第 18 节
作者:
套牢 更新:2021-02-21 16:40 字数:9322
niverse; dare not allow thee to continue longer among us。 As a palpable deserter from the ranks where all men; at their eternal peril; are bound to be: palpable deserter; taken with the red band fighting thus against the whole Universe and its Laws; wesend thee back into the whole Universe; solemnly expel thee from our community; and will; in the name of God; not with joy and exultation; but with sorrow stern as thy own; hang thee on Wednesday next; and so end。〃
Other ground on which to deliberately slay a disarmed fellow…man I can see none。 Example; effects upon the public mind; effects upon this and upon that: all this is mere appendage and accident; of all this I make no attempt to keep account;sensible that no arithmetic will or can keep account of it; that its 〃effects;〃 on this hand and on that; transcend all calculation。 One thing; if I can calculate it; will include all; and produce beneficial effects beyond calculation; and no ill effect at all; anywhere or at any time: What the Law of the Universe; or Law of God; is with regard to this caitiff? That; by all sacred research and consideration; I will try to find out; to that I will come as near as human means admit; that shall be my exemplar and 〃example;〃 all men shall through me see that; and be profited _beyond_ calculation by seeing it。
What this Law of the Universe; or Law made by God; is? Men at one time read it in their Bible。 In many Bibles; Books; and authentic symbols and monitions of Nature and the World (of Fact; that is; and of Human Speech; or Wise Interpretation of Fact); there are still clear indications towards it。 Most important it is; for this and for some other reasons; that men do; in some way; get to see it a little! And if no man could now see it by any Bible; there is written in the heart of every man an authentic copy of it direct from Heaven itself: there; if he have learnt to decipher Heaven's writing; and can read the sacred oracles (a sad case for him if he altogether cannot); every born man may still find some copy of it。
〃Revenge;〃 my friends! revenge; and the natural hatred of scoundrels; and the ineradicable tendency to _revancher_ oneself upon them; and pay them what they have merited: this is forevermore intrinsically a correct; and even a divine feeling in the mind of every man。 Only the excess of it is diabolic; the essence I say is manlike; and even godlike;a monition sent to poor man by the Maker himself。 Thou; poor reader; in spite of all this melancholy twaddle; and blotting out of Heaven's sunlight by mountains of horsehair and officiality; hast still a human heart。 If; in returning to thy poor peaceable dwelling…place; after an honest hard day's work; thou wert to find; for example; a brutal scoundrel who for lucre or other object of his; had slaughtered the life that was dearest to thee; thy true wife; for example; thy true old mother; swimming in her blood; the human scoundrel; or two…legged wolf; standing over such a tragedy: I hope a man would have so much divine rage in his heart as to snatch the nearest weapon; and put a conclusion upon said human wolf; for one! A palpable messenger of Satan; that one; accredited by all the Devils; to be put an end to by all the children of God。 The soul of every god…created man flames wholly into one divine blaze of sacred wrath at sight of such a Devil's…messenger; authentic firsthand monition from the Eternal Maker himself as to what is next to be done。 Do it; or be thyself an ally of Devil's…messengers; a sheep for two…legged human wolves; well deserving to be eaten; as thou soon wilt be!
My humane friends; I perceive this same sacred glow of divine wrath; or authentic monition at first hand from God himself; to be the foundation for all Criminal Law; and Official horsehair…and…bombazine procedure against Scoundrels in this world。 This first…hand gospel from the Eternities; imparted to every mortal; this is still; and will forever be; your sanction and commission for the punishment of human scoundrels。 See well how you will translate this message from Heaven and the Eternities into a form suitable to this World and its Times。 Let not violence; haste; blind impetuous impulse; preside in executing it; the injured man; invincibly liable to fall into these; shall not himself execute it: the whole world; in person of a Minister appointed for that end; and surrounded with the due solemnities and caveats; with bailiffs; apparitors; advocates; and the hushed expectation of all men; shall do it; as under the eye of God who made all men。 How it shall be done? this is ever a vast question; involving immense considerations。 Thus Edmund Burke saw; in the Two Houses of Parliament; with King; Constitution; and all manner of Civil…Lists; and Chancellors' wigs and Exchequer budgets; only the 〃method of getting twelve just men put into a jury…box:〃 that; in Burke's view; was the summary of what they were all meant for。 How the judge will do it? Yes; indeed:but let him see well that he does do it: for it is a thing that must by no means be left undone! A sacred gospel from the Highest: not to be smothered under horsehair and bombazine; or drowned in platform froth; or in any wise omitted or neglected; without the most alarming penalties to all concerned!
