historical lecturers and essays-第24部分

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clear　as　daya　tragical　face；　as　you　well　can　see。







God　keep　us　all　from　making　our　lives　a　tragedy　by　one　great　sin。



And　now　let　us　end　this　sad　story　with　the　last　words　which　Mr。



Browning　puts　into　the　mouth　of　Paracelsus；　dying　in　the　hospital　at



Salzburg；　which　have　come　literally　true：











Meanwhile；　I　have　done　well　though　not　all　well。



As　yet　men　cannot　do　without　contempt；



'Tis　for　their　good；　and　therefore　fit　awhile



That　they　reject　the　weak　and　scorn　the　false；



Rather　than　praise　the　strong　and　true　in　me：



But　after；　they　will　know　me。　　If　I　stoop



Into　a　dark　tremendous　sea　of　cloud；



It　is　but　for　a　time。　　I　press　God's　lamp



Close　to　my　breast；　its　splendour；　soon　or　late；



Will　pierce　the　gloom。　　I　shall　emerge　one　day。















GEORGE　BUCHANAN；　SCHOLAR















The　scholar；　in　the　sixteenth　century；　was　a　far　more　important



personage　than　now。　　The　supply　of　learned　men　was　very　small；　the



demand　for　them　very　great。　　During　the　whole　of　the　fifteenth；　and



a　great　part　of　the　sixteenth　century；　the　human　mind　turned　more



and　more　from　the　scholastic　philosophy　of　the　Middle　Ages　to　that



of　the　Romans　and　the　Greeks；　and　found　more　and　more　in　old　Pagan



Art　an　element　which　Monastic　Art　had　not；　and　which　was　yet



necessary　for　the　full　satisfaction　of　their　craving　after　the



Beautiful。　　At　such　a　crisis　of　thought　and　taste；　it　was　natural



that　the　classical　scholar；　the　man　who　knew　old　Rome；　and　still



more　old　Greece；　should　usurp　the　place　of　the　monk；　as　teacher　of



mankind；　and　that　scholars　should　form；　for　a　while；　a　new　and



powerful　aristocracy；　limited　and　privileged；　and　all　the　more



redoubtable；　because　its　power　lay　in　intellect；　and　had　been　won　by



intellect　alone。







Those　who；　whether　poor　or　rich；　did　not　fear　the　monk　and　priest；



at　least　feared　the　〃scholar；〃　who　held；　so　the　vulgar　believed；　the



keys　of　that　magic　lore　by　which　the　old　necromancers　had　built



cities　like　Rome；　and　worked　marvels　of　mechanical　and　chemical



skill；　which　the　degenerate　modern　could　never　equal。







If　the　〃scholar〃　stopped　in　a　town；　his　hostess　probably　begged　of



him　a　charm　against　toothache　or　rheumatism。　　The　penniless　knight



discoursed　with　him　on　alchemy；　and　the　chances　of　retrieving　his



fortune　by　the　art　of　transmuting　metals　into　gold。　　The　queen　or



bishop　worried　him　in　private　about　casting　their　nativities；　and



finding　their　fates　among　the　stars。　　But　the　statesman；　who　dealt



with　more　practical　matters；　hired　him　as　an　advocate　and



rhetorician；　who　could　fight　his　master's　enemies　with　the　weapons



of　Demosthenes　and　Cicero。　　Wherever　the　scholar's　steps　were



turned；　he　might　be　master　of　others；　as　long　as　he　was　master　of



himself。　　The　complaints　which　he　so　often　uttered　concerning　the



cruelty　of　fortune；　the　fickleness　of　princes　and　so　forth；　were



probably　no　more　just　then　than　such　complaints　are　now。　　Then；　as



now；　he　got　his　deserts；　and　the　world　bought　him　at　his　own　price。



If　he　chose　to　sell　himself　to　this　patron　and　to　that；　he　was　used



