战争与和平(上)-第333章

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ad　not　left　him　since。
When　he　waked　up　in　a　cold　sweat　and　moved　on　the　couch；　Natasha　went　up　and　asked　him　what　was　the　matter。　He　did　not　answer；　and　looked　at　her　with　strange　eyes；　not　understanding　her。
That　was　the　change　that　had　come　over　him　two　days　before　Princess　Marya’s　arrival。　The　doctor　said　that　from　that　day　the　wasting　fever　had　assumed　a　more　serious　aspect；　but　Natasha　paid　little　heed　to　what　the　doctor　said；　she　saw　the　terrible　moral　symptoms；　that　for　her　were　far　more　convincing。
With　his　awakening　from　sleep　that　day　there　began　for　Prince　Andrey　an　awakening　from　life。　And　in　relation　to　the　duration　of　life　it　seemed　to　him　not　more　prolonged　than　the　awakening　from　sleep　in　relation　to　the　duration　of　a　dream。　There　was　nothing　violent　or　terrible　in　this　relatively　slow　awakening。
His　last　days　and　hours　passed　in　a　simple　and　commonplace　way。　Princess　Marya　and　Natasha；　who　never　left　his　side；　both　felt　that。　They　did　not　weep　nor　shudder；　and　towards　the　last　they　both　felt　they　were　waiting　not　on　him　（he　was　no　more；　he　had　gone　far　away　from　them）；　but　on　the　nearest　memory　of　him—his　body。　The　feelings　of　both　of　them　were　so　strong　that　the　external；　horrible　side　of　death　did　not　affect　them；　and　they　did　not　find　it　needful　to　work　up　their　grief。　They　did　not　weep　either　in　his　presence　nor　away　from　him；　and　they　never　even　talked　of　him　together。　They　felt　that　they　could　not　express　in　words　what　they　understood。
They　both　saw　that　he　was　slowly　and　quietly　slipping　further　and　further　away　from　them；　and　both　knew　that　this　must　be　so；　and　that　it　was　well。　He　received　absolution　and　extreme　unction；　every　one　came　to　bid　him　good…bye。　When　his　son　was　brought　in　to　him；　he　pressed　his　lips　to　him　and　turned　away；　not　because　it　was　painful　or　sad　to　him　（Princess　Marya　and　Natasha　saw　that）；　but　simply　because　he　supposed　he　had　done　all　that　was　required　of　him。　But　he　was　told　to　give　him　his　blessing；　he　did　what　was　required；　and　looked　round　as　though　to　ask　whether　there　was　anything　else　he　must　do。　When　the　body；　deserted　by　the　spirit；　passed　through　its　last　struggles；　Princess　Marya　and　Natasha　were　there。
“It　is　over！”　said　Princess　Marya；　after　the　body　had　lain　for　some　moments　motionless；　and　growing　cold　before　them。　Natasha　went　close；　glanced　at　the　dead　eyes；　and　made　haste　to　shut　them。　She　closed　them；　and　did　not　kiss　them；　but　hung　over　what　was　the　nearest　memory　of　him。　“Where　has　he　gone？　Where　is　he　now？　…”
When　the　body　lay；　dressed　and　washed；　in　the　coffin　on　the　table　every　one　came　to　take　leave　of　him；　and　every　one　cried。　Nikolushka　cried　from　the　agonising　bewilderment　that　was　rending　his　heart。　The　countess　and　Sonya　cried　from　pity　for　Natasha；　and　from　grief　that　he　was　gone。　The　old　count　cried　because　he　felt　that　he　too　must　soon　take　the　same　terrible　step。
Natasha　and　Princess　Marya　wept　too　now。　But　they　did　not　weep　for　their　personal　sorrow；　they　wept　from　the　emotion　and　awe　that　filled　their　souls　before　the　simple　and　solemn　mystery　of　death　that　had　been　accomplished　before　their　eyes。


Part　Thirteen
Chapter　1
THE　COMBINATION　of　causes　of　phenomena　is　beyond　the　grasp　of　the　human　intellect。　But　the　impulse　to　seek　causes　is　innate　in　the　soul　of　man。　And　the　human　intellect；　with　no　inkling　of　the　immense　variety　and　complexity　of　circumstances　conditioning　a　phenomenon；　any　one　of　which　may　be　separately　conceived　of　as　the　cause　of　it；　snatches　at　the　first　and　most　easily　understood　approximation；　and　says　here　is　the　cause。　In　historical　events；　where　the　actions　of　men　form　the　subject　of　observation；　the　most　primitive　conception　of　a　cause　was　the　will　of　the　gods；　succeeded　later　on　by　the　will　of　those　men　who　stand　in　the　historical　foreground—the　heroes　of　history。　But　one　had　but　to　look　below　the　surface　of　any　historical　event；　to　look；　that　is；　into　the　movement　of　the　whole　mass　of　men　taking　part　in　that　event；　to　be　convinced　that　the　will　of　the　hero　of　history；　so　far　from　controlling　the　actions　of　the　multitude；　is　continually　controlled　by　them。　