zanoni-第63章

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and　remember　who　guides　our　fate！〃



As　she　lifted　her　eyes　above；　a　dark　cloud　swept　suddenly　over

the　scene。　　It　wrapped　the　orange…trees；　the　azure　ocean；　the

dense　sands；　but　still　the　last　images　that　it　veiled　from　the

charmed　eyes　of　Glyndon　were　the　forms　of　Viola　and　Zanoni。　　The

face　of　the　one　rapt；　serene；　and　radiant；　the　face　of　the　other；

dark；　thoughtful；　and　locked　in　more　than　its　usual　rigidness　of

melancholy　beauty　and　profound　repose。



〃Rouse　thyself；〃　said　Mejnour；　〃thy　ordeal　has　commenced！　　There

are　pretenders　to　the　solemn　science　who　could　have　shown　thee

the　absent；　and　prated　to　thee；　in　their　charlatanic　jargon；　of

the　secret　electricities　and　the　magnetic　fluid　of　whose　true

properties　they　know　but　the　germs　and　elements。　　I　will　lend

thee　the　books　of　those　glorious　dupes；　and　thou　wilt　find；　in

the　dark　ages；　how　many　erring　steps　have　stumbled　upon　the

threshold　of　the　mighty　learning；　and　fancied　they　had　pierced

the　temple。　　Hermes　and　Albert　and　Paracelsus；　I　knew　ye　all；

but；　noble　as　ye　were；　ye　were　fated　to　be　deceived。　　Ye　had　not

souls　of　faith；　and　daring　fitted　for　the　destinies　at　which　ye

aimed！　　Yet　Paracelsusmodest　Paracelsushad　an　arrogance　that

soared　higher　than　all　our　knowledge。　　Ho；　ho！he　thought　he

could　make　a　race　of　men　from　chemistry；　he　arrogated　to　himself

the　Divine　gift；the　breath　of　life。　　（Paracelsus；　〃De　Nat。

Rer。；〃　lib。　i。）



He　would　have　made　men；　and；　after　all；　confessed　that　they　could

be　but　pygmies！　　My　art　is　to　make　men　above　mankind。　　But　you

are　impatient　of　my　digressions。　　Forgive　me。　　All　these　men

（they　were　great　dreamers；　as　you　desire　to　be）　were　intimate

friends　of　mine。　　But　they　are　dead　and　rotten。　They　talked　of

spirits；but　they　dreaded　to　be　in　other　company　than　that　of

men。　　Like　orators　whom　I　have　heard；　when　I　stood　by　the　Pnyx　of

Athens；　blazing　with　words　like　comets　in　the　assembly；　and

extinguishing　their　ardour　like　holiday　rockets　when　they　were　in

the　field。　　Ho；　ho！　Demosthenes；　my　hero…coward；　how　nimble　were

thy　heels　at　Chaeronea！　　And　thou　art　impatient　still！　　Boy；　I

could　tell　thee　such　truths　of　the　past　as　would　make　thee　the

luminary　of　schools。　　But　thou　lustest　only　for　the　shadows　of

the　future。　　Thou　shalt　have　thy　wish。　　But　the　mind　must　be

first　exercised　and　trained。　　Go　to　thy　room；　and　sleep；　fast

austerely；　read　no　books；　meditate；　imagine；　dream；　bewilder

thyself　if　thou　wilt。　　Thought　shapes　out　its　own　chaos　at　last。

Before　midnight；　seek　me　again！〃





CHAPTER　4。IV。



It　is　fit　that　we　who　endeavour　to　rise　to　an　elevation　so

sublime；　should　study　first　to　leave　behind　carnal　affections；

the　frailty　of　the　senses；　the　passions　that　belong　to　matter；

secondly；　to　learn　by　what　means　we　may　ascend　to　the　climax　of

pure　intellect；　united　with　the　powers　above；　without　which　never

can　we　gain　the　lore　of　secret　things；　nor　the　magic　that　effects

true　wonders。Tritemius　〃On　Secret　Things　and　Secret　Spirits。〃



It　wanted　still　many　minutes　of　midnight；　and　Glyndon　was　once

more　in　the　apartment　of　the　mystic。　　He　had　rigidly　observed　the

fast　ordained　to　him；　and　in　the　rapt　and　intense　reveries　into

which　his　excited　fancy　had　plunged　him；　he　was　not　only

insensible　to　the　wants　of　the　flesh；he　felt　above　them。



Mejnour；　seated　beside　his　disciple；　thus　addressed　him：



〃Man　is　arrogant　in　proportion　to　his　ignorance。　　Man's　natural

tendency　is　to　egotism。　　Man；　in　his　infancy　of　knowledge；　thinks

that　all　creation　was　formed　for　him。　　For　several　ages　he　saw　in

the　countless　worlds　that　sparkle　through　space　like　the　bubbles

of　a　shoreless　ocean　only　the　petty　candles；　the　household

torches；　that　Providence　had　been　pleased　to　light　for　no　other

purpose　but　to　make　the　night　more　agreeable　to　man。　　Astronomy

has　corrected　this　delusion　of　human　vanity；　and　man　now

reluctantly　confesses　that　the　stars　are　worlds　larger　and　more

