historical lecturers and essays-第16节

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…











Arise；　and　fly



The　reeling　faun；　the　sensual　feast；



Strive　upwards；　working　out　the　beast；



And　let　the　ape　and　tiger　die。











But　to　return。　　Down　among　them　there　at　Montpellier；　like　a



brilliant　meteor；　flashed　this　wonderful　Rabelais；　in　the　year　1530。



He　had　fled；　some　say；　for　his　life。　　Like　Erasmus；　he　had　no　mind



to　be　a　martyr；　and　he　had　been　terrified　at　the　execution　of　poor



Louis　de　Berquin；　his　friend；　and　the　friend　of　Erasmus　likewise。



This　Louis　de　Berquin；　a　man　well　known　in　those　days；　was　a　gallant



young　gentleman　and　scholar；　holding　a　place　in　the　court　of　Francis



I。；　who　had　translated　into　French　the　works　of　Erasmus；　Luther；　and



Melancthon；　and　had　asserted　that　it　was　heretical　to　invoke　the



Virgin　Mary　instead　of　the　Holy　Spirit；　or　to　call　her　our　Hope　and



our　Life；　which　titlesBerquin　averredbelonged　alone　to　God。



Twice　had　the　doctors　of　the　Sorbonne；　with　that　terrible



persecutor；　Noel　Beda；　at　their　head；　seized　poor　Berquin；　and　tried



to　burn　his　books　and　him；　twice　had　that　angel　in　human　form；



Marguerite　d'Angouleme；　sister　of　Francis　I。；　saved　him　from　their



clutches；　but　when　Francistaken　prisoner　at　the　battle　of　Pavia



at　last　returned　from　his　captivity　in　Spain；　the　suppression　of



heresy　and　the　burning　of　heretics　seemed　to　him　and　to　his　mother；



Louise　of　Savoy；　a　thank…offering　so　acceptable　to　God；　that　Louis



Berquinwho　would　not；　in　spite　of　the　entreaties　of　Erasmus；



purchase　his　life　by　silencewas　burnt　at　last　on　the　Place　de



Greve；　being　first　strangled；　because　he　was　of　gentle　blood。







Montpellier　received　its　famous　guest　joyfully。　　Rabelais　was　now



forty…two　years　old；　and　a　distinguished　savant；　so　they　excused　him



his　three　years'　undergraduate's　career；　and　invested　him　at　once



with　the　red　gown　of　the　bachelors。　　That　red　gownor；　rather；　the



ragged　phantom　of　itis　still　shown　at　Montpellier；　and　must　be



worn　by　each　bachelor　when　he　takes　his　degree。　　Unfortunately；



antiquarians　assure　us　that　the　precious　garment　has　been　renewed



again　and　againthe　students　having　clipped　bits　of　it　away　for



relics；　and　clipped　as　earnestly　from　the　new　gowns　as　their



predecessors　had　done　from　the　authentic　original。







Doubtless；　the　coming　of　such　a　man　among　them　to　lecture　on　the



Aphorisms　of　Hippocrates；　and　the　Ars　Parva　of　Galen；　not　from　the



Latin　translations　then　in　use；　but　from　original　Greek　texts；　with



comments　and　corrections　of　his　own；　must　have　had　a　great　influence



on　the　minds　of　the　Montpellier　students；　and　still　more　influence



and　that　not　altogether　a　good　onemust　Rabelais's　lighter　talk



have　had；　as　he　loungedso　the　story　goesin　his　dressing…gown



upon　the　public　place；　picking　up　quaint　stories　from　the　cattle…



drivers　off　the　Cevennes；　and　the　villagers　who　came　in　to　sell



their　olives　and　their　grapes；　their　vinegar　and　their　vine…twig



faggots；　as　they　do　unto　this　day。　　To　him　may　be　owing　much　of　the



sound　respect　for　natural　science；　and　much；　too；　of　the　contempt



for　the　superstition　around　them；　which　is　notable　in　that　group　of



great　naturalists　who　were　boys　in　Montpellier　at　that　day。



Rabelais　seems　to　have　liked　Rondelet；　and　no　wonder：　　　he　was　a



cheery；　lovable；　honest　little　fellow；　very　fond　of　jokes；　a　great



musician　and　player　on　the　violin；　and　who；　when　he　grew　rich；　liked



nothing　so　well　as　to　bring　into　his　house　any　buffoon　or　strolling…



player　to　make　fun　for　him。　　Vivacious　he　was；　hot…tempered；



forgiving；　and　with　a　power　of　learning　and　a　power　of　work　which



were　prodigious；　even　in　those　hard…working　days。　　Rabelais　chaffs



Rondelet；　under　the　name　of　Rondibilis；　for；　indeed；　Rondelet　grew



up　into　a　very　round；　fat；　little　man；　but　Rabelais　puts　excellent



sense　into　his　mouth；　cynical　enough；　and　too　cynical；　but　both



learned　and　humorous；　and；　if　he　laughs　at　him　for　being　shocked　at



the　offer　of　a　fee；　and　taking　it；　nevertheless；　kindly　enough；



Rondelet　is　not　the　first　doctor　who　has　done　that；　neither　will　he



be　the　last。







Rondelet；　in　his　turn；　put　on　the　red　robe　of　the　bachelor；　and



received；　on　taking　his　degree；　his　due　share　of　fisticuffs　from　his



