character-第71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！



from　the　Bible　downwards。　　They　contain　the　treasured　knowledge　of

the　human　race。　　They　are　the　record　of　all　labours；　achievements；

speculations；　successes；　and　failures；　in　science；　philosophy；

religion；　and　morals。　　They　have　been　the　greatest　motive　powers

in　all　times。　　〃From　the　Gospel　to　the　Contrat　Social；〃　says　De

Bonald；　〃it　is　books　that　have　made　revolutions。〃　　Indeed；　a　great

book　is　often　a　greater　thing　than　a　great　battle。　　Even　works　of

fiction　have　occasionally　exercised　immense　power　on　society。

Thus　Rabelais　in　France；　and　Cervantes　in　Spain；　overturned　at　the

same　time　the　dominion　of　monkery　and　chivalry；　employing　no　other

weapons　but　ridicule；　the　natural　contrast　of　human　terror。　　The

people　laughed；　and　felt　reassured。　　So　'Telemachus'　appeared；　and

recalled　men　back　to　the　harmonies　of　nature。



〃Poets；〃　says　Hazlitt；　〃are　a　longer…lived　race　than　heroes：　they

breathe　more　of　the　air　of　immortality。　　They　survive　more　entire

in　their　thoughts　and　acts。　　We　have　all　that　Virgil　or　Homer　did；

as　much　as　if　we　had　lived　at　the　same　time　with　them。　　We　can

hold　their　works　in　our　hands；　or　lay　them　on　our　pillows；　or　put

them　to　our　lips。　　Scarcely　a　trace　of　what　the　others　did　is　left

upon　the　earth；　so　as　to　be　visible　to　common　eyes。　　The　one；　the

dead　authors；　are　living　men；　still　breathing　and　moving　in　their

writings；　the　others；　the　conquerors　of　the　world；　are　but　the

ashes　in　an　urn。　　The　sympathy　（so　to　speak）　between　thought　and

thought　is　more　intimate　and　vital　than　that　between　thought　and

action。　　Thought　is　linked　to　thought　as　flame　kindles　into　flame；

the　tribute　of　admiration　to　the　MANES　of　departed　heroism　is　like

burning　incense　in　a　marble　monument。　　Words；　ideas；　feelings；

with　the　progress　of　time　harden　into　substances：　things；　bodies；

actions；　moulder　away；　or　melt　into　a　soundinto　thin　air。。。。

Not　only　a　man's　actions　are　effaced　and　vanish　with　him；　his

virtues　and　generous　qualities　die　with　him　also。　　His　intellect

only　is　immortal；　and　bequeathed　unimpaired　to　posterity。　　Words

are　the　only　things　that　last　for　ever。〃　（18）







NOTES



（1）　'Kaye's　'Lives　of　Indian　Officers。'



（2）　Emerson；　in　his　'Society　and　Solitude；'　says　〃In　contemporaries；

it　is　not　so　easy　to　distinguish　between　notoriety　and　fame。　　Be

sure；　then；　to　read　no　mean　books。　　Shun　the　spawn　of　the　press　or

the　gossip　of　the　hour。。。。　The　three　practical　rules　I　have　to

offer　are　these：…　　1。　Never　read　a　book　that　is　not　a　year　old；

2。　Never　read　any　but　famed　books；　3。　Never　read　any　but　what　you

like。〃　　Lord　Lytton's　maxim　is：　〃In　science；　read　by　preference

the　newest　books；　in　literature；　the　oldest。〃



（3）　A　friend　of　Sir　Walter　Scott；　who　had　the　same　habit；　and　prided

himself　on　his　powers　of　conversation；　one　day　tried　to　〃draw　out〃

a　fellow…passenger　who　sat　beside　him　on　the　outside　of　a　coach；

but　with　indifferent　success。　　At　length　the　conversationalist

descended　to　expostulation。　　〃I　have　talked　to　you；　my　friend；〃

said　he；　〃on　all　the　ordinary　subjectsliterature；　farming；

merchandise；　gaming；　game…laws；　horse…races；　suits　at　law；

politics；　and　swindling；　and　blasphemy；　and　philosophy：　is　there

any　one　subject　that　you　will　favour　me　by　opening　upon？〃　　The

wight　writhed　his　countenance　into　a　grin：　〃Sir；〃　said　he；　〃can

you　say　anything　clever　about　BEND…LEATHER？〃　　As　might　be

expected；　the　conversationalist　was　completely　nonplussed。



（4）　Coleridge；　in　his　'Lay　Sermon；'　points　out；　as　a　fact　of　history；

how　large　a　part　of　our　present　knowledge　and　civilization　is

owing；　directly　or　indirectly；　to　the　Bible；　that　the　Bible　has

been　the　main　lever　by　which　the　moral　and　intellectual　character

of　Europe　has　been　raised　to　its　present　comparative　height；　and

he　specifies　the　marked　and　prominent　difference　of　this　book　from

the　works　which　it　is　the　fashion　to　quote　as　guides　and

authorities　in　morals；　politics；　and　history。　　〃In　the　Bible；〃　he

says；　〃every　agent　appears　and　acts　as　a　self…substituting

individual：　each　has　a　life　of　its　own；　and　yet　all　are　in　life。

The　elements　of　necessity　and　freewill　are　reconciled　in　the

higher　power　of　an　omnipresent　Providence；　that　predestinates　the

whole　in　the　moral　freedom　of　the　integral　parts。　　Of　this　the

Bible　never　suffers　us　to　lose　sight。　　The　root　is　never　detached

from　the　ground；　it　is　God　everywhere；　and　all　creatures　conform

to　His　decreesthe　righteous　by　performance　of　the　law；　the

disobedient　by　the　sufferance　of　the　penalty。〃



（5）　Montaigne's　Essay　（Book　I。　chap。　xxv。）'Of　the　Education

of　Children。'



