the unseen world and other essays-第46章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


epare　for　a　year　of　famine；　Orissa　kept　on　exporting。　In　March；　when　the　alarm　was　first　raised；　the　southwest　monsoon　had　set　in；　rendering　the　harbours　inaccessible。　Thus　the　district　was　isolated。　It　was　no　longer　possible　to　apply　the　wholesome　policy　which　was　operating　throughout　the　rest　of　the　country。　The　doomed　population　of　Orissa；　like　passengers　in　a　ship　without　provisions；　were　called　upon　to　suffer　the　extremities　of　famine；　and　in　the　course　of　the　spring　and　summer　of　1866；　some　seven　hundred　thousand　people　perished。

　　　　　January；　1869。


X。　SPAIN　AND　THE　NETHERLANDS。＇31＇

＇31＇　History　of　the　United　Netherlands：　from　the　Death　of　William　the　Silent　to　the　Twelve　Years'　Truce；　1609。　By　John　Lothrop　Motley；　D。　C。　L。　In　four　volumes。　Vols。　III。　and　IV。　New　York。　1868。


Tandem　fit　surculus　arbor：　the　twig　which　Mr。　Motley　in　his　earlier　volumes　has　described　as　slowly　putting　forth　its　leaves　and　rootless；　while　painfully　struggling　for　existence　in　a　hostile　soil；　has　at　last　grown　into　a　mighty　tree　of　liberty；　drawing　sustenance　from　all　lands；　and　protecting　all　civilized　peoples　with　its　pleasant　shade。　We　congratulate　Mr。　Motley　upon　the　successful　completion　of　the　second　portion　of　his　great　work；　and　we　think　that　the　Netherlanders　of　our　time　have　reason　to　be　grateful　to　the　writer　who　has　so　faithfully　and　eloquently　told　the　story　of　their　country's　fearful　struggle　against　civil　and　ecclesiastical　tyranny；　and　its　manifold　contributions　to　the　advancement　of　European　civilization。

Mr。　Motley　has　been　fortunate　in　his　selection　of　a　subject　upon　which　to　write。　Probably　no　century　of　modern　times　lends　itself　to　the　purposes　of　the　descriptive　historian　so　well　as　the　sixteenth。　While　on　the　one　hand　the　problems　which　it　presents　are　sufficiently　near　for　us　to　understand　them　without　too　great　an　effort　of　the　imagination；　on　the　other　hand　they　are　sufficiently　remote　for　us　to　study　them　without　passionate　and　warping　prejudice。　The　contest　between　Catholicism　and　the　reformed　religionbetween　ecclesiastical　autocracy　and　the　right　of　private　investigationhas　become　a　thing　of　the　past；　and　constitutes　a　closed　chapter　in　human　history。　The　epoch　which　begins　where　Mr。　Motley's　history　is　designed　to　closeat　the　peace　of　Westphaliais　far　more　complicated。　Since　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　century　a　double　movement　has　been　going　on　in　religion　and　philosophy；　society　and　politics；a　movement　of　destruction　typified　by　Voltaire　and　Rousseau；　and　a　constructive　movement　represented　by　Diderot　and　Lessing。　We　are　still　living　in　the　midst　of　this　great　epoch：　the　questions　which　it　presents　are　liable　to　disturb　our　prejudices　as　well　as　to　stimulate　our　reason；　the　results　to　which　it　must　sooner　or　later　attain　can　now　be　only　partially　foreseen；　and　even　its　present　tendencies　are　generally　misunderstood；　and　in　many　quarters　wholly　ignored。　With　the　sixteenth　century；　as　we　have　said；　the　case　is　far　different。　The　historical　problem　is　far　less　complex。　The　issues　at　stake　are　comparatively　simple；　and　the　historian　has　before　him　a　straightforward　story。

