They act in the spirit of
Xenophon's remark: _he must be a wise man who knows what is wise_.
So when they see that the prize of original merit is for ever out of
their reach, they hasten to possess themselves of that which comes
second best--the correct appreciation of it. Here it happens as with
an army which has been forced to yield; when, just as previously every
man wanted to be foremost in the fight, so now every man tries to
be foremost in running away. They all hurry forward to offer their
applause to one who is now recognized to be worthy of praise, in
virtue of a recognition, as a rule unconscious, of that law of
homogeneity which I mentioned in the last chapter; so that it may seem
as though their way of thinking and looking at things were homogeneous
with that of the celebrated man, and that they may at least save the
honor of their literary taste, since nothing else is left them.
From this it is plain that, whereas it is very difficult to win
fame, it is not hard to keep it when once attained; and also that a
reputation which comes quickly does not last very long; for here
too, _quod cito fit, cito perit_. It is obvious that if the ordinary
average man can easily recognize, and the rival workers willingly
acknowledge, the value of any performance, it will not stand very much
above the capacity of either of them to achieve it for themselves.
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