第 21 节
作者:嘟嘟      更新:2021-04-30 16:07      字数:9322
  life; but after twelve or thirteen years of age; provided the
  master does his duty; force or restraint can scarce ever be
  necessary to carry on any part of education。 Such is the
  generosity of the greater part of young men; that; so far from
  being disposed to neglect or despise the instructions of their
  master; provided he shows some serious intention of being of use
  to them; they are generally inclined to pardon a great deal of
  incorrectness in the performance of his duty; and sometimes even
  to conceal from the public a good deal of gross negligence。
  Those parts of education; it is to be observed; for the
  teaching of which there are no public institutions; are generally
  the best taught。 When a young man goes to a fencing or a dancing
  school; he does not indeed always learn to fence or to dance very
  well; but he seldom fails of learning to fence or to dance。 The
  good effects of the riding school are not commonly so evident。
  The expense of a riding school is so great; that in most places
  it is a public institution。 The three most essential parts of
  literary education; to read; write; and account; it still
  continues to be more common to acquire in private than in public
  schools; and it very seldom happens that anybody fails of
  acquiring them to the degree in which it is necessary to acquire
  them。
  In England the public schools are much less corrupted than
  the universities。 In the schools the youth are taught; or at
  least may be taught; Greek and Latin; that is; everything which
  the masters pretend to teach; or which; it is expected; they
  should teach。 In the universities the youth neither are taught;
  nor always can find any proper means of being taught; the
  sciences which it is the business of those incorporated bodies to
  teach。 The reward of the schoolmaster in most cases depends
  principally; in some cases almost entirely; upon the fees or
  honoraries of his scholars。 Schools have no exclusive privileges。
  In order to obtain the honours of graduation; it is not necessary
  that a person should bring a certificate of his having studied a
  certain number of years at a public school。 If upon examination
  he appears to understand what is taught there; no questions are
  asked about the place where he learnt it。
  The parts of education which are commonly taught in
  universities; it may; perhaps; be said are not very well taught。
  But had it not been for those institutions they would not have
  been commonly taught at all; and both the individual and the
  public would have suffered a good deal from the want of those
  important parts of education。
  The present universities of Europe were originally; the
  greater part of them; ecclesiastical corporations; instituted for
  the education of churchmen。 They were founded by the authority of
  the Pope; and were so entirely under his immediate protection;
  that their members; whether masters or students; had all of them
  what was then called the benefit of clergy; that is; were
  exempted from the civil jurisdiction of the countries in which
  their respective universities were situated; and were amenable
  only to the ecclesiastical tribunals。 What was taught in the
  greater part of those universities was suitable to the end of
  their institution; either theology; or something that was merely
  preparatory to theology。
  When Christianity was first established by law; a corrupted
  Latin had become the common language of all the western parts of
  Europe。 The service of the church accordingly; and the
  translation of the Bible which was read in churches; were both in
  that corrupted Latin; that is; in the common language of the
  country。 After the irruption of the barbarous nations who
  overturned the Roman empire; Latin gradually ceased to be the
  language of any part of Europe。 But the reverence of the people
  naturally preserves the established forms and ceremonies of
  religion long after the circumstances which first introduced and
  rendered them reasonable are no more。 Though Latin; therefore;
  was no longer understood anywhere by the great body of the
  people; the whole service of the church still continued to be
  performed in that language。 Two different languages were thus
  established in Europe; in the same manner as in ancient Egypt; a
  language of the priests; and a language of the people; a sacred
  and a profane; a learned and an unlearned language。 But it was
  necessary that the priests should understand something of that
  sacred and learned language in which they were to officiate; and
  the study of the Latin language therefore made; from the
  beginning; an essential part of university education。
  It was not so with that either of the Greek or of the Hebrew
  language。 The infallible decrees of the church had pronounced the
  Latin translation of the Bible; commonly called the Latin
  Vulgate; to have been equally dictated by divine inspiration; and
  therefore of equal authority with the Greek and Hebrew originals。
  The knowledge of those two languages; therefore; not being
  indispensably requisite to a churchman; the study of them did not
  for a long time make a necessary part of the common course of
  university education。 There are some Spanish universities; I am
  assured; in which the study of the Greek language has never yet
  made any part of that course。 The first reformers found the Greek
  text of the New Testament; and even the Hebrew text of the Old;
  more favorable to their opinions than the Vulgate translation;
  which; as might naturally be supposed; had been gradually
  accommodated to support the doctrines of the Catholic Church。
  They set themselves; therefore; to expose the many errors of that
  translation; which the Roman Catholic clergy were thus put under
  the necessity of defending or explaining。 But this could not well
  be done without some knowledge of the original languages; of
  which the study was therefore gradually introduced into the
  greater part of universities; both of those which embraced; and
  of those which rejected; the doctrines of the Reformation。 The
  Greek language was connected with every part of that classical
  learning which; though at first principally cultivated by
  Catholics and Italians; happened to come into fashion much about
  the same time that the doctrines of the Reformation were set on
  foot。 In the greater part of universities; therefore; that
  language was taught previous to the study of philosophy; and as
  soon as the student had made some progress in the Latin。 The
  Hebrew language having no connection with classical learning;
  and; except the Holy Scriptures; being the language of not a
  single book in any esteem; the study of it did not commonly
  commence till after that of philosophy; and when the student had
  entered upon the study of theology。
  Originally the first rudiments both of the Greek and Latin
  languages were taught in universities; and in some universities
  they still continue to be so。 In others it is expected that the
  student should have previously acquired at least the rudiments of
  one or both of those languages; of which the study continues to
  make everywhere a very considerable part of university education。
  The ancient Greek philosophy was divided into three great
  branches; physics; or natural philosophy; ethics; or moral
  philosophy; and logic。 This general division seems perfectly
  agreeable to the nature of things。
  The great phenomena of nature… the revolutions of the
  heavenly bodies; eclipses; comets; thunder; lightning; and other
  extraordinary meteors; the generation; the life; growth; and
  dissolution of plants and animals… are objects which; as they
  necessarily excite the wonder; so they naturally call forth the
  curiosity; of mankind to inquire into their causes。 Superstition
  first attempted to satisfy this curiosity; by referring all those
  wonderful appearances to the immediate agency of the gods。
  Philosophy afterwards endeavoured to account for them from more
  familiar causes; or from such as mankind were better acquainted
  with; than the agency of the gods。 As those great phenomena are
  the first objects of human curiosity; so the science which
  pretends to explain them must naturally have been the first
  branch of philosophy that was cultivated。 The first philosophers;
  accordingly; of whom history has preserved any account; appear to
  have been natural philosophers。
  In every age and country of the world men must have attended
  to the characters; designs; and actions of one another; and many
  reputable rules and maxims for the conduct of human life must
  have been laid down and approved of by common consent。 As soon as
  writing came into fashion; wise men; or those who fancied
  themselves such; would naturally endeavour to increase the number
  of those established and respected maxims; and to express their
  own sense of what was either proper or improper conduct;
  sometimes in the more artificial form of apologues; like what are
  called the fa