登陆注册
5362600000047

第47章

For what concerns oracles, it is certain that a good while before the coming of Jesus Christ they had begun to lose their credit; for we see that Cicero troubled to find out the cause of their decay, and he has these words:

"Cur isto modo jam oracula Delphis non eduntur, non modo nostro aetate, sed jam diu; ut nihil possit esse contemptius?"

["What is the reason that the oracles at Delphi are no longer uttered: not merely in this age of ours, but for a long time past, insomuch that nothing is more in contempt?"--Cicero, De Divin., ii. 57.]

But as to the other prognostics, calculated from the anatomy of beasts at sacrifices (to which purpose Plato does, in part, attribute the natural constitution of the intestines of the beasts themselves), the scraping of poultry, the flight of birds--"Aves quasdam . . . rerum augurandarum causa natas esse putamus."

["We think some sorts of birds are purposely created to serve the purposes of augury."--Cicero, De Natura Deor., ii. 64.]--claps of thunder, the overflowing of rivers--"Multa cernunt Aruspices, multa Augures provident, multa oraculis declarantur, multa vaticinationibus, multa somniis, multa portentis."

[The Aruspices discern many things, the Augurs foresee many things, many things are announced by oracles, many by vaticinations, many by dreams, many by portents."--Cicero, De Natura Deor., ii. 65.]--and others of the like nature, upon which antiquity founded most of their public and private enterprises, our religion has totally abolished them. And although there yet remain amongst us some practices of divination from the stars, from spirits, from the shapes and complexions of men, from dreams and the like (a notable example of the wild curiosity of our nature to grasp at and anticipate future things, as if we had not enough to do to digest the present)--"Cur hanc tibi, rector Olympi, Sollicitis visum mortalibus addere curam, Noscant venturas ut dira per omina clades?....

Sit subitum, quodcumque paras; sit coeca futuri Mens hominum fati, liceat sperare timenti."

["Why, ruler of Olympus, hast thou to anxious mortals thought fit to add this care, that they should know by, omens future slaughter?...

Let whatever thou art preparing be sudden. Let the mind of men be blind to fate in store; let it be permitted to the timid to hope."--Lucan, ii. 14]

"Ne utile quidem est scire quid futurum sit; miserum est enim, nihil proficientem angi,"

["It is useless to know what shall come to pass; it is a miserable thing to be tormented to no purpose."--Cicero, De Natura Deor., iii. 6.] yet are they of much less authority now than heretofore. Which makes so much more remarkable the example of Francesco, Marquis of Saluzzo, who being lieutenant to King Francis I. in his ultramontane army, infinitely favoured and esteemed in our court, and obliged to the king's bounty for the marquisate itself, which had been forfeited by his brother; and as to the rest, having no manner of provocation given him to do it, and even his own affection opposing any such disloyalty, suffered himself to be so terrified, as it was confidently reported, with the fine prognostics that were spread abroad everywhere in favour of the Emperor Charles V., and to our disadvantage (especially in Italy, where these foolish prophecies were so far believed, that at Rome great sums of money were ventured out upon return of greater, when the prognostics came to pass, so certain they made themselves of our ruin), that, having often bewailed, to those of his acquaintance who were most intimate with him, the mischiefs that he saw would inevitably fall upon the Crown of France and the friends he had in that court, he revolted and turned to the other side; to his own misfortune, nevertheless, what constellation soever governed at that time. But he carried himself in this affair like a man agitated by divers passions; for having both towns and forces in his hands, the enemy's army under Antonio de Leyva close by him, and we not at all suspecting his design, it had been in his power to have done more than he did; for we lost no men by this infidelity of his, nor any town, but Fossano only, and that after a long siege and a brave defence. --[1536]

"Prudens futuri temporis exitum Caliginosa nocte premit Deus, Ridetque, si mortalis ultra Fas trepidat."

["A wise God covers with thick night the path of the future, and laughs at the man who alarms himself without reason."--Hor.,Od., iii. 29.]

"Ille potens sui Laetusque deget, cui licet in diem Dixisse vixi! cras vel atra Nube polum pater occupato, Vel sole puro."

["He lives happy and master of himself who can say as each day passes on, 'I HAVE LIVED:' whether to-morrow our Father shall give us a clouded sky or a clear day."--Hor., Od., iii. 29]

Laetus in praesens animus; quod ultra est, Oderit curare."

["A mind happy, cheerful in the present state, will take good care not to think of what is beyond it.--Ibid., ii. 25]

And those who take this sentence in a contrary sense interpret it amiss:

"Ista sic reciprocantur, ut et si divinatio sit, dii sint; et si dii lint, sit divinatio."

["These things are so far reciprocal that if there be divination, there must be deities; and if deities, divination."--Cicero, De Divin., i. 6.]

