战争与和平(上)-第225章

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f　it；　and　their　plots　that　they　have　hatched　in　secret　be　turned　against　them。　And　let　them　be　laid　low　before　the　feet　of　Thy　servants　and　vanquished　by　our　hosts。　Lord！　it　is　nought　for　Thee　to　save　both　great　and　small。　Thou　art　God；　and　man　can　do　nought　against　Thee！
“God　of　our　Fathers！　Remember　Thy　mercy　and　loving…kindness；　that　are　everlasting。　Turn　not　Thy　face　away　from　us；　be　gracious　to　our　unworthiness；　but　in　the　greatness　of　Thy　mercy　and　the　infinity　of　Thy　goodness；　overlook　our　transgressions　and　our　iniquities。　Purify　our　hearts；　and　renew　the　true　spirit　within　us；　strengthen　us　all　by　faith　in　Thee；　fortify　us　with　hope；　breathe　into　us　true　love　for　one　another；　arm　us　with　unity　of　spirit　in　the　righteous　defence　of　the　heritage　Thou　hast　given　us　and　our　fathers；　and　let　not　the　sceptre　of　the　unrighteous　be　exalted　above　the　destinies　of　Thy　holy　people。
“O　Lord　our　God；　in　Whom　we　believe；　and　in　Whom　we　put　our　trust；　let　us　not　be　confounded　in　our　faith　in　Thy　mercy；　and　give　us　a　sign　for　our　blessing　that　they　that　hate　us　and　our　holy　faith　may　see　it　and　be　put　to　shame　and　confusion；　and　that　all　lands　may　know　that　the　Lord　is　Thy　Name；　and　we　are　Thy　people。　Show　Thy　mercy　upon　us　this　day；　O　Lord；　and　grant　us　Thy　salvation。　Rejoice　the　hearts　of　Thy　servants　with　Thy　mercy；　strike　down　our　enemies　and　trample　them　swiftly　under　the　feet　of　Thy　faithful。　Thou　art　the　defence；　the　succour；　and　the　victory　of　them　that　put　their　trust　in　Thee；　and　to　Thee　be　the　glory；　to　Father；　and　to　Son；　and　to　Holy　Ghost；　now　and　ever　has　been；　for　ever　and　ever。　Amen！”
In　Natasha’s　religiously　impressionable　state；　this　prayer　affected　her　strongly。　She　heard　every　word　about　Moses’s　victory　over　Amalek；　and　Gideon’s　over　Midian；　and　David’s　over　Goliath；　and　about　the　destruction　of　Thy　Jerusalem；　and　she　prayed　to　God　with　all　the　tenderness　and　fervour　with　which　her　heart　was　overflowing；　but　she　had　no　distinct　idea　what　she　was　asking　for　in　this　prayer。　With　all　her　soul　she　joined　in　the　petition　for　the　true　spirit；　for　the　strengthening　of　hearts　with　faith　and　hope；　and　the　breathing　into　them　of　love。　But　she　could　not　pray　for　the　trampling　of　her　enemies　underfoot；　when　she　had　only　a　few　minutes　before　been　wishing　she　had　more　of　them　to　forgive　and　pray　for。　But　yet　she　could　have　no　doubts　of　the　righteousness　of　this　prayer　that　had　been　read　by　the　priest　on　his　knees。　She　felt　in　her　heart　a　thrill　of　awe　and　horror　at　the　punishment　in　store　for　men’s　sins；　and　especially　for　her　sins；　and　prayed　to　God　to　forgive　them　all；　and　her　too；　and　give　them　all　and　her　peace　and　happiness。　And　it　seemed　to　her　that　God　heard　her　prayer。


Chapter　19
EVER　SINCE　THE　DAY　when　Pierre　had　looked　up　at　the　comet　in　the　sky　on　his　way　home　from　the　Rostovs’；　and　recalling　Natasha’s　grateful　look；　had　felt　as　though　some　new　vista　was　opening　before　him；　the　haunting　problem　of　the　vanity　and　senselessness　of　all　things　earthly　had　ceased　to　torment　him。　That　terrible　question：　Why？　what　for？　which　had　till　then　haunted　him　in　the　midst　of　every　occupation；　was　not　now　replaced　by　any　other　question；　nor　by　an　answer　to　the　old　question；　its　place　was　filled　by　the　image　of　her。　If　he　heard　or　talked　of　trivialities；　or　read　or　was　told　of　some　instance　of　human　baseness　or　folly；　he　was　not　cast　down　as　of　old；　he　did　not　ask　himself　why　people　troubled；　when　all　was　so　brief　and　uncertain。　But　he　thought　of　her　as　he　had　seen　her　last；　and　all　his　doubts　vanished；　not　because　she　had　answered　the　questions　that　haunted　him；　but　because　her　image　lifted　him　instantly　into　another　bright　realm　of　spiritual　activity；　in　which　there　could　be　neither　right　nor　wrong；　into　a　region　of　beauty　and　love　which　was　worth　living　for。　Whatever　infamy　he　thought　of；　he　said　to　himself；　“Well；　let　so　and　so　rob　the　state　and　the　Tsar；　while　the　state　and　the　Tsar　heap　honours　on　him；　but　she　smiled　at　me　yesterday；　and　begged　me　to　come；　and　I　love　her；　and　nobody　will　ever　know　it；”　he　thought。
