historical lecturers and essays-第14部分

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still　in　Paradise；　and　founded　Montpellier；　the　mother　of　all　the



universities　in　Europe。　　Nay；　some　went　farther　still；　and　told　of



Bengessaus　and　Ferragius；　the　physicians　of　Charlemagne；　and　of



Marilephus；　chief　physician　of　King　Chilperic；　and　evenif　a　letter



of　St。　Bernard's　was　to　be　believedof　a　certain　bishop　who　went　as



early　as　the　second　century　to　consult　the　doctors　of　Montpellier；



and　it　would　have　been　in　vain　to　reply　to　them　that　in　those　days；



and　long　after　them；　Montpellier　was　not　yet　built。　　The　facts　are



said　to　be：　　　that　as　early　as　the　beginning　of　the　thirteenth



century　Montpellier　had　its　schools　of　law；　medicine；　and　arts；



which　were　erected　into　a　university　by　Pope　Nicholas　IV。　in　1289。







The　university　of　Montpellier；　likeI　believemost　foreign　ones；



resembled　more　a　Scotch　than　an　English　university。　　The　students



lived；　for　the　most　part；　not　in　colleges；　but　in　private　lodgings；



and　constituted　a　republic　of　their　own；　ruled　by　an　abbe　of　the



scholars；　one　of　themselves；　chosen　by　universal　suffrage。　　A　terror



they　were　often　to　the　respectable　burghers；　for　they　had　all　the



right　to　carry　arms；　and　a　plague　likewise；　for；　if　they　ran　in



debt；　their　creditors　were　forbidden　to　seize　their　books；　which；



with　their　swords；　were　generally　all　the　property　they　possessed。



If；　moreover；　anyone　set　up　a　noisy　or　unpleasant　trade　near　their



lodgings；　the　scholars　could　compel　the　town　authorities　to　turn　him



out。　　They　were　most　of　them；　probably；　mere　boys　of　from　twelve　to



twenty；　living　poorly；　working　hard；　andthose　at　least　of　them　who



were　in　the　collegescruelly　beaten　daily；　after　the　fashion　of



those　times；　but　they　seem　to　have　comforted　themselves　under　their



troubles　by　a　good　deal　of　wild　life　out　of　school；　by　rambling　into



the　country　on　the　festivals　of　the　saints；　and　now　and　then　by



acting　plays；　notably；　that　famous　one　which　Rabelais　wrote　for　them



in　1531：　　　〃The　moral　comedy　of　the　man　who　had　a　dumb　wife；〃　which



〃joyous　PATELINAGE〃　remains　unto　this　day　in　the　shape　of　a　well…



known　comic　song。　　That　comedy　young　Rondelet　must　have　seen　acted。



The　son　of　a　druggist；　spicer；　and　grocerthe　three　trades　were



then　combinedin　Montpellier；　and　born　in　1507；　he　had　been



destined　for　the　cloister；　being　a　sickly　lad。　　His　uncle；　one　of



the　canons　of　Maguelonne；　near　by；　had　even　given　him　the　revenues



of　a　small　chapela　job　of　nepotism　which　was　common　enough　in



those　days。　　But　his　heart　was　in　science　and　medicine。　　He　set　off；



still　a　mere　boy；　to　Paris　to　study　there；　and　returned　to



Montpellier；　at　the　age　of　eighteen；　to　study　again。







The　next　year；　1530；　while　still　a　scholar　himself；　he　was　appointed



procurator　of　the　scholarsa　post　which　brought　him　in　a　small　fee



on　each　matriculationand　that　year　he　took　a　fee；　among　others；



from　one　of　the　most　remarkable　men　of　that　or　of　any　age；　Francois



Rabelais　himself。







And　what　shall　I　say　of　him？who　stands　alone；　like　Shakespeare；　in



his　generation；　possessed　of　colossal　learningof　all　science　which



