historical lecturers and essays-第22部分

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characters　and　destinies。　　If　the　great　and　wise　philosopher



Iamblicus　believed　such　things；　why　might　not　the　men　of　the



sixteenth　century？







And　so　grew　up　again　in　Europe　a　passion　for　what　were　called　the



Occult　sciences。　　It　had　always　been　haunting　the　European



imagination。　　Mediaeval　monks　had　long　ago　transformed　the　poet



Virgil　into　a　great　necromancer。　　And　there　were　immense　excuses　for



such　a　belief。　　There　was　a　mass　of　collateral　evidence　that　the



occult　sciences　were　true；　which　it　was　impossible　then　to　resist。



Races　far　more　ancient；　learned；　civilised；　than　any　Frenchman；



German；　Englishman；　or　even　Italian；　in　the　fifteenth　century　had



believed　in　these　things。　　The　Moors；　the　best　physicians　of　the



Middle　Ages；　had　their　heads　full；　as　the　〃Arabian　Nights〃　prove；　of



enchanters；　genii；　peris；　and　what　not？　　The　Jewish　rabbis　had　their



Cabala；　which　sprang　up　in　Alexandria；　a　system　of　philosophy



founded　on　the　mystic　meaning　of　the　words　and　the　actual　letters　of



the　text　of　Scripture；　which　some　said　was　given　by　the　angel　Ragiel



to　Adam　in　Paradise；　by　which　Adam　talked　with　angels；　the　sun　and



moon；　summoned　spirits；　interpreted　dreams；　healed　and　destroyed；



and　by　that　book　of　Ragiel；　as　it　was　called；　Solomon　became　the



great　magician　and　master　of　all　the　spirits　and　their　hoarded



treasures。







So　strong；　indeed；　was　the　belief　in　the　mysteries　of　the　Cabala；



that　Reuchlin；　the　restorer　of　Hebrew　learning　in　Germany；　and　Pico



di　Mirandola；　the　greatest　of　Italian　savants；　accepted　them；　and



not　only　Pope　Leo　X。　himself；　but　even　statesmen　and　warriors



received　with　delight　Reuchlin's　cabalistic　treatise；　〃De　Verbo



Mirifico；〃　on　the　mystic　word　〃Schemhamphorash〃that　hidden　name　of



God；　which　whosoever　can　pronounce　aright　is；　for　the　moment；　lord



of　nature　and　of　all　daemons。







Amulets；　too；　and　talismans；　the　faith　in　them　was　exceeding



ancient。　　Solomon　had　his　seal；　by　which　he　commanded　all　daemons；



and　there　is　a　whole　literature　of　curious　nonsense；　which　you　may



read　if　you　will；　about　the　Abraxas　and　other　talismans　of　the



Gnostics　in　Syria；　and　another；　of　the　secret　virtues　which　were



supposed　to　reside　in　gems：　　　especially　in　the　old　Roman　and　Greek



gems；　carved　into　intaglios　with　figures　of　heathen　gods　and



goddesses。　　Lapidaria；　or　lists　of　these　gems　and　their　magical



virtues；　were　not　uncommon　in　the　Middle　Ages。　　You　may　read　a　great



deal　that　is　interesting　about　them　at　the　end　of　Mr。　King's　book　on



gems。







Astrology　too；　though　Pico　di　Mirandola　might　set　himself　against



the　rest　of　the　world；　few　were　found　daring　enough　to　deny　so



ancient　a　science。　　Luther　and　Melancthon　merely　followed　the



regular　tradition　of　public　opinion　when　they　admitted　its　truth。



It　sprang　probably　from　the　worship　of　the　Seven　Planets　by　the　old



Chaldees。　　It　was　brought　back　from　Babylon　by　the　Jews　after　the



Captivity；　and　spread　over　all　Europeperhaps　all　Asia　likewise。







The　rich　and　mighty　of　the　earth　must　needs　have　their　nativities



