the unseen world and other essays-第64章

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ntury。　Otherwise　Gauls　Samnites；　or　Bithynians；　as　savage　as　North　American　Indians；　would　be　sure　to　encamp　upon　the　blackened　ruins　of　his　town。　Moreover；　the　Greek　cities　had　their　quarrels　with　each　other；　and　their　laws　of　war　were　very　barbarous。　A　conquered　city　was　liable　to　be　razed　to　the　ground；　its　male　inhabitants　put　to　the　sword；　its　women　sold　as　slaves。　Under　such　circumstances；　according　to　Taine's　happy　expression；　a　citizen　must　be　a　politician　and　warrior；　on　pain　of　death。　And　not　only　fear；　but　ambition　also　tended　to　make　him　so。　For　each　city　strove　to　subject　or　to　humiliate　its　neighbours；　to　acquire　tribute；　or　to　exact　homage　from　its　rivals。　Thus　the　citizen　passed　his　life　in　the　public　square；　discussing　alliances；　treaties；　and　constitutions；　hearing　speeches；　or　speaking　himself；　and　finally　going　aboard　of　his　ship　to　fight　his　neighbour　Greeks；　or　to　sail　against　Egypt　or　Persia。

War　（and　politics　as　subsidiary　to　it）　was　then　the　chief　pursuit　of　life。　But　as　there　was　no　organized　industry；　so　there　were　no　machines　of　warfare。　All　fighting　was　done　hand　to　hand。　Therefore；　the　great　thing　in　preparing　for　war　was　not　to　transform　the　soldiers　into　precisely…acting　automata；　as　in　a　modern　army；　but　to　make　each　separate　soldier　as　vigorous　and　active　as　possible。　The　leading　object　of　Greek　education　was　to　make　men　physically　perfect。　In　this　respect；　Sparta　may　be　taken　as　the　typical　Greek　community；　for　nowhere　else　was　physical　development　so　entirely　made　the　great　end　of　social　life。　In　these　matters　Sparta　was　always　regarded　by　the　other　cities　as　taking　the　lead；as　having　attained　the　ideal　after　which　all　alike　were　striving。　Now　Sparta；　situated　in　the　midst　of　a　numerous　conquered　population　of　Messenians　and　Helots；　was　partly　a　great　gymnasium　and　partly　a　perpetual　camp。　Her　citizens　were　always　in　training。　The　entire　social　constitution　of　Sparta　was　shaped　with　a　view　to　the　breeding　and　bringing　up　of　a　strong　and　beautiful　race。　Feeble　or　ill…formed　infants　were　put　to　death。　The　age　at　which　citizens　might　marry　was　prescribed　by　law；　and　the　State　paired　off　men　and　women　as　the　modern　breeder　pairs　off　horses；　with　a　sole　view　to　the　excellence　of　the　off…spring。　A　wife　was　not　a　helpmate；　but　a　bearer　of　athletes。　Women　boxed；　wrestled；　and　raced；　a　circumstance　referred　to　in　the　following　passage　of　Aristophanes；　as　rendered　by　Mr。　Felton：

LYSISTRATA。　　　Hail！　Lampito；　dearest　of　Lakonian　women。　　　How　shines　thy　beauty；　O　my　sweetest　friend！　　　How　fair　thy　colour；　full　of　life　thy　frame！　　　Why；　thou　couldst　choke　a　bull。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　LAMPITO。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yes；　by　the　Twain；　　For　I　do　practice　the　gymnastic　art；　　And；　leaping；　strike　my　backbone　with　my　heels。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　LYSISTRATA。　　In　sooth；　thy　bust　is　lovely　to　behold。


The　young　men　lived　together；　like　soldiers　in　a　camp。　They　ate　out…of…doors；　at　a　public　table。　Their　fare　was　as　simple　as　that　of　a　modern　university　boat…crew　before　a　race。　They　slept　in　the　open　air；　and　spent　their　waking　hours　in　wrestling；　boxing；　running　races；　throwing　quoits；　and　engaging　in　mock　battles。　This　was　the　way　in　which　the　Spartans　lived；　and　though　no　other　city　carried　this　discipline　to　such　an　extent；　yet　in　all　a　very　large　portion　of　the　citizen's　life　was　spent　in　making　himself　hardy　and　robust。