（6）　〃Tant　il　est　vrai；〃　says　Voltaire；　〃que　les　hommes；　qui　sont

audessus　des　autres　par　les　talents；　s'en　RAPPROCHENT　PRESQUE

TOUJOURS　PAR　LES　FAIBLESSES；　car　pourquoi　les　talents　nous

mettraient…ils　audessous　de　l'humanite。〃VIE　DE　MOLIERE。



（7）　'Life；'　8vo　Ed。；　p。　102。



（8）　'Autobiography　of　Sir　Egerton　Brydges；　Bart。；'　vol。　i。　　p。　91。



（9）　It　was　wanting　in　Plutarch；　in　Southey　（'Life　of　Nelson'）；　and　in

Forster　（'Life　of　Goldsmith'）；　yet　it　must　be　acknowledged　that

personal　knowledge　gives　the　principal　charm　to　Tacitus's

'Agricola；'　Roper's　'Life　of　More；'　Johnson's　'Lives　of　Savage　and

Pope；'　Boswell's　'Johnson；'　Lockhart's　'Scott；'　Carlyle's

'Sterling；'　and　Moore's　'Byron；'



（10）　The　'Dialogus　Novitiorum　de　Contemptu　Mundi。'



（11）　The　Life　of　Sir　Charles　Bell；　one　of　our　greatest　physiologists；

was　left　to　be　written　by　Amedee　Pichot；　a　Frenchman；　and　though

Sir　Charles　Bell's　letters　to　his　brother　have　since　been

published；　his　Life　still　remains　to　be　written。　　It　may

also　be　added　that　the　best　Life　of　Goethe　has　been　written

by　an　Englishman；　and　the　best　Life　of　Frederick　the　Great

by　a　Scotchman。



（12）　It　is　not　a　little　remarkable　that　the　pious　Schleiermacher

should　have　concurred　in　opinion　with　Goethe　as　to　the　merits　of

Spinoza；　though　he　was　a　man　excommunicated　by　the　Jews；　to　whom

he　belonged；　and　denounced　by　the　Christians　as　a　man　little

better　than　an　atheist。　〃The　Great　Spirit　of　the　world；〃　says

Schleiermacher；　in　his　REDE　UBER　DIE　RELIGION；　〃penetrated　the

holy　but　repudiated　Spinoza；　the　Infinite　was　his　beginning　and

his　end；　the　universe　his　only　and　eternal　love。　　He　was　filled

with　religion　and　religious　feeling：　and　therefore　is　it　that　he

stands　alone　unapproachable；　the　master　in　his　art；　but　elevated

above　the　profane　world；　without　adherents；　and　without　even

citizenship。〃



Cousin　also　says　of　Spinoza：…　〃The　author　whom　this　pretended

atheist　most　resembles　is　the　unknown　author　of　'The　Imitation　of

Jesus　Christ。'〃



（13）　Preface　to　Southeys　'Life　of　Wesley'　（1864）。



（14）　Napoleon　also　read　Milton　carefully；　and　it　has　been　related　of

him　by　Sir　Colin　Campbell；　who　resided　with　Napoleon　at　Elba；　that

when　speaking　of　the　Battle　of　Austerlitz；　he　said　that　a

particular　disposition　of　his　artillery；　which；　in　its　results；

had　a　decisive　effect　in　winning　the　battle；　was　suggested　to　his

mind　by　the　recollection　of　four　lines　in　Milton。　　The　lines　occur

in　the　sixth　book；　and　are　descriptive　of　Satan's　artifice　during

the　war　with　Heaven



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃In　hollow　cube

　　　　　　　Training　his　devilish　engin'ry；　impal'd

　　　　　　　On　every　side　WITH　SHADOWING　SQUADRONS　DEEP

　　　　　　　TO　HIDE　THE　FRAUD。〃



〃The　indubitable　fact；〃　says　Mr。　Edwards；　in　his　book　'On

Libraries；'　〃that　these　lines　have　a　certain　appositeness　to　an

important　manoeuvre　at　Austerlitz；　gives　an　independent　interest

to　the　story；　but　it　is　highly　imaginative　to　ascribe　the　victory

to　that　manoeuvre。　　And　for　the　other　preliminaries　of　the　tale；

it　is　unfortunate　that　Napoleon　had　learned　a　good　deal　about　war

long　before　he　had　learned　anything　about　Milton。〃



（15）　'Biographia　Literaria；'　chap。　i。



（16）　Sir　John　Bowring's　'Memoirs　of　Bentham；'　p。　10。



（17）　Notwithstanding　recent　censures　of　classic