letters to his son, 1748-第17部分

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od　or　bad；　but　oftener　bad；　and　the　respective　individuals；　who　were　separately　very　quiet；　when　met　together　in　numbers；　grow　tumultuous　as　a　body；　and　ripe　for　any　mischief　that　may　be　pointed　out　to　them　by　the　leaders；　and；　if　their　leaders　have　no　business　for　them；　they　will　find　some　for　themselves。　　The　demagogues；　or　leaders　of　popular　factions；　should　therefore　be　very　careful　not　to　assemble　the　people　unnecessarily；　and　without　a　settled　and　well…considered　object。　　Besides　that；　by　making　those　popular　assemblies　too　frequent；　they　make　them　likewise　too　familiar；　and　consequently　less　respected　by　their　enemies。　　Observe　any　meetings　of　people；　and　you　will　always　find　their　eagerness　and　impetuosity　rise　or　fall　in　proportion　to　their　numbers：　when　the　numbers　are　very　great；　all　sense　and　reason　seem　to　subside；　and　one　sudden　frenzy　to　seize　on　all；　even　the　coolest　of　them。

Another　very　just　observation　of　the　Cardinal's　is；　That；　the　things　which　happen　in　our　own　times；　and　which　we　see　ourselves；　do　not　surprise　us　near　so　much　as　the　things　which　we　read　of　in　times　past；　though　not　in　the　least　more　extraordinary；　and　adds；　that　he　is　persuaded　that　when　Caligula　made　his　horse　a　Consul；　the　people　of　Rome；　at　that　time；　were　not　greatly　surprised　at　it；　having　necessarily　been　in　some　degree　prepared　for　it；　by　an　insensible　gradation　of　extravagances　from　the　same　quarter。　　This　is　so　true　that　we　read　every　day；　with　astonishment；　things　which　we　see　every　day　without　surprise。　We　wonder　at　the　intrepidity　of　a　Leonidas；　a　Codrus；　and　a　Curtius；　and　are　not　the　least　surprised　to　hear　of　a　sea…captain；　who　has　blown　up　his　ship；　his　crew；　and　himself；　that　they　might　not　fall　into　the　hands　of　the　enemies　of　his　country。　　I　cannot　help　reading　of　Porsenna　and　Regulus；　with　surprise　and　reverence；　and　yet　I　remember　that　I　saw；　without　either；　the　execution　of　Shepherd；＇James　Shepherd；　a　coach…　painter's　apprentice；　was　executed　at　Tyburn　for　high　treason；　March　17；　1718；　in　the　reign　of　George　I。＇a　boy　of　eighteen　years　old；　who　intended　to　shoot　the　late　king；　and　who　would　have　been　pardoned；　if　he　would　have　expressed　the　least　sorrow　for　his　intended　crime；　but；　on　the　contrary；　he　declared　that　if　he　was　pardoned　he　would　attempt　it　again；　that　he　thought　it　a　duty　which　he　owed　to　his　country；　and　that　he　died　with　pleasure　for　having　endeavored　to　perform　it。　　Reason　equals　Shepherd　to　Regulus；　but　prejudice；　and　the　recency　of　the　fact；　make　Shepherd　a　common　malefactor　and　Regulus　a　hero。

Examine　carefully；　and　reconsider　all　your　notions　of　things；　analyze　them；　and　discover　their　component　parts；　and　see　if　habit　and　prejudice　are　not　the　principal　ones；　weigh　the　matter　upon　which　you　are　to　form　your　opinion；　in　the　equal　and　impartial　scales　of　reason。　　It　is　not　to　be　conceived　how　many　people；　capable　of　reasoning；　if　they　would；　live　and　die　in　a　thousand　errors；　from　laziness；　they　will　rather　adopt　the　prejudices　of　others；　than　give　themselves　the　trouble　of　forming　opinions　of　their　own。　　They　say　things；　at　first；　because　other　people　have　said　them；　and　then　they　persist　in　them；　because　they　have　said　them　themselves。

The　last　observation　that　I　shall　now　mention　of　the　Cardinal's　is；　〃That　a　secret　is　more　easily　kept　by　a　good　many　people；　than　one　commonly　imagines。〃　　By　this　he　means　a　secret　of　importance；　among　people　interested　in　the　keeping　of　it。　　And　it　is　certain　that　people　of　business　know　the　importance　of　secrecy；　and　will　observe　it；　where　they　are　concerned　in　the　event。　　To　go　and　tell　any　friend；　wife；　or　mistress；　any　secret　with　which　they　have　nothing　to　do；　is　discovering　to　them　such　an　unretentive　weakness；　as　must　convince　them　that　you　will　tell　it　to　twenty　others；　and　consequently　that　they　may　reveal　it　without　the　risk　of　being　discovered。　　But　a　secret　properly　communicated　only　to　those　who　are　to　be　concerned　in　the　thing　in　question；　will　probably　be　kept　by　them　though　they　should　be　a　good　many。　　Little　secrets　are　commonly　told　again；　but　great　ones　are　generally　kept。　Adieu！




