historical lecturers and essays-第18节

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



the　wisest　men　round　him；　like；　so　it　would　seem　from　the　event；　the



majority　of　the　university　and　the　burghers　of　Montpellier。　　It　is



not　to　be　wondered　at。　　Montpellier　was　a　sort　of　halfway　resting…



place　for　Protestant　preachers；　whether　fugitive　or　not；　who　were



passing　from　Basle；　Geneva；　or　Lyons；　to　Marguerite　of　Navarre's



little　Protestant　court　at　Pan　or　at　Nerac；　where　all　wise　and　good



men；　and　now　and　then　some　foolish　and　fanatical　ones；　found　shelter



and　hospitality。　　Thither　Calvin　himself　had　been；　passing　probably



through　Montpellier　and　leavingas　such　a　man　was　sure　to　leave



the　mark　of　his　foot　behind　him。　　At　Lyons；　no　great　distance　up　the



Rhone；　Marguerite　had　helped　to　establish　an　organised　Protestant



community；　and　when　in　1536　she　herself　had　passed　through



Montpellier；　to　visit　her　brother　at　Valence；　and　Montmorency's　camp



at　Avignon；　she　took　with　her　doubtless　Protestant　chaplains　of　her



own；　who　spoke　wise　wordsit　may　be　that　she　spoke　wise　words



herselfto　the　ardent　and　inquiring　students　of　Montpellier。



Moreover；　Rondelet　and　his　disciples　had　been　for　years　past　in



constant　communication　with　the　Protestant　savants　of　Switzerland



and　Germany；　among　whom　the　knowledge　of　nature　was　progressing　as



it　never　had　progressed　before。　　Forit　is　a　fact　always　to　be



rememberedit　was　only　in　the　free　air　of　Protestant　countries　the



natural　sciences　could　grow　and　thrive。　　They　sprung　up；　indeed；　in



Italy　after　the　restoration　of　Greek　literature　in　the　fifteenth



century；　but　they　withered　there　again　only　too　soon　under　the



blighting　upas　shade　of　superstition。　　Transplanted　to　the　free　air



of　Switzerland；　of　Germany；　of　Britain；　and　of　Montpellier；　then



half　Protestant；　they　developed　rapidly　and　surely；　simply　because



the　air　was　free；　to　be　checked　again　in　France　by　the　return　of



superstition　with　despotism　super…added；　until　the　eve　of　the　great



French　Revolution。







So　Rondelet　had　been　for　some　years　Protestant。　　He　had　hidden　in



his　house　for　a　long　while　a　monk　who　had　left　his　monastery。　　He



had　himself　written　theological　treatises：　　　but　when　his　Bishop



Pellicier　was　imprisoned　on　a　charge　of　heresy；　Rondelet　burnt　his



manuscripts；　and　kept　his　opinions　to　himself。　　Still　he　was　a



suspected　heretic；　at　last　seemingly　a　notorious　one；　for　only　the



year　before　his　death；　going　to　visit　patients　at　Perpignan；　he　was



waylaid　by　the　Spaniards；　and　had　to　get　home　through　bypasses　of



the　Pyrenees；　to　avoid　being　thrown　into　the　Inquisition。







And　those　were　times　in　which　it　was　necessary　for　a　man　to　be



careful；　unless　he　had　made　up　his　mind　to　be　burned。　　For　more　than



thirty　years　of　Rondelet's　life　the　burning　had　gone　on　in　his



neighbourhood；　intermittently　it　is　true：　　　the　spasms　of



superstitious　fury　being　succeeded；　one　may　charitably　hope；　by　pity



and　remorse；　but　still　the　burnings　had　gone　on。　　The　Benedictine



monk　of　St。　Maur；　who　writes　the　history　of　Languedoc；　says；　quite



en　passant；　how　someone　was　burnt　at　Toulouse　in　1553；　luckily　only



in　effigy；　for　he　had　escaped　to　Geneva：　　　but　he　adds；　〃next　year



they　burned　several　heretics；〃　it　being　not　worth　while　to　mention



their　names。　　In　1556　they　burned　alive　at　Toulouse　Jean　Escalle；　a



poor　Franciscan　monk；　who　had　found　his　order　intolerable；　while　one



Pierre　de　Lavaur；　who　dared　preach　Calvinism　in　the　streets　of



Nismes；　was　hanged　and　burnt。　　So　had　the　score　of　judicial　murders



been　increasing　year　by　year；　till　it　had　to　be；　as　all　evil　scores



have　to　be　in　this　world；　paid　off　with　interest；　and　paid　off



especially　against　the　ignorant　and　fanatic　monks　who　for　a　whole



generation；　in　every　university　and　school　in　France；　had　been



howling　down　sound　science；　as　well　as　sound　religion；　and　at



Montpellier　in　1560…61；　their　debt　was　paid　them　in　a　very　ugly　way。



News　came　down　to　the　hot　southerners　of　Languedoc　of　the　so…called



conspiracy　of　Amboise。How　the　Duc　de　Guise　and　the　Cardinal　de



Lorraine　had　butchered　the　best　blood　in　France　under　the　pretence



of　a　treasonable　plot；　how　the　King　of　Navarre　and　the　Prince　de



