part05+-第53章

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gave　earnest　utterance　to　his　belief　that　the　time　is　coming　when



the　three　great　peoples　of　Germanic　descent　will　stand　firmly



together　in　all　the　great　questions　of　the　world。







The　religious　ceremonies　in　the　Palace　Chapel；　with　magnificent



music；　the　banquet；　which　included　pertinent　speeches　from　the



monarchs；　and　the　gala　representation　at　the　opera　all　passed　off



well：　but；　perhaps；　that　which　will　dwell　longest　in　my　memory



took　place　at　the　last。　The　performance　consisted　of　two　pieces：



one　a　poem　glorifying　Prussia；　recited　with　music；　the　other　a



play；　in　four　acts；　with　long；　musical　interludes；　deifying　the



great　Elector　and　the　house　of　Hohenzollern。　Though　splendid　in



scenic　setting　and　brilliant　in　presentation　it　was　very　long；



and　the　ambassadors'　box　was　crowded　and　hot。　In　the　midst　of　it



all　the　French　ambassador；　the　Marquis　de　Noailles；　one　of　the



most　suave　courteous；　and　placid　of　men；　quietly　said　to　me；　with



inimitable　gravity；　〃What　a　bore　this　must　be　to　those　who



understand　German！　（Comme　ca　doit　etre　ennuyeux　a　ceux　qui



correprennent　l'Allexnand！）〃　This　sudden　revelation　of　a　lower



depth　of　boredomfrom　one　who　could　not　understand　a　word　of　the



playwas　worthy　of　his　ancestors　in　the　days　of　Saint…Simon　and



Dangeau。







During　the　following　summer　two　great　sorrows　befell　me　and　mine；



but　there　is　nothing　to　be　here　chronicled　save　that　in　this；　as



in　previous　trials；　I　took　refuge　in　work　which　seemed　to　be



worthy。　The　diplomatic　service　in　summer　is　not　usually　exacting；



especially　when　one　has；　as　I　had；　thoroughly　loyal　and　judicious



embassy　secretaries。　As　in　a　former　bereavement　I　had　turned　to　a



study　of　the　character　and　services　of　John　of　Portugal　and　his



great　successors　in　the　age　of　discovery；　so　now　I　turned　to　Fra



Paolo　Sarpi　and　the　good　fight　he　fought　for　Venice　and　humanity。



To　my　large　collection　of　books　on　the　subject；　made　mainly　in



Italy；　I　added　much　from　the　old　book…shops　of　Germany；　and　with



these　revised　my　Venetian　studies。　An　old　dream　of　mine　had　been



to　bring　out　a　small　book　on　Fra　Paolo：　now　I　sought；　more



modestly；　to　prepare　an　essay。＇6＇　The　work　was　good　for　me。



Contemplation　of　that　noblest　of　the　three　great　Italians　between



the　Renaissance　and　the　Resurrection　of　Italy　did　something　to



lift　me　above　sorrow；　reading　his　words；　uttered　so　calmly　in　all



the　storm　and　stress　of　his　time；　soothed　me。　Viewed　from　my



work…table　on　the　island　of　Rugen；　the　world　became　less　dark　as



I　thought　upon　this　hero　of　three　centuries　ago。











＇6＇　This　essay　has　since　been　published　in　the　〃Atlantic　Monthly〃



of　January　and　February；　1904。







｛Included　etext：　Project　Gutenberg｝



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THE　ATLANTIC　MONTHLY：　A　MAGAZINE　OF　Literature；　Science；　Art；　and



