latter-day pamphlets-第37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！


ving_　one；　or　as　a　dead？　　Partridge　the　Almanac…Maker；　whose　〃Publications〃　still　regularly　appear；　is　known　to　be　dead！　　The　dog　that　was　drowned　last　summer；　and　that　floats　up　and　down　the　Thames　with　ebb　and　flood　ever　since；is　it　not　dead？　　Alas；　in　the　hot　months；　you　meet　here　and　there　such　a　floating　dog；　and　at　length；　if　you　often　use　the　river　steamers；　get　to　know　him　by　sight。　　〃There　he　is　again；　still　astir　there　in　his　quasi…stygian　element！〃　you　dejectedly　exclaim　（perhaps　reading　your　Morning　Newspaper　at　the　moment）；　and　reflect；　with　a　painful　oppression　of　nose　and　imagination；　on　certain　completed　professors　of　parliamentary　eloquence　in　modern　times。　　Dead　long　since；　but　_not_　resting；　daily　doing　motions　in　that　Westminster　region　still；daily　from　Vauxhall　to　Blackfriars；　and　back　again；　and　cannot　get　away　at　all！　　Daily　（from　Newspaper　or　river　steamer）　you　may　see　him　at　some　point　of　his　fated　course；　hovering　in　the　eddies；　stranded　in　the　ooze；　or　rapidly　progressing　with　flood　or　ebb；　and　daily　the　odor　of　him　is　getting　more　intolerable：　　daily　the　condition　of　him　appeals　more　tragically　to　gods　and　men。


Nature　admits　no　lie；　most　men　profess　to　be　aware　of　this；　but　few　in　any　measure　lay　it　to　heart。　　Except　in　the　departments　of　mere　material　manipulation；　it　seems　to　be　taken　practically　as　if　this　grand　truth　were　merely　a　polite　flourish　of　rhetoric。　　What　is　a　lie？　　The　question　is　worth　asking；　once　and　away；　by　the　practical　English　mind。

A　voluntary　spoken　divergence　from　the　fact　as　it　stands；　as　it　has　occurred　and　will　proceed　to　develop　itself：　　this　clearly；　if　adopted　by　any　man；　will　so　far　forth　mislead　him　in　all　practical　dealing　with　the　fact；　till　he　cast　that　statement　out　of　him；　and　reject　it　as　an　unclean　poisonous　thing；　he　can　have　no　success　in　dealing　with　the　fact。　　If　such　spoken　divergence　from　the　truth　be　involuntary；　we　lament　it　as　a　misfortune；　and　are　entitled；　at　least　the　speaker　of　it　is；　to　lament　it　extremely　as　the　most　palpable　of　all　misfortunes；　as　the　indubitablest　losing　of　his　way；　and　turning　aside　from　the　goal　instead　of　pressing　towards　it；　in　the　race　set　before　him。　　If　the　divergence　is　voluntary；there　superadds　itself　to　our　sorrow　a　just　indignation：　　we　call　the　voluntary　spoken　divergence　a　lie；　and　justly　abhor　it　as　the　essence　of　human　treason　and　baseness；　the　desertion　of　a　man　to　the　Enemy　of　men　against　himself　and　his　brethren。　　A　lost　deserter；　who　has　gone　over　to　the　Enemy；　called　Satan；　and　cannot　_but_　be　lost　in　the　adventure！　Such　is　every　liar　with　the　tongue；　and　such　in　all　nations　is　he；　at　all　epochs；　considered。　　Men　pull　his　nose；　and　kick　him　out　of　doors；　and　by　peremptory　expressive　methods　signify　that　they　can　and　will　have　no　trade　with　him。　　Such　is　spoken　divergence　from　the　fact；　so　fares　it　with　the　practiser　of　that　sad　art。

But　have　we　well　considered　a　divergence　_in　thought_　from　what　is　the　fact？　　Have　we　considered　the　man　whose　very　thought　is　a　lie　to　him　and　to　us！　　He　too　is　a　frightful　man；　repeating　about　this　Universe　on　every　hand　what　is　not；　and　driven　to　repeat　it；　the　sure　herald　of　ruin　to　all　that　follow　him；　that　know　with　_his_　knowledge！　　And　would　you　learn　how　to　get　a　mendacious　thought；　there　is　no　surer　recipe　than　carrying　a　loose　tongue。　　The　lying　thought；　you　already　either　have　it；　or　will　soon　get　it　by　that　method。　　He　who　lies　with　his　very　tongue；　_he_　clearly　enough　has　long　ceased　to　think　truly　in　his　mind。　　Does　he；　in　any　sense；　〃think〃？　All　his　thoughts　and　imaginations；　if　they　extend　beyond　mere　beaverisms；　astucities　and　sensualisms；　are　false；　incomplete；　perverse；　untrue　even　to　himself。　　He　has　become　a　false　mirror　of　this　Universe；　not　a　small　mirror　only；　but　a　crooked；　bedimmed　and　utterly　deranged　one。　　But　all　loose　tongues　too　are　akin　to　lying　ones；　are　insincere　at　the　best；　and　go　rattling　with　little　meaning；　the　thought　lying　languid　at　a　great　distance　behind　them；　if　thought　there　be　behind　them　at　all。　　Gradually　there　will　be　none　or　little！　　How　can　the　thought　of　such　a　man；　what　he　calls　thought；　be　other　than　false？

