lecture20-第4章

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tools　of　nature；　contrived　and　ordered　by　the　infinite　Creator；



to　do　one　of　its　most　useful　works。　　For；　was　the　surface　of　the



earth　even　and　level；　and　the　middle　parts　of　its　islands　and



continents　not　mountainous　and　high　as　now　it　is；　it　is　most



certain　there　could　be　no　descent　for　the　rivers；　no　conveyance



for　the　waters；　but；　instead　of　gliding　along　those　gentle



declivities　which　the　higher　lands　now　afford　them　quite　down　to



the　sea；　they　would　stagnate　and　perhaps　stink；　and　also　drown



large　tracts　of　land。







〃＇Thus＇　the　hills　and　vales；　though　to　a　peevish　and　weary



traveler　they　may　seem　incommodious　and　troublesome；　yet　are　a



noble　work　of　the　great　Creator；　and　wisely　appointed　by　him　for



the　good　of　our　sublunary　world。〃　　



















You　see　how　natural　it　is；　from　this　point　of　view；　to　treat



religion　as　a　mere　survival；　for　religion　does　in　fact　perpetuate



the　traditions　of　the　most　primeval　thought。　　To　coerce　the



spiritual　powers；　or　to　square　them　and　get　them　on　our　side；



was；　during　enormous　tracts　of　time；　the　one　great　object　in　our



dealings　with　the　natural　world。　　For　our　ancestors；　dreams；



hallucinations；　revelations；　and　cock…and…bull　stories　were



inextricably　mixed　with　facts。　　Up　to　a　comparatively　recent　date



such　distinctions　as　those　between　what　has　been　verified　and



what　is　only　conjectured；　between　the　impersonal　and　the　personal



aspects　of　existence；　were　hardly　suspected　or　conceived。　



Whatever　you　imagined　in　a　lively　manner；　whatever　you　thought



fit　to　be　true；　you　affirmed　confidently；　and　whatever　you



affirmed；　your　comrades　believed。　　Truth　was　what　had　not　yet



been　contradicted；　most　things　were　taken　into　the　mind　from　the



point　of　view　of　their　human　suggestiveness；　and　the　attention



confined　itself　exclusively　to　the　aesthetic　and　dramatic　aspects



of　events。＇335＇







＇335＇　Until　the　seventeenth　century　this　mode　of　thought



prevailed。　One　need　only　recall　the　dramatic　treatment　even　of



mechanical　questions　by　Aristotle；　as；　for　example；　his



explanation　of　the　power　of　the　lever　to　make　a　small　weight



raise　a　larger　one。　　This　is　due；　according　to　Aristotle；　to　the



generally　miraculous　character　of　the　circle　and　of　all　circular



movement。　　The　circle　is　both　convex　and　concave；　it　is　made　by　a



fixed　point　and　a　moving　line；　which　contradict　each　other；　and



whatever　moves　in　a　circle　moves　in　opposite　directions。　



Nevertheless；　movement　in　a　circle　is　the　most　〃natural〃



movement；　and　the　long　arm　of　the　lever；　moving；　as　it　does；　in



the　larger　circle；　has　the　greater　amount　of　this　natural　motion；



and　consequently　requires　the　lesser　force。　　Or　recall　the



explanation　by　Herodotus　of　the　position　of　the　sun　in　winter：　



It　moves　to　the　south　because　of　the　cold　which　drives　it　into



the　warm　parts　of　the　heavens　over　Libya。　　Or　listen　to　Saint



Augustine's　speculations：　　〃Who　gave　to　chaff　such　power　to



freeze　that　it　preserves　snow　buried　under　it；　and　such　power　to



warm　that　it　ripens　green　fruit？　　Who　can　explain　the　strange



properties　of　fire　itself；　which　blackens　all　that　it　burns；



though　itself　bright；　and　which；　though　of　the　most　beautiful



colors；　discolors　almost　all　that　it　touches　and　feeds　upon；　and



turns　blazing　fuel　into　grimy　cinders？　。　。　。　Then　what　wonderful



properties　do　we　find　in　charcoal；　which　is　so　brittle　that　a



light　tap　breaks　it；　and　a　slight　pressure　pulverizes　it；　and　yet



is　so　strong　that　no　moisture　rots　it；　nor　any　time　causes　it　to



decay。〃　　City　of　God；　book　xxi；　ch。　iv。







Such　aspects　of　things　as　these；　their　naturalness　and



unnaturalness　the　sympathies　and　antipathies　of　their　superficial



