historical lecturers and essays-第6部分

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



remembered；　did　at　least　that　which　the　Roman　Empire　did　among　a



scattered　number　of　savage　tribes；　or　separate　little　races；　hating



and　murdering　each　other；　speaking　different　tongues；　and



worshipping　different　gods；　and　losing　utterly　the　sense　of　a　common



humanity；　till　they　looked　on　the　people　who　dwelt　in　the　next



valley　as　fiends；　to　be　sacrificed；　if　caught；　to　their　own　fiends



at　home。　　Among　such　as　these；　empires　did　introduce　order；　law；



common　speech；　common　interest；　the　notion　of　nationality　and



humanity。　　They；　as　it　were；　hammered　together　the　fragments　of　the



human　race　till　they　had　moulded　them　into　one。　　They　did　it



cruelly；　clumsily；　ill：　　　but　was　there　ever　work　done　on　earth；



however　noble；　which　was　notalas；　alas！done　somewhat　ill？







Let　me　talk　to　you　a　little　about　the　old　hero。　　He　and　his　hardy



Persians　should　be　specially　interesting　to　us。　　For　in　them　first



does　our　race；　the　Aryan　race；　appear　in　authentic　history。　　In　them



first　did　our　race　give　promise　of　being　the　conquering　and



civilising　race　of　the　future　world。　　And　to　the　conquests　of　Cyrus…



…so　strangely　are　all　great　times　and　great　movements　of　the　human



family　linked　to　each　otherto　his　conquests；　humanly　speaking；　is



owing　the　fact　that　you　are　here；　and　I　am　speaking　to　you　at　this



moment。







It　is　an　oft…told　story：　　　but　so　grand　a　one　that　I　must　sketch　it



for　you；　however　clumsily；　once　more。







In　that　mountain　province　called　Farsistan；　north…east　of　what　we



now　call　Persia；　the　dwelling…place　of　the　Persians；　there　dwelt；　in



the　sixth　and　seventh　centuries　before　Christ；　a　hardy　tribe；　of　the



purest　blood　of　Iran；　a　branch　of　the　same　race　as　the　Celtic；



Teutonic；　Greek；　and　Hindoo；　and　speaking　a　tongue　akin　to　theirs。



They　had　wandered　thither；　say　their　legends；　out　of　the　far　north…



east；　from　off　some　lofty　plateau　of　Central　Asia；　driven　out　by　the



increasing　cold；　which　left　them　but　two　mouths　of　summer　to　ten　of



winter。







They　despised　at　firstwould　that　they　had　despised　always！the



luxurious　life　of　the　dwellers　in　the　plains；　and　the　effeminate



customs　of　the　Medesa　branch　of　their　own　race　who　had　conquered



and　intermarried　with　the　Turanian；　or　Finnish　tribes；　and　adopted



much　of　their　creed；　as　well　as　of　their　morals；　throughout　their



vast　but　short…lived　Median　Empire。　　〃Soft　countries；〃　said　Cyrus



himselfso　runs　the　tale〃gave　birth　to　small　men。　　No　region



produced　at　once　delightful　fruits　and　men　of　a　war…like　spirit。〃



Letters　were　to　them；　probably；　then　unknown。　　They　borrowed　them　in



after　years；　as　they　borrowed　their　art；　from　Babylonians；



Assyrians；　and　other　Semitic　nations　whom　they　conquered。　　From　the



age　of　five　to　that　of　twenty；　their　lads　were　instructed　but　in　two



thingsto　speak　the　truth　and　to　shoot　with　the　bow。　　To　ride　was



the　third　necessary　art；　introduced；　according　to　Xenophon；　after



they　had　descended　from　their　mountain　fastnessess　to　conquer　the



whole　East。







