the new machiavelli-第3章

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before　me　to　distil　such　wisdom　as　I　can；　as　Machiavelli　in　his　

exile　sought　to　do；　from　the　things　I　have　learnt　and　felt　during　

the　career　that　has　ended　now　in　my　divorce。



I　climbed　high　and　fast　from　small　beginnings。　　I　had　the　mind　of　my　

party。　　I　do　not　know　where　I　might　not　have　ended；　but　for　this　red　

blaze　that　came　out　of　my　unguarded　nature　and　closed　my　career　for　

ever。







CHAPTER　THE　SECOND



BROMSTEAD　AND　MY　FATHER





1



I　dreamt　first　of　states　and　cities　and　political　things　when　I　was　

a　little　boy　in　knickerbockers。



When　I　think　of　how　such　things　began　in　my　mind；　there　comes　back　

to　me　the　memory　of　an　enormous　bleak　room　with　its　ceiling　going　up　

to　heaven　and　its　floor　covered　irregularly　with　patched　and　

defective　oilcloth　and　a　dingy　mat　or　so　and　a　〃surround〃　as　they　

call　it；　of　dark　stained　wood。　　Here　and　there　against　the　wall　are　

trunks　and　boxes。　　There　are　cupboards　on　either　side　of　the　

fireplace　and　bookshelves　with　books　above　them；　and　on　the　wall　and　

rather　tattered　is　a　large　yellow…varnished　geological　map　of　the　

South　of　England。　　Over　the　mantel　is　a　huge　lump　of　white　coral　

rock　and　several　big　fossil　bones；　and　above　that　hangs　the　portrait　

of　a　brainy　gentleman；　sliced　in　half　and　displaying　an　interior　of　

intricate　detail　and　much　vigour　of　coloring。　　It　is　the　floor　I　

think　of　chiefly；　over　the　oilcloth　of　which；　assumed　to　be　land；　

spread　towns　and　villages　and　forts　of　wooden　bricks；　there　are　

steep　square　hills　（geologically；　volumes　of　Orr's　CYCLOPAEDIA　OF　

THE　SCIENCES）　and　the　cracks　and　spaces　of　the　floor　and　the　bare　

brown　surround　were　the　water　channels　and　open　sea　of　that　

continent　of　mine。



I　still　remember　with　infinite　gratitude　the　great…uncle　to　whom　I　

owe　my　bricks。　　He　must　have　been　one　of　those　rare　adults　who　have　

not　forgotten　the　chagrins　and　dreams　of　childhood。　　He　was　a　

prosperous　west　of　England　builder；　including　my　father　he　had　three　

nephews；　and　for　each　of　them　he　caused　a　box　of　bricks　to　be　made　

by　an　out…of…work　carpenter；　not　the　insufficient　supply　of　the　

toyshop；　you　understand；　but　a　really　adequate　quantity　of　bricks　

made　out　of　oak　and　shaped　and　smoothed；　bricks　about　five　inches　by　

two　and　a　half　by　one；　and　half…bricks　and　quarter…bricks　to　

correspond。　　There　were　hundreds　of　them；　many　hundreds。　　I　could　

build　six　towers　as　high　as　myself　with　them；　and　there　seemed　quite　

enough　for　every　engineering　project　I　could　undertake。　　I　could　

build　whole　towns　with　streets　and　houses　and　churches　and　citadels；　

I　could　bridge　every　gap　in　the　oilcloth　and　make　causeways　over　

crumpled　spaces　（which　I　feigned　to　be　morasses）；　and　on　a　keel　of　

whole　bricks　it　was　possible　to　construct　ships　to　push　over　the　

high　seas　to　the　remotest　port　in　the　room。　　And　a　disciplined　

population；　that　rose　at　last　by　sedulous　begging　on　birthdays　and　

all　convenient　occasions　to　well　over　two　hundred；　of　lead　sailors　

and　soldiers；　horse；　foot　and　artillery；　inhabited　this　world。



Justice　has　never　been　done　to　bricks　and　soldiers　by　those　who　

write　about　toys。　　The　praises　of　the　toy　theatre　have　been　a　common　

theme　for　essayists；　the　planning　of　the　scenes；　the　painting　and　

cutting　out　of　the　caste；　penny　plain　twopence　coloured；　the　stink　

and　glory　of　the　performance　and　the　final　conflagration。　　I　had　

such　a　theatre　once；　but　I　never　loved　it　nor　hoped　for　much　from　

it；　my　bricks　and　soldiers　were　my　perpetual　drama。　　I　recall　an　

incessant　variety　of　interests。　　There　was　the　mystery　and　charm　of　

the　complicated　buildings　one　could　make；　with　long　passages　and　

steps　and　windows　through　which　one　peeped　into　their　intricacies；　

and　by　means　of　slips　of　card　one　could　make　slanting　ways　in　them；　

and　send　marbles　rolling　from　top　to　base　and　thence　out　into　the　

hold　of　a　waiting　ship。　　Then　there　were　the　fortresses　and　gun　

