第 67 节
作者:乐乐陶陶      更新:2021-02-24 23:08      字数:9322
  services。  The worst that can be said; is that he was not willing
  to suffer and die for his opinions: and how many philosophers are
  there who are willing to be martyrs?
  Nevertheless; in the eyes of philosophers he has disgraced himself。
  Let him then return to Florence; to his own Arceti。  He is a
  silenced man。  But he is silenced; not because he believed with
  Copernicus; but because he ridiculed his enemies and confronted the
  Church; and in the eyes of blinded partisans had attacked divine
  authority。  Why did Copernicus escape persecution?  The Church must
  have known that there was something in his discoveries; and in
  those of Galileo; worthy of attention。  About this time Pascal
  wrote: 〃It is vain that you have procured the condemnation of
  Galileo。  That will never prove the earth to be at rest。  If
  unerring observation proves that it turns round; not all mankind
  together can keep it from turning; or themselves from turning with
  it。〃
  But let that persecution pass。  It is no worse than other
  persecutions; either in Catholic or Protestant ranks。  It was no
  worse than burning witches。  Not only is intolerance in human
  nature; but there is a repugnance among the learned to receive new
  opinions when these interfere with their ascendancy。  The
  opposition to Galileo's discoveries was no greater than that of the
  Protestant Church; half a century ago; to some of the inductions of
  geology。  How bitter the hatred; even in our times; to such men as
  Huxley and Darwin!  True; they have not proved their theories as
  Galileo did; but they gave as great a shock as he to the minds of
  theologians。  All science is progressive; yet there are thousands
  who oppose its progress。  And if learning and science should
  establish a different meaning to certain texts from which
  theological deductions are drawn; and these premises be undermined;
  there would be the same bitterness among the defenders of the
  present system of dogmatic theology。  Yet theology will live; and
  never lose its dignity and importance; only; some of its present
  assumptions may be discarded。  God will never be dethroned from the
  world he governs; but some of his ways may appear to be different
  from what was once supposed。  And all science is not only
  progressive; but it appears to be bold and scornful and proud;at
  least its advocates are and ever have been contemptuous of all
  other departments of knowledge but its own。  So narrow and limited
  is the human mind in the midst of its triumphs。  So full of
  prejudices are even the learned and the great。
  Let us turn then to give another glance at the fallen philosopher
  in his final retreat at Arceti。  He lives under restrictions。  But
  they allow him leisure and choice wines; of which he is fond; and
  gardens and friends; and many come to do him reverence。  He amuses
  his old age with the studies of his youth and manhood; and writes
  dialogues on Motion; and even discovers the phenomena of the moon's
  libration; and by means of the pendulum he gives additional
  importance to astronomical science。  But he is not allowed to leave
  his retirement; not even to visit his friends in Florence。  The
  wrath of the Inquisition still pursues him; even in his villa at
  Arceti in the suburbs of Florence。  Then renewed afflictions come。
  He loses his daughter; who was devoted to him; and her death nearly
  plunges him into despair。  The bulwarks of his heart break down; a
  flood of grief overwhelms his stricken soul。  His appetite leaves
  him; his health forsakes him; his infirmities increase upon him。
  His right eye loses its power;that eye that had seen more of the
  heavens than the eyes of all who had gone before him。  He becomes
  blind and deaf; and cannot sleep; afflicted with rheumatic pains
  and maladies forlorn。  No more for him is rest; or peace; or bliss;
  still less the glories of his brighter days;the sight of
  glittering fields; the gems of heaven; without which
  〃Neither breath of Morn; when she ascends
  With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun
  On this delightful land; nor herb; fruit; flower
  Glistering with dew; nor fragrance after showers;
  Nor grateful evening mild; 。 。 。 is sweet。〃
  No more shall he gaze on features that he loves; or stars; or
  trees; or hills。  No more to him
  〃Returns
  Day; or the sweet approach of even or morn;
