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itunconsciously,likethebrutes,ofourmothers.Theotheristhematurityandexperienceofthatifthatisourmothertongue,thisisourfathertongue,areservedandselectexpression,toosignificanttobeheardbytheear,whichwemustbebornagaininordertospeak.ThecrowdsofmenwhomerelyspoketheGreekandLatintonguesinthemiddleageswerenotentitledbytheaccidentofbirthtoreadtheworksofgeniuswritteninthoselanguagesforthesewerenotwritteninthatGreekorLatinwhichtheyknew,butintheselectlanguageofliterature.TheyhadnotlearnedthenoblerdialectsofGreeceandRome,buttheverymaterialsonwhichtheywerewrittenwerewastepapertothem,andtheyprizedinsteadacheapcontemporaryliterature.ButwhentheseveralnationsofEuropehadacquireddistinctthoughrudewrittenlanguagesoftheirown,sufficientforthepurposesoftheirrisingliteratures,thenfirstlearningrevived,andscholarswereenabledtodiscernfromthatremotenessthetreasuresofantiquity.WhattheRomanandGrecianmultitudecouldnothear,afterthelapseofagesafewscholarsread,andafewscholarsonlyarestillreadingit.
Howevermuchwemayadmiretheorator’soccasionalburstsofeloquence,thenoblestwrittenwordsarecommonlyasfarbehindorabovethefleetingspokenlanguageasthefirmamentwithitsstarsisbehindtheclouds.Therearethestars,andtheywhocanmayreadthem.Theastronomersforevercommentonandobservethem.Theyarenotexhalationslikeourdailycolloquiesandvaporousbreath.Whatiscalledeloquenceintheforumiscommonlyfoundtoberhetoricinthestudy.Theoratoryieldstotheinspirationofatransientoccasion,andspeakstothemobbeforehim,tothosewhocanhearhimbutthewriter,whosemoreequablelifeishisoccasion,andwhowouldbedistractedbytheeventandthecrowdwhichinspiretheorator,speakstotheintellectandhealthofmankind,toallinanyagewhocanunderstandhim.
NowonderthatAlexandercarriedtheIliadwithhimonhisexpeditionsinapreciouscasket.Awrittenwordisthechoicestofrelics.Itissomethingatoncemoreintimatewithusandmoreuniversalthananyotherworkofart.Itistheworkofartnearesttolifeitself.Itmaybetranslatedintoeverylanguage,andnotonlybereadbutactuallybreathedfromallhumanlips—notberepresentedoncanvasorinmarbleonly,butbecarvedoutofthebreathoflifeitself.Thesymbolofanancientman’sthoughtbecomesamodernman’sspeech.TwothousandsummershaveimpartedtothemonumentsofGrecianliterature,astohermarbles,onlyamaturergoldenandautumnaltint,fortheyhavecarriedtheirownsereneandcelestialatmosphereintoalllandstoprotectthemagainstthecorrosionoftime.Booksarethetreasuredwealthoftheworldandthefitinheritanceofgenerationsandnations.Books,theoldestandthebest,standnaturallyandrightfullyontheshelvesofeverycottage.Theyhavenocauseoftheirowntoplead,butwhiletheyenlightenandsustainthereaderhiscommonsensewillnotrefusethem.Theirauthorsareanaturalandirresistiblearistocracyineverysociety,and,morethankingsoremperors,exertaninfluenceonmankind.Whentheilliterateandperhapsscornfultraderhasearnedbyenterpriseandindustryhiscovetedleisureandindependence,andisadmittedtothecirclesofwealthandfashion,heturnsinevitablyatlasttothosestillhigherbutyetinaccessiblecirclesofintellectandgenius,andissensibleonlyoftheimperfectionofhiscultureandthevanityandinsufficiencyofallhisriches,andfurtherproveshisgoodsensebythepainswhichhetakestosecureforhischildrenthatintellectualculturewhosewanthesokeenlyfeelsandthusitisthathebecomesthefounderofafamily.
Thosewhohavenotlearnedtoreadtheancientclassicsinthelanguageinwhichtheywerewrittenmusthaveaveryimperfectknowledgeofthehistoryofthehumanraceforitisremarkablethatnotranscriptofthemhaseverbeenmadeintoanymoderntongue