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






Queen…Dowager           of  France    (mother     of  Francis    I。)  because;    when     she 

pelled him to consult the stars about Francis’s chance of getting out of 

his   captivity   in   Spain   after   the   battle   of   Pavia;   he   wrote   and   spoke   his 

mind honestly about such nonsense。 

     Even Newton seems to have hankered after it when young。                        Among 

his MSS。 in Lord Portsmouth’s library at Hurstbourne are whole folios of 



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astrologic calculations。        It went on till the end of the seventeenth century; 

and   died   out   only   when   men   had   begun   to   test   it;   and   all   other   occult 

sciences; by experience; and induction founded thereon。 

     Countless students busied themselves over the transmutation of metals。 

As for magic; necromancy; pyromancy; geomancy; coscinomancy; and all 

the other manciesthere was then a whole literature about them。                  And the 

witch…burning       inquisitors    like   Sprenger;    Bodin;     Delrio;   and   the   rest; 

believed as firmly in the magic powers of the poor wretches whom they 

tortured to death; as did; in many cases; the poor wretches themselves。 

     Everyone;   almost;      believed   in   magic。     Take   two    cases。    Read     the 

story   which   Benvenuto   Cellini;   the   sculptor;   tells   in   his   life   (everyone 

should read it) of the magician whom he consults in the Coliseum at Rome; 

and the figure which he sees as he walks back with the magician; jumping 

from roof to roof along the tiles of the houses。 

     And listen to this story; which Mr。 Froude has dug up in his researches。 

A Church missioner at Oxford; at the beginning of the Reformation; 

being unable to track an escaped heretic; 〃caused a figure to be made by 

an expert in astronomy;〃 by which it was discovered that the poor wretch 

had   fled   in   a   tawny   coat   and   was   making   for   the   sea。 Conceive   the 

respected head of your Collegeor whoever he may bein case you slept 

out all night without leave; going to a witch to discover whether you had 

gone to London or to Huntingdon; and then writing solemnly to inform the 

Bishop of Ely of his meritorious exertions! 

     In such a mad world as this was Paracelsus born。                The son of a Swiss 

physician;     but   of  noble    blood;   Philip   Aureolus     Theophrastus      was    his 

Christian name; Bombast von Hohenheim his surname; which last word he 

turned;  after  the  fashion   of   the times;  into   Paracelsus。      Born in   1493   at 

Einsiedeln   (the   hermitage);   in   Schweiz;   which   is   still   a   famous   place   of 

pilgrimage; he was often called Eremitathe hermit。 Erasmus; in a letter 

still extant; but suspected not to be genuine; addressed him by that name。 

     How he passed the first thirty…three years of his life it is hard to say。 

He used to boast that he had wandered over all Europe; been in Sweden; 



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Italy; in Constantinople; and perhaps in the far East; with barber…surgeons; 

alchemists;      magicians;      haunting     mines;    and    forges    of  Sweden      and 

Bohemia; especially those which the rich merchants of that day had in the 

Tyrol。 

     It was from that work; he said; that he learnt what he knew:                      from 

the study of nature and of facts。          He had heard all the learned doctors and 

professors; he had read all their books; and they could teach him nothing。 

Medicine was his monarch; and no one else。                 He declared that there was 

more wisdom under his bald pate than in Aristotle and Galen; Hippocrates 

and    Rhasis。    And     fact   seemed    to   be  on   his  side。   He    reappeared     in 

Germany       about    1525;    and   began    working     wondrous      cures。    He    had 

brought   back   with   him   from   the   East   an   arcanum;   a   secret   remedy;   and 

laudanum   was   its   name。      He   boasted;   says   one   of   his   enemies;   that   he 

could raise the dead to life with it; and so the event all but proved。                Basle 

was   then   the   university   where   free   thought   and   free   creeds   found   their 

safest    home;     and   hither   OEcolampadius         the   reformer     invited   young 

Paracelsus to lecture on medicine and natural science。 

     It would have been well for him; perhaps; had he never opened his lips。 

He   might   have   done   good   enough   to   his   fellow…creatures   by   his   own 

undoubted       powers    of  healing。     He    cured   John    Frobenius;    the   printer; 

Erasmus’s friend; at Basle; when the doctors were going to cut his leg off。 

His fame spread far and wide。           Round Basle and away into Alsace he was 

looked on; even an enemy says; as a new AEsculapius。 

     But these were days in which in a university everyone was expected to 

talk and teach; and so Paracelsus began lecturing; and then the weakness 

which was mingled with his strength showed itself。                 He began by burning 

openly   the   books   of   Galen   and   Avicenna;   and   declared   that   all   the   old 

knowledge       was    useless。   Doctors      and   students   alike   must    begin   over 

again with him。        The dons were horrified。          To burn Galen and Avicenna 

was as bad as burning the Bible。           And more horrified still were they when 

Paracelsus   began   lecturing;   not   in   the   time…honoured   dog…Latin;   but   in 

good racy German; which everyone could understand。                       They shuddered 



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under their red gowns and hats。            If science was to be taught in German; 

farewell     to  the   Galenists’    formulas;    and    their  lucrative    monopoly      of 

learning。     Paracelsus was bold enough to say that he wished to break up 

their   monopoly;      to   spread   a  popular     knowledge      of  medicine。      〃How 

much;〃 he wrote once; 〃would I endure and suffer; to see every man his 

own      shepherdhis      own    healer。〃     He     laughed     to   scorn   their   long 

prescriptions; used the simplest drugs; and declared Nature; after all; to be 

the best physicianas a dog; he says; licks his wound well again without 

our help; or as the broken rib of the ox heals of its own accord。 

     Such a man was not to be endured。              They hated him; he says; for the 

same reason that they hated Luther; for the same reason that the Pharisees 

hated   Christ。     He   met   their   attacks   with   scorn;   rage;   and   language   as 

coarse   and   violent   as   their   own。   The   coarseness   and   violence   of   those 

days seem incredible to us now; and; indeed; Paracelsus; as he confessed 

himself; was; though of gentle blood; rough and unpolished; and utterly; as 

one   can   see   from   his   writings;   unable   to   give   and   take;   to   conciliate 

perhaps to pardon。         He looked impatiently on these men who were (not 

unreasonably)   opposing   novelties   which   they   could   not   understand;   as 

enemies of God; who were balking him in his grand plan for regenerating 

science     and   alleviating    the   woes    of  humanity;     and   he   outraged    their 

prejudices instead of soothing them。 

     Soon   they   had   their   revenge。     Ugly   stories   were   whispered   about。 

Oporinus; the printer; who had lived with him for two years; and who left 

him; it is said; because he thought Paracelsus concealed from him unfairly 

the secret of making laudanum; told how Paracelsus was neither more nor 

less than a sot; who came drunk to his lectures; used to prime himself with 

wine before going to his patients; and sat all night in pothouses swilling 

with the boors。 

     Men looked coldly on himlonged to be rid of him。                   And they soon 

found   an   opportunity。      He   took   in   hand   some   Canon   of   the   city   from 

whom it was settled beforehand that he was to receive a hundred florins。 

The priest found himself cured so suddenly and easily that; by a strange 



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logic; he   refused   to   pay  the   money;  and   went to the   magistrates。            They 

supported him; and pelled Paracelsus to take six florins instead of the 

hundred。       He  spoke   his   mind   fiercely  to   them。      I   believe;   according   to 

one   story;   he   drew  his