登陆注册
38538600000457

第457章

"That, about half a league off, he had met with a certain enemy of his, whom I also knew, and had heard of their quarrel; that his enemy had given him a very brisk chase, and that having been surprised in disorder, and his party being too weak, he had fled to my gates for refuge; and that he was in great trouble for his followers, whom (he said) he concluded to be all either dead or taken." I innocently did my best to comfort, assure, and refresh him. Shortly after came four or five of his soldiers, who presented themselves in the same countenance and affright, to get in too; and after them more, and still more, very well mounted and armed, to the number of five-and-twenty or thirty, pretending that they had the enemy at their heels. This mystery began a little to awaken my suspicion; I was not ignorant what an age I lived in, how much my house might be envied, and I had several examples of others of my acquaintance to whom a mishap of this sort had happened. But thinking there was nothing to be got by having begun to do a courtesy, unless I went through with it, and that I could not disengage myself from them without spoiling all, I let myself go the most natural and ****** way, as I always do, and invited them all to come in. And in truth I am naturally very little inclined to suspicion and distrust; I willingly incline towards excuse and the gentlest interpretation; I take men according to the common order, and do not more believe in those perverse and unnatural inclinations, unless convinced by manifest evidence, than I do in monsters and miracles; and I am, moreover, a man who willingly commit myself to Fortune, and throw myself headlong into her arms; and I have hitherto found more reason to applaud than to blame myself for so doing, having ever found her more discreet about, and a greater friend to, my affairs than I am myself. There are some actions in my life whereof the conduct may justly be called difficult, or, if you please, prudent; of these, supposing the third part to have been my own, doubtless the other two-thirds were absolutely hers. We make, methinks, a mistake in that we do not enough trust Heaven with our affairs, and pretend to more from our own conduct than appertains to us; and therefore it is that our designs so often miscarry. Heaven is jealous of the extent that we attribute to the right of human prudence above its own, and cuts it all the shorter by how much the more we amplify it. The last comers remained on horseback in my courtyard, whilst their leader, who was with me in the parlour, would not have his horse put up in the stable, saying he should immediately retire, so soon as he had news of his men. He saw himself master of his enterprise, and nothing now remained but its execution.

He has since several times said (for he was not ashamed to tell the story himself) that my countenance and frankness had snatched the treachery out of his hands. He again mounted his horse; his followers, who had their eyes intent upon him, to see when he would give the signal, being very much astonished to find him come away and leave his prey behind him.

Another time, relying upon some truce just published in the army, I took a journey through a very ticklish country. I had not ridden far, but I was discovered, and two or three parties of horse, from various places, were sent out to seize me; one of them overtook me on the third day, and I was attacked by fifteen or twenty gentlemen in vizors, followed at a distance by a band of foot-soldiers. I was taken, withdrawn into the thick of a neighbouring forest, dismounted, robbed, my trunks rifled, my money-box taken, and my horses and equipage divided amongst new masters.

We had, in this copse, a very long contest about my ransom, which they set so high, that it was manifest that I was not known to them. They were, moreover, in a very great debate about my life; and, in truth, there were various circumstances that clearly showed the danger I was in:

"Tunc animis opus, AEnea, tunc pectore firmo."

[Then, AEneas, there is need of courage, of a firm heart."--AEneid, vi. 261.]

I still insisted upon the truce, too willing they should have the gain of what they had already taken from me, which was not to be despised, without promise of any other ransom. After two or three hours that we had been in this place, and that they had mounted me upon a horse that was not likely to run from them, and committed me to the guard of fifteen or twenty harquebusiers, and dispersed my servants to others, having given order that they should carry us away prisoners several ways, and I being already got some two or three musket-shots from the place, "Jam prece Pollucis, jam Castoris, implorata,"

["By a prayer addressed now to Pollux, now to Castor."--Catullus, lxvi. 65.] behold a sudden and unexpected alteration; I saw the chief return to me with gentler language, ****** search amongst the troopers for my scattered property, and causing as much as could be recovered to be restored to me, even to my money-box; but the best present they made was my liberty, for the rest did not much concern me at that time. The true cause of so sudden a change, and of this reconsideration, without any apparent impulse, and of so miraculous a repentance, in such a time, in a planned and deliberate enterprise, and become just by usage (for, at the first dash, I plainly confessed to them of what party I was, and whither I was going), truly, I do not yet rightly understand. The most prominent amongst them, who pulled off his vizor and told me his name, repeatedly told me at the time, over and over again, that I owed my deliverance to my countenance, and the liberty and boldness of my speech, that rendered me unworthy of such a misadventure, and should secure me from its repetition. 'Tis possible that the Divine goodness willed to make use of this vain instrument for my preservation; and it, moreover, defended me the next day from other and worse ambushes, of which these my assailants had given me warning. The last of these two gentlemen is yet living himself to tell the story; the first was killed not long ago.

