登陆注册
4705900000027

第27章

Continuant nostre routte, navigasmes par trois jours sans rien descouvrir.--RABELAIS.

"There is a beautiful structure," said Mr. Chainmail, as they glided by Lechlade church; "a subject for the pencil, Captain. It is a question worth asking, Mr. Mac Quedy, whether the religious spirit which reared these edifices, and connected with them everywhere an asylum for misfortune, and a provision for poverty, was not better than the commercial spirit, which has turned all the business of modern life into schemes of profit and processes of fraud and extortion. I do not see, in all your boasted improvements, any compensation for the religious charity of the twelfth century. I do not see any compensation for that kindly feeling which, within their own little communities, bound the several classes of society together, while full scope was left for the development of natural character, wherein individuals differed as conspicuously as in costume. Now, we all wear one conventional dress, one conventional face; we have no bond of union but pecuniary interest; we talk anything that comes uppermost for talking's sake, and without expecting to be believed; we have no nature, no simplicity, no picturesqueness: everything about us is as artificial and as complicated as our steam-machinery: our poetry is a kaleidoscope of false imagery, expressing no real feeling, portraying no real existence. I do not see any compensation for the poetry of the twelfth century."

MR. MAC QUEDY. I wonder to hear you, Mr. Chainmail, talking of the religious charity of a set of lazy monks and beggarly friars, who were much more occupied with taking than giving; of whom those who were in earnest did nothing but make themselves and everybody about them miserable with fastings and penances, and other such trash; and those who were not, did nothing but guzzle and royster, and, having no wives of their own, took very unbecoming liberties with those of honester men. And as to your poetry of the twelfth century, it is not good for much.

MR. CHAINMAIL. It has, at any rate, what ours wants, truth to nature and simplicity of diction.

The poetry, which was addressed to the people of the dark ages, pleased in proportion to the truth with which it depicted familiar images, and to their natural connection with the time and place to which they were assigned. In the poetry of our enlightened times, the characteristics of all seasons, soils, and climates may be blended together with much benefit to the author's fame as an original genius. The cowslip of a civic poet is always in blossom, his fern is always in full feather; he gathers the celandine, the primrose, the heath-flower, the jasmine, and the chrysanthemum all on the same day and from the same spot; his nightingale sings all the year round, his moon is always full, his cygnet is as white as his swan, his cedar is as tremulous as his aspen, and his poplar as embowering as his beech. Thus all nature marches with the march of mind; but among barbarians, instead of mead and wine, and the best seat by the fire, the reward of such a genius would have been to be summarily turned out of doors in the snow, to meditate on the difference between day and night and between December and July. It is an age of liberality, indeed, when not to know an oak from a burdock is no disqualification for sylvan minstrelsy. I am for truth and simplicity.

REV. DR. FOLLIOTT.--Let him who loves them read Greek: Greek, Greek, Greek.

MR. MAC QUEDY.--If he can, sir.

REV. DR. FOLLIOTT.--Very true, sir; if he can. Here is the Captain who can. But I think he must have finished his education at some very rigid college, where a quotation or any other overt act showing acquaintance with classical literature was visited with a severe penalty. For my part, I make it my boast that I was not to be so subdued. I could not be abated of a single quotation by all the bumpers in which I was fined.

In this manner they glided over the face of the waters, discussing everything and settling nothing. Mr. Mac Quedy and the Reverend Doctor Folliott had many digladiations on political economy: wherein, each in his own view, Doctor Folliott demolished Mr. Mac Quedy's science, and Mr. Mac Quedy demolished Dr. Folliott's objections.

We would print these dialogues if we thought anyone would read them; but the world is not yet ripe for this haute sagesse Pantagrueline. We must therefore content ourselves with an echantillon of one of the Reverend Doctor's perorations.

"You have given the name of a science to what is yet an imperfect inquiry, and the upshot of your so-called science is this: that you increase the wealth of a nation by increasing in it the quantity of things which are produced by labour: no matter what they are, no matter how produced, no matter how distributed. The greater the quantity of labour that has gone to the production of the quantity of things in a community, the richer is the community.

