character-第27节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



courage　to　brave　not　only　the　tyranny　of　the　judges　who　condemned

him；　but　of　the　mob　who　could　not　understand　him。　　He　died

discoursing　of　the　doctrine　of　the　immortality　of　the　soul；　his

last　words　to　his　judges　being；　〃It　is　now　time　that　we　departI

to　die；　you　to　live；　but　which　has　the　better　destiny　is　unknown

to　all；　except　to　the　God。〃



How　many　great　men　and　thinkers　have　been　persecuted　in　the　name

of　religion！　　Bruno　was　burnt　alive　at　Rome；　because　of　his

exposure　of　the　fashionable　but　false　philosophy　of　his　time。

When　the　judges　of　the　Inquisition　condemned　him；　to　die；　Bruno

said　proudly：　〃You　are　more　afraid　to　pronounce　my　sentence　than　I

am　to　receive　it。〃



To　him　succeeded　Galileo；　whose　character　as　a　man　of　science　is

almost　eclipsed　by　that　of　the　martyr。　　Denounced　by　the　priests

from　the　pulpit；　because　of　the　views　he　taught　as　to　the　motion

of　the　earth；　he　was　summoned　to　Rome；　in　his　seventieth　year；　to

answer　for　his　heterodoxy。　　And　he　was　imprisoned　in　the

Inquisition；　if　he　was　not　actually　put　to　the　torture　there。　　He

was　pursued　by　persecution　even　when　dead；　the　Pope　refusing　a

tomb　for　his　body。



Roger　Bacon；　the　Franciscan　monk；　was　persecuted　on　account　of　his

studies　in　natural　philosophy；　and　he　was　charged　with；　dealing　in

magic；　because　of　his　investigations　in　chemistry。　　His　writings

were　condemned；　and　he　was　thrown　into　prison；　where　he　lay　for

ten　years；　during　the　lives　of　four　successive　Popes。　　It　is　even

averred　that　he　died　in　prison。



Ockham；　the　early　English　speculative　philosopher；　was

excommunicated　by　the　Pope；　and　died　in　exile　at　Munich；　where　he

was　protected　by　the　friendship　of　the　then　Emperor　of　Germany。



The　Inquisition　branded　Vesalius　as　a　heretic　for　revealing　man　to

man；　as　it　had　before　branded　Bruno　and　Galileo　for　revealing　the

heavens　to　man。　　Vesalius　had　the　boldness　to　study　the　structure

of　the　human　body　by　actual　dissection；　a　practice　until　then

almost　entirely　forbidden。　　He　laid　the　foundations　of　a　science；

but　he　paid　for　it　with　his　life。　　Condemned　by　the　Inquisition；

his　penalty　was　commuted；　by　the　intercession　of　the　Spanish　king；

into　a　pilgrimage　to　the　Holy　Land；　and　when　on　his　way　back；

while　still　in　the　prime　of　life；　he　died　miserably　at　Zante；　of

fever　and　wanta　martyr　to　his　love　of　science。



When　the　'Novum　Organon'　appeared；　a　hue…and…cry　was　raised

against　it；　because　of　its　alleged　tendency　to　produce　〃dangerous

revolutions；〃　to　〃subvert　governments；〃　and　to　〃overturn　the

authority　of　religion；〃　（2）　and　one　Dr。　Henry　Stubbe　（whose　name

would　otherwise　have　been　forgotten）　wrote　a　book　against　the　new

philosophy；　denouncing　the　whole　tribe　of　experimentalists　as　〃a

Bacon…faced　generation。〃　　Even　the　establishment　of　the　Royal

Society　was　opposed；　on　the　ground　that　〃experimental　philosophy

is　subversive　of　the　Christian　faith。〃



While　the　followers　of　Copernicus　were　persecuted　as　infidels；

Kepler　was　branded　with　the　stigma　of　heresy；　〃because；〃　said　he；

〃I　take　that　side　which　seems　to　me　to　be　consonant　with　the　Word

of　God。〃　　Even　the　pure　and　simpleminded　Newton；　of　whom　Bishop

Burnet　said　that　he　had　the　WHITEST　SOUL　he　ever　knewwho　was　a

very　infant　in　the　purity　of　his　mindeven　Newton　was　accused　of

〃dethroning　the　Deity〃　by　his　sublime　discovery　of　the　law　of

gravitation；　and　a　similar　charge　was　made　against　Franklin　for

explaining　the　nature　of　the　thunderbolt。



Spinoza　was　excommunicated　by　the　Jews；　to　whom　he　belonged；

because　of　his　views　of　philosophy；　which　were　supposed　to　be

adverse　to　religion；　and　his　life　was　afterwards　attempted　by　an

assassin　for　the　same　reason。　　Spinoza　remained　courageous　and

self…reliant　to　the　last；　dying　in　obscurity　and　poverty。



The　philosophy　of　Descartes　was　denounced　as　leading　to

irreligion；　the　doctrines　of　Locke　were　said　to　produce

materialism；　and　in　our　own　day；　Dr。　Buckland；　Mr。　Sedgwick；　and

other　leading　geologists；　have　been　accused　of　overturning

revelation　with　regard　to　the　constitution　and　history　of

the　earth。　　Indeed；　there　has　scarcely　been　a　discovery

in　astronomy；　in　natural　history；　or　in　physical　science；

that　has　not　been　attacked　by　the　bigoted　and　narrow…minded

as　leading　to　infidelity。



Other　great　discoverers；　though　they　may　not　have　been　charged

with　irreligion；　have　had　not　less　obloquy　of　a　professional　and