Their　creed　was　simple　enough。　　Ahura　MazdaOrmuzd；　as　he　has　been



called　sincewas　the　one　eternal　Creator；　the　source　of　all　light



and　life　and　good。　　He　spake　his　word；　and　it　accomplished　the



creation　of　heaven；　before　the　water；　before　the　earth；　before　the



cow；　before　the　tree；　before　the　fire；　before　man　the　truthful；



before　the　Devas　and　beasts　of　prey；　before　the　whole　existing



universe；　before　every　good　thing　created　by　Ahura　Mazda　and



springing　from　Truth。







He　needed　no　sacrifices　of　blood。　　He　was　to　be　worshipped　only　with



prayers；　with　offerings　of　the　inspiring　juice　of　the　now　unknown



herb　Homa；　and　by　the　preservation　of　the　sacred　fire；　which；



understand；　was　not　he；　but　the　symbolas　was　light　and　the　sunof



the　good　spiritof　Ahura　Mazda。　　They　had　no　images　of　the　gods；



these　old　Persians；　no　temples；　no　altars；　so　says　Herodotus；　and



considered　the　use　of　them　a　sign　of　folly。　　They　were；　as　has　been



well　said　of　them；　the　Puritans　of　the　old　world。　　When　they



descended　from　their　mountain　fastnesses；　they　became　the



iconoclasts　of　the　old　world；　and　the　later　Isaiah；　out　of　the



depths　of　national　shame；　captivity；　and　exile；　saw　in　them　brother…



spirits；　the　chosen　of　the　Lord；　whose　hero　Cyrus；　the　Lord　was



holding　by　His　right　hand；　till　all　the　foul　superstitions　and　foul



effeminacies　of　the　rotten　Semitic　peoples　of　the　East；　and　even　of



Egypt　itself；　should　be　crushed；　though；　alas！　only　for　awhile；　by



men　who　felt　that　they　had　a　commission　from　the　God　of　light　and



truth　and　purity；　to　sweep　out　all　that　with　the　besom　of



destruction。







But　that　was　a　later　inspiration。　　In　earlier；　and　it　may　be



happier；　times　the　duty　of　the　good　man　was　to　strive　against　all



evil；　disorder；　uselessness；　incompetence　in　their　more　simple



forms。　　〃He　therefore　is　a　holy　man；〃　says　Ormuzd　in　the　Zend…



avesta；　〃who　has　built　a　dwelling　on　the　earth；　in　which　he



maintains　fire；　cattle；　his　wife；　his　children；　and　flocks　and



herds；　he　who　makes　the　earth　produce　barley；　he　who　cultivates　the



fruits　of　the　soil；　cultivates　purity；　he　advances　the　law　of　Ahura



Mazda　as　much　as　if　he　had　offered　a　hundred　sacrifices。〃







To　reclaim　the　waste；　to　till　the　land；　to　make　a　corner　of　the



earth　better　than　they　found　it；　was　to　these　men　to　rescue　a　bit　of



Ormuzd's　world　out　of　the　usurped　dominion　of　Ahriman；　to　rescue　it



from　the　spirit　of　evil　and　disorder　for　its　rightful　owner；　the



Spirit　of　Order　and　of　Good。







For　they　believed　in　an　evil　spirit；　these　old　Persians。　　Evil　was



not　for　them　a　lower　form　of　good。　　With　their　intense　sense　of　the



difference　between　right　and　wrong　it　could　be　nothing　less　than



hateful；　to　be　attacked；　exterminated；　as　a　personal　enemy；　till　it



became　to　them　at　last　impersonate　and　a　person。







Zarathustra；　the　mystery　of　evil；　weighed　heavily　on　them　and　on



their　great　prophet；　Zoroastersplendour　of　gold；　as　I　am　told　his



name　signifieswho　lived；　no　man　knows　clearly　when　or　clearly



where；　but　who　lived　and　lives　for　ever；　for　his　works　follow　him。



He；　too；　tried　to　solve　for　his　people　the　mystery　of　evil；　and　if



