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the grey room(灰房间)-第56部分

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hand of time had indeed touched him; and sometimes his memory broke 

down   and   he   faltered   with   a   verbal   difficulty;   but   this   only   appeared   to 

happen when he was weary。 

     〃The morning is my good time;〃 he told them。                  〃You will; I fear; find 

me a stupid old fellow after dinner。〃 

     Signor   Mannetti   proved   a   tremendous   talker;   and   implicitly  revealed 

that   he   belonged   to   the   nobility   of   his   country;   and   that   he   enjoyed   the 

friendship      of  many     notable    men。     The    subject    of   his  visit  was    not 

mentioned on the day of his arrival。              He spoke only of Italy; laughed to 

think he had passed through Florence to seek Sir Walter in England; and 

then; finding his hostess a neophyte at the shrines of art; attuned himself to 

the subject for her benefit。 

     〃If   you   found   pictures   answer   to   an   unknown   need   within   yourself; 

that    is  very   well;〃    he   declared。     〃About       music    I  know     little;  but 

concerning   painting   a   great   deal。      And   you   desire   to   know;   too;   I   see。 

The spirit is willing; but the spirit probably does not know yet what lies in 

front of it。     You are groping … blind; childlike … without a hand to guard 

and an authority to guide。          That is merely to waste time。            When you go 

back to Italy; you must begin at the beginning; if you are in earnest … not at 

the middle。       Only ignorance measures art in terms of skill; for there are 

no degrees in art。        None has transcended Giotto; because technique and 

draughtsmanship   are   accidents   of   time;   they   lie   outside   the   soul   of   the 

matter。     Art   is   in   fact   a   static   thing。 It   changes   as   the   face   of   the   sea 

changes; from hour to hour; but it does not progress。                There are great and 

small artists and great and small movements; as there are great and small 

waves;   brisk   breezes   and   terrific   tempests;   but   all   are   moulded   of   like 



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substance。       In the one case art; in the other; the ocean; remains unchanged。 

I   shall   plan   your   instruction   for   you;   if   you   please;   and send   you   to   the 

primitives first … the mighty ones who laid the foundations。                     I lived five 

years at Siena … for love of the beginnings; and you must also learn to love 

and   reverence   the   beginnings;   if   you   would   understand   that   light   in   the 

darkness men call the Renaissance。〃 

     He    broke    from    Mary     presently;    strove    to  interest   Sir   Walter;    and 

succeeded。 

     〃A benevolent autocracy is the ideal government; my friend … the ideal 

of    all  supreme     thinkers     …  a  Machiavelli;      a  Nietzsche;      a  Stendhal;     a 

Gobineau。        Liberty     and   equality    are   terms    mutually     destructive;     they 

cannot exist together; for; given liberty; the strong instantly look to it that 

equality shall perish。        And rightly so。        Equality is a war cry for fools … a 

negation of nature; an abortion。             The very ants know better。            Doubtless 

you   view   with   considerable   distrust   the   growing   spirit   of   democracy;   or 

what is called by that name?〃 

     〃I do;〃 admitted Sir Walter。 

     〃Your   monarch   and   mine   are   a   little   bitten   by   this   tarantula。    I   am 

concerned for them。           We must not pander to the mob's leaders; for they 

are not; and never have been; the many…headed thing itself。 They; not the 

mob;   are   'out   to   kill;'   as   you   say。 But   that   State   will   soon   perish   that 

thinks   to   prosper   under   the   rule   of   the   proletariat。  Such   a   constitution 

would be   opposed   to   natural   law  and;  therefore;  contain the  seeds   of   its 

own dissolution。         And its death would be inconceivably horrible; for the 

death of huge; coarse organisms is always horrible。                    Only distinguished 

creatures are beautiful in death; or know how to die like gentlemen。〃 

     〃Who are on your side to…day; siguor?〃 asked Henry Lennox。 

     〃More than I know; I hope。             Gobineau is my lighthouse in the storm。 

You must read him; if you have not done so。                  He was the incarnate spirit 

of the Renaissance。         He radiated from his bosom its effulgence and shot it 

forth;   like   the   light   of   a   pharos   over   dark   waters;   he;   best   of   all   men; 

understood it;  and;   most   of   all   men;   mourned   to   see   its   bright   hope   and 

glory     perish   out   of  the   earth   under    the  unconquerable        superstition    of 

mankind   and   the lamentable infliction of   the  Jewish   race。               Alas!     The 



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                                         THE GREY ROOM 



Jews have destroyed many other things besides the Saviour of us all。〃 

     They     found     the  Renaissance       to   be  the   favorite    theme     of  Signor 

Mannetti。       He   returned   again   and   again to   it;   and   it   was   typical   of   him 

that    he   could    combine      assurances      of  being    a   devout    Catholic     with 

sentiments purely pagan。 

     〃Christianity       has   operated      in   the   making      of   many     slaves    and 

charlatans;〃 he said。        〃One mourns the fact; but must be honest。 It has too 

often    scourged     the   only   really   precious     members      of  society   from   the 

temple     of   life。  It   has  cast   the   brave   and    clean   and   virile   into  outer 

darkness;   and   exalted   the   staple   of   humanity;   which   is   never   brave;   or 

virile;   and   seldom   really  clean。      A  hideous   wave   submerges   everything 

that matters。       The proud; the beautiful … the only beings that justify the 

existence   of   mankind   …   will   soon   be   on   the   hills   with   the   hawks   and 

leopards; and hunted like them … outcast; pariah; unwanted; hated。〃 

     〃The spirit of christianity is socialistic; I fear;〃 said Sir Walter。                〃It is 

one of those things I do not pretend to understand; but the modern clergy 

speak with a clear voice on the subject。〃 

     〃Do your clergy indeed speak with a clear voice?〃 

     〃They do; and we must; of course; listen。                Truth is apt to be painful。 

And how can we reconcile our aristocratic instincts with our faith?                       I ask 

for   information   and   you   will   forgive   the   personality。       I   find   myself   in 

almost   entire     agreement   with      your   noble    sentiments。      But;   as   a 
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