the golden bough-第20章

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4。　The　Magician's　Progress

WE　have　now　concluded　our　examination　of　the　general　principles　of　sympathetic　magic。　The　examples　by　which　I　have　illustrated　them　have　been　drawn　for　the　most　part　from　what　may　be　called　private　magic；　that　is　from　magical　rites　and　incantations　practised　for　the　benefit　or　the　injury　of　individuals。　But　in　savage　society　there　is　commonly　to　be　found　in　addition　what　we　may　call　public　magic；　that　is；　sorcery　practised　for　the　benefit　of　the　whole　community。　Wherever　ceremonies　of　this　sort　are　observed　for　the　common　good；　it　is　obvious　that　the　magician　ceases　to　be　merely　a　private　practitioner　and　becomes　to　some　extent　a　public　functionary。　The　development　of　such　a　class　of　functionaries　is　of　great　importance　for　the　political　as　well　as　the　religious　evolution　of　society。　For　when　the　welfare　of　the　tribe　is　supposed　to　depend　on　the　performance　of　these　magical　rites；　the　magician　rises　into　a　position　of　much　influence　and　repute；　and　may　readily　acquire　the　rank　and　authority　of　a　chief　or　king。　The　profession　accordingly　draws　into　its　ranks　some　of　the　ablest　and　most　ambitious　men　of　the　tribe；　because　it　holds　out　to　them　a　prospect　of　honour；　wealth；　and　power　such　as　hardly　any　other　career　could　offer。　The　acuter　minds　perceive　how　easy　it　is　to　dupe　their　weaker　brother　and　to　play　on　his　superstition　for　their　own　advantage。　Not　that　the　sorcerer　is　always　a　knave　and　impostor；　he　is　often　sincerely　convinced　that　he　really　possesses　those　wonderful　powers　which　the　credulity　of　his　fellows　ascribes　to　him。　But　the　more　sagacious　he　is；　the　more　likely　he　is　to　see　through　the　fallacies　which　impose　on　duller　wits。　Thus　the　ablest　members　of　the　profession　must　tend　to　be　more　or　less　conscious　deceivers；　and　it　is　just　these　men　who　in　virtue　of　their　superior　ability　will　generally　come　to　the　top　and　win　for　themselves　positions　of　the　highest　dignity　and　the　most　commanding　authority。　The　pitfalls　which　beset　the　path　of　the　professional　sorcerer　are　many；　and　as　a　rule　only　the　man　of　coolest　head　and　sharpest　wit　will　be　able　to　steer　his　way　through　them　safely。　For　it　must　always　be　remembered　that　every　single　profession　and　claim　put　forward　by　the　magician　as　such　is　false；　not　one　of　them　can　be　maintained　without　deception；　conscious　or　unconscious。　Accordingly　the　sorcerer　who　sincerely　believes　in　his　own　extravagant　pretensions　is　in　far　greater　peril　and　is　much　more　likely　to　be　cut　short　in　his　career　than　the　deliberate　impostor。　The　honest　wizard　always　expects　that　his　charms　and　incantations　will　produce　their　supposed　effect；　and　when　they　fail；　not　only　really；　as　they　always　do；　but　conspicuously　and　disastrously；　as　they　often　do；　he　is　taken　aback：　he　is　not；　like　his　knavish　colleague；　ready　with　a　plausible　excuse　to　account　for　the　failure；　and　before　he　can　find　one　he　may　be　knocked　on　the　head　by　his　disappointed　and　angry　employers。

The　general　result　is　that　at　this　stage　of　social　evolution　the　supreme　power　tends　to　fall　into　the　hands　of　men　of　the　keenest　intelligence　and　the　most　unscrupulous　character。　If　we　could　balance　the　harm　they　do　by　their　knavery　against　the　benefits　they　confer　by　their　superior　sagacity；　it　might　well　be　found　that　the　good　greatly　outweighed　the　evil。　For　more　mischief　has　probably　been　wrought　in　the　world　by　honest　fools　in　high　places　than　by　intelligent　rascals。　Once　your　shrewd　rogue　has　attained　the　height　of　his　ambition；　and　has　no　longer　any　selfish　end　to　further；　he　may；　and　often　does；　turn　his　talents；　his　experience；　his　resources；　to　the　service　of　the　public。　Many　men　who　have　been　least　scrupulous　in　the　acquisition　of　power　have　been　most　beneficent　in　the　use　of　it；　whether　the　power　they　aimed　at　and　won　was　that　of　wealth；　political　authority；　or　what　not。　In　the　field　of　politics　the　wily　intriguer；　the　ruthless　victor；　may　end　by　being　a　wise　and　magnanimous　ruler；　blessed　in　his　lifetime；　lamented　at　his　death；　admired　and　applauded　by　posterity。　Such　men；　to　take　two　of　the　most　conspicuous　instances；　were　Julius　Caesar　and　Augustus。　But　once　a　fool　always　a　fool；　and　the　greater　the　power　in　his　hands　the　more　disastrous　is　likely　to　be　the　use　he　makes　of　it。　The　heaviest　calamity　in　English　history；　the　breach　with　America；　might　never　have　occurred　if　George　the　Third　had　not　been　an　honest　dullard。

