第 14 节
作者:上访不如上网      更新:2022-05-01 22:41      字数:9321
  generous actions of former ages; putting one vile interpretation or
  another upon them; and forging and supposing vain causes and motives for
  the noble things they did: a mighty subtlety indeed!  Give me the
  greatest and most unblemished action that ever the day beheld; and I will
  contrive a hundred plausible drifts and ends to obscure it。  God knows;
  whoever will stretch them out to the full; what diversity of images our
  internal wills suffer under。  They do not so maliciously play the
  censurers; as they do it ignorantly and rudely in all their detractions。
  The same pains and licence that others take to blemish and bespatter
  these illustrious names; I would willingly undergo to lend them a
  shoulder to raise them higher。  These rare forms; that are culled out by
  the consent of the wisest men of all ages; for the world's example;
  I should not stick to augment in honour; as far as my invention would
  permit; in all the circumstances of favourable interpretation; and we may
  well believe that the force of our invention is infinitely short of their
  merit。  'Tis the duty of good men to portray virtue as beautiful as they
  can; and there would be nothing wrong should our passion a little
  transport us in favour of so sacred a form。  What these people do; on the
  contrary; they either do out of malice; or by the vice of confining their
  belief to their own capacity; or; which I am more inclined to think; for
  not having their sight strong; clear; and elevated enough to conceive the
  splendour of virtue in her native purity: as Plutarch complains; that in
  his time some attributed the cause of the younger Cato's death to his
  fear of Caesar; at which he seems very angry; and with good reason; and
  by this a man may guess how much more he would have been offended with
  those who have attributed it to ambition。  Senseless people!  He would
  rather have performed a noble; just; and generous action; and to have had
  ignominy for his reward; than for glory。  That man was in truth a pattern
  that nature chose out to show to what height human virtue and constancy
  could arrive。
  But I am not capable of handling so rich an argument; and shall therefore
  only set five Latin poets together; contending in the praise of Cato;
  and; incidentally; for their own too。  Now; a well…educated child will
  judge the two first; in comparison of the others; a little flat and
  languid; the third more vigorous; but overthrown by the extravagance of
  his own force; he will then think that there will be room for one or two
  gradations of invention to come to the fourth; and; mounting to the pitch
  of that; he will lift up his hands in admiration; coming to the last; the
  first by some space' (but a space that he will swear is not to be filled
  up by any human wit); he will be astounded; he will not know where he is。
  And here is a wonder: we have far more poets than judges and interpreters
  of poetry; it is easier to write it than to understand it。  There is;
  indeed; a certain low and moderate sort of poetry; that a man may well
  enough judge by certain rules of art; but the true; supreme; and divine
  poesy is above all rules and reason。  And whoever discerns the beauty of
  it with the most assured and most steady sight; sees no more than the
  quick reflection of a flash of lightning: it does not exercise; but
  ravishes and overwhelms our judgment。  The fury that possesses him who is
  able to penetrate into it wounds yet a third man by hearing him repeat
  it; like a loadstone that not only attracts the needle; but also infuses
  into it the virtue to attract others。  And it is more evidently manifest
  in our theatres; that the sacred inspiration of the Muses; having first
  stirred up the poet to anger; sorrow; hatred; and out of himself; to
  whatever they will; does moreover by the poet possess the actor; and by
  the actor consecutively all the spectators。  So much do our passions hang
  and depend upon one another。
  Poetry has ever had that power over me from a child to transpierce and
  transport me; but this vivid sentiment that is natural to me has been
  variously handled by variety of forms; not so much higher or lower (for
  they were ever the highest of every kind); as differing in colour。
  First; a gay and sprightly fluency; afterwards; a lofty and penetrating
  subtlety; and lastly; a mature and constant vigour。  Their names will
  better express them: Ovid; Lucan; Virgil。