It　may　be　thought　that　it　is　a　matter　of　no　importance　whether　historical　events　are　interpreted　in　one　way　or　in　another。　But　between　the　man　who　says　that　the　peoples　of　the　West　marched　into　the　East；　because　Napoleon　willed　they　should　do　so；　and　the　man　who　says　that　that　movement　came　to　pass　because　it　was　bound　to　come　to　pass；　there　exists　the　same　difference　as　between　the　men　who　maintained　that　the　earth　was　stationary　and　the　planets　revolved　about　it；　and　the　men　who　said　that　they　did　not　know　what　holds　the　earth　in　its　place；　but　they　did　know　that　there　were　laws　controlling　its　motions　and　the　motions　of　the　other　planets。　Causes　of　historical　events—there　are　not　and　cannot　be；　save　the　one　cause　of　all　causes。　But　there　are　laws　controlling　these　events；　laws　partly　unknown；　partly　accessible　to　us。　The　discovery　of　these　laws　is　only　possible　when　we　entirely　give　up　looking　for　a　cause　in　the　will　of　one　man；　just　as　the　discovery　of　the　laws　of　the　motions　of　the　planets　has　only　become　possible　since　men　have　given　up　the　conception　of　the　earth　being　stationary。
After　the　battle　of　Borodino；　and　the　taking　and　burning　of　Moscow；　historians　consider　the　most　important　episode　of　the　war　of　1812　to　be　the　movement　of　the　Russian　army　from　the　Ryazan　to　the　Kaluga　road　and　to　the　Tarutino　camp；　the　so…called　oblique　march　behind　Krasnaya　Pahra。　Historians　ascribe　the　credit　of　this　stroke　of　genius　to　various　persons；　and　dispute　to　whom　it　is　rightfully　due。　Even　foreign；　even　French　historians；　admit　the　genius　of　the　Russian　generals　when　they　mention　this　flank　march。　But　why　military　writers；　and　others　following　their　lead；　assume　this　oblique　movement　to　be　a　project　profoundly　planned　by　some　one　person　for　the　deliverance　of　Russia　and　the　overthrow　of　Napoleon　it　is　very　difficult　to　see。　It　is　difficult　in　the　first　place　to　see　wherein　the　profound　wisdom　and　genius　of　this　march　lies；　for　no　great　intellectual　effort　is　needed　to　guess　that　the　best　position　for　an　army；　when　not　being　attacked；　is　where　supplies　are　most　plentiful。　And　every　one；　even　a　stupid　boy　of　thirteen；　could　have　guessed　that　the　most　advantageous　position　for　the　army　in　1812；　after　the　retreat　from　Moscow；　would　be　on　the　Kaluga　road。　And　so　one　cannot　understand；　in　the　first　place；　what　conclusions　led　the　historians　to　see　some　deep　wisdom　in　this　man？uvre。　Secondly；　it　is　even　more　difficult　to　understand　why　the　historians　ascribe　to　this　man？uvre　the　deliverance　of　Russia　and　the　overthrow　of　the　French；　for；　had　other　circumstances　preceded；　accompanied；　or　followed　it；　this　flank　movement　might　as　well　have　led　to　the　destruction　of　the　Russian　army　and　the　deliverance　of　the　French。　If　the　position　of　the　Russian　army　did；　in　fact；　begin　to　improve　from　the　time　of　that　march；　it　does　not　at　all　follow　that　the　improvement　was　caused　by　it。
That　oblique　march　might　have　been　not　simply　of　no　use；　it　might　have　led　to　the　destruction　of　the　Russian　army；　but　for　the　conjunction　of　other　circumstances。　What　would　have　happened　if　Moscow　had　not　been　burnt？　If　Murat　had　not　lost　sight　of　the　Russians？　If　Napoleon　had　not　remained　inactive？　If；　as　Bennigsen　and　Barclay　advised；　the　Russians　had　given　battle　near　Krasnaya　Pahra？　What　would　have　happened　if　the　French　had　attacked　the　Russians　when　they　were　marching　behind　Pahra？　What　would　have　happened　if　later　on　Napoleon；　on　reaching　Tarutino；　had　attacked　the　Russians　with　one…tenth　of　the　energy　with　which　he　had　attacked　them　at　Smolensk？　What　would　have　happened　if　the　French　had　marched　to　Petersburg？　…　On　any　of　these　hypotheses；　the　oblique　march　might　have　led　to　ruin　instead　of　to　safety。
The　third　point；　most　difficult　of　all　to　understand；　is　that　students　of　history　seem　intentionally　to　refuse　to　see　that　this　march　cannot　be　ascribed　to　any　one　man；　that　no　one　foresaw　it　at　any　time；　that；　like　the　retreat　to　Fili；　the　man？uvre　was；　in　reality；　never　conceived　of　by　any　one　in　its　entirety；　but　arose　step　by　step；　incident　by　incident；　moment　by　moment　from　a