alexandria and her schools-第26章

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　captive　children　to　schoola　fact　which　speaks　as　well　for　the　Mussulmans'　good　sense；　as　it　speaks　ill　for　the　state　of　education　among　the　degraded　descendants　of　the　Greek　conquerors　of　the　East。　　Gradually　philosophic　Schools　arose；　first　at　Bagdad；　and　then　at　Cordova；　and　the　Arabs　carried　on　the　task　of　commenting　on　Aristotle's　Logic；　and　Ptolemy's　Megiste　Syntaxiswhich　last　acquired　from　them　the　name　of　Almagest；　by　which　it　was　so　long　known　during　the　Middle　Ages。

But　they　did　little　but　comment；　though　there　was　no　Neoplatonic　or　mystic　element　in　their　commentaries。　　It　seems　as　if　Alexandria　was　preordained；　by　its　very　central　position；　to　be　the　city　of　commentators；　not　of　originators。　　It　is　worthy　of　remark；　that　Philoponus；　who　may　be　considered　as　the　man　who　first　introduced　the　simple　warriors　of　the　Koreish　to　the　treasures　of　Greek　thought；　seems　to　have　been　the　first　rebel　against　the　Neoplatonist　eclecticism。　　He　maintained；　and　truly；　that　Porphyry；　Proclus；　and　the　rest；　had　entirely　misunderstood　Aristotle；　when　they　attempted　to　reconcile　him　with　Plato；　or　incorporate　his　philosophy　into　Platonism。　　Aristotle　was　henceforth　the　text…book　of　Arab　savants。　　It　was　natural　enough。　　The　Mussulman　mind　was　trained　in　habits　of　absolute　obedience　to　the　authority　of　fixed　dogmas。　　All　those　attempts　to　follow　out　metaphysic　to　its　highest　object；　theology；　would　be　useless　if　not　wrong　in　the　eyes　of　a　Mussulman；　who　had　already　his　simple　and　sharply…defined　creed　on　all　matters　relating　to　the　unseen　world。　　With　him　metaphysic　was　a　study　altogether　divorced　from　man's　higher　life　and　aspirations。　So　also　were　physics。　　What　need　had　he　of　Cosmogonies？　what　need　to　trace　the　relations　between　man　and　the　universe；　or　the　universe　and　its　Maker？　　He　had　his　definite　material　Elysium　and　Tartarus；　as　the　only　ultimate　relation　between　man　and　the　universe；　his　dogma　of　an　absolute　fiat；　creating　arbitrary　and　once　for　all；　as　the　only　relation　between　the　universe　and　its　Maker：　　and　further　it　was　not　lawful　to　speculate。　　The　idea　which　I　believe　unites　both　physic　and　metaphysic　with　man's　highest　inspirations　and　widest　speculationsthe　Alexandria　idea　of　the　Logos；　of　the　Deity　working　in　time　and　space　by　successive　thoughtshe　had　not　heard　of；　for　it　was　dead；　as　I　have　said；　in　Alexandria　itself；　and　if　he　had　heard　of　it；　he　would　have　spurned　it　as　detracting　from　the　absoluteness　of　that　abysmal　one　Being；　of　whom　he　so　nobly　yet　so　partially　bore　witness。　　So　it　was　to　be；　doubtless　it　was　right　that　it　should　be　so。　　Man's　eye　is　too　narrow　to　see　a　whole　truth；　his　brain　too　weak　to　carry　a　whole　truth。　　Better　for　him；　and　better　for　the　world；　is　perhaps　the　method　on　which　man　has　been　educated　in　every　age；　by　which　to　each　school；　or　party；　or　nation；　is　given　some　one　great　truth；　which　they　are　to　work　out　to　its　highest　development；　to　exemplify　in　actual　life；　leaving　some　happier　age　perhaps；　alas！　only　some　future　stateto　reconcile　that　too　favoured　dogma　with　other　truths　which　lie　beside　it；　and　without　which　it　is　always　incomplete；　and　sometimes　altogether　barren。

But　such　schools　of　science；　founded　on　such　a　ground　as　this；　on　the　mere　instinct　of　curiosity；　had　little　chance　of　originality　or　vitality。　　All　the　great　schools　of　the　world；　the　elder　Greek　philosophy；　the　Alexandrian；　the　present　Baconian　school　of　physics；　have　had　a　deeper　motive　for　their　search；　a　far　higher　object　which　they　hope　to　discover。　　But　indeed；　the　Mussulmans　did　not　so　much　wish　to　discover　truth；　as　to　cultivate　their　own　intellects。　　For　that　purpose　a　sharp　and　subtle　systematist；　like　Aristotle；　was　the　very　man　whom　they　required；　and　from　the　destruction　of　Alexandria　may　date　the　rise　of　the　Aristotelian　philosophy。　　Translations　of　his　works　were　made　into　Arabic；　first；　it　is　said；　from　Persian　and　Syriac　translations；　the　former　of　which　had　been　made　during　the　sixth　and　seventh　centuries；　by　the　wreck　of　the　Neoplatonist　party；　during　their　visit　to　the　philosophic　Chozroos。　　A　century　after；　they　filled　Alexandria。　　After　them　Almansoor；　Hairoun　Alraschid；　and　their　successors；　who　patronised　the　Nestorian　Christians；　obtained　from　them　translations　of　the　philosophic；　medical；　and　astronomical　Greek　works；　while　the　last　of　the　Omniades；　Abdalrahman；　had　introduced　the　same　literary　taste　into　Spain；　where；　in　the　thirteenth　century；　Averroes　and　Maimonides　rivalled　the　fame　of　Avicenna；　who　had　flourished　at　Bagdad　a　century　before。

