第 45 节
作者:点绛唇      更新:2021-02-21 16:25      字数:9322
  and Greek antiquities; disappeared from the scene and
  their place was taken by serious men who spent twenty hours
  a day administering those holy duties which had been placed
  in their hands。
  The long and rather disgraceful happiness of the monasteries
  came to an end。 Monks and nuns were forced to be up
  at sunrise; to study the Church Fathers; to tend the sick and
  console the dying。 The Holy Inquisition watched day and
  night that no dangerous doctrines should be spread by way of
  the printing press。 Here it is customary to mention poor
  Galileo; who was locked up because he had been a little too
  indiscreet in explaining the heavens with his funny little
  telescope and had muttered certain opinions about the behaviour
  of the planets which were entirely opposed to the official views
  of the church。 But in all fairness to the Pope; the clergy and
  the Inquisition; it ought to be stated that the Protestants were
  quite as much the enemies of science and medicine as the Catholics
  and with equal manifestations of ignorance and intolerance
  regarded the men who investigated things for themselves
  as the most dangerous enemies of mankind。
  And Calvin; the great French reformer and the tyrant
  (both political and spiritual) of Geneva; not only assisted the
  French authorities when they tried to hang Michael Servetus
  (the Spanish theologian and physician who had become famous
  as the assistant of Vesalius; the first great anatomist); but
  when Servetus had managed to escape from his French jail and
  had fled to Geneva; Calvin threw this brilliant man into prison
  and after a prolonged trial; allowed him to be burned at the
  stake on account of his heresies; totally indifferent to his fame
  as a scientist。
  And so it went。 We have few reliable statistics upon the
  subject; but on the whole; the Protestants tired of this game
  long before the Catholics; and the greater part of honest men
  and women who were burned and hanged and decapitated on
  account of their religious beliefs fell as victims of the very
  energetic but also very drastic church of Rome。
  For tolerance (and please remember this when you grow
  older); is of very recent origin and even the people of our own
  so…called ‘‘modern world'' are apt to be tolerant only upon such
  matters as do not interest them very much。 They are tolerant
  towards a native of Africa; and do not care whether he becomes
  a Buddhist or a Mohammedan; because neither Buddhism nor
  Mohammedanism means anything to them。 But when they
  hear that their neighbour who was a Republican and believed
  in a high protective tariff; has joined the Socialist party and
  now wants to repeal all tariff laws; their tolerance ceases and
  they use almost the same words as those employed by a kindly
  Catholic (or Protestant) of the seventeenth century; who was
  informed that his best friend whom he had always respected
  and loved had fallen a victim to the terrible heresies of the
  Protestant (or Catholic) church。
  ‘‘Heresy'' until a very short time ago was regarded as a
  disease。 Nowadays when we see a man neglecting the personal
  cleanliness of his body and his home and exposing himself
  and his children to the dangers of typhoid fever or another
  preventable disease; we send for the board…of…health and the
  health officer calls upon the police to aid him in removing this
  person who is a danger to the safety of the entire community。
  In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; a heretic; a man
  or a woman who openly doubted the fundamental principles
  upon which his Protestant or Catholic religion had been
  founded; was considered a more terrible menace than a typhoid
  carrier。 Typhoid fever might (very likely would) destroy the
  body。 But heresy; according to them; would positively destroy
  the immortal soul。 It was therefore the duty of all good and
  logical citizens to warn the police against the enemies of the
  established order of things and those who failed to do so were
  as culpable as a modern man who does not telephone to the
  nearest doctor when he discovers that his fellow…tenants are
  suffering from cholera or small…pox。
  In the years to come you will hear a great deal about
  preventive medicine。 Preventive medicine simply means that our
  doctors do not wait until their patients are sick; then step
  forward and cure them。 On the contrary; they study the patient
  and the conditions under which he lives when he (the patient)
  is perfectly well and they remove every possible cause of illness
  by cleaning up rubbish; by teaching him what to eat and what
  to avoid; and by giving him a few simple ideas of personal
  hygiene。 They go even further than that; and these good
  doctors enter the schools and teach the children how to use
  tooth…brushes and how to avoid catching colds。
  The sixteenth century which regarded (as I have tried to
  show you) bodily illness as much less important than sickness
  which threatened the soul; organised a system of spiritual
  preventive medicine。 As soon as a child was old enough to spell
  his first words; he was educated in the true (and the ‘‘only
  true'') principles of the Faith。 Indirectly this proved to be a
  good thing for the general progress of the people of Europe。
  The Protestant lands were soon dotted with schools。 They
  used a great deal of very valuable time to explain the Catechism;
  but they gave instruction in other things besides theology。
  They encouraged reading and they were responsible
  for the great prosperity of the printing trade。
  But the Catholics did not lag behind。 They too devoted
  much time and thought to education。 The Church; in this matter;
  found an invaluable friend and ally in the newly…founded
  order of the Society of Jesus。 The founder of this remarkable
  organisation was a Spanish soldier who after a life of unholy
  adventures had been converted and thereupon felt himself
  bound to serve the church just as many former sinners; who
  have been shown the errors of their way by the Salvation Army;
  devote the remaining years of their lives to the task of aiding
  and consoling those who are less fortunate。
  The name of this Spaniard was Ignatius de Loyola。 He
  was born in the year before the discovery of America。 He had
  been wounded and lamed for life and while he was in the hospital
  he had seen a vision of the Holy Virgin and her Son; who
  bade him give up the wickedness of his former life。 He decided
  to go to the Holy Land and finish the task of the Crusades。
  But a visit to Jerusalem had shown him the impossibility
  of the task and he returned west to help in the warfare
  upon the heresies of the Lutherans。
  In the year 1534 he was studying in Paris at the Sorbonne。
  Together with seven other students he founded a fraternity。
  The eight men promised each other that they would lead holy
  lives; that they would not strive after riches but after righteousness;
  and would devote themselves; body and soul; to the service
  of the Church。 A few years later this small fraternity
  had grown into a regular organisation and was recognised by
  Pope Paul III as the Society of Jesus。
  Loyola had been a military man。 He believed in discipline;
  and absolute obedience to the orders of the superior dignitaries
  became one of the main causes for the enormous success of the
  Jesuits。 They specialised in education。 They gave their
  teachers a most thorough…going education before they allowed
  them to talk to a single pupil。 They lived with their students
  and they entered into their games。 They watched them with
  tender care。 And as a result they raised a new generation of
  faithful Catholics who took their religious duties as seriously
  as the people of the early Middle Ages。
  The shrewd Jesuits; however; did not waste all their efforts
  upon the education of the poor。 They entered the palaces
  of the mighty and became the private tutors of future emperors
  and kings。 And what this meant you will see for yourself
  when I tell you about the Thirty Years War。 But before
  this terrible and final outbreak of religious fanaticism; a great
  many other things had happened。
  Charles V was dead。 Germany and Austria had been left
  to his brother Ferdinand。 All his other possessions; Spain and
  the Netherlands and the Indies and America had gone to his
  son Philip。 Philip was the son of Charles and a Portuguese
  princess who had been first cousin to her own husband。 The
  children that are born of such a union are apt to be rather
  queer。 The son of Philip; the unfortunate Don Carlos; (murdered
  afterwards with his own father's consent;) was crazy。
  Philip was not quite crazy; but his zeal for the Church bordered
  closely upon religious insanity。 He believed that Heaven had
  appointed him as one of the saviours of mankind。 Therefore;
  whosoever was obstinate and refused to share his Majesty's
  views; proclaimed himself an enemy of the human race and
  must be exterminated lest his example corrupt the souls of
  his pious neighbo