and　thrown　away：　　　if　he　chose　to　remain　in　honourable　independence；



he　was　courted　and　feared。







Among　the　successful　scholars　of　the　sixteenth　century；　none　surely



is　more　notable　than　George　Buchanan。　　The　poor　Scotch　widow's　son；



by　force　of　native　wit；　and；　as　I　think；　by　force　of　native　worth；



fights　his　way　upward；　through　poverty　and　severest　persecution；　to



become　the　correspondent　and　friend　of　the　greatest　literary



celebrities　of　the　Continent；　comparable；　in　their　opinion；　to　the



best　Latin　poets　of　antiquity；　the　preceptor　of　princes；　the



counsellor　and　spokesman　of　Scotch　statesmen　in　the　most　dangerous



of　times；　and　leaves　behind　him　political　treatises；　which　have



influenced　not　only　the　history　of　his　own　country；　but　that　of　the



civilised　world。







Such　a　success　could　not　be　attained　without　making　enemies；　perhaps



without　making　mistakes。　　But　the　more　we　study　George　Buchanan's



history；　the　less　we　shall　be　inclined　to　hunt　out　his　failings；　the



more　inclined　to　admire　his　worth。　　A　shrewd；　sound…hearted；



affectionate　man；　with　a　strong　love　of　right　and　scorn　of　wrong；



and　a　humour　withal　which　saved　himexcept　on　really　great



occasionsfrom　bitterness；　and　helped　him　to　laugh　where　narrower



natures　would　have　only　snarled；he　is；　in　many　respects；　a　type　of



those　Lowland　Scots；　who　long　preserved　his　jokes；　genuine　or



reputed；　as　a　common　household　book。　｛16｝　　A　schoolmaster　by



profession；　and　struggling　for　long　years　amid　the　temptations



which；　in　those　days；　degraded　his　class　into　cruel　and　sordid



pedants；　he　rose　from　the　mere　pedagogue　to　be；　in　the　best　sense　of



the　word；　a　courtier：　　　〃One；〃　says　Daniel　Heinsius；　〃who　seemed　not



only　born　for　a　court；　but　born　to　amend　it。　　He　brought　to　his



queen　that　at　which　she　could　not　wonder　enough。　　For；　by　affecting



a　certain　liberty　in　censuring　morals；　he　avoided　all　offence；　under



the　cloak　of　simplicity。〃　　Of　him　and　his　compeers；　Turnebus；　and



Muretus；　and　their　friend　Andrea　Govea；　Ronsard；　the　French　court



poet；　said　that　they　had　nothing　of　the　pedagogue　about　them　but　the



gown　and　cap。　　〃Austere　in　face；　and　rustic　in　his　looks；〃　says



David　Buchanan；　〃but　most　polished　in　style　and　speech；　and



continually；　even　in　serious　conversation；　jesting　most　wittily。〃



〃Rough…hewn；　slovenly；　and　rude；〃　says　Peacham；　in　his　〃Compleat



Gentleman；〃　speaking　of　him；　probably；　as　he　appeared　in　old　age；



〃in　his　person；　behaviour；　and　fashion；　seldom　caring　for　a　better



outside　than　a　rugge…gown　girt　close　about　him：　　　yet　his　inside　and



conceipt　in　poesie　was　most　rich；　and　his　sweetness　and　facilitie　in



verse　most　excellent。〃　　A　typical　Lowland　Scot；　as　I　said　just　now；



he　seems　to　have　absorbed　all　the　best　culture　which　France　could



afford　him；　without　losing　the　strength；　honesty；　and　humour　which



he　inherited　from　his　Stirlingshire　kindred。







The　story　of　his　life　is　easily　traced。　　When　an　old　man；　he　himself



wrote　down　the　main　events　of　it；　at　the　request　of　his　friends；　and



his　sketch　has　been　filled　out　by　commentators；　if　not　always