glorious　than　his　own；that　the　earth　on　which　he　crawls　is　a

scarce　visible　speck　on　the　vast　chart　of　creation。　　But　in　the

small　as　in　the　vast；　God　is　equally　profuse　of　life。　　The

traveller　looks　upon　the　tree；　and　fancies　its　boughs　were　formed

for　his　shelter　in　the　summer　sun；　or　his　fuel　in　the　winter

frosts。　　But　in　each　leaf　of　these　boughs　the　Creator　has　made　a

world；　it　swarms　with　innumerable　races。　　Each　drop　of　the　water

in　yon　moat　is　an　orb　more　populous　than　a　kingdom　is　of　men。

Everywhere；　then；　in　this　immense　design；　science　brings　new　life

to　light。　　Life　is　the　one　pervading　principle；　and　even　the

thing　that　seems　to　die　and　putrify　but　engenders　new　life；　and

changes　to　fresh　forms　of　matter。　　Reasoning；　then；　by　evident

analogy：　　if　not　a　leaf；　if　not　a　drop　of　water；　but　is；　no　less

than　yonder　star；　a　habitable　and　breathing　world；nay；　if　even

man　himself　is　a　world　to　other　lives；　and　millions　and　myriads

dwell　in　the　rivers　of　his　blood；　and　inhabit　man's　frame　as　man

inhabits　earth；　commonsense　（if　your　schoolmen　had　it）　would

suffice　to　teach　that　the　circumfluent　infinite　which　you　call

spacethe　countless　Impalpable　which　divides　earth　from　the　moon

and　starsis　filled　also　with　its　correspondent　and　appropriate

life。　　Is　it　not　a　visible　absurdity　to　suppose　that　being　is

crowded　upon　every　leaf；　and　yet　absent　from　the　immensities　of

space？　　The　law　of　the　Great　System　forbids　the　waste　even　of　an

atom；　it　knows　no　spot　where　something　of　life　does　not　breathe。

In　the　very　charnel…house　is　the　nursery　of　production　and

animation。　　Is　that　true？　　Well；　then；　can　you　conceive　that

space；　which　is　the　Infinite　itself；　is　alone　a　waste；　is　alone

lifeless；　is　less　useful　to　the　one　design　of　universal　being

than　the　dead　carcass　of　a　dog；　than　the　peopled　leaf；　than　the

swarming　globule？　　The　microscope　shows　you　the　creatures　on　the

leaf；　no　mechanical　tube　is　yet　invented　to　discover　the　nobler

and　more　gifted　things　that　hover　in　the　illimitable　air。　　Yet

between　these　last　and　man　is　a　mysterious　and　terrible　affinity。

And　hence；　by　tales　and　legends；　not　wholly　false　nor　wholly

true；　have　arisen　from　time　to　time；　beliefs　in　apparitions　and

spectres。　　If　more　common　to　the　earlier　and　simpler　tribes　than

to　the　men　of　your　duller　age；　it　is　but　that；　with　the　first；

the　senses　are　more　keen　and　quick。　　And　as　the　savage　can　see　or

scent　miles　away　the　traces　of　a　foe；　invisible　to　the　gross

sense　of　the　civilised　animal；　so　the　barrier　itself　between　him

and　the　creatures　of　the　airy　world　is　less　thickened　and

obscured。　　Do　you　listen？〃



〃With　my　soul！〃



〃But　first；　to　penetrate　this　barrier；　the　soul　with　which　you

listen　must　be　sharpened　by　intense　enthusiasm；　purified　from　all

earthlier　desires。　　Not　without　reason　have　the　so…styled

magicians；　in　all　lands　and　times；　insisted　on　chastity　and

abstemious　reverie　as　the　communicants　of　inspiration。　　When　thus

prepared；　science　can　be　brought　to　aid　it；　the　sight　itself　may

be　rendered　more　subtle；　the　nerves　more　acute；　the　spirit　more

alive　and　outward；　and　the　element　itselfthe　air；　the　space

may　be　made；　by　certain　secrets　of　the　higher　chemistry；　more

palpable　and　clear。　　And　this；　too；　is　not　magic；　as　the

credulous　call　it；　as　I　have　so　often　said　before；　magic　（or

science　that　violates　Nature）　exists　not：　　it　is　but　the　science

by　which　Nature　can　be　controlled。　　Now；　in　space　there　are

millions　of　beings　not　literally　spiritual；　for　they　have　all；

like　the　animalculae　unseen　by　the　naked　eye；　certain　forms　of

matter；　though　matter　so　delicate；　air…drawn；　and　subtle；　that　it

is；　as　it　were；　but　a　film；　a　gossamer　that　clothes　the　spirit。

Hence　the　Rosicrucian's　lovely　phantoms　of　sylph　and　gnome。　　Yet；

in　truth；　these　races　and　tribes　differ　more　widely；　each　from

each；　than　the　Calmuc　from　the　Greek；differ　in　attributes　and

powers。　　In　the　drop　of　water　you　see　how　the　animalculae　vary；