sartor resartus-第8章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


：　　an　irregular　Treasury；　if　you　will；　but　inexhaustible　as　the　Hoard　of　King　Nibelung；　which　twelve　wagons　in　twelve　days；　at　the　rate　of　three　journeys　a　day；　could　not　carry　off。　　Sheepskin　cloaks　and　wampum　belts；　phylacteries；　stoles；　albs；　chlamydes；　togas；　Chinese　silks；　Afghaun　shawls；　trunk…hose；　leather　breeches；　Celtic　hilibegs　（though　breeches；　as　the　name　_Gallia　Braccata_　indicates；　are　the　more　ancient）；　Hussar　cloaks；　Vandyke　tippets；　ruffs；　fardingales；　are　brought　vividly　before　us；even　the　Kilmarnock　nightcap　is　not　forgotten。　　For　most　part；　too；　we　must　admit　that　the　Learning；　heterogeneous　as　it　is；　and　tumbled　down　quite　pell…mell；　is　true　concentrated　and　purified　Learning；　the　drossy　parts　smelted　out　and　thrown　aside。

Philosophical　reflections　intervene；　and　sometimes　touching　pictures　of　human　life。　　Of　this　sort　the　following　has　surprised　us。　　The　first　purpose　of　Clothes；　as　our　Professor　imagines；　was　not　warmth　or　decency；　but　ornament。　　〃Miserable　indeed；〃　says　he；　〃was　the　condition　of　the　Aboriginal　Savage；　glaring　fiercely　from　under　his　fleece　of　hair；　which　with　the　beard　reached　down　to　his　loins；　and　hung　round　him　like　a　matted　cloak；　the　rest　of　his　body　sheeted　in　its　thick　natural　fell。　　He　loitered　in　the　sunny　glades　of　the　forest；　living　on　wild…fruits；　or；　as　the　ancient　Caledonian；　squatted　himself　in　morasses；　lurking　for　his　bestial　or　human　prey；　without　implements；　without　arms；　save　the　ball　of　heavy　Flint；　to　which；　that　his　sole　possession　and　defence　might　not　be　lost；　he　had　attached　a　long　cord　of　plaited　thongs；　thereby　recovering　as　well　as　hurling　it　with　deadly　unerring　skill。　　Nevertheless；　the　pains　of　Hunger　and　Revenge　once　satisfied；　his　next　care　was　not　Comfort　but　Decoration　（_Putz_）。　　Warmth　he　found　in　the　toils　of　the　chase；　or　amid　dried　leaves；　in　his　hollow　tree；　in　his　bark　shed；　or　natural　grotto：　　but　for　Decoration　he　must　have　Clothes。　　Nay；　among　wild　people；　we　find　tattooing　and　painting　even　prior　to　Clothes。　　The　first　spiritual　want　of　a　barbarous　man　is　Decoration；　as　indeed　we　still　see　among　the　barbarous　classes　in　civilized　countries。

〃Reader；　the　heaven…inspired　melodious　Singer；　loftiest　Serene　Highness；　nay　thy　own　amber…locked；　snow…and…rosebloom　Maiden；　worthy　to　glide　sylph…like　almost　on　air；　whom　thou　lovest；　worshippest　as　a　divine　Presence；　which；　indeed；　symbolically　taken；　she　is；has　descended；　like　thyself；　from　that　same　hair…mantled；　flint…hurling　Aboriginal　Anthropophagus！　　Out　of　the　eater　cometh　forth　meat；　out　of　the　strong　cometh　forth　sweetness。　　What　changes　are　wrought；　not　by　Time；　yet　in　Time！　　For　not　Mankind　only；　but　all　that　Mankind　does　or　beholds；　is　in　continual　growth；　re…genesis　and　self…perfecting　vitality。　　Cast　forth　thy　Act；　thy　Word；　into　the　ever…living；　ever…working　Universe：　　it　is　a　seed…grain　that　cannot　die；　unnoticed　to…day　（says　one）；　it　will　be　found　flourishing　as　a　Banyan…grove　（perhaps；　alas；　as　a　Hemlock…forest！）　after　a　thousand　years。

〃He　who　first　shortened　the　labor　of　Copyists　by　device　of　_Movable　Types_　was　disbanding　hired　Armies；　and　cashiering　most　Kings　and　Senates；　and　creating　a　whole　new　Democratic　world：　　he　had　invented　the　Art　of　Printing。　　The　first　ground　handful　of　Nitre；　Sulphur；　and　Charcoal　drove　Monk　Schwartz's　pestle　through　the　ceiling：　　what　will　the　last　do？　Achieve　the　final　undisputed　prostration　of　Force　under　Thought；　of　Animal　courage　under　Spiritual。　　A　simple　invention　it　was　in　the　old…world　Grazier；sick　of　lugging　his　slow　Ox　about　the　country　till　he　got　it　bartered　for　corn　or　oil；to　take　a　piece　of　Leather；　and　thereon　scratch　or　stamp　the　mere　Figure　of　an　Ox　（or　_Pecus_）；　put　it　in　his　pocket；　and　call　it　_Pecunia_；　Money。　　Yet　hereby　did　Barter　grow　Sale；　the　Leather　Money　is　now　Golden　and　Paper；　and　all　miracles　have　been　out…miracled：　for　there　are　Rothschilds　and　English　National　Debts；　and　whoso　has　sixpence　is　sovereign　（to　the　length　of　sixpence）　over　all　men；　commands　cooks　to　feed　him；　philosophers　to　teach　him；　kings　to　mount　guard　over　him；to　the　length　of　sixpence。Clothes　too；　which　began　in　foolishest　love　of　Ornament；　what　have　they　not　become！　　Increased　Security　and　pleasurable　Heat　soon　followed：　　but　what　of　these？　　Shame；　divine　Shame　（_Schaam_；　Modesty）；　as　yet　a　stranger　to　the　Anthropophagous　bosom；　arose　there　mysteriously　under　Clothes；　a　mystic　grove…encircled　shrine　for　the　Holy　in　man。　　Clothes　gave　us　individuality；　distinctions；　social　polity；　Clothes　have　made　Men　of　us；　they　are　threatening　to　make　Clothes…screens　of　us。