But；　as　I　have　said　already；　these　Arabs　seem　to　have　invented　nothing；　they　only　commented。　　And　yet　not　only　commented；　for　they　preserved　for　us　those　works　of　whose　real　value　they　were　so　little　aware。　　Averroes；　in　quality　of　commentator　on　Aristotle；　became　his　rival　in　the　minds　of　the　mediaeval　schoolmen；　Avicenna；　in　quality　of　commentator　on　Hippocrates　and　Galen；　was　for　centuries　the　text…book　of　all　European　physicians；　while　Albatani　and　Aboul　Wefa；　as　astronomers；　commented　on　Ptolemy；　not　however　without　making　a　few　important　additions　to　his　knowledge；　for　Aboul　Wefa　discovered　a　third　inequality　of　the　moon's　motion；　in　addition　to　the　two　mentioned　by　Ptolemy；　which　he　did；　according　to　Professor　Whewell；　in　a　truly　philosophic　manneran　apparently　solitary　instance；　and　one　which；　in　its　own　day；　had　no　effect；　for　the　fact　was　forgotten；　and　rediscovered　centuries　after　by　Tycho　Brahe。　　To　Albatani；　however；　we　owe　two　really　valuable　heirlooms。　　The　one　is　the　use　of　the　sine；　or　half…chord　of　the　double　arc；　instead　of　the　chord　of　the　arc　itself；　which　had　been　employed　by　the　Greek　astronomers；　the　other；　of　even　more　practical　benefit；　was　the　introduction　of　the　present　decimal　arithmetic；　instead　of　the　troublesome　sexagesimal　arithmetic　of　the　Greeks。　　These　ten　digits；　however；　seem；　says　Professor　Whewell；　by　the　confession　of　the　Arabians　themselves；　to　be　of　Indian　origin；　and　thus　form　no　exception　to　the　sterility　of　the　Arabian　genius　in　scientific　inventions。　　Nevertheless　we　are　bound；　in　all　fairness；　to　set　against　his　condemnation　of　the　Arabs　Professor　De　Morgan's　opinion　of　the　Moslem；　in　his　article　on　Euclid：　　〃Some　writers　speak　slightingly　of　this　progress；　the　results　of　which　they　are　too　apt　to　compare　with　those　of　our　own　time。　　They　ought　rather　to　place　the　Saracens　by　the　side　of　their　own　Gothic　ancestors；　and　making　some　allowance　for　the　more　advantageous　circumstances　under　which　the　first　started；　they　should　view　the　second　systematically　dispersing　the　remains　of　Greek　civilisation；　while　the　first　were　concentrating　the　geometry　of　Alexandria；　the　arithmetic　and　algebra　of　India；　and　the　astronomy　of　both；　to　form　a　nucleus　for　the　present　state　of　science。〃

To　this　article　of　Professor　De　Morgan's　on　Euclid；　｛2｝　and　to　Professor　Whewell's　excellent　〃History　of　the　Inductive　Sciences；〃　from　which　I；　being　neither　Arabic　scholar　nor　astronomer；　have　drawn　most　of　my　facts　about　physical　science；　I　must　refer　those　who　wish　to　know　more　of　the　early　rise　of　physics；　and　of　their　preservation　by　the　Arabs；　till　a　great　and　unexpected　event　brought　them　back　again　to　the　quarter　of　the　globe　where　they　had　their　birth；　and　where　alone　they　could　be　regenerated　into　a　new　and　practical　life。

That　great　event　was　the　Crusades。　　We　have　heard　little　of　Alexandria　lately。　　Its　intellectual　glory　had　departed　westward　and　eastward；　to　Cordova　and　to　Bagdad；　its　commercial　greatness　had　left　it　for　Cairo　and　Damietta。　　But　Egypt　was　still　the　centre　of　communication　between　the　two　great　stations　of　the　Moslem　power；　and　indeed；　as　Mr。　Lane　has　shown　in　his　most　valuable　translation　of　the　〃Arabian　Nights；〃　possessed　a　peculiar　life　and　character　of　its　own。

It　was　the　rash　object　of　the　Crusaders　to　extinguish　that　life。　Palestine　was　their　first　point　of　attack：　　but　the　later　Crusaders　seem　to　have　found；　like　the　rest　of　the　world；　that　the　destinies　of　Palestine　could　not　be　separated　from　those　of　Egypt；　and　to　Damietta；　accordingly；　was　directed　that　last　disastrous　attempt　of　St。　Louis；　which　all　may　read　so　graphically　described　in　the　pages　of　Joinville。

The　Crusaders