Pierre　still　went　into　society；　drank　as　much；　and　led　the　same　idle　and　aimless　life；　because；　apart　from　the　hours　he　spent　at　the　Rostovs’；　he　had　to　get　through　the　rest　of　his　time　somehow；　and　the　habits　and　the　acquaintances　he　had　made　in　Moscow　drew　him　irresistibly　into　the　same　life。　But　of　late；　since　the　reports　from　the　seat　of　war　had　become　more　and　more　disquieting；　and　Natasha’s　health　had　improved；　and　she　had　ceased　to　call　for　the　same　tender　pity；　he　had　begun　to　be　more　and　more　possessed　by　a　restlessness　that　he　could　not　explain。　He　felt　that　the　position　he　was　in　could　not　go　on　for　long；　that　a　catastrophe　was　coming　that　would　change　the　whole　course　of　his　life；　and　he　sought　impatiently　for　signs　of　this　impending　catastrophe。　One　of　his　brother　masons　had　revealed　to　Pierre　the　following　prophecy　relating　to　Napoleon；　and　taken　from　the　Apocalypse　of　St。　John。
In　the　Apocalypse；　chapter　thirteen；　verse　seventeen；　it　is　written：　“Here　is　wisdom；　let　him　that　hath　understanding；　count　the　number　of　the　beast；　for　it　is　the　number　of　a　man；　and　his　number　is　six　hundred　three…score　and　six。”
And　in　the　fifth　verse　of　the　same　chapter：　“And　there　was　given　unto　him　a　mouth　speaking　great　things　and　blasphemies；　and　power　was　given　unto　him　to　continue　forty　and　two　months。”
If　the　French　alphabet　is　treated　like　the　Hebrew　system　of　enumeration；　by　which　the　first　ten　letters　represent　the　units；　and　the　next　the　tens；　and　so　on；　the　letters　have　the　following　value：—
abcdefghiklmnopqrstuvwxyz
123456789102030405060708090100110120130140150160
Turning　out　the　words　l’empereur　Napoléon　into　ciphers　on　this　system；　it　happens　that　the　sum　of　these　numbers　equals　666；　and　Napoleon　is　thereby　seen　to　be　the　beast　prophesied　in　the　Apocalypse。　Moreover；　working　out　in　the　same　way　the　words　quarante…deux；　that　is；　the　term　for　which　the　beast　was　permitted　to　continue；　the　sum　of　these　numbers　again　equals　666；　from　which　it　is　deduced　that　the　terms　of　Napoleon’s　power　had　come　in　1812；　when　the　French　Emperor　reached　his　forty…second　year。　This　prophecy　made　a　great　impression　on　Pierre。　He　frequently　asked　himself　what　would　put　an　end　to　the　power　of　the　beast；　that　is；　of　Napoleon；　and　he　tried　by　the　same　system　of　turning　letters　into　figures；　and　reckoning　them　up　to　find　an　answer　to　this　question。　He　wrote　down　as　an　answer；　l’empereur　Alexandre？　La　nation　russe？　He　reckoned　out　the　figures；　but　their　sum　was　far　more　or　less　than　666。　Once　he　wrote　down　his　own　name　“Comte　Pierre　Bezuhov；”　but　the　sum　of　the　figure　was　far　from　being　right。　He　changed　the　spelling；　putting　s　for　z；　added　“de；”　added　the　article　“le；”　and　still　could　not　obtain　the　desired　result。　Then　it　occurred　to　him　that　if　the　answer　sought　for　were　to　be　found　in　his　name；　his　nationality　ought　surely　to　find　a　place　in　it　too。　He　tried　Le　russe　Besuhof；　and　adding　up　the　figure　made　the　sum　671。　This　was　only　five　too　much；　the　5　was　denoted　by　the　letter　“e；”　the　letter　dropped　in　the　article　in　the　expression　l’empereur　Napoléon。　Dropping　the　“e”　in　a　similar　way；　though　of　course　incorrectly；　Pierre　obtained　the　answer　he　sought　in　L’russe　Besuhof；　the　letters　of　which　on　that　system　added　up　to　666。　This　discovery　greatly　excited　him。　How；　by　what　connection；　he　was　associated　with　the　great　event；　foretold　in　the　Apocalypse；　he　could　not　tell。　But　he　did　not　for　a　moment　doubt　of　that　connection。　His　love　for　Natasha；　Antichrist；　Napoleon’s　invasion；　the　comet；　the　number　666；　l’empereur　Napoléon；　and　l’russe　Besuhof—all　he　thought　were　to　develop；　and　come　to　some　crisis　together　to　extricate　him　from　that　spellbound；　trivial　round　of　Moscow　habits；　to　which　he　felt　himself　in　bondage；　and　to　lead　him　to　some　great　achievement　and　great　happiness。
The　day　before　that　Sunday　on　which　the　new　prayer　had　been　read　in　the　churches；　Pierre　had　promised　the　Rostovs　to　call　on　Count　Rastoptchin；　whom　he　knew　well；　and　to　get　from　him　the　Tsar’s　appeal　to　the　country；　and　the　last　news　from　the　army。　On　going　to　Count　Rastoptchin’s　in　the　morning；　Pierre　found　the