Chapter 13

by Herman Melville

　　THE MAN WITH THE TRAVELING-CAP EVINCES MUCH HUMANITY, AND IN A WAY WHICHWOULD SEEM TO SHOW HIM TO BE ONE OF THE MOST LOGICAL OF OPTIMISTS.Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at anevening party there, a certain coxcombical fellow, as he thought, anabsurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart persiflage, whisking aboutto the admiration of as many as were disposed to admire. Great was thesavan's disdain; but, chancing ere long to find himself in a corner withthe jackanapes, got into conversation with him, when he was somewhatill-prepared for the good sense of the jackanapes, but was altogetherthrown aback, upon subsequently being whispered by a friend that thejackanapes was almost as great a savan as himself, being no less apersonage than Sir Humphrey Davy.The above anecdote is given just here by way of an anticipative reminderto such readers as, from the kind of jaunty levity, or what may havepassed for such, hitherto for the most part appearing in the man withthe traveling-cap, may have been tempted into a more or less hastyestimate of him; that such readers, when they find the same person, asthey presently will, capable of philosophic and humanitariandiscourse--no mere casual sentence or two as heretofore at times, butsolidly sustained throughout an almost entire sitting; that they maynot, like the American savan, be thereupon betrayed into any surpriseincompatible with their own good opinion of their previous penetration.The merchant's narration being ended, the other would not deny but thatit did in some degree affect him. He hoped he was not without properfeeling for the unfortunate man. But he begged to know in what spirit hebore his alleged calamities. Did he despond or have confidence?The merchant did not, perhaps, take the exact import of the last memberof the question; but answered, that, if whether the unfortunate man wasbecomingly resigned under his affliction or no, was the point, he couldsay for him that resigned he was, and to an exemplary degree: for notonly, so far as known, did he refrain from any one-sided reflectionsupon human goodness and human justice, but there was observable in himan air of chastened reliance, and at times tempered cheerfulness.Upon which the other observed, that since the unfortunate man's allegedexperience could not be deemed very conciliatory towards a view of humannature better than human nature was, it largely redounded to hisfair-mindedness, as well as piety, that under the alleged dissuasives,apparently so, from philanthropy, he had not, in a moment of excitement,been warped over to the ranks of the misanthropes. He doubted not,also, that with such a man his experience would, in the end, act by acomplete and beneficent inversion, and so far from shaking hisconfidence in his kind, confirm it, and rivet it. Which would the moresurely be the case, did he (the unfortunate man) at last becomesatisfied (as sooner or later he probably would be) that in thedistraction of his mind his Goneril had not in all respects had fairplay. At all events, the description of the lady, charity could not butregard as more or less exaggerated, and so far unjust. The truthprobably was that she was a wife with some blemishes mixed with somebeauties. But when the blemishes were displayed, her husband, no adeptin the female nature, had tried to use reason with her, instead ofsomething far more persuasive. Hence his failure to convince andconvert. The act of withdrawing from her, seemed, under thecircumstances, abrupt. In brief, there were probably small faults onboth sides, more than balanced by large virtues; and one should not behasty in judging.When the merchant, strange to say, opposed views so calm and impartial,and again, with some warmth, deplored the case of the unfortunate man,his companion, not without seriousness, checked him, saying, that thiswould never do; that, though but in the most exceptional case, to admitthe existence of unmerited misery, more particularly if alleged to havebeen brought about by unhindered arts of the wicked, such an admissionwas, to say the least, not prudent; since, with some, it mightunfavorably bias their most important persuasions. Not that thosepersuasions were legitimately servile to such influences. Because,since the common occurrences of life could never, in the nature ofthings, steadily look one way and tell one story, as flags in thetrade-wind; hence, if the conviction of a Providence, for instance, werein any way made dependent upon such variabilities as everyday events,the degree of that conviction would, in thinking minds, be subject tofluctuations akin to those of the stock-exchange during a long anduncertain war. Here he glanced aside at his transfer-book, and after amoment's pause continued. It was of the essence of a right conviction ofthe divine nature, as with a right conviction of the human, that, basedless on experience than intuition, it rose above the zones of weather.When now the merchant, with all his heart, coincided with this (as beinga sensible, as well as religious person, he could not but do), hiscompanion expressed satisfaction, that, in an age of some distrust onsuch subjects, he could yet meet with one who shared with him, almost tothe full, so sound and sublime a confidence.Still, he was far from the illiberality of denying that philosophy dulybounded was not permissible. Only he deemed it at least desirable that,when such a case as that alleged of the unfortunate man was made thesubject of philosophic discussion, it should be so philosophized upon,as not to afford handles