historical lecturers and essays-第6节

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got　up　and　went　to　the　fire；　and　stood　and　warmed　himself。　　And　the



nurse…girl　said　to　him；　〃Go　out；　man；　and　bring　some　of　the　split…



firewood　which　lies　outside　the　door。〃　　He　went　out　and　brought　an



armful　of　wood　and　threw　it　down。　　Then　the　nurse…girl　looked　him　in



the　face；　and　said；　〃Dreadful　pale　is　this　man。　　Why　art　thou　so？〃



Then　sang　Thormod：











〃Thou　wonderest；　sweet　bloom；　at　me；



A　man　so　hideous　to　see。



The　arrow…drift　o'ertook　me；　girl；



A　fine…ground　arrow　in　the　whirl



Went　through　me；　and　I　feel　the　dart



Sits；　lovely　lass；　too　near　my　heart。〃











The　girl　said；　〃Let　me　see　thy　wound。〃　　Then　Thormod　sat　down；　and



the　girl　saw　his　wounds；　and　that　which　was　in　his　side；　and　saw



that　there　was　a　piece　of　iron　in　it；　but　could　not　tell　where　it



had　gone。　　In　a　stone　pot　she　had　leeks　and　other　herbs；　and　boiled



them；　and　gave　the　wounded　man　of　it　to　eat。　　But　Thormod　said；



〃Take　it　away；　I　have　no　appetite　now　for　my　broth。〃　　Then　she　took



a　great　pair　of　tongs　and　tried　to　pull　out　the　iron；　but　the　wound



was　swelled；　and　there　was　too　little　to　lay　hold　of。　　Now　said



Thormod；　〃Cut　in　so　deep　that　thou　canst　get　at　the　iron；　and　give



me　the　tongs。〃　　She　did　as　he　said。　　Then　took　Thormod　the　gold



bracelet　off　his　hand　and　gave　it　the　nurse…girl；　and　bade　her　do



with　it　what　she　liked。







〃It　is　a　good　man's　gift；〃　said　he。　　〃King　Olaf　gave　me　the　ring



this　morning。〃







Then　Thormod　took　the　tongs　and　pulled　the　iron　out。　　But　on　the



iron　was　a　barb；　on　which　hung　flesh　from　the　heart；　some　red；　some



white。　　When　he　saw　that；　he　said；　〃The　king　has　fed　us　well。　　I　am



fat；　even　to　the　heart's　roots。〃　　And　so　leant　back　and　was　dead。















CYRUS；　THE　SERVANT　OF…THE　LORD　｛4｝















I　wish　to　speak　to　you　to…night　about　one　of　those　old　despotic



empires　which　were　in　every　case　the　earliest　known　form　of



civilisation。　　Were　I　minded　to　play　the　cynic　or　the　mountebank；　I



should　choose　some　corrupt　and　effete　despotism；　already　grown　weak



and　ridiculous　by　its　decayas　did　at　last　the　Roman　and　then　the



Byzantine　Empireand；　after　raising　a　laugh　at　the　expense　of　the



old　system　say：　　　See　what　a　superior　people　you　are　nowhow



impossible；　under　free　and　enlightened　institutions；　is　anything　so



base　and　so　absurd　as　went　on；　even　in　despotic　France　before　the



Revolution　of　1793。　　Well；　that　would　be　on　the　whole　true；　thank



God；　but　what　need　is　there　to　say　it？







Let　us　keep　our　scorn　for　our　own　weaknesses；　our　blame　for　our　own



sins；　certain　that　we　shall　gain　more　instruction；　though　not　more



amusement；　by　hunting　out　the　good　which　is　in　anything　than　by



hunting　out　its　evil。　　I　have　chosen；　not　the　worst；　but　the　best



despotism　which　I　could　find　in　history；　founded　and　ruled　by　a



truly　heroic　personage；　one　whose　name　has　become　a　proverb　and　a



legend；　that　so　I　might　lift　up　your　minds；　even　by　the



contemplation　of　an　old　Eastern　empire；　to　see　that　it；　too；　could



be　a　work　and　ordinance　of　God；　and　its　hero　the　servant　of　the



Lord。　　For　we　are　almost　bound　to　call　Cyrus；　the　founder　of　the



Persian　Empire；　by　this　august　title　for　two　reasonsFirst；　because



the　Hebrew　Scriptures　call　him　so；　the　next；　because　he　proved



himself　to　be　such　by　his　actions　and　their　consequencesat　least



in　the　eyes　of　those　who　believe；　as　I　do；　in　a　far…seeing　and　far…



reaching　Providence；　by　which　all　human　history　is











Bound　by　gold　chains　unto　the　throne　of　God。











His　work　was　very　different　from　any　that　need　be　done；　or　can　be



done；　in　these　our　days。　　But　while　we　thank　God　that　such　work　is



now　as　unnecessary　as　impossible；　we　may　thank　God　likewise　that；



when　such　work　was　necessary　and　possible；　a　man　was　raised　up　to　do



it：　　　and　to　do　it；　as　all　accounts　assert；　better；　perhaps；　than　it



had　ever　been　done　before　or　since。







True；　the　old　conquerors；　who　absorbed　nation　after　nation；　tribe



after　tribe；　and　founded　empires　on　their　ruins；　are　now；　I　trust；



about　to　be　replaced；　throughout　the　world；　as　here　and　in　Britain



at　home；　by　free　self…governed　peoples：











