character-第85章

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When　Mr。　Cobden　first　appeared　as　a　speaker；　at　a　public　meeting

in　Manchester；　he　completely　broke　down；　and　the　chairman

apologized　for　his　failure。　　Sir　James　Graham　and　Mr。　Disraeli

failed　and　were　derided　at　first；　and　only　succeeded　by　dint　of

great　labour　and　application。　　At　one　time　Sir　James　Graham　had

almost　given　up　public　speaking　in　despair。　　He　said　to　his　friend

Sir　Francis　Baring：　〃I　have　tried　it　every　wayextempore；　from

notes；　and　committing　all　to　memoryand　I　can't　do　it。　　I　don't

know　why　it　is；　but　I　am　afraid　I　shall　never　succeed。〃　　Yet；　by

dint　of　perseverance；　Graham；　like　Disraeli；　lived　to　become　one

of　the　most　effective　and　impressive　of　parliamentary　speakers。



Failures　in　one　direction　have　sometimes　had　the　effect　of　forcing

the　farseeing　student　to　apply　himself　in　another。　　Thus

Prideaux's　failure　as　a　candidate　for　the　post　of　parish…clerk　of

Ugboro；　in　Devon；　led　to　his　applying　himself　to　learning；　and　to

his　eventual　elevation　to　the　bishopric　of　Worcester。　　When

Boileau；　educated　for　the　bar；　pleaded　his　first　cause；　he　broke

down　amidst　shouts　of　laughter。　　He　next　tried　the　pulpit；　and

failed　there　too。　　And　then　he　tried　poetry；　and　succeeded。

Fontenelle　and　Voltaire　both　failed　at　the　bar。　　So　Cowper；

through　his　diffidence　and　shyness；　broke　down　when　pleading　his

first　cause；　though　he　lived　to　revive　the　poetic　art　in　England。

Montesquieu　and　Bentham　both　failed　as　lawyers；　and　forsook　the

bar　for　more　congenial　pursuitsthe　latter　leaving　behind　him　a

treasury　of　legislative　procedure　for　all　time。　　Goldsmith　failed

in　passing　as　a　surgeon；　but　he　wrote　the　'Deserted　Village'　and

the　'Vicar　of　Wakefield；'　whilst　Addison　failed　as　a　speaker；　but

succeeded　in　writing　'Sir　Roger　de　Coverley；'　and　his　many　famous

papers　in　the　'Spectator。'



