3

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Hume to something of an1 Epic clearness and method, as in his delineation of the Commonwealth Wars; Johnson to many a deep Lyric tone of plaintiveness, and impetuous graceful power, scattered over his fugitive compositions. Both, rather to the general surprise, had a certain rugged humour shining through their earnestness: the indication, indeed, that they were earnest men, and had subdued their wild world into a kind of temporary home and safe dwelling. Both were, by principle and habit, Stoics: yet Johnson with the greater merit, for he alone had very much to triumph over; farther, he alone ennobled his Stoicism into Devotion. To 5 Johnson, Life was a Prison, to be enIdured with heroic faith: to Hume it was little more than a foolish Bartholomew Fair show-booth, with the foolish crowdings and elbowings of which it was not worth while to quarrel: 7 the whole would break up and be at liberty so soon. Both realized the highest task of manhood, that of living like men; each died not unfitly in his way.8 Hume as one, with factitious, half-false gaiety, taking leave of 10 what was itself wholly but a lie: Johnson as one, with awe-struck yet resolute and piously expectant heart, taking leave of Reality to enter a Reality still higher. Johnson had the harder problem of it 12 from first to last; whether, with

1 H. to something of an, "H. has at times the "-2 J. to, on trouve chez J.-3 many a, etc......power, maintes notes lyriques profondément plaintives et gracieusement impétueuses-4 of temporary home and safe dwelling, d'habitation temporaire et d'intérieur paisible-5 to, pour-6 it was little more than, ce n'était guère que — with, etc......quarrel, dont la presse et le tumulte folâtres ne valaient pas la peine qu'on s'en formalisât-8 not unfitly in his way, d'une manière conséquente-9 as one, en homme-10 with......taking leave of, "who took leave, with a...... of" (see note ", p. 44)11 what was itself wholly but a, ce qui n'était guère en soi qu'un12 the harder problem of it, le plus difficile problème à résoudre.

A PLEA FOR TOLERANCE.

235

some hesitation, we can admit that he was intrinsically the better gifted, may remain undecided.1

THOMAS CARLYLE, "Essay on Boswell's Johnson."

A PLEA FOR TOLERANCE.

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If ever any one possessed of power 2 had grounds for thinking himself the best and most enlightened among his contemporaries, it was the Emperor Marcus Aurelius.5 Absolute monarch of the whole civilized world, he preserved through life not only the most unblemished justice, but what was less to be expected from his stoical breeding, the tenderest heart. 6 This man, a better Christian in all but the dogmatic sense of the word, than almost any of the ostensibly Christian sovereigns who have since reigned, persecuted Christianity. Placed at the summit of all the previous attainments of humanity, with an open, unfettered intellect, and a character which led him of himself to embody in his moral writings the Christian ideal, yet he failed to see that Christianity was to be a good and not an evil to the world, with his duties to which he was so deeply penetrated.10 Existing society he knew to be in a deplorable state. But such as it was, he saw, or thought he saw, that it was held together, and prevented from

1 Whether......may remain undecided, quant à la question de savoir si......il n'y a pas lieu de la décider (or: il n'est pas nécessaire de nous prononcer).

2 If, etc......power, si jamais homme investi du pouvoir (see note ", p. 85)-3 grounds, de bonnes raisons-4 the best and most...... among, "better and more......than "-5 Marcus Aurelius, MarcAurèle-6 breeding, éducation-7a, to be left out-8 he failed to see, il ne vit pas-9 to, "for"-10 with his, etc......penetrated, envers lequel il sentait si profondément ses devoirs-11 thought he saw, crut

4

being worse, by1 belief and reverence of the received divinities. As a ruler of mankind, he deemed it his duty not to suffer society to fall in pieces; and saw not how, if its existing ties were removed, any others could be formed which could again knit it together.3 The new religion openly aimed at dissolving these ties; unless, therefore, it was his duty to adopt that religion, it seemed to be his duty to put it down. . . . The gentlest and most amiable of philosophers and rulers, under a solemn sense of duty, authorized the persecution of Christianity. To my mind this is one of the 5 most tragical facts in all history. No Christian more firmly believes that Atheism is false, and tends to the dissolution of society, than Marcus Aurelius believed the same things of Christianity; he who, of all men then living, might have been thought the most capable of appreciating it. Unless any one who approves of punishment for the promulgation of opinions, flatters himself that he is a wiser and better man 7 than Marcus Aurelius-more deeply versed in the wisdom of his time, more elevated in his intellect above it, more earnest in his search for 10 truth, or more single-minded in his devotion te it when found 11_let him abstain from that assumption of the joint infallibility of himself and 12 the multitude, which the great Antoninus made 18 with so unfortunate a result.

