the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第13章

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The　man　to　whom　the　literature　of　his　country　owes　its　origin　and　its　revival　was　born　in　times　singularly　adapted　to　call　forth　his　extraordinary　powers。　　Religious　zeal；　chivalrous　love　and　honour；　democratic　liberty；　are　the　three　most　powerful　principles　that　have　ever　influenced　the　character　of　large　masses　of　men。　　Each　of　them　singly　has　often　excited　the　greatest　enthusiasm；　and　produced　the　most　important　changes。　　In　the　time　of　Dante　all　the　three；　often　in　amalgamation；　generally　in　conflict；　agitated　the　public　mind。　　The　preceding　generation　had　witnessed　the　wrongs　and　the　revenge　of　the　brave；　the　accomplished；　the　unfortunate　Emperor　Frederic　the　Second；a　poet　in　an　age　of　schoolmen；a　philosopher　in　an　age　of　monks；　a　statesman　in　an　age　of　crusaders。　　During　the　whole　life　of　the　poet；　Italy　was　experiencing　the　consequences　of　the　memorable　struggle　which　he　had　maintained　against　the　Church。　　The　finest　works　of　imagination　have　always　been　produced　in　times　of　political　convulsion；　as　the　richest　vineyards　and　the　sweetest　flowers　always　grow　on　the　soil　which　has　been　fertilised　by　the　fiery　deluge　of　a　volcano。　　To　look　no　further　than　the　literary　history　of　our　own　country；　can　we　doubt　that　Shakspeare　was　in　a　great　measure　produced　by　the　Reformation；　and　Wordsworth　by　the　French　Revolution？　　Poets　often　avoid　political　transactions；　they　often　affect　to　despise　them。　　But；　whether　they　perceive　it　or　not；　they　must　be　influenced　by　them。　　As　long　as　their　minds　have　any　point　of　contact　with　those　of　their　fellow…men；　the　electric　impulse；　at　whatever　distance　it　may　originate；　will　be　circuitously　communicated　to　them。

This　will　be　the　case　even　in　large　societies；　where　the　division　of　labour　enables　many　speculative　men　to　observe　the　face　of　nature；　or　to　analyse　their　own　minds；　at　a　distance　from　the　seat　of　political　transactions。　　In　the　little　republic　of　which　Dante　was　a　member　the　state　of　things　was　very　different。　　These　small　communities　are　most　unmercifully　abused　by　most　of　our　modern　professors　of　the　science　of　government。　　In　such　states；　they　tell　us；　factions　are　always　most　violent：　　where　both　parties　are　cooped　up　within　a　narrow　space；　political　difference　necessarily　produces　personal　malignity。　　Every　man　must　be　a　soldier；　every　moment　may　produce　a　war。　　No　citizen　can　lie　down　secure　that　he　shall　not　be　roused　by　the　alarum…bell；　to　repel　or　avenge　an　injury。　　In　such　petty　quarrels　Greece　squandered　the　blood　which　might　have　purchased　for　her　the　permanent　empire　of　the　world；　and　Italy　wasted　the　energy　and　the　abilities　which　would　have　enabled　her　to　defend　her　independence　against　the　Pontiffs　and　the　Caesars。

All　this　is　true：　yet　there　is　still　a　compensation。　　Mankind　has　not　derived　so　much　benefit　from　the　empire　of　Rome　as　from　the　city　of　Athens；　nor　from　the　kingdom　of　France　as　from　the　city　of　Florence。　　The　violence　of　party　feeling　may　be　an　evil；　but　it　calls　forth　that　activity　of　mind　which　in　some　states　of　society　it　is　desirable　to　produce　at　any　expense。　　Universal　soldiership　may　be　an　evil；　but　where　every　man　is　a　soldier　there　will　be　no　standing　army。　　And　is　it　no　evil　that　one　man　in　every　fifty　should　be　bred　to　the　trade　of　slaughter；　should　live　only　by　destroying　and　by　exposing　himself　to　be　destroyed；　should　fight　without　enthusiasm　and　conquer　without　glory；　be　sent　to　a　hospital　when　wounded；　and　rot　on　a　dunghill　when　old？　Such；　over　more　than　two…thirds　of　Europe；　is　the　fate　of　soldiers。　　It　was　something　that　the　citizen　of　Milan　or　Florence　fought；　not　merely　in　the　vague　and　rhetorical　sense　in　which　the　words　are　often　used；　but　in　sober　truth；　for　his　parents；　his　children；　his　lands；　his　house；　his　altars。　　It　was　something　that　he　marched　forth　to　battle　beneath　the　Carroccio；　which　had　been　the　object　of　his　childish　veneration：　　that　his　aged　father　looked　down　from　the　battlements　on　his　exploits；　that　his　friends　and　his　rivals　were　the　witnesses　of　his　glory。　　If　he　fell；　he　was　consigned　to　no　venal　or　heedless　guardians。　　The　same　day　saw　him　conveyed　within　the　walls　which　he　had　defended。　His　wounds　were　dressed　by　his　mother；　his　confession　was　whispered　to　the　friendly　priest　who　had　heard　and　absolved　the　follies　of　his　youth；　his　last　sigh　was　breathed　upon　the　lips　of　the　lady　of　his　love。　　Surely　there　is　no　sword　like　that　which　is　beaten　out　of　a　ploughshare。　　Surely　this　state　of　things　was　not　unmixedly　bad；　its　evils　were　alleviated　by　enthusiasm　and　by　tenderness；　and　it　will　at　least　be　acknowledged　that　it　was　well　fitted　to　nurse　poetical　genius　in　an　imaginative　and　observant　mind。

