historical lecturers and essays-第4节

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one　of　those　conquests　of　a　savage　by　a　civilised　race；　or　of　a



cowardly　race　by　a　brave　race；　which　results　in　the　slavery　of　the



conquered；　and　leaves　the　gulf　of　caste　between　two　racesmaster



and　slave。　　That　was　the　case　in　France；　and　resulted；　after



centuries　of　oppression；　in　the　great　and　dreadful　revolution　of



1793；　which　convulsed　not　only　France　but　the　whole　civilised　world。



But　caste；　thank　God；　has　never　existed　in　England；　since　at　least



the　first　generation　after　the　Norman　conquest。







The　vast　majority；　all　but　the　whole　population　of　England；　have



been　always　free；　and　free；　as　they　are　not　where　caste　exists　to



change　their　occupations。　　They　could　intermarry；　if　they　were　able



men；　into　the　ranks　above　them；　as　they　could　sink；　if　they　were



unable　men；　into　the　ranks　below　them。　　Any　man　acquainted　with　the



origin　of　our　English　surnames　may　verify　this　fact　for　himself；　by



looking　at　the　names　of　a　single　parish　or　a　single　street　of　shops。



There；　jumbled　together；　he　will　find　names　marking　the　noblest



Saxon　or　Angle　bloodKenward　or　Kenric；　Osgood　or　Osborne；　side　by



side　with　Cordery　or　Banisternow　names　of　farmers　in　my　own



parishor　other　Norman…French　names　which　may　be；　like　those　two



last；　in　Battle　Abbey　rolland　side　by　side　the　almost　ubiquitous



Brown；　whose　ancestor　was　probably　some　Danish　or　Norwegian　house…



carle；　proud　of　his　name　Biorn　the　Bear；　and　the　ubiquitous　Smith　or



Smythe；　the　Smiter；　whose　forefather；　whether　he　be　now　peasant　or



peer；　assuredly　handled　the　tongs　and　hammer　at　his　own　forge。　　This



holds　true　equally　in　New　England　and　in　Old。　　When　I　search　through



（as　I　delight　to　do）　your　New　England　surnames；　I　find　the　same



jumble　of　namesWest　Saxon；　Angle；　Danish；　Norman；　and　French…



Norman　likewise；　many　of　primaeval　and　heathen　antiquity；　many　of



high　nobility；　all　worked　together；　as　at　home；　to　form　the　Free



Commoners　of　England。







If　any　should　wish　to　know　more　on　this　curious　and　important



subject；　let　me　recommend　them　to　study　Ferguson's　〃Teutonic　Name



System；〃　a　book　from　which　you　will　discover　that　some　of　our



quaintest；　and　seemingly　most　plebeian　surnamesmany　surnames；　too；



which　are　extinct　in　England；　but　remain　in　Americaare　really



corruptions　of　good　old　Teutonic　names；　which　our　ancestors　may　have



carried　in　the　German　Forest；　before　an　Englishman　set　foot　on



British　soil；　from　which　he　will　rise　with　the　comfortable　feeling



that　we　English…speaking　men；　from　the　highest　to　the　lowest；　are



literally　kinsmen。　　Nay；　so　utterly　made　up　now　is　the　old　blood…



feud　between　Norseman　and　Englishman；　between　the　descendants　of



those　who　conquered　and　those　who　were　conquered；　that　in　the



children　of　our　Prince　of　Wales；　after　800　years；　the　blood　of



William　of　Normandy　is　mingled　with　the　blood　of　the　very　Harold　who



fell　at　Hastings。　　And　so；　by　the　bitter　woes　which　followed　the



Norman　conquest　was　the　whole　population；　Dane；　Angle；　and　Saxon；



earl　and　churl；　freeman　and　slave；　crushed　and　welded　together　into



one　homogeneous　mass；　made　just　and　merciful　towards　each　other　by



the　most　wholesome　of　all　teachings；　a　community　of　suffering；　and



if　they　had　been；　as　I　fear　they　were；　a　lazy　and　a　sensual　people；



were　taught











That　life　is　not　as　idle　ore；



But　heated　hot　with　burning　fears；



And　bathed　in　baths　of　hissing　tears；



And　battered　with　the　strokes　of　doom



To　shape　and　use。











But　how　did　these　wild　Vikings　become　Christian　men？　　It　is　a　long



story。　　So　stanch　a　race　was　sure　to　be　converted　only　very　slowly。



Noble　missionaries　as　Ansgar；　Rembert；　and　Poppo；　had　worked　for　150



years　and　more　among　the　heathens　of　Denmark。　　But　the　patriotism　of



the　Norseman　always　recoiled；　even　though　in　secret；　from　the　fact



that　they　were　German　monks；　backed　by　the　authority　of　the　German



emperor；　and　many　a　man；　like　Svend　Fork…beard；　father　of　the　great



Canute；　though　he　had　the　Kaiser　himself　for　godfather；　turned



heathen　once　more　the　moment　he　was　free；　because　his　baptism　was



the　badge　of　foreign　conquest；　and　neither　pope　nor　kaiser　should



lord　it　over　him；　body　or　soul。　　St。　Olaf；　indeed；　forced



Christianity　on　the　Norse　at　the　sword's　point；　often　by　horrid



cruelties；　and　perished　in　the　attempt。　　But　who　forced　it　on　the



Norsemen　of　Scotland；　England；　Ireland；　Neustria；　Russia；　and　all



the　Eastern　Baltic？　　It　was　absorbed　and　in　most　cases；　I　believe；



gradually　and　willingly；　as　a　gospel　and　good　news　to　hearts　worn



out　with　the　storm　of　their　own　passions。　　And　whence　came　their



Christianity？　　Much　of　it；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Danes；　and　still



