historical lecturers and essays-第15部分

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



and　learned　from　him　to　dissect。　　We　next　find　him　setting　up　as　a



medical　man　amid　the　wild　volcanic　hills　of　the　Auvergne；　struggling



still　with　poverty；　like　Erasmus；　like　George　Buchanan；　like　almost



every　great　scholar　in　those　days；　for　students　then　had　to　wander



from　place　to　place；　generally　on　foot；　in　search　of　new　teachers；



in　search　of　books；　in　search　of　the　necessaries　of　life；　undergoing



such　an　amount　of　bodily　and　mental　toil　as　makes　it　wonderful　that



all　of　them　did　notas　some　of　them　doubtless　diddie　under　the



hard　training；　or；　at　best；　desert　the　penurious　Muses　for　the



paternal　shop　or　plough。







Rondelet　got　his　doctorate　in　1537；　and　next　year　fell　in　love　with



and　married　a　beautiful　young　girl　called　Jeanne　Sandre；　who　seems



to　have　been　as　poor　as　he。







But　he　had　gained；　meanwhile；　a　powerful　patron；　and　the　patronage



of　the　great　was　then　as　necessary　to　men　of　letters　as　the



patronage　of　the　public　is　now。　　Guillaume　Pellicier；　Bishop　of



Maguelonneor　rather　then　of　Montpellier　itself；　whither　he　had



persuaded　Paul　II。　to　transfer　the　ancient　seewas　a　model　of　the



literary　gentleman　of　the　sixteenth　century；　a　savant；　a　diplomat；　a



collector　of　books　and　manuscripts；　Greek；　Hebrew；　and　Syriac；　which



formed　the　original　nucleus　of　the　present　library　of　the　Louvre；　a



botanist；　too；　who　loved　to　wander　with　Rondelet　collecting　plants



and　flowers。　　He　retired　from　public　life　to　peace　and　science　at



Montpellier；　when　to　the　evil　days　of　his　master；　Francis　I。；



succeeded　the　still　worse　days　of　Henry　II。；　and　Diana　of　Poitiers。



That　Jezebel　of　France　could　conceive　no　more　natural　or　easy　way　of



atoning　for　her　own　sins　than　that　of　hunting　down　heretics；　and



feasting　her　wicked　eyesso　it　is　saidupon　their　dying　torments。



Bishop　Pellicier　fell　under　suspicion　of　heresy：　　　very　probably



with　some　justice。　　He　fell；　too；　under　suspicion　of　leading　a　life



unworthy　of　a　celibate　churchman；　a　fault　whichif　it　really



existedwas；　in　those　days；　pardonable　enough　in　an　orthodox



prelate；　but　not　so　in　one　whose　orthodoxy　was　suspected。　　And　for



awhile　Pellicier　was　in　prison。　　After　his　release　he　gave　himself



up　to　science；　with　Rondelet　and　the　school　of　disciples　who　were



growing　up　around　him。　　They　rediscovered　together　the　Garum；　that



classic　sauce；　whose　praises　had　been　sung　of　old　by　Horace；



Martial；　and　Ausonius；　and　so　child…like；　superstitious　if　you　will；



was　the　reverence　in　the　sixteenth　century　for　classic　antiquity；



that　when　Pellicier　and　Rondelet　discovered　that　the　Garum　was　made



from　the　fish　called　Picarelcalled　Garon　by　the　fishers　of



Antibes；　and　Giroli　at　Venice；　both　these　last　names　corruptions　of



the　Latin　Gerresthen　did　the　two　fashionable　poets　of　France；



Etienne　Dolet　and　Clement　Marot；　think　it　not　unworthy　of　their　muse



to　sing　the　praises　of　the　sauce　which　Horace　had　sung　of　old。　　A



proud　day；　too；　was　it　for　Pellicier　and　Rondelet；　when　wandering



somewhere　in　the　marshes　of　the　Camargue；　a　scent　of　garlic　caught