If my face did not answer for me, if men did not read in my eyes and in my voice the innocence of intention, I had not lived so long without quarrels and without giving offence, seeing the indiscreet whatever comes into my head, and to judge so rashly of things. This way may, with reason, appear uncivil, and ill adapted to our way of conversation; but I have never met with any who judged it outrageous or malicious, or that took offence at my liberty, if he had it from my own mouth; words repeated have another kind of sound and sense. Nor do I hate any person; and I am so slow to offend, that I cannot do it, even upon the account of reason itself; and when occasion has required me to sentence criminals, I have rather chosen to fail in point of justice than to do it:

"Ut magis peccari nolim, quam satis animi ad vindicanda peccata habeam."

["So that I had rather men should not commit faults than that I should have sufficient courage to condemn them."---Livy, xxxix. 21.]

Aristotle, 'tis said, was reproached for having been too merciful to a wicked man: "I was indeed," said he, "merciful to the man, but not to his wickedness." Ordinary judgments exasperate themselves to punishment by the horror of the fact: but it cools mine; the horror of the first murder makes me fear a second; and the deformity of the first cruelty makes me abhor all imitation of it.' That may be applied to me, who am but a Squire of Clubs, which was said of Charillus, king of Sparta: "He cannot be good, seeing he is not evil even to the wicked." Or thus--for Plutarch delivers it both these ways, as he does a thousand other things, variously and contradictorily--"He must needs be good, because he is so even to the wicked." Even as in lawful actions I dislike to employ myself when for such as are displeased at it; so, to say the truth, in unlawful things I do not make conscience enough of employing myself when it is for such as are willing.

同类推荐
  • 列异传

    列异传

    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。
  • 路傍草

    路傍草

    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。
  • 翊圣保德传

    翊圣保德传

    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。
  • 法华问答

    法华问答

    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。
  • 徐偃王志

    徐偃王志

    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。
热门推荐
  • 道武剑仙

    道武剑仙

    三尺青锋剑,一袭白衣袍。倚马踏江湖,仗剑行天下。这就是我理想中的江湖。“我本不知剑仙为何物,然而自从随了师父,我在剑仙的道路上渐行渐远。”出自《不凡忆》【感谢阅文书评团提供书评支持!】
  • 奈良往东的来信

    奈良往东的来信

    自幼年起便被迫漂泊在外的青年阿拓某天突然接到来自日本的家书,邀他回去参加继父葬礼。在几番犹豫下,他拖着已被医生诊断无药可救的身体回到了日本家中。至此,他踏上了一段寻找的旅程——寻找自己出生的意义、母亲抛下他自杀的原因。因为幼年时一直过着提心吊胆,寄人篱下、辗转多个国家的生活,阿拓的心理出现了较为严重的问题,他悲观、厌世、厌食,对人生已无所恋,却在和没有血缘关系的继父之子直树、浩矢重逢后,因为感受到浓浓的,他一直很渴望的亲情,而对往事释怀。
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • exo承诺太伤醉了那个夏

    exo承诺太伤醉了那个夏

    青春是不是真的很短,一掠而过,我们还没来得及及珍惜彼此,就已经分离,经历了年少轻狂的梦,暮然回首,你们,原来早不在我身边,还好,我们的故事,早已被我记下,至少,我还可以回顾我们的点点滴滴啊……哭花其他的作品:《轻轻一瞥你的似水流年》,《对不起错过了你的青春年华》
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 闪婚老公契约妻

    闪婚老公契约妻

    从小被后妈嫌弃,奶奶不待见,被妹妹欺负,却连亲生父亲也要抛弃了她,选择妹妹。一场火海,面目全非,阔别十八年,从豪门之女变成腹黑复仇女,在她拉开复仇的序幕,却上演选错房,上错床的误会,计划已久的开端,倒变的滑稽可笑。知错能改,不愿逗留,可明明自己吃亏,对方倒是一副不肯放过她的架势……怪她错惹黑帮恶少!
  • 呼伦贝尔没有风

    呼伦贝尔没有风

    这个世界上,没有谁可以轻而易举的得到一份独一无二的爱情,不管你是谁在做什么工作将来会成为如何优秀的人,你都必须为此付出。陈小戚对别人的付出没能得到一份肯定,而秦渊对她是似鲸向海,飞鸟投林般的坚定,他相信他会打开陈小戚封尘的心,得到一份心有灵犀。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 易安归木妍

    易安归木妍

    沈易安有洁癖但对温木妍除外,哪怕很忙也可以为了见她一面抛下工作。而温木妍一个嘴上嚷嚷着爱爱豆胜过男友的人,却比谁都护犊子,简而言之我男朋友只可以我欺负,他也只可以宠着我
  • 想见你想见你想见你

    想见你想见你想见你

    人生最重要的三年,如同海中浮木,渺小而又迷茫,心存些许期望,又想出去闯闯。高中三年值得纪念,我将以三年的经历,来写出一个个故事。