CARLYLE. 185 



which no force of wing can lift from the dull earth. 

 Charlemagne would have been a wiser choice, far enough in 

 the past for ideal treatment, more manifestly the Siegfried 

 of Anarchy, and in his rude way the refounder of that 

 empire which is the ideal of despotism in the Western 

 world. 



Friedrich was doubtless a remarkable man, but surely 

 very far below any lofty standard of heroic greatness. He 

 was the last of the European kings who could look upon 

 his kingdom as a private patrimony ; and it was this estate 

 of his, this piece of property, which he so obstinately and 

 successfully defended. He had no idea of country as it 

 was understood by an ancient Greek or Roman, as it is 

 understood by a modern Englishman or American ; and 

 there is something almost pitiful in seeing a man of genius 

 like Mr. Carlyle fighting painfully over again those battles 

 of the last century which settled nothing but the continu 

 ance of the Prussian monarchy, while he saw only the 

 &quot;burning of a dirty chimney&quot; in the war which a great 

 people was waging under his very eyes for the idea of 

 nationality and orderly magistrature, and which fixed, 

 let us hope for ever, a boundary-line on the map of 

 history and man s advancement toward self-conscious and 

 responsible freedom. The true historical genius, to our 

 thinking, is that which can see the nobler meaning of 

 events that are near him, as the true poet is he who 

 detects the divine in the casual ; and we somewhat 

 suspect the depth of his insight into the past who cannot 

 recognise the godlike of to-day under that disguise in which 

 it always visits us. Shall we hint to Mr. Carlyle that a man 

 may look on an heroic age, as well as an heroic master, 

 with the eyes of a valet, as misappreciative certainly, 

 though not so ignoble ? 



What Coethe says of a great poet, that he must be a 

 citizen of his age as well as of his country, may be said 

 inversely of a great king. He should be a citizen of his 

 country as well as his age. Friedrich was certainly the 

 latter in its fullest sense ; whether he was, or could have 