the　nostrils　of　the　gentle　bishop；　and　in　the　lovely　pink　flowers　of



the　water…germander　he　recognised　the　Scordium　of　the　ancients。



〃The　discovery；〃　says　Professor　Planchon；　〃made　almost　as　much　noise



as　that　of　the　famous　Garum；　for　at　that　moment　of　naive　fervour　on



behalf　of　antiquity；　to　re…discover　a　plant　of　Dioscorides　or　of



Pliny　was　a　good　fortune　and　almost　an　event。〃







I　know　not　whether；　after　his　death；　the　good　bishop's　bones　reposed



beneath　some　gorgeous　tomb；　bedizened　with　the　incongruous　half…



Pagan　statues　of　the　Renaissance；　but　this　at　least　is　certain；　that



Rondelet's　disciples　imagined　for　him　a　monument　more　enduring　than



of　marble　or　of　brass；　more　graceful　and　more　curiously　wrought　than



all　the　sculptures　of　Torrigiano　or　Cellini；　Baccio　Bandinelli　or



Michael　Angelo　himself。　　For　they　named　a　lovely　little　lilac



snapdragon；　Linaria　Domini　Pellicerii〃Lord　Pellicier's　toad…flax；〃



and　that　name　it　will　keep；　we　may　believe；　as　long　as　winter　and



summer　shall　endure。







But　to　return。　　To　this　good　Patronwho　was　the　Ambassador　at



Venicethe　newly…married　Rondelet　determined　to　apply　for



employment；　and　to　Venice　he　would　have　gone；　leaving　his　bride



behind；　had　he　not　been　stayed　by　one　of　those　angels　who　sometimes



walk　the　earth　in　women's　shape。　　Jeanne　Sandre　had　an　elder　sister；



Catharine；　who　had　brought　her　up。　　She　was　married　to　a　wealthy



man；　but　she　had　no　children　of　her　own。　　For　four　years　she　and　her



good　husband　had　let　the　Rondelets　lodge　with　them；　and　now　she　was



a　widow；　and　to　part　with　them　was　more　than　she　could　bear。　　She



carried　Rondelet　off　from　the　students　who　were　seeing　him　safe　out



of　the　city；　brought　him　back；　settled　on　him　the　same　day　half　her



fortune；　and　soon　after　settled　on　him　the　whole；　on　the　sole



condition　that　she　should　live　with　him　and　her　sister。　　For　years



afterwards　she　watched　over　the　pretty　young　wife　and　her　two　girls



and　three　boysthe　three　boys；　alas！　all　died　youngand　over



Rondelet　himself；　who；　immersed　in　books　and　experiments；　was



utterly　careless　about　money；　and　was　to　them　all　a　mother



advising；　guiding；　managing；　and　regarded　by　Rondelet　with　genuine



gratitude　as　his　guardian　angel。







Honour　and　good　fortune；　in　a　worldly　sense；　now　poured　in　upon　the



druggist's　son。　　Pellicier；　his　own　bishop；　stood　godfather　to　his



first…born　daughter。　　Montluc；　Bishop　of　Valence；　and　that　wise　and



learned　statesman；　the　Cardinal　of　Tournon；　stood　godfathers　a　few



years　later　to　his　twin　boys；　and　what　was　of　still　more　solid　worth



to　him；　Cardinal　Tournon　took　him　to　Antwerp；　Bordeaux；　Bayonne；　and



more　than　once　to　Rome；　and　in　these　Italian　journeys　of　his　he



collected　many　facts　for　the　great　work　of　his　life；　that　〃History



of　Fishes〃　which　he　dedicated；　naturally　enough；　to　the　cardinal。



This　book　with　its　plates　is；　for　the　time；　a　masterpiece　of



accuracy。　　Those　who　are　best　acquainted　with　the　subject　say；　that



it　is　up　to　the　present　day　a　key　to　the　whole　ichthyology　of　the



Mediterranean。　　Two　other　men；　Belon　and　Salviani；　were　then　at　work



