historical lecturers and essays-第24节

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hath　created　all　things；　the　knowledge　and　principle　of　all　things



dwells　。　。　。　without　Him　all　is　folly。　　As　the　sun　shines　on　us　from



above；　so　He　must　pour　into　us　from　above　all　arts　whatsoever。



Therefore　the　root　of　all　learning　and　cognition　is；　that　we　should



seek　first　the　kingdom　of　Godthe　kingdom　of　God　in　which　all



sciences　are　founded　。　。　。　If　any　man　think　that　nature　is　not



founded　on　the　kingdom　of　God；　he　knows　nothing　about　it。　　All



gifts；〃　he　repeats　again　and　again；　confused　and　clumsily　（as　is　his



wont）；　but　with　a　true　earnestness；　〃are　from　God。〃







The　true　man　of　science；　with　Paracelsus；　is　he　who　seeks　first　the



kingdom　of　God　in　facts；　investigating　nature　reverently；　patiently；



in　faith　believing　that　God；　who　understands　His　own　work　best；　will



make　him　understand　it　likewise。　　The　false　man　of　science　is　he　who



seeks　the　kingdom　of　this　world；　who　cares　nothing　about　the　real



interpretation　of　facts：　　　but　is　content　with　such　an



interpretation　as　will　earn　him　the　good　things　of　this　worldthe



red　hat　and　gown；　the　ambling　mule；　the　silk　clothes；　the



partridges；　capons；　and　pheasants；　the　gold　florins　chinking　in　his



palm。　　At　such　pretenders　Paracelsus　sneered；　at　last　only　too



fiercely；　not　only　as　men　whose　knowledge　consisted　chiefly　in



wearing　white　gloves；　but　as　rogues；　liars；　villains；　and　every



epithet　which　his　very　racy　vocabulary；　quickened　（it　is　to　be



feared）　by　wine　and　laudanum；　could　suggest。　　With　these　he



contrasts　the　true　men　of　science。　　It　is　difficult　for　us　now　to



understand　how　a　man　setting　out　in　life　with　such　pure　and　noble



views　should　descend　at　last　（if　indeed　he　did　descend）　to　be　a



quack　and　a　conjurorand　die　under　the　imputation　that











Bombastes　kept　a　devil's　bird



Hid　in　the　pommel　of　his　sword；











and　have；　indeed；　his　very　name；　Bombast；　used　to　this　day　as　a



synonym　of　loud；　violent；　and　empty　talk。　　To　understand　it　at　all；



we　must　go　back　and　think　a　little　over　these　same　occult　sciences



which　were　believed　in　by　thousands　during　the　fifteenth　and



sixteenth　centuries。







The　reverence　for　classic　antiquity；　you　must　understand；　which



sprang　up　at　the　renaissance　in　the　fifteenth　century；　was　as



indiscriminating　as　it　was　earnest。　　Men　caught　the　trash　as　well　as



the　jewels。　　They　put　the　dreams　of　the　Neoplatonists；　Iamblicus；



Porphyry；　or　Plotinus；　or　Proclus；　on　the　same　level　as　the　sound



dialectic　philosophy　of　Plato　himself。　　And　these　Neoplatonists　were



all；　more　or　less；　believers　in　magicTheurgy；　as　it　was　calledin



the　power　of　charms　and　spells；　in　the　occult　virtues　of　herbs　and



gems；　in　the　power　of　adepts　to　evoke　and　command　spirits；　in　the



significance　of　dreams；　in　the　influence　of　the　stars　upon　men's



characters　and　destinies。　　If　the　great　and　wise　philosopher



Iamblicus　believed　such　things；　why　might　not　the　men　of　the



sixteenth　century？







And　so　grew　up　again　in　Europe　a　passion　for　what　were　called　the



Occult　sciences。　　It　had　always　been　haunting　the　European



imagination。　　Mediaeval　monks　had　long　ago　transformed　the　poet



Virgil　into　a　great　necromancer。　　And　there　were　immense　excuses　for



such　a　belief。　　There　was　a　mass　of　collateral　evidence　that　the



occult　sciences　were　true；　which　it　was　impossible　then　to　resist。



Races　far　more　ancient；　learned；　civilised；　than　any　Frenchman；



German；　Englishman；　or　even　Italian；　in　the　fifteenth　century　had



believed　in　these　things。　　The　Moors；　the　best　physicians　of　the



Middle　Ages；　had　their　heads　full；　as　the　〃Arabian　Nights〃　prove；　of



enchanters；　genii；　peris；　and　what　not？　　The　Jewish　rabbis　had　their



Cabala；　which　sprang　up　in　Alexandria；　a　system　of　philosophy



founded　on　the　mystic　meaning　of　the　words　and　the　actual　letters　of



the　text　of　Scripture；　which　some　said　was　given　by　the　angel　Ragiel



to　Adam　in　Paradise；　by　which　Adam　talked　with　angels；　the　sun　and



moon；　summoned　spirits；　interpreted　dreams；　healed　and　destroyed；



and　by　that　book　of　Ragiel；　as　it　was　called；　Solomon　became　the



great　magician　and　master　of　all　the　spirits　and　their　hoarded



treasures。







So　strong；　indeed；　was　the　belief　in　the　mysteries　of　the　Cabala；



