beacon lights of history-iii-2-第70章

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dreariness　or　discomfort；dinners；　or　greetings　of　love　and

sympathy？　　On　what　are　such　festivals　as　Christmas　and　Thanksgiving

Day　based？on　consecrated　sentiments　that　have　more　force　than　any

material　gains　or　ends。　　These；　after　all；　are　realities　to　you　as

much　as　ideas　were　to　Plato；　or　music　to　Beethoven；　or　patriotism

to　Washington。　　Deny　these　as　the　higher　certitudes；　and　you　rob

the　soul　of　its　dignity；　and　life　of　its　consolations。





AUTHORITIES。





Bacon's　Works；　edited　by　Basil　Montagu；　Bacon's　Life；　by　Basil

Montagu；　Bacon's　Life；　by　James　Spedding；　Bacon's　Life；　by　Thomas

Fowler；　Dr。　Abbott's　Introduction　to　Bacon's　Essays；　in

Contemporary　Review；　1876；　Macaulay's　famous　essay　in　Edinburgh

Review；　1839；　Archbishop　Whately's　annotations　of　the　Essays　of

Bacon；　the　general　Histories　of　England。







GALILEO。



A。　D。　1564…1642。



ASTRONOMICAL　DISCOVERIES。





Among　the　wonders　of　the　sixteenth　century　was　the　appearance　of　a

new　star　in　the　northern　horizon；　which；　shining　at　first　with　a

feeble　light；　gradually　surpassed　the　brightness　of　the　planet

Jupiter；　and　then　changing　its　color　from　white　to　yellow　and　from

yellow　to　red；　after　seventeen　months；　faded　away　from　the　sight；

and　has　not　since　appeared。　　This　celebrated　star；　first　seen　by

Tycho　Brahe　in　the　constellation　Cassiopeia；　never　changed　its

position；　or　presented　the　slightest　perceptible　parallax。　　It

could　not　therefore　have　been　a　meteor；　nor　a　planet　regularly

revolving　round　the　sun；　nor　a　comet　blazing　with　fiery　nebulous

light；　nor　a　satellite　of　one　of　the　planets；　but　a　fixed　star；　far

beyond　our　solar　system。　　Such　a　phenomenon　created　an　immense

sensation；　and　has　never　since　been　satisfactorily　explained　by

philosophers。　　In　the　infancy　of　astronomical　science　it　was

regarded　by　astrologers　as　a　sign　to　portend　the　birth　of　an

extraordinary　individual。



Though　the　birth　of　some　great　political　character　was　supposed　to

be　heralded　by　this　mysterious　star；　its　prophetic　meaning　might

with　more　propriety　apply　to　the　extraordinary　man　who　astonished

his　contemporaries　by　discoveries　in　the　heavens；　and　who　forms　the

subject　of　this　lecture；　or　it　poetically　might　apply　to　the

brilliancy　of　the　century　itself　in　which　it　appeared。　　The

sixteenth　century　cannot　be　compared　with　the　nineteenth　century　in

the　variety　and　scope　of　scientific　discoveries；　but；　compared　with

the　ages　which　had　preceded　it；　it　was　a　memorable　epoch；　marked　by

the　simultaneous　breaking　up　of　the　darkness　of　mediaeval　Europe；

and　the　bursting　forth　of　new　energies　in　all　departments　of　human

thought　and　action。　　In　that　century　arose　great　artists；　poets；

philosophers；　theologians；　reformers；　navigators；　jurists；

statesmen；　whose　genius　has　scarcely　since　been　surpassed。　　In

Italy　it　was　marked　by　the　triumphs　of　scholars　and　artists；　in

Germany　and　France；　by　reformers　and　warriors；　in　England；　by　that

splendid　constellation　that　shed　glory　on　the　reign　of　Elizabeth。

Close　upon　the　artists　who　followed　Da　Vinci；　to　Salvator　Rosa；

were　those　scholars　of　whom　Emanuel　Chrysoloras；　Erasmus；　and

Scaliger　were　the　representatives；going　back　to　the　classic

fountains　of　Greece　and　Rome；　reviving　a　study　for　antiquity；

breathing　a　new　spirit　into　universities；　enriching　vernacular

tongues；　collecting　and　collating　manuscripts；　translating　the

Scriptures；　and　stimulating　the　learned　to　emancipate　themselves

from　the　trammels　of　the　scholastic　philosophers。



Then　rose　up　the　reformers；　headed　by　Luther；　consigning　to

destruction　the　emblems　and　ceremonies　of　mediaeval　superstition；

defying　popes；　burning　bulls；　ridiculing　monks；　exposing　frauds；

unravelling　sophistries；　attacking　vices　and　traditions　with　the

new　arms　of　reason；　and　asserting　before　councils　and　dignitaries

the　right　of　private　judgment　and　the　supreme　authority　of　the

Bible　in　all　matters　of　religious　faith。