Politics　VOLUME　XCIII　｛From　January；　1904Number　DLV。　and



February；　1904Number　DLVI。｝







BOSTON　AND　NEW　YORK　HOUGHTON　MIFFLIN　AND　COMPANY　The　Riverside



Press；　Cambridge　1904











COPYRIGHT；　1903　AND　1904　BY　HOUGHTON；　MIFFLIN　AND　COMPANY







The　Riverside　Press；　Cambridge；　Mass。；　U。S。A。　Electrotyped　and



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FRA　PAOLO　SARPI。







I。







A　thoughtful　historian　tells　us　that；　between　the　fourteenth



century　and　the　nineteenth；　Italy　produced　three　great　men。　As



the　first　of　these；　he　names　Machiavelli；　who；　he　says；　〃taught



the　world　to　understand　political　despotism　and　to　hate　it；〃　as



the　second；　he　names　Sarpi　who　〃taught　the　world　after　what



manner　the　Holy　Spirit　guides　the　Councils　of　the　Church；〃　and　as



the　third；　Galileo；　who　〃taught　the　world　what　dogmatic　theology



is　worth　when　it　can　be　tested　by　science。〃







I　purpose　now　to　present　the　second　of　these。　As　a　MAN；　he　was　by



far　the　greatest　of　the　three　and；　in　various　respects；　the　most



interesting；　for　he　not　only　threw　a　bright　light　into　the　most



important　general　council　of　the　Church　and　revealed　to



Christendom　the　methods　which　there　prevailed；in　a　book　which



remains　one　of　the　half…dozen　classic　histories　of　the



world；but　he　fought　the　most　bitter　fight　for　humanity　against



the　papacy　ever　known　in　any　Latin　nation；　and　won　a　victory　by



which　the　whole　world　has　profited　ever　since。　Moreover；　he　was



one　of　the　two　foremost　Italian　statesmen　since　the　Middle　Ages；



the　other　being　Cavour。







He　was　born　at　Venice　in　1552；　and　it　may　concern　those　who　care



to　note　the　subtle　interweaving　of　the　warp　and　woof　of　history



that　the　birth　year　of　this　most　resourceful　foe　that　Jesuitism



ever　had　was　the　death　year　of　St。　Francis　Xavier；　the　noblest　of



Jesuit　apostles。







It　may　also　interest　those　who　study　the　more　evident　evolution



of　cause　and　effect　in　human　affairs　to　note　that；　like　most



strong　men；　he　had　a　strong　mother；　that　while　his　father　was　a



poor　shopkeeper　who　did　little　and　died　young；　his　mother　was



wise　and　serene。







From　his　earliest　boyhood；　he　showed　striking　gifts　and



characteristics。　He　never　forgot　a　face　once　seen；　could　take　in



the　main　contents　of　a　page　at　a　glance；　spoke　little；　rarely　ate



meat；　and；　until　his　last　years；　never　drank　wine。







Brought　up；　after　the　death　of　his　father；　first　by　his　uncle；　a



priest；　and　then　by　Capella；　a　Servite　monk；　in　something　better



than　the　usual　priestly　fashion；　he　became　known；　while　yet　in



his　boyhood；　as　a　theological　prodigy。　Disputations　in　his　youth；



especially　one　at　Mantua；　where；　after　the　manner　of　the　time；　he



successfully　defended　several　hundred　theses　against　all　comers；



attracted　wide　attention；　so　that　the　Bishop　gave　him　a



professorship；　and　the　Duke；　who；　like　some　other　crowned　heads



of　those　days；notably　Henry　VIII。　and　James　I。；liked　to



dabble　in　theology；　made　him　a　court　theologian。　But　the　duties



of　this　position　were　uncongenial：　a　flippant　duke；　fond　of



putting　questions　which　the　wisest　theologian　could　not　answer；



and　laying　out　work　which　the　young　scholar　evidently　thought



futile；　apparently　wearied　him。　He　returned　to　the　convent　of　the



Servites　at　Venice；　and　became；　after　a　few　years'　novitiate；　a



friar；　changing；　at　the　same　time；　his　name；　so　that；　having　been



baptized　Peter；　he　now　became　Paul。







His　career　soon　seemed　to　reveal　another　and　underlying　cause　of



his　return：　he　evidently　felt　the　same　impulse　which　stirred　his



contemporaries；　Lord　Bacon　and　Galileo；　for　he　began　devoting



himself　to　the　whole　range　of　scientific　and　philosophical



studies；　especially　to　mathematics；　physics；　astronomy；　anatomy；



and　physiology。　In　these　he　became　known　as　an　authority；　and



before　long　was　recognized　as　such　through　out　Europe。　It　is



claimed；　and　it　is　not　improbable；　that　he　anticipated　Harvey　in



discovering　the　circulation　of　the　blood；　and　that　he　was　the



forerunner　of　noted　discoveries　in　magnetism。　Unfortunately　the



loss　of　the　great　mass　of　his　papers　by　the　fire　which　destroyed



his　convent　in　1769　forbids　any　full　estimate　of　his　work；　but　it



is　certain　that　among　those　who　sought　his　opinion　and　advice



were　such　great　discoverers　as　Acquapendente；　Galileo；



Torricelli；　and　Gilbert　of　Colchester；　and　that　every　one　of



these　referred　to　him　as　an　equal；　and　indeed　as　a　master。　It



seems　also　established　that　it　was　he　who　first　discovered　the



valves　of　the　veins；　that　he　made　known　the　most　beautiful



function　of　the　iris；its　contractility；and　that　var