  But our poets are beginning their career:
  〃Sit Cato; dum vivit; sane vel Caesare major;〃
  '〃Let Cato; whilst he live; be greater than Caesar。〃
  Martial; vi。 32'
  says one。
  〃Et invictum; devicta morte; Catonem;〃
  '〃And Cato invincible; death being overcome。〃
  Manilius; Astron。; iv。 87。
  says the second。  And the third; speaking of the civil wars betwixt
  Caesar and Pompey;
  〃Victrix causa diis placuit; set victa Catoni。〃
  '〃The victorious cause blessed the gods; the defeated one Cato。
  〃Lucan; i。 128。'
  And the fourth; upon the praises of Caesar:
  〃Et cuncta terrarum subacta;
  Praeter atrocem animum Catonis。〃
  '〃And conquered all but the indomitable mind of Cato。〃
  Horace; Od。; ii。 1; 23。'
  And the master of the choir; after having set forth all the great names
  of the greatest Romans; ends thus:
  〃His dantem jura Catonem。〃
  '〃Cato giving laws to all the rest。〃AEneid; viii。 670。'
  CHAPTER XXXVII
  THAT WE LAUGH AND CRY FOR THE SAME THING
  When we read in history that Antigonus was very much displeased with his
  son for presenting him the head of King Pyrrhus his enemy; but newly
  slain fighting against him; and that seeing it; he wept; and that Rene;
  Duke of Lorraine; also lamented the death of Charles; Duke of Burgundy;
  whom he had himself defeated; and appeared in mourning at his funeral;
  and that in the battle of D'Auray (which Count Montfort obtained over
  Charles de Blois; his competitor for the duchy of Brittany); the
  conqueror meeting the dead body of his enemy; was very much afflicted at
  his death; we must not presently cry out:
  〃E cosi avven; the l'animo ciascuna
  Sua passion sotto 'l contrario manto;
  Ricopre; con la vista or'chiara; or'bruna。〃
  '〃And thus it happens that the mind of each veils its passion under
  a different appearance; and beneath a smiling visage; gay beneath a
  sombre air。〃Petrarch。'
  When Pompey's head was presented to Caesar; the histories tell us that he
  turned away his face; as from a sad and unpleasing object。  There had
  been so long an intelligence and society betwixt them in the management
  of the public affairs; so great a community of fortunes; so many mutual
  offices; and so near an alliance; that this countenance of his ought not
  to suffer under any misinterpretation; or to be suspected for either
  false or counterfeit; as this other seems to believe:
  〃Tutumque putavit
  Jam bonus esse socer; lacrymae non sponte cadentes;
  Effudit; gemitusque expressit pectore laeto;〃
  '〃And now he thought it safe to play the kind father…in…law;
  shedding forced tears; and from a joyful breast discharging sighs
  and groans。〃Lucan; ix。 1037。'
  for though it be true that the greatest part of our actions are no other
  than visor and disguise; and that it may sometimes be true that
  〃Haeredis fletus sub persona rises est;〃
  '〃The heir's tears behind the mask are smiles。〃
  Publius Syrus; apud Gellium; xvii。 14。'
  yet; in judging of these accidents; we are to consider how much our souls
  are oftentimes agitated with divers passions。  And as they say that in
  our bodies there is a congregation of divers humours; of which that is
  the sovereign which; according to the complexion we are of; is commonly
  most predominant in us: so; though the soul have in it divers motions to
  give it agitation; yet must there of necessity be one to overrule all the
  rest; though not with so necessary and absolute a dominion but that
  through the flexibility and inconstancy of the soul; those of less
  authority may upon occasion reassume their place and make a little sally
  in turn。  Thence it is; that we see not only children; who innocently
  obey and follow nature; often laugh and cry at the same thing; but not
  one of us can boast; what journey soever he may have in hand that he has
  the most set his heart upon; but when he comes to part with his family
  and friends; he will find something that troubles him within; and though
  he refrain his tears yet he puts foot in the stirrup with a sad and
  cloudy countenance。  And what gentle flame soever may warm the heart of
  modest and wellborn virgins; yet are they fain to be forced from about
  their mothers' necks to be put to bed to their husbands; whatever this
  boon companion is pleased to say:
  〃Estne novis nuptis odio Venus?  anne parentum
  Frustrantur falsis gaudia lachrymulis;
  Ubertim thalami quasi intra limina fundunt?
  Non; ita me divi; vera gemunt; juverint。〃
  '〃Is Venus really so alarming to the new…made bride; or does