cast；　and　consult　the　stars；　and　Cornelius　Agrippa　gave　mortal



offence　to　the　Queen…Dowager　of　France　（mother　of　Francis　I。）



because；　when　she　compelled　him　to　consult　the　stars　about　Francis's



chance　of　getting　out　of　his　captivity　in　Spain　after　the　battle　of



Pavia；　he　wrote　and　spoke　his　mind　honestly　about　such　nonsense。







Even　Newton　seems　to　have　hankered　after　it　when　young。　　Among　his



MSS。　in　Lord　Portsmouth's　library　at　Hurstbourne　are　whole　folios　of



astrologic　calculations。　　It　went　on　till　the　end　of　the　seventeenth



century；　and　died　out　only　when　men　had　begun　to　test　it；　and　all



other　occult　sciences；　by　experience；　and　induction　founded　thereon。







Countless　students　busied　themselves　over　the　transmutation　of



metals。　　As　for　magic；　necromancy；　pyromancy；　geomancy；



coscinomancy；　and　all　the　other　manciesthere　was　then　a　whole



literature　about　them。　　And　the　witch…burning　inquisitors　like



Sprenger；　Bodin；　Delrio；　and　the　rest；　believed　as　firmly　in　the



magic　powers　of　the　poor　wretches　whom　they　tortured　to　death；　as



did；　in　many　cases；　the　poor　wretches　themselves。







Everyone；　almost；　believed　in　magic。　　Take　two　cases。　　Read　the



story　which　Benvenuto　Cellini；　the　sculptor；　tells　in　his　life



（everyone　should　read　it）　of　the　magician　whom　he　consults　in　the



Coliseum　at　Rome；　and　the　figure　which　he　sees　as　he　walks　back　with



the　magician；　jumping　from　roof　to　roof　along　the　tiles　of　the



houses。







And　listen　to　this　story；　which　Mr。　Froude　has　dug　up　in　his



researches。　　A　Church　commissioner　at　Oxford；　at　the　beginning　of



the　Reformation；　being　unable　to　track　an　escaped　heretic；　〃caused　a



figure　to　be　made　by　an　expert　in　astronomy；〃　by　which　it　was



discovered　that　the　poor　wretch　had　fled　in　a　tawny　coat　and　was



making　for　the　sea。　　Conceive　the　respected　head　of　your　Collegeor



whoever　he　may　bein　case　you　slept　out　all　night　without　leave；



going　to　a　witch　to　discover　whether　you　had　gone　to　London　or　to



Huntingdon；　and　then　writing　solemnly　to　inform　the　Bishop　of　Ely　of



his　meritorious　exertions！







In　such　a　mad　world　as　this　was　Paracelsus　born。　　The　son　of　a　Swiss



physician；　but　of　noble　blood；　Philip　Aureolus　Theophrastus　was　his



Christian　name；　Bombast　von　Hohenheim　his　surname；　which　last　word



he　turned；　after　the　fashion　of　the　times；　into　Paracelsus。　　Born　in



1493　at　Einsiedeln　（the　hermitage）；　in　Schweiz；　which　is　still　a



famous　place　of　pilgrimage；　he　was　often　called　Eremitathe　hermit。



Erasmus；　in　a　letter　still　extant；　but　suspected　not　to　be　genuine；



addressed　him　by　that　name。







How　he　passed　the　first　thirty…three　years　of　his　life　it　is　hard　to



say。　　He　used　to　boast　that　he　had　wandered　over　all　Europe；　been　in



Sweden；　Italy；　in　Constantinople；　and　perhaps　in　the　far　East；　with



barber…surgeons；　alchemists；　magicians；　haunting　mines；　and　forges



of　Sweden　and　Bohemia；　especially　those　which　the　rich　merchants　of



that　day　had　in　the　Tyrol。







It　was　from　that　work；　he　said；　that　he　learnt　what　he　knew：　　　from



the　study　of　nature　and　of　facts。　　He　had　heard　all　the　learned



doctors　and　professors；　he　had　read　all　their　books；　and　they　could



