historical lecturers and essays-第8部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





of　myth；　with　the　dream　of　Astyages；　and　the　young　and　princely



herdsman　playing　at　king　over　his　fellow…slaves？







But　enough　of　this。　　To　me　these　bits　of　romance　often　seem　the



truest；　as　well　as　the　most　important　portions　of　history。







When　old　Herodotus　tells　me　how；　King　Astyages　having　guarded　the



frontier；　Harpagus　sent　a　hunter　to　young　Cyrus　with　a　fresh…killed



hare；　telling　him　to　open　it　in　private；　and　how；　sewn　up　in　it　was



the　letter；　telling　him　that　the　time　to　rebel　was　come；　I　am



inclined　to　say；　That　must　be　true。　　It　is　so　beneath　the　dignity　of



history；　so　quaint　and　unexpected；　that　it　is　all　the　more　likely



NOT　to　have　been　invented。







So　with　that　other　storyHow　young　Cyrus；　giving　out　that　his



grandfather　had　made　him　general　of　the　Persians；　summoned　them　all；



each　man　with　a　sickle　in　his　hand；　into　a　prairie　full　of　thorns；



and　bade　them　clear　it　in　one　day；　and　how　when　they；　like　loyal



men；　had　finished；　he　bade　them　bathe；　and　next　day　he　took　them



into　a　great　meadow　and　feasted　them　with　corn　and　wine；　and　all



that　his　father's　farm　would　yield；　and　asked　them　which　day　they



liked　best；　and；　when　they　answered　as　was　to　be　expected；　how　he



opened　his　parable　and　told　them；　〃Choose；　then；　to　work　for　the



Persians　like　slaves；　or　to　be　free　with　me。〃







Such　a　tale　sounds　to　me　true。　　It　has　the　very　savour　of　the



parables　of　the　Old　Testament；　as　have；　surely；　the　dreams　of　the



old　Sultan；　with　which　the　tale　begins。　　Do　they　not　put　us　in　mind



of　the　dreams　of　Nebuchadnezzar；　in　the　Book　of　Daniel？







Such　stories　are　actually　so　beautiful　that　they　are　very　likely　to



be　true。　　Understand　me；　I　only　say　likely；　the　ditch…water　view　of



history　is　not　all　wrong。　　Its　advocates　are　right　in　saying　great



historic　changes　are　not　produced　simply　by　one　great　person；　by　one



remarkable　event。　　They　have　been　preparing；　perhaps　for　centuries。



They　are　the　result　of　numberless　forces；　acting　according　to　laws；



which　might　have　been　foreseen；　and　will　be　foreseen；　when　the



science　of　History　is　more　perfectly　understood。







For　instance；　Cyrus　could　not　have　conquered　the　Median　Empire　at　a



single　blow；　if　first　that　empire　had　not　been　utterly　rotten；　and



next；　if　he　and　his　handful　of　Persians　had　not　been　tempered　and



sharpened；　by　long　hardihood；　to　the　finest　cutting　edge。







Yes；　there　were　all　the　materials　for　the　catastrophethe　cannon；



the　powder；　the　shot。　　But　to　say　that　the　Persians　must　have



conquered　the　Medes；　even　if　Cyrus　had　never　lived；　is　to　say；　as



too　many　philosophers　seem　to　me　to　say；　that；　given　cannon；　powder；



and　shot；　it　will　fire　itself　off　some　day　if　we　only　leave　it　alone



long　enough。







It　may　be　so。　　But　our　usual　experience　of　Nature　and　Fact　is；　that



spontaneous　combustion　is　a　rare　and　exceptional　phenomenon；　that　if



a　cannon　is　to　be　fired；　someone　must　arise　and　pull　the　trigger。



And　I　believe　that　in　Society　and　Politics；　when　a　great　event　is