more　of　the　French　Normans；　came　direct　from　Rome；　the　city　which；



let　them　defy　its　influence　as　they　would；　was　still　the　fount　of



all　theology；　as　well　as　of　all　civilisation。　　But　I　must　believe



that　much　of　it　came　from　that　mysterious　ancient　Western　Church；



the　Church　of　St。　Patric；　St。　Bridget；　St。　Columba；　which　had



covered　with　rude　cells　and　chapels　the　rocky　islets　of　the　North



Atlantic；　even　to　Iceland　itself。　　Even　to　Iceland；　for　when　that



island　was　first　discovered；　about　A。D。　840；　the　Norsemen　found　in



an　isle；　on　the　east　and　west　and　elsewhere；　Irish　books　and　bells



and　wooden　crosses；　and　named　that　island　Papey；　the　isle　of　the



popessome　little　colony　of　monks；　who　lived　by　fishing；　and　who



are　said　to　have　left　the　land　when　the　Norsemen　settled　in　it。　　Let



us　believe；　for　it　is　consonant　with　reason　and　experience；　that　the



sight　of　those　poor　monks；　plundered　and　massacred　again　and　again



by　the　〃mailed　swarms　of　Lochlin；〃　yet　never　exterminated；　but



springing　up　again　in　the　same　place；　ready　for　fresh　massacre；　a



sacred　plant　which　God　had　planted；　and　which　no　rage　of　man　could



trample　outlet　us　believe；　I　say；　that　that　sight　taught　at　last



to　the　buccaneers　of　the　old　world　that　there　was　a　purer　manliness；



a　loftier　heroism；　than　the　ferocious　self…assertion　of　the



Berserker；　even　the　heroism　of　humility；　gentleness；　self…restraint；



self…sacrifice；　that　there　was　a　strength　which　was　made　perfect　in



weakness；　a　glory；　not　of　the　sword　but　of　the　cross。　　We　will



believe　that　that　was　the　lesson　which　the　Norsemen　learnt；　after



many　a　wild　and　blood…stained　voyage；　from　the　monks　of　Iona　or　of



Derry；　which　caused　the　building　of　such　churches　as　that　which



Sightrys；　king　of　Dublin；　raised　about　the　year　1030；　not　in　the



Norse　but　in　the　Irish　quarter　of　Dublin：　　　a　sacred　token　of　amity



between　the　new　settlers　and　the　natives　on　the　ground　of　a　common



faith。　　Let　us　believe；　too；　that　the　influence　of　woman　was　not



wanting　in　the　good　workthat　the　story　of　St。　Margaret　and　Malcolm



Canmore　was　repeated；　though　inversely；　in　the　case　of　many　a



heathen　Scandinavian　jarl；　who；　marrying　the　princely　daughter　of



some　Scottish　chieftain；　found　in　her　creed　at　last　something　more



precious　than　herself；　while　his　brother　or　his　cousin　became；　at



Dublin　or　Wexford　or　Waterford；　the　husband　of　some　saffron…robed



Irish　princess；　〃fair　as　an　elf；〃　as　the　old　saying　was；　some



〃maiden　of　the　three　transcendent　hues；〃　of　whom　the　old　book　of



Linane　says：











Red　as　the　blood　which　flowed　from　stricken　deer；



White　as　the　snow　on　which　that　blood　ran　down；



Black　as　the　raven　who　drank　up　that　blood；











…　and　possibly；　as　in　the　case　of　Brian　Boru's　mother；　had　given　his



fair…haired　sister　in　marriage　to　some　Irish　prince；　and　could　not



resist　the　spell　of　their　new　creed；　and　the　spell　too；　it　may　be；



of　some　sister　of　theirs　who　had　long　given　up　all　thought　of



earthly　marriage　to　tend　the　undying　fire　of　St。　Bridget　among　the



consecrated　virgins　of　Kildare。







I　am　not　drawing　from　mere　imagination。　　That　such　things　must　have



happened；　and　happened　again　and　again；　is　certain　to　anyone　who



knows；　even　superficially；　the　documents　of　that　time。　　And　I　doubt



not　that；　in　manners　as　well　as　in　religion；　the　Norse　were



humanised　and　civilised　by　their　contact　with　the　Celts；　both　in



Scotland　and　in　Ireland。　　Both　peoples　had　valour；　intellect；



imagination：　　　but　the　Celt　had　that　which　the　burly　angular　Norse



character；　however　deep　and　stately；　and　however　humorous；　wanted；



namely；　music　of　nature；　tenderness；　grace；　rapidity；　playfulness；



just　the　qualities；　combining　with　the　Scandinavian　（and　in　Scotland



with　the　Angle）　elements　of　character　w