the new machiavelli-第3节

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nephews；　and　for　each　of　them　he　caused　a　box　of　bricks　to　be　made　

by　an　out…of…work　carpenter；　not　the　insufficient　supply　of　the　

toyshop；　you　understand；　but　a　really　adequate　quantity　of　bricks　

made　out　of　oak　and　shaped　and　smoothed；　bricks　about　five　inches　by　

two　and　a　half　by　one；　and　half…bricks　and　quarter…bricks　to　

correspond。　　There　were　hundreds　of　them；　many　hundreds。　　I　could　

build　six　towers　as　high　as　myself　with　them；　and　there　seemed　quite　

enough　for　every　engineering　project　I　could　undertake。　　I　could　

build　whole　towns　with　streets　and　houses　and　churches　and　citadels；　

I　could　bridge　every　gap　in　the　oilcloth　and　make　causeways　over　

crumpled　spaces　（which　I　feigned　to　be　morasses）；　and　on　a　keel　of　

whole　bricks　it　was　possible　to　construct　ships　to　push　over　the　

high　seas　to　the　remotest　port　in　the　room。　　And　a　disciplined　

population；　that　rose　at　last　by　sedulous　begging　on　birthdays　and　

all　convenient　occasions　to　well　over　two　hundred；　of　lead　sailors　

and　soldiers；　horse；　foot　and　artillery；　inhabited　this　world。



Justice　has　never　been　done　to　bricks　and　soldiers　by　those　who　

write　about　toys。　　The　praises　of　the　toy　theatre　have　been　a　common　

theme　for　essayists；　the　planning　of　the　scenes；　the　painting　and　

cutting　out　of　the　caste；　penny　plain　twopence　coloured；　the　stink　

and　glory　of　the　performance　and　the　final　conflagration。　　I　had　

such　a　theatre　once；　but　I　never　loved　it　nor　hoped　for　much　from　

it；　my　bricks　and　soldiers　were　my　perpetual　drama。　　I　recall　an　

incessant　variety　of　interests。　　There　was　the　mystery　and　charm　of　

the　complicated　buildings　one　could　make；　with　long　passages　and　

steps　and　windows　through　which　one　peeped　into　their　intricacies；　

and　by　means　of　slips　of　card　one　could　make　slanting　ways　in　them；　

and　send　marbles　rolling　from　top　to　base　and　thence　out　into　the　

hold　of　a　waiting　ship。　　Then　there　were　the　fortresses　and　gun　

emplacements　and　covered　ways　in　which　one's　soldiers　went。　　And　

there　was　commerce；　the　shops　and　markets　and　store…rooms　full　of　

nasturtium　seed；　thrift　seed；　lupin　beans　and　suchlike　provender　

from　the　garden；　such　stuff　one　stored　in　match…boxes　and　pill…

boxes；　or　packed　in　sacks　of　old　glove　fingers　tied　up　with　thread　

and　sent　off　by　waggons　along　the　great　military　road　to　the　

beleaguered　fortress　on　the　Indian　frontier　beyond　the　worn　places　

that　were　dismal　swamps。　　And　there　were　battles　on　the　way。



That　great　road　is　still　clear　in　my　memory。　　I　was　given；　I　forget　

by　what　benefactor；　certain　particularly　fierce　red　Indians　of　lead

I　have　never　seen　such　soldiers　sinceand　for　these　my　father　

helped　me　to　make　tepees　of　brown　paper；　and　I　settled　them　in　a　

hitherto　desolate　country　under　the　frowning　nail…studded　cliffs　of　

an　ancient　trunk。　　Then　I　conquered　them　and　garrisoned　their　land。　　

（Alas！　they　died；　no　doubt　through　contact　with　civilisationone　my　

mother　trod　onand　their　land　became　a　wilderness　again　and　was　

ravaged　for　a　time　by　a　clockwork　crocodile　of　vast　proportions。）　　

And　out　towards　the　coal…scuttle　was　a　region　near　the　impassable　

thickets　of　the　ragged　hearthrug　where　lived　certain　china　Zulus　

brandishing　spears；　and　a　mountain　country　of　rudely　piled　bricks　

concealing　the　most　devious　and　enchanting　caves　and　several　mines　

of　gold　and　silver　paper。　　Among　these　rocks　a　number　of　survivors　

from　a　Noah's　Ark　made　a　various；　dangerous；　albeit　frequently　

invalid　and　crippled　fauna；　and　I　was　wont　to　increase　the　

uncultivated　wildness　of　this　region　further　by　trees　of　privet…

twigs　from　the　garden　hedge　and　box　from　the　garden　borders。　　By　

these　territories　went　my　Imperial　Road　carrying　produce　to　and　fro；　

bridging　gaps　in　the　oilcloth；　tunnelling　through　Encyclopaedic　

hillsone　tunnel　was　three　volumes　longdefended　as　occasion　

required　by　camps　of　paper　tents　or　brick　blockhouses；　and　ending　at　

last　in　a　magnificently　engineered　ascent　to　a　fortress　on　the　

cliffs　commanding　the　Indian　reservation。



My　games　upon　the　floor　must　have　spread　over　several　years　and　

developed　from　small　beginnings；　incorporating　now　this　suggestion　

and　now　that。　　They　stretch；　I　suppose；　from　seven　to　eleven　or　

twelve。　　I　played　them　intermittently；　and　they　bulk　now　in　the　

retrospect　far　more　significantly　than　they　did　at　the　time。　　I　

played　them　in　bursts；　and　then　forgot　them　for　long　periods；　