to those unblessed with the true light. For,but to grant that there was so much as a mystery about such a case,might by those persons be held for a tacit surrender of the question.And as for the apparent license temporarily permitted sometimes, to thebad over the good (as was by implication alleged with regard to Goneriland the unfortunate man), it might be injudicious there to lay too muchpolemic stress upon the doctrine of future retribution as thevindication of present impunity. For though, indeed, to the right-mindedthat doctrine was true, and of sufficient solace, yet with the perversethe polemic mention of it might but provoke the shallow, thoughmischievous conceit, that such a doctrine was but tantamount to the onewhich should affirm that Providence was not now, but was going to be. Inshort, with all sorts of cavilers, it was best, both for them andeverybody, that whoever had the true light should stick behind thesecure Malakoff of confidence, nor be tempted forth to hazardousskirmishes on the open ground of reason. Therefore, he deemed itunadvisable in the good man, even in the privacy of his own mind, or incommunion with a congenial one, to indulge in too much latitude ofphilosophizing, or, indeed, of compassionating, since this might, begetan indiscreet habit of thinking and feeling which might unexpectedlybetray him upon unsuitable occasions. Indeed, whether in private orpublic, there was nothing which a good man was more bound to guardhimself against than, on some topics, the emotional unreserve of hisnatural heart; for, that the natural heart, in certain points, was notwhat it might be, men had been authoritatively admonished.But he thought he might be getting dry.The merchant, in his good-nature, thought otherwise, and said that hewould be glad to refresh himself with such fruit all day. It was sittingunder a ripe pulpit, and better such a seat than under a ripepeach-tree.The other was pleased to find that he had not, as he feared, beenprosing; but would rather not be considered in the formal light of apreacher; he preferred being still received in that of the equal andgenial companion. To which end, throwing still more of sociability intohis manner, he again reverted to the unfortunate man. Take the veryworst view of that case; admit that his Goneril was, indeed, a Goneril;how fortunate to be at last rid of this Goneril, both by nature and bylaw? If he were acquainted with the unfortunate man, instead ofcondoling with him, he would congratulate him. Great good fortune hadthis unfortunate man. Lucky dog, he dared say, after all.To which the merchant replied, that he earnestly hoped it might be so,and at any rate he tried his best to comfort himself with the persuasionthat, if the unfortunate man was not happy in this world, he would, atleast, be so in another.His companion made no question of the unfortunate man's happiness inboth worlds; and, presently calling for some champagne, invited themerchant to partake, upon the playful plea that, whatever notions otherthan felicitous ones he might associate with the unfortunate man, alittle champagne would readily bubble away.At intervals they slowly quaffed several glasses in silence andthoughtfulness. At last the merchant's expressive face flushed, his eyemoistly beamed, his lips trembled with an imaginative and femininesensibility. Without sending a single fume to his head, the wine seemedto shoot to his heart, and begin soothsaying there. "Ah," he cried,pushing his glass from him, "Ah, wine is good, and confidence is good;but can wine or confidence percolate down through all the stony strataof hard considerations, and drop warmly and ruddily into the cold caveof truth? Truth will not be comforted. Led by dear charity, lured bysweet hope, fond fancy essays this feat; but in vain; mere dreams andideals, they explode in your hand, leaving naught but the scorchingbehind!""Why, why, why!" in amaze, at the burst: "bless me, if In vino veritasbe a true saying, then, for all the fine confidence you professed withme, just now, distrust, deep distrust, underlies it; and ten thousandstrong, like the Irish Rebellion, breaks out in you now. That wine, goodwine, should do it! Upon my soul," half seriously, half humorously,securing the bottle, "you shall drink no more of it. Wine was meant togladden the heart, not grieve it; to heighten confidence, not depressit."Sobered, shamed, all but confounded, by this raillery, the most tellingrebuke under such circumstances, the merchant stared about him, andthen, with altered mien, stammeringly confessed, that he was almost asmuch surprised as his companion, at what had escaped him. He did notunderstand it; was quite at a loss to account for such a rhapsodypopping out of him unbidden. It could hardly be the champagne; he felthis brain unaffected; in fact, if anything, the wine had acted upon itsomething like white of egg in coffee, clarifying and brightening."Brightening? brightening it may be, but less like the white of egg incoffee, than like stove-lustre on a stove--black, brightening seriously,I repent calling for the champagne. To a temperament like yours,champagne is not to be recommended. Pray, my dear sir, do you feel quiteyourself again? Confidence restored?""I hope so; I think I may say it is so. But we have had a long talk, andI think I must retire now."So saying, the merchant rose, and making his adieus, left the table withthe air of one, mortified at having been tempted by his own honestgoodness, accidentally stimulated into making mad disclosures--tohimself as to another--of the queer, unaccountable caprices of hisnatural heart.