iancaldwell&dustinthomason.theruleoffour-第60章

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h　are　king；　where　leading　families　fight　over　who　can　mission　the　greatest　art；　who　can　subsidize　the　most　brilliant　thinkers；　who　can　own　the　biggest　library。　Imagine　that。　All　of　that。　It's　like　a　dream。　An　impossibility。〃
　We　return　to　his　carrel　and　he　finally　takes　a　seat。
　〃Then；　in　the　last　few　years　of　the　fifteenth　century；　just　before　the　Hypnerotomachia　is　written；　something　even　more　amazing　happens。　Something　that　every　Renaissance　scholar　knows　about；　but　that　no　one　has　ever　connected　with　the　book。　Francesco's　riddle　kept　talking　about　a　powerful　preacher　in　the　land　of　his　brethren。　I　just　couldn't　figure　out　what　the　connection　could　be。〃
　〃I　thought　Luther　wasn't　until　1517。　Colonna　was　writing　in　the　1490s。〃
　〃Not　Luther；〃　he　says。　〃In　the　late　1400s；　a　Dominican　monk　was　sent　to　Florence　to　join　a　monastery　called　San　Marco。〃
　Suddenly　it　dawns　on　me。　〃Savonarola。〃
　The　great　evangelical　preacher；　who　galvanized　Florence　at　the　turn　of　the　century；　trying　to　restore　the　city's　faith　at　any　cost。
　〃Exactly；〃　Paul　says。　〃Savonarola's　a　straight　arrow…the　straightest　you'd　ever　meet。　And　when　he　gets　to　Florence；　he　begins　to　preach。　He　tells　people　that　their　behavior　is　wicked；　their　culture　and　art　are　profane；　their　government　is　unjust。　He　says　God　looks　unkindly　on　them。　He　tells　them　to　repent。〃
　I　shake　my　head。
　〃I　know　how　it　sounds；〃　Paul　goes　on；　〃but　he's　right。　In　a　way；　the　Renaissance　is　a　godless　time。　The　Church　is　corrupt。　The　pope's　a　political　appointee。　Prospero　Colonna；　Francesco's　uncle；　allegedly　dies　of　gout；　and　some　people　think　Pope　Alexander　poisoned　him　because　he　came　from　a　rival　family。　That's　the　kind　of　world　it　is；　where　people　suspect　the　pope　of　murder。　And　that　was　only　the　beginning…they　suspected　him　of　sadism；　incest；　you　name　it。
　〃Meanwhile；　for　all　of　its　cutting…edge　art　and　scholarship；　Florence　is　in　constant　upheaval。　Factions　fight　each　other　in　the　streets；　prominent　families　plot　against　each　other　to　gain　power；　and　even　though　the　city　is　supposedly　a　republic；　the　Medici　control　everything。　Death　is　mon；　extortion　and　coercion　are　even　more　mon；　injustice　and　inequality　are　a　rule　of　life。　It's　a　pretty　disturbing　place；　considering　all　the　beautiful　things　that　e　out　of　it。
　〃So　Savonarola　arrives　in　Florence　and　sees　evil　wherever　he　looks。　He　urges　the　citizens　to　clean　up　their　lives；　to　stop　gambling；　to　start　reading　the　Bible；　to　help　the　poor　and　feed　the　hungry。　At　San　Marco　he　begins　to　gain　a　following。　Even　some　of　the　leading　humanists　admire　him。　They　realize　he's　well　read　and　conversant　about　philosophy。　Little　by　little；　Savonarola's　on　the　rise。〃
　I　stop　him。　〃I　thought　this　was　still　while　the　Medici　controlled　the　city。〃
　Paul　shakes　his　head。　〃Unfortunately　for　them；　their　newest　heir；　Piero；　was　a　fool。　He　couldn't　run　the　city。　The　people　began　to　clamor　for　liberty；　a　hallowed　cry　in　Florence；　and　finally　the　Medici　were　expelled。　Remember　the　forty…eighth　woodcut？　The　child　in　the　chariot；　butchering　the　two　women？〃
　〃The　one　Taft　showed　in　his　lecture。〃
　〃Right。　That's　how　Vincent　always　interpreted　it。　The　punishment　was　supposed　to　be　for　treason。　Did　he　say　what　he　thought　it　meant？〃
　〃No。　He　wanted　the　audience　to　solve　it。〃
　〃But　he　asked　about　the　child　in　it。　Why　does　he　have　a　sword…something　like　that？〃
　I　can　picture　Taft　standing　beneath　the　image；　his　shadow　cast　onto　the　screen。　〃Why　does　he　make　the　women　pull　his　chariot　through　the　forest；　then　kill　them　that　way？〃　I　say。
　〃Vincent's　theory　was　that　the　Cupid　figure　was　supposed　to　be　Piero；　the　new　Medici　heir。　Piero　behaved　like　a　child；　so　that's　how　the　artist　represented　him。　Because　of　him；　the　Medici　lost　their　hold　on　Florence　and　were　thrown　out。　So　the　woodcuts　show　him　retreating　through　the　woods。〃
　〃So　who　are　the　women？〃
　〃Florence　and　Italy；　Vincent　says。　By　acting　like　a　child；　Piero　destroyed　them　both。〃
　〃Seems　possible。〃