on　the　same　subject；　and　published　their　books　almost　at　the　same



time；　a　circumstance　which　caused；　as　was　natural；　a　three…cornered



duel　between　the　supporters　of　the　three　naturalists；　each　party



accusing　the　other　of　plagiarism。　　The　simple　fact　seems　to　be　that



the　almost　simultaneous　appearance　of　the　three　books　in　1554…55　is



one　of　those　coincidences　inevitable　at　moments　when　many　minds　are



stirred　in　the　same　direction　by　the　same　great　thoughts



coincidences　which　have　happened　in　our　own　day　on　questions　of



geology；　biology；　and　astronomy；　and　which；　when　the　facts　have　been



carefully　examined；　and　the　first　flush　of　natural　jealousy　has



cooled　down；　have　proved　only　that　there　were　more　wise　men　than　one



in　the　world　at　the　same　time。







And　this　sixteenth　century　was　an　age　in　which　the　minds　of　men　were



suddenly　and　strangely　turned　to　examine　the　wonders　of　nature　with



an　earnestness；　with　a　reverence；　and　therefore　with　an　accuracy；



with　which　they　had　never　been　investigated　before。　　〃Nature；〃　says



Professor　Planchon；　〃long　veiled　in　mysticism　and　scholasticism；　was



opening　up　infinite　vistas。　　A　new　superstition；　the　exaggerated



worship　of　the　ancients；　was　nearly　hindering　this　movement　of



thought　towards　facts。　　Nevertheless；　Learning　did　her　work。　　She



rediscovered；　reconstructed；　purified；　commented　on　the　texts　of



ancient　authors。　　Then　came　in　observation；　which　showed　that　more



was　to　be　seen　in　one　blade　of　grass　than　in　any　page　of　Pliny。



Rondelet　was　in　the　middle　of　this　crisis　a　man　of　transition；　while



he　was　one　of　progress。　　He　reflected　the　past；　he　opened　and



prepared　the　future。　　If　he　commented　on　Dioscorides；　if　he　remained



faithful　to　the　theories　of　Galen；　he　founded　in　his　'History　of



Fishes'　a　monument　which　our　century　respects。　　He　is　above　all　an



inspirer；　an　initiator；　and　if　he　wants　one　mark　of　the　leader　of　a



school；　the　foundation　of　certain　scientific　doctrines；　there　is　in



his　speech　what　is　better　than　all　systems；　the　communicative　power



which　urges　a　generation　of　disciples　along　the　path　of　independent



research；　with　Reason　for　guide；　and　Faith　for　aim。〃







Around　Rondelet；　in　those　years；　sometimes　indeed　in　his　housefor



professors　in　those　days　took　private　pupils　as　lodgersworked　the



group　of　botanists　whom　Linnaeus　calls　〃the　Fathers；〃　the　authors　of



the　descriptive　botany　of　the　sixteenth　century。　　Their　names；　and



those　of　their　disciples　and　their　disciples　again；　are　household



words　in　the　mouth　of　every　gardener；　immortalised；　like　good　Bishop



Pellicier；　in　the　plants　that　have　been　named　after　them。　　The



Lobelia　commemorates　Lobel；　one　of　Rondelet's　most　famous　pupils；



who　wrote　those　〃Adversaria〃　which　contain　so　many　curious　sketches



of　Rondelet's　botanical　expeditions；　and　who　inherited　his　botanical



（as　Joubert　his　biographer　inherited　his　anatomical）　manuscripts。



The　Magnolia　commemorates　the　Magnols；　the　Sarracenia；　Sarrasin　of



Lyons；　the　Bauhinia；　Jean　Bauhin；　the　Fuchsia；　Bauhin's　earlier



German　master；　Leonard　Fuchs；　and　the　Clusiathe　received　name　of



that　terrible　〃Matapalo〃　or　〃Scotch　attorney；〃