Art cannot produce the thing itself.

Let us imagine, for example, one of those unreflecting promoters of absolute nature, of nature viewed apart from art, at the performance of a romantic play, say _Le Cid_.

"What's that ?" he will ask at the first word.

"The Cid speaks in verse?
It isn't _natural_ to speak in verse."-- "How would you have him speak, pray ?"--"In prose." Very good.

A moment later, "How's this!" he will continue, if he is consistent; "the Cid is speaking French!"-- "Well ?"--"Nature demands that he speak his own language; he can't speak anything but Spanish." We shall fail entirely to understand, but again--very good.