historical lecturers and essays-第1节

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Historical　Lecturers　and　Essays







by　Charles　Kingsley





















Contents：







The　First　Discovery　of　America



Cyrus；　Servant　of　the　Lord



Ancient　Civilisation



Rondelet



Vesalius



Paracelsus



Buchanan















THE　FIRST　DISCOVERY　OF　AMERICA















Let　me　begin　this　lecture　｛1｝　with　a　scene　in　the　North　Atlantic　863



years　since。







〃Bjarne　Grimolfson　was　blown　with　his　ship　into　the　Irish　Ocean；　and



there　came　worms　and　the　ship　began　to　sink　under　them。　　They　had　a



boat　which　they　had　payed　with　seals'　blubber；　for　that　the　sea…



worms　will　not　hurt。　　But　when　they　got　into　the　boat　they　saw　that



it　would　not　hold　them　all。　　Then　said　Bjarne；　'As　the　boat　will



only　hold　the　half　of　us；　my　advice　is　that　we　should　draw　lots　who



shall　go　in　her；　for　that　will　not　be　unworthy　of　our　manhood。'



This　advice　seemed　so　good　that　none　gainsaid　it；　and　they　drew



lots。　　And　the　lot　fell　to　Bjarne　that　he　should　go　in　the　boat　with



half　his　crew。　　But　as　he　got　into　the　boat；　there　spake　an



Icelander　who　was　in　the　ship　and　had　followed　Bjarne　from　Iceland；



'Art　thou　going　to　leave　me　here；　Bjarne？'　　Quoth　Bjarne；　'So　it



must　be。'　　Then　said　the　man；　'Another　thing　didst　thou　promise　my



father；　when　I　sailed　with　thee　from　Iceland；　than　to　desert　me



thus。　　For　thou　saidst　that　we　both　should　share　the　same　lot。'