Nor　did　the　religious　spirit　of　the　age　tend　less　to　this　result　than　its　political　circumstances。　　Fanaticism　is　an　evil；　but　it　is　not　the　greatest　of　evils。　　It　is　good　that　a　people　should　be　roused　by　any　means　from　a　state　of　utter　torpor；that　their　minds　should　be　diverted　from　objects　merely　sensual；　to　meditations；　however　erroneous；　on　the　mysteries　of　the　moral　and　intellectual　world；　and　from　interests　which　are　immediately　selfish　to　those　which　relate　to　the　past；　the　future；　and　the　remote。　　These　effects　have　sometimes　been　produced　by　the　worst　superstitions　that　ever　existed；　but　the　Catholic　religion；　even　in　the　time　of　its　utmost　extravagance　and　atrocity；　never　wholly　lost　the　spirit　of　the　Great　Teacher；　whose　precepts　form　the　noblest　code；　as　His　conduct　furnished　the　purest　example；　of　moral　excellence。　　It　is　of　all　religions　the　most　poetical。　　The　ancient　superstitions　furnished　the　fancy　with　beautiful　images；　but　took　no　hold　on　the　heart。　　The　doctrines　of　the　Reformed　Churches　have　most　powerfully　influenced　the　feelings　and　the　conduct　of　men；　but　have　not　presented　them　with　visions　of　sensible　beauty　and　grandeur。　　The　Roman　Catholic　Church　has　united　to　the　awful　doctrines　of　the　one　that　Mr　Coleridge　calls　the　〃fair　humanities〃　of　the　other。　　It　has　enriched　sculpture　and　painting　with　the　loveliest　and　most　majestic　forms。　　To　the　Phidian　Jupiter　it　can　oppose　the　Moses　of　Michael　Angelo；　and　to　the　voluptuous　beauty　of　the　Queen　of　Cyprus；　the　serene　and　pensive　loveliness　of　the　Virgin　Mother。　　The　legends　of　its　martyrs　and　its　saints　may　vie　in　ingenuity　and　interest　with　the　mythological　fables　of　Greece；　its　ceremonies　and　processions　were　the　delight　of　the　vulgar；　the　huge　fabric　of　secular　power　with　which　it　was　connected　attracted　the　admiration　of　the　statesman。　　At　the　same　time；　it　never　lost　sight　of　the　most　solemn　and　tremendous　doctrines　of　Christianity；the　incarnate　God；the　judgment；the　retribution；the　eternity　of　happiness　or　torment。　　Thus；　while；　like　the　ancient　religions；　it　received　incalculable　support　from　policy　and　ceremony；　it　never　wholly　became；　like　those　religions；　a　merely　political　and　ceremonial　institution。

The　beginning　of　the　thirteenth　century　was；　as　Machiavelli　has　remarked；　the　era　of　a　great　revival　of　this　extraordinary　system。　　The　policy　of　Innocent；the　growth　of　the　Inquisition　and　the　mendicant　orders；the　wars　against　the　Albigenses；　the　Pagans　of　the　East；　and　the　unfortunate　princes　of　the　house　of　Swabia；　agitated　Italy　during　the　two　following　generations。　　In　this　point　Dante　was　completely　under　the　influence　of　his　age。　He　was　a　man　of　a　turbid　and　melancholy　spirit。　　In　early　youth　he　had　entertained　a　strong　and　unfortunate　passion；　which；　long　after　the　death　of　her　whom　he　loved；　continued　to　haunt　him。　Dissipation；　ambition；　misfortunes　had　not　effaced　it。　　He　was　not　only　a　sincere；　but　a　passionate；　believer。　　The　crimes　and　abuses　of　the　Church　of　Rome　were　indeed　loathsome　to　him；　but　to　all　its　doctrines　and　all　its　rites　he　adhered　with　enthusiastic　fondness　and　veneration；　and；　at　length；　driven　from　his　native　country；　reduced　to　a　situation　the　most　painful　to　a　man　of　his　disposition；　condemned　to　learn　by　experience　that　no　food　is　so　bitter　as　the　bread　of　dependence　（〃Tu　proverai　si　come　sa　di　sale　Lo　pane　altrui；　e　come　e　duro　calle　Lo　scendere　e'l　sa'ir　per　l'altrui　scale。〃　Paradiso；　canto　xvii。）；

and　no　ascent　so　painful　as　the　staircase　of　a　patron；his　wounded　spirit　took　refuge　in　visionar