dearest　friends；　according　to　the　ancient　custom　of　the　University



of　Montpellier。　　He　then　went　off　to　practise　medicine　in　a　village



at　the　foot　of　the　Alps；　and；　half…starved；　to　teach　little



children。　　Then　he　found　he　must　learn　Greek；　went　off　to　Paris　a



second　time；　and　alleviated　his　poverty　there　somewhat　by　becoming



tutor　to　a　son　of　the　Viscomte　de　Turenne。　　There　he　met　Gonthier　of



Andernach；　who　had　taught　anatomy　at　Louvain　to　the　great　Vesalius；



and　learned　from　him　to　dissect。　　We　next　find　him　setting　up　as　a



medical　man　amid　the　wild　volcanic　hills　of　the　Auvergne；　struggling



still　with　poverty；　like　Erasmus；　like　George　Buchanan；　like　almost



every　great　scholar　in　those　days；　for　students　then　had　to　wander



from　place　to　place；　generally　on　foot；　in　search　of　new　teachers；



in　search　of　books；　in　search　of　the　necessaries　of　life；　undergoing



such　an　amount　of　bodily　and　mental　toil　as　makes　it　wonderful　that



all　of　them　did　notas　some　of　them　doubtless　diddie　under　the



hard　training；　or；　at　best；　desert　the　penurious　Muses　for　the



paternal　shop　or　plough。







Rondelet　got　his　doctorate　in　1537；　and　next　year　fell　in　love　with



and　married　a　beautiful　young　girl　called　Jeanne　Sandre；　who　seems



to　have　been　as　poor　as　he。







But　he　had　gained；　meanwhile；　a　powerful　patron；　and　the　patronage



of　the　great　was　then　as　necessary　to　men　of　letters　as　the



patronage　of　the　public　is　now。　　Guillaume　Pellicier；　Bishop　of



Maguelonneor　rather　then　of　Montpellier　itself；　whither　he　had



persuaded　Paul　II。　to　transfer　the　ancient　seewas　a　model　of　the



literary　gentleman　of　the　sixteenth　century；　a　savant；　a　diplomat；　a



collector　of　books　and　manuscripts；　Greek；　Hebrew；　and　Syriac；　which



formed　the　original　nucleus　of　the　present　library　of　the　Louvre；　a



botanist；　too；　who　loved　to　wander　with　Rondelet　collecting　plants



and　flowers。　　He　retired　from　public　life　to　peace　and　science　at



Montpellier；　when　to　the　evil　days　of　his　master；　Francis　I。；



succeeded　the　still　worse　days　of　Henry　II。；　and　Diana　of　Poitiers。



That　Jezebel　of　France　could　conceive　no　more　natural　or　easy　way　of



atoning　for　her　own　sins　than　that　of　hunting　down　heretics；　and



feasting　her　wicked　eyesso　it　is　saidupon　their　dying　torments。



Bishop　Pellicier　fell　under　suspicion　of　heresy：　　　very　probably



with　some　justice。　　He　fell；　too；　under　suspicion　of　leading　a　life



unworthy　of　a　celibate　churchman；　a　fault　whichif　it　really



existedwas；　in　those　days；　pardonable　enough　in　an　orthodox



prelate；　but　not　so　in　one　whose　orthodoxy　was　suspected。　　And　for



awhile　Pellicier　was　in　prison。　　After　his　release　he　gave　himself



up　to　science；　with　Rondelet　and　the　school　of　disciples　who　were



growing　up　around　him。　　They　rediscovered　together　the　Garum；　that



classic　sauce；　whose　praises　had　been　sung　of　old　by　Horace；



Martial；　and　Ausonius；　and　so　child…like；　superstitious　if　you　will；



was　the　reverence　in　the　sixteenth　century　for　classic　antiquity；



that　when　Pellicier　and　Rondelet　discovered　that　the　Garum　was　made



from　the　fish　called　Picarelcalled　Garon　by　the　fishers　of



Antibes；　and　Giroli　at　Venice；　both　these　last　names　corruptions　of



the　Latin　Gerresthen　did　the　two　fashionable　poets　of　France；



Etienne　Dolet　and　Clement　Marot；　think　it　not　unworthy　of　their　muse



to　sing　the　praises　of　the　sauce　which　Horace　had　sung　of　old。　　A



proud　day；　too；　was　it　for　Pellicier　and　Rondelet；　when　wandering



somewhere　in　the　marshes　of　the　Camargue；　a　scent　of　garlic　caught



the　nostrils　of　the　gentle　bishop；　and　in　the　lovely　pink　flowers　of



the　water…germander　he　recognised　the　Scordium　of　the　ancients。



〃The　discovery；〃　says　Professor　Planchon；　〃made　almost　as　much　noise



as　that　of　the　famous　Garum；　for　at　that　moment　of　naive　fervour　on



behalf　of　antiquity；　to　re…discover　a　plant　of　Dioscorides　or　of



Pliny　was　a　good　fortune　and　almost　an　event。〃







I　know　not　whether；　after　his　death；　the　good　bishop's　bones　reposed



beneath　some　gorgeous　tomb；　bedizened　with　the　incongruous　half…



Pagan　statues　of　the　Renaissance；　but　this　at　least　is　certain；　that



Rondelet's　disciples　imagined　for　him　a　monument　more　enduring　than



of　marble　or　of　brass；　more　graceful　and　more　curiously　wrou