and invest them with a light beyond
the glow of art! In the Forest of
Arden and on Prospero's Island there
live, beyond the touch of time and
the vicissitudes of fate, those gracious
and beautiful spirits in whom the race
sees its noblest hopes come true,
its instinctive faith in itself justified.
These spirits are not airy nothings,
woven of the unsubstantial gossamer
of which dreams are made; they are
born of a deep insight into the possi-
bilities of the soul, and a rational faith
in their reality. Prospero is as real as
Trinculo, and Rosalind as true as
Cressida. These ideal persons are
not necessarily fortunate in their sur-
roundings or happy in their lot; they
are simply perfect in their develop-
ment of a type. They are not ab-
normal beings, rising above normal
conditions; they are normal beings,

[[268]]

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v?