登陆注册
5406800000228

第228章 FRANCIS BACON(28)

Again, it seems strange that Mr.Montagu should not perceive that, while attempting to vindicate Bacon's reputation, he is really casting on it the foulest of all aspersions.He imputes to his idol a degree of meanness and depravity more loathsome than judicial corruption itself.A corrupt judge may have many good qualities.But a man who, to please a powerful patron, solemnly declares himself guilty of corruption when he knows himself to be innocent, must be a monster of servility and impudence.Bacon was, to say nothing of his highest claims to respect, a gentleman, a nobleman, a scholar, a statesman, a man of the first consideration in society, a man far advanced in years.Is it possible to believe that such a man would, to gratify any human being, irreparably ruin his own character by his own act? Imagine a grey-headed judge, full of years and honours, owning with tears, with pathetic assurances of his penitence and of his sincerity, that he has been guilty of shameful malpractices, repeatedly asseverating the truth of his confession, subscribing it with his own hand, submitting to conviction, receiving a humiliating sentence and acknowledging its justice, and all this when he has it in his power to show that his conduct has been irreproachable! The thing is incredible.But if we admit it to be true, what must we think of such a man, if indeed he deserves the name of man, who thinks anything that kings and minions can bestow more precious than honour, or anything that they can inflict more terrible than infamy?

Of this most disgraceful imputation we fully acquit Bacon.He had no defence; and Mr.Montagu's affectionate attempt to make a defence for him has altogether failed.

The grounds on which Mr.Montagu rests the case are two: the first, that the taking of presents was usual, and, what he seems to consider as the same thing, not discreditable; the second, that these presents were not taken as bribes.

Mr Montagu brings forward many facts in support of his first proposition.He is not content with showing that many English judges formerly received gifts from suitors, but collects similar instances from foreign nations and ancient times.He goes back to the commonwealths of Greece, and attempts to press into his service a line of Homer and a sentence of Plutarch, which, we fear, will hardly serve his turn.The gold of which Homer speaks was not intended to fee the judges, but was paid into court for the benefit of the successful litigant; and the gratuities which Pericles, as Plutarch states, distributed among the members of the Athenian tribunals, were legal wages paid out of the public revenue.We can supply Mr.Montagu with passages much more in point.Hesiod, who, like poor Aubrey, had a "killing decree "made against him in the Chancery of Ascra, forgot decorum so far that he ventured to designate the learned persons who presided in that court, as Basileas dorophagous.Plutarch and Diodorus have handed down to the latest ages the respectable name of Anytus, the son of Anthemion, the first defendant who, eluding all the safeguards which the ingenuity of Solon could devise, succeeded in corrupting a bench of Athenian judges.We are indeed so far from grudging Mr.Montagu the aid of Greece, that we will give him Rome into the bargain.We acknowledge that the honourable senators who tried Verres received presents which were worth more than the fee-simple of York House and Gorhambury together, and that the no less honourable senators and knights who professed to believe in the alibi of Clodius obtained marks still more extraordinary of the esteem and gratitude of the defendant.In short, we are ready to admit that, before Bacon's time, and in Bacon's time, judges were in the habit of receiving gifts from suitors.

But is this a defence? We think not.The robberies of Cacus and Barabbas are no apology for those of Turpin.The conduct of the two men of Belial who swore away the life of Naboth has never been cited as an excuse for the perjuries of Oates and Dangerfield.Mr.Montagu has confounded two things which it is necessary carefully to distinguish from each other, if we wish to form a correct judgment of the characters of men of other countries and other times.That an immoral action is in a particular society, generally considered as innocent, is a good plea for an individual who, being one of that society, and having adopted the notions which prevail among his neighbours, commits that action.But the circumstance that a great many people are in the habit of committing immoral actions is no plea at all.We should think it unjust to call St.Louis a wicked man, because in an age in which toleration was generally regarded as a sin, he persecuted heretics.We should think it unjust to call Cowper's friend, John Newton, a hypocrite and monster, because at a time when the slave-trade was commonly considered by the most respectable people as an innocent and beneficial traffic, he went, largely provided with hymn-books and handcuffs, on a Guinea voyage.But the circumstance that there are twenty thousand thieves in London is no excuse for a fellow who is caught breaking into a shop.No man is to be blamed for not making discoveries in morality, for not finding out that something which everybody else thinks to be good is really bad.But, if a man does that which he and all around him know to be bad, it is no excuse for him that many others have done the same.We should be ashamed of spending so much time in pointing out so clear a distinction, but that Mr.Montagu seems altogether to overlook it.

Now, to apply these principles to the case before us; let Mr.

