thoughts on man-第11章

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ircle　in　which　we　are　applauded；　receive　us　with　smiles　of　approbation　and　sympathy。　　They　pay　their　court　to　us；　seem　to　be　made　happy　by　our　bare　presence　among　them；　and　welcome　us　to　their　houses　with　congratulation　and　joy。　　The　vulgar　portion　of　mankind　scarcely　understand　the　question　of　posthumous　fame；　they　cannot　comprehend　how　panegyric　and　honour　can　〃soothe　the　dull；　cold　ear　of　death：〃　　but　they　can　all　conceive　the　gratification　to　be　derived　from　applauding　multitudes　and　loud　huzzas。

One　of　the　most　obvious　features　however　that　attends　upon　popularity；　is　its　fugitive　nature。　　No　man　has　once　been　popular；　and　has　lived　long；　without　experiencing　neglect　at　least；　if　he　were　not　also　at　some　time　subjected　to　the　very　intelligible　disapprobation　and　censure　of　his　fellows。　　The　good　will　and　kindness　of　the　multitude　has　a　devouring　appetite；　and　is　like　a　wild　beast　that　you　should　stable　under　your　roof；　which；　if　you　do　not　feed　with　a　continual　supply；　will　turn　about　and　attack　its　protector。　　　　　　

One　touch　of　nature　makes　the　whole　world　kin；　That　all；　with　one　consent；　praise　new…born　gauds；　And　give　to　dust；　that　is　a　little　gilt；　More　laud　than　they　will　give　to　gold　o'erdusted。

Cromwel　well　understood　the　nature　of　this　topic；　when　he　said；　as　we　are　told；　to　one　of　his　military　companions；　who　called　his　attention　to　the　rapturous　approbation　with　which　they　were　received　by　the　crowd　on　their　return　from　a　successful　expedition；　〃Ah；　my　friend；　they　would　accompany　us　with　equal　demonstrations　of　delight；　if；　upon　no　distant　occasion；　they　were　to　see　us　going　to　be　hanged！〃

The　same　thing　which　happens　to　the　popularity　attendant　on　the　real　or　imaginary　hero　of　the　multitude；　happens　also　in　the　race　after　posthumous　fame。

As　has　already　been　said；　the　number　of　men　is　exceedingly　great　in　every　civilised　state　of　society；　who　make　the　sciences　and　arts　engendered　by　the　human　mind；　the　sole　or　the　principal　objects　of　their　occupation。

This　will　perhaps　be　most　strikingly　illustrated　by　a　retrospect　of　the　state　of　European　society　in　the　middle；　or；　as　they　are　frequently　styled；　the　dark　ages。

It　has　been　a　vulgar　error　to　imagine；　that　the　mind　of　man；　so　far　as　relates　to　its　active　and　inventive　powers；　was　sunk　into　a　profound　sleep；　from　which　it　gradually　recovered　itself　at　the　period　when　Constantinople　was　taken　by　the　Turks；　and　the　books　and　the　teachers　of　the　ancient　Greek　language　were　dispersed　through　Europe。　　The　epoch　from　which　modern　invention　took　its　rise；　commenced　much　earlier。　　The　feudal　system；　one　of　the　most　interesting　contrivances　of　man　in　society；　was　introduced　in　the　ninth　century；　and　chivalry；　the　offspring　of　that　system；　an　institution　to　which　we　are　mainly　indebted　for　refinement　of　sentiment；　and　humane　and　generous　demeanour；　in　the　eleventh。　　Out　of　these　grew　the　originality　and　the　poetry　of　romance。

These　were　no　mean　advancements。　　But　perhaps　the　greatest　debt　which　after　ages　have　contracted　to　this　remote　period；　arose　out　of　the　system　of　monasteries　and　ecclesiastical　celibacy。　　Owing　to　these　a　numerous　race　of　men　succeeded　to　each　other　perpetually；　who　were　separated　from　the　world；　cut　off　from　the　endearments　of　conjugal　and　parental　affection；　and　who　had　a　plenitude　of　leisure　for　solitary　application。　　To　these　men　we　are　indebted　for　the　preservation　of　the　literature　of　Rome；　and　the　multiplied　copies　of　the　works　of　the　ancients。　　Nor　were　they　contented　only　with　the　praise　of　never…ending　industry。　　They　forged　many　works；　that　afterwards　passed　for　classical；　and　which　have　demanded　all　the　perspicacity　of　comparative　criticism　to　refute。　　And　in　these　pursuits　the　indefatigable　men　who　were　dedicated　to　them；　were　not　even　goaded　by　the　love　of　fame。　　They　were　satisfied　with　the　consciousness　of　their　own　perseverance　and　ingenuity。