〃But；　on　the　whole；〃　continues　our　eloquent　Professor；　〃Man　is　a　Tool…using　Animal　（_Handthierendes　Thier_）。　　Weak　in　himself；　and　of　small　stature；　he　stands　on　a　basis；　at　most　for　the　flattest…soled；　of　some　half…square　foot；　insecurely　enough；　has　to　straddle　out　his　legs；　lest　the　very　wind　supplant　him。　　Feeblest　of　bipeds！　　Three　quintals　are　a　crushing　load　for　him；　the　steer　of　the　meadow　tosses　him　aloft；　like　a　waste　rag。　Nevertheless　he　can　use　Tools；　can　devise　Tools：　　with　these　the　granite　mountain　melts　into　light　dust　before　him；　he　kneads　glowing　iron；　as　if　it　were　soft　paste；　seas　are　his　smooth　highway；　winds　and　fire　his　unwearying　steeds。　　Nowhere　do　you　find　him　without　Tools；　without　Tools　he　is　nothing；　with　Tools　he　is　all。〃

Here　may　we　not；　for　a　moment；　interrupt　the　stream　of　Oratory　with　a　remark；　that　this　Definition　of　the　Tool…using　Animal　appears　to　us；　of　all　that　Animal…sort；　considerably　the　precisest　and　best？　　Man　is　called　a　Laughing　Animal：　　but　do　not　the　apes　also　laugh；　or　attempt　to　do　it；　and　is　the　manliest　man　the　greatest　and　oftenest　laugher？　　Teufelsdrockh　himself；　as　we　said；　laughed　only　once。　　Still　less　do　we　make　of　that　other　French　Definition　of　the　Cooking　Animal；　which；　indeed；　for　rigorous　scientific　purposes；　is　as　good　as　useless。　　Can　a　Tartar　be　said　to　cook；　when　he　only　readies　his　steak　by　riding　on　it？　　Again；　what　Cookery　does　the　Greenlander　use；　beyond　stowing　up　his　whale…blubber；　as　a　marmot；　in　the　like　case；　might　do？　　Or　how　would　Monsieur　Ude　prosper　among　those　Orinoco　Indians　who；　according　to　Humboldt；　lodge　in　crow…nests；　on　the　branches　of　trees；　and；　for　half　the　year；　have　no　victuals　but　pipe…clay；　the　whole　country　being　under　water？　　But；　on　the　other　hand；　show　us　the　human　being；　of　any　period　or　climate；　without　his　Tools：　　those　very　Caledonians；　as　we　saw；　had　their　Flint…ball；　and　Thong　to　it；　such　as　no　brute　has　or　can　have。

〃Man　is　a　Tool…using　Animal；〃　concludes　Teufelsdrockh；　in　his　abrupt　way；　〃of　which　truth　Clothes　are　but　one　example：　　and　surely　if　we　consider　the　interval　between　the　first　wooden　Dibble　fashioned　by　man；　and　those　Liverpool　Steam…carriages；　or　the　British　House　of　Commons；　we　shall　note　what　progress　he　has　made。　　He　digs　up　certain　black　stones　from　the　bosom　of　the　earth；　and　says　to　them；　_Transport　me　and　this　luggage　at　the　rate　of　file…and…thirty　miles　an　hour_；　and　they　do　it：　　he　collects；　apparently　by　lot；　six　hundred　and　fifty…eight　miscellaneous　individuals；　and　says　to　them；　_Make　this　nation　toil　for　us；　bleed　for　us；　hunger　and；　sorrow　and　sin　for　us_；　and　they　do　it。〃


CHAPTER　VI。　APRONS。

One　of　the　most　unsatisfactory　Sections　in　the　whole　Volume　is　that　on　_Aprons_。　　What　though　stout　old　Gao；　the　Persian　Blacksmith；　〃whose　Apron；　now　indeed　hidden　under　jewels；　because　raised　in　revolt　which　proved　successful；　is　still　the　royal　standard　of　that　country；〃　what　though　John　Knox's　Daughter；　〃who　threatened　Sovereign　Majesty　that　she　would　catch　her　husband's　head　in　her　Apron；　rather　than　he　should　lie　and　be　a　bishop；〃　what　though　the　Landgravine　Elizabeth；　with　many　other　Apron　worthies；figure　here？　　An　idle　wire…drawing　spirit；　sometimes　even　a　tone　of　levity；　approaching　to　conventional　satire；　is　too　clearly　discernible。　What；　for　example；　are　we　to　make　of　such　sentences　as　the　following？

〃Aprons　are　Defences；　against　injury　to　cleanliness；　to　safety；　to　modesty；　sometimes　to　roguery。　　From　the　thin　slip　of　notched　silk　（as　it　were；　the　emblem　and　beatified　ghost　of　an　Apron）；　which　some　highest…bred　housewife；　sitting　at　Nurnberg