historical lecturers and essays-第25节

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



addressed　him　by　that　name。







How　he　passed　the　first　thirty…three　years　of　his　life　it　is　hard　to



say。　　He　used　to　boast　that　he　had　wandered　over　all　Europe；　been　in



Sweden；　Italy；　in　Constantinople；　and　perhaps　in　the　far　East；　with



barber…surgeons；　alchemists；　magicians；　haunting　mines；　and　forges



of　Sweden　and　Bohemia；　especially　those　which　the　rich　merchants　of



that　day　had　in　the　Tyrol。







It　was　from　that　work；　he　said；　that　he　learnt　what　he　knew：　　　from



the　study　of　nature　and　of　facts。　　He　had　heard　all　the　learned



doctors　and　professors；　he　had　read　all　their　books；　and　they　could



teach　him　nothing。　　Medicine　was　his　monarch；　and　no　one　else。　　He



declared　that　there　was　more　wisdom　under　his　bald　pate　than　in



Aristotle　and　Galen；　Hippocrates　and　Rhasis。　　And　fact　seemed　to　be



on　his　side。　　He　reappeared　in　Germany　about　1525；　and　began　working



wondrous　cures。　　He　had　brought　back　with　him　from　the　East　an



arcanum；　a　secret　remedy；　and　laudanum　was　its　name。　　He　boasted；



says　one　of　his　enemies；　that　he　could　raise　the　dead　to　life　with



it；　and　so　the　event　all　but　proved。　　Basle　was　then　the　university



where　free　thought　and　free　creeds　found　their　safest　home；　and



hither　OEcolampadius　the　reformer　invited　young　Paracelsus　to



lecture　on　medicine　and　natural　science。







It　would　have　been　well　for　him；　perhaps；　had　he　never　opened　his



lips。　　He　might　have　done　good　enough　to　his　fellow…creatures　by　his



own　undoubted　powers　of　healing。　　He　cured　John　Frobenius；　the



printer；　Erasmus's　friend；　at　Basle；　when　the　doctors　were　going　to



cut　his　leg　off。　　His　fame　spread　far　and　wide。　　Round　Basle　and



away　into　Alsace　he　was　looked　on；　even　an　enemy　says；　as　a　new



AEsculapius。







But　these　were　days　in　which　in　a　university　everyone　was　expected



to　talk　and　teach；　and　so　Paracelsus　began　lecturing；　and　then　the



weakness　which　was　mingled　with　his　strength　showed　itself。　　He



began　by　burning　openly　the　books　of　Galen　and　Avicenna；　and



declared　that　all　the　old　knowledge　was　useless。　　Doctors　and



students　alike　must　begin　over　again　with　him。　　The　dons　were



horrified。　　To　burn　Galen　and　Avicenna　was　as　bad　as　burning　the



Bible。　　And　more　horrified　still　were　they　when　Paracelsus　began



lecturing；　not　in　the　time…honoured　dog…Latin；　but　in　good　racy



German；　which　everyone　could　understand。　　They　shuddered　under　their



red　gowns　and　hats。　　If　science　was　to　be　taught　in　German；　farewell



to　the　Galenists'　formulas；　and　their　lucrative　monopoly　of



learning。　　Paracelsus　was　bold　enough　to　say　that　he　wished　to　break



up　their　monopoly；　to　spread　a　popular　knowledge　of　medicine。　　〃How



much；〃　he　wrote　once；　〃would　I　endure　and　suffer；　to　see　every　man



his　own　shepherdhis　own　healer。〃　　He　laughed　to　scorn　their　long



prescriptions；　used　the　simplest　drugs；　and　declared　Nature；　after



all；　to　be　the　best　physicianas　a　dog；　he　says；　licks　his　wound



well　again　without　our　help；　or　as　the　broken　rib　of　the　ox　heals　of



its　own　accord。







Such　a　man　was　not　to　be　endured。　　They　hated　him；　he　says；　for　the



same　reason　that　they　hated　Luther；　for　the　same　reason　that　the



Pharisees　hated　Christ。　　He　met　their　attacks　with　scorn；　rage；　and



language　as　coarse　and　violent　as　their　own。　　The　coarseness　and



violence　of　those　days　seem　incredible　to　us　now；　and；　indeed；



Paracelsus；　as　he　confessed　himself；　was；　though　of　gentle　blood；



rough　and　unpolished；　and　utterly；　as　one　can　see　from　his　writings；



unable　to　give　and　take；　to　conciliateperhaps　to　pardon。　　He



looked　impatiently　on　these　men　who　were　（not　unreasonably）　opposing



novelties　which　they　could　not　understand；　as　enemies　of　God；　who



were　balking　him　in　his　grand　plan　for　regenerating　science　and



alleviating　the　woes　of　humanity；　and　he　outraged　their　prejudices



instead　of　soothing　them。







Soon　they　had　their　revenge。　　Ugly　stories　were　whispered　about。



Oporinus；　the　printer；　who　had　lived　with　him　for　two　years；　and　who



left　him；　it　is　said；　because　he　thought　Paracelsus　concealed　from



him　unfairly　the　secret　of　making　laudanum；　told　how　Paracelsus　was