But　the　most　memorable　body　of　men　that　adorned　these　ages；　were　the　Schoolmen。　　They　may　be　considered　as　the　discoverers　of　the　art　of　logic。　　The　ancients　possessed　in　an　eminent　degree　the　gift　of　genius；　but　they　have　little　to　boast　on　the　score　of　arrangement；　and　discover　little　skill　in　the　strictness　of　an　accurate　deduction。　　They　rather　arrive　at　truth　by　means　of　a　felicity　of　impulse；　than　in　consequence　of　having　regularly　gone　through　the　process　which　leads　to　it。　　The　schools　of　the　middle　ages　gave　birth　to　the　Irrefragable　and　the　Seraphic　doctors；　the　subtlety　of　whose　distinctions；　and　the　perseverance　of　whose　investigations；　are　among　the　most　wonderful　monuments　of　the　intellectual　power　of　man。　　The　thirteenth　century　produced　Thomas　Aquinas；　and　Johannes　Duns　Scotus；　and　William　Occam；　and　Roger　Bacon。　　In　the　century　before；　Thomas　a　Becket　drew　around　him　a　circle　of　literary　men；　whose　correspondence　has　been　handed　down　to　us；　and　who　deemed　it　their　proudest　distinction　that　they　called　each　other　philosophers。　　The　Schoolmen　often　bewildered　themselves　in　their　subtleties；　and　often　delivered　dogmas　and　systems　that　may　astonish　the　common　sense　of　unsophisticated　understandings。　　But　such　is　man。　　So　great　is　his　persevering　labour；　his　invincible　industry；　and　the　resolution　with　which　he　sets　himself；　year　after　year；　and　lustre　after　lustre；　to　accomplish　the　task　which　his　judgment　and　his　zeal　have　commanded　him　to　pursue。

But　I　return　to　the　question　of　literary　fame。　　All　these　men；　and　men　of　a　hundred　other　classes；　who　laboured　most　commendably　and　gallantly　in　their　day；　may　be　considered　as　swept　away　into　the　gulph　of　oblivion。　　As　Swift　humorously　says　in　his　Dedication　to　Prince　Posterity；　〃I　had　prepared　a　copious　list　of　Titles　to　present　to　your　highness；　as　an　undisputed　argument　of　the　prolificness　of　human　genius　in　my　own　time：　　the　originals　were　posted　upon　all　gates　and　corner's　of　streets：　　but；　returning　in　a　very　few　hours　to　take　a　review；　they　were　all　torn　down；　and　fresh　ones　put　in　their　places。　　I　enquired　after　them　among　readers　and　booksellers；　but　in　vain：　　the　memorial　of　them　was　lost　among　men；　their　place　was　no　more　to　be　found。〃

It　is　a　just　remark　that　had　been　made　by　Hume＇5＇：　　〃Theories　of　abstract　philosophy；　systems　of　profound　theology；　have　prevailed　during　one　age。　　In　a　successive　period　these　have　been　universally　exploded；　their　absurdity　has　been　detected；　other　theories　and　systems　have　supplied　their　place；　which　again　gave　way　to　their　successors；　and　nothing　has　been　experienced　more　liable　to　the　revolutions　of　chance　and　fashion　than　these　pretended　decisions　of　science。　　The　case　is　not　the　same　with　the　beauties　of　eloquence　and　poetry。　　Just　expressions　of　passion　and　nature　are　sure；　after　a　little　time；　to　gain　public　applause；　which　they　maintain　for　ever。　　Aristotle　and　Plato　and　Epicurus　and　Descartes　may　successively　yield　to　each　other：　　but　Terence　and　Virgil　maintain　an　universal；　undisputed　empire　over　the　minds　of　men。　　The　abstract　philosophy　of　Cicero　has　lost　its　credit：　　the　vehemence　of　his　oratory　is　still　the　object　of　our　admiration。〃

＇5＇　Essays；　Part　1；　Essay　xxiii。


A　few　examples　of　the　instability　of　fame　will　place　this　question　in　the　clearest　light。

Nicholas　Peiresk　was　born　in　the　year　1580。　　His　progress　in　knowledge　was　so　various　and　unprecedented；　that；　from　the　time　that　he　was　twenty…one　years　of　age；　he　was　universally　considered　as　holding　the　helm　of　learning　in　his　hand；　and　guiding　the　commonwealth　of　letters。　　He　died　at　the　age　of　fifty…seven。　　The　academy　of　the　Humoristi　at　Rome　paid　the　most　extraordinary　honours　to　his　memory；　many　of　the　cardinals　assisted　at　his　funeral　oration；　and　a　collection　of　verses　in　his　praise　was　published　in　more　than　forty　languages。

