historical lecturers and essays-第17节

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



of　marble　or　of　brass；　more　graceful　and　more　curiously　wrought　than



all　the　sculptures　of　Torrigiano　or　Cellini；　Baccio　Bandinelli　or



Michael　Angelo　himself。　　For　they　named　a　lovely　little　lilac



snapdragon；　Linaria　Domini　Pellicerii〃Lord　Pellicier's　toad…flax；〃



and　that　name　it　will　keep；　we　may　believe；　as　long　as　winter　and



summer　shall　endure。







But　to　return。　　To　this　good　Patronwho　was　the　Ambassador　at



Venicethe　newly…married　Rondelet　determined　to　apply　for



employment；　and　to　Venice　he　would　have　gone；　leaving　his　bride



behind；　had　he　not　been　stayed　by　one　of　those　angels　who　sometimes



walk　the　earth　in　women's　shape。　　Jeanne　Sandre　had　an　elder　sister；



Catharine；　who　had　brought　her　up。　　She　was　married　to　a　wealthy



man；　but　she　had　no　children　of　her　own。　　For　four　years　she　and　her



good　husband　had　let　the　Rondelets　lodge　with　them；　and　now　she　was



a　widow；　and　to　part　with　them　was　more　than　she　could　bear。　　She



carried　Rondelet　off　from　the　students　who　were　seeing　him　safe　out



of　the　city；　brought　him　back；　settled　on　him　the　same　day　half　her



fortune；　and　soon　after　settled　on　him　the　whole；　on　the　sole



condition　that　she　should　live　with　him　and　her　sister。　　For　years



afterwards　she　watched　over　the　pretty　young　wife　and　her　two　girls



and　three　boysthe　three　boys；　alas！　all　died　youngand　over



Rondelet　himself；　who；　immersed　in　books　and　experiments；　was



utterly　careless　about　money；　and　was　to　them　all　a　mother



advising；　guiding；　managing；　and　regarded　by　Rondelet　with　genuine



gratitude　as　his　guardian　angel。







Honour　and　good　fortune；　in　a　worldly　sense；　now　poured　in　upon　the



druggist's　son。　　Pellicier；　his　own　bishop；　stood　godfather　to　his



first…born　daughter。　　Montluc；　Bishop　of　Valence；　and　that　wise　and



learned　statesman；　the　Cardinal　of　Tournon；　stood　godfathers　a　few



years　later　to　his　twin　boys；　and　what　was　of　still　more　solid　worth



to　him；　Cardinal　Tournon　took　him　to　Antwerp；　Bordeaux；　Bayonne；　and



more　than　once　to　Rome；　and　in　these　Italian　journeys　of　his　he



collected　many　facts　for　the　great　work　of　his　life；　that　〃History



of　Fishes〃　which　he　dedicated；　naturally　enough；　to　the　cardinal。



This　book　with　its　plates　is；　for　the　time；　a　masterpiece　of



accuracy。　　Those　who　are　best　acquainted　with　the　subject　say；　that



it　is　up　to　the　present　day　a　key　to　the　whole　ichthyology　of　the



Mediterranean。　　Two　other　men；　Belon　and　Salviani；　were　then　at　work



on　the　same　subject；　and　published　their　books　almost　at　the　same



time；　a　circumstance　which　caused；　as　was　natural；　a　three…cornered



duel　between　the　supporters　of　the　three　naturalists；　each　party



accusing　the　other　of　plagiarism。　　The　simple　fact　seems　to　be　that



the　almost　simultaneous　appearance　of　the　three　books　in　1554…55　is



one　of　those　coincidences　inevitable　at　moments　when　many　minds　are



stirred　in　the　same　direction　by　the　same　great　thoughts



coincidences　which　have　happened　in　our　own　day　on　questions　of



geology；　biology；　and　astronomy；　and　which；　when　the　facts　have　been



carefully　examined；　and　the　first　flush　of　natural　jealousy　has



cooled　down；　have　proved　only　that　there　were　more　wise　men　than　one



in　the　world　at　the　same　time。







And　this　sixteenth　century　was　an　age　in　which　the　minds　of　men　were



suddenly　and　strangely　turned　to　examine　the　wonders　of　nature　with



an　earnestness；　with　a　reverence；　and　therefore　with　an　accuracy；



with　which　they　had　never　been　investigated　before。　　〃Nature；〃　says



Professor　Planchon；　〃long　veiled　in　mysticism　and　scholasticism；　was



opening　up　infinite　vistas。　　A　new　superstition；　the　exaggerated



worship　of　the　ancients；　was　nearly　hindering　this　movement　of



thought　towards　facts。　　Nevertheless；　Learning　did　her　work。　　She



rediscovered；　reconstructed；　purified；　commented　on　the　texts　of



ancient　authors。　　Then　came　in　observation；　which　showed　that　more



was　to　be　seen　in　one　blade　of　grass　than　in　any　page　of　Pliny。



Rondelet　was　in　the　middle　of　this　crisis　a　man　of　transition；　while



he　was　one　of　progress。　　He　reflected　the　past；　he　opened　and



prepared　the　future。　　If　he　commented　on　Dioscorides；　if　he　remained



