. Death-defiance on the one hand,
and such love of music on the other; I could call these the two
opposite poles of a great soul; between these two all great things had
room.

Luther's face is to me expressive of him; in Kranach's best portraits
I find the true Luther. A rude plebeian face; with its huge crag-like
brows and bones, the emblem of rugged energy; at first, almost a
repulsive face. Yet in the eyes especially there is a wild silent
sorrow; an unnamable melancholy, the element of all gentle and fine
affections; giving to the rest the true stamp of nobleness. Laughter
was in this Luther, as we said; but tears also were there. Tears also
were appointed him; tears and hard toil. The basis of his life was
Sadness, Earnestness. In his latter days, after all triumphs and
victories, he expresses himself heartily weary of living; he considers
that God alone can and will regulate the course things are taking, and
that perhaps the Day of Judgment is not far. As for him, he longs for
one thing: that God would release him from his labour, and let him
depart and be at rest. They understand little of the man who cite this
in _dis_credit of him!--I will call this Luther a true Great Man;
great in intellect, in courage, affection and integrity; one of our
most lovable and precious men. Great, not as a hewn obelisk; but as an
Alpine mountain,--so simple, honest, spontaneous, not setting-up to be
great at all; there for quite another purpose than being great! Ah
yes, unsubduable granite, piercing far and wide into the Heavens; yet
in the clefts of it fountains, green beautiful valleys with flowers! A
right Spiritual Hero and Prophet; once more, a true Son of Nature and
Fact, for whom these centuries, and many that are to come yet, will be
thankful to Heaven.

The most interesting phasis which the Reformation anywhere assumes,
especially for us English, is that of Puritanism. In Luther's own
country Protestantism soon dwindled into a rather barren affair: not a
religion or faith, but rather now a theological jangling of argument,
the proper seat of it not the heart; the essence of it sceptical
contention: which indeed has jangled more and more, down to
Voltaireism itself,--through Gustavus-Adolphus contentions onward to
French-Revolution ones! But in our Island there arose a Puritanism,
which even got itself established as a Presbyterianism and National
Church among the Scotch; which came forth as a real business of the
heart