historical lecturers and essays-第5部分

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had　he　stayed　at　home；　blood　would　have　been　there　still。　　Three　out



of　four　of　them　had　been　mixed　up　in　some　man…slaying；　or　had　some



blood…feud　to　avenge　among　their　own　kin。







The　whole　of　Scandinavia；　Denmark；　Sweden；　Norway；　Orkney；　and　the



rest；　remind　me　ever　of　that　terrible　picture　of　the　great　Norse



painter；　Tiddeman；　in　which　two　splendid　youths；　lashed　together；　in



true　Norse　duel　fashion　by　the　waist；　are　hewing　each　other　to　death



with　the　short　axe；　about　some　hot　words　over　their　ale。　　The　loss



of　life；　and　that　of　the　most　gallant　of　the　young；　in　those　days



must　have　been　enormous。　　If　the　vitality　of　the　race　had　not　been



even　more　enormous；　they　must　have　destroyed　each　other；　as　the　Red



Indians　have　done；　off　the　face　of　the　earth。　　They　lived　these



Norsemen；　not　to　livethey　lived　to　die。　　For　what　cared　they？



Deathwhat　was　death　to　them？　what　it　was　to　the　Jomsburger　Viking；



who；　when　led　out　to　execution；　said　to　the　headsman：　　　〃Die！　with



all　pleasure。　　We　used　to　question　in　Jomsburg　whether　a　man　felt



when　his　head　was　off？　　Now　I　shall　know；　but　if　I　do；　take　care；



for　I　shall　smite　thee　with　my　knife。　　And　meanwhile；　spoil　not　this



long　hair　of　mine；　it　is　so　beautiful。〃







But；　oh！　what　waste！　　What　might　not　these　men　have　done　if　they　had



sought　peace；　not　war；　if　they　had　learned　a　few　centuries　sooner　to



do　justly；　and　love　mercy；　and　walk　humbly　with　their　God？







And　yet　one　loves　them；　blood…stained　as　they　are。　　Your　own　poets；



men　brought　up　under　circumstances；　under　ideas　the　most　opposite　to



theirs；　love　them；　and　cannot　help　it。　　And　why？　　It　is　not　merely



for　their　bold　daring；　it　is　not　merely　for　their　stern　endurance；



nor　again　that　they　had　in　them　that　shift　and　thrift；　those　steady



and　common…sense　business　habits；　which　made　their　noblest　men　not



ashamed　to　go　on　voyages　of　merchandise。　　Nor　is　it；　again；　that



grim　humourhumour　as　of　the　modern　Scotchwhich　so　often　flashes



out　into　an　actual　jest；　but　more　usually　underlies　unspoken　all



their　deeds。　　Is　it　not　rather　that　these　men　are　our　forefathers？



that　their　blood　runs　in　the　veins　of　perhaps　three　men　out　of　four



in　any　general　assembly；　whether　in　America　or　in　Britain？



Startling　as　the　assertion　may　be；　I　believe　it　to　be　strictly　true。







Be　that　as　it　may；　I　cannot　read　the　stories　of　your　western　men；



the　writings　of　Bret　Harte；　or　Colonel　John　Hay；　for　instance；



without　feeling　at　every　turn　that　there　are　the　old　Norse　alive



again；　beyond　the　very　ocean　which　they　first　crossed；　850　years



ago。







Let　me　try　to　prove　my　point；　and　end　with　a　story；　as　I　began　with



one。







It　is　just　thirty　years　before　the　Norman　conquest　of　England；　the



evening　of　the　battle　of　Sticklestead。　　St。　Olaf's　corpse　is　still



lying　unburied　on　the　hillside。　　The　reforming　and　Christian　king



has　fallen　in　the　attempt　to　force　Christianity　and　despotism　on　the



Conservative　and　half…heathen　partythe　free　bonders　or　yeoman…