faithful　to　the　theories　of　Galen；　he　founded　in　his　'History　of



Fishes'　a　monument　which　our　century　respects。　　He　is　above　all　an



inspirer；　an　initiator；　and　if　he　wants　one　mark　of　the　leader　of　a



school；　the　foundation　of　certain　scientific　doctrines；　there　is　in



his　speech　what　is　better　than　all　systems；　the　communicative　power



which　urges　a　generation　of　disciples　along　the　path　of　independent



research；　with　Reason　for　guide；　and　Faith　for　aim。〃







Around　Rondelet；　in　those　years；　sometimes　indeed　in　his　housefor



professors　in　those　days　took　private　pupils　as　lodgersworked　the



group　of　botanists　whom　Linnaeus　calls　〃the　Fathers；〃　the　authors　of



the　descriptive　botany　of　the　sixteenth　century。　　Their　names；　and



those　of　their　disciples　and　their　disciples　again；　are　household



words　in　the　mouth　of　every　gardener；　immortalised；　like　good　Bishop



Pellicier；　in　the　plants　that　have　been　named　after　them。　　The



Lobelia　commemorates　Lobel；　one　of　Rondelet's　most　famous　pupils；



who　wrote　those　〃Adversaria〃　which　contain　so　many　curious　sketches



of　Rondelet's　botanical　expeditions；　and　who　inherited　his　botanical



（as　Joubert　his　biographer　inherited　his　anatomical）　manuscripts。



The　Magnolia　commemorates　the　Magnols；　the　Sarracenia；　Sarrasin　of



Lyons；　the　Bauhinia；　Jean　Bauhin；　the　Fuchsia；　Bauhin's　earlier



German　master；　Leonard　Fuchs；　and　the　Clusiathe　received　name　of



that　terrible　〃Matapalo〃　or　〃Scotch　attorney；〃　of　the　West　Indies；



which　kills　the　hugest　tree；　to　become　as　huge　a　tree　itself



immortalises　the　great　Clusius；　Charles　de　l'Escluse；　citizen　of



Arras；　who；　after　studying　civil　law　at　Louvain；　philosophy　at



Marburg；　and　theology　at　Wittemberg　under　Melancthon；　came　to



Montpellier　in　1551；　to　live　in　Rondelet's　own　house；　and　become　the



greatest　botanist　of　his　age。







These　were　Rondelet's　palmy　days。　　He　had　got　a　theatre　of　anatomy



built　at　Montpellier；　where　he　himself　dissected　publicly。　　He　had；



says　tradition；　a　little　botanic　garden；　such　as　were　springing　up



then　in　several　universities；　specially　in　Italy。　　He　had　a　villa



outside　the　city；　whose　tower；　near　the　modern　railway　station；



still　bears　the　name　of　the　〃Mas　de　Rondelet。〃　　There；　too；　may　be



seen　the　remnants　of　the　great　tanks；　fed　with　water　brought　through



earthen　pipes　from　the　Fountain　of　Albe；　wherein　he　kept　the　fish



whose　habits　he　observed。　　Professor　Planchon　thinks　that　he　had



salt…water　tanks　likewise；　and　thus　he　may　have　been　the　father　of



all　〃Aquariums。〃　　He　had　a　large　and　handsome　house　in　the　city



itself；　a　large　practice　as　physician　in　the　country　round；　money



flowed　in　fast　to　him；　and　flowed　out　fast　likewise。　　He　spent　much



upon　building；　pulling　down；　rebuilding；　and　sent　the　bills　in



seemingly　to　his　wife　and　to　his　guardian　angel　Catharine。　　He



himself　had　never　a　penny　in　his　purse：　　　but　earned　the　money；　and



let　his　ladies　spend　it；　an　equitable　and　pleasant　division　of



labour　which　most　married　men　would　do　well　to　imitate。　　A　generous；



affectionate；　careless　little　man；　he　gave　away；　says　his　pupil　and



biographer；　Joubert；　his　valuable　specimens　to　any　savant　who　begged



for　them；　or　left　them　about　to　be　stolen　by　visitors；　who；　like　too



many　collectors　in　all　ages；　possessed　light　fingers　and　lighter



consciences。　　So　pacific　was　he　meanwhile；　and　so　brave　withal　that



even　in　the　fearful　years　of　〃The　Troubles；〃　he　would　never　carry



sword；　nor　even　tuck　or　dagger：　　　but　went　about　on　the　most



lonesome　journeys　as　one　who　wore　a　charmed　life；　secure　in　God　and



in　his　calling；　which　was　to　heal；　and　not　to　kill。







These　were　the　golden　years　of　Rondelet's　life；　but　trouble　was



coming　on　him；　and　a　stormy　sunset　after　a　brilliant　day。　　He　lost



his　sister…in…law；　to　whom　he　owed　all　his　fortunes；　and　who　had



watched　ever　since　over　him　and　his　wife　like　a　mother；　then　he　lost



his　wife　herself　under　most　painful　circumstances；　then　his　best…



beloved　daughter。　　Then　he　married　again；　and　lost　the　son　who　was



born　to　him；　and　then　came；　as　to　many　of　the　best　in　those　days；



even　sorer　trials；　trials　of　the　conscience；　trials　of　faith。







For　in　the　meantime　Rondelet　had　become　a　Protestant；　like　many　of



th