historical lecturers and essays-第22节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





Emperor's　physicians。







This　was　the　crisis　of　Vesalius's　life。　　The　medicine　with　which　he



had　worked　the　cure　was　ChinaSarsaparilla；　as　we　call　it　now



brought　home　from　the　then　newly…discovered　banks　of　the　Paraguay



and　Uruguay；　where　its　beds　of　tangled　vine；　they　say；　tinge　the



clear　waters　a　dark…brown　like　that　of　peat；　and　convert　whole



streams　into　a　healthful　and　pleasant　tonic。　　On　the　virtues　of　this



China　（then　supposed　to　be　a　root）　Vesalius　wrote　a　famous　little



book；　into　which　he　contrived　to　interweave　his　opinions　on　things



in　general；　as　good　Bishop　Berkeley　did　afterwards　into　his　essay　on



the　virtues　of　tar…water。　　Into　this　book；　however；　Vesalius



introducedas　Bishop　Berkeley　did　notmuch；　and　perhaps　too　much；



about　himself；　and　much；　though　perhaps　not　too　much；　about　poor　old



Galen；　and　his　substitution　of　an　ape's　inside　for　that　of　a　human



being。　　The　storm　which　had　been　long　gathering　burst　upon　him。　　The



old　school；　trembling　for　their　time…honoured　reign；　bespattered；



with　all　that　pedantry；　ignorance；　and　envy　could　suggest；　the　man



who　dared　not　only　to　revolutionise　surgery；　but　to　interfere　with



the　privileged　mysteries　of　medicine；　and；　over　and　above；　to　become



a　greater　favourite　at　the　court　of　the　greatest　of　monarchs。　　While



such　as　Eustachius；　himself　an　able　discoverer；　could　join　in　the



cry；　it　is　no　wonder　if　a　lower　soul；　like　that　of　Sylvius；　led　it



open…mouthed。　　He　was　a　mean；　covetous；　bad　man；　as　George　Bachanan



well　knew；　and；　according　to　his　nature；　he　wrote　a　furious　book



〃Ad　Vesani　calumnias　depulsandas。〃　　The　punning　change　of　Vesalius



into　Vesanus　（madman）　was　but　a　fair　and　gentle　stroke　for　a



polemic；　in　days　in　which　those　who　could　not　kill　their　enemies



with　steel　or　powder；　held　themselves　justified　in　doing　so；　if



possible；　by　vituperation；　calumny；　and　every　engine　of　moral



torture。　　But　a　far　more　terrible　weapon；　and　one　which　made



Vesalius　rage；　and　it　may　be　for　once　in　his　life　tremble；　was　the



charge　of　impiety　and　heresy。　　The　Inquisition　was　a　very　ugly



place。　　It　was　very　easy　to　get　into　it；　especially　for　a



Netherlander：　　　but　not　so　easy　to　get　out。　　Indeed　Vesalius　must



have　trembled；　when　he　saw　his　master；　Charles　V。；　himself　take



fright；　and　actually　call　on　the　theologians　of　Salamanca　to　decide



whether　it　was　lawful　to　dissect　a　human　body。　　The　monks；　to　their



honour；　used　their　common　sense；　and　answered　Yes。　　The　deed　was　so



plainly　useful　that　it　must　be　lawful　likewise。　　But　Vesalius　did



not　feel　that　he　had　triumphed。　　He　dreaded；　possibly；　lest　the



storm　should　only　have　blown　over　for　a　time。　　He　fell；　possibly；



into　hasty　disgust　at　the　folly　of　mankind；　and　despair　of　arousing



them　to　use　their　common　sense；　and　acknowledge　their　true　interest



and　their　true　benefactors。　　At　all　events；　he　threw　into　the　fire



so　it　is　saidall　his　unpublished　manuscripts；　the　records　of　long



years　of　observation；　and　renounced　science　thenceforth。







We　hear　of　him　after　this　at　Brussels；　and　at　Basle　likewisein



which　latter　city；　in　the　company　of　physicians；　naturalists；　and



Grecians；　he　must　have　breathed　awhile　a　freer　air。　　But　he　seems　to



have　returned　thence　to　his　old　master　Charles　V。；　and　to　have



finally　settled　at　Madrid　as　a　court　surgeon　to　Philip　II。；　who　sent



him；　but　too　late；　to　extract　the　lance　splinters　from　the　eye　of



the　dying　Henry　II。







He　was　now　married　to　a　lady　of　rank　from　Brussels；　Anne　van　Hamme



by　name；　and　their　daughter　married　in　time　Philip　II。's　grand



falconer；　who　was　doubtless　a　personage　of　no　small　social　rank。



Vesalius　was　well　off　in　worldly　things；　somewhat　fond；　it　is　said；



of　good　living　and　of　luxury；　inclined；　it　may　be；　to　say；　〃Let　us



eat　and　drink；　for　to…morrow　we　die；〃　and　to　sink　more　and　more　into



the　mere　worldling；　unless　some　shock　should　awake　him　from　his



lethargy。







And　the　awakening　shock　did　come。　　After　eight　years　of　court　life；



he　resolved；　early　in　the　year　1564；　to　go　on　a　pilgrimage　to



Jerusalem。







The　reasons　for　so　strange　a　determination　are　wrapped　in　mystery



and　contradiction。　　The　common　story　was　that　he　had　opened　a　corpse



