historical lecturers and essays-第15节

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great　almond　orchards；　each　one　sheet　of　rose…colour　in　spring；　the



mulberry　orchards；　the　oliveyards；　the　vineyards；　cover　every　foot



of　available　upland　soil：　　　save　where　the　rugged　and　arid　downs　are



sweet　with　a　thousand　odoriferous　plants；　from　which　the　bees



extract　the　famous　white　honey　of　Narbonne。　　The　native　flowers　and



shrubs；　of　a　beauty　and　richness　rather　Eastern　than　European；　have



made　the　〃Flora　Montpeliensis；〃　and　with　it　the　names　of　Rondelet



and　his　disciples；　famous　among　botanists；　and　the　strange　fish　and



shells　upon　its　shores　afforded　Rondelet　materials　for　his　immortal



work　upon　the　〃Animals　of　the　Sea。〃　　The　innumerable　wild　fowl　of



the　Benches　du　Rhone；　the　innumerable　songsters　and　other　birds　of



passage；　many　of　them　unknown　in　these　islands；　and　even　in　the



north　of　France　itself；　which　haunt　every　copse　of　willow　and　aspen



along　the　brook…sides；　the　gaudy　and　curious　insects　which　thrive



beneath　that　clear；　fierce；　and　yet　bracing　sunlight；　all　these　have



made　the　district　of　Montpellier　a　home　prepared　by　Nature　for　those



who　study　and　revere　her。







Neither　was　Chancellor　Fanchon　misled　by　patriotism；　when　he　said



the　pleasant　people　who　inhabit　that　district　are　fit　for　all　the



labours　of　the　intellect。　　They　are　a　very　mixed　race；　and；　like



most　mixed　races；　quick…witted；　and　handsome　also。　　There　is



probably　much　Roman　blood　among　them；　especially　in　the　towns；　for



Languedoc；　or　Gallia　Narbonnensis；　as　it　was　called　of　old；　was　said



to　be　more　Roman　than　Rome　itself。　　The　Roman　remains　are　more



perfect　and　more　interestingso　the　late　Dr。　Whewell　used　to　say



than　any　to　be　seen　now　in　Italy；　and　the　old　capital；　Narbonne



itself；　was　a　complete　museum　of　Roman　antiquities　ere　Francis　I。



destroyed　it；　in　order　to　fortify　the　city　upon　a　modern　system



against　the　invading　armies　of　Charles　V。　　There　must　be　much



Visigothic　blood　likewise　in　Languedoc：　　　for　the　Visigothic　Kings



held　their　courts　there　from　the　fifth　century；　until　the　time　that



they　were　crushed　by　the　invading　Moors。　　Spanish　blood；　likewise；



there　may　be；　for　much　of　Languedoc　was　held　in　the　early　Middle　Age



by　those　descendants　of　Eudes　of　Aquitaine　who　established



themselves　as　kings　of　Majorca　and　Arragon；　and　Languedoc　did　not



become　entirely　French　till　1349；　when　Philip　le　Bel　bought



Montpellier　of　those　potentates。　　The　Moors；　too；　may　have　left　some



traces　of　their　race　behind。　　They　held　the　country　from　about　A。D。



713　to　758；　when　they　were　finally　expelled　by　Charles　Martel　and



Eudes。　　One　sees　to　this　day　their　towers　of　meagre　stonework；



perched　on　the　grand　Roman　masonry　of　those　old　amphitheatres；　which



they　turned　into　fortresses。　　One　may　see；　tooso　tradition　holds



upon　those　very　amphitheatres　the　stains　of　the　fires　with　which



Charles　Martel　smoked　them　out；　and　one　may　see；　too；　or　fancy　that



one　sees；　in　the　aquiline　features；　the　bright　black　eyes；　the　lithe



and　graceful　gestures；　which　are　so　common　in　Languedoc；　some　touch



of　the　old　Mahommedan　race；　which　passed　like　a　flood　over　that



Christian　land。







Whether　or　not　the　Moors　left　behind　any　traces　of　their　blood；　they



left　behind；　at　least；　traces　of　their　learning；　for　the　university



of　Montpellier　claimed　to　have　been　founded　by　Moors　at　a　date　of



altogether　abysmal　antiquity。　　They　looked　upon　the　Arabian



physicians　of　the　Middle　Age；　on　Avicenna　and　Averrhoes；　as　modern



innovators；　and　derived　their　parentage　from　certain　mythic　doctors



of　Cordova；　who；　when　the　Moors　were　expelled　from　Spain　in　the



eighth　century；　fled　to　Montpellier；　bringing　with　them　traditions



of　that　primaeval　science　which　had　been　revealed　to　Adam　while



still　in　Paradise；　and　founded　Montpellier；　the　mother　of　all　the



universities　in　Europe。　　Nay；　some　went　farther　still；　and　told　of



Bengessaus　and　Ferragius；　the　physicians　of　Charlemagne；　and　of



Marilephus；　chief　physician　of　King　Chilperic；　and　evenif　a　letter



of　St。　Bernard's　was　to　be　believedof　a　certain　bishop　who　went　as



early　as　the　second　century　to　consult　the　doctors　of　Montpellier；



and　it　would　have　been　in　vain　to　reply　to　them　that　in　those　days；