teach　him　nothing。　　Medicine　was　his　monarch；　and　no　one　else。　　He



declared　that　there　was　more　wisdom　under　his　bald　pate　than　in



Aristotle　and　Galen；　Hippocrates　and　Rhasis。　　And　fact　seemed　to　be



on　his　side。　　He　reappeared　in　Germany　about　1525；　and　began　working



wondrous　cures。　　He　had　brought　back　with　him　from　the　East　an



arcanum；　a　secret　remedy；　and　laudanum　was　its　name。　　He　boasted；



says　one　of　his　enemies；　that　he　could　raise　the　dead　to　life　with



it；　and　so　the　event　all　but　proved。　　Basle　was　then　the　university



where　free　thought　and　free　creeds　found　their　safest　home；　and



hither　OEcolampadius　the　reformer　invited　young　Paracelsus　to



lecture　on　medicine　and　natural　science。







It　would　have　been　well　for　him；　perhaps；　had　he　never　opened　his



lips。　　He　might　have　done　good　enough　to　his　fellow…creatures　by　his



own　undoubted　powers　of　healing。　　He　cured　John　Frobenius；　the



printer；　Erasmus's　friend；　at　Basle；　when　the　doctors　were　going　to



cut　his　leg　off。　　His　fame　spread　far　and　wide。　　Round　Basle　and



away　into　Alsace　he　was　looked　on；　even　an　enemy　says；　as　a　new



AEsculapius。







But　these　were　days　in　which　in　a　university　everyone　was　expected



to　talk　and　teach；　and　so　Paracelsus　began　lecturing；　and　then　the



weakness　which　was　mingled　with　his　strength　showed　itself。　　He



began　by　burning　openly　the　books　of　Galen　and　Avicenna；　and



declared　that　all　the　old　knowledge　was　useless。　　Doctors　and



students　alike　must　begin　over　again　with　him。　　The　dons　were



horrified。　　To　burn　Galen　and　Avicenna　was　as　bad　as　burning　the



Bible。　　And　more　horrified　still　were　they　when　Paracelsus　began



lecturing；　not　in　the　time…honoured　dog…Latin；　but　in　good　racy



German；　which　everyone　could　understand。　　They　shuddered　under　their



red　gowns　and　hats。　　If　science　was　to　be　taught　in　German；　farewell



to　the　Galenists'　formulas；　and　their　lucrative　monopoly　of



learning。　　Paracelsus　was　bold　enough　to　say　that　he　wished　to　break



up　their　monopoly；　to　spread　a　popular　knowledge　of　medicine。　　〃How



much；〃　he　wrote　once；　〃would　I　endure　and　suffer；　to　see　every　man



his　own　shepherdhis　own　healer。〃　　He　laughed　to　scorn　their　long



prescriptions；　used　the　simplest　drugs；　and　declared　Nature；　after



all；　to　be　the　best　physicianas　a　dog；　he　says；　licks　his　wound



well　again　without　our　help；　or　as　the　broken　rib　of　the　ox　heals　of



its　own　accord。







Such　a　man　was　not　to　be　endured。　　They　hated　him；　he　says；　for　the



same　reason　that　they　hated　Luther；　for　the　same　reason　that　the



Pharisees　hated　Christ。　　He　met　their　attacks　with　scorn；　rage；　and



language　as　coarse　and　violent　as　their　own。　　The　coarseness　and



violence　of　those　days　seem　incredible　to　us　now；　and；　indeed；



Paracelsus；　as　he　confessed　himself；　was；　though　of　gentle　blood；



rough　and　unpolished；　and　utterly；　as　one　can　see　from　his　writings；



unable　to　give　and　take；　to　conciliateperhaps　to　pardon。　　He



looked　impatiently　on　these　men　who　were　（not　unreasonably）　opposing



novelties　which　they　could　not　understand；　as　enemies　of　God；　who



were　balking　him　in　his　grand　plan　for　re