We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man,
without gaining something by him. He is the living light-fountain,
which it is good and pleasant to be near. The light which enlightens,
which has enlightened the darkness of the world; and this not as a
kindled lamp only, but rather as a natural luminary shining by the
gift of Heaven; a flowing light-fountain, as I say, of native original
insight, of manhood and heroic nobleness;--in whose radiance all souls
feel that it is well with them. On any terms whatsoever, you will not
grudge to wander in such neighbourhood for a while. These Six classes
of Heroes, chosen out of widely-distant countries and epochs, and in
mere external figure differing altogether, ought, if we look
faithfully at them, to illustrate several things for us. Could we see
_them_ well, we should get some glimpses into the very marrow of the
world's history. How happy, could I but, in any measure, in such times
as these, make manifest to you the meanings of Heroism; the divine
relation (for I may well call it such) which in all times unites a
Great Man to other men; and thus, as it were, not exhaust my subject,
but so much as break ground on it! At all events, I must make the
attempt.

It is well said, in every sense, that a man's religion is the chief
fact with regard to him. A man's, or a nation of men's. By religion I
do not mean here the church-creed which he professes, the articles of
faith which he will sign and, in words or otherwise, assert; not this
wholly, in many cases not this at all. We see men of all kinds of
professed creeds attain to almost all degrees of worth or
worthlessness under each or any of them. This is not what I call
religion, this profession and assertion; which is often only a
profession and assertion from the outworks of the man, from the mere
argumentative region of him, if even so deep as that. But the thing a
man does practically believe (and this is often enough _without_
asserting it even to himself, much less to others); the thing a man
does practically lay to heart, and know for certain, concerning his
vital relations to this mysterious Universe, and his duty and destiny
there, that is in all cases the primary thing for him, and creatively
determines all the rest. That is his _religion_; or it may be, his
mere scepticism and _no-religion_: the manner it is in which he feels
himself to be spiritually related to the Unseen World or No-World; and
I say, if you t