that　Reuchlin；　the　restorer　of　Hebrew　learning　in　Germany；　and　Pico



di　Mirandola；　the　greatest　of　Italian　savants；　accepted　them；　and



not　only　Pope　Leo　X。　himself；　but　even　statesmen　and　warriors



received　with　delight　Reuchlin's　cabalistic　treatise；　〃De　Verbo



Mirifico；〃　on　the　mystic　word　〃Schemhamphorash〃that　hidden　name　of



God；　which　whosoever　can　pronounce　aright　is；　for　the　moment；　lord



of　nature　and　of　all　daemons。







Amulets；　too；　and　talismans；　the　faith　in　them　was　exceeding



ancient。　　Solomon　had　his　seal；　by　which　he　commanded　all　daemons；



and　there　is　a　whole　literature　of　curious　nonsense；　which　you　may



read　if　you　will；　about　the　Abraxas　and　other　talismans　of　the



Gnostics　in　Syria；　and　another；　of　the　secret　virtues　which　were



supposed　to　reside　in　gems：　　　especially　in　the　old　Roman　and　Greek



gems；　carved　into　intaglios　with　figures　of　heathen　gods　and



goddesses。　　Lapidaria；　or　lists　of　these　gems　and　their　magical



virtues；　were　not　uncommon　in　the　Middle　Ages。　　You　may　read　a　great



deal　that　is　interesting　about　them　at　the　end　of　Mr。　King's　book　on



gems。







Astrology　too；　though　Pico　di　Mirandola　might　set　himself　against



the　rest　of　the　world；　few　were　found　daring　enough　to　deny　so



ancient　a　science。　　Luther　and　Melancthon　merely　followed　the



regular　tradition　of　public　opinion　when　they　admitted　its　truth。



It　sprang　probably　from　the　worship　of　the　Seven　Planets　by　the　old



Chaldees。　　It　was　brought　back　from　Babylon　by　the　Jews　after　the



Captivity；　and　spread　over　all　Europeperhaps　all　Asia　likewise。







The　rich　and　mighty　of　the　earth　must　needs　have　their　nativities



cast；　and　consult　the　stars；　and　Cornelius　Agrippa　gave　mortal



offence　to　the　Queen…Dowager　of　France　（mother　of　Francis　I。）



because；　when　she　compelled　him　to　consult　the　stars　about　Francis's



chance　of　getting　out　of　his　captivity　in　Spain　after　the　battle　of



Pavia；　he　wrote　and　spoke　his　mind　honestly　about　such　nonsense。







Even　Newton　seems　to　have　hankered　after　it　when　young。　　Among　his



MSS。　in　Lord　Portsmouth's　library　at　Hurstbourne　are　whole　folios　of



astrologic　calculations。　　It　went　on　till　the　end　of　the　seventeenth



century；　and　died　out　only　when　men　had　begun　to　test　it；　and　all



other　occult　sciences；　by　experience；　and　induction　founded　thereon。







Countless　students　busied　themselves　over　the　transmutation　of



metals。　　As　for　magic；　necromancy；　pyromancy；　geomancy；



coscinomancy；　and　all　the　other　manciesthere　was　then　a　whole



literature　about　them。　　And　the　witch…burning　inquisitors　like



Sprenger；　Bodin；　Delrio；　and　the　rest；　believed　as　firmly　in　the



magic　powers　of　the　poor　wretches　whom　they　tortured　to　death；　as



did；　in　many　cases；　the　poor　wretches　themselves。







Everyone；　almost；　believed　in　magic。　　Take　two　cases。　　Read　the



story　which　Benvenuto　Cellini；　the　sculptor；　tells　in　his　life



（everyone　should　read　it）　of　the　magician　whom　he　consults　in　the



Coliseum　at　Rome；　and　the　figure　which　he　sees　as　he　walks　back　with



the　magician；　jumping　from　roof　to　roof　along　the　tiles　of　the



houses。







And　listen　to　this　story；　which　Mr。　Froude　has　dug　up　in　his



researches。　　A　Church　commissioner　at　Oxford；　at　the　beginning　of



the　Reformation；　being　unable　to　track　an　escaped　heretic；　〃caused　a



figure　to　be　made　by　an　expert　in　astronomy；〃　by　which　it　was



discovered　that　the　poor　wretch　had　fled　in　a　tawny　coat　and　was



making　for　the　sea。　　Conceive　the　respected　head　of　your　Collegeor



whoever　he　may　bein　case　you　slept　out　all　night　without　leave；



going　to　a　witch　to　discover　whether　you　had　gone　to　London　or　to



Huntingdon；　and　then　writing　solemnly　to　inform　the　Bishop　of　Ely　of



his　meritorious　exertions！







In　such　a　mad　world　as　this　was　Paracelsus　born。　　The　son　of　a　Swiss



physician；　but　of　noble　blood；　Philip　Aureolus　Theophrastus　was　his



Christian　name；　Bombast　von　Hohenheim　his　surname；　which　last　word



he　turned；　after　the　fashion　of　the　times；　into　Paracelsus。　　Born　in



1493　at　Einsiedeln　（the　hermitage）；　in　Schweiz；　which　is　still　a



famous　place　of　pilgrimage；　he　was　often　called　Eremitathe　hermit。



Erasmus；　in　a　letter　still　extant；　but　suspected　not　to　be　genuine；



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