四季随笔-the private papers of henry ryecroft(英文版)-第20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　life。　But　for　the　good　fortune　which　plucked　me　out　of　my　mazes　and　set　me　in　paradise；　I　should　no　doubt　have　blundered　on　to　the　end。　The　last　thwack　of　experience　would　have　laid　me　low　just　when　I　was　being　really　a　prudent　man。
VII
This　morning's　sunshine　faded　amid　slow…gathering　clouds；　but　something　of　its　light　seems　still　to　linger　in　the　air；　and　to　touch　the　rain　which　is　falling　softly。　I　hear　a　pattering　upon　the　still　leafage　of　the　garden；　it　is　a　sound　which　lulls；　and　tunes　the　mind　to　calm　thoughtfulness。
I　have　a　letter　to…day　from　my　old　friend　in　Germany；　E。　B。　For　many　and　many　a　year　these　letters　have　made　a　pleasant　incident　in　my　life；　more　than　that；　they　have　often　brought　me　help　and　fort。　It　must　be　a　rare　thing　for　friendly　correspondence　to　go　on　during　the　greater　part　of　a　lifetime　between　men　of　different　nationalities　who　see　each　other　not　twice　in　two　decades。　We　were　young　men　when　we　first　met　in　London；　poor；　struggling；　full　of　hopes　and　ideals；　now　we　look　back　upon　those　far　memories　from　the　autumn　of　life。　B。　writes　to…day　in　a　vein　of　quiet　contentment；　which　does　me　good。　He　quotes　Goethe：　〃Was　man　in　der　Jugend　begehrt　hat　man　im　Alter　die　Fulle。〃
These　words　of　Goethe's　were　once　a　hope　to　me；　later；　they　made　me　shake　my　head　incredulously；　now　I　smile　to　think　how　true　they　have　proved　in　my　own　case。　But　what；　exactly；　do　they　mean？　Are　they　merely　an　expression　of　the　optimistic　spirit？　If　so；　optimism　has　to　content　itself　with　rather　doubtful　generalities。　Can　it　truly　be　said　that　most　men　find　the　wishes　of　their　youth　satisfied　in　later　life？　Ten　years　ago；　I　should　have　utterly　denied　it；　and　could　have　brought　what　seemed　to　me　abundant　evidence　in　its　disproof。　And　as　regards　myself；　is　it　not　by　mere　happy　accident　that　I　pass　my　latter　years　in　such　enjoyment　of　all　I　most　desired？　Accident……but　there　is　no　such　thing。　I　might　just　as　well　have　called　it　an　accident　had　I　succeeded　in　earning　the　money　on　which　now　I　live。
From　the　beginning　of　my　manhood；　it　is　true；　I　longed　for　bookish　leisure；　that；　assuredly；　is　seldom　even　one　of　the　desires　in　a　young　man's　heart；　but　perhaps　it　is　one　of　those　which　may　most　reasonably　look　for　gratification　later　on。　What；　however；　of　the　multitudes　who　aim　only　at　wealth；　for　the　power　and　the　pride　and　the　material　pleasures　which　it　represents？　We　know　very　well　that　few　indeed　are　successful　in　that　aim；　and；　missing　it；　do　they　not　miss　everything？　For　them；　are　not　Goethe's　words　mere　mockery？
Apply　them　to　mankind　at　large；　and　perhaps；　after　all；　they　are　true。　The　fact　of　national　prosperity　and　contentment　implies；　necessarily；　the　prosperity　and　contentment　of　the　greater　number　of　the　individuals　of　which　the　nation　consists。　In　other　words；　the　average　man　who　is　past　middle　life　has　obtained　what　he　strove　for…　…success　in　his　calling。　As　a　young　man；　he　would　not；　perhaps；　have　set　forth　his　aspirations　so　moderately；　but　do　they　not；　as　a　fact；　amount　to　this？　In　defence　of　the　optimistic　view；　one　may　urge　how　rare　it　is　to　meet　with　an　elderly　man　who　harbours　a　repining　spirit。　True；　but　I　have　always　regarded　as　a　fact　of　infinite　pathos　the　ability　men　have　to　subdue　themselves　to　the　conditions　of　life。　Contentment　so　often　means　resignation；　abandonment　of　the　hope　seen　to　be　forbidden。
