zanoni-第61章

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desire　to　reform　the　faulty；　why；　you　must　lower　yourself　to　live

with　the　faulty　to　know　their　faults。　　Even　so　saith　Paracelsus；

a　great　man；　though　often　wrong。　　（〃It　is　as　necessary　to　know

evil　things　as　good；　for　who　can　know　what　is　good　without　the

knowing　what　is　evil？〃　etc。Paracelsus；　〃De　Nat。　Rer。；〃　lib。　3。）

Not　mine　this　folly；　I　live　but　in　knowledge；I　have　no　life　in

mankind！〃



Another　time　Glyndon　questioned　the　mystic　as　to　the　nature　of

that　union　or　fraternity　to　which　Zanoni　had　once　referred。



〃I　am　right；　I　suppose；〃　said　he；　〃in　conjecturing　that　you　and

himself　profess　to　be　the　brothers　of　the　Rosy　Cross？〃



〃Do　you　imagine；〃　answered　Mejnour；　〃that　there　were　no　mystic

and　solemn　unions　of　men　seeking　the　same　end　through　the　same

means　before　the　Arabians　of　Damus；　in　1378；　taught　to　a

wandering　German　the　secrets　which　founded　the　Institution　of　the

Rosicrucians？　　I　allow；　however；　that　the　Rosicrucians　formed　a

sect　descended　from　the　greater　and　earlier　school。　　They　were

wiser　than　the　Alchemists；their　masters　are　wiser　than　they。〃



〃And　of　this　early　and　primary　order　how　many　still　exist？〃



〃Zanoni　and　myself。〃



〃What；　two　only！and　you　profess　the　power　to　teach　to　all　the

secret　that　baffles　Death？〃



〃Your　ancestor　attained　that　secret；　he　died　rather　than　survive

the　only　thing　he　loved。　　We　have；　my　pupil；　no　arts　by　which　we

CAN　PUT　DEATH　OUT　OF　OUR　OPTION；　or　out　of　the　will　of　Heaven。

These　walls　may　crush　me　as　I　stand。　　All　that　we　profess　to　do

is　but　this；to　find　out　the　secrets　of　the　human　frame；　to　know

why　the　parts　ossify　and　the　blood　stagnates；　and　to　apply

continual　preventives　to　the　effects　of　time。　　This　is　not　magic；

it　is　the　art　of　medicine　rightly　understood。　　In　our　order　we

hold　most　noble；first；　that　knowledge　which　elevates　the

intellect；　secondly；　that　which　preserves　the　body。　　But　the　mere

art　（extracted　from　the　juices　and　simples）　which　recruits　the

animal　vigour　and　arrests　the　progress　of　decay；　or　that　more

noble　secret；　which　I　will　only　hint　to　thee　at　present；　by　which

HEAT；　or　CALORIC；　as　ye　call　it；　being；　as　Heraclitus　wisely

taught；　the　primordial　principle　of　life；　can　be　made　its

perpetual　renovater；these　I　say；　would　not　suffice　for　safety。

It　is　ours　also　to　disarm　and　elude　the　wrath　of　men；　to　turn　the

swords　of　our　foes　against　each　other；　to　glide　（if　not

incorporeal）　invisible　to　eyes　over　which　we　can　throw　a　mist　and

darkness。　　And　this　some　seers　have　professed　to　be　the　virtue　of

a　stone　of　agate。　　Abaris　placed　it　in　his　arrow。　　I　will　find

you　an　herb　in　yon　valley　that　will　give　a　surer　charm　than　the

agate　and　the　arrow。　　In　one　word；　know　this；　that　the　humblest

and　meanest　products　of　Nature　are　those　from　which　the　sublimest

properties　are　to　be　drawn。〃



〃But；〃　said　Glyndon；　〃if　possessed　of　these　great　secrets；　why　so

churlish　in　withholding　their　diffusion？　　Does　not　the　false　or

charlatanic　science　differ　in　this　from　the　true　and

indisputable；that　the　last　communicates　to　the　world　the

process　by　which　it　attains　its　discoveries；　the　first　boasts　of

marvellous　results；　and　refuses　to　explain　the　causes？〃



〃Well　said；　O　Logician　of　the　Schools；　but　think　again。　　Suppose

we　were　to　impart　all　our　knowledge　to　all　mankind

indiscriminately；alike　to　the　vicious　and　the　virtuous；should

we　be　benefactors　or　scourges？　　Imagine　the　tyrant；　the

sensualist；　the　evil　and　corrupted　being　possessed　of　these

tremendous　powers；　would　he　not　be　a　demon　let　loose　on　earth？

Grant　that　the　same　privilege　be　accorded　also　to　the　good；　and

in　what　state　would　be　society？　　Engaged　in　a　Titan　war；the

good　forever　on　the　defensive；　the　bad　forever　in　assault。　　In

the　present　condition　of　the　earth；　evil　is　a　more　active

principle　than　good；　and　the　evil　would　prevail。　　It　is　for　these

reasons　that　we　are　not　only　solemnly　bound　to　administer　our

