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ommonwealth　of　learning；　but　the　ownership　of　a　museum　is　a　poor　qualification　for　the　name　of　artist。　　Knowledge　has　two　good　uses；　it　may　be　frankly　communicated　for　the　benefit　of　others；　or　it　may　minister　matter　to　thought；　an　allusive　writer　often　robs　it　of　both　these　functions。　　He　must　needs　display　his　possessions　and　his　modesty　at　one　and　the　same　time；　producing　his　treasures　unasked；　and　huddling　them　in　uncouth　fashion　past　the　gaze　of　the　spectator；　because；　forsooth；　he　would　not　seem　to　make　a　rarity　of　them。　　The　subject　to　be　treated；　the　groundwork　to　be　adorned；　becomes　the　barest　excuse　for　a　profitless　haphazard　ostentation。　　This　fault　is　very　incident　to　the　scholarly　style；　which　often　sacrifices　emphasis　and　conviction　to　a　futile　air　of　encyclopaedic　grandeur。

Those　who　are　repelled　by　this　redundance　of　ornament；　from　which　even　great　writers　are　not　wholly　exempt；　have　sometimes　been　driven　by　the　force　of　reaction　into　a　singular　fallacy。　　The　futility　of　these　literary　quirks　and　graces　has　induced　them　to　lay　art　under　the　same　interdict　with　ornament。　　Style　and　stylists；　one　will　say；　have　no　attraction　for　him；　he　had　rather　hear　honest　men　utter　their　thoughts　directly；　clearly；　and　simply。　The　choice　of　words；　says　another；　and　the　conscious　manipulation　of　sentences；　is　literary　foppery；　the　word　that　first　offers　is　commonly　the　best；　and　the　order　in　which　the　thoughts　occur　is　the　order　to　be　followed。　　Be　natural；　be　straightforward；　they　urge；　and　what　you　have　to　say　will　say　itself　in　the　best　possible　manner。　　It　is　a　welcome　lesson；　no　doubt；　that　these　deluded　Arcadians　teach。　　A　simple　and　direct　style　…　who　would　not　give　his　all　to　purchase　that！　　But　is　it　in　truth　so　easy　to　be　compassed？　　The　greatest　writers；　when　they　are　at　the　top　of　happy　hours；　attain　to　it；　now　and　again。　　Is　all　this　tangled　contrariety　of　things　a　kind　of　fairyland；　and　does　the　writer；　alone　among　men；　find　that　a　beaten　foot…path　opens　out　before　him　as　he　goes；　to　lead　him；　straight　through　the　maze；　to　the　goal　of　his　desires？　　To　think　so　is　to　build　a　childish　dream　out　of　facts　imperfectly　observed；　and　worthy　of　a　closer　observation。　Sometimes　the　cry　for　simplicity　is　the　reverse　of　what　it　seems；　and　is　uttered　by　those　who　had　rather　hear　words　used　in　their　habitual　vague　acceptations　than　submit　to　the　cutting　directness　of　a　good　writer。　　Habit　makes　obscurity　grateful；　and　the　simple　style；　in　this　view；　is　the　style　that　allows　thought　to　run　automatically　into　its　old　grooves　and　burrows。　　The　original　writers　who　have　combined　real　literary　power　with　the　heresy　of　ease　and　nature　are　of　another　kind。　　A　brutal　personality；　excellently　muscular；　snatching　at　words　as　the　handiest　weapons　wherewith　to　inflict　itself；　and　the　whole　body　of　its　thoughts　and　preferences；　on　suffering　humanity；　is　likely　enough　to　deride　the　daintiness　of　conscious　art。　　Such　a　writer　is　William　Cobbett；　who　has　often　been　praised　for　the　manly　simplicity　of　his　style；　which　he　raised　into　a　kind　of　creed。　　His　power　is　undeniable；　his　diction；　though　he　knew　it　not；　both　choice　and　chaste；　yet　page　after　page　of　his　writing　suggests　only　the　reflection　that　here　is　a　prodigal　waste　of　good　English。　　He　bludgeons　all　he　touches；　and　spends　the　same　monotonous　emphasis　on　his　dislike　of　tea　and　on　his　hatred　of　the　Government。　　His　is　the　simplicity　of　a　crude　and　violent　mind；　concerned　only　with　giving　forcible　expression　to　its　unquestioned　prejudices。　　Irrelevance；　the　besetting　sin　of　the　ill…educated；　he　glories　in；　so　that　his　very　weakness　puts　on　the　semblance　of　strength；　and　helps　to　wield　the　hammer。

