thoughts on man-第15部分

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It　would　be　endless　to　adduce　all　the　examples　that　might　be　found　of　the　caprices　of　fame。　　It　has　been　one　of　the　arts　of　the　envious　to　set　up　a　contemptible　rival　to　eclipse　the　splendour　of　sterling　merit。　　Thus　Crowne　and　Settle　for　a　time　disturbed　the　serenity　of　Dryden。　　Voltaire　says；　the　Phaedra　of　Pradon　has　not　less　passion　than　that　of　Racine；　but　expressed　in　rugged　verse　and　barbarous　language。　　Pradon　is　now　forgotten：　　and　the　whole　French　poetry　of　the　Augustan　age　of　Louis　the　Fourteenth　is　threatened　with　the　same　fate。　　Hayley　for　a　few　years　was　applauded　as　the　genuine　successor　of　Pope；　and　the　poem　of　Sympathy　by　Pratt　went　through　twelve　editions。　　For　a　brief　period　almost　each　successive　age　appears　fraught　with　resplendent　genius；　but　they　go　out　one　after　another；　they　set；　〃like　stars　that　fall；　to　rise　no　more。〃　　Few　indeed　are　endowed　with　that　strength　of　construction；　that　should　enable　them　to　ride　triumphant　on　the　tide　of　ages。

It　is　the　same　with　conquerors。　　What　tremendous　battles　have　been　fought；　what　oceans　of　blood　have　been　spilled；　by　men　who　were　resolved　that　their　achievements　should　be　remembered　for　ever！　And　now　even　their　names　are　scarcely　preserved；　and　the　very　effects　of　the　disasters　they　inflicted　on　mankind　seem　to　be　swept　away；　as　of　no　more　validity　than　things　that　never　existed。　　Warriors　and　poets；　the　authors　of　systems　and　the　lights　of　philosophy；　men　that　astonished　the　earth；　and　were　looked　up　to　as　Gods；　even　like　an　actor　on　the　stage；　have　strutted　their　hour；　and　then　been　heard　of　no　more。

Books　have　the　advantage　of　all　other　productions　of　the　human　head　or　hand。　　Copies　of　them　may　be　multiplied　for　ever；　the　last　as　good　as　the　first；　except　so　far　as　some　slight　inadvertent　errors　may　have　insinuated　themselves。　　The　Iliad　flourishes　as　green　now；　as　on　the　day　that　Pisistratus　is　said　first　to　have　stamped　upon　it　its　present　order。　　The　songs　of　the　Rhapsodists；　the　Scalds；　and　the　Minstrels；　which　once　seemed　as　fugitive　as　the　breath　of　him　who　chaunted　them；　repose　in　libraries；　and　are　embalmed　in　collections。　　The　sportive　sallies　of　eminent　wits；　and　the　Table　Talk　of　Luther　and　Selden；　may　live　as　long　as　there　shall　be　men　to　read；　and　judges　to　appreciate　them。

But　other　human　productions　have　their　date。　　Pictures；　however　admirable；　will　only　last　as　long　as　the　colours　of　which　they　are　composed；　and　the　substance　on　which　they　are　painted。　　Three　or　four　hundred　years　ordinarily　limit　the　existence　of　the　most　favoured。　　We　have　scarcely　any　paintings　of　the　ancients；　and　but　a　small　portion　of　their　statues；　while　of　these　a　great　part　are　mutilated；　and　various　members　supplied　by　later　and　inferior　artists。　　The　library　of　Bufo　is　by　Pope　described；

　　　　　　　　　　where　busts　of　poets　dead；　　　　　　　And　a　true　Pindar　stood　without　a　head。

Monumental　records；　alike　the　slightest　and　the　most　solid；　are　subjected　to　the　destructive　operation　of　time；　or　to　the　being　removed　at　the　caprice　or　convenience　of　successive　generations。　　The　pyramids　of　Egypt　remain；　but　the　names　of　him　who　founded　them；　and　of　him　whose　memory　they　seemed　destined　to　perpetuate；　have　perished　together。　　Buildings　for　the　use　or　habitation　of　man　do　not　last　for　ever。　　Mighty　cities；　as　well　as　detached　edifices；　are　destined　to　disappear。　　Thebes；　and　Troy；　and　Persepolis；　and　Palmyra　have　vanished　from　the　face　of　the　earth。

〃Thorns　and　brambles　have　grown　up　in　their　palaces：　　they　are　habitations　for　serpents；　and　a　court　for　the　owl。〃

There　are　productions　of　man　however　that　seem　more　durable　than　any　of　the　edifices　he　has　raised。　　Such　are；　in　the　first　place；　modes　of　government。　　The　constitution　of　Sparta　lasted　for　seven　hundred　years。　　That　of　Rome　for　about　the　same　period。　　Institutions；　once　deeply　rooted　in　the　habits　of　a　people；　will　operate　in　their　effects　through　successive　revolutions。　　Modes　of　faith　will　sometimes　be　still　more　permanent。　　Not　to　mention　the　systems　of　Moses　and　Christ；　which　we　consider　as　delivered　to　us　by　divine　inspiration；　that　of　Mahomet　has　continued　for　twelve　hundred　years；　and　may　last；　for　aught　that　appears；　twelve　hundred　more。　　The　practices　of　the　empire　of　China　are　celebrated　all　over　the　earth　for　their　immutability。

