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masters。 His nerves must be steady for him to finish a rose…leaf or
the fold of a nymph's drapery in his best manner； and they will be
unsteadied if he has to perform the honest drudgery which another can
do for him quite as well。 And it is just so with the poet； though he
were only finishing an epigram； you must no more meddle roughly with
him than you would shake a bottle of Chambertin and expect the
〃sunset glow〃 to redden your glass unclouded。 On the other hand； it
may be said that poetry is not an article of prime necessity； and
potatoes are。 There is a disposition in many persons just now to
deny the poet his benefit of clergy； and to hold him no better than
other people。 Perhaps he is not； perhaps he is not so good； half the
time； but he is a luxury； and if you want him you must pay for him；
by not trying to make a drudge of him while he is all his lifetime
struggling with the chills and heats of his artistic intermittent
fever。
There may have been some lesser interruptions during the talk I have
reported as if it was a set speech； but this was the drift of what I
said and should have said if the other man； in the Review I referred
to； had not seen fit to meddle with the subject； as some fellow
always does； just about the time when I am going to say something
about it。 The old Master listened beautifully； except for cutting in
once； as I told you he did。 But now he had held in as long as it was
in his nature to contain himself； and must have his say or go off in
an apoplexy； or explode in some way。 I think you're right about the
poets；he said。 They are to common folks what repeaters are to
ordinary watches。 They carry music in their inside arrangements； but
they want to be handled carefully or you put them out of order。 And
perhaps you must n't expect them to be quite as good timekeepers as
the professional chronometer watches that make a specialty of being
exact within a few seconds a month。 They think too much of
themselves。 So does everybody that considers himself as having a
right to fall back on what he calls his idiosyncrasy。 Yet a man has
such a right； and it is no easy thing to adjust the private claim to
the fair public demand on him。 Suppose you are subject to tic
douloureux； for instance。 Every now and then a tiger that nobody can
see catches one side of your face between his jaws and holds on till
he is tired and lets go。 Some concession must be made to you on that
score； as everybody can see。 It is fair to give you a seat that is
not in the draught； and your friends ought not to find fault with you
if you do not care to join a party that is going on a sleigh…ride。
Now take a poet like Cowper。 He had a mental neuralgia； a great deal
worse in many respects than tic douloureux confined to the face。 It
was well that he was sheltered and relieved； by the cares of kind
friends； especially those good women； from as many of the burdens of
life as they could lift off from him。 I am fair to the poets；don't
you agree that I am？
Why； yes；I said；you have stated the case fairly enough； a good
deal as I should have put it myself。
Now； then；the Master continued；I 'll tell you what is necessary
to all these artistic idiosyncrasies to bring them into good square
human relations outside of the special province where their ways
differ from those of other people。 I am going to illustrate what I
mean by a comparison。 I don't know； by the way； but you would be
disposed to think and perhaps call me a wine…bibber on the strength
of the freedom with which I deal with that fluid for the purposes of
illustration。 But I make mighty little use of it； except as it
furnishes me an image now and then； as it did； for that matter； to
the Disciples and their Master。 In my younger days they used to
bring up the famous old wines； the White…top； the Juno； the Eclipse；
the Essex Junior； and the rest； in their old cobwebbed； dusty
bottles。 The resurrection of one of these old sepulchred dignitaries
had something of solemnity about it； it was like the disinterment of
a king； the bringing to light of the Royal Martyr King Charles I。；
for instance； that Sir Henry Halford gave such an interesting account
of。 And the bottle seemed to inspire a personal respect； it was
wrapped in a napkin and borne tenderly and reverently round to the
guests； and sometimes a dead silence went before the first gush of
its amber flood； and
〃The boldest held his breath
For a time。〃
But nowadays the precious juice of a long…dead vintage is transferred
carefully into a cut…glass decanter； and stands side by side with the
sherry from a corner grocery； which looks just as bright and
apparently thinks just as well of itself。 The old historic Madeiras；
which have warmed the periods of our famous rhetoricians of the past
and burned in the impassioned eloquence of our earlier political
demigods； have nothing to mark them externally but a bit of thread；
it may be； round the neck of the decanter； or a slip of ribbon； pink
on one of them and blue on another。
Go to a London club；perhaps I might find something nearer home that
would serve my turn；but go to a London club； and there you will see
the celebrities all looking alike modern； all decanted off from their
historic antecedents and their costume of circumstance into the
every…day aspect of the gentleman of common cultivated society。 That
is Sir Coeur de Lion Plantagenet in the mutton…chop whiskers and the
plain gray suit； there is the Laureate in a frockcoat like your own；
and the leader of the House of Commons in a necktie you do not envy。
That is the kind of thing you want to take the nonsense out of you。
If you are not decanted off from yourself every few days or weeks；
you will think it sacrilege to brush a cobweb from your cork by and
by。 O little fool； that has published a little book full of little
poems or other sputtering tokens of an uneasy condition； how I love
you for the one soft nerve of special sensibility that runs through
your exiguous organism； and the one phosphorescent particle in your
unilluminated intelligence！ But if you don't leave your spun…sugar
confectionery business once in a while； and come out among lusty
men；the bristly； pachydermatous fellows that hew out the highways
for the material progress of society； and the broad…shouldered； out…
of…door men that fight for the great prizes of life；you will come
to think that the spun…sugar business is the chief end of man； and
begin to feel and look as if you believed yourself as much above
common people as that personage of whom Tourgueneff says that 〃he had
the air of his own statue erected by national subscription。〃
The Master paused and fell into a deep thinking fit； as he does
sometimes。 He had had his own say； it is true； but he had
established his character as a listener to my own perfect
satisfaction； for I； too； was conscious of having preached with a
certain prolixity。
I am always troubled when I think of my very limited mathematical
capacities。 It seems as if every well…organized mind should be able
to handle numbers and quantities through their symbols to an
indefinite extent； and yet；