第 14 节
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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