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every other sentiment. It is every-day life, without even
a single romantic event.
Next to fidelity to reality the quality of divination,
the gift of being able to anticipate, is noteworthy in
Tolstoï. He possesses the extremely rare historical
imagination.
It is quite true that he has a spirit sufficiently modern
not to make any attempts to conjure up distant persons,
who have long since died. He does not go farther back
than to an epoch where he is assisted by a tradition still
vigorous. Nevertheless, his description of a past historic
period, like that of Alexander the First, is admirable.
His historical portraits make an impression as if the
picture was painted on a foundation of personal
experiences. His Napoleon, his Kutúzof, are instances.
There are perhaps in all only two artistic descriptions
in which the appearance of Napoleon makes the
impression of entire truthfulness, and which are drawn with
genuine art. One is Alfred de Vigny’s admirable
description of Napoleon’s conversation with the Pope, in
Servitude et Grandeur Militaires; the second is the scene
in “War and Peace,” where Napoleon gives an audience
to the Russian envoy Balashóf. It is written as if the
author was present unseen.
How expressive is such a little trait as this of
Napoleon: “His white and fat neck was set off sharply
against the black collar of his uniform, from which
there came a strong smell of eau-de-cologne.” We feel
the parvenu in this paltry detail.
Tolstoï’s Kutúzof is a characteristic picture of the
same rank. Nevertheless, however eminent it is as a
work of art, it certainly has great defects as a portrait.
It can hardly be doubted that, for national and religious
reasons, the author has placed too high an estimate on
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