ROSE, BLANCHE, AND VIOLET. BY G. H. LEWES, ESQ. AUTHOR OF "RANTHORPE," "BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY," ETC. ETC. Il n'y a point de vertu proprement dite, sans victoire sur nous-mêmes, et tout ce qui ne nous coûte rien, ne vaut rien. DE MAISTRE. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL. ---- 1848. London: Printed by STEWART and MURRAY, Old Bailey. DÉDICACE. ---- A MONSIEUR BENJAMIN MOREL (DE DUNKERQUE), COMME UN AFFECTUEUX SOUVENIR DE L' AUTEUR, G. H. LEWES. PREFACE. When a distinct Moral presides over the composition of a work of fiction, there is great danger of its so shaping the story to suit a purpose, that human nature is falsified by being coerced within the sharply defined limits of some small dogma. So conscious of this did I become in the progress of my story, that I was forced to abandon my original intention, in favour of a more natural evolution of incident and character; accordingly, the Moral has been left to shift for itself. It was a choice between truth of passion and character, on the one hand, and on the other, didactic clearness. I could not hesitate in choosing the former. And yet, as Hegel truly says, "in every work of Art there is a Moral; but it depends on him who draws it." If, therefore, the reader insists upon a Moral, he may draw one from the passions here exhibited; and the value of it will depend upon his own sagacity. From Life itself I draw one great moral, which I may be permitted to say is illustrated in various ways by the present work; and it is this:-- Strength of Will is the quality most needing cultivation in mankind. Will is the central force which gives strength and greatness to character. We over-estimate the value of Talent, because it dazzles us; and we are apt to underrate the importance of Will, because its works are less shining. Talent gracefully adorns life; but it is Will which carries us victoriously through the struggle. Intellect is the torch which lights us on our way; Will, the strong arm which rough hews the path for us. The clever, weak man sees all the obstacles on his path; the very torch he carries, being brighter than that of most men, enables him, perhaps, to see that the path before him may be directest, the best,--yet it also enables him to see the crooked turnings by which he may, as he fancies, reach the goal without encountering difficulties. If, indeed, Intellect were a sun, instead of a torch,--if it irradiated every corner and crevice--then would man see how, in spite of every obstacle, the direct path was the only safe one, and he would cut his way through by manful labour. But constituted as we are, it is the clever, weak men who stumble most--the strong men who are most virtuous and happy. In this world, there cannot be virtue without strong Will; the weak "know the right, and yet the wrong pursue."