thoughts on man-第27部分

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　king　never　dies；〃　and　the　same　may　with　nearly　equal　propriety　be　observed　of　every　private　man；　especially　if　he　have　children。　　〃Death；〃　say　the　writers　of　natural　history；　〃is　the　generator　of　life：〃　and　what　is　thus　true　of　animal　corruption；　may　with　small　variation　be　affirmed　of　human　mortality。　　I　turn　off　my　footman；　and　hire　another；　and　he　puts　on　the　livery　of　his　predecessor：　　he　thinks　himself　somebody；　but　he　is　only　a　tenant。　　The　same　thing　is　true；　when　a　country…gentleman；　a　noble；　a　bishop；　or　a　king　dies。　　He　puts　off　his　garments；　and　another　puts　them　on。　　Every　one　knows　the　story　of　the　Tartarian　dervise；　who　mistook　the　royal　palace　for　a　caravansera；　and　who　proved　to　his　majesty　by　genealogical　deduction；　that　he　was　only　a　lodger。　　In　this　sense　the　mutability；　which　so　eminently　characterises　every　thing　sublunary；　is　immutability　under　another　name。

The　most　calamitous；　and　the　most　stupendous　scenes　are　nothing　but　an　eternal　and　wearisome　repetition：　　executions；　murders；　plagues；　famine　and　battle。　　Military　execution；　the　demolition　of　cities；　the　conquest　of　nations；　have　been　acted　a　hundred　times　before。　　The　mighty　conqueror；　who　〃smote　the　people　in　wrath　with　a　continual　stroke；〃　who　〃sat　in　the　seat　of　God；　shewing　himself　that　he　was　God；〃　and　assuredly　persuaded　himself　that　he　was　doing　something　to　be　had　in　everlasting　remembrance；　only　did　that　which　a　hundred　other　vulgar　conquerors　had　done　in　successive　ages　of　the　world；　whose　very　names　have　long　since　perished　from　the　records　of　mankind。

Thus　it　is　that　the　human　species　is　for　ever　engaged　in　laborious　idleness。　　We　put　our　shoulder　to　the　wheel；　and　raise　the　vehicle　out　of　the　mire　in　which　it　was　swallowed；　and　we　say；　I　have　done　something；　but　the　same　feat　under　the　same　circumstances　has　been　performed　a　thousand　times　before。　　We　make　what　strikes　us　as　a　profound　observation；　and；　when　fairly　analysed；　it　turns　out　to　be　about　as　sagacious；　as　if　we　told　what's　o'clock；　or　whether　it　is　rain　or　sunshine。　　Nothing　can　be　more　delightfully　ludicrous；　than　the　important　and　emphatical　air　with　which　the　herd　of　mankind　enunciate　the　most　trifling　observations。　　With　much　labour　we　are　delivered　of　what　is　to　us　a　new　thought；　and；　after　a　time；　we　find　the　same　in　a　musty　volume；　thrown　by　in　a　corner；　and　covered　with　cobwebs　and　dust。

This　is　pleasantly　ridiculed　in　the　well　known　exclamation；　〃Deuce　take　the　old　fellows　who　gave　utterance　to　our　wit；　before　we　ever　thought　of　it！〃

The　greater　part　of　the　life　of　the　mightiest　genius　that　ever　existed　is　spent　in　doing　nothing；　and　saying　nothing。　　Pope　has　observed　of　Shakespear's　plays；　that；　〃had　all　the　speeches　been　printed　without　the　names　of　the　persons；　we　might　have　applied　them　with　certainty　to　every　speaker。〃　　To　which　another　critic　has　rejoined；　that　that　was　impossible；　since　the　greater　part　of　what　every　man　says　is　unstamped　with　peculiarity。　　We　have　all　more　in　us　of　what　belongs　to　the　common　nature　of　man；　than　of　what　is　peculiar　to　the　individual。