public　nature　to　encounter。　　When　Dr。　Harvey　published　his　theory

of　the　circulation　of　the　blood；　his　practice　fell　off；　（3）　and

the　medical　profession　stigmatised　him　as　a　fool。　　〃The　few　good

things　I　have　been　able　to　do；〃　said　John　Hunter；　〃have　been

accomplished　with　the　greatest　difficulty；　and　encountered　the

greatest　opposition。〃　　Sir　Charles　Bell；　while　employed　in　his

important　investigations　as　to　the　nervous　system；　which　issued　in

one　of　the　greatest　of　physiological　discoveries；　wrote　to　a

friend：　〃If　I　were　not　so　poor；　and　had　not　so　many　vexations　to

encounter；　how　happy　would　I　be！〃　　But　he　himself　observed　that

his　practice　sensibly　fell　off　after　the　publication　of　each

successive　stage　of　his　discovery。



Thus；　nearly　every　enlargement　of　the　domain　of　knowledge；　which

has　made　us　better　acquainted　with　the　heavens；　with　the　earth；

and　with　ourselves；　has　been　established　by　the　energy；　the

devotion；　the　self…sacrifice；　and　the　courage　of　the　great　spirits

of　past　times；　who；　however　much　they　have　been　opposed　or　reviled

by　their　contemporaries；　now　rank　amongst　those　whom　the

enlightened　of　the　human　race　most　delight　to　honour。



Nor　is　the　unjust　intolerance　displayed　towards　men　of　science　in

the　past；　without　its　lesson　for　the　present。　　It　teaches　us　to　be

forbearant　towards　those　who　differ　from　us；　provided　they　observe

patiently；　think　honestly；　and　utter　their　convictions　freely　and

truthfully。　　It　was　a　remark　of　Plato；　that　〃the　world　is　God's

epistle　to　mankind；〃　and　to　read　and　study　that　epistle；　so　as　to

elicit　its　true　meaning；　can　have　no　other　effect　on　a　well…

ordered　mind　than　to　lead　to　a　deeper　impression　of　His　power；

a　clearer　perception　of　His　wisdom；　and　a　more　grateful　sense

of　His　goodness。



While　such　has　been　the　courage　of　the　martyrs　of　science；　not

less　glorious　has　been　the　courage　of　the　martyrs　of　faith。　　The

passive　endurance　of　the　man　or　woman　who；　for　conscience　sake；　is

found　ready　to　suffer　and　to　endure　in　solitude；　without　so　much

as　the　encouragement　of　even　a　single　sympathising　voice；　is　an

exhibition　of　courage　of　a　far　higher　kind　than　that　displayed　in

the　roar　of　battle；　where　even　the　weakest　feels　encouraged　and

inspired　by　the　enthusiasm　of　sympathy　and　the　power　of　numbers。

Time　would　fail　to　tell　of　the　deathless　names　of　those　who

through　faith　in　principles；　and　in　the　face　of　difficulty；

danger；　and　suffering；　〃have　wrought　righteousness　and　waxed

valiant〃　in　the　moral　warfare　of　the　world；　and　been　content　to

lay　down　their　lives　rather　than　prove　false　to　their

conscientious　convictions　of　the　truth。



Men　of　this　stamp；　inspired　by　a　high　sense　of　duty；　have　in　past

times　exhibited　character　in　its　most　heroic　aspects；　and　continue

to　present　to　us　some　of　the　noblest　spectacles　to　be　seen　in

history。　　Even　women；　full　of　tenderness　and　gentleness；　not　less

than　men；　have　in　this　cause　been　found　capable　of　exhibiting　the

most　unflinching　courage。　　Such；　for　instance；　as　that　of　Anne

Askew；　who；　when　racked　until　her　bones　were　dislocated；　uttered

no　cry；　moved　no　muscle；　but　looked　her　tormentors　calmly　in　the

face；　and　refused　either　to　confess　or　to　recant；　or　such　as　that

of　Latimer　and　Ridley；　who；　instead　of　bewailing　their　hard　fate

and　beating　their　breasts；　went　as　cheerfully　to　their　death　as　a

bridegroom　to　the　altarthe　one　bidding　the　other　to　〃be　of　good

comfort；〃　for　that　〃we　shall　this　day　light　such　a　candle　in

England；　by　God's　grace；　as　shall　never　be　put　out；〃　or　such；

again；　as　that　of　Mary　Dyer；　the　Quakeress；　hanged　by　the　Puritans

of　New　England　for　preaching　to　the　people；　who　ascended　the

scaffold　with　a　willing　step；　and；　after　calmly　addressing　those

who　stood　about；　resigned　herself　into　the　hands　of　her

persecutors；　and　died　in　peace　and　joy。



Not　less　courageous　was　the　behaviour　of　the　good　Sir　Thomas　More；

who　marched　willingly　to　the　scaffold；　and　died　cheerfully　there；

rather　than　prove　false　to　his　conscience。　　When　More　had　made　his

final　decision　to　stand　upon　his　principles；　he　felt　as　if　he　had

won　a　victory；　and　said　to　his　son…in…law　Roper：　〃Son　Roper；　I

thank　Our　Lord；　the　field　is　won！〃　　The　Duke　of　Norfolk　told　him

of　his　danger；　saying：　〃By　the　mass；　Master　More；　it　is　perilous

striving　with　princes；　the　anger　of　a　prince　brings　death！〃。　　〃Is

that　all；　my　lord？〃　said　More；　〃then　the　difference　between　you

and　me　is　thisthat　I　shall　die　to…day；　　and　you　to…m