Alas；　the　palpable　liar　with　his　tongue　does　at　least　know　that　he　is　lying；　and　has　or　might　have　some　faint　vestige　of　remorse　and　chance　of　amendment；　but　the　impalpable　liar；　whose　tongue　articulates　mere　accepted　commonplaces；　cants　and　babblement；　which　means　only；　〃Admire　me；　call　me　an　excellent　stump…orator！〃of　him　what　hope　is　there？　　His　thought；　what　thought　he　had；　lies　dormant；　inspired　only　to　invent　vocables　and　plausibilities；　while　the　tongue　goes　so　glib；　the　thought　is　absent；　gone　a　wool…gathering；　getting　itself　drugged　with　the　applausive　〃Hear；　hear！〃what　will　become　of　such　a　man？　　His　idle　thought　has　run　all　to　seed；　and　grown　false　and　the　giver　of　falsities；　the　inner　light　of　his　mind　is　gone　out；　all　his　light　is　mere　putridity　and　phosphorescence　henceforth。　　Whosoever　is　in　quest　of　ruin；　let　him　with　assurance　follow　that　man；　he　or　no　one　is　on　the　right　road　to　it。

Good　Heavens；　from　the　wisest　Thought　of　a　man　to　the　actual　truth　of　a　Thing　as　it　lies　in　Nature；　there　is；　one　would　suppose；　a　sufficient　interval！　　Consider　it；and　what　other　intervals　we　introduce！　　The　faithfulest；　most　glowing　word　of　a　man　is　but　an　imperfect　image　of　the　thought；　such　as　it　is；　that　dwells　within　him；　his　best　word　will　never　but　with　error　convey　his　thought　to　other　minds：　　and　then　between　his　poor　thought　and　Nature's　Fact；　which　is　the　Thought　of　the　Eternal；　there　may　be　supposed　to　lie　some　discrepancies；　some　shortcomings！　　Speak　your　sincerest；　think　your　wisest；　there　is　still　a　great　gulf　between　you　and　the　fact。　　And　now；　do　not　speak　your　sincerest；　and　what　will　inevitably　follow　out　of　that；　do　not　think　your　wisest；　but　think　only　your　plausiblest；　your　showiest　for　parliamentary　purposes；　where　will　you　land　with　that　guidance？I　invite　the　British　Parliament；　and　all　the　Parliamentary　and　other　Electors　of　Great　Britain；　to　reflect　on　this　till　they　have　well　understood　it；　and　then　to　ask；　each　of　himself；　What　probably　the　horoscopes　of　the　British　Parliament；　at　this　epoch　of　World…History；　may　be？

Fail；　by　any　sin　or　any　misfortune；　to　discover　what　the　truth　of　the　fact　is；　you　are　lost　so　far　as　that　fact　goes！　　If　your　thought　do　not　image　truly　but　do　image　falsely　the　fact；　you　will　vainly　try　to　work　upon　the　fact。　　The　fact　will　not　obey　you；　the　fact　will　silently　resist　you；　and　ever；　with　silent　invincibility；　will　go　on　resisting　you；　till　you　do　get　to　image　it　truly　instead　of　falsely。　　No　help　for　you　whatever；　except　in　attaining　to　a　true　image　of　the　fact。　　Needless　to　vote　a　false　image　true；　vote　it；　revote　it　by　overwhelming　majorities；　by　jubilant　unanimities　and　universalities；　read　it　thrice　or　three　hundred　times；　pass　acts　of　parliament　upon　it　till　the　Statute…book　can　hold　no　more；it　helps　not　a　whit：　　the　thing　is　not　so；　the　thing　is　otherwise　than　so；　and　Adam's　whole　Posterity；　voting　daily　on　it　till　the　world　finish；　will　not　alter　it　a　jot。　　Can　the　sublimest　sanhedrim；　constitutional　parliament；　or　other　Collective　Wisdom　of　the　world；　persuade　fire　not　to　burn；　sulphuric　acid　to　be　sweet　milk；　or　the　Moon　to　become　green　cheese？　　The　fact　is　much　the　reverse：and　even　the　Constitutional　British　Parliament　abstains　from　such　arduous　attempts　as　these　latter　in　the　voting　line；　and　leaves　the　multiplication…table；　the　chemical；　mechanical　and　other　qualities　of　material　substances　to　take　their　own　course；　being　aware　that　voting　and　perorating；　and　reporting　in　Hansard；　will　not　in　the　least　alter　any　of　these。　　Which　is　indisputably　wise　of　the　British　Parliament。

