memories and portraits- 第7部分

was　not　the　most　efficient　part　of　my　training。　　Good　though　it　

was；　it　only　taught　me　（so　far　as　I　have　learned　them　at　all）　the　

lower　and　less　intellectual　elements　of　the　art；　the　choice　of　the　

essential　note　and　the　right　word：　things　that　to　a　happier　

constitution　had　perhaps　come　by　nature。　　And　regarded　as　training；　

it　had　one　grave　defect；　for　it　set　me　no　standard　of　achievement。　　

So　that　there　was　perhaps　more　profit；　as　there　was　certainly　more　

effort；　in　my　secret　labours　at　home。　　Whenever　I　read　a　book　or　a　

passage　that　particularly　pleased　me；　in　which　a　thing　was　said　or　

an　effect　rendered　with　propriety；　in　which　there　was　either　some　

conspicuous　force　or　some　happy　distinction　in　the　style；　I　must　

sit　down　at　once　and　set　myself　to　ape　that　quality。　　I　was　

unsuccessful；　and　I　knew　it；　and　tried　again；　and　was　again　

unsuccessful　and　always　unsuccessful；　but　at　least　in　these　vain　

bouts；　I　got　some　practice　in　rhythm；　in　harmony；　in　construction　

and　the　co…ordination　of　parts。　　I　have　thus　played　the　sedulous　

ape　to　Hazlitt；　to　Lamb；　to　Wordsworth；　to　Sir　Thomas　Browne；　to　

Defoe；　to　Hawthorne；　to　Montaigne；　to　Baudelaire　and　to　Obermann。　　

I　remember　one　of　these　monkey　tricks；　which　was　called　THE　VANITY　

OF　MORALS：　it　was　to　have　had　a　second　part；　THE　VANITY　OF　

KNOWLEDGE；　and　as　I　had　neither　morality　nor　scholarship；　the　names　

were　apt；　but　the　second　part　was　never　attempted；　and　the　first　

part　was　written　（which　is　my　reason　for　recalling　it；　ghost…like；　

from　its　ashes）　no　less　than　three　times：　first　in　the　manner　of　

Hazlitt；　second　in　the　manner　of　Ruskin；　who　had　cast　on　me　a　

passing　spell；　and　third；　in　a　laborious　pasticcio　of　Sir　Thomas　

Browne。　　So　with　my　other　works：　CAIN；　an　epic；　was　（save　the　

mark！）　an　imitation　of　SORDELLO：　ROBIN　HOOD；　a　tale　in　verse；　took　

an　eclectic　middle　course　among　the　fields　of　Keats；　Chaucer　and　

Morris：　in　MONMOUTH；　a　tragedy；　I　reclined　on　the　bosom　of　Mr。　

Swinburne；　in　my　innumerable　gouty…footed　lyrics；　I　followed　many　

masters；　in　the　first　draft　of　THE　KING'S　PARDON；　a　tragedy；　I　was　

on　the　trail　of　no　lesser　man　than　John　Webster；　in　the　second　

draft　of　the　same　piece；　with　staggering　versatility；　I　had　shifted　

my　allegiance　to　Congreve；　and　of　course　conceived　my　fable　in　a　

less　serious　vein　…　for　it　was　not　Congreve's　verse；　it　was　his　

exquisite　prose；　that　I　admired　and　sought　to　copy。　　Even　at　the　

age　of　thirteen　I　had　tried　to　do　justice　to　the　inhabitants　of　the　

famous　city　of　Peebles　in　the　style　of　the　BOOK　OF　SNOBS。　　So　I　

might　go　on　for　ever；　through　all　my　abortive　novels；　and　down　to　

my　later　plays；　of　which　I　think　more　tenderly；　for　they　were　not　

only　conceived　at　first　under　the　bracing　influence　of　old　Dumas；　

but　have　met　with　resurrection：　one；　strangely　bettered　by　another　

hand；　came　on　the　stage　itself　and　was　played　by　bodily　actors；　the　

other；　originally　known　as　SEMIRAMIS：　A　TRAGEDY；　I　have　observed　on　

bookstalls　under　the　ALIAS　of　Prince　Otto。　　But　enough　has　been　

said　to　show　by　what　arts　of　impersonation；　and　in　what　purely　

ventriloquial　efforts　I　first　saw　my　words　on　paper。



That；　like　it　or　not；　is　the　way　to　learn　to　write　whether　I　have　

profited　or　not；　that　is　the　way。　　It　was　so　Keats　learned；　and　