Salmasius　was　regarded　as　a　prodigy　of　learning；　and　various　princes　and　powers　entered　into　a　competition　who　should　be　so　fortunate　as　to　secure　his　residence　in　their　states。　　Christina；　queen　of　Sweden；　having　obtained　the　preference；　received　him　with　singular　reverence　and　attention；　and；　Salmasius　being　taken　ill　at　Stockholm；　and　confined　to　his　bed；　the　queen　persisted　with　her　own　hand　to　prepare　his　caudles；　and　mend　his　fire。　　Yet；　but　for　the　accident　of　his　having　had　Milton　for　his　adversary；　his　name　would　now　be　as　little　remembered；　even　by　the　generality　of　the　learned；　as　that　of　Peiresk。

Du　Bartas；　in　the　reign　of　Henry　the　Fourth　of　France；　was　one　of　the　most　successful　poets　that　ever　existed。　　His　poem　on　the　Creation　of　the　World　went　through　upwards　of　thirty　editions　in　the　course　of　five　or　six　years；　was　translated　into　most　European　languages；　and　its　commentators　promised　to　equal　in　copiousness　and　number　the　commentators　on　Homer。

One　of　the　most　admired　of　our　English　poets　about　the　close　of　the　sixteenth　century；　was　Donne。　　Unlike　many　of　those　trivial　writers　of　verse　who　succeeded　him　after　an　interval　of　forty　or　fifty　years；　and　who　won　for　themselves　a　brilliant　reputation　by　the　smoothness　of　their　numbers；　the　elegance　of　their　conceptions；　and　the　politeness　of　their　style；　Donne　was　full　of　originality；　energy　and　vigour。　　No　man　can　read　him　without　feeling　himself　called　upon　for　earnest　exercise　of　his　thinking　powers；　and；　even　with　the　most　fixed　attention　and　application；　the　student　is　often　obliged　to　confess　his　inability　to　take　in　the　whole　of　the　meaning　with　which　the　poet's　mind　was　perceptibly　fraught。　　Every　sentence　that　Donne　writes；　whether　in　verse　or　prose；　is　exclusively　his　own。　　In　addition　to　this；　his　thoughts　are　often　in　the　noblest　sense　of　the　word　poetical；　and　passages　may　be　quoted　from　him　that　no　English　poet　may　attempt　to　rival；　unless　it　be　Milton　and　Shakespear。　　Ben　Jonson　observed　of　him　with　great　truth　and　a　prophetic　spirit：　　〃Donne　for　not　being　understood　will　perish。〃　　But　this　is　not　all。　　If　Waller　and　Suckling　and　Carew　sacrificed　every　thing　to　the　Graces；　Donne　went　into　the　other　extreme。　　With　a　few　splendid　and　admirable　exceptions；　his　phraseology　and　versification　are　crabbed　and　repulsive。　　And；　as　poetry　is　read　in　the　first　place　for　pleasure；　Donne　is　left　undisturbed　on　the　shelf；　or　rather　in　the　sepulchre；　and　not　one　in　an　hundred　even　among　persons　of　cultivation；　can　give　any　account　of　him；　if　in　reality　they　ever　heard　of　his　productions。

The　name　of　Shakespear　is　that　before　which　every　knee　must　bow。　　But　it　was　not　always　so。　　When　the　first　novelty　of　his　pieces　was　gone；　they　were　seldom　called　into　requisition。　　Only　three　or　four　of　his　plays　were　upon　the　acting　list　of　the　principal　company　of　players　during　the　reign　of　Charles　the　Second；　and　the　productions　of　Beaumont　and　Fletcher；　and　of　Shirley；　were　acted　three　times　for　once　of　his。　　At　length　Betterton　revived；　and　by　his　admirable　representation　gave　popularity　to；　Macbeth；　Hamlet　and　Lear；　a　popularity　they　have　ever　since　retained。　　But　Macbeth　was　not　revived　（with　music；　and　alterations　by　sir　William　Davenant）　till　1674；　and　Lear　a　few　years　later；　with　love　scenes　and　a　happy　catastrophe　by　Nahum　Tate。

In　the　latter　part　of　the　reign　of　Charles　the　Second；　Dryden　and　Otway　and　Lee　held　the　undisputed　supremacy　in　the　serious　drama。

Such　was　the　insensibility　of　the