and　long　after　them；　Montpellier　was　not　yet　built。　　The　facts　are



said　to　be：　　　that　as　early　as　the　beginning　of　the　thirteenth



century　Montpellier　had　its　schools　of　law；　medicine；　and　arts；



which　were　erected　into　a　university　by　Pope　Nicholas　IV。　in　1289。







The　university　of　Montpellier；　likeI　believemost　foreign　ones；



resembled　more　a　Scotch　than　an　English　university。　　The　students



lived；　for　the　most　part；　not　in　colleges；　but　in　private　lodgings；



and　constituted　a　republic　of　their　own；　ruled　by　an　abbe　of　the



scholars；　one　of　themselves；　chosen　by　universal　suffrage。　　A　terror



they　were　often　to　the　respectable　burghers；　for　they　had　all　the



right　to　carry　arms；　and　a　plague　likewise；　for；　if　they　ran　in



debt；　their　creditors　were　forbidden　to　seize　their　books；　which；



with　their　swords；　were　generally　all　the　property　they　possessed。



If；　moreover；　anyone　set　up　a　noisy　or　unpleasant　trade　near　their



lodgings；　the　scholars　could　compel　the　town　authorities　to　turn　him



out。　　They　were　most　of　them；　probably；　mere　boys　of　from　twelve　to



twenty；　living　poorly；　working　hard；　andthose　at　least　of　them　who



were　in　the　collegescruelly　beaten　daily；　after　the　fashion　of



those　times；　but　they　seem　to　have　comforted　themselves　under　their



troubles　by　a　good　deal　of　wild　life　out　of　school；　by　rambling　into



the　country　on　the　festivals　of　the　saints；　and　now　and　then　by



acting　plays；　notably；　that　famous　one　which　Rabelais　wrote　for　them



in　1531：　　　〃The　moral　comedy　of　the　man　who　had　a　dumb　wife；〃　which



〃joyous　PATELINAGE〃　remains　unto　this　day　in　the　shape　of　a　well…



known　comic　song。　　That　comedy　young　Rondelet　must　have　seen　acted。



The　son　of　a　druggist；　spicer；　and　grocerthe　three　trades　were



then　combinedin　Montpellier；　and　born　in　1507；　he　had　been



destined　for　the　cloister；　being　a　sickly　lad。　　His　uncle；　one　of



the　canons　of　Maguelonne；　near　by；　had　even　given　him　the　revenues



of　a　small　chapela　job　of　nepotism　which　was　common　enough　in



those　days。　　But　his　heart　was　in　science　and　medicine。　　He　set　off；



still　a　mere　boy；　to　Paris　to　study　there；　and　returned　to



Montpellier；　at　the　age　of　eighteen；　to　study　again。







The　next　year；　1530；　while　still　a　scholar　himself；　he　was　appointed



procurator　of　the　scholarsa　post　which　brought　him　in　a　small　fee



on　each　matriculationand　that　year　he　took　a　fee；　among　others；



from　one　of　the　most　remarkable　men　of　that　or　of　any　age；　Francois



Rabelais　himself。







And　what　shall　I　say　of　him？who　stands　alone；　like　Shakespeare；　in



his　generation；　possessed　of　colossal　learningof　all　science　which



could　be　gathered　in　his　daysof　practical　and　statesmanlike



wisdomof　knowledge　of　languages；　ancient　and　modern；　beyond　all



his　compeersof　eloquence；　which　when　he　speaks　of　pure　and　noble



things　becomes　heroic；　and；　as　it　were；　inspiredof　scorn　for



meanness；　hypocrisy；　ignoranceof　esteem；　genuine　and　earnest；　for



the　Holy　Scriptures；　and　for　the　more　moderate　of　the　Reformers　who



were　spreading　the　Scriptures　in　Europe；and　all　this　great　light



wilfully　hidden；　not　under　a　bushel；　but　under　a　dunghill。　　He　is



somewhat　like　Socrates　in　face；　and　in　character　likewise；　in　him；



as　in　Socrates；　the　demigod　and　the　satyr；　the　man　and　the　ape；　are



struggling　for　the　mastery。　　In　Socrates；　the　true　man　conquers；　and



comes　forth　high　and　pure；　in　Rabelais；　alas！　the　victor　is　the　ape；



while　the　man　himself　sinks　down　in　cynicism；　sensuality；　practical



jokes；　foul　talk。　　He　returns　to　Paris；　to　live　an　idle；　luxurious



life；　to　diesays　the　legendsaying；　〃I　go　to　seek　a　great



perhaps；〃　and　to　leave　behind　him　little　save　a　school　of



Pantagruelistscareless　young　gentlemen；　whose　ideal　was　to　laugh



at　everything；　to　believe　in　nothing；　and　to　gratify　their　five



senses　like　the　brutes　which　perish。　　There　are　those　who　read　his



books　to　make　them　laugh；　the　wise　man；　when　he　reads　them；　will　be



far　more　inclined　to　weep。　　Let　any　young　man　who　may　see　these



words　remember；　that　in　him；　as　in　Rabelais；　the　ape　and　the　man　are



struggling　for　the　mastery。　　Let　him　take　warning　by　the　fate　of　one



who　was　to　him　as　a　giant　to　a　pigmy；　and　think　of　Tennyson's　words



…











Arise；　and　fly



The　reeling　faun；　the　sensual　feast；