there　was　never　a　finer　temperament　for　literature　than　Keats's；　it　

was　so；　if　we　could　trace　it　out；　that　all　men　have　learned；　and　

that　is　why　a　revival　of　letters　is　always　accompanied　or　heralded　

by　a　cast　back　to　earlier　and　fresher　models。　　Perhaps　I　hear　some　

one　cry　out：　But　this　is　not　the　way　to　be　original！　　It　is　not；　

nor　is　there　any　way　but　to　be　born　so。　　Nor　yet；　if　you　are　born　

original；　is　there　anything　in　this　training　that　shall　clip　the　

wings　of　your　originality。　　There　can　be　none　more　original　than　

Montaigne；　neither　could　any　be　more　unlike　Cicero；　yet　no　

craftsman　can　fail　to　see　how　much　the　one　must　have　tried　in　his　

time　to　imitate　the　other。　　Burns　is　the　very　type　of　a　prime　force　

in　letters：　he　was　of　all　men　the　most　imitative。　　Shakespeare　

himself；　the　imperial；　proceeds　directly　from　a　school。　　It　is　only　

from　a　school　that　we　can　expect　to　have　good　writers；　it　is　almost　

invariably　from　a　school　that　great　writers；　these　lawless　

exceptions；　issue。　　Nor　is　there　anything　here　that　should　astonish　

the　considerate。　　Before　he　can　tell　what　cadences　he　truly　

prefers；　the　student　should　have　tried　all　that　are　possible；　

before　he　can　choose　and　preserve　a　fitting　key　of　words；　he　should　

long　have　practised　the　literary　scales；　and　it　is　only　after　years　

of　such　gymnastic　that　he　can　sit　down　at　last；　legions　of　words　

swarming　to　his　call；　dozens　of　turns　of　phrase　simultaneously　

bidding　for　his　choice；　and　he　himself　knowing　what　he　wants　to　do　

and　（within　the　narrow　limit　of　a　man's　ability）　able　to　do　it。



And　it　is　the　great　point　of　these　imitations　that　there　still　

shines　beyond　the　student's　reach　his　inimitable　model。　　Let　him　

try　as　he　please；　he　is　still　sure　of　failure；　and　it　is　a　very　old　

and　a　very　true　saying　that　failure　is　the　only　highroad　to　

success。　　I　must　have　had　some　disposition　to　learn；　for　I　clear…

sightedly　condemned　my　own　performances。　　I　liked　doing　them　

indeed；　but　when　they　were　done；　I　could　see　they　were　rubbish。　　In　

consequence；　I　very　rarely　showed　them　even　to　my　friends；　and　such　

friends　as　I　chose　to　be　my　confidants　I　must　have　chosen　well；　for　

they　had　the　friendliness　to　be　quite　plain　with　me；　〃Padding；〃　

said　one。　　Another　wrote：　〃I　cannot　understand　why　you　do　lyrics　so　

badly。〃　　No　more　could　I！　　Thrice　I　put　myself　in　the　way　of　a　more　

authoritative　rebuff；　by　sending　a　paper　to　a　magazine。　　These　were　

returned；　and　I　was　not　surprised　nor　even　pained。　　If　they　had　not　

been　looked　at；　as　（like　all　amateurs）　I　suspected　was　the　case；　

there　was　no　good　in　repeating　the　experiment；　if　they　had　been　

looked　at　…　well；　then　I　had　not　yet　learned　to　write；　and　I　must　

keep　on　learning　and　living。　　Lastly；　I　had　a　piece　of　good　fortune　

which　is　the　occasion　of　this　paper；　and　by　which　I　was　able　to　see　

my　literature　in　print；　and　to　measure　experimentally　how　far　I　

stood　from　the　favour　of　the　public。





II





The　Speculative　Society　is　a　body　of　some　antiquity；　and　has　

counted　among　its　members　Scott；　Brougham；　Jeffrey；　Horner；　

Benjamin　Constant；　Robert　Emmet；　and　many　a　legal　and　local　

celebrity　besides。　　By　an　accident；　variously　explained；　it　has　its　

rooms　in　the　very　buildings　of　the　University　of　Edinburgh：　a　hall；　