I　cannot　resolve　this　doubt。
VIII
I　have　been　reading　Sainte…Beuve's　Port　Royal；　a　book　I　have　often　thought　of　reading；　but　its　length；　and　my　slight　interest　in　that　period；　always　held　me　aloof。　Happily；　chance　and　mood　came　together；　and　I　am　richer　by　a　bit　of　knowledge　well　worth　acquiring。　It　is　the　kind　of　book　which；　one　may　reasonably　say；　tends　to　edification。　One　is　better　for　having　lived　a　while　with　〃Messieurs　de　Port…Royal〃；　the　best　of　them　were；　surely；　not　far　from　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven。
Theirs　is　not；　indeed；　the　Christianity　of　the　first　age；　we　are　among　theologians；　and　the　shadow　of　dogma　has　dimmed　those　divine　hues　of　the　early　morning；　yet　ever　and　anon　there　es　a　cool；　sweet　air；　which　seems　not　to　have　blown　across　man's　mon　world；　which　bears　no　taint　of　mortality。
A　gallery　of　impressive　and　touching　portraits。　The　great…souled　M。　de　Saint…Cyran；　with　his　vision　of　Christ　restored；　M。　Le　Maitre；　who；　at　the　summit　of　a　brilliant　career；　turned　from　the　world　to　meditation　and　penitence；　Pascal；　with　his　genius　and　his　triumphs；　his　conflicts　of　soul　and　fleshly　martyrdom；　Lancelot；　the　good　Lancelot；　ideal　schoolmaster；　who　wrote　grammar　and　edited　classical　books；　the　vigorous　Arnauld；　doctoral　rather　than　saintly；　but　long…　suffering　for　the　faith　that　was　in　him；　and　all　the　smaller　names……　Walon　de　Beaupuis；　Nicole；　Hamon……spirits　of　exquisite　humility　and　sweetness……a　perfume　rises　from　the　page　as　one　reads　about　them。　But　best　of　all　I　like　M。　de　Tillemont；　I　could　have　wished　for　myself　even　such　a　life　as　his；　wrapped　in　silence　and　calm；　a　life　of　gentle　devotion　and　zealous　study。　From　the　age　of　fourteen；　he　said；　his　intellect　had　occupied　itself　with　but　one　subject；　that　of　ecclesiastical　history。　Rising　at　four　o'clock；　he　read　and　wrote　until　half…past　nine　in　the　evening；　interrupting　his　work　only　to　say　the　Offices　of　the　Church；　and　for　a　couple　of　hours'　breathing　at　mid…day。　Few　were　his　absences。　When　he　had　to　make　a　journey；　he　set　forth　on　foot；　staff　in　hand；　and　lightened　the　way　by　singing　to　himself　a　psalm　or　canticle。　This　man　of　profound　erudition　had　as　pure　and　simple　a　heart　as　ever　dwelt　in　mortal。　He　loved　to　stop　by　the　road　and　talk　with　children；　and　knew　how　to　hold　their　attention　whilst　teaching　them　a　lesson。　Seeing　boy　or　girl　in　charge　of　a　cow；　he　would　ask：　〃How　is　it　that　you；　a　little　child；　are　able　to　control　that　animal；　so　much　bigger　and　stronger？〃　And　he　would　show　the　reason；　speaking　of　the　human　soul。　All　this　about　Tillemont　is　new　to　me；　well　as　I　knew　his　name　（from　the　pages　of　Gibbon）；　I　thought　of　him　merely　as　the　laborious　and　accurate　piler　of　historical　materials。　Admirable　as　was　his　work；　the　spirit　in　which　he　performed　it　is　the　thing　to　dwell　upon；　he　studied　for　study's　sake；　and　with　no　aim　but　truth；　to　him　it　was　a　matter　of　indifference　whether　his　learning　ever　became　known　among　men；　and　at　any　moment　he　would　have　given　the　fruits　of　his　labour　to　any　one　capable　of　making　use　of　them。