Thus；　so　far　as　the　public　profession　of　magic　affected　the　constitution　of　savage　society；　it　tended　to　place　the　control　of　affairs　in　the　hands　of　the　ablest　man：　it　shifted　the　balance　of　power　from　the　many　to　the　one：　it　substituted　a　monarchy　for　a　democracy；　or　rather　for　an　oligarchy　of　old　men；　for　in　general　the　savage　community　is　ruled；　not　by　the　whole　body　of　adult　males；　but　by　a　council　of　elders。　The　change；　by　whatever　causes　produced；　and　whatever　the　character　of　the　early　rulers；　was　on　the　whole　very　beneficial。　For　the　rise　of　monarchy　appears　to　be　an　essential　condition　of　the　emergence　of　mankind　from　savagery。　No　human　being　is　so　hide…bound　by　custom　and　tradition　as　your　democratic　savage；　in　no　state　of　society　consequently　is　progress　so　slow　and　difficult。　The　old　notion　that　the　savage　is　the　freest　of　mankind　is　the　reverse　of　the　truth。　He　is　a　slave；　not　indeed　to　a　visible　master；　but　to　the　past；　to　the　spirits　of　his　dead　forefathers；　who　haunt　his　steps　from　birth　to　death；　and　rule　him　with　a　rod　of　iron。　What　they　did　is　the　pattern　of　right；　the　unwritten　law　to　which　he　yields　a　blind　unquestioning　obedience。　The　least　possible　scope　is　thus　afforded　to　superior　talent　to　change　old　customs　for　the　better。　The　ablest　man　is　dragged　down　by　the　weakest　and　dullest；　who　necessarily　sets　the　standard；　since　he　cannot　rise；　while　the　other　can　fall。　The　surface　of　such　a　society　presents　a　uniform　dead　level；　so　far　as　it　is　humanly　possible　to　reduce　the　natural　inequalities；　the　immeasurable　real　differences　of　inborn　capacity　and　temper；　to　a　false　superficial　appearance　of　equality。　From　this　low　and　stagnant　condition　of　affairs；　which　demagogues　and　dreamers　in　later　times　have　lauded　as　the　ideal　state；　the　Golden　Age；　of　humanity；　everything　that　helps　to　raise　society　by　opening　a　career　to　talent　and　proportioning　the　degrees　of　authority　to　men's　natural　abilities；　deserves　to　be　welcomed　by　all　who　have　the　real　good　of　their　fellows　at　heart。　Once　these　elevating　influences　have　begun　to　operateand　they　cannot　be　for　ever　suppressedthe　progress　of　civilisation　becomes　comparatively　rapid。　The　rise　of　one　man　to　supreme　power　enables　him　to　carry　through　changes　in　a　single　lifetime　which　previously　many　generations　might　not　have　sufficed　to　effect；　and　if；　as　will　often　happen；　he　is　a　man　of　intellect　and　energy　above　the　common；　he　will　readily　avail　himself　of　the　opportunity。　Even　the　whims　and　caprices　of　a　tyrant　may　be　of　service　in　breaking　the　chain　of　custom　which　lies　so　heavy　on　the　savage。　And　as　soon　as　the　tribe　ceases　to　be　swayed　by　the　timid　and　divided　counsels　of　the　elders；　and　yields　to　the　direction　of　a　single　strong　and　resolute　mind；　it　becomes　formidable　to　its　neighbours　and　enters　on　a　career　of　aggrandisement；　which　at　an　early　stage　of　history　is　often　highly　favourable　to　social；　industrial；　and　intellectual　progress。　For　extending　its　sway；　partly　by　force　of　arms；　partly　by　the　voluntary　submission　of　weaker　tribes；　the　community　soon　acquires　wealth　and　slaves；　both　of　which；　by　relieving　some　classes　from　the　perpetual　struggle　for　a　bare　subsistence；　afford　them　an　opportunity　of　devoting　themselves　to　that　disinterested　pursuit　of　knowledge　which　is　the　noblest　and　most　powerful　instrument　to　ameliorate　the　lot　of　man。

Intellectual　progress；　which　reveals　itself　in　the　growth　of　art　and　science　and　the　spread　of　more　liberal　views；　cannot　be　dissociated　from　industrial　or　economic　progress；　and　that　in　its　turn　receives　an　immense　impulse　from　conquest　and　empire。　It　is　no　mere　accident　that　the　most　vehement　outbursts　of　activity　of　the　human　mind　have　followed　close　on　the　heels　of　victory；　and　that　the　great　conquering　races　of　the　world　have　commonly　done　most　to　advance　and　spread