　does　the　writer　mean　by　'Baphometic　fire…baptism'？　　Why　cannot　he　lay　aside　his　pedantry；　and　write　so　as　to　make　himself　generally　intelligible？　　We　quote　by　way　of　curiosity　a　sentence　from　the　_Sartor　Resartus_；　which　may　be　read　either　backwards　or　forwards；　for　it　is　equally　intelligible　either　way：　　indeed；　by　beginning　at　the　tail；　and　so　working　up　to　the　head；　we　think　the　reader　will　stand　the　fairest　chance　of　getting　at　its　meaning：　　'The　fire…baptized　soul；　long　so　scathed　and　thunder…riven；　here　feels　its　own　freedom；　which　feeling　is　its　Baphometic　baptism：　　the　citadel　of　its　whole　kingdom　it　has　thus　gained　by　assault；　and　will　keep　inexpugnable；　outwards　from　which　the　remaining　dominions；　not　indeed　without　hard　battering；　will　doubtless　by　degrees　be　conquered　and　pacificated。'　　Here　is　a〃。。。_Sun　Newspaper；　1st　April_；　1834。


III。　　NORTHAMERICAN　REVIEWER。

。。。　〃After　a　careful　survey　of　the　whole　ground；　our　belief　is　that　no　such　persons　as　Professors　Teufelsdrockh　or　Counsellor　Heuschrecke　ever　existed；　that　the　six　Paper…bags；　with　their　China…ink　inscriptions　and　multifarious　contents；　are　a　mere　figment　of　the　brain；　that　the　'present　Editor'　is　the　only　person　who　has　ever　written　upon　the　Philosophy　of　Clothes；　and　that　the　_Sartor　Resartus_　is　the　only　treatise　that　has　yet　appeared　upon　that　subject；in　short；　that　the　whole　account　of　the　origin　of　the　work　before　us；　which　the　supposed　Editor　relates　with　so　much　gravity；　and　of　which　we　have　given　a　brief　abstract；　is；　in　plain　English；　a　_hum_。

〃Without　troubling　our　readers　at　any　great　length　with　our　reasons　for　entertaining　these　suspicions；　we　may　remark；　that　the　absence　of　all　other　information　on　the　subject；　except　what　is　contained　in　the　work；　is　itself　a　fact　of　a　most　significant　character。　　The　whole　German　press；　as　well　as　the　particular　one　where　the　work　purports　to　have　been　printed；　seems　to　be　under　the　control　of　_Stillschweigen　and　Co。　_Silence　and　Company。　　If　the　Clothes…Philosophy　and　its　author　are　making　so　great　a　sensation　throughout　Germany　as　is　pretended；　how　happens　it　that　the　only　notice　we　have　of　the　fact　is　contained　in　a　few　numbers　of　a　monthly　Magazine　published　at　London！　　How　happens　it　that　no　intelligence　about　the　matter　has　come　out　directly　to　this　country？　　We　pique　ourselves　here　in　New　England　upon　knowing　at　least　as　much　of　what　is　going　on　in　the　literary　way　in　the　old　Dutch　Mother…land　as　our　brethren　of　the　fast…anchored　Isle；　but　thus　far　we　have　no　tidings　whatever　of　the　'extensive　close…printed；　close…meditated　volume；'　which　forms　the　subject　of　this　pretended　commentary。　　Again；　we　would　respectfully　inquire　of　the　'present　Editor'　upon　what　part　of　the　map　of　Germany　we　are　to　look　for　the　city　of　_Weissnichtwo_'Know…not…where'at　which　place　the　work　is　supposed　to　have　been　printed；　and　the　Author　to　have　resided。　　It　has　been　our　fortune　to　visit　several　portions　of　the　German　territory；　and　to　examine　pretty　carefully；　at　different　times　and　for　various　purposes；　maps　of　the　whole；　but　we　have　no　recollection　of　any　such　place。　　We　suspect　that　the　city　of　_Know…not…where_　might　be　called；　with　at　least　as　much　propriety；　_Nobody…knows…where_；　and　is　to　be　found　in　the　kingdom　of　_Nowhere_。　Again；　the　village　of　_Entepfuhl_'Duck…pond'where　the　supposed　Author　of　the　work　is　said　to　have　passed　his　youth；　and　that　of　_Hinterschlag_；　where　he　had　his　education；　are　equally　foreign　to　our　geography。　Duck…ponds　enough　there　undoubtedly　are　in　almost　every　village　in　Germany；　as　the　traveller　in　that　country　knows　too　well　to　his　cost；　but　any　particular　village　denominated　Duck…pond　is　to　us　altogether　_terra　incognita_。　　The　names　of　the　personages　are　not　less　singular　than　those　of　the　places。　　Who　can　refrain　from　a　smile　at　the　yoking　together　of　such　a　pair　of　appellatives　as　Diogenes　Teufelsdrockh？　　The　supposed　bearer　of　this　strange　title　is　represented　as　admitting；　in　his　pretended　autobiography；　that　'he　had　searched　to　no　purpose　through　all　the　Heralds'　books　in　and　without　the　German　empire；　and　through　all　manner　of　Subscribers'…lists；　Militia…rolls；　and　other　Name…catalogues；'　but　had　nowhere　been　able　to　find　'the　name　Teufelsdrockh；　except　as　appended　to　his　own　person。'　　We　can　readily　believe　this；　and　we　doubt　very　much　whether　any　Christian　parent　would　think　of　condemning　a　son　to　carry　through　life　the　burden　of　so　unpleasant　a　title。　　That　of　Counsellor　Heuschrecke'Grasshopper'　though　not　offensive；　looks　much　more　like　a　piece　of　fancy…work　than　a　'fair　business　transaction。'　　The　same　may　be　said　of　_Blumine_'Flower…Goddess'the　heroine　of　the　fable；　and　so　of　the　rest。