It　is　not　to　be　denied　that　there　is　a　native　force　of　temperament　which　can　make　itself　felt　even　through　illiterate　carelessness。　〃Literary　gentlemen；　editors；　and　critics；〃　says　Thoreau；　himself　by　no　means　a　careless　writer；　〃think　that　they　know　how　to　write；　because　they　have　studied　grammar　and　rhetoric；　but　they　are　egregiously　mistaken。　　The　ART　of　composition　is　as　simple　as　the　discharge　of　a　bullet　from　a　rifle；　and　its　masterpieces　imply　an　infinitely　greater　force　behind　them。〃　　This　true　saying　introduces　us　to　the　hardest　problem　of　criticism；　the　paradox　of　literature；　the　stumbling…block　of　rhetoricians。　　To　analyse　the　precise　method　whereby　a　great　personality　can　make　itself　felt　in　words；　even　while　it　neglects　and　contemns　the　study　of　words；　would　be　to　lay　bare　the　secrets　of　religion　and　life　…　it　is　beyond　human　competence。　　Nevertheless　a　brief　and　diffident　consideration　of　the　matter　may　bring　thus　much　comfort；　that　the　seeming　contradiction　is　no　discredit　cast　on　letters；　but　takes　its　origin　rather　from　too　narrow　and　pedantic　a　view　of　the　scope　of　letters。

Words　are　things：　　it　is　useless　to　try　to　set　them　in　a　world　apart。　　They　exist　in　books　only　by　accident；　and　for　one　written　there　are　a　thousand；　infinitely　more　powerful；　spoken。　　They　are　deeds：　　the　man　who　brings　word　of　a　lost　battle　can　work　no　comparable　effect　with　the　muscles　of　his　arm；　Iago's　breath　is　as　truly　laden　with　poison　and　murder　as　the　fangs　of　the　cobra　and　the　drugs　of　the　assassin。　　Hence　the　sternest　education　in　the　use　of　words　is　least　of　all　to　be　gained　in　the　schools；　which　cultivate　verbiage　in　a　highly　artificial　state　of　seclusion。　　A　soldier　cares　little　for　poetry；　because　it　is　the　exercise　of　power　that　he　loves；　and　he　is　accustomed　to　do　more　with　his　words　than　give　pleasure。　　To　keep　language　in　immediate　touch　with　reality；　to　lade　it　with　action　and　passion；　to　utter　it　hot　from　the　heart　of　determination；　is　to　exhibit　it　in　the　plenitude　of　power。　　All　this　may　be　achieved　without　the　smallest　study　of　literary　models；　and　is　consistent　with　a　perfect　neglect　of　literary　canons。　　It　is　not　the　logical　content　of　the　word；　but　the　whole　mesh　of　its　conditions；　including　the　character；　circumstances；　and　attitude　of　the　speaker；　that　is　its　true　strength。　　〃Damn〃　is　often　the　feeblest　of　expletives；　and　〃as　you　please〃　may　be　the　dirge　of　an　empire。　　Hence　it　is　useless　to　look　to　the　grammarian；　or　the　critic；　for　a　lesson　in　strength　of　style；　the　laws　that　he　has　framed；　good　enough　in　themselves；　are　current　only　in　his　own　abstract　world。　　A　breath　of　hesitancy　will　sometimes　make　trash　of　a　powerful　piece　of　eloquence；　and　even　in　writing；　a　thing　three　times　said；　and　each　time　said　badly；　may　be　of　more　effect　than　that　terse；　full；　and　final　expression　which　the　doctors　rightly　commend。　　The　art　of　language；　regarded　as　a　question　of　pattern　and　cadence；　or　even　as　a　question　of　logic　and　thought…sequence；　is　a　highly　abstract　study；　for　although；　as　has　been　said；　you　can　do　almost　anything　with　words；　with　words　alone　you　can　do　next　to　nothing。　　