同类推荐
  • 佛说梵网六十二见经

    佛说梵网六十二见经

    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。
  • 密斋笔记

    密斋笔记

    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。
  • 霜厓词录

    霜厓词录

    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。
  • 佛说大乘四法经

    佛说大乘四法经

    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。
  • 胎产指南

    胎产指南

    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
  • 青云上仙

    青云上仙

    青辞被穿越了。只不过一场重伤,醒来她就从小女孩变成了一条刚破壳的小青蛇;等她费劲爬回去时,发现肉身已经另有魂魄,回不去了。天路昭昭,哪怕被穿越变成了蛇,她也同样要飞升九天!
  • 古寺之谜

    古寺之谜

    悬空寺作为现存唯一的三教合一的寺庙为什么能悬而不坠?“先有潭柘寺,后有幽州城”的说法古已有之。这种说法是否准确?博大精深的少林武学究竟源自何方?布达拉宫这一世界屋脊上的“白宫”最初是为女人而建?杭州灵隐寺中是否有那位传说中的济公?雍亲王的府邸被乾隆改成了喇嘛庙,是出于孝心还是另有目的?法门寺何以能使整个大唐帝国疯狂,它的地宫中埋藏了怎样的天机? 千年古寺,衍生无限传说:匪夷所思的佛像传奇,珍贵无比的佛家法器,趣味浓郁的佛国典故,神奇诡秘的佛教传说。让我们走进奇妙的世界,探索中国二十座著名古寺。
  • 嫡妻攻略

    嫡妻攻略

    阴错阳差,她嫁入司家,举步维艰,只能逆境求生。姨娘阴险,弟妹狠毒,外室相逼,小姑子更是个能折腾的主,面对婆婆心机,为保性命只能借互斗来谋生。心思过深的夫君,又藏着什么秘密?她好不容易制造一次次的机会,自然不能让他们如愿。撕下他们的伪装,定要将他们狠狠的踩在脚下。以其人之道还治其人之身,向来痛快。
  • 蓬轩类记

    蓬轩类记

    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。
  • 野望——涅磐之凤翔

    野望——涅磐之凤翔

    人的野心究竟有多大?****老天爷给了我超凡的头脑,代价是我的生命和活力。曾经,我的希望是能够用自己的双脚走向世界,亲身去感受天地的脉搏,然而当这一切成为现实,我却开始奢望着更多,更多……人的野心,究竟有多大?======================================================================================野望,亦可译作欲望,这是一个关于欲望的故事,男人的欲望、女人的欲望。涅磐,是死而复生的代名词,这是一个重生的灵魂,寻求自我的故事。凤翔,凤凰的展翅,一飞冲天,无可抵挡!这是一只浴火凤凰的腾飞故事。从一无所有到权倾天下,她凭借的是什么?在重生的世界,她要留下自己曾经存在的印记。然而在这过程中,她得到了什么?又失去了什么?
  • 低碳经济带来的新商业机会

    低碳经济带来的新商业机会

    “金融危机”还没结束,“气候危机”开始上演,企业如何“转危机为商机”?“十二五”规划中将绿色低碳发展作为重要的政策导向,企业如何紧抓低碳经济发展和产业转型升级的历史机遇,抢占未来技术和产业的制高点,在低碳经济中拔得头筹?低碳经济中企业需要达到哪些标准?各领域有什么经验可以借鉴?本书作为第一本从低碳商业模式角度阐述如何把握低碳经济新商机的专著,聚焦低碳经济背景下的企业发展,解读低碳商机与国家政策,并通过与人们生活息息相关的衣、食、住、行、育、乐六大领域的典型案例,剖析低碳商业模式的特征、意义,给出可操作的建议与对策,帮助企业完善自身商业模式,实现低碳化,发现新商机、创造新价值!
  • 魔女的品格

    魔女的品格

    魔女也有自己的品格答应的事情一定要做到赌上魔女的尊严
  • 邪凰诛天:狂傲废物女神

    邪凰诛天:狂傲废物女神

    穿越成侯府里的傻子嫡女,众人欺凌,人人轻贱?贺兰澈雪仰天长笑。欠我的,我要他倾家荡产为奴为婢终身凄苦。伤我的,我要他九族俱灭根断种绝永不翻身!有朝一日权在手,杀尽天下负我人!谋我者,杀无赦!
  • 纨绔公主:鬼帝,我们不熟

    纨绔公主:鬼帝,我们不熟

    一朝穿越成一国公主,还是第一纨绔,云悠表示无压力,看我坐实这一“身份”,渣男前未婚夫上门挑衅,直接给我打出去;心机白莲花前来示威,关门,放狗。只是身边这个人是什么情况,只是看中他身上的宝贝顺手救了来,就从此再也逃脱不开:鬼帝我们不熟啊喂!
  • 寒门首辅

    寒门首辅

    (本书荣获2016年星创奖之历史入围奖!)书友群:309429159!弘治五年,徐溥春风得意当了一朝首辅,李东阳初出茅庐做了会试考官。刘健熬成了文渊阁大学士,谢迁尚未入阁成就贤相美名。杨廷和奉旨参修《宪宗实录》,刘大夏一把火烧了《郑和海图》。王阳明抱着书本埋头苦读准备着即将到来的乡试,弘治皇帝与张皇后悠然自得的闲逗着绕膝玩耍的萌娃正德。在这个大师云集,名臣辈出的美好时代,春风迷醉的余姚城里出身贫寒的穿越少年谢慎登高远望,心中已经埋下了梦想。谁言寒门再难出贵子,我便要入一入内阁,做一做首辅,提两壶美酒,拥一方佳人。世人有云:谢阁老一只秃笔安社稷,一张薄纸定乾坤。无人不知谢文正,无人不晓谢余姚。