〃In　short；　our　private　opinion　is；　as　we　have　remarked；　that　the　whole　story　of　a　correspondence　with　Germany；　a　university　of　Nobody…knows…where；　a　Professor　of　Things　in　General；　a　Counsellor　Grasshopper；　a　Flower…Goddess　Blumine；　and　so　forth；　has　about　as　much　foundation　in　truth　as　the　late　entertaining　account　of　Sir　John　Herschel's　discoveries　in　the　moon。　　Fictions　of　this　kind　are；　however；　not　uncommon；　and　ought　not；　perhaps；　to　be　condemned　with　too　much　severity；　but　we　are　not　sure　that　we　can　exercise　the　same　indulgence　in　regard　to　the　attempt；　which　seems　to　be　made　to　mislead　the　public　as　to　the　substance　of　the　work　before　us；　and　its　pretended　German　original。　　Both　purport；　as　we　have　seen；　to　be　upon　the　subject　of　Clothes；　or　dress。　　_Clothes；　their　Origin　and　Influence_；　is　the　title　of　the　supposed　German　treatise　of　Professor　Teufelsdrockh　and　the　rather　odd　name　of　_Sartor　Resartus_the　Tailor　Patchedwhich　the　present　Editor　has　affixed　to　his　pretended　commentary；　seems　to　look　the　same　way。　　But　though　there　is　a　good　deal　of　remark　throughout　the　work　in　a　half…serious；　half…comic　style　upon　dress；　it　seems　to　be　in　reality　a　treatise　upon　the　great　science　of　Things　in　General；　which　Teufelsdrockh；　is　supposed　to　have　professed　at　the　university　of　Nobody…knows…where。　　Now；　without　intending　to　adopt　a　too　rigid　standard　of　morals；　we　own　that　we　doubt　a　little　the　propriety　of　offering　to　the　public　a　treatise　on　Things　in　General；　under　the　name　and　in　the　form　of　an　Essay　on　Dress。　　For　ourselves；　advanced　as　we　unfortunately　are　in　the　journey　of　life；　far　beyond　the　period　when　dress　is　practically　a　matter　of　interest；　we　have　no　hesitation　in　saying；　that　the　real　subject　of　the　work　is　to　us　more　attractive　than　the　ostensible　one。　　But　this　is　probably　not　the　case　with　the　mass　of　readers。　　To　the　younger　portion　of　the　community；　which　constitutes　everywhere　the　very　great　majority；　the　subject　of　dress　is　one　of　intense　and　paramount　importance。　　An　author　who　treats　it　appeals；　like　the　poet；　to　the　young　men　end　maddens_virginibus　puerisque_and　calls　upon　them；　by　all　the　motives　which　habitually　operate　most　strongly　upon　their　feelings；　to　buy　his　book。　　When；　after　opening　their　purses　for　this　purpose；　they　have　carried　home　the　work　in　triumph；　expecting　to　find　in　it　some　particular　instruction　in　regard　to　the　tying　of　their　neckcloths；　or　the　cut　of　their　corsets；　and　meet　with　nothing　better　than　a　dissertation　on　Things　in　General；　they　willto　use　the　mildest　termnot　be　in　very　good　humor。　　If　the　last　improvements　in　legislation；　which　we　have　made　in　this　country；　should　have　found　their　way　to　England；　the　author；　we　think；　would　stand