LETTER　LI

LONDON；　September　20；　O。　S。　　1748。

DEAR　BOY：　I　wait　with　impatience　for　your　accurate　history　of　the　'Chevaliers　Forte　Epees'；　which　you　promised　me　in　your　last；　and　which　I　take　to　be　the　forerunner　of　a　larger　work　that　you　intend　to　give　the　public；　containing　a　general　account　of　all　the　religious　and　military　orders　of　Europe。　　Seriously；　you　will　do　well　to　have　a　general　notion　of　all　those　orders；　ancient　and　modern；　both　as　they　are　frequently　the　subjects　of　conversation；　and　as　they　are　more　or　less　interwoven　with　the　histories　of　those　times。　　Witness　the　Teutonic　Order；　which；　as　soon　as　it　gained　strength；　began　its　unjust　depredations　in　Germany；　and　acquired　such　considerable　possessions　there；　and　the　Order　of　Malta　also；　which　continues　to　this　day　its　piracies　upon　the　Infidels。　Besides　one　can　go　into　no　company　in　Germany；　without　running　against　Monsieur　le　Chevalier；　or　Monsieur　le　Commandeur　de　l'　Ordre　Teutonique。　It　is　the　same　in　all　the　other　parts　of　Europe　with　regard　to　the　Order　of　Malta；　where　you　never　go　into　company　without　meeting　two　or　three　Chevaliers　or　Commandeurs；　who　talk　of　their　'Preuves'；　their　'Langues'；　their　'Caravanes'；　etc。；　of　all　which　things　I　am　sure　you　would　not　willingly　be　ignorant。　　On　the　other　hand；　I　do　not　mean　that　you　should　have　a　profound　and　minute　knowledge　of　these　matters；　which　are　of　a　nature　that　a　general　knowledge　of　them　is　fully　sufficient。　　I　would　not　recommend　you　to　read　Abbe　Vertot's　〃History　of　the　Order　of　Malta；〃　in　four　quarto　volumes；　that　would　be　employing　a　great　deal　of　good　time　very　ill。　　But　I　would　have　you　know　the　foundations；　the　objects；　the　INSIGNIA；　and　the　short　general　history　of　them　all。

As　for　the　ancient　religious　military　orders；　which　were　chiefly　founded　in　the　eleventh　and　twelfth　centuries；　such　as　Malta；　the　Teutonic；　the　Knights　Templars；　etc。；　the　injustice　and　the　wickedness　of　those　establishments　cannot；　I　am　sure；　have　escaped　your　observation。　　Their　pious　object　was；　to　take　away　by　force　other　people's　property；　and　to　massacre　the　proprietors　themselves　if　they　refused　to　give　up　that　property；　and　adopt　the　opinions　of　these　invaders。　　What　right　or　pretense　had　these　confederated　Christians　of　Europe　to　the　Holy　Land？　Let　them　produce　their　grant　of　it　in　the　Bible。　　Will　they　say；　that　the　Saracens　had　possessed　themselves　of　it　by　force；　and　that；　consequently；　they　had　the　same　right？　　Is　it　lawful　then　to　steal　goods　because　they　were　stolen　before？　　Surely　not。　　The　truth　is；　that　the　wickedness　of　many；　and　the　weakness　of　more；　in　those　ages　of　ignorance　and　superstition；　concurred　to　form　those　flagitious　conspiracies　against　the　lives　and　properties　of　unoffending　people。　　The　Pope　sanctified　the　villany；　and　annexed　the　pardon　of　sins　to　the　perpetration　of　it。　　This　gave　rise　to　the　Crusaders；　and　carried　such　swarms　of　people　from　Europe　to　the　conquests　of　the　Holy　Land。　　Peter　the　Hermit；　an　active　and　ambitious　priest；　by　his　indefatigable　pains；　was　the　immediate　author　of　the　first　crusade；　kings；　princes；　all　professions　and　characters　united；　from　different　motives；　in　this　great　undertaking；　as　every　sentiment；　except　true　religion　and　morality；　invited　to　it。　　The　ambitious　hoped　for　kingdoms；　the　greedy　and　the　necessitous　for　plunder；　and　some　were　enthusiasts　enough　to　hope　for　salvation；　by　the　destruction　of　a　considerable　number　of　their　fellow　creatures；　who　had　done　them　no　injury。　　I　cannot　omit；　upon　this　occasion；　telling　you　that　the　Eastern　emperors　at　Constantinople　（who；　as　Christians；　were　obliged　at　least　to　seem　to　favor　these　expeditions；　seeing　the　immense　numbers　of　the　'Croisez'；　and　fearing　that　the　Western　Empire　might　have　some　mind　to　the　Eastern　Empire　too；　if　it　succeeded　against　the　Infidels；　as　'l'appetit　vient　en　mangeant'；　these　Eastern　emperors；　very　honestly；　poisoned　the　waters　where　the　'Croisez'　were　to　pass；　and　so　destroyed　infinite　numbers　of　them。

The　later　orders　of　knighthood；　such　as　the　Garter　in　England；　the　Elephant　in　Denmark；　the　Golden　Fleece　in　Burgundy；　the　St。　Esprit；　St。　Michel；　St。　Louis；　and　St。　Lazare；　in　France　　etc。；　are　of　a　very　different　nature　and　were　either　the　invitations　to；　or　the　rewards　of；　brave　actions　in　fair　war；　and　are　now　rather　the　decorations　of　the　favor　of　the　prince；　than　the　proofs　of　the　merit　of　the　subject。　However；　they　are　worth　your　inquiries　to　a　certain　degree；　and　conversation　will　give　you　frequent　opportunities　for　them。　　Wherever　you　are；　I　would　advise　you　to　inquire　into　the　respective　orders　of　that　country；　and　to　write　down　a　short　account　of　them。　　For　example；　while　you　are　in　Saxony；　get　an　account　of　l'Aigle　Blanc　and　of　what　other　orders　there　may　be；　either　Polish　or　Saxon；　and；　when　you　shall　be　at　Berlin；　inform　yourself　of　three　orders；　l'Aigle　Noir；　la　Generosite　et　le　Vrai　Merite；　which　are　the　only　ones　that　I　know　of　there。　　But　whenever　you　meet　with　straggling　ribands　and　stars；　as　you　will　with　a　thousand　in　Germany；　do　；not　fail　to　inquire　what　they　are；　and　to　take　a　minute　of