The Lights of the Church and the Light of ScienceWord文档格式.docx

The Lights of the Church and the Light of ScienceWord文档格式.docx

《The Lights of the Church and the Light of ScienceWord文档格式.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Lights of the Church and the Light of ScienceWord文档格式.docx（16页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

noonedoubtsthatanypersonofsoundfaculties,properlyplaced,whowaspresentatWhitehallthroughoutthatday,andwhousedhiseyes,wouldhaveseentheKing'

sheadcutoff;

andthattherewouldhaveremainedinhismindanideaofthatoccurrencewhichhewouldhaveputintowordsofthesamevalueasthosewhichweusetoexpressit.

Orthenarrativemaybepartlytrueandpartlyfalse.Thus,somehistoriesofthetimetelluswhattheKingsaid,andwhatBishopJuxonsaid;

orreportroyalistconspiraciestoeffectarescue;

ordetailthemotiveswhichinducedthechiefsoftheCommonwealthtoresolvethattheKingshoulddie.OneaccountdeclaresthattheKingkneltatahighblock,anotherthathelaydownwithhisneckonamereplank.Andtherearecontemporarypictorialrepresentationsofboththesemodesofprocedure.Suchnarratives,whileveraciousastothemainevent,mayanddoexhibitvariousdegreesofunconsciousandconsciousmisrepresentation,suppression,andinvention,tilltheybecomehardlydistinguishablefrompurefictions.

Thus,theypresentatransitiontonarrativesofathirdclass,inwhichthefictitiouselementpredominates.Here,again,thereareallimaginablegradations,fromsuchworksasDefoe'

squasi-historicalaccountofthePlagueyear,whichprobablygivesatruerconceptionofthatdreadfultimethananyauthentichistory,throughthehistoricalnovel,drama,andepic,tothepurelyphantasmalcreationsofimaginativegenius,suchastheold"

ArabianNights"

orthemodern"

ShavingofShagpat."

ItisnotstrictlyneedfulformypresentpurposethatIshouldsayanythingaboutnarrativeswhichareprofessedlyfictitious.

Yetitmaybewell,perhaps,ifIdisclaimanyintentionofderogatingfromtheirvalue,whenIinsistupontheparamountnecessityofrecollectingthatthereisnosortofrelationbetweentheethical,ortheaesthetic,oreventhescientificimportanceofsuchworks,andtheirworthashistoricaldocuments.Unquestionably,tothepoeticartist,oreventothestudentofpsychology,"

Hamlet"

and"

Macbeth"

maybebetterinstructorsthanallthebooksofawildernessofprofessorsofaestheticsorofmoralphilosophy.But,asevidenceofoccurrencesinDenmark,orinScotland,atthetimesandplacesindicated,theyareoutofcourt;

theprofoundestadmirationforthem,thedeepestgratitudefortheirinfluence,areconsistentwiththeknowledgethat,historicallyspeaking,theyareworthlessfables,inwhichanyfoundationofrealitythatmayexistissubmergedbeneaththeimaginativesuperstructure.

Atpresent,however,Iamnotconcernedtodwellupontheimportanceoffictitiousliteratureandtheimmensityoftheworkwhichithaseffectedintheeducationofthehumanrace.

Iproposetodealwiththemuchmorelimitedinquiry:

Aretheretwootherclassesofconsecutivenarratives（asdistinctfromstatementsofindividualfacts）,oronlyone?

Isthereanyknownhistoricalworkwhichisthroughoutexactlytrue,oristherenot?

Inthecaseofthegreatmajorityofhistoriestheanswerisnotdoubtful:

theyareallonlypartiallytrue.EventhosevenerableworkswhichbearthenamesofsomeofthegreatestofancientGreekandRomanwriters,andwhichhavebeenacceptedbygenerationaftergeneration,downtomoderntimes,asstoriesofunquestionabletruth,havebeencompelledbyscientificcriticism,afteralongbattle,todescendtothecommonlevel,andtoconfessiontoalargeadmixtureoferror.Imightfairlytakethisforgranted;

butitmaybewellthatIshouldentrenchmyselfbehindtheveryappositewordsofahistoricalauthoritywhoiscertainlynotobnoxioustoevenasuspicionofscepticaltendencies.

<

quote>

Timewas--andthatnotverylongago--whenalltherelationsofancientauthorsconcerningtheoldworldwerereceivedwithareadybelief;

andanunreasoninganduncriticalfaithacceptedwithequalsatisfactionthenarrativeofthecampaignsofCaesarandofthedoingsofRomulus,theaccountofAlexander'

smarchesandoftheconquestsofSemiramis.Wecanmostofusrememberwhen,inthiscountry,thewholestoryofregalRome,andeventhelegendoftheTrojansettlementinLatium,wereseriouslyplacedbef