historical lecturers and essays-第10节

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doing　it。







But　that　we　are　now　the　last　link　in　a　chain　of　causes　and　effects



which　reaches　as　far　back　as　the　emigration　of　the　Persians



southward　from　the　plateau　of　Pamir；　we　cannot　doubt。







For　see。　　By　the　fall　of　Babylon　and　its　empire　the　Jews　were　freed



from　their　captivitylarge　numbers　of　them　at　leastand　sent　home



to　their　own　Jerusalem。　　What　motives　prompted　Cyrus；　and　Darius



after　him；　to　do　that　deed？







Those　who　like　to　impute　the　lowest　motives　may　say；　if　they　will；



that　Daniel　and　the　later　Isaiah　found　it　politic　to　worship　the



rising　sun；　and　flatter　the　Persian　conquerors：　　　and　that　Cyrus　and



Darius　in　turn　were　glad　to　see　Jerusalem　rebuilt；　as　an　impregnable



frontier　fortress　between　them　and　Egypt。　　Be　it　so；　I；　who　wish　to



talk　of　things　noble；　pure；　lovely；　and　of　good　report；　would　rather



point　you　once　more　to　the　magnificent　poetry　of　the　later　Isaiah



which　commences　at　the　40th　chapter　of　the　Book　of　Isaiah；　and　say



There；　upon　the　very　face　of　the　document；　stands　written　the　fact



that　the　sympathy　between　the　faithful　Persian　and　the　faithful　Jew…



…the　two　puritans　of　the　Old　World；　the　two　haters　of　lies；



idolatries；　superstitions；　was　actually　as　intense　as　it　ought　to



have　been；　as　it　must　have　been。







Be　that　as　it　may；　the　return　of　the　Jews　to　Jerusalem　preserved　for



us　the　Old　Testament；　while　it　restored　to　them　a　national　centre；　a



sacred　city；　like　that　of　Delphi　to　the　Greeks；　Rome　to　the　Romans；



Mecca　to　the　Muslim；　loyalty　to　which　prevented　their　being　utterly



absorbed　by　the　more　civilised　Eastern　races　among　whom　they　had



been　scattered　abroad　as　colonies　of　captives。







Then　another；　and　a　seemingly　needful　link　of　cause　and　effect



ensued：　　　Alexander　of　Macedon　destroyed　the　Persian　Empire；　and　the



East　became　Greek；　and　Alexandria；　rather　than　Jerusalem；　became　the



head…quarters　of　Jewish　learning。　　But　for　that　very　cause；　the



Scriptures　were　not　left　inaccessible　to　the　mass　of　mankind；　like



the　old　Pehlevi　liturgies　of　the　Zend…avesta；　or　the　old　Sanscrit



Vedas；　in　an　obsolete　and　hieratic　tongue；　but　were　translated　into；



and　continued　in；　the　then　all　but　world…wide　Hellenic　speech；　which



was　to　the　ancient　world　what　French　is　to　the　modern。







Then　the　East　became　Roman；　without　losing　its　Greek　speech。　　And



under　the　wide　domination　of　that　later　Roman　Empirewhich　had



subdued　and　organised　the　whole　known　world；　save　the　Parthian



descendants　of　those　old　Persians；　and　our　old　Teutonic　forefathers



in　their　German　forests　and　on　their　Scandinavian　shoresthat



Divine　book　was　carried　far　and　wide；　East　and　West；　and　South；　from



the　heart　of　Abyssinia　to　the　mountains　of　Armenia；　and　to　the　isles



of　the　ocean；　beyond　Britain　itself　to　Ireland　and　to　the　Hebrides。







And　that　bookso　strangely　coinciding　with　the　old　creed　of　the



earlier　Persiansthat　book；　long　misunderstood；　long　overlain　by



the　dust；　and　overgrown　by　the　parasitic　fungi　of　centuries；　that



book　it　was　which　sent　to　these　trans…Atlantic　shores　the　founders



of　your　great　nation。　　That　book　gave　them　their　instinct　of



Freedom；　tempered　by　reverence　for　Law。　　That　book　gave　them　their



hatred　of　idolatry；　and　made　them　not　only　say　but　act　upon　their



own　words；　with　these　old　Persians　and　with　the　Jewish　prophets



alike；　Sacrifice　and　burnt　offering　thou　wouldst　not；　Then　said　we；



Lo；　we　come。　　In　the　volume　of　the　book　it　is　written　of　us；　that　we



come　to　do　thy　will；　O　God。　　Yes；　long　and　fantastic　is　the　chain　of



causes　and　effects；　which　links　you　here　to　the　old　heroes　who　came



down　from　Central　Asia；　because　the　land　had　grown　so　wondrous　cold；



that　there　were　ten　months　of　winter　to　two　of　summer；　and　when



simply　after　warmth　and　life；　and　food　for　them　and　for　their



flocks；　they　wandered　forth　to　found　and　help　to　found　a　spiritual



kingdom。







And　even　in　their　migration；　far　back　in　these　dim　and　mystic　ages；



have　we　found　the　earliest　link　of　the　long　chain？　　Not　so。　　What　if



the　legend　of　the　change　of　climate　be　the　dim　recollection　of　an



enormous　physical　fact？　　What　if　it；　and　the　gradual　depopulation　of