  Or sight of vernal bloom; or summer's rose;
  Or flocks; or herds; or human face divine;
  But clouds; instead; and ever…during dark
  Surround〃 'him'。
  It was in those dreary desolate days at Arceti;
  〃Unseen
  In manly beauty Milton stood before him;
  Gazing in reverent awe;Milton; his guest;
  Just then come forth; all life and enterprise;
  While he in his old age; 。 。 。
  。 。 。 exploring with his staff;
  His eyes upturned as to the golden sun;
  His eyeballs idly rolling。〃
  This may have been the punishment of his recantation;not
  Inquisitorial torture; but the consciousness that he had lost his
  honor。  Poor Galileo! thine illustrious visitor; when his
  affliction came; could cast his sightless eyeballs inward; and see
  and tell 〃things attempted yet in prose or rhyme;〃not
  〃Rocks; caves; lakes; bogs; fens; and shades of death;
  。     。     。     。     。     。     。     。
  Where all life dies; death lives; and Nature breeds
  。     。     。     。     。     。     。     。
  Gorgons; and Hydras; and Chimeras dire;〃
  but of 〃eternal Providence;〃 and 〃Eden with surpassing glory
  crowned;〃 and 〃our first parents;〃 and of 〃salvation;〃 〃goodness
  infinite;〃 of 〃wisdom;〃 which when known we need no higher though
  all the stars we know by name;
  〃All secrets of the deep; all Nature's works;
  Or works of God in heaven; or air; or sea。〃
  And yet; thou stricken observer of the heavenly bodies! hadst thou
  but known what marvels would be revealed by the power of thy
  wondrous instrument after thou should'st be laid lifeless and cold
  beneath the marble floor of Sante Croce; at the age of seventy…
  eight; without a monument (although blessed on his death…bed by
  Pope Urban); having died a prisoner of the Inquisition; yet not
  without having rendered to astronomical science services of utmost
  value;even thou might have died rejoicing; as one of the great
  benefactors of the world。  And thy discoveries shall be forever
  held in gratitude; they shall herald others of even greater
  importance。  Newton shall prove that the different planets are
  attracted to the sun in the inverse ratio of the squares of their
  distances; that the earth has a force on the moon identical with
  the force of gravity; and that all celestial bodies; to the utmost
  boundaries of space; mutually attract each other; that all
  particles of matter are governed by the same law;the great law of
  gravitation; by which 〃astronomy;〃 in the language of Whewell;
  〃passed from boyhood to manhood; and by which law the great
  discoverer added more to the realm of science than any man before
  or since his day。〃  And after Newton shall pass away; honored and
  lamented; and be buried with almost royal pomp in the vaults of
  Westminster; Halley and other mathematicians shall construct lunar
  tables; by which longitude shall be accurately measured on the
  pathless ocean。  Lagrange and Laplace shall apply the Newtonian
  theory to determine the secular inequalities of celestial motion;
  they shall weigh absolutely the amount of matter in the planets;
  they shall show how far their orbits deviate from circles; and they
  shall enumerate the cycles of changes detected in the circuit of
  the moon。  Clairaut shall remove the perplexity occasioned by the
  seeming discrepancy between the observed and computed motions of
  the moon's perigee。  Halley shall demonstrate the importance of
  observations of the transit of Venus as the only certain way of
  obtaining the sun's parallax; and hence the distance of the sun
  from the earth; he shall predict the return of that mysterious body
  which we call a comet。  Herschel shall construct a telescope which
  magnifies two thousand times; and add another planet to our system
  beyond the mighty orb of Saturn。  Romer shall estimate the velocity
  of light from the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites。  Bessell shall
  pass the impassable gulf of space and measure the distance of some
  of the fixed stars; although such is the immeasurable space between
  the earth and those distant suns that the parallax of only about
  thirty has yet been discovered with our finest instruments;so
  boundless is the material universe; so vast are the distances; that
  light; travelling one hundred and sixty thousand miles with every
  pulsation of the blood; will not reach us from some of those remote
  worlds in one hundred thousand years。  So marvellous shall be the
  victories of sc