The Life of John Sterling | Page 3

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Taken from volume 2 of Carlyle's Complete Works, which additionally
contains the Latter-Day Pamphlets, to be provided as a separate etext.

LIFE OF JOHN STERLING. By Thomas Carlyle.

PART I.
CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.
Near seven years ago, a short while before his death in 1844, John
Sterling committed the care of his literary Character and printed
Writings to two friends, Archdeacon Hare and myself. His estimate of
the bequest was far from overweening; to few men could the small
sum-total of his activities in this world seem more inconsiderable than,
in those last solemn days, it did to him. He had burnt much; found
much unworthy; looking steadfastly into the silent continents of Death
and Eternity, a brave man's judgments about his own sorry work in the
field of Time are not apt to be too lenient. But, in fine, here was some
portion of his work which the world had already got hold of, and which
he could not burn. This too, since it was not to be abolished and
annihilated, but must still for some time live and act, he wished to be
wisely settled, as the rest had been. And so it was left in charge to us,
the survivors, to do for it what we judged fittest, if indeed doing
nothing did not seem the fittest to us. This message, communicated
after his decease, was naturally a sacred one to Mr. Hare and me.
After some consultation on it, and survey of the difficulties and delicate
considerations involved in it, Archdeacon Hare and I agreed that the
whole task, of selecting what Writings were to be reprinted, and of
drawing up a Biography to introduce them, should be left to him alone;
and done without interference of mine:--as accordingly it was,[1] in a
manner surely far superior to the common, in every good quality of
editing; and visibly everywhere bearing testimony to the friendliness,
the piety, perspicacity and other gifts and virtues of that eminent and
amiable man.
In one respect, however, if in one only, the arrangement had been
unfortunate. Archdeacon Hare, both by natural tendency and by his
position as a Churchman, had been led, in editing a Work not free from
ecclesiastical heresies, and especially in writing a Life very full of such,
to dwell with preponderating emphasis on that part of his subject; by no
means extenuating the fact, nor yet passing lightly over it (which a
layman could have done) as needing no extenuation; but carefully
searching into it, with the view of excusing and explaining it; dwelling
on it, presenting all the documents of it, and as it were spreading it over
the whole field of his delineation; as if religious heterodoxy had been
the grand fact of Sterling's life, which even to the Archdeacon's mind it

could by no means seem to be. Hinc illae lachrymae. For the Religious
Newspapers, and Periodical Heresy-hunters, getting very lively in those
years, were prompt to seize the cue; and have prosecuted and perhaps
still prosecute it, in their sad way, to all lengths and breadths. John
Sterling's character and writings, which had little business to be spoken
of in any Church-court, have hereby been carried thither as if for an
exclusive trial; and the mournfulest set of pleadings, out of which
nothing but a misjudgment can be formed, prevail there ever since. The
noble Sterling, a radiant child of the empyrean, clad in bright auroral