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






holy man;〃 says Ormuzd in the Zend… avesta; 〃who has built a dwelling on 

the   earth;   in   which   he   maintains   fire;   cattle;   his   wife;   his   children;   and 

flocks     and    herds;    he   who     makes     the   earth    produce     barley;    he   who 

cultivates the fruits of the soil; cultivates purity;   he advances the law of 

Ahura Mazda as much as if he had offered a hundred sacrifices。〃 

     To   reclaim   the   waste;   to   till   the   land;   to   make   a   corner   of   the   earth 

better   than   they   found   it;   was   to   these   men   to   rescue   a   bit   of   Ormuzd’s 

world out of the usurped dominion of Ahriman; to rescue it from the spirit 

of evil and disorder for its rightful owner; the Spirit of Order and of Good。 



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     For they believed in an evil spirit; these old Persians。                Evil was not 

for them a lower form of good。            With their intense sense of the difference 

between   right   and   wrong   it   could   be   nothing   less   than     hateful;   to  be 

attacked; exterminated; as a personal enemy; till it became to them at last 

impersonate and a person。 

     Zarathustra; the mystery of evil; weighed heavily on them and on their 

great    prophet;    Zoroastersplendour        of   gold;   as  I  am    told   his  name 

signifieswho   lived;   no   man   knows   clearly   when   or   clearly   where;   but 

who lived and lives for ever; for his works follow him。 He; too; tried to 

solve for his people the mystery of evil; and if he did not succeed; who has 

succeeded   yet?       Warring   against   Ormuzd; Ahura   Mazda;   was Ahriman; 

Angra   Mainyus;   literally   the   being   of   an   evil   mind;   the   ill…conditioned 

being。     He was labouring perpetually to spoil the good work of Ormuzd 

alike   in   nature   and   in   man。  He   was   the   cause   of   the   fall   of   man;   the 

tempter;  the   author   of   misery  and   death;   he   was   eternal   and   uncreate   as 

Ormuzd was。         But that; perhaps; was a corruption of the purer and older 

Zoroastrian creed。 With it; if Ahriman were eternal in the past; he would 

not   be   eternal   in   the   future。 Somehow;   somewhen;   somewhere;   in   the 

day when three prophetsthe increasing light; the increasing truth; and the 

existing truthshould arise and give to mankind the last three books of the 

Zend…avesta; and convert all mankind to the pure creed; then evil should 

be   conquered;   the   creation   bee   pure   again;   and Ahriman   vanish   for 

ever; and; meanwhile; every good man was to fight valiantly for Ormuzd; 

his true lord; against Ahriman and all his works。 

     Men who held such a creed; and could speak truth and draw the bow; 

what might they not do when the hour and the man arrived?                      They were 

not a BIG nation。         No; but they were a GREAT nation; even while they 

were eating barley…bread and paying tribute to their conquerors the Medes; 

in the sterile valleys of Farsistan。 

     And at last the hour and the man came。              The story is half legendary… … 

differently told by different authors。           Herodotus has one tale; Xenophon 

another。     The first; at least; had ample means of information。                 Astyages 



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is the   old   shah   of   the   Median   Empire;   then   at   the   height   of   its   seeming 

might   and   splendour   and   effeminacy。        He   has   married his   daughter;   the 

Princess Mandane; to Cambyses; seemingly a vassal…king or prince of the 

pure   Persian   blood。     One   night   the   old   man   is   troubled   with   a   dream。 