同类推荐
  • 金刚三昧本性清净不坏不灭经

    金刚三昧本性清净不坏不灭经

    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。
  • The Life of Sir John Oldcastle

    The Life of Sir John Oldcastle

    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。
  • 外台秘要

    外台秘要

    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。
  • 小栖霞说稗

    小栖霞说稗

    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。
  • 龙源夜话

    龙源夜话

    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
  • 漫长的瞬间(中国好小说)

    漫长的瞬间(中国好小说)

    中国社会的养老问题是非常严重的问题。主人公是一位113岁的老女人,她在家庭中的辈分是曾祖母。然而她有6位亲人先她而去:长子8岁时死于脑膜炎,女儿15岁时溺水而亡,老伴在她42岁时从树上失足摔死,最后一个儿子在49岁、儿媳在63岁病亡,重孙在未成家时亦死于工作事故。时下由孙子世雄、孙媳玉容、重孙小伟赡养。世雄等赡养者认为众多亲人先于老人亡故是因为曾祖母夺了他们的阳寿所致,并时时担心自己也遭此厄运,故均盼望曾祖母早离人世以解除潜在威胁……
  • 打动人心的100个社交技巧

    打动人心的100个社交技巧

    成功的人生是从良好的人际关系开始的,一个人不可能孤家寡人地活着,也不可能自我封闭起来万事不求人。在正常的人际交往中,为了提高交际效率,应该掌握一些交际技巧,这对每个人的交际都有一定的帮助。本书全方位地介绍了公关办事的方法与技巧:注重形象,好事多磨,因势利导,因人而异,远离禁忌,等等。读者心中的疑惑,几乎都能够在本书中找到答案。
  • 豪门夫妻

    豪门夫妻

    一连好几天早晨起床就头晕,反胃,苏婉莹还以为暑假天天呆在空调房里,得了什么“空调病”,于是乎,她决定不再开空调,然而没过两天,她的身体反应依然如故。意识到什么,她掐指一算大姨妈来的时间,脑袋当即“嗡”了一声!已推迟一个多星期了,自己竟然没在意?清亮的翦眸眨了眨,望着母亲从厨房里出来,她敛睫,忙掩去了眼底的一抹惊慌。坐在餐桌边,望着瓷盘中的汉堡包,闻着那里面丝丝飘散出来的火腿……
  • 请开始表演

    请开始表演

    读者大佬:“棒娱?”码字员:“不不不,这只是一个平行架空的娱乐故事。”读者大佬:“......棒娱?”码字员:“......”读者大佬:“为什么要把她们写成......这样?”码字员:“......”读者大佬:“你说你是不是贱?”码字员:“......是!”
  • 再嫁红妆

    再嫁红妆

    他们指腹为婚,十七年的成长,便是十七年的等待,她自懂事起,心中只有他,夫妻三载,她刻尽妻守,孝敬公婆,友爱妯娌,礼遇下人,亲自为了了娶了妾,她视他为天,视妾为妹,她从来都没有做过任何一件对不起他的事,为何他却弃她这个糟糠之姜,甚至是还要她的命。娘说,这便是女人的命娘说,男人三妻四妾是这天经地义的事娘说,你要努力的生下个一儿半女,绝不能让人踩到你的头上去……娘说,女人要的便是三从四德,你这都是嫁出去了,就要知道生是方家人,死是方家的鬼可是娘还说,初音,如果以后那个男人对你不好了,你记的要狠心离开他,远有,不要再走娘的老路,娶了妾的男人,那便是不再喜欢你了,莫要为了那些不将你放在了心上的人,耗尽你的时间,你的情,还有你的命……后来,她明白了,可是,却也是晚了……
  • 后乔丹时代

    后乔丹时代

    98年夏天,乔丹完成第二次三连冠霸业,功成身退。联盟群雄并起,剑指总冠军。从ok组合到热火三巨,从圣城马刺到五星勇士,波澜壮阔的20年都在此。
  • 明伦汇编家范典嫡庶部

    明伦汇编家范典嫡庶部

    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。
  • 亡语者的救赎

    亡语者的救赎

    我本不属于这个世界,浑浑噩噩数年,终于有了唯一的牵挂唯一的牵挂却被人无情的夺去,就连找回她仅剩的希望也破灭了我想复仇之后与她一同而去可我已经死了变成了一具冰冷的骸骨我能做什么?我存在的意义是什么?我错了吗?不!错的是这个可怜的世界!我要亲手将其摧毁!
  • 蜜宠娇妻:帝少,放肆爱!

    蜜宠娇妻:帝少,放肆爱!

    一个红本本,时萱萱就莫名其妙和权势滔天的祁墨席成了夫妻,成为了所有女人艳羡的对象。“祁少,夫人被渣男调戏,夫人徒手将他的小车扔进了山沟沟里……”“让渣男过上一日三餐有人喂的生活。”“祁少,打球时渣女给夫人使绊,夫人不小心把她拍到了篮球架上,据说要高位截瘫……”“嗯,接下来有的是时间让渣女思考人生。”“祁、祁少,夫人找了几个小鲜肉,新闻里说您时间短,夫人得不到满足……”“通知各部门即日起放假一个月!”音落,男人挺拔的身影已然消失。一个月后,时萱萱腰酸背痛的爬到了阳台……救命!【宠文宠文宠文!!】
  • 中药储存与养护

    中药储存与养护

    本书是高等职业教育中药制药技术、中药专业的一门专业必修课程。以中药储存与养护为工作过程,主要内容包括中药药品储存与养护的基本知识、药品验收、日常养护及出库,常见中药保管养护技术及质量检验等。本书的任务是使学生具备从事药品保管等工作所必需的药品养护基本知识和基本技能,通过讲授和实践,使学生掌握药品储存与养护的基础知识,学会药品验收、养护及出库的基本技能,为学生今后学习相关专业知识和职业技能、增强继续学习和适应职业变化的能力奠定坚实基础。本书可作为高职高专中药制药、中药专业教材,也适用于中职中药、中药制药专业学习用书,还可作为相关人员学习中药储存与养护相关知识和技能的参考用书。