the story of mankind-第42章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



save　the　Bible。　It　has　been　read　by　quite　as　many　people

as　ever　studied　the　Holy　Scriptures。　It　has　influenced　the

lives　of　countless　millions。　And　it　was　the　work　of　a　man

whose　highest　ideal　of　existence　was　expressed　in　the　simple

wish　that　‘‘he　might　quietly　spend　his　days　sitting　in　a　little

corner　with　a　little　book。''



Good　Brother　Thomas　represented　the　purest　ideals　of　the

Middle　Ages。　Surrounded　on　all　sides　by　the　forces　of　the

victorious　Renaissance；　with　the　humanists　loudly　proclaiming

the　coming　of　modern　times；　the　Middle　Ages　gathered

strength　for　a　last　sally。　Monasteries　were　reformed。　Monks

gave　up　the　habits　of　riches　and　vice。　Simple；　straightforward

and　honest　men；　by　the　example　of　their　blameless

and　devout　lives；　tried　to　bring　the　people　back　to　the　ways　of

righteousness　and　humble　resignation　to　the　will　of　God。　But

all　to　no　avail。　The　new　world　rushed　past　these　good　people。

The　days　of　quiet　meditation　were　gone。　The　great　era　of

‘‘expression''　had　begun。



Here　and　now　let　me　say　that　I　am　sorry　that　I　must　use

so　many　‘‘big　words。''　I　wish　that　I　could　write　this　history　in

words　of　one　syllable。　But　it　cannot　be　done。　You　cannot

write　a　text…book　of　geometry　without　reference　to　a　hypotenuse

and　triangles　and　a　rectangular　parallelopiped。　You

simply　have　to　learn　what　those　words　mean　or　do　without

mathematics。　In　history　（and　in　all　life）　you　will　eventually

be　obliged　to　learn　the　meaning　of　many　strange　words　of

Latin　and　Greek　origin。　Why　not　do　it　now？



When　I　say　that　the　Renaissance　was　an　era　of　expression；

I　mean　this：　People　were　no　longer　contented　to　be　the

audience　and　sit　still　while　the　emperor　and　the　pope　told

them　what　to　do　and　what　to　think。　They　wanted　to　be　actors

upon　the　stage　of　life。　They　insisted　upon　giving　‘‘expression''

to　their　own　individual　ideas。　If　a　man　happened　to　be　interested

in　statesmanship　like　the　Florentine　historian；　Niccolo

Macchiavelli；　then　he　‘‘expressed''　himself　in　his　books　which

revealed　his　own　idea　of　a　successful　state　and　an　efficient

ruler。　If　on　the　other　hand　he　had　a　liking　for　painting；　he

‘‘expressed''　his　love　for　beautiful　lines　and　lovely　colours　in

the　pictures　which　have　made　the　names　of　Giotto；　Fra　Angelico；

Rafael　and　a　thousand　others　household　words　wherever

people　have　learned　to　care　for　those　things　which　express

a　true　and　lasting　beauty。



If　this　love　for　colour　and　line　happened　to　be　combined　with

an　interest　in　mechanics　and　hydraulics；　the　result　was　a　Leonardo

da　Vinci；　who　painted　his　pictures；　experimented　with

his　balloons　and　flying　machines；　drained　the　marshes　of　the

Lombardian　plains　and　‘‘expressed''　his　joy　and　interest　in　all

things　between　Heaven　and　Earth　in　prose；　in　painting；　in

sculpture　and　in　curiously　conceived　engines。　When　a　man　of

gigantic　strength；　like　Michael　Angelo；　found　the　brush　and

the　palette　too　soft　for　his　strong　hands；　he　turned　to　sculpture

and　to　architecture；　and　hacked　the　most　terrific　creatures　out

of　heavy　blocks　of　marble　and　drew　the　plans　for　the　church

of　St。　Peter；　the　most　concrete　‘‘expression''　of　the　glories

of　the　triumphant　church。　And　so　it　went。



All　Italy　（and　very　soon　all　of　Europe）　was　filled　with

men　and　women　who　lived　that　they　might　add　their　mite　to

the　sum　total　of　our　accumulated　treasures　of　knowledge　and

beauty　and　wisdom。　In　Germany；　in　the　city　of　Mainz；　Johann

zum　Gansefleisch；　commonly　known　as　Johann　Gutenberg；　had

just　invented　a　new　method　of　copying　books。　He　had　studied

the　old　woodcuts　and　had　perfected　a　system　by　which　individual

letters　of　soft　lead　could　be　placed　in　such　a　way　that

they　formed　words　and　whole　pages。　It　is　true；　he　soon　lost

all　his　money　in　a　law…suit　which　had　to　do　with　the　original

invention　of　the　press。　He　died　in　poverty；　but　the　‘‘expression''

