A king or a prince becomes by accident a part of history. A poet or an artist becomes by nature and necessity a part of universal humanity. [Illustration] As what we call Genius arises out of the disproportionate power and size of a certain faculty, so the great difficulty lies in harmonising with it the rest of the character. “Though it burn our house down, who does not venerate fire?” says the Hindoo proverb. [Illustration] 64. An elegant mind informing a graceful person is like a spirit lamp in an alabaster vase, shedding round its own softened radiance and heightening the beauty of its medium. An elegant mind in a plain ungraceful person is like the same lamp enclosed in a vase of bronze; we may, if we approach near enough, rejoice in its influence, though we may not behold its radiance. [Illustration] 65. Landor, in a passage I was reading to-day, speaks of a language of criticism, in which qualities should be graduated by colours; “as, for instance, _purple_ might express grandeur and majesty of thought; _scarlet_, vigour of expression; _pink_, liveliness; _green_, elegant and equable composition, and so on.” _Blue_, then, might express contemplative power? _yellow_, wit? _violet_, tenderness? and so on. [Illustration] 66. I quoted to A. the saying of a sceptical philosopher: “The world is but one enormous WILL, constantly rushing into life.” “Is that,” she responded quickly, “another new name for God?” [Illustration] 67. A death-bed repentance has become proverbial for its fruitlessness, and a death-bed forgiveness equally so. They who wait till their own death-bed to make reparation, or till their adversary’s death-bed to grant absolution, seem to me much upon a par in regard to the moral, as well as the religious, failure. [Illustration] 68. A character endued with a large, vivacious, active intellect and a limited range of sympathies, generally remains immature. We can grow _wise_ only through the experience which reaches us through our sympathies and becomes a part of our life. All other experience may be gain, but it remains in a manner extraneous, adds to our possessions without adding to our strength, and sharpens our implements without increasing our capacity to use them. Not always those who have the quickest, keenest, perception of character are the best to deal with it, and perhaps for that very reason. Before we can influence or deal with mind, contemplation must be lost in sympathy, observation must be merged in love. [Illustration] 69. Montaigne, in his eloquent tirade against melancholy, observes that the Italians have the same word, _Tristezza_, for melancholy and for malignity or wickedness. The noun _Tristo_, “a wretch,” has the double sense of our English word corresponding with the French noun _misérable_. So Judas Iscariot is called _quel tristo_. Our word “wretchedness” is not, however, used in the double sense of _tristezza_. [Illustration]