neither　more　nor　less　than　a　sot；　who　came　drunk　to　his　lectures；



used　to　prime　himself　with　wine　before　going　to　his　patients；　and



sat　all　night　in　pothouses　swilling　with　the　boors。







Men　looked　coldly　on　himlonged　to　be　rid　of　him。　　And　they　soon



found　an　opportunity。　　He　took　in　hand　some　Canon　of　the　city　from



whom　it　was　settled　beforehand　that　he　was　to　receive　a　hundred



florins。　　The　priest　found　himself　cured　so　suddenly　and　easily



that；　by　a　strange　logic；　he　refused　to　pay　the　money；　and　went　to



the　magistrates。　　They　supported　him；　and　compelled　Paracelsus　to



take　six　florins　instead　of　the　hundred。　　He　spoke　his　mind　fiercely



to　them。　　I　believe；　according　to　one　story；　he　drew　his　long　sword



on　the　Canon。　　His　best　friends　told　him　he　must　leave　the　place；



and　within　two　years；　seemingly；　after　his　first　triumph　at　Basle；



he　fled　from　it　a　wanderer　and　a　beggar。







The　rest　of　his　life　is　a　blank。　　He　is　said　to　have　recommenced　his



old　wanderings　about　Europe；　studying　the　diseases　of　every　country；



and　writing　his　books；　which　were　none　of　them　published　till　after



his　death。　　His　enemies　joyfully　trampled　on　the　fallen　man。　　He　was



a　〃dull　rustic；　a　monster；　an　atheist；　a　quack；　a　maker　of　gold；　a



magician。〃　　When　he　was　drunk；　one　Wetter；　his　servant；　told　Erastus



（one　of　his　enemies）　that　he　used　to　offer　to　call　up　legions　of



devils　to　prove　his　skill；　while　Wetter；　in　abject　terror　of　his



spells；　entreated　him　to　leave　the　fiends　alonethat　he　had　sent



his　book　by　a　fiend　to　the　spirit　of　Galen　in　hell；　and　challenged



him　to　say　which　was　the　better　system；　his　or　Paracelsus'；　and　what



not？







His　books　were　forbidden　to　be　printed。　　He　himself　was　refused　a



hearing；　and　it　was　not　till　after　ten　years　of　wandering　that　he



found　rest　and　protection　in　a　little　village　of　Carinthia。







Three　years　afterwards　he　died　in　the　hospital　of　St。　Sebastian　at



Salzburg；　in　the　Tyrol。　　His　death　was　the　signal　for　empirics　and



visionaries　to　foist　on　the　public　book　after　book　on　occult



philosophy；　written　in　his　nameof　which　you　may　see　ten　folios



not　more　than　a　quarter；　I　believe；　genuine。　　And　these　foolish



books；　as　much　as　anything；　have　helped　to　keep　up　the　popular



prejudice　against　one　who；　in　spite　of　all　his　faults　was　a　true



pioneer　of　science。　｛15｝　　I　believe　（with　those　moderns　who　have



tried　to　do　him　justice）　that　under　all　his　verbiage　and　confusion



there　was　a　vein　of　sound　scientific；　experimental　common　sense。







When　he　talks　of　astronomy　as　necessary　to　be　known　by　a　physician；



it　seems　to　me　that　he　laughs　at　astrology；　properly　so　called；　that



is；　that　the　stars　influence　the　character　and　destiny　of　man。



Mars；　he　says；　did　not　make　Nero　cruel。　　There　would　have　been　long…



lived　men　in　the　world　if　Saturn　had　never　ascended　the　skies；　and



Helen　would　have　been　a　wanton；　though　Venus　had　never　been　created。



But　he　does　believe　that　the　heavenly　bodies；　and　the　whole　skies；



have　a　physical　influence　on　climate；　and　on　the　health　of　men。







He　talks　of　alchemy；　but　he　means　by　it；　I　think；　only　that　sound



science　which　we　call　chemistry；　and　at　which　he　worked；　wandering；



he　says；　among　mines　and　forges；　as　a　practical　metallurgist。







He　tells　uswhat　sounds　startling　enoughthat　magic　is　the　only



preceptor　which　can　teach　the　art　of　healing；　but　he　means；　it　seems



to　me；　only　an　understanding　of　the　invisible　processes　of　nature；



in　which　sense　an　electrician　or　a　biologist；　a　Faraday　or　a　Darwin；



would　be　a　magician；　and　when　he　compares　medical　magic　to　the



Cabalistic　science；　of　which　I　spoke　just　now　（and　in　which　he　seems



to　have　believed）；　he　only　means；　I　think；　that　as　the　Cabala



discovers　hidden　meaning　and　virtues　in　the　text　of　Scripture；　so



ought　the　man　of　science　to　find　them　in　the　book　of　nature。　　But



this　kind　of　talk；　wrapt　up　too　in　the　most　confused　style；　or



rather　no　style　at　all；　is　quite　enough　to　account　for　ignorant　and



envious　people　accusing　him　of　magic；　saying　that　he　had　discovered



the　philosopher's　stone；　and　the　secret　of　Hermes　Trismegistus；　that



he　must　make　gold；　because；　though　he　squandered　all　his　money；　he



had　always　money　in　hand；　and　that　he　kept　a　〃d