The　realm　where　speech　holds　sway　is　a　narrow　shoal　or　reef；　shaken；　contorted；　and　upheaved　by　volcanic　action；　beaten　upon；　bounded；　and　invaded　by　the　ocean　of　silence：　whoso　would　be　lord　of　the　earth　must　first　tame　the　fire　and　the　sea。　　Dramatic　and　narrative　writing　are　happy　in　this；　that　action　and　silence　are　a　part　of　their　material；　the　story…teller　or　the　playwright　can　make　of　words　a　background　and　definition　for　deeds；　a　framework　for　those　silences　that　are　more　telling　than　any　speech。　　Here　lies　an　escape　from　the　poverty　of　content　and　method　to　which　self…portraiture　and　self…expression　are　liable；　and　therefore　are　epic　and　drama　rated　above　all　other　kinds　of　poetry。　The　greater　force　of　the　objective　treatment　is　witnessed　by　many　essayists　and　lyrical　poets；　whose　ambition　has　led　them；　sooner　or　later；　to　attempt　the　novel　or　the　play。　　There　are　weaknesses　inherent　in　all　direct　self…revelation；　the　thing；　perhaps；　is　greatly　said；　yet　there　is　no　great　occasion　for　the　saying　of　it；　a　fine　reticence　is　observed；　but　it　is；　after　all；　an　easy　reticence；　with　none　of　the　dramatic　splendours　of　reticence　on　the　rack。　　In　the　midst　of　his　pleasant　confidences　the　essayist　is　brought　up　short　by　the　question；　〃Why　must　you　still　be　talking？〃　Even　the　passionate　lyric　feels　the　need　of　external　authorisation；　and　some　of　the　finest　of　lyrical　poems；　like　the　Willow　Song　of　Desdemona；　or　Wordsworth's　SOLITARY　REAPER；　are　cast　in　a　dramatic　mould；　that　beauty　of　diction　may　be　vitalised　by　an　imagined　situation。　　More　than　others　the　dramatic　art　is　an　enemy　to　the　desultory　and　the　superfluous；　sooner　than　others　it　will　cast　away　all　formal　grace　of　expression　that　it　may　come　home　more　directly　to　the　business　and　bosoms　of　men。　　Its　great　power　and　scope　are　shown　well　in　this；　that　it　can　find　high　uses　for　the　commonest　stuff　of　daily　speech　and　the　emptiest　phrases　of　daily　intercourse。

Simplicity　and　strength；　then；　the　vigorous　realistic　quality　of　impromptu　utterance；　and　an　immediate　relation　with　the　elementary　facts　of　life；　are　literary　excellences　best　known　in　the　drama；　and　in　its　modern　fellow　and　rival；　the　novel。　　The　dramatist　and　novelist　create　their　own　characters；　set　their　own　scenes；　lay　their　own　plots；　and　when　all　has　been　thus　prepared；　the　right　word　is　born　in　the　purple；　an　inheritor　of　great　opportunities；　all　its　virtues　magnified　by　the　glamour　of　its　high　estate。　Writers　on　philosophy；　morals；　or　aesthetics；　critics；　essayists；　and　dealers　in　soliloquy　generally；　cannot　hope；　with　their　slighter　means；　to　attain　to　comparable　effects。　　They　work　at　two　removes　from　life；　the　terms　that　they　handle　are　surrounded　by　the　vapours　of　discussion；　and　are　rewarded　by　no　instinctive　response。　Simplicity；　in　its　most　regarded　sense；　is　often　beyond　their　reach；　the　matter　of　their　discourse　is　intricate；　and　the　most　they　can　do　is　to　employ　patience；　care；　and　economy　of　labour；　the　meaning　of　their　words　is　not　obvious；　and　they　must　go　aside　to　define　it。　　The　strength　of　their　writing　has　limits　set　for　it　by　the　nature　of　the　chosen　task；　and　any　transgression　of　these　limits　is　punished　by　a　fall　into　sheer　violence。　　All　writing　partakes　of　the　quality　of　the　drama；　there　is　always　a　situation　involved；　the　relation；　namely；　between　the　speaker　and　the　hearer。　A　gentleman　in　black；　expounding　his　views；　or　narrating　his　autobiography　to　the　first　come