could　be　gathered　in　his　daysof　practical　and　statesmanlike



wisdomof　knowledge　of　languages；　ancient　and　modern；　beyond　all



his　compeersof　eloquence；　which　when　he　speaks　of　pure　and　noble



things　becomes　heroic；　and；　as　it　were；　inspiredof　scorn　for



meanness；　hypocrisy；　ignoranceof　esteem；　genuine　and　earnest；　for



the　Holy　Scriptures；　and　for　the　more　moderate　of　the　Reformers　who



were　spreading　the　Scriptures　in　Europe；and　all　this　great　light



wilfully　hidden；　not　under　a　bushel；　but　under　a　dunghill。　　He　is



somewhat　like　Socrates　in　face；　and　in　character　likewise；　in　him；



as　in　Socrates；　the　demigod　and　the　satyr；　the　man　and　the　ape；　are



struggling　for　the　mastery。　　In　Socrates；　the　true　man　conquers；　and



comes　forth　high　and　pure；　in　Rabelais；　alas！　the　victor　is　the　ape；



while　the　man　himself　sinks　down　in　cynicism；　sensuality；　practical



jokes；　foul　talk。　　He　returns　to　Paris；　to　live　an　idle；　luxurious



life；　to　diesays　the　legendsaying；　〃I　go　to　seek　a　great



perhaps；〃　and　to　leave　behind　him　little　save　a　school　of



Pantagruelistscareless　young　gentlemen；　whose　ideal　was　to　laugh



at　everything；　to　believe　in　nothing；　and　to　gratify　their　five



senses　like　the　brutes　which　perish。　　There　are　those　who　read　his



books　to　make　them　laugh；　the　wise　man；　when　he　reads　them；　will　be



far　more　inclined　to　weep。　　Let　any　young　man　who　may　see　these



words　remember；　that　in　him；　as　in　Rabelais；　the　ape　and　the　man　are



struggling　for　the　mastery。　　Let　him　take　warning　by　the　fate　of　one



who　was　to　him　as　a　giant　to　a　pigmy；　and　think　of　Tennyson's　words



…











Arise；　and　fly



The　reeling　faun；　the　sensual　feast；



Strive　upwards；　working　out　the　beast；



And　let　the　ape　and　tiger　die。











But　to　return。　　Down　among　them　there　at　Montpellier；　like　a



brilliant　meteor；　flashed　this　wonderful　Rabelais；　in　the　year　1530。



He　had　fled；　some　say；　for　his　life。　　Like　Erasmus；　he　had　no　mind



to　be　a　martyr；　and　he　had　been　terrified　at　the　execution　of　poor



Louis　de　Berquin；　his　friend；　and　the　friend　of　Erasmus　likewise。



This　Louis　de　Berquin；　a　man　well　known　in　those　days；　was　a　gallant



young　gentleman　and　scholar；　holding　a　place　in　the　court　of　Francis



I。；　who　had　translated　into　French　the　works　of　Erasmus；　Luther；　and



Melancthon；　and　had　asserted　that　it　was　heretical　to　invoke　the



Virgin　Mary　instead　of　the　Holy　Spirit；　or　to　call　her　our　Hope　and



our　Life；　which　titlesBerquin　averredbelonged　alone　to　God。



Twice　had　the　doctors　of　the　Sorbonne；　with　that　terrible



persecutor；　Noel　Beda；　at　their　head；　seized　poor　Berquin；　and　tried



to　burn　his　books　and　him；　twice　had　that　angel　in　human　form；



Marguerite　d'Angouleme；　sister　of　Francis　I。；　saved　him　from　their



clutches；　but　when　Francistaken　prisoner　at　the　battle　of　Pavia



at　last　returned　from　his　captivity　in　Spain；　the　suppression　of



heresy　and　the　burning　of　heretics　seemed　to　him　and　to　his　mother；



Louise　of　Savoy；　a　thank…offering　so　acceptable　to　God；　that　Louis



Berquinwho　would　not；　in　spite　of　the　entreaties　of　Erasmus；



purchase　his　life　by　silencewas　burnt　at　last　on　the　Place　de