through　the　spring　and　summer　I　was　mostly　out　of　doors；　and　school　

and　classes　caught　me　early。　　And　in　the　retrospect　I　see　them　all　

not　only　magnified　and　transfigured；　but　fore…shortened　and　confused　

together。　　A　clockwork　railway；　I　seem　to　remember；　came　and　went；　

one　or　two　clockwork　boats；　toy　sailing　ships　that；　being　keeled；　

would　do　nothing　but　lie　on　their　beam　ends　on　the　floor；　a　

detestable　lot　of　cavalrymen；　undersized　and　gilt　all　over；　given　me　

by　a　maiden　aunt；　and　very　much　what　one　might　expect　from　an　aunt；　

that　I　used　as　Nero　used　his　Christians　to　ornament　my　public　

buildings；　and　I　finally　melted　some　into　fratricidal　bullets；　and　

therewith　blew　the　rest　to　flat　splashes　of　lead　by　means　of　a　brass　

cannon　in　the　garden。



I　find　this　empire　of　the　floor　much　more　vivid　and　detailed　in　my　

memory　now　than　many　of　the　owners　of　the　skirts　and　legs　and　boots　

that　went　gingerly　across　its　territories。　　Occasionally；　alas！　they　

stooped　to　scrub；　abolishing　in　one　universal　destruction　the　slow　

growth　of　whole　days　of　civilised　development。　　I　still　remember　the　

hatred　and　disgust　of　these　catastrophes。　　Like　Noah　I　was　given　

warnings。　　Did　I　disregard　them；　coarse　red　hands　would　descend；　

plucking　garrisons　from　fortresses　and　sailors　from　ships；　jumbling　

them　up　in　their　wrong　boxes；　clumsily　so　that　their　rifles　and　

swords　were　broken；　sweeping　the　splendid　curves　of　the　Imperial　

Road　into　heaps　of　ruins；　casting　the　jungle　growth　of　Zululand　into　

the　fire。



Well；　Master　Dick；〃　the　voice　of　this　cosmic　calamity　would　say；　

〃you　ought　to　have　put　them　away　last　night。　　No！　I　can't　wait　until　

you've　sailed　them　all　away　in　ships。　　I　got　my　work　to　do；　and　do　

it　I　will。〃



And　in　no　time　all　my　continents　and　lands　were　swirling　water　and　

swiping　strokes　of　house…flannel。



That　was　the　worst　of　my　giant　visitants；　but　my　mother　too；　dear　

lady；　was　something　of　a　terror　to　this　microcosm。　　She　wore　spring…

sided　boots；　a　kind　of　boot　now　vanished；　I　believe；　from　the　world；　

with　dull　bodies　and　shiny　toes；　and　a　silk　dress　with　flounces　that　

were　very　destructive　to　the　more　hazardous　viaducts　of　the　Imperial　

Road。　　She　was　always；　I　seem　to　remember；　fetching　me；　fetching　me　

for　a　meal；　fetching　me　for　a　walk　or；　detestable　absurdity！　

fetching　me　for　a　wash　and　brush　up；　and　she　never　seemed　to　

understand　anything　whatever　of　the　political　Systems　across　which　

she　came　to　me。　　Also　she　forbade　all　toys　on　Sundays　except　the　

bricks　for　church…building　and　the　soldiers　for　church　parade；　or　a　

Scriptural　use　of　the　remains　of　the　Noah's　Ark　mixed　up　with　a　

wooden　Swiss　dairy　farm。　　But　she　really　did　not　know　whether　a　

thing　was　a　church　or　not　unless　it　positively　bristled　with　cannon；　

and　many　a　Sunday　afternoon　have　I　played　Chicago　（with　the　fear　of　

God　in　my　heart）　under　an　infidel　pretence　that　it　was　a　new　sort　of　

ark　rather　elaborately　done。



Chicago；　I　must　explain；　was　based　upon　my　father's　description　of　

the　pig　slaughterings　in　that　city　and　certain　pictures　I　had　seen。　　

You　made　your　beastswhich　were　all　the　ark　lot　really；　

provisionally　conceived　as　pigsgo　up　elaborate　approaches　to　a　

central　pen；　from　which　they　went　down　a　cardboard　slide　four　at　a　

time；　and　dropped　most　satisfyingly　down　a　brick　shaft；　and　pitter…

litter　over　some　steep　steps　to　where　a　head　slaughterman　（ne　Noah）　

strung　a　cotton　loop　round　their　legs　and　sent　them　by　pin　hooks　

along　a　wire　to　a　second　slaughterman　with　a　chipped　foot　（formerly　

Mrs。　Noah）　who；　if　I　remember　rightly；　converted　them　into　Army　

sausage　by　means　of　a　portion　of　the　inside　of　an　old　alarum　clock。



My　mother　did　not　understand　my　games；　but　my　father　did。　　He　wore　

bright…coloured　socks　and　carpet　slippers　when　he　was　indoorsmy　

mother　disliked　boots　in　the　houseand　he　would　sit　down　on　my　

little　chair　and　survey　the　microcosm　on　the　floor　with　admirable　

understanding　and　sympathy。



It　was　he　gave　me　most　of　my　toys　and；　I　more　than　suspect；　most　of　

my　ideas。　　〃Here's　some　corrugated　iron；〃　he　would　say；　〃suitable　

for　roofs　and　fencing；〃　and　hand　me　a　lump　of　that　stiff　crinkled　

paper　that　is　used　for　packing　medicine　bottles。　　Or；　〃Dick；　do　you　

see　the　tiger　loose　near　the　Imperial　Road？won't　do　for　your　

cattle　ranch。〃　　And　I　would　find　a　bright　new　lead　tiger　like　a　

special　creation　at　large　in　the　world；　and　demanding　a　hunting　

expedit