the new machiavelli-第25章

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deception　write　down　compactly　the　world　as　it　was　known　to　me　at　

nineteen。　　So　far　as　extension　went　it　was；　I　fancy；　very　like　the　

world　I　know　now　at　forty…two；　I　had　practically　all　the　mountains　

and　seas；　boundaries　and　races；　products　and　possibilities　that　I　

have　now。　　But　its　intension　was　very　different。　　All　the　interval　

has　been　increasing　and　deepening　my　social　knowledge；　replacing　

crude　and　second…hand　impressions　by　felt　and　realised　distinctions。



In　1895that　was　my　last　year　with　Britten；　for　I　went　up　to　

Cambridge　in　Septembermy　vision　of　the　world　had　much　the　same　

relation　to　the　vision　I　have　to…day　that　an　ill…drawn　daub　of　a　

mask　has　to　the　direct　vision　of　a　human　face。　　Britten　and　I　looked　

at　our　world　and　sawwhat　did　we　see？　　Forms　and　colours　side　by　

side　that　we　had　no　suspicion　were　interdependent。　　We　had　no　

conception　of　the　roots　of　things　nor　of　the　reaction　of　things。　　It　

did　not　seem　to　us；　for　example；　that　business　had　anything　to　do　

with　government；　or　that　money　and　means　affected　the　heroic　issues　

of　war。　　There　were　no　wagons　in　our　war　game；　and　where　there　were　

guns；　there　it　was　assumed　the　ammunition　was　gathered　together。　　

Finance　again　was　a　sealed　book　to　us；　we　did　not　so　much　connect　it　

with　the　broad　aspects　of　human　affairs　as　regard　it　as　a　sort　of　

intrusive　nuisance　to　be　earnestly　ignored　by　all　right…minded　men。　　

We　had　no　conception　of　the　quality　of　politics；　nor　how　〃interests〃　

came　into　such　affairs；　we　believed　men　were　swayed　by　purely　

intellectual　convictions　and　were　either　right　or　wrong；　honest　or　

dishonest　（in　which　ease　they　deserved　to　be　shot）；　good　or　bad。　　We　

knew　nothing　of　mental　inertia；　and　could　imagine　the　opinion　of　a　

whole　nation　changed　by　one　lucid　and　convincing　exposition。　　We　

were　capable　of　the　most　incongruous　transfers　from　the　scroll　of　

history　to　our　own　times；　we　could　suppose　Brixton　ravaged　and　

Hampstead　burnt　in　civil　wars　for　the　succession　to　the　throne；　or　

Cheapside　a　lane　of　death　and　the　front　of　the　Mansion　House　set　

about　with　guillotines　in　the　course　of　an　accurately　transposed　

French　Revolution。　　We　rebuilt　London　by　Act　of　Parliament；　and　once　

in　a　mood　of　hygienic　enterprise　we　transferred　its　population　EN　

MASSE　to　the　North　Downs　by　an　order　of　the　Local　Government　Board。　　

We　thought　nothing　of　throwing　religious　organisations　out　of　

employment　or　superseding　all　the　newspapers　by　freely　distributed　

bulletins。　　We　could　contemplate　the　possibility　of　laws　abolishing　

whole　classes；　we　were　equal　to　such　a　dream　as　the　peaceful　and　

orderly　proclamation　of　Communism　from　the　steps　of　St。　Paul's　

Cathedral；　after　the　passing　of　a　simply　worded　bill；a　close　and　

not　unnaturally　an　exciting　division　carrying　the　third　reading。　　I　

remember　quite　distinctly　evolving　that　vision。　　We　were　then　fully　

fifteen　and　we　were　perfectly　serious　about　it。　　We　were　not　fools；　

it　was　simply　that　as　yet　we　had　gathered　no　experience　at　all　of　

the　limits　and　powers　of　legislation　and　conscious　collective　

intention。　。　。　。



I　think　this　statement　does　my　boyhood　justice；　and　yet　I　have　my　

doubts。　　It　is　so　hard　now　to　say　what　one　understood　and　what　one　

did　not　understand。　　It　isn't　only　that　every　day　changed　one's　

general　outlook；　but　also　that　a　boy　fluctuates　between　phases　of　

quite　adult　understanding　and　phases　of　tawdrily　magnificent　

puerility。　　Sometimes　I　myself　was　in　those　tumbrils　that　went　along　

Cheapside　to　the　Mansion　House；　a　Sydney　Cartonesque　figure；　a　white　

defeated　Mirabean；　sometimes　it　was　I　who　sat　judging　and　condemning　

and　ruling　（sleeping　in　my　clothes　and　feeding　very　simply）　the　soul　

and　autocrat　of　the　Provisional　Government；　which　occupied；　of　all　

inconvenient　places！　the　General　Post　Office　at　St。　Martin's…le…

Grand！　。　。　。



I　cannot　trace　the　development　of　my　ideas　at　Cambridge；　but　I　

