第 6 节
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their festivals; but when the wine began to work in good earnest; and
that they were to give the reins to pleasure; they sent them back to
their private apartments; that they might not participate in their
immoderate lust; sending for other women in their stead; with whom they
were not obliged to so great a decorum of respect。'Plutarch; Precepts
of Marriage; c。 14。' All pleasures and all sorts of gratifications
are not properly and fitly conferred upon all sorts of persons。
Epaminondas had committed to prison a young man for certain debauches;
for whom Pelopidas mediated; that at his request he might be set at
liberty; which Epaminondas denied to him; but granted it at the first
word to a wench of his; that made the same intercession; saying; that it
was a gratification fit for such a one as she; but not for a captain。
Sophocles being joint praetor with Pericles; seeing accidentally a fine
boy pass by: 〃O what a charming boy is that!〃 said he。 〃That might be
very well;〃 answered Pericles; 〃for any other than a praetor; who ought
not only to have his hands; but his eyes; too; chaste。〃 'Cicero; De
Offic。; i。 40。' AElius Verus; the emperor; answered his wife; who
reproached him with his love to other women; that he did it upon a
conscientious account; forasmuch as marriage was a name of honour and
dignity; not of wanton and lascivious desire; and our ecclesiastical
history preserves the memory of that woman in great veneration; who
parted from her husband because she would not comply with his indecent
and inordinate desires。 In fine; there is no pleasure so just and
lawful; where intemperance and excess are not to be condemned。
But; to speak the truth; is not man a most miserable creature the while?
It is scarce; by his natural condition; in his power to taste one
pleasure pure and entire; and yet must he be contriving doctrines and
precepts to curtail that little he has; he is not yet wretched enough;
unless by art and study he augment his own misery:
〃Fortunae miseras auximus arte vias。〃
'〃We artificially augment the wretchedness of fortune。〃
Properitius; lib。 iii。 7; 44。'
Human wisdom makes as ill use of her talent; when she exercises it in
rescinding from the number and sweetness of those pleasures that are
naturally our due; as she employs it favourably and well in artificially
disguising and tricking out the ills of life; to alleviate the sense of
them。 Had I ruled the roast; I should have taken another and more
natural course; which; to say the truth; is both commodious and holy; and
should; peradventure; have been able to have limited it too;
notwithstanding that both our spiritual and corporal physicians; as by
compact betwixt themselves; can find no other way to cure; nor other
remedy for the infirmities of the body and the soul; than by misery and
pain。 To this end; watchings; fastings; hair…shirts; remote and solitary
banishments; perpetual imprisonments; whips and other afflictions; have
been introduced amongst men: but so; that they should carry a sting with
them; and be real afflictions indeed; and not fall out as it once did to
one Gallio; who having been sent an exile into the isle of Lesbos; news
was not long after brought to Rome; that he there lived as merry as the
day was long; and that what had been enjoined him for a penance; turned
to his pleasure and satisfaction: whereupon the Senate thought fit to
recall him home to his wife and family; and confine him to his own house;
to accommodate their punishment to his feeling and apprehension。 For to
him whom fasting would make more healthful and more sprightly; and to him
to whose palate fish were more acceptable than flesh; the prescription of
these would have no curative effect; no more than in the other sort of
physic; where drugs have no effect upon him who swallows them with
appetite and pleasure: the bitterness of the potion and the abhorrence of
the patient are necessary circumstances to the operation。 The nature
that would eat rhubarb like buttered turnips; would frustrate the use and
virtue of it; it must be something to trouble and disturb the stomach;
that must purge and cure it; and here the common rule; that things are
cured by their contraries; fails; for in this one ill is cured by
another。
This belief a little resembles that other so ancient one; of thinking to
gratify the gods and nature by massacre and murder: an opinion
universally once received in all religions。 And still; in these later
times wherein our fathers lived; Amurath at the taking of the Isthmus;
