POPULAR FALLACIES I.-THAT A BULLY IS ALWAYS A COWA

Thisaxiomcontainsaprincipleofpensationwhichdisposesustoadmitthetruthofit.Butthereisnosafetrustingtodictionariesanddefinitions.Weshouldmorewillinglyfallinwiththispopularlanguage,ifwedidnotfindbrutalitysometimesawkwardlycoupledwithvalour——inthesamevocabulary.Theicwriters,withtheirpoeticaljustice,havecontributednotalittletomisleadusuponthispoint.Toseeahectoringfellowexposedandbeatenuponthestage,hassomethinginitwonderfullydiverting.Somepeoplesshareofanimalspiritsisnotoriouslylowanddefective.Ithasnotstrengthtoraiseavapour,orfurnishoutthewindofatolerablebluster.Theselovetobetoldthathuffingisnoartofvalour.Thetruestcouragewiththemisthatwhichistheleastnoisyandobtrusive.Butconfrontoneofthesesilentheroeswiththeswaggererofreallife,andhisconfidenceinthetheoryquicklyvanishes.Pretensionsdonotuniformlybespeaknon-performance.Amodestinoffensivedeportmentdoesnot[p253]necessarilyimplyvalour;neitherdoestheabsenceofitjustifyusindenyingthatquality.Hickmanwantedmodesty——wedonotmeanhimofClarissa——butwhoeverdoubtedhiscourage?Eventhepoets——uponwhomthisequitabledistributionofqualitiesshouldbemostbinding——havethoughtitagreeabletonaturetodepartfromtheruleuponoccasion.Harapha,inthe"Agonistes,"isindeedabullyuponthereceivednotions.Miltonhasmadehimatonceablusterer,agiant,andadastard.ButAlmanzor,inDryden,talksofdrivingarmiessinglybeforehim——anddoesit.TomBrownhadashrewderinsightintothiskindofcharacterthaneitherofhispredecessors.Hedividesthepalmmoreequably,andallowshisheroasortofdimidiatepreeminence:——"BullyDawsonkickedbyhalfthetown,andhalfthetownkickedbyBullyDawson."Thiswastruedistributivejustice.