Neglect to treat the hero as hero; the penaltieswhich are inevitable too; and terrible to think of; as your Hebrew friends can tell youmay be some time in coming; they will only gradually come。 Not all at once will your thirty thousand Needlewomen; your three million Paupers; your Connaught fallen into potential Cannibalism; and other fine consequences of the practice; come to light;though come to light they will; and 〃Ou' clo'!〃 itself may be in store for you; if you persist steadily enough。 But neglect to treat even your declared scoundrel as scoundrel; this is the last consummation of the process; the drop by which the cup runs over; the penalties of this; most alarming; extensive; and such as you little dream of; will straightway very rapidly come。 Dim oblivion of Right and Wrong; among the masses of your population; will come; doubts as to Right and Wrong; indistinct notion that Right and Wrong are not eternal; but accidental; and settled by uncertain votings and talkings; will come。 Prurient influenza of Platform Benevolence; and 〃Paradise to All…and…sundry;〃 will come。 In the general putrescence of your 〃religions;〃 as you call them; a strange new religion; named of Universal Love; with Sacraments mainly of_Divorce_; with Balzac; Sue and Company for Evangelists; and Madame Sand for Virgin; will come;and results fast following therefrom which will astonish you very much!
〃The terrible anarchies of these years;〃 says Crabbe; in his _Radiator_; 〃are brought upon us by a necessity too visible。 By the crime of Kings;alas; yes; but by that of Peoples too。 Not by the crime of one class; but by the fatal obscuration; and all but obliteration of the sense of Right and Wrong in the minds and practices of every class。 What a scene in the drama of Universal History; this of ours! A world…wide loud bellow and bray of universal Misery; _lowing_; with crushed maddened heart; its inarticulate prayer to Heaven:very pardonable to me; and in some of its transcendent developments; as in the grand French Revolution; most respectable and ever…memorable。 For Injustice reigns everywhere; and this murderous struggle for what they call 'Fraternity;' and so forth has a spice of eternal sense in it; though so terribly disfigured! Amalgam of sense and nonsense; eternal sense by the grain; and temporary nonsense by the square mile: as is the habit with poor sons of men。 Which pardonable amalgam; however; if it be taken as the pure final sense; I must warn you and all creatures; is unpardonable; criminal; and fatal nonsense;with which I; for one; will take care not to concern myself!
〃_Dogs should not be taught to eat leather_; says the old adage: no;and where; by general fault and error; and the inevitable nemesis of things; the universal kennel is set to diet upon _leather_; and from its keepers; its 'Liberal Premiers;' or whatever their title is; will accept or expect nothing else; and calls it by the pleasant name of progress; reform; emancipation; abolition…principles; and the like;I consider the fate of said kennel and of said keepers to be a thing settled。 Red republic in Phrygian nightcap; organization of labor _a la_ Louis Blanc; street…barricades; and then murderous cannon…volleys _a la_ Cavaignac and Windischgratz; follow out of one another; as grapes; must; new wine; and sour all…splitting vinegar do: vinegar is but _vin…aigre_; or the self…same 'wine' grown _sharp_! If; moreover; I find the Worship of Human Nobleness abolished in any country; and a _new_ astonishing Phallus…Worship; with universal Balzac…Sand melodies and litanies in treble and in bass; established in its stead; what can I compute but that Nature; in horrible throes; will repugn against such substitution;that; in short; the astonishing new Phallus…Worship; with its finer sensibilities of the heart; and 'great satisfying loves;' with its sacred kiss of peace for scoundrel and hero alike; with its all…embracing Brotherhood; and universal Sa