alexandria and her schools-第7章

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d　completed　by　a　mapwhich　one　would　like　to　see：　　but　not　a　trace　of　all　remains；　save　a　few　quoted　fragments　…


We　are　such　stuff　As　dreams　are　made　of。


But　if　Eratosthenes　had　hold　of　eternal　fact　and　law　on　one　point；　there　was　a　contemporary　who　had　hold　of　it　in　more　than　one。　　I　mean　Archimedes；　of　whom；　as　I　have　said；　we　must　speak　as　of　an　Alexandrian。　It　was　as　a　mechanician；　rather　than　as　an　astronomer；　that　he　gained　his　reputation。　　The　stories　of　his　Hydraulic　Screw；　the　Great　Ship　which　he　built　for　Hiero；　and　launched　by　means　of　machinery；　his　crane；　his　war…engines；　above　all　his　somewhat　mythical　arrangement　of　mirrors；　by　which　he　set　fire　to　ships　in　the　harbourall　these；　like　the　story　of　his　detecting　the　alloy　in　Hiero's　crown；　while　he　himself　was　in　the　bath；　and　running　home　undressed　shouting　＇Greek　text：　　eureeka＇all　these　are　schoolboys'　tales。　　To　the　thoughtful　person　it　is　the　method　of　the　man　which　constitutes　his　real　greatness；　that　power　of　insight　by　which　he　solved　the　two　great　problems　of　the　nature　of　the　lever　and　of　hydrostatic　pressure；　which　form　the　basis　of　all　static　and　hydrostatic　science　to　this　day。　　And　yet　on　that　very　question　of　the　lever　the　great　mind　of　Aristotle　babblesneither　sees　the　thing　itself；　nor　the　way　towards　seeing　it。　　But　since　Archimedes　spoke；　the　thing　seems　self…evident　to　every　schoolboy。　　There　is　something　to　me　very　solemn　in　such　a　fact　as　this。　　It　brings　us　down　to　some　of　the　very　deepest　questions　of　metaphysic。　　This　mental　insight　of　which　we　boast　so　much；　what　is　it？　　Is　it　altogether　a　process　of　our　own　brain　and　will？　　If　it　be；　why　have　so　few　the　power；　even　among　men　of　power；　and　they　so　seldom？　　If　brain　alone　were　what　was　wanted；　what　could　not　Aristotle　have　discovered？　　Or　is　it　that　no　man　can　see　a　thing　unless　God　shows　it　him？　　Is　it　that　in　each　separate　act　of　induction；　that　mysterious　and　transcendental　process　which　cannot；　let　logicians　try　as　they　will；　be　expressed　by　any　merely　logical　formula；　Aristotelian　or　otheris　it　I　say；　that　in　each　separate　act　of　induction　we　do　not　find　the　law；　but　the　law　is　shown　to　us；　by　Him　who　made　the　law？　Bacon　thought　so。　　Of　that　you　may　find　clear　proof　in　his　writings。　May　not　Bacon　be　right？　　May　it　not　be　true　that　God　does　in　science；　as　well　as　in　ethics；　hide　things　from　the　wise　and　prudent；　from　the　proud；　complete；　self…contained　systematiser　like　Aristotle；　who　must　needs　explain　all　things　in　heaven　and　earth　by　his　own　formulae；　and　his　entelechies　and　energies；　and　the　rest　of　the　notions　which　he　has　made　for　himself　out　of　his　own　brain；　and　then　pack　each　thing　away　in　its　proper　niche　in　his　great　cloud…universe　of　conceptions？　　Is　it　that　God　hides　things　from　such　men　many　a　time；　and　reveals　them　to　babes；　to　gentle；　affectionate；　simple…hearted　men；　such　as　we　know　Archimedes　to　have　been；　who　do　not　try　to　give　an　explanation　for　a　fact；　but　feel　how　awful　and　divine　it　is；　and　wrestle　reverently　and　stedfastly　with　it；　as　Jacob　with　the　Angel；　and　will　not　let　it　go；　until　it　bless　them？　　Sure　I　am；　from　what　I　have　seen　of　scientific　men；　that　there　is　an　intimate　connection　between　the　health　of　the　moral　faculties　and　the　health　of　the　inductive　ones；　and　that　the　proud；　self…conceited；　and　passionate　man　will　see　nothing：　　perhaps　because　nothing　will　be　shown　him。

But　we　must　leave　Archimedes　for　a　man　not　perhaps　so　well　known；　but　to　whom　we　owe　as　much　as　to　the　great　SyracusanHipparchus　the　astronomer。　　To　his　case　much　which　I　have　just　said　applies。　　In　him　astronomic　science　seemed　to　awaken　suddenly　to　a　true　inductive　method；　and　after　him　to　fall　into　its　old　slumber　for　300　years。　　In　the　meantime　Timocharis；　Aristyllus；　and　Conon　had　each　added　their　mites　to　the　discoveries　of　Eratosthenes：　　but　to　Hipparchus　we　owe　that　theory　of　the　heavens；　commonly　called　the　Ptolemaic　system；　which；　starting　from　the　assumption　that　the　earth　was　the　centre　of　the　universe；　attempted　to　explain　the　motions　of　the　heavenly　bodies　by　a　complex　system　of　supposed　eccentrics　and　epicycles。　　This　has　of　course　now　vanished　before　modern　discoveries。　　But　its　value　as　a　scientific　attempt　lies　in　this：　　that　the　method　being　a　correct　one；　correct　results　were　obtained；　though　starting　from　a　false　assumption；　and　Hipparchus　and　his　successors　were　enabled　by　it　to　calculate　and　predict　the　changes　of　the　heavens；　in　spite　of　their　clumsy　instruments；　with　almost　as　much　accuracy　as　we　do　now。