to　ascertain　the　cause　of　death；　and　that；　to　the　horror　of　the



bystanders；　the　heart　was　still　seen　to　beat；　that　his　enemies



accused　him　to　the　Inquisition；　and　that　he　was　condemned　to　death；



a　sentence　which　was　commuted　to　that　of　going　on　pilgrimage。　　But



here；　at　the　very　outset；　accounts　differ。　　One　says　that　the　victim



was　a　nobleman；　name　not　given；　another　that　it　was　a　lady's　maid；



name　not　given。　　It　is　most　improbable；　if　not　impossible；　that



Vesalius；　of　all　men；　should　have　mistaken　a　living　body　for　a　dead



one；　while　it　is　most　probable；　on　the　other　hand；　that　his　medical



enemies　would　gladly　raise　such　a　calumny　against　him；　when　he　was



no　longer　in　Spain　to　contradict　it。　　Meanwhile　Llorente；　the



historian　of　the　Inquisition；　makes　no　mention　of　Vesalius　having



been　brought　before　its　tribunal；　while　he　does　mention　Vesalius's



residence　at　Madrid。　　Another　story　is；　that　he　went　abroad　to



escape　the　bad　temper　of　his　wife；　another　that　he　wanted　to　enrich



himself。　　Another　storyand　that　not　an　unlikely　oneis；　that　he



was　jealous　of　the　rising　reputation　of　his　pupil　Fallopius；　then



professor　of　anatomy　at　Venice。　　This　distinguished　surgeon；　as　I



said　before；　had　written　a　book；　in　which　he　added　to　Vesalius's



discoveries；　and　corrected　certain　of　his　errors。　　Vesalius　had



answered　him　hastily　and　angrily；　quoting　his　anatomy　from　memory；



for；　as　he　himself　complained；　he　could　not　in　Spain　obtain　a



subject　for　dissection；　not　even；　he　said；　a　single　skull。　　He　had



sent　his　book　to　Venice　to　be　published；　and　had　heard；　seemingly；



nothing　of　it。　　He　may　have　felt　that　he　was　falling　behind　in　the



race　of　science；　and　that　it　was　impossible　for　him　to　carry　on　his



studies　in　Madrid；　and　so；　angry　with　his　own　laziness　and　luxury；



he　may　have　felt　the　old　sacred　fire　flash　up　in　him；　and　have



determined　to　go　to　Italy　and　become　a　student　and　a　worker　once



more。







The　very　day　that　he　set　out；　Clusius　of　Arras；　then　probably　the



best　botanist　in　the　world；　arrived　at　Madrid；　and；　asking　the



reason　of　Vesalius's　departure；　was　told　by　their　fellow…countryman；



Charles　de　Tisnacq；　procurator　for　the　affairs　of　the　Netherlands；



that　Vesalius　had　gone　of　his　own　free　will；　and　with　all　facilities



which　Philip　could　grant　him；　in　performance　of　a　vow　which　he　had



made　during　a　dangerous　illness。　　Here；　at　least；　we　have　a　drop　of



information；　which　seems　taken　from　the　stream　sufficiently　near　to



the　fountain…head：　　　but　it　must　be　recollected　that　De　Tisnacq



lived　in　dangerous　times；　and　may　have　found　it　necessary　to　walk



warily　in　them；　that　through　him　had　been　sent；　only　the　year



before；　that　famous　letter　from　William　of　Orange；　Horn；　and　Egmont；



the　fate　whereof　may　be　read　in　Mr。　Motley's　fourth　chapter；　that



the　crisis　of　the　Netherlands　which　sprung　out　of　that　letter　was



coming　fast；　and　that；　as　De　Tisnacq　was　on　friendly　terms　with



Egmont；　he　may　have　felt　his　head　at　times　somewhat　loose　on　his



shoulders；　especially　if　he　had　heard　Alva　say；　as　he　wrote；　〃that



every　time　he　saw　the　despatches　of　those　three　senors；　they　moved



his　choler　so；　that　if　he　did　not　take　much　care　to　temper　it；　he



would　seem　a　frenzied　man。〃　　In　such　times；　De　Tisnacq　may　have



thought　good　to　return　a　diplomatic　answer　to　a　fellow…countryman



concerning　a　third　fellow…countryman；　especially　when　that



countryman；　as　a　former　pupil　of　Melancthon　at　Wittemberg；　might



himself　be　under　suspicion　of　heresy；　and　therefore　of　possible



treason。







Be　this　as　it　may；　one　cannot　but　suspect　some　strain　of　truth　in



the　story　about　the　Inquisition；　for；　whether　or　not　Vesalius



operated　on　Don　Carlos；　he　had　seen　with　his　own　eyes　that



miraculous　Virgin　of　Atocha　at　the　bed's　foot　of　the　prince。　　He　had



heard　his　recovery　attributed；　not　to　the　operation；　but　to　the



intercession　of　Fray；　now　Saint　Diego；　｛12｝　and　he　must　have　had　his



thoughts　thereon；　and　may；　in　an　unguarded　moment；　have　spoken　them。







For　he　was；　be　it　always　remembered；　a　Netherlander。　　The　crisis　of



his　country　was　just　at　hand。　　Rebellion　was　inevitable；　and；　with



rebellion；　horrors　unutterable；　and；　meanwhile；　Don　Carlos　had　set



his　mad　brain　on　having　the　co