Bjarne　said；　'And　that　we　will　not　do。　　Get　thou　down　into　the　boat；



and　I　will　get　up　into　the　ship；　now　I　see　that　thou　art　so　greedy



after　life。'　　So　Bjarne　went　up　into　the　ship；　and　the　man　went　down



into　the　boat；　and　the　boat　went　on　its　voyage　till　they　came　to



Dublin　in　Ireland。　　Most　men　say　that　Bjarne　and　his　comrades



perished　among　the　worms；　for　they　were　never　heard　of　after。〃







This　story　may　serve　as　a　text　for　my　whole　lecture。　　Not　only　does



it　smack　of　the　sea…breeze　and　the　salt　water；　like　all　the　finest



old　Norse　sagas；　but　it　gives　a　glimpse　at　least　of　the　nobleness



which　underlay　the　grim　and　often　cruel　nature　of　the　Norseman。　　It



belongs；　too；　to　the　culminating　epoch；　to　the　beginning　of　that　era



when　the　Scandinavian　peoples　had　their　great　times；　when　the　old



fierceness　of　the　worshippers　of　Thor　and　Odin　was　tempered；　without



being　effeminated；　by　the　Faith　of　the　〃White　Christ；〃　till　the　very



men　who　had　been　the　destroyers　of　Western　Europe　became　its



civilisers。







It　should　have；　moreover；　a　special　interest　to　Americans。　　Foras



American　antiquaries　are　well　awareBjarne　was　on　his　voyage　home



from　the　coast　of　New　England；　possibly　from　that　very　Mount　Hope



Bay　which　seems　to　have　borne　the　same　name　in　the　time　of　those　old



Norsemen；　as　afterwards　in　the　days　of　King　Philip；　the　last　sachem



of　the　Wampanong　Indians。　　He　was　going　back　to　Greenland；　perhaps



for　reinforcements；　finding；　he　and　his　fellow…captain；　Thorfinn；



the　Esquimaux　who　then　dwelt　in　that　land　too　strong　for　them。　　For



the　Norsemen　were　then　on　the　very　edge　of　discovery；　which　might



have　changed　the　history　not　only　of　this　continent　but　of　Europe



likewise。　　They　had　found　and　colonised　Iceland　and　Greenland。　　They



had　found　Labrador；　and　called　it　Helluland；　from　its　ice…polished



rocks。　　They　had　found　Nova　Scotia　seemingly；　and　called　it



Markland；　from　its　woods。　　They　had　found　New　England；　and　called　it



Vinland　the　Good。　　A　fair　land　they　found　it；　well　wooded；　with　good



pasturage；　so　that　they　had　already　imported　cows；　and　a　bull　whose



lowings　terrified　the　Esquimaux。　　They　had　found　self…sown　corn　too；



probably　maize。　　The　streams　were　full　of　salmon。　　But　they　had



called　the　land　Vinland；　by　reason　of　its　grapes。　　Quaint　enough；



and　bearing　in　its　very　quaintness　the　stamp　of　truth；　is　the　story



of　the　first　finding　of　the　wild　fox…grapes。　　How　Leif　the



Fortunate；　almost　as　soon　as　he　first　landed；　missed　a　little



wizened　old　German　servant　of　his　father's；　Tyrker　by　name；　and　was



much　vexed　thereat；　for　he　had　been　brought　up　on　the　old　man's



knee；　and　hurrying　off　to　find　him　met　Tyrker　coming　back　twisting



his　eyes　abouta　trick　of　hissmacking　his　lips　and　talking　German



to　himself　in　high　excitement。　　And　when　they　get　him　to　talk　Norse



again；　he　says：　　　〃I　have　not　been　far；　but　I　have　news　for　you。　　I



have　found　vines　and　grapes！〃　　〃Is　that　true；　foster…father？〃　says



Leif。　　〃True　it　is；〃　says　the　old　German；　〃for　I　was　brought　up



where　there　was　never　any　lack　of　them。〃







The　sagaas　given　by　Rafnhad　a　detailed　description　of　this



quaint　personage's　appearance；　and　it　would　not　he　amiss　if　American



wine…growers　should　employ　an　American　sculptorand　there　are　great



American　sculptorsto　render　that　description　into　marble；　and　set



up　little　Tyrker　in　some　public　place；　as　the　Silenus　of　the　New



World。







Thus　the　first　cargoes　homeward　from　Vinland　to　Greenland　had　been



of　timber　and　of　raisins；　and　of　vine…stocks；　which　were　not　like　to



thrive。







And　more。　　Beyond　Vinland　the　Good　there　was　said　to　be　another



land；　Whiteman's　Landor　Ireland　the　Mickle；　as　some　called　it。



For　these　Norse　traders　from　Limerick　had　found　Ari　Marson；　and



Ketla　of　Ruykjanes；　supposed　to　have　been　long　since　drowned　at　sea；



and　said　that　the　people　had　made　him　and　Ketla　chiefs；　and　baptized



Ari。　　What　is　all　this？　and　what　is　this；　too；　which　the　Esquimaux



children　taken　in　Markland　told　the　Northmen；　of　a　land　beyond　them



where　the　folk　wore　white　clothes；　and　carried　flags　on　poles？　　Are



these　all　dreams？　or　was　some　part　of　that　great　civilisation；　the



relics　whereof　your　antiquarians　find　in　so　many　parts　of　the　United



States；　still　in　existence　some　900　years　ago；　and　were　these　old



Norse　cousins　of　ours　upon　the　very　edge　of　it？　　Be　that　as　it　may；



how　nearly　did　these　fierce　Vikings；　some　of　whom　seemed　to　have



sailed　far　south　along　the　shore；　become　aware　that　just　beyond　them



lay　a　land　of　fruits　and　spices；　gold　and　gems？　　The　adverse　current



of　the　Gulf　Stream；　it　may　be；　would　have　long　prevented　their



getting　past　the　Bahamas　into　the　Gulf　of　Mexico；　but；　sooner　or



later；　some　storm　must　have　carried　a　Greenland　viking　to　San



Domingo　or　to　Cuba；　and　then；　as　has　been　well　said；　some



Scandinavian　dynasty　might　have　sat　upon　the　throne　of　Mexico。







These　stories　are　well　known　to　antiquarians。　　They　may　be　found；



almost　all　of　them；　in　Professor　Rafn's　〃Antiquitates　Americanae。〃



The　action　in　them　stands　out　often　so　clear　and　dramatic；　that　the



internal　evidence　of　historic　truth　is　irresistible。　　Thorvald；　who；



when　he　saw　what　seems　to　be；　they　say；　the　bluff　head　of　Alderton



at　the　south…east　end　of　Boston　Bay；　said；　〃Here　should　I　like　to



dwell；〃　and；　shot　by　an　Esquimaux　arrow；　bade　bury　him　on　that



place；　with　a　cross　at　his　head　and　a　cross　at　his　feet；　and　call



the　place　Cross　Ness　for　evermore；　Gudrida；　the　magnificent　widow；



who　wins　hearts　and　sees　strange　deeds　from　Iceland　to　Greenland；



and　Greenland　to　Vinland　and　back；　and　at　last；　worn　out　and　sad；



goes　off　on　a　pilgrimage　to　Rome；　Helgi　and　Finnbogi；　the



Norwegians；　who；　like　our　Arctic　voyagers　in　after　times；　devise　all



sorts　of　sports　and　games　to　keep　the　men　in　humour　during　the　long



winter　at　Hope；　and　last；　but　not　least；　the　terrible　Freydisa；　who；



when　the　Norse　are　seized　with　a　sudden　panic　at　the　Esquimaux　and



flee　from　them；　as　they　had　three　weeks　before　fled　from　Thorfinn's



bellowing　bull；　turns；　when　so　weak　that　she　cannot　escape；　single…



handed　on　the　savages；　and　catching　up　a　slain　man's　sword；　puts



them　all　to　flight　with　her　fierce　visage　and　fierce　criesFreydisa



the　Terrible；　who；　in　another　voyage；　persuades　her　husband　to　fall



on　Helgi　and　Finnbogi；　when　asleep；　and　murder　them　and　all　their



men；　and　then；　when　he　will　not　murder　the　five　women　too；　takes　up



an　axe　and　slays　them　all　herself；　and　getting　back　to　Greenland；



when　the　dark　and　unexplained　tale　comes　out；　lives　unpunished；　but



abhorred　henceforth。　　All　these　folks；　I　say；　are　no　phantoms；　but



realities；　at　least；　if　I　can　judge　of　internal　evidence。







But　beyond　them；　and　hovering　on　the　verge　of　Mythus　and　Fairyland；



there　is　a　ballad　called　〃Finn　the　Fair；〃　and　how











An　upland　Earl　had　twa　braw　sons；



My　story　to　begin；



The　tane　was　Light　Haldane　the　strong；



The　tither　was　winsome　Finn。











and　s