he　did　not　succeed；　who　has　succeeded　yet？　　Warring　against　Ormuzd；



Ahura　Mazda；　was　Ahriman；　Angra　Mainyus；　literally　the　being　of　an



evil　mind；　the　ill…conditioned　being。　　He　was　labouring　perpetually



to　spoil　the　good　work　of　Ormuzd　alike　in　nature　and　in　man。　　He　was



the　cause　of　the　fall　of　man；　the　tempter；　the　author　of　misery　and



death；　he　was　eternal　and　uncreate　as　Ormuzd　was。　　But　that；



perhaps；　was　a　corruption　of　the　purer　and　older　Zoroastrian　creed。



With　it；　if　Ahriman　were　eternal　in　the　past；　he　would　not　be



eternal　in　the　future。　　Somehow；　somewhen；　somewhere；　in　the　day



when　three　prophetsthe　increasing　light；　the　increasing　truth；　and



the　existing　truthshould　arise　and　give　to　mankind　the　last　three



books　of　the　Zend…avesta；　and　convert　all　mankind　to　the　pure　creed；



then　evil　should　be　conquered；　the　creation　become　pure　again；　and



Ahriman　vanish　for　ever；　and；　meanwhile；　every　good　man　was　to　fight



valiantly　for　Ormuzd；　his　true　lord；　against　Ahriman　and　all　his



works。







Men　who　held　such　a　creed；　and　could　speak　truth　and　draw　the　bow；



what　might　they　not　do　when　the　hour　and　the　man　arrived？　　They　were



not　a　BIG　nation。　　No；　but　they　were　a　GREAT　nation；　even　while　they



were　eating　barley…bread　and　paying　tribute　to　their　conquerors　the



Medes；　in　the　sterile　valleys　of　Farsistan。







And　at　last　the　hour　and　the　man　came。　　The　story　is　half　legendary…



…differently　told　by　different　authors。　　Herodotus　has　one　tale；



Xenophon　another。　　The　first；　at　least；　had　ample　means　of



information。　　Astyages　is　the　old　shah　of　the　Median　Empire；　then　at



the　height　of　its　seeming　might　and　splendour　and　effeminacy。　　He



has　married　his　daughter；　the　Princess　Mandane；　to　Cambyses；



seemingly　a　vassal…king　or　prince　of　the　pure　Persian　blood。　　One



night　the　old　man　is　troubled　with　a　dream。　　He　sees　a　vine　spring



from　his　daughter；　which　overshadows　all　Asia。　　He　sends　for　the



Magi　to　interpret；　and　they　tell　him　that　Mandane　will　have　a　son



who　will　reign　in　his　stead。　　Having　sons　of　his　own；　and　fearing



for　the　succession；　he　sends　for　Mandane；　and；　when　her　child　is



born；　gives　it　to　Harpagus；　one　of　his　courtiers；　to　be　slain。　　The



courtier　relents；　and　hands　it　over　to　a　herdsman；　to　be　exposed　on



the　mountains。　　The　herdsman　relents　in　turn；　and　bring　the　babe　up



as　his　own　child。







When　the　boy；　who　goes　by　the　name　of　Agradates；　is　grown；　he　is　at



play　with　the　other　herdboys；　and　they　choose　him　for　a　mimic　king。



Some　he　makes　his　guards；　some　he　bids　build　houses；　some　carry　his



messages。　　The　son　of　a　Mede　of　rank　refuses；　and　Agradates　has　him



seized　by　his　guards　and　chastised　with　the　whip。　　The　ancestral



instincts　of　command　and　discipline　are　showing　early　in　the　lad。







The　young　gentleman　complains　to　his　father；　the　father　to　the　old



king；　who　of　course　sends　for　the　herdsman　and　his　boy。　　The　boy



answers　in　a　tone　so　exactly　like　that　in　which　Xenophon's　Cyrus



would　have　answered；　that　I　must　believe　that　both　Xenophon's　Cyrus



and　Herodotus's　Cyrus　（like　Xenophon's　Socrates　and　Plato's



Socrates）　are　real　pic