同类推荐
  • 东征纪行录

    东征纪行录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 律二十二明了论

    律二十二明了论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 言行龟鉴

    言行龟鉴

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Royalty Restored

    Royalty Restored

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 益州记

    益州记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 剑法九决

    剑法九决

    武道之路,自古本就是强者生,弱者陨。谁言天定,武道本就是逆天行,转乾坤。谁在破败时崛起,谁就是奇迹!谁在枯弱中站出,谁就领风骚!谁在定数中破局,谁就名万古!生,人修武,死,鬼修魔,不同的人有着不同的路,不同的境界有着不同的感触,不有一颗剑心难以抵达彼岸。少年林剑,几经波折,书写了这一笔灿烂的奇迹……
  • THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK

    THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 清代的皇权与世家

    清代的皇权与世家

    《清代的皇权与世家》讲述了海宁陈氏、查氏,桐城张氏,山东孔氏,以及满洲钮祜禄氏等,均为清代著名的世家大族。《清代的皇权与世家》对其家族形态、人口成长、地域分布,及其与皇权的关系等论题进行了深入、全面的讨论。作者在充分掌握史料的基础上,借鉴人口统计、族谱分析等社会学研究方法,由此跳出了传统历史研究方法的窠臼,为认识有清一代的历史提供了新颖独特的视角。
  • 朔古纪事

    朔古纪事

    修仙起源于蛮荒,经过洪荒的洗礼,太古的发展,上古的壮大,中古的兴盛,到达如今朔古的鼎盛。一位位年轻的天才相继出现谱写了前无古人后无来者的伟大时代——朔古。本文讲述的是在修仙鼎盛的朔古时代,修仙者的修仙成长史。
  • 婚外

    婚外

    光盘,广西第四、六、七届签约作家,中国作家协会会员、广西作家协会理事。获广西、全国报纸副刊好作品二等奖以上30余次。创作及出版长篇小说6部,在花城、上海文学、作家、钟山、北京文学等中国核心刊物发表作品若干,迄今共发表各类作品150余万字。
  • 逍遥大亨

    逍遥大亨

    新书《超级大酋长》已经发布,请各位看官多多支持!至尊圣戒,逍遥大亨!八十年代,一把品相不错的清朝老海黄圈椅,二十元您随便拿走,现在,二百万只能让你摸摸!八十年代,后海的一套四合院,大概是两千块钱一套,现在,一套宅子两千万起步!八十年代,一把顾景舟先生的紫砂壶二百块钱您拿走,现在,二百万让只够您看看!……三四十年前,华夏的古玩便宜的让人咂舌,如果你要是有能力到那个年代收购一大批,你现在保准发了!被父母逼着去英国读硕士的杨靖,在一次逛跳蚤市场的时候,无意中用六英镑买了一枚雕刻有八卦造型的戒指貌似就拥有这种功能。而且杨靖还发现,这枚戒指拥有的功能还远不止这些……
  • 龙瑞观禹穴阳明洞天图经

    龙瑞观禹穴阳明洞天图经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 快穿之主神大人莫作妖

    快穿之主神大人莫作妖

    特工替身落歌,在最后一次任务中暴露身份牺牲,被快穿系统009绑定,开展了做任务赚功德值之路……但是,她家主神大人动不动就要结果气运子、崩剧情,她该怎么办?在线等,十万火急。
  • 智者与愚人的50个思维差异

    智者与愚人的50个思维差异

    聪明和愚蠢之间并不远隔千山万水,在很多时候,仅仅只是向左转或向右转的一步距离。这一步就是思想方式、行为方式、主观意识的差异。生活需要智慧,人生需要领悟。换换脑子,用另一种态度开始做一个生活的智者。是什么样的差异让一部分人被称为智者。另一部分人却被贴上愚笨的标签呢?
  • 法道元界

    法道元界

    家族被灭,他的父亲拼尽全力将他送入了空间裂缝,当他苏醒在陌生的环境,心里除了对失去家人的悲痛外,还有对仇人的恨意,在仇恨的驱使下,他踏上了复仇之路,不断变强,是他内心的渴望,笼络人心,自成势力,是他对复仇的执念。他相信,在这实力为尊的元界,他林轩一定能够剑指苍穹,问鼎巅峰。