And　then　appeared　the　defenders　of　their　cause；　by　force　of　arms

maintaining　the　great　rights　of　religious　liberty　in　France；

Germany；　Switzerland；　Holland；　and　England；　until　Protestantism　was

established　in　half　of　the　countries　that　had　for　more　than　a

thousand　years　servilely　bowed　down　to　the　authority　of　the　popes。

Genius　stimulates　and　enterprise　multiplies　all　the　energies　and

aims　of　emancipated　millions。　　Before　the　close　of　the　sixteenth

century　new　continents　are　colonized；　new　modes　of　warfare　are

introduced；　manuscripts　are　changed　into　printed　books；　the

comforts　of　life　are　increased；　governments　are　more　firmly

established；　and　learned　men　are　enriched　and　honored。　　Feudalism

has　succumbed　to　central　power；　and　barons　revolve　around　their

sovereign　at　court　rather　than　compose　an　independent　authority。

Before　that　century　had　been　numbered　with　the　ages　past；　the

Portuguese　had　sailed　to　the　East　Indies；　Sir　Francis　Drake　had

circumnavigated　the　globe；　Pizarro　had　conquered　Peru；　Sir　Walter

Raleigh　had　colonized　Virginia；　Ricci　had　penetrated　to　China；

Lescot　had　planned　the　palace　of　the　Louvre；　Raphael　had　painted

the　Transfiguration；　Michael　Angelo　had　raised　the　dome　of　St。

Peter's；　Giacomo　della　Porta　had　ornamented　the　Vatican　with

mosaics；　Copernicus　had　taught　the　true　centre　of　planetary　motion；

Dumoulin　had　introduced　into　French　jurisprudence　the　principles　of

the　Justinian　code；　Ariosto　had　published　the　〃Orlando　Furioso；〃

Cervantes　had　written　〃Don　Quixote；〃　Spenser　had　dedicated　his

〃Fairy　Queen；〃　Shakspeare　had　composed　his　immortal　dramas；　Hooker

had　devised　his　〃Ecclesiastical　Polity；〃　Cranmer　had　published　his

Forty…two　Articles；　John　Calvin　had　dedicated　to　Francis　I。　his

celebrated　〃Institutes；〃　Luther　had　translated　the　Bible；　Bacon　had

begun　the　〃Instauration　of　Philosophy；〃　Bellarmine　had　systematized

the　Roman　Catholic　theology；　Henry　IV。　had　signed　the　Edict　of

Nantes；　Queen　Elizabeth　had　defeated　the　Invincible　Armada；　and

William　the　Silent　had　achieved　the　independence　of　Holland。



Such　were　some　of　the　lights　and　some　of　the　enterprises　of　that

great　age；　when　the　profoundest　questions　pertaining　to　philosophy；

religion；　law；　and　government　were　discussed　with　the　enthusiasm

and　freshness　of　a　revolutionary　age；　when　men　felt　the　inspiration

of　a　new　life；　and　looked　back　on　the　Middle　Ages　with　disgust　and

hatred；　as　a　period　which　enslaved　the　human　soul。　　But　what

peculiarly　marked　that　period　was　the　commencement　of　those

marvellous　discoveries　in　science　which　have　enriched　our　times　and

added　to　the　material　blessings　of　the　new　civilization。　　Tycho

Brahe；　Copernicus；　Galileo；　Kepler；　and　Bacon　inaugurated　the　era

which　led　to　progressive　improvements　in　the　physical　condition　of

society；　and　to　those　scientific　marvels　which　have　followed　in

such　quick　succession　and　produced　such　astonishing　changes　that　we

are　fain　to　boast　that　we　have　entered　upon　the　most　fortunate　and

triumphant　epoch　in　our　world's　history。



Many　men　might　be　taken　as　the　representatives　of　this　new　era　of

science　and　material　inventions；　but　I　select　Galileo　Galilei　as

one　of　the　most　interesting　in　his　life；　opinions；　and　conflicts。





Galileo　was　born　at　Pisa；　in　the　year　1564；　the　year　that　Calvin

and　Michael　Angelo　died；　four　years　after　the　birth　of　Bacon；　in

the　sixth　year　of　the　reign　of　Elizabeth；　and　the　fourth　of　Charles

IX。；　about　the　time　when　the　Huguenot　persecution　was　at　its

height；　and　the　Spanish　monarchy　was　in　its　most　prosperous　state；

under　Philip　II。　　His　parents　were　of　a　noble　but　impoverished

Florentine　family；　and　his　father；　who　was　a　man　of　some　learning；

a　writer　on　the　science　of　music；gave　him　the　best　education　he

could　afford。　　Like　so　many　of　the　most　illustrious　men；　he　early

gave　promise　of　rare　abilities。　　It　was　while　he　was　a　student　in

the　university　of　his　native　city　that　his　attention　was　arrested

by　the　vibrations　of　a　lamp