farmers　of　Norway。　　Thormod；　his　poetthe　man；　as　his　name　means；



of　thunder　moodwho　has　been　standing　in　the　ranks；　at　last　has　an



arrow　in　his　left　side。　　He　breaks　off　the　shaft；　and　thus　sore



wounded　goes　up；　when　all　is　lost；　to　a　farm　where　is　a　great　barn



full　of　wounded。　　One　Kimbe　comes；　a　man　out　of　the　opposite　or



bonder　part。　　〃There　is　great　howling　and　screaming　in　there；〃　he



says。　　〃King　Olaf's　men　fought　bravely　enough：　　　but　it　is　a　shame



brisk　young　lads　cannot　bear　their　wounds。　　On　what　side　wert　thou



in　the　fight？〃　　〃On　the　best　side；〃　says　the　beaten　Thormod。　　Kimbe



sees　that　Thormod　has　a　good　bracelet　on　his　arm。　　〃Thou　art　surely



a　king's　man。　　Give　me　thy　gold　ring　and　I　will　hide　thee；　ere　the



bonders　kill　thee。〃







Thormod　said；　〃Take　it；　if　thou　canst　get　it。　　I　have　lost　that



which　is　worth　more；〃　and　he　stretched　out　his　left　hand；　and　Kimbe



tried　to　take　it。　　But　Thormod；　swinging　his　sword；　cut　off　his



hand；　and　it　is　said　Kimbe　behaved　no　better　over　his　wound　than



those　he　had　been　blaming。







Then　Thormod　went　into　the　barn；　and　after　he　had　sung　his　song



there　in　praise　of　his　dead　king；　he　went　into　an　inner　room；　where



was　a　fire；　and　water　warming；　and　a　handsome　girl　binding　up　men's



wounds。　　And　he　sat　down　by　the　door；　and　one　said　to　him；　〃Why　art



thou　so　dead　pale？　　Why　dost　thou　not　call　for　the　leech？〃　　Then



sung　Thormod：











〃I　am　not　blooming；　and　the　fair



And　slender　maiden　loves　to　care



For　blooming　youths。　　Few　care　for　me；



With　Fenri's　gold　meal　I　can't　fee；〃











and　so　forth；　improvising　after　the　old　Norse　fashion。　　Then　Thormod



got　up　and　went　to　the　fire；　and　stood　and　warmed　himself。　　And　the



nurse…girl　said　to　him；　〃Go　out；　man；　and　bring　some　of　the　split…



firewood　which　lies　outside　the　door。〃　　He　went　out　and　brought　an



armful　of　wood　and　threw　it　down。　　Then　the　nurse…girl　looked　him　in



the　face；　and　said；　〃Dreadful　pale　is　this　man。　　Why　art　thou　so？〃



Then　sang　Thormod：











〃Thou　wonderest；　sweet　bloom；　at　me；



A　man　so　hideous　to　see。



The　arrow…drift　o'ertook　me；　girl；



A　fine…ground　arrow　in　the　whirl



Went　through　me；　and　I　feel　the　dart



Sits；　lovely　lass；　too　near　my　heart。〃











The　girl　said；　〃Let　me　see　thy　wound。〃　　Then　Thormod　sat　down；　and



the　girl　saw　his　wounds；　and　that　which　was　in　his　side；　and　saw



that　there　was　a　piece　of　iron　in　it；　but　could　not　tell　where　it



had　gone。　　In　a　stone　pot　she　had　leeks　and　other　herbs；　and　boiled



them；　and　gave　the　wounded　man　of　it　to　eat。　　But　Thormod　said；



〃Take　it　away；　I　have　no　appetite　now　for　my　broth。〃　　Then　she　took



a　great　pair　of　tongs　and　tried　to　pull　out　the　iron；　but　the　wound



was　swelled；　and　there　was　too　little　to　lay　hold　of。　　Now　said



Thormod；　〃Cut　in　so　deep　that　thou　canst　get　at　the　iron；　and　give



me　the　tongs。〃　　She　did　as　he　said。　　Then　took　Thormod　the　gold



bracelet　off　his　hand　and　gave　it　the　nurse…girl；　and　bade　her　do



with　it　what　she　liked。







〃It　is　a　good　man's　gift；〃　said　he。　　〃King　Olaf　gave　me　the　ring



this　morning。〃







Then　Thormod　took　the　tongs　and　pulled　the　iron　out。　　But　on　the