ready　to　be　done；　someone　must　come　and　do　itdo　it；　perhaps；　half



unwittingly；　by　some　single　rash　actlike　that　first　fatal　shot



fired　by　an　electric　spark。







But　to　return　to　Cyrus　and　his　Persians。







I　know　not　whether　the　〃Cyropaedia〃　is　much　read　in　your　schools　and



universities。　　But　it　is　one　of　the　books　which　I　should　like　to



see；　either　in　a　translation　or　its　own　exquisite　Greek；　in　the



hands　of　every　young　man。　　It　is　not　all　fact。　　It　is　but　a　historic



romance。　　But　it　is　better　than　history。　　It　is　an　ideal　book；　like



Sidney's　〃Arcadia〃　or　Spenser's　〃Fairy　Queen〃the　ideal　self…



education　of　an　ideal　hero。　　And　the　moral　of　the　bookponder　it



well；　all　young　men　who　have　the　chance　or　the　hope　of　exercising



authority　among　your　follow…menthe　noble　and　most　Christian　moral



of　that　heathen　book　is　this：　　　that　the　path　to　solid　and



beneficent　influence　over　our　fellow…men　lies；　not　through　brute



force；　not　through　cupidity；　but　through　the　highest　morality；



through　justice；　truthfulness；　humanity；　self…denial；　modesty；



courtesy；　and　all　which　makes　man　or　woman　lovely　in　the　eyes　of



mortals　or　of　God。







Yes；　the　〃Cyropaedia〃　is　a　noble　book；　about　a　noble　personage。　　But



I　cannot　forget　that　there　are　nobler　words　by　far　concerning　that



same　noble　personage；　in　the　magnificent　series　of　Hebrew　Lyrics；



which　begins　〃Comfort　ye；　comfort　ye；　my　people；　saith　the　Lord〃in



which　the　inspired　poet；　watching　the　rise　of　Cyrus　and　his



Puritans；　and　the　fall　of　Babylon；　and　the　idolatries　of　the　East；



and　the　coming　deliverance　of　his　own　countrymen；　speaks　of　the



Persian　hero　in　words　so　grand　that　they　have　been　often　enough



applied；　and　with　all　fitness；　to　one　greater　than　Cyrus；　and　than



all　men：











Who　raised　up　the　righteous　man　from　the　East；



And　called　him　to　attend　his　steps？



Who　subdued　nations　at　his　presence；



And　gave　him　dominion　over　kings？



And　made　them　like　the　dust　before　his　sword；



And　the　driven　stubble　before　his　bow？



He　pursueth　them；　he　passeth　in　safety；



By　a　way　never　trodden　before　by　his　feet。



Who　hath　performed　and　made　these　things；



Calling　the　generations　from　the　beginning？



I；　Jehovah；　the　first　and　the　last；　I　am　the　same。







Behold　my　servant；　whom　I　will　uphold；



My　chosen；　in　whom　my　soul　delighteth；



I　will　make　my　spirit　rest　upon　him；



And　he　shall　publish　judgment　to　the　nations。



He　shall　not　cry　aloud；　nor　clamour；



Nor　cause　his　voice　to　be　heard　in　the　streets。



The　bruised　reed　he　shall　not　break；



And　the　smoking　flax　he　shall　not　quench。



He　shall　publish　justice；　and　establish　it。



His　force　shall　not　be　abated；　nor　broken；



Until　he　has　firmly　seated　justice　in　the　earth；



And　the　distant　nations　shall　wait　for　his　Law。



Thus　saith　the　God；　even　Jehovah；



Who　created　the　heavens；　and　stretched　them　out；



Who　spread　abroad　the　earth；　and　its　produce：



I；　Jehovah；　have　called　thee　for　a　righteous　end；



And　I　will　take　hold　of　thy　hand；　and　preserve　thee；



And　I　will　give　thee　for　a　covenant　to　the　people；



And　for　a　light　to　the　nations；