Unfortunately　the　British　Parliament　does　not；　at　present；　quite　know　that　all　manner　of　things　and　relations　of　things；　spiritual　equally　with　material；　all　manner　of　qualities；　entities；　existences　whatsoever；　in　this　strange　visible　and　invisible　Universe；　are　equally　inflexible　of　nature；　that；　they　will；　one　and　all；　with　precisely　the　same　obstinacy；　continue　to　obey　their　own　law；　not　our　law；　deaf　as　the　adder　to　all　charm　of　parliamentary　eloquence；　and　of　voting　never　so　often　repeated；　silently；　but　inflexibly　and　forevermore；　declining　to　change　themselves；　even　as　sulphuric　acid　declines　to　become　sweet　milk；　though　you　vote　so　to　the　end　of　the　world。　　This；　it　sometimes　seems　to　me；　is　not　quite　sufficiently　laid　hold　of　by　the　British　and　other　Parliaments　just　at　present。　　Which　surely　is　a　great　misfortune　to　said　Parliaments！　　For；　it　would　appear；　the　grand　point；　after　all　constitutional　improvements；　and　such　wagging　of　wigs　in　Westminster　as　there　has　been；　is　precisely　what　it　was　before　any　constitution　was　yet　heard　of；　or　the　first　official　wig　had　budded　out　of　nothing：　　namely；　to　ascertain　what　the　truth　of　your　question；　in　Nature；　really　is！　　Verily　so。　　In　this　time　and　place；　as　in　all　past　and　in　all　future　times　and　places。　　To…day　in　St。　Stephen's；　where　constitutional；　philanthropical；　and　other　great　things　lie　in　the　mortar…kit；　even　as　on　the　Plain　of　Shinar　long　ago；　where　a　certain　Tower；　likewise　of　a　very　philanthropic　nature；　indeed　one　of　the　desirablest　towers　I　ever　heard　of；　was　to　be　built；but　couldn't！　　My　friends；　I　do　not　laugh；　truly　I　am　more　inclined　to　weep。

Get；　by　six　hundred　and　fifty…eight　votes；　or　by　no　vote　at　all；　by　the　silent　intimation　of　your　own　eyesight　and　understanding　given　you　direct　out　of　Heaven；　and　more　sacred　to　you　than　anything　earthly；　and　than　all　things　earthly；a　correct　image　of　the　fact　in　question；　as　God　and　Nature　have　made　it：　　that　is　the　one　thing　needful；　with　that　it　shall　be　well　with　you　in　whatsoever　you　have　to　do　with　said　fact。　　Get；　by　the　sublimest　constitutional　methods；　belauded　by　all　the　world；　an　incorrect　image　of　the　fact：　　so　shall　it　be　other　than　well　with　you；　so　shall　you　have　laud　from　able　editors　and　vociferous　masses　of　mistaken　human　creatures；　and　from　the　Nature's　Fact；　continuing　quite　silently　the　same　as　it　was；　contradiction；　and　that　only。　　What　else？　　Will　Nature　change；　or　sulphuric　acid　become　sweet　milk；　for　the　noise　of　vociferous　blockheads？　　Surely　not。　　Nature；　I　assure　you；　has　not　the　smallest　intention　of　doing　so。

On　the　contrary；　Nature　keeps　silently　a　most　exact　Savings…bank；　and　official　register　correct　to　the　most　evanescent　item；　Debtor　and　Creditor；　in　respect　to　one　and　all　of　us；　silently　marks　down；　Creditor　by　such　and　such　an　unseen　act　of　veracity　and　heroism；　Debtor　to　such　a　loud　blustery　blunder；　twenty…seven　million　strong　or　one　unit　strong；　and　to　all　acts　and　words　and　thoughts　executed　in　consequence　of　that；Debtor；　Debtor；　Debtor；　day　after　day；　rigorously　as　Fate　（for　this　is　Fate　that　is　writing）；　and　at　the　end　of　the　account　you　will　have　it　all　to　pay；　my　friend；　there　is　the　rub！　　Not　the　infinitesimalest　fraction　of　a　farthing　but　will　be　found　marked　there；　for　you　and　against　you；　and　with　the　due　rate　of　interest　you　will　have　to　pay　it；　neatly；　completely；　as　sure　as　you　are　alive。　　You　will　have　to　pay　it　even　in　money　if　you　live：and；　poor　slave；　do　you　think　there　is　no　payment　but　in　money？　　There　i