　〃It's　a　decent　interpretation；〃　Paul　agrees；　patting　his　hand　on　the　underside　of　his　desk；　searching　for　something。　〃Just　not　the　right　one。　Vincent　refused　to　accept　that　the　acrostic　rule　was　the　key。　He　would　never　believe　that　the　first　of　those　images　was　the　important　one。　He　could　only　see　things　his　way。
　〃The　point　is；　when　the　Medici　were　expelled；　the　other　leading　families　met　to　discuss　a　new　government　in　Florence。　The　only　problem　was；　no　one　trusted　anyone　else。　In　the　end　they　agreed　to　let　Savonarola　take　a　place　of　authority。　He　was　the　one　man　everyone　knew　was　incorruptible。
　〃So　Savonarola's　popularity　grows　even　more。　People　begin　to　take　his　sermons　to　heart。　Shopkeepers　start　reading　the　Bible　in　their　spare　time。　Gamblers　aren't　as　open　about　their　card　games。　Drinking　and　disorder　seem　to　be　on　the　decline。　But　Savonarola　sees　that　the　evils　persist。　So　he　steps　up　his　program　for　civic　and　spiritual　improvement。〃
　Paul　reaches　even　farther　beneath　his　desk。　With　the　sound　of　tape　peeling；　he　produces　a　single　manila　envelope。　Inside　is　a　calendar　he　has　drawn　up　in　his　own　hand。　When　he　flips　through　the　pages；　I　can　see　unfamiliar　religious　holidays　marked　in　red　pen…saint's　days；　feast　days…and　in　black　a　series　of　notes　I　can't　make　out。
　〃It's　February　of　1497；〃　he　says；　pointing　at　that　month；　〃two　years　before　the　Hypnerotomachia　is　published；　and　Lent　is　approaching。　Now；　the　tradition　was　this：　since　Lent　was　a　period　of　fasting　and　self…denial；　the　days　leading　up　to　it　were　a　period　of　celebration；　a　huge　festival；　so　people　could　enjoy　themselves　before　Lent　started。　Just　like　today；　that　period　was　called　Carnival。　Since　the　forty　days　of　Lent　always　start　on　Ash　Wednesday；　Carnival　always　culminates　the　day　before…on　Fat　Tuesday；　or　Mardi　Gras。〃
　Flashes　of　what　he's　telling　me　seem　familiar。　My　father　must　have　told　me　some　of　this　once；　before　he　gave　up　on　me；　or　I　gave　up　on　him。　Or　maybe　it's　just　what　little　I　learned　in　church；　before　I　was　old　enough　to　choose　how　I　spent　my　Sunday　mornings。
　Paul　unearths　another　diagram。　The　title　reads　FLORENCE；　1500。
　〃Carnival　in　Florence　was　a　period　of　huge　disorder；　drunkenness；　debauchery。　Gangs　of　young　men　would　bar　street　entrances　and　force　people　to　pay　a　toll　for　safe　passage。　Then　they　would　spend　the　money　on　alcohol　and　gambling。〃
　He　points　at　a　large　space　in　the　middle　of　the　drawing。
　〃When　they　were　all　pletely　drunk；　they　would　camp　out　around　fires　in　the　main　square　and　finish　the　night　in　a　huge　brawl；　each　group　throwing　stones　at　the　other。　Every　year　people　were　hurt；　even　killed。
　〃Savonarola；　of　course；　is　Carnival's　most　vocal　opponent。　In　his　eyes；　a　challenge　has　risen　against　Christianity；　leading　the　people　of　Florence　into　temptation。　And　he　recognizes　that　there's　one　force；　more　powerful　than　the　others；　contributing　to　the　city's　corruption。　It　teaches　men　that　pagan　authorities　can　rival　the　Bible；　that　wisdom　and　beauty　should　be　worshiped　in　unchristian　things。　It　leads　men　to　believe　that　human　life　is　a　quest　for　earthly　knowledge　and　satisfaction；　distracting　them　from　the　only　object　that　matters：　salvation。　The　force　is　humanism。　And　its　greatest　advocates　are　the　leading　intellectuals　of　the　city；　the　humanists。
　〃That's　when　Savonarola　es　up　with　the　idea　that's　probably　his　greatest　legacy　to　history。　He　decides　that　on　Shrove　Tuesday；　the　culminating　day　of　Carnival；　he　will　stage　a　huge　event…something　that　will　show　the　progress　and　transformation　of　the　city；　but　at　the　same　time　remind　the　Florentines　of　their　sinfulness。　He　lets　the　gangs　of　young　men　roam　the　city；　but　now　he　gives　them　a　purpose。　He　tells　them　to　collect　unchristian　objects　from　every　neighborhood　and　bring　them　back　to　the　main　square。　He　puts　all　of　the　objects　in　a　huge　pyramid。　And　on　that　day；　Shrove　Tuesday；　when　the　street　gangs　would　usually　be　sitting　around　fires　and　fighting　each　other　with　stones；　Savonarola　has　them　building　another　kind　of　fire。〃　Paul　looks　at　his　map；　then　fixes　his　eyes　on　me。
　〃The　bonfire　of　the　vanities；〃　I　say。
　〃Right。　The　gangs　returned　with　cart　after　cart。　They　came　back　with　cards　and　dice。　Chessboards。　Eye　shadow；