This　brings　us　naturally　to　reflect　upon　the　durability　of　the　sciences。　　According　to　Bailly；　the　observation　of　the　heavens；　and　a　calculation　of　the　revolutions　of　the　heavenly　bodies；　in　other　words；　astronomy；　subsisted　in　maturity　in　China　and　the　East；　for　at　least　three　thousand　years　before　the　birth　of　Christ：　　and；　such　as　it　was　then；　it　bids　fair　to　last　as　long　as　civilisation　shall　continue。　　The　additions　it　has　acquired　of　late　years　may　fall　away　and　perish；　but　the　substance　shall　remain。　　The　circulation　of　the　blood　in　man　and　other　animals；　is　a　discovery　that　shall　never　be　antiquated。　　And　the　same　may　be　averred　of　the　fundamental　elements　of　geometry　and　of　some　other　sciences。　　Knowledge；　in　its　most　considerable　branches　shall　endure；　as　long　as　books　shall　exist　to　hand　it　down　to　successive　generations。

It　is　just　therefore；　that　we　should　regard　with　admiration　and　awe　the　nature　of　man；　by　whom　these　mighty　things　have　been　accomplished；　at　the　same　time　that　the　perishable　quality　of　its　individual　monuments；　and　the　temporary　character　and　inconstancy　of　that　fame　which　in　many　instances　has　filled　the　whole　earth　with　its　renown；　may　reasonably　quell　the　fumes　of　an　inordinate　vanity；　and　keep　alive　in　us　the　sentiment　of　a　wholsome　diffidence　and　humility。



ESSAY　V。　OF　THE　REBELLIOUSNESS　OF　MAN。

There　is　a　particular　characteristic　in　the　nature　of　the　human　mind；　which　is　somewhat　difficult　to　be　explained。

Man　is　a　being　of　a　rational　and　an　irrational　nature。

It　has　often　been　said　that　we　have　two　souls。　　Araspes；　in　the　Cyropedia；　adopts　this　language　to　explain　his　inconsistency；　and　desertion　of　principle　and　honour。　　The　two　souls　of　man；　according　to　this　hypothesis；　are；　first；　animal；　and；　secondly；　intellectual。

But　I　am　not　going　into　any　thing　of　this　slight　and　every…day　character。

Man　is　a　rational　being。　　It　is　by　this　particular　that　he　is　eminently　distinguished　from　the　brute　creation。　　He　collects　premises　and　deduces　conclusions。　　He　enters　into　systems　of　thinking；　and　combines　systems　of　action；　which　he　pursues　from　day　to　day；　and　from　year　to　year。　　It　is　by　this　feature　in　his　constitution　that　he　becomes　emphatically　the　subject　of　history；　of　poetry　and　fiction。　　It　is　by　this　that　he　is　raised　above　the　other　inhabitants　of　the　globe　of　earth；　and　that　the　individuals　of　our　race　are　made　the　partners　of　〃gods；　and　men　like　gods。〃

But　our　nature；　beside　this；　has　another　section。　　We　start　occasionally　ten　thousand　miles　awry。　　We　resign　the　sceptre　of　reason；　and　the　high　dignity　that　belongs　to　us　as　beings　of　a　superior　species；　and；　without　authority　derived　to　us　from　any　system　of　thinking；　even　without　the　scheme　of　gratifying　any　vehement　and　uncontrolable　passion；　we　are　impelled　to　do；　or　at　least　feel　ourselves　excited　to　do；　something　disordinate　and　strange。　　It　seems　as　if　we　had　a　spring　within　us；　that　found　the　perpetual　restraint　of　being　wise　and　sober　insupportable。　　We　long　to　be　something；　or　to　do　something；　sudden　and　unexpected；　to　throw　the　furniture　of　our　apartment　out　at　window；　or；　when　we　are　leaving　a　place　of　worship；　in　which　perhaps　the　most　solemn　feelings　of　our　nature　have　been　excited；　to　push　the　grave　person　that　is　just　before　us；　from　the　top　of　the　stairs　to　the　bottom。　　A　thousand　absurdities；　wild　and　extravagant　vagaries；　come　into　our　heads；　and　we　are　only　restrained　from　perpetrating　them　by　the　fear；　that　we　may　be　subjected　to　the　treatment　appropriated　to　the　insane；　or　may　perhaps　be　made　amenable　to　the　criminal　laws　of　our　country。

A　story　occurs　to　me；　which　I　learned　from　the　late　Dr。　Parr　at　Hatton；　that　may　not　unhappily　illustrate　the　point　I　am　endeavouring　to　explain。

Dr。　Samuel　Clarke；　rector　of　St。　James's；　Westminster；　the　especial　friend　of　Sir　Isaac　Newton；　the　distinguished　editor　of　the　poems　of　Homer；　and　author　of　the　Demonstration　of　the　Being　and　Attributes　of　God；　was　one　day　summoned　from　his　study；　to　receive　two　visitors　in　the　parlour。　　When　he　came　downstairs；　and　entered　the　room；　he　saw　a　foreigner；　who　by　his　air　seemed　to　be　a　person　of　distinction；　a　professor　perhaps　of　some　university　on　the　continent；　and　an　alderman　of　London；　a　relation　of　the　doctor；　who　had　come　to　introduce　the　foreigner。　　The　alderman；　a　man　of　uncultivated　mind　and　manners；　and　whom　the　doctor　had　been　accustomed　to　see　in　sordid　attire；　surrounded　with　the　incumbrances　of　his　trade；　was　decked　out　for　the　occasion　in　a　full…dress　suit；　with　a　wig　of　majestic　and　voluminous　structure。　　Clarke　was；　as　it　appears；　so　much　struck　with　the　whimsical　nature　of　this　unexpected　metamorphosis；　and　the　extraordinary　solemnity　of　his　kinsman's　demeanour；　as　to　have　felt　impelled；　almost　immediately　upon　entering　the　room；　to　snatch　the　wig　from　the　alderman's　head；　and　throw　it　against　the　ceiling：　　after　which　this　eminent