But, as in the case of Knox, the times in which
he lived were rude and violent; and the work he had to do could
scarcely have been accomplished with gentleness and suavity. To
rouse Europe from its lethargy, he had to speak and to write with
force, and even vehemence. Yet Luther's vehemence was only in
words. His apparently rude exterior covered a warm heart. In
private life he was gentle, loving, and affectionate. He was
simple and homely, even to commonness. Fond of all common
pleasures and enjoyments, he was anything but an austere man, or a
bigot; for he was hearty, genial, and even "jolly." Luther was
the common people's hero in his lifetime, and he remains so in
Germany to this day.
Samuel Johnson was rude and often gruff in manner. But he had
been brought up in a rough school. Poverty in early life had made
him acquainted with strange companions. He had wandered in the
streets with Savage for nights together, unable between them to
raise money enough to pay for a bed. When his indomitable courage
and industry at length secured for him a footing in society, he
still bore upon him the scars of his early sorrows and struggles.
He was by nature strong and robust, and his experience made him
unaccommodating and self-asserting. When he was once asked why he
was not invited to dine out as Garrick was, he answered, "Because
great lords and ladies did not like to have their mouths stopped;"
and Johnson was a notorious mouth-stopper, though what he said was
always worth listening to.
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