believe　the　mere　physical　fact　of　going　two　hours'　journey　away　from　

London　gave　that　place　for　the　first　time　an　effect　of　unity　in　my　

imagination。　　I　got　outside　London。　　It　became　tangible　instead　of　

being　a　frame　almost　as　universal　as　sea　and　sky。



At　Cambridge　my　ideas　ceased　to　live　in　a　duologue；　in　exchange　for　

Britten；　with　whom；　however；　I　corresponded　lengthily；　stylishly　and　

self…consciously　for　some　years；　I　had　now　a　set　of　congenial　

friends。　　I　got　talk　with　some　of　the　younger　dons；　I　learnt　to　

speak　in　the　Union；　and　in　my　little　set　we　were　all　pretty　busily　

sharpening　each　other's　wits　and　correcting　each　other's　

interpretations。　　Cambridge　made　politics　personal　and　actual。　　At　

City　Merchants'　we　had　had　no　sense　of　effective　contact；　we　

boasted；　it　is　true；　an　under　secretary　and　a　colonial　governor　

among　our　old　boys；　but　they　were　never　real　to　us；　such　

distinguished　sons　as　returned　to　visit　the　old　school　were　allusive　

and　pleasant　in　the　best　Pinky　Dinky　style；　and　pretended　to　be　in　

earnest　about　nothing　but　our　football　and　cricket；　to　mourn　the　

abolition　of　〃water；〃　and　find　a　shuddering　personal　interest　in　the　

ancient　swishing　block。　　At　Cambridge　I　felt　for　the　first　time　that　

I　touched　the　thing　that　was　going　on。　　Real　living　statesmen　came　

down　to　debate　in　the　Union；　the　older　dons　had　been　their　college　

intimates；　their　sons　and　nephews　expounded　them　to　us　and　made　them　

real　to　us。　　They　invited　us　to　entertain　ideas；　I　found　myself　for　

the　first　time　in　my　life　expected　to　read　and　think　and　discuss；　my　

secret　vice　had　become　a　virtue。



That　combination…room　world　is　at　last　larger　and　more　populous　and　

various　than　the　world　of　schoolmasters。　　The　Shoesmiths　and　Naylors　

who　had　been　the　aristocracy　of　City　Merchants'　fell　into　their　

place　in　my　mind；　they　became　an　undistinguished　mass　on　the　more　

athletic　side　of　Pinky　Dinkyism；　and　their　hostility　to　ideas　and　to　

the　expression　of　ideas　ceased　to　limit　and　trouble　me。　　The　

brighter　men　of　each　generation　stay　up；　these　others　go　down　to　

propagate　their　tradition；　as　the　fathers　of　families；　as　mediocre　

professional　men；　as　assistant　masters　in　schools。　　Cambridge　which　

perfects　them　is　by　the　nature　of　things　least　oppressed　by　them；

except　when　it　comes　to　a　vote　in　Convocation。



We　were　still　in　those　days　under　the　shadow　of　the　great　

Victorians。　　I　never　saw　Gladstone　（as　I　never　set　eyes　on　the　old　

Queen）；　but　he　had　resigned　office　only　a　year　before　I　went　up　to　

Trinity；　and　the　Combination　Rooms　were　full　of　personal　gossip　

about　him　and　Disraeli　and　the　other　big　figures　of　the　gladiatorial　

stage　of　Parlimentary　history；　talk　that　leaked　copiously　into　such　

sets　as　mine。　　The　ceiling　of　our　guest　chamber　at　Trinity　was　

glorious　with　the　arms　of　Sir　William　Harcourt；　whose　Death　Duties　

had　seemed　at　first　like　a　socialist　dawn。　　Mr。　Evesham　we　asked　to　

come　to　the　Union　every　year；　Masters；　Chamberlain　and　the　old　Duke　

of　Devonshire；　they　did　not　come　indeed；　but　their　polite　refusals　

brought　us　all；　as　it　were；　within　personal　touch　of　them。　　One　

heard　of　cabinet　councils　and　meetings　at　country　houses。　　Some　of　

us；　pursuing　such　interests；　went　so　far　as　to　read　political　

memoirs　and　the　novels　of　Disraeli　and　Mrs。　Humphry　Ward。　　From　

gossip；　example　and　the　illustrated　newspapers　one　learnt　something　

of　the　way　in　which　parties　were　split；　coalitions　formed；　how　

permanent　officials　worked　and　controlled　their　ministers；　how　

measures　were　brought　forward　and　projects　modified。



And　while　I　was　getting　the　great　leading　figures　on　the　political　

stage；　who　had　been　presented　to　me　in　my　schooldays　not　so　much　as　

men　as　the　pantomimic　monsters　of　political　caricature；　while　I　was　

getting　them　reduced　in　my　imagination　to　the　stature　of　humanity；　

and　their　motives　to　the　quality　of　impulses　like　my　own；　I　was　also　

acquiring　in　my　Tripos　work　a　constantly　dev