have observed elsewhere, these Lion-hunters were the
ruin and death of Burns. It was they that rendered it impossible for him
to live! They gathered round him in his Farm; hindered his industry;
no place was remote enough from them. He could not get his Lionism
forgotten, honestly as he was disposed to do so. He falls into
discontents, into miseries, faults; the world getting ever more desolate
for him; health, character, peace of mind, all gone;--solitary enough
now. It is tragical to think of! These men came but to _see_ him; it was
out of no sympathy with him, nor no hatred to him. They came to get a
little amusement; they got their amusement;--and the Hero's life went
for it!

Richter says, in the Island of Sumatra there is a kind of
"Light-chafers," large Fire-flies, which people stick upon spits, and
illuminate the ways with at night. Persons of condition can thus travel
with a pleasant radiance, which they much admire. Great honor to the
Fire-flies! But--!

LECTURE VI. THE HERO AS KING. CROMWELL, NAPOLEON: MODERN REVOLUTIONISM.

[May 22, 1840.]

We come now to the last form of Heroism; that which we call Kingship.
The Commander over Men; he to whose will our wills are to be
subordinated, and loyally surrender themselves, and find their welfare
in doing so, may be reckoned the most important of Great Men. He is
practically the summary for us of _all_ the various figures of Heroism;
Priest, Teacher, whatsoever of earthly or of spiritual dignity we can
fancy to reside in a man, embodies itself here, to _command_ over us, to
furnish us with constant practical teaching, to tell us for the day and
hour what we are to _do_. He is called _Rex_, Regulator, _Roi_: our own
name is still better; King, _Konning_, which means _Can_-ning, Able-man.

Numerous considerations, pointing towards deep, questionable, and indeed
unfathomable regions, present themselves here: on the most of which we
must resolutely for the present forbear to speak at all. As Burke said
that perhaps fair _Trial by Jury_ was the soul of Government, and that
all legislation, administration, parliamentary debating, and the rest
of it, went on, in "order to bring twelve impartial men into a
jury-box;"--so, by much stronger reason, may I say here, that the
finding of your _Ableman_ and getting him invested with the _symbols of
ability_, with dignity, worship (_worth_-ship), royalty, kinghood,
or whatever we call it, so that _he_ may actually have r