the　whole　north　of　Asia；　be　owing；　as　geologists　now　suspect；　to　the



slow　and　age…long　uprise　of　the　whole　of　Siberia；　thrusting　the　warm



Arctic　sea　farther　and　farther　to　the　northward；　and　placing　between



it　and　the　Highlands　of　Thibet　an　ever…increasing　breadth　of　icy



land；　destroying　animals；　and　driving　whole　races　southward；　in



search　of　the　summer　and　the　sun？







What　if　the　first　link　in　the　chain；　as　yet　conceivable　by　man；



should　be　the　cosmic　changes　in　the　distribution　of　land　and　water；



which　filled　the　mouths　of　the　Siberian　rivers　with　frozen　carcases



of　woolly　mammoth　and　rhinoceros；　and　those　again；　doubt　it　not；　of



other　revolutions；　reaching　back　and　back；　and　on　and　on；　into　the



infinite　unknown？　　Why　not？　　For　so　are　all　human　destinies











Bound　with　gold　chains　unto　the　throne　of　God。















ANCIENT　CIVILISATION　｛5｝　｛6｝















There　is　a　theory　abroad　in　the　world　just　now　about　the　origin　of



the　human　race；　which　has　so　many　patent　and　powerful　physiological



facts　to　support　it　that　we　must　not　lightly　say　that　it　is　absurd



or　impossible；　and　that　is；　that　man's　mortal　body　and　brain　were



derived　from　some　animal　and　ape…like　creature。　　Of　that　I　am　not



going　to　speak　now。　　My　subject　is：　　　How　this　creature　called　man；



from　whatever　source　derived；　became　civilised；　rational；　and　moral。



And　I　am　sorry　to　say　that　there　is　tacked　on　by　many　to　the　first



theory；　another　which　does　not　follow　from　it；　and　which　has　really



nothing　to　do　with　it；　and　it　is　this：　　　That　man；　with　all　his



wonderful　and　mysterious　aspirations；　always　unfulfilled　yet　always



precious；　at　once　his　torment　and　his　joy；　his　very　hope　of



everlasting　life；　that　man；　I　say；　developed　himself；　unassisted；



out　of　a　state　of　primaeval　brutishness；　simply　by　calculations　of



pleasure　and　pain；　by　observing　what　actions　would　pay　in　the　long



run　and　what　would　not；　and　so　learnt　to　conquer　his　selfishness　by



a　more　refined　and　extended　selfishness；　and　exchanged　his　brutality



for　worldliness；　and　then；　in　a　few　instances；　his　worldliness　for



next…worldliness。　　I　hope　I　need　not　say　that　I　do　not　believe　this



theory。　　If　I　did；　I　could　not　be　a　Christian；　I　think；　nor　a



philosopher　either。　　At　least；　if　I　thought　that　human　civilisation



had　sprung　from　such　a　dunghill　as　that；　I　should；　in　honour　to　my



race；　say　nothing　about　it；　here　or　elsewhere。







Why　talk　of　the　shame　of　our　ancestors？　　I　want　to　talk　of　their



honour　and　glory。　　I　want　to　talk；　if　I　talk　at　all；　about　great



times；　about　noble　epochs；　noble　movements；　noble　deeds；　and　noble



folk；　about　times　in　which　the　human　raceit　may　be　through　many



mistakes；　alas！　and　sin；　and　sorrow；　and　blood…shedstruggled　up



one　step　higher　on　those　great　stairs　which；　as　we　hope；　lead　upward



towards　the　far…off　city　of　God；　the　perfect　polity；　the　perfect



civilisation；　the　perfect　religion；　which　is　eternal　in　the　heavens。







Of　great　men；　then；　and　noble　deeds　I　want　to　speak。　　I　am　bound　to



do　so　first；　in　courtesy　to　my　hearers。　　For　in　choosing　such　a



subject　I　took　for　granted　a　nobleness　and　greatness　of　mind　in　them



which　can　appreciate　and　enjoy　the　contemplation　of　that　which　is



lofty　and　heroic；　and　that　which　is　useful　indeed；　though　not　to　the



purses　merely　or　the　mouths　of　men；　but　to　their　intellects　and



spirits；　that　highest　philosophy　which；　though　she　can　（as　has　been



sneeringly　said　of　her）　bake　no　bread；　sheand　she　alone；　can　at



least　do　thismake　men　worthy　to　eat　the　bread　which　God　has　given



them。







I　am　bound　to　speak　on　such　subjects；　because　I　have　never　yet　met；



or　read　of；　the　human　company　who　did　not　require；　now　and　then　at



least；　being　reminded　of　such　times　and　such　personagesof



whatsoever　things　are　just；　pure；　true；　lovely；　and　of　good　report；



if　there　be　any　manhood　and　any　praise　to　think；　as　St。　Paul　bids　us



all；　of　such　things；　that　we　may　keep　up　in　our　minds　as　much　as



possible　a　lofty　standard；　a　pure　ideal；　instead　of　sinking　to　the



mere　selfish　standard　which　judges　all　things；　even　those　of　the



world　to　come；　by　profit　and　by　loss；　and　into　that　sordid　frame　of



mind　in　which　a　man　grows　to　believe　that　the　world　is　constructed



of