CARLYLE. 177 



feebler sense of those gradual changes of opinion, that 

 strange communication of sympathy from mind to mind, 

 that subtile influence of very subordinate actors in giving a 

 direction to policy or action, which we are wont somewhat 

 vaguely to call the progress of events. His scheme of 

 history is purely an epical one, where only leading figures 

 appear by name and are in any strict sense operative. He 

 has no conception of the people as anything else than an 

 element of mere brute force in political problems, and 

 would sniff scornfully at that unpicturesque common-sense 

 of the many, which comes slowly to its conclusions, no 

 doubt, but compels obedience even from rulers the most 

 despotic when once its mind is made up. His history of 

 Frederick is, of course, a Fritziad ; but next to his hero, 

 the cane of the drill-sergeant and iron ramrods appear to be 

 the conditions which to his mind satisfactorily account for 

 the result of the Seven Years War. It is our opinion, 

 which subsequent events seem to justify, that, had there 

 not been in the Prussian people a strong instinct of nation 

 ality, Protestant nationality too, and an intimate conviction 

 of its advantages, the war might have ended quite other 

 wise. Frederick II. left the machine of war which he 

 received from his father even more perfect than he found 

 it, yet within a few years of his death it went to pieces 

 before the shock of French armies animated by an idea. 

 Again a few years, and the Prussian soldiery, inspired once 

 more by the old national fervour, were victorious. Were 

 it not for the purely picturesque bias of Mr. Carlyle s 

 genius, for the necessity which his epical treatment lays 

 upon him of always having a protagonist, we should be 

 astonished that an idealist like him should have so little 

 faith in ideas and so much in matter. 



Mr. Carlyle s manner is not so well suited to the 

 historian as to the essayist. He is always great in single 

 figures and striking episodes, but there is neither gradation 

 nor continuity. He has extraordinary patience and con 

 scientiousness in the gathering and sifting of his mate 

 rial, but is scornful of commonplace facts and characters, 



140 