Turkey…carpeted；　hung　with　pictures；　looking；　when　lighted　up　at　

night　with　fire　and　candle；　like　some　goodly　dining…room；　a　

passage…like　library；　walled　with　books　in　their　wire　cages；　and　a　

corridor　with　a　fireplace；　benches；　a　table；　many　prints　of　famous　

members；　and　a　mural　tablet　to　the　virtues　of　a　former　secretary。　　

Here　a　member　can　warm　himself　and　loaf　and　read；　here；　in　defiance　

of　Senatus…consults；　he　can　smoke。　　The　Senatus　looks　askance　at　

these　privileges；　looks　even　with　a　somewhat　vinegar　aspect　on　the　

whole　society；　which　argues　a　lack　of　proportion　in　the　learned　

mind；　for　the　world；　we　may　be　sure；　will　prize　far　higher　this　

haunt　of　dead　lions　than　all　the　living　dogs　of　the　professorate。



I　sat　one　December　morning　in　the　library　of　the　Speculative；　a　

very　humble…minded　youth；　though　it　was　a　virtue　I　never　had　much　

credit　for；　yet　proud　of　my　privileges　as　a　member　of　the　Spec。；　

proud　of　the　pipe　I　was　smoking　in　the　teeth　of　the　Senatus；　and　in　

particular；　proud　of　being　in　the　next　room　to　three　very　

distinguished　students；　who　were　then　conversing　beside　the　

corridor　fire。　　One　of　these　has　now　his　name　on　the　back　of　

several　volumes；　and　his　voice；　I　learn；　is　influential　in　the　law　

courts。　　Of　the　death　of　the　second；　you　have　just　been　reading　

what　I　had　to　say。



And　the　third　also　has　escaped　out　of　that　battle　of　in　which　he　

fought　so　hard；　it　may　be　so　unwisely。　　They　were　all　three；　as　I　

have　said；　notable　students；　but　this　was　the　most　conspicuous。　　

Wealthy；　handsome；　ambitious；　adventurous；　diplomatic；　a　reader　of　

Balzac；　and　of　all　men　that　I　have　known；　the　most　like　to　one　of　

Balzac's　characters；　he　led　a　life；　and　was　attended　by　an　ill　

fortune；　that　could　be　properly　set　forth　only　in　the　COMEDIE　

HUMAINE。　　He　had　then　his　eye　on　Parliament；　and　soon　after　the　

time　of　which　I　write；　he　made　a　showy　speech　at　a　political　

dinner；　was　cried　up　to　heaven　next　day　in　the　COURANT；　and　the　day　

after　was　dashed　lower　than　earth　with　a　charge　of　plagiarism　in　

the　SCOTSMAN。　　Report　would　have　it　（I　daresay；　very　wrongly）　that　

he　was　betrayed　by　one　in　whom　he　particularly　trusted；　and　that　

the　author　of　the　charge　had　learned　its　truth　from　his　own　lips。　　

Thus；　at　least；　he　was　up　one　day　on　a　pinnacle；　admired　and　envied　

by　all；　and　the　next；　though　still　but　a　boy；　he　was　publicly　

disgraced。　　The　blow　would　have　broken　a　less　finely　tempered　

spirit；　and　even　him　I　suppose　it　rendered　reckless；　for　he　took　

flight　to　London；　and　there；　in　a　fast　club；　disposed　of　the　bulk　

of　his　considerable　patrimony　in　the　space　of　one　winter。　　For　

years　thereafter　he　lived　I　know　not　how；　always　well　dressed；　

always　in　good　hotels　and　good　society；　always　with　empty　pockets。　　

The　charm　of　his　manner　may　have　stood　him　in　good　stead；　but　

though　my　own　manners　are　very　agreeable；　I　have　never　found　in　

them　a　source　of　livelihood；　and　to　explain　the　miracle　of　his　

continued　existence；　I　must　fall　back　upon　the　theory　of　the　

philosopher；　that　in　his　case；　as　in　all　of　the　same　kind；　〃there　

was　a　suffering　relative　in　the　background。〃　　From　this　genteel　

eclipse　he　reappeared　upon　the　scene；　and　presently　sought　me　out　

in　the　character　of　a　generous　edit