The　old　order　changeth；　giving　place　to　the　new；



And　God　fulfils　Himself　in　many　ways；



Lest　one　good　custom　should　corrupt　the　world。











And　that　custom　of　conquest　and　empire　and　transplantation　did　more



than　once　corrupt　the　world。　　And　yet　in　it；　too；　God　may　have　more



than　once　fulfilled　His　own　designs；　as　He　did；　if　Scripture　is　to



be　believed；　in　Cyrus；　well　surnamed　the　Great；　the　founder　of　the



Persian　Empire　some　2400　years　ago。　　For　these　empires；　it　must　be



remembered；　did　at　least　that　which　the　Roman　Empire　did　among　a



scattered　number　of　savage　tribes；　or　separate　little　races；　hating



and　murdering　each　other；　speaking　different　tongues；　and



worshipping　different　gods；　and　losing　utterly　the　sense　of　a　common



humanity；　till　they　looked　on　the　people　who　dwelt　in　the　next



valley　as　fiends；　to　be　sacrificed；　if　caught；　to　their　own　fiends



at　home。　　Among　such　as　these；　empires　did　introduce　order；　law；



common　speech；　common　interest；　the　notion　of　nationality　and



humanity。　　They；　as　it　were；　hammered　together　the　fragments　of　the



human　race　till　they　had　moulded　them　into　one。　　They　did　it



cruelly；　clumsily；　ill：　　　but　was　there　ever　work　done　on　earth；



however　noble；　which　was　notalas；　alas！done　somewhat　ill？







Let　me　talk　to　you　a　little　about　the　old　hero。　　He　and　his　hardy



Persians　should　be　specially　interesting　to　us。　　For　in　them　first



does　our　race；　the　Aryan　race；　appear　in　authentic　history。　　In　them



first　did　our　race　give　promise　of　being　the　conquering　and



civilising　race　of　the　future　world。　　And　to　the　conquests　of　Cyrus…



…so　strangely　are　all　great　times　and　great　movements　of　the　human



family　linked　to　each　otherto　his　conquests；　humanly　speaking；　is



owing　the　fact　that　you　are　here；　and　I　am　speaking　to　you　at　this



moment。







It　is　an　oft…told　story：　　　but　so　grand　a　one　that　I　must　sketch　it



for　you；　however　clumsily；　once　more。







In　that　mountain　province　called　Farsistan；　north…east　of　what　we



now　call　Persia；　the　dwelling…place　of　the　Persians；　there　dwelt；　in



the　sixth　and　seventh　centuries　before　Christ；　a　hardy　tribe；　of　the



purest　blood　of　Iran；　a　branch　of　the　same　race　as　the　Celtic；



Teutonic；　Greek；　and　Hindoo；　and　speaking　a　tongue　akin　to　theirs。



They　had　wandered　thither；　say　their　legends；　out　of　the　far　north…



east；　from　off　some　lofty　plateau　of　Central　Asia；　driven　out　by　the



increasing　cold；　which　left　them　but　two　mouths　of　summer　to　ten　of



winter。







They　despised　at　firstwould　that　they　had　despised　always！the



luxurious　life　of　the　dwellers　in　the　plains；　and　the　effeminate



customs　of　the　Medesa　branch　of　their　own　race　who　had　conquered



and　intermarried　with　the　Turanian；　or　Finnish　tribes；　and　adopted



much　of　their　creed；　as　well　as　of　their　morals；　throughout　their



vast　but　short…lived　Median　Empire。　　〃Soft　countries；〃　said　Cyrus



himselfso　runs　the　tale〃gave　birth　to　small　men。　　No　region



produced　at　once　delightful　fruits　and　men　of　a　war…like　spirit。〃



Letters　were　to　them；　probably；　then　unknown。　　They　borrowed　them　in



after　years；　as　they　borrowed　their　art；　from　Babylonians；



Assyrians；　and　other　Semitic　nations　whom　they　conquered。　　From　the



age　of　five　to　that　of　twenty；　their　lads　were　instructed　but　in　two



thingsto　speak　the　truth　and　to　shoot　with　the　bow。　　To　ride　was



the　third　necessary　art；　introduced；　according　to　Xenophon；　after



they　had　descended　from　their　mountain　fastnessess　to　conquer　the



whole　East。







Their　creed　was　simple　enough。　　Ahura　MazdaOrmuzd；　as　he　has　been



called　sincewas　the　one　eternal　Creator；　the　source　of　all　light



and　life　and　good。　　He　spake　his　word；　and　it　accomplished　the



creation　of　heaven；　before　the　water；　before　the　earth；　before　the



cow；　before　the　tree；　before　the　fire；　before　man　the　truthful；



before　the　Devas　and　beasts　of　prey；　before　the　whole　existing



universe；　before　every　good　thing　created　by　Ahura　Mazda　and



springing　from　Truth。







He　needed　no　sacrifices　of　blood。　　He　was　to　be　worshipped　only　with



prayers；　with　offerings　of　the　inspiring　juice　of　the　now　unknown



herb　Homa；　and　by　the　preservation　of　the　sacred　fire；　which；



understand；　was　not　he；　but　the　symbolas　was　l