favourable；　at　least　erudite。　　Born　in　1506；　at　the　Moss；　in



Killearnwhere　an　obelisk　to　his　memory；　so　one　reads；　has　been



erected　in　this　centuryof　a　family　〃rather　ancient　than　rich；〃　his



father　dead　in　the　prime　of　manhood；　his　grandfather　a　spendthrift；



he　and　his　seven　brothers　and　sisters　were　brought　up　by　a　widowed



mother；　Agnes　Heriotof　whom　one　wishes　to　know　more；　for　the　rule



that　great　sons　have　great　mothers　probably　holds　good　in　her　case。



George　gave　signs；　while　at　the　village　school；　of　future



scholarship；　and　when　he　was　only　fourteen；　his　uncle　James　sent　him



to　the　University　of　Paris。　　Those　were　hard　times；　and　the　youths；



or　rather　boys；　who　meant　to　become　scholars；　had　a　cruel　life　of



it；　cast　desperately　out　on　the　wide　world　to　beg　and　starve；　either



into　self…restraint　and　success；　or　into　ruin　of　body　and　soul。　　And



a　cruel　life　George　had。　　Within　two　years　he　was　down　in　a　severe



illness；　his　uncle　dead；　his　supplies　stopped；　and　the　boy　of



sixteen　got　home；　he　does　not　tell　how。　　Then　he　tried　soldiering；



and　was　with　Albany's　French　Auxiliaries　at　the　ineffectual　attack



on　Wark　Castle。　　Marching　back　through　deep　snow；　he　got　a　fresh



illness；　which　kept　him　in　bed　all　winter。　　Then　he　and　his　brother



were　sent　to　St。　Andrews；　where　he　got　his　B。A。　at　nineteen。　　The



next　summer　he　went　to　France　once　more；　and　〃fell；〃　he　says；　〃into



the　flames　of　the　Lutheran　sect；　which　was　then　spreading　far　and



wide。〃　　Two　years　of　penury　followed；　and　then　three　years　of



school…mastering　in　the　College　of　St。　Barbe；　which　he　has



immortalisedat　least；　for　the　few　who　care　to　read　modern　Latin



poetryin　his　elegy　on　〃The　Miseries　of　a　Parisian　Teacher　of　the



Humanities。〃　　The　wretched　regent…master；　pale　and　suffering；　sits



up　all　night　preparing　his　lecture；　biting　his　nails　and　thumping



his　desk；　and　falls　asleep　for　a　few　minutes；　to　start　up　at　the



sound　of　the　four…o'clock　bell；　and　be　in　school　by　five；　his　Virgil



in　one　hand；　and　his　rod　in　the　other；　trying　to　do　work　on　his　own



account　at　old　manuscripts；　and　bawling　all　the　while　at　his



wretched　boys；　who　cheat　him；　and　pay　each　other　to　answer　to



truants'　names。　　The　class　is　all　wrong。　　〃One　is　barefoot；



another's　shoe　is　burst；　another　cries；　another　writes　home。　　Then



comes　the　rod；　the　sound　of　blows；　and　howls；　and　the　day　passes　in



tears。〃　　〃Then　mass；　then　another　lesson；　then　more　blows；　there　is



hardly　time　to　eat。〃　　I　have　no　space　to　finish　the　picture　of　the



stupid　misery　which；　Buchanan　says；　was　ruining　his　intellect；　while



it　starved　his　body。　　However；　happier　days　came。　　Gilbert　Kennedy；



Earl　of　Cassilis；　who　seems　to　have　been　a　noble　young　gentleman；



took　him　as　his　tutor　for　the　next　five　years；　and　with　him　he　went



back　to　Scotland。







But　there　his　plain　speaking　got　him；　as　it　did　more　than　once



afterward；　into　trouble。　　He　took　it　into　his　head　to　write；　in



imitation　of　Dunbar；　a　Latin　poem；　in　which　St。　Francis　asks　him　in



a　dream　to　become　a　Gray　Friar；　and　Buchanan　answered　in　language



which　had　the　unpleasant　fault　of　being　too　clever；　andto　judge



from　contemporary　evidence