At Clifton,though his thoughts began to turn more on poetic forms of composition,he was diligent in prose elaborations too,--doing Criticism,for one thing,as we incidentally observed.He wrote there,and sent forth in this autumn of 1839,his most important contribution to John Mill's Review,the article on _Carlyle_,which stands also in Mr.Hare's collection.[22]What its effect on the public was I knew not,and know not;but remember well,and may here be permitted to acknowledge,the deep silent joy,not of a weak or ignoble nature,which it gave to myself in my then mood and situation;as it well might.The first generous human recognition,expressed with heroic emphasis,and clear conviction visible amid its fiery exaggeration,that one's poor battle in this world is not quite a mad and futile,that it is perhaps a worthy and manful one,which will come to something yet:this fact is a memorable one in every history;and for me Sterling,often enough the stiff gainsayer in our private communings,was the doer of this.The thought burnt in me like a lamp,for several days;lighting up into a kind of heroic splendor the sad volcanic wrecks,abysses,and convulsions of said poor battle,and secretly I was very grateful to my daring friend,and am still,and ought to be.What the public might be thinking about him and his audacities,and me in consequence,or whether it thought at all,Inever learned,or much heeded to learn.
Sterling's gainsaying had given way on many points;but on others it continued stiff as ever,as may be seen in that article;indeed he fought Parthian-like in such cases,holding out his last position as doggedly as the first:and to some of my notions he seemed to grow in stubbornness of opposition,with the growing inevitability,and never would surrender.Especially that doctrine of the "greatness and fruitfulness of Silence,"remained afflictive and incomprehensible: