historical lectures and essays(查尔斯金斯利历史讲座)






world; would be long centuries of anarchy such as the world has not seen 

for agesa true Ragnarok; a twilight of the very gods; an age such as the 

wise woman foretold in the old Voluspe。 

       When brethren shall be Each other’s bane; And sisters’ sons rend The 

ties of kin。  Hard will   be that   age; An   age of   bad women; An axe…age;  a 



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sword…age; Shields oft cleft in twain; A storm…age; a wolf…age; Ere earth 

meet its doom。 

       So sang; 2000 years ago; perhaps; the great unnamed prophetess; of 

our own race; of what might be; if we should fail mankind and our own 

calling and election。 

     God grant that day may never e。              But God grant; also; that if that 

day does e; then may e true also what that wise Vala sang; of the 

day when gods; and men; and earth should be burnt up with fire。 

       When slaked Surtur’s flame is; Still the man and the maiden; Hight 

Valour and Life; Shall keep themselves hid In the wood of remembrance。 

The dew of the dawning For food it shall serve them: From them spring 

new peoples。 

       New peoples。       For after all is said; the ideal form of human society 

is democracy。 

     A   nationand;   were   it   even   possible;   a   whole   worldof   free   men; 

lifting free foreheads to God and Nature; calling no man masterfor one is 

their   master;   even   God;   knowing   and   obeying   their   duties   towards   the 

Maker of the Universe; and therefore to each other; and that not from fear; 

nor calculation of profit or loss; but because they loved and liked it; and 

had seen the beauty of righteousness and trust and peace; because the law 

of God was in their hearts; and needing at last; it may be; neither king nor 

priest;   for   each   man   and   each   woman;   in   their   place;   were   kings   and 

priests to God。      Such a nationsuch a societywhat nobler conception of 

mortal existence can we form?             Would not that be; indeed; the kingdom 

of God e on earth? 

     And   tell   me   not   that   that   is   impossibletoo   fair   a   dream   to   be   ever 

realised。     All    that   makes    it  impossible     is  the   selfishness;    passions; 

weaknesses; of those who would be blest were they masters of themselves; 

and   therefore   of   circumstances;   who   are   miserable   because;   not   being 

masters of themselves; they try to master circumstance; to pull down iron 

walls with weak and clumsy hands; and forget that he who would be free 

from tyrants must first be free from his worst tyrant; self。 



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     But tell me not that the dream is impossible。                  It is so beautiful that it 

must be true。        If not   now; nor centuries   hence; yet still hereafter。               God 

would never; as I hold; have inspired man with that rich imagination had 

He not meant to translate; some day; that imagination into fact。 

     The     very    greatness     of   the   idea;    beyond     what     a  single    mind     or 

generation   can   grasp;   will   ensure   failure   on   failurefollies;   fanaticisms; 

disappointments;         even    crimes;     bloodshed;      hasty    furies;   as   of  children 

baulked of their holiday。 

     But   it   will   be   at   last   fulfilled;   filled   full;   and   perfected;   not   perhaps 

here;   or   among   our   peoples;   or   any   people   which   now   exist   on   earth: 

but   in   some   future   civilisationit   may   be   in   far   lands   beyond   the   sea 

when all that you and we have made and done shall be as the forest…grown 

mounds of the old nameless civilisers of the Mississippi valley。 



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                     RONDELET; {7} THE 

      HUGUENOT NATURALIST {8} 



     〃Apollo;     god    of  medicine;     exiled   from    the  rest   of  the  earth;   was 

straying   once   across   the   Narbonnaise   in   Gaul;   seeking   to   fix   his   abode 

there。    Driven   from Asia;   from Africa;   and   from   the   rest   of   Europe;   he 

wandered   through        all  the  towns    of   the   province   in  search    of  a  place 

propitious for him and for his disciples。             At last he perceived a new city; 

constructed from the ruins of Maguelonne; of Lattes; and of Substantion。 

He contemplated long its site; its aspect; its neighbourhood; and resolved 

to establish on this hill of Montpellier a temple for himself and his priests。 

All smiled on his desires。          By the genius of the soil; by the character of 

the inhabitants; no town is more fit for the culture of letters; and above all 

of   medicine。      What   site   is   more   delicious   and   more   lovely?   A  heaven 

pure   and   smiling;   a   city   built   with   magnificence;   men   born   for   all   the 

labours of the intellect。        All around vast horizons and enchanting sites 

meadows;   vines;   olives;   green   champaigns;   mountains   and   hills;   rivers; 

brooks;      lagoons;    and    the   sea。   Everywhere       a   luxuriant     vegetation 

everywhere the richest production of the land and the water。                   Hail to thee 

sweet and dear city!        Hail; happy abode of Apollo; who spreadest afar the 

light of the glory of thy name!〃 

     〃This fine tirade;〃 says   Dr。 Maurice   Raynaudfrom whose   charming 

book   on   the   〃Doctors   of   the   Time   of   Moliere〃   I   quote〃is   not;   as   one 

might   think;   the   translation   of   a   piece   of   poetry。 It   is   simply   part   of   a 

public oration by Francois Fanchon; one of the most illustrious chancellors 

of   the   faculty   of   medicine   of   Montpellier   in   the   seventeenth   century。〃 

〃From time immemorial;〃 he says; 〃’the faculty’ of Montpellier had made 

itself   remarkable   by   a   singular   mixture   of   the   sacred   and   the   profane。 



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The theses which were sustained there began by an invocation to God; the 

Blessed Virgin;  and   St。  Luke;   and   ended   by  these   words:              ’This   thesis 

will be sustained in the sacred Temple of Apollo。’〃 

     But   however   extravagant   Chancellor   Fanchon’s   praises   of   his   native 

city   may   seem;   they   are   really   not   exaggerated。        The   Narbonnaise;   or 

Languedoc; is perhaps the most charming district of charming France。 In 

the   far   north…east   gleam   the   white Alps;   in   the   far   south…west   the   white 

Pyrenees; and from the purple glens and yellow downs of the Cevennes on 

the north…west;  the   Herault slopes gently  down towards   the   〃Etangs;〃   or 

great salt…water lagoons; and the vast alluvial flats of the Camargue; the 

field of Caius Marius; where still run herds of half…wild horses; descended 

from     some     ancient    Roman      stock;    while    beyond      all  glitters  the   blue 

Mediterranean。         The     great   almond      orchards;    each    one    sheet   of  rose… 

colour   in   spring;   the   mulberry   orchards;   the   oliveyards;   the   vineyards; 

cover   every  foot   of   available   upland   soil:        save   where   the   rugged   and 

arid downs are sweet with a thousand odoriferous plants; from which the 

bees   extract   the   famous   white   honey   of   Narbonne。          The   native   flowers 

and shrubs; of a beauty and richness rather Eastern than European; have 

made the 〃Flora Montpeliensis;〃 and with it the names of Rondelet and his 

disciples; famous among botanists; and the strange fish and shells upon its 

shores     afforded     Rondelet      materials     for  his   immortal      work     upon    the 

〃Animals   of   the   Sea。〃      The   innumerable   wild   fowl   of   the   Benches   du 

Rhone;   the   innumerable   songsters   and   other   birds   of   passage;   many   of 

them   unknown   in   these   islands;   and   even   in   the   north   of   France   itself; 

which haunt every copse of willow and aspen along the brook…sides; the 

gaudy and curious insects which thrive beneath that clear; fierce; and yet 

bracing sunlight;   all   these   have   made   the   district of   Montpellier   a   home 

prepared by Nature for those who study and revere her。 

     Neither was   Chancellor   Fanchon   misled by  patriotism;   when   he said 

the pleasant people who inhabit that district are fit for all the labours of the 

intellect。     They are a very mixed race; and; like most mixed r