Even　the　privation　of　some　important　bodily　sense；　such　as　sight

or　hearing；　has　not　been　sufficient　to　deter　courageous　men　from

zealously　pursuing　the　struggle　of　life。　　Milton；　when　struck　by

blindness；　〃still　bore　up　and　steered　right　onward。〃　　His　greatest

works　were　produced　during　that　period　of　his　life　in　which　be

suffered　mostwhen　he　was　poor；　sick；　old；　blind；　slandered；

and　persecuted。



The　lives　of　some　of　the　greatest　men　have　been　a　continuous

struggle　with　difficulty　and　apparent　defeat。　　Dante　produced　his

greatest　work　in　penury　and　exile。　　Banished　from　his　native　city

by　the　local　faction　to　which　he　was　opposed；　his　house　was　given

up　to　plunder；　and　he　was　sentenced　in　his　absence　to　be　burnt

alive。　　When　informed　by　a　friend　that　he　might　return　to

Florence；　if　he　would　consent　to　ask　for　pardon　and　absolution；　he

replied：　〃No！　This　is　not　the　way　that　shall　lead　me　back　to　my

country。　　I　will　return　with　hasty　steps　if　you；　or　any　other；

can　open　to　me　a　way　that　shall　not　derogate　from　the　fame　or

the　honour　of　Dante；　but　if　by　no　such　way　Florence　can　be

entered；　then　to　Florence　I　shall　never　return。〃　　His　enemies

remaining　implacable；　Dante；　after　a　banishment　of　twenty　years；

died　in　exile。　　They　even　pursued　him　after　death；　when　his

book；　'De　Monarchia；'　was　publicly　burnt　at　Bologna　by　order

of　the　Papal　Legate。



Camoens　also　wrote　his　great　poems　mostly　in　banishment。　　Tired　of

solitude　at　Santarem；　he　joined　an　expedition　against　the　Moors；

in　which　he　distinguished　himself　by　his　bravery。　　He　lost　an　eye

when　boarding　an　enemy's　ship　in　a　sea…fight。　　At　Goa；　in　the　East

Indies；　he　witnessed　with　indignation　the　cruelty　practised　by　the

Portuguese　on　the　natives；　and　expostulated　with　the　governor

against　it。　　He　was　in　consequence　banished　from　the　settlement；

and　sent　to　China。　　In　the　course　of　his　subsequent　adventures　and

misfortunes；　Camoens　suffered　shipwreck；　escaping　only　with　his

life　and　the　manuscript　of　his　'Lusiad。'　Persecution　and　hardship

seemed　everywhere　to　pursue　him。　　At　Macao　he　was　thrown　into

prison。　　Escaping　from　it；　he　set　sail　for　Lisbon；　where　he

arrived；　after　sixteen　years'　absence；　poor　and　friendless。　　His

'Lusiad；'　which　was　shortly　after　published；　brought　him　much

fame；　but　no　money。　　But　for　his　old　Indian　slave　Antonio；　who

begged　for　his　master　in　the　streets；　Camoens　must　have　perished。

（5）　　As　it　was；　he　died　in　a　public　almshouse；　worn　out　by　disease

and　hardship。　　An　inscription　was　placed　over　his　grave：〃Here

lies　Luis　de　Camoens：　he　excelled　all　the　poets　of　his　time：　he

lived　poor　and　miserable；　and　he　died　so；　MDLXXIX。〃　　This　record；

disgraceful　but　truthful；　has　since　been　removed；　and　a　lying　and

pompous　epitaph；　in　honour　of　the　great　national　poet　of　Portugal；

has　been　substituted　in　its　stead。



Even　Michael　Angelo　was　exposed；　during　the　greater　part　of　his

life；　to　the　persecutions　of　the　enviousvulgar　nobles；　vulgar

priests；　and　sordid　men　of　every　degree；　who　could　neither

sympathise　with　him；　nor　comprehend　his　genius。　　When　Paul　IV。

condemned　some　of　his　work　in　'The　Last　Judgment；'　the　artist

observed　that　〃The　Pope　would　do　better　to　occupy　himself　with

correcting　the　disorders　and　indecencies　which　disgrace　the　world；

than　with　any　such　hypercriticisms　upon　his　art。〃



Tasso　also　was　the　victim　of　almost　continual　persecution　and

calumny。　　After　lying　in　a　madhouse　for　seven　years；　he　became　a

wanderer　over　Italy；　and　when　on　his　deathbed；　he　wrote：　〃I　will

not　complain　of　the　malignity　of　fortune；　because　I　do　not　choose

to　speak　of　the　ingratitude　of　men　who　have　succeeded　in　dragging

me　to　the　tomb　of　a　mendicant〃



But　Time　brings　about　strange　revenges。　　The　persecutors　and　the

persecuted　often　change　places；　it　is　the　latter　who　are　great

the　former　who　are　infamous。　　Even　the　names　of　the　persecutors

would　probably　long　ago　have　been　forgotten；　but　for　their

connection　with　the　history　of　the　men　whom　they　have　persecuted。

Thus；　who　would　now　have　known　of　Duke　Alfonso　of　Ferrara；　but　for

his　imprisonment　of　Tasso？　　Or；　who　would　have　heard　of　the

existence　of　the　Grand　Duke　of　Wurtemburg　of　some　ninety　years

back；　but　for　his　petty　persecution　of　Schiller？



Science　also　has　had　its　martyrs；　who　have　fought　their　way　to

light　through　difficulty；　persecution；　and　suffering。　　We　need　not

refer　again　to　the　cases　of　Bruno；　Galileo；　and　others；　（6）

persecuted　because　of　the　supposed　heterodoxy　of　their　views。　　But

there　have　been　other　unfortunates　amongst　men　of　science；　whose

genius　has　been　unable　to　save　them　from　the　fury　of　their

enemies。　　Thus　Bailly；　the　celebrated　French　astronomer　（who　had

been　mayor　of　Paris）；　and　Lavoisier；　the　great　chemist；　were　both

guillotined　in　the　first　French　Revolution。　　When　the　latter；

after　being　sentenced　to　death　by　the　Commune；　asked　for　a　few

days'　respite；　to　enable　him　to　ascertain　the　result　of　some

experiments　he　had　made　during　his　confinement；　the　tribunal

refused　his　appeal；　and　ordered　him　for　immediate　executionone

of　the　judges　saying；　that　〃the　Republic　had　no　need　of

philosophers。〃　　In　England　also；　about　the　same　time；　Dr。

Priestley；　the　father　of　modern　chemistry；　had　his　house　burnt

over　his　head；　and　his　library　destroyed；　amidst　shouts　of　〃No

philosophers！〃　and　he　fled　from　his　native　country　to　lay　his

bones　in　a　foreign　land。



The　work　of　some　of　the　greatest　discoverers　has　been　done　in　the

midst　of　persecution；　difficulty；　and　suffering。　　Columbus；　who

discovered　the　New　World　and　gave　it　as　a　heritage　to　the　Old；　was

in　his　lifetime　persecuted；　maligned；　and　plundered　by　those　whom

he　had　enriched。　　Mungo　Park's　drowning　agony　in　the　African　river

he　had　discovered；　but　which　he　was　not　to　live　to　describe；

Clapperton's　perishing　of　fever　on　the　banks　of　the　great　lake；　in

the　heart　of　the　same　continent；　which　was　afterwards　to　be

rediscovered　and　described　by　other　explorers；　Franklin's

perishing　in　the　snowit　might　be　after　he　had　solved　the　long…

sought　problem　of　the　North…west　Passagear