lore　only　to　those　who　will　not　misuse　and　pervert　it；　but　that

we　place　our　ordeal　in　tests　that　purify　the　passions　and　elevate

the　desires。　　And　Nature　in　this　controls　and　assists　us：　　for　it

places　awful　guardians　and　insurmountable　barriers　between　the

ambition　of　vice　and　the　heaven　of　the　loftier　science。〃



Such　made　a　small　part　of　the　numerous　conversations　Mejnour　held

with　his　pupil；conversations　that；　while　they　appeared　to

address　themselves　to　the　reason；　inflamed　yet　more　the　fancy。

It　was　the　very　disclaiming　of　all　powers　which　Nature；　properly

investigated；　did　not　suffice　to　create；　that　gave　an　air　of

probability　to　those　which　Mejnour　asserted　Nature　might　bestow。



Thus　days　and　weeks　rolled　on；　and　the　mind　of　Glyndon；　gradually

fitted　to　this　sequestered　and　musing　life；　forgot　at　last　the

vanities　and　chimeras　of　the　world　without。



One　evening　he　had　lingered　alone　and　late　upon　the　ramparts；

watching　the　stars　as；　one　by　one；　they　broke　upon　the　twilight。

Never　had　he　felt　so　sensibly　the　mighty　power　of　the　heavens　and

the　earth　upon　man；　how　much　the　springs　of　our　intellectual

being　are　moved　and　acted　upon　by　the　solemn　influences　of

Nature。　　As　a　patient　on　whom；　slowly　and　by　degrees；　the

agencies　of　mesmerism　are　brought　to　bear；　he　acknowledged　to　his

heart　the　growing　force　of　that　vast　and　universal　magnetism

which　is　the　life　of　creation；　and　binds　the　atom　to　the　whole。

A　strange　and　ineffable　consciousness　of　power；　of　the　SOMETHING

GREAT　within　the　perishable　clay；　appealed　to　feelings　at　once

dim　and　glorious；like　the　faint　recognitions　of　a　holier　and

former　being。　　An　impulse；　that　he　could　not　resist；　led　him　to

seek　the　mystic。　　He　would　demand；　that　hour；　his　initiation　into

the　worlds　beyond　our　world；he　was　prepared　to　breathe　a

diviner　air。　　He　entered　the　castle；　and　strode　the　shadowy　and

starlit　gallery　which　conducted　to　Mejnour's　apartment。





CHAPTER　4。III。



Man　is　the　eye　of　things。Euryph；　〃de　Vit。　Hum。〃



。。。There　is；　therefore；　a　certain　ecstatical　or　transporting

power；　which；　if　at　any　time　it　shall　be　excited　or　stirred　up　by

an　ardent　desire　and　most　strong　imagination；　is　able　to　conduct

the　spirit　of　the　more　outward　even　to　some　absent　and

far…distant　object。Von　Helmont。



The　rooms　that　Mejnour　occupied　consisted　of　two　chambers

communicating　with　each　other；　and　a　third　in　which　he　slept。

All　these　rooms　were　placed　in　the　huge　square　tower　that　beetled

over　the　dark　and　bush…grown　precipice。　　The　first　chamber　which

Glyndon　entered　was　empty。　　With　a　noiseless　step　he　passed　on；

and　opened　the　door　that　admitted　into　the　inner　one。　　He　drew

back　at　the　threshold；　overpowered　by　a　strong　fragrance　which

filled　the　chamber：　　a　kind　of　mist　thickened　the　air　rather　than

obscured　it；　for　this　vapour　was　not　dark；　but　resembled　a　snow…

cloud　moving　slowly；　and　in　heavy　undulations；　wave　upon　wave

regularly　over　the　space。　　A　mortal　cold　struck　to　the

Englishman's　heart；　and　his　blood　froze。　　He　stood　rooted　to　the

spot；　and　as　his　eyes　strained　involuntarily　through　the　vapour；

he　fancied　（for　he　could　not　be　sure　that　it　was　not　the　trick　of

his　imagination）　that　he　saw　dim；　spectre…like；　but　gigantic

forms　floating　through　the　mist；　or　was　it　not　rather　the　mist

itself　that　formed　its　vapours　fantastically　into　those　moving；

impalpable；　and　bodiless　apparitions？　　A　great　painter　of

antiquity　is　said；　in　a　picture　of　Hades；　to　have　represented　the

monsters　that　glide　through　the　ghostly　River　of　the　Dead；　so

artfully；　that　the　eye　perceived　at　once　that　the　river　itself

was　but　a　spectre；　and　the　bloodless　things　that　tenanted　it　had

no　life；　their　forms　blending　with　the　dead　waters　till；　as　the

eye　continued　to　gaze；　it　ceased　to　discern　them　from　the

preternatural　element　they　were　supposed　to　inhabit。　　Such　were

the　moving　outlines　that　coiled　and　floated　through　the　mist；　but

before　Glyndon　had　even　drawn　breath　in　this　atm