immolated six hundred young Greeks to his father's soul; in the nature of
a propitiatory sacrifice for his sins。 And in those new countries
discovered in this age of ours; which are pure and virgin yet; in
comparison of ours; this practice is in some measure everywhere received:
all their idols reek with human blood; not without various examples of
horrid cruelty: some they burn alive; and take; half broiled; off the
coals to tear out their hearts and entrails; some; even women; they flay
alive; and with their bloody skins clothe and disguise others。 Neither
are we without great examples of constancy and resolution in this affair
the poor souls that are to be sacrificed; old men; women; and children;
themselves going about some days before to beg alms for the offering of
their sacrifice; presenting themselves to the slaughter; singing and
dancing with the spectators。
The ambassadors of the king of Mexico; setting out to Fernando Cortez the
power and greatness of their master; after having told him; that he had
thirty vassals; of whom each was able to raise an hundred thousand
fighting men; and that he kept his court in the fairest and best
fortified city under the sun; added at last; that he was obliged yearly
to offer to the gods fifty thousand men。 And it is affirmed; that he
maintained a continual war; with some potent neighbouring nations; not
only to keep the young men in exercise; but principally to have
wherewithal to furnish his sacrifices with his prisoners of war。 At a
certain town in another place; for the welcome of the said Cortez; they
sacrificed fifty men at once。 I will tell you this one tale more; and I
have done; some of these people being beaten by him; sent to acknowledge
him; and to treat with him of a peace; whose messengers carried him three
sorts of gifts; which they presented in these terms: 〃Behold; lord; here
are five slaves: if thou art a furious god that feedeth upon flesh and
blood; eat these; and we will bring thee more; if thou art an affable
god; behold here incense and feathers; but if thou art a man; take these
fowls and these fruits that we have brought thee。〃
CHAPTER XXX
OF CANNIBALS
When King Pyrrhus invaded Italy; having viewed and considered the order
of the army the Romans sent out to meet him; 〃I know not;〃 said he;
〃what kind of barbarians〃 (for so the Greeks called all other nations)
〃these may be; but the disposition of this army that I see has nothing of
barbarism in it。〃 'Plutarch; Life of Pyrrhus; c。 8。' As much said the
Greeks of that which Flaminius brought into their country; and Philip;
beholding from an eminence the order and distribution of the Roman camp
formed in his kingdom by Publius Sulpicius Galba; spake to the same
effect。 By which it appears how cautious men ought to be of taking
things upon trust from vulgar opinion; and that we are to judge by the
eye of reason; and not from common report。
I long had a man in my house that lived ten or twelve years in the New
World; discovered in these latter days; and in that part of it where
Villegaignon landed;'At Brazil; in 1557。' which he called Antarctic
France。 This discovery of so vast a country seems to be of very great
consideration。 I cannot be sure; that hereafter there may not be
another; so many wiser men than we having been deceived in this。 I am
afraid our eyes are bigger than our bellies; and that we have more
curiosity than capacity; for we grasp at all; but catch nothing but wind。
Plato brings in Solon; 'In Timaeus。' telling a story that he had
heard from the priests of Sais in Egypt; that of old; and before the
Deluge; there was a great island called Atlantis; situate directly at the
mouth of the straits of Gibraltar; which contained more countries than
both Africa and Asia put together; and that the kings of that country;
who not only possessed that Isle; but extended their dominion so far into
the continent that they had a country of Africa as far as Egypt; and
extending in Europe to Tuscany; attempted to encroach even upon Asia; and
to subjugate all the nations that border upon the Mediterranean Sea; as
far as the Black Sea; and to that effect overran all Spain; the Gauls;
and Italy; so far as to penetrate into Greece; where the Athenians
stopped them: but that some time after; both the Athenians; and they and
their island; were swallowed by the Flood。
It is very likely that this extreme irruption and inundation of water
made wonderful changes and alterations in the habitations of the earth;
as 'tis said that the sea then divided Sicily from Italy
〃Haec loca; vi quon