Think　of　the　world　in　which　the　Jansenists　were　living；　the　world　of　the　Fronde；　of　Richelieu　and　Mazarin；　of　his　refulgent　Majesty　Louis　XIV。　Contrast　Port…Royal　with　Versailles；　and……whatever　one's　judgment　of　their　religious　and　ecclesiastical　aims……one　must　needs　say　that　these　men　lived　with　dignity。　The　Great　Monarch　is；　in　parison；　a　poor；　sordid　creature。　One　thinks　of　Moliere　refused　burial……the　king's　contemptuous　indifference　for　one　who　could　do　no　more　to　amuse　him　being　a　true　measure　of　the　royal　greatness。　Face　to　face　with　even　the　least　of　these　grave　and　pious　men；　how　paltry　and　unclean　are　all　those　courtly　figures；　not　THERE　was　dignity；　in　the　palace　chambers　and　the　stately　gardens；　but　in　the　poor　rooms　where　the　solitaries　of　Port…Royal　prayed　and　studied　and　taught。　Whether　or　not　the　ideal　for　mankind；　their　life　was　worthy　of　man。　And　what　is　rarer　than　a　life　to　which　that　praise　can　be　given？
IX
It　is　amusing　to　note　the　superficial　forms　of　reaction　against　scientific　positivism。　The　triumph　of　Darwin　was　signalized　by　the　invention　of　that　happy　word　Agnostic；　which　had　great　vogue。　But　agnosticism；　as　a　fashion；　was　far　too　reasonable　to　endure。　There　came　a　rumour　of　Oriental　magic；　（how　the　world　repeats　itself！）　and　presently　every　one　who　had　nothing　better　to　do　gossipped　about　〃esoteric　Buddhism〃……the　saving　adjective　sounded　well　in　a　drawing…　room。　It　did　not　hold　very　long；　even　with　the　novelists；　for　the　English　taste　this　esotericism　was　too　exotic。　Somebody　suggested　that　the　old　table…turning　and　spirit…rapping；　which　had　homely　associations；　might　be　re…considered　in　a　scientific　light；　and　the　idea　was　seized　upon。　Superstition　pranked　in　the　professor's　spectacles；　it　set　up　a　laboratory；　and　printed　grave　reports。　Day　by　day　its　sphere　widened。　Hypnotism　brought　matter　for　the　marvel…　mongers；　and　there　followed　a　long　procession　of　words　in　limping　Greek……a　little　difficult　till　practice　had　made　perfect。　Another　fortunate　terminologist　hit　upon　the　word　〃psychical〃……the　P　might　be　sounded　or　not；　according　to　the　taste　and　fancy　of　the　pronouncer……and　the　fashionable　children　of　a　scientific　age　were　thoroughly　at　ease。　〃There　MUST　be　something；　you　know；　one　always　felt　that　there　MUST　be　something。〃　And　now；　if　one　may　judge　from　what　one　reads；　psychical　〃science〃　is　fortably　joining　hands　with　the　sorcery　of　the　Middle　Ages。　It　is　said　to　be　a　lucrative　moment　for　wizards　that　peep　and　that　mutter。　If　the　law　against　fortune…telling　were　as　strictly　enforced　in　the　polite　world　as　it　occasionally　is　in　slums　and　hamlets；　we　should　have　a　merry　time。　But　it　is　difficult　to　prosecute　a　Professor　of　Telepathy……and　how　he　would　wele　the　advertisement！
Of　course　I　know　very　well　that　all　that　make　use　of　these　words　are　not　in　one　and　the　same　category。　There　is　a　study　of　the　human　mind；　in　health　and　in　disease；　which　calls　for　as　much　respect　as　any　other　study　conscientiously　and　capably　pursued；　that　it　lends　occasion　to　fribbles　and　knaves　is　no　argument　against　any　honest　tendency　of　thought。　Men　whom　one　cannot　but　esteem　are　deeply　engaged　in　psychical　investigations；　and　have　convinced　themselves　that　they　are　brought　into　touch　with　phenomena　inexplicable　by　the　monly　accepted　laws　of　life。　Be　it　so。　They　may　be　on　the　point　of　making　discoveries　in　the　world　beyond　sense。　For　my　own　part；　everything　of　this　kind　not　only　does　not　interest　me；　I　turn　from　it　with　the　strongest　distaste。　If　every　wonder…story　examined　by　the　Psychical　Society　were　set　before　me　with　irresistible　evidence　of　its　truth；　my　feeling　（call　it　my　prejudice）　would　undergo　no　change　whatever。　No　whit　the　less　should　I　yawn　over　the　next　batch；　and　lay　the　narratives　aside　with……yes；　with　a　sort　of　disgust。　〃An　ounce　of　civet；　good　apothecary！〃　Why　it　should　be　so　with　me　I　cannot　s