To　open　the　eyes　of　the　blind；



To　bring　the　captives　out　of　prison；



And　from　the　dungeon　those　who　dwell　in　darkness。



I　am　Jehovahthat　is　my　name；



And　my　glory　will　I　not　give　to　another；



Nor　my　praise　to　the　graven　idols。







Who　saith　to　CyrusThou　art　my　shepherd；



And　he　shall　fulfil　all　my　pleasure：



Who　saith　to　JerusalemThou　shalt　be　built；



And　to　the　TempleThou　shalt　be　founded。



Thus　saith　Jehovah　to　his　anointed；



To　Cyrus　whom　I　hold　fast　by　his　right　hand；



That　I　may　subdue　nations　under　him；



And　loose　the　loins　of　kings；



That　I　may　open　before　him　the　two…leaved　doors；



And　the　gates　shall　not　be　shut；



I　will　go　before　thee



And　bring　the　mountains　low。



The　gates　of　brass　will　I　break　in　sunder；



And　the　bars　of　iron　hew　down。



And　I　will　give　thee　the　treasures　of　darkness；



And　the　hoards　hid　deep　in　secret　places；



That　thou　mayest　know　that　I　am　Jehovah。



I　have　surnamed　thee；　though　thou　knowest　not　me。



I　am　Jehovah；　and　none　else；



Beside　me　there　is　no　God。



I　will　gird　thee；　though　thou　hast　not　known　me；



That　they　may　know　from　the　rising　of　the　sun；



And　from　the　west；　that　there　is　none　beside　me；



I　am　Jehovah；　and　none　else；



Forming　light　and　creating　darkness；



Forming　peace；　and　creating　evil。



I；　Jehovah；　make　all　these。











This　is　the　Hebrew　prophet's　conception　of　the　great　Puritan　of　the



Old　World　who　went　forth　with　such　a　commission　as　this；　to　destroy



the　idols　of　the　East；　while











The　isles　saw　that；　and　feared；



And　the　ends　of　the　earth　were　afraid；



They　drew　near；　they　came　together；



Everyone　helped　his　neighbour；



And　said　to　his　brother；　Be　of　good　courage。







The　carver　encouraged　the　smith；



He　that　smoothed　with　the　hammer



Him　that　smote　on　the　anvil；



Saying　of　the　solder；　It　is　good；



And　fixing　the　idol　with　nails；　lest　it　be　moved；











But　all　in　vain；　for　as　the　poet　goes　on：











Bel　bowed　down；　and　Nebo　stooped；



Their　idols　were　upon　the　cattle；



A　burden　to　the　weary　beast。



They　stoop；　they　bow　down　together；



They　could　not　deliver　their　own　charge；



Themselves　are　gone　into　captivity。











And　what；　to　return；　what　was　the　end　of　the　great　Cyrus　and　of　his



empire？







Alas；　alas！　as　with　all　human　glory；　the　end　was　not　as　the



beginning。







We　are　scarce　bound　to　believe　positively　the　story　how　Cyrus　made



one　war　too　many；　and　was　cut　off　in　the　Scythian　deserts；　falling



before　the　arrows　of　mere　savages；　and　how　their　queen；　Tomyris；



poured　blood　down　the　throat　of　the　dead　corpse；　with　the　words；



〃Glut　thyself　with　the　gore　for　which　thou　hast　thirsted。〃　　But　it



may　be　truefor　Xenophon　states　it　expressly；　and　with　detailthat



Cyrus；　from　the　very　time　of　his　triumph；　became　an　Eastern　despot；



a　sultan　or　a　shah；　living　apart　from　his　people　in　mysterious



splendour；　in　the　vast　fortified　palace　which　he　built　for　himself；



and　imitating　and　causing　his　nobles　and　satraps　to　imitate；　in　all



but　vice　and　effeminacy；　the　very　Medes　whom　he　had　conquered。　　And



of　this　there　is　no　doubtthat　his　sons