iron　was　a　barb；　on　which　hung　flesh　from　the　heart；　some　red；　some



white。　　When　he　saw　that；　he　said；　〃The　king　has　fed　us　well。　　I　am



fat；　even　to　the　heart's　roots。〃　　And　so　leant　back　and　was　dead。















CYRUS；　THE　SERVANT　OF…THE　LORD　｛4｝















I　wish　to　speak　to　you　to…night　about　one　of　those　old　despotic



empires　which　were　in　every　case　the　earliest　known　form　of



civilisation。　　Were　I　minded　to　play　the　cynic　or　the　mountebank；　I



should　choose　some　corrupt　and　effete　despotism；　already　grown　weak



and　ridiculous　by　its　decayas　did　at　last　the　Roman　and　then　the



Byzantine　Empireand；　after　raising　a　laugh　at　the　expense　of　the



old　system　say：　　　See　what　a　superior　people　you　are　nowhow



impossible；　under　free　and　enlightened　institutions；　is　anything　so



base　and　so　absurd　as　went　on；　even　in　despotic　France　before　the



Revolution　of　1793。　　Well；　that　would　be　on　the　whole　true；　thank



God；　but　what　need　is　there　to　say　it？







Let　us　keep　our　scorn　for　our　own　weaknesses；　our　blame　for　our　own



sins；　certain　that　we　shall　gain　more　instruction；　though　not　more



amusement；　by　hunting　out　the　good　which　is　in　anything　than　by



hunting　out　its　evil。　　I　have　chosen；　not　the　worst；　but　the　best



despotism　which　I　could　find　in　history；　founded　and　ruled　by　a



truly　heroic　personage；　one　whose　name　has　become　a　proverb　and　a



legend；　that　so　I　might　lift　up　your　minds；　even　by　the



contemplation　of　an　old　Eastern　empire；　to　see　that　it；　too；　could



be　a　work　and　ordinance　of　God；　and　its　hero　the　servant　of　the



Lord。　　For　we　are　almost　bound　to　call　Cyrus；　the　founder　of　the



Persian　Empire；　by　this　august　title　for　two　reasonsFirst；　because



the　Hebrew　Scriptures　call　him　so；　the　next；　because　he　proved



himself　to　be　such　by　his　actions　and　their　consequencesat　least



in　the　eyes　of　those　who　believe；　as　I　do；　in　a　far…seeing　and　far…



reaching　Providence；　by　which　all　human　history　is











Bound　by　gold　chains　unto　the　throne　of　God。











His　work　was　very　different　from　any　that　need　be　done；　or　can　be



done；　in　these　our　days。　　But　while　we　thank　God　that　such　work　is



now　as　unnecessary　as　impossible；　we　may　thank　God　likewise　that；



when　such　work　was　necessary　and　possible；　a　man　was　raised　up　to　do



it：　　　and　to　do　it；　as　all　accounts　assert；　better；　perhaps；　than　it



had　ever　been　done　before　or　since。







True；　the　old　conquerors；　who　absorbed　nation　after　nation；　tribe



after　tribe；　and　founded　empires　on　their　ruins；　are　now；　I　trust；



about　to　be　replaced；　throughout　the　world；　as　here　and　in　Britain



at　home；　by　free　self…governed　peoples：











The　old　order　changeth；　giving　place　to　the　new；



And　God　fulfils　Himself　in　many　ways；



Lest　one　good　custom　should　corrupt　the　world。











And　that　custom　of　conquest　and　empire　and　transplantation　did　more



than　once　corrupt　the　world。　　And　yet　in　it；　too；　God　may　have　more



than　once　fulfilled　His　own　designs；　as　He　did；　if　Scripture　is　to



be　believed；　in　Cyrus；　well　surnamed　the　Great；　the　founder　of　the



Persian　Empire　some　2400　years　ago。　　For　these　empires；　it　must