the essays of montaigne, v4-第12节

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Xenophon　to　send　his　children　to　Sparta　to　be　bred；　〃it　is　not；〃　said　he；
〃there　to　learn　logic　or　rhetoric；　but　to　be　instructed　in　the　noblest　of
all　sciences；　namely；　the　science　to　obey　and　to　command。〃　＇Plutarch；
Life　of　Agesilaus；　c。　7。＇

It　is　very　pleasant　to　see　Socrates；　after　his　manner；　rallying　Hippias；
＇Plato's　Dialogues：　Hippias　Major。＇　who　recounts　to　him　what　a　world
of　money　he　has　got；　especially　in　certain　little　villages　of　Sicily；　by
teaching　school；　and　that　he　made　never　a　penny　at　Sparta：　〃What　a
sottish　and　stupid　people；〃　said　Socrates；　〃are　they；　without　sense　or
understanding；　that　make　no　account　either　of　grammar　or　poetry；　and　only
busy　themselves　in　studying　the　genealogies　and　successions　of　their
kings；　the　foundations；　rises；　and　declensions　of　states；　and　such　tales
of　a　tub！〃　　After　which；　having　made　Hippias　from　one　step　to　another
acknowledge　the　excellency　of　their　form　of　public　administration；　and
the　felicity　and　virtue　of　their　private　life；　he　leaves　him　to　guess　at
the　conclusion　he　makes　of　the　inutilities　of　his　pedantic　arts。

Examples　have　demonstrated　to　us　that　in　military　affairs；　and　all　others
of　the　like　active　nature；　the　study　of　sciences　more　softens　and
untempers　the　courages　of　men　than　it　in　any　way　fortifies　and　excites
them。　　The　most　potent　empire　that　at　this　day　appears　to　be　in　the　whole
world　is　that　of　the　Turks；　a　people　equally　inured　to　the　estimation　of
arms　and　the　contempt　of　letters。　　I　find　Rome　was　more　valiant　before
she　grew　so　learned。　　The　most　warlike　nations　at　this　time　in　being　are
the　most　rude　and　ignorant：　the　Scythians；　the　Parthians；　Tamerlane；
serve　for　sufficient　proof　of　this。　　When　the　Goths　overran　Greece；　the
only　thing　that　preserved　all　the　libraries　from　the　fire　was；　that　some
one　possessed　them　with　an　opinion　that　they　were　to　leave　this　kind　of
furniture　entire　to　the　enemy；　as　being　most　proper　to　divert　them　from
the　exercise　of　arms；　and　to　fix　them　to　a　lazy　and　sedentary　life。
When　our　King　Charles　VIII。；　almost　without　striking　a　blow；　saw　himself
possessed　of　the　kingdom　of　Naples　and　a　considerable　part　of　Tuscany；
the　nobles　about　him　attributed　this　unexpected　facility　of　conquest　to
this；　that　the　princes　and　nobles　of　Italy；　more　studied　to　render
themselves　ingenious　and　learned；　than　vigorous　and　warlike。










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