He sees a vine spring from his daughter; which overshadows all Asia。                      He 

sends for the Magi to interpret; and they tell him that Mandane will have a 

son who will reign in his stead。           Having sons of his own; and fearing for 

the succession; he sends for Mandane; and; when her child is born; gives it 

to Harpagus; one of his courtiers; to be slain。               The courtier relents; and 

hands     it  over  to  a  herdsman;      to  be   exposed    on   the  mountains。      The 

herdsman relents in turn; and bring the babe up as his own child。 

     When the boy; who goes by the name of Agradates; is grown; he is at 

play with the other herdboys; and they choose him for a mimic king。 Some 

he makes his guards; some he bids build houses; some carry his messages。 

The son of a Mede of rank refuses; and Agradates has him seized by his 

guards and chastised with the whip。             The ancestral instincts of mand 

and discipline are showing early in the lad。 

     The young gentleman plains to his father; the father to the old king; 

who of course sends for the herdsman and his boy。                 The boy answers in a 

tone so exactly like that in which Xenophon’s Cyrus would have answered; 

that   I   must   believe   that   both   Xenophon’s   Cyrus   and   Herodotus’s   Cyrus 

(like Xenophon’s Socrates and Plato’s Socrates) are real pictures of a real 

character; and that Herodotus’s story; though Xenophon says nothing of it; 

is true。 

     He has done nothing; the noble boy says; but what was just。                    He had 

been chosen king in play; because the boys thought him most fit。 The boy 

whom  he   had   chastised   was   one   of   those   who   chose   him。       All   the   rest 

obeyed:        but   he   would   not;   till   at   last   he   got   his   due   reward。 〃If   I 

deserve punishment for that;〃 says the boy; 〃I am ready to submit。〃 

     The old king looks keenly and wonderingly at the young king; whose 

features   seem   somewhat         like   his  own。   Likely   enough       in  those   days; 

when   an   Iranian   noble   or   prince   would   have   a   quite   different   cast   of 



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plexion and of face from a Turanian herdsman。                     A suspicion crosses 

him;    and    by   threats   of  torture   he   gets   the   truth  from    the   trembling 

herdsman。 

     To the poor wretch’s rapture the old king lets him go unharmed。                      He 

has    a  more    exquisite    revenge     to  take;   and   sends    for  Harpagus;      who 

likewise confessed the truth。           The wily old tyrant has naught but gentle 

words。      It is best as it is。    He has been very sorry himself for the child; 

and Mandane’s reproaches had gone to his heart。                 〃Let Harpagus go home 

and send his son to be a panion to the new…found prince。                        To…night 

there will be great sacrifices in honour of the child’s safety; and Harpagus 

is to be a guest at the banquet。〃 

     Harpagus   es;   and   after   eating   his   fill;   is   asked   how   he   likes   the 

king’s   meat?     He   gives   the   usual   answer;   and   a   covered   basket   is   put 

before him; out of which he is to takein Median fashionwhat he likes。 

He   finds   in   it   the   head   and   hands   and   feet   of   his   own   son。   Like   a   true 

Eastern he shows no signs of horror。             The king asks him if he knew what 

flesh   he   had   been   eating。    He   answers   that   he   knew   perfectly。       That 

whatever the king did pleased him。 

     Like an Eastern courtier; he knew how to dissemble; but not to forgive; 

and   bided   his   time。     The   Magi;   to   their   credit;   told   Astyages   that   his 

dream had been fulfilled; that Cyrusas we must now call the foundling 

princehad fulfilled it by being a king in play; and the boy is let to go 

back   to   his   father   and   his   hardy   Persian   life。 But   Harpagus   does   not 

leave   him   alone;   nor   perhaps;   do   his   own   thoughts。     He   has   wrongs   to 

avenge on his grandfather。 And it seems not altogether impossible to the 

young mountaineer。 

     He   has   seen   enough   of   Median   luxury   to   despise   it   and   those   who 

indulge in it。      He has seen his own grandfather with his cheeks rouged; 

his eyelids stained with antimony; living a womanlike life; shut up from all 

his subjects in the recesses of a vast seraglio。 

     He calls together the mountain rulers; makes friends with Tigranes; an 

Armenian prince;  a vassal of the   Mede; who has his   wrongs likewise to 



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avenge。      And the two little   armies of foot…soldiersthe Persians had   no