— 53 —
of imagination raised him NOT TO COPY them,
not to holding the mirror up to them but to equal, to
surpass them as a creator of knowledge, as a vigorous,
living force above their heads.
His escape was not simulated but real. Hamlet no doubt was written about at the middle of his life.
He speaks authoritatively through invention, through characters, through design. The objects of his world were real to him because, he could use them and use them with understanding to make his inventions —
The imagination is a —
The vermiculations of modern criticism of S. particularly amuse when the attempt is made to force the role of a Solon upon the creator of Richard 3d.
So I come again to my present day gyrations.
So it is with the other classics : their meaning and worth can only be studied and understood in the imagination — - that which begot them only can give them life again, re-enkindle their perfection —
useless to study by rote or scientific research — Useful for certain understanding to corroborate the imagination —