emplacements　and　covered　ways　in　which　one's　soldiers　went。　　And　

there　was　commerce；　the　shops　and　markets　and　store…rooms　full　of　

nasturtium　seed；　thrift　seed；　lupin　beans　and　suchlike　provender　

from　the　garden；　such　stuff　one　stored　in　match…boxes　and　pill…

boxes；　or　packed　in　sacks　of　old　glove　fingers　tied　up　with　thread　

and　sent　off　by　waggons　along　the　great　military　road　to　the　

beleaguered　fortress　on　the　Indian　frontier　beyond　the　worn　places　

that　were　dismal　swamps。　　And　there　were　battles　on　the　way。



That　great　road　is　still　clear　in　my　memory。　　I　was　given；　I　forget　

by　what　benefactor；　certain　particularly　fierce　red　Indians　of　lead

I　have　never　seen　such　soldiers　sinceand　for　these　my　father　

helped　me　to　make　tepees　of　brown　paper；　and　I　settled　them　in　a　

hitherto　desolate　country　under　the　frowning　nail…studded　cliffs　of　

an　ancient　trunk。　　Then　I　conquered　them　and　garrisoned　their　land。　　

（Alas！　they　died；　no　doubt　through　contact　with　civilisationone　my　

mother　trod　onand　their　land　became　a　wilderness　again　and　was　

ravaged　for　a　time　by　a　clockwork　crocodile　of　vast　proportions。）　　

And　out　towards　the　coal…scuttle　was　a　region　near　the　impassable　

thickets　of　the　ragged　hearthrug　where　lived　certain　china　Zulus　

brandishing　spears；　and　a　mountain　country　of　rudely　piled　bricks　

concealing　the　most　devious　and　enchanting　caves　and　several　mines　

of　gold　and　silver　paper。　　Among　these　rocks　a　number　of　survivors　

from　a　Noah's　Ark　made　a　various；　dangerous；　albeit　frequently　

invalid　and　crippled　fauna；　and　I　was　wont　to　increase　the　

uncultivated　wildness　of　this　region　further　by　trees　of　privet…

twigs　from　the　garden　hedge　and　box　from　the　garden　borders。　　By　

these　territories　went　my　Imperial　Road　carrying　produce　to　and　fro；　

bridging　gaps　in　the　oilcloth；　tunnelling　through　Encyclopaedic　

hillsone　tunnel　was　three　volumes　longdefended　as　occasion　

required　by　camps　of　paper　tents　or　brick　blockhouses；　and　ending　at　

last　in　a　magnificently　engineered　ascent　to　a　fortress　on　the　

cliffs　commanding　the　Indian　reservation。



My　games　upon　the　floor　must　have　spread　over　several　years　and　

developed　from　small　beginnings；　incorporating　now　this　suggestion　

and　now　that。　　They　stretch；　I　suppose；　from　seven　to　eleven　or　

twelve。　　I　played　them　intermittently；　and　they　bulk　now　in　the　

retrospect　far　more　significantly　than　they　did　at　the　time。　　I　

played　them　in　bursts；　and　then　forgot　them　for　long　periods；　

through　the　spring　and　summer　I　was　mostly　out　of　doors；　and　school　

and　classes　caught　me　early。　　And　in　the　retrospect　I　see　them　all　

not　only　magnified　and　transfigured；　but　fore…shortened　and　confused　

together。　　A　clockwork　railway；　I　seem　to　remember；　came　and　went；　

one　or　two　clockwork　boats；　toy　sailing　ships　that；　being　keeled；　

would　do　nothing　but　lie　on　their　beam　ends　on　the　floor；　a　

detestable　lot　of　cavalrymen；　undersized　and　gilt　all　over；　given　me　

by　a　maiden　aunt；　and　very　much　what　one　might　expect　from　an　aunt；　

that　I　used　as　Nero　used　his　Christians　to　ornament　my　public　

buildings；　and　I　finally　melted　some　into　fratricidal　bullets；　and　

therewith　blew　the　rest　to　flat　splashes　of　lead　by　means　of　a　brass　

cannon　in　the　garden。



I　find　this　empire　of　the　floor　much　more　vivid　and　detailed　in　my　

memory　now　than　many　of　the　owners　of　the　skirts　and　legs　and　boots　

that　went　gingerly　across　its　territories。　　Occasionally；　alas！　they　

stooped　to　scrub；　abolishing　in　one　universal　destruction　the　slow　

growth　of　whole　days　of　civilised　development。　　I　still　remember　the　

hatred　and　disgust　of　these　catastrophes。　　Like　Noah　I　was　given　

warnings。　　Did　I　disregard　them；　coarse　red　hands　would　descend；　

plucking　garrisons　from　fortresses　and　sailors　from　ships；　jumbling　

them　up　in　their　wrong　boxes；　clumsily　so　that　their　rifles　and　

swords　were　broken；　sweeping　the　splendid　curves　of　the　Imperial　

Road　into　heaps　of　ruins；　casting　the　jungl