It　is　from　this　beaten；　turnpike　road；　that　the　favoured　few　of　mankind　are　for　ever　exerting　themselves　to　escape。　　The　multitude　grow　up；　and　are　carried　away；　as　grass　is　carried　away　by　the　mower。　　The　parish…register　tells　when　they　were　born；　and　when　they　died：　　〃known　by　the　ends　of　being　to　have　been。〃　　We　pass　away；　and　leave　nothing　behind。　　Kings；　at　whose　very　glance　thousands　have　trembled；　for　the　most　part　serve　for　nothing　when　their　breath　has　ceased；　but　as　a　sort　of　distance…posts　in　the　race　of　chronology。　　〃The　dull　swain　treads　on〃　their　relics　〃with　his　clouted　shoon。〃　　Our　monuments　are　as　perishable　as　ourselves；　and　it　is　the　most　hopeless　of　all　problems　for　the　most　part；　to　tell　where　the　mighty　ones　of　the　earth　repose。

All　men　are　aware　of　the　frailty　of　life；　and　how　short　is　the　span　assigned　us。　　Hence　every　one；　who　feels；　or　thinks　he　feels　the　power　to　do　so；　is　desirous　to　embalm　his　memory；　and　to　be　thought　of　by　a　late　posterity；　to　whom　his　personal　presence　shall　be　unknown。　　Mighty　are　the　struggles；　everlasting　the　efforts。　　The　greater　part　of　these　we　well　know　are　in　vain。　　It　is　Aesop's　mountain　in　labour：　　〃Dire　was　the　tossing；　deep　the　groans：〃　and　the　result　is　a　mouse。　　But　is　it　always　so？

This　brings　us　back　to　the　question：　　〃Is　there　indeed　nothing　new　under　the　sun？〃

Most　certainly　there　is　something　that　is　new。　　If；　as　the　beast　dies；　so　died　man；　then　indeed　we　should　be　without　hope。　　But　it　is　his　distinguishing　faculty；　that　he　can　leave　something　behind；　to　testify　that　he　has　lived。　　And　this　is　not　only　true　of　the　pyramids　of　Egypt；　and　certain　other　works　of　human　industry；　that　time　seems　to　have　no　force　to　destroy。　　It　is　often　true　of　a　single　sentence；　a　single　word；　which　the　multitudinous　sea　is　incapable　of　washing　away：

　　　　　　Quod　non　imber　edax；　non　Aquilo　impotens　　　　　　　Possit　diruere；　aut　innumerabilis　　　　　　　Annorum　series；　et　fuga　temporum。


It　is　the　characteristic　of　the　mind　and　the　heart　of　man；　that　they　are　progressive。　　One　word；　happily　interposed；　reaching　to　the　inmost　soul；　may　〃take　away　the　heart　of　stone；　and　introduce　a　heart　of　flesh。〃　　And；　if　an　individual　may　be　thus　changed；　then　his　children；　and　his　connections；　to　the　latest　page　of　unborn　history。

This　is　the　true　glory　of　man；　that　〃one　generation　doth　not　pass　away；　and　another　come；　velut　unda　supervenit　undam；　but　that　we　leave　our　improvements　behind　us。　　What　infinite　ages　of　refinement　on　refinement；　and　ingenuity　on　ingenuity；　seem　each　to　have　contributed　its　quota；　to　make　up　the　accommodations　of　every　day　of　civilised　man；　his　table；　his　chair；　the　bed　he　lies　on；　the　food　he　eats；　the　garments　that　cover　him！　　It　has　often　been　said；　that　the　four　quarters　of　the　world　are　put　under　contribution；　to　provide　the　most　moderate　table。　　To　this　what　mills；　what　looms；　what　machinery　of　a　thousand　denominations；　what　ship…building；　what　navigation；　what　fleets　are　required！　Man　seems　to　have　been　sent　into　the　world　a　naked；　forked；　helpless　animal；　on　purpose　to　call　forth　his　ingenuity　to　supply　the　accommodations　that　may　conduce　to　his　well…being。　　The　saying；　that　〃there　is　nothing　new　under　the　sun；〃　could　never　have　been　struck　out；　but　in　one　of　the　two　extreme　states　of　man；　by　the　naked　savage；　or　by　the　highly　civilised　beings　among　whom　the　perfection　of　refinement　has　produced　an　artificial　feeling　of　uniformity。