qualities；　their　eccentricities；　their　brightness　and　strength



and　destructiveness；　were　inevitably　the　ways　in　which　they



originally　fastened　our　attention。







If　you　open　early　medical　books；　you　will　find　sympathetic　magic



invoked　on　every　page。　　Take；　for　example；　the　famous　vulnerary



ointment　attributed　to　Paracelsus。　　For　this　there　were　a　variety



of　receipts；　including　usually　human　fat；　the　fat　of　either　a



bull；　a　wild　boar；　or　a　bear；　powdered　earthworms；　the　usnia；　or



mossy　growth　on　the　weathered　skull　of　a　hanged　criminal；　and



other　materials　equally　unpleasantthe　whole　prepared　under　the



planet　Venus　if　possible；　but　never　under　Mars　or　Saturn。　　Then；



if　a　splinter　of　wood；　dipped　in　the　patient's　blood；　or　the



bloodstained　weapon　that　wounded　him；　be　immersed　in　this



ointment；　the　wound　itself　being　tightly　bound　up；　the　latter



infallibly　gets　wellI　quote　now　Van　Helmont's　accountfor　the



blood　on　the　weapon　or　splinter；　containing　in　it　the　spirit　of



the　wounded　man；　is　roused　to　active　excitement　by　the　contact　of



the　ointment；　whence　there　results　to　it　a　full　commission　or



power　to　cure　its　cousin…german　the　blood　in　the　patient's　body。　



This　it　does　by　sucking　out　the　dolorous　and　exotic　impression



from　the　wounded　part。　　But　to　do　this　it　has　to　implore　the　aid



of　the　bull's　fat；　and　other　portions　of　the　unguent。　　The　reason



why　bull's　fat　is　so　powerful　is　that　the　bull　at　the　time　of



slaughter　is　full　of　secret　reluctancy　and　vindictive　murmurs；



and　therefore　dies　with　a　higher　flame　of　revenge　about　him　than



any　other　animal。　　And　thus　we　have　made　it　out；　says　this



author；　that　the　admirable　efficacy　of　the　ointment　ought　to　be



imputed；　not　to　any　auxiliary　concurrence　of　Satan；　but　simply　to



the　energy　of　the　posthumous　character　of　Revenge　remaining



firmly　impressed　upon　the　blood　and　concreted　fat　in　the　unguent。　



J。　B。　Van　Helmont：　　A　Ternary　of　Paradoxes；　translated　by　Walter



Charleton；　London；　1650。I　much　abridge　the　original　in　my



citations。







The　author　goes　on　to　prove　by　the　analogy　of　many　other　natural



facts　that　this　sympathetic　action　between　things　at　a　distance



is　the　true　rationale　of　the　case。　　〃If；〃　he　says；　〃the　heart　of



a　horse　slain　by　a　witch；　taken　out　of　the　yet　reeking　carcase；



be　impaled　upon　an　arrow　and　roasted；　immediately　the　whole　witch



becomes　tormented　with　the　insufferable　pains　and　cruelty　of　the



fire；　which　could　by　no　means　happen　unless　there　preceded　a



conjunction　of　the　spirit　of　the　witch　with　the　spirit　of　the



horse。　　In　the　reeking　and　yet　panting　heart；　the　spirit　of　the



witch　is　kept　captive；　and　the　retreat　of　it　prevented　by　the



arrow　transfixed。　　Similarly　hath　not　many　a　murdered　carcase　at



the　coroner's　inquest　suffered　a　fresh　haemorrhage　or　cruentation



at　the　presence　of　the　assassin？the　blood　being；　as　in　a



furious　fit　of　anger；　enraged　and　agitated　by　the　impress　of



revenge　conceived　against　the　murderer；　at　the　instant　of　the



soul's　compulsive　exile　from　the　body。　　So；　if　you　have　dropsy；



gout；　or　jaundice；　by　including　some　of　your　warm　blood　in　the



shell　and　white　of　an　egg；　which；　exposed　to　a　gentle　heat；　and



mixed　with　a　bait　of　flesh；　you　shall　give　to　a　hungry　dog　or



hog；　the　disease　shall　instantly　pass　from　you　into　the　animal；



and　leave　you　entirely。　　And　similarly　again；　if　you　burn　some　of



the　milk　either　of　a　cow　or　of　a　woman；　the　gland　from　which　it



issued　will　dry　up。　　A　gentleman　at　Brussels　had　his　nose　mowed



off　in　a　combat；　but　the　celebrated　surgeon　Tagliacozzus　digged　a



new　nose　for　him　out　of　the　skin　of　the　arm　of　a　porter　at



Bologna。　　About　thirteen　months　after　his　return　to　his　own



country；　the　engrafted　nose　grew　cold；　putrefied；　and　in　a　few



days　dropped　off；　and　it　was　then　discovered　tha