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第7节

alexandria and her schools-第7节

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  Physical sages there were; but they were geometers and mathematicians; rather than astronomic observers and inquirers。  And in spite of all the huge appliances and advantages of that great Museum; its inhabitants were content; in physical science; as in all other branches of thought; to comment; to expound; to do everything but open their eyes and observe facts; and learn from them; as the predecessors whom they pretended to honour had done。  But so it is always。  A genius; an original man appears。  He puts himself boldly in contact with facts; asks them what they mean; and writes down their answer for the world's use。  And then his disciples must needs form a school; and a system; and fancy that they do honour to their master by refusing to follow in his steps; by making his book a fixed dogmatic canon; attaching to it some magical infallibility; declaring the very lie which he disproved by his whole existence; that discovery is henceforth impossible; and the sum of knowledge complete:  instead of going on to discover as he discovered before them; and in following his method; show that they honour him; not in the letter; but in spirit and in truth。

For this; if you will consider; is the true meaning of that great command; 〃Honour thy father and mother; that thy days may be long in the land。〃  On reverence for the authority of bygone generations depends the permanence of every form of thought or belief; as much as of all social; national; and family life:  but on reverence of the spirit; not merely of the letter; of the methods of our ancestors; not merely of their conclusions。  Ay; and we shall not be able to preserve their conclusions; not even to understand them; they will die away on our lips into skeleton notions; and soulless phrases; unless we see that the greatness of the mighty dead has always consisted in this; that they were seekers; improvers; inventors; endued with that divine power and right of discovery which has been bestowed on us; even as on them; unless we become such men as they were; and go on to cultivate and develop the precious heritage which they have bequeathed to us; instead of hiding their talent in a napkin and burying it in the earth; making their greatness an excuse for our own littleness; their industry for our laziness; their faith for our despair; and prating about the old paths; while we forget that paths were made that men might walk in them; and not stand still; and try in vain to stop the way。

It may be said; certainly; as an excuse for these Alexandrian Greeks; that they were a people in a state of old age and decay; and that they only exhibited the common and natural faults of old age。  For as with individuals; so with races; nations; societies; schools of thought youth is the time of free fancy and poetry; manhood of calm and strong induction; old age of deduction; when men settle down upon their lees; and content themselves with reaffirming and verifying the conclusions of their earlier years; and too often; alas! with denying and anathematising all conclusions which have been arrived at since their own meridian。  It is sad:  but it is patent and common。  It is sad to think that the day may come to each of us; when we shall have ceased to hope for discovery and for progress; when a thing will seem e priori false to us; simply because it is new; and we shall be saying querulously to the Divine Light which lightens every man who comes into the world:  〃Hitherto shalt thou come; and no further。  Thou hast taught men enough; yea rather; thou hast exhausted thine own infinitude; and hast no more to teach them。〃  Surely such a temper is to be fought against; prayed against; both in ourselves; and in the generation in which we live。  Surely there is no reason why such a temper should overtake old age。  There may be reason enough; 〃in the nature of things。〃  For that which is of nature is born only to decay and die。 But in man there is more than dying nature; there is spirit; and a capability of spiritual and everlasting life; which renews its youth like the eagle's; and goes on from strength to strength; and which; if it have its autumns and its winters; has no less its ever…recurring springs and summers; if it has its Sabbaths; finds in them only rest and refreshment for coming labour。  And why not in nations; societies; scientific schools?  These too are not merely natural:  they are spiritual; and are only living and healthy in as far as they are in harmony with spiritual; unseen; and everlasting laws of God。  May not they; too; have a capability of everlasting life; as long as they obey those laws in faith; and patience; and humility?  We cannot deny the analogy between the individual man and these societies of men。  We cannot; at least; deny the analogy between them in growth; decay; and death。  May we not have hope that it holds good also for that which can never die; and that if they do die; as this old Greek society did; it is by no brute natural necessity; but by their own unfaithfulness to that which they knew; to that which they ought to have known?  It is always more hopeful; always; as I think; more philosophic; to throw the blame of failure on man; on our own selves; rather than on God; and the perfect law of His universe。  At least let us be sure for ourselves; that such an old age as befell this Greek society; as befalls many a man nowadays; need not be our lot。  Let us be sure that earth shows no fairer sight than the old man; whose worn…out brain and nerves make it painful; and perhaps impossible; to produce fresh thought himself:  but who can yet welcome smilingly and joyfully the fresh thoughts of others; who keeps unwearied his faith in God's government of the universe; in God's continual education of the human race; who draws around him the young and the sanguine; not merely to check their rashness by his wise cautions; but to inspirit their sloth by the memories of his own past victories; who hands over; without envy or repining; the lamp of truth to younger runners than himself; and sits contented by; bidding the new generation God speed along the paths untrodden by him; but seen afar off by faith。  A few such old persons have I seen; both men and women; in whom the young heart beat pure and fresh; beneath the cautious and practised brain of age; and gray hairs which were indeed a crown of glory。  A few such have I seen; and from them I seemed to learn what was the likeness of our Father who is in heaven。  To such an old age may He bring you and me; and all for whom we are bound to pray。



LECTURE IITHE PTOLEMAIC ERA (Continued。)



I said in my first Lecture; that even if royal influence be profitable for the prosecution of physical science; it cannot be profitable for art。  It can only produce a literary age; as it did in the Ptolemaic era; a generation of innumerable court…poets; artificial epigrammatists; artificial idyllists; artificial dramatists and epicists; above all; a generation of critics。  Or rather shall we say; that the dynasty was not the cause of a literary age; but only its correlative?  That when the old Greeks lost the power of being free; of being anything but the slaves of oriental despots; as the Ptolemies in reality were; they lost also the power of producing true works of art; because they had lost that youthful vigour of mind from which both art and freedom sprang? Let the case be as it will; Alexandrian literature need not detain us longthough; alas! it has detained every boy who ever trembled over his Greek grammar; for many a weary year; and; I cannot help suspecting; has been the main cause that so many young men who have spent seven years in learning Greek; know nothing about it at the end of the seven。  For I must say; that as far as we can see; these Alexandrian pedants were thorough pedants; very polished and learned gentlemen; no doubt; and; like Callimachus; the pets of princes:  but after all; men who thought that they could make up for not writing great works themselves; by showing; with careful analysis and commentation; how men used to write them of old; or rather how they fancied men used to write them; for; consider; if they had really known how the thing was done; they must needs have been able to do it themselves。  Thus Callimachus; the favourite of Ptolemy Philadelphus; and librarian of his Museum; is the most distinguished grammarian; critic; and poet of his day; and has for pupils Eratosthenes; Apollonius Rhodius; Aristophanes of Byzantium; and a goodly list more。  He is an encyclopaedia in himself。  There is nothing the man does not know; or probably; if we spoke more correctly; nothing he does not know about。  He writes on history; on the Museum; on barbarous names; on the wonders of the world; on public games; on colonisation; on winds; on birds; on the rivers of the world; and ominous subjecta sort of comprehensive history of Greek literature; with a careful classification of all authors; each under his own heading。  Greek literature was rather in the sere and yellow leaf; be sure; when men thought of writing that sort of thing about it。  But still; he is an encyclopaedic man; and; moreover; a poet。  He writes an epic; 〃Aitia;〃 in four books; on the causes of the myths; religious ceremonies; and so forthan ominous

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