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JOHN STUART MILL," On Liberty."

1 That it, etc......by, que ce qui l'empêchait de se dissoudre et de tomber encore plus bas, c'était-2 he deemed it his duty, il crut de son devoir-3 any others, etc.......together, il pourrait s'en former d'autres qui fussent capables de la reconstituer-4 under a solemn sense, sous l'empire d'un profond sentiment-5 to my mind, à mon avis-6 see note ", p. 44-7 that he is a wiser and better man, d'être plus éclairé et plus honnête homme in, par-9 it, ses contemporains 10 for, de―11 his devotion to it when found, l'attachement qu'il lui vouera après l'avoir trouvée-12 assumption, etc......himself and, prétention à l'infaillibilité pour lui-même et pour-13 made, émit.

THE POWER OF MACHINERY.

237

THE POWER OF MACHINERY.

3

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The English workman, besides his energy and steadfastness in working, is extremely dexterous in the use of tools. Mechanism is the genius of England, and the source of an enormous portion of her wealth and power as a nation. What has been achieved by means of improvements in tools and in machines—which are but organized tools-has been accomplished almost entirely by the ingenuity of our skilled workmen. By1 the contrivances 2 which they have from time to time produced, labour has been relieved from its most irksome forms of drudgery, and the heaviest burdens of toil have been laid upon wind and water, upon iron and steam, and various other agencies of the inanimate world. These are now the only real slaves in England, the veritable hewers of wood and drawers of water. There is, indeed, scarcely a department of productive industry-especially where the articles produced are in great demand, and are indispensable to the subsistence or comfort of the masses-into which machinery does not largely enter. It fashions wood and iron into the most exact proportions; weaves all manner of textile fabrics with extraordinary accuracy and speed; prints books and newspapers; and carries on the greater part of the locomotion of the civilized world. Even in agriculture, hoeing, sowing, reaping, thrashing, and grinding are done to a vast extent by 10 ma

8

1 By, grâce à--2 contrivances, inventions-3 from its most irksome forms of drudgery, de ce qu'il avait de plus dur et de plus pénible

laid upon, imposés à-5 these are, ce sont là-6 where, là où-7 all manner, toute espèce 8 hoeing, sowing, reaping, thrashing, and grinding, le labour à la houe, les semailles, la récolte, le battage et la mouture are done, se font-10 by, par le moyen de.

chinery, which every day extends its supremacy more and more over the materials for food, for clothing, for housing, for locomotion, for defence, and for instruction. Quarterly Review.

THE REFORMATION.

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When I recall to mind,1 at last, after so many dark ages 2 wherein the huge overshadowing train of error had almost swept all the stars out of the firmament of the Church; how the bright and blissful Reformation, by Divine power, struck through the black and settled 5 night of ignorance and anti-Christian tyranny, methinks a sovereign and reviving joy must needs rush into the bosom of him that reads or hears, and the sweet odour of the returning Gospel bathe his soul with the fragrance of heaven. Then was the sacred Bible sought out of the dusty corners, where profane falsehood and neglect had thrown it, the schools opened, Divine and human learning raked out of the embers of forgotten tongues, the princes and cities trooping apace to the new-erected banner 10 of salvation, the 11 martyrs, with the unresistible might of weakness, shaking the powers of darkness, and scorning 12 the fiery rage of the old red dragon.

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JOHN MILTON.

1 I recall to mind, je réfléchis—2 dark ages, siècles de ténèbres— 3 swept......out, chassé-1 struck through, pénétra-5 settled, profonde 6 with the fragrance of heaven, d'un parfum céleste-7 then was......sought out, c'est alors que......fut retirée-8 had thrown it, l'avaient consignée-9 raked out of, fut dégagé de dessous—10 trooping apace to the new-erected banner, accoururent en foule sous la bannière nouvellement arborée-11 the, et que les-12 shaking, etc...... scorning, secouèrent le joug des puissances ténébreuses et bravèrent.