The　thing　most　obviously　calculated　to　impress　us　with　a　sense　of　the　power；　and　the　comparative　sublimity　of　man；　is；　if　we　could　make　a　voyage　of　some　duration　in　a　balloon；　over　a　considerable　tract　of　the　cultivated　and　the　desert　parts　of　the　earth。　　A　brute　can　scarcely　move　a　stone　out　of　his　way；　if　it　has　fallen　upon　the　couch　where　he　would　repose。　　But　man　cultivates　fields；　and　plants　gardens；　he　constructs　parks　and　canals；　he　turns　the　course　of　rivers；　and　stretches　vast　artificial　moles　into　the　sea；　he　levels　mountains；　and　builds　a　bridge；　joining　in　giddy　height　one　segment　of　the　Alps　to　another；　lastly；　he　founds　castles；　and　churches；　and　towers；　and　distributes　mighty　cities　at　his　pleasure　over　the　face　of　the　globe。　　〃The　first　earth　has　passed　away；　and　another　earth　has　come；　and　all　things　are　made　new。〃

It　is　true；　that　the　basest　treacheries；　the　most　atrocious　cruelties；　butcheries；　massacres；　violations　of　all　the　restraints　of　decency；　and　all　the　ties　of　nature；　fields　covered　with　dead　bodies；　and　flooded　with　human　gore；　are　all　of　them　vulgar　repetitions　of　what　had　been　acted　countless　times　already。　　If　Nero　or　Caligula　thought　to　perpetrate　that　which　should　stand　unparalleled；　they　fell　into　the　grossest　error。　　The　conqueror；　who　should　lay　waste　vast　portions　of　the　globe；　and　destroy　mighty　cities；　so　that　〃thorns　should　come　up　in　the　palaces；　and　nettles　in　the　fortresses　thereof；　and　they　should　be　a　habitation　of　serpents；　and　a　court　for　owls；　and　the　wild　beasts　of　the　desert　should　meet　there；〃　would　only　do　what　Tamerlane；　and　Aurengzebe；　and　Zingis；　and　a　hundred　other　conquerors；　in　every　age　and　quarter　of　the　world；　had　done　before。　　The　splendour　of　triumphs；　and　the　magnificence　of　courts；　are　so　essentially　vulgar；　that　history　almost　disdains　to　record　them。

And　yet　there　is　something　that　is　new；　and　that　by　the　reader　of　discernment　is　immediately　felt　to　be　so。

We　read　of　Moses；　that　he　was　a　child　of　ordinary　birth；　and；　when　he　was　born；　was　presently　marked；　as　well　as　all　the　male　children　of　his　race；　for　destruction。　　He　was　unexpectedly　preserved；　and　his　first　act；　when　he　grew　up；　was　to　slay　an　Egyptian；　one　of　the　race　to　whom　all　his　countrymen　were　slaves；　and　to　fly　into　exile。　　This　man；　thus　friendless　and　alone；　in　due　time　returned；　and　by　the　mere　energy　of　his　character　prevailed　upon　his　whole　race　to　make　common　cause　with　him；　and　to　migrate　to　a　region；　in　which　they　should　become　sovereign　and　independent。　　He　had　no　soldiers；　but　what　were　made　so　by　the　ascendancy　of　his　spirit　no　counsellors　but　such　as　he　taught　to　be　wise；　no　friends　but　those　who　were　moved　by　the　sentiment　they　caught　from　him。　　The　Jews　he　commanded　were　sordid　and　low　of　disposition；　perpetually　murmuring　against　his　rule；　and　at　every　unfavourable　accident　calling　to　remembrance　〃the　land　of　Egypt；　where　they　had　sat　by　the　fleshpots；　and　were　full。〃　　Yet　over　this　race　he　retained　a　constant　mastery；　and　finally　made　of　them　a　nation　whose　customs　and　habits　and　ways　of　thinking　no　time　has　availed　to　destroy。　　This　was　a　man　then；　that　possessed　the　true　secret　to　make　other　men　his　creatures；　and　lead　them　with　an　irresistible　power　wherever　he　pleased。　　This　history；　taken　entire；　has　probably　no　parallel　in　the　annals　of　the　world。

The　invasion　of　Greece　by　the　Persians；　and　its　result；　seem　to　constitute　an　event　that　stands　alone　among　men。　　Xerxes　led　against　this　little　territory　an　army　of　5；280；000　men。　　They　drank　up　rivers；　and　cut　their　way　through　giant…mountains。　　They　were　first　stopped　at　Thermopylae　by　Leonidas　and　his　three　hundred　Spartans。　　They　fought　for　a　country　too　narrow　to　contain　the　a