of　his　particular　inventive　genius　lived　after　him。



Soon　Aldus　in　Venice　and　Etienne　in　Paris　and　Plantin　in

Antwerp　and　Froben　in　Basel　were　flooding　the　world　with

carefully　edited　editions　of　the　classics　printed　in　the　Gothic

letters　of　the　Gutenberg　Bible；　or　printed　in　the　Italian　type

which　we　use　in　this　book；　or　printed　in　Greek　letters；　or　in

Hebrew。



Then　the　whole　world　became　the　eager　audience　of　those

who　had　something　to　say。　The　day　when　learning　had　been

a　monopoly　of　a　privileged　few　came　to　an　end。　And　the

last　excuse　for　ignorance　was　removed　from　this　world；　when

Elzevier　of　Haarlem　began　to　print　his　cheap　and　popular

editions。　Then　Aristotle　and　Plato；　Virgil　and　Horace　and

Pliny；　all　the　goodly　company　of　the　ancient　authors　and

philosophers　and　scientists；　offered　to　become　man's　faithful

friend　in　exchange　for　a　few　paltry　pennies。　Humanism　had

made　all　men　free　and　equal　before　the　printed　word。







THE　GREAT　DISCOVERIES



BUT　NOW　THAT　PEOPLE　HAD　BROKEN

THROUGH　THE　BONDS　OF　THEIR　NARROW

MEDIAEVAL　LIMITATIONS；　THEY　HAD　TO

HAVE　MORE　ROOM　FOR　THEIR　WANDERINGS。

THE　EUROPEAN　WORLD　HAD

GROWN　TOO　SMALL　FOR　THEIR　AMBITIONS。

IT　WAS　THE　TIME　OF　THE　GREAT

VOYAGES　OF　DISCOVERY





THE　Crusades　had　been　a　lesson　in　the　liberal　art　of　travelling。

But　very　few　people　had　ever　ventured　beyond　the　well…

known　beaten　track　which　led　from　Venice　to　Jaffe。　In　the

thirteenth　century　the　Polo　brothers；　merchants　of　Venice；

had　wandered　across　the　great　Mongolian　desert　and　after

climbing　mountains　as　high　as　the　moon；　they　had　found　their

way　to　the　court　of　the　great　Khan　of　Cathay；　the　mighty

emperor　of　China。　The　son　of　one　of　the　Polos；　by　the　name

of　Marco；　had　written　a　book　about　their　adventures；　which

covered　a　period　of　more　than　twenty　years。　The　astonished

world　had　gaped　at　his　descriptions　of　the　golden　towers　of

the　strange　island　of　Zipangu；　which　was　his　Italian　way　of

spelling　Japan。　Many　people　had　wanted　to　go　east；　that

they　might　find　this　gold…land　and　grow　rich。　But　the　trip　was

too　far　and　too　dangerous　and　so　they　stayed　at　home。



Of　course；　there　was　always　the　possibility　of　making　the

voyage　by　sea。　But　the　sea　was　very　unpopular　in　the　Middle

Ages　and　for　many　very　good　reasons。　In　the　first　place；　ships

were　very　small。　The　vessels　on　which　Magellan　made　his

famous　trip　around　the　world；　which　lasted　many　years；　were

not　as　large　as　a　modern　ferryboat。　They　carried　from　twenty

to　fifty　men；　who　lived　in　dingy　quarters　（too　low　to　allow　any

of　them　to　stand　up　straight）　and　the　sailors　were　obliged　to

eat　poorly　cooked　food　as　the　kitchen　arrangements　were　very

bad　and　no　fire　could　be　made　whenever　the　weather　was　the

least　bit　rough。　The　mediaeval　world　knew　how　to　pickle　herring

and　how　to　dry　fish。　But　there　were　no　canned　goods

and　fresh　vegetables　were　never　seen　on　the　bill　of　fare　as

soon　as　the　coast　had　been　left　behind。　Water　was　carried　in

small　barrels。　It　soon　became　stale　and　then　tasted　of　rotten

wood　and　iron　rust　and　was　full　of　slimy　growing　things。　As

the　people　of　the　Middle　Ages　knew　nothing　about　microbes

（Roger　Bacon；　the　learned　monk　of　the　thirteenth　century

seems　to　have　suspected　their　existence；　but　he　wisely　kept

his　discovery　to　himself）　they　often　drank　unclean　water　and

sometimes　the　whole　crew　died　of　typhoid　fever。　Indeed　the

mortality　on　board　the　ships　of　the　earliest　navigators　was

terrible。　Of　the　two　hundred　sailors　who　in　the　year　1519　left

Seville　to　accompany　Magellan　on　his　famous　voyage　around

the　world；　only　eighteen　returned。　As　late　as　the　seventeenth

century　when　there　was　a　brisk　trade　between　western　Europe

and　the　Indies；　a　mortality　of　40　percent　was　nothing　unusual

for　a　trip　from　Amsterdam　to　Batavia　and　back。　The　greater

part　of　these　victims　died　of　scurvy；　a　disease　which　is　caused

by　lack　of　fresh　vegetables　and　which　affects　the　gums　and

poisons　the　blood　until　the　patient　dies　of　sheer　exhaustion。



Under　those　circumstances　you　will