The　ideal　man；　in　the　eyes　of　a　Greek；　was；　therefore　not　the　contemplative　or　delicately　susceptible　thinker　but　the　naked　athlete；　with　firm　flesh　and　swelling　muscles。　Most　of　their　barbarian　neighbours　were　ashamed　to　be　seen　undressed；　but　the　Greeks　seem　to　have　felt　little　embarrassment　in　appearing　naked　in　public。　Their　gymnastic　habits　entirely　transformed　their　sense　of　shame。　Their　Olympic　and　other　public　games　were　a　triumphant　display　of　naked　physical　perfection。　Young　men　of　the　noblest　families　and　from　the　farthest　Greek　colonies　came　to　them；　and　wrestled　and　ran；　undraped；　before　countless　multitudes　of　admiring　spectators。　Note；　too；　as　significant；　that　the　Greek　era　began　with　the　Olympic　games；　and　that　time　was　reckoned　by　the　intervals　between　them；　as　well　as　the　fact　that　the　grandest　lyric　poetry　of　antiquity　was　written　in　celebration　of　these　gymnastic　contests。　The　victor　in　the　foot…race　gave　his　name　to　the　current　Olympiad；　and　on　reaching　home；　was　received　by　his　fellow…citizens　as　if　he　had　been　a　general　returning　from　a　successful　campaign。　To　be　the　most　beautiful　man　in　Greece　was　in　the　eyes　of　a　Greek　the　height　of　human　felicity；　and　with　the　Greeks；　beauty　necessarily　included　strength。　So　ardently　did　this　gifted　people　admire　corporeal　perfection　that　they　actually　worshipped　it。　According　to　Herodotos；　a　young　Sicilian　was　deified　on　account　of　his　beauty；　and　after　his　death　altars　were　raised　to　him。　The　vast　intellectual　power　of　Plato　and　Sokrates　did　not　prevent　them　from　sharing　this　universal　enthusiasm。　Poets　like　Sophokles；　and　statesmen　like　Alexander；　thought　it　not　beneath　their　dignity　to　engage　publicly　in　gymnastic　sports。

Their　conceptions　of　divinity　were　framed　in　accordance　with　these　general　habits。　Though　sometimes；　as　in　the　case　of　Hephaistos；　the　exigencies　of　the　particular　myth　required　the　deity　to　be　physically　imperfect；　yet　ordinarily　the　Greek　god　was　simply　an　immortal　man；　complete　in　strength　and　beauty。　The　deity　was　not　invested　with　the　human　form　as　a　mere　symbol。　They　could　conceive　no　loftier　way　of　representing　him。　The　grandest　statue；　expressing　most　adequately　the　calmness　of　absolutely　unfettered　strength；　might　well；　in　their　eyes；　be　a　veritable　portrait　of　divinity。　To　a　Greek；　beauty　of　form　was　a　consecrated　thing。　More　than　once　a　culprit　got　off　with　his　life　because　it　would　have　been　thought　sacrilegious　to　put　an　end　to　such　a　symmetrical　creature。　And　for　a　similar　reason；　the　Greeks；　though　perhaps　not　more　humane　than　the　Europeans　of　the　Middle　Ages；　rarely　allowed　the　human　body　to　be　mutilated　or　tortured。　The　condemned　criminal　must　be　marred　as　little　as　possible；　and　he　was；　therefore；　quietly　poisoned；　instead　of　being　hung；　beheaded；　or　broken　on　the　wheel。

Is　not　the　unapproachable　excellence　of　Greek　statuarythat　art　never　since　equalled；　and　most　likely；　from　the　absence　of　the　needful　social　stimulus；　destined　never　to　be　equalledalready　sufficiently　explained？　Consider；　says　our　author；　the　nature　of　the　Greek　sculptor's　preparation。　These　men　have　observed　the　human　body　naked　and　in　movement；　in　the　bath　and　the　gymnasium；　in　sacred　dances　and　public　games。　They　have　noted　those　forms　and　attitudes　in　which　are　revealed　vigour；　health；　and　activity。　And　during　three　or　four　hundred　years　they　have　thus　modified；　corrected　and　developed　their　notions　of　corporeal　beauty。　There　is；　therefore；　nothing　surprising　in　the　fact　that　Greek　sculpture　finally　arrived　at　the　ideal　model；　the　perfect　type；　as　it　was；　of　the　human　body。　Our　highest　notions　of　physical　beauty；　down　to　the　present　day；　have　been　bequeathed　to　us　by　the　Greeks。　The　earliest　modern　sculptors　who　abandoned　the　bony；　hideous；　starveling　figures　of　the　monkish　Middle　Ages；　learned　their　first　lessons　in　better　things　from　Greek　bas…reliefs。　And　if；　to…day；　forgetting　our　half…developed　bodies；　inefficiently　nourished；　because　of　our　excessive　brain…work；　and　with　their　muscles　weak　and　flabby　from　want　of　strenuous　exercise；　we　wish　to　contemplate　the　human　form　in　its　grandest　perfection；　we　must　go　to　Hellenic　art　for　our　models。

The　Greeks　were；　in　the　highest　sense　of　the　word；　an　intellectual　race；　but　they　never　allowed　the　mind　to　tyrannize　over　the　body。　Spiritual　perfection；　accompanied　by　corporeal　feebleness；　was　the　invention　of　asceticism；　and　the　Greeks　were　never　ascetics。　Diogenes　might　scorn　superfluous　luxuries；　but　if　he　ever　rolled　and　tumbled　his　tub　about　as　Rabelais　says　he　did；　it　is　clear　that　the　victory　of　spirit　over　body　formed　no　part　of　his　theory　of　things。　Such　an　idea　would　have　been　incomprehensible　to　a　Greek　in　Plato's　time。　Their　consciences　were　not　over　active。　They　were　not　burdened　with　a　sense　of　sinfulness。　Their　aspirations　were　decidedly　finite；　and　they