From　the　dramatic；　or　rather　from　the　epic；　point　of　view；　the　sixteenth　century　is　pre…eminent。　The　essentially　transitional　character　of　modern　history　since　the　breaking　up　of　the　papal　and　feudal　systems　is　at　no　period　more　distinctly　marked。　In　traversing　the　sixteenth　century　we　realize　that　we　have　fairly　got　out　of　one　state　of　things　and　into　another。　At　the　outset；　events　like　the　challenge　of　Barletta　may　make　us　doubt　whether　we　have　yet　quite　left　behind　the　Middle　Ages。　The　belief　in　the　central　position　of　the　earth　is　still　universal；　and　the　belief　in　its　rotundity　not　yet；　until　the　voyage　of　Magellan；　generally　accepted。　We　find　Englandowing　partly　to　the　introduction　of　gunpowder　and　the　consequent　disuse　of　archery；　partly　to　the　results　of　the　recent　integration　of　France　under　Louis　XI。fallen　back　from　the　high　relative　position　which　it　had　occupied　under　the　rule　of　the　Plantagenets；　and　its　policy　still　directed　in　accordance　with　reminiscences　of　Agincourt；　and　garnet；　and　Burgundian　alliances。　We　find　France　just　beginning　her　ill…fated　career　of　intervention　in　the　affairs　of　Italy；　and　Spain；　with　her　Moors　finally　vanquished　and　a　new　world　beyond　the　ocean　just　added　to　her　domain；　rapidly　developing　into　the　greatest　empire　which　had　been　seen　since　the　days　of　the　first　Caesars。　But　at　the　close　of　the　century　we　find　feudal　life　in　castles　changed　into　modern　life　in　towns；　chivalric　defiances　exchanged　for　over…subtle　diplomacy；　Maurices　instead　of　Bayards；　a　Henry　IV。　instead　of　a　Gaston　de　Foix。　We　find　the　old　theory　of　man's　central　position　in　the　universethe　foundation　of　the　doctrine　of　final　causes　and　of　the　whole　theological　method　of　interpreting　naturefinally　overthrown　by　Copernicus。　Instead　of　the　circumnavigability　of　the　earth；　the　discovery　of　a　Northwest　passageas　instanced　by　the　heroic　voyage　of　Barendz；　so　nobly　described　by　Mr。　Motleyis　now　the　chief　geographical　problem。　East　India　Companies；　in　place　of　petty　guilds　of　weavers　and　bakers；　bear　witness　to　the　vast　commercial　progress。　We　find　England；　fresh　from　her　stupendous　victory　over　the　whole　power　of　Spain；　again　in　the　front　rank　of　nations；　France；　under　the　most　astute　of　modern　sovereigns；　taking　her　place　for　a　time　as　the　political　leader　of　the　civilized　world；　Spain；　with　her　evil　schemes　baffled　in　every　quarter；　sinking　into　that　terrible　death…like　lethargy；　from　which　she　has　hardly　yet　awakened；　and　which　must　needs　call　forth　our　pity；　though　it　is　but　the　deserved　retribution　for　her　past　behaviour。　While　the　little　realm　of　the　Netherlands；　filched　and　cozened　from　the　unfortunate　Jacqueline　by　the　〃good〃　Duke　of　Burgundy；　carried　over　to　Austria　as　the　marriage…portion　of　Lady　Mary；　sent　down　to　Spain　as　the　personal　inheritance　of　the　〃prudent〃　Philip；　and　by　him　intolerably　tormented　with　an　Inquisition；　a　Blood…Council；　and　a　Duke　of　Alva；　has　after　a　forty　years'　war　of　independence　taken　its　position　for　a　time　as　the　greatest　of　commercial　nations；　with　the　most　formidable　navy　and　one　of　the　best　disciplined　armies　yet　seen　upon　the　earth。

But　the　central　phenomenon　of　the　sixteenth　century　is　the　culmination　of　the　Protestant　movement　in　its　decisive　proclamation　by　Luther。　For　nearly　three　hundred　years　already　the　power　of　the　Church　had　been　declining；　and　its　function　as　a　civilizing　agency　had　been　growing　more　and　more　obsolete。　The　first　great　blow　at　its　supremacy　had　been　directed　with　partial　success　in　the　thirteenth　century　by　the　Emperor　Frederick　II。　Coincident　with　this　attack　from　without；　we　find　a　reformation　begun　within；　as　exemplified　in　the　Dominican　and　Franciscan　movements。　The　second　great　blow　was　aimed　by　Philip　IV。　of　France；　and　this　time　it　struck　with　terrible　force。　The　removal　of　the　Papacy　to　Avignon；　in　1305；　was　the　virtual　though　unrecognized　abdication　of　its　beneficent　supremacy。　Bereft　of　its　dignity　and　independence；　from　that　time　forth　it　ceased　to　be　the　defender　of　national　unity　against　baronial　anarchy；　of　popular　rights　against　monarchical　usurpation；　and　became　a　formidable　instrument　of　despotism　and　oppression。　Through　the　vicissitudes　of　the　great　schism　in　the　fourteenth　century；　and　the　refractory　councils　in　the　fifteenth；　its　position　became　rapidly　more　and　more　retrograde　and　demoralized。　And　when；　in　1530；　it　joined　its　forces　with　those　of　Charles　V。；　in　crushing　the　liberties　of　the　worthiest　of　mediaeval　republics；　it　became　evident　that　the　cause　of　freedom　and　progress　must　henceforth　be　intrusted　to　some　more　faithful　champion。　The　revolt　of　Northern　Europe；　led　by　Luther　and　Henry　VIII。　was　but　the　articulate　announcement　of　this　altered　state　of　affairs。　So　long　as　the　Roman　Church　had　been　felt　to　be　the　enemy　of　tyrannical　monarchs　and　the　steadfast　friend　of　the　people；　its　encroachments；　as　represented　by　men　like　Dunstan　and　Becket；　were　regarded　with　popular　favour。　The　strength　of　the　Church　lay　ever　in　its　democratic　instincts；　and　when　these　were　found　to　have　abandoned　it；　the　indignant　protest　of　Luther　sufficed