Greve；　being　first　strangled；　because　he　was　of　gentle　blood。







Montpellier　received　its　famous　guest　joyfully。　　Rabelais　was　now



forty…two　years　old；　and　a　distinguished　savant；　so　they　excused　him



his　three　years'　undergraduate's　career；　and　invested　him　at　once



with　the　red　gown　of　the　bachelors。　　That　red　gownor；　rather；　the



ragged　phantom　of　itis　still　shown　at　Montpellier；　and　must　be



worn　by　each　bachelor　when　he　takes　his　degree。　　Unfortunately；



antiquarians　assure　us　that　the　precious　garment　has　been　renewed



again　and　againthe　students　having　clipped　bits　of　it　away　for



relics；　and　clipped　as　earnestly　from　the　new　gowns　as　their



predecessors　had　done　from　the　authentic　original。







Doubtless；　the　coming　of　such　a　man　among　them　to　lecture　on　the



Aphorisms　of　Hippocrates；　and　the　Ars　Parva　of　Galen；　not　from　the



Latin　translations　then　in　use；　but　from　original　Greek　texts；　with



comments　and　corrections　of　his　own；　must　have　had　a　great　influence



on　the　minds　of　the　Montpellier　students；　and　still　more　influence



and　that　not　altogether　a　good　onemust　Rabelais's　lighter　talk



have　had；　as　he　loungedso　the　story　goesin　his　dressing…gown



upon　the　public　place；　picking　up　quaint　stories　from　the　cattle…



drivers　off　the　Cevennes；　and　the　villagers　who　came　in　to　sell



their　olives　and　their　grapes；　their　vinegar　and　their　vine…twig



faggots；　as　they　do　unto　this　day。　　To　him　may　be　owing　much　of　the



sound　respect　for　natural　science；　and　much；　too；　of　the　contempt



for　the　superstition　around　them；　which　is　notable　in　that　group　of



great　naturalists　who　were　boys　in　Montpellier　at　that　day。



Rabelais　seems　to　have　liked　Rondelet；　and　no　wonder：　　　he　was　a



cheery；　lovable；　honest　little　fellow；　very　fond　of　jokes；　a　great



musician　and　player　on　the　violin；　and　who；　when　he　grew　rich；　liked



nothing　so　well　as　to　bring　into　his　house　any　buffoon　or　strolling…



player　to　make　fun　for　him。　　Vivacious　he　was；　hot…tempered；



forgiving；　and　with　a　power　of　learning　and　a　power　of　work　which



were　prodigious；　even　in　those　hard…working　days。　　Rabelais　chaffs



Rondelet；　under　the　name　of　Rondibilis；　for；　indeed；　Rondelet　grew



up　into　a　very　round；　fat；　little　man；　but　Rabelais　puts　excellent



sense　into　his　mouth；　cynical　enough；　and　too　cynical；　but　both



learned　and　humorous；　and；　if　he　laughs　at　him　for　being　shocked　at



the　offer　of　a　fee；　and　taking　it；　nevertheless；　kindly　enough；



Rondelet　is　not　the　first　doctor　who　has　done　that；　neither　will　he



be　the　last。







Rondelet；　in　his　turn；　put　on　the　red　robe　of　the　bachelor；　and



received；　on　taking　his　degree；　his　due　share　of　fisticuffs　from　his



dearest　friends；　according　to　the　ancient　custom　of　the　University



of　Montpellier。　　He　then　went　off　to　practise　medicine　in　a　village



at　the　foot　of　the　Alps；　and；　half…starved；　to　teach　little



children。　　Then　he　found　he　must　learn　Greek；　went　off　to　Paris　a



second　time；　and　alleviated　his　poverty　there　somewhat　by　becoming



tutor　to　a　son　of　the　Viscomte　de　Turenne。　　There　he　met　Gonthier　of



Andernach；　who　had　taught　anatomy　at　Louvain　to　the　great　Vesalius；



and　learned　from　him　to　dissect。　　We　n