For　the　purpose　of　working　out　this　theory　he　required　a　science　of　trigonometry；　plane　and　spherical：　　and　this　he　accordingly　seems　to　have　invented。　　To　him　also　we　owe　the　discovery　of　that　vast　gradual　change　in　the　position　of　the　fixed　stars；　in　fact；　of　the　whole　celestial　system；　now　known　by　the　name　of　the　precession　of　the　equinoxes；　the　first　great　catalogue　of　fixed　stars；　to　the　number　of　1080；　attempts　to　ascertain　whether　the　length　of　years　and　days　were　constant；　with　which；　with　his　characteristic　love　of　truth；　he　seems　to　have　been　hardly　satisfied。　　He　too　invented　the　planisphere；　or　mode　of　representing　the　starry　heavens　upon　a　plane；　and　is　the　father　of　true　geography；　having　formed　the　happy　notion　of　mapping　out　the　earth；　as　well　as　the　heavens；　by　degrees　of　latitude　and　longitude。

Strange　it　is；　and　somewhat　sad；　that　we　should　know　nothing　of　this　great　man；　should　be　hardly　able　to　distinguish　him　from　others　of　the　same　name；　but　through　the　works　of　a　commentator；　who　wrote　and　observed　in　Alexandria　300　years　after；　during　the　age　of　the　Antonines。　I　mean；　of　course；　the　famous　Ptolemy；　whose　name　so　long　bore　the　honour　of　that　system　which　really　belonged　to　Hipparchus。

This　single　fact　speaks　volumes　for　the　real　weakness　of　the　great　artificial　school　of　literature　and　science　founded　by　the　kings　of　Egypt。　　From　the　father　of　Astronomy；　as　Delambre　calls　him；　to　Ptolemy；　the　first　man　who　seems　really　to　have　appreciated　him；　we　have　not　a　discovery；　hardly　an　observation　or　a　name；　to　fill　the　gap。　　Physical　sages　there　were；　but　they　were　geometers　and　mathematicians；　rather　than　astronomic　observers　and　inquirers。　　And　in　spite　of　all　the　huge　appliances　and　advantages　of　that　great　Museum；　its　inhabitants　were　content；　in　physical　science；　as　in　all　other　branches　of　thought；　to　comment；　to　expound；　to　do　everything　but　open　their　eyes　and　observe　facts；　and　learn　from　them；　as　the　predecessors　whom　they　pretended　to　honour　had　done。　　But　so　it　is　always。　　A　genius；　an　original　man　appears。　　He　puts　himself　boldly　in　contact　with　facts；　asks　them　what　they　mean；　and　writes　down　their　answer　for　the　world's　use。　　And　then　his　disciples　must　needs　form　a　school；　and　a　system；　and　fancy　that　they　do　honour　to　their　master　by　refusing　to　follow　in　his　steps；　by　making　his　book　a　fixed　dogmatic　canon；　attaching　to　it　some　magical　infallibility；　declaring　the　very　lie　which　he　disproved　by　his　whole　existence；　that　discovery　is　henceforth　impossible；　and　the　sum　of　knowledge　complete：　　instead　of　going　on　to　discover　as　he　discovered　before　them；　and　in　following　his　method；　show　that　they　honour　him；　not　in　the　letter；　but　in　spirit　and　in　truth。

For　this；　if　you　will　consider；　is　the　true　meaning　of　that　great　command；　〃Honour　thy　father　and　mother；　that　thy　days　may　be　long　in　the　land。〃　　On　reverence　for　the　authority　of　bygone　generations　depends　the　permanence　of　every　form　of　thought　or　belief；　as　much　as　of　all　social；　national；　and　family　life：　　but　on　reverence　of　the　spirit；　not　merely　of　the　letter；　of　the　methods　of　our　ancestors；　not　merely　of　their　conclusions。　　Ay；　and　we　shall　not　be　able　to　preserve　their　conclusions；　not　even　to　understand　them；　they　will　die　away　on　our　lips　into　skeleton　notions；　and　soulless　phrases；　unless　we　see　that　the　greatness　of　the　mighty　dead　has　always　consisted　in　this；　that　they　were　seekers；　improvers；　inventors；　endued　with　that　divine　power　and　right　of　discovery　which　has　been　bestowed　on　us；　even　as　on　them；　unless　we　become　such　men　as　they　were；　and　go　on　to　cultivate　and　develop　the　precious　heritage　which　they　have　bequeathed　to　us；　instead　of　h