Conde　had　been　arrested；　then　how　Conde　and　Coligny　were　ready　to



take　up　arms　at　the　head　of　all　the　Huguenots　of　France；　and　try　to



stop　this　life…long　torturing；　by　sharp　shot　and　cold　steel；　then



how　in　six　months'　time　the　king　would　assemble　a　general　council　to



settle　the　question　between　Catholics　and　Huguenots。　　The　Huguenots；



guessing　how　that　would　end；　resolved　to　settle　the　question　for



themselves。　　They　rose　in　one　city　after　another；　sacked　the



churches；　destroyed　the　images；　put　down　by　main　force　superstitious



processions　and　dances；　and　did　many　things　only　to　be　excused　by



the　exasperation　caused　by　thirty　years　of　cruelty。　　At　Montpellier



there　was　hard　fighting；　murdersso　say　the　Catholic　historiansof



priests　and　monks；　sack　of　the　new　cathedral；　destruction　of　the



noble　convents　which　lay　in　a　ring　round　Montpellier。　　The　city　and



the　university　were　in　the　hands　of　the　Huguenots；　and　Montpellier



became　Protestant　on　the　spot。







Next　year　came　the　counter…blow。　　There　were　heavy　battles　with　the



Catholics　all　round　the　neighbourhood；　destruction　of　the　suburbs；



threatened　siege　and　sack；　and　years　of　misery　and　poverty　for



Montpellier　and　all　who　were　therein。







Horrible　was　the　state　of　France　in　those　times　of　the　wars　of



religion　which　began　in　1562；　the　times　which　are　spoken　of　usually



as　〃The　Troubles；〃　as　if　men　did　not　wish　to　allude　to　them　too



openly。　　Then；　and　afterwards　in　the　wars　of　the　League；　deeds　were



done　for　which　language　has　no　name。　　The　population　decreased。　　The



land　lay　untilled。　　The　fair　face　of　France　was　blackened　with　burnt



homesteads　and　ruined　towns。　　Ghastly　corpses　dangled　in　rows　upon



the　trees；　or　floated　down　the　blood…stained　streams。　　Law　and　order



were　at　an　end。　　Bands　of　robbers　prowled　in　open　day；　and　bands　of



wolves　likewise。　　But　all　through　the　horrors　of　the　troubles　we



catch　sight　of　the　little　fat　doctor　riding　all　unarmed　to　see　his



patients　throughout　Languedoc；　going　vast　distances；　his　biographers



say；　by　means　of　regular　relays　of　horses；　till　he　too　broke　down。



Well；　for　him；　perhaps；　that　he　broke　down　when　he　did；　for　capture



and　recapture；　massacre　and　pestilence；　were　the　fate　of　Montpellier



and　the　surrounding　country；　till　the　better　times　of　Henry　IV。　and



the　Edict　of　Nantes　in　1598；　when　liberty　of　worship　was　given　to



the　Protestants　for　awhile。







In　the　burning　summer　of　1566；　Rondelet　went　a　long　journey　to



Toulouse；　seemingly　upon　an　errand　of　charity；　to　settle　some　law



affairs　for　his　relations。　　The　sanitary　state　of　the　southern



cities　is　bad　enough　still。　　It　must　have　been　horrible　in　those



days　of　barbarism　and　misrule。　　Dysentery　was　epidemic　at　Toulouse



then；　and　Rondelet　took　it。　　He　knew　from　the　first　that　he　should



die。　　He　was　worn　out；　it　is　said；　by　over…exertion；　by　sorrow　for



the　miseries　of　the　land；　by　fruitless　struggles　to　keep　the　peace；



and　to　strive　for　moderation　in　days　when　men　were　all　immoderate。



But　he　rode　away　a　day's　journeyhe　took　two　days　over　it；　so　weak



he　wasin　the　blazing　July　sun；　to　a　friend's　sick　wife　at



Realmont；　and　there　took　to　his　bed；　and　died　a　good　man's　death。



The　details　of　his　death　and　last　illness　were　written　and　published



by　his　cousin　Claude　Formy；　and　well　worth　reading　they　are　to　any



man　who　wishes　to　know　how　to　die。　　Rondelet　would　have　no　tidings



of　his　illness　sent　to　Montpellier。　　He　was　happy；　he　said；　in　dying



away　from　the　tears　of　his　household；　and　〃safe　from　insult。〃　　He



dreaded；　one　may　suppose；　lest　priests　and　friars　should　force　their



way　to　his　bedside；　and　try　to　extort　some　recantation　from　the



great　savant；　the　honour　and　glory　of　their　city。　　So　they　sent　for



no　priest　to　Realmont；　but　round　his　bed　a　knot　of　Calvinist



gentlemen　and　ministers　read　the　Scriptures；　and　sang　David's



psalms；　and　prayed；　and　Rondelet　prayed　with　them　through　long



agonies；　and　so　went　home　to　God。







The　Benedictine　monk…historian　of　Languedoc；　in　all　his　voluminous



folios；　never　mentions；　as　far　as　I　can　find；　Rondelet's　existence。



Why　should　he？　　The　man　was　only　a　druggist's　son　and　a　heretic；　who



healed　diseases；　and　collected　plants；　and　wrote　a　book　on　fish。



But　the　le